A/N:
The start of this chapter is told from a few different people's P.O.V, so the name at the top of each section is who the focus will be on before we dive deeper into the plot line for arc 2. I might start to include another pairing into this story minus the few we've already seen so be prepared for that, though it will happen subtly. And no, it doesn't involve either of the mains, they are exclusive. XD
This chapter is also a bit longer than usual, usual being about 10k words, this one is 11,300 words. How did this story get so long? XD I've enjoyed writing this way too much, this chapter was one of my favorites to write so I do hope you enjoy it. :D
Warnings: Depictions of violence, a whole lot of feelings, and some signs of a mental breakdown.
0o0o0o0o
Munakata Reisi
Everything was in an utter state of chaos, and if there was one thing he hated more than burnt coffee, it was chaos.
When he had taken over Scepter4 a year ago he had made sure he organized everything a very particular way, a way that matched his ridiculously high standards that he prided himself on keeping. Call him uptight or what have you, but he found peace in organization, solace. Receiving a call at two in the morning, when he had just left his office at one, having spent the last sixteen hours there, was the last thing he had wanted to happen. Hearing that his system, a system he had made a very particular way, had been hacked and disabled, well that was his nightmare, in short.
He tried to deal with the matters internally. He even went as far as to order Seri Awashima to call every single one of their trusted hackers but the answer came back almost immediately, we don't mess with Jungle. He offered them protection in exchange for their work but still, they all declined, insisted that this was a job too big and too risky for them to take on. Enter Fushimi Saruhiko, Scetper4's very own computer genius.
He watched the young man like a hawk, thinking it would quell his worries, but seeing his third in command frustratedly slamming his fingers onto the keyboard did little to calm the swells of doubt that came over him. He thought about all the information in those systems, all the access they had, before he set up a special team in charge of contacting their allies and asking them to cut off the servers that usually ran for Scepter4. The less Jungle could see the better, and like hell did they need to know how deep the Blue's intel networks ran.
People were running around the building, barking orders and placing phone calls he had ordered to have made but that only brought him into a foul mood.
"Captain, I need you to do something for me," Saruhiko had slunk into his office, clearly exhausted from the thirty something hours he had already been on duty, prior to the collapse of their network.
"Come in, Fushimi-kun," he motioned as he rested his head on his clasped hands, the younger man obliged, shutting the door behind him. "Have a seat, you look exhausted."
"Permission to speak freely?"
Munakata nodded his head.
"This fucking sucks," Saruhiko groaned, something so ridiculous the Blue King couldn't help but chuckle, nodding his head in agreement. "I can't remember the other half of the codes I used to hack into Jungle's system a few years ago, either they've changed their own servers or I'm going to have to ask someone who hates my guts for them."
"Oh? You know someone who might be able to help us out here?" This sparked the King's interest, any additional help would be huge at this point, they were losing ground and when it came to a cyber war, well that was detrimental, especially if they were to try and turn this around.
"Yeah, I do, but like hell would he help." Fushimi clicked his tongue, "unless you can convince his other half to have a chat with him."
"So you're insinuating that I know these people?" Reisi asked as he leaned forward on his desk, "and who might they be, Fushimi-kun?"
"It's Misaki who knows the other half of the codes, my notebook should still be where I left it unless he burned all of my belongings," he paused as if he was remembering something, "which wouldn't be unlike him, come to think of it."
"Yata-kun is the one who knows this? Well I don't see how that would be a problem, convincing Suoh to talk to him, that is," the Blue King bit his lip, "he does owe me that favor now."
"Why is it that the Red King listens to you like he does?" Saruhiko rested his hands on his knees, his head moving atop them, "I mean, he actually listens to your opinions. I don't understand it."
"Suoh might seem like nothing short of a brute with no sense of reason but he does respect people to a certain degree," Munakata explained with a deep intake of breath, "it does help that I have known him for well over eight years."
"That long, eh?" Fushimi mumbled as he adjusted his glasses, "so does he know how deeply in love with him you are?"
"Fushimi-kun I'm shocked," the Blue King laughed, "permission to speak freely does not grant you permission to say such rude things."
"Actually permission to speak freely means just that," Saruhiko corrected as he glanced down at the floor, "I was just curious."
"I am trying to get our system up and running again and here you are, asking me about my love life, this is certainly an odd topic for the time."
"Hardly, and don't act like you haven't disabled our servers already, we've already got our system back, we just need to retrieve it."
Reisi closed his eyes, trying extremely hard not to lose his patience with the young man sitting in front of him. "Suoh knows, yes, but I do not plan on pursuing anything. Fraternizing with the enemy is against our code of ethics and besides, I don't think I could handle that man and his mood swings."
"He's like a woman that is constantly on her period," Fushimi seethed as he refocused his attention on his now giggling King.
"He would have your head if he heard you say such a thing," the Captain chuckled, earning a grin from his third in command. "Allow me to make this phone call and we can finish our discussion."
"Yeah yeah," Saruhiko murmured out of sheer exhaustion, a sentiment the Blue King was more than happy to share.
0o0o0o0o
Fushimi Saruhiko
He watched the Blue King dial the Red King's number with a scowl, which only intensified when the older man put him on speaker phone. The last thing he wanted was to hear Suoh Mikoto's voice, but fate apparently had other plans, so did his Captain.
He halfheartedly listened to their conversation, ears picking up slightly when he heard a familiar voice in the background, it was faint, but his trained ears picked it up without having to strain them at all. Mikoto?, he swore he hated the way the name sounded coming out of Misaki's mouth, he hated it in general but the tone of voice the skateboarder used when he spoke that godforsaken name made him want to hurl.
He toned the rest of the conversation out, only snapping out of his daydream when the Blue King coughed awkwardly, it was then that Saruhiko realized he was off the phone. "Sorry."
"No, I was just a bit concerned, you look like you're ready to snap," the Captain laughed and it was a noise so sickly sweet that it made the ex-HOMRA clansmen smirk in understanding.
"If anyone looks put off it's you, Captain. It's a funny situation, don't you think? Looks like you and I are two of a kind," Saruhiko chuckled, and why the hell wouldn't he, it was hilarious. Here they were, both suffering the same fate at the hands of two people who were allegedly happily attached to one another. The irony in it all made him cackle like a mad man.
"It is a rather peculiar situation, I try not to think about it," Munakata answered with an abrupt sigh.
"Try being the key word there, eh?"
"Precisely, but here I am being a bad example to you," Reisi looked down at his hands, "they are the enemy at the end of the day. Despite whatever happens in the now, they will be the goal at the end, bringing down HOMRA that is."
"HOMRA's gonna be a pain in the ass for a few more years to come, but who knows, at the rate things are going it might be within the next few months. I mean the Colorless King incident was less than two weeks ago and here we are, knee deep in trouble with the Green Clan, next thing you know the Silver Clan is going to turn on us then it's an all out war with the Red Clan."
"If I didn't know any better I'd say that that is something you'd wish for, the look on your face tells me that anyway."
"Perhaps, I just want to end that bastard's life," Saruhiko hissed as he sat up in his seat, eyes locking onto his King's in a heated yet silent glance.
"You'd go as far as to kill Yata-kun?" Munakata inquired with a raise of his eyebrows, seemingly genuinely interested in what the younger man had to say for himself after letting that information slip out of his mouth.
"Not Misaki," Fushimi grinned, "I'd say something but I'm afraid you'd be angry if I said it."
"Suoh would wipe the floor with you, if that's what you mean." Saruhiko glared at him, "if you want to even have a remote chance of killing him you better turn out to be a King."
"Then renounce your throne already so I have a fair chance," Fushimi teased, though a part of him remained a bit serious, if Reisi noticed it he didn't say anything.
"You think you're the next in line?"
"Guess I wont know anything for certain for some time but I don't see how it isn't a possibility, I'm not like everyone else."
"You'd be a terrible King," Reisi said with a smile though it did nothing but make Saruhiko tense up, "you have no loyalty, not even to me. How do you expect to be a leader when you have no leadership qualities besides being a skilled swordsman and being intelligent?"
"Ouch, no need to be so rude," Fushimi huffed as he relaxed back into the chair he was in, ignoring the way the words stung, "I know I'm not good enough to be a leader yet, but one day I will be."
"If you should be chosen as a King I hope you mature a lot between now and then, you have potential but you seem reluctant to use it."
"Maybe I want to learn but haven't been given the chance, have you ever considered that?" Saruhiko was beginning to get annoyed, he knew this side of the Blue King only came out when he was dead tired and stressed to the max but this playful yet sharp personality of his could be a headache when he got rolling on a subject.
"Would you like to start shadowing me, Fushimi-kun? I am not saying I think you will become a King one day but it could help you at least grow to be stronger, which is what you want, right?" He blinked a few times before glancing back up at the man who sat proudly behind his desk.
"You're serious?"
"I suppose that's not such a bad idea," he answered with a click of his tongue, "I guess I do have a few things I could learn from you."
"That's the spirit," Reisi replied wistfully as he stood up from his chair, "please use my computer to bring up the things you need too, I will wait in the foyer and escort them here when they arrive."
"Joy," Saruhiko grimaced as he reluctantly slunk over to the leather office chair his boss usually occupied, Munakata placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Please try to get along with them, I know this is a lot to ask but please try."
The younger man blinked a few times, wondering if he had just imagined the Blue King saying that to him or if that had actually happened, he had never heard his voice seem so sincere, it sent a chill down his spine.
"Yes, sir."
0o0o0o
Yata Misaki
"Fushimi-kun is in my office, already entering his half of the codes, Yata-kun we will escort you there," Munakata said with a smile as he continued to lead the HOMRA pair down the long corridors of Scepter4's headquarters. It took a moment for Misaki to understand what he meant.
"What? You expect me to be alone with Saru?"
"Just for a moment, I need to have a word with Suoh."
"Why can't you just tell me in your office?" Mikoto asked blandly as he leaned down and brushed a stray ball of lint off of Yata's red and black flannel shirt, something he had slipped on over his black v-neck that he had been wearing in favor of his usual white shirt. The man in the wheelchair glanced back at his King, noting how strange it was to see Mikoto out of his usual attire, he wore the same kind of jeans he usually did but had slipped a black hoodie over his head in favor of his blood stained coat, not like Yata could blame him. He made a mental note to have that cleaned for him, knowing the Red King would likely forget to do it.
"It's a rather important topic," Reisi offered weakly through a gritted smile, something that made the youngest man's skin crawl.
"It's fine Mikoto-san, I'll survive," Misaki sighed, a wary expression rising to his face as he tilted his head back and looked at his King through his hair, he also made a mental note that a trim was in order. "Don't worry about me."
"Tch," was all he got in response, not like he expected much else. It kind of went without saying but Mikoto did have a reputation to keep up, especially around the Blues. If he all of the sudden started acting all lovey-dovey out in public that would just be embarrassing for him, Yata shared that sentiment. He didn't want people seeing that side of himself either, that was best saved for when they were alone, he thought anyway. Tonight, Mikoto was strictly business.
"Here we are," Reisi waved at the door, which he then opened by entering a pass code that was on the side of the door frame.
"I can take it from here," Misaki said as he removed the notebook from his lap and gripped his hands on the side of the wheels, hating how helpless he probably looked.
"Of course, Suoh just follow me, we can go to the balcony and chat."
The Blue King was already walking down the hallway, though the Red King didn't follow him at first, instead he grabbed Yata's shoulder until they made eye contact.
"I'll be back soon, don't let him get to you."
"I understand, I'll see you soon," he offered back in response, a small smile playing on his lips. "Really, I mean it. Go, the sooner we get done here the better, right?"
"Right," Mikoto confirmed with a grunt as he released his grip, walking down the corridor until he caught up with the Blue King who was waiting for him, he watched the two disappear before he finally gathered the courage to go inside and face his former best friend, amongst other things.
"I got your notebook," he exclaimed as he pushed himself over to the side of what he presumed was the Blue King's desk, he flung the old and faded blue notebook onto the table in front of the other man. "That's the one isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's the one," Saruhiko grumbled as he barely glanced down at it, when he did Yata saw this corner of his eyes twitch, it was subtle but he knew he was being studied at that point. He tensed up in the wheelchair. "That bad off, huh?"
"No, I can walk, I'm just not supposed to," he replied with a frown, eyebrows knitting together as he glanced up at the projection screen that served in place of a monitor. "Looks like you've got most of them, though I guess I wouldn't know any better, this was always your thing."
"Yeah," Fushimi acknowledged as he flipped open his notebook, both of them choose to ignore a photo that was stuck in the inside cover, one of the two of them laying in bed together, smiling at the camera as if they hadn't had a worry in the world. But back then I guess we didn't, Yata thought to himself as he glanced over the older man's shoulder. "Will you read these off to me when I ask for them? I'll call them by row."
"Sure," he replied, wondering how long it would take for the two of them to start arguing with one another, he just hoped Mikoto would come back before that could happen. He was not in the mood for a confrontation, not at four in the morning when he was running on barely any sleep.
"Let's start with row 31," Saruhiko stated as he reached out and took Yata's hand, something that made the Red clansmen freeze, though that soon faded when the Blue's third in command made it fall over the row he was referring too. "It's a mess, that was easier than it explaining it."
"No worries," he remarked, though that wasn't exactly how he was feeling. "Row 31 is..."
And eventually he lost track of how long it had been since Munakata and Mikoto went away for their chat, after awhile he heard the door click open but no one came inside so he disregarded it. Saruhiko and him were actually working together, and it was just like they used to do. Not once did they make snarky comments or nag each other, their teamwork had fallen back into step and briefly Yata forgot that they were currently enemies.
"Ro-"
"Hello!"
Both men jumped at the sudden intrusion that was a small dinosaur that popped it's head in the corner of the screen, blinking as if it were actually keeping an eye on them. They spared a glance at each other before averting their attention back to the animated creature. Saruhiko attempted to work on the codes again but the dinosaur shook it's head, "you are not authorized to access this information."
"Of course I'm not fucking authorized, Misaki do you remember the code we used to hack their security system the second time around? Not the one that got caught but the good one?" Saruhiko sighed in defeat as he relaxed back into his boss' chair, watching the other man skim through the pages until a smile lit up on his face.
"Is this it?"
"Yeah, that's the one." Fushimi announced as he looked the notebook over before his fingers hit the keys again, he got a few lines into his old code before the pixelated dinosaur let out a guttural growl, something that made him hasten his work.
"Stop trying to do that, it's not going to work," came another voice, this time a green parrot popped up in the right hand corner, "I'm assuming this is the work of Fushimi Saruhiko of Scepter4, and if that's the case, I've already blocked your codes. They don't work here anymore. Feel free to try and take your system back but you might find I have one upped you when it comes to coding."
Saruhiko and Yata exchanged nervous glances.
"Stop this now, I will return your Clan's system when I have the information I need."
"He keeps saying, "I", do you think that's one of Jungle's actual clansmen?" Misaki asked as he bit his lip, eyes trained and focused solely on the animated bird that was tormenting them.
"Probably," Fushimi admitted as he grabbed a pen and flipped through his notebook, "I'm gonna try to override this." Yata watched as he made a short list of abbreviations that meant absolutely nothing to him, though the look of concentration on his ex's face said he didn't need to worry about it. When he was done he started typing as quickly as he could, eyes narrowing in frustration as the bird in the top corner began to laugh.
"Your codes have always been so beautiful, it's a shame they are also easy to predict once you get the hang of them," it taunted, wings flapping back and forth, "keep trying, please. This is entertaining."
"Shut the hell up," Saruhiko hissed as he deleted what he had typed and began trying something else.
"What are you doing?" The bird exclaimed, it was then that Yata began to notice the screen was glitching out, still Fushimi worked diligently. "Why you li-" the screen went black before anything else could be said.
"Did you do it?" Misaki beamed, eyes twinkling like they used to anytime his former house mate used to hack into anything successfully, "Saru, you did it!"
"God that was a pain in the ass," Fushimi grumbled, though a small smile came to his lips as he glanced over at the overly exited brunette. "Thanks, I guess."
"For what?"
"The help, that wasn't as easy as it was the last time, but we aren't done yet, now that I'm in I need to find our system and I guarantee they've re-scripted it."
"Damn, this is gonna take awhile, isn't it?" Yata whined, his expression falling into one of pure exhaustion, "oh well, let's get it over with."
"Yeah, good idea."
They agreed on a plan of attack before actually setting off into their work. First they would scribble down a list of random words they came up with off the top of their heads, then they'd encrypt the new code with those words, ensuring it remained secure and impossible to guess. From there they would launch an attack on the database of Jungle, pulling all of the files that had been stolen from them by using a list of keywords, they also jumbled the letters in those words, making an impossibly long list of possibilities that would hopefully leave the Green Clan in shock. And if they had the time...they'd also steal all of the files from Jungle's database while simultaneously re-scripting Scepter4's network with a password that changed every second, it was a flawless plan, Yata thought.
"Can we offer you all some coffee?"
Reisi Munakata poked his head in the door, a smile on his face as he watched the other two men across the room jump at his intrusion.
"Why haven't you been in here helping out?" Fushimi groaned, throwing his head back in frustration.
"And where is Mikoto-san?" Yata questioned as he crossed his arms, glancing at the clock on the opposite side of the wall that read 6:03 A.M. For two hours he had been so involved with his work that he hadn't even realized time had passed at a much quicker rate then he would've liked to believed.
"We were coming back around an hour ago but you two looked hard at work so we decided not to bother you." Munakata answered as he pressed the door the rest of the way open, walking in the room with his hands clasped in front of him as Mikoto leaned in the doorway, a small smile was sent Yata's way. "Do you need help? I received a complaint about a possible Strain attack so though we have all of this going on I will need to go out and investigate, I was going to have Suoh come with me seeing as we are so short staffed because of this."
Yata watched Mikoto pull out his phone and type out a quick message before he shoved it back into the kangaroo pouch on his hoodie. His own phone buzzed in his pocket.
"No we don't need your help, we've managed to get in, now we just have to recover the files." Saruhiko grumbled, though Yata stopped paying attention to what he was saying in favor of checking his phone.
From: Mikoto ^-^
Save me.
Yata let out an abrupt cough to cover the laugh that threatened to spill out if he didn't manage to regain his composure, he felt his phone vibrate again as the Blues in the room gave him funny looks.
From: Mikoto ^-^
Idiot.
Yata bit his lip, quickly sending out a message that made the Red King shake his head, though it went unnoticed by the Blues who were engaged in a conversation on who was free to go out on call and who wasn't, something the two members of the Red Clan could care less about. The skateboarder re-read his text message over again, finding the whole situation funny.
To: Mikoto ^-^
Tell the Blue King to stop flirting with you before I lose my shit.
Within a moments notice his phone was going off again.
From: Mikoto ^-^
Wheel yourself over here and tell him, you're a grown man.
That text was so very...Mikoto, of course he wouldn't say anything to Munakata, for some reason he seemed to respect the Blue King enough to allow him to get away with it, though it did severely tick Misaki off he didn't have the balls to tell the older man to stop so he let it slide.
To: Mikoto ^-^
Wait, I have an idea, aren't Kusanagi-san and the others coming up here at eight? Just text them and tell them to leave now, that way you have an excuse to stay.
He glanced across the room, watching the Red King's eyes light up before he quickly typed out his reply.
From: Mikoto ^-^
I forgot about that, shit, thanks for reminding me...and good idea.
Misaki shook his head with a smile.
To: Mikoto ^-^
Don't mention it. :) That's what I'm here for.
"So Suoh, will you go with me?" The question the Blue King asked successfully snapped Yata and the Red King out of their own private conversation.
"Can't, my boys are coming up here right now to bring me a few things, considering the circumstances." Mikoto lied with a sigh, "go, I'll keep things in check here should someone unwanted make an appearance."
"I see, well that's a shame, I will be back as quickly as I can. Fushimi-kun you're in charge of Scepter4's actions until I get back, Ms. Awashima is getting some much needed rest. She hadn't slept in four days." Munakata exclaimed as he headed for the doorway, "Suoh should a fight or something break out I expect you to contain it."
"Ah," the Red King said dryly as he waved off the Blue King, who silently disappeared back into the hallway, beside him, Yata could sense Fushimi tense. "Want anything?"
"Coffee would be great," Yata answered with a smile, scratching the back of his head almost nervously though he tried not to dwell on it, "thanks."
"Saruhiko?"
"Coffee, black," he answered without looking up from his notepad, only stopping his work when he felt two pairs of eyes studying him, "please," he added in defeat.
"Don't mention it," Suoh grumbled as walked out of the door, phone in hand as if he was going to put Yata's emergency Save Mikoto From the Blue King plan into action, which he probably was, he noted as he glanced back over his old friend's shoulder.
"Need any help?"
"No." Saruhiko looked annoyed, whether it was with the new situation or the codes he was working diligently on he didn't know, but he felt inclined to ask.
"Hey, Saru?"
"What?" The word was spat back at him though the other man made no indication of looking up at him.
"Do you want Mikoto-san to stay downstairs with everyone when they get here? I don't want you to get angry," Misaki paused, biting his lip gruffly in the process, "It's too early to argue and we were getting a lot done with just the two of us."
"He'll just do what he wants anyway, don't act like you're gonna be able to control that," Fushimi grumbled as he flipped to another page in the notebook. Yata frowned.
"Why do you have to do this?" He mumbled under his breath, readjusting himself in his wheelchair with a look of disdain. Saruhiko glanced over at him.
"Do what exactly? Not want to see you and him in the same vicinity as me? Is that really so hard for you to understand?"
"Maybe, I just don't understand you, Saruhiko."
Said man locked eyes with him, "let's just get to work, Misaki."
"You always did this to me, you always shut me out every time I vocalize that I want to understand you. Look, I know this doesn't change anything between us, we're gonna be enemies regardless but at the end of the day I'd at least like to have some part of our friendship back. I...I just don't understand why we can't be frenemies."
"Frenemies? Us? Don't make me laugh," Fushimi turned his attention back to the blank monitor on the screen, as his fingers met the keys the characters popped up in green text.
"So that's it, huh? You'd rather have us hate each others guts than at least try to come to a mutual understanding?" Yata stared down at his hands in disgust, wishing Mikoto would come back in the room and save him from the awkward conversation he had started. He asked Saruhiko that question but he found himself immediately regretting it.
"You sound just like your boyfriend."
"Maybe because he has a point," Yata shot back, gritting his teeth as he looked over at his companion, "you're impossibly difficult to deal with. Why do you hate me so much?"
"Because you annoy me."
"Oh how vague of you, is it because I let go of the dream we had to take over the world? Or is it because I made new friends, hoping you'd come along with us too? Or maybe it's because you're a possessive asshole who can't stand the idea of me not wanting to be possessed. I'm not a fucking doll." Yata felt his temper flare up despite him not wanting it too, the peace he had shared with his ex best friend was long since gone. When Munakata and Mikoto walked in reality had sunk back in, this wasn't the past, things were never going to be like they were before they so stupidly admitted to loving one another.
Yata regretted that more than anything. He loved Saruhiko back then, but if he had known what it would've done to their future he never would've said anything. Fushimi wasn't what he wanted nor was he what he needed, but some small part of him held onto the hope they could become friends again, like they were before things got complicated. He was beginning to understand why kids feared growing into adults, as you got older people changed and it wasn't always for the good. He felt he was a prime example of that, so was Saruhiko.
"I wish I never told you I loved you, it ruined everything." Yata confessed with a heavy heart, he dropped his eyes in time with his words, though he couldn't see the man next to him react he heard his fingers halt over the keyboard.
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
Misaki smiled sadly, staring at his hands until he heard the familiar sound of a chain jingling as a person in boots walked towards the office they were in. It was the only thing that filled the hole in his heart until the Red King stalked into the room, a tray of coffee in his hands as he headed towards the desk, offering Saruhiko his cup first before he sat Yata's down on the table. Their eyes met in a silent understanding, one that made tears spring to the corner of his eyes and a frown pull on the older man's lips.
"Excuse me for a moment," Yata whispered as he pushed himself away from the table and towards the door, Mikoto watched him disappear out the door frame but Saruhiko only tensed up in his chair. Yata finally let out the labored breath he had been holding in as soon as he was out ear shot. He knew it was stupid, that it wasn't worth crying over, but he didn't know how else he was supposed to cope. Why things had to grow difficult and why he couldn't just blindly hate Fushimi was beyond him, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, biting his lip so hard it drew blood.
I want to be at the bar and lay on the couch with Mikoto and listen to Tatara ramble about his day and see Anna running around the bar with a smile while Izumo scolds for being reckless. I don't want to be here anymore.
It was stupid and childish of him to think but everything else hurt too much and fogged his head, I just want to get this over with. I just want to go home.
0o0o0o0o0o
Suoh Mikoto
"So, what did you need?" He began as he walked out onto the patio, lighting a cigarette as he leaned against the railing, eyes locking with the Blue King's as he shut the door behind them.
"I just wanted to make sure we had a mutual understanding of our course of action, I know you don't plan to involve HOMRA as a whole in this until it's necessary, if it's necessary, and I figured Yata-kun would only worry if we talked about this in front of him." Reisi replied as he took long strides forward, grabbing a cigarette out of his coat pocket, which Suoh lit for him without much thought.
"What about it?" Mikoto grumbled as he propped his elbows up on the railing, his cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth.
"Are you prepared to fight civilians?"
"Civilians? Anyone who actively participates in Jungle missions are not civilians," he scoffed at the suggestion, "I won't hurt them, but I will scare the living hell out of them until we get what we need and we can just leave it at that."
"Are you prepared to launch an actual attack on the Green Clan should they choose not to back down?" Munakata shot him a wary look.
"Even if they do back down I want to fight, they said some things about my Clan that can't go unpunished."
"I figured you'd say something like that," Reisi smiled as he took a hit off of his cigarette, pointing it in Suoh's direction afterward. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, I want you to have someone check Yata out for me, though." The Red King plucked his own smoke from his lips, "he's been acting odd lately."
"He's on a very high dosage of pain medicine, I don't think either of you realize how serious his wounds were." Munakata paused as he tilted his head to the side, "he did tell you that I asked him to be hospitalized, right?"
"What?" Mikoto blinked a few times, hoping to God his ears had been deceiving him. Yata I'm gonna kick your ass.
"He declined, absolutely refused to go, after you dropped him off he woke up for long enough for me to ask then passed out again. I couldn't admit him against his will so we did our best with what we had and I called in a favor from our pharmacist to get him those pills."
"How serious were his injuries?" Mikoto growled, hands clenching into fists, damn you Colorless King, I hope you're burning in hell.
"The wound on his back was practically bone deep, the lacerations on his side were about an inch deep and several inches long and the stab wound on his leg was within an inch of a major artery. He lost a lot of blood, he was lucky you got him to us when you did." Munakata frowned, "sorry I didn't mention this, I thought he would've told you."
"Of course he wouldn't tell me," Mikoto grumbled under his breath, "he knows I'd send his ass straight to the hospital, whether he wanted to go or not."
"I saw him riding his skateboard a week after that while I was out on a mission, I could hardly believed my eyes," Reisi paused when he felt the slightly older man glare at him, "I told him to go home and rest, whether he did or not I'm not sure."
"He's stubborn," Suoh sighed, eyes closing as he felt his anger begin to slip away, "really stubborn."
"He's you made over, I swear to it."
"Ah."
"Well now that I know that we're clear on the subject of Jungle I suppose we should go back inside and see what needs to be done."
"Yeah, I'm just gonna take a nap." Suoh said with a smirk as he flicked his cigarette in the air, purposely sending enough of his Aura around it so it disintegrated.
"Of course you are."
0o0o0o
"I don't know what your problem is but I'd appreciate it if you stopped dragging Yata into your issue with me," Mikoto glared as he shifted his position so he stood directly in front of his ex-clansmen. Saruhiko stopped working and met his gaze.
"I don't have a clue what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb with me," Mikoto threatened, eyes narrowing and taking on a deep red hue, something that made the younger man shift uncomfortably in his seat.
"What do you want me to say? It's not my fault he can't be quiet and mind his own business."
"I'm not going to argue with you, Saruhiko, but you are going to listen to me." Mikoto slammed his palms down on the table, successfully causing the smaller man to jump a foot back. "You are going to stop this or your problem with me is going to become a whole lot worse, am I making myself clear?"
Fushimi had the nerve to smirk.
"You don't scare me, I hope you know that."
"Oh?" Mikoto chuckled, removing his right hand from the table before he brought it to his chest, when he extended it again it was encased in a a cover of flames. Saruhiko stared at him with a blank, unchanging expression. "Then shake my hand again if you're not afraid of me."
"Your Aura courses through my body, it's not like anything is going to change if I do it," Fushimi stated blandly as he reached his hand out, his hand not quite touching the Red King's.
"Then prove it."
"Gladly."
Suoh watched him ease his hand closer to the fire, eyes narrowing in concentration though it was absolutely apparent that Fushimi was bullshitting him, the small twitches in his facial muscles told him all he needed to know before the ex-Red Clansman's hand brushed the flames, to both of their surprise, the flames sizzled on his skin.
"Shit," Saruhiko hissed as he withdrew his hand, examining the tip of his finger that had been singed by the flames, his eyes quickly locked onto the King's.
"You know I've gotten a lot stronger over the last year, my Aura has grown and changed along with it, my clansmen are stronger now, a lot more powerful." Mikoto examined the younger man's face closely, "it's only natural that things between you and I changed too, this told me everything I needed to know."
"And what would that be?" Saruhiko spat, glaring at the older man as if he didn't have fear floating around in his eyes or a frown pulling on the corner's of his mouth.
"You were never worthy of shaking my hand," Suoh replied with a smirk, "let me ask you again, did I make myself clear, Fushimi Saruhiko?"
"Chrystal, now if you don't mind I have work to do."
The Red King nodded his head before he headed out of the room in search of Yata, it wasn't much but seeing the fear in his ex-clansman's eyes made him feel a bit better about breaking his promise to Misaki. Why the hell did I leave him alone with that kid?
"Mikoto-san?"
He lifted his head as he came to a break in the hallway where the corridor split into two, there was Yata, sitting by a window as he wiped his eyes, a small smile played on his lips but the older man saw the strain that was being put on it. He walked over to where he was sitting with long strides, closing the distance in four steps before he knelt down, coming down on eye level with the younger man who sniffled in response.
"I'm pathetic, I'm sorry I'm such a mess."
"Don't say that," Mikoto whispered, his thumb brushing away a stray tear that rolled down Misaki's left cheek, he brushed his hair away from his eyes simultaneously. "You're not pathetic."
"All I ever do is whine and complain," Yata murmured as his eyes closed, he leaned into the gentle touch that Suoh had on his cheek.
"Because you're sick and should be in the hospital, not out running amok, why didn't you tell me?"
"Why so you could add that to your list of worries? As if. I've been healing fine on my own," Yata concluded as he fidgeted in his wheelchair, "I'm getting stronger everyday, I just have to rest...like everyone said I needed to. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Mikoto sighed, because what else could he really do? He wasn't about to get into with him when clearly that was the last thing the injured man needed.
"Izumo is on his way, when he gets here you and Tatara are going to a real doctor, I want you getting checked out and I want you on something that's actually going to help you get better, not just make you feel bad." Mikoto ran a hand through the brunette's hair, "that's not open for discussion."
"I know, it's an order, it's not like I'm going to ignore you as my King just because of how we are now. I'll go," Misaki let out a deep breath.
"It's not an order as your King, it's an order from someone who's worried about you," Suoh replied, "there's a couch down the hallway, we're going down there so you can get some rest."
"But I have to help with those codes an-"
"Forget it, I'm having a long talk with Munakata when he gets back, you're no longer a part of our deal. I'm not putting up with Fushimi's bullshit." Misaki looked up at him with a frown.
"Did you say something to him?"
"Of course I did, this is the second time in less than two weeks that's he had made you upset and the last thing you need is to be stressed out. If it wasn't for you I would've killed him already," the Red King scowled, "say the word and he's done for."
"We can't do that, but I don't want to see him again for awhile, that's for sure." Yata sighed, a sound nothing more than sickly sweet to the King's ears, "so about that nap?"
"C'mon," Suoh chuckled as he stood up, automatically walking to the back of the wheelchair as he pushed his boyfriend down the hallway towards said couch that was just past Munakata's office. As they passed the room a strange voice caught his ear, Misaki put a closed fist up so he stopped in his place.
"You're really asking for it, keep it up, please give me a reason to end you."
"I'm warning you, try that again and you'll be sorry, you don't know what I'm capable of."
There was a brief pause in which nothing but finger strokes over a keyboard could be heard, a few moments later the lights in the hallways shut off, as did everything else in the building, the Red King felt a strange feeling pit in his stomach. "Text Izumo and tell him to get here now, I want Tatara and Anna to come pick you up and you all can go to the doctor. He's to stay with me, no questions asked."
"O-okay," Misaki mumbled as he fished his phone out of his pocket, quickly typing out the message. His phone vibrated almost instantly. "He said they're in the front foyer trying to figure out what the hell is going on," his phone went off again, "now they're headed up the stairs considering the elevator isn't wor-"
"Shit, I'm gonna have to carry you downstairs, just tell them to wait there." Mikoto sighed as he peaked his head into the office of the Blue King, in the dark he could make out Fushimi's form, hunched over in his chair, something he shook his head at. "Let's go."
0o0o0o
"I have to stay here and figure out what's going on, make sure he gets some actual medical help," Mikoto exclaimed as he shut the passenger door after he made sure Yata was completely inside the silver Lexus his second in command owned. Tatara nodded his head and Anna offered him a small wave as they drove away from Scepter4's headquarters in route to the closest emergency room. Izumo was waiting in the front foyer for him when he got back inside the building, a scowl on his lips as the Red King and him began to go up the stairs.
"What the hell is going on here? Everyone's acting awfully panicked," the bartender noted as they turned to go up the second flight of stairs on the right hand side of the building, Suoh merely shrugged.
"I haven't got a clue, this isn't really any of our concern, I'm just here should something truly go awry."
"Where's Seri at?"
"Sleeping," the Red King answered in short as they finally made it back to the third floor, the lights flickered on as soon as their feet hit the threshold.
"And then there was light," Izumo laughed as he followed after the younger man, studying his surroundings with genuine interest.
"Saruhiko," Mikoto called as he stopped in front of a dark blue door with a padlock on the side of it, the Blue King's office was still dark. When he got no response he barged in, walking cautiously to the other side of the room until he stood in front of the desk where his ex-clansmen was collapsed halfway atop of the wood, "Wake up."
No response.
"Eh, Mikoto..." Izumo began as he approached the duo, "can I get some light?"
The Red King grunted, holding up his palm as he called upon his Aura, which provided enough light for them to be able to see their immediate surroundings, he felt his breath hitch as he gazed down at Saruhiko. "Shit, what the hell happened?"
There was blood dripping down from the side of his head and it was more than apparent at this point that he was out cold, Izumo pressed two fingers to the youngest man's neck, sighing in relief after a few moments of silence. "Well he's breathing, that's a relief."
"Yeah but who the hel-"
"My oh my, you are quite the unexpected guest," Mikoto's eyes burned in the darkness, the only light he could see was being emitted from a small projector on the center of the desk, with a bit of reluctance he hit the power button. An image of a bird came up before him, one he almost immediately recognized.
"Hisui Nagare, or should I say Green King," he saw Izumo's eyes widen as he stood back, away from the projector, "it's been awhile."
"So it has," the bird laughed, "what on earth are you doing in line with the Blues? I have no business with you, Red King."
"Actually, we have business with you," he corrected as he nodded his head at Izumo, signaling for him to take Saruhiko and get out of the room in case things got ugly. The bartender did as instructed without a word of protest, Mikoto didn't speak until he was alone in the room. "Your clansmen have been making some pretty awful missions involving mine, got something to say about that?"
"I'm not responsible for what my clansmen do," Nagare insisted though the tone in his voice was beyond flat, "I do apologize, fighting you when we wish to take down the Blues is not in our best interest. Why don't you work with us on this? You hate them more than we do."
"Tempting as that is, think I'll pass, I don't play nice with others. If anyone takes down the Blues it will be me and mine," Mikoto smirked, "but I have a feeling you can respect that."
"Of course I can, Red King. We all wish to settle our own business and protect things that are important to us, I'm glad that one boy left before things had to get nasty. I didn't want to hurt him, really, he's someone precious to you, isn't he? That would be bad for relations."
Mikoto felt his blood run cold.
"What did you just say?"
"Oh Red King, you really do need to be more careful, you can't just share your personal information with everyone, you seem to underestimate how deeply the vines of the Jungle have sunk into Tokyo, dare I even say Japan." Nagare chuckled, "let me rephrase what I've said, please leave and let me deal with this. You are an unwanted party in this situation and I don't want to involve others in this ordeal. Can we come to an understanding?"
Son of a bitch.
"After you just threatened my clansmen? Not a chance, if you were smart you'd watch your tongue." Suoh seethed, eyes glowing deeply into the projector that he was somehow being watched from, he wished for nothing more than being able to jump into the digital screen in front of him and begin tearing the real life Hisui Nagare apart, limb by limb.
"Correction, I didn't threaten him, I said I was glad he left because I did not want to hurt him. Please listen more carefully, Red King." Mikoto rolled his eyes.
"There's not much of a difference, no matter how you try to word it."
"Whatever you say, now if you don't mind, I've got bigger fish to fry so I don't have time to entertain you," Nagare's voice sounded much darker than it had previously, Mikoto could practically feel him smile just through the words he spoke.
"What exactly are you planning, Nagare?"
"Not that it matters to you, but you might want to worry more about what's going on in the building at the moment and less on me." Hisui paused, "bye for now, Red King."
"Wait, Nagare..." but before he could even vocalize his question the projection was cut off. He cursed under his breath as he exited the room, spotting Izumo down the hall next to the couch he had been eager to lay on early in the night, instead Fushimi was laid out on the white leather cushions.
"So what happened?" The blond bartender asked as he spun around and made eye contact with his King, before the latter could even open his mouth to speak the floor beneath their feet shook violently, a loud blast that sounded much more like a sonic boom exploded throughout the corridor. "Damn, you don't think..."
Mikoto didn't even give him a chance to finish before he was walking down the hallway in search of the source of the noise, he turned back and looked over his shoulder at his second in command, who stood next to a large panel window with shock written all over his face.
"Take Fushimi and find Seri, get him somewhere remotely safe then text me when you and her are ready for a fight." He continued down the hallway, not stopping to hear whatever the blond had to say in response to his command. He felt a swell of anger boil inside him.
Of course they'd attack now, isn't this just convenient, he thought to himself as he stalked down the staircase on the opposite side of the hallway, heading in the direction of the front foyer, along the way he damned every member of Jungle to a fiery place in hell and Reisi Munakata to one as well, of course he just had to be out when this went down. That was just his luck.
"Over here!"
Mikoto froze in the foyer, eyes widening a bit in surprise as he stared at the wreckage of the smoldering room. Members of Scepter4 waved him over to where they stood, swords poised and ready for battle as they shielded themselves in case of a new barrage of attacks, the Red King approached what he presumed was the leader of the squad, a scowl deeply marred onto his face. "What's going on?"
"Our latest status report is that we have been infiltrated, a mass of people have gathered outside of the building, all claiming to be members of Jungle who are here on a mission to wipe us out. There's a large number of higher ranking clansmen, most U-ranks, but there are two N-ranks here as well. We believe their ultimate goal is to retrieve information on Mihashira Tower and the Dresden Slate. The Captain is twenty minutes out."
"I see," Suoh mumbled with a frown, "your third in command is out cold and your Lieutenant is still not here, I've sent one of mine to retrieve her, who's in charge at the moment?"
"That would be you, sir, Captain's orders."
Now that surprised the Third King.
"So he dumped this responsibility on me until Awashima shows?" He mumbled as he surveyed his surroundings, looking for any signs of Jungle in the building though he couldn't see any besides the wreckage they had already left in their wake.
"No, sir. He said to follow your orders until he gets back, he told us to put our faith in you and do whatever you say without question."
Shit. I don't come up with plans, he thought as he grit his teeth, wishing Izumo, his strategist, would come back already. "I'll deal with Jungle's clansmen, I don't care how many there are it shouldn't be a problem for me. I want you all to stay here and protect the building and everyone in it at all costs, secure the perimeter as best as you can and I'll work on taking them out."
"Sir, with all due respect there are so many clansmen that we would feel we were being useless should we not help in this fight," the leader of the unit squawked, clearly nervous at the thought of opposing the infamous Red King, much to his surprise the leader of HOMRA smiled and clasped a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about fighting, just keep everyone safe and sound til Munakata get's back, fighting is my specialty, I'm sure you know that."
"Sir."
Mikoto broke the contact as he walked towards the thick front doors, if they're out there I might as well make a scene, he thought as his Aura activated, bursting the door into nothing but ash as he stepped outside, a large crowd had indeed gathered in the front yard but it was dead silent when he came to stand in front of the masses. The blues quickly filled in the gap left by the door, a blue barrier protecting themselves and the building from further harm.
"Holy shit, it's Suoh Mikoto! He's worth 100,000 Jungle points!" Someone in the front of the crowd screamed as he held up his phone for confirmation, a small round of cheers broke out but Suoh was click to silence them, his Aura ripped a line through the crowd, sending a good number of people flying backwards so he could clear himself a walkway to the back, where he presumed the higher ranking clansmen would be. An air of fear swept over the group of people as he stalked through their numbers, his Aura pulsated around him, flames licking the soles of his feet as he made his way to the center of the crowd, where he paused.
"If you want to escape unharmed I suggest you leave now," he growled loudly enough for everyone to hear, confusion broke out amongst the people but none turned to leave, "this is your one and only warning."
No one made a move.
"Suit yourself," he mumbled under his breath, the Red Aura at his feet flared, sending shock waves throughout the immediate vicinity as he cut through the crowds like a knife going through butter. He felt no remorse as he sent people flying through the air, they had asked for this, he had given them a chance to flee and they had been bold enough to defy it, it was only natural that they suffered the consequences because of it. His Sword of Damocles finally pierced through the sky, it looked almost new again, he thought. Minus the few cracks that littered the bottom half, the red dragon-like scales that had once wrapped around the hilt were back and the color of blood, the red gem in the center shone blindingly, rivaling the sun in heat.
"I thought he was running out of time," someone he pushed back mumbled, in awe that the Red King was in fact, better than ever, not on the verge of death.
"Shit, he's a monster! We're no match for him!" A man in a mask that looked almost like a motorcycle helmet screeched as he pulled himself to his feet, "everyone fall back!" Mikoto sighed.
"Is there anyone here that can at least provide me with a decent challenge? Don't tell me this is all you've got," he smirked, eyes searching the quickly evaporating crowd, if any of the higher ranking clansmen were around he did not see him. With a deep breath he continued his effortless work, pushing back the Green Clan until there was absolutely no one left in the vicinity. Hundreds of people had shown up and not a single on could even lay a finger on him, he was incredibly disappointed.
"Red King, we've secured the outer perimeter!" Mikoto turned back, eyes locking onto the leader of the unit he put in charge of defense which now had Seri and and Izumo in it as well, he bit his lip as he began to re-approach the building.
"That was too easy," he mumbled to himself, something still not sitting right with him as he made it to the bottom of the outer staircase.
"You were amazing, you were right about the combat, we would have only gotten in your way," the leader of the unit said, much to this dismay of Awashima who grit her teeth at the other person's words.
"Ah, Izu-"
"Mikoto, look out!"
Suoh whipped his head around his quickly as he could, expecting someone to be standing behind him but to his shock he felt someone's arms wrap around his feet, with wide eyes he glanced down at the person who had a hold on him.
"Got you now, Red King."
"Why you..." he hissed, immediately recognizing the woman at his feet as the same woman he had bought flowers from the day before, Nagare's words rang dully in his head. Red King, you really do need to be more careful, you can't just share your personal information with everyone.... He felt rage course inside him, draining every ounce of self control he had he let his Aura swell around him but by the time he did that the hands were gone, his guard didn't falter. "Where the hell did you g-?"
Instinct kicked in, the gasps he heard coming from Izumo and the others were an after thought as he twisted his body around just in time to see the woman appear in front of him, a knife coiled into her hand. She was fast, much faster than he could ever be but his Aura took over him, the very instinct that dictated whether fight or flight was necessary seemed to forget that fleeing was an option. He didn't see the chance to run, he saw the knife less than a foot away from his heart, saw her arms tilt up as she angled it at the organ that gave him life, there was no other person in his mind at that moment. Only one thought ran through his head, it's you or her.
He let go, let his Aura act on it's own as it defended it's wielder with every bit of it's power, he didn't remember the flames wrapping around his hand nor did he remember throwing his fist forward but it had happened so quickly he hadn't had time to think about what was going on. It was inhumanely fast, it was faster than the eye could see, the only thing he felt was his hand rip through her chest, the only thing he could hear was the clutter of the knife on the pavement beneath them, everything else was silent.
When he locked his eyes with the woman's he saw the light behind them begin to fade, blood seeped out of the corners of her mouth as her body twitched, his arm was still buried into her ribcage, refusing to move. "You...ba-bastard..." she croaked but the words were so quiet that they sounded fainter than a whisper, he felt his Aura retreat as he desperately kicked outward, her body flying back several feet as his hand sprung free from her chest, he didn't need to see the aftermath. All he could do was stare down at his blood stained hand, but even the blood began to peel off and disintegrate, his Aura tried to sooth him.
It's okay, you did what you had to do it practically called to him, but the shock of what he had just done refused to fade away, even when all the blood was gone and the life force left the woman's body he didn't stop staring down at his hand, eyes wide in realization and horror. I just killed someone.
Mikoto was a lot of things, but a murderer had never been one of them. He enjoyed violence, he lived for it at times, conflict had always been the one thing that gave him solace but this...this was something he never wanted to do.
"Mikoto?" He shook his head, hand coming up to clutch the right side of his face as he stared at his Sword of Damocles, his eyes widened even further when he noticed one of the cracks in the bottom had become larger, though it still looked a thousand times better than it had he knew what that crack meant, that crack was another burden. "Mikoto?"
He looked around at his surroundings, noticing the way pillars and fountains lay crumbled around him, his very own path of destruction, it was then that it dawned on him. I've seen this before, he thought to himself, shaking his head to try and pinpoint where exactly this image had come to him. This was in that dream I had, this was in Anna's vision, he paled at the thought, thinking of what came next in the sequence. It had been Tatara's death, prevented that, then it was what he had just done, wish I could've stopped this, and next had been...Anna. Her words rung in his head, "Mikoto, don't go! Please!" His already widened eyes shook in realization.
Shit.
Though he was in no immediate danger he knew what that meant, this new burden he had taken on would not just be another crack in his Sword of Damocles, though he didn't know what significance it would have on his life now that he wasn't in bad health, now that his Sword of Damocles was looking good again. He balled the hand that wasn't clutched to his face into a fist.
"Mikoto?"
Someone was calling for him but he didn't have the capacity to register it, it sounded like nothing more than a faint call carried by the wind to him. It wasn't until something warm came over him that he managed to snap himself out of his revere, Izumo was holding him to his chest, a hand on his back and another wrapped around his wrist as he tried to pull the Red King's hand away from his face, Mikoto reluctantly dropped it, blinking several times to continue to clear his head. "I..."
"You didn't have a choice, Mikoto. You're okay, just calm down."
Calm down? He shook his head at the thought, even his Aura was pleading with him to stop, but he felt so tense that the only thing he could do was stand like a statue in his best friend's arms. "He's in shock, we need to get him medical attention." Someone else mumbled and for a moment it sounded like Reisi's voice but Suoh refused to check, "no, I'm taking him to see the others, we're free to go, yes?"
"Yes, thanks for the help, we will clean up here. Please make arrangements to come back here as soon as things have settled," Suoh blinked, that was definitely Munakata but there was a strange tone in his voice, one that sounded like he was actually worried.
"C'mon Mikoto, we're gonna go see Yata, okay? They've admitted him to the hospital, Tatara texted me when I went off looking for Seri," Izumo led him down the broken apart walkway slowly, uneasy steps were the only thing Mikoto felt capable of doing, his Aura retreated from him, his Sword of Damocles disappeared into the sky with nothing but a snowfall of red crystals left in it's wake. "You want to go see him, right?"
More than anything, he wanted to say but instead he just nodded his head, eyes refusing to return to a normal glance, shock, you're just in shock,he tried to tell himself but even he found it hard to believe.
"Anna's there too, I'm sure you have her really worried right now."
Anna, do you feel this too?
"C'mon Mikoto, let's go, okay?" Izumo smiled as they finally got to the van he had used to get to the Blue's headquarters, it took everything the Red King had to just nod his head as he allowed his best friend to help him into their clan's vehicle.
"Izumo..." he croaked out as the blond hopped into the driver's seat, he looked over at the Red King with a reassuring look, "don't worry, everything's gonna be okay. It'll all work out in the end, right?" Tatara's words stung the fresh wounds in his heart. He finally managed to close his eyes.
"Ah."
But what if everything doesn't work out the way we want it too? He thought as he leaned back into the passenger's seat, his body shook no matter how hard he tried to will it away. Is my death...unpreventable?
Mikoto wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to that question.