"Oh my god that's so clique it's disgusting."
"What?" Mikoto asked, slipping his arm under Umeko's shoulders. She adjusted till her head was resting on his chest, relaxing into him.
"That," she pointed at the blue bra caught on the footboard.
"And why's that?"
"Because in every story ever written that has some kind of sex scene in it they always have some line about how after a wild night of passion their cloths go flying everywhere and get caught on everything and blah blah blah. It's just so clique at this point."
"Did you just say wild night of passion?" he snorted, raising an eyebrow at her.
Her eyes widen, a mortified blush coming to her cheeks, "I-I just- I didn't- oh for god's sake I read too many books okay?"
He smirked at the angry, embarrassed look on her face, leaning down and kissing her temple, "Yeah, I've noticed."
She turned like she was going to hit him, but with a quick twist of his wrist she let out a loud shriek as his fingers pushed into her side.
"Mikoto," she laughed as he tickled her side, "stop!"
He just smirked as she twisted and kicked, laughing uncontrollably as he moved his fingers against her side.
"Stop it! Stop!" she laughed, and he couldn't help but love the way her eyes were glowing. He relented though, and as he rolling over to lie on his back again, she crawled on top of him, stretching out across him.
"You know I hate it when you do that," she pouted, making a cushion with her arms and resting her chin on them.
"Oh really?" he brought a hand up and began running his fingers up and down her spine, eyes taking on a predatory glint when he felt the tremor race up and down her skin. He loved that he could do this to her. He brought his hand all the way down, resting it on the curve of her ass.
"Yeah, I do."
"Hm," he hummed as he reached over to the bedside table, taking a pack of cigarettes out of the drawer and shaking one out, putting it to his lips and lighting it with a flick of his fingers, "and what are you going to do about it?"
A glint entered her eyes, and she pulled one arm out, plucking the cigarette from his lips and putting it in between hers. The tip glowed as she breathed in deeply, and she crawled forward until her mouth loomed just over his. His lips parted just slightly, and she blew the smoke in. She had barely even fully exhaled when his hands were on the back of her head, crushing her lips to his with a ferocity that left her breathless. He sat up, bringing her into his lap. She opened her mouth eagerly when she felt him ask, wrapping her arm that wasn't still holding the cigarette around his neck.
She reaching out blindly to her side, feeling for the ashtray. She dropped the stick in upon finding it, pulling the hand back to slowly drag it down his chest to where his stiff member was pressing against her inner thigh. She stroked him firmly, shivering at the low growl he emitted. He pulled back just enough so that he could look into her eyes. How this tousled, swollen lipped, sparkling eyed angel was his he'd never know.
"When'd you get so sexy?" he asked against her lips, both breathing heavily.
"I think you being an incredible fuck definitely helped to speed it along," she replied, full lips just barely curling into a smirk.
And he then preceded to remind her of why what she'd just said was true.
"Shit."
"What?" she asked from where her head was tucked into his side, cringing at how hoarse her voice was.
"It's empty," he stated, and it was only because she knew him so well she was able to realize that the great and mighty Suoh Mikoto was pouting as he shook the empty cigarette carton.
"Oh for god's sake," she laughed, "if it upsets you that much, I'll go get you more."
"Umeko-"
"Hush," she silenced, already throwing the sheets back and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. She heard Mikoto hiss as his one leg was exposed to the cold air, and she could practically feel the glare he was giving her burning into the back of her head.
She stood, and the sight of her ass as she reached her arms above her head and stretched was almost enough to stop him from noticing that after she had slipped her underwear back on, she'd then proceeded to pull a dress over her head.
"Umeko."
"Yes?"
"There's snow on the ground."
"I'll wear tights."
The flimsy white dress was hiked up as she pulled the black tights up her legs and shoved her feet into a pair of black high tops.
"Umeko."
"What?"
"There's snow on the ground."
"Your powers of observation are truly astounding."
He was about to say something else but she shushed him before he could even open his mouth.
"I'll be fine, don't you worry," and with a wink, she grabbed his leather coat off the arm of the couch and was gone.
"Oi!" he shouted.
He was met only by the sound of her laughter.
Umeko ran out the door, but as soon as she put one foot outside she almost stumbled back at the wall of cold air that hit her. She paused in the doorway, already shivering in the cold air, looking back up the stairs at the bedroom door. She forced herself to shut the door behind her and start down the street though; knowing if she went back that quickly he'd never let her live it down.
The road was mostly empty, which made sense considering how freaking cold it was. She tugged the heavy jacket tighter around her, burying her nose in the collar. It smelt like cigarette smoke and sandalwood and the scent soothed her. It wasn't long before a more enticing smell caught her attention, and she stopped and looked into the small coffee shop longingly. She dug into the jacket's pockets, feeling around until she felt a wad of crumpled bills. Pulling them out she counted quickly, surprised by how little money Mikoto kept on him. Well, she shrugged, it should be just enough for a cup of coffee and a pack of cigarettes.
The smell of coffee beans and tea was warming and Umeko walked eagerly to the counter, eyes glancing over the menu posted above quickly.
"Hi, can just have a small cup of coffee with cream and two sugars please?"
The blond behind the counter looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there, and the emotion was shown in the glare she gave Umeko a second later. She turned off without a word, pulling out a cup and working on filling it. Umeko blinked at her standoffish behavior but shrugged it off upon seeing the steaming cup she came back with.
"Oh thank you s-"
"That'll be 350 yen."
Umeko reeled back, looking frantically up at the board. Listed right next the coffee was a little 350. She deflated, glancing back at the angry looking blond tentatively. She only had 550 yen, and she knew the cigarettes would be 300.
"I'm sorry but I don't think I have enough to-"
"Here, this should cover it."
Umeko starred at the pale hand reaching around her with the thin bills in it, then slowly turned to look into a pair of dark blue eyes. For a second she almost thought they were Chise's, but upon starring into them for a second she realized they were colder, not as welcoming.
"Hello Umeko-san."
Umeko blinked, "Hello Munakata-san."
"I believe your coffee is waiting," he smiled.
Umeko looked back at the barista who was now starring at the blue king like she'd never seen a man before. In her defense, she'd probably never seen a king before.
Umeko took the cup from the girl's hand and thanked her quickly before the drool had a chance to spill over.
She felt slightly uncomfortable as Munakata followed her to the door, glancing down at her tattered sneakers.
"Thank you, Munakata-san, it was very nice of you to cover me."
"Of course, it was no trouble at all," he smiled, but somehow she knew that wasn't going to be the end of it.
"Although-"
And there it was.
"I noticed you have 550 yen with you and the coffee was only 350. How pray tell did you not have enough?"
"Um," Umeko wiggled her toes around in her sneakers, looking anywhere but the piercing eyes of the man in front of her that were making her increasingly uncomfortable.
"I was actually sent out on an- urm errand and I wouldn't have had enough for the coffee and the other thing."
Neither said anything for a minute as Umeko took a tentative sip of her drink. The scalding liquid burned her tongue slightly but she stopped herself from flinching, feeling like showing any sign of weakness in front of this man would be a mistake.
"Well I don't think I could allow a young woman such as yourself to wonder around in frigid weather like this by herself so I will accompany you on your errand as long as it is alright with you."
'As long as it's okay with me my ass.'
"Oh no Munakata-san you don't have to do that!"
He chuckled at the panicked look that came over her face, liking this small woman more and more the longer he interacted with her.
"Oh no, it's no trouble at all. This is my weekly day off but I don't have anything planned for the day so it would be no trouble for me at all."
"Oh um," Umeko fumbled over her words, "if it's no trouble then I guess."
"Excellent," he smiled, pushing the door open for her. She stepped out, and he fell in step next to her as she started towards the drug store a few blocks away. A silence fell over them and Umeko scrambled to find something to fill it.
"Do you really only get one day off a week?"
He shot her a curious look but returned his gaze forward before she could notice, "Yes I do."
"But aren't you tired? I don't know much about SCEPTER 4 but you guys always seem to be busy."
"Yes," he chuckled, "we normally are."
"So, isn't one day off a week not enough for you to keep up on your rest?"
He pondered of the question silently as they waited for a light to change. The red hand switched to a green walking symbol, and the pair crossed the busy intersection quickly.
"I guess I just don't require as much rest to stay alert and on top of things," he finally answered half way down the next block.
"Still, it seems like you must be pushing yourself too hard for it to be healthy."
He smiled at her genuine concern, "I thank you for your concern Umeko-san, but I assure you I'll be alright."
She just hummed unconvincingly, and he was happy she was looking straight ahead of her and not at him; he wouldn't want her to see the developing grin on his face. She truly was an interesting woman.
"I can see why Suoh has taken such an interest in you."
"What?" she jumped, swiveling her head back to look at him.
"You're a very interesting person, Umeko-san. You seem far too genuine to be involved in the kind of business your clan deals with, although I'd assume that's what he must like so much about you."
"Um, thanks," she muttered, looking at the blackened snow along the edge of the curb, unsure how to answer.
"Do I make you uncomfortable, Umeko-san?"
She didn't respond at first, guiding them into the drug store she'd been looking for. They walked slowly to the counter. The clerk must have been off at some other part of the store because there was no one behind the counter, and they both settled against the counter to wait.
"It's not so much you make me uncomfortable," she started, "it's more like I don't know how to act around you."
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, "And why's that?"
"You just give off this air of formality and I guess I'm just not used to it," she laughed lightly, looking up at him with a smile, "I don't have much formal experience."
He looked at her contemplatively for a minute, long enough for her smile to slip off in discomfort, until he finally chuckled slightly, "I can understand that."
They both smiled slightly as the clerk finally came back, "How can I help you?"
"One pack of Marlboros please," she asked politely, and the clerk nodded, turning to pull a pack out.
Munakata raised an eyebrow, "He's sending you out for cigarettes now?"
"Actually I offered," she replied, passing her money to the clerk and slipping the pack into her pocket.
"You're much too good for him, Umeko-san," Munakata joked as they exited the store, making their way back.
"Statements like that are all in the eyes of the beholder, Munakata-san. Someone could just as easily say he's far too good for me. It's all based on opinion."
Her modesty surprised him, and he couldn't help but feel a small bit of envy for his fellow king for stumbling upon such a woman.
They didn't talk for the rest of the walk to HOMRA, but neither felt uncomfortable in the silence.
"Thank you for accompanying me Munakata-san, I enjoyed your company," and she meant it. He was a good person to have a conversation with once you got used to him.
"Thank you, Umeko-san. I hope to see you again soon under circumstances more like this."
"Yeah, we haven't really been running into each other in the best situations have we?" she laughed, breaking up any awkwardness that could have surfaced with the mention of their clans' most recent meetings.
"No, we have not," he smiled.
She gave him one last smile and a slight bow, turning to go back into the bar, "I'll see you around then."
He nodded, watching her step back inside the building before making his way back to his apartment. Maybe a nap really was in line.
Umeko threw her empty coffee cup into a trashcan behind the bar, making her way back upstairs. When she opened the bedroom door she couldn't help but smile at Mikoto. He was right where she'd left him, out cold on the bed. The sheets had fallen to his waist, and her eyes traced his torso as it rose and fell with each breath, her fingers twitching at the sight.
She kicked off her shoes and laid Mikoto's jacket over the arm of the couch, pausing to contemplate for a second before pulling off her tights as well.
Mikoto woke to the feeling of a weight settling across his hips. He didn't open his eyes though till he felt smooth lips ghost down the side of his neck, small hands running over his chest. Umeko grinned coyly at him when his eyes found hers. She brought up one hand, revealing the new pack of cigarettes.
"Figured you'd want these," she smiled, shaking the pack lightly.
Mikoto pushed himself up, causing Umeko to slide back slightly till she was in his lap. His hands went through the motions of opening the pack and lighting a cigarette in seconds, and Umeko watched as the tension drained from his frame just as quickly.
Content that her man was happy and taken care of, Umeko slid off his lap, getting back under the sheets.
"Now that you're happy I'm going to sleep," she huffed and turned on her side, but he could tell any annoyance in her voice was fake.
His hand rose almost unconsciously, lightly brushing the hair back from her cheek so he could see her profile.
Umeko didn't open her eyes but she did smile when his lips ghosted lightly across her cheek, his voice low as he whispered, "Thank you."
"Umeko wake up!"
Umeko jolted upright in her seat, eyes slightly wild as Yumiko's face finally came into focus above her.
"I'm a godmother!" Yumiko crowed as she grinned widely, already rushing out of the waiting room to Mai's hospital room.
Umeko blinked at her retreating back, still trying to settle her breathing. She could still feel Mikoto's lips brushing against her cheek, and she heaved a sigh as she pushed herself to her feet.
By this point she was used to her vivid recollections of her time with Mikoto, and more than anything she was happy she hadn't had a nightmare in the middle of a hospital lobby, but the appearance of the Blue King in her dream surprised her.
She liked Munakata Reisi. She could hardly say she knew him well, but they'd had a few run ins similar to the one she'd just recounted, and she could honestly say she enjoyed his company. His rivalry with Mikoto had made being anything but passing acquaintances difficult, but she'd still come to enjoy her interactions with him.
In all her months away though, he had never appeared in her dreams, or even passed through her thoughts really. Which was why she was so surprised he just had.
She was snapped out of her dazed state by the site of Benjirou's mop of black hair coming out of the elevators. He grinned when he saw her, his long legs closing the distance between them quickly.
"How's Mai?" he asked as soon as he was within talking distance.
"Good, I think. They just told us we could go in," Umeko replied, forcing herself to smile. Benjirou was clearly overjoyed, and she didn't want her own muddled thoughts to affect the otherwise happy occasion.
"Well come on then," he grinned, starting down the hall towards the sound of Yumiko and Tadashi's voices.
Mai beamed at them from the hospital bed, a tiny pink bundle in her arms. Tadashi was seated right next to her, tears still slipping from the corners of his eyes as he looked at his wife and child.
Yumiko shot them a grin from across the room, "Come here you two."
Benjirou stepped forward first, and Umeko stuck close to his side.
Umeko's breath hitched at the sight of the new born, taking in her round cheeks and tuft of light blond hair. Two bright brown eyes looked curiously up at her from beneath the folds of her blanket.
"She beautiful," Umeko breathed, giving the new parents a bright grin.
"Congratulations you two," Benjirou said softly, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on the top of Mai's head, "I'm so proud of you Mai-chan."
"Thank you Benjirou-kun," Mai replied, looking down at her daughter lovingly.
"I'm so happy for you guys," Umeko beamed, "if you need any help, anything at all, just let me know."
Mai returned her grin ten-fold, "We'll definitely be taking you up on that."
Kokujōji Daikaku was admittedly troubled with the recent turn of events in the city. He was an old man, and had been a king for many of those years. He had watched Shizume city go through phases of peace and violence, fueled by the Slate.
He looked at the Dresden Slate under his feet, eyes tracing its markings and ridges. The Slate chose the kings, imbued them with powers, fostered the creation of clans. The Red Clan, through all its kings, had been defined by emotion and violence. They felt deeply, and furthermore cared for each other deeply. Their pridefulness gave them a propensity for violence, a violence that could burn deeply.
The Kagutsu crater incident was as fresh in his mind as the day it happened. When Adolf had retreated to the sky, Kokujōji had taken on the burden of the Slates, and had done so for almost all of his life. Each disturbance they caused, he felt responsible for.
This new Red King, Suoh Mikoto, after nearly two years of being quieter than either he or his predecessor had ever been, was shaking the city.
And before this, Kokujōji had been noticing what he suspected to be increased activity on the part of the Green Clan recently. Paired with the new problems with the Red Clan…he released a sigh.
He was no fool. He was an old man. The last time the Green King has challenged him had been over a decade ago. Now, as his health began to fail, Hisui decided to begin testing his influence.
Suoh's reckless move against the Green Clan had caused ripples in JUNGLE, and activity and crime around the city was increasing. He knew the sleeping beast that was JUNGLE would show it true hand soon enough, and the Gold King had no desire to provoke them into showing it sooner.
He shifted his weight, brow furrowing as he removed his gaze from the Slate. He knew what had provoked the Red King's temper, and it was why he stood here waiting for the arrival of the Blue King.
A vision of long black hair and kind brown eyes flashed through his mind. Even now, her smile brought warmth to his chest, the girl he'd fought to come home to during the war. He thought of how she'd held his hand and smiled reassuringly when he returned and explained to her how he'd change, what he had become when he was gone. Who'd fallen ill and left him only two years later. As far as time, she'd been insignificant in his life. But her influence had been limitless. She was why he never married, never took a partner, had spent his long life in the comfort of his own solitude.
Her presence in his life during his first months as a king had been priceless. She'd helped him learn control, and helped him maintain it, even to this day. The warmth of love, for a king he'd found, was truly one of the only things stronger than the pull of the Slate. He could only imagine how invaluable that would be for the Red King, who was burdened with the task of keeping the power for unspeakable violence in check every day.
The Gold King had heard of the disappearance of HOMRA's young member, and of her relationship with the Red King prior. He knew Munakata had to be close to stepping in, what with the Green Clan now involved. While he did not feel pity for the Red King, such feelings were frivolous, he felt compassion.
The sound of the door sliding open pulling his attention from his thoughts, and his eyes landed on the Blue King.
"Your Excellency," Munakata bowed, "You summoned me?"
"Yes. I want to inform you that I will be opening the Usagi's databank to Scepter 4 on a temporary basis."
Munakata stopped himself from show his surprise, instead raising a single brow slowly.
"For what purpose?"
"To aid in the fast location of Kobayashi Umeko."
"Oh?" Munakata voiced in surprise.
"The Kagutsu Crater incident took the lives of over 700,000 people Munakata-san. It is in everyone's best interest that the Red King's sanctum is kept balanced."
"And you think the recovery of Kobayashi Umeko is the solution?"
The Gold King gave him an unimpressed look, "Scepter 4 are not the only ones that monitor the activities of the clans. For almost two years the Weissman level of Red King, Suoh Mikoto, showed impeccable stability. It was not hard to deduce the source. The recent misbalance of his sanctum, which correlates with the reported disappearance of Kobayashi further proves my deductions."
"And you would go far as to insert yourself into the narrative, despite your responsibilities?"
A small smile crossed the Gold King's face, making Munakata blink in surprise.
"Of course."
Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the slow update, but I just started grad school so I'm busier than I've been in a while. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Just one more and then the big reunion will take place! After that, a whole new arc will start. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to end this fic after the reunion, but I've decided I love this fic way too much to end it anytime soon. The new arc will start moving closer to the manga, incorporating JUNGLE and the other kings more. Everyone please leave a review and I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can!
Love always
Gally