A/N: * in the chapter is referring to a line from the K side story, Lost Small World.
So here we have it, the climax of the first arc in this story! This chapter has a lot of twists and turns and does leave quite a few things open but I assure you that is all done for the purpose of the second arc of this story, which will remain a secret for now! The next chapter will be the aftermath of what occurs in this chapter, so all loose ends will be tied up then.
I hope you all enjoy this, this was by far the hardest chapter for me to write so I hope it turned out okay. ^^;
0o0o0o0
"The evacuation has begun," Daikuku announced as he joined up with Reisi and Mikoto, who stood at the foot of an old temple on the far end of the island. "Your clansmen have been a tremendous help in the process, Red King. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Neglecting to give me any praise?" Munakata asked with a light laugh, taking out a pack of cigarettes from the front coat of his pocket, he offered Mikoto one, who took it with a grunt of appreciation.
"You know I think Scepter4 is incredible, I've never had the pleasure of working with HOMRA, though." The Gold King clarified as he approached the two, "despite what people might say about you Reds your clansmen are all extremely helpful and kind."
"They can be, just don't piss them off," Mikoto commented with a laugh as he lit his cigarette. Reisi dug in his pocket for a lighter but stopped once Suoh flicked his hand in front of the tobacco, creating enough spark to ignite the paper which had Reisi looking impressed.
"I find that they're a lot like Suoh," Munakata confessed as he took a puff of the cigarette, "which is both good and bad. A world with thirty something mini Suoh's in it needs constant monitoring. Especially that Yata boy, he reminds me a lot of you."
"Saruhiko reminds me a lot of you, honestly," the Red King chimed in, letting the shit Reisi said about his clan slide for the time being.
"Those two remind me of you and Munakata back in the day," Daikuku laughed, "in five years they will really be more like you two and that is truly scary."
"Huh I guess I never thought about that but I think you've got a point," Mikoto answered with a smirk, "they really are a lot like us."
"Suoh, that isn't a good thing."
"Tch."
"Well boys, are you ready to do your part?" Daikuku inquired, breaking up the conversation that seemed to have hit some sort of nerve between the two other Kings present, both of them nodded their heads in return. "Since we just need a distraction I'd like for you two to fight."
"You're serious?"
"Sir?"
"Well we need the Colorless King to notice you're both here so create a bit of a ruckus, that shouldn't be too hard for you two, all you ever do is fight one another." The Gold King mused, "I will stay on the sidelines and only activate my Sanctum when the Colorless King arrives, it would be for the best if he didn't know I was here until it was too late."
"Your excellency, with all due respect...do you realize we might destroy half of this Forrest?" Reisi proclaimed, "Suoh and I have a hard time holding back when we start fighting one another."
"That's fine, the bigger the destruction the easier it will be for him to see you." The other two Kings exchanged confused looks, "we can worry about repairing the forestry afterward. A few acres of trees is nothing in comparison to what is at stake, which is the entire country might I remind you."
"Sir."
"Ready, Munakata?" Mikoto chuckled, "I'll try to go easy on you but I can't make any promises, my Aura loathes you."
"As does mine, Suoh," Reisi mumbled as he drew his sword, pointing it at the man in front of him. The Red King's Aura glowed at his feet, setting his hands ablaze as their swords appeared in the sky.
"Catch me if you can," Mikoto called out as he quite literally blazed a trail past the temple, Munakata followed behind him, cutting down any trees or brush that stood in his path. Suoh was fast but Reisi remained close behind him at all times, the two of them rushed the forest with ease, sparks and flames flying high in the night sky as they worked tirelessly to create a distraction large enough to draw out the Colorless King.
"That's it," Mikoto suddenly exclaimed, halting in his tracks as he spun around, fist encased in flames as he threw a devastating blow, Munakata barely had time to register the change in the movements but he somehow managed to block the blow with the side of his sword.
"Suoh take it easy," Munakata seethed as he parried the blow, both of them getting blown back several yards in the process. "You're not really trying to kill me, are you?" His ears were met with a laugh.
"Not at all, but it's so fun to get you worked up," Mikoto countered as he rushed forward again, both his hands giving off an iridescent glow as he charged the Blue King, who blocked the array of punches that came next with precision that only came after being practiced for so long. It was a well rehearsed dance at this point, and neither King showed any sense of fear because of this. Munakata briefly wondered how many times they had crossed arms in the last few years, it was definitely more times than he could have ever kept count of. It was always something with Mikoto, whether it was a report of his clan taking down a gang in Shizume or just causing a scene like they usually did. He felt like they fought each other way too often, but a part of him said that they also never seemed to fight enough.
"Munakata, let me ask you something," Suoh exclaimed as he took on a defensive stance as Reisi stormed forward, sword in hand. The Red King blocked the swing of his sword with a single hand though it was apparent he was struggling to deal with the sheer force behind the blow. He then shifted into another stance, both of his arms crossed and blocking his body as Reisi's sword came to rest on top of his right arm, he managed to hold him off though he was losing his footing in the deep snow they were currently in. "Are you in love with me?
The surprise was large enough that Reisi momentarily forgot what he was doing, giving the Red King enough time to parry the blow and send the Blue King crashing backwards into a large elm tree. Munakata frowned, getting to his feet as quickly as possible as he dusted the frozen vapor from his coat. "Why would you ask such a thing?"
"Because I want to know, I thought that was why people asked other people questions," Mikoto said with a sigh as he clinched his fists, his Aura glowing behind him menacingly, though Reisi just thought of it as too flashy.
"Suoh my feelings are really not your concern and have nothing to do with this mission," the Captain of Scepter4 answered as he assumed a defensive stance to mimic the Red King's. "This is hardly the time nor the place to ask such a thing."
"There's never a right time or place to ask if your enemy is in love you," Suoh huffed as he crossed his arms, dropping his guard for long enough that Reisi took advantage of it and moved forward, knocking the Red King back into the snow beneath them. But being the sly devil that the Third King was he swept his leg to the right, causing Munakata to lose his footing and come crashing down onto him.
"That was uncalled for," Reisi seethed as he leaned up, looking his companion in the eye whilst trying ignore the way the snow melted beneath them thanks to the overwhelming heat of the Red Aura.
"What's uncalled for is you ignoring my question," Mikoto commented as he smirked up at his former friend/maybe-still-kind-of-friend, "I need to know, Munakata."
"Why would knowing the answer to such a trivial question be a necessity?" Munakata sighed, though he made no move to get off the Red King. "I will never understand you, Suoh. Here we are fighting for our lives and you have the nerve to ask me such a thing."
"I'm selfish, I can't help it," Mikoto dared, "now tell me."
The Fourth King let out a guttural groan.
"At one time I was thoroughly convinced I was in love with you, yes."
"But not anymore?"
"Would it really matter if I was? Suoh you and I are not meant for one another, and I see that look in your eyes," Reisi paused, "you're asking me this because you think you're in love with someone, aren't you?"
"Ah," Mikoto answered numbly, though he wasn't sure why he suddenly felt a surge of embarrassment.
"So you wanted me to tell you this so you could see what love is like considering you've never loved anyone in your entire life, yes?" Munakata grumbled as he gripped onto the slightly older man's shirt, "you really are a selfish bastard."
"I warned you," Suoh said blandly, suddenly finding the situation uncomfortable.
"Fine, I will answer this only so we can move onward and find this bastard, which is why we are here in the first place, I'm sure I needn't remind you of that."
"Ah."
"Suoh, at one point yes, I loved you but I have accepted the fact you do not feel the same and I have turned those feelings into another form of love for you. I care about you dearly and I likely always will but I do not wish to be intimate with you ever again nor do I wish to be someone you shower with affection. I love you as a friend, but I am no longer in love with you." Mikoto stared up at him, a bit dumbfounded, Reisi, however, felt horrible for telling the man beneath him a lie of that caliber. You'll never be over him. But just because you love someone doesn't mean you will spend your life with them. He thought to himself.
"I'm glad. I'm an asshole and you're not like me at all. You're too goody good to fit into the stereotype of falling in love with the bad guy," Suoh laughed as Munakata released the hold on his shirt, offering him a hand up as he stood- which he took without hesitation.
"I suppose you're right," the Blue King looked up to the sky in search of other Swords of Damocles but found none in sight. "You will know if you're in love, Suoh. It is not the same feeling you likely have for Izumo whereas you see him as your brother in arms and...unless it's Izumo you're talking about."
"Don't make me puke," Mikoto groaned as he fished in his pockets for his cigarettes, frowning when they were crushed. Munakata took the initiative to give him one of his own.
"I see, and it's also not like the love you for Anna, who is much like a daughter to you. There are different types of love, but when you are in love with someone you will go above and beyond the normal ties of friendship for that person; you will want them with every fiber of your being and you will do absolutely anything for that person without a moment's hesitation, despite what anyone else might have to say about it." Reisi answered though he had to work hard to contain the sadness in his voice, it wasn't like him to cave into emotions but when it came to Suoh he found himself unable to do much else. Not in a moment like this.
Reisi pointed his sword at the Third King, ready to resume what they had been tasked with in the first place.
"So it makes you do stupid things," Mikoto hypothesized as a small ball of fire began to grow around him, "anything else you want to add?"
"Tell that person how you feel and for once in your life," Reisi charged forward as the glowing orb continue to grow in size, "stop being selfish and let someone help you and care about you without fear."
"Maybe you were right," Mikoto called as he arched his back, "this conversation is hardly appropriate while we're fighting," the ball of fire that he had so carefully kindled roared forward when he slammed down on the ground behind him, his heels roughly hitting the dirt beneath him. Not to his surprise, Reisi dodged it all together, choosing to jump over it however had not been what the Red King was expecting.
"Shit," he hissed as he barely had time to dodge a swing of the Blue King's saber, and without warning he took off again. Running through the trees as fast as he could to evade the oncoming waves of blue that ripped and shredded the forest around him. He worked his way back to the temple, rushing through the evergreens with ease as he burned whatever was in his way to the ground, he was almost back to the clearing when he heard Reisi scream his name, though it wasn't full of malicious intent like he expected it to be.
It was full of terror.
Mikoto whipped his head around, not knowing what to expect when he looked back at Reisi Munakata, but what he wasn't expecting was to be blown to the ground as soon as his focus slipped from what he was doing and shifted to the Blue King. He hid the ground hard, his Aura bursting into a thousand shiny pieces of light that cascaded down in time with the snowfall that had begun again at some point. Hissing in pain, he propped himself upward, only stopping when he felt something tug him back onto the tree he had so roughly landed against.
His gaze shifted downward, eyes searching for what caused him to be ensnared. He half expected to see his coat wrapped around a loose branch or the chain that hung from his pocket caught up on something but he never expected to see a small fractured part of a tree limb poking through his side. The limb entered mid-torso, coming out clean on the other side. Why his Aura had not sensed this was beyond him but he guessed it was the reason he felt no immediate agony from the injury.
"Suoh, are you all right?" Ah, there was Reisi, running to his aide as if they hadn't just been in the heat of battle. The irony of their friendship was truly a modern marvel.
"Fine, what happened?" Mikoto grumbled as he poked at the branch that was protruding from his skin, blood soaked his hand when he tried to push himself off it.
"Stop, you're only going to make it worse," Munakata heaved a sigh as he knelt down next to the injured King.
"So do you suggest I stay here and become one with nature or are you going to help me get this out of me?" Suoh seethed as he lost his patience, "tell me what the hell just happened."
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. I saw movement to your left and then that blast came and you were pushed over here, I looked but I couldn't find anyone. We need to get back to the Gold King as quickly as possible, I feel as if we are not the only ones in this forest anymore." Munakata slipped a hand on the Red King's shoulder, he eased the injured man forward until the branch slipped out of his skin, a wet dripping sound met their ears as the motion was completed. "It doesn't hurt?"
"If it does I no longer feel it," Mikoto commented as he stood, proud that he didn't even need to use anything around him for assistance. "Let's go."
"Suoh..."
"I'm fine, Munakata. Forget it, let's go, our work is obviously done here. We can't afford to concern ourselves with this right now, we need to be on high alert." The older man hissed as he turned and glanced back at his companion, who was still kneeling down in the snow, a puddle of blood rested under his knee.
"You're right, forgive me," Reisi commented as he collected himself, following the Red King and matching his brisk walking pace as they made their way back to the clearing. Daikuku stood by the temple, clearly confused but unharmed.
"Suoh, you're injured. Goodness Reisi, take it easy on the boy sometime," the Gold King stammered as he offered to access Mikoto's wound, the Red King denied at first but caved in after the older man gave him a menacing stare.
"Unfortunately I was not the one to do this, I would be grinning from ear to ear if I had done this handiwork."
The younger Kings shared a smirk which left the former Japanese solider raising an eyebrow out of confusion.
"So someone else interfered and did this to you?"
"Ah."
"Well actually a tree did that to him, but someone else caused him to crash into it, yes."
"Thanks for the clarification, Detective Reisi Munakata," Suoh teased as the Second King finished accessing his injury. The blue haired man's blush did not go unnoticed.
"It did not hit anything vital so you will be fine for now, your Aura has already cauterized it to stop the bleeding. Rub some dirt in it, you'll be fine."
At this the Red King laughed, "I didn't know old people made jokes."
"I was young once too, you know?"
"Your Excellency I wo-"
"Look over there," Daikuku cut the Blue King off, pointing back in the direction of Ashinaka High School. Over the campus smoke rose in the sky, curling as if an atomic bomb had been dropped on the land though the air remained silent. "Mikoto isn't that where your boys are? I wonder who they've encountered."
Ring...ring...
"Guess I'm about to find out," Suoh replied as he answered his phone, stepping away from the other two Kings.
"Izumo?"
"Mikoto? Shit, I'm glad you're all right. I saw your Sword of Damocles and got a bit concerned, but yeah...we've got a bit of trouble over here." There was a long string of curses that came from the other line before a loud sound, almost like a sonic boom, echoed throughout the island, even at the temple that had otherwise been quiet.
"What's going on?"
"The Black Dog and the strain you encountered the other day appeared a few minutes ago and since we couldn't talk them into giving us the location of the Colorless King we've engaged them in battle, it's nothing we can't handle but I wanted to let you know that these two are currently working with the man we're looking for, whether that truly be the Colorless King or the Silver King I'm not sure but the stupid cat's pissed and causing a pretty large amount of confusion."
"Are the students evacuated?"
"Yeah, everyone's safe and sound...Yata it's just an illusion, snap out of it! Yata!" Mikoto paled, "shit I've got to go, be careful Mikoto. I'm sure this bastard will show up soon."
"But what abo-"
CLICK.
"Is everything okay, Suoh?" Munakata asked with a frown as he approached the Red King, who looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Ah, the Black Dog and that cat strain are causing some problems, that's all. Apparently they are working for the man we're after."
"I hate to break up this conversation, but we've got company." Daikuku mumbled as he pointed across the clearing, drawing both King's attention back to the task at hand. Though it was dark on this part of the island the man's figure was unmistakable and his pale hair stood out against the blackness of the forest and sky.
"Lieutenant?"
"You bastard..." Mikoto howled, feeling every ounce of self control he had slip as he dropped his phone in the snow, "I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!"
"Suoh, stop." Munakata growled as he wrapped his arms around the Red King to prevent him from moving forward, their Auras ignited at the contact.
"Let me go," the red haired man hissed as he tried to break the grip the Blue King had on him, to no avail.
"Munakata, please take Suoh back on the steps until he calms down. I will go and speak with this man," both men stopped their struggle as they glanced at the Gold King who walked past them.
"But sir is-"
"This man is Adolf. K Weismann, even from such a distance and in this form I would know that tone of voice, no one else calls me Lieutenant either." Daikuku looked back at them with a smile, "please be wry of the forest around us, should another particular guest make his appearance."
"Sir." Munakata answered sharply, his arms still restraining a very irritated Mikoto who had resumed his violent thrashings. "Suoh this man isn't him, you have got to calm down."
But he couldn't, the urge to rip the man's heart from his chest was too great for him to simply ignore. His Aura was screaming at him to do it, urging him to destroy the man who had nearly cost him everything but his brain yelled back, telling him this was not the man he was seeking. But as always, his Aura got the final say in how he felt and what he did.
"I can't do that, Munakata I'm warning you."
"Suo-"
Ring...ring...
Munakata swore that if he got cut off one more time that night that he was going to scream.
"Do you want me to answer your phone?"
"No, give it to me," Mikoto grumbled, eyes still shining brightly in the darkness as his Aura melted the snow around them with ease, he was initially a bit surprised Reisi was unhurt but put two and two together when he saw the blue wafting off of the other man's skin.
"What?" The Red King practically exploded as he answered the phone, Munakata's grip on him was still unrelenting.
"Mikoto-san?"
"Yata?" Suoh mumbled into the receiver, the tenseness in his body lessened at the sound of the other man's voice.
"Yeah, it's me. Kusanagi-san and I managed to capture the cat, the Black Dog is headed in your direction though Chitose, Dewa, Kamamoto, and Bandō have begun a pursuit to try and locate him before he reaches you." There was a pause, "is everything all right, Mikoto-san? You're breathing really hard."
"I'm fine," he replied with a click of his tongue, eyes staring forward as he watched the Gold King confront the man they had been in search of. "Good work, things are getting interesting over here as well. The...Silver King has made a fashionably late appearance so I suspect the Colorless King will be around shortly. Make sure you stay safe and tell Izumo I said to keep up the good work."
"So it's begun, ne?"
"Ah."
"Well...be careful...Mikoto. I'll see you when you get back, right?" The Red King felt his body freeze up.
"Ah."
"Mikoto-san?"
"Hm?"
"Remember...you've got this...and...don't you dare die on me."
CLICK.
"Suoh?"
"I've got this..." Mikoto repeated as he found the willpower to wave off his demanding and restless Red Aura, Munakata reluctantly parted from him, coming to stand in front of him. "I'm fine now."
"Shall we go see what's going on...I mean, do you think you can handle that?" Reisi sounded concerned, and for good reason, but Mikoto nodded his head slowly.
"I won't let that happen again," he commented as he turned and made his way back down the stairs, the Blue King joining up with him instantly. "Ready to settle this score, Munakata?"
"As if you even had to ask."
0o0o0o0o
"All right Neko, it's time you started explaining some things." Izumo growled as he got on eye level with the young girl who had been causing HOMRA a hassle for the last fifteen minutes. To ensure she wouldn't use her powers a member of Scepeter4 had run over with a set of special restraints, ones specifically designed to prevent Strains from using their powers. The girl pouted and looked away into the distance, eyes fixated on the area of the island that housed the temple.
"Still not talking?" Yata asked as he yawned, walking back over to Kusanagi who was knelt down beside the pink haired Strain.
"Not a word. Is Mikoto all right?"
"Fine, said the Silver King had arrived so I let him go." Misaki explained as he stretched out his back, muscles sore from battle. "He sounded a bit angry, though. Can't say I blame him if that stupid white haired bo-"
"Shiro!" Neko exclaimed loudly, eyes widening in panic, "you can't let them hurt Shiro!"
"Shiro?" Both members of HOMRA asked in unison, their eyes flitted back and forth between one another and the cat-girl in front of them.
"Shiro is Neko's Shiro," she explained happily, though it did nothing but give Yata the creeps.
"That might mean something to you but who the hell is Shiro?" He asked with a frown, "please don't make me go against my code of never yelling at a woman, my patience is wearing thin."
"You yelled at Seri once," Izumo countered with a sigh, causing Misaki to blush in horror.
"She pissed me off, your girlfriend is a pain in the ass!"
"She's my pain in the ass, but I see your point...I will never agree with her career choice." Izumo shuttered, "working with them of all people, ugh."
"Seri?" Neko questioned, tilting her head to the side, "who is she?"
"I'll tell you if you tell me about this Shiro guy, what have you been up to lately? Are you and the Black Dog working for the Colorless King or the Silver King?" Yata demanded as he knelt down beside his fellow clansmen, "I don't have time for games, if you don't tell me I assure you I will personally deal with the Black Dog until I have some answers." A red glow burst from his skin which made Neko yelp in response, "do not make me repeat myself."
"Yata-chan...calm down..." Izumo laughed, "but Neko it would be a big help if you could tell us all about...your Shiro."
"Shiro is a good guy!" She quickly exclaimed, "he's not the Colorless King, he is the Silver King!"
"So you mean Adolf K. Weismann?"
"I think that's what he said, but I just call him Shiro," she replied wistfully, a quirky smile gracing her lips much to the other two's horror.
"You don't even know your King's name?"
"This is turning into a joke."
"Shiro wants to be called Shiro, that's all there is to it," Neko proclaimed, "he is usually a nice guy and we have a lot of fun together with Kurosuke."
"Usually nice? Has he ever made you do things that weren't very nice?" Izumo asked carefully, having no better way to word the situation though it sounded awkward to his ears and made Yata cough out of embarrassment.
"He...he once made me play a trick on the scary guy with red hair," she mumbled sadly, eyes downcast to the blanket that was wrapped around her.
"Was that unlike him?" Izumo asked.
"Yes, I've never seen that side of Shiro before. He said if I didn't do it that we would be in danger so I did what he said. But he didn't remember it the next day, he said he never told me to do that and he had no idea who that man was." Neko frowned, "it was confusing."
"Well I guess that answers our question, you're a clansmen of the Silver King then, yes?"
Neko nodded her head happily, "Kurosuke and I both are."
"Yata, join up with Dewa and the others and see if you can locate the Black Dog. It seems there's been a misunderstanding between us. Try to talk some sense into him but if he continues to attack do what you can to restrain him, if you need help try to lure him here. We aren't to bother Mikoto, he's got bigger fish to fry." Izumo stood in time with the leader of the Vanguard, "don't worry, we will handle things here."
"You got it, Kusanagi-san." Misaki said as he collected his baseball bat and headed towards the forest at a running pace, his skateboard proving useless in the snow and off the beaten path. He followed the hints of destruction for what felt like forever until he heard the sound of weapons clashing. On instinct he carefully approached the sound, weapon at the ready should someone charge at him, as he grew closer to the noises he could here his fellow clansmen yelling at one another, panic rising in their voices.
"Erik, what are you doing? Stop!"
"Shit, what the hell is wrong with him?"
"Black Dog are you just going to stand there? Help us out will you?"
"Shit," Yata cursed as he quickened his pace, coming to a screaming halt in a small clearing that seemed to have been cleared by none other than Mikoto, the forestry around them glowed with the hints of now dying flames. Chitose and Dewa circled Erik, while Kamamoto, Bandō and the Black Dog worked to push the blond man back into their circle. "Oi, what's going on here?"
"Erik came out of nowhere and tried to attack me," Dewa grumbled, even from a distance Yata could see him pale in realization.
"Shit, everyone get back!" Misaki yelled, feeling no relief when his fellow clansmen and the Black Dog did as they were instructed, it was then that Erik's eyes locked on his, a menacing smile marring his lips. "Get back to Kusanagi-san at once, you too Black Dog. This has been a misunderstanding."
"But Yata-san we're not going to leave you here with that guy!" Kamamoto yelled in protest, not seeming to realize that the man with blond hair was no longer in control of his body, that this was the work of a King, a King that was out for their blood.
"Do as I say, go." Misaki bit his lip, "now."
Erik chuckled at him as he took another step forward, baseball bat drawn and poised at the ready as his fellow clansmen and the sword wielder retreated to the safety of HOMRA's defensive line. Yata gulped, he knew this was stupid, that he was no match for the man in front of him but there wasn't much else he could do in the situation. He just had to hope he would be fast enough to lure the guy to the clearing where the Kings were waiting for them. The only problem was Yata had no idea where the temple was now that he was on the same level as the trees, they successfully shielded everything from view.
Which means I'm running blind, hoping I don't wind up getting myself killed, he thought to himself as he pointed his bat at the man who stood before him.
"Oi, you in Erik's body, I've got a bone to pick with you," he boldly proclaimed, doing his best to mask his fears. "But I'm afraid I can't play with you here, you're going to have to catch me first. The reward is pretty high if you manage to get your hands on me, my King will surely want to have a word with you if you do. Which is what I presume you want anyway."
Erik smiled, a look so eery it sent chills down Misaki's spine.
Yata cursed his rotten luck before taking off, running to the right of the Colorless King down the path that Mikoto had obviously been down earlier in the night, if he could just keep this pace up he would surely reach the temple in time to keep his skin. He didn't need to look behind him to know he was being pursued, the sound of leaves and snow crunching was enough to paint the picture. "Think you can keep up?" He taunted, running a bit harder than he previously had as a surge of panic rose throughout him, the footsteps behind him thundered into his skull.
If he could just make it to the temple...pain. Why was his leg exploding in agony? He hadn't twisted his ankle or pulled anything, that would've been something he would have noticed immediately. His ears rang as the pain intensified as he continued to push forward, he vaguely felt his Aura ignite as if to shield and comfort him but it did little to quell the raw stinging he felt in his limb. He was losing his pace, he could hear the man behind him gain more and more ground as he stumbled, the roof of the temple had only just come into view.
Just a little bit further.
Adrenaline pumped throughout his body as he pressed onward, the stinging in his leg becoming a great nuisance as it tried to make him break his stride. He felt something else jab into his side but he choose to ignore it, though the searing agony begged for his attention he shook it off, legs working overtime as the building and clearing came into view, just when he had nearly broke through the tree line he felt his another searing pain before his legs finally gave out on him, leaving him vulnerable and lying face down in the snow, not even his Aura seemed to warm him.
He reached his hand up, vaguely recalling the way the man behind him stopped as he corned him, a predator finally having the chance to claim it's pray, Yata reached for the building as if the ground would give way and the Earth would move it towards him. A sigh of defeat escaped his lips, as his vision blurred, the world canceling out as blackness welcomed him with open arms.
Just a little bit further...and yet...
0o0o0o
"So you're saying he attacked you in your airship and you somehow switched bodies and now he's free floating amongst the people at this school?" Mikoto asked as he took a puff off of his cigarette, the Silver King nodded his head.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I know it's hard to believe and if you don't want to believe me I understand completely."
"So it appears my initial hypothesis was correct," Daikuku added with a sigh, "I am relieved to see you unharmed, Weismann."
"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant. We will have to catch up when this is settled." The First King paused, "which brings me to this, Red King two of my clansmen were attacked by your clan and I was wondering if you could tell me if they are all right."
"I suppose I can ask," Suoh mumbled as he plucked his phone from his pocket, calling Kusanagi as he politely excused himself and walked a few steps away from the other Kings.
"Izumo? Are the Black Dog and that cat okay?"
"Mikoto they're fine, but uh...we've got trouble, big trouble this time." Kusanagi's voice was panicked, his words almost all running together as he hastily got the sentence out.
"What's going on?"
"It's Yata, the group I sent after the Black Dog were attacked by Erik, who was being controlled by the Colorless King. Being the idiot he is he ordered them to return to our base and he's trying to lure the guy to you all," Mikoto's eyes widened in shock, his grip on his phone tightening in response. "I tried calling him but he's not picking up. Everyone's tattoos are glowing a weird shade of red, I thought it was your doing at first but this feels different. I think Yata might be in over his head, I'm sorry I don't have all the information bu-"
"You're rambling, where is he?" Suoh yelled into the receiver, his foot coming down to smother the cigarette he had dropped under his boot.
"He's somewhere by the temple you're currently at, I don't have anymore information to give you." Izumo paused, "just find him so you both can come back safe, okay?"
"Yeah," Mikoto answered with a frown, his desperation was beginning to show in his demeanor and voice.
"Go, Mikoto. He's in trouble, when you bring him back I'm going to kick his ass."
"You and I both." He spat into the phone before he hung up, he haphazardly tossed it into his coat pocket. "Your clansmen are fine but one of mine is in a bit of a predicament with the Colorless King, we need to go."
"Where are they?" Munakata asked, a small level of concern dripping into his usually passive tone of his voice.
"I don't know, I jus-"
Ring...ring...
"Shit," he grumbled as he fished his phone out, the display screen caught his attention more so than the ringing, he quickly slid his finger across the screen. "Yata?"
"Not quite," came the haunting voice from the other line, "Yata-chan said you would be easy to lure out if something happened to him, is that true?"
"What did you do to him?" Mikoto growled lowly, his fist clenching to his side as he scanned his surroundings, eyes trained in the darkness to look for any unfamiliar forms that were not part of the forest. The other Kings watched him helplessly, worried expressions offered up to him as if they were ready to give their condolences at any moment.
"Well if I tell you that isn't any fun, let's play a game Red King," the chilling voice wafted out of the speaker as a manifestation of a small white fox danced in front of Mikoto's amber colored eyes, the form multiplied, dividing into four. "How about I have my fun with Yata-chan then work my way back towards your clan, huh? What about your friend the bartender, would he be fun to play with? Or maybe I'll go for HOMRA's weakest, would Tatara be happy to see me? What about that little girl of yours, Anna was it? She'd be an absolute delight to destroy."
Mikoto's eyes glowed in the darkness, anger finally boiling inside of him as the willpower to suppress his aura left his body. He heard Munakata and Daikuku plead with him to ignore the taunting, but for once, Suoh's loss of control was planned, though it was last minute he had formed a gambit to use against the Colorless King, he just had to make him fall for his tricks first.
"Oh, there we go, that's the reaction I was looking for!" The Colorless King howled, "you're a feisty one, Red King. Let's play."
And the Colorless King fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
At the exact moment the entity entered his body his vision shifted to a field of fire, he watched the ghost dance amongst the flames, inhaling them as if to devour the very power that coursed throughout Mikoto's body. Gotcha, he thought to himself as he pushed the fire forward, the flames taking the shape of a ravenous lion as they pounced on the prey in front of them, causing the Colorless King to withdraw from his mind, though that didn't prevent Mikoto from tracking him down. He watched the ghost float over the temple, going to a particular clearing he had blazed earlier, there he saw Yata laying on the ground, face down in the dirt, and Erik, though that was no longer than man in control of his own body.
Mikoto's aura burst around them, shielded Yata from further harm in a protective barrier while it pushed the Colorless King back, out in the open. Exposed, not only to Mikoto's third eye but to everyone else who now saw the man.
"You did it Suoh," Munakata exclaimed happily as he stood beside his friend, his hand rested on his sword, fingers itching to draw the blade.
"Move in, surround him!" Daikuku commanded as he activated his Sanctum, sending the Kings into a pit of darkness that was no more than an illusion, but one not so easily broken. "Give it up Colorless King, there is no escape."
Munakata rushed to the right, Suoh taking up the left flank as they pushed the man backwards, the Silver King, who seemed to jump in on the action, pursued him through the middle, Daikuku sealed off their circle. Each King's Sword of Damocles pierced the faux night sky, creating a barricade around the man who stood in the center, his own Sword of Damocles shown defensively in response.
"Don't hurt my clansmen," Mikoto growled, "do whatever it takes to lure him out."
"Five Kings haven't come together in...well...never, this is a first," Weismann commented as he twirled his umbrella on the ground, "Colorless King, we'd like to have a word with you."
"You've caused us quite the hassle the past week and a half, you know?" Munakata asked as he pushed his glasses up before drawing his sword, "why couldn't you stay a recluse like your predecessor?"
The Colorless King cursed under his breath, finally coming to the realization that there was indeed no way for him to flee.
"Why couldn't you just play your damn parts?" The Seventh King shouted, "Suoh was supposed to die first, then Munakata, and with the power of two Kings I could take down the Gold King and then consume the other two until I got my hands on you, Weismann. Why couldn't you just play along?"
"I think you know the answer to that question," Daikuku boomed as he took a step forward. "We are prepared to stay here as long as we need too, you will not win against us. You can end this now but turning yourself in, I will have Weismann's original body brought here and we can end this peacefully."
"What if I want my original body?" The Colorless King shouted, "I can switch us back, Weismann! Please, don't kill me!"
"What's with this guy?" Mikoto mumbled with a tilt of his head, his Aura screamed at him, begging to be used but after seeing Yata lying in the dirt he knew he had to get back to him, he had to take him back to HOMRA...he couldn't afford to die carelessly just because he wanted petty revenge for a crime that had never been committed. It took every ounce of self control he had but he contained his anger, for the first time in a long time, on his own accord. "His personality is all over the place."
"You poor thing," Weismann said, a twinge of sadness in his voice, "you've consumed so many personalities you've lost your sense of self."
"You understand," the man in Erik's body choked out, "I'm gonna kill you, ugh no! Please help me."
"It's okay, here," Weismann stood with his arms wide open, a knowing look was sent to in the Gold King's direction, "come on, I'll take you back to where my body is and we can get this sorted out, then we can go our separate ways."
"You mean that? No tricks?"
"I have no reason to lie to you," Weismann answered with a small smile, ask the other King's they'll agree with me. I'm sure."
The Colorless King glanced at the three others that surrounded him, "you won't kill me?"
"No."
"No, sir."
"Whatever Weismann wishes is fine with me, we have no reason to harm you should this end peacefully."
The man in Erik's body beamed, "You're lying...no! I have to trust you, I have no other choice."
In a less than flashy display the Colorless King's disembodied fox figure appeared, Erik's body slumping to the ground in unconsciousness, no one moved towards him in case it was a trap. The apparition approached Weismann, almost curiously, "you swear?"
"I swear," the German said, "let's get you home, okay?"
Within a flash the ghost of the Seventh King was trapped by Weismann, who held a hand over his mouth and coughed, "now, Lieutenant. I won't be able to contain him for long."
"Suoh, Munakata, get back, leave the rest to us." Daikuku commanded as he briskly walked over to his lifelong friend, sad smiles were exchanged before the world around Mikoto and Munakata faded into black as they were expelled from the massive dome that surrounded the other Kings in the area. Erik's unconscious body was next to Mikoto's feet, after checking him over he picked him up with ease, slinging him over his shoulder.
"You need to get out of here, Suoh. Our work is done, I will stay back and make sure the Gold King pulls through this okay, I will also help take care of Weismann. Take Yata and Erik and put as much distance between this place and you as you can." Munakata flashed him a smile, "don't worry about us, just go. We don't have much time."
"Munakata..."
"Go, don't be an idiot." Reisi smiled, a genuine smile that Mikoto hadn't seen in some odd years, "you don't want to keep the one you love face down in the dirt for long, do you? Go to him and get out of here, we will catch up later."
Sighing Mikoto reluctantly rushed past the Blue King, quickly making his way over to Yata while sparks flew in the night sky, his Sword of Damocles vanished into thin air as he looked the boy over. There were several lacerations on his side, and a huge cut marred his back, but what caught his attention the most was the knife that was sticking out of the back of his thigh, though the blood was beginning to clot it still bled in certain places. "Shit, Yata."
Not having enough time to properly access the wounds he quickly slung the boy over his other shoulder, having to channel his Aura to hide the pain in his own torso that was reacting from his earlier encounter with a tree branch, and also so he could carry their extra weight and still move around with ease. As soon as he had a tight grip on his clansmen he turned back, looking back to the orb that looked ready to burst at any moment, the Colorless King's Sword of Damocles had already begun to dissolve. Reisi stood with his sword poised and ready, a blue barrier protecting him from the massive shock wave that was sure to be released as soon as the job was done.
Mikoto didn't waste any more time, he ran as fast as he could down the path he had already blazed, feet hitting the soggy ground with loud thuds as he rushed to put that place behind them. The ground shook before the sky did, the blow would've knocked him off his feet if it wasn't for his Aura shielding them. He was concerned for Munakata...and the others to some extent, but his number one priority was the people in his arms. His clan would always come first, even before the petty revenge he was unable to have.
Eventually the tree line opened up, the forest was far behind them when Mikoto finally looked back, it was then that the Colorless King's Sword of Damocles shattered, a pillar of white broke through the night sky and when it cleared, only Silver, Blue and Gold remained. None of the swords faltered, nor did they fall, and it was then that the Red King let out a sigh of relief before heading towards HOMRA's defensive line.
"Mikoto!" Izumo was the first person he saw, of course, running towards him with new found energy. "Are you okay? What about them?"
"I haven't exactly had time to check, take Erik, would you?"
"Sure sure," Kusanagi mumbled as he gathered the younger blond man in his arms, it was then that Mikoto moved Yata off of his shoulder, carrying him bridal style, but careful to avoid contact with the blade that was stuck in his skin. He looked pale besides a light twinge of pink that dusted over his cheeks, and for a moment Mikoto feared the worst but that soon faded away when he saw the younger man's chest rise and fall, a rugged motion but a reassuring one.
"He needs medical attention stat, Erik should be looked at too, I'll give Seri a call, let's just get them back to the rest of the guys first." Izumo stated flatly as the duo walked towards the rest of HOMRA, who were deadly silent, which was a bit unusual for them. When the Red King and his retainer finally caught up to the rest of their clan Mikoto gave them an honest smile, "it's over. The Colorless King is dead."
"Mikoto?"
"I'm fine, please call Seri." The Red King marched past his cheering clansmen with a grim look on his face despite their victory, he choose a spot on a fallen brick wall to sit on, bringing Yata's limp body closer to himself as he wiped sweat off the younger man's forehead, hating the way he didn't react.
Why does this hurt so much?
0o0o0o
"Mikoto-san?"
The blinding light above Yata stung his eyes as he tried to sit up, a gentle pair of hands pushed him back downwards, preventing him from moving.
"Not quite."
"Saruhiko?" Misaki's eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, from the looks of it he was in a makeshift hospital room, though it looked more like a wedding tent than anything. Fushimi sat beside him with a clipboard in his lap, his hands pressed firmly on the Red Clansman's chest.
"We've set up a tent to treat those who were injured, if you haven't noticed that by now, Misaki." There was no teasing tone in his voice this time around when he said the name, instead he seemed...sad, something the leader of HOMRA's vanguard found puzzling.
"I can't feel my body," Yata groaned, "is everyone all right?"
"Wow you really like to change the subject, don't you?" Fushimi growled, "everyone else is fine, Erik is getting treated for some minor burns, the rest of your clan is getting patched up from the fight with the Black Dog, the Captain is getting checked out as well as the Gold King. The Silver King is being taken to the hospital the Gold King owns and your precious Red King is currently passed out in our clan's vehicle thanks to all the painkillers we gave him."
"Painkillers?"
"Yeah, he got stabbed by a tree, how funny is that?" Fushimi cackled, ah, there it is, that smart ass. "He was so distraught about you being so tore up that he dropped you off without a word, asked for pain pills and left in a daze, mumbling something about how this was his fault for putting you in that situation because he had been careless earlier in the night. What a martyr, I mean really."
"Take it back, Monkey."
"You're in no position to be telling me what to do," Saruhiko teased, "do you even know what happened? You're such an idiot, Misaki! Thinking you could take on a King all by yourself."
"I didn't try to take him on by myself, I wasn't thinking, that was the problem." Yata recalled vaguely as flashbacks of what happened ran through his head, "I just wanted everyone to be safe, I didn't care what happened to me."
"You didn't care what happened to you? Please, you're the most self centered person that has e-"
"I didn't care if a meteor hit the earth and wiped everything off the planet.*" At this Fushimi paled, "is that what you wanted me to say?"
"Misaki..."
"Get these cords off of me, I need to go find Mikoto-san." Yata moaned, hands shakily coming up to claw at the censors, but Fushimi easily swatted his hands away.
"Misaki, stop. You're not going anywhere."
"What does it matter to you, Saru?" He yelped, the painkillers he had been given triggering his emotions to go haywire, he felt like he had lost all sense of control. "You hate me anyway, and I need to go see Mikoto-san. I made him a promise, I can't break it."
"Misaki, stop, you're gonna open your wounds up and I'm not stitching them up again."
"You stitched my wounds?" He half yelled half cackled, "I'm surprised you didn't kill me while you had the chance, now let me go!"
"Now I'm beginning to regret my decision, if you don't stop thrashing I'm going to...oi, why are you crying?!" Fushimi looked at him as if he was absolutely horrified, though through the tears he looked more blurry than anything.
"I don't know," Misaki confessed, "I can't help it. Where's Tatara and Anna?"
Fushimi sighed out of frustration, cursing the way this boy's mind went a thousand miles a minute.
"They're with Kusanagi-san, the Colorless King is dead, Misaki. No one besides him died, you can breathe. Oi, stop sobbing like that you're gonna fall off the bed!"
"Saru, I can't help it!" Misaki whined in between cries, "what's wrong with me?"
"It's the medicine, you idiot!" Saruhiko restrained him again, eyes fixated on the other side of the tent instead of at the man who was thrashing around like an idiot. "God why did I ever love you. You're such a pain in the ass."
"Because I was all you had," Yata sniffled, knowing the words hit a chord when the other man didn't respond. "Why can't we be more like...our...Kings? They hate each other but they don't at the same time, why can't we be like that?" The tears were back and this time Fushimi settled to using the restraints that were on the bed to deal with the boisterous HOMRA clansmen.
"Because you hate me, you moron." Fushimi seethed, "and because you're so far up your King's ass that you couldn't find your way out if you tried. It's your fault we're this way."
"Shut up! Mikoto-san did everything for us, I was thankful, you were the one who didn't want to change at all!" Misaki countered, "we couldn't live in our fantasy land forever."
"We could have if we wouldn't have met them," Saruhiko replied immediately, biting his lip out of annoyance when Yata laughed.
"Yeah right, meeting them was the best thing that ever happened to us!"
"Moving in with you was the best thing that had ever happened to me," Fushimi seethed as he stood up from his chair, the clipboard clattering to the ground as he did so. The Red Clansmen stared at him with wide eyes, "you always assumed that it was what I wanted but you never had the guts to ask me!"
"You said you wanted power, we got power. You said you wanted to get a new place, we got a new place, you said you wanted to leave and I let you! What the hell did you want from me?" Yata felt the tears in his eyes return, "god dammit, Monkey! I'm not having this conversation with you right now. I want to talk to M-"
"Mikoto-san?" Saruhiko groaned, "is that all you ever..." he paused when he caught Misaki's gaze, "don't tell me...you're in love with him! You're actually in love with him! This is low, Misaki, even for you."
"Low, for me? What the hell are you talking about, Monkey? Who I love is none of your business!" Yata groaned, "fuck, untie me from this bed, I'm going to find him. I can't deal with you right now."
"Can't deal with me?" Fushimi looked astonished, "welcome to my world, our world, Misaki. I can't deal with you either." He stormed towards the exit of the tent, "I'll bring Mikoto to you if you just stop with that ugly crying, you never did look good like that. It's even worse when you're doped up."
Yata bit his lip, trying to ignore the dull sting the words caused to resonate in his heart. He laid back, blinking away tears until he heard a familiar set of footsteps and the sound of a chain rustling as the person walked toward him, he didn't even try to cover up the fact he had been crying. Mikoto looked down at him, a puzzled yet tired expression on his face as he sat down in the chair Fushimi had been using, he immediately unhooked the restraints, though he made no comment on them.
"Sorry I wasn't here when you woke up...I just thought you might want some space."
"Space?" Yata chuckled darkly, "the last thing I want is to be alone right now."
"Did you and Saruhiko get into it or something? He wouldn't even look me in the eye when he woke me up," Suoh explained as he made a grab for the younger man's hand, the latter squeezed back as hard as he could.
"Yeah."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Yata?"
"Mhm?"
"You remember how I said I'd ask you that other question later, back when we were lying in my bed talking?" Mikoto's free hand came up and wiped the tears off of Yata's cheeks, the younger man leaned into the touch.
"I do," he answered weakly.
"Can I use that now?"
"Of course," Misaki mumbled, eyes locking on those the color of amber.
"How do you know if you're in love with someone?"
Yata felt his pulse quicken. At first he thought this was just going to be another one Mikoto's jokes but the look on the other man's face was completely serious...and...holy shit is he blushing?!
"Am I dead right now?" Because this must be heaven.
"Nope, you're still stuck on Earth with the rest of us." Suoh answered with a laugh, his thumb rubbed the back of Misaki's hand reassuringly. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want too, it's a stupid question."
"It's not stupid," Yata corrected, his voice sounding more groggy than usual but then again, so did Mikoto's. They were both so high on painkillers that it was ridiculous, but neither of them seemed to care that much. "Love is kind of...strange, Mikoto-san. It makes you do stupid things and makes you feel weird, but in a rather good way. It's almost like you can't think straight when you're around that person, and you always want to be close to them and you want to spend all your time with them. I guess it..."
"You can stop there, I think I get it now." Mikoto said with a smile, the most honest and happy one Yata had ever seen on his King. Come to think of it, he had never seen Mikoto look that...joyful. Even when he was in a good mood a smirk was about all anyone ever got, a hug was rare but Yata seemed to get a few of those...and that kiss...his heart beat quickened at the thought. But even the beauty in those moments paled in comparison to the brilliant grin he was getting now, it warmed him to the core, made him feel complete even though this conversation could wind up going in a million different directions. The younger man had never felt so...complete.
"Mikoto-san?"
It's time to be brave, he reminded himself, trying to find the courage to say what he was unable to do back when they were on the bridge.
"I love you, Misaki."
Four simple words tore apart everything Yata had ever thought to say, four simple words made his heart ache and his blood flow straight to his face. They made his skin burn like they had been torched by Mikoto's fire, and they sent every ounce of delusion and pain that he felt since he had woken up straight back into oblivion. It didn't seem real to him at first, and for a second he swore he really had died and gone to heaven but the hand that held his made it all the more real. Mikoto's amber eyes looked kind as they stared back at him, it was an expression he had never seen before but vowed that he would see more of.
If Fushimi's so called affection had been a candlelight in the bleakness of winter than Mikoto's love was the inferno that melted the snow and brought warmth back to a place where it had been long since forgotten, Yata's heart felt like it was ready to give out.
He loves me.
He thought to himself as a smile grew on his lips. Everything else was forgotten, even the pain that coursed through his body as the high from the pills finally started to fade away, not even Fushimi's words that doubled as knives could pull him down from this. Without fear of ridicule or judgment, Yata tilted his head to the side, tears spilling past his eyelids as he gave his King the biggest smile he could muster.
"I love you too, Mikoto."