"~Oh my head just won't stop achin',
And I'm sat here licking my wounds,
And I'm shattered but it really doesn't matter,
Cus' my rescue is gonna be here soon.
Help is just around the corner for us,
That help is just around the corner for us,
Oh, that help is just around the corner for us~"
8 Years Ago...
"Mikoto?" You called shyly.
Wrapped in his strong arms and curled underneath the blankets, you looked up at him in the darkness. You could only see the outline of his silhouette since dusk had dulled the bedroom several hours ago, but being young and energetic, it was no surprise that you were still awake. Although sometimes he would wish for you to just go to bed for once, that was only because he was the opposite in personality, always tired and always snoozing, just like a lion.
The red head grunted in response, his own way of saying, "what is it?"
Your eyelids fluttered, slightly frustrated that you couldn't see him clearly, even though you really wanted to take a good look at the expression he was making.
Shifting, you buried your face into his chest and circled your arms around his torso. The boy had to repress a grin, because he noticed how you still couldn't touch your hands together since you were so small compared to him.
Instead, he gripped you tighter and indulged your neediness like the friend he was.
You sighed softly, enjoying the calming gesture. Just for a little longer you would enjoy this moment.
After that, you didn't say anything for quite some time, and he was beginning to get worried that he'd somehow suffocated you by accident. However, your steady breathing showed him that you were still fine, just silent.
You felt his head move, and you knew right away that he was looking at you.
Right then, you could already envision the confused, almost curious puppy stare that he was giving you. It made you feel a little guilty, so you knew that you definitely had to tell him what was on your mind, or risk hurting his feelings.
It was ironic... If anyone ever knew how easy it was to make him upset, most people probably wouldn't be scared of him anymore.
But as it stood now, you preferred it when people were scared. At least that way, no one would try to take him away from you, and then you could have him all to yourself, forever.
A pipe dream, but one that you held onto for dear life.
Breaking your thoughts, you felt his body fidget against the bed, a clear sign that he was getting impatient, or even worse, anxious.
You hesitated, insecurity getting the better of you.
"I just... Well, I really just..."
Was it so bad that you worried about this so much?
It had been a question plaguing your young mind for a while, even though it was already two years since it happened.
But still, what would he say once you finally asked?
It was almost as if he'd sensed your inner turmoil, because he brought one of his hands up to rest on the top of your head, stroking the soft hair back and forth in an affectionate manner. A gesture that had your cheeks warming up.
During that time you both laid in silence, neither of you saying a word, just listening to one another breathing.
He gave you a minute, and then another, and then another.
He kept waiting until you worked up the courage to talk to him. There was no hesitation in his actions, unlike yours.
If only you could convey your feelings in the way that he did, that would make life ten times easier.
Feeling like you kept him in suspense long enough, you finally choked out, "The day in the park... Why did you talk to me? Why did you go up to a strange girl and tell her to go with you? You would have been better leaving me there... So why do that? You even let me come over all the time and sleep in the same bed as you do... No normal person would do something like that..."
You grumbled towards the end, and so he didn't end up catching that last part. But he heard enough to raise an eyebrow.
Instead of answering right away, he turned onto his side, taking you with him and pulling you closer so that he cradled your small frame. Now your head was tucked underneath his chin, his large hand rubbing your back as if to say, "don't be stupid," as his breath fanned against your ear.
"You ask too many questions for a kid. Shut up and sleep."
Your cheeks puffed up in mock annoyance. Who was he to talk? Just because he was five years older didn't make him an adult. You may have been in grade school, but he was still in high school, so he wasn't grown up either.
Still, his words somehow brought you comfort, and before you knew it, you'd fallen asleep a few minutes later, finally allowing peaceful slumber take over.
Unfortunately, you missed the last thing he whispered before you passed out, but it was fine. You were certain that it was most likely the true answer to your question.
That night, was the first and only time you'd ever asked him about that.
In the end, it was his actions that told you everything you needed to know.
The reason he reached out his hand to you that day was obvious.
Its because he himself...
Didn't know why.
~oOo~
You yawned.
You were very tired. After all, you had a pretty rough past few days; though nothing was compared to what was happening now.
So many auras surrounding you, a couple from the red clan, but far more from the blue clan.
There was only one reason why both sides would be on the same island, it meant that they tracked Yashiro's movements and traced his location to this campus... Man, were you ever so grateful that the class rep asked him to run errands a few minutes ago.
The only question left, was how the hell you were going to lead them all away from this place.
Judging from the brightness of their colors, there were a few of the higher ranking members present on both sides. In fact, you recognized two of them specifically by their brightness and hue.
Crap.
Of all the people, you should have expected that Yata would be the one to show up to exact revenge on the killer.
In the entirety of HOMRA, that boy was definitely one of the more passionate members.
Its not like you didn't understand what he was going through, in fact you probably felt it harder than anyone of them, but even in all of your rage, you were still somehow able to keep your cool.
There was being hot-blooded, and then there was being reckless.
The other aura you sensed was from the blue clan, Scepter 4, the person in question being, Fushimi Saruhiko. He was the other member besides you who'd left the red's, except in his situation, it was in order to obtain more power. The incident ultimately led to his title of becoming a, "traitor," something you never fully agreed with... Or maybe that's because you had also abandoned the clan yourself and were just trying to justify your actions so that you didn't feel guilty...
Yeah, that was most likely it.
Even now, you often had to remind yourself that what you did was the right thing, specifically for your mental health. Though, for a while there, that constant reminder faded after a few months of transition.
Now when your brain replayed scenes from the time you left over a year ago, you didn't fight them.
It was too much energy, all of which you no longer had.
Being back down on the ground for longer than neccessary opened up your eyes to everything that had changed.
What scared you was facing everyone that you abandoned.
Everything you gave up when you chose to go with Adolf.
How would they all react when they saw you?
A weak-willed girl, one who once reigned as the second in command alongside the king, dropping in at their most vaulnerable moment.
But what scared you most of all...
Was seeing the looks of disappointment across their faces.
Suddenly, another memory came back to you.
It was something that the current second-hand man said to you a few years back, Kusanagi Izumo, your then older brother figure.
"You know, if you actually gave a damn about putting up a fight, you could pretty much destroy everyone on our team."
Of course, being the pacifist and straightman of the group in those days, you merely laughed condescendingly and responded with, "Yeah, and then I could turn you all into my slaves, even Mikoto himself."
For whatever reason, you couldn't help but wonder why that scenario popped into your head.
There was no current context for it, so then why did it come up?
Maybe it was because everything was overwhelming you?
To be fair, this was all just a set-up that started a few days ago, practically forcing you to come back and face your messy past.
Then again, what if the entire thing, in its own twisted way...was a chance for you to make things right?
You didn't really know whether or not to believe in destiny, but perhaps your ex-best friend's death, the framing of your king, and your being thrown blindly into this situation were all pre-determined?
Whatever it was, you couldn't help the feeling of unease that overtook you.
Right now, on top of the school dormitory building, once again donning your oversized jacket, you felt eternally grateful that there was something obsuring your identity.
You were nervous that someone would see how truly frightened you were, and you absolutely loathed showing weakness. If all those years of being apart of HOMRA taught you anything, was that remaining strong no matter the circumstances, is key.
"Never show weakness, always show your pride." In the words of Kusanagi.
Shaking your head, you chuckled scornfully.
'So much for that.'
You'd broken that rule the second you left HOMRA. And ever since then, there was no denying that your fear only bubbled underneath the surface even when you were inside of the blimp with Adolf. An unspoken worry that you chose to ignore for over a year since. But now it was obviously creeping back up.
Sighing, you tugged the strings on the hood of your jacket so tight that it was suffocating. Maybe ending it right here, right now, would at least let you die with a little bit of dignity.
"Tempting," you whispered. "But, no."
Going out like that was too easy, but also unbelieveably idiotic.
You let the strings go a bit loose, but made sure that your eyes were at least still covered.
Then you took the deepest breath of your life, stepped onto the edge of the building, and jumped.
Focusing your silver aura into your feet, you propelled your body to the side of the structure and placed them gently onto the windows. Your form was now perpendicular to the ground, and once you steadied yourself, you began running down the side.
Gravity manipulation was always an interesting trick. One that was better suited to your pacifist tastes.
'I wonder how long its been since I've done this?' You thought to yourself.
Technically speaking, you hadn't been on the ground in the outside world for over a month. The only reasons the Himmelreich would ever touch down were when you and Adolf needed food supplies, or when you went to see different sights in the world; excluding Japan of course.
Even then, it wasn't like you really needed to use your aura for any of those situations, but your king would sometimes indulge your enthusiasm.
But could he blame you? It was almost like being able to fly...like being free.
"Never thought I'd be using my powers for this." You mumbled bitterly.
It was only a few more steps until you reached the ground, and in retrospect floating down would've been faster, but you didn't care. What was about to go down wasn't something that you particularly wanted to get involved with...
Right when your left foot came into contact with the ground, you heard the sounds of boys squealing from what you'd assume was fear.
Quickly, you ducked behind one of the school walkways and carefully peeked your head out.
The aura that you recognized as Yata Misaki was right on the nose. You could see that familiar short stature, black beenie cap, and thug-like appearance. He was just as forceful as ever, and you took note of the boys he was talking to scurry away in contempt.
The guy never was good with interrogation.
His type was infinitely better as the muscle and for scoping out the enemy from a distance, hence his title as, "Yatagarasu, the Vanguard."
And with him was his close friend, Kamamoto Rikio, otherwise known for being both the huskiest and soft-hearted clansman of the bunch, and another person you held dear.
That pang of sadness and guilt came back once you took a good look at them.
They hadn't changed at all since you last saw them.
No, that was a lie.
They had changed.
They're expressions seemed harsher, more blood-thirsty, perhaps tired, and...
Broken.
You gripped your heavily covered chest through the jacket, a pain more searing than any flame taking over you.
It was as if your entire heart hurt.
This was something you never anticipated. You never once imagined in your lifetime, whether you stayed or left, that one of their members...one of your family would be killed.
And Totsuka Tatara for that matter.
The one person other than yourself that hated fighting, that wanted nothing more than to be happy just living his life with his new friends and family.
Maybe it was the fact that you were now seeing them in person, but thinking on it, you never really dwelled on the idea that everyone would grieve over his death. That there were more than just a handful of people in the world who loved and cared about him as much as you did. People that were willing to go to such great lengths in order to avenge him.
Had they shed tears just like you too?
Did they feel at a loss?
Was it worse than you leaving?
There were so many things you felt as you pondered the answers.
In the end was abandoning HOMRA when you could have saved him, worth it?
"Hey c'mon, that's not the way a lady should look. You should be happy!"
You frowned, repeating the same exact response you'd given him back then.
"Who ever said I was a lady? And on top of that, who asked you?"
Conversations always flowed like that between you and Totsuka. You always teased one another, and even though he was almost three years older, he only saw you as an equal. All the times he made you upset, calling you, "Queen," and how he'd put you on a pedestal like you were something to show off to clansmen and strangers; you always got annoyed.
But through it all, you never once truly got angry with him.
When rumors about him being the, "King tamer," surfaced, none of you really thought anything of it... Though ironic, it turned out to be true.
It was alongside you that he was known to put everyone at ease. Your guy's peaceful, playful presence with each other and everyone else were what kept things wholesome within HOMRA.
So when you went away, Totsuka was left to fill the role completely on his own.
And now, he was dead.
In the end, every single, "what if," scenario popped into your head.
Could I have done something if I'd stayed?
Or was it ineviteable that things would turn out like this?
You didn't really know anymore.
But that nagging feeling of guilt still picked away at your brain, repeating, "You let him die alone, you let him die alone..."
"HEY! YOU KNOW THIS GUY?!"
You jumped slightly at Yata's voice, almost forgetting the current situation.
The next two boys that he'd been talking to ran off without saying a word, instead screaming in fear.
"COME BACK HERE!"
You couldn't help but stare at the boy, completely dumbfounded.
Almost like magic, your frown turned into a grin as you suppressed the intense urge to break out laughing. Somehow, just seeing the petrified faces of the students and the explosive look on his, reminded you of the better times you had with them.
In fact, you remembered the time the two of you officially met, and how utterly flustered he was when he found out that a girl was one of the original founding members of Mikoto's red clan.
"W-What do you m-mean she's the queen of this clan?!"
He'd cried out, a prominent blush dusting his cheeks.
In the end, after all of his stuttering and whining, you eventually discovered that out of everyone, you two were the closest in age, and so you guys managed to form a pretty tight bond with one another as the months went by.
He was like a brother to you, even if your personalities were rather different.
Still, he was someone you looked up to, at least sometimes. He honestly had his moments...
But after scaring off the guys from earlier, Yata and Kamamoto continued their interrogations, visiting almost every classroom or school club to find information. But to their confusion, there wasn't a single person who had recognized the photo of Yashiro.
'Could it be that Neko is behind all of this?' You wondered.
As a strain, it was possible to manipulate an individual's mind. In fact, she was certainly powerful enough to pull off altering the memories of everyone on the entire island... For now, that's what you'd assume was the case. It made the most sense, and hell, you were just glad she liked you enough to leave your mind alone.
You hid in the shadows of an archway, trying to break down the situation while the red clan members continued their search.
'If Neko really is the cause of everyone's change, then that would mean that the investigation of the red and blue clan are going to hit a dead end soon. So as long as Yatogami keeps Adolf away, there shouldn't be any issues.'
Hoping for the best case scenario, you backtracked to the top of the dormitory building.
On the way there, you were careful not to be spotted by any of the clan members, specifically the ones from Scepter 4 since you weren't completely sure where their men were located.
This time, you used your floating ability to get back to the top of the ledge, forgoing any effort to look cool (who did you have to impress ayway?). Sure it was more graceful, but it was also considerably less fun.
Within seconds your entire figure lit up with a soft silver glow. Without wasting time, you positioned yourself with one knee slightly bent and pushed off the pavement with the front of your feet, taking off into the air.
What happened next however, was unforseen.
The sound of an explosion erupted nearby, about a hundred meters away from you in the school's main square.
Instantly, you halted your movement, sensing two aura's flaring up.
"Shit."
You recognized them almost instantly, and then took off at a breakneck speed, floating through the air as fast as possible in order to reach them before things got too out of hand.
How in the hell could you have forgotten that having those two on the same island, with the high possibility of running into each other, slip your mind?
You grit your teeth and dropped to the ground when you were only a few yards away from the ongoing fight, taking shelter behind a few of the bushes and trees that surrounded the open area. You could feel your heart leap out of its chest when you realized you'd been right on the money.
Standing on opposite sides were ex-best friends Yata and Fushimi, along with a distressed Kamamoto in the background. Judging from the third party's face, he didn't actually want the guys to fight, something that you wholeheartedly understood.
As it stood right now, they both had stopped fighting, if only temporarily.
But the silence unsettled you.
Something didn't seem right...
'What is this feeling?' You thought.
"Heh! Not as sharp as you used to be, Monkey!"
Picking up his fallen glasses, the blue clansman gave him a lopsided smirk.
He looked confident... Too confident.
"No..." He started, "Actually I'm stronger now, in fact, I'm much stronger..."
Your sinking feeling turned out to be correct when Yata cursed and charged at him, trading multiple blows before Fushimi swiftly pulled out a few hidden daggers, striking the red clansman in the shoulder. Much to your horror, he was bleeding rather harshly from the flesh wound, and it took all of your self-restraint from going to his side.
"Didn't you heard what I just told you? Since I walked away from HOMRA and the prescence of Mikoto Suoh, I've acquired even more power! You can see for yourself, here's the proof!"
Your eyes narrowed slightly.
Two colors, two aura's.
Something like that was almost unheard of. But seeing it for yourself, there was no doubt that it was certainly possible.
It was then that Kamamoto took action, trying to intervene and rescue his friend. It was short lived when knives containing red aura planted near his feet, creating an explosion that knocked him to the ground.
"Keep your nose out of this fight, punk! This is no place for a loser like you!" The animalistic look on the bespectacled man's face was nothing short of intimidating. It was clear that he wanted no interference from any other outside parties.
To this day, you questioned the full story of what went on between the two boys fighting. What had really happened between them? Out of everybody, you were always the one whose curiosity got the better of them. But considering your own circumstances, the question would more than likely remain unanswered.
Your attention drew back to the scene when Yata muttered, "You know what? He's actually right. You need to stay out of this."
Poor Kamamoto shook his head, "But, Yata..."
Fear was beginning to get the better of you. And you must've moved closer without realizing it, because you were almost in sight range of the three standing there.
From what you could sense, both sides flared their auras to the max, ready to finish the fight once and for all.
"Damn it!"
There was no time for thinking. The second your feet started to move, that was the end of it.
Screw this.
Screw standing by without acting.
You weren't going to lose another person you cared about, not here, not ever.
Lunging forward, you ran faster than ever before in your entire life, the sound of wind ringing in your ears for what felt like an eternity when it was most likely a second. None of it mattered, your only focus was to get your friend out of there ASAP.
"YATA!" You cried, leaping into the inferno tornado he'd created and gripping his arm. His expression registered shock, your aura nullifying his own, as you pulled his form tight against yours in an attempt to defuse his temperment. It proved successful, as his flames fizzled down to almost nothing, and you felt nothing but relief when silence returned to area.
You exhaled heavily, and a second later your body twitched slightly. The scent of the person you'd just stopped was floating through your senses; that familiar smell of cedar shampoo that you liked so much, ironically because it didn't fit with his firey personality...
It was a blast from the past.
And you couldn't help it when your heart melted a little.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?!" The red clansman finally gave a reaction, as he struggled in your vice-grip trying to escape.
Without meaning to, you loosened your hold on him, immediately cursing yourself for doing so. A rookie mistake.
Instantly, Yata pushed you away at arms distance clearly about to swear at you, a "stranger," who got in his way, but surprisingly...
He just stared at you.
His jaw hung slack, hazel eyes wide.
You saw him blink slowly, once, twice, three times, as if he was trying to figure out if what he saw was reality.
The hood still obscured most of your face, but because of your proximity... he probably saw enough to figure out who was hidden beneath.
His hands gripped your shoulders, almost as if he was testing whether or not you were real. His mouth opened, and then he whispered...
"You're..."
Cliff hanger... Sorry!
BUT SUP GUYS!
IT ME, YOUR GIRL!
I'm back with another half original chapter. So be prepared for a little reader character development. I'm wiriting this before I've finished editing the previous chapter, but I'm trying to at least put more drive into this.
Speaking of which, has anyone already seen K Seven Stories?
My dudes, I can't wait for it to be dubbed, like I'm super stoked for that. But I'm also sad because its actually over and done with this time. As we speak I'm even listening to the sound track for it right now. It inspires me to write and get in the zone.
Also this is my favorite chapter I've written so far.
Anyway, enjoy two chapters within the same week, hopefully I can update at least once or twice a month.
