The Air That You Breathe
Full Story Summary:
(Mikoto Suoh x fem!Reisi Munakata) "Breathing the same air as you makes me ill." She constantly tells him those spiteful words and yet her actions always speak otherwise. Mikoto Suoh had always found a deep attraction for Reisi Munakata. He pursued the beautiful creature despite being unfamiliar with the new feelings that immediately took hold of him but little did he know that Reisi Munakata would be the death of him. Dragged into the fate of becoming a king and queen, becoming enemies became inevitable for the two. Now, Mikoto becomes constantly torn between a grudging hatred for Reisi and an ardent desire for her…while battling his own demons along the way. (may contain Izumo x Seri and hints of other pairings in the future)
Chapter Seven:
My Favorite 'What If'
I'll be as honest as you let me
I miss your early morning company
If you get me
You are my favorite "what if"
You are my best "I'll never know"
And I'm starting to forget
Just what summer ever meant to you
What did it ever mean to you?
He was too young to understand why his mother left them when she did. One day, he just woke up to see his father sitting on one chair in their dining room; his face was contorted, grotesque, if you may, as he sat still on the chair; his long, thin legs sprawled beneath him. On one hand, he held an amber glass bottle. His father had always had an amber bottle in hand and it was stranger to see him without it than having it with him.
"Pops…" his voice was tiny, squeaky as a mouse's. He was afraid to talk to the man, to talk to his father. But why? Why? That man sitting motionless on the chair was his father, right? Fathers are there to protect their children, right? Why was the little boy afraid?
Tiny amber eyes moved towards his direction.
"Well, if it ain't the Li'l Pissant, Mikoto-chan."
Standing before him was a little boy about seven to eight years old. He was a miniature version of the red-haired man. The boy stared at him with huge amber eyes as he takes out a pack of cigarettes and puts one stick in his mouth before lighting the cigarette's butt.
The stinging odor of the cigarette smoke made the boy's nose itch. How he hated that smell.
"Whad'ya want, ya little shit?"
"Where's Mom…?" the boy was hesitant to speak and he had every right to be. His father had always had a violent streak about him.
The man glared at him with glassy eyes similar to that of a dead fish. The boy seem to shrink at his glare. "What the fuck do you care about that bitch? You know, the two of you are the same. Worthless. You two always make my life difficult. You're a fuckin' nuisance." And he threw the glass bottle across the room. It splintered into several broken pieces as soon as it hits the surface of the wall. The boy's body jerked in shock with the sound of glass shattering. His father stood up from the chair and he lunged at him, his fist heading towards the boy's head.
Mikoto woke up in a start; sitting up from the bed as if he were a puppet abruptly pulled by its strings by the puppeteer. He panted desperately for breath; his gasps filling the dark room. The sun has not yet risen. A thin line of sweat covered his body and sluggishly, he stood up from the bed and headed to the comfort room where he splashed water on his face. He looked up; catching his reflection on the mirror hanging on top of the sink.
The sight of his countenance on the murky mirror made a chill pass against his spine. He looked just like his father – except that his spiky red hair was longer and his amber eyes were wider than his father's droopy set of eyes.
His throat feels dry and so, he headed to the lower floor of Homra, the bar Izumo owns and also, the place where he now stays in. Two years ago, he was chosen by the Dresden Slate which was a mysterious object that grants people power, at the age of nineteen, to become the Red King, the King of Fire. He had no idea what happened but one day, he woke up having a strange power and a huge sword – his Sword of Damocles – hovering over his head. Since then, he, Tatara and Izumo were approached by people who wanted to be part of their clan which they named Homra. Mikoto just let them – whoever they may be – become part of his clan and undergo his initiation. The three of them had also been busy taking several commissions from people who needed their help. Whatever help they wanted from them, Mikoto took it, did not matter if he had to dirty his hands as long as they were paid to get the job done. They needed the money.
In time, Homra became but a street gang which became notorious in their territory, they were even able to acquire respect and authority from other gangs along the street.
"So, I was sayin'…"
"Oh, King, didn't see yoooooou there…didn't recognize you without all the hair gel…"
Sitting by the bar table of Homra were his two friends – now his accomplices – and there was a half-empty bottle of scotch on the table, along with two shot glasses. The two were blabbering, their faces flushed red and their eyes teary.
"The hell happened to you?" Mikoto scowled, walking towards the pair. He wanted to demand why they did not wake him up so the three of them could have a drinking session together. He sat beside Tatara.
Tatara laughed, "Kusanagi-san got dumped again."
"The hell, kid? You don't have to be so blunt with it, asshole…" Izumo had a pouty expression on his face and there were tears on his eyes. A soft 'hic' left him as his shoulders jerked. He sniffed and sniffed, as if his nose was stuffed and he poured a bit of scotch in his shot glass.
"Well, can't blame ya. She was your first love and they say, no matter how many liters of vodka you drown your liver with, how many cigarettes you burn your lungs with…the pain of losing your first love will never leave you." Tatara said blissfully.
Mikoto bit his lower lip. The little blonde-brunette brat had no idea how his words were like a stab in the redhead's chest.
"What do you know? You haven't fallen in love yet…"
"I have."
"Oh, yeah? With who?"
"You, my dear Kusangai-san!" quickly, Tatara, who was probably drunk out of his mind, reached in for the older man's face before pressing his lips against Izumo's. When he released him, Izumo was speechless. Mikoto, on the other hand, had eyes wide as he watched. "What. The. Fuck. Was. THAT?!" Izumo punched Tatara square on the face, sending the boy on the wooden floor. And as if he was not hurt at all by Izumo's punch. Tatara bawled, laughing out loud. It was not new for Tatara to do crazy antics like that so Mikoto simply shrugged at what happened.
Mikoto slams one shot glass against the table, catching the attention of his two drunk friends immediately, "Fill 'em up, Kusanagi." He gestured at the small glass with his eyes after Izumo catches his eyes.
"Speaking of first love…" Izumo said as he pours in a bit of liquor in the redhead's glass. He handed the glass back and smirked, "…remember, five years ago, that girl you liked so much, Mikoto? Glasses Girl. Forgot her freaking name, though. Wonder what happened to her?"
Mikoto takes the glass from the blonde and he pulls out a pack of cigarettes from the back-pocket of his pants. His friends kept talking and talking while he puts one stick of cigarette in his mouth before flicking his thumb at it and summoning enough of his power – his Red Aura – to light his cigarette.
Izumo just had to mention Glasses Girl. Five fucking years had passed and still, he could not get her out of his head or off of his chest. Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs with smoke before exhaling slowly, throwing his head back before sighing.
"You know, if only you pursued her, I bet she could have dated you. Hah, Mikoto…" Izumo shook his head, "…you're totally gonna keep asking yourself 'What If's' and since you didn't do shit, you'll never know the answer and you never will."
'If you only knew, Kusanagi…'
Mikoto found it pointless to say anything at that moment. He cannot believe it himself – five years and he still has not moved on. If he were to tell Tatara and Izumo now, he would only be teased endlessly or he would receive a long sermon from the love expert, Izumo Kusanagi. He hates how draggy Izumo's lectures are.
Tatara moved in and sat back on the bar stool Izumo pushed him off from, his brown eyes staring at Mikoto. He tilted his head and gave the redhead a huge smile, "Whatcha thinkin' about, King?"
"Tch. Nothing at all."
"Eeh? Okay then~!" the younger blonde glanced at Izumo and quickly, Izumo raised a fist at him, "Do something stupid again and I swear, I'll kick yer ass!" Izumo hissed at him furiously, but a smile was plastered on his face.
Being the quietest among the three of them, Mikoto silently watched them. Many things changed happened after five years. He became some sort of Red King, whatever that means and he had to open up to the fact that there are people counting on him now, people who needs him. Day by day, the burden of a King's responsibility weighed heavier on his shoulders and he has to ask himself why he had to be King on the first place. Certainly he is not the best among the choices…hell, what the hell are the requirements for the Slate in choosing a King?
"Mikoto…?"
The redhead glanced at the direction where he heard the small, high-pitched voice of a little girl. Standing in front of a half-opened door was an eight year old who looked more like a life-sized doll than a person. The girl was a beautiful little woman with long white hair and magenta eyes.
Tatara was the first to notice the girl, "Oh, Anna, you're up early!"
Anna Kushina is a young Strain Mikoto, Izumo and Tatara decided to take care of after…an incidence that brought her without home and anyone to take care of her.
"It's cuz yer so noisy, Totsuka." Mikoto said, crushing the cigarette on the ashtray. He stood up and guided Anna back in her bedroom, Tatara and Izumo smiling at that sight.
"Anna, you should go back to sleep. Gunna wind up tiny if you dun git enough sleep…"
"But I'm already tiny…"
Tatara and Izumo glanced at one another, their smiles widening. They are proud of their King.
. . .
The sun has finally risen and Mikoto went down to find Tatara and Izumo staring at the screen of Izumo's laptop and Anna was sitting at one corner, eating breakfast quietly. The pair seem agitated.
"What's up?" Mikoto asks.
"Ever heard of the news about a group of terrorists hijacking a plane and who were stopped by a pair of chicks?"
"…No."
Izumo sighed; as he had expected from the redhead. He is too apathetic to know about anything going on outside Homra. He motioned for Mikoto to come towards them and much to his surprise, the redhead did approach them though through his walk towards them, he looked like he really did not give a fuck. He positioned his laptop for Mikoto to see while Tatara leaned against the Red King.
On the screen of the laptop was a picture of two young women who were – perhaps – of the same age as Mikoto. One was a tall, curvy woman with huge breasts, a tiny waist and wide hips. She was blonde and beautiful, and she looked really classy in her white long-sleeved blouse and floral-printed pencil skirt. Standing beside her was a more regal young woman, taller but slimmer than the blonde. The blonde may have gigantic breasts and wider hips than the dark-haired girl but she still had a body shaped like an hour glass complemented by her wearing a plain blue shirt and a pair of taupe-colored pants. Mikoto's eyes widened. The woman has long dark blue hair and was wearing a pair of rimless rectangular glasses over her pretty violet eyes.
Anna felt Mikoto shudder and she glanced at him, looking as if she was poked in the head by someone who wanted her attention.
"Seri Awashima and Reisi Munakata." Tatara said.
"Totally complete hotties, am I right?" Izumo said with his all-too-famous flirtatious smile. "The blonde one's the hotter one among the two of them but, hey…" he pointed at the blue-haired girl with the glasses, "Anyway, that Blue chick right there, ya should look on for her. Turns out she's actually the newly-enthroned Blue Queen."
"Haha…I did not think that the Slate could choose girls, huh?" Tatara says.
Reisi Munakata is the Blue Queen. How convenient. Mikoto could not speak. He could only stare at Reisi Munakata. Five years actually made changes to her – she has the body of a full-grown woman now and she looked more mature than she had been. He never would have thought that she could become more beautiful than she had been when she was sixteen. Seeing her there on that screen only brought back all the pain he felt when she suddenly disappeared on him. Clicking his tongue, he looked away from the screen and turned away, "Kusanagi."
"Hmmm…?"
"…Could ya gather more info about the Blue Queen?"
The blonde bartender raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, the Red King was interested. Izumo glanced above his shoulder, watching as Mikoto made his way towards the door, "Where you goin', Mikoto?"
"Gonna have some fresh air."
"Oh? But, King, you haven't had breakfast…" Tatara started but Mikoto has already left and had closed the door behind him as he exited the bar, "…yet."
"Totsuka…"
"Yeah?"
"…why do I have a feeling that I heard the Blue Queen's name before?"
"…Huh, come to think of it…so have I."
Outside, Mikoto could still make out the words spoken by his two friends. They are lucky to not have any important memory of Reisi Munakata and are able to have her name forgotten. He, on the other hand, had held on to those bittersweet memories even though he did not want to. He could not let go.
All these years…
She's back.
Reisi Munakata is actually back.
Mikoto took out a cigarette and lit it with his Aura, ignoring the people who stared at him when he did so. His heart would not stop pumping so rapidly even when he was walking in a complete normal pace.
To make things worse, she is the Blue Queen. Surely, the two of them would cross paths.
It's not that he was scared to see her, it's just that…he has absolutely no idea how he should act once they do meet each other after what happened between the two of them five years ago. Mikoto clenched his teeth together; biting hard at the cigarette in his mouth. Who was he kidding? Why is he making such a big deal out of her return in Japan? It's been five years…
Goddamn, how he hates her.
Seems like fate enjoys playing with him.
As if he was not made into a fool by faith too much already.
. . .
It was 7 pm when Mikoto returned to bar Homra and when he got in, the establishment was almost full with the familiar faces of his clansmen; not with customers. They were hanging out in the bar and were crowding around Izumo who has his laptop in front of him.
"Kusanagi, beer."
"Oh, Mikoto-san, welcome back!"
"Here ya go, King!"
It was Tatara who threw a bottle of ice cold beer at his direction. Casually, Mikoto catches it and took a seat on one of the bar stools. They were busy staring at the screen of the laptop while he greedily gulped down the alcoholic drink. He glanced over to his clan members who were apparently frantic. Anna rushed towards his direction and sat down on the bar stool beside his, unmoving and silent as though she were already content to be near him. The chaos inside the bar was deafening that it almost made Mikoto want to laugh.
"I gotta say, that person is really unfathomable." It was Izumo who spoke.
As expected from the Red King's right hand man, he was able to gather enough information about the Blue Queen in such a short notice and such a small amount of time. The man has always been so admirable, so responsible. Mikoto could learn so much from him…if his pride would allow it.
"She woke up with a strange power one day, suddenly became a Queen and yet she took it as if it was completely normal and is getting about it like it's nobody's business. She began rebuilding Scepter 4 in no time and she's forming the combat troops from scratch. You gotta say, she ain't no slouch, really." Izumo spoke calmly, a cigarette in his mouth while he polished one glass. He sounded amazed. Members of Homra listened carefully, their eyes on the laptop.
Apparently, Izumo had more to say, "Looks like she was one hell of an overachiever before." To that, Mikoto almost sneered. He knew that. Reisi Munakata was very intelligent, as far as he could remember. It was as if she is the flesh-and-blood representation of the words 'honor student'. "To make things worse, she's now getting about with such a zeal that you have to wonder if she sleeps at all. A complete opposite of a certain king who only eats and sleeps."
There were murmurs after that comment which the blonde said on purpose. He sent a glance at Mikoto who only snorted and smirked at this while gulping down the beer he was drinking.
"She's a woman barely in her 20's and she already has the government and the army wrapped around her little finger. Even with the Gold King's help, she has to be exceedingly heavy-handed. Even with that said, she's shrewd enough to play her cards right, no errors being made. Just what kind of like she had to lead to grow into such a superwoman, I wonder. I bet her social life, her love life and her sex life's all non-existent…" Izumo joked, extracting laughter from the members of Homra. "If you ask me, I think it smells kinda fishy..."
Mikoto gazed at Izumo, not enjoying his jokes on the Blue Queen. She led a life as Reisi Munakata. Plain and simple. It was as if she came from the world perfect as she is. She was destined to lead a life of greatness, indeed, so here she was – a Queen. Mikoto let his people talk and talk while he remained in his own private thoughts – slowly torturing himself with the memory of Reisi, the girl whose flowers he destroyed while slowly coming to the slow realization that she became such a great person without him in her life. What was he thinking? She never needed him in her life as much as he needed her in his.
"Apparently, her suppression on Strains is going smoothly, as well." That was Tatara. His mention of the word 'strain' made Anna's tiny body jerk and she looked at Mikoto, unsure. Mikoto did not seem to feel her gaze and he stared at the bottle of beer in his hand as if it was the most interesting thing he had seen in his life.
"Her Highness goes personally to the scene and takes command of her forces. So far, I did not hear of any blunders in her judgment. She must really be such a control-freak."
Members of Homra squawked and squawked about the rumors they heard about the Blue Queen. Rumors which had been circulating the town of Shizume ever since she made her appearance public. She was pretty popular – especially with males since she is beautiful and she has a killer bod. She could almost make a good model if she weren't busy enough acting cop. Mikoto could not blame his clansmen from raving about her, she did sound really incredible.
So it seems she is still perfect…
"But that's the Blues' boss we're talkin' 'bout, riiight?!" It was Misaki Yata who made that comment. He's a red-haired baby-faced teen with a boisterous attitude, a big mouth and a somewhat creepy devotion for Mikoto. "So what if she's a Queen? She's nothin' special. If she tries ta mess with Anna like that ass from before, we'll deal with her so that Mikoto-san won't have ta dirty his hands himself. Right?!" He pumped his fist in the air, looking around to see the others looking at him with approval.
Even with the bar full with noisy, mumbling Homra members, Misaki's voice always has its way of standing out above the sea of different voices. The boy has an honest attitude and brown eyes that shimmer with vigor that Mikoto liked but sometimes, he tend to speak before thinking. What Misaki was talking about was the little scuffle that happened between Homra and Scepter 4 before, when a certain Gold clansman tried to sync Anna, who is a Strain, with the Dresden Slate to make her the new Blue Queen. They managed to save Anna but it ended with Anna's aunt and Mikoto's former English teacher – Honami Kushina – to have her memories of the child she loved and cared for wiped out. Scepter 4 tried to take Anna from them after that but Izumo insisted on being her guardian.
Anna gave Misaki a small and appreciative smile but the pain of the memories of that incidence was present in her huge magenta eyes.
Izumo wanted them to just wait-and-see whatever happens between Homra and Scepter 4 when the time comes. This only made the others let out several violent reactions.
They went on and on but then they went silent when a certain eyeglasses-wearing boy with a depressing air about him spoke finally, "Are you sure we should be taking this so coolly, Kusanagi-san?" he clicked his tongue, his blue eyes narrowing, "The main duty of Scepter 4 is to manage or control Strains. And it clashes with our so-called business in many ways." That was Saruhiko Fushimi, Misaki's close friend. He was an intelligent boy – quiet, cool and respectable even in his youth. He was almost like Izumo, only he was more frightening and almost creepy with his dark aura. He looked completely out of place among the sea of rowdy hoodlums, being silent as he had been. Throughout the beginning of the conversation, he had been quiet as he only listened to them. "What I'm talking about is that Scepter 4 can intervene on a unilateral basis even before a request with us is made. If things are left like this, we'll just end up bumping heads with them at whatever site…" the boy continued, "…On top of that… it's not only Sttrains that Scepter 4 polices. If, let's say, a Red clansman breaks the law, Scepter 4 will be sure to swoop down on them. What then after that? Take note that the Blue Queen is a complete hustler. If she's being so energetic about her job, it means she's got quite the ambition to fulfill, no? So if we continue with what we are and had been doing with this business of doing errands against Strains, we might be in for some really rough times, don't you think?"
"Do you mean, Saru, that we'll end up going head to head against those pesky, gloomy, weird Blues?!" Misaki says, not forgetting to throw insults at their future enemies as he spoke.
Saruhiko shrugged his narrow shoulders.
Another member cleared his throat as if to catch their attention. It was a voluptuous tan-skinned man with short blonde hair. The muscle of Homra, Rikio Kamamoto. Hesitantly, he spoke, "What's the probability that we'll have an all-out war against Scepter 4?" his voice was soft yet rough and thick.
"No freakin' idea, man." Kusanagi replied honestly. "But well, fighting won't do us any good, so if I would be the one to decide, I'd want to avoid it as much as possible. But… that will depend on what these Blues will be up to."
In any case, caution could absolutely not be disregarded this time around, because they were up against none other than the Blue Queen herself and, hell, what a worthy adversary she seems to be!
"There is also the fate of the previous generation to consider…" Saruhiko said suggestively in his usual bored, soft tone.
All present winced at what the dark-haired youth had said. Of course, everyone present already knew about the Kagutsu incident. The Red King before Mikoto had pushed his Weismann levels to its limit and had sent his Sword of Damocles crashing down and the former Blue King lost his life because of this. Not only was the Blue King killed but also thousands of other innocent lives as well. As much as possible, what happened before should be avoided. No one in their right mind would want it to happen again.
"Red and Blue are like oil and water, both in power and in the clan's nature. Surprising as it may seem, it could be that right about now the Blues are having similar thoughts about the situation, trying to guess what move Mikoto will make. Their nerves are also high strung as they're gauging us, I imagine." Izumo said.
Reisi Munakata may already know about the Kagutsu Tragedy herself and is currently having the Red Clan under her surveillance. She knows. To this thought, Mikoto could only chuckle, a bitter smirk pulling the corners of his lips. As he have already thought, their paths crossing again is inevitable. He could imagine her right now, having the same conversation with her clansmen as they were having right now. He could imagine her, her demeanor completely calm and cool even though she have several thoughts in her brain about this and that.
"What do you think, King?" Tatara's gentle voice broke the silence.
Anna stared at Mikoto. She could feel several emotions radiating from him. He was like a cup and water his emotions. Right now, he is now overflowing with his emotions. A cup spilling water. He did not show it but Anna could feel every single emotion he has…
In one swig, Mikoto finished the bottle of beer he has and without even raising his amber eyes to meet anyone's eyes, he said, "I'mma think 'bout it when the time comes."
He sounded unconcerned but truth is, he feels anxious, unsure, and he was…god, he was feeling so excited. His heart was beating as if he ran a marathon, and his stomach was doing stupid back flips. His hands trembled, fingers tingled. He could not stop himself from smirking wider. His Aura pulsed from his body, without him summoning it; making the temperature of the bar rise a bit all of a sudden. His clansmen felt this and all of the shuddered at their king's overwhelming power.
Izumo glanced at Tatara, and they exchanged anxious looks at one another.
. . . . .
Around the city, Mikoto walked all by himself. The conversation he and his clansmen had three days ago left him utterly exhausted. The summer heat pounded at his head, worsening his headache. For a King of Fire, his tolerance in heat is terrible. Despite only wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, the summer heat was still unbearable, causing him to sweat profusely. He loitered about the city like a lost pup. The people around him wore the same irritated expressions, all of them annoyed at how hot it is.
The negative emotions brought about by the aggravating heat coming from the people around him was unfortunately, contagious as the common cold. In no time, he found himself irritated as well but this irritation did not come from the simple summer heat. It was the same irritation that never leaves him, ever since becoming a King. No, it's not irritation but, rather, anger. It's an anger he could never shake off no matter how many buildings he burn into nothingness, no matter how many bastards he beat up.
It was an anger much like the fire that burns inside him, the fire that pulses out of him whenever he summons for it. It's scalding and he could not run away from it, he could not escape it; it lives inside his belly, coming in and out to envelop him with its burning embrace.
One day, he will…
He shook his head.
His legs moved, carrying his body to the main street and entering a park. There was not a soul in sight in it which was what he wanted – he needed to be alone in his own thoughts. Quietly, he sat down on one of the benches. The bench he sat on had been a good conductor of the sun's hot rays and even with his pants on, he was able to feel the heat sipping into the thick fabric and warming his fucking ass. There was nothing to shield him from the sun at that spot. Not really the perfect spot to relax but it will do.
This park seems…very familiar.
'Oya…you look terrible…' The sound of her high-pitched laughter filled his ears; her voice was more like the peals of bells than laughter itself. It was music to his ears. He could see it right now – two teens by the opposite bench. One was a red-haired lovesick puppy who was standing beside the bench while another was a very pretty girl who was sitting on the bench. The boy had pulled out his cell phone and had taken the girl's picture while she was in the middle of laughing her heart out. The girl, realizing what the boy had done, lunged at the boy and tried her best to snatch the phone from him only to fail. 'Yer still pretty so dun worry…'
Mikoto blinked and once he opened his eyes, the two was gone.
He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth and lit it. Damn that apparition. He stared at the grayish white smoke created by the cigarette he has in his mouth. There was not a breeze of wind to blow the smoke and diffuse it across the area. Sighing, he sat back on the bench, closing his eyes as the nicotine began to fill his lungs.
One day, surely, he will…
He did not predict that he would attract so many people who wanted to be members of Homra when he became Red King.
One day, he will burn everything. That image came again, the image he had been having in his head for quite some time now; he saw himself in the middle of the ruins of the town – only skeletons of the buildings that once stood there existed, the paved ground had turned black with soot, the hot air blowing tiny dust particulates around. He was alone.
In a jolt, he opened his eyes. He was feeling it again, that maddening anger and that gnawing lust to destroy everything.
This power is a curse. This power is a gift.
Mikoto furrowed his brow, taking a deep breath. He still has no idea which among the two statements could describe his power.
Your comrades will be the death of you. Your comrades will save you.
For a while, he could not breathe; he felt like there was a huge weight crushing his chest. He looked at the cloudless sky; if he summoned for his Sword of Damocles right now, it would be right there, over his head. According to the story, Damocles asked to experience the life of fortune which his king, Dionysus, has. Damocles was allowed to have the life of luxury that belonged to a king but a huge sword was made to hang above his head which was hung by the thin hair of a horse's tail. Having the power makes a great man live in constant fear; fear of having the sword come crashing down on one's head. The story fits him well. The only difference he had with Damocles is he did not ask to have the life of a king.
"It sure is hot today, is it not?" Someone was speaking to him. It surprised him that there was someone near him. He didn't even feel their presence. It was a familiar voice of a woman. Once he heard her voice, his heart skipped a beat. There was nothing to compare the feelings he had when he heard her voice. He had been alone in his own world, walking in circles and repeating the same haunting thoughts over and over but the moment he heard that voice, the world of a wasteland he was trapped in had broken into a million pieces, disintegrated. He had been lost, he had been sinking and that voice found him, pulled him right back up and kept his head above water.
He wasn't alone.
Sharply, Mikoto turned to look at the origin of the voice.
Standing beside the bench he was sitting on was a tall, slim and splendid frame of a young woman. She was blocking the sun, casting a shadow on him. A smug smile was on her flamboyantly pink painted lips. She was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and a pair of black tightly fitted pants. Her long blue hair was tied in a high ponytail; a light blue ribbon keeping it in place. She kept a cool expression on her smooth oval face, contradicting the hot weather of the day. Her hand was raised above her face, shielding it from the sun's rays. Slowly, she moved her face at his direction; her violet eyes sparkling beneath the rimless pair of glasses she wore.
This woman was none other than the Blue Queen herself, Reisi Munakata.
Mikoto braced himself for several emotions to wash through him. He lets out a dragging sigh; his amber eyes flicking over to meet the familiar set of eyes of Reisi Munakata. He glared at her. It is a mystery how one could both be terribly nauseated with hate and love for someone.
"Oooh~…" Reisi's lips formed a small pout as she blows a bit of air from her mouth as she mumbles. Mikoto could not help but look at how beautifully-shaped those lips are. Such lips…begging to be kissed. She smiled politely at him, "Hello."
It was the fourth of July
You and I were, you and I were fire, fire, fireworks
That went off too soon
And I miss you in the June gloom, too
It was the fourth of July
You and I were, you and I were fire, fire, fireworks
I said I'd never miss you
But I guess you never know
May the bridges I have burned light my way back home
On the fourth of July
- Fourth of July by Fall Out Boy -
Author's Notes:
I based Homra's conversation and Mikoto and Reisi's reunion with the novel by Azano Kouhei, R:B. An English-translated text can be found in chilly-territory's tumblr which I am very thankful for.
I did my best to paraphrase it...since copy-and-pasting it is just wrong...and then I added a few of my twists.
This chapter is as long as how short the previous one is. Besides, I think I owe you a longer chapter... XD
Sorry for the non-Izumo x Tatara shippers...I just had to do it. They're pretty cute together anyway but I still root for Seri and Izumo. They will have their moment, don't worry...
That's all for now. :3 Thank you and thank you again for spending your time to read this fanfic.
Hoooooh...so tired.
