Aneko hummed as she strolled down Tsubaki-mon's halls, taking her time to memorize how it looked twenty years before her time. She remembered countless days of running in the halls, getting scolded by Aunt Seri if she knocked into anything, playing hide and seek with Enomoto's son, who was a prankster like his Uncle Dōmyōji. Fencing classes with some of the other Clansmen's younger siblings or children was another fond memory in this building.
The Blue King opened the door to her dorm, striding in and faceplanting onto the bed. She groaned when she remembered that she needed clothing, wishing that clothes would appear out of nowhere. Of course, to no avail, she forced herself to get up, yawning.
Aneko took off her blue coat, approaching a sliding door, and opening it to reveal a wooden bar with clothing hangers stacked on it. She hung the coat, going over to the dresser and opened one of the drawers to find the windbreaker from the day before, putting it on. Her sword belt was removed next, and she placed her short sword into another drawer. She left SCEPTER 4, intent on taking a train to a nearby clothing store. As it was late in the day, there weren't many people, so she was able to go in and out before it closed.
The woman didn't go crazy with spending, buying two sets of casual clothes she could use when she wasn't in her uniform, along with a pair of pajamas. She chose to keep the blue motif, picking things in the shades of blue. Although it ate up most of her money, she was happy with her purchases, taking the train straight back to Tsubaki-mon.
Setting her purchases down, she took off her jacket and dress shirt, taking her harness off. Aneko inspected the blades, noting that some of them needed to be sharpened. After she set it aside on a desk, she started doing pushups, trying to retain some sort of exercise.
Aneko cursed her inability to have any moral support. She hated lying to people to their faces, and it made her skin crawl. She missed her mother. She missed her sister. She missed her father. She wanted the people who knew her.
After the fortieth pushup, she collapsed, resting on her elbows. The urge to scream was overpowering, but she knew that it wouldn't help matters. It took a bit of effort to get up, sitting on a nearby chair.
Even though she hadn't been doing much since yesterday, she could feel exhaustion in her bones. Pulling her PDA out of her pocket, she checked the time. 9:24. A glance at the battery life made her groan.
Getting up was not an option. With heavy legs, the red eyed woman walked over to the closet, rummaging into her Captain's coat pockets. She thanked Kami that her coat pockets were spacious, and that she usually carried a charger in case her PDA needed it.
Luckily, electrical plugs hadn't changed over the years, so she was able to charge her PDA, laying it on a bedside. One crisis avoided, Aneko took a shower, and steamed the whole bathroom with hot air.
Drying her hair quickly and putting her new pajamas on, she collapsed on her bed like a few hours prior, and fell asleep.
A loud ring woke Aneko up, the woman slapping the bedside. The caller ID read "Dad", and she sleepily accepted the call, mumbling "Dad? What's up?"
"Munakata-san," said a familiar voice, and the woman jolted into full wakefulness as if burned. "Uh, Captain!" she said a little too loudly. Her confusion cleared quickly, memories hitting her like a freight train.
"I thought my coming here was a dream," she told the man on the other end of the phone, and then she asked, "Is there a reason you called me at…" Aneko blinked at the time, reading, "5 in the morning?"
"Shiraki Sugita requested you," Munakata told her, and she jolted up, sending herself off the bed, yelping when she hit the ground. "That was quick," the woman said from the floor, groaning.
"Is everything alright?" asked the man dryly, and she popped up, completely fine. "I'm going to be fine. I'll be ready in ten minutes tops, I'll go to your office!" She hit the end call button, rushing to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
In ten minutes, Aneko was running in the halls, her purchased civilian clothes abandoned in favor for her uniform. She stopped at the Captain's office, catching her breath, and knocked. "Come in," came a response from inside the room, and Aneko let herself in.
"Good morning, Munakata-san," she said curtly, losing her traces of childish behavior. Munakata was sitting on his legs on the mats to the side of his table, drinking a steaming cup of tea.
"Sit," he ordered, and Aneko removed her boots, walking over in socks, mimicking the other King's position.
"Shiraki-san was caught after attempting to use an internet café," he started, and the woman noted his eyes were staring straight at the teapot that sat before him, "As an oversight, he used his name, which was caught in the system. Squad 2 was sent to apprehend him, and he is currently residing in the cell farthest away from Suoh."
"Did he put up a fight?" asked Aneko, "He's fairly proficient in combat, and other than his Strain power, he can utilize jungle's aura." Her fingers tapped her knees, restlessness causing her to twitch.
"Half of the Squad was incapacitated in the altercation that ensued," Munakata disclosed, and looked at the woman who sat beside him. It didn't appear that he was affected by the news, but the woman noticed the slight downturn of his mouth.
"I'm sorry to hear that." she said, "Are they in recovery? I'm surprised he hasn't fled to this world's jungle, it would've been off the records and out of sight. It appears he's as stuck here as I am until his ability regenerates itself."
"Please, help yourself," Munakata gestured at a full cup that sat next to the teapot, and Aneko accepted the offer, taking the cup and sipping from it.
"Thank you," she sincerely thanked him, "I…I am still troubled by this whole ordeal, and I will make sure he's prosecuted in my world, I can promise you that. When did he ask for me?" In one motion, she drank the rest of her tea, waiting for Munakata's response.
"About twenty minutes ago," revealed the Blue King, and he finished his own tea, moving to stand. Munakata put his boots on, and Aneko mimicked him, leaving her cup on the tea platter. She subconsciously fidgeted, feeling her daggers start to poke at her side.
"Come with me," Munakata ordered, and she trailed after him toward the jailhouse. The trip took about twenty minutes, the sound of walking echoing in quiet, empty halls. Aneko caught the glances of the clansmen guarding the jailhouse, their eyes filled with caution even as Munakata greeted them.
The doors to the jail opened, and she could see more doors to cells lined along the walls. Munakata led her to the door farthest away from the entrance, the door shifting as the two approached.
Shiraki Sugita was laying on his bench, staring at the cell's entrance with green eyes. "Munakata Aneko," he said, sitting up. The man was in his early thirties, his pale complexion complimenting silver hair falling into his eyes. He was wearing the same ensemble as when he was leading the jungle raid, which was a grey shirt and black pants.
Silver Strain and Aura neutralizing shackles encircled his wrists, heavy duty chain weighing down on his arms and restricting his movement. "SCEPTER 4's Snow Leopard and Blue King, as well as HOMRA's brat. I would welcome you, but we both know what you're here for."
"Speak, Shiraki. You wanted me here. Why," Aneko demanded, red eyes hardening as she stepped forward, aware of Munakata monitoring her.
"You have no leverage against me," Shiraki smugly told her, "I'm your only ticket out of this world. I bet Nagare-san's already decimating your Clan as we speak. You can't do anything." He grinned, leaning forward.
"My Clan's stronger than you think. The Red and Silver Clans wouldn't let jungle win either. Even so, I have faith, while you're grasping at straws," Aneko smoothly rebutted, "My Father may no longer be King, but he is a warrior in his own right." She smirked as Shiraki's grin faltered, and a sadistic glint reflected in her eyes.
"As of this moment, I am not the Captain of SCEPTER 4, nor HOMRA's brat, as you said, which means I don't have any rules restricting me. You'll find that I can be even worse than Fushimi Saruhiko in getting what I want," Aneko purred, "Do remember that." She inclined her head, waiting for a response.
"I'll destroy your whole family, Munakata," Shiraki growled, "I'll kill every single one of them, mark my words. And your beloved sister is going to go first." His grin returned as Aneko clenched her fists. She then schooled her expression, a metaphorical mask fitting over her face.
"From the data I've gathered, the usage of your Strain power needs an ample recharge period before you can dimension jump. Since you brought me along with you, it would take about two weeks for your powers to fraction. Even if you could get close to my sister to kill her…" the Blue King laughed, her whole body relaxing.
"My sister is the Third and Red King, Shiraki-san. One who may be a pacifist, yes, but she is a phoenix in human skin. Nagare-san might be older than her, but she's the one who stays Suoh Mika's hand. The one who is the Lioness of HOMRA, I might add," she said softly.
Aneko's eyes gleamed in the dim light of the cell, red overlaid with a shimmering blue to create a deep violet. "I may look a lot like my father, but that doesn't overshadow what I got from my mother. I'll show you how much of a lion I can be." A wicked smirk is on the woman's lips for a moment before disappearing, returning back to her mask.
The woman turned to Munakata, inclining her head, "I have no further wish to speak to him," she softly stated, her eyes and gave one glance back as Shiraki she turned her back. "Let me leave before my temper gets the better of me."
Munakata stepped out of the way, allowing the other King to sweep by him. Aneko didn't say anything until they walked into Munakata's office before shuddering.
"That man is not to be thought of lightly," she said, breaking the silence that surrounded the two Kings. "That display earlier was not of arrogance, but if he knew I was worried…" Aneko trailed off, her eyes going distant, "He'd use it against me. I can't let him see me shatter."
"Do you have a plan?" Munakata asked, his thoughts organizing. He could see that even though the older woman had put on a brave face, her mask was crumbling in some places. Her gait was much tenser than it had been since she arrived here, and the air around her was much colder than it ought to be.
"Finding the Colorless King is my first objective," Aneko said decisively, "If he must die, I will gladly drench my blade in blood." Her gaze drifted to where her saber rested against the wall, her fingers twitching.
"You have decided to be their Judge, Jury and Executioner?" Munakata prompted, and the woman looked away. "As you are not of this world, you don't have jurisdiction."
"Listen, Munakata-san," Aneko said firmly, shifting her weight in a defensive position, "If Suoh Mikoto is anything like Munakata Mika, he will either kill the Colorless King or die trying."
The woman started to pace, throwing her thoughts out, "If he does, by the state of his Sword of Damocles, it will definitely fall. A recommendation would be to speak to him and avoid another Kagutsu Crater, or you may have to destroy Suoh yourself." Aneko sighed, grasping her left elbow with a hand. "And when he dies, Kushina Anna will be the next Red King." Her pacing stopped, and she raised a hand to her face.
"I'd like to be excused," she said finally, "I need to blow off some steam before I ice the building." Aneko turned to Munakata, awaiting his response. She could feel hunger gnawing in her stomach, and she could feel ice rushing through her veins.
"You will not, in any circumstance, engage the Colorless King, Munakata-san," Munakata commanded, "Or the rest of HOMRA. That is an order." Aneko could see his eyes turn icy, violet hues shimmering. She saluted him stiffly, knowing if she spoke things would really turn for the worst.
"You are excused," Munakata said as a parting gesture. Aneko bowed, turning and walking away, and out of the younger King's sight.