No Bone...
Years ago...
"King?" I called softly to him on the grounds of the school that terrible winter day. He had just left Anna with Kusanagi and I knew... somehow... that something was coming.
"You're supposed to stay with the others brown eyes," his gentle voice replied as he gazed at the clouds.
"Why am I here?" I asked, disregarding his instruction to go back.
My question causes him to glance over his shoulder at me, his cigarette resting on his lip. "I thought you wanted to catch Totsuka's killer... well he's on this island, somewhere in this school. We're going to nail the son of a bitch."
"That's not what I mean." I walk closer to him and stood beside him. "I have nothing to offer right now. I have no stregnth left and I'm losing my power."
"You haven't been using it."
"Well," I chuckle "If you're Weissman level proves anything it's that using power too much can be a bad thing too." He didn't reply but just looked back towards the school where I knew the rest of the clan was. They were all fighting... and yet, here he stood. It was as if he was waiting for something or someone. "You call Fushimi a traitor... is it because he joined the blues... or just because he left at all?"
"Why? You thinking of going somewhere?" When I didn't answer he looked at me. I kept my head low and saw his feet shift until he was standing in front of me. When I looked up he rested his hand on my head like always. "Even if you went somewhere, you're not a traitor from HOMRA."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're different than Fushimi... you have something he never understood. I knew you had it the day Totsuka brought you through the door. It's something that connects you to a clan for life and as long as you have it... HOMRA willl never be far away." He puffs out the rest of his smoke and drops his cigarette into the earth, crushing it with his foot before adding, "I'll never be far away."
"What is it? What do I have?"
"It's not that complicated to figure out, Brown Eyes." He reaches down to the zipper on my coat and zips it up the rest of the way. "Looks good on you," he mumbled nodding to the jacket that was once our beloved Totsuka's. "Stay warm, kid." As he steps away, I'm overwhelmed with the feeling I knew all too well. It was the feeling that that was the last moment I would see someone alive... and I was right.
Present Day... Yakuza Territory...
"H-How cute," Rincon said with a toothy grin, but I could still feel the fight losing him as I held my grip. "But you're little HOMRA propiganda slogan doesn't scare m-"
Before he even finishes, I knee him in the groin and he falls to his knees. "Where. Is he?" I demand.
"Cheap shot," he moans.
"So is stealing someone's boyfriend as leverage. Now where is he?"
"If you're so smart, why don't you figure it out you ungratefull bitch."
"Ha!" I can't help but let out a laugh of disbelief. "What exactly should I be grateful for? The free tour of the Hospital? The numerous times you beat me? All the times you-" I stop as I sense a new emotion filling him. It's a twisted sense of pride... of satisfaction. Almost as if he's happy to be under my thumb. He's psychotic. I then start feeling his strength coming back to him and yet, he isn't fighting back. Not one bit. "You're stalling me..." I don't release I've said it aloud until he answers.
"What little old me? Oh no... keep talking baby." His condescending tone fuels my hatred for him further. "What are they doing to him?"
"Which him? You'll have to be more specific dear, we are in the process of disposing of so many of your friends right now." His twisted grin earns him a second kick, this time to the stomach, and he goes sprawling. Quickly I scramble up and towards the door and lock it behind me milliseconds before he reaches it. "Stop her!" He shouts from the other side with a loud pounding against the oak door. I realize I lost my ear radio in the scuffle and am now completely on my own with only my knowledge of the plan and the layout of the house to help me.
Racing up the hall is like traveling through a ghost town. I see the steps I went up every day after school, the sitting room where mom and I would laugh for hours, the hall where Tatsuharu and I broke a vase on and tried to pin it on the dog. I push all those memories away as I recall why I'm here... becauase Tatsuharu lied. Rincon played dirty. My stepfather broke every territory rule in the book and now my clan was in trouble. But I wouldn't let that happen. I was going to find them. With a new wave of determination I thought about each and every one of them. I pictured their faces and reminded myself what they meant to me.
"Brown eyes."
"Stop it!" I shouted, my echo bouncing off every wall. King's voice was loud that time. "Please stop and just show yourself... tell me where you are."
"I'll never be far away." His voice was more distant this time as the feeling of his presence vanished with it. Suddenly I heard a new voice, clear as day behind me.
"Damn. You don't know how to sneak around do you? What's the shouting for?"
Wheeling around I'm met with Sukuna, his staff in hand. "Green!" I cry "You found it!"
"Not all of it though. Still no sign of the black dog's sword or your boy toy."
"They would keep them as far apart as possible," I nod with certainty, knowing how the minds of these men operate. "Were did you find that." Seeing him point down the hall, I turn the opposite direction. "This way then." The green clansman follows me but looks solumn as we travel silently. "Where are the others?"
"Sticking to the plan. The blues are monitoring the territory and your guys have setup a perimeter and should be closing in by now. Creepy white clan and your girl King are bossing everyone around. Tch, boring."
"You know, I thought you would be happy. Doesn't that scyth mean a lot to you?"
"It doesn't work anymore."
"It's a stick... what all should it do?"
"I mean my aura. It isn't showing like it should."
"You're aura comes from inside you, not your weapon." I reach the end of the farthest hallway and step inside what should still be Tatsu's room. "Other end of the building should have... jackpot!" I point out the Black dog's sword and the small green clansman runs to get it from it's place on the nightstand.
"You'd think he would have hidden it more. Almost like your stupid brother wants to get caught."
"Yea..." I think of that for a moment. I recall what Tatsu said last night when he came to the bar. He seemed so sincere. It was as if he truly wanted help. "Let's just get Yo and get out of here. Turning back to the hall I stop as I'm met with the sight of a door directly across the hall. My room... my old room. I don't even have to see it to know exactly what is in there... horrible, depressing memories. "Come on," I grumble and lead him out.
"W-wait," the short boy says as he tries carrying both weapons in his arms. He is practically on his toes in order to keep them from dragging on the ground. "What's with that room? You looked at it all creepy like you'd seen a ghost."
"It's my old bedroom. Don't even want to look at it."
"Heh. Your brother must be some idoit then. I would have hidden the sword in there because you would never step foot in there."
I hault at that and look back at the room. "No... Tatsu is a lot of things. But he's not an idiot..." I race to the door and fling it open. Laying on the floor, covered in bruises, is Yo Chitose bound, bleeding and passed out. "Yo..." I race to him, panicked that I'm too late, and cradle his head. "Yo wake up... please."
"Shorty?" His hoarse voice calls and his eyes flicker open. He gives me a smile as best he can dispite his cut lip and bruised cheek. "Hey... I thought you were the damsel in distress here."
"You thought wrong," I grin between tears as I gently plant a kiss on him.
When I pull back he laughs but it comes out more as a cough. "I should get shot and abducted more often if that's what I get during my rescue, huh."
"I'm so sorry... this is all my fault. If I had know-" realizing now is not the time for apologies. First we had to get out. "Sukuna help me free him will you." the kid comes over and keeps his distance from me but tries to help. He keeps glancing at me. "What are you staring at?" I say as we finally release Yo who says, "your aura!"
I look at the bedroom mirror and see myself surrounded in my crimson flame. The realization causes it too disipate. "But I wasn't fighting."
"What were you thinking of?" Yo asks as he carefully pushes himself up.
"You... just you."
Suddenly the radio cuts in from Sukunas pocket. "Green. It's Fushimi. Where are you?"
"We found the stolen weapons and the red clansman."
Fushimi's voice responds, "Well Misaki isn't answering so I'm going to find him. Get out of there."
"Sure," the young boy replies. "As soon as these two finish their love fest."
With a roll of my eyes I reply," It's not a love fest. I'm just-" I stop and think of Mikoto's words from the day he died. It all comes to me so quickly. How could I not realize it before? "It's LOVE..."
"Yea we get it. You love him and he loves you. Spare us the details puleeeze." Sukuna rolls his eyes and stands.
"No! I mean, yes I do love him but that's what what I mean." I grab the green clansman by the shoulders and look him dead in the eye. "Sukuna. What do you love more than life itself?" He doesn't respond and looks to me as if he doesn't trust me enough to answer. "Please," I implore softly.
"My clan," he says gripping his scythe tightly. "I know there is not much of it left but... it's the only thing I have left to love."
"Then you're the reason your green aura shows sometimes. It's not that staff. I bet you can hear Nagare's voice in your head sometimes too don't you?"
"Y-yes... just a few times but it's as clear as day. How did you know that?"
"Because I hear my king too, when I'm feeling determined. When I'm thinking of how much my clan means to me." I release Sukuna from my grasp and click on his PDA. "Fushimi! It's love!"
"What is?"
"The source of our power. The strength that feeds the slates. Think about it. It's one of the most uncontrollable, infinite forces humans contain. More powerful than anger. More powerful than strength. That's why Anna still has her dreams. That's how the the white clan was able to sustain the life of their king. They put love before everything else. That's why I was able to have my power once I let myself love Chitose." I finish the sentence looking at him and reaching out for his hand.
"So? You expect me to tell everyone to start thinking about love?"
"Yes! Ask them what they love more than life itself. Ask them how much they love their clan. Ask them who it is they love most of all!" The radio was silent for a long time and I knew why. FUshimi was thinking. He was contemplating the risks involved in letting one's-self be vulnerable. "Saruhiko," I said calmly, doing my best to be discrete because I knew the rest of the clans could hear the transmission. "You can't shut love out. You can't ignore it... that will cost you more than just your power. DOn't make the mistake I did. Don't let yourself be pushed away from love because it's safer to be alone. Think. What do you love more than anything in the whole world?"
Nothing but silence.
"... who... do you love more than anything?"
The fight was becoming harder and harder to win as more of the Yakuza swarmed Yata. He heard the transmission coming through but his grunting and the swat of his pipe made it hard to hear. Had he been listening, he would have learned the truth. THat his anger wasn't powerful enough to bring his HOMRA energy back to life, and the fight got away from him. When the pipe was pulled from his hand it became a losing game. He felt himself grabbed by either arm and forced to his knees, his skateboard kicked away from him. He watched it as it rolled away, the extra inches he used to make himself feel taller. Now he felt like the smallest person on the planet. The crack of knuckles summond his attention back to the fight. He was bloody and bruised enough already and panting heavily but continued to pull his arms away from the thugs holding him back, only for them to tighten their grips. A larger man was approaching him, fists at the ready. "Say goodnight princess," he chuckled and raised his arm. Just as he was about to land the final blow across Yata's jaw, they heard the sound of skateboard wheels. Turning, they all saw Yata's skateboard rolling back towards them. Someone had kicked it from the shadows near the back of the house. "Who's there?" the large man shouted. The faint silhouette of someone moved in the shadows. "Hey! Come closer so I can finish you off just like this punk! Come on, clan scum. I'm not afraid of you." He laughed and looked around. "Look here. You're outnumbered and overpowered." he walked over to the struggling Yata and grabbed him by his chestnut locks, causing the small clansman to groan. "I've almost finished with your little friend here." There was a crisp sound of a sword being drawn and the shimmer of small blades emerging from the shadows.
When Yata saw this he stopped looking between the large man whose grip still held his scalp and the other yakuza. He knew that sound. He knew those blades. Then there was a flicker from the shadows. This time, it wasn't the shimmer of a blade. It was an aura forming, but what color? He watched carefully as the flicker came again. Red... No Blue... no... Both! "Saruhiko!" Yata shouted when suddenly the aura errupted and lit the shadowy corners of the back driveway. Fushimi held his daggers and sword at the ready. Both his powers showed in brilliant crimson and vibrant blue. He emerged, adjusted his glasses with the tip of his blade and softly sad, "nobody picks on Misaki... except for me."