AN: Cheers all for 345 hits!
Dream.
The admission from her father caused Anna's heart to giving a painful beat. And elected a moment of respectful quiet, only interrupted by a forlorn sniff from grandma.
At last, lifting her can of beer, Anna's auntie toasted. "To Mikoto Suoh!"
"Hear hear!" Taishi lifted his own drink.
Grandpa made a small gesture with his, while grandma a much more pronounced one.
Umi and Kai held their juice aloft, in imitation of the adults.
Reisi, smiling a fond smile, held his sparkling water high.
Anna held her own sparkling water above her head, feeling a small smile emerging on her own face. These people hadn't known Mikoto, never met him even. But they knew that Reisi loved him, and that Mikoto had cared for Anna herself. That seemed to be enough for them.
In unison they all drank to Mikoto.
_
With the post Dinner dishes cleaned, dried and stacked away. His mother taking her bath, sister in law napping beneath the kotatsu, his father occupied at a go board placing stones. And while Anna was with Umi and Kai, being shown around her cousins rooms. Munakata sat on the back veranda, gazing out into the garden.
"I know your refraining because you'll be driving, so I brought you sparkling water, I hope you don't mind?" His brother sat heavily beside him, passing Munakata a glass. Assuming a relaxed posture, he took a sip of his own beer. "So, you're a father as well now huh? And Anna's older than my own two even."
Munakata accepted the offered beverage, and considered his brother's statement. Taishi and his wife had been hoping for two children, themselves being older siblings within their respective familys, naturally they were overjoyed to learn they were having twins.
The thought had Munakata wondering yet again, about Mikoto and his pregnancy. Had Mikoto known he was pregnant? Munakata thought he must have. So then, did he wished for an abortion or to carry to term? If Mikoto deemed to tell him of the pregnancy, Munakata of course would have supported him whatever he chose, and sought to make any health care required accessible. Mikoto's body was his own, his autonomy the bottom line in the matter.
But because Munakata couldn't say he knew for sure what Mikoto's choice would have been, had he not had to go down the path he did. Munakata couldn't help coming to the conclusion that, being a father of two would have been nice. And Anna would have liked to be an older sister, he felt. "It's good to see our children become fast friends." Was the reply he settled on giving, glad that his nice and nephew welcomed Anna so readily.
"Gotta agree, Anna's even able to play well with shy Kai!" Grinning a little lopsidedly, Taishi changed the subject. "So, you're into men?" He wondered without accusation, merely curiosity. "That's why you didn't bring over any girlfriends when we were growing up."
"Men? No, nor women or any else. I simply wasn't interested, until meeting Mikoto in 2010." He felt a laugh shake his shoulders at the recollection of their first encounter, that hot summer day at an ordinary unassuming park. Neither of them suspected the strength of the bond that would form between them, both too prideful to recognize they met their match in the other. He'd lectured Mikoto about rule and regulation, Mikoto had argued back easily, not in the least intimidated. Munakata's ideas about a lot of things had shifted quite drastically since then, now he might have shared a smoke with the 'thoroughly unpleasant man'.
"Three years you and he were together? You never said a thing- though I can't say I hold it against you. Society's come a long way, but it's still difficult being in a relationship with someone of the same gender, isn't it. What about now, are you seeing anyone?"
"No, there's no one to know about, for better or worse that man is the only one for me."
Taishi frowned an empathetic frown, but didn't argue, he understood that Munakata would not say such a thing if it wasn't true. Instead he went on. "You were able to have three years with the love of your life before his death, that's something at least. And Anna's still here. It's nice getting to see this side of you, being a father suits you, just like I said it would."
"Ah, speaking of which, I promised Anna a cherry blossom bonsai." Munakata voiced. "Not long now until flower viewing season."
_
[19th December 2012]
Ever since his death, Tatara had been kept busy. For the most part, helping Mizuomi run bar homra. But he had also been chasing Mikoto's Damocles sword, for the past few days.
As he discovered. Kings who crossed over to the dream, retained their power only until the slate chose a new King to represent that same color, on the side of the waking. Similarly, a clansman who passed on, could continue to use the power they received from their King, up until that point. But, whether the King was awake or dreaming, when called forth, their Damocles could be seen on the side of the dreamers. Like some strange bacon in the sky, letting fallen clansmen know where in the worlds their King was.
Today, Mikoto was on the school island. But what's more, so were the Blue King, Silver King and the Colorless King too. Which meant Mikoto had found Tatara's murderer, and a full scale conflict was inevitably the result.
"Hurry hurry!" Tatara complained of his scooter. He knew there was little to nothing he could do to affect the outcome of what happened in the waking world, nor would he be able to see much. Still, he had to be there for Mikoto and the others in spirit, literally.
"FASTER!" He demanded, his scooter carrying him at a blistering speed to the beach. Where a gathering of red auras represented the rest of Homra, watching the school island where Mikoto was fighting, from the nearest shore.
Abandoning his scooter, jumping down into the sand from the road, and hoofing it down to the others. Tatara was struck by just how dizzying it was to be looking up at four of the seven Damocles, each one on its own the size of a building, all emitting light and radiating power that causes a hum to run through the very air.
Gathering his own meager power to himself, Tatara was able to manifest a host of what looked like butterflies composed entirely of fire light. Directed by his will, they wended their way across the sea, towards the Damocles.
And despite that his focus was on said Damocles, as he left the beach once more. He did notice a few auras belonging to the more perceptive among Homra, turning towards his butterflies, maybe glimpsing them as they passed by.
Tatara missed Homra, his friends. Missed them all dearly. But, he thought while righting his scooter and tearing over the bridge to the school island. He could be happy knowing they, unlike himself, might lead long lives.
Pelting around one building, through another, and making it past a densely wooded section surrounding his destination. Tatara at last came upon the campus shrine, not a moment too soon either. By time he had turned the corner, Mikoto's Damocles was the only one left in the sky, and it was plummeting fast.
Tatara's heart leaped painfully into his throat. But the Red Damocles abruptly halted, fifteen feet give or take, short of impact.
There below the heavily damaged and swiftly vanishing Damocles, two figures stood close. Mikoto, arms held wide open, a calm expression on his usually forbidding face. The other figure appeared as a featureless Blue aura, their sword also instilled with that aura, cutting right through Mikoto's body.
By the very fact that Tatara could see Mikoto, rather than just his aura, Tatara knew Mikoto had been mortally wounded.
Blood spilling down his white tshirt, mikoto tipped forward against the person with the Blue aura. His arms looped around that person's shoulders, while he buried his face against them, and spoke his last. "I'm sorry Anna, but I won't be able to show you that lovely red any more."
The life went out of Mikoto entirely. And whoever was with him, held him for an extended moment. Before Mikoto's body was lowered gently to the snow.
Tatara wasn't sure how to feel about the person with the Blue aura. They carried Mikoto seemingly with respect, yet had been the one to kill him.
Watching on, Tatara observed the person with the breaking blue aura, keep vigil over Mikoto, until the light of day was all but gone. Then at last the person stood and passed Tatara, moving in the direction of the bridge. Tatara had his guesses as to the identity of the person, but put those thoughts aside for the time being.
Breath healed, Tatara took a tentative step towards Mikoto. That first step seemed to dislodge some barrier in him, next he was aware, he was on his knees beside Mikoto shaking him awake- or rather asleep.
"Mph-" Mikoto grumbled.
Tatara could have wept, maybe he was, he couldn't feel his face. Cold and adrenalin combined, stole sensation from his skin.
"You're a little early King" Tatara choked out. Mikoto had never been a morning person, but it was night now, no excuses.
Mikoto drew a deep breath in through his nose, then let it out the same way, before allowing his eyes to squint open. "Is this some last firings of my brain before death, or is there an afterlife?"
Tatara surprised them both with his splintered laugh. It was hard to put into words just what he was feeling. Joy in being reunited with a best friend, grief for Mikoto's death and the long life he too never got to live, worry for Mikoto's informally adoptive daughter Anna, incredulity at Mikoto's assessment of his situation. He was all over the place.
"Welcome to the dream, King." Tatara greeted.
AN: Ok the second half of this chapter seems a bit out there, I'll admit. But stick with it, I promise it ties in to canon pretty nicely.