Heh, almost forgot about posting this today. Whoopsie!

Anyways, hi everyone! Thanks to all 11 followers, 8 favorites and 620 readers!

I don't have much else to say other than this is the chapter that I thought of first with this story. Take that as you will, and enjoy!

Dresden, January 1945

In Germany, there were two well-known names in the scientific community: Klaudia and Adolf Weissman. The two siblings, despite their young age, were considered geniuses, on the level of prodigies in fact. And when they worked together on a project, not a single fact of it was left unknown. This was the only reason, of course, that allowed them to do the work they did, considering Klaudia was a woman and Adolf an…undesirable.

What only their closest friends, as few as they were, knew, however, was that the two were orphans and had to act as both siblings and parents to their youngest sister, Carina. While both Klaudia and Adolf were in their 20s, Carina was only eight years old and had never known their parents.

On top of that, she was very sick. The doctors didn't know what exact illness she had, only that she had been born with it. It took most of the savings Klaudia and Adolf built up just to make ends meet with both medical bills and necessities.

When the two had been brought on to research the newly discovered slate in Dresden, later christened the Dresden Slate, Adolf had been convinced they'd struck gold. Not only could he research a fascinating object such as the slate, but his research could help provide for his sisters and possibly help bring happiness to everyone.

And when that research also happened to catch the attention of the Japanese military, Adolf found a new friend for himself and someone he suspected he would one day call his brother in Lieutenant Daikaku Kokujoji.

Not only did the lieutenant bring a smile and blush to Klaudia's face, but he also brought some joy to Carina's. Having been confined to a hospital bed for a large portion of her life already, she was fascinated by the world outside and Japan had such a rich and beautiful culture that enraptured her as much as her sister's beautiful dresses did.

And so, when the day came to show Daikaku the results of his research and even explained his ideals and intentions with the research, Adolf was feeling extremely happy.

…then the slate apparently chose another mouse to have a red aura (he hadn't even known there was another it could give outside of blue) which led to an explosion and-

"Adi!"

His sister…

"Oh, hi Sis!" Adolf greeted his sister with a smile.

Daikaku simply sighed. By this point, Adolf expected he knew where this was going.

"Hello, Lieutenant." Klaudia greeted as she approached the two men, ignoring her brother. "Is my baby brother bothering you again with his nonsense?" Klaudia had not been at the presentation because Carina had been allowed to leave the hospital, for the first time in months, and thus required almost constant supervision. Adolf had not been planning on her showing up to…this situation.

"No, I was just showing him my experiment. Right, Lieutenant?" Adolf protested before he turned to his friend. He knew, in most cases where he got in trouble, Daikaku would side with Klaudia simply because the two of them acted like his parents more often than not. But when he was telling the truth, he knew he could count on Daikaku as his witness.

"And his results are quite astounding." Daikaku confirmed as he bowed. "I must say, I'm truly amazed."

"I told you, Sis!" Adolf grinned before his face fell, overdramatically as always. "However, I'm worried that the lieutenant thinks that I've been working on some kind of advance instrument of war and that wouldn't be good. What a horrible thought…"

Instantly, Klaudia was behind him, pinching his back roughly and whispering in his ear.

"That's enough!" She said. "You need to learn to hold your tongue. Don't forget, we're receiving a very nice stipend for your research and Cari needs all the funds we can get."

"Come on, please let go, that really hurts!" Adolf whined. No matter how many times he earned this punishment, Klaudia never loosened her grip even a bit and he never got used to it.

Of course, then the two remembered that they were still in the lieutenant's company, who averted his eyes from the siblings. Instantly, Klaudia released the middle Weissman and smiled at Daikaku.

"Aha, Lieutenant Kokujoji! Disregard that please. Could we make this off the record?" She smiled sweetly. Daikaku was putty in her hands with that smile.

"Uh…that's no problem. I'm unable to understand the technical jargon most of the time." Daikaku agreed, looking away.

The oldest Weissman siblings shared a look before they burst into laughter. Adolf could see Daikaku's cheeks turning pink as his eyes lingered on Klaudia.

"Sis…? Adi…?" A small voice asked, cutting into the laughter.

Turning, the three adults' eyes widened as they saw none other than little Carina Weissman staring at them.

Carina was a pale girl, they could never know if it was due to her illness or if that was her skin's natural tone, with long, curly silvery blonde hair and gray eyes speckled with blue. Due to how terribly sick she was, she was rarely wearing anything other than her night gown, as she was wearing now. If someone hadn't said she was eight, Adolf knew nobody would think so with how frail she looked.

As if to show this exact point, a cough slipped past her throat.

"Cari! What're you doing out of bed?" Klaudia asked as she scooped her younger sister up in her arms. Adolf knew even that was concerning to the doctors; most eight year olds were too big to be picked up, and yet he and Klaudia could still easily do so with Carina.

"I…heard Adi was showing…Daikaku his experiment…" Carina answered, coughing between her words.

"That's right, and the lieutenant was very impressed." Adolf grinned brightly as he joined his siblings. "You did a good job distracting Sis, Cari!"

"Adi! You're supposed to be a good influence!" Klaudia scolded.

"Of course I am! I just needed her to keep you busy today." Adolf sheepishly smiled.

"I'm glad…I could help…Adi's work is so…amazing." Carina smiled and though it was weak, it made Adolf's heart melt at the sight. That was his little sister, alive and well for once and for however short a time she would remain here.

The thought of her not being here one day soon, of him outliving her, made his heart ache.

"I have to agree with little Carina here." Daikaku smiled softly as he moved closer to the three.

"Yay…" Carina clapped her hands happily when she broke into a coughing fit.

Instantly, all three adults surrounded her worriedly, checking her over for signs that she was getting sick again.

"I'm okay…promise…" Carina smiled as the coughs finally subsided.

"You're our strong little girl, aren't you?" Klaudia softly smiled as she ran a hand through the little girl's hair.

"The strongest I know." Adolf agreed, wrapping his arms around his sisters to hug them.

"Right!...and I won't…let this beat me…" Carina smiled. Even then, however, there were tears in her eyes, tears that never really left her eyes since the day the doctors told them she probably wouldn't live to see her thirteenth birthday, let alone her sixteenth.

Adolf had always firmly believed that a child shouldn't have a concept of mortality, shouldn't live wondering if tomorrow would be the day that they would never wake up again. But his little sister, this little girl that he loved more than even his own research, did have that knowledge and she still, somehow and only God above knew how, smiled every day, rarely letting her siblings see the truly horrible thoughts that she must have.

He also knew that Klaudia spent more nights worrying over Carina and crying over the unfairness that had fallen upon her than she should. He knew she took most of the responsibility onto herself, simply because she was the oldest. It was her job to watch out for them.

So, Adolf did what he could: he got as much money as he could to help pay for most of the medical expenses that came with Carina practically living in the hospital and served as emotional support to both his sisters. Though they both refused to let him see them cry, he would listen to them, make them smile and help in any way he could. That was his job and he would do it as well as he could.

That didn't mean he didn't wish for some kind of magical cure to save Carina's life.

It wasn't long after that everything came to an end.

Staring in horror at the ruins of Dresden, Daikaku spotted the Weissman family right away and ran all the way to them.

It was hard to miss them when a sword of silver hung above the head of one of them.

The sight he saw when he found them was one that he knew would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Kneeling in front of the Dresden Slate, Adolf held Klaudia in his arms while Carina knelt beside her sister. While Klaudia was pale and had her eyes closed and Carina was begging her sister to wake up between hacking coughs that shook her whole body, Adolf was simply crying even as he glowed with a silver aura.

The Sword of Damocles hung over his head and there wasn't a single scratch on him, unlike both his sisters.

"Sis…wake up…we…we need…you…wake up!" Carina begged. "Adi…why…won't Sis…wake up…?"

It didn't look like Adolf could bring himself to answer as his gray eyes refused to leave Klaudia's beautiful visage. Even then, he spoke up without even turning to face his friend.

"Lieutenant…" Adolf whispered, his voice sounding as broken as Carina's own. "My sister's gone…"

It was as if those words, words that made this scene seem so permanent and real, broke Carina and Daikaku both. While Adolf continued to cry silently, Carina broke into loud sobs intermixed with coughs that shook her entire body while Daikaku finally began to cry for the woman he loved and would not see again for many more years.

It was only when the rest of the military arrived that the three stood, Klaudia's body taken from their grasp against their will. As soon as she was no longer in Adolf's grasp, Carina collapsed into his arms, unable to stand on her own any longer. Adolf, in turn, latched onto his little sister.

It wasn't long after that day that they discovered what the slate had given Adolf. When they figured it out, Daikaku swore he never saw such self-loathing in Adolf's eyes as he did then.

Perhaps that was what cemented his decision.

Berliner Vorot, April 1945

Carina was not allowed to be up and about, she knew that. And yet, something told her that if she didn't find Adolf right away, she'd never see him again.

After losing Klaudia…she couldn't bear losing her brother too.

So, with her weak legs and even weaker lungs, Carina made her way to the field in front of the Himmelreich where she knew Adolf and Daikaku would be.

When their figures came into view, she forced herself to move faster, to push her weak and fragile body to its limits. She wouldn't lose Adolf, she wouldn't!

When she was finally in reach, she threw herself at her brother and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Adi!...don't…go!" Carina begged, coughs separating each word. If she wasn't holding onto her brother, she feared she'd have collapsed to the ground.

"This is goodbye, Lieutenant, Cari." Adolf said, his voice firm.

With that, he stepped out of the circle of his sister's arms and Daikaku caught her before she hit the ground as her brother, her only remaining family, made his way to the Himmelreich, preparing to leave her.

"Adi!...Adi…no!...don't…go!...don't…leave…me!...please!" Carina begged, coughs making it hard to speak, hard to breathe. Please don't leave, if you leave, I'll have no reason to live…not even knowing you'll be alive for eternity will keep me alive if I can't see you! She thought.

"Are you running away? Why would you give all of this up? Weissman!" Daikaku demanded, trying to gain his friend, his brother's, attention.

Adolf did not turn back once and the Himmelreich ascended.

It would not descend for almost a century, though its King would do so before.

Daikaku was chosen as the Second King, the Gold King, when Carina was almost on her death bed.

After Adolf had left to the skies, Daikaku had been declared Carina's legal guardian. She had returned to Japan with him, where he provided whatever medical care she needed using his and Adolf's combined finances.

When Daikaku had explained his plans to use the aura he had acquired for the good of his country, Carina had thought of an idea.

"Give…me…your…aura…" Carina managed between her coughs. She was even paler than she had been when her brother left, thinner and more worn too. Blood accompanied every cough she had these days.

"Carina…I don't know if this is safe." Daikaku said. "This could shorten your life even more."

"But…it…might…might…..extend….it…" Carina gasped. "If…..it can…I…want….to try…I want…..want….to see…..Adi…..again…"

As the last word left her lips, she fell forward, gasping and choking for air, coughs cutting off any words she could hope to say.

Daikaku's heart reached out for the girl that was like his sister, the girl who was barely hanging on to life.

"Very well…" He finally sighed in relief once Carina's coughs subsided, if only for a moment.

Smiling weakly, a smile that was less than what it used to be only a short time ago, Carina extended her shaking right hand.

Allowing his aura to manifest, Daikaku extended his left hand and took Carina's hand in his own. With that point of contact, the gold aura flowed from its King to the very first clansman.

As the gold aura flowed over Carina, a tingle shot up both of her arms. At the same instant, Daikaku's own left arm began to glow as well.

As the gold settled into the two, color suddenly erupted over Carina's cheeks, her hand steadied and her breathing became easier. At the same time, however, a blaze of fire felt as if it shot up her arms, causing her to fall back in the hospital bed with a soundless cry of pain.

When the pain faded, Carina examined her arms and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her arms.

Butterflies were tattooed onto her arms, circling from her wrist to her shoulder, where they ended with a butterfly on her shoulders.

Turning to Daikaku, Carina's eyes widened as she saw an identical tattoo on Daikaku's left arm. When he pulled his own sleeve away, Carina caught sight of a gold star tattoo on his shoulder.

"What just…happened?" Carina gasped, briefly pausing to touch her throat at the lack of cough coming up her throat.

Daikaku had no answer and neither did Adolf, when he got a hold of the new Gold King when an identical tattoo on his right arm that ended with a gold atom on his shoulder.

Present Day

As soon as word of the crash of the Himmelreich reached Mihashira Tower, Kazuma got to work, sending out the Usagi to collect the body of Adolf K. Weissman before anyone else could retrieve it.

As soon as the body was retrieved, Kazuma made sure it was brought up to the room where the Slate was kept in a cryogenic coffin.

Once that was set up, Daikaku arrived and silently approached his third-in-command.

"Do you think it was truly possible?" Kazuma asked softly, so as to keep their conversation from being overheard.

"I don't believe so…not with Weissman." Daikaku shook his head.

Just then, a member of the Usagi entered.

"Speak." Kazuma ordered.

"Fourth King Reisi Munakata is here. I will show him in." The Usagi stated. Kazuma nodded in acquiesce before he stepped back so he appeared to be at a respectful distance from Daikaku, his head bowed.

Not a moment later, the doors to the room opened and Munakata entered. As he approached, Daikaku turned to face him and activated his aura.

The room was replaced by a sea of stars, the solar system revolving around the two Kings and the Gold Sword of Damocles above Daikaku's head.

It was a sight Kazuma had seen many times before now.

In response, Munakata activated his own aura and the Blue Sword of Damocles hung over his head.

A second later, the planets all turned gold and launched themselves at Munakata, who stopped them with a blue shield, only for the projections to reform right after they all hit.

"So tell me, are you here to fight or talk? A King coming to the Slate is an extremely rare occurrence." Daikaku accused, his guard not lowered an inch.

Kazuma had his hand carefully wrapped around the staff he kept in his sleeve at all times, ready to defend his King and brother if it came to that.

"Hmph." Munakata smirked before he deactivated his shield. In response, the planets began to circle him, ready to hit at a moment's notice if the Blue King gave any sign of his insincerity. "I come without my sword. I'm here to have a conversation. That is all I plan to do."

Daikaku glared at the bluenette in front of him before he finally deactivated his aura and, with that, causing the stars and planets to fade.

"It is good to see you again, Your Excellency." Munakata said as he bowed.

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries." Daikaku snapped.

"Very well. But you must all me to express my gratitude for interceding in the recent royal blue situation." Munakata said as he straightened. "We were able to use all the information obtained through extra legal means for the good of the public."

"I'm running out of patience, get to the point." Daikaku demanded as Munakata started to continue to speak.

"Very well. Then let me jump right in." Munakata agreed, his eyes traveling to the coffin holding Adolf's body. "I believe that the body your men retrieved earlier from the wreck of the Himmelreich airship is the Silver King, also known as Adolf K. Weissman."

"That's correct." Daikaku confirmed.

Kazuma did not let his guard down. He did not trust the way this King acted.

"The origin of all the Kings began with Weissman, as he was the First King." Munakata continued. "And his physical components are such that they can never change, correct?"

"Just what are you implying?" Daikaku asked. Kazuma stiffened imperceptibly. He could see his Usagi noticed the movement.

"The Immortal King, who maintained the youth and vigor of his prime for more than half a century, has now suddenly died." Munakata said. "I have questions about the circumstances of his passing. I'd like your permission to examine his body."

Daikaku was silent as he placed his numb left hand on the coffin, shaking with anger. Then the Slate gave off a wave of gold, causing the Usagi to flinch and Munakata to smirk.

Kazuma bowed his head in acceptance of his King's choice.

Once Munakata finished, he moved to leave. However, he paused at the door.

"By the way, Your Excellency, it appears that my lieutenant has found a woman bearing the same Mark you and your general bear." He commented offhandedly.

"Are you implying something?" Daikaku demanded in Kazuma's place. Kazuma felt himself clench his fist.

Why…why would they mention his wife like this? What was the Blue King's plan in this?

"Nothing of the sort. I just thought you'd ought to know that she is known now." Munakata smirked. "I bid you a good day, Your Excellency."

With that said, Munakata bowed and finally left Mihashira Tower.

"What do you think he's planning?" Kazuma asked as soon as the Blue King was gone.

"I don't know…but I do know that Weissman will be acting soon…and the Red King as well." Daikaku stated as he turned to look at the coffin.

"According to Rae and Leoda, his memory is still missing, though it appears he is aware of this fact now." Kazuma reported.

"Then all we can do is wait." Daikaku shook his head. Kazuma shared the sentiment.

He hated waiting, especially when he had no idea what Adolf was going to do, no matter how much confidence his wife had in him.

Kristopher sat in Bar HOMRA, watching Anna's marbles spin around happily, when one floated in the air and began to glow red.

"Mikoto…" Anna whispered.

"Mommy! Mommy! It's Miko!" Kristopher cried as he ran over to his mother and grandfather, who sat at the bar with Kusanagi.

Their voices drew the attention of every Red clansmen in the room.

"I suppose we'd best be getting to Scepter 4 then." Kusanagi smirked.

"Dad." Leoda said as she turned to her father.

"Don't worry. I know." Shinji nodded as he stood up.

The entire Red clan cheered as they raced out of the bar and into the streets.

Their King was free.

As Mikoto burst out of Scepter 4's main headquarters, Fushimi refused to move.

"Mr. Fushimi…" Domyoji trailed off, looking for guidance.

"Don't make a move, stand down." Fushimi ordered. "We're not to do anything. Those are the orders." Besides, Fushimi knew nobody but Munakata had a snowball's chance in hell of fighting Mikoto.

"But sir…" Domyoji trailed off as he pointed to the side. Fushimi turned and saw that Awashima had mobilized the rest of Scepter 4.

Even Akiyama and Benzai were there. Even Rae was there, though she stood farther off to the side.

Fushimi simply shrugged. Nothing he could do now.

Mikoto approached them, his aura dancing off his skin wildly.

"Third King Mikoto Suoh. It is my duty to remind you that you are in the custody of Scepter 4." Awashima stated. "You have not been granted permission to leave. Stop right now."

Not to Fushimi's surprise, Mikoto disobeyed, walking on as if he was leaving his own home.

"I said stop!" Awashima cried as she struck out with her sword, the two lines combining to form a net…that broke as soon as it touched Mikoto's aura, to everyone unexperienced with fighting him's shock.

Mikoto did stop, however, only to unleash his aura, creating a crater. Realizing where this was going, Fushimi ran in front of the frozen Awashima and threw his knives down, creating a barrier with his blue aura. It wouldn't be enough to stop Mikoto, but it should lessen the blast. No sooner had he finished creating the barrier that Mikoto unleashed his aura in a wave of pure red, striking at the Blue clansmen blocking the gate and resulting in a blaze of red aura.

Fushimi struggled to stay standing, falling to his knees and pushing himself back up just as Mikoto approached him.

The Red King paused as he reached his adopted son. Slowly, he reached a hand out and placed it on his head, exactly the same way he did when Fushimi-Saruhiko-was growing up.

"Dad…?" Unbiddenly, the familial title slipped past Fushimi's lips.

"You're a good kid." Mikoto smiled.

And in those words, Fushimi could hear an apology and cold rushed through him. He couldn't mean-

Outside Scepter 4 stood the members of HOMRA who had been at the bar when Anna's marble glowed.

"Hey, good to see you." Kusanagi smiled.

"Sir!" Rikio said as he bowed.

"Sir!" Akagi and Bando chorused as they followed Rikio's lead.

"We're glad you're out." Yata smiled.

"Hey, Mikoto." Leoda nodded with a slight smile.

"Miko, Miko!" Kristopher cheered as he and Anna ran up to Mikoto. Anna grabbed his hand while Kristopher hugged his waist.

Off to the side stood Shinji. Similar to Rae, he was both a part of the group and not.

"So, boss, did you find who you've been looking for?" Kusanagi asked curiously. It was the only explanation as to why Mikoto was out, after all.

Mikoto looked at the clansmen before him and smirked.

"A schoolboy on the island." He stated.

"Alright!" Akagi grinned.

"Awesome." Bando nodded.

"Aww, yeah! Just where I said he was, I was right!" Yata grinned as he looked at a sheepish Rikio and a stoic Shinji.

"I thought I said that." Rikio nervously countered.

As the two continued to argue, Leoda and Kusanagi turned to Scepter 4. Fushimi was holding the Blue clansmen back, his eyes sad and saying more than his stoic face ever could.

Neither parent said a word as they stared at the boy who once called them 'mom' and 'father'.

"Come on, let's go." Mikoto said. It was only at those words that they turned away.

"We're ready, let's do this!" Yata cheered.

"Yeah!" Akagi, Bando and Rikio cheered in agreement.

As the Red clan left, however, Shinji slipped away just as Rae slipped away from the Blue clan. They knew what came next, after all, and Leoda knew too.

The three of them had their orders and they would go through with them.

As Rae called Daikaku to report on what happened, Shinji dialed his mother-in-law's phone number. When she answered, he said a single sentence.

"The Red King is coming…he's made his choice and found him."

And there we are! Now, first off, Shiro. I love him, I really, really do, but he is extremely lucky to have survived in the time period he did. Considering he resembles albinos and is, most likely, gay or at the very least bisexual, he most definitely should have been killed during the Holocaust in this universe. Hence the fact that he is referred to as 'undesirable' in the first scene.

And as for Carina's illness, well, I never took the time to come up with what it could specifically be, considering it's 1945 and there were not that many vaccines so any number of things could've killed her. Leave it up to your imagination!

I don't really have much else to say, other than that this chapter is one of the ones that is very near and dear to my heart and I hope you all enjoyed it enough to consider leaving me a review! Bye for now then~!