"~Well, come on and say,

Well, the food's gonna find us,

Just the water and rain,

Don't let the fear install,

I wanna see you again,

I hear you never wanna, sleep all night,

Just not falling in love,

Stop the ride, come on rage with me~"

2 And a Half Years Ago...

"Hey... Mikoto?" You whispered softly.

In the pitch black darkness of his bedroom, you were comfortably nestled into the Red king's chest. The both of you decided to call it an early night due to previous... incidents. But unlike him, you were unable to fall asleep.

Sighing, you slowly detached yourself and turned away from him.

The reason?

You couldn't get over the injuries that your best friend Tatara sustained from today's, "scuffle," and currently contemplated the meaning of life.

You hated this feeling. It was always plaguing your mind in the dead of the night, and more often than not, sleep for you was scarce these days. Just why the hell was it so impossible to get some shut eye when the time actually called for it?

No one could blame you. Today's battle had been especially rough; and you regretted your decision to watch from afar. If you instead chose to fight on the ground, then maybe you could've gotten to your friend in time to protect him from that stupid knife. What made matters worse was the amount of times the thug had managed to stab him. Not once, not even twice... But three times.

"Shit..." You cursed under your breath.

Why did things always have to be this way?

Why was it that everyone around you always got hurt, even though you had these amazing powers? What good was a clansman if they couldn't... no; more like they wouldn't fight?

It drove you absolutely crazy whenever you thought about it.

The only thing you could provide them was a kick-ass dessert and maybe first aid to whoever needed it. Other than that, there was no real reason to keep someone like you around.

Lost in self-loathing, you didn't notice your boyfriend's intense gaze boring into your back... He stared at you wordlessly, most likely aware of what you were beating yourself up about. The only issue was his uncertainty in what to say. He wasn't exactly a man of many words; but then again you never really held that against him. In fact, most of the time you were the only person who was able to truly understand him. Sometimes he felt like you were secretly psychic; after all, no normal person could tell what he was thinking... but somehow you made it seem easy.

Of course this sixth-sense went both ways.

Although he would never admit it, he watched you every possible moment that he could. Whether you two were sitting in the bar, him on the couch and you on the stools near Izumo; or in the midst of a scuffle with other clansmen and random thugs. There were very few scenarios where he wasn't staring.

You were a peaceful presence in his life. The person he cared about more than anything; his one true love...

Once again, he'd never say any of that out loud, but the feeling was there. He knew that you were aware of it too. Otherwise you wouldn't have stuck with him this long. Or so he liked to think.

"Hey... Are you up now?"

Your voice startled him... not that he showed it externally.

"Yeah." He replied gruffly.

"Okay..." You murmured.

You weren't exactly sure how long he was awake, but now you were at a loss.

Anything you wanted to say felt like a waste of time. For the past few months, all you talked about was how miserable you had been. You feared that he would eventually grow tired from hearing the same shit/different day speech.

Honestly, what did he even see in you? Nowadays you felt a growing desire to crawl under a rock and just stay there.

"Hey." He called.

Pouting, you chose to ignore him and shifted further away, stealing the thin sheet and covering your face in shame.

The more you curled into a ball, the more you could feel his patience growing tired of your shenanigans. But you didn't care. If there was one person that you didn't want to see you like this, it was him.

So yes; you were going to sulk like an angsty high schooler... which you were.

Mikoto didn't seem to like that one bit, because he immediately reached out, wrapped his arms around your torso and pulled you back against his larger frame. You let out an exasperated squeal (one that he noticed) when you came into contact, but you still refused to remove the sheet.

The feeling of his high temperature body heat pressed against your back caused you to blush.

Now you really didn't want him to see.

"I don't want to talk about it. Go back to sleep... I'll be fine, seriously." You lied. Maybe he would take the bait?

"Bullshit."

Nope. Fail.

A tug of war battle broke out soon after, one where you desperately tried to prevent him from removing your cover. Realistically speaking, he was capable of just burning the damn thing off without so much as batting an eye; but you knew he would never pull such a dirty stunt... Probably.

It was obvious from the get-go that he was going to win, but that didn't make things any less embarrassing when he did. Too bad you were just as stubborn as he was.

The moment he snatched the sheet away, you hid your face further into the mass of pillows beneath you. This failed because he chose now of all times to use his stupid man strength to his advantage. Or so you thought...

"Ah - Hey - !" You yelped when one of his hands drifted to your chest. Reflexively, you whipped your head around to shout at him, but that turned out to be a big mistake.

Damn. You fell for it.

"Ugh! You suck Mikot - Mmm!" He silenced you with a small kiss on the lips. You let your guard down for a split second, and before you knew it, he turned your form to face him and even managed to blindside you with this.

"Mm, M-Mikoto wait."

He didn't of course. In fact he took the opportunity to go deeper. Licking the bottom of your lower lip (more like prying it open) he quietly asked for entry, which you somewhat reluctantly granted.

His tongue slipped in, colliding with your own. They softly danced against one another in a repeated motion. You could tell he wasn't trying to be forceful, but even so, the sensation was still intense. It felt like you were going to melt. Normally he fought for dominance; a way to turn you into a puddle of mush. But today... "M-Mikoto, ah - mm... I c-can't breathe."

You lightly pushed against his chest to catch a bit of air, but by this point you'd already given in to his advances. Instead, you gripped the edge of his shirt's collar and let him continue.

Every now and then, you let a moan slip calling his name. It wasn't very often that he did the same, but in that moment he let out a small groan. You blushed from the unexpected show of affection, wondering if he was trying to return the favor, before you playfully nipped at his lips.

His grip around you tightened and he shuddered from the sensation. You were having a larger effect on him than intended, but there was no way he'd complain.

After a minute or two, your make-out session ended, leaving you panting.

After another minute, your blissful gaze turned into a rebellious glare.

"You really are a jerk, Mikoto. That was cheating..." You grumbled bitterly.

He didn't deny it. So he knew exactly what he was doing; and that it drove you crazy sometimes. The way he would make you hot and bothered but still have that chill look on his face, was something that always irritated you.

He blinked as you continued to stare him down. Without averting his eyes you took notice of how he looked more feline than usual... Growing up alongside him the past half decade or so; you always thought he looked like a wild tiger... wait no... definitely a lion. Either way, he looked like an untamed beast. Sure he was calm now, but put him in the right scenario and he would give in to his feral instincts.

This applied to him even before he gained his powers.

When you first met him, you admit that you weren't in the most stable of head spaces. You remembered being in a random park at dusk and feeling a crushing sense of dread. The events that happened right before going there, were something you tried to block out.

Instead you thought about him and Izumo; a.k.a. the two misfits in high school.

If they hadn't been there that night... well, you just tried not to think about it too much... Basically, they saved your life.

He saved your life.

From that point onward you found yourself constantly leaving your new adoptive home and sneaking out to visit HOMRA in Shibuya.

They often questioned why, "a brat like you," showed up; but they didn't make an effort in trying to turn you away.

Sure, they told you it was dangerous being around the red head all the time, but you never intended to listen. It was too much fun being there just hanging out with the pair, even if they were 5 and 6 years your seniors.

Adults must've often wondered what kind of child chose to float around these types of people, especially since you seemed like a promising young lady.

A part of the reason may have been because they were so different from you.

They were violent (mostly Mikoto), but underneath all the short temper and innuendos (mostly from Izumo), they were genuine and earnest.

And maaaybe its partially because you had a slight crush on the lion too.

From the start most likely.

Of course since you were a child at the time, he didn't take you seriously. It wasn't until about the end of middle school when he started to become aware of your feelings for him... and his own. By that point though, yours had long passed a simple crush and bloomed into love.

You took notice of the slight change in his behavior too. At times when you laid on his lap as a kid, he used to keep his hands to himself and just let you do as you pleased.

But then one day while you lazily relaxed on his lap and told him about a tough day at school; he reached his hand down and brushed a stray hair out of your face.

The action, while seemingly innocent, left you in a state of disarray. To this day, you still remember the heat of your cheeks and increased heartbeat.

It became a reoccurring gesture for him after that, and he would always touch you in subtle ways whenever you were close.

Your heart knew that he was beginning to feel the same way, even if it was minor. Eventually, his feelings had grown stronger, just like your own. Although, it took him a decent amount of time to actually ask you to be his girlfriend (in fact it was more of a grunt from him and you somehow pieced it together).

With that, a couple years passed and you were now about to enter your last year of high school.

Honestly, why did your brain always choose the weirdest times to reminisce?

You sighed. "I give up."

Mikoto blinked again and followed with a slow nod. "Done acting like a grown-up?" He drawled, and for a split second you could've sworn he smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny. Don't be an ass."

You couldn't win. He knew exactly when to push and when to pull. And even now, he always managed to say something to cheer you up.

"You gonna tell me or what?" He sighed.

You stuck out your tongue... but then immediately pulled it back in. You'd almost forgotten that a minute ago you guys were making out. Probably smart not to tease him.

"Why tell what you already know? Seriously, just what the hell was he thinking, charging into an armed thug without putting his guard up? That idiot."

You paused. Mikoto nodded for you to continue.

"I just wish he'd be a little more careful. Compared to the rest of us, he's wea - not as strong..."

Regardless of what you said, you knew that wasn't the real reason. You weren't upset with Tatara... you were frustrated with yourself.

"Ugh... Hey listen, Mikoto?" You asked peering at his face. During your little rant, you realized that he never once turned away. He gave you his unrelenting attention... So then why were you trying so hard to avoid saying the rest?

"Actually... I'm just an idiot."

Your voice trailed off and you buried your face into the crook of his neck to try and calm yourself down.

For some reason it always helped. Whenever you were stuck or embarrassed, it always seemed to work. Getting as close to him as possible, was probably the key. Having his body heat near, breathing in his distinct smell of cigarettes and soap; and the feeling of his broad arms wrapped around you were all conditional elements.

In fact, you already felt calmer.

You pulled back before continuing. "I feel like my use as a fellow clansman is fading. Like, there's no need for someone who refuses to fight. And yeah sure, Tatara is like that too, but... its not the same. Unlike him I don't always act cheerful and I... I do nothing but complain to you behind their backs..."

Lately these thoughts had been plaguing your mind. Back when you first joined HOMRA, you were one of the four original founding members, and also the youngest. In those days things were much simpler. Not to say that you didn't enjoy having a bigger group to call home; because you loved everyone, but it was definitely less frantic.

Even though Mikoto always had a short fuse, he didn't have the powers of a king just yet.

The memory of that day was vivid...

It was a short while after your fourth companion, the lovable Tatara Totsuka joined the party; where you wondered why the boy always spoke of kings, vassals, and supernatural abilities. You questioned just how much he knew about such things... but oddly enough a few days later said, "king," truly was granted great and mysterious powers.

You almost couldn't believe your eyes.

The newborn flames engulfing Mikoto's entire form burned brighter than any star in the sky. The warmth was so overwhelming... that you felt as though your entire body would vanish the moment you tried to touch him...

There would be nothing left.

No blood.

No bone.

Not even ash.

Because he was unstable, he refused to come near anyone. Specifically you. For christ sake you were just a kid at the time; but also someone that he deeply cherished.

You distinctly remember running after him when he crashed out the doors of HOMRA, trying not to burn everything in his path. He made a break for it. Both Izumo and Tatara quickly followed after you, afraid that you'd hurt yourself. You recalled their voices, hoarse from screaming at you to come back; but you blocked them out. The only thing on your mind was finding Mikoto.

Once you caught up, you promised yourself that you'd tell him to stop acting stupid and come home. Reassure him that things wouldn't change between you and the others. Tell him that even if he hated himself, that you could never ever feel that way.

Then, when he finally calmed down, you would take his hand and hold it tight.

You weren't sure if it was because you had amazing stamina, or if it was just your adrenaline, but somehow you managed to catch up and find him.

Call it fate or dumb luck, but there he was... Standing in the same park where he discovered you, alone on a swing set.

"Mikoto!" You cried frantically.

He recoiled and took another step back. He was silent, but his eyes threatened you to stay away. There was an certain glint in his amber orbs. Something you hadn't seen before. In that moment he appeared completely unhinged; animalistic... feral.

You should have been terrified. In fact, he wanted you to fear him. That way, you would turn around and finally walk out of his life forever.

Deep down he knew you were too good to be around him. You had a bright future. Strong willed, beautiful, and intelligent. He didn't want to deny any possibilities for you. He was a different story... Hot headed, vulgar, and dense. You didn't belong with him. You belonged to yourself.

So then... Why did you give him that look?

He could barely contain himself; his sense of reason was slipping fast. Much faster than he ever anticipated. Before long, he would become a ravenous beast, one with an innate desire to cause destruction.

But was that what he wanted...? Or was it the flames?

He could feel oxygen leaving his lungs, his once loud heartbeat being drowned out, even the tissue of his muscles ripping and rebuilding simultaneously. In the midst of it all he couldn't help but wonder in the back of his mind, if this was what Tatara meant by becoming a king. This rippling sensation that felt more like an all consuming hell fire that ate away at every part of what made him human.

It was torture.

"Asaki! Get away from him, he needs to calm down first!" Izumo yelled, panic-stricken. Tatara followed closely before rapidly pulling you behind him.

You stubbornly tried to break free in order to get closer, but he was more powerful than you initially thought. "Wait Asaki. If you try to approach him, there's no telling what will happen. Mikoto isn't in his right state of mind right now...!"

From what you witnessed, your friend was in pain, and there was nothing you could do. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes.

"What's happening to him?" You cried.

The slightly older boy's brows furrowed. He seemed unsure of what to say... or maybe he was just trying to find the correct set of words. He spoke calmly, "Well, Mikoto was granted the powers of the third and Red king. Kings are people who obtain their abilities from the Dresden Slates, which are in the custody of the strongest king, the Gold king. Basically, the Slates gave him great power. I also believe that he'll use this newfound strength in order to protect the ones that he cares about most. Including you..."

What on earth was he talking about?

Kings? Dres-what's-its, and protecting people?

Back then, you didn't fully understand since you were still a kid, but you knew enough. Only right now you didn't see the meaning behind his words; what you saw was said, "king," losing control of himself. What exactly did any of that have to do with protecting someone? You didn't understand.

Although, for some reason, the part about the Gold king sounded familiar... You briefly wondered why.

Meanwhile, Mikoto still struggled with containing himself.

If all you did was stand around, you had this sinking feeling that he might not come back from this at all.

With every last ounce of energy, you shoved Tatara to the side and took off towards the red head, determined to reach him.

"Asaki!"

"Oi, Asaki! Stop!"

You slipped passed both of them, ignoring their warnings, and tightly grabbed onto Mikoto's hand. Almost immediately you felt the rush of his vehement flames envelop your entire body.

You cried out in agonizing pain at the sensation, but still refused to let go, no matter what.

"Shit! Quick Totsuka, grab her before she gets herself killed!" Izumo cursed.

But, suddenly the flames changed...

"W-Wait! I - I'm okay! They don't hurt anymore!"

Both boys stopped in their tracks, stunned by what you'd just said... Were you for real right now? And what exactly did you mean by, "don't hurt," and, "anymore?" They were genuinely confused and terrified at the same time. That is, until they experienced the meaning first-hand.

"Whoa."

"I don't believe it..."

As if they weren't shocked enough; suddenly your body lit up with the same light. On top of that, Mikoto seemed to calm down mere seconds after you touched him...

What the hell?

You stared in awe as the light around your form fizzled down, replaced with a fuzzy feeling deep in the pit of your chest.

"Its... So warm..." You whispered gripping the area over your heart.

There was no other feeling in the world quite like it; none that your child-self could think of at least.

But you shooed those thoughts away when you remembered whose hand you were currently holding. Eyes filled with unease you looked up to see how Mikoto was faring.

Much to your shock, his eyes glowed brightly, the luminescent flames engulfing his body were now trapped within his amber orbs. Still, even with them burning so strong, he appeared to be back to his old self.

Relieved, you smiled warmly. This whole ordeal must've been insanely tough on him... You reflexively clenched his large hand tighter. He probably thought that you were going to run away, because he stared at you without saying a single word. Once he completely calmed down, his eyes cleared and returned to normal, same as his breathing.

Thank goodness.

But there was something that occurred to you... What if that moment had been the last time you got to see him? The last you held his hand? Negative scenarios intruded your mind one after the other...

"HEY! ASAKI, DO YOU REALIZE HOW INCREDIBLY STUPID THAT WAS?!"

What if you never got to hear him laugh again?

"I MEAN, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU - Ah... Eh?"

Right in the middle of Izumo's lecture, a flood of tears fell down your cheeks.

"I-I'm so *hic* glad that y-you're *sniff* OKAYYYYY!" You cried.

Suddenly, Izumo felt like the ultimate jack-ass.

Sure it was definitely stupid and dangerous, but you only went after him because you were scared to lose a close friend, who at the same time was also more than just a friend.

Damn. He couldn't stay mad at a cute girl to save his life. Especially not their irreplaceable princess.

Sighing, the blond bent down to your level as you clung to the red head's waist, crying in mass hysteria. Just another reminder that you were still a kid. So this time, he'd let you off the hook.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I know you worried about Mikoto, but he's safe now, alright?"

After that, you remembered crying... a lot.

Afterwards, you four went back to the bar and did as you said you would, and held his hand for the rest of the entire day. You told him that you cared about him plenty of times; said that you would never hate him even if he hated himself. But most importantly, you chastised him and called him, "Stupid Mikoto!" for the rest of the week.

When everything settled, and he managed to get his powers under control, it was your turn to run rampant.

That warm soft glow inside your chest turned out to be the powers of a clansman. Before the brand even existed, you were the first to be gifted powers, and as such, they didn't know how to deal with you. To figure it out, both Izumo and Tatara requested becoming members. But shortly after being granted abilities, they came to the conclusion that you had more raw potential, and therefore they were harder to maintain. It didn't help that you were still young and unpolished.

Eventually, there came a point when they discovered the true antithesis. It was the Red king himself. Or more specifically, it was the memories circulating around him. They seemed to put you in a state of calm, similar to the affect Tatara and you had on him.

From there, several years went by, and several new people joined in since then.

After the original group of four settled on a design (a quick doodle drawn up between you and Tatara), everyone who joined afterwards received the official mark of HOMRA. Both Mr. Bartender and Mr. Happy-go-lucky got theirs' the second it was created, while for some reason, Mikoto was reluctant to grant you one. Something about giving a tattoo to a kid would be considered abuse or whatever.

Truthfully, you knew it was because he still felt like you shouldn't, "waste your life," with him or any of the rag-tag team members in the future, but you refused to listen.

'Ugh. That was too much to remember all at once.' You internally groaned.

Meanwhile, while you were stuck in memory lane, said gruff boy was laying there, patiently waiting for you to continue with whatever it was that you were doing... He was confused, since you were quiet for a while, but he also knew that you tend to get lost in thought, especially when you're stressed out.

He felt you inhale; nose still pressed against his neck, and he wrapped both arms around your back tightly.

Even though he wasn't very good with words, he wished for nothing but the best for you.

You felt so fragile in his arms. As a king he was capable of snapping buildings in half, destroying mountains; there wasn't single thing that he feared... except maybe losing you. All he wanted was for you to be alive, for you to live your life. So that no matter what happened, even if you found it elsewhere...

He wished for your happiness from the bottom of his heart.

Present Day

'He hasn't changed a bit.' You thought, brows furrowing.

Even now as he laid there sleeping, the slow rise and fall of his shoulders were the same as back then.

It was so familiar to you, something that should've made you feel relieved; but instead you felt a nauseating sense of dread.

All you thought about, was how you left him alone, with no one to confide in. Although you weren't conceited enough to try and overshadow anyone's importance in the clan; It was just a fact that he'd trusted you more than anyone. There were probably things you knew about him that not even his best friend Izumo did...

Those were the perks of being lovers... At least back then. But as they say, what's already been done, cannot be undone.

Right now, you had to come up with something to say, and fast.

There weren't any other barriers separating you from him, so now you stood there, unable to wake him from slumber.

You were so lost in thought, that the sound of the bars closing behind you made you jump.

Frowning, you cursed inwardly by how nervous you felt.

It shouldn't have been this hard to talk to him... or actually no, it was.

On a list of top five most terrifying moments, this would definitely be at like three or four.

Taking a deep breath, you kicked softly at the ground below you and shuffled slowly over his way. Trying to be as quiet as possible, you peered over his large frame and blushed lightly when you caught a tiny glimpse of his face. Despite more wrinkles under his eyes, he was still as handsome as ever. The ruggedness of his expression even as he slept brought you a peace you no longer thought you could feel, especially after everything that'd been going on.

That feeling faded when you noticed him scowling. His eyebrows furrowed and you realized that he was having a nightmare, and a pretty terrible one at that.

You'd seen this a couple of times before leaving the clan. The instances where you stayed the night and snuggled into his chest (or back depending on the situation) to comfort him, grew more consistent in that last year together.

Deep down you knew that he was still reliving the same dream over and over again. But this time seemed different. His reactions were stronger than before, much stronger.

And it broke your heart.

The dread you felt a few minutes ago could never compare to this humongous amount of unease.

You wanted nothing more then to hold him close; but that was a luxury you no longer had... or even deserved for that matter.

Subconsciously though, your hand shot out to lightly comb your fingers through his unkempt hair, and the moment you did, you instantly regretted your decision.

Within seconds his eyes snapped awake, and your back was thrown against the nearest wall. His large palms gripped your wrists and he pressed them tightly at each side of your head. His right knee was placed between your legs defensively, and his flames flared like a cornered beast.

He instinctively knew from the sensation, that whomever touched him, wasn't a hostile.

However, that didn't stop his disbelief when he locked eyes with you. From what you could tell, he wasn't one-hundred percent awake yet, and tried his damnest to focus. It wasn't possible for this to be an illusion from the Colorless King... Was it? After all, the bastard taunted him enough with that disgusting video, so he wouldn't rule out the possibility... But if it really was an illusion, just how the hell did that monster know about his ex?

You quickly figured out what was going through his mind, and you couldn't blame him; it was a hard pill to swallow. That's what made your heart all the heavier when you mumbled, "Its really me... See? The flames..."

Your eyes flickered to your intertwined wrists, and he followed suit. To your word, the flames weren't affecting you at all, much to his continued shock.

But once you finally admitted it, you weren't sure what to expect from him. There were a million different scenarios playing throughout your mind, most of them bad.

Which is why you sure as hell didn't imagine him to hug you like he was right now.

The unexpected weight from his strong arms wrapped around your shoulders, and the press of his lips to the top of your head, both gestures took you by surprise.

Standing there like a deer caught in front headlights, you opened your mouth to say something... anything...

But all that came out...

Were choked sobs...

And hot tears trying to force their way out.

"Hey, Mikoto? Remember that I'll always care about you! I will never, ever hate you! And also... you're so stupid~!"

I'm back sooner than I ever anticipated, but this chapter was started almost immediately after my previous one.

I finally found the will to finish this, and honestly, its my favorite, haha.

Also, I just found out that they're finally releasing K Seven Stories on blu-ray in English dub and I'm super pumped!

Until next time... or next year XD