Chapter 16

Ten minutes wasn't nearly enough to explain all of the plan that has been agreed on with the Silver, Red and Blue Kings, especially since Mai thought it particularly important to tell Kuroh she thought Fushimi has made it possible for her to pick him up in the cavern. And Kuroh was putting up a fight against wearing Sebastian's uniform. Disappointingly, he won that fight by pointing out that the sleeves were too stiff and would impair his movements. However, since he ended up wearing Hei's black coat, which was made of a much softer cloth, Mai was going to somehow survive the disappointment. She only hoped that the green lining of the coat wouldn't be understood as some subtle message by those defending the Mihashira Tower.

The van stopped on a red light. Erika and Walker were giving Kuroh a crash course on "Darker than black" and the latter was too polite to tell them he didn't care at all. Mai looked out through the front seats, trying to see where they were.

'We should be arriving soon,' Kadota told her. He glanced down at his phone and sighed. 'It seems that there is a new mission on the Jungle game interface: to go towards Mihashira Tower and cause trouble. It's a fairly high-point mission and should attract just about every one of those who have a more criminal inclination,' he informed her. Immediately, Kuroh was next to her, focused and intense as he asked how Kadota knew it.

'We have some friends who decided to join the game to try and follow what they would be doing in Ikebukuro,' Togusa replied in a monotonous voice. The pedestrian light turned read and he put in the first gear. Instinctively, Mai held the seat tighter.

'I'll take care of them,' Kuroh promised, sounding conflicted. He has clearly stated, when they were talking before, that he wanted to fight Mishakuji. And Mai wanted him to, because there weren't many people able to take on the Green clansman.

'Now, now, Kuroh, don't get greedy,' Erika laughed, appearing on the fighter's other side, patting his back. 'It's not like you have to do everything by yourself either: that's what we're here for.'

'We want some fun too,' Walker commented from further back. Mai watched as Kuroh's emotions shifted from resignation and the overwhelming feeling of duty to warm-coloured form of satisfaction.

The van started and they all sat back down on the floor. As she was turning to sit, Mai thought she saw a black bike overtake them and smoothly slide onto their lane. The helmet gleamed in the street lights.

'We thought it might come to that, so we called in some help,' Kadota explained offhandedly.

'Shizuo and Simon will come,' Erika announced cheerfully. Togusa muttered that apparently so would the Black Rider and Mai felt her eyes widen at the information. Was the bike she has just seen-

'I thought you didn't have a clan,' Kuroh commented with a small frown. He didn't appear worried though, if anything he was more relaxed to hear that there would be people dealing with the Jungle players.

'Well- I have those four and you?' Mai replied sheepishly. And then, because he kept looking at her, waiting for an explanation, she continued: 'And before I became the Colourless King I might have been a part of a certain, ah, illegal organization some refer to as the colourless gang of Ikebukuro. The people now mentioned are a part of the same organization, as are the four here in the car,' she explained. She could easily tell that Kuroh didn't like what he was hearing.

'Jungle wanted to weed us out of Ikebukuro,' Erika started, far too cheerful for the words she was saying. Then again, Jungle has failed so far, so she had every reason to be happy about it.

'So we're going to show them what a real gang is,' Walked finished, a somewhat terrifying smile on his face.

'I have never heard about Ikebukuro gangs,' Kuroh informed them, seemingly deciding to not go into further details on the topic. Erika patted his back enthusiastically and assured him that now that he was a part of Mai's clan he should join the Dollars as well and that Taro would surely be happy to have him. Kuroh's expression didn't even twitch, but Mai could tell he was strongly against the idea.

The van stopped.

'That's our final stop, kids,' Togusa intoned. He and Kadota unfastened their seatbelts, while Erika and Walker started gathering up their things. Kuroh grabbed the hilt of his katana, closing his eyes briefly, to focus. Erika slid open the door and Mai remembered one more thing she needed to do before they jumped into action.

'Hey, Kuroh, can you wait a second?' she called, fishing out a pin from her pocket. She showed it to him when he turned to ask her what she wanted. It was the emblem of the Colourless clan and he immediately recognised it, eyes widening minimally. Mai smiled. 'We all have one,' she said, pointing to her chest, where the pin was attached. 'You should have one as well,' she added and moved to pin it on his coat, profiting from the fact that he was somewhat frozen in surprise.

'Welcome back in the Colourless clan, Kuroh,' she said, smiling up at him once the pin was firmly in place. He blinked and blushed slightly, but that was nothing next to how his happiness and gratitude bloomed, like a rose on a fast-forward video. Both the expression and the feelings were quickly stifled by the fighter, but Mai wasn't likely to forget seeing it.

'I am back,' he said, bowing his head slightly. And if his determination shone bright before it was nothing compared to the blaze that engulfed him now.

Light on his feet, Kuroh jumped down from the van and held out a hand for Mai, wordlessly offering to help her down. She took it, not so much because she needed it but to acknowledge the gesture.

'I parked a bit away, to not get the van caught in the fight, since we still gotta get back to Ikebukuro afterwards,' Togusa explained, pointing to the alley they should take.

'Let's hurry,' Mai suggested. They jogged down the alley, meeting Shizuo and Simon on the other end. Both glanced at Kuroh curiously and he glared at them in reply, especially when they casually greeted Mai. She could see his outrage that they didn't respect the Colourless King, but there was no time to explain the situation to either side.

She could already see the Tower, further down the street, but as they turned to go there, their path was blocked by a dozen people wearing futuristic, black and green helmets, fully covering their faces. Damn it, she thought, instinctively taking a step back.

She was the only one to do so.

Next to Mai, Walker cracked his fingers, smile widening. Kadota changed the grip on the large baseball bat he took. Mai knew that he usually preferred metal, but decided this time that metal and electricity were a bad combination. He was probably right.

'So,' Shizuo drawled. 'Those are the Jungle monkeys?'

'Some of them are pretty good,' Kuroh warned him in a tight voice. Shizuo took a drag of his cigarette, hiding his appreciation for the warning.

'We'll see about that,' he said. He hit his fist against an open hand and glanced at Mai. 'Weren't you supposed to be somewhere else, Shrimp?' he asked. For a split of a second, Mai worried that Kuroh might punch him, but nothing like that happened.

'Yeah,' she admitted. 'Kuroh and I will be going on ahead. Please don't die, guys,' she added before she could stop herself. Then, she turned to Kuroh and was about to ask whether he could open the path, when a second group of Jungle players arrived from behind, far more numerous. Impossible to leave six people to deal with both groups, Mai thought. She could sense Kuroh's feelings echoing hers.

'Fine, Yukari has to wait,' the Black Dog spoke through gritted teeth.

He moved into position, ready to attack the second group, when a loud sound, remarkably like a neigh, echoed in the empty street, freezing all parties in shock. A black bike, no, THE black bike rode in, stopping with screeching tires. The Black Rider glanced at the assembled Dollars, took out a PDA and typed on it for a brief moment.

'I'll take the back,' the PDA said in a mechanical, female voice.

'What the-' Kuroh trailed off when the Black Biker produced a shadowy scythe. All the masked Jungle players took a few steps back.

'Let's go,' Mai urged. All the effort would be for nothing if the Green King managed to steal the Dresden Slate. Kuroh nodded. He turned around, looked at the buildings and told her to hold on tight. And as soon as she did, not even thinking to disobey the voice that was so incredibly similar to a certain demonic butler, he stretched his hand ahead.

A split of a second later, they were flying up and she couldn't quite stifle a shocked shout, but before she could become afraid or worried, they have already landed, on the other side of the Dollars and Jungle players. Some of the latter turned towards them, but they only took few steps before a translucent hand delivered and smashed a bottle against the ground, releasing a fiery blaze.

Mai winced as the heat hit her. Kuroh looked completely torn between approval of quick action and a shocked kind of horror as somebody ran out of the flames, burning and screaming. Mai herself felt a chill run down her spine at the sight, but it was neither time nor place to go half-heartedly. Kuroh seemed to reach the same conclusion.

'We'll be more difficult to spot if we approach normally from now on. Can you run?' he asked.

They ran. As much as she could, without risking to trip over something and fall, Mai tried to see anything she could from the Mihashira Tower. It was still standing, which was probably a good sign. Once, she was sure she saw a fiery blaze on one of the middle floors: were Gojo and Mishakuji still only that low? What if downstairs, the Green King waited for them still?

She could see the van parked on the side of the street, up ahead, in front of the Tower. Gods, what if there was still the Green King down there? Her own mind replied to her: you will try to convince him to not attack.

Simple.

She wished.

Eventually, the last of the trees obscuring her vision of the lower parts of Tower were behind them and a devastated entrance greeted their eyes. All the glass was gone, the door frames bend outwards and there was- Fog?

There was a person in the fog, she thought. But it made no sense. It-

A gunshot shattered her thoughts. Kuroh gasped. He stretched his arm forward and a translucent hand shot ahead. It spread and grabbed something and disappeared. The bullet, Mai understood. She glanced towards the Tower, but the person from the fog was gone. Without even looking at each other, they sped up and Mai arrived at the van somewhat breathless, but she forced herself to look inside.

'Fushimi?' she asked. He was staring ahead with unseeing eyes and he was blank. There was not a single feeling she was getting from him and it made her shiver. 'Oi, Fushimi,' she repeated, climbing into the van clumsily. She slapped his cheek lightly and when that didn't work, hugged him, despite the awkward angle.

'Fushimi, come on, I need your help,' she breathed, still panting from the run.

'He didn't get shot, did he?' Kuroh asked from behind her.

'No, he's just in shock, I think,' she replied. She pulled back and grabbed his face in her hands, feeling a trickle of "what has just happened" curse through Fushimi's head. 'That's right,' she muttered. 'Don't make me kiss you, officer, or there will be hell to pay.'

'What?' both Kuroh and Fushimi said at the same time. Mai laughed out shortly and put some distance between herself and Fushimi. Well, that was what she has tried to do, but she ended up taking the third step backwards into emptiness and falling with a shout. Straight into Kuroh's arms.

'I see you picked up your dog,' Fushimi drawled mockingly, but Mai didn't take it badly. She could clearly see he was trying to make up for his embarrassment after realizing she and Kuroh must have found him in a state of complete shock. Of course, Kuroh didn't know that and as soon as he steadied Mai on the ground, he was glaring at Fushimi, hand going to the hilt of his katana. A dagger appeared in Fushimi's hand as though by magic.

'Ok, time out,' Mai shouted, throwing both hands in the air. 'We're on the same side here, right, Fushimi?' she asked, turning to look at him. The "turncoat" made a displeased sound and confirmed her guess, so she turned her head to Kuroh. He relaxed his stance, but didn't look away from the ex-Sceptre officer. However, when he spoke the words he said shocked both Mai and Fushimi.

'It appears that I owe you for aiding my escape,' he said stiffly, barely managing to hide the feeling of being insulted that a turncoat has had to help him from his voice. His bow, although deep and respectful, was even stiffer. 'You have my gratitude,' he added and straightened. Fushimi shook his head slightly.

'We're even now that you saved my life. Or, since they were obviously not aiming to kill you at all, perhaps even I owe you,' he admitted. He was just as unhappy about this situation as Kuroh, even if he was truly grateful to be alive. Mai had to smile at their stubbornness.

'If you think you owe me anything, make it even by calling Yukari Mishakuji down here,' Kuroh replied almost without a moment of hesitation. Fushimi hid his surprise well and turned to the computer. As he fiddled with it, Mai became aware of a gaze burning into her back.

She turned around to see Adolf K Weismann watching her, a little bit too far away for her to read his face. All the same, the whirlwind of anger, jealousy and regret that swirled around him was clear enough. There was also a large dose of suspicion and Mai hoped he wouldn't come to the conclusion that they were enemies. Next to him, Neko the Strain, stood, happy, but uncertain, probably because "her Shiro" hasn't made a move towards the miraculously returned Kuroh Yatogami. The latter glanced at her and followed her gaze, stifling the desire to recoil with merely a flinch.

Weismann was the first one to look away, the whirlwind of his emotions calming into resignation. He turned to Neko, told her something that turned her uncertainty into anguish and left without looking back towards the van. Neko watched him go for a while, before turning back to Kuroh, making a couple of steps towards him, hope shimmering through her anguish and uncertainty. Unfortunately, just then Fushimi announced he has managed to hook the Sceptre 4's communication channel to the speaker system wired throughout the Tower and Kuroh immediately looked back towards him. Neko stopped, sad, and Mai felt bad for her.

Fushimi gave a headset to Kuroh, who accepted it without hesitation, his determination now probably palpable to anybody, regardless of their human reading skills.

'Yukari Mishakuji,' Kuroh spoke into the microphone, not bothering to actually put the headset on his head. 'Come down, in front of the Tower. If you dare.'

Short and to the point, Mai could almost hear Fushimi think, even as he rolled his eyes, accepting the headset back from Kuroh and switching it off to not project any further conversation throughout the entire Tower.

'Good luck,' Mai said with a smile. Kuroh bowed to her and walked away from the van. With a corner of her eye, Mai saw Neko watch him. Herself, she turned back to Fushimi, smile still firmly in place as she called up her sanctum. The weight on her shoulders told her that the giant sword has appeared above her, informing all who understood that the Colourless King was there.

'I'll need you to disconnect this headset from the speakers of the Tower and let me talk with all the Red and Blue clansmen in the Tower,' she said. Fushimi was obeying her request, without the slightest slither of hesitation or doubt, almost before she has finished speaking. It was the first time she has truly used the full extent of her power on anybody and it felt exhilarating.

In that moment, Yukari Mishakuji burst forth out of the Tower, smashing a window in the process, and landed on the ground, in front of Kuroh Yatogami. Glancing in their direction briefly, Mai noticed a group of Jungle players approaching and it made her immediately look back to where her friends were. But they were too far to seem more than flames and smoke.

She took the headset when Fushimi offered it to her and put it on her head. For a moment she listened to lieutenant Awashima reporting that Yukari Mishakuji has just turned around and left even before the message from Yatogami, and can we really confirm it's him, was through. She cleared her throat.

'Hi,' she said, loud and clear and efficiently shutting everybody up for a split of a second. Then, before anybody had the time to ask who she was, she continued. 'This is the Colourless King speaking. It appears that large groups of Jungle players are approaching the Mihashira Tower, with the intent of attacking. I would ask all Blue and Red clansmen inside the Tower and able to fight, to come out and give my little clan a helping hand.'

She repeated the message. She has barely finished speaking when Neko bounced up to her, pulling her headset off, announcing that she would help as well. Mai accented her help with a warm smile she knew Neko really needed right then.

'Understood,' lieutenant Awashima spoke in the headset. 'We have suffered some injuries, but all those who can are on the way down now,' she assured Mai. And Mai had a feeling she would have a long and unpleasant chat with the Blue King about "borrowing" clansmen. But that would be for afterwards.