Kamerad

After obediently following Anna's lead down the street for a bit, Tomaya caught the sound of hastened footsteps approaching, and he felt his instincts kick in. He turned his tapered glower over his shoulder to survey the blur of navy dashing through the rooftops behind him, and his body began to tighten. "Shit, one of 'em tailed us. Probably their leader, if I had to guess." With a bitter sneer, he dipped down and scooped Anna's toes from the pavement. Because she didn't seem too concerned, he assumed she had already realized that someone was following them. "Sorry, kid, but we've got company. We don't have time for hide n' seek anymore."

Jolting forward with a speed that surprised a startled gasp from Anna's breathlessly parted lips, Tomaya glided down a side street. In a moment that was too swift for Anna to comprehend, Tomaya's heels had milled into the pavement beneath his boots, and he was lunging quickly down an adjacent backstreet. As he darted between passages, a cocky smirk curled his lips up to one side, hearing the gentle sounds of the Strain child marvelling. "Catch this, asshole."

Anna winced, tightly clenching Tomaya's shirt as he suddenly ground to a stop to the surging of an azure blaze. There was a delicate hum of concern on her lips when Tomaya growled to realize that the oceanic flicker was cutting off their escape into the busy street. When she opened her eyes, she raised her soft observation on the indecision in his face. His teeth clenched, and she could feel his body tightening with the need to fight back, but Neirah had assigned him the duty of protecting precious cargo. The last thing he wanted to do was let her down, and in the next instant, the world was shifting behind Anna's careful consideration once more.

Left, right, everywhere he turned his head; he saw blue. It came so quickly and precisely that he'd lost track of the way back to HOMRA. Before they knew it, Anna and Tomaya had found themselves turned around and backed against a wall with the confident approach of the blue king at their backs. As Tomaya panted with exhaustion and seethed bitter vehemence, Anna took a moment to glance over his shoulder. With a gentle coo, she lightly tugged on his sleeve to encourage him to face his foe directly. "Tomo… He's here."

"You put up a valiant effort, Tetsuko Tomaya, but I think you will agree that victory has found its way into my hands this day."

Tomaya swivelled to face the brazen Blue King at his back and stumbled towards the wall like he had any further to go. "Oh yeah? Your hands ain't on me yet, buddy, and if they even come close, I'll bust 'em up so bad, you'll be usin' that sword with your teeth from now on."

Preparing to face Tomaya's potential threat, Reisi emitted a low chortle and rested his palm on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "Such an abrasive young man. I think I'm finally beginning to understand why Suoh seems to have taken a shining to you."

Tomaya calmly set Anna back on the asphalt, encouraging her to linger behind his braced stance. "Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way," he assured her quietly. "Do you remember the way back home?"

Anna responded with a confident nod as Tomaya stared down his opponent. "Good. Just stay behind me until it's clear and then get to the other side of 'im. When I catch up, you point the way, and I'll make sure you get there."

"An admirable resolution," Reisi mocked dryly. "But, you realize that I have little to no interest in the child."

With a livid roar, Tomaya retracted his scarred fist, clenching it tightly enough to see the joints between his bones grind before he slammed the vigour into the pavement beneath their feet with his. He watched the force buckle sheets of concrete as they approached the Blue King, his sights focused on the attack that chased their unwanted guest back towards the rooftops. At the mouth of the alley, startled screeches alerted them to the unintentional damage caused to the walkways beyond their reach.

"You charge as if I intend on posing a threat to the child at your back," Reisi announced curtly from his precarious perch. "How many times must I assure you that she is not what I seek to obtain?"

Tomaya could see the calculation of Reisi's tapering violet eyes as he considered the risk before him. He hadn't drawn his sword, but Tomaya knew that the power he controlled was a relentless strength that he had little control over. If he flailed it around a bit and proved that he wasn't worth instigating within city limits, there was a chance Reisi might leave them alone. "Doesn't matter, shithead," he scowled under his breath. "Nei-chan asked me to take this kid home, so that's what I'm going to do."

From where he had landed safely atop one of the buildings, Reisi narrowed his gaze on the pair cautiously. He knew that Tomaya was rumoured to be dangerous, which was why the Gold King himself had wanted the specimen detained, but to keep local damage to a minimum, fleeing his attacks may not have remained the most strategic option.

Tomaya reinforced that suspicion when he barked out an agitated curse and beat the butt of his balled fist to one side against the structure, causing the entire frame of the building to crack and sway. Aside from the crumpled webbing left beneath Tomaya's point of contact, Reisi ascertained that the building wouldn't topple, but it had undoubtedly disturbed his post.

With a confident stride, Reisi stepped off of the building's ceiling onto a reflective blue disc, following the path of their appearance as he regally descended. His boots thumped to the ground and joined with the sound the gentle grunt he expelled for the effort before he straightened, turning his hardening sights on the rebellious man at his front. "Let it be known, that if you force me to draw my sword, there is no guarantee that the child will not find herself unintentionally caught in the crossfire," he reassured Tomaya soundly. "In fact, there is no guarantee that she will escape harm if you bring down the entire district just to oppose me. That seems a little counterintuitive to your purpose."

Reisi touched his spectacles before raising his confident gaze back towards the youth. "Once SCEPTRE4 has taken you into custody, we will see that Suoh Mikoto's clansman is delivered safely back to his domain."

"She didn't ask you, she asked me, so keep your fucking nose out of it!" The next wave of pressure to cut from the beat of his horizontally slicing forearm crashed through the alley towards the street like an invisible blade, cracking the brick to either side of the partitions pinching the road around them. Reisi made that effort look childish as well, while shades of blue glistened into sight beneath the bright sun as the barrier particles were disturbed. On the inside of his protective bubble, the king hadn't so much as flinched.

But Tomaya couldn't do it with the scars of Mikoto's flames still clutching his spirit. It felt like the Red King's hand still wrapped around his heart, and every time he wanted to rebel with a racing beat, he remembered just how small he was at the feet of a true king.

Tomaya started to tremble, and when he felt the gentle touch of Anna's hand tugging on his sweater, the pain choked him. "She asked me… to do this one thing," he nearly snarled. He stared at his mutilated hand as it began to quake, and as soon as he noticed it, he tightened the grip until it stilled. Tomaya needed to fight, he wanted to obliterate anyone who would stand in the way of his success, but the last time he felt that way, he lost sight of everything important, like his friend, or the frail-bodied child at his back. Thinking about it had his fist unclenching next to the skittish girl by his side to reassure her of their situation. "After all I put her through, this's all she wanted outta me."

There was a lightly derisive scoff on Reisi's lips as he tightened the hold on his sword's handle, waiting to see what the Strain would do next and praying he didn't have to draw it. "I see. It seems you've done some soul searching on this day and found it to be in need of cleansing." He straightened, lowering his aggressive guard to propose an alternative measure to the frustrated Strain that would keep him calm and property damage to a minimum. "Very well. You may escort the child to safety, and once you have, I expect your prompt surrender." His gaze tapered incredulously. "I believe that is more than generous considering what I expect to follow once you arrive."

Tomaya flew forward, outraged. "Like I'd just walk back out here and turn myself over to a pompous prick like you! Once I'm down the kid, you and I are gonna settle this with our fists!"

Reisi's expression grew sharp as he considered the irksome target before him. "Then, you will carry this guilt with you to a prison cell."

"Anna."

Tomaya shook to the sound of Anna's soft wheeze behind him, and without a second thought, the delighted young Strain bounded past the two men standing off in the alley. Like she was dancing on a breeze, she followed the weaving trail of cigarette smoke as it whisked from the bright and damaged mouth of the aisle towards Reisi. When she reached its origin, she turned to face Tomaya with a kind smile.

Rattling out a dim growl, Mikoto dropped his cigarette to the ground, smearing it into the concrete beneath his toe like it was a vent for his frustrations. By the time Reisi had turned over his shoulder with a gentle hum of inquiry, Mikoto's teeth had already flashed in a sinister beam. "Long time no see, Munakata."

With a gentle sigh, Reisi met Mikoto's enthusiasm with a grin of his own. "Suoh, what impeccable timing," he pestered. "I was just about to finish what you started. Care to witness my triumph?"

"The fuck does that mean?!" Tomaya snapped irately.

"Oi!" From behind Mikoto's shadow, Misaki lunged forward towards the sight of Tomaya cornered in the alleyway. "What the hell was this shithead doin' alone with Anna-chan?!"

Saruhiko's expression darkened next to Tatara as he surveyed the situation with apprehension in his heart. No matter where his peripheral gaze wandered, one thing seemed to turn up missing every time. "And where'd he leave Tsukiyo?"

Unfortunately, Tatara was close enough to hear Saruhiko's words, and when he did. He was repeating them to sufficiently void Saruhiko's purposeful stealth of meaning. "What? Nei-chan was with them too?"

Despite the sound of Saruhiko striking his brow with his palm, Misaki didn't turn to observe the pair as he took a step back, wild eyes searching the small area for her presence. When he discovered that Saruhiko had been right, his gut began to churn. "That's right." He could feel the tension in his king's body by his side, and he couldn't help but tighten up his guard in preparation for a scrap. "I knew it!" he raged while taking a lengthy stride ahead of his king. "You bastard! Where's Tsukiyo!?"

Misaki was startled by Anna's gentle tug on his shirt, so he turned to face the child with a supportive hum of curiosity. "Eh? Somethin' the matter, Anna?"

"Onē-san."

"What? Where is she?" he demanded energetically. "You know where she is, right, Anna?! Can you take us there?!" To her quiet head-nod, Misaki gave an enthusiastic fist pump and cheered his command. "Great! Lead the way! Saruhiko, let's-" Tatara joined Saruhiko and Misaki in flinching when the thundering of heeled boots met their ears on the street by their backs.

"This way! I saw the captain pass by here!"

"The street! It's been completely destroyed!"

"Quick! The captain must be combating that Strain as we speak!"

"Shit…" Misaki hissed irritably under his breath. "It's the blues."

Tsk. Saruhiko stepped in front of Tatara, encouraging him behind the pair as he took Misaki's side with an impatient growl. "Stay out of the way. This could get dangerous."

Misaki immediately inspired with the ringing of three delicate blades sliding up Saruhiko's wrist in preparation to complete their vanguard force, and he couldn't help but shout his eager encouragement as he flopped his skateboard down on the pavement. "All right, that's what I'm talkin' about!" He was sniggering impishly to the sight of the armed reinforcement unit arriving with a start to the discovery of the Red Clan unexpectedly joining the fray. "We'll teach 'em better than to mess around in our business, right, partner?"

Saruhiko narrowed his leer on the unsteady clamour of new blades hesitating to leap into conflict without direct leadership. "They're nothing like the Minato twins. Even I could hold a sword better than these clowns. You can tell they haven't been at this for long."

It was hard to tell whether Misaki's devious chortle was a snigger or a snarl as he inched forward. "S' probably why they need so many of them. What a buncha newbs. Come on. Let's waste 'em!"

"Wait, Yata-chan! There has to be another way!" Tatara prattled worrisomely. "I mean, I'm sure there's a reason why Nei-chan's not here, and I'm sure this all looks much worse than it actually is, so let's not do anything drastic yet, okay?"

Tomaya slowly straightened, watching the sight unfold. Armed men in blue had lingered at the mouth of the alley, detoured only by the resistance of two eager red clansmen preparing for battle. At their backs, the kind and smiling Tatara continued to discourage conflict between the sides ready to clash. Deeper in the alley, Anna lingered by her king's hand as he sized up his blue counterpart, and then, at the end of it all, he watched his purpose fade.

Neirah had asked very little of him in return for her forgiveness. First, she asked if Anna could join them for a walk, and second, she asked that the child be cared for while she fought for his freedom. It was clear to him that Anna was important to HOMRA ever since they'd liberated her from Mizuchi Kōshi's care. In that devastating moment, Tomaya realized why Neirah had chosen against him the day he'd first dragged her away from home, and he wondered if he had ever really deserved her forgiveness in the first place.

"Enough." His rumble was low and filled with authority as it reverberated between the buildings, and when Misaki was still intent on drowning him out to deny Tatara's peaceful suggestion with his raving, Tomaya's tone escalated. "I said enough, you little punk!"

Misaki silenced in the next instant, turning his rage on Tomaya. "The hell was that you just said to me!?" he barked intolerantly. "Sit down and wait your turn! You were on my list anyway, so I hope you're ready for me to mess up your other arm too!"

"Yata." When Misaki turned his bright and respectful gaze on his king's back, Mikoto continued. "He's right. That's enough."

Mikoto let his gaze pass Reisi's for a moment and then connected golden irises with Tomaya to watch emotion flicker over the exhausted Strain's face. He'd been running for too long and from too many threats, but escaping yourself wasn't an easy task. Frankly, Tomaya was sick of it, sick of running, and sick of hurting the only person who was left to care about him. Mikoto could see that.

"What's this?" With his rude interruption, Reisi turned to face the unruly Strain. He kept a slighted grin on his face marking his arrogance and ironic sense of entertainment for the struggling of his prey. "Have you finally decided to listen to reason. And at the command of the Red King, no less."

"Shut up!" Tomaya snapped lividly. "I don't need to waste my time with you!" When the space between them had grown silent again, Tomaya raised his desperate gaze back to Mikoto's and tried to decide why the Red King was the only one out of any of them he wanted to acknowledge. "Suoh." He bowed his head, hating every second his body shivered just being in the presence of the man who had forced him to surrender before raising his hand in a challenge. It was humiliating, even more so when their only witness was standing nearby. Unfortunately, the pain of his shattered pride was nothing compared to his aching heart as he failed the only one left that he could call his friend. "I tried to… I wanted to, but you weren't…"

Tatara stepped forward slowly with a gentle smile, appreciating the strength it took for Tomaya to approach their king like he had suggested the night they parted ways. "It's fine." When Tomaya immediately shot his glance towards Tatara's kind expression, the man didn't hesitate to continue. "Everything will work out in the end."

Tomaya looked down at his feet, wondering how long they'd been moving without direction. It was too late to talk, too late to sort out the way he felt about the world around him. He was learning it as he went, and all too quickly. Tomaya was learning that no matter what he did, he had lost before he'd even begun. He had no one to blame but himself, and a dead man. "Suoh, you said… that she was happy… right?"

Mikoto's hard expression softened to consider Tomaya's words, and he bowed his head with a gentle sigh. "Yeah."

"Not today…" His words choked as he avoided the prying gazes, the way his weakness surrendered to the forces surrounding him. He could have all the power in the world, but he would kneel to their reign every time because he wasn't brave enough to face his past and the only truth that mattered. After he lost everything, she was there, risking everything to save him when he couldn't admit he needed the hand to extend for him. "Today, she was crying."

Misaki startled, his hesitant gaze wide and filled with worry as his words slipped past his lips in a rough whisper. "Crying…? Tsukiyo was…?"

Tomaya threw his head to the side, trapping his weakness behind his ire as he shook away the need to shed tears in front of the powerful presence of two kings standing before him. He wouldn't fall to his knees a second time, but his heart had already surrendered. "Look, the stupid brat's where she belongs now, so it's over, right?!" He refused to look into the sweet child's calm eyes as he hissed out a hard breath and tried to ignore the congestion of his tone. "It's over…"

Reisi seemed startled, at first, to the sight of Tomaya's head bowed, but after a moment of careful consideration, he offered the man an understanding smile. "Have you decided to turn yourself over for questioning?"

There was a hot flash of warning in Tomaya's gaze as he raised it and connected with Reisi's. "Don't look down on me, scumbag," he snarled beneath his breath. "My king's always been red."

With the encouraging tug of Anna's hand against his jean pocket, Mikoto sighed and pressed forward. He caught Reisi's glance conceitedly for a moment, the wicked smirk on his lips, encouraging the Blue King to roll his eyes. Every witness there could tell that the pair weren't off to a great start, but it was clear that day that Reisi had seen a side of the Red King that was worth offering the respect Neirah encouraged.

Tomaya refused to raise his gaze to Mikoto's after saying something so humiliating. But as Mikoto lingered with Anna on his hip, his hands in his pockets, Tomaya couldn't deny their patience forever. "I'm not lookin' for your protection," he admitted bleakly. "That's not what this is about."

Mikoto didn't press the issue any further as he spoke. "They can't keep you locked up forever," he rumbled softly. "We'll take care of her in the meantime."

Tomaya felt the burn in his throat begin to match his eyes as he hunched over his retching stomach. When he did, he saw something he never thought would comfort him.

Mikoto carefully observed the boy as he held out his hand, his expression even as he recalled the day Eiko had reached for it with his last breaths. Tomaya wasn't dying, he was still learning how to live, but the weight of their purpose felt the same. It was about a hundred and sixty-two centimetres tall and fifty kilograms heavy.

When Tomaya clapped his hand into Mikoto's, Anna watched Mikoto's red surge like it felt uplifted, but Tomaya remained colourless and bland in her eyes. It wasn't the ending that she was hoping for, but it was one that she had predicted. "Mikoto's red is the brightest."

And she believed that it could save a cold, colourless world.

"I… Thanks," Tomaya muttered humbly. He wanted to say more, but for some strange reason, he felt like Mikoto had already understood him. With a meek smile, he passed them by and dropped his palm on Anna's head. "See you around, squirt. Take care of the big guy for me, kay?"

"Okay," she delicately crooned.

Tomaya's gaze immediately hardened when he approached the Blue King, but he didn't go back on his word. "What're the chances you'll let me make amends before you drag me off into hell?"

Reisi snickered at the thought. "You're a rather bleak individual, aren't you, Tetsuko-san?"

"Slim. Got it." He shifted his gaze to where Misaki was trying to wrap his head around everything that had just transpired, and he couldn't help but smile. "Tell your little girlfriend I said catch ya later. Just do it from behind somethin' 'cause she's gonna be pissed that I managed to screw this up."

Misaki didn't know why the casual announcement had infuriated him so much, but when he considered just how many witnesses were around him to hear it, he became dizzy with humiliation. He never regretted saying anything so much in his life. "Hey! Blue King! Make sure he doesn't get out anytime soon! I don't wanna lay eyes on that bastard again for a long time!"

With a bright and innocent smile beaming just behind Misaki's frustrated posturing, Tatara couldn't help but delight in teasing his younger clansmen. "Yata-chan, you didn't tell me that you had a-"

"Ahn, shut it!"

Mikoto diverted his humble gaze towards Reisi with a low groan. "Does that mean we're done here?"

Reisi raised his gaze from where he shackled the reluctantly agreeable Strain and turned it back towards Mikoto. "Not quite, Suoh," he proclaimed musically. "There is still the matter of your hunter." He left Tomaya in the care of his clansmen before nearing Mikoto's side. "Seeing as our battle today has nothing to do with you or yours, I would appreciate it if you called off your clansman."

"What can I say? She's a beast of territory," Mikoto rumbled friskily. "That kid takes after my own burning heart."

Reisi's face tightened with the restraint it took him to keep an impatient grimace from his expression. "I took notice."

Overhearing their confrontation, Misaki rushed towards the pair eagerly. "You mean Tsukiyo-san!? She's okay?"

Reisi turned his attention towards where the red clansmen began to congregate around their king, failing to feel threatened in the least. "That depends on the state in which my lieutenant has left her," he instigated slyly. After taking a brief moment to consider the events to unfold, he admitted to himself that he had seen the Red King in a different light. The light was still a shade of red, but a less violent and disreputable one. Something about its glow had impressed him that afternoon, not that he would share the news. "Shall we go see?"

With the toe of her boot still submerged in a dishevelled sea of sand, Neirah pressed her breasts into her rival's shoulders as she pinned Seri's twisted arm between their bodies. Seri's sabre had rattled to the ground at their feet with a whispering thud in the granules and left her to battle the savage beauty behind her hand-to-hand. Luckily, she had managed to get the knife away from her current captor, but Neirah's nimble dancing was hard to keep up with when it was shrouded in flames.

As Neirah's pressure increased, her wicked beam broadened, and she leaned her lips into the curvaceous blonde's ear to murmur her dull warning. "I'm going to twist your body in ways that you never thought possible." Her vague promise was venomous as she broadened her stance and hoisted the woman to the tips of her toes with an agonized cry. "Which will take considerable effort on my part, considering how flexible you already are."

"Unhand me this instant, you little demon!" Seri commanded in a bellowing tone. "Conflict between clans is strictly forbidden! If you continue with this meaningless squabble, SCEPTRE4 will have no choice but to take action against you as-"

Neirah's teeth ground with sadistic delight as she gave the woman's wrist another sharp twist to cause her delicate yelp to interrupt her prattling. "I'm sorry, but this sounds so much sweeter than that other nonsense you're spouting. Listening to you talk reminds me of the homework I know Onii-san is going to be harping on me to complete this weekend. It bores me."

"Lion-chan!"

With the sound of Tatara's musical voice cutting over the sandbar, Neirah perked alertly and released the woman like they had never quarrelled in the first place. She warmed to the sight of Tatara approaching with Anna nearby, and not far behind, she had caught sight of her king. That was how she knew that Tomaya had made it back to HOMRA, which meant that there was no need for her to carry on with her battle. Her purpose fulfilled.

Upon her release, Seri took the opportunity to drop to the sandpit and reclaim her sword quickly, but in that time, Neirah was already trotting off towards her roommate, leaving her weapons among the grit. The effort of turning her back so carelessly on an enemy made Seri writhe with insult.

The audacity made the blushing Seri shudder wrathfully. "You walk away from your weapon so casually… So, my threat doesn't mean a thing to you, does it?" she muttered bitterly under her breath. With a passionate roar, Seri's elevated tone cut over the delight in Neirah's to stagger her retreat. "Are you going to rely on your friends to save you, after all!? Are you so cowardly?!"

From where Neirah had stopped next to Tatara and Anna, she turned a somewhat stern expression towards her stiff opponent. "Don't be ridiculous. My friends are my greatest strength."

Seri startled at the impact of the woman's sudden shift in demeanour, and just when she was about to press the matter, she heard the low rumble of her Blue King making her aware of his return behind her armed stance. "Awashima-san, stand down," he reassured her softly.

Despite the command, Seri still whirled to face his decision with her sword clutched tightly in her hand. "C-captain Munakata, sir?"

He offered her a comforting smile from where he delayed with their forces lingering like his hands behind his back. "We have apprehended Tetsuko Tomaya. There is no need to continue."

The moment Seri's expression brightened with joy for their success, Neirah was overhearing the command that caused her to twist and face them with devastation on her face. "What did he just say!?"

Before Tatara could open his mouth to explain, Mikoto had grown near enough that Neirah could see that he wasn't with Tomaya, and his expression wasn't reassuring. Instead, what she noticed to either side of his reverse was HOMRA's vanguard, half of which looked far too guilty for words.

She jerked her attention nervously towards Mikoto as she listened to the sound of the Blue Clan's departure, but what concerned her was the sombre look on his face that admitted he didn't know what words were appropriate to break her heart with. It was the same look he had given her the day that he had refused her suggestion to join his clan.

That was when Tatara was interrupting, resting his hand on her shoulder as she continued to stare into Mikoto's eyes in search of hope. "Nei-chan, you see, Tetsuko… He decided that maybe it would be best to be with SCEPTRE4 for a while." Noticing that she wasn't going to tear her eyes from her king's, he continued and lowered his reassuring touch. "Don't worry. He may finally find the answers to all the questions he still has about this world. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

Suddenly, something deep inside her triggered at the thought that Mikoto had witnessed Tomaya's capture and had done nothing, so when she turned her vacant stare towards Misaki on Mikoto's right hip, the vanguard shuddered like she'd shot right through him.

Misaki felt pathetic for hiding, for blushing and rushing his words out like he was a child, but he couldn't help being intimidated by the pressure of the rage building within the Red Lioness that afternoon. They may have had times where they could share a pleasant moment or two, but she was still fierce. "Ah, h-hey, Tsukiyo… I uh… mean… w-we just happened to bump into Mikoto-san at the…"

From Mikoto's left side, Saruhiko dropped his weighted gaze towards the sight of the tangerine sand at their feet, shimmering beneath the dipping sun. "Yata… she knows." He didn't know what had disappointed him more, the look of betrayal on Neirah's face or the sound of Misaki's devastation as it begged her forgiveness. Probably the thing that he hated most was that he somehow felt responsible for letting things turn out the way they did, even if it was only for doing nothing to prevent it. His defeat was Misaki's defeat, and Misaki's pain was his pain.

Misaki stepped away from Neirah's intensity, joining his friend on the opposing side of their king as they waited for Neirah's response, but all they heard on the gentle breeze rippling the water of the koi pond nearby, was a whisper filled with defeat. "Yata, you rat…"

In an instant, she was the tender woman he'd enjoyed a pleasant afternoon with on the top of the tallest building in Shizume's business district. The sunlight even reflected on her tan features the same way. He hated it. All at once, the mystery crashed back into him and had his heart racing. If she was strong enough to stand by their side, he didn't understand why he always felt like he let her down like she ever needed his help. All Misaki wanted was to show her that he cared about her like he had for any of the other men he called his friend. Instead, every time Misaki tried to support her, he ended up getting in her way. Yō was right. They couldn't find the same page.

But more than anything, he hated her eyes. Misaki felt the sting of defeat deep within his chest, and the shame coloured his cheeks with shades of his failure. All he could think about when her devastated gaze pierced him was a grim warning that as soon as he stopped watching her back, she was going to need him like he hadn't expected to need her that night in the parking garage. Like he had expected Saruhiko always to be the first to his aid, she had Tatara. But the one time Tatara wasn't there, he knew there was a chance that she might find a use for the man who kept stumbling around behind her trying to make himself useful. All he could do was hope that he hadn't ruined everything irreparably before that time came, if ever.

A hope that, someday, she would find a place for him in the pages of her story.

Misaki hadn't removed the knot in his face that warned that at any moment he would break. Nobody was quite sure what would escape when he did, though; tears, rage. In the meantime, they let him be. Even Saruhiko had remained quiet as he oversaw Misaki's festering turmoil. All the while he watched the dam crack down the centre ready to erupt with undetermined emotion, Misaki hadn't taken his eyes off their huntress.

Neirah had lost the bleak look of defeat that she carried that afternoon. Instead, her burning eyes flashed vehemence as she shouted her defiance towards Izumo at the edge of the bar, battling the way he'd reprimanded her for stepping out against command. Mikoto hadn't seemed too concerned about it, but from what Misaki had gathered, Seri and Izumo looked to have known each other somehow. Izumo mentioned the Gold King a few times, and every now and then, he would shudder to the sound of his name on her lips. It was bitter, spiteful, even. It sounded so ugly as she screamed it, and it made his heart drop every time he heard it. Because he had done precisely as Izumo had commanded not to and tattled to Mikoto, Tomaya was gone from her life, and it was all his fault.

Tatara was sitting quietly with Anna in his lap at a table near the bar, his attention drawn equally between Neirah and Misaki. He could tell that Izumo was instigating her temper, helping her to bleed the strain out of her system before she became volatile and combusted. Outside of Neirah's comprehension, Tatara had always believed that Izumo kept the best understanding of her as a woman. Izumo had seen the fuse from the start, and it was only a matter of time before something had lit it again.

Since their fallout with the Yakuza clan keeping her before HOMRA, they had put out the flame, but the fuse had grown shorter with each outburst. The last thing Mikoto needed was an all-out clan war with the freshly resurrected Blue Clan, even more so was another reminder from the Gold King that they were child's play on his table. He knew that once she'd burned the energy, she would settle, but it was hard to watch her suffer without the means to calm her troubled spirit. If what Izumo said was accurate, and he was a beast tamer, then the Red Lioness should have been easy to manage compared to their king, but she wasn't. It took more than one key to lock away her dynamic force. It took three, to be exact.

Then, there was Misaki. Tatara could see it in the way Saruhiko began to tread cautiously around a friend that he was more than content with riling on any given occasion. This one was different, though. It made Tatara wonder what Saruhiko knew that the rest of them didn't. It could have been that their disconcerted clansmen didn't have the patience to deal with tears or a tantrum, but their quiet understanding of each other also warned that many words had transferred between them without being spoken.

That had led Tatara's gaze towards his king. Since the day he'd met Mikoto, he'd felt it. It wasn't something he couldn't explain, and maybe that was, in part, because he couldn't comprehend it. Anna had noticed it too, and in an instant, but they all shared it, to some degree. Mikoto acted like the hub for his clan, taking their pain, their happiness, and anger in through himself before distributing it among members. When one of them was hurt, they all hurt, and they all felt it at the moment Neirah turned to storm out of the bar with a bitter shriek. But somewhere along the lines, Misaki and Neirah's connection had either been dropped or hadn't been appropriately forged. It was hard to tell whether it needed repair or to be constructed like Izumo repeatedly encouraged.

But when Tatara watched Misaki flinch like he wanted to chase after the distraught woman, he considered the third option. The moment Misaki had motioned to climb to his feet, Saruhiko's hand was folding around his wrist and encouraging him to reclaim the seat at the bar. It wasn't an unwise decision, considering not even Yō or Rikio had chased after her this time, but it wasn't the one Misaki wanted to obey. It made Tatara believe that there may have been a second hub interfering with the natural flow of communication between clansmen expecting the signal from their king.

Izumo's weighted sigh cut over the grave silence stealing the bar with Neirah's departure, and his exhaustion drew his palm heavily to his brow so he could scrape it back through his bangs. "That damn kid is gonna be the death of me," he muttered absently.

"Don't let her hear you say that," Mikoto teased in a low rumble. "She'll think her curse is back."

"Mikoto, I swear," Izumo growled. "The next one is all yours. It was you who wanted her here, in the first place, so try to show a little responsibility when she flares up like a goddamn psychopath, would you?"

"She just played around with her a little bit," Mikoto calmly justified. "If you ask me, it wouldn't hurt for them to learn early on that they should take us seriously."

Izumo barely caught the faint groan in his throat from escaping as he straightened with one hand on his hip. "How do you expect them to do that when she's out there acting like a bratty little kid?" he reasoned callously. "You spoil her too much, and now it's gonna wind up gettin' you in a heap of trouble. If she goes out there and busts up SCEPTRE4 to get that Strain friend of hers back, it'll be your loss."

Izumo startled to the feeling of Tatara's hand on his shoulder, and when he tipped his head to the side, Tatara's reassuring smile was beaming confidence in their furious clanmate. Even though he wanted to continue to be upset with the spectacle, he couldn't help but feel uplifted by the sight of Tatara's confidence. He wasn't sure how their unconfrontational companion managed to be so reassuring, but it was a welcome gift, in his opinion. "Let me guess," Izumo murmured dryly. "It's fine, isn't it?"

With a giddy laugh, Tatara said no more and approached their king. After connecting gazes with the downtrodden beast, he reached his lax fist out in front of him, bopping it into Mikoto's open palm. "King's too busy protecting her to give her lectures, Kusanagi-san. You know that's your job."

Izumo's groan finally escaped, and it had escalated with doubt. "Oh yeah? Protecting her from what? Reality?" he sassed. "That's a thing, y' know."

Turning away from their king's silent approval, Tatara beamed back his reassurance towards their worried friends. "I'll talk to her," he gently diverted. "That's how this goes, right?"

After taking a moment to consider the accuracy of Tatara's statement, Izumo smiled calmly to himself and dismissed their resident peacekeeper. "Yeah, you're right… She's your problem now, Totsuka." After Tatara had left the building, Izumo lightly sniggered as he dropped his hips against his bar and lit himself up a much-needed cigarette to calm his nerves. "Shit, I dunno what I'd do without that kid, I tell ya."

The sharp jingle of his lighter snapping shut announced the raise in his head so that he could watch Tatara leave in good spirits like the entire kerfuffle had never occurred. Maybe ignorance was bliss, but someone had to keep the risks in mind so that they didn't end up creating more problems than they could handle. It wasn't easy managing their newer members and their confrontational seniors. Having Tatara there to keep the balance from shifting had proven to be a lifesaver. "Some days, I think he's the only one holdin' this whole damn thing together."

The breeze carried crisp smells of fall leaves and chilling sea spray on its inland gusts as Neirah lingered on the rooftop of her apartment facing the wind. As her hair whisked wildly behind her, her knees drew tight to her chest and her arms folded around them so she could stare into the night skyscape with a heavy heart.

She felt them that night, more onerous than they had ever been when she considered her loss that day. They were the chains her king had spoken about the night hers lifted. The chains that kept someone from doing what they thought was right had become something that she finally shared with her leader. Maybe if she could have helped Tomaya sooner, if she had known where to find him, if she had never cursed him in the first place, he would be there sitting by her side. Perhaps Neirah wouldn't be the person she was that day if she'd never met the Red King, but she still couldn't regret anything that led her there.

But that didn't mean she couldn't burn.

Letting her aura calmly spill out around her hunched frame, Neirah took notice of the low rumble sounding from an engine droning over a significant distance, and when she tried to locate it below, she failed. It wasn't until she instinctually looked up into the stars that she found the warning lights of aerial traffic dotting colour on the black and white canvas before her.

"Well, at least you didn't throw a knife in Kusanagi-san's bar this time."

Without turning over her shoulder, Neirah closed her eyes and touched her lips to her knees with a gentle moan, subsequently retracting the crimson glow illuminating her chilled body. "I'm not in the mood, Tat-chan."

As usual, Tatara didn't hesitate to break the lock on her heart and welcome himself in. He popped his collar to break the wind and took a seat next to her with both arms wrapping around his one raised knee, careful not to let her notice that he dusted away the sight of her halved cigarette's remains from the spot he sat. "Ah, the Silver King's airship," he casually stated. "It's been a while since I've seen it this close." He laughed uneasily. "Then, I don't spend much time on the roof, do I?"

"Not since you got that guitar of yours…"

Realizing that it was going to be a little more complicated than usual to coax a pretty smile from her lips, he let a gentle sigh interrupt his optimism and turned sad eyes towards her. "Nei-chan, are you going to be alright? You know I'm here for you."

"I was too late," she muttered lifelessly. She buried her blushing face against her knees with a gentle moan of defeat. "I didn't even touch him this time."

Tatara smiled slightly and rocked his head from side to side, conceding that she wasn't as heartbroken as she was angry. It made it easier for him to believe that she would bounce back in no time, so he tried to avoid the topic altogether. It helped that he had an ulterior motive. "You know, I think Yata-chan is pretty upset."

Neirah startled attentively, jerking her head from against her thighs with a mild gasp. "You mean about Tomo?"

With a gentle laugh, Tatara turned his comforting smile back towards his roommate. "No, you."

His announcement seemed to vex her. "Me?" She turned away and wrinkled her nose beneath a creasing brow, finally reconnecting their gazes. "Did I do something to upset him?"

Tatara closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind dusting his bangs from his face for a moment. "Out of curiosity, do you remember last summer? When you made Wolf-kun think you were angry with him? Well, Yata thinks you're pretty angry."

Neirah snorted curtly and wriggled to get the feeling back in her numbing tailbone. "If he thinks I'm angry, it's because I am."

Opening his eyes, Tatara tilted his kind gaze back towards her pouting. "Are you angry at him?"

There was a long silence on the rooftop that night before her defeated expression returned with her soft voice. "…no."

"You know he's the one who found King and I." He leaned his head against his shoulder so that it was supported while he observed her. "He said he was worried that you went off with Tetsuko on your own. It seems to upset him when you put yourself in dangerous situations."

Neirah watched the traffic bustle below in the dreary world that she had left behind. Like Tomaya, she thought that it was a part of her past, but as her universe expanded, it began to consume the small ones around it. Gin, Tomaya, and even her father were becoming as much a part of it as Tatara was. With SCEPTRE4's revival, things that she had never considered before, like the lives of the skittering insects at her feet, were to be taken into consideration. Otherwise, it could spell trouble for their king. As she watched the airship slowly putter through the vast skies above, she wondered if that was how the First and Silver King felt about the red and blue clans beneath. It made her wonder just how wide the world could open up beneath her feet before she wouldn't be able to keep up.

Maybe she had become too prideful, but spite would drive her to deny ever learning such a thing from Seri that day. Just like it would keep Seri from ever admitting that she could stand to be just a little more passionate. Neirah had challenged the woman conceitedly and thought her mighty king would protect her victory. But she had failed. Despite her passion and pride combined, Tomaya ended up in the hands of the fresh Blue Clan. The part that frustrated her the most was that maybe the reason she was more angry than sad was that she wasn't doing it for lost time. She was doing it to relieve herself of the guilt she carried over the years she spent bringing harm to those close to her.

She didn't take the time to understand things like Tatara. She hadn't taken the time to understand Tomaya. She couldn't see every thread in a tapestry if she burned it for blocking her view.

After another long bout of silence, Tatara began to instigate conversation again. "The sky is really beautiful tonight," he gently proclaimed. "I wonder if King ever takes the time to notice?"

"Tat-chan?"

"Hm?"

"I never asked before, because I trusted King-sama to make the right decision… but…" Her heart was aflutter as she leaned her head against his shoulder to snuggle into his comforting warmth. "Do you think you could tell me… what happened that night when he and Tomo fought?"

"Oh, you're curious now?"

For the first time since her return that evening, a meek smile curled her lips. "I want to be more like you," she admitted breathlessly. "I want to open my eyes up and see what you see." She turned her head, resting her chin on his shoulder as she looked up at him with troubled desperation on her face. "Would you help me do that?"

With a kind smile and a gentle giggle, Tatara's expression warmed with bashful fondness. "I'd love to." He reached down by his side and lazily intertwined his fingers with hers as he prepared to lead her back into their home. "But first, we have to get you started on your homework before school starts next week, or Kusanagi-san is going to be even angrier."

Her groan was grim and defiant as she concealed her blushing face against his dark jacket. "I didn't do anything this summer…"

"I know, Lion-chan," he teased spiritedly. "I know…"