Summary: A look into Aneko and Munakata's perspectives while they're fighting, and the end is nearing.
Note: The first time I put in someone else's full perspective!
As Aneko looked at Munakata, her saber at the ready, a memory from the other day surfaced, the reason she was doing this right now.
Yesterday, Tsubaki-mon
Aneko knocked on the Captain's office door, hearing a "Come in," from inside.
"Aneko-san?" Munakata asked when he saw that it was the older Blue King, pausing in his writing.
"Munakata-san," the woman appeared to be mulling something over, her spine straight and her arms slightly crossed.
"Is there something wrong?"
Glancing around, Aneko walked over to the space in front of the desk, stopping. She was back in her casual clothing, but with her sword belt on, saber hitched to her side.
"I was thinking how to act next," the woman spoke up, and now, Munakata was paying attention to her fully, straightening in his seat.
"Oya? Have you?" he asked, setting papers to the side so his arms could lean on his desk.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to be doing something reckless," Aneko said, speaking quickly so she wasn't interrupted, "And I'm going to have my status as an alternate Blue King out in the open."
"You think that is the correct course of action?" Munakata raised an eyebrow at her, "Letting HOMRA and the rest of SCEPTER 4, and perhaps jungle and the Timeless Palace know your status as a King may put you in danger."
Aneko shrugged; she had a feeling he'd say that.
"At this point, everything is coming to a head," she said shortly, "Shiraki and I arrived exactly 10 days ago. That means we'd be able to go back home by time the 22nd rolls around. My journey here is coming to a close. And by then…this story will be done."
Munakata then leaned backwards, scrutinizing the woman before him.
"You won't tell me any more details other than revealing yourself?"
He thought she was becoming too over confident, after she had been seen by the Red Clan the morning before the tussle at the stadium with Yatogami Kuroh, the woman then brushing him off after the Black Dog and his companions ran off.
"No. It won't be believable if I tell you," Aneko had decided this a long time ago, shaking her head, "And I know I said that I won't be going after HOMRA and the Colorless King, but things are wrapping up, and they're wrapping up fast. At some point, I won't have a choice. Every moment I don't do something, we're losing time."
"Only Fushimi-kun knows of your true identity," Munakata told her, before he decided to get up from his seat to approach her, "And he is aware of my order to you."
Aneko watched him get closer, before she sighed, closing her eyes, and raising her hand to her forehead.
"Munakata-san, you really should remember that while you are an alternate, younger version of my Otou-san, you aren't my King. Your order or not, I have been the Blue King for five years, and have also fought in half that time in an underground war. I'm not exactly a child."
"You do have a point." The man had to give her that. For all that she is a child of a Munakata Reishi, she was correct that he was not her King, and that her experience eclipsed his own.
"Furthermore, I need to see my…Tatara-san before I leave this world. Just so I can remember," Aneko requested, looking at the man, before laughing a little wetly, "He did promise me a drink, remember?"
"I do."
Aneko pulled her saber off her hip for a moment, then unsheathed it after threading aura into her hand.
"For Heaven and Earth to become serene, the sheltered heartbeat's strength, the preformed sound held in the heart, to certainly protect the order, you become the Blue justice's guardian. Take the sword, you who is worthy to be a swordsman, who holds honor and faith, and vow your conduct to the sword," she recited softly, watching the ceiling light flash over the blade, before she sheathed it again.
"We of SCEPTER 4 are forgiving of neither war in the sanctuary, nor chaos in the world. We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is pure. That was the oath I made when I was eighteen, in the start. I've always held myself to it, you know?"
Red eyes met violet, both Kings unwavering.
"I've been fighting a war for so long, I barely remember the days before them," she shared, "I really, really hope you don't have to go through the tragedies I have."
"The future is never set in stone. Your actions here have only furthered that statement," Munakata watched as Aneko sat down in a chair, crossing her legs while her saber sat on her lap.
"I know. And, at this rate…I will have no idea what your future will bring for you all. Good or bad, I don't know. Either way, you should prepare."
Now
Munakata made the first move, rushing towards Aneko as if mirroring their previous scuffle.
The dance started anew, except this time, both Aneko and Munakata were fighting as Kings.
Swords clashed, blue aura ripping into the ground as they started flitting from one side of the courtyard to the other. Now, both of them were unrelenting, pushing their limits further and further.
Aneko had a smirk on her face, relishing the battle, while Munakata only grimaced at her, determination set on his face.
This was fun.
Feeling the rush of wind in her hair, and the familiar iciness of the aura she had to suppress for the last week was a sort of comfort.
Since coming here, the only times Aneko had to actually exert her aura was when she saved Tatara, when she had started to lose her grip on her emotions after Shiraki was captured and escaping from HOMRA when they were chasing her around Shizume.
The last time she was able to summon her Sword of Damocles was the day she arrived here, confused, and grasping at straws.
Fighting Munakata Reishi in the flesh, right here, right now, she finally felt like she was free.
No more games.
No more waiting.
No more hiding.
If she really had to become the villain to gain access to the possibility of killing the Colorless King, she'd gladly do it.
After all, there is nothing she wouldn't do for her family.
Even in a world not her own, if she had the option to save HOMRA and SCEPTER 4 at the same time, she'd still throw her life on the line all the same.
Even if she had to get blood on her hands to save the ones she loved.
"Come on, Munakata-san," she taunted, "I'm not playing around, you know? You're going to have to be faster to break through my defense."
As for Munakata, his mind ran through the possible reasons for the older King's heel turn in between each strike.
Munakata Aneko was a contradiction, an anomaly he still couldn't figure out.
When she'd first arrived, he was startled to see someone that had a very striking resemblance to him, barring the color of the woman's eyes and lack of glasses. He saw an assertive young woman that knew her own limits, ready to fight or fly at any given chance.
Aneko had shown herself as an individual with two different personalities, in the beginning.
The first, he assumed, was when she acted as the Blue King of SCEPTER 4. That version of Aneko was overly serious, immensely calculating, and hyper aware of her abilities.
The second was her off duty personality, someone who was able to relax and laugh at subtle jokes, even while holding onto the responsibilities as the Captain of SCEPTER 4, a woman who felt freely and without embarrassment.
Then he saw her after she'd saved Totsuka Tatara from the Colorless King, and it was also startling in the difference a span of eight hours had made.
How shattered her eyes appeared, reddened with tears and stress. How she held herself, falling onto an armchair as if she was two steps away from shattering.
It was almost as if she was a different person, a mess of anxiety and uncertainty that was usually masked by a carefree attitude.
And then how Aneko reacted to Shiraki Sugita when he was initially captured, how cold her King personality could be, actively goading Shiraki into revealing more details about his plans.
The exchange revealed exactly what she felt.
Aneko may be the Blue King in their world, but here, she was merely a single Clansman, one who had no one by her side.
No one who knew her or her true personality, no one that could hold a hand out to her without being brushed off.
When she was just acting as a Clansman, she was petty. Merciless, even.
The smirk on her face that he'd seen on Fushimi Saruhiko occasionally was almost as sharp as her saber. Poisonous, and sadistic.
It showed a part of her personality that neither he nor Suoh had.
The desire to make another suffer.
It made him uneasy.
Munakata's thoughts wandered, as it seemed like Aneko's control of the blue aura far surpassed his own, an errant memory coming to mind.
Blue aura came to life between his and Aneko's hands, mingling between the two Kings.
He could feel his aura jump readily into their shared contact, running down his arm into hers.
"Wow. I think it likes me!" Aneko grinned at him, her words ringing with some truth, as he could tell that the woman attempted to stem the flow of aura between them to keep her own aura from flaring.
He also remembered another conversation between them yesterday, just after she told him that she was going to do something reckless.
"I am the child of two Clans." Aneko said, "My brother-in-arms, Yuuma, he was born with his aura. An ex-King and his Clansman. And Azuki, son of Seri-oba, and Izu-oji. We are the Children of the Dresden Slate, meant for its power. The Slate speaks to me, sometimes."
The woman's gaze met his, before she smiled at him.
"The Slate truly has it's own sentience?" He had asked in return.
"Yes. Yes, it does. Since I was a child, I always knew that one day, I'd be able to hold this power. I accepted the responsibility of potentially becoming a King long before I ever held any aura. I think it had always influenced me."
Blue aura flickered in Aneko's hand, a miniature projection of her Sword forming above her hand, spinning serenely over her fingers.
"My aura reacts with barely a thought, without any extra exertion. I think that's proof enough, don't you?"
He didn't have an answer for that.
Munakata's eyes and ears weren't blind or deaf to what his Clansmen said amongst themselves.
He heard Hidaka-kun say that Aneko was a vision of beauty like a rose, but also had thorns in the shape of knives.
He heard Seri-kun ponder how exactly a woman like Aneko could be so different from Reishi, how her cheery personality seemed like an anomaly when compared to her Captain.
And the words Fushimi-kun didn't quite verbalize, but how he looked at the woman who had flaunted her Sword the moment they met. He seemed to distrust the woman's intentions and had brushed off any attempts that Aneko made to talk to him.
The simmering anger his eyes caught in Aneko's red when he unexpectedly threw Tatara in her face had made him pause. It was almost like Suoh Mikoto's death glares. So full of rage, and loathing. He could see that she hated the fact that she was shaken so badly by merely seeing Tatara's face.
Reishi couldn't tell how far the older woman would go for her goals. It was already clear that she'd do anything to steer events into her favor, even without prior warning.
Was he surprised that she'd shield his Clansmen from Suoh Mikoto?
Was he angry that she'd violate his orders and show her true nature?
No.
Not at all.
From what he could tell, Munakata Aneko had little care for what was right or wrong, outside of her oaths to the world's order, and her family's wellbeing.
This woman was harmless unless provoked, almost like a lion that only drew blood when her family or her city was in danger.
She either wore her heart on her sleeve while donning her mask of geniality and indifference, or her heart would be shown clear as day on her face when there was no mask to be seen.
Munakata Aneko, a woman who was the child of Munakata Reishi and Suoh Mika, was exactly the kind of King he expected from people like them.
Unyielding, but ultimately caring. Honorable, and loyal to a fault.
Fearless, but soft when need be. Law abiding yet also rule breaking.
A true child of HOMRA and SCEPTER 4.
As if to demonstrate her abilities, Aneko tilted her head to dodge a lunge, forcing her body to the right in a spin so her saber caught the man's blade, locking the metal in between her blade and the guard.
"This is getting really ridiculous," the woman criticized, before she forced Munakata's arm up to her left and kicked out in the other direction, "I could've sworn you were supposed to be stronger than this at your age."
"I've only just got started." Munakata made to jump back, but Aneko slammed her scabbard into his chest, sending the man flying back anyway.
The woman reattached her sword's sheath to her belt, knives coming to her hand, and she threw them at Munakata. The man made a shield and brandished his saber to knock them off course.
"Let's see how you handle this, Munakata Aneko!"
Munakata bent his body into a rapier stance, running forward and letting his aura rip into the brick as he went.
Grinning, her wide eyes glittering with sadistic glee, the female Blue King held her sword diagonally, as his sword tip smashed into her blade, making her stumble back a few meters.
"So that's how you're playing, huh!?" Aneko spat, disdain written all over her face, "Then let me show you Suoh Mika's daughter, Blue King!"
From where she stood, the woman pushed her bangs back, her fingers gripping at her hair.
"No blood. No bone. No ash!"
Blue aura rippled from her body, a condensed ball of power expanding around her and digging into the ground.
"Mu-na-ka-ta Rei-shi!" the woman bellowed, an almost unhinged glint coming to her eyes. She sheathed her blade in one motion, rushing at the other Blue King, breaking through the shield of her aura, and slamming her arm into his with the whole weight of her body.
Munakata grunted, and two pairs of aura filled violet eyes gazed into each other, one pair glaring, the other detached.
"You are strong, Ao no Ō," Munakata acknowledged, "But you are still holding back."
The younger King forced his arm up, throwing the shorter woman into the air.
A platform formed under Aneko's feet, allowing her to stare down at him. The woman then jumped off, striking the ground with one foot, aura bursting around it and destroying the brickwork.
Munakata was unable to move fast enough, the ground beneath his feet crumbling and debris colliding with his lower body, unbalancing him.
"Hup!"
Aneko rushed to the disoriented King, before swinging her leg into his abdomen and hitting him hard enough that he flew into Tsubaki-mon.
Slamming into the building made dust explode from around the impact zone.
Violet blue eyes dulled as the man stared up at her, slumping down, his glasses shattered and twisted, discarded to the side.
Aneko bit her lip. This wasn't her best idea. But…it really felt like she had no choice.
Every second that passed, she was losing time. Time that the Colorless King had to make their move.
The woman looked towards Tsubaki-mon's gate, and at the Clansmen still gathered there.
"Of course I was holding back, Munakata," she told the King, "I might be angry at you, but I don't want you dead."
Reishi stared up at her with an almost sad glint in his eyes.
"Go, Aneko-san."
Aneko huffed, sheathing her saber in one smooth motion.
"You should probably get Shiraki back in a cell, or I really will kill him. See you around, Munakata-san."
Red eyes looked up at her Sword high above her head, before she let it disappear.
Aneko turned around to survey the destruction of the courtyard the Kings had wrought, large icicles jaggedly sticking up from the ground while chunks of brick and other debris littered the ground.
She walked towards the blue Clansmen that were staring at her after she sent Munakata into the building, some of them tensing at her approach.
"Step aside," the woman requested, when Fushimi brought his knives to his hands, "I don't want to incur more damage."
"I should've known you'd betray us," the dark haired man narrowed his eyes, "All Kings are the same. You all think you know better than the rest of us mere Clansmen."
"Betrayal? You should know all about that, Fushimi-san~," Aneko smirked at him, a glint of humor dancing in her eyes, "It's not like you're my Clansman, are you? Are all Fushimi Saruhikos cursed to betray HOMRA? Hm? I betrayed no one."
"Then…was all of that…was everything you told us a lie?" Hidaka asked with a hesitant expression on his face, "Since the moment we met you?"
Cold regret lanced through Aneko. A chill spread through her chest, an iciness that didn't belong to the blue aura freezing her heart.
She couldn't help that her face softened, a small sigh escaping her lips.
"No. Not everything. Just my relation to your King, and what spurred me on the path of becoming one of SCEPTER 4's Clansmen. Everything else was true," Aneko met his eyes, pushing sincerity through her gaze.
"I hate watching people suffer when they don't have to. That's why I'm doing this."
Moving again, Aneko paused when the Clansmen made a motion to draw their swords.
"Wait!"
The red eyed woman turned around briefly to see that Munakata had picked himself out of the rubble she left him in.
"Let her leave."
"Captain!" Awashima protested, "She—"
"Enough." Munakata coughed, "As of right now, she is not the enemy. HOMRA must be stopped. There's a plot afoot, and we need to shift our focus."
Aneko's head tilted, her red eyes holding a challenge against the blonde's blue ones.
"Well?" she asked, "You heard him. Move. I'm not asking again."
The blue Clansmen reluctantly stepped aside, the ones that had been talking to her the last few days all holding a range of conflicted expressions.
"See you guys around," the woman bid them farewell, before leaving them behind.