The Purple King could be seen walking through Red territory alone. It was a rare occurrence to see a member of the Purple clan out alone, but even more so when it was the King herself. The tall, brown-skinned, woman was humming a soft tune as she made her way to the Red clan's bar, HOMRA. She could hear camera shutters opening and closing as they took pictures to no doubt alert their members. Her visit was purely friendly and nothing more.

The sound of bells jingling caught Kusanagi's attention, turning around to greet his guest. As soon as the blonde laid eyes on her, he instantly grew a wide smile.

"Fuyumi Saito! To what do we owe the pleasure down here in HOMRA?"

Upon hearing the woman's name Anna picked her head up from the couch. Fuyumi started walking towards the young girl, the sound of her clear heels clicking on the hardwood floor. Her arms were behind her back hiding the red gift bag she brought with her.

"Always formal, aren't we Kusanagi? It's just Fuyumi." She shook her head causing her purple curls to bounce around her. "I'm only here for Anna, so don't get excited." Fuyumi sat next to her before putting the bag in her lap.

"What's that?" The girl asked with her eyes on the bag.

"A gift. Since I was away on business last week, I missed it." She explained as she handed her the bag. Anna set it in her lap before gently digging inside.

While she worked to take the gift out of the bag, they were soon joined by Mikoto who took a brief pause once he saw Fuyumi.

How long had it been, he wondered, since he last laid eyes on her? She somehow looked different but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly. The last time he saw her they were arguing. It wasn't something new or surprising when it came to the two of them. They were the type of people who didn't belong together yet somehow always gravitated towards each other.

"I thought I felt a cold front." He stated. He sat with his back against the bar and his elbows resting on top. Fuyumi just ignored him.

Anna held a red, translucent sphere in her hand that seemed to only hold water. When she started moving it around it lit up with blue and green hues. Her eyes grew wide at the sight watching the lights turn off once it settled.

"How does it do that?" She asked, shaking the orb again.

"They're called bioluminescent algae. I saw them for the first time during my travels and thought you would like them."

The young girl had been listening to what she was saying, but she was so captivated by the orb that she didn't respond.

"Travels? Where'd you go this time around, Fuyumi?" Asked Kusanagi. Leaving the girl to her new gift, she made her way towards the two men at the bar.

"Okayama."

"You went to the beach this time of year?" He sat down a cup he was cleaning out while watching her take a seat next to his boss. She tilted her head at his question in confusion before she realized what he meant.

"It is Winter, isn't it?" She smiled and scratched her head. Fuyumi had a horrible memory along with a plethora of other issues.

"She is the Ice Queen. It's normal for her not to feel the weather change. The cold is her domain." Mikoto stated turning to look at her, taking her in.

It didn't matter what time of year it was; you could always find her slender frame in shorts like she was now. They were purple with a white tank top tucked into them. Her sheer blue jacket hung past her knees and she never buttoned it up. It used to irritate him when he felt her skin was cold, despite her telling him she didn't even feel it.

His eyes soon rested on the necklace around her neck that he had given her a few years ago. It was a gold diamond with a red spider lily in the middle. It shocked him to see she still wore it after their last argument, considering she tore it off her neck. He looked up to meet her piercing blue eyes with a smirk tugging at his lips.

"I wouldn't say it's my domain. I just don't get cold." She propped her elbow up on the bar and rested her chin in her hand.

"You don't get cold because you are cold."

"Funny." She rolled her eyes at him.

Fuyumi felt her heart skip a beat as she and Mikoto stared at each other. A wave of nausea soon hit her, causing her to look away from him and at Kusanagi.

"How's Seri?" She asked him, curious to know if he had succeeded in making her his girlfriend.

"Same old game of cat and mouse." He admitted, that familiar glint of desire in his eyes as he spoke about her. The current lieutenant of Scepter Four had been the only woman Fuyumi saw him subtly gush about. It was refreshing to see that not all the men in HOMRA were jerks.

"Really? You should just ask her out already."

"She would cut me down in a heartbeat." Fuyumi chuckled at this, leaning back in her seat.

"Oh, I'm sure."

The two of them participated in idle chatter for a while longer before he decided to take Anna to bed. It was growing late in the night, nearly midnight by this time. Fuyumi was then left at the bar alone with Mikoto which wasn't exactly ideal. Feeling the tension slowly creep in, she stood to make her departure. After all, she had done what she came to do which was dropping off a present for Anna.

The moment she stood up Mikoto grabbed ahold of her elbow. The man had a way of being gentle yet commanding when it came to being physical with her. Fuyumi quickly turned her head to face him, a slight scowl on her face. It had been a long time since she felt his skin against hers and she didn't know what to make of it. Her heart leaped the moment he grinned at her as she tried fighting the heat warming her cheeks.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I came to see Anna, not you."

"Harsh."

"I'm sure you'll survive." She softly snatched her arm away from him before placing them behind her. She was standing in front of him now, their eyes locked. How long had it been since they were this close to each other? The sudden thought of it made her nauseous again.

"Why do you still have that thing if you hate me?" He suddenly asked, his slender fingers playing with her necklace. His fingers were still soft, though it was no surprise since he didn't even have a real job. She glanced down and watched him fiddle with it before looking back up at him.

"A reminder. Of what things were like before…"

"Before you became the Purple King?"

"No, before you let my being the Purple King affect our relationship."

Mikoto let out a soft scoff as he grinned at her, leaning back in his seat. He reached in his pockets and immediately fished out a cigarette, raising it to his lips.

"Thought you stopped smoking?" She asked, taking a few steps back.

"I did when I had a reason. No reason, no need not to indulge, right?"

Things were silent between the two of them before Fuyumi let out a sigh. "Well, this was fun." Her tone was sarcastic as she began to walk away. "Always a pleasure, Mikoto."

"See ya, Fuyumi."

The moment she stepped foot outside, she took a deep breath of the brisk air. The tension she had been feeling was now gone since she was alone. The snow has begun to fall, coating her hair with individual snowflakes. Normally she would have been very interested in such a sight, but currently, she was focused on not crying in Red Clan territory. How had laying eyes on him for a few minutes dredge up so many memories? So many feelings she thought she had buried?

That was the sickening thing about their relationship, she thought. No matter what, Mikoto Suoh would always have a hold on her heart.

"Pathetic." She said to herself, walking down the snow-covered street. "You're pathetic, Fuyumi Saito."