'Why did he call me out here? It's getting late, and it's pouring…'

A quiet sigh escaped from a young sixteen year old who was currently leaning against a wall in an ally close to the HOMRA bar. Rain was pouring down, soaking his clothes and red hair while his eyes remained fixed on a puddle forming at his feet. It had gotten pretty dark in the small amount of time he had been standing there, waiting for the very person who called him out here to talk, but thanks to a nearby street light, he could still see pretty well. That didn't make it much better though because he was starting to get a bit chilly, but he still didn't move from the spot he stood in. Shaking his head slightly, the teen brought his left wrist up to check on the time.

8:45PM… Huffing softly, he dropped his hand at his side and placed his head against the wall he had been leaning on. He was going to give it a few more minutes before telling the person who had contacted him that they would have to discuss this when they got back home. This particular person...was his best friend, one he had met back in middle school. The two of them had ended up becoming inseparable after his friend had finally warmed up to him and actually accepted him. At first glance, the two of them were complete opposites. One was loud, obnoxious, and reckless while the other was quiet, intelligent, and often kept to himself. It was a mystery to how they actually clicked so well, but it seemed to be working for them so neither really questioned it. If it worked, there was no point in asking any questions.

"Misaki." A soft voice suddenly called out, causing the red head to snap his gaze to the side. Sure enough, his hazel colored eyes fell on a slender figure, one that was a bit taller than him. Seeing the other's familiar blue eyes and bored looking facial expression put a bit of relief on Misaki's shoulders. He honestly thought the other wasn't coming or something.

"There you are. Where the hell have you been, Saruhiko? I've been waiting out here for about fifteen minutes and was about to tell you to just meet me at home." Misaki let out a little huff and crossed his arms over his chest while watching his friend move to lean against the wall across from the one he had been on.

"I was taking care of some stuff before coming out here… Look, that isn't important. We seriously need to have a talk." The other teen replied as he brought a hand up to brush some of his raven colored hair from his pale face. Maybe talking out in the rain wasn't the best idea, but he didn't want to do this back at their shared apartment. Being outside would just make for an easier getaway when the time came.

About a year ago, the two of them had made an attempt to mess with the Green Clan, known as Jungle, which had almost gone horribly wrong for the both of them. Apparently the Green King had an interest in the raven due to the fact that he had managed to hack into Jungle's system and his goal had been to have the raven taken away by his minions, but something had gotten in his way. While the raven haired teen had started to get dragged away, the Red King, known as Mikoto Suoh, had made an appearance, and after Misaki had ran toward him begging for Saruhiko to be saved, Jungle had released their hold on the raven haired teen and ran for it when Mikoto had unleashed bright red aura, scaring the Jungle clansmen away. Ultimately, he had ended up saving both teenagers and eventually the two of them had ended up joining the Red Clan, known as HOMRA.

After they had joined, everything seemed to be going well for the both of them, but as time went on, Misaki started showing more interest toward Mikoto, often telling him how awesome or cool he was while looking at him with wide, sparkly eyes. He was completely amazed by Mikoto's power, but his best friend? Not so much. Despite being terrified of Mikoto Suoh, Saruhiko saw the man as lazy and unmotivated. As a 'King', he definitely didn't perform any king-like duties. Instead he was often seen lounging on the couch with a cigarette burning in his mouth. If the raven were to be honest, he didn't see how Misaki could be so amazed at a man who didn't seem to give a crap about anything. It honestly made Saruhiko sick, and it had been putting distance between their friendship. Though that wasn't the only thing. Saruhiko had been dealing with his own personal battles from his past, ones he kept to himself because they were his problems and he was trying to forget about them.

Before they had joined HOMRA, they had been so close. It felt as if nothing could come between them, and now...something was coming between them. Their own little world was actually becoming bigger, and Saruhiko felt as if he were being pushed out of it and left behind. Originally it was only supposed to be the two of them and no one else, but it seemed that ship had sailed. All of that had been leading up to the very events that were about to go down between the two boys who were still currently standing in the rain. After a year of feeling all of this, dealing with it all, Saruhiko had finally had enough. He wanted Misaki's focus to only be on him, so he figured his best bet was to make the shorter ginger hate him.

"I'm leaving HOMRA and joining Scepter 4. I've already packed up my stuff and I'll be moving into the Scepter 4 dorms." Saruhiko finally spoke while he kept his cold blue eyes locked with Misaki's wide hazel colored ones.

"W-what?" Misaki blinked in confusion. This had to be some kind of joke. There was no way Saruhiko would just betray him and HOMRA like that, was there? "Tell me you're fucking joking…"

"I'm not. Honestly, you should have seen this coming. I'm not like you and the others. Scepter 4 is going to be a much better fit for me, so I'm going." Saruhiko licked his tongue slightly, keeping his eyes purely forced on Misaki's face. He wanted to see that anger burning in those eyes, he wanted Misaki to hate him.

"Are you fucking insane!? HOMRA took us off the streets and gave us the power we possess today! Did you forget that Mr. Mikoto saved your life!? He saved you from being taken away from Jungle and you're going to repay him by joining with the enemy!?" The confused tone in Misaki's voice had faded away and was replaced by a much angerier tone. His eyes were slowly shifting into a glare, which was exactly what Saruhiko wanted to see.

"I don't see how you can look up to a King like Mikoto Suoh, Misaki. Sure he saved my life and gave us this power, but he's lazy as hell and doesn't seem to care about anything. All we're doing is running around like a bunch of punks and it's annoying." Saruhiko's eyes rolled slightly, only for him to lift a brow when he felt Misaki's fist punching his chest in a particular spot.

"And what about this!? Did you forget that this mark is a symbol of our pride!?" Misaki shouted out. The mark he was referring to was their HOMRA insignias, something they both had in the exact same spot. Hearing those words caused one of Saruhiko's eyes to twitch slightly. Was that really all Misaki saw that symbol as? If anything, he saw it as a symbol of their friendship since they had appeared in the exact same spot, something that hadn't happened before according to the other members of HOMRA.

"Our pride, huh?" Saruhiko spoke lowly as his lips curved into a twisted smile, one that would probably terrify him if he saw it in the mirror. A small laugh that sounded slightly twisted slid past Saruhiko's pale lips as his fingers on his right hand became engulfed in flames. His cold blue eyes stayed locked with Misaki's hazel ones while he brought his burning hand up to the HOMRA insignia on his chest. Misaki's eyes widened in horror as he watched his best friend burn through the mark that they had gotten together a year ago. "That's what I think of your so-called pride."

As the raven dropped his hand back down to his side, Misaki's eyes stayed locked on the insignia that was now scratched out by burns, looking as if a cat with burning claws had scratched right through it. The shorter ginger still didn't want to believe that he had just seen that happen, but the proof was right in front of his face. He didn't know if he wanted to scream, cry, or throw a punch toward the very person who was supposed to be his best friend...no he supposed that was over with now. The only person standing in front of him now, was a traitor.

"You bastard…" Misaki finally grabbed out as he reached out to grasp the other's shirt tightly. His hands were shaking, but he was unsure if it was from the anger or being chilled from the rain. It didn't matter at that moment though. He just knew he was pissed, but he also felt something else. Something...that hurt. "How could you stand there and do something like that after everything!? We owe them so much, and you just went and did that like it was nothing! Are you really just going to walk away like this!?"

Rolling his eyes slightly, Saruhiko clicked his tongue and smacked Misaki's hand away so he could turn to leave. His decision had already been made and there was no turning back now even if he wanted to. His things were already moved to the dorms at Scepter 4 and his business with Misaki was now done. He was certain the little red head would hate him after all of this, especially after witnessing him burning out his own mark like that. Damaging Misaki's pride had been his main goal in order to make the other hate him, so that way he would always be seen by the other, even if it was as an enemy. Still...this actually had been a bit harder than he thought it would be. Never in his life did he think he would have to turn around and hurt his best friend like he had, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. After all...Misaki had replaced him. It was once only the two of them against the world and now...Misaki was with HOMRA. His dedication to that sorry excuse of a King was pathetic. Mikoto Suoh was not fit to be the Red King, yet everyone in HOMRA respected him. Sure even Saruhiko had seen first hand what that man was capable of and it terrified him, but that still didn't change the fact that he was beyond lazy and never got his hands dirty unless he absolutely had to. If anything, Mr. Kusanagi would have probably been a better choice for the Red King, especially since he seemed like he was the one in charge most of the time, but no...it was Mikoto Suoh, and Saruhiko refused to follow him any longer.

"Misaki. I've already made my decision and I've thought it through several times. Starting tomorrow, I'll be with the enemy…" The raven paused as he started to walk away, only to glance over his shoulder in order to give the ginger one last cold look. "And you will hate me forever."

'And you will hate me forever…'

Those last few words echoed in Misaki's mind as he was left standing there in the pouring rain. Thunder crashed over his head and lightning lit up the sky, but the ginger didn't move from the spot he stood in. He was frozen in place, trapped by all the emotions running wild inside his head. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to just stand there and accept this? Was he supposed to run after Saruhiko and beg him to stay? Or was he really supposed to just learn to hate the other with a burning passion? After all...he had betrayed HOMRA and Mr. Mikoto. Such a thing was unforgivable. If that was the case then why was he feeling like something had just been ripped from his chest and tossed to the side as if it were nothing? He should be furious, but instead he just felt lost and incomplete. Saruhiko was gone, leaving to join up with that damn Blue Clan, under the command of Reisi Munakata, the Blue King.

"Saru…" Misaki spoke softly, but his voice was covered by another loud crack of thunder. It was all finally setting in as the rain started to pour down even harder than before. Slowly, the red head's trembling hands came up to cover his face as he slowly sank down to his knees and screamed into his hands. Warm tears were rolling down his cheeks and his smaller form began to shake even harder. He didn't understand how Saruhiko could just walk away from it all so easily like that...and that twisted grin...he wanted to forget he had ever seen that look on Saru's face but unfortunately, that image was burned into his mind as well.

"I assume you've finished whatever business you had to take care of, Fushimi-kun?" The voice of the Blue King asked as a certain raven finally appeared at the gates of Scepter 4. The boy was completely drenched and had an unreadable expression on his face. If Reisi had to guess, he was fighting with some kind of inner battle, probably trying to decide if this had truly been the right decision or not.

"It's done. There's no need to discuss it anymore. Let's just get this over with." Saruhiko replied coldly, only for the Blue King to nod his head.

"Very well. Ms. Awashima." Reisi turned to look to his right where a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stood. Her uniform was...beyond revealing, but she didn' seem too bothered by it. Instead, she stood there with a prideful look on her face as she bowed her head.

"We're all set, sir." She spoke in a polite tone and straightened herself up again. "Fushimi-kun. The others will get you fitted into your uniform, then we'll proceed outside to begin." She was unsure about having someone in their ranks who had just swapped clans so easily, but she wasn't one to question her King's decision to take him in.

After Saruhiko had gotten fitted for his Scepter 4 uniform, they all proceeded to walk back out into the rain where the raven haired teen would be sworn into Scepter 4, officially leaving HOMRA and Misaki behind him. At least that's what he thought. During the entire process, the memory of Misaki's horrified face kept flashing into his mind, along with the sick, twisted grin of a man Saruhiko desperately wanted to forget. That person...he still haunted Saruhiko's dreams and now it seemed that the very face he had so desperately wanted to see on the boy who used to be his friend would be haunting him as well. It seemed he would never fully be able to escape anything from the past, and that was shown when he found out that not only did he possess the Blue Clan's arua, but his hidden knives still possessed the Red Clan's aura, something he had expected to lose after the ceremony was complete.

"You are now a certified member of Scepter 4…" Reisi's voice yanked Saruhiko from his thoughts. When he looked up, he noticed that his new King was motioning for him to stand up. As he rose to his feet, he held the sheathed sword at his side and bowed his head slightly. Everything was finally complete. Now, the next time he would see Misaki, would be on the battlefield between their clans. He wanted to see that hatred burning in those hazel eyes of his. Misaki's rage, hatred, all of it...he wanted to see it all unleashed so he would never look away again.

However...something had been tugging at his chest since he had walked away not so long ago. Something was missing, but he chose to ignore it. He was sure the feeling would fade over time, so for now he would have to endure whatever he was feeling.

'And you will hate me forever…'

He heard his own words echoing in his mind now, followed by the memory of the look on Misaki's face after he had said them. Did he really mean it? Of course he did. If he didn't mean it, then why would he say it? Huffing softly, Saruhiko retreated to his assigned dorm after the ceremony. He wanted to put on some dry clothes and possibly shower before attempting to sleep off the events of today. Unfortunately, sleep wasn't going to come so easily for the raven. The moment his head hit the pillow and he tried closing his eyes, memories of Misaki's face flashed into his mind. That anger...mixed with the pain and betrayal. It had been a priceless reaction, but if that's how he felt...then why was something still tugging at his chest?

'And you will hate me forever…' Misaki...hating him forever? Wait-why were his eyes starting to burn? Were those tears starting to form in them? No...he quickly brought a hand up and wiped them away before they could dare to fall down his cheeks. He refused to cry over something he wanted to happen...at least, something he was sure he wanted to happen…

"Yata-chan!" A voice called out to the ginger who was still on his knees in the rain. His hands were clenched in fists in front of him, and his gaze was fixed downward, staring into a puddle that had formed in front of him. He hadn't even processed that someone had called out to him until a hand came down on his shivering shoulders, causing him to jump slightly. Just how long had he been out here? His body felt numb, his throat was hurting from all the screaming and crying he had done, and his eyes were stained red from all the tears.

"Yata-chan, snap out of it! You're fucking freezing, dude!" That voice...Misaki knew who it was, but he couldn't bring himself to look up. He didn't want Rikio seeing him in such a state. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, but he also couldn't find the strength to move and run away. It had actually been an accident that Rikio had even come across Misaki in the alley. The only reason he found the other was because he had been cutting through to get home faster.

"Just hang on- I'm calling for some help…"

'No…' Misaki wanted to yell but he still couldn't find his voice. He knew who Rikio was about to call and he didn't want them seeing him like this. He didn't want to answer any kind of questions, but he also didn't want to go back home because he knew it was going to be empty… he would be alone.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he couldn't stop himself. He started to break down once again, and this time he was doing it right in front of Rikio. His damp hands came up to cover his face once again as he silently cried, unable to scream out due to already straining his voice. Instead, he was sniffling quietly while shaking even harder. He stayed like that until eventually he wore himself out. His small form had started to sway sideways, but before he hit the ground, his face landed against something rather warm. He was sure it was Rikio, but he couldn't stay conscious long enough to be sure. As darkness took over, he heard those dreadful words echoing through his mind one last time.

'And you will hate me forever…'


((Heyo everyone- I hope you're ready for some feels because...well I'm in that Angst mood and...this is going to have a lot of it. I do not intend to make you cry, but even I might cry a bit while writing this... Anyways, we start with Saru leaving HOMRA and Misaki and going off to join Reisi in Scepter 4... Those words... "And you will hate me forever", they'll be appearing a lot in this story because they're very important. They're the very words that are going to haunt both of our boys! Anyways, I don't want to ramble too much and risk spoiling something! Thank you guys for reading the first chapter! I'll hope to update again soon! See you guys in the next chapter! Bye for now! Also- New signature!

~~Rai-Chan)) ((My penname is Railin on a lot of things-sooo I wanted to have a new signature for it! Okay, bye for now~))