AN: Thank you for 597 hits!


Sleeplessness.

"Grey?" Mizuomi asked.

"But wasn't the Grey King killed during the Kagutsu Crater Incident?" Tatara's voice was colored by confusion. He and Mizuomi looking to Mikoto.

But mikoto could only give a small shake of his head, he didn't know what to make of it any more than they did. Was this a newly awakened Grey King? Or had the Grey King thought dead, in fact survived? Were they friend or foe?

Mikoto had heard that the Grey King who formed the clan known as Cathedral, was a pacifist. If it was the same man, what was he doing on the battlefield?

All at once, the Green King's sword phased out.

"Was he defeated!?" Tatara sounded hopeful.

"No." Mikoto almost growled. "The other sanctums haven't been undone yet, somethings still going on." And while it did, Mikoto had to stand back, powerless.

Anna's Damocles was the next to dissipate as embers. Mikoto's heart twisted with fear for her, but no, the Blue Damocles still occupied the sky. He didn't believe Munakata would allow anything to happen to her so long as he drew breath.

Next, the Silver Damocles shimmered and vanished.

"What's happening?" Mizuomi grit out.

Only two Damocles swords remained, blue, and the unknown factor that was Grey.

Two things happened, shortly following the Silver Damocles dissolving. Hibana in their crib began to sniffle and wail distressedly. While above Mihashira tower, the Blue Damocles gave an awful shudder, as it began to crumble.

The Grey Damocles turned to vapor once more, and the heavily damaged Blue was reduced to stardust. Chasing the disappearance of the swords, an explosion, emanated from the tower's rooftop garden.

"Is he- Is Munakata-" Tatara got out in pieces.

Mikoto went to his sobbing child and lifted them into his arms, so their head rested against his chest. "Hibana needs a thawed bottle."

"On it." Mizuomi, a slight panicked note to his voice, left the room.

A partial and temporary relief to Mikoto, who's skin crawled with a crowded claustrophobic sensation. Anxiety for Anna his daughter and his lover Munakata, hitting him like ice water, shocking the breath from his lungs. He wanted to be left alone to comfort Hibana, and to catastrophize in private without being obliged to field anyone elses questions or concerns.

For his part, Tatara came over to where Mikoto had seated himself at the edge of his bed. And dropped down on the floor to lean against the frame. "Just some advice from a long time sideline spectator. You have to have faith in those doing the fighting, or you'll burn out." He offered.

Mikoto smiled bitterly. Rearranging a no longer crying, but still upset, Hibana in his arms. "Munakata's tougher than that."

"Ah." There was recognition in Tataras voice. "Then, some advice from someone who understands feelings of guilt. You did what you had to Mikoto, the Colorless King needed to go, sooner rather than later. You know that, it doesn't matter that you also wanted to kill him. And you knew Munakata was the only one who could be trusted with, as you say 'the dirty work'. As for Anna? Homra and Munakata, even Fushimi will look out for her. You gave her as much time, and the best chance she could have hoped for in life."

Tataras's words helped just a little, enough to slow Mikoto's self condemnation for the time being. He planted a socked foot on Tataras back, giving him a push. In response to which, Tatara complained laughingly.

"Here's Hibana's milk!" Mizuomi returned, a bottle at the perfect temperature in hand, which Hibana eagerly received.
_

[ January 2014. ]

"Mikoto?" Mizuomi's voice from his door, brought Mikoto out of the doze he had managed to achieve.

Sitting up, he held his head in his hands. He hadn't had even a sip of alcohol for months, but the sleeplessness and worry had him feeling hungover anyway. Disregarding that his usually excellent vision was strained and fuzzy, along with the low cold feeling in his center, almost a physical one. Mikoto staggered up, and opened the door.

There stood Mizuomi, Hibana on his hip. "I promised Kane I'd stop by her place today, you'll have to watch the little one until I get back." He explained.

Mikoto received his child, asking only. "Have they had breakfast?"

"Yes, but they're due for a bath and some lunch soon. I've already got the milk out thawing."

Moving past Mizuomi, Mikoto stepped into the shower room. He couldn't function without a morning shower to wake himself up, so Hibana would have their bath first, then they'd find something to eat.

In the shower room, on the floor was a baby bath, and flower shaped bath cushion. Switching on the water to a comfortable temperature, Mikoto nudged it under the water to fill. And while that was happening. He lay a happily babbling Hibana down on the portable changing station, removing their little winter weight jumper and fuzzy leggings. Then bagged their nappy and binned it.

Checking that they were fresh first, and wouldn't require wipes. Mikoto lifted Hibana, and moving the now full bath out of the direct path of the water, lowered them onto their cushion.

Keeping an eye on them, and one hand behind their back at all times. He tugged his own singlet, track pants, and hip huggers off. Tossing the clothes in the direction of the door.

With his little one splashing about in a warm bath. Mikoto himself crouched under the shower head, gently cleaned them with baby shampoo and a soft colorful sponge.

Once Hibana was clean. He lifted them from the bath, into his arms and a preheated towel, so he could dry their frizzy hair. Then tipping out the water from the baby bath, sat them back down in it, with several toys and sponges to play with. So he himself could shower.

Afterward, dressing in his usual hip huggers, black denim and Plain tshirt. The latter of which he wore over a nursing bra that matched his skin tone, and gave him a figure that would allow him to pass. He preferred to look a certain way in his clothes most of the time, despite that he didn't feel any kind of conflict between his body and identity as a man, at least not when the nerve damage from IGM wasn't giving him grief.

Deeming himself groomed for the day, once he had finger combed his hair back and run some styling foam through it. He turned his efforts towards Hibana, lifting the six month old from the bath cushion. And bringing them back over to the changing station, to fit them with a fresh nappy and get them comfy in a lion cub onesie, much like the one Anna once wore.

While he dressed Hibana, his thoughts turned toward the waking. It had been a little over a month since the conflict on Christmas Eve.

Since then, Mikoto, Tatara and Mizuomi had heard hearsay of and eventually witnessed instances of auras, all colors included, across the city. And the news had reported on the like across the country. There was only one possible cause, the slate was no longer being regulated. And if his thinking that Munakata had been the one keeping control over the slate was correct, either something had happened to him, or he could no longer reach the slate.

Mikoto told himself the latter was more likely, Munakata certainly wasn't dead, he hadn't made an appearance in the dream. But he couldn't get the image of the Blue Damocles crumbling, out of his mind.

Hibana brought him back to the surface out of the depth of his thoughts, by kicking the wet wipes off the changing table. So Mikoto scooped them up and made for the bar's backroom. "I hear you, let's get you a proper feed."

Mikoto wasn't a cook by any stretch of the imagination, and had always eaten out before coming to live at bar homra. But feeding a baby was doable, they had jarred or foil packaged foods in the fridge that could be easily warmed, or even served cool in the spring and summer months. And there was around 1000 oz of EBM in the deep freezer, all labeled with the date it was expressed, that could be defrosted at a moment's notice.

So settling Hibana down on the foam mat, that had replaced the heavy rolling coffee table. Mikoto emptied the warmed milk from the glass container it had been stored in, into Hibana's bottle. Then squeezing some banana and mango puree from a resealable pouch of the stuff, into a soft plastic bowl, and sticking a matching spoon in the mixture. Brought the meal to his little one. Who was trying to float their way towards him, except their butt was higher in the air than their head, and they weren't able to get their bearings.

Dropping down onto the sofa, Mikoto put lunch aside momentarily, and scooped his baby towards himself.

Hibana babbling delightedly, settling on his lap and rested their head contentedly against Mikoto's tummy.

Once they were sitting, Mikoto fed them in a semi daze, guiding the spoon as needed.

Mikoto was still tired, and at first he thought it was just sleep creeping in around the edges of his consciousness. But the voices he could hear grew clearer, little by little.

"Yashiro has completed his research."

Recognizing Anna's whisper, Mikoto was on his feet and, Hibana and their bottle with him, across the room heading for the door that led to the bar.

Cracking the door open and leaning over the baby gate, revealed two flickering fire like auras.

"Hummm. You mean-?" This was Izumo's voice coming from the larger aura.

"Mmmhmm." Anna seemed to agree with whatever conclusion Izumo had arrived at. Her next words cast some light on that conclusion. "He's gonna destroy the slate."

Was such a thing even possible, and what would happen to the person with unusual eyes who was linked with it, for that matter what would happen to the waking universe? Mikoto wondered about this as he hugged Hibana close to his chest.