"~I think of you, I haven't slept,
I think I do, but I don't forget,
My body moves, goes where I wil,
But though I try my heart still stays,
It never moves, just won't be led,
And so my mouth waters to be fed,
And you're always in my head~"
MAN! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN AS FREAKING ALWAYS AM I RIGHT?!
Seriously, someone needs to punch my lazy-depressed ass to the curb and back for always disappearing for way too long at a time. In all honesty, there's no other excuse, even with depression and stuff. So I've decided, that no matter how long it takes, I will finish this fanfiction for one of my favorite anime's of all time, even if it kills me! I'm also going to go back and re-write/edit old chapters when I get the chance and probably clarify more about the reader and what she's all about as well.
So in the meantime, I have to make sure that my love for this show never fades (which I highly doubt it will), and practically force myself to continue writing it until I'm done and satisfied. So wish me luck everyone.
After everything was settled with the Black Dog, things went from hostile to mild faster than you could even blink.
Once Yashiro was cleared of any suspicion, the colorless clansman almost immediately softened towards the poor boy. It was then you realized that his attitude towards Neko had also faded into sibling territory, where both sides continued to tease each other (mostly on Neko's side) like an older brother and younger sister would. However, it was clear to see that the biggest change in attitude, was directed towards you.
To your surprise, conversations flowed fluidly between the two of you; an instant unspoken chemistry that seemed to blossom out of nowhere to the point that you even found yourself managing to relax more in his presence.
How in the hell did that happen?
It was a question you pondered after the whole affair, and at this very moment, you found yourself directing the other students alongside the slightly younger man... Almost like a mother and father scolding their kids for acting up.
You smiled softly at the thought and couldn't help but let out a chuckle, catching his attention in the process.
"Something funny?" He asked quirking a brow. Only this time it wasn't so menacing.
Grinning wider, you waved your hand, "No. Just thinking about how its been a little while since I've relaxed this much around someone else."
His bright blue eyes widened in response to your honesty. And you could distinctly see a small blush creeping onto his cheeks as he shifted his head away and back toward the students.
It was another one of those rare instances that you thought of how cute he was, and in that moment you couldn't help but lay your hand on his shoulder and say, "You're certainly a lot nicer now that I'm not the enemy. But somehow even before that you seemed like you were conflicted about fighting me; could it be that you actually have a thing for me?"
His mouth shut into a thin line and his cheeks turned from a light pink to a dark shade of red.
'I could do this all day.'
Laughter seemed to find itself out of your mouth a lot easier the second you were cleared of being the colorless king's accomplice. Even though you knew that him having a crush on you was a bit of a stretch, a part of you wouldn't have minded even if it were true.
Proof of that was how quickly he regained his composure, because the next thing you knew, both the clansman and Yukizome asked you to track down your missing party member, and the one who was the cause of all this trouble in the first place.
Of course Neko wanted to come along as well, not only to see Yashiro and spend more time with you, but also to get the spicy crackers that were promised to her as a reward by the class rep. You nodded curtly in agreement before taking off.
It was the moment you stepped out of the classroom doors that your unsolved situation returned to your mind.
After running around like a chicken with its head cut off, you were finally able to go back to focusing on the fact that your king's memories were still askew with fake ones that were more than likely implanted by the adorable girl walking beside you.
Amnesia would have been one thing, but only a strain could put fake memories into someone else's consciousness.
Of course, you didn't blame Neko in the slightest. She only wanted someone to be kind to her, and in the end that person just so happened to be Adolf. If anything, she was aother victim in the twisted game of that bastard king.
Still, the idea that she messed with his memories didn't make things any less complicated.
Sighing underneath your breath you could only try your hardest to be there for him no matter what the circumstances were. Although first and foremost, there had to be something done about your reluctance to defend him with physical force...
Words couldn't begin to describe how much the idea made you shudder.
Pretty ironic considering that just a year ago...
Your situation was completely different.
. . .
"Hey kid... What are doing out here all by yourself? You trying to get kidnapped?"
A jolt shot up your spine.
"Come on Mikoto, don't scare the poor girl."
Another voice with a Kyoto dialect spoke.
"She's not even paying attention. You think she's traumatized or something?"
The dialect man added.
You threw your hand against your forehead, a splitting headache suddenly forming.
All the repressed memories of your previous life came flooding back in a flash. All of the moments that you'd tried so hard to forget, now all in vain. The people you once referred to as your friends and family... And the one who forever changed your life in a single moment where he had approached a broken girl, on a lonely swingset, in an abandoned park...
"Hey. Hey kid... Come on, let's go."
A large warm hand that reached out to you in the darkness. Hair as bright as fire and deep as crimson, with a scowl that would've scared an ordinary child. But to that girl... It was a beacon of hope, something that she could latch onto and never let go even if her entire being tried to claw away with all of its might.
The image of the young girl taking that hand and grasping onto it for dear life, without so much as a second thought.
"Are you sure? She seems pretty off. We should take her to a hospital."
The blond boy next to him would speak, concern laced within his tone.
Without answering, the red-haired man holding the young girl's hand began walking away. The girl would follow in tandem, trying to match his steps even though his stride was so much wider than her own. But she didn't care; anything to escape what she no longer had. Even if this stranger were to kill or dispose of her somewhere, none of it mattered. Instead she made sure to keep up and gripped the boy's hand tighter.
And no matter what...
She would never let go.
You yelped gripping your head tighter and dropping to the floor, one knee keeping your body up as the startled Neko looked down at you in panic.
'NO!' You'd screamed internally.
The tension released itself in waves, your mind racing, and your heart-rate kicked up to an abnormally high pace.
"Asaki! Asaki what's wrong?!" The strain girl shouted holding your shoulders gingerly between her fingers.
Every word she'd said seemed to fade into the distance however, as your breathing increased as well, to the point where you were severely hyperventilating. Meanwhile, another memory scratched its way to the surface.
"Hey there Asaki, you sure seem to be attached to this place, or could it just be that you're attached to him?"
'Stop it - stop it - STOP IT!'
If only you were that lucky... The voices, the memories, your memories, they just kept coming and without restraint.
"Izumo, shut your trap."
The red head responded in his usual gruff tone.
"Haha, sorry. But you can't deny that your mood has lifted ever since she decided to come with us that day."
The blond rebuffed.
It was then that the girl giggled and sat closer to the grumpy teen, resting her head gently onto his lap and playing with the hair that he'd grown out since their first meeting. And even though she was almost 5 years younger than him, she knew that he was just too lazy to go to a proper barber, instead opting to see how long he could grow it out before getting fed up.
Looking down at her as she twirled a strand of bright red locks around her forefinger, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her carefree demeanor.
Not only had this girl followed him like he'd asked all those weeks ago, but she also hung out around him more than people her own age. And what was most impressive, was the fact that she wasn't scared of him in the slightest... A violent boy with a temper that could hold a candle to a starved lion, and a little girl whom everyone could already tell would bloom into a proper lady; and yet somehow their relationship worked.
The other more cheerful boy in the room cracked a joke that he had missed, interrupting his thoughts, as she burst out laughing with a radiant smile that could light up a room darker than the night itself.
There wasn't a single time that she'd forget his expression.
The blissful stare that he'd given her...
She could never forget it.
A smile that lit up her world.
The smile that saved her.
But why were you seeing all of this now?
"Asaki! Can you hear me?! I said what's the matter?!"
"Ugh... N-Ne... ko? I-Is that you?" You finally managed to choke out, even if it was a little broken.
The pain in your head started to subside once she cried your name. But even so, your ears were ringing and you felt dazed.
Your eyes were hazy and clouded as you blinked several times in order to help clear your vision. It took a few tries, and you found yourself still propped onto one knee, clutching your unsteady heart.
Next, you tried to stabilize your breathing. The shallow pants from the lack of oxygen slowed with every passing second until finally it went back to normal, only taking a couple of minutes.
Lastly, poor Neko was looking at you with wet eyes and lips that were painted in bright orange from the spicy chips that she'd been snacking on earlier. In all honesty, if it weren't for your current state of disarray, you probably would've laughed from the sight.
It at least managed to make you feel infinitely better, so that was good.
"Don't worry," you replied standing, "I was just really hungry! So hungry in fact, that I nearly keeled over and collapsed from lack of nutrients!" You added, making sure to be melodramatic in the way you swayed your hands and clenched your fist in mock disbelief.
Luckily Neko, being the sweet innocent girl that she is, automatically changed her tune and cheered up at the sight of her friend recovering.
"Yay! That's a relief! I was so worried that you were going to die or something, and I really don't want that to happen!" She cried throwing her arms around your frame and burying her face into your chest. Apologetically, you started petting her pink locks, and you could practically hear her purring like a real cat.
In the end, you still let out a little laugh at her nonchalant comment about you dying from starvation... Only to snap back to attention once you fully grasped what had happened that made her worry in the first place.
Hell...
You already knew what happened.
Denying it any longer would be a waste of time and energy, both of which you were swiftly running out of as the day went on.
Your lips curled downwards. Any positivity left inside of you dissipated, replaced with the memories of your previous ties to your past self.
Hah, who were you kidding?
Those flashbacks were a clear sign that you'd already been dragged back into the hell you attempted to leave behind to rot for over a freaking year, again and again.
But when it really came down to it, there wasn't a single day that went by where you didn't think about the home you'd left, the family you loved and cared about, the one person there that you still knew meant everything to you...
The wretching that tore inside of your chest whenever you thought about him, even if only for a split second. God, did it pain you to think about his expression when you came into his life... Or how about when you first told him that you had fallen for him? The times where he comforted you after a long day of classes or just dealing with the day to day struggles of life... And lastly, the way he looked at you when you told him that the clan, the bar, and that he himself was no longer enough for you to stay...
Gritting your teeth, you tried your damnest to throw away those feelings of regret for now, and instead put on the most cheerful expression you could muster before nudging the strain girl along and following her to Yashiro's dorm room.
There were more important things to worry about...
Wasn't there?
At the very least, that's what you'd keep telling yourself.
~oOo~
"SHIROOOO~" Neko called out after comically bursting through his dorm door.
Shaking your head, you smiled briefly until the second you took a good look at your king's expression.
Your brows furrowed and your mouth pressed into a hard, thin line. From the looks of it, he was in panic mode, and you had a pretty good idea as to why that was.
Even Neko was able to pick up on his disheveled temperament and looked at him sadly.
After saying something about receiving spicy rice crackers after getting him to come back to the classroom, Yashiro responded shakily, "okay, I'll go if that's what you want..."
You could practically see her ears droop when the strain asked him if he was okay.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." You added, and he jumped in response. Apparently, he hadn't noticed you were right behind the girl when she entered, and he looked at you nervously.
"Its nothing..." He whispered patting Neko's head.
Sure, "nothing."
Still, before things could proceed, you needed to talk to him alone, ASAP.
"Hey Neko, would you mind doing me a huge favor? I promise I'll make you any dessert you want, sound good?" You clapped your hands together and gave her your best wide grin, hoping she'd take the bait (even though she more than likely would being the innocent child she was).
It must've worked, because now she was raising her arms and cheering in excitement.
"Yay! I love Asaki's cooking! Love, love, love it!"
You sighed internally, relieved. "Then can you please go tell the class rep that I need to borrow her classmate here? Its really important."
Neko gave an ecstatic nod and saluted you like a soldier, "roger that!" You didn't have to tell her twice before she scampered out of the room, almost tripping on the hem of her outfit in the process.
The second she was out of sight, your smile faded, replaced with an anxious scowl.
Already you could tell that Yashiro was avoiding your gaze like the plague, because when you attemped to walk closer to him, he turned his head to the side. The way he tried to cover up his distress with a condescending grin was also forced.
"What's the matter? You said you needed my help, but it doesn't look like you're in any rush to fix it..."
Your eyes narrowed. There was something about the way he dodged the issue that was getting on your nerves...
"What happened?"
Beating around the bush wasn't going to solve anything, so you decided to ask him straight out.
"What do you mean? Nothing happened at all... I think we should get back to Kukuri, dontcha think?" He laughed half-heartedly.
Right before he walked past you, you took notice of him closing the door to his closet near his desk. Without even blinking you strode over to the front of it, and the boy was too slow when it came to stopping you. The second you opened it, you could hear him whisper something akin to a curse word underneath his breath, and he halted dead in his tracks.
You glanced down and saw the article of clothing that was his school uniform... Only it was covered in blood...
The video of the murder played within your mind, and you had to do a double take as your legs stumbled backwards, until you were standing in the center of the room.
That blood stain...
It was Totsuka's.
Your best friend for nearly a decade; and there it was, staring back at you almost tauntingly saying, "You did nothing. Not a single thing to save him."
One of your hands clapped over your mouth in disgust. You honestly felt like you were going to vomit.
"Hey, my names Totsuka Tatara. And I have to say, its pretty cool finding out that my king already has a queen!"
His optimistic tone, the way he'd gripped your hand and kissed it after your first meeting, among various other flashes overflowed your senses once again. Only this time, you managed to keep your wits.
'Calm down, calm down.' You thought again and again.
It was difficult as all hell, but you managed to regain your composure.
But somewhere in the back of your brain there was another emotion that was beginning to manifest itself into physical form. Yes... That had to be it...
Burning...intensifying, hate.
Hate for the man that commited this unforgiveable crime.
Hate for the man who had framed Adolf and put a bounty on his head.
Hate for the person who stood by and did nothing.
A part of your sanity felt like it snapped, replaced with an extreme vengeance.
"The beast needs to be set free... Don't you think so King?"
The only question was, would you be able to tame it once it exposed itself?
"Hey... Are you going to kill me now too?"
Your bloodlust quickly dwindled at the saddened sound of Yashiro's tone. That self-deprecating expression of his had you practically melting.
"No. No, I would never. I couldn't, not in a million years." You paused before closing the closet door and resting your forehead against the cool wooden frame. "I still believe in you, even if you've already given up on yourself."
He sucked in a heavy breath, and since you weren't looking at him, you could only imagine how relieved he must've been.
It was then you realized, that he hadn't been expecting you to say such a thing. For anyone to still have faith after seeing something like that, must be crazy, or looking for a death wish. Nonetheless, he still felt his chest tighten in appreciation at the sincere gesture... Honestly, he had never met another girl like you, and most likely never would again.
His footsteps grew closer, until you felt the warm press of his hand engulfing your own. He gingerly brought it up to cup his cheek, which felt even warmer than his palm. "You're really something else. Thank you so much."
Smiling, you brushed your thumb against his pale skin. "I'll protect you, don't ever doubt that."
He returned your smile and closed his eyes, letting them flutter, while he steadied his breathing; and though he didn't know why, he found that your touch was the most relaxing sensation he felt in a long time, almost as if he'd known it before...in a dream.
In that moment you could see the traces of your king's original expression. The goofy, yet serious when need be man that you grew to love was still in there, just buried underneath the surface. And you were going to dig him out.
But first... "We should get back to the others. Try not to push yourself and take it slow, okay?"
He agreed, his amber irises flickering and seemingly a lot more relaxed.
"You're right. Let's go."
Great. Only one more problem.
"Ahem... Yashiro, your hand?" You coughed awkwardly, looking down at your still intertwined fingers.
He flinched and you caught sight of his soft blush before he removed his digits from yours. From what you picked up on, it was obvious that he hadn't realized how familiar he was acting during the heat of the moment.
It made you wonder how he'd react if you told him that the two of you had done far more intimate activities in private aboard the Himmelreich.
Of course, you'd keep that to yourself. After all, you didn't want him to die from embarrassment.
~oOo~
In no time at all, both you and the white-haired boy returned to meet up with Yatogami and Neko, and miss Yukizome too.
"There you guys are! I sure hope what you needed help with was worth it! There's still a lot that has to get done." The class rep started.
"You're supposed to be helping with these preparations!" The Black Dog added.
"Ouch! Hey, Kuro! Please pay attention to what you're doing!"
You had to stiffle a chuckle; even the perfect "wife" slipped up on domestic chores every once in a while.
"Oh! You know what? Shiro, if you don't have an assignment, could I ask you to do me a favor?"
This time, you couldn't help laughing at the face your king made. It was like he was screaming, "last time you asked me to do a favor, a bunch of gang members with strange mystical powers tried to kill me," and it almost had you falling to the floor.
You resisted the urge and nudged him forward. He didn't seem to appreciate this because he turned his head around and gave you a troubled look that said, "traitor!"
Shrugging, you patted his shoulders and told him that he'd be fine as long as Neko and Yatogami were with him.
This time his expression drooped and he asked, "you're not coming along?" He almost looked like a puppy whose master abandoned him on the street when you shook your head.
"I'm pretty tired, and I've got a lot to think about... But I promise that i'll catch up to you guys later. For now, you'll be safe with those two, especially since the bounty for your head is off the table for the Black Dog over there." You leaned close to his ear, saying one last thing before they left. "Besides, I think that guy is really starting to like you."
Yashiro smirked and choked back a stiffled giggle. "So you noticed it too?"
"Pffft. Of course."
"Haha, alright. Then we'll get going. See you at lunch-time?"
"Definitely."
You waved them off, and after they left the classroom, you asked the class rep if you could take a break for a little while.
Of course, you weren't really going to rest...
Right now, you sense both Red and Blue clansmen floating around the entire school island at this very moment.
"The beast needs to be set free... Don't you think so King?"
And set free you would.
No more running.
The colorless king killed your best friend and framed someone precious to you.
Screw being the cowering little child; you'd finally made up your mind.
"Careful Totsuka, foxes have a tendency to show their fangs when they're cornered. And you're talking about the beast herself. The Violet Fox, Asaki Kistuhara."
HERE I AM BITCHES!
WELCOME ME BACK AND BOW DOWN BEFORE MY UNEDITED PIECE OF CRAP CHAPTER!
SEE YOU IN A YEAR, MAYBE!
PEACE!