Hello again everyone! I hope you're ready for the longest chapter yet! That's right, we reached Fushimi and Yata's very first fight (that was in the original anime) and boy was it tricky at first. But before that...
First, thanks to Jen (Thanks so much for your review! And, no, I'm sorry, but Kusanagi and Mikoto do not have feelings for Leoda. What I mean by the two of them also being Fushimi's dads is that they helped raise him, and not a single member of this quartet could have done it alone, they need each other as a balance. I hope you continue to enjoy, though I will have to warn you that this story WILL have Awashima/Kusanagi, though it isn't center stage) and ShadowWolf223 (I'm glad I surprised you!) for reviewing, all 8 followers, 6 favorites and 294 readers!
I won't say any more now, but go enjoy the longest chapter yet!
As the announcement rang above her head, reminding the students to uphold the tradition and honor of the school during the upcoming school festival, Mrs. Saisho peeked inside the classroom where the students had gathered to work. She giggled under her breath as her eyes landed on Kuroh, who had taken charge of the event, while Kukuri was feeding Neko.
When her eyes landed on Yashiro, however, her breath caught in her throat.
He looked…so confused.
Before she could move, however, her PDA began to ring.
"Hello?" She answered. "No, I'm fine…yes, it's him, but I'll be fine, I promise. What is it you called to tell me?"
As the voice on the other end of the line explained what was going on, Mrs. Saisho straightened. Her arms felt as if they were tingling, but she had long since stopped the habit of scratching them when they did so. That didn't mean she didn't feel the urge, however.
"I understand. I'll prepare for their arrival…no, I'm not ready for this, but I have no other choice. I can't leave this to the principal, after all." Mrs. Saisho smiled bitterly. "We both knew this day would come, Kazuma. It's okay, I'll be okay. I love you."
After the voice on the other end of the line answered, Mrs. Saisho hung up and took a deep breath.
It was time to stop hiding.
As Awashima hung up the phone, Rae tilted her head, her eyes subtly scanning the lieutenant, Himori, Benzai and Fushimi.
"We have our authorization. We will now head to the school on the island to confirm the suspect's presence." She stated, her tone as professional and distant as always.
"Yes, ma'am!" Himori and Benzai saluted in unison.
Rae barely managed to suppress her chuckle as she leaned against Fushimi's desk, much to her adopted grandson's (no matter how much he denied that fact) irritation.
"Have a safe trip, you guys." Fushimi said aloud as he split his gaze between staring at his computer and glaring at Rae.
"Fushimi, you're coming as well." Awashima stated.
"You serious?" Fushimi asked tiredly, as if it was such a chore. Awashima was silent as she stared at the third-in-command of Scepter 4.
"Come on now, Saruhiko. You gotta do your job, you're gonna make your grandpa and uncles look bad." Rae teased, her eyes darting up to her son and his partner, both of whom turned the slightest bit pink as they gaped at her. Rae's eyes instantly caught Benzai's tug on his left sleeve and she smirked at him.
"First off, I am related to none of you." Fushimi huffed before he stood up and faced Awashima. "Second, what are you going to do if you find this murderer?"
"Take him into custody, of course." Awashima answered instantly.
"And if he should resist?" Fushimi questioned.
"That's a stupid question." Awashima stated, her voice cold as ice.
"Well then. I'm joining you all." Rae smiled as she hopped up and stretched.
"What?" The lieutenant asked, thrown by the sudden announcement.
"I said, I'm joining you all." Rae grinned. "There's someone I wanna see on the school island, and besides, I'm under the Gold King's orders to observe all of Scepter 4's actions involving the suspect." Her eyes slid over to Fushimi before they returned to Awashima. "Besides, we wouldn't want anyone getting carried away, now would we?"
Awashima had nothing to say in response to that.
"Very well." She finally agreed.
Rae grinned and followed the four clansmen of Scepter 4 out of the government building, her PDA already dialing a familiar number.
As Tatara knelt beside his wife, he could honestly admit he hated someone for the first time in his life.
If this had happened to him at any other time, he'd just smile and say it'd all work out in the end. But being a spirit while your wife is pregnant and there's nothing you can do to help her? That's painful on so many levels, he could admit it made him hate the Colorless King.
As Leoda gripped the toilet seat she was currently throwing up in, Tatara did the best he could to hold her hair back and rub his fingers down her spine to try and comfort her. It wasn't much, and a lot of strands of her currently unbraided hair kept falling through his hand, but it was all he could do.
He had never been more grateful to see Kusanagi in his life when the bartender entered the bathroom.
"Hey, Leoda." He smiled softly as he knelt on the side of her opposite Tatara. "How's that morning sickness?"
"It sucks just as much as it did when I was pregnant with Kristopher." Leoda snapped as she finally lifted her head. She gingerly took the cup of water Kusanagi offered her and began to sip it.
"I can see that." Kusanagi chuckled, earning himself a glare as Leoda's hormones were obviously acting up.
Tatara ran a hand through his wife's hair, wishing she could hear his voice.
"You know, if Tatara could speak to us, I'd bet he'd say not to sweat it, it'll all work out in the end." Leoda chuckled.
"It'll more than work out. This is gonna end with another beautiful gift." Tatara whispered softly, smiling as he remembered the day Kristopher had been born.
Leoda had never cursed his name as much as she did then, but the smile she gave him when she held their son for the first time had made it all worth it. Tatara knew he would do anything to see that smile on her face again, even if she couldn't see his own in response to it.
"I bet you he's right here beside you. He never liked it when you were sick." Kusanagi smiled. "Always such a worry wort behind that smile."
"Only when it comes to me or the kids though. When it came to himself? He'd just wait for everything to work out." Leoda chuckled. "Or he'd distract himself with some random hobby he recently picked up."
"What hobby was he planning to try next? Calligraphy?" Kusanagi guessed.
"Yep. I bought him some fancy pens for it for Christmas." Leoda nodded, a sad smile crossing her face. "Wonder how I'll give those to him this year…"
"We'll find a way, I promise." Tatara whispered, desperate to grab his wife's hand. His heart broke as his hand only phased through hers every time he tried.
"I'm sure it'll all work out. He's still got a chance, no matter how slim, to pull through." Kusanagi reminded her as he placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Don't give up on the man you love just yet, okay? Have some faith in his stubbornness and love."
"Hmph. Thanks, Izumo. I don't know what I would do without you here." Leoda smiled softly as she hugged the bartender.
"No problem." Kusanagi smiled as he returned the embrace.
Just then, Leoda's PDA went off.
"I got it." Kusanagi said as he stood up and grabbed the PDA that had been left on the bed in the mother's rush to get to the bathroom. "Hello? Oh, hi Mrs. Akiyama…sorry, Rae. What is it?"
Kusanagi was silent as he listened to Rae's voice.
Tatara had a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he watched one of his oldest friends' expressions.
"I see…don't worry, I'll let Shinji know and we'll send Tatara just in case…Yeah, we'll give you a hand…she's fine, don't worry, I'll stay with her…okay, see you." Kusanagi hung up and turned to the mother and her husband's spirit. "Scepter 4 is going to the school island to confirm the suspect themselves."
"They brought Saruhiko." Leoda whispered, her eyes widening in realization. That was the only reason her mother would call. "And Yata's…"
"Yeah." Kusanagi nodded grimly. "Tatara, I know you're here, so go keep an eye on Yata and Rikio. We'll get Shinji to you as soon as we can, just try and make sure they don't meet Saruhiko."
Tatara didn't stay to hear another word. He took off running down the stairs that connected the apartment he, Leoda, Kristopher, Mikoto, Kusanagi, Anna and Fushimi, before he left for Scepter 4, shared to the bar and ran out the door.
As he left, he heard Kristopher questioning why he was running away in the first place before he took advantage of the fact that he was a spirit and began to fly to the school island.
He had no time to waste.
Once Kusanagi explained the situation to Shinji and got both Anna and Kristopher to join him in the bathroom to watch over Leoda, Shinji was right on Tatara's tail, determined to meet up with Scepter 4 and try and prevent the explosion waiting to be triggered.
Thankfully, he managed to catch up to the four Scepter 4 clansmen and his wife just before they entered the school island.
"Shinji! You made it!" Rae grinned in relief as she hugged her husband tightly.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Akiyama?" Awashima questioned. "I was not informed that you would be joining your wife in her observation of Scepter 4."
"Actually, Lieutenant, I'm here for a different observation." Shinji shrugged, though he could already feel himself straightening into an attention stance. Being in both the military and Scepter 4 instilled that in you, it seems.
"Oh?" Awashima raised an eyebrow.
"And what would that be?" Fushimi asked, his arms crossed.
"C'mon, Saruhiko, where's the fun if I revealed the surprise now?" Shinji grinned, feeling himself relax as he teased his adopted grandson.
The fact that he had three family members and a future family member in front of him was completely unsurprising to the older Blue clansman.
Fushimi simply clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Lieutenant." Himori spoke up. "My father is still a Blue clansman even though he has retired. Would it not be alright for us to allow him inside the school island?"
"He isn't likely to interfere with our investigation, ma'am." Benzai added. "And we can all vouch for his integrity, yourself included."
"Besides, his job is different from mine." Rae repeated. "There should be no issues with allowing my husband access to the school island."
"Especially since you're the one who called me." Shinji whispered in his wife's ear, smirking as she glared at him over her shoulder.
"Would you have rather I allowed the explosion waiting to happen go off without a hitch?" Rae demanded in a whisper.
Shinji simply chuckled as he held his wife's waist, so her back rested against his chest.
"Oh, how I love you." He whispered.
"The feeling is mutual." Rae smiled softly, brushing her hand against her husband's left wrist.
"If you're quite done." Fushimi sighed in irritation as he glared at the couple.
"Very well. You may come inside the school island with us, Shinji Akiyama." Awashima agreed, her face betraying nothing.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Shinji smiled as he released his wife and bowed in thanks.
With that, all six made their way into the school island.
As Mrs. Saisho approached the room where the principal was meeting with the Blue clansmen, she could feel her heart pounding.
Never before had she done this, and yet she knew she had no choice. She was the only one in a position of power on this island that knew what was going on and who exactly their visitors are.
As she reached the room, she took a deep breath and entered.
"My apologies for being late. I'll be taking over now." She smiled.
"Chairwoman Saisho!" The principal smiled in obvious relief. "Are you quite sure about this?"
"Of course. This is my school, so I should be the one handling these kinds of meetings. You're dismissed, alright?" Mrs. Saisho smiled as she showed both the principal and the vice principal out. "I promise I will handle this just fine on my own."
"Of course, ma'am. Please, let us know if you need anything." The principal said.
"Of course. Thank you." The chairwoman smiled before she made her way to the seat the principal had previously occupied and sat down. "My apologies, Lieutenant Awashima. You arrived sooner than expected."
"You are the school's chairwoman?" Awashima questioned.
"Yes, my name is Mrs. Saisho." The chairwoman smiled.
At that, however, Rae stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek.
"It's good to see you again, Mother." She smiled softly as she pulled back.
"My Rae of light. How I've missed you." Mrs. Saisho smiled as she placed a hand on her daughter's cheek before she turned to the three men standing behind Awashima. "Himori, come say hello to your grandma!"
Seeing as Awashima was too shocked to react, Himori did as his grandmother said and gave her a hug.
"It's good to see you, Grandmother." He smiled.
"Ah, Himori, you've grown so much! You remind me of your father!" Mrs. Saisho smiled as she kissed her grandson's forehead. "Now, where's that boyfriend of yours?"
"H-he's not my boyfriend, Grandmother!" Himori protested, his cheeks turning red, even as Benzai stepped forward.
"It's nice to see you again, ma'am." Benzai smiled, though it was obvious he too was embarrassed.
"Yujiro, there's no need to be shy, you both know how the other feels." Mrs. Saisho playfully teased as she kissed Benzai's forehead as well. "Now, Saruhiko, come give your great-grandma a hug."
Fushimi simply clicked his tongue and looked out the window as Himori and Benzai retook their previous positions while Rae stood at her mother's right shoulder.
"Now, I suppose I should introduce myself to the good lieutenant." Mrs. Saisho chuckled. "I'm Mrs. Saisho, chairwoman of Ashinaka High School and the Second King, the Gold King, Daikaku Kokujoji's right hand."
"You're the Miracle…?" Awashima asked, her eyes wide in shock.
"Yes, that's correct." Mrs. Saisho nodded as she extended her arms, revealing the gold butterflies that wrapped around her wrists and extended up past her sleeves. "Though I've been in hiding for some time now."
"Then why come out of hiding now?" Awashima questioned, curious.
"Well, my grandson-in-law was involved in this terrible incident and the Blue Clan is on my island because they believe one of my students is the culprit." Mrs. Saisho answered, her face entirely serious. "I believe I have more than enough reasons to reveal my identity, in order to solve this manner quickly and without any harm coming to my students."
"So, you will comply with our demands then." Awashima stated.
"Now, I didn't say that. After all, while your search of my student body may have been authorized by my King himself, I cannot simply release all of my students' records simply because of a video." Mrs. Saisho stated, her eyes narrowing. Suddenly, it was as if she had transformed from a kindly grandmother to the Miracle, the rumored fierce, stubborn and protective right hand of the Gold King.
"If your school is unable to perform such a search, then we will step in instead with a warrant." Awashima warned.
"And what makes you so positive that our criminal is even on my island?" Mrs. Saisho questioned, raising an eyebrow. "After all, who's to say that he didn't change his appearance since the crime?"
"We have found a student here with a 91% match using our resources." Awashima informed.
"True, but there's a 9% difference, remember? And it's quite possible the Colorless King is playing us all for fools. You don't know what his powers are, after all." Mrs. Saisho smirked.
"That is correct, but if we search your students' records, we can confirm if the student who matched with the video is the culprit we're looking for. We're prepared to use any legal means to have you comply." Awashima stated.
"And yet you came here to try and force my school into compliance instead. How very good of you to try and maintain order." Mrs. Saisho said. "However, my duty is to guide these students to their destiny as the future of our country and I don't believe releasing their records to a government agency, and a clan at that, would be wise in their protection."
As the two women went back and forth, Mrs. Saisho noticed as Saruhiko slipped out of the room.
Rae was on him as soon as he left.
"What the hell are you doing?" Fushimi demanded as soon as Rae was by his side.
"You think I'm letting you walk around my mother's school by yourself? No way, I know how you do things, Saruhiko." Rae shook her head. "Besides, I'm your grandma, it's my job to watch over you when your parents can't."
"For the last time, you're not my grandmother, nor is your daughter, son-in-law and their stupid friends my parents." Fushimi practically snarled.
"…So, they did tell you Tatara was alive." Rae stated quietly as they left the building.
"What gave it away?" Fushimi sighed.
"You didn't correct yourself about saying Tatara was your parent. You said 'is'. And you were touching your wristband that covers your tattoo when you said that, meaning you were thinking about the last time you saw any of them. But you haven't had any encounters with them lately that should cause such a reaction in you, ergo, Leoda must've called you to the hospital and told you that Tatara is clinging to life." Rae explained, swinging her hands as she walked.
"And they say your only gift in investigation is your eyes." Fushimi clicked his tongue.
Rae simply chuckled as the two walked around a fountain in silence.
Shinji wasn't sure what he expected when he caught up with Yata and Rikio.
Finding them demanding every boy on campus if they had seen the suspect, that wasn't pretty high on the list. But that's what he found.
So, Shinji found himself simply following the two Red clansmen, his eyes trailing from person to person as he examined for any hostiles.
Okay, so maybe he was keeping an eye out for Fushimi. That was the only reason he was here in the first place, trying to prevent his idiot adopted grandson from fighting his ex-best friend. So, what if he was being cautious? Both said grandson and ex-best friend are idiots, bigger than even Shinji remembered being when he was younger.
Still, he kept an eye on the two Red clansmen as they continued to get no information.
"Why the hell are you following us anyway?!" Yata finally demanded.
"Because it's my assignment. Don't take your frustration on your poor investigation skills out on me." Shinji teased, a smirk crossing his lips.
"Shut the fuck up! You aren't even a Gold clansman!" Yata protested.
"But, Yata, he's still-" Rikio started.
"Not here, Kamamoto." Shinji cut in. "Yata knows who I am, we don't need to announce it to the world."
"Right, sorry." Rikio apologized.
"You're fine, just watch yourself more, okay?" Shinji smiled. It was then that the two noticed Yata had gotten far in front of them.
"Wait up, Yata!" Rikio called as the two ran to catch up to the redhead.
"You're too damn slow." Yata complained, even as he stopped to wait for them. "You know why? It's all that shit you keep shoving in your face every day. No wonder you're so damn fat."
"At least I enjoy life, you're just work all damn day!" Rikio argued as Shinji stepped back.
He wanted to observe where this was going, and besides, he didn't have to justify himself to the Red vanguard. Though Shinji was pretty sure he could feel Tatara's spirit leaning against him, watching the childhood friends in front of them in interest.
"You don't stop. How much sleep have you gotten since Tatara was killed?" Rikio questioned.
If Shinji could see Tatara like Kristopher could, he knew he'd see how stiff the spirit no doubt was. Yata and Kusanagi had been the ones to find him, after all. And, if Rae's deduction was correct (and it usually was), Yata had given up hope of Tatara's survival from the shock of seeing the brunette almost die in his arms.
He didn't blame Yata in the slightest bit, even as the bags under his eyes became just a bit more obvious with every day that passed since the incident.
"I'm fine." Yata smirked. Shinji didn't buy it for a second, but he kept his mouth shut as he followed the Red clansmen around a fountain.
He could see Pleiades' status, as well as the hidden knives', even from here as his eyes took on a gold sheen.
As Fushimi drugged a student in order to gain access to the students' files, Rae stubbornly kept her mouth shut.
Now, if it was anyone else besides Fushimi doing this, she'd be yelling their ear off. But it was Fushimi, who she had personally taught all her tricks in investigating when he had joined HOMRA. Meaning she had taught him this, though she always stressed to not take out an innocent while on the job.
Once Fushimi had the information he needed, Rae stood, ready to leave.
Then she heard Yata's voice.
Both grandmother and adopted grandson froze at the sound, before they peeked through the blinds together in order to confirm it.
Sure enough, there was Yata, Rikio and Shinji, with Yata yelling at a pair of students, quite loudly at that.
When the crazed smile spread across Fushimi's face, a smile Rae remembered Leoda explaining had been on a certain man's face whenever he saw Fushimi, Rae felt her stomach turn to ice.
When Rikio tried to question a pair of girls about the boy in the video Tatara had taken, the spirit in question hadn't thought anything would come of it when Yata cut in, the girls ran off and Yata tried to justify his avoidance of the female students.
"You know, I can still smell your virginity a mile away."
That voice, however, made Tatara stiffen up as he turned only to see his adopted son and mother-in-law.
"Shit." Shinji hissed at his side. Tatara could honestly say he shared the sentiment and, from the look on her face, Rae did as well.
"You bastard! Saruhiko!" Yata growled.
"What a shock to see you. How did you find this place? Right, it must've been Anna. And you can't be out here on Mr. Kusanagi's orders, he isn't stupid enough to send the two of you out alone, especially with only a retired Blue clansman with you. Right, Misaki? I'm not surprised, you never change." Fushimi smirked.
"Shut your mouth!" Yata ordered.
"Yata, don't do anything stupid." Shinji warned, his eyes on Fushimi with the same warning.
"You shut the hell up too!" Yata cried before he turned back to Fushimi. "Don't you call me by that name, dammit! And don't talk about my people like you know them! I know you. You're nothing, but a traitor!"
"Fushimi, don't even think about it." Rae warned, her eyes trained on Yata.
Fushimi ignored his adopted grandmother as he continued talking with a sing song voice and a twisted smile that spoke of another man, one that was not him.
"Can you blame me? The fact of the matter is, in the end, I wasn't like you and the others. My leaving HOMRA was inevitable." He said.
"Maybe it was, but we never left you. We still care for you." Tatara insisted. He knew nobody could hear him, but he couldn't help the words. He could see through Fushimi, he could see clearly how left out and misplaced he felt once HOMRA became the Red clan. None of Fushimi's parents cared that he left as long as he was happy.
But seeing him act like this, seeing him insist that his family didn't care…that hurt more than the bullet that had pierced Tatara's skin. It felt like his son, adopted or not it didn't matter, was rejecting the family that just wanted him to come home, even if he never rejoined the clan.
"Yeah, you are damn right about that part of it." Yata spat. "You sure weren't like the rest of us."
"He didn't need to be, he just needed to be himself, just like he had always been." Tatara protested. He knew Fushimi, had known him for years and watched him grow up. He knew that the only hobby Fushimi liked was programing, knew why Fushimi was afraid of fire, knew that Fushimi trusted his adopted parents, but was terrified of the Red King, not Mikoto. He knew how Fushimi liked to eat, how to help him sleep at night when he was sick and how to read him even better than Fushimi himself did.
Mikoto, Kusanagi, Leoda and him had never wanted their son to be any less than himself, so seeing him like this right now, seeing how he never fit in, even when it was just the five of them…it hurt, just as much as it would if Kristopher denied Tatara and Leoda as his parents.
"You need to cool down, Yata. The last thing we want to do is make a scene." Rikio warned his friend. Tatara was grateful Shinji had some help, but it obviously wasn't going to work in their favor.
"So, tell me, Misaki, how in the world did you two manage to sneak in here? After all, Mr. Akiyama came with Scepter 4." Fushimi cut in.
"Let me put it to you this way: it's none of your fucking business." Yata snapped.
"I happen to know that security's pretty tight here. Where's your pass? Come on, show it to me, Misaki~." Fushimi grinned a grin that wasn't his.
Rae shifted her stance and Tatara could see Shinji doing the same thing in the corner of his eye. They were prepared if necessary, and Tatara knew without a doubt that it would be necessary.
"I just said it's none of your business and stop calling me by my first name." Yata growled, his glare sharpening as his body tensed. "When you do it, it creeps me out."
"That's right. What a dummy I am, I'd completely forgotten that you hate being called by that name, don't you? Mi-sa-ki~." Fushimi smirked sarcastically.
"You're really asking for it." Yata stated darkly as his aura began to surround him.
"Yata, stop!" Rikio protested as Fushimi giggled. "Don't get in trouble! Remember what Mr. Kusanagi said? We don't want Mr. Mikoto's capture to be in vain! Fighting that monkey isn't going to accomplish anything!"
Yata was trembling, his fist clenched tightly. But, somehow, he managed to release his fist.
"You're doing this for Mikoto? Really?" Fushimi questioned.
Tatara's eyes narrowed. Fushimi only called Mikoto by just his first name, instead of 'Mr. Mikoto' or 'Dad', when he was purposefully being disrespectful, such as when he tried to run away as a kid only for Mikoto to find him. Though what Tatara remembered most of that day was panicking the entirety of it when they couldn't find Fushimi and Mikoto didn't call them all day until he returned with a sleepy Fushimi that night, he definitely remembered the day after when Fushimi had apologized for not calling Mikoto 'Mr. Mikoto'.
Tatara knew Fushimi was purposefully doing this to try and bait Yata into fighting him, Shinji and Rae felt the same if their still tense stances were any giveaway.
Fushimi's next words confirmed exactly that.
"I'm afraid your hero has lost his edge." Scepter 4's third-in-command continued. "After all, he willingly went to jail. I wonder if that means he's finally grown up. He could teach you a few things, Mi-sa-kiii~."
The entire courtyard was silent as Tatara, Fushimi, Rae and Shinji waited for the bomb they knew was going to go off from the start of all this.
As Yata sighed only to spin his board to the ground, Rikio tried to reason with him one last time.
"Let's get out of here, Yata!" He cried, desperate to avoid this fight.
"Hey, monkey! You're gonna die!" Yata swore, anger rolling off him in waves.
Fushimi only grinned maniacally as he drew his sword.
"Fushimi, now ready for battle." He stated.
Yata shot forward, his red aura propelling him, but as he jumped in the air and Fushimi dodged his strike, Rae and Shinji moved in.
Shinji reached behind his back and unsheathed his hidden sword, Inferno, quickly saying,
"Akiyama, now ready for battle."
Once his sword was out, Shinji rushed forward and locked blades with Fushimi, preventing him from attacking.
Rae, on the other hand, flicked her wrist so her staff was fully extended, and she quickly deflected Yata's skateboard, using the moment to allow her gold aura to create projections of daggers. The daggers suddenly shot forward, stabbing the ground surrounding Yata and creating a gold projection cage to trap him in.
"What the hell are you two doing?!" Yata demanded as he pounded on the cage to no avail.
"This isn't your fight, so back off!" Fushimi added.
"Except it is our fight, because you're our grandson." Shinji stated, Inferno steady against Pleiades as his eyes scanned the stats of it, the gold sheen in them telling Fushimi right away what he was doing.
"And it's also our fight because it's our job to protect this island for my mother." Rae added, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she scanned Yata and her cage for any possible signs of escape.
"Well, knock it off!" Yata shouted as he suddenly released an unbelievably vast amount of his aura that Rae didn't even see coming, knocking her off guard enough for him to escape from her presence.
Fushimi reciprocated, using his own Blue aura to push Shinji right into Yata's path, forcing the retired clansman to dodge and allowing the younger clansmen to continue their fight.
Tatara wished he could intervene as they fought, and he could see that Rae and Shinji wished they could as well. But instead, they took to protecting the courtyard itself from their destruction, realizing the two young clansmen were more stubborn than they thought.
Tatara himself observed their fight, likening it to a dance just as he did only a brief time ago, when the two separated.
"Heh, not as sharp as you used to be, monkey." Yata smirked, obviously pleased with himself as he kneeled on his skateboard.
"No…" Fushimi shook his head as he picked up his glasses and replaced them. "Actually, I'm stronger now. In fact, I'm much stronger."
Suddenly, Tatara remembered the words Leoda had said to him the first time they encountered Fushimi after he left HOMRA.
"His aura is different. I knew it was possible, but I've never seen it before, since I can't see my own aura with my Sight…"
"Bullshit!" Yata cried as he charged at Fushimi again. The two continued their fight as Tatara's mind whirled.
"Usually, when someone switches clans, the aura of their previous clan vanishes, and the aura of their new clan replaces it…"
"Heh, what's the matter, monkey?" Yata grinned as he skated around his former best friend.
Suddenly, without warning, Fushimi took two knives out of his pocket and threw them at Yata, one embedding itself in his shoulder and knocking him down to the ground as he grunted in pain.
"But Saruhiko didn't lose his Red aura…he still has it, as well as his Blue one. I've never seen anything like it before outside of myself."
And the knife embedded in Yata's shoulder was shining with the red aura.
"Yata!" Rikio cried.
"No way…" Shinji whispered as his eyes caught the color the knife gave off.
"So, it's true?" Rae whispered in shock as she stared from Yata to Fushimi, her eyes deducing everything about the Blue clansman's aura in a single glance as they took on a gold sheen.
"Saruhiko has both the Red and Blue auras." Tatara said it aloud. Even if nobody could hear his words, he still could and saying that fact out loud made it even more real.
Fushimi was compatible with not one, but two auras.
Yata simply grunted in pain as he grasped his injured shoulder, his own aura reacting to Fushimi's.
"Didn't you hear what I just told you?" Fushimi said. "Since I've walked away from HOMRA and the presence of Mikoto Suoh, I've acquired even more power."
As he spoke, Fushimi held Pleaides over his shoulder in one hand and two knives over his shoulder in the other. Pleaides glowed with the embedded blue aura while the knives glowed with the embedded red.
"You can see for yourself, here's the proof!" Fushimi grinned.
"Two colors, dual powers!" Rikio cried in shock. "Damn!"
Before Rikio could move, however, two red knives landed at his feet and Fushimi's red aura exploded in front of him.
"Keep your nose out of this fight, punk!" Fushimi shouted. "This is no place for a loser like you!"
Quickly, Rae ran over to check over Rikio while Shinji worked to contain and diffuse the fire Fushimi had unleashed.
"Saruhiko! Stop it!" Tatara cried, desperate for his voice to reach his son. This wasn't Fushimi, this wasn't him! Fushimi would never act like that, never act like him, and yet here he was, not for the first time, doing exactly that!
Tatara could stand it before this had happened, simply because he had believed he would have a chance to ask Fushimi about his behavior, he just needed to wait, and it would work out.
But now…when he couldn't afford to wait and was fearing for his son's sanity, he wanted nothing more than to hold Fushimi close, just as he did when they first found him outside of HOMRA all those years ago.
"You know what?" Yata said as he pulled the knife out of his arm and faced Rikio. "He's actually right. You need to stay out of this."
"But Yata…" Rikio trailed off.
"You idiots, stop this right now before one of you gets seriously injured!" Rae shouted at them.
"Stay out of this, Grandma." Fushimi said offhandedly.
"Saruhiko! Yata! Stop this instant!" Shinji ordered as Rae gaped at Fushimi.
Tatara could understand why, he'd have the same reaction if Fushimi had slipped and accidentally called him 'papa' like he did only a few years ago.
The former best friends ignored their older spectators as they faced each other.
"Hey, don't get cocky just because you gained some half assed powers. What, do you think you're gonna take control of the country now?" Yata asked.
"I'm not interested in anything as simple as controlling the country." Fushimi stated. "What I'm interested in controlling…is anything with flesh and blood." The smile on Fushimi's face was so twisted, so not him, so…
"Hiko! You aren't your father, you're better than him, so stop acting like him!" Tatara shouted, despite the fact that he knew nobody, but his youngest son would ever hear him when he was like this.
The courtyard was silent until Yata shouted out his frustration and anger, his aura reacting as he and Fushimi both prepared to fight once again.
That is, until a blue aura cut between them and chains of gold butterflies surrounded both of them as their auras faded in shock, trapping them in projected cages that Tatara knew wouldn't break easily.
"Stand down!" Awashima ordered as her aura crossed between the former best friends.
"Glad you made it." Shinji sighed in relief as he saw his mother-in-law standing beside the lieutenant, his son and Benzai.
"That's enough, you two!" Awashima and Mrs. Saisho cried in unison.
"I have allowed you all to visit my school and this is how you repay me?!" Mrs. Saisho continued, her tone showing her incredible disapproval in the boys' actions. "Saruhiko, you are my great-grandson, and Misaki, you are a member of my granddaughter's chosen clan. Not only have you violated my trust, you put both of yourselves, my students, my daughter, my son-in-law and one of your own clansmen in jeopardy with this little fight of yours! If you two do not stop this little childish spat of yours right now, neither of you will be leaving my cages anytime soon."
As Tatara's eyes turned to his grandmother-in-law, he felt his breath catch in his throat.
The tattoos on her arms, of which he bore an identical one on his own left arm, were glowing from the use of her aura, which in turn surrounded her in her fury.
It was clear that this was not the woman he knew as his grandmother-in-law, but the legendary Miracle, the first clansman ever taken and right hand to the strongest King, the Gold King himself.
"Put your sword away! Now, Fushimi!" Awashima ordered.
Not for the first time, Tatara found himself being reminded of Kusanagi in the way the lieutenant treated his oldest son.
"What do you think you're doing, carrying on a fight like this, out here in broad daylight when we are on the territory of not just a member of the Gold Clan, but the second-in-command herself?!" Awashima scolded.
Fushimi was silent, either annoyed at being interrupted or ashamed that he was caught. Honestly, Tatara wasn't sure, but he definitely wasn't happy with the nineteen year old's lack of answer.
Awashima obviously wasn't either, as she glared at Fushimi before she turned to Yata.
"Your name's Misaki Yata, right?" Awashima asked. "Of the Red King's faction? The skateboarding captain of HOMRA's front line. You also go by the name Yatagarasu."
Despite the fact that he was still trapped by the Miracle herself, Yata didn't back down as he stared at the lieutenant.
"Listen, lady, I know all about you too." He smirked. "You're the Blue King's right-hand enforcer, Seri Awashima. Some people call you the Heartless Woman."
"Yeah, I've heard that term used before, but the only one who calls me that is the owner of a certain bar here in town." Awashima stated, her face exasperated.
"Yeah, your husband." Tatara snorted under his breath at the look of confusion on Yata's face as Rikio moved over towards Yata alongside Shinji while Rae moved to stand beside Fushimi. The intent of the Akiyama couple was quite clear in Tatara's eyes and he couldn't have approved of their actions more.
"Be that as it may, I must tell you that I do not condone your activities here in the middle of a school day. And I'm sure the chairwoman who is currently holding you and Fushimi shares my sentiments." Awashima shook her head. "Unfortunately, there's too much to lose if I decide to make an issue of your presence here on campus. How about if the two of you postpone your confrontation to another time?"
"He's the one who started the whole thing." Yata pouted.
"Are you nineteen, or my two year old grandson?" Shinji raised an eyebrow at the still caged Red vanguard.
The fury on Mrs. Saisho's face had not lessened even the slightest bit as she glared at Yata and Fushimi one after the other.
"I see. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Awashima elaborated. "You will postpone this confrontation. Immediately. Or pay the price, most likely by the hand of the chairwoman of this school herself. Was that better?"
"I have no reason to obey orders from a Blue or listen to a Gold." Yata smirked.
"Wait a minute." Rikio tried to protest.
"Shouldn't have said that~" Rae sang, though her face did not lose an inch of its anger.
If it was possible, Mrs. Saisho's glare sharpened even more.
"Yata…" Tatara groaned, knowing the Red vanguard had just made things much worse for himself.
Everyone was silent, until Awashima spoke up.
"Let me tell you about your King."
Yata's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. Tatara's head whipped around, his eyes instantly landing on the lieutenant.
"All he does is complain about how bad the food is, then he eats every crumb, curls up and goes to sleep." The Blue right hand continued. "I have to say, he's quite a piece of work."
"Mr. Mikoto…" Yata trailed off.
"That sounds like King. He's gonna be just fine." Tatara smiled, feeling relief course through him.
Awashima smiled at the Red vanguard, who in turn blushed and looked away.
"Come on, let's go." Yata said, only to freeze as he realized he was still trapped. "Uh…Mrs. Saisho, would you mind letting me out?"
"Promise me you will never come to my school by yourself and put my students at risk with your childish feud with Saruhiko ever again." Mrs. Saisho stated coldly.
"I promise, I promise!" Yata swore.
With that, the Miracle lowered her left arm and the butterflies surrounding Yata faded away, allowing the redhead to walk away, Rikio and Shinji at his side, though the retired Blue clansman looked ready to smack the Red vanguard upside the head.
When Yata made a comment of some sort, Shinji did exactly that, scolding Yata as if he was his own son. Or rather, grandson.
"Should we be letting them go?" Himori questioned. Tatara could see the hesitation in his brother-in-law's eyes, his loyalties towards his clan and to his sister warring within.
"We really have no choice." Awashima sighed before she turned to the still armed Blue clansman. "Fushimi."
In response, Fushimi slipped his knives back into his sleeve and sheathed Pleaides.
"Make the same promise." Mrs. Saisho stated, her voice as icy as it was with Yata.
"I promise, Gran." Fushimi sighed, the title slipping in without his awareness.
"Good." Mrs. Saisho nodded, not allowing her ice to melt as she released Fushimi, only for her daughter to hit him upside the head and beginning to lecture him, probably the same lecture Yata was getting right now from her husband.
"My apologies, Mrs. Saisho. Forgive us for the trouble Fushimi has caused." Awashima bowed in apology.
"No apology is necessary, Seri." Mrs. Saisho smiled the slightest bit. "The two of them fight just as much as Haru and Tsuki did, I'm used to breaking those up."
"Still, your students and school were at risk-" The lieutenant started.
"And my daughter and son-in-law were here to prevent just that." The Miracle waved it off. Her pale silver-blue eyes flickered to where Tatara stood before they returned to Awashima. "Everything is fine, and if those two start fighting here again by themselves, then they know what to expect now."
"Very well, if you're sure." Awashima straightened.
"I am. Now, I don't mean to sound rude, but would you mind leaving my school? I'm positive Saruhiko has all the information you need." Mrs. Saisho smirked knowingly, causing her great-grandson to click his tongue at her while her daughter yelled 'are you even listening to me?!'
As everything settled down at last, Tatara couldn't help the smile of relief. They had avoided a disaster in the making.
In response to his relief, he allowed the bit of his aura he had as a spirit to surface, a red butterfly forming in his hand that he let fly off towards his wife.
She'd understand the message without any difficulty.
As Shinji watched the sole girl Yata talked to that day, outside of Rae, Mrs. Saisho and Awashima that is, deny knowing the suspect in Tatara's incident, he felt his left arm tingle at the sight of her.
She looked familiar…
Quickly, Shinji pulled out his PDA and dialed his mother-in-law's phone number.
"Shinji? Calling so soon?" Mrs. Saisho said as she answered.
"You remember the girl you told us was friends with…him, right? The student?" Shinji asked.
"Yes, what about her?" Mrs. Saisho asked, though Shinji could hear in her voice that she understood what was going on.
"What's her name?" Shinji questioned.
"Kukuri Yukizome. Why?" Mrs. Saisho stated more so than asked.
"I'm looking at her right now, and she said she doesn't know him at all." Shinji explained.
"I see…thank you for telling me." Mrs. Saisho said.
"No problem. Keep me posted on what Uncle and Father have to say, they never call me directly." Shinji requested.
"Of course." Mrs. Saisho chuckled.
The two hung up and Shinji led both Yata and Rikio off the island.
Meanwhile, off the island and laying in her bed in her apartment with her youngest son and daughter beside her, Leoda smiled as the red butterfly landed on her fingertip, a gold one of the same design forming in her own hand to intertwine with the one she held.
The two butterflies were beautiful together.
Man, I remember writing this chapter taking absolutely forever. You guys have no idea how difficult it was to get inside Tatara's head at first, but I knew I wanted this scene especially to be from HIS POV. After all, I'm well aware that the way I write Tatara is much different from how he is in canon and I want to show why exactly that is. My Tatara has been a father for nine years, since he helped adopt Fushimi, and he's currently a spirit separated entirely from his body, which is fighting to stay alive. Nobody can see or hear him if Kristopher isn't nearby and the possibility of him dying is VERY real. With how much of that is piled on top of each other, I think that it makes sense that he isn't the same as canon Tatara, the one who hides behind a smile all the time. There's no reason for him to do that here and this gives him a new appreciation for his life too. And this is also important groundwork for the arc I have planned for Tatara (cause there's no way I can pull off a deux ex machina without coming up with a logical conclusion to it).
In any case, I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a review to let me know! I'll see you all next week for one of my most favorite chapters (tied with another, of course). Bye!