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Chapter 4: Innocuous Moments

There was something to be said about having a very low level of power. Being a scalpel to everybody else's bomb definitely had it's advantages when you needed to delicately 'extract' information.

"Okay! We have the address!" Izumo told Mikoto cheerfully, sticking his head around the door.

The flicker of an eyelid was the only acknowledgement he got. Mikoto was lying on his back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, he'd been there for a while now and if he stayed there any longer mushrooms were going to start growing on him.

Shelving that problem for later, Izumo headed towards the others. Bando and Kouske, two of HOMRA's longest-running members both smiled at him, as did several of the others. Masaomi Dewa and You Chitose, a young pair who weren't actually members of HOMRA -yet- but were considered part of the gang regardless, both watched him quietly with two very different sets of brown eyes. Chitose, the male half of the pair, seemed more eager but Izumo got the feeling Dewa was evaluating them as much as they were evaluating her.

"How did you get the information?" A quiet question after the others had started to head out.

Izumo held Masaomi's darker gaze with his own. "Totsuka and I tortured it out of him."

A flicker of surprise on Masaomi's pale face before she schooled it back into impassivity, he'd shocked her but whether she was surprised by his actions, Totsuka's involvement, or just his honesty, Izumo couldn't say. He was closer to Masaomi than anyone in HOMRA except Bando and Chitose but with someone so closed off, that meant nothing. He still didn't know her very well.

"Does that bother you?" He asked.

Dewa raised an eyebrow, "does it look like that bothers me?"

A smile pulled up the edge of Izumo's mouth, she was alright, that Masaomi.

Totsuka, who had been seated on the couch, recuperating as even that small use of power left her winded, smiled at him as Dewa walked past them.

She stood and Izumo resisted the urge to tell her she should just wait here with Mikoto. When had that ever worked?

"You ready?" He asked instead.

Totsuka smiled at him and nodded, "c'mon! Let's go play punks and gangsters!"

Her enthusiasm for their job, taking down a drug ring, was contagious and Izumo found himself smiling back at her. "How did I get myself into this?" He asked rhetorically, sliding his hands into his coat pockets.

Tatara laughed. "No use asking that, it's too late to back out now."

They left together, the silence that fell between them comfortable. Not only were the two genuinely the closest of friends in their own right, even without Mikoto, they were more than comfortable working together in a 'professional' sense too. Totsuka jokingly called them the 'good cop, bad cop' of HOMRA. Kusanagi, much less jokingly, called them the 'bad cop, worse cop' of HOMRA. Both of them always declined to explain which one of them was which.

"Hey King, we're back."

After the members of HOMRA returned from busting up the drug ring, Tatara popped her head around Mikoto's door in much the same way Izumo had earlier. He was still lying on his back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

"Don't you think you've been there long enough?" Moving into the room, she set her phone down on the arm of the couch by Mikoto's and turned to look at him.

A disinterested grunt was her only response, Mikoto's eyes staring listlessly at the ceiling. There were bags under his eyes like he hadn't been sleeping which was odd because he'd been lying on that couch for at least all of today. He'd been on there since before Tatara had woken up and he'd looked just as sleep-deprived then as he did now.

This wasn't terrifically unusual for Mikoto Suoh so Totsuka hadn't been worried then but she was beginning to be now.

"Are you feeling alright Mikoto?" She touched the back of her hand to his cheek.

Holy Hell!

Tatara yanked her hand back. His cheek hadn't been warm, it had been hot. Not enough to hurt her, but definitely noticeable. And yet, this didn't seem to be due to use of his sanctum, his power wasn't active. But aside from the not-all-that-unusual lethargy, he didn't seem to be actually sick either. "King you're burning up!"

Mikoto'd had one of his arms flung over his forehead, shading his eyes, but he moved it to hold eye contact with her. His golden eyes pinned her to the spot and Tatara's heart slammed in her chest with… something. It wasn't fear, exactly, she knew Mikoto would never hurt her, but it wasn't good either.

"Would that be so bad?" Mikoto asked quietly, "burning up?"

Uhhhh…

Uhhhhhhhhhhh…

"Uh…" Said Totsuka blankly, this was bad, wasn't it? "Is that a no?" It didn't seem like Mikoto was feeling okay.

Mikoto moved his hand over his eyes, breaking their eye-contact. Only when the air whooshed out of her did Tatara realise she'd been holding her breath.

"M'fine."

The crater. He'd been dreaming about the crater again. Though he'd never actually seen it himself, Mikoto had been dreaming about the Kagutsu Crater since before he knew what it was. After he became the next Red King the dreams had increased in frequency but lately another change was happening in them.

The Red King, laughing mad, his eyes burning red flames in a face filled with dagger-like teeth, red cuts scoured his skin like rivers of lava as his power burnt him up from the inside. Then his sword fell, killing him. And everyone else.

That part of the dream was the same as always. But now the King that killed everyone around him while they were helpless to do anything about it wasn't Genji Kagutsu. It was Mikoto himself.

That part wasn't so bad. A dream was just a dream. The part that worried Mikoto was that a part of him liked the idea.

He was the king of Destruction. Violence was who he was. So if he was going to burn up he might as well really go for it.

Right?

Tatara couldn't see Mikoto's eyes but a tiny smile played over his lips. That smile did not make her feel confident.

"King…" She whispered but Mikoto didn't respond to her.

Okay, Totsuka knew when to fold 'em. She needed stronger firepower-no pun intended.
She found Izumo and pointed at Mikoto's open door where their King, their friend, was still lying immobile on the couch, dreaming of burning everything.

"Your turn."

The blond glanced at Mikoto out of the corner of his eye and nodded. "Got it."

He walked into the room and strode around the couch, eyeing Mikoto distastefully for a second before kicking the couch over, sending Mikoto sprawling on the ground, the couch half over him. "Get the Hell up. You're worrying Totsuka. Plus, you smell."

This hadn't been totally what Tatara'd had in mind when she'd gotten Izumo but okay, whatever worked.

Tired golden eyes flicked from Izumo to Tatara and back again, "sorry." He was looking at Izumo when he said it, not Tatara, aware that Izumo was just as worried about him, even if he had a funny way of showing it.

Suoh righted the couch and walked into the bathroom, touching Totsuka's shoulder as he passed her. A minute later the shower started running.

Both Totsuka and Izumo breathed a quiet sigh of relief and then glanced at each other guiltily. "It's alright, he'll be fine." Said Kusanagi, somewhat unconvincingly.

"Right," agreed Totsuka a little more believably. Mikoto would be fine. They'd make sure of it.

Totsuka showered after Mikoto, wiping off the inevitable grime of a long day interrogating a man, busting up a drug ring and dealing with her King/boyfriend who'd apparently decided he wasn't so against world-destruction after all.

Okay, that was being a bit dramatic. Probably.

Totsuka stepped out of the shower and began toweling herself off. When she was done she reached for the clean shirt she'd brought in with her and stopped, she'd accidentally picked up one of Mikoto's t-shirts instead of her own.

Tatara bit her lip to muffle her laughter. It might be cliché, but was cliché so bad if it made her happy?

Wearing only her boyfriend's shirt and her underwear, she left the bathroom. Nothing had happened, Mikoto had put the cushions back on the couch but he was was no longer lying there staring at the ceiling. Now he was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling instead. Feeling pretty tired herself, aside from everything else, the hour was pretty late, Tatara crawled onto the bed next to him, her back against the wall and started playing on her phone. Mikoto shut his eyes, he could smell her shampoo, she smelled good. Her skin was warm, soft.

"Don't you hate violence?"

"Hmm?" Looking up from her phone at his voice, Tatara considered the sudden question before shaking her head, "no. Not really. I don't think violence is ever going to be my first choice, but I don't hate violence. Why are you asking me this now?"

Because she wasn't suited for them. For their hard violence. Mikoto knew that, had always known that, but the last few days had really drummed into him that she wasn't suited for him.

"You know that isn't why I'm here. I'm here because I want to be. It doesn't matter if I'm suited for any of this. I'm staying."

Tatara and her fucking ability to read Mikoto's mind. It wasn't even weird any more, he was accustomed to it. That was weird.

Fire danced over his skin. Knowing what he was thinking wouldn't save her if he burned-

Totsuka swatted his arm, the flames extinguished themselves immediately. "Stop that!"

"Sorry." Suoh couldn't help but smile, she always made him feel better. "It's the same for me too, you know." He didn't love her because it was safe for him to love her, because she was -probably- safe from his power. She was safe from his power because he loved her.

Or something like that anyway. She'd been all but immune to his powers since the beginning and he hadn't been in love with her back then.

Probably.

It was best not to overthink these things.

Tatara ran a hand over Mikoto's hair, "I love you too."

It felt like there was fire in Mikoto's veins again and this time it had nothing to do with his sanctum. Neither of them had ever actually said 'I love you' before and now Tatara was acting like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Smiling wider, Mikoto rolled onto his side to face her, putting an arm over her legs, his hand falling to the bare skin on her thigh.

Wait. What the-

Opening his eyes, Mikoto looked at her. Tatara was wearing one of his shirts, a white tee, the material hitting her mid thigh and gaping at the neck as Mikoto was not only taller than her, he was considerably broader. She shifted and the shirt rode up her slender legs.

What the f-

Feeling Mikoto tense beside her, Totsuka glanced down again, just in time to see Mikoto's cheeks turn the exact same colour as his hair.

Tatara frowned at him what was up with him? Was he embarrassed because she'd said 'I love you,' she really hadn't thought it was that big a deal. Was his power affecting him. Was he really sick or something?

"King, you okay?" She asked, moving her hand back to Mikoto's head, she brushed a few locks of hair back and felt his forehead. He was very warm, but Mikoto was always very warm so this told her exactly nothing. However, the movement made Mikoto's shirt ride up even further on her thighs.

Mikoto rolled over the other way, stupid sexy girlfriend! If his face caught fire now it would have nothing to do with his sanctum and how the fuck would he explain that to Izumo?

He he grabbed a pillow and threw at Tatara hard enough to almost bowl her off the bed. "Shut it and go to sleep."

He rolled onto his stomach and pressed his burning face into another pillow. Tatara blinked at him innocently.

Was it something she'd said?

Sometimes you don't know how important a person or event will be until much later.

When those 'two dumb kids' (Izumo's words); Misaki Yata and Saruhiko Fushimi joined HOMRA, Totsuka was happy and tried to ensure the two settled in well, as was her unofficial job, but she didn't think too much about them.

When Yata took to being a member like a duck to water and Fushimi hung further and further back, Totsuka didn't worry about it, that was just their personalities.

When Fushimi's put-out sighs and resentful glances grew more and more frequent, as did Yata's troubled frowns, Totsuka still didn't think much of it.

When Mikoto used a lot of power and Yata took a step forward while Fushimi took a step back, Totsuka just assumed she would have enough time to help them sort things out.

That was her mistake.

And then Miss Honami's niece Anna tried to run away from home. She'd barely gotten out the front door when she was almost grabbed by someone wearing the uniform of the Blue King. The Blue King who had died in the Kagutsu Crater.

The first time they'd met Anna, Tatara had voiced the possibility that the girl was a Strain and they'd been keeping an eye on her ever since. Luckily, Kamamoto and Yata had been watching the house and Yata, seeing an adult grab the little girl, had promptly lost her damn mind on the Blue. For once Izumo totally agreed with Yata's punch-first-ask-questions-never style of living.

Anna refused to answer anyone's questions as to why she'd tried to run away. She was a sickly little girl -apparently- and Izumo, Tatara and Mikoto had already guessed that the hospital Anna went to was actually a training centre run by the Second and Gold King to teach Strains to use their powers. But that sounded almost benevolent. Anna trying to run away and almost being apprehended by a Blue Clansman put a much more sinister spin on things.

So Anna was definitely a Strain. But aside from that, they had no answers.

A worried Izumo moved both Honami and Anna, when she wasn't at the 'hospital' into the bar with them and Anna Kushina became a regular fixture in their lives… When she wasn't at the 'hospital.'

They tried everything. Totsuka showed Anna her own powers, they told her that they knew about Anna's powers, Kusanagi swore that if Anna didn't want to go back to the Strain facility they would make sure she didn't have to. But the little girl was firm.

"I'm going back."

And Anna seemed to withdraw further and further into herself with every passing day.
They had to do something and they had to do it soon.

What Totsuka couldn't figure out was why the Gold and Blue Clans were so Hell-bent on keeping the little girl. They had a few more *ahem* conversations with various high-ranking Clansmen from both Clans and they were determined to keep Anna. Totsuka didn't understand it; the little girl wasn't dangerous and while her powers were useful, certainly, they were nothing worth fighting the Red Clan over, especially as Strains with similar powers were hardly uncommon.

Which meant they wanted Anna for something else and that worried HOMRA. That worried HOMRA a lot.

Eventually Totsuka got Anna to tell her, indirectly, what the Gold and Blue Clans wanted her so badly for.

"I'm going to become the Blue King."

"Why would you want to become a King?"

"Because I can see the Slate."

"Is that what you want?" "You shouldn't become a King unless you want to." Totsuka's eyes were on Mikoto, not Anna, as she said that.

It turned out the Gold Clan had been threatening Honami to make Anna co-operate. Not the whole Gold Clan, just a splinter faction playing God with Strains and using the remaining Clansmen of the old Blue King as lackeys and muscle boys.

Now, the logical thing to do was probably just tell the Gold King or one of his higher-ups and have Timeless Palace sort their own shit out for once.

But that wasn't what HOMRA did.

These people had hurt a little girl. They'd hurt someone they cared about, and threatened another. They were torturing people because they believed it was their right to do so, trying to make them stronger. Trying to make them into Kings.

Which was totally fine, sure, absolutely. They were members of the Gold Clan so they had the right to lord themselves over everyone else. Totally.

Just like it was their right as members of the Red Clan to burn things until neither blood, nor bone, nor ash remained. That was how it worked, right? :)

So they broke into the place, rescued Anna, and Mikoto put the fear of God into some people.

Well, maybe not God, but he definitely put the fear of something into them. Yata and Fushimi, who'd been on the rocks, worked together to defeat the members of the Blue Clan who tried to stop them and Mikoto made Anna his clansman.

Now if the Gold Clan touched her Mikoto would be within his rights to consider it a declaration of war from the Gold King.

Naturally, the Gold King was invested in that not happening, so he came down on his 'misbehaving' clansmen even harder than Mikoto.

So Anna was safe.

And in order to protect her, the Usagi wiped Honami Kushina's mind to make her forget she ever had a niece.

So although their victory was complete, it was bittersweet.

"Anna still has a family though," Totsuka said to Kusanagi one night after Anna was asleep, "we'll be her family." Yeah, maybe she was sniffing and wiping her eyes a little, what of it?

Izumo shrugged philosophically, "already got a bunch of kids running around underfoot, what's one more?" He asked rhetorically.

Totsuka smiled, she knew that, for all his moaning and groaning, he'd die for Anna. And Yata, and Fushimi and Kamamoto and all those other 'kids' he complained about.

And her.

So she just smiled and leaned against his shoulder.

It was just a few months after that when they were helping bust up another drug ring that Mikoto stopped suddenly, staring up at the night sky, an odd look on his face.

"King?" Tatara asked from her spot behind him.

Mikoto didn't reply, he just kept staring at the stars.

Actually, he was only staring at one particular star. It was much bigger than the others and much brighter.

And it burned a deep, shining blue.

It didn't take long for them to find out what that was about. The Blue Clan, who had previously been henchmen and errand boys for the Gold Clan, brushed aside by the Red Clan because of their vast difference in power, had a new King.

And done! Next chapter is the last chapter! And since this is a MikoTotsu fic we all know how well this will end :)

I'll see you all in 6-8 business months. If we're lucky.