Aneko blinked as the light faded, the running footsteps of the Strain moving quickly away. She recollected herself, getting to her feet. Immediately, the woman took in her surroundings, noticing differences in the architecture. Walls that were once chipping and acid scarred were brand new, the initial dirtiness of the alley clean.
The woman made her way through the alley, she was greeted with loads of people, walking around with decades old technology. She straightened her blue uniform, taking out her PDA, which had a faint signal. Her saber was sheathed swiftly, the lock activating once it couldn't sense the presence of active aura.
Aneko made her way through familiar streets, although most of them looked newer than she remembered, all the way to SCEPTER 4's headquarters. The woman mulled over what had happened on the way there, recalling that the Strain was rumored to have the power to slip through dimensions. She paused, a familiar figure leaving the building, although he looked decades younger than she knew.
"Fushimi-san?" she asked, and the man in question's head snapped up from his PDA, his eyes narrowing behind blocky frames.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" asked the man icily, Aneko being taken aback by the hostility.
"I am requesting an audience with the Blue King," said Aneko immediately, hand perched on her saber. She calmed the blue aura inside her, not intending to start a fight.
"And why should I let you? For all I know, you're a civilian dressing up as a SCEPTER 4 officer like some sort of demented Halloween costume," Fushimi drawled, a hand moving to grab at his own saber, while the other prepared to take a knife out of his harness.
"Every moment I stay here, the Strain moves farther away. I don't have time for this, Fushimi Saruhiko," warned Aneko, and she called upon her blue aura, letting it fill her body with an icy rush of power. She could feel her Sanctum react to her will, and she deflected thrown knives with a quick pulse of blue energy, knocking them into the concrete.
Directly above her head, the blue Sword of Damocles appeared a cloud of blue, the shining blue light making her appear ethereal. Aneko's hand moved from her saber to her long dagger, and withdrew it from a holster from her right side at Fushimi, authority empowering her next words.
"I am the Fourth Blue King, Munakata Aneko, and I am requesting an audience with the current Blue King of this world. Either take me to them, or I'll go in there myself," threatened Aneko. She knew that blue aura was glowing in her eyes, making them appear violet in the light.
Fushimi considered his options when the arrival of the Blue King himself stopped his musing.
"…Father?" asked Aneko, confusion on her face as she took in the younger face of her dad.
"Captain, you have a kid?" asked Fushimi, while the other Munakata had a bemused expression.
"That damned Strain took me back in time?!" cursed Aneko, and looked up to her Sword of Damocles, letting it disappear from view. She squared her shoulders, sheathing her long daggerin one motion. "My apologies. It would be best if we didn't talk in the public." She glanced to the side, making civilians who were staring look away in a hurry.
"It would be best," agreed Munakata, and the three went into the building, making their way into the Blue King's office. Aneko glanced at the infrastructure, noting the cleanliness and the massive amounts of soldiers they passed, some of which glanced at the three before looking away.