So I guess I got hit with super inspiration today. Also, far notice, Ukio is weird. And maybe evil. Or maybe good. Or maybe both. Form your own opinions! But she is...different...
"Well, did you do it?" Zazie asked Ukio, once the two were behind closed doors back at their base of operations, Market Central. This building had practically become the hub of economics and trade in the past ten years, and its leader was undoubted to be Ukio. Before, when there was no King, Ukio did not have as much power. Quite a bit, but having been chosen as the Gold King, Ukio would likely soon have sole dominion over Timeless Palace.
And because of that motive, Zazie had to question if Ukio was the one responsible. The two went into Ukio's personal quarters, where Ukio began to strip off her clothes immediately in front of Zazie. Zazie looked away with a red face.
"Oh come now Zazie-chan? Do you think I would do something so bold like stealing a Slate in front of multiple Kings?"
That was the reply of a woman who had just stripped naked in front of a ten year old boy. Although in all fairness, this was not the first time either. After all, Ukio was his legal guardian since he was five years old, and the two had bathed together plenty of times since.
"Yes. Now excuse me..." Zazie replied, going to leave the room...except the doors would not open. At the same time, he felt his body slide backwards across the floor, until he slid right into Ukio's embrace, who began to take off his shirt.
"Come now, lets take a bath and then sleep together like we always do".
As Zazie got older, it started to feel a bit more awkward. Unfortunately for him, Ukio had a greed, a desire, for everything and anything she found interesting, or that others could not have. That was why she was interested in the Slate, she wished to possess it, to admire it, to have it all for herself. She was extremely eccentric, and easily classified as a pervert. She loved to tease and mess with Zazie in all sorts of ways, and more. Especially given Zazie's uniqueness, even in terms of Strains.
That was why he was sure that she would steal it in a heartbeat if she could. It wasn't that she was now acting so calm and collected about it, he knew if she really wasnt behind it, despite this appearance and her current focus on taking off Zazie's clothes and putting him through this, part of her brain was probably contemplating her next move if she did not steal it.
"...as the new Gold King, shouldn't you be more focued on looking over all the projects, and establishing official positions?"
"Aww, are you embarrassed? This is normal for a mother though..."
"Extremely" he replied as she finished, his face red and his voice a bit unstable. Still, he was somehow keeping his cool, at least a bit, in this situation. "I feel like you are even more eccentric then usual Uzio-san".
"Muuuu...I remember when you used to love this so much, you would do this on your own and jump into my arms energeticly. And also, dont call me -san here! Call me ka-chan, or mommy, or something like that!"
The relationship between them was unique for sure. Although Zazie did find her bothersome, embarrassing, and troublesome, she was also the woman who saved him from poverty, kept him clothed and fed, gave him a home, bathed him when he was little (and now, though reluctantly since he could do it himself), and got him educated. And this was after his old parents had tossed him away after learning how...different...he was.
He had been abandoned because he was a Strain, and had hated that part about him until Ukio came along, and told him just how special and precious he was because of it. She also claimed a few times her feelings grew because she enjoyed being a mother, especially to him, though part of him was suspicious she just enjoyed watching him grow as a Strain. Still, at its core, and from what he felt, it was genuinely true that no matter what, she honestly cared about and loved him for who he was. That was why, no matter how embarrassing, how bothersome, how...eccentric...she could get, he could not just abandon her.
"Fine...but you know, if you seriously didn't steal it, you should just ask me to go out and look for it...mom".
"Maybe...but first.." she said, picking him up into her arms and carrying him into the bathroom. Next to the bathtub however were a few folders. "Lets do some mother son bonding and read some interesting profiles in the bath together".
The two rinsed off and scrubbed a little, and washed each other's backs, before they got into the bath, though Uzio made Zazie sit in her lap. That was when she chose the file on top, and opened it in front of both of them to read. They were profiles of the others that were present at the scene when the Slate was stolen, including one recently made one about Azi Kazaki.
"Kazaki Azi. Kazaki is his family name, Azi his given. Went by the alias 'Six' for his profile. Former member of Jungle, eleven years old at the time of the incident with the slate..."
"Huh. So he can legally drink now then?"
Zazie actually had a body that worked better then any normal adult's, so he could easily down alcohol without any side effects. He and Ukio once had a drinking contest to test it, and he managed to keep up with her. Which seems only average, but Ukio had one of the greatest metabolisms and tolerance to alcohol even before the Gold King recruited her (at fifteen), so after she recieved the Gold Clan Aura it was boosted even further.
So Zazie still got drunken under the table, and woke up to some very embarrassing things, but that was a story for another day.
"And now he is the new purple king. It seemed like he had a strong admiration for Gojo Sukuna though".
"Its probably because he had a similar history to Sukuna. He had rich parents who rather then trying to be real parents and care for him, controlled and neglected him at the same time. It looks like somehow, he heard about Sukuna and Jungle, and followed him into it. And since it worked, he admired Sukuna as his idol as a result".
"I see. I suppose we wont be able to use his family to influence him in ways that would be effective then...what is his family doing?"
"It seemed like they relentlessly chased him, again same as Sukuna. Probably deepened the connection he felt with Sukuna even further...oh. Apparently, although Sukuna might not have noticed it since it was something he did in passing, he saved Azi once from losing his points. It was apparently on the way to his current mission".
"...I feel like he is not so unbiased as we thought..."
"...you might be greedy, but I cant refute that...well, its too late now though. Anyways, it seems like he also goes with a fast and agile fighting style. However, that is probably less to copy his hero, and more because of his small and lean frame. Anyways, it seems that he is not currently enrolled in any school, but before he ran away, he had pretty high scores. Not sure if he was genius level, but he wont get fooled by petty tricks".
She leaned in closer to the profile, putting Zazie in a super awkward...and to some, enviable...position.
"...I am not to be used as a leaning post!"
In response, she tickled him a little, breaking his composure.
"Just relax and enjoy it. Anyways, it looks like his parents...are still looking for him?"
"They stopped for several years, but they seemed to have started again recently. Weird...well, unfortunately, other then random facts like his love of chocolate and dislike of scary movies, there is no information on his Jungle account. There is just too little information on the current Purple King".
"Well, he was only eleven when he got involved in all this. What about his aura?"
Zazie then flipped the page to a picture of Azi when his aura formed those wolf ears and tail on him.
"Its only guesswork at this point, but it looks like the aura of the purple clan is similar to the green clan. Some form of creation or reality manipulation".
At that point, the door was swung open, and a scientist came in. Zazie went completely red, while Ukio just sighed.
"You better have a good reason for interrupting bath time with my son, Zekaya-sensei".
"Uhh...ah, right!" the scientist said, regaining his composure. He had rushed in so energeticly, he had totally not realized how awkward it would be, or how beautiful and amazing Ukio looked. "We have identified where the orange Sword of Damocles appeared over! Azuna Junior's School".
"Azuna Junior's School?"
"Yes. Its a special school that combines both elementry and middle schools, and many students tend to go to the school island afterwards. It is also known for having a system where students can skip grades, and go to the School Island early to finish up their education sooner. Additionally, it is also known to have a variety of special programs for both students and graduates, including having some classes taught by students from the School Island for experience. We are certain of it, but we lack the data to pinpoint any specific class or side of the building. We suspect it appeared somewhere near the middle because of that though, but we cant be certain".
The Slate was not the only thing on Ukio's mind. In truth, she was greatly interested in the Purple and Orange Kings too. Two new clans emerging at this time, along with the slate? Azi was small and adorable, and a loner. Her passion could barely contain itself, her greed and desire overflowing. And now an Orange King as well? What powers would they have? What types of people could they become? How could she shape them? She...
"Owowowowowow!"
She was brought out from her fanatic fantasies by Zazie, who was still trapped in her arms in a bath with now multiple onlookers, as people who heard the commotion had gathered from behind. He pinched her nose to get her focused again.
"Stop having perverted ideas, and focus on managing and establishing your Clan and Clansmen!"
"Alright alright! I cant resist your demands when you look at me all mad and cute like that...but, you have to call me mommy while asking me and give me a kiss afterwards".
"Wha...what?!"
She turned Zazie around, and smiled at him.
"F-fine. Please focus on your new duties...mommy..." he said, and then kissed her on the lips. Meanwhile, the others behind him thanked Zazie for his sacrifice.
At least Azi doesn't have to deal with this kind of stuff...
"Uhg! This has to be a part of their plan!"
"...it seems a bit conspiracy like, but it is true it seems unusual" Awashima admitted to Azi, as the two were watching traffic and helicopter footage from the time of the theft. Nothing to help find out the identity, but several overly large trucks that could fit the Slate inside it were seen moving away, in opposite directions, and took routes that eventually made the survielance team lose them. Going through tunnels, buildings, and so on. So let alone not knowing which one even had the Slate, they did not even know where any of them went. North, South, East, West. Any direction could be it.
"So we are back to square one. We cant even prove any of the Clans innocent or guilty yet, aside from myself".
"Indeed. Everyone was so focused on our conflict, we cant even confirm if the Gold King stole the Slate".
"Well, the real question is this..."
Azi brought up some crime scene photos, of various construction and lift gear that was around the central hole that went directly to the Slate.
"Which question do you mean, where it came from, who used it, or was it used at all?"
"What do you mean, was it used at all?"
"I mean, the Silver Clan has power over gravity. We are under the assumption that whoever did this was prepared in advance, but the Silver Clan could have made it fly into the sky as they wished. And the Gold King...well, undoubtedly the Gold King's power could move the Slate".
"What about Red or...well, your own Blue?"
"Well, not just to exonerate my fellow...my clan, but none of us possess an ability that would allow us to operate. Neither do the Reds, except maybe Anna, but we have reports confirming she was at Homra. But...didn't you leave out the Greens?"
"One, there is no way Sukuna-sempai did this! Two, as a former green, granted not one that reached J-Rank though, I can confirm we do not possess anything that would work like this! And three...why are you looking at me with those eyes?!"
"Sorry, but when you got emotional, your aura again...took the form of a wolf ears and tail".
"You have got to be kidding me!" Azi pouted, as he brought his aura back under control.
"Relax, it cant be helped. There is no previous data on any purple clans, so there is no example to understand your abilities".
Awashima helped soothe Azi, but then noticed something else in there that caught her eye which made her lean over. This caused Azi's head to be used as a headrest all of a sudden.
"...what are you doing?"
"Look here, it looks like our systems finally identified where the Sword of Damocles for the Orange King appeared over...it looks like its Azuna Junior's School".
"So, its a high schooler? Typical manga plot twist".
"No, Azuna is essentially the elementry and middle school that leads to the High School on the School Island. Well, there might be one or two there on programs, but it is likely either a teacher, or even more likely, one of the students".
"What makes you say that?"
"Sheer numbers".
"Ah...right...students have the highest population there".
"Yes, and inbetween you and Anna, not to mention the former Green King, we know it wont hesitate or stray away from children. Anyone is considered a valid candidate for Kingship, regardless of age, gender, or race".
The two looked at the data. They then considered looking back at the data they had on the Slate theft but...
"...there are absolutely no leads for the Dresden Slate, huh..."
"...indeed. Now that I think about it, Sceptor 4 does not have a great history on dealing with incidents involving the Slate..."
The two sighed, because until the investigation and forensic teams came back with new data, they were stuck on the Slate theft completely.
And as if responding to the two, alarms went off all over across Sceptor 4.
"What is that?!"
"Its an alarm, to indicate multiple situations occuring at once!"
"What?!"
"We have reports of supernatural attacks and violence across the city. Supposed Strains at the southern park, the business district, School Island, and...Azuma!"
That last one immediately caught the attention of the two.
"That cant be a coincidence...Awashima! Can you get us a copter?!"
"I am the new King, so yes! Follow me! We have to get there before anyone else!"
A figure looked out from the shadows, and watched as a man became a large monster and began to thrash about Azuma, his school, his home.
"...I suppose it would have been too much to ask for if they had waited a little longer..." the figure spoke, as an arm raised with a high tech watch on it, that was glowing orange. "Time for the introduction of Clubhouse".
AN: Well that came to me much quicker then I expected. Dont usually do two chapters in one day, but I guess here we go! I was super inspired today! Next time though, some other faces that have been procrastinating their appearance will show up!
Also, as mentioned previous, beware. Ukio is weird. A complete and total inversion of the previous Gold King.
Anyways, feel free to favorite, follow, and review! Also, beware. Minor details may be majorly relevant!