A/N: First part of this is written from Yata's point of view, for a change, and the latter part will be back in Mikoto's POV. There's a whole lot of fluff and feel good stuff in this chapter to counteract all the dark drama we've had so far...but of course that's not going to be all there is, gotta progress this story somehow. ;p
I know in the K anime a few things don't happen until after Decemeber 7th but that's not gonna work for this story so I just wanted to point that out. XD
Also, thank you to everyone who has left comments/kudos! That really motivates me to write so it's extremely appreciated! 3
Enjoy!
0o0o00o0
"Hey, wake up."
Yata peeled his eyes open slowly, pupils adjusting to the daylight that filtered in through the windows on the other side of the room. He pushed himself up on his elbows, a realization dawning on him almost immediately as he came face to face with the half asleep face of his King.
"Mikoto-san! I didn't mean to fall asleep in your room," he yelped in panic, heat rising to his face in utter embarrassment. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he had been equal parts exhausted and comfortable during the last part of the shitty film they had been watching so he wasn't too surprised he dozed off. He could only wonder if Mikoto had fallen asleep before or after him, if it was the latter he didn't understand why the Red King didn't kick him out and tell him to go sleep in the rec room.
"S'okay, you don't have to get up but be a bit more quiet," Suoh mumbled with a smirk as he rolled on his side, facing the leader of his Vanguard. Yata relaxed back into the mattress, albeit reluctantly.
"Sorry..." he grumbled under his breath, mimicking his King's actions so they were looking at one another. He desperately tried to fight off the blush that rose to his cheeks but it was no use.
"You looked really comfortable so I didn't want to wake you," Mikoto said, unknowingly answering the younger man's question. "I know the rec room's couch isn't the most comfortable but my bed is pretty amazing. I would know, I spend 18 hours a day in it."
Yata couldn't help but burst into laughter at the statement, it wasn't like the King to make jokes but his snarky remark about himself was pretty much the same thing to the younger man's ears. Suoh let out a chuckle himself as he watched his companion wipe tears from his eyes.
"You're right about that, this bed is heavenly. My bed feels like a brick," Yata said after he regained control of his breathing, "I literally have to put two old comforters on top of it to make it semi-tolerable."
"How do you cope?"
"Some of us don't hibernate daily like you do, Mikoto."
"You got me there, I can't deny that."
"So," Yata began as he stretched out his legs a bit, "how are you feeling today?"
"A lot better, actually." Mikoto answered with a sigh of relief, "I think everyone being conscious of how much they relied on the Red Aura has helped me tremendously."
"Can I ask you a serious question?"
"Ah."
"What is the Red Aura like?" Misaki bit his lip, "I mean I kind of understand it but at the same time I don't think I do. I get to feel a fraction of what it's like, but you were the one chosen by the Dresden Slate to posses it, you're the one who feels it the most...so...yeah...how does it feel to you?"
Mikoto sighed again, a grim looking sweeping over his usually passive face. He didn't speak for a moment, as if he was having to strain to think of words to actually describe what the power that coursed through his being felt like. It did little for the Vanguard's concerns.
"It's incredibly powerful, in short," Suoh started as he propelled himself upward, sitting with his back against the headboard though he continued to look the younger man in the eyes. "Do you want to hear all about it or the condensed version?"
"Everything you're willing to share with me."
"Okay so let's start from the beginning, there are no secrets between you and I. As far as I'm concerned if you ask something I'll give you an honest and full answer. You're not just a clansmen of mine, Yata. You're a friend, too."
If he smiles like that one more time I'm going to have a heart attack. Yata thought to himself as he lightly shook his head, yeah, like that's going to clear the thought.
"When I first found out I had this power I didn't feel any major sense of shock or anything, I think I knew I was different since the time I was a kid but I guess everything...just made sense when I found out about my Aura. I remember thinking to myself, well this explains why I'm the way I am.For as long as I can remember I've always had a really short temper, it made me feel inhuman a lot of times. People would always say I had anger issues or something akin to that but I knew better than that, the hatred I felt always grew with no particular reason behind it, all I knew was I had the urge to destroy and that was what I did. I didn't even question it.
Kusanagi and Tatara were around the first time I awoke as a King. It's a bit blurry for me now that I look back on it but I remember one thing just as clearly, I felt like I was dying. The heat that surrounded me not only set ablaze everything in my wake but burned at my insides, and the entire time that was happening I had no control over myself or what I did. I remember thinking that I had to fight it with everything I had, that I had always been a fighter so this was just another conquest, and after a short internal battle it deactivated and I passed out from the strain of it. Needless to say they were both astonished at what they had witnessed. I think it shocked them even more than me."
"I never imagined it would be like that for a King, for some reason I always thought a King would have instant control over it." Yata said quietly, showing that he was still very much interested in what the older man was saying.
"I wish that would have been the case, but no, it's pretty hard. For a few days after that I was an unstable mess, I sat in the rec room here and was almost constantly engulfed in my Aura. I was too terrified to do anything other than sit there, fearing that I would destroy everything around me if I did anything else...but eventually it subsided and I learned how to suppress the urges it gave me. I got into a fight a few days later and it activated on it's own, like it wanted to protect me from any harm...I was mortified with myself. I had seriously injured those people without even having to lift a finger...
I remember coming back to HOMRA and sitting on the couch, Izumo knew something was up but didn't say anything to me about it but Tatara wasn't having any of it. I warned him not to get to close to me out of fear of hurting him but he just shook his head, punched the palm of my hand and told me that my powers were there so that I could protect people...not harm them. I've always struggled with myself to remember that, though. But that's enough about that. Anyway, the next thing I did was take Izumo and Tatara as my clansmen then from there...well we just kind of picked up everyone else. That's all I can really remember about being a King in the beginning."
Yata nodded his head in understanding as he kept his eyes intently trained on the older man. He hadn't expected Mikoto to launch into every detail of his past from when he became a King but he was happy to hear it. He had begun to realize throughout their conversation that he really didn't know that much about his King at all. He was all but desperate to change that.
"But back to what you were asking me about," Mikoto said with a wave of his hand, realizing how far off topic he had strayed. "My Aura...it has a mind of it's own, really. There's a reason most Red Kings don't last very long. The urge to destroy everything needs constant suppression, and sometimes it becomes unbearable...painful. The Red Aura is a lot of things, warm being the most predominate, powerful, and protective being the next in line, but the one thing I hate to describe it as- but feel obligated to say- is it's..." Suoh frowned. "Terrifying. Especially if you can't control it."
"Mikoto?"
"I've said to much, I'm sure. But try not to worry about it, I've dealt with it for this many years and as long as I rest every now and again I bet I could get another five years out of life before I absolutely lose it." Mikoto let out a bitter laugh, a sound that made Yata's stomach churn. "Maybe longer if I find a good way to let off some steam every now and again."
"Please don't say things like that..." Yata pleaded as he brought his knees to his chest, "you're gonna be around for a long time, Mikoto. I know you are, you're too stubborn to die."
"Stubborn yes, but immortal...not so much. If what I said upset you I assure you that wasn't my intention, I was just being honest." Mikoto replied with a sigh, "I'm not going anywhere any time soon so you can wipe that worried look off of your face. I told you, I've got control of this. I've contained it for this long so I have no doubt that I'll be able to continue to do so."
"I wish you didn't have to feel that way though...it must be scary..." Yata laid his head on his knees, "feeling like you could explode at any moment."
"That's why they call Totsuka a beast tamer," the Red King replied with a chuckle, "I don't know why but he's always been able to calm me down whenever it gets hard to contain. Both him and Anna, really. Maybe it's because they're so levelheaded."
Yata felt a pang of jealousy course through him, but he couldn't pinpoint why he'd feel such a thing. He, like most of the members of HOMRA, was brash and violent. He wasn't passive like Totsuka and he certainly didn't see violence as a last resort like Anna did, it only made sense that they would be able to sway their King's mood. Someone like him would just infuriate him even more, he was certain of that.
"Mikoto you're the strongest man I've ever met without a doubt, not just anyone could contain that much destructive power and put it to good use, too. I don't think I'd ever want to be a King, not after hearing all of that. I take my own power for granted sometimes, I'm lucky I don't have to deal with the same things you do on a daily basis. It's...incredible that you have the strength to do that." Yata scratched the back of his head, almost forgetting he had peeled his beanie off of his hair the night before- almost having a panic attack as he thought he had lost it.
"You trying to flirt with me?" Mikoto deadpanned, raising an eyebrow in suspicion as his Vanguard's fact shot a deep red color at the accusation.
"What!? No! I was just saying that you...I mean that...-"
"I was kidding, you can breathe again."
"Oh right," Yata internally smacked himself, that was totally not cool.
"Your reaction was pretty much answer enough," Mikoto said with a laugh as he sunk back into the mattress, eyes closing but not hiding the look of satisfaction that swept over his facial features.
Yata laughed weakly, desperate to try and cover any and all embarrassment he felt. If he was honest with himself he'd say he didn't know why Mikoto, as of late, had made him a babbling idiot but Misaki was starting to put two and two together. The more he learned about his King the more he wanted to know, the more he wanted to show his support and devotion. He didn't know how he never realized it before but he was basically a stranger to his King, and vise versa.
The leader of the Vanguard had a realization as he looked over at his King, who was obviously trying to sleep despite it being time to wake up, he didn't know when his desire to become like the Red King had morphed into a desire to...well he didn't know what it had changed into but it was a feeling that was almost familiar. Like he had done this before, felt this way at another point in time. It was as if there was some sort of mental block that prevented him from seeing what the new forming emotion was, though.
Whether it was a sense of belonging or a sense of something more he wasn't sure. It made his heart pound in his chest and his blood burst throughout his veins with new found purpose. The hook felt better than any adrenaline rush but it was too foreign to pinpoint the cause. Ever since he had started his stay at HOMRA things had been different for him. There was always the slight fear he felt at the thought of losing a friend and his King, but he knew he had to put all of his faith in Mikoto and sadly enough, Munakata as well.
Why the Blue King was so...eager to help the Red King was beyond him and he found himself unable to think of any real reason why he'd want too. Munakata always called Suoh a friend of his but Yata couldn't comprehend how two men that alleged hated each others guts could be classified as anything other than enemies. Frenemies? Doubtful.
"Mikoto?"
Curiosity eventually got the better of him and he couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Ah?"
"What's the relationship between you and the Blue King?"
Mikoto's eyes snapped open at the question.
"What do you mean?"
"Well...it's just that you guys are always at each other's throats but at the same time you two can act civil with one another? I don't get it, If he's your enemy I don't see how you guys can have casual conversations. I could never do that with the Monkey." Yata blabbed awkwardly, instant regretting having asked in the first place as his King's face grew irritated.
"Munakata and I go way back," Mikoto answered with a sigh, pinching his brow as the irritation he showed moments ago faded into something more akin to distress. Yata raised an eyebrow. "I've known him since I met Kusanagi, needless to say we never really got along too well but at one time we got partnered for a project in our last year of Junior High and after that we weren't complete strangers. He went off on me about my laziness during the project and after that I wanted to prove the nerd wrong so I worked my ass off to finish my half of it."
Misaki nodded slowly, silently urging him to go on.
"We got an A and that project ended up saving my ass from flunking that class so after that I couldn't bring myself to hate the guy outwardly. As time went on and we got older we didn't talk or anything but if we saw one another we'd always at least acknowledge the other person. But when I became a King his face became intolerable for some reason, it was like I sensed the sleeping Blue Aura inside of him before he had even known he was the one destined to have it. When he arose as the Blue King we set aside our mixed past and waged war with one another. Almost on instinct."
"So you don't hate that guy?"
"No, I hate him." Mikoto said with an honest laugh, "but the hate I feel isn't mine, it's my Aura's hate for his. Red and Blue don't go together, never have and never will. I wanna roast him alive and he wants to slice me in two, it's just part of the precarious natural order of the Kings."
"Did the previous Blue and Red King hate one another?"
"More than anything." Suoh rolled over to look at the younger man, "so when Munakata calls me a friend it's because at one point maybe that's vaguely what we were. He's just holding onto the past, though. I wouldn't consider him a good friend or anything, we were never close but I do care about him in some sort of way."
"There's so much I don't know about Kings," Yata whined as he threw his head back in frustration, "why does everything have to be so complicated with Kings? Nothing is the way it seems."
"Try living it," Mikoto chuckled, "I've probably talked your ear off."
"No not at all, I asked you so I wanted to hear all of it." Yata said with an honest smile. Truth be told he was happy to hear his King speak so openly and freely. He had always thought Mikoto had been a bit quiet, minding his own business or trapped in his own thoughts but Yata now understood that the Red King was always waging war with himself. Restraining, fighting, and protecting himself from the very Aura that coursed through Yata's body, too. Everything made sense now, whether Misaki wanted it too or not. "I like listening to you."
"So I think it's only fair that since I answered a few questions that I get to ask you a few things as well."
"Sure thing, Mikoto-san. Anything you want to know."
"What was your life like before you joined up with HOMRA? Minus the parts I already know of course," the question was sincere but it was unintentionally harmful, as well. Misaki hated thinking about his past, let alone talking about it, but Mikoto was right. He did owe him after having listen to his life story for the last twenty minutes, and for the Red King he'd do anything- even if it hurt him.
"Well I lived a relatively normal life as a kid, I was always a reckless brat but I guess that's pretty much normal for young boys...I guess things didn't really change until my father passed away unexpectedly." Yata watched Mikoto's eyes drop, almost like he regretted asking after seeing how hard it was going to be for the younger man to talk about it. He wasn't going to stop now that he started but he appreciated the silent sentiment, even though the King hadn't intended for him to see it. "There was an accident at his work and he got crushed, I was six when it happened but I still remember it all so clearly.
My mom tried to play it off that she would be okay but she never seemed to be happy after that, and I hated that more than anything. I hate when people lie about how they feel...and being the idiot I am I started really acting up in school and at home. She never had the energy to scold me for it so it got worse and worse, until one day I punched a teacher in the arm after he had tried to get me to stop doing something. Being so young, seven at that point, my teacher didn't report it to the principal, maybe because he wanted to help me and not have me expelled...that I never asked. He did call my mom though and they had a meeting about me."
"After that I started seeing my teacher outside of school more often, my mom would invite him over for dinner and I think I was too stupid to understand what was going on. I didn't even realize they had begun dating until they told me they were getting married. They were shocked, like they expected me to have put the pieces together and since I didn't it was my fault that I was upset at their announcement. I'll honestly never understand why things happened the way they did, but they eventually got married and had two kids. I'm really not that close to any of them, I was never home after they had my younger sister, Megumi. Then Minoru came about and by that time I had already met the stupid Monkey and I was spending most of my days with him."
Mikoto nodded his head in understanding.
"At 14 the Monkey and I were skipping class in favor of hanging out in Shizume, I eventually dropped out but he finished school online. At 15 I left my parents without a word in the middle of the night, they had their little happy family and it was becoming clear that I was just an unwanted nuisance. They had my younger siblings and I was just a painful reminder of my dad, a man dead and gone with no place in my mom's heart anymore. They never asked me to do anything with them, never even asked me to eat dinner with them- which they did every night. So I packed my bags and the Monkey and I slept in this piece of crap van we had managed to get from a junkyard for thirty thousand yen.
After awhile of hating life too much to leave the van, we found work doing odd jobs for people around the city and made enough money to buy a shitty studio apartment in the worst part of Shizume. We slept on blankets on the floor, had no furniture other than a TV the Monkey had brought and our games systems. It wasn't a great existence but it was better than what I had had with my parents...I think that was the first time since my dad died that I was honestly happy...we also had hardly any clothes so our school uniforms became the best attire we had. Hence why we were wearing them the day we met you."
"I didn't realize you had already been through so much," Mikoto mumbled quietly, a sad look in his eyes. "That's hardly fair for someone your age."
"I'm 19 Mikoto, I'm sure someone out there at age seven has it worse than I ever did. I've deserved everything that's ever happened to me and as I've said before, if I had to do all of this over again just so I could end up here, at HOMRA, then I would do it in a heartbeat. This was worth all of that torture." Yata stated with a bitter sigh, "so when I said you gave me a purpose I mean it, I never had one before I met you. You and the guys gave me a chance to be alive, not just exist. It was the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Yata bit his tongue, he felt...relieved. He had never openly discussed his past with anyone other than Saru so it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. There was a pain that came with speaking of his past, and it was only because it was something he didn't feel like he could tell Mikoto that made him suffer through that in silence. But like hell would he admit he had been in love with the Monkey when they had lived together in their shitty apartment. It made Misaki feel sick to his stomach just thinking about, he wasn't proud of that time in his life and he regretted ever feeling such a think for that traitor, he'd never say it aloud again.
"You look troubled so I'll save my last question for later," Mikoto said with a small smile, "I guess we should probably get up anyway."
"Yeah, it's already nine o'clock...they're probably wondering if we're dead." Yata replied wistfully as he reluctantly climbed off the bed, hands smoothing down his clothes.
"You're probably right about that," Suoh answered as he too got out of bed, walking into his bathroom with a mutter under his breath about needing to fix his hair. Yata shook his head but waited for him, ignoring the voice in his head that laughed at him for acting like a loyal dog. The Red King was back in record time, looking like his usual self and a helluva lot more healthy than he had looked earlier in the week, Misaki was thankful for that.
"All right let's go," Mikoto said with a yawn, walking past his jacket in favor of not wearing it for once. Yata followed him without hesitation, the pair descending the stairs at a quick rate until they were in the main part of the bar. A few patrons were in the building along with the usual suspects as well. Before Yata could take a seat on the couch someone caught his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Mikoto.
"Thanks for talking to me earlier."
Yata's heart felt like it would give out.
"No...thank you, Mikoto-san."
0o0o0o
Four uneventful days passed without incident, and Mikoto's overall health had soared far beyond it's normal capacity. He felt brand new, like he could breath again without worrying about burning everything around him. His clansmen had not used their Aura far beyond what was recommended and he was reaping the benefits from it. He hated to admit it but Munakata had been right...and Fushimi's inquiry on his Sword of Damocles had proved true, as well. It still had a few cracks in it, but the original deep red color of it had returned, replacing the burnt brown that had once taken over it.
It no longer crumbled and broke apart in the sky, but rather held it's form. Even the dull orb in the center of the sword had regained it's red hue. The Blues thought it was a miracle, the Gold King wanted to do more research on this himself, and Mikoto...he thought it was life changing. If resting his Aura meant he could heal some part of himself then maybe he'd be the first Red King not to end up causing a tragedy.
There were parts of his sword that would never heal. A crack represented a great burden a King had taken on and those were still thought to be non-repairable, Mikoto couldn't see those going away any time soon either so he agreed with that theory. His sword had three cracks in it, two were small but still present, and then there was one that ran across the width of the bottom half of the sword.
He remembered when he got it as if it was yesterday. It was from the day he had rescued Anna. It was a day he didn't like to think about in great detail, mainly because he remembered how painful that day was for the young Strain. Thanks to the actions of one man, a man Mikoto was tempted to murder should he ever cross paths with him again, Anna had lost the only family she had had left. But also because of that day Mikoto gained an important part of himself, he couldn't imagine life without Anna now. She had truly been a blessing to him, despite how much suffering the young girl endured she was a ray of light in his otherwise dimly lit world. She made him feel sane, like he had a purpose besides destruction because it was up to him to provide for her and to protect her.
She was HOMRA's very own Princess, after all.
It was early morning on the first of December when Mikoto woke up, he found himself unable to fall back asleep and instead of laying around he marched up to the attic of HOMRA and pulled out a box that was labeled Christmas. No one associated with HOMRA was religious but the holiday was still important to them, it was more about coming together and spending time together than anything and though he knew it was a bit early Mikoto had the urge to begin planning how they would decorate the bar this year.
A part of his mind screamed that it was because he was afraid of the events that would transpire in the next few days, depending on whether or not they could prevent all of this from happening or not -that thought always weighed down on his mind- but Mikoto shook those thoughts away. He was going to live to see Tatara and Anna celebrate their favorite holiday, he just had to be strong and remain calm.
Heh, like that's possible.
"King?" Tatara's tired voice came from the stairwell as the man's tired frame appeared in front of the red head, "what are you doing up so early? It's only six."
"Couldn't sleep," Mikoto answered honestly as he patted the ground next to him, offering his pajama clad friend a place to sit- which he did without hesitation.
"Already in the Christmas spirit?" Tatara mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes, still clearly trying to shake the reigns of sleep away.
"Ah," was all the King offered as he opened another small box inside of the larger one, it was an ornament that had a group photo of HOMRA wrapped inside of it. "You think it's too early to put the tree up?"
"King..." the cameraman began as he leaned over to look at the photo, "no I don't think it's too early. Why not make some memories while we still have the chance? When everyone wakes up we can nag Kusanagi-san until he caves in and lets us all decorate the bar together."
"Tatara..."
The man gave him a nervous smile.
"I know, King. I'm scared, too."
0o0o0o0o
"Princess be careful!" Kamamoto wailed as he chased after Anna, who had managed to find the star of the tree and was desperate to put it on the top before they finished decorating the rest of the bar. Usually the star was the last thing they did, but she seemed all too eager to make it the first. Mikoto sighed and put down the box he was carrying so he could reach out and snatch her up before she could hurt herself trying to reach the top of the eight foot artificial tree, she yelped in surprise as he hoisted up as high as he could- allowing her to put the red glistening star at the very top of the plastic tree.
"Pretty," Anna mumbled in amazement as Mikoto gently placed her back on the floor, shaking his head at the girl's antics.
"Try to be a bit more careful, Anna!" Kamamoto pleaded as the young girl ran off again, looking for anything she could do to help prepare the bar for the holiday that was still weeks away. She always got excited about Christmas and the fact they were decorating early this year didn't seem to worry her at all, instead she was all too happy to transform the usually industrial looking bar they called home.
"King, smile!"
Mikoto turned around halfway to see Tatara's camera in his face, the eager camera man recording everything he could to save the memories for as long as the film should last. He didn't necessarily smile like he was instructed to but he did offer a small smirk before he got back to moving the boxes around, trying to get everything organized before Yata came back from the corner store. Off in search of more Red ornaments as some of theirs had been broken during Mikoto's less than gentle transport from the attic to the main floor.
"Can you guys not make a mess? It's a Friday, the bar is gonna be busy today." Izumo seethed with a pinch of his brow as he put his arm out to stop Anna from running so Kamamoto could finally catch her. "Mikoto after close tonight I'm having a meeting so we can crack down on finding this guy, Seri and the Blues will be joining us, which I presume is all right with you."
"Ah," Mikoto offered with a wave of his free hand as he finally moved all the non-broken ornaments to their place in front of the tree. From there Anna, who seemed to have calmed down if only a bit, Kamamoto and Mikoto worked tirelessly to get the rest of the decoration done. Izumo recommended decorating the tree with everyone after close and before the Blues arrived and Mikoto agreed to it without much thought, Tatara kept filming the whole charade as if the others didn't need help at all, which had the Red King seething at him at certain points.
After hanging the stocking from the lone mantel above the fireplace they had put a few cheesy decorations on the walls and put a few discs with Christmas tracks in the jukebox, per Anna's request. Candles were put on the strange u-shaped coffee table, red and black plaid blankets were spread out on the backs of the couches and a few paper snowflakes Anna had made the previous year were hung around the bar with care.
Mikoto tried to call Yata as they wrapped up but his phone went straight to voice mail, something that pissed the Red King off beyond belief. He swore Misaki was asking for it, it being getting yelled at for bailing on them in favor of shopping and turning his phone off so he wouldn't be questioned as to why he hadn't returned after nearly and hour and a half. But on the other hand, Mikoto felt troubled.
They were in the middle of a crisis, one that could be resolved at any moment should the alleged Colorless King be found, and he figured out of all people besides himself and Tatara that the fiery leader of the Vanguard would want to know about it immediately should it happen. He couldn't see why Yata would have his phone and watch off, but it made him feel on edge for reasons he couldn't begin to describe. After another thirty minutes, Mikoto was down right worried.
"I'm going to look for Yata," he announced as he stood up from the couch, everyone in the bar that knew their situations- everyone who wasn't a patron- gawked at him.
"King you can't leave, it's too risky. Yata will be fine...he's probably just trying to avoid doing any work." Tatara offered weakly, as if he didn't believe the words he said as soon as they were put out there in the open. Izumo came out from behind the bar and gave his best friend a mixed look, eyes bordering on fearful and concerned.
"Be careful, Mikoto. I'll make sure nothing happens while you're away, over my dead body will I let this guy in HOMRA should he try to enter while you're out." Kusanagi said as he placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, "I've got a bad feeling about this, too. Go, make sure you bring him back safely. I'll ask Munakata to get over here at once to stand guard, if you will, and I'll have Anna work on trying to locate the Colorless King." The words were whispered so no one but Suoh heard him.
"Get these people out of here and close the bar, check those cameras you had installed and keep everyone down here with you." Mikoto answered grimly as he walked past his friend and rushed upstairs to retrieve his coat, once he slid it on he was out the door in a hurry. Legs carrying him at a brisk walking pace as he headed to the place Yata had set out for hours ago, when he got to the front of the store he felt a chill rush down his spine. The glass on the outside of the building was broken. Police tape lined the sidewalk so he couldn't get around it, and the owner of the store was chatting with the cops- obviously describing what had transpired before this had happened. Mikoto's eyes searched the crowd for Yata but as suspected, he was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the Red King focused on what the elderly man was telling the police.
"I don't know what else I can tell you, the man came in, shot the glass up, and then tried to rob the place then some boy with a skateboard started a fight with him and managed to take him down and get the gun in the blink of an eye. He chased the guy off, before laying it on the counter and running off after him. That's all that happened."
Mikoto felt a little less uneasy than he had before he left HOMRA. Yata knew how to handle himself around armed civilians, Suoh had made sure to teach his clansmen how to fight and how to handle themselves in such situations. Don't be afraid of these people, remember you are more powerful than they could ever hope to be. Never show your enemy fear, was what he always told them when they trained because it was true. His clan had nothing to be afraid of, except the Colorless King his brain shouted back at him but he refused to acknowledge it.
A ring from his phone pulled him out of his thoughts and he quickly answered it, it was Kusanagi.
"Yata's safe and sound, said he stopped some armed robber than had to flee the scene before the cops showed up so he rode across town to get ornaments. Munakata found him a minute ago and is bringing him back to the bar before he heads over to the scene to clear some things up. His phone died so that's why he didn't answer, he said he forgot to charge it."
Mikoto's sigh of relief was so loud it seemed to have startled Kusanagi who mumbled a "you okay?" Into the receiver.
"Fine, I'm just going to have words with him when I see him."
"You seem worked up," Izumo teased, "I know you thought the Colorless King got to him because I honestly had that thought for a minute myself, but you seem more worried than usual."
"Shut up."
"Whatever you say, Mikoto. See you in a few minutes, ne? Be careful!"
Mikoto hung up without saying goodbye, stalking back in the direction of the bar with a blank look on his face as he maneuvered through the crowd.
0o0o0o
"Well I'm glad everyone is safe and sound, the bar looks lovely, by the way." Reisi Munakata exclaimed as he patted Yata on the back, the younger man visibly tensed. "Make sure you charge your phone, Yata-kun. You don't want to make your King worry too much, do you?"
"Ugh...no I don't." Misaki answered quietly as he shot Mikoto an apologetic glance, the Red King frowned.
"I didn't think so," Munakata turned around and waved, "I'll see you all later tonight, first I've got to go clear up the situation down the street. Great work, Yata-kun. Without your assistance the situation could have turned out a lot different."
Mikoto bit his lip, "thanks for all your help, Munakata."
"Not a problem, Suoh. Take care now."
When the Blue King left the room the tension grew thick. Anna, Kamamoto and Tatara looked nervous while Mikoto and Izumo looked ready to kill Yata, who was so shaken up by the ordeal that he couldn't even stand still.
"I'm-"
"Enough, Yata!" Kusanagi screamed as he slammed a glass down on the bar, "you had us worried sick. It's your job to keep in contact with us at all times, especially during this situation. Do you have any idea how worried we were? Mikoto rushed out after you, putting himself in grave danger so he could go look for you all because you couldn't remember to charge your phone or your watch. What has gotten into you?"
"I'm sorr-"
"Stop, just stop and think about what you put us through. You have got to stop acting so irresponsibly. I can't believe you did thi-"
"Enough," Mikoto cut Izumo off with a heavy sigh.
"He needs to hear this, Mikoto. He's never going to stop being so rash unless someone tells him why what he did was wrong." Kusanagi bit back as he slammed his hands down on the bar, hard enough to make everyone in the room minus the King jump.
"Then let me talk to him," Suoh replied back bitterly, "Yata, upstairs. Now."
"Sir." Yata mumbled weakly before stalking to the staircase, carefully placing down the bags of bulbs he had bought before trudging up the stairs without another sound.
"Izumo I know your intentions are good but Yata probably didn't think about what he was doing. I don't want him thinking that it's wrong for him to help people in life threatening situations, I told the boys they could use my Aura in such a circumstance and I'm the one who sent him out in the first place so he was just following orders." Mikoto said with a yawn, the whole situation doing nothing but wearing him out. "Just let me handle this. Try to calm down a little, you're scaring Anna half to death." He whispered as he walked past the bar and ascended the stairs, taking them two at a time. Yata, to his surprise, was standing in the hallway. Obviously having heard their conversation.
"Come on," Mikoto directed as he wrapped an arm around his clansman's shoulders and let him to the rec room, Yata was still tense and quiet when Mikoto pulled the door closed. After a moment of silence he spoke.
"I'm so sorry, Mikoto-san. I didn't mean to worry you and the others like this...I just wanted to do something right for a change and I didn't even think about the consequences...I'm so so-"
Yata's words hitched in his throat as a strong pair of arms pulled him forward, his body flush with his King's as Mikoto pressed a firm hand into his back and the other rested gently on top of his head. Yata blinked a few times, hardly believing that Mikoto was the one holding him right now but the shock soon faded away and he wrapped his arms as tightly as they could go around the larger man's waist, burying his face into the Red King's broad chest.
"Stop apologizing, I'm just glad you're okay."
Yata blinked away tears, his body still lightly trembling from his earlier confrontation with Kusanagi. Sensing this, Mikoto began to trace circles in Yata's back, repeating the notion until the trimmers faded away. The Red King let his eyes slip close as he continued to hold the younger man against him, the Aura in his being practically screamed at him to release it for reasons he couldn't explain but he couldn't fight it away either. Soon they stood in each other's arms, flames wrapping around them in a comforting way until Yata was no longer visibly upset, when that time came the flames disappeared almost on instinct.
Maybe they don't want to just protect and shelter me but everyone around me, too. Mikoto thought to himself as he let one of his arms drop to his side, the other going to lightly push on Yata's shoulder so he could look the younger man in the eyes.
"Everything is going to be okay, Yata." He promised though the words sounded less than reassuring, sensing this the leader of the Vanguard tensed once again.
"Mikoto..."
Suoh hugged him again.
0o0o0o0o
"Ta-da!" Tatara's sing songy voice echoed through the bar as he put the finishing touch on the Christmas Tree, a huge smile on his face as he proudly displayed a photo he had just took of everyone present at the current time. It wasn't a large Polaroid but they had somehow managed to get everyone in the photo and Tatara had managed to run back and get in the photo before the shutter went off, so on the tree the photo went.
December 1st, 2012, HOMRA! :D Was written on the white label.
"Looks great boys," Izumo concluded as he finished up his nightly cleaning with help from Misaki who had just finished sweeping the place up- as punishment.
"Ah, it looks even better than last years." Mikoto added with a smirk as he reached for his cigarettes, grabbing a lighter as well out of new found habit.
"Scepter4 just pulled up," Kamamoto announced with a sigh as he finished dragging a few tables together, creating a place for everyone to sit for their meeting.
"Remember to be civil for now, you guys. They're really working hard to help us out here so the least we can do is be halfway kind to them," Kusanagi said as he grabbed a crate full of their finer glasses and a few bottles of wine. "And Yata you're not to kill Fushimi, do you hear me?"
"Yeah yeah," was the universal response he received from the other members of HOMRA. Yata merely grimaced. Not like he expected anything different.
"Good evening, Suoh and everyone else," Munakata said all too happily as he and the rest of the Blues filtered into the building, some clearly as unhappy as the members of HOMRA.
"Have a seat," Izumo offered as he carried the glass crate to the table, Yata grabbing the wine bottles and sitting them down beside the glasses. "Help yourselves."
"Thank you very much, Kusanagi-san." Munakata said as he and his clansmen sat down, all on the same side of the table. Mikoto moved forward, his clansmen in tow as he took a seat in front of Munakata, Izumo sitting to his left in front of Seri and Yata to his right who sat in front of Saruhiko.
"Seri."
"Kusanagi."
"Monkey."
"Mi-sa-kiiii."
"Enough." Both Munakata and Mikoto groaned at the same time, earning snickers from the rest of the table as their two flustered third in commands mumbled apologies under their breath.
"Can we get down to business?" Seri asked with a click of her tongue, her hardened eyes softening a bit when Kusanagi offered her a glass of wine.
"Of course, Ms. Awashima." Reisi answered as he pulled a tablet out of his his briefcase, a rather large hologram popped up when he unlocked the screen. "As you can see we've mapped out all of the exit and entry points in the city that are used most often, we've had road checkpoints going since this time last week but to no avail. We've also ran his photo through every data base we could think of, even schools and private businesses but we've been unable to locate this man. It's like he doesn't really exist."
"We've been unable to find out anything either, I've got half my boys on the street looking for him but they've been unable to find anyone matching his description. Anna hasn't been able to find him either." Mikoto replied with a sigh as he clasped his hands together on the table, "what does the Gold King make of all of this?"
"He's understandably concerned and has been doing investigating on his own but he remains as clueless as we do. We don't even know what powers the Colorless King has this time around which makes this situation all the worse." Munakata answered, "out of all the Kings to try to pull such a stunt it just had to be the most unpredictable. I swear we always have the worst luck."
"Tell me about it, this whole situation has been a mess since day one." Suoh replied with a frown, "I don't know what else to do at this point other than wait. Maybe we can trap him on December 7th."
"What do you mean by trap?" Reisi inquired as he shut the hologram off.
"I mean I'll keep everyone in HOMRA here with me, obviously to lure him in like the prediction says, though I'm not putting any of my clansmen in harms way. But why don't you Blues stay around that night as well?" Mikoto leaned in, "if we're only going to get to him by following the vision then he will be here the night of December 7th, who else is here is up to us."
"So you suggest Scepter4 stays here that night and we can detain him that way?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting."
"So you would just want to put my clan in harms way, wouldn't you?"
The tension in the room grew even thicker.
"Not my intention, but you always like to twist my words to push my buttons." Suoh replied bitterly, leaning in even farther as Reisi did the same. Both of their eyes glowed. "But you could do it, Munakata. The Blue King could keep an eye on me and my clansmen on that night, and should the Colorless King appear and should I get violent then you can capture him and then restrain me by force." Mikoto put too much emphasis on the last word, his aura blossoming from his skin until everyone in the room -besides the two Kings- was nervous.
"Tempting offer, Suoh but what if I don't want to stay here that night? Being that close to you frankly makes me ill." The snort that came from Scepter4's side of the table didn't go unnoticed by the members of HOMRA who all yelled at the Blues for the lack of respect they had. Izumo and Seri both looked more than exasperated at the scenario.
"Do you want me to kill you?" Mikoto asked blandly, as if tensions in the room weren't high already. "'Cause that's the way this is going. I will level Tokyo because if I see that bastard the first thing I'm going to do is drive my Aura into his heart until he bursts into ashes." He paused, "but who knows, my Sword of Damocles looks pretty good at the moment. Maybe the burden of killing another King won't cause it to fall."
"Suoh this man is innocent, he hasn't committed any crimes yet so you can't just kill him. We will detain him and take him to the Gold King, it is up to him what we do to this man. But I promise if they give me the all clear to execute him that you will have a say in how it's done. Does that sound like a deal?"
"I like to handle all of my problems personally, like you like to handle yours."
"Then why are we even here having this discussion?"
Mikoto felt the tension in the room skyrocket.
"I'm starting to ask myself that same question."
"Do you want my help, Suoh? Or do you want me to let you be an idiot who can't care for anyone other than himself?" The Red King knew that look, while it was foreign to everyone else at the table he knew that look he was getting. This wasn't just about the Colorless King anymore, Reisi was taking this personally. Mikoto knew he was being an idiot, the looks his clansmen were giving him were all pleading, begging him not to sever the only help they had at the moment and he knew then he couldn't do that to them. He couldn't let them suffer because of his pride...no matter how much he hated that.
"Will you be here that night or not?"
"Scepeter4 will be here on December 7th should no new information arise before that time."
"Fine, then this meeting is done." Mikoto stated as he stood up from his chair, quickly enough to almost knock it over. "I'm going outside to smoke."
"Mikoto what do you mean outside? We smoke in here all the time?" Kusanagi yelled after him but it was no use, the Red King was already out the front door, leaning on the brick so he was barely seen through the glass. His ears burned as he heard his best friend apologize on his behalf, as if that was going to make amends for the things he had done and said. It wasn't just about the situation anymore. It was about Munakata and him on a different level.
Anger boiled in his veins at the thought. He didn't love Munakata and he never would, why it was so hard for the Blue King to accept was beyond on him. It wasn't like the Red King hadn't slept with a lot of people, he lost count after awhile of how many people he had gone home with. Why Munakata had to act like he was different than any of them was beyond Mikoto's level of understanding.
"Mikoto?" Yata came out of the door with his red jacket-usually worn around his waist- on for a change, trying to block out the cool winter air without help from the Red Aura within him. "Can I stand with you? I can't bare being in there right now."
"Ah," Mikoto said dryly as he looked over at his third in command, technical third in command really, Tatara didn't fight so he didn't really count. The younger man smiled a bit as he stood next to his King, his eyes were focused on the city lights that glistened in the darkness. Suoh smiled, not really knowing why he felt so happy to have company in the moment but knowing he couldn't deny it. Mikoto wondered when he had got so lonely, being surrounded by friends and having casual flings wasn't enough to make him feel less alone and he knew that, yet he did it anyway.
"Mikoto are you hungry?"
"Starved."
"Can I cook you dinner when everyone leaves?"
Suoh swore he had died and gone to heaven.
"I would love it if you did that."
"Sounds good then, mind if I join you when it's finished?"
"I'd be offended if you didn't," Mikoto said with a smirk as he took a drag off his cigarette, Yata shot him a sincere smile.
"I think you've made a new friend," Suoh points out as he locks eyes with an all white tabby cat with a red collar. The cat hisses at Yata, much to both of their surprise, before coming to stand in front of Mikoto, that's when he notices a piece of paper rolled up in it's mouth.
"For me?" He asks rhetorically as he leans down to take it, to his shock the cat nods it's head and drops the letter in his open palm, Yata gawks at him as he stands back up. The cat ran off once it's job was done.
"Well it's addressed to me," Mikoto begins as he drops his cigarette and breaks the seal on the rolled up paper, unraveling it in the process.
"What's it say?"
"Dear Mikoto Suoh,
Hello Red King, I hope all is well with you on this night and I hope that cat did it's job well enough that this actually gets delivered to you. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm the man you've been looking for. The Colorless King." Mikoto paused, his eyes narrowing as anger burst throughout every pore in his body, Yata looked at him, absolutely mortified.
"Do you think you're the only one with a Strain? Do you know how easy it's been to watch you and your daily life? Keep tabs on you and your clan? What a lovely Christmas tree, by the way. Your girl seemed very happy to put it up with you and Totsuka, perhaps she knows it will be the last chance she gets. I know what you're planning and I will not allow it. You will never catch me, you will never find me because I'm a thousand people a day. Not just one face. You will never be the death of me, but I wish I could say the same for you.
Enjoy your evening with the Blue King."
"Mikoto..." Misaki mumbled, eyes wide with terror and realization as he stared into the burning eyes of his King.
"I'm going to kill that bastard!" He roared, loud enough to alert everyone in the damn city, and HOMRA, to his rage. People from Scepeter4 and his own clan filtered outside, to see what the problem was but Mikoto was not speaking. He clutched the letter in his hand with a death grip, eyes focused on everything and nothing at all as he was utterly blinded by rage. Totsuka tried talking to him but he swore he didn't hear a word he said, the Red Aura was too restless. He was too pissed off for anyone to be able to calm him down, or so he thought.
A small pair of arms found their way around him and as he blinked, hard enough to clear his vision, he thought he'd come face to face with Anna but instead he looked down to see Yata.
"Mikoto, you have to calm down. Please, stop."
The words pulled him back into reality, where he was standing in the street with his Sword of Damocles on display as if it was a very extension of his body. Never had he seen everyone, even the usually passive Munakata, look so worried.
"Mikoto-san, please stop." Yata repeated, tightening his grip on the older man like he had done earlier in the day. "It's gonna be okay...Mikoto...please...just stop..."
And out of fear, the Red King did.