Reconstruction

By: Aviantei

Chapter Sixteen

Restriction II

In accordance with the seven Kings whose powers arose from the influence of the Dresden Slate, there could be a total of seven active Clans. In the aftermath of the Ashinaka Gakuen incident, the numbers fell short of that complete set, with the Silver, Red, and Colorless Clans technically inactive, though the third and red Clan HOMRA hadn't come anywhere close to disbanding. The remaining four Clans were as follows:

The second and Gold, Timeless Palace.

The fourth and Blue, SCEPTER4.

The fifth and Green, Yggdrasil.

And the sixth and Black, Níðhöggr.

Timeless Palace and SCEPTER4 were those directly connected to the government. Technically, the Silver King also had a similar influence, but that had scattered with the disappearance of their King, Adolf K. Weismann. HOMRA was much more of an independent entity with no other motives than protecting their turf and clansmen. Yggdrasil also operated as an independent entity, albeit with a bit more financial power behind their operations.

They shared that much with Níðhöggr.

What set the two apart were their motivations.

One sought to gather numbers and knowledge, to form connections like their namesake.

The other—

Zenjō Gōki felt it the moment that the aura slipped over him. It started as nothing more than a shiver, like the kind that would come after sudden contact with a cold spot in the air. But it was much more sinister, and Gōki could almost feel himself grow weaker as his power leaked away, no longer at his command. Whenever he tried to summon his aura, he could feel it attempt to rise up, only to bash into an invisible barrier that prevented it from manifesting in the real world.

Compared to that, the vague sting of the shallow wound that had sliced through his uniform and send blood trickling down his arm was nothing.

"There," the Black Clan—had to be Black Clan, of fucking course—man said, flicking the blood off his blade to scatter across the ground. Gōki locked his eyes on his opponent, not letting himself get distracted by the flourish. "I'd say this is much more of a fair fight for us, wouldn't you agree?"

If I had to guess, this guy got to the rest of the unit, too. They'd be fighting otherwise. And, sure, the SCEPTER4 members nearby had their swords drawn, but it was obvious that most of them felt too afraid to enter a battle with an opposing Clansman without their auras to back them up. Nezuto stood on the sidelines, a familiar focus on his face as he tried to come up with a plan. Which means it's my job to stop this troublemaker from causing too much trouble until he figures something out.

It was so much like old times that the trepidation of having his aura sealed felt paltry in comparison.

Gōki got back into position and stared the Black Clan member down with an intensity he often reserved for scaring the shit out of new SCEPTER4 recruits during their swordsmanship lessons. "Bold of you to think that this handicap is anywhere close to putting us on the same—level!"

And without no other warning than the fact that he'd moved, Gōki started their battle anew.

Hitomi had planned to head into the chaos, guns blazing if she had to. By her estimations, it would just take one good charge across the street, and then the hard part would be finding a way into the hospital and tracking down Urumana—and even that seemed like less of a challenge than rendezvousing with Eri when all was said and done.

In reality, the intensity on the street before her told her that this was something she did not want to fuck with.

Not a lot of things make me want to turn tail and run for it…but, well, yeah.

The Saru kid they'd fought before had been a real piece of work, and he fought with an undeniable malice inside him. It was disconcerting, sure, but Hitomi hadn't been scared by it. This…whatever the hell word worked best for the conflict in front of her was way more overwhelming, and the animosity wasn't even directed at her.

"Fuck," she said, plain and simple.

"You said it," Misaki said, all his usual bluster gone.

Seeing two opposing swordsmen fight was something Hitomi hadn't been able to watch in person much, but even she could tell this conflict was impressive. The man in the black coat executed each move with a finesse and grace that didn't do anything to make it any less deadly—and just looking at him made Hitomi's stomach twist in nausea. The SCEPTER4 officer engaged in combat gave Hitomi a similar reaction, albeit for different reasons.

Zenjō Gōki, the officer responsible for tearing Hitomi's life apart at the seams.

And I wanted to go pick a fight with him? she thought, almost laughing at the idea. Though his empty sleeve fluttered behind him with every move he made, his sword strikes had plenty of power behind them, even without any trace of blue from his aura present. He would have cut me down without even needing to try. Helplessness clung to her tight enough that Hitomi could feel herself starting to tremble.

"Hey. Over there." Misaki's words snapped Hitomi back to reality, and she followed his point to see Urumana standing on the sidelines of the conflict, close to the hospital's doors. Unlike a sane person, he wasn't running away from the battle erupting in front of him, though he looked like a single blow from Zenjō would be enough to snap him in two.

Hitomi found herself craving a cigarette that she didn't have anywhere near enough time to smoke. "What the hell is he doing? Wasn't the whole point of sending him that SCEPTER4 wouldn't notice him? And he's just standing around like it's no big deal!" She tugged on her hair, not hard enough to pull the strands out by the roots, but with enough force to upset her gel job from the morning.

"Hell if I know," Misaki said, "but we can't just leave the Uru-dude there in the middle of this." He turned, looking over the state of the street. "Come on! The Blues are all distracted with either fighting or getting people out of the way, so we can get across if we bolt for it."

Hitomi was more than glad for an action to take, and she followed close behind Misaki as they dashed across the cracked pavement, though she kept her guard up the whole time. No one decided that they were worth the effort to stop, Zenjō and Black Coat fighting with such intensity that it was a wonder that Hitomi didn't just give up on the spot. Still, the duo made it to the hospital's front unscathed, and Hitomi switched gears to snatch Urumana and get the hell out of there before things could escalate any further.

"Urumana, come on," Hitomi said, snatching onto the man's wrist as soon as she was in range. Urumana blinked once, looking at her with a near disbelieving expression. Hitomi resisted the urge to smack him, instead yanking on his arm. "Whatever info we might have found about that Strain is way less important than getting out of here in one piece."

"Yeah, we don't want to get caught up in that," Misaki said, his bat in a ready stance on the chance that someone got close. "Hayatama's already gotten out of here safe."

"And you all were worried about me," Urumana said, with the faintest of lilts that made the idea sound like it was amusing or something. Hitomi decided he had one minute left before she clocked him unconscious and dragged him to safety. "You don't need to do that. There's still things I need to take care of." Hitomi and Misaki both started to protest, but they both fell silent as they followed Urumana's gaze to the two fighting, Black Coat's sword coated with—

"Black…?" Misaki said, sounding stunned.

"The Sixth Clan, Níðhöggr," Urumana said, the syllables forming a mess of a word that sent a shiver down Hitomi's spine. "If they're here, if they're involved in all this—then there's something way bigger going on than your missing family member, Hitomi-chan. No offense intended of course."

Hitomi shook her head, not offended in the slightest. There was only so much she understood about the Clans and their Kings, but even she could tell that that aura wasn't something she wanted to mess with at all. She snapped back to her senses. "If things are that messy, then that's all the more reason to leave! There's no reason for you to get caught up in some giant Clan conflict that has nothing to do with you!"

When Urumana laughed, Hitomi drew back a fist, but she stilled when he held up his hands in surrender—though restraining herself was becoming all the more difficult by the second. "Sorry, sorry. It's been an interesting day. But let me put it like this: Part of my work as a guide involves knowing what's what around this city so I can do my job—and that includes knowing what all's going on with the Clans. I can't let something like this go."

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

"No, I won't," Urumana said with what felt like an unearned confidence. Still, Hitomi believed him. "I'm not saying I'm not at risk. I could very well get hurt. But I know I won't die here. It's not time for that." Hitomi almost said, What the hell's that supposed to mean, but the words died out in her throat before they could even form on her tongue. Urumana pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "And if nothing else, there's a hospital right behind us. They'll patch me up."

"You're out of your goddamn mind."

"Maybe." Taking advantage of Hitomi's slacked grip, Urumana pulled his wrist free and took a step back. "Yatagarasu-kun, is there any chance I could ask you to take Hitomi-chan out of here to safety?"

"No way in hell." Misaki's refusal was curt and to the point—and Hitomi was relieved. There wasn't any way that she could see herself holding Misaki off without completely dismissing the signed warning Eri had given her before they split up. "You think you have a reason to know what's happening with the Clans, Uru-dude? Well I'm in one, so my reason's better than yours. So if you're sticking around, I am, too!"

Well, if we all die, at least we'll die together.

Urumana let out another laugh. "Well, I guess you have a point there, Yatagarasu-kun," he said. "At this rate, what's going on is going to concern all of us, one way or another." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened again, the grey color seemed to almost be sparkling. "Alright. The best way to get good info out of this situation is going to be catching someone who can tell us what we need to know. I have a plan, but it's going to be a bit risky. Hitomi-chan, Yatagarasu-kun, will you hear me out?"

Mishakuji Yukari was a man who appreciated the more elegant and beautiful things in life—but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate a good battle. That said, he did often wish that his opponents had a touch more class to them at times, to make the battle a more beautiful affair. As skilled as he was, there was only so much of that work he could cover on his own.

I know that isn't the point of this fight, but that's still not a good excuse to not put on a show! "Come on, now," Yukari said, redirecting Zenjō's next sword swing so it didn't cut right through his torso. "You're much better than that, aren't you, Zenjō-chan? Or is that the best you can pull off without that aura of yours to back you up?"

Zenjō scoffed, not faltering in the slightest, though he was at a fraction of his full battle capacity. Though it took a decent chunk of energy to maintain an aura seal on multiple Clansmen at once, the fact that the Black aura even had such an ability in the first place could tip the tides in most battles—and Zenjō had to be feeling the effects. "What about you?" he asked, an unrelenting grin persisting on his face. "You only able to challenge me when I'm at half strength? No wonder you Black Clan flunkies stay hidden all the time."

He was trying to get under Yukari's skin by insulting his and his new Clan's pride, but Yukari wasn't about to let that work. "If all you've got is trash talk, then maybe it's a good thing you're not on the front lines anymore, Zenjō-chan!"

With a dexterous movement, Yukari scored a deep cut straight through Zenjō's uniform leg, and another line of blood slipped into the world. Zenjō stumbled a bit, his retaliating strike coming back just a second too late, and Yukari aimed his next strike for the man's throat.

"Over here, asshole!"

The unexpected shout caught Yukari off guard, and he barely had the time to reinforce his blade with his Colorless aura before blocking the incoming skateboard and its rider. The flash of red made it clear that the new opponent was a member of HOMRA, adding another unexpected thorn to his side. The boy with the nickname of Yatagarasu gave a cocky grin before kicking off on his board, rolling forward with his bat in hand, also cloaked in red.

Not for long, though.

"Goodness, aren't I popular today?" Yukari said, sidestepping Yatagarasu's charge. With a pulse of will, Yukari reached out with his Colorless aura, yanking the boy back towards him. As soon as he was in range, Yukari's Black aura-coated blade split blood, the power negating the Yatagarasu's own ability. The boy must've felt it, too, because he gasped in a sound that wasn't quite pain. "Though a member of HOMRA helping out SCEPTER4? I can't say that I'd have ever expected something like that right now. You wouldn't be running off and forming an alliance, now would you?"

Yatagarasu spat, the globule of spit making an unpleasant noise as it smacked into the concrete. "As if. Hell, I'd like to help you knock the Blues into the concrete myself." He adjusted his bat, pointing the end straight at Yukari. "But putting that aside, you're in the way of somethin' I gotta take care of, so I'll settle for kicking you around instead!"

"Oh, I'd like to see you try Yatagarasu-chan."

The Yatagarasu didn't disappoint, nimble as he navigated his skateboard and rushed forward once more. Yukari met his weapon with his own sword, the two clashing together. With Yukari still having his aura to work with, it wasn't a fair collision in the slightest, but Zenjō was still a contender, and he swooped into the conflict as well, making for a two-on-one situation that wasn't in Yukari's favor. He pushed off Yatagarasu's bat and jumped backwards to get out of the way of Zenjō's blow, though the blade still tore a hole in Yukari's jacket, much to his disdain. He geared up for a counterattack, focusing more of his energy on his Colorless aura to give himself an extra offensive option to even the scales.

"Surprise."

The blow to his back was unexpected enough that Yukari stumbled, though he twisted around in the air to see who'd landed the blow. It was some girl, with her dyed hair beginning to show at the roots and enough piercings to make her face almost sparkle in the right angle of light. She followed up on her opening strike with a downward punch that slammed, neat and painful, into Yukari's gut, and he coughed despite himself as he collided with the concrete. Snarling, Yukari grabbed onto the girl's arm, not even bothering to focus his Black aura on his blade as he went to seal whatever powers she may have as well before throwing her away to the side, not even bothering to watch her roll as he pulled himself to hit feet.

Zenjō and Yatagarasu didn't let the opportunity pass, though, both of them approaching from different angles to strike. Yukari extended his Colorless aura, the appendage sweeping across the field and knocking both of them back, with a few of the other SCEPTER4 members on the sidelines also getting caught up in the assault. Yukari was starting to breathe heavy, though it wasn't like Zenjō wasn't worn down, either. Still, we're not done yet…

Steeling his resolve further, Yukari chose to focus on Zenjō, who was no doubt the biggest threat. Yukari didn't anticipate getting out of this fight unscathed, but it wasn't like he was aiming for a perfect victory, either. Zenjō and Yukari's swords clashed once more, with Yukari using his Colorless aura to keep anyone who attempted to interfere, though it was a bit of a juggling match with Yatagarasu and the punk girl running around so much, making nuisances of themselves.

And then a blast of fire that shouldn't exist ripped across the street, blowing Yukari back. He managed to flip over and land on his feet, though the vibration of his landing sent tremors up his legs.

"We'd appreciate it if you left our precious subordinates unharmed, you know."

The fresh arrivals were two figures of opposing factions. HOMRA's new de facto leader, Kusanagi Izumo was to the front, his arm extended with a lighter ready to click. At his side stood SCEPTER4's second in command, Lieutenant Awashima Seri, a stern expression on her face and her hand resting on the hilt of her still sheathed saber.

"Awashima," she said, her voice snapping across the air with a coldness that even Yukari had to shudder at, "emergency draw."

And Izumo's lips split open to reveal his teeth in a grin no less ferocious. "No blood, no bone, no ash."

[Author's Notes]

This chap was supposed to post earlier this week to celebrate this fic's anniversary, but it didn't happen due to me spacing out on vacation. May you accept it now. Happy eight year anniversary, Recon.

More chapters hopefully coming starting in summer as I get my ducks in a row over here. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[03.20.2021]