K Fanfic: SoulBound

Characters: It's supposed to be Mikoto and HOMRA centric, with side doses of Munakata and Fushimi, and guest appearances by a variety of others. I will force it back on that path soon, but somehow, the beginning chapters got hijacked by Shiro and the Gold King, of all people. You have been warned!

Pairings: Lots of bromance between Mikoto and just about everyone else. If I do add in an actual pairing, it will probably be YataxMikoto, with a helping of KusanagixMikoto and MunakataxMikoto, but I don't know yet.

Summary: "I won't let anyone else die." Shiro was going to stand by those words come hell or high water, even if he had to resort to a risky, complicated, time-consuming, and near-impossible plan to do it. There would be a happy ending to this story. (A "for the sake of my continued sanity, let's try bringing back Shiro and Mikoto!" fanfic)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not K, not its characters, and not any of the other animes I might have drawn from for character inspiration.

Beware: The first few chapters are a bit slow and information dense. They're completely necessary in order to build the framework for the rest of the story, but I wouldn't call them indicative of the tone of the later chapters, as they'll be much more character and relationship based. If you can brave your way through these first few chapters, I promise it gets better! ^.^

Chapter 2:

Monday, December 24th

One week later found Shiro sitting in the breakfast nook of his new suite inside the Gold Tower, enjoying a scone and tea while watching the morning activities take place down below through the surrounding windows. With one day left until Christmas, the bustle was even more hectic than usual, with people making last minute preparations for the holiday. Shiro himself had been too busy with other things to do anything in that regard, barely having the time to register Christmas' approach, let alone think about things like presents and decorations. He enjoyed being able to pause for a moment and watch the holiday activities taking place outside the Tower each morning.

The set of rooms provided for him where very nice, with a small kitchen area, a living room with comfortable couches and armchairs and huge windows lining one wall, a breakfast nook, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. It was more of a small apartment than anything. What his friend might need such rooms for Shiro didn't know, but knowing the Lieutenant, they could simply exist on the off chance that they might come in handy. He was always a step ahead when it came to preparedness, it seemed.

It had truly been a hectic week for everyone involved, he mused. The Lieutenant had come through for him as always, taking care of the more mundane problems often before Shiro even registered them, which left Shiro able to focus on Mikoto. And that was a full time job in and of itself.

It wasn't just power he needed to provide for the young man, which was draining in itself, but also mental stimulation as well. Even if Mikoto couldn't easily communicate with words, and wasn't what many would consider fully conscious, he still needed to receive outside stimulus. Without a body, he didn't have any of his normal senses such as sight, touch, and hearing, and his sense of time was also consequently inaccurate. It could be considered similar to being in a sensory deprivation chamber. Without other people communicating with him from outside the Slate, he could easily go mad, or fall into a kind of vegetative state in an effort to instinctively shield himself, and who knows if he would ever recover from that.

Thankfully the Lieutenant had clansmen with mental abilities that enabled them to help, and the Gold King himself had taken time from his busy schedule every so often in order to offer what aid he could, as well. They were currently running on a schedule of rotating work shifts, with Shiro being one of the primary caretakers. It didn't matter whether they were using words or emotions and visuals in order to communicate, as long as they didn't leave Mikoto alone for longer than an hour or two. Responses back from the young man were mostly in the latter two categories, as he would have had to use much more power for the former, and Mikoto simply didn't have the reserves to put such effort forth often, if at all. 'Not that he seems to be that big of a talker at the best of times, anyway.' Shiro thought, chuckling to himself in amusement.

Shiro leaned forward, picking up his teacup from its place on the medium-sized, round breakfast table and bringing it to his mouth for a drink, sighing in contentment. It was a nice black tea, clearly imported from Europe. It also happened to be one of his favorites. Well, he shouldn't expect anything less from the Lieutenant. The Gold King may already be swamped in planning for the long term consequences of this situation, but he certainly wasn't going to let little details slip through the cracks. He was a firm believer in the saying "the devil is in the details", after all. He had even taken up the task of searching for Kuroh and Neko in Shiro's place.

Shiro sighed, setting his teacup delicately back on its saucer and leaning back tiredly in his chair. He would have liked to search for them himself, but that pesky 250 meter business meant that he couldn't leave this place. The Gold King had sent teams out to search for them, but they didn't want to scare them off, and thus were limiting the use of their abilities and keeping things as low-key as possible. Between this and Neko's ability to hide using her illusions, the search was going much more slowly than he would have liked. He could sense their general location, and could tell that they were definitely still within the city, but without getting closer he couldn't do much more than that. He could only hope that they were found soon, and pray for their safety until then.

The sound of a firm knock, followed by his door opening, pulled Shiro from his thoughts. He glanced up, smiling. "Good morning, Lieutenant! Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough. Good morning, Weismann." Kokujoji replied, moving to take a seat across the table from Shiro, where a second place was already set for breakfast, and poured himself a cup of tea. "The worst of the planning is now done, and that which needs to be set into motion has been. I've set about the remodeling of one of the suites on this floor, to change its function to that of a hospital room which can be used for the first few weeks of Suoh's recovery." He paused, taking a sip of his tea before continuing, " As for later, after taking into account your requirement of him remaining within a relatively short distance from the Slate for the following months, I believe that I have found a solution to his housing needs then as well. Continuing to keep him confined here in the Tower, especially after his clan learns of his return, seems ill-advised. I own an apartment building less than two blocks from here. It is primarily used as housing for my employees, including both the doctor who will be his primary physician as well as the members of the team I wish to assign to him for his continued safety during this stressful time. After you confirm that the distance is acceptable, I will set about renovating one of the larger apartments, making it functional for someone who will, at least for a time, be both disabled as well as in poor health. From your description of his state upon revival, I imagine that that young man has months in a wheelchair to look forward to, at the very least." Kokujoji began eating the more traditional Japanese breakfast laid out before him, pausing only to raise an eyebrow in inquiry at Weismann.

Shiro laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "That's the Lieutenant for you! Always thinking ahead! I hadn't thought about any of that. Well, I'd say anywhere closer than 3 city blocks should be alright, actually, and he'll be able to travel as far as 6 blocks for short periods of time as long as he visits the Slate for a while every day. Speaking of housing, is Saya-chan one of the residents of that apartment building by any chance?" Shiro asked, looking as the Gold King curiously.

"Haruno Saya? She is. She's one of the members of the team I wish to assign to him, as well as the younger sister of the doctor, as a matter of fact. I take it she has made herself useful, then?" Kokujoji enquired.

"She most certainly has! Her abilities are perfect for this kind of situation, actually. I remember you saying that you had a clansman with strong mental gifts, but I never imagined someone with her scope! Empathy, telepathy, and the ability to create mental bonds, both temporary and permanent, between people, she really is astounding!" Shiro finished excitedly.

"I take it you did read at least some of my letters over the last 50 years, then, as the only time I'd previously mentioned her to you was in them." Kokujoji replied, face impassive.

"I read all of them, of course! Even if I never responded to a single one of them, I did treasure your letters, Lieutenant. They were always full of such interesting things!" Shiro responded, a sad smile on his face.

"Then I will consider them a good investment, if they could hold your attention for any length of time, oh flighty one." The Gold King responded dryly, hiding a pleased smile behind his teacup.

"You're so mean! But back to the topic of Saya-chan, she really surprised me that first morning! I hadn't thought of the consequences of leaving Mikoto alone at first, and when I finally realized and rushed back, she was already there, camped out at the Slate with a bunch of pillows and a picnic basket, chatting cheerfully with him. Or should I say, at him. He wasn't in any state to respond back then, after all, but that didn't seem to bother her in the least! She's quite an upbeat and cheerful girl! She was also the one who brought up the possibility of Mikoto needing some emotional and mental healing when he returns to his body. She'd be perfect for assessing that when he returns, and if necessary, looking after him in that regard, too. But why are you assigning a team to look after Mikoto? I can see why medical personnel would be prudent, but what about the rest?"

"Putting aside the fact that separating Saya from her very protective fiancée for any length of time is quite the task, as I am sure you have noticed in your dealings with them, there are those who would take advantage of the current situation of the Red King, both politically as well as through physical means. He is without his clan to protect him in his current state, and any large uses of his powers would be ill-advised, I'd imagine, both in regards to his health as well as the state of his Sword. The team I wish to assign specializes in protection and bodyguard work for those under high levels of threat, particularly from multiple or unidentified sources." Kokujoji finished.

"That sounds like a good idea, when you put it that way. Regarding the Sword of Damocles issue, I actually have a few plans in mind that I want to try out. This is the first time that a King has become the clansman of another King, after all, and it opens up our options. It seems that he can handle using more of my Sanctum's power than an ordinary clan member can, and continually drawing small amounts of it doesn't seem to negatively affect him, either! In fact, it's his natural response! Since he has been technically dead, the Slate has currently withdrawn his title as Red King. While I'm positive that it will be returned to him upon his revival, this is actually quite the good thing for us, as it 're-sets the clock' for him, if you will, returning his Sword to the perfect condition he originally received it in. I think that once his soul is returned, I can tie the Silver clan's inviobility directly to his Sword, using that to prevent it from deteriorating again. It will mean that he won't be able to use that piece of the clan's power for anything else ever again, and he'll have to continually be funneling power from the Silver Sanctum, but I think that he won't be bothered much by that. Kings are used to having their powers always in the 'on' mode, after all. He can still use the gravity manipulation, though! It will be fun to teach him how to fly!" Shiro finished with an excited chuckle.

The Gold King shook his head, feeling a moment of pity for Suoh. Weismann seemed to have decided to take the Red King technically being his clansman to heart, considering him more a baby chick in need of care and teaching than anything else. Already, whenever Weismann was speaking to Suoh in the Slate, it usually consisted of an endless stream of technical babble with the occasional story to emphasize one of his 'educational points.' He was surprised Suoh hadn't entered that much-feared vegetative state simply to escape the man's incessant and incomprehensible prattle. Kokujoji decided that now would be a fine time to question his friend on the matter.

"I will admit to being surprised as to your level of attachment to Suoh, Weismann. From what I have been able to deduce, you haven't exchanged more than a few sentences at most with the young man while he was alive and fully conscious. What we receive from him now shouldn't be enough for one to form such a positive impression."

Shiro laughed softly, "We did share soul space for a while there, you know. That kind of experience isn't something you come away from without a certain level of mutual exchange. I learned a lot about him during that time, especially when it comes to things like his personality and emotions. The same can be said for Suoh; he learned the same things about me. That means that even if we haven't talked to one another properly, the two of us do know each other surprisingly well when it comes to the important things! It will make for an interesting friendship, I'm sure!"

Yes, Kokujoji found that he was definitely feeling sorry for the young man. Already declared a friend by Weismann without any input on his part, huh? Well, regardless of how things turned out in that regard, it should make for an entertaining spectacle for those observing, at the very least. It was never boring when his old friend was around, that was for sure.

"You mentioned having multiple plans in regards to the Sword issue. The others would be?" Kokujoji said, drawing the conversation back to the previous topic of discussion. It was always better to find out about any plans of Weismann's in advance; it allowed for pre-emptive damage control, if nothing else.

"The others involve the maintaining of his health, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. This will lower the amount of power he needs to direct from the Silver Sanctum in order to prevent damage to his Sword, and the level of effort he needs to expend in order to do so. The best option there involves both the members of his clan and the use of certain aspects of Saya's powers, but I won't know if what I have in mind will work until I meet them, so I won't go into detail on that just yet, if you don't mind. No point in planning for it if it isn't even possible!" Shiro finished, emitting another sheepish chuckle.

Kokujoji found himself vehemently disagreeing with that thought internally; it was always better to plan ahead for Weismann's shenanigans than to let them catch you unaware and underprepared. He would have to give this matter some thought later, and put into place some contingency plans based upon any of the possibilities he could manage to think of using the vague description Weismann had just given him. It would probably all be for naught in the end, as he would in all likelihood still be surprised by whatever his old friend ended up doing, but if nothing else it would make him feel better in the interim. Having finished with the more serious matters, the two moved their conversation onto lighter topics, slowly continuing the process of catching up on half a century worth of missed time.

They were interrupted by the arrival of a Gold clansman, who bowed upon entering. "My apologies for interrupting you during your breakfast, Your Majesties, but we have finally managed to come into contact with the two individuals you requested that we locate. We have them on the phone right now. They are demanding to speak with someone named "Shiro". We are unsure of who this is, and thought that, as their King, you might know the answer, Weismann-sama." The man finished nervously, indicating the cell phone in his hand uncertainly.

"Yes , yes! That would be me! Isana Yashiro is the name I've gone by for the majority of the time that I've known them. They're asking to speak to me." Shiro said, his heart leaping in his chest, hurriedly standing up and making his way towards the Gold clansman. He held his hand out for the cell phone, which was quickly handed over. "Hello? Kuroh, Neko? Is that you?"

"Shiro?" Kuroh's voice spoke, the question coming hesitantly, and Shiro suddenly remembered that they had never spoken to him in his original form, and thus wouldn't recognize his voice. This could be tricky.

"Yes, Kuroh, this is Shiro. I'm back in my original body. Feel free to ask me something only I would know if you need to confirm it. Are you both alright?" Shiro asked.

"We're both in good health, thank you. As to a question, I am unsure as to what might be appropriate in these circumstances…" Kuroh trailed off, only to be interrupted by Neko.

"I know, I know! When Kuroh first met Neko, what did he do?" Neko's excited voice drifted down the line.

Shiro laughed, looking back on what had been quite a stressful time and seeing the humor in it. "He tried to get you to put some clothes on, of course. He then chased us around the school for the rest of the day. You drew all over his face, too. Poor Kuroh!"

"Shiro! It's Shiro! It's Neko's Shiro, Kuroh!" Neko chirped happily.

"Indeed, it would appear so. Might we know where you are? The Gold clansmen with us say you are at the Gold Kings Tower…." Kuroh responded.

"Yup! I'm staying here for the time being. The Gold clansman can transport you here quickly, so you should go with them. The circumstances here are a bit complicated, but I'll definitely explain it all when you get here. Oh, and Kuroh? I have an important task I was hoping you'd do once you arrive." Shiro said seriously.

"And what might that be?' Kuroh asked curiously.

"Well you see, my hair in my current body is way too long, and I want to cut it in a style similar to the one I had when I was with you two. Do you think you can do it? You seem to be good at cooking and sewing and such, so I thought that I'd ask you!" Shiro responded cheerfully.

A longsuffering sigh from the other end was his answer. "You are indeed Shiro. Only he would ask me to accomplish such a frivolous task in such a grave manner. Understood, my King. We will be arriving at your location shortly. Please gather the necessary tools, such as a comb and a pair of scissors. Also, be prepared to give your explanation in full regarding those 'complicated circumstances' you mentioned earlier. Be safe." And with that, the phone call was abruptly terminated.

Shiro let out a relieved sigh, before handing the phone back to the waiting clansman. "Thank you for finding them for me! Please bring them right here when they arrive. And also, two more breakfast settings, if you wouldn't mind? Traditional Japanese cuisine should work. I'm sure that they haven't been eating enough in the past week." Shiro finished, before turning his gaze to the Gold King. "Thank you, my friend. I wouldn't have been able to find them without your help."

The Gold King smiled softly, replying "It is good to see you forming bonds with others again, Weismann. For a long time, I believed that you would be forever alone, drifting through the sky and connecting with nothing and no one. It does an old man good to be proven wrong in this regard."

"Yeah. I'm finally beginning to move forward again, after such a long time of staying in place. I'm sure that there will be a lot of fun and exciting things to look forward to from now on!' Shiro responded, grinning cheerfully at his old friend. This was the best Christmas present he could have asked for! Good times were certainly going to come from now on. Not just for himself and his clan, but for others as well. He would make sure of it.

A.N.: End chapter 2! From here on out, things begin to pick up speed. Please review! Even just a one-liner telling me a single thing you liked about the story so far would be treasured by me! I really need all the encouragement I can get, to be honest. ;_;