I'm so so so sorry that it took me this long to update! Life has just been crazy and I had a mad case of writer's block up until about an hour ago when I wrote pretty much the entire second half of this chapter lol. The beginning of this is, well, really heavy, but I tried to make up for it by making the end a little less serious and adding some good old fashioned MikotoxUmeko fluff. Enjoy!
Umeko considered herself a superstitious person. She believed in karma and whatnot, but more than anything she believed in good and bad omens. She hadn't had a nightmare since she started staying in Mikoto's room, months ago. The fact that she'd had one last night, and more so one that vivid, made her shudder.
"Umeko."
She looked at Mikoto, who was starring suspiciously at her. Her hands tightened around her mug, and she looked away again.
"I just," she stopped, looking out the window, "have a really bad feeling."
She jumped as the door burst open, and a handful of the members stumbled in jovially, shouting their loud hellos.
Forcing herself to smile back, Umeko still couldn't shake the bad feeling chilling her to the bone.
When Umeko and Mikoto were woken up at 3 in the morning by the shrill ringing of her phone, Umeko knew that her gut had been right.
She reached over to the nightstand, looking quickly over at Mikoto before picking up the call.
"Hello?"
"Ah Kobayashi-chan, how lovely to hear your voice."
Umeko froze, swallowing thickly.
"Hamasaki."
Mikoto narrowed his eyes, reaching to take the phone but Umeko's hand grabbed his wrist.
"Do you remember what I said about other means of payment Kobayashi-chan?"
"P-Please, don't hurt anyone," she whispered, only to be met with a chuckle.
"Come now, it's far too late for that," there was a burst of noise in the background, then Hamasaki's voice came back in, "Did you honestly believe that I didn't know my right hand man's girl was a friend of yours, Kobayashi-chan?"
"What are you talking about?" she choked.
"I'm talking about Oshiro-chan of course."
"Don't hurt her," Umeko begged, hand tightening around her phone.
"Like I said Kobayashi-chan, it's much too late for that."
"Wait please-!"
But the line had already went dead, and Umeko's hand went slack, the phone falling onto the bed with a dull thump.
She swallowed, looking over at the silent read head next to her.
"H-He- Chise-"
That's all he needed to hear for his blood to chill, body already getting out of the bed, hands halfway through dialing Izumo's number.
Umeko watched him go, body still frozen in place.
What had she done?
"Call everyone, tell them to split into teams and-"
She got out of bed stiffly, feet taking her to the dresser without her mind really thinking about it. She pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, looking up when she heard Mikoto end the call.
Mikoto watched her hands shake as she pulled on her cloths, reaching for her waist as she clumsily closed the drawer. She didn't turn around, her shoulders hunched as she shook slightly.
"Please Mikoto," she whispered, "find her."
His grip tightened momentarily before he started pulling her towards the door.
Izumo and Tatara arrived a few minutes later, talking about search groups and city blocks and other things that passed right by Umeko as she watched from the bar.
"Umeko."
She blinked back as Tatara placed a hand on her shoulder, "We're leaving now."
She nodded, sliding down and walking to meet the two men by the door. The door opened, and she jumped as a clap of thunder sounded, for the first time noticing the rain coming down in sheets.
"Yata, Kamamoto, Bandou, and Shouhei are west of here. We're going to meet up with them a few blocks over," Izumo explained as they moved with quick strides.
Umeko looked down each alley, never seeing any signs of life. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see Chise down one of them, or if she didn't. She wasn't stupid, she knew if they found Chise out here it would be as a corpse; but she couldn't spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to her.
The sound of a phone ringing distracted her from her thoughts, and she watched Izumo pull his PDA out of his pocket, answering it quickly.
"Uhuh…yeah…we'll be there soon."
Umeko gripped her arms tightly as Izumo hesitantly turned to her, "They found her on 52nd Street."
With dread already starting to creep down her spine, Umeko didn't wait to duck into the alley they were standing next to, feet flying as she raced to the street. Years of practically living in the narrow back streets came back to her as she weaved first left, then right, then another right, each turn taking her closer.
She burst out into the street a few minutes later, making out the outline of Bandou across the street.
"Hey, Umeko don't-"
She pushed Bandou off, running into the alley. Chitose and Dewa both turned around, and she could see something behind their feet before they shuffled closer together to block her view.
"Umeko-chan, just-"
But she wasn't listening, because she knew she saw dark blue hair on that lump behind them, and a pale hand.
"Chise."
Umeko shoved past them, falling to her knees.
"Chise? Chise no! No no no no no Chise no."
Umeko pulled herself closer to the limp body, burying her face in the side of her neck, "You can't die. Please please don't leave me I'm so sorry…"
The rest of her words were covered by sobs that wracked her entire body, making her small frame shake violently. Nobody moved as the rain mixed with the blood pooling out of the bluenette's body, spreading it through the alley in a river of red.
Umeko didn't react when Tatara suddenly appeared and came forward, grabbing her wrists, gently trying to pry her off of the body. Her body was locked though and every time he managed to loosen her grip the water and blood covered her arms made his hands slip and she would just hunch over Chise's lifeless frame further.
Two large hands reached around and gripped Umeko's arms tightly. Tatara watched as Mikoto ripped the girl up, pulling her back.
"No! No let go please let go! No! Chise!" she fought against the restrains until Mikoto had wrestled her out onto the empty sidewalk. Her sobs just increased as he finally pulled her out of sight of the body, her body slackening. He pulled her in, pressing her tightly against him, burying her face in his chest. She was shaking like a leaf, the skin visible through the blood looking sickeningly pale.
"She's dead. She's dead," her breaths got shorter and soon it turned into choked gasps for air.
"Breath," he mumbled against her hair, rubbing her waist with the pad of his thumb as she fell into a panic.
Umeko could feel her pulse against her temples and it droned out all the noise around her, a heavy pressure rising up and crushing her lungs. She couldn't breath and her stomach was turning. She didn't notice when Izumo stepped out, or hear what he said as he looked solemnly at the man holding her. She couldn't bring herself to fight back as he lifted her up, carrying her away from the alley with the river of red washing out of it. She tried to scream, make him turn around and take her back, but she was shaking so badly her teeth were chattering.
Mikoto went straight for the stairs as soon as he stepped into the bar, moving quickly into the bathroom. He placed her down on her feet, and her knees wobbled but she didn't fall. Her body was just standing limply as she cried, not making a sound.
He turned on the shower then turned back to Umeko. He stripped her as gently as he could, and then guided her under the warm spray. Red trickled down, swirling down the drain.
Umeko felt paralyzed, letting Mikoto washing her like a child.
"She's not coming back is she?"
It was a rhetorical question, they both knew it, but the resounding silence was deafening.
The next day HOMRA started a manhunt, tracking down and burning every member of the Sharks they could get their hands on. Mikoto told her it wouldn't be long before the group was completely extinguished.
"Umeko-chan?"
Said girl looked up from her seat on the windowsill, turning to regard the blond in the doorway.
"Yes, Tatara-kun?"
"Do you want something to eat? You never had breakfast."
She smiled softly, but it was tinted.
"I'm fine, thank you Tatara-kun."
Tatara frowned. It had been almost a month since Chise was killed, but Umeko was still in the depths of mourning. Granted, she was a little less pale, a little more focused, but still frail.
"Well if you change your mind just tell me."
"Of course."
He closed the door, and Umeko let her gaze wonder back out the window. She buried her nose into the neck of her mother's old sweater, the faint scent of roses soothing her.
"You need to eat something."
A small smile graced her face, but she didn't bother turning away from the window.
"I'll eat when I'm hungry Mikoto, I promise I'm not starving to death."
She listened to the heavy clunk of his boots as he crossed the room, and leaned back into him when he came to stop behind her.
"We found someone who knows where he is."
She froze, and Mikoto placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"I want to be there," she replied immediately, twisting her head back to look at him. She met the golden amber eyes solidly, refusing to flinch as they narrowed.
"You're not ready."
"I am."
He snorted, the harsh nose sending a shiver down her spine.
"You can't even stomach three solid meals, you can't go on a man hunt."
An image of Hamasaki Nobu appeared in her mind, followed quickly by one of Chise's corpse lying cold and dead at the end of that alley.
"Yes I can."
Mikoto stopped to consider the conviction in her voice, eyes scanning her form.
"Eat lunch, then I'll think about it."
Umeko huffed at being pushed into a corner, but stood up from her perch regardless.
Mikoto almost smiled as she brushed past him, head higher than it had been in weeks.
The members of HOMRA walked towards a large brick building, taking in the bright florescent sign above the door and the guard standing outside.
"The fuck do you want?" the large man barked.
"We have a meeting," Izumo answered, lighting a cigarette.
The security guard laughed, "Get lost."
Mikoto smirked, "Yata."
There was a blur, and next thing Umeko knew the guard was on the ground and Yata was standing over him, bat in hand.
Bandou sent a kick to his gut as they all went by just for good measure.
Once they were inside, the sounds of the building made Umeko balk.
They were in a brothel of all places, and the arrays of sounds seeping through the closed doors were making her uncomfortable. Now, Umeko had no trouble admitting she and Mikoto had sex, and she was very comfortable with what they did in the bedroom. What she was not particularly comfortable with was the idea of hearing or seeing other people having sex. She wasn't a blushing virgin, but she was still new to the world of sex.
Mikoto noticed her discomfort and slung an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into his side as they neared the front desk.
It was long, made of dark wood, and the wall behind it was covered with small hooks, each holding the key to one of the various rooms.
The man behind the desk looked distinctly uncomfortable, "Can I help you?"
"We need to talk to Ikeda Miyoko," Izumo supplied smoothly.
"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to pay if you want to-"
"Just give us the room number," Yata hissed, tapping his bat against the desk threateningly.
The man swallowed loudly, hands shaking as he turned around and retrieved a room key off the wall.
Izumo snatched it out of his hand, throwing an airy 'thanks' over his shoulder as he led the group down the hall.
Umeko held back her whimper as Mikoto detached himself from her to enter ahead of the rest of the group, Izumo next to him.
Umeko poked her head around Chitose's back as she entered, taking in the woman lying across the bed in the middle of the room.
She had long dark brown hair, so dark it almost looked black, and eyes that were only a few shades lighter.
"Gentlemen," she purred, "how can I be of service to you?"
"What do you know about Hamasaki Nobu?" Mikoto asked.
Miyoko propped herself up on her elbows, her generous chest on full display as she smiled sultrily.
"He's one of my most frequent customers," she smirked.
"Do you know where he hides out?"
"What's in it for me?" she purred, arcing her back.
The rest of the boys in the room were starting to look uncomfortable.
Mikoto gave her a blank look, and after a second the woman finally answered, "I may remember him mentioning something about a safe house on Kaiyō Avenue."
"What else?"
Umeko bristled as the woman rose to her knees, and leaning out, pressed herself up against Mikoto's side.
Just what, exactly, did she think she was doing with her man? If Umeko had been thinking clearer she probably would have gagged at how much she sounded like Mikoto, but as of now her mind was clouded over with a jealous haze, and a bitter taste bubbled up in the back of her throat as the busty brunette leaned further onto Mikoto.
"You know I can help you with much more than information," she purred, voice low and sultry, and Umeko watched as half the boys stiffened at her drawl. Chitose was already pinching his nose.
Umeko had to force herself not to glare as –Miuya? Miyuka?- whatever her name was, turned her dark eyes on her, the victorious glint in them doing nothing to help Umeko's growing anger.
"Like what?" Chitose stuttered out, Dewa not even lifting a finger to scold him like he normal would.
Miyoko's dark gaze turned to the brunette, and her hand started to trace patterns across Mikoto's shoulders as she responded, "I know people, some higher up," her eyes turned back to Mikoto, "very useful to men such as yourselves."
"Of course though," she chuckled, and three more hands flew up to their noses, "you'd have to make it worth my while." She smirked slowly, eyes glinting hungrily at Mikoto.
What did this woman think she was playing at exactly? Mikoto eyed her with disinterest, her look serving no purpose other then to annoy him.
Granted, a few months ago he would have taken this –Miyuka? Minori?- into the back and fucked her senseless without a second thought. A free lay and a few extra connections wasn't a bad deal by any means.
But now, and this was where he was finding this whole thing funny, he was very clearly taken. He'd had Umeko tucked under his arm when they'd entered, an obvious sign that he was with her. Why this woman thought he'd be stupid enough to come onto her in front of his significant other- or at all for that matter- was simply beyond him.
"We're not going to pay you, your connections aren't that important to us."
Miyoko stiffened for a moment, but then her sexy smirk was back and she tilted her chin up slightly to regard him through her lashes, "You can pay me for a number of reasons."
Umeko fought back the urge to vomit. How dare she? And how dare he? There was no fucking reason he shouldn't have pushed her off by now.
Mikoto starred blankly at her for another second before muttering, "Nah", and shrugging her off.
He strode forward, back into the circle of his comrades, and draped a heavy arm over Umeko's shoulders as he started towards the door.
"Not interested," he called back as he walked out of the room, the rest of the members scrambling to catch up.
As they stepped out, Umeko looked back a last time at the shell-shocked brunette gaping open mouthed at them, and couldn't stop herself from sticking out her tongue as Mikoto pulled her back out into the hallway.
Mikoto noticed something off about Umeko later that night. She'd been quiet, and had been keeping out of his reach the whole night. This annoyed him, he didn't like the idea that she was trying to distance herself from him.
"Well, I think I'm gonna head out," Shouhei yawned, standing from the couch.
Umeko frowned, watching as the other boys stood as well, muttering about having to be back at the bar early the next morning. Once they left, she'd have to deal with Mikoto, something she really didn't want to do.
She was still furious about the way he'd let that hooker crawl all over him, in front of her no less!
As the last of HOMRA drifted out the door, Umeko quickly made her way up the stairs. She was going to put this off for as long as possible.
Mikoto followed her up a few minutes later, eyes narrowing as she brushed by him to walk towards the bed without even looking at him.
Mikoto would never say that that he understood women. He was pretty sure there wasn't a man alive who really got women, which is why he had no trouble in admitting he couldn't figure out why Umeko was acting like this.
"What's your problem?" he hissed, and instantly regretted it as Umeko's glare landed on him.
She couldn't believe him! How could he not see what the issue was?
"You Mikoto! You're my problem! You and that god damn brunette today-"
"You mean the hooker?"
"Yes Mikoto, the hooker."
His brow furrowed as he waited for her to explain. Umeko restrained herself from ripping her hair out.
"You didn't push her off," she hissed, and Mikoto starred at her blankly. Yes he did.
"Yes I did."
"Oh yeah, after you let her rub herself all over you."
Mikoto blinked.
Umeko stopped, a sudden wave of shyness washing over her. She looked down at her hands, letting her hair fall forward.
"Was it because she's prettier than me?"
Because at the root of her anger, this was the thing she knew was eating at her the most. Umeko was painfully aware of how plain she was. She wasn't tall, she wasn't particularly skinny, there was nothing remarkable about her face. She was just average.
Then there was the Mi-whatever chick today. She had been tall, dark, exceedingly well endowed, and armed with a voice and a set of eyes that could make any man drop to their knees.
And then there was Mikoto. Dear god Mikoto. She'd never seen a man better looking than him. And neither had any other woman for that matter. He had it all, the face, the body, the voice, the eyes; the epitome of masculine perfection. And yet, he was more than that. Just his air placed him above other people. He had the presence, the confidence, the raw power.
When she saw him next to women more like Miuya (she didn't even care about getting it right anymore) and less like her, she couldn't help but wonder why exactly Mikoto would choose her over someone, well, less average.
So excuse her if she was feeling a little less than self-confident at the moment.
Umeko felt calloused fingers grip her chin, tilting her face up to look straight into a set of burning golden amber eyes that glinted back at her with dark amusement.
"Are you jealous Umeko?"
She stiffened.
"No," she hissed, ripping her face out of his grip.
He smirked, placing his hands on either side of her and leaning down till his nose was all but touching hers.
"Oh, I think you are."
"Fuck you," she growled, fire burning in her eyes, and Mikoto felt his blood bubble with excitement at the spark he saw there. He hadn't seen her look this alive in weeks, and it thrilled him to no end, even if she was pissed at him.
"It's not like you don't act like an over possessive ass," she added, but instantly felt dread mixed with something else pool in her stomach as he smirked back at her, his dark intentions clearly written across his face. Umeko gasped as his hand came up and gripped the back of her neck almost too hard, tilting her head back and allowing his mouth unbridled access to her neck. He ran the tip of his nose down the ridges of her throat, and Umeko was powerless to stop the choked gasp that escaped.
"I do that because you're mine, Umeko, and all those fuckers need to know to stay away from what belongs to me. I don't like to share."
She whimpered as his mouth moved to that spot just below her ear, nipping and teasing the skin till she was whining and panting beneath him.
Summoning the last of her will power, Umeko stuttered out, "I-If I'm yours then doesn't that m-make you mine?"
Mikoto stopped, leaned back to look at her. She was panting softly, full lips parted and hair mused. Her eyes, though slightly clouded by lust, were set firm, and suddenly he was able to see what she was talking about.
Umeko blinked as his forehead came to lean against hers, not moving as he heaved a great sigh, patiently waiting for his eyes to open. Finally they did, and she softened at the understanding and resignation she could see in them. She melted as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, moving slowly, letting her taste his apology in the soft brush of his lips against hers.
Mikoto knew that if another man had been touching Umeko the way the hooker had been touching him today he would have snapped their neck in a second, and the last thing he wanted Umeko to believe was that he didn't want her. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything, and she would always be more beautiful to him than any other woman, whore or noble or anything else.
She brought her hands up and buried them in his hair, pulling him to her, and suddenly it wasn't enough. Like a switch had been flipped, fire coursed through both of them, and Mikoto pushed her back onto the bed. As his fingers began making quick work of the buttons on her jeans, he pulled his mouth back just enough to mutter, "For the record, her ass had nothing on yours."
Umeko gapped up at him, but before she could say anything his mouth was back on hers and quite frankly she didn't care anymore.
And done. Only took me a few months haha. Regardless, I hope that you liked this. From this point on I can start to build up to the climax of this fic. I hate to break it to you but this is gonna be a long story; I'd say it's past halfway done but not anywhere close to the end. Next chapter will be juicy I promise, but you've gotta leave me some of those good reviews before I'll post it hehe. I know I'm mean.
Please review!