Reconstruction

By: Aviantei

Chapter Nine

Retaliation II

Hitomi tried to minimize herself, hoping she could at least take less of one of the attacks than she would otherwise. In the end she was met with a searing pain in her left arm and opposite side where Saru's knives carved their way into her skin—the blue aura encasing the sword made the edge of the blade go wider, and the knives in her side burned like nothing she had ever felt before. She let out a small grunt, the entirety of her willpower going into making sure she didn't scream. Whenever Saru pulled his weapons back to strike again, Hitomi could see that the knives were red from blood and the flaming red of an aura she was sure didn't belong there.

But that's—

Misaki made the next move, flying towards Saru at lightning speed on his skateboard, aura encased bat heading for the SCEPTER4 member. Saru parried the blow, and they had another short exchange just inches away from Hitomi's face. She let out a small laugh, gaining control on her voice even though the pain was rushing through her nerve endings, sending an excruciating sensation every time she tried the slightest of movements.

"And you were criticizing me for being late, Misaki!" she said.

The boy didn't even stop in his assault on Saru to give his retort, "Fuck you! And don't you dare call me that!"

"Right, my bad! Except my apology, Misaki-chan!" With the last word, Hitomi aimed a kick for Saru's legs from behind, which made a satisfying contact and caused the man to stumble. Whenever he started to turn to counter, Misaki took the advantage to take another swing at Saru's exposed side. The two-on-one tactic was a bit cheap, but Hitomi wasn't about to complain, especially when she was able to knock the knives out of Saru's hands, lowering the danger level.

"I'll fucking kill you when this is over!" Misaki called. Hitomi assumed it was a filler for the compliment anyone else would have given and smiled.

"Aw, Misaki-chan, I love you, too, but if you show too much public affection, people will start to get the wrong idea about what kind of person you are!"

"I swear to fucking—"

"Enough!" Saru shouted. The next instant there was a barrier of an aura shield slamming against Hitomi's face, sending her skidding across the roof. She landed on her injuries more than once and thought she might pass out from the pain. Whenever she saw Misaki getting to his feet a few meters away, she forced herself to do the same. "I already told you to stay the hell out of our fight! She doesn't belong in this, so don't you dare go and save her, Misaki! If she can't just stay on the sidelines like she should, then the bitch deserves to die!"

Hitomi clenched her fists, sending a distracting rush of pain into her palms. "Oh, so what, I'm just supposed to do nothing while you sit there and try to kill me?" she retorted, glaring daggers across the rooftop. "Fuck you! I get it if you and Misaki-chan have issues or some shit, but I don't give a damn. You started interfering in my business, so it's my fight! If you want me to stay out of whatever grudge match you two have, then fine! I'll fight you myself!"

Hitomi knew it was a stupid, almost suicidal thing to offer. Her brain was screaming in protest, blood dripping down her arm and seeping through her clothes. Eri let out a small gasp somewhere behind Hitomi, reminding her of her stupidity even further. If she screwed up here, she wasn't the only one that was going to pay the price, and she knew it. Even Misaki was giving her a discouraging look out of the corner of her eye, expressing caution while still making it seem like he was just calling her a dumbass. Hitomi didn't care. She let out a small laugh.

Unlike everyone on her side, Saru seemed entirely elated by the prospect, a grin stretching across his face. He probably wanted free reign to chop her up into pieces, which he could probably accomplish in a situation like this. Not only was she injured, but Eri had already forbidden the use of the one thing that could save them now, although it wasn't like it hadn't been with good reason. But maybe if Misaki could take Eri and run…

What is this supposed to be? Some sort of noble sacrifice? Since when did I even start thinking things like that were acceptable in a fight? There's no honor in getting your ass kicked, even if it ends up helping others. Despite that, Hitomi realized that she didn't mind the idea at all. Man, I must be going soft.

She took a step forward.

The sound of something heavy making an impact onto the rooftop met Hitomi's ears, and suddenly there was a mass amount of gas heading her way, threatening to block out her vision. Saru disappeared inside the cloud, and all she could do was just stand there and watch.

"Come on!" Misaki shouted, his voice bringing her back to reality. The boy grabbed onto Hitomi's arm, pulling her towards the stairwell, his free hand dragging Eri to her feet as they passed by. How he managed to do that while still keeping hold on his skateboard and bat flawlessly, Hitomi had no idea. "Let's get the hell out of here while we still can!"

They entered the stairwell, and Hitomi pulled herself away from Misaki to slam the door shut behind them and locking it. From what she had seen the locks wouldn't do much to hinder Saru, but that was fine. Often in running away a split second advantage was all you needed. Not wanting to waste that second, Hitomi bolted down the stairs after Misaki and Eri, adrenaline keeping her standing. For some reason, the stairs seemed much shorter going down than the trip up had been.

Despite the burst of energy, Hitomi could tell she wouldn't be able to last much longer at this rate. To make matters worse Misaki and Eri were slowing their pace down to match hers. They would all be caught soon, making the advantage they had worthless. When they burst out onto the street, Hitomi was tempted to suggest they split up so that she could run a distraction, even if she knew that it would be near impossible to get Eri to agree to such a thing.

"They've already gotten out of the building! Let's move!" a voice shouted. Turning her head towards it, Hitomi could see a group of four people running towards them, an obvious teamwork vibe coming off of them. The street was empty of anyone otherwise, meaning the people they were after was more than likely the group Hitomi was a part of.

She ran a hand down her face in exasperation. Some of the blood on her arm was left behind after the gesture. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Misaki acted first—again, she was really going to have to do something about that—heading off in the opposite direction of their pursuers. He still had his hold on Eri, so she followed without much difficulty. Hitomi took a second to catch up, but by that point Misaki had already come to a stop. Hitomi was plenty ready to complain until she saw the figure walking into the street to block their path. The most infuriating part was that she recognized the roadblock, and immediately had no other desire than to kick the man over. Misaki seemed in perfect agreement to that, his bat already prepared to swing. The look on Eri's face indicated that she thought otherwise but wasn't willing to speak up, leaving the job to Hitomi.

"Urumana-san," the girl said through gritted teeth. Misaki relaxed his stance a little, but only enough so that he didn't look like he was going to smack someone in the face with his bat at any second, but still could if he wanted to. Despite the unfriendly atmosphere, Urumana was smiling.

"Ah, hey there, Eri-chan, Hitomi-chan," he said. His eyes rested on Hitomi for a moment, particularly her wounds, the group of people that were slowly catching up on them, and the remains of the smoke cloud beginning to drift off the top of the building. The most annoying part was that in the end he nodded like he understood everything, all with a smile on his face. Hitomi would have punched him if she had the strength. "I got it, I got it. I was wondering what I would find in a place like this, and all we have is a mess! Allow me to lend you all a hand, free of charge."

Urumana grabbed onto Hitomi's hand and pulled her into an alleyway without even receiving permission first. She had no idea where they were going, only that behind her Misaki was making sure Eri could keep up.

The easiest word to describe Saruhiko at this point would be enraged. The feeling was increasing in steady increments with everything that happened, from the brunette girl's interference to the gas that allowed for their retreat. It had been the chance for his first fight with Misaki irence to the gass that allowed for their retreat. It had been the chance for his first fight with increments with everyn weeks, and a real fight at that, and now it was gone unless he made the decision to follow after them, which was obviously what he was going to do next. There was no way he was just going to give this up without a fight.

With a click of his tongue, Saru brought down his sword encased in its blue aura, splitting the gas away and restoring his vision. He made a beeline for the door to the stairwell, only to find it locked. A kick supported by his red aura was enough to dislodge it off its hinges, a bill SCEPTER4 could manage easily. ER4h to dislodge it off it' stairwell, only to find it locked. A kick supoprted d restorinng Part of him was annoyed that he was using his first power so willingly, but he let it slide, descending down the stairs faster than any elevator could manage.

Exiting the building, Saruhiko was able to catch a glimpse of Misaki disappearing down some alleyway, pulling the woman that had stayed out of the fight behind him. He was prepared to follow in pursuit whenever someone else collided into his back. Turning around, Saruhiko found himself face to face with two men and a woman, all of which were sporting weapons or fighting stances. Their clothing styles were similar, although Saruhiko couldn't say how exactly. All he really cared about was that the trio in front of him was clearly looking for a fight and not going to back down, no matter how hard Saruhiko glared at them.

He allowed himself to grin.

The first of the males—the one that had run into him—took a kick to the gut before he could even think to retaliate, crashing into a trashcan on the opposite end of the street seconds later. His stance was so weak Saruhiko didn't even need to consider drawing his own weapon. The other male stepped up next, swinging a crowbar that Saruhiko blocked with an aura shield on his arm and disarmed with his sword a second later. Saruhiko aimed for his target's arm so as to disable him from using his weapon again, only to be intercepted by a glint of silver wielded by the female in the group.

Saruhiko pulled back out of the attack, surveying the third of his opponents. She seemed to be the most competent out of the trio, the curved blade of a kabutowari extending from the hilt held in her hand. It was an unusual weapon choice, but Saruhiko wasn't about to get distracted by it. He made the move to strike first, his blade meeting hers and sending a clang throughout the area. Behind him, the still conscious male attempted to repeat Misaki and the brunette's strategy on the roof, taking a swing with the crowbar while Saruhiko's back was still turned.

Saruhiko's free hand reached out, grabbing onto the male's face and letting a burst of his red aura scorch over the male's skin, a sudden impact from his blue aura sending the male flying back into the building Saruhiko had just come from and into unconsciousness. The female didn't seem to be bothered by the felling of her teammate, only focusing on her next attack. Her attacks had a lot of force behind them for a girl so small, causing Saruhiko to actually put some effort into repelling her blows. There was no chance she could overpower him, but if his focus was on merely blocking her, it would leave himself open to other attacks easier.

The plan came to him in an instant, and he didn't hesitate in putting it into action. The next time their blades met, he focused on her stance, locating her weak spots. The time after that he slipped the blades out of his sleeves and forced them into her leg, the impact affecting her almost instantly. She didn't scream, which was disappointing, but she fell down despite her best efforts, guarding her injured limb over anything else. Saruhiko made a quick strike at the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious just like her teammates.

Only one problem remained, seated atop a building across the street. Saruhiko pulled one of his blades out of the girl's leg, using both his auras to guide it towards the intended target. Although his aim was a bit off due to issues with long-distance depth perception, Saruhiko still succeeded in knocking the binoculars out of the hands of the person observing him on the street. The remaining opposing force disappeared from view seconds later, retreating into cover. Other than Saruhiko and the three bodies he rendered unconscious, the street was still empty, and Misaki was probably long gone for now, a bat-shaped dent in the side of the SCEPTER4 van proving that the HOMRA member had certainly been here.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue and didn't even bother to try and find any traces of where Misaki had gone. There was no point going after him now, if the brunette bitch was going to just get in the way and screw everything up. That could wait until the time was right.

"Ah, how boring, though. I expected more out of these three considering…" Saruhiko muttered to himself, nudging one of the unconscious males with his foot. After what had just happened, he would have burn scars for sure. The thought was enough to bring a smirk to his face for just a moment, even if it didn't replenish his mood in the slightest.

Saruhiko made the solid confirmation that the three bodies in front of him were all wearing green before he left them behind.

By some miracle of fate, Konde had been able to make it to the park where he had been staying without further incident. Whether it was just because he had burned out or maybe he was getting a better hang on his powers, Konde didn't care. He was too busy replaying the scenario on the rooftop over and over in his mind, and had only made it to his destination due to his body working on auto pilot.

The Shizume City Park was more than likely the only place that seemed to be void of technology, aside from whichever cellphone or music player or whatever people brought with them. Konde had been able to secure a place to sleep nudged between trees where nobody seemed to be able to figure out he existed. Even the park security never noticed him, and with a few blankets he had managed to get out of the park's lost and found, it was a cozy enough place to stay considering he couldn't live in a normal house anymore.

Ugh, what am I supposed to do now? Konde thought, slumping down against one of the trees that had proven to be somehow more comfortable than the others over the past few weeks. It was probably only his imagination that provided the effect, but he wasn't entitled to care much otherwise. Things were bad enough as it is, but now Minenai's hurt. I know she wouldn't, but somebody's probably gonna call the cops at this rate and if that happens, I'm screwed.

For what wasn't the first time, Konde couldn't help but think that maybe this was what he deserved for all the trouble he had caused.

And what, I'm just supposed to accept this thing that's destroyed my entire life? How is saying it's okay for it to exist supposed to make anything better? It's not okay for it to exist and do all these things to me! It's not!

Almost as if in retaliation, Konde could feel the static starting to hum through his veins. There wasn't enough to produce a spark yet, but if there had been, Konde was sure it would have shown itself. As if he could run away from something his own body was producing, he tried curling up in a ball, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. If he discharged anytime soon, at least he was under the cover of trees that would halt most of the impact from going out and hurting park goers. The last few times he had discharged had proven that.

But other than the fact that Minenai got hurt, wasn't that kind of cool? I mean, if I really could control that, wouldn't I be able to fight off bad guys or something? And if not that, I'd at least be able to hold it off long enough to maybe see Mei again, or find out if she got out of the hospital yet…

Konde felt pathetic. Already there were tears in his eyes, and they would be falling at any second now. Even if the argument he had made perfect sense, he still couldn't convince himself to go through with it. Already his resolve was crumbling, wanting to find Minenai, find Masaka-san, have someone teach him how to control his power, but there was the shred of stubbornness and pride that was still rejecting everything about the ability that had hurt Mei. The sparks in his veins shifted constantly, almost ready to work with him but still refusing.

"Why am I so… goddamn stupid?"

The engagement ring he had meant to give to Mei was ever present in his pocket. Konde gave in and broke down in tears.

[Author's Notes]

Well, I certainly didn't intend for that to be a two-year cliffhanger. You have my apologies. Now we've had the Misaki and Saruhiko encounter I've been excited to share with everyone (and they'll be more of that later). Some of the factions are starting to come together. To help keep track of the various OCs, I've dropped in a character guide after the notes. This will be a regular feature moving forward, so it should help keep things in line!

Thanks go out to patamon642 and SaruwatariMichiko for the favorites and follows! Don't forget that if you have a request for a certain character (canon or OC) to show up soon, you can drop me a line and I'll fit a sequence in as soon as I can!

This chapter is part of my ten-year fanfiction anniversary, and I'll be posting updates to all my fics over the next few days (as well as the beginning to a certain [SOSS] project this weekend), so there's plenty to look forward to-and I'm planning on having more regular updates for all my stories in 2019. Look forward to chapter ten, coming soon!

-Avi

[12.23.2018]

[Chapter Nine Character Guide]

Relatives of the former Colorless King's vessel

Fuba Hitomi, Hayatama Eri, Fuba Ruyaki (Missing)

Unnamed Group

Nagana, Tarashi, Fukune, Three unidentified combatants

Captives

Yamano Anso, Hisa

Strains

Masaka, Nakahara Minenai, Momoko, Yoshiro, Sato Takehiko, Sato Ayaka, Ayumu

Unaligned

Urumana Nezuto (Guide), ·Newa Konde (Strain), Meiri (Hospitalized), Fujioka Goro (Photographer)