AN: Cheers for 575 hits! This update references the manga K: Countdown (Chapter 7 "Happy Birthday Again") And the second season, K: Return of Kings (Episode 7).
Levitation.
Lifting his four almost five month old, Mikoto held them out for Tatara to take.
But Tatara, instead folded his arms and grinned back. "If you're just going for a walk, take Hibana with you, they need to get out in the sun and it's not often we get nice weather like this in winter."
"Fine." Mikoto diverted his efforts to sorting through the basket containing Hibanas coates and fuzzy hats, dressing his baby in a quilted sherpa set their great grandfather had gifted them.
Then, he took his own jacket from the backrest and slipped into it. Ready to go, just in time for Mizuomi to reappear with the stroller and baby bag.
Settling Hibana into the stroller's seat, and making sure they were comfortable. Mikoto with Hibana, left the bar for the crisp clear day beyond.
Breathing in a lung full of the icy air had Mikoto aching for the warm glow of a cigarette. But he was still looking at another seven or so months, before he planned to have Hibana fully weaned. So he forwent the smokes, and quashed the impulse.
A firm hold on the stroller's handle, parent and child wandered Shizume's streets. Taking the least populated routes towards the coast, and the bridge connecting the mainland to Ashinaka school island.
On their way across the bridge, Hibana started up babbling excitedly, in the way they did only when they caught sight of a red aura in the bar or some sign of their father's Damocles.
Sparing a glance to follow the direction his baby was reaching. Mikoto's eyes fell on the stone he had seen when he first arrived in the dream, the one resembling the Dresden slate, rising from the sea off the side of the bridge.
Mikoto spoke his thoughts aloud, trusting that somehow Hibana would intuit his meaning. "I hear there are folks with unusual eyes, who are linked to the stone, and can act as mediators between the waking and the dream, so long as the wishes of the people on both ends align? I have someone I should see today." He expressed.
In response, Hibana attempted to reach for Mikoto's hair, and blew a raspberry when they came up short.
Arriving on campus, Mikoto lifted the stroller and baby carefully over the turn style, and followed after.
In the dream this place was apparently little visited as of yet. It was a school recently established by the Gold clan, too new for many who had died to have significant attachment to the place. Besides that, it was a Sunday. So Mikoto and Hibana came across no one as they crossed the island, pushing on to the shrine grounds surrounded by forestry, and parking under the eves of the building.
The last time Mikoto had been here, he'd had a sword through his heart, the man he loved before him breaking, and Anna's anguish resonating through him. Then, next he knew, Tatara had been waking him to the side of the dream.
Now, a few days short of a year from that date, he wasn't sure how he felt. A lot had happened. He was a parent of two. Was trying to adjust to the day to day, now that he was no longer a King. Trying to shake those habits that had allowed him to cope in the waking, but that now ironically worked to keep him from moving forward as a person. And pressingly, trying to come to terms with Anna's awakening as the Red King, something she should never have had to endure. Especially after what she had already been put through in her short life. Then there was Munakata and his damaged Damocles, if something wasn't done soon, Mikoto would be seeing him sooner than bargained.
He smiled ruefully at the thought. That man never failed to piss him off, but Mikoto had to admit to himself, he missed Munakata. He missed getting a good night's sleep too. But he didn't want to be the reason for Munakata's early death. He could wait for their rematch, the longer the better, his own impatience aside.
Yes, as long as Munakata was there for Anna, Mikoto trusted she'd be alright. She was a King in her own right of course, probably made a better King than Mikoto ever could. But she was also a child. So while she should be afforded a King's deference, she needed to be properly taken care of. Izamo could feed her and keep a roof over her head, but only Munakata could truly support her and be that someone she could count on.
When he surfaced from his thoughts, his feet had carried him to the small crater that had resulted from his killing the Colorless and Silver Kings. And there was Anna before him, the sight of his daughter causing a lump to form in his throat.
Her hair was in pigtails, and she wore a student's uniform, she had evidently had to sneak on campus to be here visiting the place wear Mikoto himself had died. Under different circumstances it might have been funny. But all he could manage in a horse voice, were the words he had spoken here, moments before his own death. "I'm sorry Anna, but I won't be able to show you that lovely red any more."
"You're wrong Mikoto, that red is with me. I am a year older today." Anna offered him in the short moment they shared, before the divide between dream and waking parted them once more.
Approaching the edge and stepping up out of the crater, Mikoto stood for a long while, face turned towards the sky.
He remembered what it had looked like, to see his own Damocles fall, trusting Munakata would take care of it. Munakata had wanted to help him, well now it was Anna who needed all the help she could get, this time Munakata would have to defy destiny and save the Red King.
Maybe Anna would need to help Munakata in turn, if he too was going to survive the approaching storm, maybe Munakata needed help more than anyone.
_
[ Christmas eve 2013 ]
Mikoto sat on the sofa in the bar, arms rested against his knees. Hibana across the room, vigorously trying to wiggle their way towards him. While Mizuomi busily Arranged garlands, wreathes, string lights, and of course ornamented the tree. And Tatara was there, as ever, to film it all.
A rare fond smile was captured on Mikoto's face for just a moment, as he plucked up his child, so that they could have their bottle while it was still body temperature.
Mikoto's EBM made up the bulk of Hibanas intake, but they had had some success introducing them to additional solid foods. Mikoto seemed the most pleased with this development, as it meant he would no longer be under quite as much pressure to feed Hibana, and was that bit closer to at last having a celebratory smoke and a glass of bourbon.
Once Hibana polished off their dinner, and thrown their bottle part way across the room for Mizuomi to collect and clean. Mikoto entertained them with a touch and feel book, reading out the simple text with each page his little one turned.
"All done, and Hibana proofed!" Mizuomi declared at last, standing back to take in his handy work. They had installed baby gates and child locks a few weeks back. And behind the bar was off limits entirely. But for Christmas specifically, Mizuomi had hung the decorations high out of Hibana's reach, while the tree was decorated with child friendly soft toys and a projector on one of the upper shelves added back the missing dazel, since they couldn't have lights on it.
Hibana let out a cherry little squawk.
"Sounds like approval." Mikoto commented.
"Good job Mizuomi!" Tatara agreed.
Then the stove timer could be heard, sounding from the other room. Mizuomi hurried away to tend to the grownups dinner.
At the same time, Hibana, focusing on their bottle still in Mizuomi's hand. Leaned forward apparently to reach for it, as Mizuomi disappeared into the backroom. Then Hibana began to float.
Kane had asked around about what to expect from a baby who was among the people with the unusual eyes. And pre warned them that levitation, among other phenomena, was a definite possibility. But regardless of the heads up, the sight surprised a gasp out of Tatara, who from behind his camera wasn't missing a second of the strange occurrence.
Mikoto meanwhile, nonchalantly kept a hand under Hibana's bottom, the other supporting their back and head.
"You're linked to the stone that can be seen from the bridge, aren't you?" Mikoto wanted to know of his child.
Hibana just wiggled, and reached for the loose strands of his hair.
"You allowed me to see your big sister on the eighth." Mikoto seemed sure of this, as it was a statement, not a question.
"Wowah, first I'm hearing about any of this!" Tatara complained nun too seriously.
Mikoto of course ignored him, remaining focused on his youngest. "Something's going to happen in the waking, and I need to be there, even for just a moment when it does."
Hibanas unusual eyes focused completely on Mikoto and they gently descended to rest fully into his arms again. Doing so just as Mizuomi emerged from the kitchen with their food.
"You missed Hibana's first flight!" Tatara told the ever proud foster uncle. "But don't worry, I got it all on film."
"Guess all the baby proofing's not going to be enough" Mizuomi lamented, even while beaming at the prospect of seeing the footage.
Little Hibana had fallen asleep following their first aerial effort. So the adults decided to move to the private lounge to eat, where a crib with a safety net over the top, had been set up.
During dinner, Tatara described the event to Mizuomi. And they used the projector to watch Hibana's first levitation back.
Then while Mizuomi took Hibana upstairs. Mikoto did the dishes. And Tatara moped with a nontoxic cleaner, to be sure the floors were safe for the youngest resident. Tatara couldn't help asking. "What's the 'something' that's going to happen in the waking?"
Even as he asked, the Green King's Damocles appeared in the sky out their window, looming ominous over Mihashira tower.
"Oh." Was the best Tatara could manage.
_
Mikoto and Tatara watched the tower intently.
Until Mizuomi came hurrying down stairs asking. "Are you seeing that Green Damocles? It's that bastard that attacked Anna in October!"
Joining Mizuomi in the stairwell, the three of them ascended to the third floor, crowding into Mikoto's own room with a sleeping Hibana, to watch from the window in tense silence.
Soon enough, Anna's Damocles joined the Green one above the tower, and after that a silver Damocles joined those two.
"So he is immortal." Referring to the Silver King, Tatara spoke aloud, seemingly without realizing it.
At last, Munakata's Damocles came to dwell over the landscape also.
"Anna handed the slate over to Munakata." Mikoto realized. She had been smart to do so, newly synced with the slate herself, she wouldn't have been able to fight its influence adequately. Mikoto could feel it writhing with possibilities just standing atop the thing, on the odd occasion he visited the chamber of the slate, during his time in the waking.
"What do you mean?" Mizuomi wanted to understand.
"Anna's the Red King now, third in that messed up hierarchy. That means the slate will have gone to her after the Gold King must have bit it, assuming the Silver wally didn't take over. But Munakata only just now activated his sanctum, a good while after the others. It makes me think the Green King has managed to infiltrate the chamber of the slate, and that Munakata was the one guarding the slate personally." Mikoto's sense of impending disaster was given further credence, if Munakata was trying to keep the slate under control in his condition, things could only go badly.
"Stubborn." Mikoto got out between locked teeth. But he knew Munakata had done what he needed had to, to prevent the slate from inflicting it's will on anyone and everyone. And to save the Red King, Anna Kushina, from facing the task. But knowing Munakata, of course the other man would inevitably attempt to go above and beyond, to turn the slate to some purpose only Munakata could fathom. And all Mikoto could do was hope that the strain didn't bring down the already damaged blue Damocles.
Just when it seemed some kind of stand off or stalemate must have been reached. A strange slightly luminous mist began to gather around the top of the tower, buffeted and stirred by the wind, it quickly coalesced into a form that at a stretch might be called sword like. A grey Damocles had appeared.