Reconstruction

By: Aviantei

Chapter Fifteen

Reunion

"I'm pretty sure you know you're not supposed to be here, Urumana."

The fact that the voice was so close was the problem. Nezuto should have—absolutely should have—been able to sense anyone that was coming after him, especially if it was someone he was familiar with. And there were few people in the world that Urumana Nezuto was familiar with more than Zenjō Gōki.

Gōki's hair was still short, some of the brown strands sticking up at odd angles. This almost golden eyes sat behind red glasses frames—and oh he still had those, did he?—perched right above a scar dragged across his face. The new SCEPTER4 uniform looked odd on him. Just because it was the same blue and roughly the same design didn't mean that all the differences were any less obvious—and the empty left-hand sleeve only further emphasized those differences.

Nezuto unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth and held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "And I'm pretty sure that you've been on desk duty for a while. What are you doing out in the field like this?" he asked. Gōki merely gave Nezuto one of those placid smiles that was never a good idea to be on the receiving end of. "Also: family name? That's just cruel."

"Maybe I'd have less of a reason to call you that if you weren't in places you're not supposed to be. That habit of yours hasn't changed in the slightest." Nezuto's innocent smile slipped a fraction—because, seriously, ouch—but he didn't change his tactics. "This place is currently closed off for investigation. You mind sharing with me how you didn't set off the system by coming in here?"

"Only if you tell me what it is you're all so worked up over that you're blocking off a hospital." And that was a dangerous move if there was ever one, because Nezuto was at a disadvantage in his position, and it didn't matter how long Gōki had been on desk work duty, because that would never be enough to make the sword hanging from his hip any less deadly of a weapon. But Nezuto had come in here for a job, dammit, and his instinct had led him around, so he wasn't about to leave emptyhanded. "I met one of the patients. A sweet girl. It'd be a shame if she couldn't see the boyfriend she's been waiting to see, you know?"

Gōki's brow furrowed a little bit, making the wrinkles forming there far more pronounced, and Nezuto's mind took the lull in conversation to race through the potential options. Was that too much to say, too risky? Gōki knew exactly how Nezuto's instincts worked, knew that there would be a reason that Nezuto had encountered who he had today, knew that it wasn't just desperate bullshit. "We're looking for a witness to a Strain incident," Gōki said after what felt like an eternity. "She was admitted to this hospital—until she suddenly wasn't anywhere to be found."

And that means whatever little lead I was going to get out of this for Eri-chan and Hitomi-chan probably isn't going to be worth anything. Of course, that was assuming that Gōki let him out of things unscathed and he could even report back to the girls, but it wasn't like Gōki had flashed the SCEPTER4 authority card yet.

"Yet" is such a delicate little word.

"Well, I can say with complete certainty that I didn't help anyone escape this place," Nezuto said, hoping that he wasn't digging himself a deeper grave (though his presence here did more than enough to get started on that process already). "Hey, don't give me that skeptical look, Gōki! I didn't show up until after you Blues were already here."

For a moment, Nezuto worried that he'd gone too far in pulling out the given name card, but old habits died hard, dammit, and there wasn't much time to have his mouth wait for his brain to catch up. Gōki was giving him a long stare, one that Nezuto knew was conveying I'm so done with your shit, Urumana. "And now we're getting back to the point of the matter," Gōki said, with a tone that sounded like it had developed from years of training impatient SCEPTER4 kids with their sabers, "which is that you're still somewhere you're not supposed to—"

The sound of something with a lot of force hitting something very hard—not an explosion, but not mundane enough to be passed off as nothing, either—caught both men's attention. The few people still out and about in the hospital began to panic, but their shouts and cries barely reached Nezuto's ears. His instincts were going wild, demanding that he move, get going before the something important disappeared, but running off in front of Gōki wasn't about to do him any more favors, especially with the suspicious look he was giving him, and hell if that didn't hurt, too.

"I came alone, Gōki," Nezuto said, his voice coming out far weaker than he had planned it to. "None of the kids have anything to do with this."

Gōki growled faintly, the sound sending an unfair tingle up Nezuto's spine. "Yeah, I know. Your lot doesn't play around with things like this." Gōki ran a hand through his hair, looking ten years older and tired in an instant. "This doesn't get you out of trouble in the slightest. You're with me, Nezuto. You run off now, and I'll come and hunt you down later."

The sound of his given name pulled a lump into Nezuto's throat, and he nodded. "You got it, Gōki," he said, and that was all Gōki needed to take off in a sprint towards the stairwell. Nezuto followed, keeping pace easily and trying to put the pieces together.

Though it was probably just because of whoever was attacking, Nezuto still couldn't help but notice that his instincts had led him right to Gōki all over again—and that they wanted him to stay at his side for as long as possible.

Izumo mulled over the information that Seri-chan had been so kind as to share with him, trying to put the pieces together. That SCEPTER4 was investigating a case with a Strain was nothing surprising. It was part of their job, after all. However, the fact that the woman who'd gotten attacked was missing definitely added a new wrinkle to things. Sure, she had a broken arm, but that wasn't the worst injury to disappear with. That meant that there was a chance she'd done it on purpose. The trick of the matter was that SCEPTER4 didn't have a name to work with, which meant the woman was likely living off the grid for one reason or another.

Now the question is whether this is connected to what we're working on, or if it's something else entirely? Logic dictated that there didn't necessarily have to be a connection, but the last drag on his cigarette tasted sour, which was never a good omen in the slightest.

"Well, if nothing else, I'll spread the lady's picture around our boys, see if they notice her while…" Seri gave Izumo a pointed look, but he merely returned a smile. Then again, holding back too much would just give SCEPTER4 an opportunity to get in HOMRA's way, and that would just waste everyone's time. "Well, we're helping some young ladies search for a missing family member. They're out and about, you know."

Seri's finely trimmed eyebrows rose up at that, but it wasn't like Izumo was lying. There just wasn't much point in mentioning that the person they were looking for happened to be the vessel for the whole mess with the Colorless King. "Well, I suppose that will be helpful. If you find anything, you know how to reach me. This matter is important, and—excuse me."

Izumo waved Seri off as she answered her ringing cellphone. Thanks to the loud voice on the other end, he caught the words Lieutenant Awashima, hospital, and emergency situation, which wasn't a pleasant combination at all.

"Understood. Contain the enemy for as long as possible and contact HQ. As soon as you hear from Zenjō, follow his command. I'll be there shortly." With that exchange done, Seri was already back on her feet as she stuffed her phone into her pocket. "Sorry to leave so suddenly, but I need to handle a situation. If something comes up, I'll be in touch."

It would have been so easy to make a passing jibe at her willingness to talk with him again, but Izumo knew well that it wasn't the time for such things. So he did what was probably the next least logical thing and jammed his cigarette into the waiting ashtray before giving Seri the most winning smile he could manage. "How about I come and help out? Least I can do is escort a lovely lady to her destination."

Seri was too far in her work mode to bother looking surprised. "You shouldn't leave your business unattended."

"Eh, a few hours closed won't hurt anyone."

And Seri didn't outright object, which was the closest thing he was going to get to a yes.

Misaki was in the middle of delivering a fucking amazing comeback to Hitomi's latest insult and no one could tell him otherwise when the situation outside quickly went to shit. Sure, having the Blues run around nearby was never a good thing, but once there was an impact with enough force to kick up concrete dust that could really only come from a clansman, that's when things started getting messy.

But who the hell has enough balls to attack the Blues? Normally, HOMRA was the one who went around doing such things, but they didn't have much reason to openly antagonize SCEPTER4 at the moment. Gold was in an alliance, Silver was gone, and there wasn't anything from Colorless left to bother. So that left two options or some random Strain, and Misaki didn't know anywhere near enough to take a guess.

What a time to realize that tuning out all that political shit with the other clans probably wasn't the best idea.

Hitomi's eyes had gone wide, the previous bickering match completely forgotten as she processed the situation. "That's not fucking good."

"Oh, you think?" Misaki couldn't help but say, the snark keeping him balanced. Normally, he wouldn't back down from a fight, but it wasn't like he could object to someone trying to kick the Blues' smug little asses—and even if he did jump in, what was to stop SCEPTER4 from blaming HOMRA for what was happening? He couldn't bring that kind of trouble on Kusanagi-san and the others.

"I think we should evacuate before SCEPTER4 finds us," Eri said through her cat plush. With the other café patrons becoming less shell shocked and more prone to panic, it wasn't like anyone would notice where her voice was coming from. "Getting caught here wouldn't be in our favor after our last encounter."

"Right. I don't wanna run into that asshole, either," Hitomi said, her anger apparently helping her keep her senses. "Let's get a move on, Misaki-chan. I don't have it in me to play nice anymore." She smacked Misaki on the shoulder, but the blow was weak, a sure sign that she didn't have it all together. The concern on Eri's face made it clear that she wasn't doing much better.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me twice," Misaki said, keeping up his bravado to help balance things out. "Places like this usually have a back exit or something. We should go that way."

Hitomi moved first, having no reservations about charging towards the kitchen, though she had to backtrack to pull Eri along with her. After a stumble, the older woman followed, with Misaki bringing up the rear, his bat and skateboard in hand. At first, some staff member started to protest, but then they seemed to realize that flying the fucking coop was probably the best option they had and started directing customers to follow behind. Someone said something ridiculous about calling the police, not realizing that SCEPTER4 basically was the police for situations like this, and the patrons all spilled out into the alleyway in a confused jumble.

Misaki stopped, causing a few other people to push past him, and he caught on Eri's sleeve to bring the girls to a stop. "What about Uru-dude?" he asked, finally realizing that they were one person short to make a clean escape.

"Aw, fucking hell," Hitomi said, turning to face the direction of the hospital. It was one thing to get the fuck out dodge, but leaving behind a normal person in the middle of a potential Clan vs. Clan or Clan vs. Strain struggle was another matter. "We can't just leave him."

"No, we can't," Eri said, sounding distressed. "He should still be in the hospital, so hopefully he's safe, but we don't know how things are going to go…" She looked to Misaki, her eyes begging for help, and while embarrassment at being under such a concentrated gaze from a woman pushed at him, that wasn't anywhere close to the priority in the slightest.

Misaki gripped his bat tighter, already starting to elbow his way past the remaining fleeing patrons from the restaurant. The shop on the other side of the alleyway had seemed to have the same idea, so the extra people weren't helping in the slightest. "I'll go ahead and check for him! Hopefully he's evacuating to a safe place."

"I'll come with you!" Hitomi said, pushing a panicked man behind her. Misaki gave her a look—he wasn't sure how it came out, seeing as disapproval wasn't really his thing—but Hitomi only glowered back at him in determination. "If you're thinking I'm weak, I'm going to kick your ass when this is all done, Misaki."

"That's not it! This is just a Clan fight! You know, a bunch of people with powers out and about—the kind of fight that normies like you tend to get fucked up in."

Misaki was pretty sure in that moment that Hitomi snarled, and the flash of her grit teeth wasn't exactly encouraging, either. "Well I'm pretty damn sure this 'normie' made it through the tussle with that Saru asshole just fine," she said, her voice dangerously calm. The mention of Saru was more than enough to make Misaki flinch, and she knew it. "We're just going to make sure that Urumana-san doesn't get himself killed, that's all. Not facing down all of SCEPTER4. So either we go together, or I go on my own. Your pick, Misaki-chan."

Aw, hell, Kusanagi-san would wreck me if I let her get hurt. Desperate for help, Misaki tossed a glance to Eri, but she only nodded. "I'll evacuate with the others and stay put. You two can come find me when you have Urumana-san to lead the way." Her comforting smile melted out of the way as she locked Hitomi in a serious stare. "Be careful, Hitomi-chan," Eri said, followed by several motions in sign language.

Hitomi grimaced, likely on the end of a scolding. "I promise, Nee-chan. I'll be careful. Don't you worry about it."

"I'll always worry about you. It's what big sisters do." And then Eri spun on her heel and slipped away with the rest of the crowd. Hitomi and Misaki both exchanged a long stare, and Hitomi broke the showdown first when she flashed him a smirk.

"We doing this or what, Misaki-chan?"

"I guess we fucking are!"

The street outside of Shizume General Hospital was in chaos. The initial attack had scattered a fair amount of dust, easily obscuring vision. There were shouts of panic, far outnumbering the authoritative voices of SCEPTER4 members trying to direct civilians away from the area. Inside the dust cloud rang out the sound of swords colliding with each other, which meant that whoever was in charge of this whole mess was armed and capable of keeping up with Blue Clansmen.

Not good, Nezuto thought, as if anything at all about this particular situation could ever be good. Well, he could think of a few things that might qualify, but they weren't exactly appropriate to the danger level unfolding, so Nezuto tucked those away as he followed in Gōki's very large and imposing wake.

Gōki took a few moments to assess the situation outside from the hospital's lobby, and then he marched right out the doors without ever once breaking his stride. His aura pulsed out, the wash of blue easily preventing any of the debris from outside from entering the hospital, and then he cleared the street as well for good measure. The azure sky above them opened up, there were several shouts of recognition from the SCEPTER4 members, and one lone figure with wavy purple hair and dressed in a long black jacket paused before his glossed lips slipped into a broad smile.

Mishakuji Yukari, former member of the Colorless Clan before its King passed away, Nezuto realized, an uncomfortable feeling washing over him that had nothing to do with the layer of dust now stuck to his skin. Yeah, I don't like the looks of this.

"Lieu—ah, no, that's former Lieutenant Zenjō Gōki," Mishakuji said, his voice cleanly slipping through the syllables. "I wasn't expecting someone of your status to be here. It's really such an honor."

Gōki, on the other hand, seemed to have no intentions of exchanging pleasantries. "Zenjō, emergency draw."

The sword was out of its scabbard in a flash, and the SCEPTER4 kid that had been exchanging blows—I'm pretty sure that one's Enomoto—yelped as he dodged out of the way. Mishakuji didn't cleanly parry the attack, but he did avoid injury, and an amused laugh slipped out of his mouth as he moved. Considering that Gōki had already enhanced his blade with his aura, that was a pretty impressive feat, though not impossible for a skilled clansman.

Does Gōki know who he's dealing with? Nezuto thought, his eyes following the line of battle. Mentioning it would only bring Nezuto under suspicion, though, and combat wasn't really something he was suited for. He'd only be a liability. Even if he doesn't have all the pieces, it's not like Gōki can't handle himself, but still—

Enomoto didn't have to worry about such concerns, and he picked himself up from the ground and shouted, "Zenjō-san, be careful, he's—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Mishakuji scolded, and the air rippled as his colorless aura formed into a hand that stretched out and around Gōki to slap over Enomoto's mouth. "You go and say it, you ruin all the fun."

"You're twenty years too early to be able to take your eyes off me in a fight, brat!" Gōki enhanced his aura further, the blue cleanly slicing through Enomoto's restraint. Nezuto vaguely wondered how much practice that Gōki had gone through to get that level of movement and combat flexibility back with only one arm to use. "I don't need someone giving me hints to beat the shit out of you."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that." Mishakuji dodged another strike, though with less room to spare than before. "I may have you beat in elegance, but you're someone that could easily crush me, especially at full capacity. However—" Nezuto's gut twisted in a way that usually signaled he was about to vomit "—no one ever said I had to fight you at full capacity in the first place."

The shout was out of Nezuto's mouth before he could even think to swallow it. "Gōki, move!"

Nezuto didn't know if he'd helped Gōki dodge or if he'd made easier for Mishakuji to strike. All he knew was that there was blood in the air—hardly any to be considered an issue, but still blood—and that Gōki was moving to retaliate. His sword swung, but any of the blue that had formally encased it was gone, and Gōki seemed to realize that in just enough time to pull back, making it perfectly clear that Mishakuji's own blade had an aura curling around it—not colorless, but a curling and ominous black.

Nezuto swallowed and pried his lips open as the realization came tumbling out:

"Níðhöggr."

[Author's Notes]

Don't mind me, I'm just using season two characters for my own purposes and plot, whoops.

Wonderful thanks go out to Lieut Frost and justluisfine for the favorite and follows! I really appreciate it, especially given that this story is a little off the beaten path. While I know it's a bit late, I fully hope that you enjoy this update.

Just your usual friendly reminder that the major beats of the plot were planned out before we got any news on whether we'd get a sequel or not. That means that there's a Black Clan, Níðhöggr, to replace the canon Greys. Since the Green Clan isn't JUNGLE, Mishakuji's alliances are also different. More on them and these changes as the plot continues!

I won't lie: Nezuto completely blindsided me with his connection to Gōki. Looking forward to playing around with that plotline as well, so I hope you all are, too! I haven't fully planned out updates for next year just yet, but do know that a lot of fun's gonna go down in chapter 16 - though I suppose my characters may not agree with me on that one, haha.

Happy holidays, folks, and may we cross the finish line on 2020 and into 2021 without any issues. I'll see you all in the new year, so please look forward to it!

-Avi

[12.26.2020]