K 1. Fairy tale

Disclaimer: K anime is not mine. Or else, it will become pron anime instead, LOL. Yeah, be thankful it belongs to GoRa and GoHands.

Note: This chapter is an AU fic where there is no dead character, the Colorless King is still Miwa Ichigen and Mikoto and Reishi are married. Yeah, this is just a cheesy, cheap, short, romance fic that randomly comes into my mind because I feel bored. Don't waste your time reading this if you expect something serious, hahaha. And yeah, thank you VPN to let me login to this website. FINALLY, MUHAHAHA! And at last, this is M/M...so please don't start reading if you have anything against it or if you have weak stomach for it.

Yeah, I make this into a compilation since it's too bothersome to create new story for every short AU fics. This compilation will have lots of AU settings.

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Ever since he is young and world of books enchants him and surrounds him constantly wherever he is, he has zero chemistry toward fairy tale. Or to be exact, he despises it. Even his parents confide him that he should have more dreams as ridiculous as they can be, but he tells them off that fairy tales are stupid in a delicately polite manner and deceiving smile.

When he grows up, Reishi still has not changed his principal toward his genre preference, to his older brother's anxiety. His little brother shows no hint of interest in having one or two crushes throughout his puberty, same gender or not; it is absolutely within normal for him to worry about his baby brother. But Reishi shrugs him off. First of all, he never meets a princess in distress that needs his personal rescue in white horse. He also never feels a blazing passion in thought of someone. And that is how he leads his life right through his adolescence. He even wonders why his family seems to be bothered by his peaceful life, while he worries nothing about it. If anything, he will be worried about his older brother's academic performance, his mother's recklessness in doing house chores, and his father's monotonous work.

The second thing he contemns about fairy tale, it always ends with a happily ever after, that he believes, logically and realistically, nonexistent.

Ironically, when he is an adult, instead of a beautiful princess in her grace, he meets a rogue man with a pair of beautiful golden eyes and soft crimson mane that makes him experiencing something foreign in his world called love. Three years of denial, two years of flirting, one year of being convenient sex partners before they jump right away to a marriage. It takes him long enough to realize what they have now actually depends a lot on Mikoto's patience to wait for him and his inexperience with love is completely hilarious. Surprisingly, the Red King is willing to be dangled in a thin rope for stretching years.

The first time they exchange words of love is on the wedding, as bizarre as it may seem. He does not mind. He dislikes displaying affection as romance still sounds weird in his tongue and Mikoto is always a man of action. Sometimes he has no idea what is going on in Mikoto's head since he speaks less than a bird chirping (Reishi even questions how much vocabulary Mikoto possesses), but he loves puzzles and mysteries, and his husband is the biggest puzzle in his life to crack. It is up to him to read the meaning of every small gesture Mikoto makes. When he is displeased with Reishi being stubborn with his job, his eyebrow furrows close and a frown appears before Mikoto clicks his tongue in annoyance. When the Red King feels like being spoiled, he will keep poking on Reishi's ticklish side until the latter bursts to laughter in strangled voice and forgets whatever has occupied his mind previously. Thus he pets Mikoto's head on his lap as he tries to recall what he has been planning to do before.

He tries to believe it once, that maybe a fairy tale can really happen in reality, no matter how absurd it sounds. He still vividly remembers that day, the day he foolishly attempts to trust his instinct and an illusion called 'happily ever after' and now here he is, pondering if he is making a right decision to be wed to a man.

And the one who is supposed to be his husband, is in front of him, lazing around on the cozy sofa in front of the TV monitor without care of the world, with several cans of beer and coffee littered around near him. He pays no heed toward what Mikoto has been drinking of late. He still cannot find a valid answer as to why his love suddenly develops a habit to drink coffee cans, but today his brain is officially fried and he wants to think about nothing but sleep.

As a King and a Captain of Scepter 4, it is expected of him not to show weakness, and to work 24/7 if required. Blessed with bright mind and talented commanders, the blue-haired captain is always able to complete his job without having to stay overnight in most of cases. However, emergency sometimes comes up in the worst time and Reishi working overtime is not entirely uncommon. But if he has to be honest, constant emergency calls are killing him. (He gets a call one night with a dick stuck up in his ass and certain, demanding king is hovering on top of him with focused expression and a tint of blush. Mikoto does not cooperate with him, of course, pinning him down on the bed as long as he can and prolonging his thrusts so to annoy Reishi and thus he is beyond late for the call to his dismay. He even gains this dirty, knowing look from his rude, second commander and stoic face from his beautiful lieutenant, trying to hide her amusement. It is not difficult for them to put the pieces together and knows the exact reason for him being late. Before a simple silver band attached to his ring finger, negligence is never on his book.)

"Mikoto, I told you to put things where it belongs and throws your own trash." Reishi growls as he pinches his forehead together, trying to suppress a scream or a shout. "Even a kid can do better than you." He has just returned home from an emergency in the middle of the night, caused by a stray strain, and being elusive as he is, the Blue King has no other choice but to humor him and get involved in cat and mouse game up until morning. Without able to catch up with sleep, he continues on with his daily tasks and meetings up until late night. It is understatement to say that he is tired and lack of sleep worsens his headache. As much as he wants to throw himself on the bed and shut the world out, Reishi cannot overlook chaotic environment in his living quarter. Before he realizes it, he already walks in between Mikoto and his TV, picking up the rubbish mindlessly and strolls to nearest bin in the kitchen. Since when he is getting used to be a housewife?

The red head simply sits up on the comfortable sofa to stare at his back with his head propped on his hand and rewards him with a smile, "Welcome home. Took you long enough."

Reishi glances back through his shoulder to throw an annoyed look at him and goes to their bedroom as he loosens his cravat in slow manner to take off his stifling uniform. "Yeah, something comes up."

He is about to unbutton his white shirt when suddenly a pair of hand snakes on his sides and pulls him back against the intruder's chest. Reishi suppresses a chuckle and puts his hands on the arms encircling his chest as he bends and cranes his neck to get a better look on Mikoto. "Miss me?"

The latter does not answer but leaving a fleeting kiss on his lower lip and butterfly kisses on his porcelain nape, sucking and licking the skin gently until he leaves burning red marks. Reishi sighs contentedly, letting himself being immersed in Mikoto's affection. In contrary to his facade, his huge lion is quite cuddly, reserved for the ones he holds close in his heart. When he starts to relax in Mikoto's embrace, the red head man twirls him in his arms to face him and hooks his feet on Reishi's, and in consequence, Reishi nearly squeaks shamelessly as he loses his balance and falls on the bed beside the mahogany wardrobe.

"Mikoto! I told you not to-!" Before he can finish his line, Mikoto has imprisoned him with his arms on both sides of his head, a smirk on his face and his body towering on top of him. Oh God, his eyes sparkles like glittering stars, shining like a child getting his candy. The latter lowers down his head slowly, asking for permission to kiss him on the lips. Knowing Mikoto for years, a kiss never ends innocently as a kiss, and his eyes are terribly bleary and tired, so he crooks his head to avoid the kiss and looks up at him sternly. "Mikoto, I'm tired. And I need sleep."

"It's just a kiss." Reishi tries his best not to laugh, since as emotionless as Mikoto sounds, his words are as if he is pouting.

The blue head puts his hands on Mikoto's chest, keeping somewhat safe distance between them, but his violet eyes never waver or leave the golden ones as he speaks in a chiding voice. "The last time you said that, we ended up staying awake until dawn and I couldn't concentrate on my work for a whole day, trying not to fall asleep or get caught stifling a yawn."

"Then you should take a day off." Mikoto has not given up; he lowers his head again and instinctively Reishi puts his right palm on his husband's lips to push him away. The leader of HOMRA takes the advantage to lick his palm playfully, grinning as he hears a sigh escapes from his beloved blue head's cherry lips.

His hand trembles a bit as he starts to feel sensitive and a tiny spark of desire starts to swell inside him, but Reishi still cannot gather enough passion to continue on since another wave of exhaustion engulfs him. "A King never has a day off. And so is public officer." He begins to trail off, and his speech slurs a bit as his brain gets cloudy. Taking pity on him, Mikoto finally decides to stop teasing but kissing him gently on Reishi's eyelids, tainted with black circles around his eyes.

The crimson head king waits tolerantly until Reishi's chest steadily rises and falls and his breaths even out before he quietly pulls back. The bed sprung back a bit as his weight leaves it, but before he can make a step away from the bed, he feels a soft tug on the hem of his shirt. As he stares back, a hand weakly takes a hold of his shirt and his drifting husband smiles softly at him; a rare, genuine smile that he almost never shows unless he is too tired like this time to care about his dignity, and whispers like an evening breeze. "Stay. It's cold."

Mikoto contemplates of replying him with a scoff for taking him as a bed warmer, but he decides not to when he sees that his beautiful lover has once again drifted off and his hand which effectively stops him before, falling unceremoniously out of the bed.

He sighs and whirls around to turn off the lamp, which is usually done by Reishi when they are getting ready to sleep since he does not care with or without light when he sleeps while the latter prefers dark (he gives him a long lecture about health and the benefit of sleeping in the dark, but Mikoto never really listens and always stops him in the middle of speech with a long kiss so Reishi will just use his mouth for better purpose). Mikoto moves to his side of bed and pulls away the cover as he lies down on the soft bed. It does not take long before his Blue King stirs and impulsively seeks warmth in his sleep and put his hands around Mikoto's waist as he snuggles closer.

Mikoto stifles a chuckle so not to bother the sleepy lover in his arms; instead he puts his chin on top of his husband's head and stares at the empty darkness. How should he sleep now that his blood is poisoned by overdose caffeine as he waits for his Blue King to return from work? Reishi seems not to realize that he has been waiting for him since last night the young captain left the bed for the emergency call with his mind in haze and Mikoto certainly has no obligation to reveal him that information. (If he does, it will lead to another dispute with his husband commanding Mikoto not to wait for him and to mind his own business while Mikoto will talk back at him to let him do whatever he wants.) God bless the Blue King, tomorrow for certain, there will be no activity within HOMRA to bother his work since Mikoto will spend most of his time napping and none of his Clansmen is allowed to bother his precious nap time.

Their fairy tale might not be a happily ever after as their differences will always cause spark of conflicts, but they certainly will not ask for better story.

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*takes cover under the table* Forgive me! Don't hit me for writing OOC! Just...pretend you don't read anything above.


	2. Wonderland

Disclaimer: K anime always belongs to GoRa and GoHands. At least until the day I steal it *_* Oh okay, I would never be able to steal it, forget it...*sob*

Note: So this idea came up when K!AliceinWonderland radio drama is released (until now, I still haven't heard it though because there is no translation, so...) and somewhat the concept was forgotten until recently I accidentally found it again, hahaha...Since this is AU compilation, I just insert this to save me from trouble of releasing new story. :D Like usual, MikoRei, with great warning of being OOC. *lurks back to the corner* Forgive my errors in grammatical and vocabulary aspects. I'm still trying to work on my English writing.

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"There is a common courtesy in courting someone with less complicated methods," The Mad Hatter pauses for a second before he emphasizes his next words, "Your Majesty."

Reishi takes off his hat and makes a short bow before his King elegantly, though a scornful look is apparent on his face. He is furious and he absolutely feels no obligation to entertain the Red King with his fake, business smile.

"Shall we proceed and hasten this hearing?" The blue-haired hatter puts his simple, black satin hat back to his head and pulls out a golden pocket watch from a pocket on his raven-colored vest to observe the time. "I have an evening tea party to attend."

Mikoto stares back at his defiant subject with an amused smirk as he sits on his throne which is several stairs up above the Mad Hatter. "Worry not, Munakata." The hatter flinches as he hears his King brazenly calls for his name. It is a norm in Wonderland for strangers or friends to call a person's title instead of his name. A name is reserved to lovers or families as the tradition takes a deep root in the society. But the Red King apparently does not concern about custom that he has preposterously spoken hatter's name despite nothing goes on between them but a King and his subject.

Or at least, it is how it looks from the outside. Heck, it does not take a genius to realize that his King has been flirting on him.

"I will certainly accommodate your need to hold your evening tea party here when time strikes at three." A smirk never leaves his king's lips and Reishi has this terrible urge to wipe that expression with a punch. It seems that the Red King has once again taken a hold of him to keep him in the Heart Palace, and away from his own hatter shop. He has intentionally built a shop in the middle of the forest, secluded away from the buzzing city and the palace, just to evade this one man that currently sits in front of him. For a year, he is left alone in peace as he tells no one of his address or his location so to hide himself. Alas, Mikoto is such a persistent man when he has set his mind and Lady Luck always sides with him. In the following years, he constantly receives an official royal letter with various reasons to make him come to the Palace after his precise location has been discovered.

Reishi always ignores the ball invitations, half-heartedly wishing that his King will finally forget about him and leave him alone if he never replies to any of his summons. When he never answers to them, the Red King increases the stakes by summoning him to the court instead and Reishi is still not be able to come up with anything to stop this irrational game.

This time is the fifth time in a row this week for him being summoned to the palace as the prime suspect of a crime he has no clue at all. It is not necessary for him to solve the mystery though, because the blue-head realizes perfectly that these accusations are simply a brash move for Mikoto to cover his motive. The last time he is being called in, he is charged with an offense of stealing Red King's strawberry shortcake. He recalls the time his violet eyes reach the closing line of the Royal Letter and he is so lost and torn whether he should laugh at the absurdity, or wail at his ill-fated destiny for being acquainted to a selfish, immature King, no less. There is no evidence to support the accusation (considering the distance between his house and Palace, it is more than adequate alibi for him from being found guilty) and usually the court ends in a flash. But he is still obliged to obey the King and attend the trial and the trip is quite time-consuming.

Nevertheless, once his feet enters the castle courtyard, it equals him staying overnight in the Palace since Mikoto will ALWAYS intervene from him leaving. On the other hand, he still has to complete all of his hat orders that have piled up and neglected in his shop with perpetual arrival of the letters sealed in red blotch ink stamp. Reishi has once tried to make his work as an excuse to postpone the court. However, on the next day morning, a large group of card army and horse carriages park in front of his house and they start to stuff all of his tools inside the carriages, ignoring his indignant objection under the order of the Red King. Mikoto does not even spare him a minute to demand justice; he simply says with his usual smirk, "If your work prevents you from coming to the court, you may as well move to the Palace. There are more cases revolving around you in the future, I'm sure." Afterward, he never attempts anything to delay the trial, in fear that his house will be relocated beside the castle if he refuses.

However, slowly, but surely, his workplace starts to move to a particular guest chamber in the castle, and he has stayed longer in the palace compared to his old house and he still has no power to have a say in this matter. In the Wonderland, the Red King is absolute and his orders are the law. Though to some extent, he can defy the orders, but being an inhabitant means he is also enforced to follow the rules of Wonderland and thus, if Mikoto commands him to marry him, Reishi has no choice but to obey his words, unless he attempts to desert the Wonderland or commit suicide (which he will avoid at all cost).

The hatter shudders at the thought. He has known the King for a long time and Mikoto is not a kind of man who will use his authority to make someone his, regardless of his feeling. But he cannot be sure of what Mikoto is capable of when he is tired of constant rejections.

A loud, familiar voice snaps him back to reality as the Knaves of Heart, Izumo announces, "In the name of the Royal Heart King, I hereby open the court with the prime suspect being accused of stealing the Royal Crown."

Without missing a heartbeat, Reishi begins with his usual reasoning to speed up with the hearing. After all, these are just acts to force him to go to the palace. Even he speaks nothing, he will still be found not guilty. "During that time, I am in the middle of meeting up with a customer. She can be a witness, if Your Majesty requires further testimony."

Izumo glances at his King, who looks quite entertained with the presence of Mad Hatter and sighs. The blond has figured out that Mikoto has been staging up false courts in order to see a certain navy-haired man and without doubt, he believes that Reishi has realized this since long time ago. The first time they summons the Mad Hatter to the court, he glares with blazing fury that frightens him. But these days, an apparent, resigned look is always on the hatter's face, telling them that he wants nothing but these pointless courts and his King's entertainment to be over with.

On the first court, the Mad Hatter declares that he is not the Red King's toy to play with and thus he leaves the court unceremoniously by breaking through the window glass and lands from second floor gracefully unscathed, to Izumo's amazement. Without looking back, he stomps away back to the forest. However, instead of faltering, Mikoto is obviously quite pleased with such boldness, and he calls the Mad Hatter to the court more often than a boy asking a girl out of date.

The Red King's awful hobby is giving him a headache. Tons of trivial cases equal mountains of paper stacks in his office to be signed and Izumo are exhausted with all these paper works, involving the Mad Hatter and the Heart King. How he wishes that they just get together and spare him the suffering consequences of Mikoto's peculiar way of flirting.

Izumo sighs again as he leads the trial in fast pace. It is clear as the day that Mikoto is interested in Mad Hatter. However, as for the latter, The Knaves is not certain. Sometimes he can see a glint of interest in those chilling amethyst orbs when Mad Hatter stares at the Red King, but most of the time, the hatter looks between frustration to outrage, but never loathing.

"To conclude the trial, the Royal Heart Kingdom declares that the Mad Hatter is found - not guilty!" The Knaves of Heart reads the royal scroll hurriedly without taking a breath in between of his lines. He wants this trial to be over as much as the Mad Hatter does, especially with the suspect glaring at him murderously whenever he delays his speech or occasionally stops to take a breath.

Reishi fixes his eyeglasses and smoothes his pitch black coat sophisticatedly before he swiftly bows before the Heart King and takes his cue to make a hasty run when Mikoto is about to open his mouth. "Good day, to you, Your Majesty. Now, if you will excuse me…" He strides with long steps, quickly making his way to the exit grand door of the court. He has to hurry while keeping up an appearance before Mikoto even has a chance to think up a reason to keep him here (or else it will be too obvious that he is avoiding the King and it will only motivate the Heart King further to chase him and interrogate his reason for eluding him).

"_Halt, Mad Hatter_." His voice is calm but it echoes inside the court room stridently. Reishi wonders if it is just his illusion, but he feels like hearing a roar of a lion behind him and it successfully stops him before he can make it past the door. He really despises being an inhabitant and his duty to abide by every whim of his King. Now he is too late to make his escape and probably Reishi will have to stay the night again in the Heart Kingdom.

Mikoto leaves his throne furnished in gold and rubies, and walks down the short flight of stairs and the long red carpet on the marble floor like a lazy, graceful cat until he stands only several meters away from the hatter. Reishi whirls around from the exit and snorts with displeasure before he kneels before his King politely with a head down to the floor, "What does Your Majesty wish to ask from this humble existence?"

Reishi does not expect for the Red King to copy him and kneel before him, thus they are on the same eye level. The king puts his hand under Reishi's chin and lifts it up to make the hatter looking straight into Mikoto's eyes. Mikoto smirks and nearly drowns him in the depth of those golden eyes as the king observes him. Mad Hatter starts to feel lightheaded when the King's face comes closer to his.

"As you have been informed, the royal crown is now lost." Mikoto starts to talk under his breath and Reishi struggles not to slip up a hint of blush. "I order you, as the most acknowledged, talented hatter in the Wonderland, to design and present the new Royal Crown for the Heart Kingdom."

The sapphire-head considers his opt to refuse flatly on Mikoto's face for his personal retribution and for his professional reason which he has still impending orders to be completed. But being honored with an opportunity and challenge to create the best crown for generations in the Kingdom tempts him. Moreover, it does not seem like Mikoto will accept any refusal since he blatantly tells him that it is an order.

"As you wish, Your Majesty, under a certain price." Reishi finally says.

Mikoto pulls back a little to get a better look at his face. "Name it."

"I need to concentrate on my work and thus please provide me tranquility in the forest for several days." Mad Hatter speaks with sugary-coated sarcasm and looks up with a smile, but it does not fool Mikoto. He can see a faint wicked glint behind those violet eyes. If he wants to play dirty, Mikoto will follow his game. Munakata will regret the moment he tries to bargain with the absolute ruler of Wonderland.

The Red King gently tugs on Reishi's cobalt-colored side bangs as he plays with those soft strands between his fingers and their lips almost touch each other if one of them dares to cross the line. He whispers with an ominous look and sour smile, "Rejected, Munakata."

As quickly as he comes close to the hatter, Mikoto pulls back and whirls around to step away from his love interest and makes his way back to the throne. He regally sits back on the golden chair and a determined look is apparent on his face. "Your workshop has been relocated to the East Wing of the Palace. I'm certain that you have gotten familiar with the place, Munakata. I inquire you to put your best crafting skill to produce the best-quality of a crown. I trust that a professional will not let his inspiration to be influenced by personal feeling, does it?"

The Mad Hatter is flabbergasted, if not enraged. Surely there is a law statement about privacy intrusion or violation of human rights! He clenches his teeth, seething at Mikoto's tyranny. He has known this man for years, and this is the first time for the Red King for ignoring his right and even contemning his professionalism. But he keeps on a stoic mask and forges a false smile and leaves the court room without another word but suffocating atmosphere hanging in the air.

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_Snip_.

"Such. A. Prick!"

_Snip_.

Reishi pauses for a moment as he sees a pile of torn hats in his work table being shredded and tortured to pieces in the moment of blind fury with a silver, sharp scissor in his hand. Feeling guilty for misdirecting his anger towards the innocent hats, he puts down his tool on the table and rests his forehead against the cool, wooden table.

The half moon hangs high on pitch black sky embellished by blinking stars, and its soft light fills the room through the glass windows in his temporary workshop. He has intentionally missed the evening tea party, which Mikoto has prepared specifically for him, to show him that he is indeed angry at that insolent king and Reishi is not about to forgive him just yet. It is totally out of his character to miss out such an important routine, but if it means he can have a peaceful moment not to see a certain crimson-head king, he will gladly bend his personal rules.

Most of his hat collections and tools have been removed to this new workshop. To be honest, he is actually quite pleased of the workshop gifted by Mikoto. It is spacious and has better air circulation being in the top floor of the tower, compared to his small workshop in the forest. The East Wing is usually barren of occupants as well, thus he can focus well on his crafting. Furthermore, knowing that he dislikes whenever his tools are not in their respective places, the Red King has attentively relocated his property precisely like in his previous place. If he was not quite furious at Mikoto right now, he would be flattered for king's concern.

The piles of hats adorned by various colors of peacock feathers and strip ribbons on top of his desk and floor surround him like high walls around him, covering his presence in the middle of the room. The smell of paint and artificial flowers calm him down as he shuts close his eyes and takes a short break. In the silence, his mind drifts back to a certain Red King that always occupies his mind whenever he does not concentrate on something else or rack his brain to make a list of reasons to avoid Suoh Mikoto.

It is not as if he eludes the Heart King in the name of hatred. In contrary, he understands well that Mikoto is quite attractive in his eyes and his charisma is too alluring to overlook and he is being completely mesmerized by Mikoto's presence. Years ago before his king is entitled to the throne, he believes that the young prince holds no romantic interest toward him, thus he plays with the fire, coquet with prospective king since he finds that the young prince is quite adorable when he blushes with Reishi's mischievous advances. But the young king eventually leaves the nest and his innocent adolescence period, and it might be his karma, because Mikoto begins to pay him back by showering him with affection two fold than he has previously given.

Being romantically involved with the absolute ruler of your country is not a good move. His long expedition in love gives him confidence in the matter of relationship. But it is all useless when the golden-eyes king stood before him, staring straight into his eyes. Reishi is still not certain if Mikoto is simply having his retribution for teasing him during those puberty years or if his king just attempts to see if he can claim Reishi, who is well-known as an elusive hatter, his. However, when he vaguely senses that Mikoto's feeling starts to meet his, he can feel the heat of engulfing fire and foresee the damage he will receive along with such extreme passionate feeling. And that is how they begin their cat-and-mouse game. He purposely stays under profile, giving time for the crowned king to cool down by keeping distance between them, but his plan backfires. Instead of chilling down, Mikoto blazes even brighter, burning everything into ashes until nothing remains and leaves nothing for Reishi to take cover.

Mad Hatter is always the best in strategy and puzzles, but he cannot win against a person who uses brute force to demolish the walls standing in front of him. His current situation is no different. He has been triumphant in steering clear of Mikoto so far, but eventually he will hit a dead end, and before he can make a turn back, his prey is already keeping up with him. Today, he can see it as clear as the day that Mikoto is running out of patience. The Red King has resorted to play dirty to keep him here and Reishi is tired of constant running.

"Munakata." The door suddenly cracks open, followed by a soft voice ringing inside the room, startling him. He does not even hear footsteps and there is only silence on the hallway until seconds ago. The hatter involuntarily holds his breath and stays hidden behind the towers of his creations, wondering why he has to go to such extent because of one man. He knows that it is futile for him to play hide-and-seek in this confined workshop, yet Reishi is not ready to face the one causing his biggest dilemma in his life.

He yelps in surprise when abruptly the piling hats in front of him are being tossed away to the floor carelessly and Mikoto slams his hands on the table with an annoyed look. Reishi quickly collects himself and crosses his arms in front of his chest with his violet eyes narrows dangerously. "What do you want?"

"Finally you drop that formal talking." Mikoto smiles genuinely at him with a weak blush to his cheeks. Mad Hatter is astonished in how honest his king can be, careless of what people might think about him. His obliviously childlike grin is exactly the reason why Reishi cannot stay angry at him longer than a day. The blue-haired hatter sighs in defeat and gestures for Mikoto to take a seat across the table.

"I'm angry at you." Reishi admits quietly while the latter takes a seat in front of him, and the crimson-haired king does not even cringe at his sudden statement. "Lately you are being assertive. Why?"

Mikoto leans forward and grabs the blue-head's hand tightly on the table before he can pull away. "I will answer you if you tell me why you are avoiding me." He can feel a tiny flinch from the white hand in his grasp, though those violet eyes reveal nothing. "Years, Munakata. You start this game yourself, and when I finally come around, you are running away. Is this how you play games? After striking a streak of wins, you stop in the middle when you are about to lose?"

"How do you know whether I'm going to lose or not?" The hatter asks evenly as he gently tugs away his constrained hand, but his king clutches on him tightly, so much it begins to hurt. He is certain that there will be purplish red bruise around his right wrist tomorrow.

"Oh I don't know," Mikoto confidently declares, with a glint of mischief is in his sparkling eyes. "That's why I'm going to confirm it."

"Wha-?"

Suddenly he is being yanked forward from his seat and then soft lips lock into his, taking his breath away in surprise. Reishi attempts to pull back a little to take breaths and maybe calm his galloping heartbeats, but Mikoto's left hand swiftly grabs behind his nape and draws him closer to his face. Their shared kiss is messy with the hatter flailing around to escape the kiss and catch up with his need for oxygen. The Red King pulls back a little to give some space between them to help Mad Hatter with his frantic pants, but he slams his mouth again into Reishi's before the latter has a chance to slip away from his clutch.

He stops kissing his beautiful hatter when he tastes a tang of blood and feels a stab of pain on his lips. Mikoto rubs his lips with the back of his right hand and watches that there is a smear of blood on it. Nevertheless, instead of being furious, he finds Reishi's brutal response quite amusing. On the other hand, Mad Hatter gasps like dying fish without water back on his seat and his face flushes crimson up to his ears and a blemish of blood smeared on his lips.

Mikoto cannot help himself not to laugh at Mad Hatter's defenseless stance and he walks around the table to hinder the latter from going anywhere before they can finish their conversation. He puts his hands on the handles of the chair, purposely blocking Reishi's only exit. Nevertheless, when he gets a closer look on the one he is enamored with, it seems that it is unnecessary for him to guard the Mad Hatter anymore from leaving. The violet-eyed man slouches on his chair, inhaling deeply before he sighs and closes his eyes. Mikoto could not resist not asking though, "Giving it up, Munakata?"

Reishi cracks open an eye at him, peering quietly as he mutters under his breath. "What if I have not?"

The Red King does not budge from his current position, shrugging from the question. "Well, I don't mind to trap you here like this for a whole night."

"And that's why I need you to stop." Mad Hatter pauses for a second before he averts his vision, trying to find something interesting to look at on the ceiling, anything other than those glowing golden eyes. "We need to talk."

"If you really think so," Mikoto hovers above him and his head blocks the lamp light to make Reishi refocus his attention at his night visitor. "Look at me when you talk to me."

The blue-haired hatter remains still for a while, hollowly stares at him. The Heart King even cocks his head, wondering what has been swirling inside his love's pretty head or what he is trying to say to him. He is prepared to spend the whole night goading an answer out of Reishi, if necessary. Five minutes of waiting is nothing if they can at last reach an understanding; the night is still young after all. But Reishi never ceases to surprise him.

"I love you." He softly proclaims, after a stretching silence hung between them. "But I can't."

"Why not?" The king knows that he should not keep his hope high prematurely, but he cannot deny feeling elated at the hatter's confession. He has longed to hear those words ever since he decides to be with Mad Hatter and him to be his. Five years of agonizing waiting are finally paid off.

Reishi defensively crosses his arms in front of him; however he does not let his eyes wander from Mikoto's large orbs. "We all have a role here to fulfill in Wonderland, Your Majesty." The hatter feels as if those words are actually intended for him as a reminder of his position.

Mikoto growls at his title, "Stop calling me that. When we are alone, there are only us." Mad Hatter never fails to call his title, instead of his name when they are no longer sweethearts and every time he does that, the king can sense his growing exasperation at Reishi's effort to maintain a wide cliff between them.

"If we are truly destined to be together, don't you think that I should be born as the Heart Queen or maybe, you should not be a King?" His violet eyes stare with so much resolve that they sting Mikoto's heart. "But we aren't. Somewhere, a candidate for Heart Queen probably exists and you just have not met her yet. I have to keep the role as a Mad Hatter."

Mikoto snaps promptly at his reasoning with a sharp glare, "Or maybe you are the one, but you just don't realize it because you are too busy denying that you might be destined to have two roles."

"You just conveniently assume that for your own advantage," Reishi lets out a small chuckle before he rewards his king's perseverance with a smile, "...Suoh." It sounds pleasant to his ear to be able to speak that name. "How do you suggest for a Mad Hatter to also take the role of Heart Queen? Mad Hatter is not supposed to live in the castle."

Mikoto rolls his eyes at his love and grabs his shoulders tightly. "Do me a favor for once, Munakata, be flexible. There is no rule saying that a Mad Hatter is not allowed to be the Red Queen. And I don't give a shit about rules; only you do."

The cobalt-haired man hummed lightly in agreement, "Fair enough."

After a long, comfortable silence dawns on them, the Heart King carefully breaks the peace as he puts his forehead against Reishi's. "So are you done?" The latter laughs a little before he snakes his arms around Mikoto's neck and pulls him close, letting his king to sit on his lap. He just hopes the chair will be able to put up with their weights. "Playing games with you? Never." He cranes his neck to meet his lips with Mikoto's and the Red King happily obliges him while their hands begin to stray and explore the skin under the shirts.

* * *

"_Oh. My. God_." Izumo nearly bursts to tears when he witnesses his king, taking a stroll in the secret rose garden while clasping his hand on a certain hatter's hand from the window of his office on third floor when the clock strikes three at noon.

"What?" Totsuka cocks his head questioningly as he brings another pile of official letters to the Knaves of Heart's desk.

"Finally! If they take another month to get together, I will officially request for job transfer." Izumo abandons his paper works to spy on the lovebirds, confirming his eyes if they are truly in relationship now. Totsuka gleefully joins him to watch their new entertainment by the window before adding, "Well, if they get into a love quarrel, I think your job will multiply by twofold, Knaves of Heart."

The color is drained from Izumo's face and he goes stiff at sudden realization, but Totsuka only laughs at him without sympathy and keeps on watching his king. "But we still have a happy ending for now. Let's just not worry of what has not come. Whatever will be, will be."

* * *

Hehehe, another two random chapters are nearly done, so if you are terrified with OOC or bored with all these randomness, please don't click next chapters for your health. Really. If you don't mind reading pointless, cheesy, OOC AU MikoRei, please stay tuned and leave review if you have little bit time to spare. :D

Last but not least, thanks for the review, **Maizy**! I'm glad I have someone who won't stone me for writing these AU. Anyway, dear, yeah I'm still waiting for new chapter of your 'When we ruled the world'~ Please, I beg you! Update soon?


	3. Morning Alarm

Disclaimer: K anime is not mine. Case Closed.

Note: This takes place on the same AU setting for chapter 1 which Blue and Red King are married. :D 

* * *

The blaring alarm startles him, yet his body feels sluggish to move even an inch, and he is contently warm that he does not want to leave his comfortable zone yet. The ringing sound without doubt annoys him, but he reaches for his pillow to cover his ears and tunes it out, while snuggling closer to the source of his warmth. He is about to drift back to dreamless sleep when something pokes his side. _Persistently_.

"Oi…Reishi. Turn that damn thing off." A husky voice is just before his sensitive ear, making him blush a little and effectively waking him up. Mikoto stifles a yawn while he is still poking his husband with his finger. "Why do you set it so early anyway? Fuck…" He trails off a bit before he buries his face on the pillow and a soft snore follows, telling the blue-haired one that his companion has gone back to sleep.

Reishi frowns at his love grudgingly before he reaches out the alarm and sets it off vehemently. He takes several seconds to daze in the blinding darkness to blink his bleariness away before he reaches for his eyeglasses on the lamp table nearby. Between slit of closed curtains, he could make out that the sky is still dark with moon hangs low near the horizon. If he really wants to, he still has time for a fleeting sleep before he has to get ready for work. Nevertheless, even with muddled mind, his psychological state involuntarily commands him to start early now that he is awake.

He swings his feet out of the bed cover and shudders promptly when his skin is completely exposed to the chill of morning air. The Blue King sighs with discontent; his body temperature is naturally low to begin with that he often finds the morning chill during the daybreak unbearable. After his body is fairly adjusting with the temperature, Reishi is about to rise and leave the bed when an arm suddenly snakes around his waist, taking a firm hold of him.

His violet eyes wander down to scowl at his sneaky husband half-heartedly. "What?"

"I told you to turn that damn alarm off, not to get up. It's 5 am, get in." Mikoto flips up the cover with sleepy eyes, as if commanding him to slip back under the safety of cover from cold. Reishi admits that the offer is quite tempting, but his professionally-trained discipline side refuses to oblige himself with pleasure. The Blue King answers him with a smile and rewards him with a peck on Mikoto's cheek, "It's fine, you go to sleep. I'll make coffee."

Usually Mikoto only groans in response and goes back to sleep until the smell of coffee lingers strongly in the air and Reishi is about to leave to his office. Kusanagi once spills the bean on him on their wedding day that before they live together, the Red King often sleeps until noon is approaching close. Thus, if Mikoto makes an effort to be at least awake before Reishi leaves for work, it is in fact a significant improvement. It flatters the Blue King for certain.

But there are days when the Red King is simply being unpredictable, depending on his mood, such as today. Reishi attempts to pry open the constraining arm and break free to leave the bedroom, but Mikoto just would not budge. The harder he pushes the arm away, the stronger Mikoto tugs and constricts him. The blue-haired captain is barely awake that he is not in the mood of playing tug of war games, thus he flops back on the bed and turns around toward the latter with stern face.

"Suoh Mikoto," Reishi glowers at him, wishing that a look can knock a certain crimson-head king unconscious. "Let. Me. Go."

Instead of complying to his wish, Mikoto props his head on his hand, grinning from ear to ear, as he lies on his side with his right arm remains around Reishi's waist and the Blue King despairs why this man can be gorgeous in his eyes with such messy bad hair and half-lidded eyes. His sight must have been cursed or something. "If you don't go back to bed this minute, Munakata Reishi, mark my word that today will not be peaceful for Scepter 4."

The Blue King widens his eyes in surprise and frowns at his husband, "Are you…_correct me if I am wrong_; blackmailing me?"

It does not take another thought for the amber-eyed king to quickly reply, "Yes, I am." In contrary to his words, Mikoto appears to be quite unperturbed and docile that makes the Blue King wondering if the man is just teasing him or if he is being completely serious to his words. Nevertheless, this Red King always sticks to his words and promises and that worries Reishi with current predicament. They have developed something like unwritten peace treaty between Scepter 4 and HOMRA along with their marriage and it has been peaceful for Scepter 4 most of the time (if the mission does not include Yata and Fushimi at the same place). Does this mean that Mikoto will purposely create troubles to increase his workload?

"If you do that, mark my words, I will throw you out of this bedroom for a week."

"Doesn't matter. Can sleep on the couch." Mikoto grins wider. "But you would have to sleep without bed warmer for a week."

Reishi gives him a scandalized look, suppressing a scowl. While the fourth king is calculating the loss and benefit of his options inside his mind, Mikoto raises an eyebrow at him and replies the latter with sceptical stare. He sighs in resignation and waits long-sufferingly until Reishi is done racking his brain over something trivial. As much as he loves this man, Mikoto still has a difficult time to understand why his Blue King has to make his own life complicated.

Deciding that it is not worth wasting his time to bicker with Mikoto at such hour and he prefers to have a calm day at work so he and his Clansmen can have a relaxing lunch break, Reishi quietly slips back under the cover, with an evident unwilling look on his face. Those violet eyes purposely avoids looking at his amber ones, trying to keep his pride by hinting off that he is not being submissive but simply being mature. Mikoto laughs a little but he indulges the Blue King by saying nothing. He leisurely trails Reishi's smooth skin with his hands until the latter indistinctly shivers with colored cheeks and draws him close to his embrace.

"Wait, I need to reset the alarm…" The blue-haired man protests in his arms, thrashing a bit to break free from Mikoto's restraining arms.

"Forget the damn clock." The amber eyed king starts grumbling as he pulls the cover over them up above their head. "You always wake up before it rings anyway."

Reishi ponders a bit, taking Mikoto's words to his consideration before he finally agrees and curls up beside Mikoto, basking himself in the latter's body warmth to his heart content. He hums happily, feeling comfortable and safe from the biting-cold morning air. Soon fatigue creeps back in and sleep finds him in the matter of minutes as he listens to Mikoto's steady heartbeat. 

* * *

A flight of butterfly kisses and bites nipping on his neck alerts him gently like a morning sun. His eyes blearily blink in lazy manner before he stifles a yawn and little stretch on his muscles. The usual warmth radiating from the other side of the bed is always quite comfortable that it is almost a pity to leave it, but his eyes are more than awake by now to stay under the blanket. He can feel a smile on the back of his neck when he frowns at the heaviness of an arm encircling on his chest.

Reishi rolls in the embrace and faces at his unexpected morning alarm wearing his usual cheeky smile. He just cannot resist not being cynical at the whole situation that he blurts out his mind. "Well, you are the last thing I expect to wake me up actually."

Mikoto says nothing, but he glowers a little in protest and pulls back his arm to release his lover. Feeling guilty already for his words, the blue-haired man cranes his neck and kisses back on Mikoto's forehead and lips. He nearly chuckles when Mikoto mutters under his breath, almost begrudgingly. "_Your welcome_. By the way, I don't mind keeping you here, but at this rate, you will be late for sure." He yawns and buries his face on the pillow, getting ready to sleep back in.

Reishi quickly glances at the alarm clock on the bedside table before he gasps loudly and scrambles out of the bed, nearly slipping on the bed sheet if not for his well-trained reflexes as he rushes his way to the bathroom. Before long, the sound of door slamming and shower running breaks the peaceful morning. The clock ticks almost too loudly for Mikoto as it points at seven thirty before he shuts his eyes close again to the world as he lies on his stomach.

Sleep almost claims him when he catches the familiar, intoxicating fragrant coming from his back. From the periphery of his vision, he could make a slender, ivory hand toys with his short, messy hair lovingly. Reishi nuzzles his nose on Mikoto's crimson bed hair and kisses him lightly on the back of his head as he whispers quietly to the red-head's ear. "Mikoto, I'm leaving. You will probably skip the breakfast like usual and eat lunch at HOMRA, so I only brew the coffee."

Mikoto swiftly steals a glance at the alarm clock and averts his golden eyes to meet the amethyst ones. He observes the blue-haired man who is half-hovering on top of him while sitting on the edge of the bed. His husband is already in his full attire for work, not forgetting his favorite sword, clasped on the belt. It amazes him that in thirty minutes, his husband appears to be quite meticulous for a quick primping and to top it up, he even has finished making breakfast and cleaned dishes. Sometimes he wonders if Reishi actually can grow more than two limbs whenever he doesn't look for being able to finish so many tasks in limited time. Being curious, he loudly speaks up his mind, asking it directly.

Reishi's violet eyes widen in surprise, but afterward his expression softens and he laughs in a polite manner. "I'm simply with well-organized mind and I am a man of routine, Suoh Mikoto." He replies slowly as if talking to a young child. "Totally contradictory to you, I believe."

Mikoto makes a grunting noise to the pillow to show his displeasure at the unintentional chiding. Reishi could not stop the smile in his face. Thanks to Mikoto, the time is definitely ticking down, but he believes that he still has little time spared to chat and make it to Scepter 4 HQ in time. "Still it surprises me that you can wake me up today. How did you do it?"

The red-haired king does not even move a muscle, ignoring the Blue King entirely. Reishi can only guess that Mikoto might be sulking for trivial reason, or maybe he really wants to sleep already. It is just a simple question and fundamentally, it is not quite important matter to get the answer. But the blue-head dislikes a vague answer and unanswered curiosity, though everything about Mikoto is usually ambiguous for him so far. He keeps prodding on Mikoto's side, leaning his weight on Mikoto's back deliberately as he resiliently persuades the man under him. "Mikoto, you will not sleep anytime soon if you don't answer me."

A minute passes in a tense atmosphere until Mikoto decides that Reishi's weight on him suffocates him painfully. He grumbles indistinctly with his voice muffled by the pillow before he abruptly whirls around on the bed and as a consequence, almost hurls Reishi to the floor. As he anticipates, the swordsman is quick with his impulse that he spontaneously leans back with safe distance between them, putting his hands in front of him with a hearty laugh. Now that Mikoto has supported his weight with his arm on the pillow, he defiantly confronts the mischievous smiling man in front of him. "You're annoying. I keep watching the time when you sleep. Now, just go and let me sleep."

Reishi looks quite surprised at first with a blank stare, before his expression varies from blushing scarlet, into timid delight, then apparent admiration. Sometimes, Mikoto surprises him with the way he shows love and affection without using empty, flattery words and it reminds him all over again why HOMRA members are too attached to this man.

On the other hand, Mikoto is intrigued on why Reishi seems to be quite contented by his small gesture. From his point of view, what he has been doing since early morning is nothing praise-worthy as he simply stares at his resting husband and lets him getting fleeting sleep as much as possible before Reishi has to start the new day. After all, last night the Captain was enforced to stay late at work that he deserves extra time to rest. If anything, Mikoto should be glad that the latter does not narrow his violet eyes and give him dirty look for staring or behaving like a creepy stalker. But Mikoto absolutely will not decline being rewarded with Reishi's appreciation since he loves seeing that occasional smile.

Reishi leans down until their foreheads nearly bump each other and they could feel the tickling hot breathes. None of them moves any further; they just lock their eyes on each other, letting the moment pass quietly until Reishi decides to break the silence and makes his cue to leave. "Thank you." He cradles Mikoto's cheeks with his hands and tilts his head a little to kiss him passionately before he leans back licking his lips with a pair of glinting violet eyes.

Mikoto groans at the sudden loss of contact. However, before he can even paw on Reishi out of temptation, the man is as quick as a flash to dash out of the bed, grabs his PDA and yells as he strides to the front door. "Let's have a date tonight. Don't be late. I'll call you later."

When he hears the door slammed, and he is left alone sitting on the bed, Mikoto buries his face to his knees with a sigh and scratches the back of his neck. He contemplates rummaging the pocket of his jacket and light up the cigarette, to fill his lungs with addictive nicotine and spends idle time sprawling on the bed until he has to leave to HOMRA. However, he in the end decides to catch up with sleep instead, hoping that it will help him to pass time quicker without feeling giddy and impatient all day until Reishi returns from work and fulfills his promise.

Mikoto makes a mental note to ensure that nothing will require an emergency call from Scepter 4 and demand Reishi's full attention for the whole day or else he will delightedly give painful, prolonged death for whoever dares to steal his date away from him. He grabs for the blanket and buries his head on the soft pillow, wishing that the moment will fly faster for the rest of the day until evening comes. 

-END-

* * *

As much as I'm tempted to make another Wonderland!AU, I really like normal life setting, hahaha~ Simple and cheesy, right?

**Viviane1993**: Thanks! I'm glad you love the wonderland AU though they are still OOC~! Umm...btw...Would you mind to comment in simple English? XD Though I'm so happy with your reviews, I have to use dictionary to understand some of your words...*sobs* Yes, English is my second language, so please spare me the torture...T_T *sobbing in the corner* and btw, yeah, I will try to update Hourglass ASAP. Hohoho~ Thanks, darling! *glomps*

**Maizy**: Do I succeed in tempting you to write Wonderland!AU fic too? *smirks* Hahaha, Reishi doesn't need us to console him. Mad Hatter always has Alice to console him, instead of Red Queen/King. LOL, I think in the original Alice, Mad Hatter and Red Queen actually hate each other to the core, don't they?

**Nessie**: Sorry hun, for keeping your name short. But I love your name short. XD Anyway, yeah! I would love to read more AU fics too, especially MikoRei. I'm kinda hoping that more writers will be tempted to write this pairing~

**Kiki**: What, first time!? What should I do to make you fangirling more!? After all, we, fangirls, can only live by keep fangirling! *hugs* Let's go together to join the wagon of MikoRei fangirls~ *got smacked by common sense* Sorry...don't mean to scare you...XDD


	4. In sickness and in health

Disclaimer: K anime is not mine, not ever. T_T

Note: Same AU where Blue and Red kings are married and there is no Colorless King to be their third wheel. :D

* * *

"Mikoto, what are you doing?" Reishi is on his way to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water while putting on his hip-length black coat before he stops immediately at the sight of Mikoto lying on the couch without care of the world, taking a light nap. "You said you want us to go to HOMRA today. We should be going now; it's going to rain again."

Ever since they get married, he promises the Saturday to be their together time outside the house and they take turn to decide where they are going. Last week he has dragged the unfortunate man to aquarium, and the red-haired king spends time mostly staring at Reishi instead of those sophisticated fish, barefacedly admitting that he is uninterested and prefers to watch him studying the fish instead. But no matter, at least they still spend time together that Reishi even sets his PDA in silent mode during these occasions.

Getting no reply, Reishi crosses to the living room to wake his husband up. "Mikoto, let's go now. It's going to rain and I hate getting wet." He leans forward the couch to peer at the sleeping figure that suddenly opens his amber eyes, fully alert and surprises him. "What…if you're not asleep, you should get ready to leave."

Instead of shooting up from the couch, Mikoto stretches his arms and slithers to the back of Reishi's neck and waist, tugging him down fiercely to make his husband land on top of him awkwardly. Reishi nearly bites his tongue as he yelps in surprise and writhes a bit when he lies on top of MIkoto, but the red head tightens his embrace, and snuggles against his soft, blue strands, exhaling with a comfortable sigh.

Reishi can feel the blush creeping up to his ears and mutters inaudibly as he hides his scarlet face on the crook of MIkoto's throat. The Red King slides his hand under the white v-neck shirt to trail the ivory skin on Reishi's back and draw circles to elicit a contented sigh from Reishi's lips. Mikoto purposely licks his husband's sensitive ear and whispers seductively with a smirk, "Let's just stay like this today." As he expects, the latter is speechless and blushes prettily while Reishi attempts to obscure his embarrassment by fixing his eyeglasses.

"Mikoto, we are going to HOMRA. Today." Reishi gasps sharply when Mikoto nibbles on his ear lobe and his resolve to leave the house falters rapidly.

"No." The red-haired solemnly answers while wearing a dark frown as if his favorite necklace has just disappeared. Being curious with everything, especially the man in front of him, Reishi cannot resist the urge not to question him, "Why not?"

"No reason. Just need some rest." The crimson-haired king smoothly replies back, and anyone except for Kusanagi and Anna and him would fall for his lie. Nevertheless, even if he confronts Mikoto, he will not speak the truth, unless he wants to. Reishi decides to play by his rule and follow as he retorts with skeptical look. "Mikoto, you have been napping all day, you don't need any more rest."

Mikoto glares back at him as he tugs those cobalt bangs behind Reishi's ears almost too affectionately to touch his forehead. "Stupid, I don't know whether you are ignoring it or acting tough, but you are burning up."

The Blue King's stance is instantly defensive and his muscles tense. "…You're just imagining it."

Mikoto furrows his eyebrows; completely perplexed. He does not anticipate for Reishi to deny his fever or even hide it when it is too obvious from his skin temperature. He can feel anomalous heat emanating from Reishi since in the morning. Usually his blue-haired lover's skin feels cool and comfortable against his, but not today. He even hears Reishi occasionally sniffs and suppresses coughs ever since he wakes up looking miserable. Mikoto sighs loudly, pinching his forehead, "Reishi, stop being difficult. We are NOT going anywhere today."

"I told you I'm fine! Stop making a fuss and get up now." The Blue King leans back and sits on MIkoto's stomach, crossing his arms in front of his chest with irritated look.

Mikoto glowers back at for a moment before he crawls out of the couch without a sound, which as consequence; Reishi also has to move aside to let Mikoto leave his comfortable seat. The Blue King abruptly grabs for Mikoto's wrist and whirls around on his feet as he is about to stroll to the front door, dragging the latter. However, dizziness strikes him with the sudden move and Reishi wobbles back, accidentally leaning against Mikoto, who swiftly holds him steady with his hands. A shiver runs along his back, as he could feel the intent scarlet glare at his head. Reishi turns his head back, sensing that he should offer an explanation quick to Mikoto before the red-headed king is able to give him an 'I-told-you-so' look. Nevertheless, the moment of explanation never comes.

Mikoto immediately grips his waist and scoops him up over his shoulder brashly. He expects retaliation from Reishi's side, but to his surprise the latter remains still. The impulsive motion gives Reishi a violent nausea and ringing echoes in his ears that he uses all his willpower fighting the urge to puke on Mikoto's clothes, instead of resisting Mikoto. The Red King realizes that his husband is obviously too unwell to complain, so he walks in hurried pace to the bathroom, barely able to keep Reishi steady. He does not mind if the latter vomits at his favorite shirt, but Mikoto can read easily that being such a stubborn man, Reishi will probably muster everything he could not to cause trouble for other because of him despite the hellish ride and every second he wastes means extra second of torture for Reishi.

He kicks the bathroom door ferociously and it slams against the wall in a loud bang and he could hear a strangled noise from behind him. Mikoto is bewildered, wondering if he hurts Reishi unintentionally by his brash move, before he rolls his eyes in comprehension after two seconds and grumbles, "You're sick and you're worried about the door? Ridiculous." As a response of his insult, Mikoto feels a weak thump on his back, probably Reishi retaliating, but it is so pathetic he barely feels any pain from it and the crimson-haired man snickers.

Mikoto pulls his husband down, helps him slowly to kneel beside the closet and removes his eyeglasses. Reishi's face is as pale as their bed sheet and he is sweating profusely with perpetual shivering from nasty fight against his nausea. The red-haired king scowls as Reishi is still struggling against his urge to puke by leaning his forehead on his arms which rest on the closet seat and taking deep, painful breaths. "Stop acting cool, you will feel better if you let it out."

Reishi obstinately shakes his head a little and pants heavily. The sight is almost too painful for Mikoto to watch, and his Blue King does not make the situation any better. "Reishi, stop resisting already." As if to show his impatience, he deliberately gives strong pats on Reishi's back and earns him a murderous glare. However, to Mikoto's satisfaction, the latter finally cannot hold back and throw up his morning breakfast to the closet with a pitiful groan, and Mikoto dutifully keeps Reishi's bangs out of the way while his husband drains everything from his stomach.

When nothing remains to throw up, Reishi pulls back and sweeps his lips with the back of his hand while Mikoto quickly flushes the closet and grabs the nearby toilet papers and hands them to the latter. Reishi takes them appreciatively and cleans his mouth with an extorted sigh. Mikoto knows that this is actually a horrible situation to find his lover attractive and if he speaks up his mind, the other man probably gives him this wary look as if he has grown the another head. Nevertheless, the blue-haired man in front of him is completely disheveled and his blood-shot violet eyes are shining and glazed with tears, and his parted lips are crimson from being rubbed callously. His tears and sweat fall down leisurely to his chin and his collarbone, probably trailing down to his lower back. A frown is apparent on his flushing scarlet face, completely distressed and vulnerable, almost similar to the expression Reishi wears when he is reaching his climax. The latter can feel the obvious stare though that those amethyst orbs lift up and stare back innocently with a tilt of his head. "What?" He hoarsely asks.

Mikoto clams up before his mind shouts things that he will regret later. He kneels beside Reishi instead to rub his back slowly to ease his distress. The Blue King is baffled at his ineptly caring husband and chuckles a little for his effort to comfort. He really cannot imagine Mikoto being good at soothing people but apparently he is mistaken. With a weak, forced smile, Reishi leans his forehead against Mikoto's shoulder, "Thanks. Sorry for the trouble."

The Red King makes an affirmative sound before he reaches for Reishi's left hand and rolls the wedding ring on slim, fourth finger as he hums quietly, "In sickness and in health, right?"

Reishi exhales with a hollow look, "Except for the fact that when we took the oath, I did not consider being sick includes a mere cold."

"Don't be stupid. Even a King can get sick…especially if you have to live your life." Mikoto humorously teases as he hooks his arms under Reishi's armpits and pulls him up to make them stand.

The Blue King sways a little, but he stands much steadier compared to before and slowly walks to wash basin to rinse his mouth. "Touché." He turns the tap off after splashing some water on his face to brush away the sweat that makes his skin uncomfortably clammy and dries his face with a towel.

"I'm not the one who stays up all night just because of some strain hackers to military security system, and overworks himself afterward, and gets himself wet because of the rain despite taking a cab and sleeps with dripping hairs, naked." Mikoto argues as he roughly scoops up Reishi into bridal style and the latter instinctively loops his arms around Mikoto's neck to keep him balanced.

"Spare me." The blue-haired man scowls and rests his head on Mikoto's shoulder, feeling comfortable with the light rocking as they move to the bedroom. "I had to get off the cab in the midst of rain to walk because the traffic was terrible due to a car accident and it was almost 7 pm. I promised you to return before that time."

Mikoto wrinkles his nose, looking discontented. "I don't need you coming home on time at the risk for accidents or getting sick."

"I don't calculate the possibility of being sick. The last time I caught a cold was when I was still in middle school and I had to take care of whole sick family members." Reishi remarks back defiantly.

Mikoto shrugs and puts Reishi down on the bed once they are beside it. The Blue King scoots over to his side of bed with a relief sigh and lies on his back, still staring at his lover. Mikoto follows him, dipping down on the bed and shifts beside him to stroke his navy-colored strands gently with his fingers, lulling Reishi off. "Next time, you should listen to me when I told you to sleep, instead of coaxing me to have sex with you."

Reishi snorts and grimaces at Mikoto's crudeness. "Well, it was cold and your body temperature was just ideal. As I recall, you don't even mind last night."

"Of course not. Can't exactly refuse such invitation, can I?" Mikoto smirks and leans down to kiss on feverish forehead before he pulls back and swings his legs out of the bed. "I'll get you some water." Reishi almost feels whining when Mikoto's warmth left the bed, but a wave of exhaustion crashes at him and by the time Mikoto returns with a cold pack compression, he has drowned into a deep slumber.

* * *

"Too bad, I thought I could keep you here longer. You recover too fast." Mikoto smirks groggily at his waking husband in his arm, who already stretches his legs on the bed with healthy color on his face. A pair of violet eyes turns to look at him as Reishi rolls and lies on his stomach and puts his chin on his hand, staring at drowsy Mikoto. "Well, I have a great nurse around and the weather definitely improves."

The morning golden light starts to infiltrate the bedroom through the closed curtain and the distant chirping bird becomes the background noise inside the room. Mikoto can tell that a new day has come, but it is still quite early to wake up on holiday. The city is still eerily silent as if it is vacant of its habitants.

Mikoto tugs the blue-haired man close to his embrace and closes his eyes to drift back to sleep. "It's Sunday, get back to sleep."

Reishi reached out for Mikoto's messy bangs and gently caresses his soft crimson mane, knowing that the latter found it pleasing to be petted. "Let's go to HOMRA today. I feel quite better and I don't want to break our agreement after dragging you to aquarium last week." _His Clansmen must be disappointed too if he does not come_, Reishi thinks.

A pair of amber eyes cracks open and glowers with annoyance as Mikoto inaudibly pays him a light kiss on the lips and tighter embrace before he goes back to sleep, ignoring his husband's proposal. But Reishi does not give up easily. This time he tugs on Mikoto's front bangs, persistently until the latter cannot stand the interference from his sleep. Mikoto moans as he grabs a pillow to thrust it on top of Reishi's head. "Ugh, just get some sleep, you lark. How can you be so annoying when you have just recovered?"

Reishi grumbles, but he decides to relent, considering that Mikoto is probably tired of staying up to nurse him yesterday. "Fine. Don't blame me if your friends get mad at you."

There is a soft, indistinct murmur that sounds like 'whatever' before Reishi follows the latter back to dreamless sleep with a smile tugging in his lips, dreaming the accord of sapphire and vermillion colors.


	5. My wish is your wish

Note: Crossposted in AO3. AU!Fate/Zero or Fate/Stay Night. A fan artist made a fanart with K anime crossing over with Fate/Stay Night. Lol, ever since I saw it, I wanted to write a fanfic for it. I would say that I don't feel anything for Fate/Stay Night, but I'm a hardcore fan for Fate/Zero, hahaha. I'm suck at summary. So if anyone is wondering what this anime is about (though I think most otaku would have watched Fate/Stay Night), I would have to ask you to go to uncle google.

Warning: boyxboy love obviously, but with quite age gap. I hope no one thinks that I'm doing pedophile fic...=_= because I don't support it at all.

In case no one notices, recently I update this fic on AO3 since that site is less troublesome for me. Yeah, the website ban in my country is still around. No worries, I will still post new chapters in ffnet...after some time. :p

* * *

"What is actually your wish?"

The violet eyes flashed as they turned to stare at the golden ones with hidden bitterness. The Holy Spirit sheathed his gleaming saber elegantly and whirled around to face his master, his summoner. His blue colored uniform rustled as it swayed gently with his movement while his navy-colored boots made a clear, loud sound as he stepped forward toward the man in front of him.

"It's not your business, isn't it?" Munakata tilted his head and smiled pretentiously that Mikoto could hear the tone of sarcasm in it. "Before you ask for mine, shouldn't you tell me first yours?"

Mikoto blatantly stared at the refined-looking spirit and how beautiful his blue strands gleamed under the silver glow of the soft moonlight through the shattered multicolor glass window of the church.

* * *

It was just two weeks ago since he was involved in the war for Holy Grail as one of the recognized magus. As a proof of his qualification as one of the players of the deadly game, a black tattoo in the form like swirling flame was engraved at the back of his hand. As the sole heir of Suoh lineage, he actually did not care for the status he would gain with the victory of War of Holy Grail. The only thing he had eyes upon was the wish that would be granted with his bloody victory.

He was the prodigy of the magus Suoh family; the best ever in the history, or at least that was what they told him. Countless hours of his youth were spent on trainings of magic and martial arts. He did not hate the trainings, but he despised the philosophy and values that were forcefully drilled into his mind. Suoh group was desperate to be well-recognized as the best magus lineage and he did not want to have any part in such crazed obsession. Therefore, when he entered his adolescent, he left his old-fashioned house and lived on his own ever since, cutting his ties from the family. To fuel his family wrath, he even took the second-best magus princess from distant line of Suoh family, Anna with him to desert the world of magic. Ever since he was young, the silver-haired princess always clung to him, while silently enduring the harsh trainings without ever complaining to him until he found out the pain she had to bear.

When the news of War of Holy Grail reached his ears, he paid no heed toward it. After all, the only reason for him to abandon his blood relatives was to steer clear from the bloody war and he would never allow them to use Anna for their selfish desire. At first, he rejected flatly the offer to be one of the contestants, ignoring the constant pleas and threats from his family.

Everything changed ever since a nightmare constantly plagued his dream every night. The scene rewound every time like a broken record that he could even see it during his wake. Every single day, he found himself standing in the middle of white-colored vast field, surrounded by the pine forest while the sky was tainted in the color of ashes with the snowflakes falling quietly. In front of him, a beautiful stranger stood before him with pained, contorted expression, as if he was trying to dam his tears. While he could not recognize the man, that blue-haired stranger felt so familiar to his heart that he could sense the dull pain in his heart, as if calling for the latter to get close to his embrace.

The man in uniform opened his mouth, speaking to him, but Mikoto could not hear any single word leaving out through those rosy lips. The latter sighed and a soft mist formed, fogging his glasses before he lunged forward toward Mikoto with a saber in his hands. The next second, Mikoto was bewildered when he felt the stabbing pain on his chest and the comfortable body weight against him. He did not understand why this man had to kill him, but somehow Mikoto could not feel hatred welling inside him for what the latter had done to him. To his bafflement, he even instinctively leaned against the violet-eyed man as if he was conceding everything for this person although the blood dripped out from his mouth.

Mikoto could feel his energy seeping away from his body as well as his consciousness. However, before he faded out, he glanced to the stoic-faced stranger. For the whole nightmare, it was the only moment when he could hear the sound of the howling of winter breeze, rustling pine leaves and the heartbreaking voice. "What am I to you?"

He felt as if he needed to answer that question no matter what, but time would not allow him. Before even a word could escape his lips, the darkness fully consumed him and he would wake up in his bed, sweating profusely as if he had just run from unseen fiend.

After a whole month of the same dream, he decided to pursue the meaning of the nightmare. He would honestly admit that he was curious what was behind the dream that felt so surreal to him. If anything, he also wanted to get rid the crushing feeling he always bore when his eyes snapped open on daybreak. It felt like a sin that you could not wash as long as you don't find the source of it. However, his efforts were futile. Endless researches led to nothing and that was when he heard about the Holy Grail that could fulfill any wish.

It was not difficult to get a favor from his family. Just a word that he wanted to get the grail and he volunteered to take a part on the battle game, the Holy Grail recognized him instantly and bestowed him with the tattoo despite his young age. His family accommodated him so willingly that they even prepared an ancient saber of unknown heroes for him for summoning ritual.

Mikoto still remembered like it was yesterday, the night of summoning ritual. The saber with the golden tilt gleamed under the moonlight as he laid it on the altar of a small, deserted church, just as how his relatives has depicted it for him the steps of ritual. Anna sat on one of the dusty long benches behind him, watching closely at the ritual as Mikoto muttered the summoning rite and the crimson light swirled under his feet and formed the circle of magic. When he finished his line, a sudden surge of vermillion ray engulfed him and soared to the sky like a red pillar.

The blinding radiance eventually ceased down and before he could adjust his eyes to the darkness that once again filled the chamber, a clear baritone voice rang like a cathedral bell, so familiar that it hurt. "Are you my master?"

His golden eyes were widened in surprise once his orbs landed on the violet ones that constantly haunted his nights as the mist, the aftereffect of his magic ritual faded away. For a fleeting second, he noticed a surprise behind those amethyst eyes, but it vanished as quickly as an illusion. The man that stood before him was exactly the one that he had seen in his nightmares and it made him wonder if that moment was the continuation of his dream. The blue-colored hair, the black spectacles framing the violet orbs, the fair skin and the navy-colored fabric that enveloped the tall figure matched perfectly to the man in his vision. Mikoto was in trance that he completely ignored to answer the latter.

However, the man in his blue-clad uniform did not wait for his reply and leisurely walked down the aisle toward him to reach out for his cheeks once he had latched his saber on his waist. His hands felt warm and genuine against his skin that Mikoto wished that it was not a dream.

Nevertheless, when Mikoto thought he would not mind spending more sweet time with this spirit, the man in front of him pinched his cheeks rather cruelly until they were red and sore. "You are too young for this battle, but I have no choice since the contract is already done. Now, I hope you will get a hold of yourself. We will have a difficult war coming ahead, after all."

Mikoto abruptly grabbed on the spirit's wrists and effectively gained a full attention from the fair-looking man as he spontaneously asked, "Have we met before?"

He could see a storm waged inside those violet ones before the spirit intentionally averted his sight and solemnly replied, "I don't recognize you. Maybe you have read about me in the history book."

Mikoto could see the obvious lie but he decided not to push his luck. Instead, he tugged the wrist hard and pulled the latter close until their forehead bumped each other. "What's your name?" The spirit glared at him with obvious irritation as he rubbed his forehead, "Saber."

The crimson-haired magus frowned at the answer and glowered back, "I don't ask for your class. I'm asking for your name."

"That's all you need to know." The spirit grudgingly said and started to walk away to reach the front grand door of the church. "We are just partnered to get our wishes granted."

"If you want to gain victory, I have to know your name, so to know your history and your strength before we could formulate a strategy."

Mikoto knew that he was simply bluffing since he was not exactly a man of tactic, but he could not contain his curiosity to know about the spirit he had just summoned. The spirit seemed to be quite intelligent and perceptive as well, that he could see a flash of doubt inside those violet ones, and the silence hang between them awkwardly, but he would not back down.

The spirit gave out a suffering sigh and rested his eyes on golden ones, "Munakata Reishi."

He never heard the name, even in the history that he had despised and never bothered to learn, yet it felt familiar in his tongue that he could spell it without any difficulty. "My name is Suoh Mikoto." He averted his eyes to the young magus that had stood behind him and tugged on his sleeve quietly as her ruby eyes were fixated on the magnificent Holy Spirit, "And this is Anna, my cousin."

Munakata gave a curt nod with a little smile at the princess that rewarded him an equal shy smile before he glanced up back to his young master.

"So Reishi, your class is Saber?"

"Munakata." The spirit quickly snapped with annoyance as he corrected, "We have just acquainted, Suoh."

Mikoto shrugged carelessly and defiantly smirked back at his partner. "I don't care if you call me Mikoto. I will call you in however I see fit." As if to emphasize his statement, Mikoto slowly repeated in a low voice. "Reishi."

He stared daringly at the fuming spirit, taking a note of the twitching hands on Reishi's both sides, as if itching to reach out for his saber and slay down his own master. However, eventually the blue-haired man whirled around indignantly and stomped away to the exit as he irately exclaimed, "Suit yourself."

Such response brought a smirk onto Mikoto's lips. This man was indeed as he imagined, entertaining and challenging.

* * *

"I want to know you. That's my wish."

Munakata stopped in the middle track as he was treading his path on the short flight of stairs to the altar where he first met Mikoto of this era.

Mikoto noticed the tensing back and shoulders as the man in front of him abruptly halted at his answer. When he obtained the name of his partner, for once in his life, he rummaged books and the internet to find anything about Munakata Reishi in the history record like an obsessed admirer. Although he had read a bibliography of this past spirit, Mikoto still felt as if he had not even uncovered the superficial layer of this man. All he had gathered about him was simply that Munakata Reishi was once a Captain of Scepter 4, one of the chosen kings on the era of Dresden Slate before the Slate was one day being abolished by unknown force. He was known as the savior as he heroically slain the evil red king that almost murdered more than two hundreds student of an academy and wiped a part of Japan from the map along with him.

His partner slowly turned around with a twisted smile and glanced down at him from top of the stairs. "I don't think you even need the Holy Grail for that wish. I know that you have searched my past from literatures."

Mikoto felt like bewitched that he unconsciously stepped up the stairs while his eyes remained still on Reishi. "All I know is that you are once a king that has saved the world from your fellow evil red king."

To his surprise, the spirit snapped his head and watched at Mikoto with pure fury as he seethed, "You know nothing, don't speak ill of him."

Mikoto lowered his gaze and stared at the dusty floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the whole building. The atmosphere felt as if it had dropped several degrees and the silence was unbearable. Before he could utter an apology out of guilt, Reishi had stepped down until they were just separated away by one level of stair with hollow look. "I'm sorry. You simply speak what is written in the book. Of course there is no way you would know the truth."

"Then tell me the truth. Who is he to you?" Mikoto held his breath as he asked. However, he did not expect the sorrow to be plastered on the handsome feature.

"I wonder about it too." Reishi blurted out bitterly, before he hastily put on his expressionless mask when he felt the sympathy from certain master. "He was once a friend. But he was given a power that was hard to contain, and in the end that power consumed him. I was only there to put him out of his misery."

Reishi did not expect the next second, when his master swiftly pulled him into his embrace by yanking his wrists and locked him in the place with the arms encircled tightly around the slender waist. A soft blush bloomed to his cheeks and the chilling air suddenly felt so hot like burning inferno. The spirit half-heartedly fought the squeeze, but the creeping warmth into his cold vessel slowly melted his will. Hesitantly he lifted his arms and hugs his master awkwardly as he warily called, "Suoh?" The position was rather uncomfortable for him since their height difference forced him to bend over acutely, but he did not speak up his discomfort as he was being mindful of the situation.

"I saw you in my dream, before our first meeting." The crimson-haired master only tightened his embrace, suffocating the latter as he felt Reishi flinching. "The same dream every day that I can't ignore it anymore. The snow field, the pine forest, the gray sky and you. In my dream, I saw you killing me. If it is a premonition, I would want to know what kind of person you are."

He finally let go his partner from his embrace but he kept him within arm-length distance as his hands remained on Reishi's tense shoulders, preventing the latter from fleeing. Nevertheless, he did not anticipate the trickling tears falling down from the shining amethysts as a light of recognition shone on them, dripping down to the stone floor.

"It is not premonition." Reishi bitterly snickered under his breath, almost inaudible. "It's just our crossing roads are a bad comedy as the fate taunts."

"What?"

"Then as I promise, I'll tell you my wish." Reishi wiped away his tears and smiled sardonically. "I will change the past. This time, I will save the red king, no matter what."

Mikoto clenched his fist on his wrenched heart. Somehow even though the answer should not involve him, the pain was there. "Why would you go to that extent for a friend? What if it means your death? Who will save the world? Who will save the Red King from his power?"

"Someone would." Reishi pushed away Mikoto and walked toward the altar to take a seat on top of it. The glow of silver light fell like an angelic halo on his head. "For him, anyone would do."

"In that case, forget about him." Mikoto gave out a low growl and he strode briskly toward the spirit before he encircled his arms around Reishi's collar neck and pulled him once again into his embrace. "He is unworthy. Just stay here."

Reishi roughly pushed him away, but before Mikoto could protest, the latter had leapt forward and pounced on his master until Mikoto hit the back of his head against the floor. However, he did not even have enough time to register what had happened when suddenly the spirit on top of him took a full fist of his white shirt and viciously slammed his lips against Mikoto's. His yelp was muffled by the messy kiss, but it did not take him long before Mikoto returned the fervor and coaxed the latter into a deeper kiss by nipping on Reishi's lower lip and prodding with his tongue. Reishi frowned a bit at the unexpected feedback, but he obliged willingly.

After a flight of seconds that felt like eternity as they stole each other's breath away, Reishi hastily pulled back and climbed off Mikoto to make some distance between them. Mikoto stared at him with a lustful glaze on his eyes, observing the latter like a predator on his prey as his upper body rose from the floor, supported by his arms, "What was that?"

"I found it hilarious when you said that." Reishi softly chuckled, and the sight only tempted Mikoto further to allow his hormones to take control over him. "If he is unworthy, then so are you."

Mikoto was bewildered and he froze on the spot, "What…?"

The same shade of sorrow returned to those violet eyes, but the weak smile did not falter. "Your dream is the fragment of that past, Suoh, the last moment of Red King. Your resemblance to him is too extreme to ignore that I can't think about anything else but you are as his reincarnation."

"Are you telling me that I am…the Red King?" Mikoto trailed off anxiously.

"Was…It will be better if you think that you are not related to him."

"Then, was that kiss for him or me?" A dark jealousy was casted on his adolescent face. He knew that it was ridiculous to feel like this toward his possibly past-life since they might be one and the same, but he could not bear the thought that he was only a substitute for the long gone king for Reishi.

The Spirit laughed softly to his hand and shrugged, "It's up to you how you take it."

Mikoto shot up and pinned the blue-haired king down to the nearby altar with his hands clasped on the latter's. He took a moment to watch the beautiful sight and burn it into his mind. The sapphire strands were sprawled on the stone altar like a corona framing the melancholic face. The violet eyes glimmered under the flicker of moon light as they stared back at him without reservation. It felt like déjà vu, even though this was the first time for him for ever sharing such intimate moment with Reishi, there was the nagging feeling like he had seen him like this hundred times over and he knew what he should do.

"Suoh…" Reishi hesitantly started, but his words vanished from his mind when Mikoto lowered his head and gently kissed him while he released one of Reishi's hands to take off the obstructing spectacles and place it beside them.

"Call my name, Reishi." He whispered as he boldly commanded the older man.

"Never."

A wrinkle appeared in between of Mikoto's creased forehead as he frowned, "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to have anything more than this with you. We don't have a future, even now." Reishi turned his head to the side to avoid the piercing gaze.

"I don't understand."

"When the war is over, regardless we come victorious or not, I don't belong in this world. I will return to the Spirit World, and if the Holy Grail accepts my wish, I probably won't be here."

"I don't want…," Mikoto tried to argue, but Reishi effectively cut him as he put his forefinger on Mikoto's lips.

"My vessel is only temporary given by Holy Grail during the war. What we want doesn't change the fact that my existence doesn't belong here." The Spirit reached out to cup Mikoto's cheeks affectionately with a hint of anxiety behind his eyes. "You should find your happiness in this world this time. As long as you live, I feel like I can be saved from my guilt, even a little."

"No." Mikoto defiantly answered back and grabbed Reishi's wrists, away from his cheeks. "We will be victorious. My wish is to bind you here with me."

Reishi widened his eyes in surprise and stared up at the fiery golden ones which shone with unbreakable resolve. A part of him wanted to have the same wish and started a new leaf with this Mikoto, who would frankly confess to him without feeling remorse. Back then, their positions as Kings stopped them from getting together. But in here, he would have no necessity to mind his duty.

Nevertheless, if he did wish for that, it felt like he was truly abandoning the past Mikoto to pursue the current happiness and it seemed unacceptable.

Mikoto bit the inner wall of his cheek as he perceived the uncertainty inside wavering violets. It was probably too hasty of him to ask the latter to get over the past love. He had no intention to give up, even if he had just met this man for two weeks; probably insignificant compared to the time that Reishi had shared with the red king. In addition, he might be too immature and inexperienced than the king that Reishi had loved for a while to even suit the older king, but his juvenile mind would not accept loss without a fight. Time could not measure the amount or put the value of his feeling. He would steal this Spirit from the old him, and so he said, "I don't care if you still think about him or if you still wish to save him. Regardless your wish is, I will make you stay, since I don't think you are against the idea either."

However, Reishi only smiled genuinely that made his heart fluttered, "I will bring victory to you and make your wish to come true."

The gray, misty cloud blanketed the moon and the silver ray vanished, leaving the hall to be casted in the darkness, as if to veil the presence of star-crossed lovers.

* * *

The ending of the war was nigh.

The black smoke soared high to the darkest starless night sky as the church was set ablaze in vermillion color of flame. In the midst of sea flame, and the golden light that was like a vertical pillar that supported the sky, Munakata stood with the blood stains and several scrapes and wounds all over his body, but his eyes spoke the volume of his anguish when there was nothing inside but emptiness and infinite acceptance. When he noticed the sound of brash footsteps that was so familiar to his ears from behind him, he turned his head and smiled tiredly.

"Suoh…" He whispers weakly, although his figure still appeared as regal as an ancient king.

The crimson-haired magician bit his lip as he saw the tragic sight in front of him. He did not wish to see Munakata to be sad or hurtful, but as it turned out, the Grail War was a lunacy game and the prize they had pursued ended up as nothing but an illusion. Holy Grail was nothing but a cup with magnificent amount of prana, and in order to activate its power, it needed the sacrifice of all Servants' souls to unlock the ritual and it was not truly an absolute wish-granting device. The Holy Grail simply obeyed the command of the victor, and that was all. It might be able to grant the wishes of masters greedy of gold and power, but not what he desired.

Even with the whole prana of the world, the holy cup would still not be able to grant what he had wished for; what he had fought for.

An immense understanding was visible on Munakata's feature as he tilted his head and calmly beamed at his master, "You know, if your wish has not changed, I don't think the Holy Grail can grant it."

Mikoto shook his head hard, fighting back the tears, "No. The prana it contains should be enough to give you a vessel in this era."

"Suoh, it can't. Even if it is, you have to sacrifice me. What you wish is something beyond this world, because I don't belong in this era."

"Are you giving up?" Mikoto bitterly seethed.

The serene smile never left the blue-haired spirit and it wrenched his heart more when Munakata shrugged. "_I'm accepting this_. It's a different thing. At least, now I know that you have a future. Although I can't save the you in previous life, I think it's enough to see you alive and well in this one."

"It's not!" The victor magus barked. Deep inside he understood that what he wanted was not feasible, but it did not mean that he could accept it. If he was truly the reincarnation of red king, that meant this encounter was a fate and a chance for them to be united and be anything that they could not. To see that glimmer of hope to be vanquished in front of his eyes after such a tiring war was cruel. They had gone this far, spilling the blood of other Servants and their own and yet all they received was just the truth of intricate lie?

Munakata sheathed his sword and tossed it away on the floor. It clanged loudly as it hit the burning ground, but none of the soul even cared. He pulled the master who was younger than him into his embrace and attempted to record the human warmth, the crimson mane softness in his fingers and the light in the amber orbs into his memory; every feature that he had missed terribly. He lowered his head and whispered to Mikoto's ear softly, "And since I'm something that is not real in this world, just forget about all these and find the real happiness, Suoh. I have no regret of meeting you."

"I refuse." Mikoto coldly said and on the next second, he grabbed a full fist the front of Munakata's uniform. "I will meet you on the next war, even if it takes another 60 years."

Munakata glowered at him as his violet eyes turned cold and sighed at the hard-headed man, "On which part you cannot understand the meaning of 'I'm accepting this'? It means, my name will nevermore in the list of Avalon to summon. No matter how hard you try, how long you wait, I will never again participate in the War of Holy Grail. I no longer lament what has happened in the past."

Mikoto hung low his head but his fists never left its dead grip on Munakata's uniform. "Why? Is this your payback?"

"What?"

"Back then, the red king left you behind. And now when I struggle to be with you, you run away."

Munakata bit the inner wall of his cheek and before Mikoto could even respond, the blue king had thrown a punch on his face with all his might. The magus was thrown to the floor and his hand instinctively ran to where he felt sore to rub it gently as he was sprawled helplessly on the stone floor. A trickle of blood dripped down to his chin as he cut his lips. "What are you doing?!"

"You deserve it. If you so refuse this situation, then pray tell, what do you propose? I'm all ears. Even if I sacrifice my soul to activate the Holy Grail, I won't be resurrected. It can't fulfill your wish either." Munakata stepped slowly toward his master with icy cold stare and with his last forceful step just a few inches away from Mikoto, his face was contorted into a sorrowful one. "Why do you have to make our encounter so sad and pitiful? I wish not to see your face stricken with anguish anymore."

"If that's your wish, stay here…Even without the Grail, I will support your vessel with my own prana." Mikoto swept away the trickling blood with the back of his hand carelessly.

"You will die, Suoh. Do you think it's a trivial amount of magic to allow my soul to manifest here?"

"I don't care!"

Munakata knelt before him until they were on same eye-level to slap both of his cheeks, too gentle for intention to hurt, too hard for a chiding. His eyes were tingling sharp like a suppressed anger. "Only once is enough to see you throwing away your life because of your grief. How many times do you want to drown me in despair until you are satisfied? I won't let you repeat your mistake."

"Rei-" Before he could finish his line, the ancient king lunged forward and pressed his lips against Mikoto. At first, it was a clumsy contact as their teeth bumped painfully, but the older king tilted his head and deepened their kiss and Mikoto fluently followed the pace. Munakata prodded a little with his tongue for entrance, before the younger enthusiastically obeyed and was equally eager to close the distance between them. His hands clenched tightly on the back of Munakata's uniform, grabbing it as if it was his lifeline. If his grip hurt the latter, the Hero Spirit did not show it.

When Munakata deliberately broke the kiss, he embraced his younger master and whispered to his ear. "Won't you indulge me for one last time?"

"What?" Mikoto tried to pull back to get a better look on his contracted spirit, but Munakata did not loosen his embrace and persistently keep him still.

The crimson-haired magus could hear the little inhales that Munakata took, as if preparing himself to face the most difficult hurdle. However, the next whispered words overwhelmed him as if the king had spoken to him as loud as the towed bell. The voice echoed so loudly in his soul that he wondered if he would ever forget this fleeting moment that was deeply craved in his memory.

"I love you. I probably should have said that long time ago, but my pride and sense of duty stopped me. In the end, I regretted it." Munakata clenched his fists around Mikoto's waist. He could feel the prana that had dwelled inside him bestowed by the Holy Grail as a participant of the war had escaped him. His time in this future was no more. As if to prove his feeling, from the corner of his eyes, his legs were in transparent light, slowly losing his form. But he had no glimpse of fear, only a sense of loneliness and tranquility.

"I know." The magus finally said quietly, "I'm sure he knows that too."

Mikoto could not help himself but feeling hollow as the golden light basked around his knight. The blue king leaned backward while keeping his hands gripping on Mikoto's sleeves as he gradually vanished into small sparkles of gold dust, soaring high to the sky with transparent bright smile. "I will find you in another life. It may take another millennium, but I promise you."

"So do I," Mikoto trailed weakly as the spirit in front of him completely disintegrated and left him alone in the ruin with dying flame as the rain dripped down to his cheeks, as if trying to wash away all his longing. His heart screamed in undeclared pain.

* * *

Years had passed since the last war of Grail. Ever since that day, he entirely deserted his status as a magus and continued to live as a normal human. Mikoto had graduated from school, where fate once again played as if his current life was just a refrain of his previous one with him to be united with Kusanagi and Totsuka again as best friends. They did not remember each other at first, but he felt some connection with them. As weird as their relationship might be, when he realized it, Mikoto found himself always together with those two and the friendship was formed.

On his last year in university, the memories of his life as Red King started to return and fill his dreams, just like premonition back then before the War of Holy Grail. However, they were not like a haunting nightmare, but like fragments of dearest memories of someone's life record. He was not even surprised when he realized that Anna was one of his precious acquaintances who also got reborn and reunited with him. Mikoto wondered if the returning memories were because he was reaching the age when Red King died, but the thought did not bother him one bit.

The only thought that occasionally filled his mind was if the fate thread would also connect him with a certain man with mesmerizing amethyst-colored eyes in this life.

But years passed rather quickly and he began to forget the promise, thinking that it would take another rebirth before it could be fulfilled. Seasons changed until the cold biting air was replaced by blossoming cherry petals.

It was Sunday noon and he was on holiday that Mikoto as usual hung out in Kusanagi's coffee shop. The lingering smell of coffee was so strong and relaxing that he took a nap in one of the empty tables by the glass window at the corner. Anna was out shopping with her friends as he slumbered in his private sanctuary, enjoying being basked under the warm sun light. Nevertheless his nap was short-lived as someone had hit his head with a menu book.

He was about to glare at his intruder when the familiar, soft voice with a hint of amusement that brought back thousand memories filled his ears and he froze. "I see that you still haven't changed your lifestyle at all, Suoh."

He slowly glanced up, pushing away the menu and the familiar ivory hand that obscured his view. A young man in his teen stood before him. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt under the neat black vest and a simple apron, the attire of this coffee shop waiter. He was holding back the menu book close to his chest with a smirk. Behind the black-framed spectacles, the sapphire blue eyes with the hues of violet twinkled with concealed joy. "I finally find you."

Mikoto was speechless for a moment, searching for the words that he had longed to say if he ever met Reishi. But when the time came, his mind was white clear. So he said the only thing that came across his mind. "Just how old are you?"

Reishi frowned and his smile turned sour, "So much for a heartfelt reunion, and that's the first thing you have to say to my face?"

"Not really, but I'm just wondering. You look…so young."

"From my point of view, you are old." Reishi sighed with their way too ordinary meeting. He had imagined several possible scenarios as he looked forward for this moment. But Mikoto had to ruin it in his style like usual. It was not as if he was disappointed because after all, it was totally Mikoto's character. Nevertheless, it would be understatement if he did not expect something more. "But no matter, I turn seventeen this year. Are you disappointed that I'm much younger than you are?"

The banter felt like in the old memories and without doubt, Mikoto felt the bubbling happiness inside. He grinned cheekily as he rested his chin on his hand, "Yes and no. Yes, because it will appear as if I'm molesting a kid and no, because I don't care anyway."

Reishi flushed a little at the statement before he coughed to hide his embarrassment. "So crude. That's rude to call me a kid."

"So are you working here? How come I've never seen you?"

The bell on the door suddenly chimed, notifying the owner that a new customer had entered the house. Reishi stole a glance toward the door and saw a new couple coming through the entrance. He looked torn in between to continue conversing with Suoh or began with his part-time work since the shop started to get busy. However, before he could utter an apology and leave Mikoto's table, the crimson-head man already grabbed his wrist tightly with a glare.

Reishi was about to make excuse to the ex-magus when suddenly a blond stood behind him and smiled nonchalantly. Today was actually his off-day but Totsuka had noticed their short interaction for a while as he lazed around by the counter and caught a hint that they had so many things to talk about that he decided to give a hand. "It's okay, I'll cover for you."

"But…"

"Don't worry about it!" The blond quickly seized Reishi's apron and menu book before he left them alone to approach the coming customers with his airy smile.

The silence lingered for a long time before Mikoto made a gesture for the latter to sit across the table and Reishi absentmindedly complied. "So?"

"So what?"

"Where have you been?" Mikoto crossed his arms, staring straight at the blue eyes without any hesitation.

In contrary, Reishi shifted his gaze uncomfortably, "I actually often see you here on my way back from school, taking a nap." He paused for a moment, observing Mikoto's reaction if he was going to yell at him from delaying this moment. But he only glared sharply, expecting answer soon, so Reishi continued with a deep sigh. "I always want to greet you, but then I would hesitate. Even back then, you don't have any memories of the previous life, unlike me. This is your new leaf. I am uncertain if it is the right decision to come into your life, since our encounter might disrupt your current happiness."

"You promise me that you will find me. I've waited for so long and it's just because you are fretting pointlessly?" Mikoto scowled with apparent frustration. It was not anything new if Reishi avoided him for years because he was considering unnecessary thoughts, but it still annoyed him that they wasted so many years they could have together just because of trivial matters.

"It's not pointless." Reishi abruptly interjected with a whispered snarl for Mikoto to take lightly of his concern. "At least I'm here now. I decide to work part-time here so I can easily find the momentum to speak to you. I've just got interviewed and accepted three days ago."

"If you have told me, I can simply arrange it with Izumo."

"Well, it will lose the essence of surprise, won't it?" Reishi grinned innocently.

Unexpected to him, Mikoto smiled genuinely as he took Reishi's hands in his. "Yeah. It's a pleasant surprise." A soft blush crept from his cheeks to his ears and they fell into stifling silence once again, staring at their clasping hands as if they were the most interesting object to see in the whole coffee shop.

"I actually get my memories as Red King back years ago." Mikoto started tentatively.

Reishi lifted his gaze to meet the fiery golden ones that never failed to enchant him and those orbs once again confounded him that he could not look away. "How?"

"Do you remember when I told you that I had a vision of the Red King's last moment during the War of Holy Grail?" A nod as an answer. "I start to have flashes of memories of past life like that."

"I hope you realize now that it was absolutely nasty to force me to kill you." The blue-haired student whispered haughtily as the shadow loomed over his adolescent face.

"Yeah. I think I died too young back then, so can we pick up from where we have left?" The hands enveloping his squeezed a little with a faint tremble. Reishi could perceive the slight unease of rejection from the latter that the gesture immediately brought a smile back to his lips.

"Then you should at least make an effort to convince and court me, don't you?" The new waiter smirked audaciously as he glanced up.

Mikoto did not answer but his features softened with a genuine smile. And it was enough for them.

* * *

Last note: In case anyone wonder the setting in this AU, Mikoto is 30 years old and Munakata is 17 when they meet again because 17 years have passed since separation (Mikoto was 13 years old when he joins the war)


	6. Valentine

Disclaimer: I don't own K project, but let me dream anyway.

Note: Actually I don't plan on writing valentine fic since I have upcoming exam, but apparently it suddenly gets postponed for another week sooooo…lol, yeah, here I go. Happy Valentine! *throws confetti* Forgive me for any grammatical and vocabulary errors more than usual, I don't have time proofread it and it's just a quick, random fic. Warning for the prospect of OOC though… =3= It takes the setting where Red and Blue King are married.

* * *

The streets of the city were bustling busy and anyone would assume it was like just another regular busy day if it wasn't for the heart and pink decorations all around the places. The sky was clear and bright with its azure color with the white casted clouds blocking the sunlight. The trees planted in the middle of city parks rustled as the wind toyed with their leaves. Surely, the peerless nature would agree that it was just another day.

Nevertheless, Munakata couldn't say the same thing for Scepter 4. Even his platoons whined at the amount of disturbance in the city. Valentine was intended for young teenagers who were dreaming of romance and perhaps single adults, so it was normal for his Clansmen to want to have a romantic date for today. He could understand their reluctance to work on such day and if he could, he really wanted to give them early leave to enjoy the festive. Even for him, although he personally didn't celebrate Valentine, he still preferred a peaceful afternoon in his office with his puzzle sprawled on his desk. However, reality just didn't humor them at all.

Munakata absentmindedly played with the golden band on his ring finger as he stood behind Fushimi, who was typing furiously on the keyboard in unimaginable speed to bring down the sudden cyber crime brought up by a strain that was able to hack the military security defense, to observe. The military cyber specialists couldn't even keep up with the pace of the strain that they had to begrudgingly request for assistance from Scepter 4. While it was not that difficult to contain the case since Fushimi could handle in maintaining the military defense and discover the strain's location as the other group was dispatched to capture the strain, it was already the seventh case they had to work on ever since they stepped into the HQ early morning. The total amount of completed cases was just ridiculous and it was still noon.

Fushimi promptly leant his back on his chair with a deep sigh and slumped down with irritated look as he finished on repelling continuous cyber attack. Munakata only smiled approvingly at the youngest commander and picked up the PDA on his hand immediately at the first ring, "Awashima, how is the situation?"

A feminine, full of respect voice came from the other side of the call with a slight hint of exhaustion, "It's under control, Captain. We have captured the perpetrator in his apartment, just as Fushimi has discovered. We will bring him in to the HQ immediately."

"Good. Please take care of the rest, Awashima."

"Roger," She paused for a moment. "May I ask you a question, Captain?"

Munakata was already on his way back to his office, to work on the pile of reports waiting to be signed on his mahogany desk as he was on the phone. He automatically asked without thinking, "Yes, what is it?"

"Would you prefer white, milk or dark chocolate, Captain?"

The current Captain of Scepter 4 abruptly froze on the spot with stiff smile on his face. He was glad that there was no one around in the hallway to notice that he had been caught off-guard, by his own lieutenant no less. Today had been a series of peculiar events, but none could even come as close as unforeseen as this one. If Awashima had not hesitantly called for him, he would not notice that he had been musing too deep. "Captain?" she tried hesitantly.

"Ah, my apologies, Awashima. Your question surprises me a little, and I can't help but wonder what has brought on this question." Munakata fluently answered as he continued to stride to his office. "However, if I have to answer the question, dark chocolate sounds nice, Awashima, especially with the flavor of matcha. I would recommend it."

"Domyoji keeps rattling about Valentine, lack of chocolate and busy work since morning. In order to lift up his spirit, I promise to give him obligation chocolate. Incidentally, there is a chocolate shop nearby so I 'm thinking of giving chocolates to the whole Scepter4 members." She said in monotonous voice with a lot of female noise in the background. It seemed that she was in a crowded shop.

"You're being too kind. You don't have to buy me anything, Awashima."

"No, I insist," Awashima said stubbornly. "Please accept it as my token of gratitude."

"Well, I thank you in advance for your concern. Please return to HQ once you've finished with your tasks." Munakata stopped briefly in front of the door of his office. Only when the blonde lieutenant had dialed off the call that Munakata pushed open the door and stepped into his working room with a tiny sigh. A dark shadow loomed on his troubled face.

The thought of Valentine only gave him another headache to think of.

* * *

"I'm home." Munakata heaved a deep sigh as he entered into his apartment in the city. Fortunately, the string of cases seemed to end when evening was approaching and there was a sudden stop of incoming troubles for Scepter4 to handle. All his Clansmen looked relieved and they cheered up radically when Awashima gave out obligation chocolates to every personnel in Scepter4. When she handed a small box encased by pink wrapping paper and a red ribbon to him, he accepted it good-naturedly with a polite thank-you. On top of her desk, there was still a pack of chocolate wrapped notably different; neater and prettier from the ones she was handling out in the HQ, when he accidentally noticed it jutting out under the books. He couldn't help but smiling, realizing that she was probably going to HOMRA bar once she checked out from the office building.

Just as soon as he took off his shoes, he noticed a familiar figure leaning against the wall by the entryway with usual sharp stare in front of him.

He lifted up his head only to smile at the one greeting him, "Hello, Suoh. How is your day?"

"Probably better than yours. You look like hell."

Munakata chuckled and nodded lightly as he stepped into the entry hallway, already working on taking off the belt to undress his cobalt trench coat. "That's understatement, I think. It's a busy day."

Mikoto followed him as they walked into the living room and Munakata hang his coat on the chair back before he flopped down the sofa nearby with tired sigh. When a shadow hovered on top of him, he craned his neck to the back only to find Mikoto standing behind him and staring down at him with slightly worried look.

"I'm fine," Munakata quickly retorted to stop Mikoto from even trying to mother hen him. It was disconcerting if he had to hear it from the very same man he always reprimanded for being a slack.

Mikoto looked doubtful but he said nothing. He simply put his hand under Munakata's chin and tucked it up so he could steal a greeting kiss from his husband. Munakata briefly closed his eyes and savored the placid, slow kiss. However, in the middle of it, Mikoto promptly pulled back, leaving the latter unsatisfied.

"By the way, are you cheating on me?" Mikoto asked nonchalantly, as if he was asking about the weather with his face hovered so close to Munakata's. Munakata needed several seconds to process the sudden turn of event before he could comprehend it. Apparently, Awashima giving out chocolates was not the most astounding event for a whole day. Valentine or not, today was definitely a startling day.

"That's the most ridiculous question of the day, Suoh," Munakata stated with a tiny growl as his mauve eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you are trying to get on my nerves, you've been doing a very good job on that."

"Then, prove it."

"What?"

"Where is my chocolate?" Mikoto smirked down at him and Munakata immediately felt a creeping annoyance to the back of his mind.

"What chocolate?" Munakata queried, feigning innocence. If Mikoto wanted to play ignorant, Munakata would accept the challenge.

Mikoto half-heartedly scowled as he pinched Munakata's nose teasingly, "It's Valentine day. Don't act oblivious; that's sly."

"Suoh, we talked about this last year." Munakata pinched the bridge of his nose and drew a deep inhale. "We're not celebrating it. That's final."

"Why not?"

"Because of many reasons I gave you last year! Do you expect me to spell them out for you again?" Munakata fought the urge to yell in frustration, but it was pretty hard to keep his anger either when Mikoto quietly peppered him with butterfly kisses all over his face.

"I forgot. It has been a year, after all."

Munakata felt a smile on his forehead, knowing perfectly that Mikoto was probably pulling his leg for his amusement. But he just didn't like to prolong the conversation that he pushed Mikoto away and whirled around on his waist to cup Mikoto's face with his hands and gave a hard glare on the amber eyes.

"Fine, this will be the last time I remind you. One, we're married; there is no need for Valentine. Two, we both guys and thus I have no obligation to give you anything. Three, I simply don't celebrate it. There you go."

Mikoto grabbed for Munakata's hands on his face and unfastened them. The violet orbs followed MIkoto's back as he proceeded to the chair where Munakata had placed his coat temporarily and rummaged the pocket only to pull out the sticking out pink present. "Then what is this? I'm sure you're not the one who buys this since it's not your color. Yet you told me that you didn't celebrate it."

"Awashima gave it to me. It's just obligatory chocolate, it's rude to refuse," Munakata said defensively, feeling annoyed at his desire to reason with Mikoto. "Moreover, if you really insist on celebrating Valentine, then why don't you just give me chocolate and get done with it?"

"It's too troublesome," Mikoto quickly replied without batting an eye.

A vein popped out Munakata's forehead that he swiftly shot up from the cushion and made his way out of the living room to their bedroom with dismissal hand wave. "Then I can't be bothered; I'm too busy."

"But I guess I can overlook it for once."

Munakata turned around and frowned at Mikoto suspiciously, who was smirking like a cat getting a cream. The red-haired Red King strode toward him with the present from his lieutenant on his hand. Munakata fought the instinct to step back from his husband that was grinning from ear to ear with predatory glint behind his eyes and he maintained his fortitude.

Just when they were separated only arm-length, Mikoto abruptly swept him off the floor and carried him bridal-style carelessly to the bedroom. Munakata impulsively looped around his arms around Mikoto's neck, wondering what the latter was planning. He didn't even have to think hard to understand Mikoto's interest since he was emanating plainly the signs of arousal, but he pondered what the latter had been trying to pull off.

Mikoto kicked the bedroom door with his foot and walked briskly to the queen-sized bed, only to toss Munakata tactlessly on it. Munakata yelped in surprise as he bounced slightly against the bed and growled with displeased look as he tried to recover his poise from sudden movement. The room was dark and Mikoto made no effort to turn on the light, to Munakata's irritation as he struggled to adjust his eyes with the lack of light. It was probably because the latter had an excellent eyes and ability to swift habituation that Mikoto often neglected to turn on the light. In contrary, Munakata didn't have that kind of gift and he didn't like to be vulnerable without knowing what kind of expression Mikoto had while his husband could see him so easily. Suddenly, there was a sound of torn paper and Munakata felt the tremendous need to confirm his fear that Mikoto was breaking Awashima's present to spite him.

"Suoh, turn on the light."

"No," Mikoto curtly answered. Munakata was about to retort when the next second, Mikoto thrust his fingers into his mouth and there was instantly a bitter sweet taste on his tongue.

Munakata was stunned for a moment before he licked Mikoto's thumb on his lips, vaguely commented. "I guess she really buys me dark chocolate."

"Is it sweet?" Mikoto asked huskily, that Munakata almost believed that he was acting like a loving husband. Nevertheless, he couldn't exactly use the word 'loving' in his marriage life so far, be it from Mikoto's side or his. The closest he could come up with would be the same word he used to define the taste of the chocolate on his tongue.

Munakata shrugged, "Yeah. Why don't you eat it too?"

"I only eat it if it's from you."

The Captain of Scepter4 snorted as he said, "You may try all you can, Suoh. I'm not changing my mind about Valentine."

"I know that you're not going to compromise, so I will." Mikoto chuckled and suddenly Munakata felt a chill along his spine, making him shivering as it felt strangely cold. When he was about to question it, he felt another chunk of chocolate poked on his lips as if Mikoto was asking his permission to open his mouth.

"Stop it, Suoh. Anymore snacks and I won't be able to eat din-." Mikoto quickly popped in the chocolate into Munakata's mouth and before Munakata could raise a protest in his rage, the Red King captured the lips and thrust his tongue inside to get a taste of the melting chocolate. He smirked victoriously as Munakata compliantly obliged and a soft moan rose from the latter's throat. His hand remained still on Munakata's chin to keep him close while the other one snaked behind his husband's back to lessen the distance between them. When there was no chocolate left to share between them, Mikoto pulled back with a soft flush on his cheeks and licked his lips seductively. He took a note on Munakata's watery eyes, glistening in daze and how they both were left panting heavily with just one single kiss, somehow he couldn't help but laughing.

Munakata defensively asked, "What?"

"Nope, just thinking that you can be cute too-"

The last thing Mikoto expected in that kind of situation was for a pillow to suddenly hit on the face bull's eye before it bounced out of the bed and a long silence fell in the room. While it didn't really do much damage compared to Munakata banned him out of the bed for a week, somehow it annoyed him. Mikoto frowned while glaring at the stiff husband. "Oi, what was that for?"

"It's your fault for saying infuriating thing," Munakata answered almost too quickly while pushing his eyeglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

Mikoto lowered his head and sighed in defeat, "Why do you hate Valentine and chocolate anyway?"

"I don't hate it."

"Then say that when you look at me."

Munakata turned to smile sardonically with threatening aura emanating, "I really don't hate it."

"You make this weird smile whenever you lie about something awkward." Mikoto said, deadpanned as he scooted closer to Munakata on the bed. "So why do you hate it?"

"It's none of your business." Munakata crossed his arms in front of his chest defiantly, but Mikoto only got closer with eerie smirk.

"Perhaps you'll tell me if I feed you the whole box…"

"Huh? No, wait!" Munakata was only fast enough to put hands in front of him to push Mikoto away and the abominable chocolate box before he blurted out of dread. "I'm allergic to it!"

Mikoto paused for a moment and gave the latter an incredulous look, "You know, you're not really a good liar…you ate those just now and nothing happened."

Munakata threw him a deadly glare and the chocolate chunk between his fingers, telling him immediately that if he would have to pay it with his head if Mikoto kept teasing him. Mikoto flung the chocolate to his mouth instead and fell back, waiting for an explanation. He was not exactly a fan of chocolate, but it definitely tasted all right.

"If it's only a little amount, it's fine. But when I eat it too much, the allergic reaction will turn up."

"What kind of reaction?" Mikoto tilted his head, and began ravishing the leftover. "You never eat much of anything. How are you supposed to know?"

Munakata scowled with a hesitant look on his darkened face, but he stiffened with defeat when Mikoto started to crawl to his with menacing chocolate piece on his hand, "When I was a president of student council on high school, the vice president made us to eat her chocolates as she was practicing to make one for Valentine. She went overboard and made too much. It was a disaster when the itchy rashes broke out. I don't loathe Valentine, but it reminds me of bad experience."

Mikoto tossed the last piece to his mouth and licked his chocolate-smeared fingers, "You should've just refused this one then."

"Awashima went on the trouble to buy for the whole squad, I can't exactly refuse. I plan to give it to you in the first place although it has nothing to do with Valentine. I know that you would figure it out that it isn't from me," Munakata grumbled with a sharp look. "You glutton; you even finish it off in less than 5 minutes."

Mikoto shrugged with a new predatory grin plastered on his face, "Since you give me nothing although I'm nice enough to help you to take care of that present, I guess I'll just _eat_ you."

"You'll get fat from eating too much." The Blue King smirked back with a playful glint reflected on his amethyst eyes.

"Don't worry; you're low-calorie food."

"…Can you just stop talking like I'm your rations?"

"Only if you shut up."

"Deal."

* * *

It's so short and random lol lol


	7. Broken Glass

Diclaimer: K project belongs entirely to GoRa

Note: This one is inspired by Enigmatic Feeling – Ling Tosite Sigure. Warning for spoiler of K:Missing Kings movie. And warning for character death. This is totally not a happily ever after fic, so don't read it if you're having a bad day. 

* * *

"I will do it when time comes."

"I decline."

A pair of ruby eyes gleamed under the dim light of setting sun just outside the window coming through the window. "I won't do it for you. It would be to protect my friends and the city Mikoto and I loved."

Munakata shut close his eyes with a relaxed smile and put down the teacup cradled in his hands. He inhaled deeply, ingraining the relaxing smell of green tea inside his office into his memory. As if to mirror his behavior, the current Red King, who was still inexperienced in wielding her Sword of Damocles and its fiery flame, copied his example and remained silent as she lowered down the teacup in front of her. She was waiting for an answer patiently. And the situation felt ironic for Munakata. He had never imagined that one day he would be able to sit down peacefully like this, conversing with the leader of Red Clan like it was a normal thing ever since Suoh's regime.

A year ago, the little princess of HOMRA was crowned as the new Red King after a certain mishap with Green Clan. At first, the sight of new, beautifully majestic Red Sword of Damocles brought fresh sting of a death of certain friend (or lover, but no one had to know but him). His heart bled, cried unshed tears again when he was in solitude. But time healed the wound; no matter how severe it was, even if the wound closed with ugly scars, but it somewhat healed because life must go on. Just like how time would not stop even a blink for the lamenting Blue King, no matter how much he beseeched. In fact, as he suspected, time, was no longer his luxury; something he no longer could afford. The Dresden Slate had begun to count down his time. As the consequence of his duty two years ago during the winter in Ashinaka Academy, his Sword of Damocles began deteriorating and kept running down the hill without brakes, without mercy. It was leisure process with his self-restraint, but every night he could hear a faint, haunting sound of its cracking. A broken vase, no matter how the artist tried to mend, the water would still leak out from the cleft. The water that had been spilled had no way to return back to the vase. The process was simply irreversible, unstoppable until the water ran out and there was nothing left but a hollow vessel.

He intended to keep it to himself. It was unnecessary to worry his Clansmen at such premature stage. They were still amidst the chaos and the time for him to resign from his duty was still distant. The Third King was still young, even if she was gifted with wisdom. But experience was to be gained and learned, both in battle field or strategy in handling crisis, and thus she was still not mature enough to take a full role as a King. He watched over her, aiding her if only absolutely necessary so she would not tread the same destructive pathway like her previous beloved king. He secretly hoped that she would also be the one to replace his position as one of lead figures of this country in the future. He was quietly preparing her to be ready for such heavy duty although it hurt him because her tiny shoulders were so frail. They were not meant to shoulder the weight of the world. Not just yet.

But he had no choice. The Silver King may have returned and took over the role of previous Gold King, watching over the development of the country behind the scene. But there was no way he could do everything on his own. Just like how he usually supported the Gold King in leading this country, the Silver King would certainly need that assistance as well. When Blue King was gone, another pillar for the country's order would vanish, and before that time came, he should find someone befitting to take over that role until a new Blue King and appropriate leader of Scepter 4 was appointed. Someone, who loved this city and wished to protect the inhabitants; someone who possessed a strong heart and benevolent at the same time.

Without doubt, Kushina Anna was certainly his best candidate.

She was sweet and valued her friends more than anything else. She had tasted pain first-handedly and how it hurt her, thus she would never misuse her power to inflict pain to others. Once she was completely able to yield her devastating Aura and her mental and intelligent matured enough to make the best decision as a King, it would be the moment for him to step down.

But time had not come. At least, he wished that the harbinger of death would not find him first before that awaited moment arrived.

Thus, for that very reason, he would never allow the little princess, no, little queen of HOMRA to assume the role as his death messenger. He had envisioned her with so much future to take care of. She would be the vanguard of this country, and he would not be the one that shackled her down with the burden of ending his life.

Moreover, she was a memento of Suoh Mikoto. He had promised that he would watch over Mikoto's friends, especially Anna. By all means, she was too precious to be stained or damaged because of his failure to die voluntarily when his Weismann level failed him. Then again, he would never tell that as well. His feeling was simply for his own to listen; there was no need to chain this innocent girl with his emotion.

When his death arrived, it would be delivered by other's hands. Even if there would be no one to do so, he would personally be responsible of his own life before the Sword of Damocles could claim the earth along with his body. The Blue King had enough resolution to deliver the final blow to his own best friend, rival and lover. It would be a child play for him to get his own demise.

He slowly opened up his violet eyes and stared straight into those attentive crimson orbs. They were still focused on him, gently prying for his soul to be bared before her. However, Munakata persistently closed his heart to her. He adjusted his glasses, straightened his back as he answered, "I appreciate the offer, but I have to politely turn you down."

Anna seemed like she wanted to argue with him, but Munakata put his finger on his lips, silencing her effectively. She lowered her eyes, trying to hold back her anxiety from spilling out of her lips. "Killing another king will put quite a burden to your Sword of Damocles. When that time comes, the only death claims would be my life alone."

"But the reason for your condition is because…" She trailed off weakly. Even when she had accepted Mikoto's death, the sudden flash of happy memories she once shared and the crashing pain followed would stop her in the middle of her sentence. "The least I can do is to grant you the same end with him; a quick death. I should stay by your side during that last moment, just like what you've done for him."

Munakata was taken back with her confession and it would be a lie if he was not touched by her purity. Maybe for once, he would not have to walk down the path of a King on his own. Nevertheless, in the end, he would be the one that leave the pedestal first, deserting the young queen on King's thorny path alone. The thought of it became unbearable.

"This is my retribution. You have nothing to worry about but mastering your power and uniting HOMRA back together to its previous glory." Munakata smiled gently. This time he allowed himself to express his compassion. It was strange for him, but he felt no need of pretense of a cold, distant king in front of her, like he usually did when he crossed path with Suoh. Her presence was more than adequate to bring in the harmony inside him. In the depth of her eyes, he could find a trace of Suoh that he loved very much and it calmed him. Not the insanely aggravated Suoh when he was too indulged in his fury and need for revenge, but the gentle Suoh when he was surrounded by his friends or when he enveloped Munakata in his embrace under the warm blanket.

However, there was no relief inside her eyes, but sadness. She scooted closer to him and rested her hands on his folded ones on his lap. Anna bit her lower lip as she fought back a little tear. "It would be much easier if I can hate you or if you are evil."

As a response, Munakata moved his hands and squeezed her petite hands in his, "You should just hate me for taking him away from you. However, I will say this to you that I enjoy your companionship, as well as this alliance between Red and Blue Clan that I have never imagined for it to take form."

Anna glanced up to find the gentle violet ones and she nodded involuntarily. She breathed out as she spoke that it came out like a whisper of dying wind, "Then please don't die, Blue King."

"Do not be concerned. I'm checking my Weismann level on regular basis." He released her hands and leaned back. "I have avoided using my Aura unless necessary."

Suddenly a knock on the door made them jolt a little in surprise and both of them instinctively directed their eyes on the closed mahogany door of Munakata's office. When the blue-haired king had reverted back to his collected mask, he chimed, "Come in."

A thread of golden peeked through the slit of open door. When Awashima had stepped inside, another man followed behind her, with his eyes hidden behind the stylish black eyeglasses. "Pardon the intrusion, Captain. The HOMRA's advisor has come to pick up the Third King."

Anna abruptly stood up, smoothing the creases of her skirt with her hands with a transparent joy in her childish feature. Meanwhile, Munakata barely moved away from his seat, simply watching at the arriving guest with his usual business smile. "Welcome, Kusanagi. You are just in time. We have just finished our short meeting."

"As far as I gather, the meeting you speak of seems to be more like a friendly conversation to me." Kusanagi shrugged with little smile without a tone of malice, despite his words.

"Well, she is quite a pleasant company. It is inevitable." Munakata said, brushing off his cynical comment nonchalantly. Anna had finished primping her vermillion-colored dress and tugged the hood of her scarlet coat. Just before she whirled around to run toward her guardian, she slightly bowed down, "Thank you for your hospitality. I will take my leave then." They might have equal standing as kings, but Munakata was still her senior in term of age that she found it more appropriate to show courtesy.

Munakata made a hummed noise in approval and smiled at her sweet manner. He had always liked children after all, especially good-mannered one like she was. "It's my pleasure." He gestured at Awashima who was standing beside the blond advisor. "Please lead them to the front door."

She made a curt salute to him before leading the young queen and her Clansman the way out of Scepter 4's HQ. 

* * *

_"How is Kushina Anna?" Reishi started randomly. A glass of wine was on his hand. His mind was still clear, despite the amount of poisonous ethanol running in his system. Nevertheless, he could feel the tension leaving him, which was not wise considering that his nemesis was sitting just one-arm length away from him. But they were on a public bar by accidental encounter (However, their encounters were too often that it was more proper to scratch the 'accidental' word. He still would not accept it, because it sounded as if he agreed that there was something between them.) Surely Mikoto could show some moderation from violence, right?_

_Mikoto chuckled, smiling with the glass of whiskey on his lips, "The almighty Blue King has a soft spot for children. Who would have known?"_

_"It's irrelevant. I'm just thinking of her welfare, considering her past. The world is still full of danger, Suoh." He says, staring at his glass._

_"I won't let it happen." The Red King interjected, while the fire of determination flared in his amber eyes. Reishi hummed noncommittally, "I know. You always protect your Clansmen."_

_Mikoto was quiet for a moment and put down his glass on the marble bar table. He turned his chair until he faced Reishi with his head was propped on his elbow. The Blue King felt his gaze, so he tilted his head and stared back quizzically, "What?"_

_"You always watch my back, I know."_

_"Someone has to, because you have no self-restraint, you barbaric man." Reishi took a sip of his wine. Mikoto only made a sound of agreement, to Reishi's annoyance._

_"I can watch your back too. Still got one slot open on the list." Mikoto offered solemnly with his finger trailed the surface of his glass. A list of persons to look after, he thought. Mikoto knew that he didn't have to and Reishi would not need him to, with Blue Aura and a long row of Blue Clansmen to shield him from danger at all times, but he wanted to._

_Reishi watched him with feigned incredulous look, deciding not to take it seriously, "I thought you had your hands full already with those kids of yours. Mind your own business, Suoh." He was curious what had brought on such idea in Mikoto's head, but he settled on not knowing. Ignorance is a bliss, people said. _

_The red-head heaved a sigh, dropping the issue. "Well, the offer is still on if you change your mind." His answer baffled Reishi. He had assumed that the latter just made a random comment or empty flattery to tease him like he usually did. But the genuineness on Mikoto's expression confused him. He could not tell if the Red King was serious or just frankly teasing. Mikoto then put down the money on the table, a little bit too much for his own drinks. He left his stool and put his hands on his pockets, waiting for Reishi expectantly. _

_Reishi narrowed his eyes suspiciously as his sight fell on the money, then to the amber eyes, "What?"_

_"You can pretend for the rest of the night that you don't want this. But it will save time a lot if we can just go to hotel. Aren't you a busy man?" Mikoto explained with a shrug._

_Reishi was quite tempted to splash his precious wine on Mikoto's face and refused him with a snarky comment, just to get him down from his high pedestal. But it had been a while since he spent the night in Mikoto's arms and the stress and tension from his work were absolutely suffocating him that he longed for a release and the offer was __**coincidentally**__ there. He could always blame it on alcohol if the latter brought it up for indulging without much resistance. _

_"I am," A smile crept to his lips before he could stop himself. "But I wonder how long will you need to entertain me? I don't have all night to accompany you." Reishi asked with sarcastic sultry voice as he leapt off the chair and leant forward until their hot breath mingled and their lips nearly touched._

_"We'll see." Mikoto smirked conceitedly, locking his eyes on defiant violet ones with implicit promise. "It didn't take half an hour to draw moans from you last time."_

_Reishi stiffened and looked deadpanned as he curtly argued, "I was drunk."_

_"And many times before." His haughty smirk widened that Reishi wanted to wipe it out from his face._

_"I was drunk at those times too." He answered defensively. Mikoto shrugged him off, still with that smirk on his lips with a knowing look and walked out the bar. Somehow, it felt like his loss, and it irritated him to no end. Reishi steeled himself as he followed the Red King; determined of proving Mikoto wrong. _

_He still ended up losing anyway. Mikoto just would not let him win. Not even once._

* * *

And he didn't have his opportunity anymore to score his win. The game had long-gone ended without the victor, without a worthy opponent to keep it going on.

Munakata wondered why he suddenly recalled that fragment of past.

Somehow the field was blurry and it felt like déjà vu. He remembered that he saw this same vision on his nightmare. The cold, hard rain that smudged his vision, the sound of dancing thunders in the jet black sky and the chillingly cruel, broken asphalt beneath him were his hints. When he forced an exhale, a white mist escaped his lips.

The rain made his messy cobalt hair felt uncomfortable as they were plastered wetly on the sides of his face. But when he tried to shove it away and tuck it back behind his ears, he realized that there was blood dripping down from the side of his temple, painting his hair with red, the vibrant red that he used to love so much. The red he had despised after the fall of Suoh Mikoto. He sighed at the sight of it and the smell of iron on his hand as well as in his stomach. He lowered his hands to his sides with resigned posture as he Munakata leaned against the clump of giant boulder, the remnants of the tower, indulging himself with the luxury to rest. It might be due to blood loss, or maybe cold, but a wave of exhaustion crashed into him and he only wanted to stop fighting the need to sleep. He shivered weakly. Even his body still fought to keep him alive by fighting the hypothermia, but it was futile. His eyelids felt extremely heavy and just when he was about to spoil himself with a fleeting rest, he heard the splashing sounds of water puddle and footsteps on the broken road from distant.

He barely managed to open his eyelids when Anna abruptly knelt beside him with a terror in her face, ignoring the water seeping into her clothes. The Silver King brushed away his coat as he lowered himself on the other side of Munakata, across the Red King. He hurriedly took off his coat and covered the wounded Blue King, hoping it would be enough shelter him from rain and keep him warm. Munakata fought a smile as he turned his head toward the concerned Silver King. "I'm sorry, Sir Weismann. I fail to bring down the Green King. But he is currently injured. You can still make it if you go now."

The silver-haired teen shook his head and smiled sadly. "You don't have to worry about that, but your health." Weismann spoke in a low voice, taking one of his hands in his, giving him a little bit warmth.

His vision was hazy but he still could clearly see the tears trickling down Anna's face along with the raindrops. Even breathing felt like a hard thing to do that he had to force out an exhale. "I guess, in the end…you fulfill your words…that you will accompany me at my last moment."

Anna shook her head gently, remaining still as her tears kept pouring down to her cheeks. She could not lie, because she had promised Mikoto that she would no longer deny the reality in front of her eyes when he entrusted the red she loved so much to her. Moreover, the dying man in front of her probably knew about his own condition better than anyone else that her white lie would probably fall into deaf ears. Despite the earsplitting sound of thunder, they could also hear the crackling Blue Sword of Damocles above them. The light inside the gem on the Sword had dimmed and crumbled into dusts, signing the natural end of Munakata Reisi and his life as a King.

"How can he hurt you?" Weismann asked with concern.

"Mishakuji…" Munakata gasped to get some air, but then the pain of his wound would make him cringe. "I was careless. He got me…when I almost cornered the Green King."

"Don't speak anymore." Anna pleaded softly as her tiny hand pushed back his bangs that had veiled his eyes, gently brushing his hairs with her fingers.

When he saw his reflection on her ruby eyes, he wondered if he had looked just like her when the blood of Mikoto was spilled on his hands and his saber. Such a beautiful existence with tragedy to adorn her gentle face, he thought. His heart clenched painfully at the sight of her; the solitary, majestic red rose in the garden of violence and blood. No matter how brutal the fire burned around her and the swords crossed to protect her, there was no guarantee that she would be free from harm with so much malice on the path of Kings. He only wished that she would still bloom as magnificent as her previous predecessors and wither gloriously and naturally, unlike him.

His fall was his karma, his retribution. He had slain the only man who would watch his back without question and he had failed to watch Mikoto's back. Surely, this ending befitted him. He only hoped that he would not have to meet the said man in afterlife. He had no foolish desire like asking for forgiveness. When a man died, it all ended. There should be no more to the story and he chose not to be forgiven.

He was about to fall to the abyss when a pair of cold hands slapped his cheeks firmly. Munakata was startled, inquiring the red queen why she would not allow a peaceful rest for him with tired look.

"He is watching over you as he is watching over me," She spoke softly and leant her forehead against his. He closed his eyes and allowed her warmth to slightly seep into him from the skin contact. But the moment he shut his eyelids, he found himself standing on the unfamiliar compartment. The warped room looked almost like the second floor of Homra's bar when Mikoto once invited him to his bedroom, but there was too much radiant light and everything seemed to glow in white.

The windows were open, but there was no city reflected outside; only the infinite pallid color. Just as he suspected, there was no sound carried by the wind through the window; only eternal silence. Nevertheless, the curtains gently sway and the wind blew his hair to his face. There was only a sense of tranquility inside the room. There was no wound on his body or pain for him to feel. When he turned around, there was a queen-size bed with a canopy and silk curtains to veil the occupant in the corner of the room. Before his mind could think, his feet already moved and padded down to the sole bed. When he got close and stood between the pillars, there he saw her. Anna was lying curled on her side, asleep with serene look on her face. Just when he leant down to reach out for her, a voice, which he had missed and had haunted his dreams for years, stopped him.

"Let her sleep."

Munakata whirled around on his heels, only to find the man he had feared to see, standing tall with an easy smile on his face. "I can't believe that you would come here so soon."

"Who are you?" He asked, although deep in his soul, he already knew the answer. "Suoh is long dead."

"Yeah, I am." The red-haired man confirmed, walking through past him to grab the blanket and spread it on Anna protectively, as if it could shield her from worldly pain. "This is the spirit world. She channels you to here subconsciously."

"What a weird dream at the imminent death." Munakata murmured in awe.

"It isn't. She sees your pain. Without her, you would die and go to a place I could never find, because your soul refuses to see me."

Munakata stayed silent, rejecting to meet Mikoto's scrutinizing eyes.

"I'm sorry, for everything." Mikoto started the list, with gentle fire in his eyes. "to force you to kill me, to shorten your life span, to leave you alone, to make you watch over her in my place, to make you blaming yourself, to make you hate me."

"Shut up," Munakata glowered quietly. His voice slightly cracked with mixture of unspeakable pain, bottled anger and unshed tears. He stepped away from Mikoto with unquenchable wrath swelling within him. "I don't need your apology."

"_I love you._" Mikoto said stubbornly, grabbing Munakata's wrist in painfully tight grasp. "Stay here."

The blue-haired king noticed the present tense he used and was bewildered for several seconds before shook his head persistently, "I can't. Not after what you've done. Not after what I've done."

"Stop saying that." The crimson-haired man gritted his teeth. "Everything is not your fault. If you deny me now, I would lose you forever. The afterlife is boundless; I won't be able to find you."

"That's what I keep saying, right?" Munakata sighed exhaustedly. He just could not believe that talking to Mikoto in his delusional mind would still be as wearing as before. "This is my punishment, Suoh."

"Then, I forgive you. Since long time ago."

Munakata tensed up and slowly lifted his head to face the enigmatic man in his life. He bit his lower lip before he forced a sardonic smile. "I refuse to accept it. And I haven't forgiven you for forsaking the world and your clan either."

"You mean, forsaking you," Mikoto stated with a flat expression. "Reishi."

Hearing his first name made him cringe as if the word could stab him physically. "Leave me alone. The sight of you makes me sick. I'm glad to know I don't have to see you anymore in the afterlife, so just leave me be."

"_Reishi_." This time, Mikoto spoke with hardened voice, echoing like a warning bell. His posture was showing his impatience, his urgency and the sight mildly surprised Munakata. The latter barely reflected such anxiety blatantly before him. "There is no time."

Munakata took a deep inhale before he finally met Mikoto's gaze with a pair of violet eyes as calm as a forgotten lake in the forest. He smiled, a little, as he uttered the words. "Set me free, Suoh. Please."

"His time is almost up, King." Another voice joined them. Even without looking back, Munakata could hear a smile in his voice. "If you want to convince him, you better hurry up."

"You don't even have to tell me that." Mikoto scowled openly at the other spirit that decided to interrupt them. Totsuka nonchalantly leaned his back against the wall near the bed, waiting for them to resolve their differences.

The ex-Red King was about to open his mouth and spoke up when Munakata put his hand on Mikoto's lips. "Don't." But Mikoto would not have it. He slapped away Munakata's hand harshly with his free hand and pulled him into his embrace, choking the latter in his tightened arms.

"I can't have you in this life. I'll be damned if I lose you in afterlife too. If you refuse me now, I'll haunt you, even in the next lives. No matter how long it takes."

"Do you have any idea, how you've cursed your own fate? Such a fool, you should just be happy to get away from me and our ill-fated bond." Munakata lightly patted Mikoto's back, telling him to loosen his embrace, but the red-haired man didn't budge.

"I gladly welcome it, even if this is a curse. Prepare yourself, Munakata Reishi, because I won't stop."

"No." The violet-eyed king curtly answered.

Mikoto pulled back with his hands on Munakata's shoulders, watching warily with a question, "What?"

"The thought of being haunted by a man like you is horrendous, if not so revolting, so I guess I should just stick around for a little longer to keep you away from trouble until you get bored." Munakata pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, smirking arrogantly. However, Mikoto snorted and smiled back in relief. "That means eternity. You think you can handle it?"

"Well, I've spent years with you around. A few more wouldn't make any differences."

"Wow, I'm happy for you guys. Please don't get too lovey-dovey in front of me." Totsuka grinned mischievously before he walked toward an exit door which only led into unlimited white beyond. "We'll be waiting for you then. See you around, Munakata-san."

"Now I wish I didn't die so soon. I deserve a longer vacation from managing this oversize egotistical child."

"Yeah, yeah, I've missed you too." Mikoto said dismissively, already on his way toward Totsuka to the only connecting door inside the room. "Go. Anna's power will lead you back."

And he walked out through the gateway into the nothingness ahead with steady strides. 

* * *

Anna cracked open her glittering eyes, staring into the depth of amethyst ones with a faint smile. "Welcome back," she said, detaching her forehead from his. The Silver King watched them with confused look, but he kept still and quiet, still sitting on his knees for a moment that felt like forever.

Munakata chuckled bitterly and wispily asked in weak voice. "Was it just…a reverie?"

"No, even now he is still waiting for you." She beamed, hugging him carefully as she was being tentative of his wounds.

He tilted his head and lifted his hand weakly until it touched her cheek, although he barely felt the softness of her skin by the tips of his fingers. She leant to his touch bittersweetly and places her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry…" He wheezed pitifully. His chest faintly rose and fell with every shallow breath he took as he was already on the doorstep of death. _I can't watch over you anymore. You have to walk this path alone, with all the mess I leave behind. Stay alive. Take care of my Clansmen. _She could see the regret in his eyes and nod her head. She gazed at him with an unwavering, strong-willed smile although the silver tears streamed down her cheeks to fall on the coat that covered the dying Blue King and was already stained by his blood.

"Rest, Munakata-san. I'll see you in my dream too, if you're by his side."

However, before she could finish her line, the Blue Sword of Damocles already vanished into diamond dusts to the gray-colored sky without any trace left of its splendor and the cold hand in hers had lost all its power to fight the gravity. Then there was only the rumbling of thunders from distant sky and faint sob of the little queen that filled the cold air. 

* * *

"Welcome back."

A sigh. "Guess I'm back."

"Guess that makes three of us now." Totsuka lopsidedly grinned. "Let's get along, shall we?"


	8. Binary Stars

Disclaimer: K project belongs to its fangirls. *bricked* Okay...it belongs to GoRa

Note: The plot will go mostly in accordance to anime season 1, after Totsuka's death, but the setting is where our beloved two kings are married. This is a death fic. Seriously, please skip it if you don't feel like reading depressing fic...I shall blame it on my endless exams and assignments so I can't get happy mood to write happy themed fic. T_T And this fic is posted in AO3 before K:Countdown chapter 7 is released, so...please pretend you don't see the contradiction.

It's a little bumpy road, so please bear with me~ (aka. The scenes change really fast). Inspired by Gekkou Symphonia - AKINO 

* * *

"Never once in my life, I regret my past decision and I don't intend to break it any time now." The cobalt-blue haired king pushed his eyeglasses up to the bridge of his nose as he spoke ineptly. "…Suoh."

Mikoto's eyes were widened for a moment before he lowered his head slightly with poignant smirk, "After everything, you revert back to family name?"

Reisi shifted on his seat across Mikoto uncomfortably with a glass table between them, trying not to recall every bit of memories of them living together for years now. Four years ago, when Mikoto started moving into their apartment after the wedding, this table was the first thing they decided on together to have. Countless kisses had been shared as they leant and stole kisses from each other in many moments. Now those memories turned bitter that they had fallen into this unavoidable situation. In fact, he struggled hard enough not to leave this space by now. Every corner of the compartment only reminded him what they had and what he would lose pretty soon in the future and it pained him.

Reisi clenched his hands on his lap with darkened look, "Please don't speak as if you don't have anything to do with me treating you like this."

"I guess that's just fair." The corner of Mikoto's lips twitched upward although not even a glimmer of happiness or teasing was apparent on his feature. "So you want a divorce?"

Reisi snapped his head upward with astounded, betrayed look that immediately caught Mikoto in surprise as well. He quickly regretted for easily blurting it out and unintentionally hurting his partner out of carelessness. It only brought chill, which was supposed to be a foreign feeling for him as fire-wielder king, along his spine. Nevertheless, the damage was done and there was no way for him to withdraw it. The only alternative option left for him was to apologize, but apparently the moment had slipped away from him as he tried to think over what he was supposed to say.

Those violet eyes were glazed with animosity and distrust, telling Mikoto without words that he had successfully made things worse than before. He wanted to walk across the room and knelt before Reisi to unfasten those tightly clenched, pale hands, fearing that those nails dug so deeply and drew blood. He deserved to be hurt, but Mikoto couldn't bear to be the one who made Reisi hurting himself. However, the atmosphere was suffocating that it felt like something would shatter into pieces beyond repair if he made even small gesture.

"I see," Reisi finally answered, wincing at how his voice wavered. He gritted his teeth until it was supposed to feel painful, yet he felt numb all over his senses. "Now that's confirmed. So that's what you've always wanted."

"Rei-"

"You don't have to force yourself calling me that!" Reisi cut in, raising his voice. A silence quickly settled back and both of them kept watching each other; one was glaring, the other was looking remorse. The amethyst orbs, which always twinkled with so much life and mischief for him, now they contained undying, feral icy tempest. "Four years and I've never even doubted our vow. Did you commit infidelity all these times? Or is it because you at last realize who your heart has wanted all along after you've lost him? Do you take me as a fool?"

He knew that he brought this upon himself that there was only contempt emanating from every fiber from the man before him, but the disappointment on Reisi's face and fresh pain from losing a close friend made it difficult for him to keep his composure.

"He is dead!" Mikoto could feel an unbearable stung in his chest as he said it out loud, yet those violet eyes remained unforgiving.

"Yes, Totsuka Tatara is dead and now you also follow his footsteps and march to the death door!" Reisi barked furiously as he leant forward and slammed the table in front of him. The glass table was smeared with blood, which confirmed Mikoto's previous dismay.

How he wished that Reisi would understand that he was trying hard to cope with the loss that Mikoto hated to be accused of unfaithfulness at such time. All he wanted was a little bit of space in solitude to sort out his grief and rage, if Reisi couldn't offer him solace he needed, yet it wasn't given. He didn't want to talk about divorce, or his Weismann level or his breaking Sword of Damocles, because he didn't give it a damn at the moment. Nevertheless, Reisi had to decide on such moment to bring up about those issues and keep on pressuring him about them.

Mikoto put his hands in his pockets, attempting in ignoring the latter as he remained seated and leant back against the cushion. He braced himself for perpetual, unwanted speech and prepared to tune Reisi out. He had enough and this would be the end of discussion, regardless Reisi's perseverance.

However, what he had expected never came. Instead, he didn't anticipate a pair of familiar arms to circle around his neck and pull him into a careful embrace. Reisi had quietly walked toward him and bowed down on his waist to hug the latter. Mikoto held back from holding his husband close painfully as if he was his lifeline because Reisi's compassion would make him weak and surely he would only spiral down in deepest despair if he allows himself to indulge in it.

"I'm sorry," Reisi whispered sadly, leaving a soft kiss on top of the scarlet hairs. "It's okay if you don't want us together anymore. At least, please don't let your Weismann level to suffer more than this. If you can't do it for me, then please do it for your friends."

Reisi pulled back with wry smile and Mikoto swore he saw a halo around Reisi's head; a refraction of the lamp light above him, making him looking divine with all his kind and grace. How he longed to extend his arms and grab the very existence to soothe him, but while he was wavering, the Blue King had casted his eyes down at the floor forlornly and detached himself away from Mikoto, beyond his reach.

"You can stay here if you want to until the paper is done." Reisi said under his breath, almost inaudibly. Mikoto didn't wish to hear anything more about the divorce and he certainly was not in right mind to talk it out with Reisi that he only answered with another silence and averted his eyes to anywhere but those purple eyes.

Mikoto heard a small, trembling sigh escaped Reisi's lips before the latter spoke up solemnly, "Goodbye, Suoh." There was a tiny clink sound like a metal hitting the glass as his husband left. Only when there was a sound of door closing, the Red King finally lifted his head with a dark shadow casted on his pain-contorted face. He burrowed his face into his palms, with his elbows on his thighs as he inhaled irregularly to ease the pain in his constricting chest to no avail.

Feeling frustrated for not be able to vent out his anger, Mikoto scowled as he spaced out to listen and observe the quiet room to distract him from dark thoughts. Only then a petite crimson stone, glimmering under the light on top of the glass table in front of him, caught his attention. It was a ring in the color of gold with a small ruby embedded in it; the very same ring Reisi always wore in his left hand since they exchanged vow to always love each other; a perfect identical ring to the one he currently wore with sapphire on it.

Tatara was the one who died, but somehow it felt as if he was the one who was killed in a slow, painful manner. Or else, what could possibly explain the reason for his inability to breathe like a dying fish and the clenching pain in his head and chest? 

* * *

"Would you please stop him from abusing his power?"

The blond bartender took a long drag of his cigarette with his other hand holding a phone next to his ear, just outside his bar. He stood hidden in the shadow of small alley behind his bar, where he kept the empty wooden rack of his merchandises. They had just returned from investigating the matter with the local mafia, who apparently was a distributor of the gun used by the perpetrator to murder one of their precious family members.

It was rather disheartening phone call, in his opinion. It was just thirty minutes ago, when he was facing Scepter 4 on their way out of the mafia's head office and Munakata facing his king like they were enemies, instead of spouses. And now, the very same hostile person called him, asking him modestly to take care of the one he was fighting unreservedly before. He just couldn't laugh at the irony.

"Munakata, if he won't even listen to you, what makes you think that he will listen to me or anyone of us?"

They only had spoken for 5 minutes and he had heard the person on the other side sighing for the tenth time and said, "Because you are his best friend, and you know him longer than I do?"

"We don't live exclusively together with him like you do. You probably still understand him better than me." Izumo suggested calmly before he threw the cigarette to the floor and stubbed it out with his shoes. "Moreover, we are quite determined in getting our revenge with our own hands, so any Homra's members are not exactly the best candidates to say that to him, right?

"Kusanagi, at this rate, he won't even see next year."

Izumo felt wrenched as he noticed a hint of desperation underneath the calm dialogue. He also didn't wish to lose another friend and his king, but he knew that he was powerless to do anything about it. If the Blue King, the one that Mikoto held so dearly was not able to convince him, he might as well talk to a wall. The only thing he could do was to conclude a battle before Mikoto could even join in so to reserve his power, but his options were very limited and Mikoto always sought fights for temporary relief and distraction.

"All I can do is to keep him away from unnecessary battles, but you know how they all end up. If anything, I would say that you are still our best chance."

"It's not possible, you know that. We are about to get divorced." Reisi sighed again, to Izumo's swelling irritation.

Izumo slammed his hand to the wall beside him, seething to the phone, "And that's exactly what I'm going to ask. What are you doing?"

"…I don't follow you, Kusanagi."

"You know that his best friend has just died. Why do you have to pick this moment to break up with him? Don't you see that you're half-responsible in driving him further to the corner that he starts destroying himself?" Izumo really wanted to yell at the latter, and maybe snapped him out of his self-depreciating that he lost his composure for a minute. He immediately regretted it once he was greeted with a long silence from the other side. The Blue King didn't answer for a while that even Izumo wondered if the latter was still on phone call.

"…He is already self-destruct even before the idea of divorce comes up, so that's definitely not my liability. Should I stay, although it will only remind him repetitively that we are a mistake all these times and the one that he really wants is not the one in front of him?"

"What are you talking about? He loves y-"

"I don't need you to comfort me, Kusanagi. All I'm asking you is to try persuading Suoh." Reisi rapidly interjected, cold and detached. The blond could only exhale, yielding as he was losing the battle.

"Fine. Don't have high hope, though."

"Thank you."

In the next heartbeat, Izumo could already hear the sound of line being cut off. His forehead creased into a deeper frown as questions swirling inside his head left unanswered. It appeared that he had discovered the land mine but he had no way to defuse it. Both sides were hurting and apparently retreated to each other shells deeper that he couldn't approach any of them to help him from losing Mikoto. 

* * *

It was a bleak afternoon, and it was not the working hours yet for the bar. The lone ambience felt melancholic for Anna, since usually there would be Tatara with his infective smiles and cheerfulness lounged in the cushions, doing whatever his current passion was. Izumo was busy wiping up his glass crystals and preparing for the day while Mikoto was taking a nap on the sofa. She sat on the edge of the cushion, with a book on her lap. It was one of Tatara's picture books that he had lent to her when he was so engrossed into reading. Nevertheless, she barely paid attention to the words since she spent her time reminiscing and missing the blond.

Thus, when Mikoto suddenly spoke up, she was surprised at first, then saddened. "I will go to Scepter 4."

Izumo stopped from moving his hands and stared at the Red King, "When will you come back?"

"I don't know."

"I see," Izumo trailed off a little bit before he wiped his hands with the napkin and approached Mikoto with encouraging smile. "While you're at it, how about if you clear things up with Munakata?"

"I intend to, if he is willing to listen."

Anna clasped her hands on her painful chest. She understood why he had to leave her alone and spent his days in full hour of observation directly supervised by the Blue King, but she would still miss him. Tatara had just left them, and now Mikoto also walked away from her side. She realized that she was acting like a child, fearing to be abandoned but the ache only grew the closer Mikoto to exhausting his Weismann level. She feared of losing her most radiant red in her monochrome world, but he belonged to no one and she had no right to keep him.

Therefore, she simply put her hand on Mikoto's and said with tears-brimming ruby eyes, "Mikoto, please be safe."

He only smiled apologetically, patted her head lightly and allowed the little princess of Homra to hug him for as long as she needed. 

* * *

_"I guess kings are like binary stars."_

_Mikoto sprawled on his stomach with the bed sheet tangled between his legs, taking a long drag of his cigarette before he burned it out with the flame he called forth. It was one of the nights when their bloods were high with alcohol from a random bar and they couldn't resist the enticement to indulge in pleasure. They were just cooling down from the peak of it when Reisi brought it up out of nowhere, looking out of the window at the starless jet black sky. The light of the city was too bright and overwhelming that he had to squint hard to be able to see a star glittering. _

_"You often spout nonsense." _

_"Well, I don't expect much from an empty-head like you to understand," Reisi turned to smile mischievously at him, propping on his elbows._

_Mikoto frowned at the remark and decided to entertain Reisi, hoping that it would get the latter in good mood, so they could stay longer basking in each other's warmth. "So you should've enlightened me."_

_Reisi wrinkled his forehead, feigning displeasure at the prospect of having to explain himself to Mikoto. Nevertheless, despite his reluctance, he never refused trying to educate the Red King with proverbs, and make Mikoto a fool in the process. "Binary stars are like two or more stars revolving around a center of mass that on certain occasion they look like one star, because of the gravitational pull."_

_He nearly laughed when Mikoto appeared to be apathetic of the topic or his explanation immediately. The current red king should be in country's record book of worst student ever that all teachers would prefer not to have. "In simple term, it's like you have other kings as neighbors and Dresden Slate keeps us together."_

_"Shit, no. It will be bloodshed in a day."_

_The Blue King snickered pleasantly, "That might happen. You would make a terrible neighbor."_

_"I can try to put up with you as a neighbor, but not the others." Mikoto smirked as he threw his arm on Reisi's shoulder to draw him closer. He could feel the craving building up slowly that heat started to pool on his stomach as he trailed kisses on Reisi's nape. He would never admit it, but those rosy lips looked quite tempting, especially when the Blue King tried to preach him of good-manner and common sense. In other words, it was always exciting if he could regress Reisi's well-thought speech into a string of illegible moaning._

_"Well, maybe we have different gravitational pull than the others," Reisi hitched his breath when a sharp pain came from the junction between his neck and shoulder. A little bit up further, he would have to smack Mikoto's head for leaving bite marks where it posed to be difficult to cover with his shirt alone. _

_"How different?" Mikoto repeated while his mind was too focused on touching and kissing Reisi's back to notice that the latter had craned his neck to take a peek through his shoulder._

_"Suoh."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"You're not listening, are you? No, wait, you're not even thinking from the start, are you?"_

_Mikoto hummed noncommittally before he began stroking Reisi's cock and answered, "No."_

_"Tsk, what a waste of time."_

* * *

Mikoto was awakened from his light snooze, feeling a pleasant ambiance in his solitary prison under Scepter 4 HQ. It had been a while since he last dreamt something nice instead of haunting nightmares like burning city and a sea of corpses. His bad dream was so frequent, if not daily, that he had it memorized already involuntarily against his will. His fitful rest just worsened without a certain soothing bed company, and recently, with a very uncomfortable bed to lounge on.

There was nothing he could do in the prison that he felt like dying out of boredom and the bunk bed was so hard and horrible that he missed cushion in Homra or the bed in his and Reisi's apartment. But it would worth it if he could have all the time needed to encounter Reisi. He might have come as a Red King, but majorly, he just wanted the opportunity to talk and straighten up the misunderstandings. Nevertheless, several days had passed ever since his initial greeting to Captain of Scepter4 when he gave himself up for confinement, and yet Reisi was nowhere to be seen.

Thus, when he heard the echoes of familiar footsteps approaching closer to his prison, Mikoto swiftly stretched out and sat on his bed, awaiting the one he had longed for.

"It's almost unbelievable that you are really behaving quite well these days. How I wish to keep it as a permanent manner," Reisi smiled thinly once he stopped just before the steel bars of Mikoto's prison. "I'm here as per requested as a reward for conducting yourself satisfactorily. What do you want, Suoh?"

"You can start with coming in first."

Reisi stiffened immediately and shifted his eyes to the empty corridor, "No, I'm good from here."

"Are you taking back your words? You said that you would grant me one thing for good behavior before I went into this boring place." Mikoto grinned like a cat looking at its prey. It only pleased him further when he heard a loud sigh and jingles of the keys as Reisi unlocked the prison door reluctantly.

The man cladded in blue uniform left the padlock undone as he stepped slowly until he was in front of Mikoto. There was no prison to restrain a King, after all. If Mikoto no longer wished to stay in Scepter 4 HQ, then that was how it would be. The Red King was only there on his own accord.

Reisi yelped in surprise when he was suddenly pulled in with arms encircling his hip and Mikoto buried his face on his stomach, taking a deep inhale of the tea leaves scent that lingered around the Blue King. Reisi couldn't help but asking with flushing face at their unexpected proximity, "What are you doing?"

"It has been a while, just shut up."

Mikoto's hard features softened upon the contact and sighed contentedly that Reisi couldn't help but chuckle at the similarity of him with his family cat, the one that his mother used to have when he was a child. He knew that he had every right to be furious and refuse Mikoto for all the faults he had done to him, yet somehow he couldn't bring himself to hate Mikoto, but to indulge his selfishness. Love was really an irrational thing in his book.

Thus, Reisi slowly and affectionately smoothed Mikoto's hairs with his hands, smiling as Mikoto leant to his touch. "You seem sleep-deprived. Are you eating well?"

Mikoto leant backward and craned his neck to see the shining violet eyes he had missed so dearly. Even when Reisi had wrong assumption about Mikoto sullying this marriage, the latter still couldn't prioritize himself and think only about his own happiness selfishly. Somehow that made him felt so loved that he felt unworthy of that affection. His determination to give Reisi what he deserved only multiplied ever since he talked about it with Izumo.

Mikoto reached out for Reisi's hands and grasped them in his. With a little tug, he pulled down and gestured the latter to sit on his lap. He smirked pleasantly as he saw the embarrassed flush creeping to Reisi's ears while their hands remained clasped tightly between them.

However, when he realized that Reisi gazed at his left hand desolately, Mikoto had found his cue to speak his mind up, "I don't want a divorce."

Reisi asked cautiously, struggling with words as his voice seemed to fail him, "Why are you still wearing that ring?"

"Because I still love you."

The blue-clad king tugged Mikoto's left hand up to his lips and kissed on the ring with blue sapphire softly, "I always think of you as a person who wouldn't lie, Suoh."

"I wouldn't." Mikoto also leant forward to touch their foreheads together. He could feel the swelling happiness as Reisi didn't draw back at the touch.

"I can't believe that you have to make me saying this," Reisi sighed, irritated. "I have come into terms that you love Totsuka more than me, and it doesn't change anything. I've sworn that I will only love you four years ago and I don't intend to break my promise, unlike certain bastard in front of my face." He added with icy smile that Mikoto shuddered in response. "I left you because seeing me seemed to hurt you. Well, that's half of the reason. I have to admit that I hate being a substitute too and that's particularly why I walk away."

Mikoto smirked bitterly at that and said, "You're the only person who can speak like I'm the worst person ever." He instantly clamped Reisi's mouth with his hand when the latter was about to retort back. "Fine, I'm the worst; I don't need you to tell me that. More importantly, you seem to misunderstand. Totsuka is more like a family."

"Which doesn't seem like that is all to me," Reisi shrugged nonchalantly, pushing Mikoto's hand away from his face.

The Red King clicked his tongue and scowled, "Why?"

Reisi put his finger under his chin, pondering and started counting with his fingers, "Let's see…Totsuka died when we slept together. That night after the phone call, you left to Homra. The next day, you blocked my phone number, ignored my messages and so on for a week. When you finally came around with eyes of dead fish, you accidentally slipped out his name when we had sex. Afterward, you refused me, not even a kiss. When I confronted you about your Weismann level, you inclined to get yourself killed for revenge and followed his step instead of stayed with me. Now, do you have anything to justify your words that he_ is_ just a family?" He took a long, deep breath before he glowered with poisonous grin, "My, I think I've used up all of my patience in my life. Can I hit your face once? I promise it will hurt a lot."

"If one punch is all you need to forgive me, I can give you more."

"Oh no, thanks. I don't want to soil my hand with your vile blood." The Blue King still kept a front of composed demeanor, to Mikoto's irritation. It always irked him whenever Reisi acted like nothing unfazed him as if Mikoto didn't matter. "Now that I have given you the opportunity not to see me regularly as I might remind you the tragedy that night, I wonder why you will deny such freedom."

"I never ask or need that," Mikoto snapped angrily. "Look, I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to see me as weak or accidentally hurt you, so I kept away for a week. But I missed you, so I returned. The problem was, my head was full with how to kill that murderer. He killed a family. If he had killed you, I would've just destroyed the world."

"Please don't. I don't appreciate your pathetic effort to flatter me. Don't pin the blame on me if you have anger management problem. Nevertheless, are you saying that you're alright with seeing me now?"

Mikoto rolled his eyes in exasperation as he swore under his breath. He was seriously marveled how he could possibly love such a maddening, complicated, hard-to-please man. But the moment to query that had long expired ever since he wedded the Blue King, so he seized Reisi's wrists in his clutch, "It's my problem. None is your fault."

"What are you saying? Of course it's your fault, not mine." It only exhilarated Reisi more as he saw a vein popped on Mikoto's head and the grip on his wrists began to hurt. "Joke aside, do you really want me to stay?"

Mikoto didn't even hesitate as he breathed, "Yes."

That was all he needed to confirm why he couldn't separate himself from the Blue King despite their poor compatibility in terms of personalities. The moment he answered, Reisi's mauve eyes twinkled with delight and a brush of cherry glow returned to his cheeks. Just seeing him contented like that, it made his heart skipped a beat. Love really couldn't be explained with reasons.

"Now I get your old random topic about us and binary stars."

"Just now? After all these five years? Wow, you're so slow."

"Shut up. When you explained about it, I was only thinking of kissing you so I didn't listen."

"Oh good. Now that explains why I couldn't make you understand like a high-school grade student. I thought my communicating skill had deteriorated, it bothered me for a while."

Mikoto glared back in response, but Reisi didn't even falter in his effort to make fun of him in every opportunity. It was probably his subtle payback for the heartbreak Mikoto had caused, but the red-haired king definitely didn't appreciate the lack of endearing side of it. He couldn't even tell if the latter was furious because of his unreasonable jealousy of Totsuka or not, at this point. Back then, Reisi was undeniably cuter as he was easier to fluster.

"So let's stop the divorce." Mikoto suggested as he rummaged his pocket while sitting. His husband shifted to climb off from Mikoto's lap, in order to give him some gap to take out whatever he needed inside his pocket. However, the Red King hooked his free arm on Reisi's back to keep him still in place, to Reisi's annoyance.

Reisi narrowed his eyes, looking half-irritated as he replied, "We haven't even started. You still haven't returned the document I've signed about two weeks ago, remember?"

His anger dissipated quickly when he saw his wedding ring out of Mikoto's pocket. The amber-eyed king took the advantage of his stunned state to pull up his left hand and returned it to where it belonged. "Don't throw it away again," Mikoto warned him with a sharp look before he brought Reisi's hand closer and kissed the golden ring he had just placed in.

"Then…," A low voice dripping with freezing ice seemed to echo inside the confined prison. "Would you stop getting your revenge and let me handle the case?"

Mikoto flinched and the glimmering hope he had pictured in his head gradually vanquished. Reisi stared down at him with glacial mauve eyes, pitiless and cold, like a proper Blue King. Despite their proximity, Mikoto couldn't feel the wave of warmth from the latter anymore. "He killed my family, Reisi," He tried to reason, but the message definitely didn't get across.

The Red King quivered slightly when he saw those violet eyes jaded with disappointment. He just didn't know how to convey that he was sorry for being selfish, but he was resolute that he would end the killer by his own hands, before that self-proclaimed Colorless King could even touch a hair of his important persons. That cold-blooded criminal wouldn't be stopped just by being confined. He had to be stopped for once and all by spilling that sinful blood. Yet he would never let the Blue King's Sword of Damocles to carry that burden.

He knew that none of his friends would have enough resolve to take out his life when his Sword of Damocles lost all of its light, even at the cost of thousand lives and perhaps their own. If his ending was neigh and Reisi's Weismann had deteriorated from killing the Colorless King, wouldn't it mean that he was the heartless one by killing his own beloved when he had to ask the latter to slay him? At least, if Mikoto was the one who brought the end to the Colorless King and Reisi had to kill him to prevent the recurrence of Kagutsu Crater, the Blue King's Weismann would suffer, but he would survive. Maybe, during that life span he had left, they miraculously found a way to allow recovery of kings' Weismann level. Time, on the other hand, was definitely not on Mikoto's side at this stage.

"And for his sake, you will follow him." Reisi already moved to pull out the ring shakily out of rage, only to seethe with deep loathing when Mikoto hastily stopped him by tearing his other hand away from the ring.

"It's not only for his sake!"

"I don't want to hear excuses!" Reisi snarled threateningly, trying to yank his hands away from Mikoto's grasp until it became a battle of resistance. "Your action doesn't even uphold your claim!"

Mikoto's rage almost became uncontrollable that Red Aura started to leak out due to the piling frustration, and Reisi mistook it as an intimidation that he called forth Blue Aura in his defense. "I won't let your Weismann level to suffer because of him. This is between him and Homra!"

"You took your oath, Suoh, for better, for worse. Now you treat me like an outsider when I tell you that I want to save you although you let your people to risk their lives to help you. After all this time, you still won't take me as a part of your family."

"I won't have _especially_ you to risk your life for me."

"Then choose," Reisi offered his hand to Mikoto with harsh fortitude. "Let me save you and stay, then I'll believe your words. If you won't, let's part ways before I start to despise you and your lies. Either way, my duty demands me to solve this matter. Even if you refuse, you still cannot keep me away from the case."

"Not if I can keep you busy here," Mikoto sneered tauntingly. "Munakata Reisi."

"Fine by me. You can't chase after him if you are too occupied to entertain me here. But would you really let your Clansmen dance with danger? They won't be able to stand against him, if he is truly a King as he has claimed."

The Red King slumped and rested his forehead on Reisi's tense shoulder. "Whatever, I'm tired. Help me however you want, I'll still stick to the original plan unless you have a better one."

"But I really do ha-"

"That doesn't involve you killing him and risking your life." Mikoto quickly interjected as he covered Reisi's mouth with his hand. "I won't compromise beyond that." He scored a winning point inside his mind when Reisi lowered his gaze, already formulating alternative plans with troubled expression. Given that the crafty, strategist Blue King was not be able to give him a better option that would really lead them to a happy ending, Mikoto yielded to the battle he should win, a war he would lose. 

* * *

The time had finally come to end everything.

Mikoto watched as a wisp of thin air escaped his mouth. The surrounding was so tranquil that he couldn't even imagine that he would at last feel this peaceful, as if he was ready for everything fate would throw at him. He walked alone on the abandoned flight of stairs, with soundless pine forest on both sides. The snow silently fell and piled up that it gradually erased his trails, almost as if the world was trying to bury his existence. With his hands hidden in his pockets, he lifted his head to gaze at the ash-colored sky, basking in hazy colors. He wished that he could at least see a glimpse of blue sky that always reminded him a certain hard-headed, socially-impaired, dearest person but it would probably for the best. It wouldn't do him good if he wavered at this point.

The crunch sound of heels on the blanket of snow caught his attention. When he lifted his amber eyes to see one at the end of the stair flight, he could only smirk sourly.

Reisi's skin looked pale, just like the fluttering snow, in contrast to his cobalt blue hairs. Hidden behind the black spectacles of his, there lied regretful eyes. A fog escaped those pale lips with every slow breath he took and Mikoto swore he could see the latter trying too hard not to shiver in front of him, out of cold. Despite being a Blue King who reigned over thunder and ice, paradoxically he had low tolerance against cold weather. "Mikoto." He called, and Mikoto had to muster all his endurance not to pull Reisi into an embrace to share his warmth. A man shall walk on his death passageway unaccompanied.

"You're really stubborn."

Reisi smiled impishly as he replied, "It must be your bad traits passing on me." He pulled out a cigarette and thrust the pack to the latter compellingly.

Mikoto couldn't help but laugh as he took the offer, thinking how it was intoxicatingly addicting and deadly, just like the man in front of him. He would dearly miss their petty bickering in the afterlife.

"I'll be direct. For the third time, I'll tell you that I want to save you. Pull back your Clansmen from this island without resistance, Suoh and I can settle this before things getting out of hand. I give you my word that I will exterminate Totsuka's murderer, who calls himself the Colorless King, however you want, if you allow me." Reisi tugged away the straying blue strands on his face as the harsh wind blew.

"There is nothing you can do by now, Reisi." He knew that he was already at the edge of the cliff. One push was all it took before he was plunged into the abyss for exceeding the limit of his Weismann level. The Blue King was surprisingly naive to pretend that Mikoto still could be saved.

"Do you realize that you're risking innocent students and your own people? I can't allow Kagutsu Crater Incident to repeat its history."

"You settle your own business, and I'll do mine."

"We'll see. This is a race, Mikoto." Almost like a challenge, in the next instance, Reisi grabbed Mikoto's front shirt and swiftly left a peck of kiss on his lips, to Mikoto's bewilderment. "Now, let the game begins."

The Red King stared blankly at the retreating back, thinking how he didn't mind the surprise attack at all. 

* * *

Reisi winced inwardly when there was a crack just at the corner of his eyeglasses. Apparently, he was weakened considerably just by a stab wound on his stomach that he could not even put up a perfect defense against Mikoto's fiery storm. Half of his Aura was focusing on healing the wound that he only mustered half of his power to engage the provoked Red King. He regretted that he didn't bring his spare that he had no choice but to finish what he had come for without the glasses.

When he took off his spectacles, the view became blurry like a thin fog, as he expected. Nevertheless, Mikoto's crimson aura still looked beautiful and perceptible, more than anything else. The withering, charred forest was a perfect panorama for a destructive, enraged king.

"Hey, we aren't finished, are we?" Mikoto asked, grinning like an exhilarated child. Even without corrected sight, he could hear delight dripping from Mikoto's voice.

The Blue King smirked as he replied, "No, I'd say we're just getting started." Truly, he wondered why he could possibly harbor so much love for such immature man. Even in this grave situation, they would still play game, although it was a bit too fierce. But he was the first one to initiate it for once this time, so Reisi would certainly not be the first one to bail out.

"No more time outs from you, okay?"

"Like you'd listen to me even if I wanted one."

"As much as I enjoy our last fight, do you really think that you can win the race like this?"

Reisi took a deep inhale and tilted his head, feigning innocent smile. "Don't worry. If I keep entertaining you like this, victory will definitely be mine."

"Well, you've just let the target escape. I'd say you just want to play much longer."

The Blue King shifted his gaze, recalling the moment he shielded the vassal of previous Colorless King from Mikoto's misdirect wrath. There was really one time that his scale almost tipped to one side. If only he had just allowed Mikoto to destroy that silver-haired student, who was high likely being a scapegoat for the real Colorless King, then maybe it would dissolve Mikoto's quench for revenge and everyone would be saved except that student and his duo friends. Then with the time he had bought, Scepter 4 would try to resolve the matter with the real Colorless King as quiet as possible. The world should have delayed another Kagutsu Crater incident.

But his righteousness couldn't justify it. In just a fleeting moment when one of Homra members stabbed him with a malice grin on his lips, Reisi understood everything. The one, who said his name Isana Yashiro, was truly innocent as he claimed. That meant that he was one of the civilians that he was supposed to protect. Thus, the moment he saw Mikoto coming toward those innocent youngsters with thirst for blood, he barged in. Ruthless as he might be, Mikoto was no murderer. It was Reisi's duty to keep him from killing innocent people, who unfortunately got entangled in this mess among Kings. In the end, from Mikoto's point of view, he, who had sworn to help him in fulfilling his revenge for Totsuka, was protecting the murderer.

"Because you love challenge. It would be boring if it ended just like that, wouldn't it?" Reisi flashed a grin, slipping his broken glasses to the pocket of his vest.

"You know me well enough," Mikoto commented as he lunged forward with a flame on his fist toward Reisi. 

* * *

The blinding light and outburst storm rising from the collision of aura's energy were overwhelming his senses.

When the mist between them thinned out with a sudden gust of wind and the snow turned into like dews on his hair by Mikoto's ultimate flame, Reisi understood that he had lost the game. It was inevitable, really, although he still would toy with fate and miracle because of his wishful heart. It was the first time in his life that he would ignore calculation and logic to determine the result of the battle, yet his feeling only disappointed him like it a fool wishing for a moon to fall.

He felt furious for the Silver King to push him away from Mikoto. Why would the first king choose Mikoto over him to be the one to deliver the death sentence to Colorless King? However, the peaceful look on Mikoto's face was so agonizingly beautiful; the one that he had come to miss every morning without Mikoto on his bed ever since Totsuka's death. He certainly would not be able to grant that happiness for Mikoto if he was the one to finish the Colorless King off. Whatever he did, he realized, none of them was for Mikoto's happiness, but for his own sake.

The rumbling sound of dying Sword of Damocles above Mikoto was so loud like lightning, yet his hearing was dulled. All he could hear was the whisper coming from Mikoto's lips.

"I'm sorry for making you to do dirty work."

Reisi clenched the hilt of his sword, restraining his tears from pooling in the corner of his eyes. His voice quivered as he retorted, but he didn't care how pitiful he might look, "Don't give me that rubbish with such peaceful look. If you really regret it, shouldn't you have done something before this happened?"

"You've said enough, Reisi." Mikoto spread his arms wide, as if inviting him into a last embrace with an affectionate smile. As if it was his cue, the light of his Sword had dimmed while flickering with its last valor. The Blue King caught the bitter meaning immediately that his mauve eyes widened in surprise for the silent plea from his most important one.

None of them wanted to bring destruction upon this land, where they had met and once been happy, with their respective Clansmen. Upon exchanging words, both of them had taken an oath on their wedding day, which they would be watching each other in case this happened. Apparently, Mikoto had taken his opportunity first before him.

To Mikoto's surprise, Reisi pulled out a golden ring from his pocket and put it on his ring finger. He brought the ring to his lips, kissing the ruby almost too tenderly. Just when the dead Sword of Damocles plunged in tremendous speed, there was a flash of sapphire blue and suddenly Mikoto felt a piercing pain on his chest, where his heart was. When he glanced down, all he could see was cobalt blue, damp from droplets of melting snow. Although he didn't want to see Reisi in such pain, he couldn't deny that the sight of golden band on the same hand which delivered the final blow to him made him blissful.

Without Reisi's eyeglasses, he could see the shimmering hidden tears clearly on those enthralling amethyst eyes. They were so mesmerizing like no other days with vulnerability being displayed all for him alone. Even with very limited time he had, Mikoto attempted to savor the splendor of such rare luxury, which Reisi would lie bare his emotion. But his body felt so heavy that he leant forward, yielding his weight to Reisi to support. He felt so delightful for the loving moment he was allowed to have that he slightly regretted that he was at the end of his life. If only he had energy left to lift his arms, he would pull the latter into tight embrace, closer than they ever had shared.

"I love you. I will always do," Reisi said shakily, despite him standing firmly on the ground with his sword remained buried in Mikoto's chest. The snow was tainted with red, as if the roses bloomed under their feet.

"Me too, my only binary star." Mikoto smiled tenderly, as he felt the darkness closing in, signaling the end of his life. If he was given a chance to look at his spouse properly, he would have found bewilderment from Reisi for his statement. "I'm sorry, and thank you. Live, Reisi, and be happy."

From the tip of his blade, there was no more pulsating beat and Mikoto had closed his eyes with a serene smile on his face. Reisi slowly pulled out his saber, watching impassively as the blood splattered more on the ground and carefully laid the once-glorious king on the white ground. He knelt beside only king he had loved more than life itself, and leisurely bowed down to leave parting kiss on those cold lips. Reisi flinched at the sensation, not because of the cold itself, but due to the foreign feeling he was getting from Mikoto since Mikoto always radiated with heat.

"Goodbye, Mikoto." He smiled mournfully as he tugged Mikoto's left hand and retrieved the other pair of his wedding ring. "May you truly be in peace now." 

* * *

One year had passed ever since he last touched the brightest flame her had ever known.

Standing beside him was the new Red King, blanketed in crimson, fur coat. Her waist-length silver hair was hidden under the cloak. She clasped his hand that people would think that he was leading her on their walk. However, Reisi understood that it was in contrary. Anna was there, squeezing his hand, in order to support him if the anxiety became unbearable and destroyed his composure from within. There they stood, among the sapling of burnt pine trees and rubble of destroyed structures; the remnants of the last, glorious battlefield of previous Red King.

"Is this where it happened?" Her soft, lulling voice shook a little bit. Her feet were half-buried in the snow that had piled up considerably after falling for a whole night.

"Yes." Reisi breathed, clutching his throbbing chest. He thought that the pain had dulled over time and he had assumed that it should be easy for him already to stand where he had ended Mikoto's life. However, ever since he climbed up the winding stair, leading to a small clearing area where they had their last fight, the chilling air choked him and the echo of stabbing pain got louder like the ripples of water.

The academy already had renovation on going, but they reserved this historical place the last to repair, since the damage was just too great when Mikoto used all of his power to annihilate the Colorless King. Nevertheless, next year, this place might be replaced with new building, that this year was probably his last chance to visit where Mikoto had died. Reisi had decided not going despite of knowing that; only wanting to forget the pain and move on. He even had packed all pictures and memories of Mikoto in a sealed box on the first month of his loss, until it collected dust in the corner of storeroom in his old apartment. Yet, Anna would not allow him and keep insisting to bring her to the last place of Mikoto. He had no choice but to oblige with her wish, since it was his responsibility as the executioner.

"Reisi, why you don't wear the wedding ring anymore?" A pair of ruby eyes gazed at him wonderingly, asking innocently out of her purity.

The Blue King only patted her head tenderly before he lifted his head to stare at the cloudy blue sky in monotonous tone, "There is a line, saying 'until death do us part' on wedding, right? Then when one of the spouses has left, there is no reason to wear it anymore."

"I see…" She trailed off, sounding guilty for bringing it up with a trace of lament. "I still keep Mikoto's things because I can't forget him at all."

Reisi glanced down with sympathy and asked, "Is it painful?"

She replied, so honestly that it hurt, "Yes."

"Then, how about if you keep his things in a box and give it to Kusanagi for safekeeping?"

Anna shook her head and pushed off the top cloak, letting her hair getting damp from the moist air. "No, I want to keep him here, even if it's painful. It's the only way so I will never forget that he had once lived with me and gave me so much happiness." She turned her face toward him, almost pleading, "Would you prefer to forget him?"

Reisi was stunned for a moment as he was caught off-guard by a very young crowned queen. He would never doubt her ability as a king and a strain, but her mind strength was just as magnificent that exceeded even adults. She was willing to embrace that pain, for the sake of cherishing the one she had so loved dearly. Living with a constant pain was indescribable hell, yet she plunged into it without hesitation.

He pulled out Mikoto's share of golden ring out of his pocket to put it on his finger as he stated, "You are truly dazzling, Anna." It was the only thing of Mikoto that he carried along with him at all times. His own wedding ring was already left forgotten on the locked desk of his lamp table beside the bed. The sight of his ring only made him seeing smearing blood on his hands.

"I really miss him…" She trailed off, looking at the distance, distracted.

"Mm," Reisi hummed in agreement, taking a deep inhale of the cold air of December. The ache was still fervent, but when they stood there together reminiscing delightful memories of certain ex-king, the future didn't seem so dreary.


	9. Bitter Sweet

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even Scepter 4's uniform…T_T

Note: Thank you for Aosaru-san from AO3 for the shared recent K project café pic! Mikoto and Izumo are 19 years old in this fic; 3 years older than Fushimi and Misaki. A warning for OOC, just to be safe. XD 

* * *

It was a bright morning as there was only thin wisp of cloud in the sky beside the sun. A faint chirping bird reverberated from distance. There were rows of temporarily closed shop in the business district of Shizume City. Within hours, it would be the most bustling and busy place, especially on weekends, when people were hanging out with their acquaintances in public places. At the corner of the main street of the district, there was a coffee shop with a sign of 'Homra' written in large italic font just above the closed door. Just beside the door, a pair of young waiters broke the fleeting serenity of the street.

"I told you, redo it! Your writing is skewed. It makes difficult for the customer to read it!" Fushimi argued with a demeaning scoff as he pointed at the black board menu, placed in front of the coffee shop. Misaki was squatting in front of the board as he turned his head up to glare at his best friend with a chalk on his hand, "Shut up! There is nothing wrong with it! I can still read it just fine."

"Yeah, because it's yours. Only you would understand that _alien_ handwriting."

Misaki abruptly shot up and leant closer to Fushimi with a threatening glare and growled in high voice, "What did you say!?"

"Have you gone deaf?" Fushimi sneered, daring the latter to a verbal fighting. Never once Misaki won against him in that department, but the red-haired friend never turned down the challenge, to his delight. This time was not an exception.

"Then why don't you write it instead!?"

Fushimi was about to retort back when there was an ominous presence on their backs that the raven-haired student had to fight his survival instinct for immediate escape. Instead, he turned his head and peeked through his shoulder out of fear, only to be greeted with the most terrifying smile he had ever seen.

"I've been wondering why I have to set the tables on my own. I wonder what could possibly keep you both occupied from helping me with the preparation." An older man was beaming as he politely queried, yet all the younger waiters could feel was prickling cold on their skin and drumming heartbeats against their chests in dread under the scrutinizing look of those spectacled violet eyes.

"We're sorry, Munakata-senpai!" Misaki hastily bowed and kicked Fushimi to bow as well when the latter was too conceited to apologize.

Reishi sighed and placed his hands on sides of his waist as he commanded, "Fushimi, you may take care of the black board menu. Misaki, would you please sweep the floor and wipe the table? Kusanagi has to start working on the pastry; he would need help with cleaning."

"Yes!" Both of them said in chorus and immediately scrambled away to do their tasks.

Reishi pushed his eyeglasses to the bridge of his nose before he re-entered the shop and made his way to the flight of stairs, leading to the second floor of the shop. Just above the shop was the living quarter of the sole owner, separated away from the shop only by a wooden door. He had been quite used with his routine that Reishi had remembered down to the details the location of the furniture and the rooms. Once he had reached the one of the bedrooms, he inhaled and gave his hardest frown as he slipped into the darkened room.

Through the thin curtain by the window, the small portion of sunlight still illuminated the chamber. Reishi could make out a shade of sleeping figure under the blanket with messy crimson hair on the bed. He wrinkled his nose when he saw a little chaos in the room, with scattered clothes and books on the floor and a black school uniform haphazardly thrown on chair's handle.

He strode to the bathroom installed inside the bedroom and poured some water in a ceramic glass, placed in the basin. On his way out, he pulled a towel hung on the nearby hanger and walked until he was on the bedside. He smirked mischievously as he threw the small towel on the sleepy head and immediately dumped the water on the glass just exactly on top of it.

Mikoto suddenly shot up, with water spluttered from his nose and mouth, gasping wildly like a fish. He narrowed his amber eyes at the uninvited guest, who was standing calmly on the bedside and grinning from ear to ear with pleasant look. "Of all things you have done, this is definitely the worst."

Reishi stared down at the furious colleague with his hands clasped together behind his back and unrelenting impious smile, "I'm experimenting its efficacy to wake up the laziest person in planet. I just think this could be the best method to rouse the sleeping beauty like you so you won't get back to sleep after my hard work to wake you up."

"I thought sleeping beauty was awakened by a kiss, instead of a torture means?" Mikoto wiped the dripping water from his face with his shirt, consequently showed his toned abs. If he had paid attention, he would notice a small flinch in Reishi's smile.

"Who would waste a kiss on person like you?" Reishi fixed his eyeglasses and gave disapproval look as his eyes scanned the room. "I can't believe how you can't even keep your bedroom neat just for one day. Izumo had just tidied it up yesterday, didn't he?"

"I feel like having two mothers," Mikoto rolled his eyes, although there was no malice in his tone.

"The idea of you as my child is contemptible." Reishi made sure to give sharp look at Mikoto with finality before he walked to the exit door, "Get down in five minutes, or else I'll make you impotent for the rest of your life."

Mikoto winced as the latter shut the door hard to emphasize his severe ultimatum. He scratched the back of his hair and yawned for a good minute before he threw his legs out of the bed and started moving. He only had four minutes to change clothes and show his face downstairs before Reishi could return to his room to carry out his promised torture with a predatory grin. 

* * *

"Good morning, Mikoto-san!" Misaki brightened up when he heard a familiar heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Mikoto took a quite glance to survey the surrounding, and noticed an admiring look from Misaki and a contradictive, irritated one from Fushimi. He even could hear the latter clicked his tongue in annoyance, mumbling like 'lazy' and 'messy bed hair'. Both of the youngsters had changed into waiter uniform; a white shirt and black pants with black tie and identical color waist apron. Mikoto only made an acknowledging gesture to Misaki and proceeded to the changing room.

Inside, as he expected, Reishi was in the middle of tying up his waist apron, fastening the tie tightly. The midnight blue-haired one noticed his presence and smirked tauntingly, "I am about to try another torture method, if you haven't come in another five minutes. What a pity."

"I really wonder how a person with twisted personality like you can even be elected as student council president," Mikoto snorted and traversed across the room to his locker beside Reishi's.

Reishi laughed pleasantly and fixed his necktie on the mirror beside the closet locker. "Unlike certain someone who can only give me trouble all the times, I'm a responsible student."

"I'd say that you just love meddling people's lives." Suoh quickly changed into his uniform. He realized since long time ago that Reishi would wait for him to finish changing, out of habit to find faults in Mikoto. Every morning at school gate, Reishi would supervise the disciplinary committee performing their duty, to make sure that every student dressed and carried themselves properly. And every single day, there were always faults on Mikoto but his threatening attitude already scared the committee to admonish him. Only one glare from him was enough to make the disciplinary students to scamper in fear.

He hardly could blame them; he was well-known for being rebellious and yet strong in bare hand fight that he had never lost a fight against street scoundrels. Mikoto was not exactly searching for fight since it was exhausting and he preferred to nap over doing something troublesome. But his strength was like a flame to the flock of moths. Some was in awe with him; some was trying to proof that Suoh Mikoto was not invisible. Before long, a false gossip floated around and his name was smeared among students and teachers. His intimidating look and constant absence was the contributing factors. They soon all feared him for something that he was not responsible of.

One year ago, his mother had started to fall ill that she had to be hospitalized. Working as a single parent probably exhausted her, he thought, since his father had left them before he could remember how he looked like. Because of that, her coffee shop was left unattended and abandoned. He had taken care of her to his best; going back and forth from the school to hospital and home, but the illness took her away from him. When it was time for final exams, he was busy taking care of her funeral that he ended up repeating the year. Izumo, who was his classmate and his best friend, had graduated with passing grade, leaving him behind.

When he was trying to get over his grief, Izumo returned to his life, stating that he wanted Mikoto to trust the coffee shop to him and they should work together to keep alive Mikoto's mother's legacy. Izumo had always wanted to open his own coffee shop and he was an apprentice under his mother's guidance for years before by constantly helping in the shop. For that reason, Izumo had decided to graduate, even if it meant to leave Mikoto behind in the school so he could be acknowledged as an adult and a responsible acting owner of the shop. Mikoto had agreed and they had strived to accomplish it.

He met Reishi on the second day of his repeating third year. He had skipped the opening ceremony and the first day of school because he had to take care of the shop. As usual, the fresh disciplinary committee attempted to point out his sloppy necktie and immediately cowered in fear when he threw a sharp glare. He didn't intend to be mean in the beginning of school, but he was sleepy and tired. What perplexed him was this one student, which he only realized later on that he was his classmate who dared to confront him without bawling.

"What's going on?" Reishi said in clear voice, as low as a howling wind. He had a superior and oppressive atmosphere that even the disciplinary committee members made a slight bow at the sight of him.

"President! I'm sorry for the commotion. It's just there is this student…," The girl trailed off, glancing at Mikoto like a cornered rabbit.

A pair of translucent violet eyes met his amber ones, showing no fear or alarmed. What surprised Mikoto was when the latter even formally smiled as he greeted, "Well, if it isn't Suoh-senpai. I have wondered if you actually intended to skip this year as well since you're nowhere to be seen yesterday."

Mikoto quirked an eyebrow in irritation. He didn't like how this student acted and confronted him like a typical arrogant smart-head. In short, his first impression of Reishi was a pompous snob that he better steered clear for the rest of his school year. What made his situation worse, it appeared that the latter was the student council president. If he really wanted to abuse his authority, he could make Suoh's school life worse than it had been. This kind of people always resorted to such dirty method, thinking that they could domestic him.

"How do you know me?"

"Well, you're famous even on my 2nd year and now we attend the same class."

Mikoto was about to walk pass through him when a fair hand swiftly caught his necktie and thus nearly choked him. He was about to snap angrily when Reishi focused his attention to fix his necktie and give a little pat on it when he was done. The first thing he discerned was Reishi's long eyelashes and his soft feature that he would pass as a pretty green boy. The president then stepped backward, as if giving back Mikoto his private territory and smoothly smiled, "This time, please graduate without trouble, Suoh. Please take care of me as your classmate this year."

Mikoto clicked his tongue in annoyance and hurriedly left the spot, thinking how murky his upcoming year would be.

"Tie your apron properly, Suoh. It would be unsightly if the attendant is slacking."

Mikoto snapped out of his short-lived muse as he felt a sharp tug on the loosened tie on his back. He unconsciously gave a smug smirk at the latter, who already stood behind him and worked on tying the lace into a perfect knot.

"You will redo it anyway, why bother?"

The red-haired expected a spiteful comeback like their usual banter, however seconds became a minute and none had uttered a word. Mikoto was buttoning his sleeves when Reishi mumbled too softly as he turned to leave. "I won't be there forever, you know."

The retreating back vanished behind the door and the transitory moment only left Mikoto in confusion. 

* * *

_"It actually surprises me that you're the real owner of this coffee shop." Reishi flashed his bright smile as he brought up the teacup to his lips graciously. His eyeglasses fogged as he took a sip of it. Across his table, Mikoto sat slouched on the seat, glaring at the most unwanted guest. Reishi's way of talking was stifling that bored Mikoto as quick as he uttered one line from his mouth._

_"What do you want?" Mikoto asked suspiciously. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Izumo's constant worried glance to their table as the blond pretended to wipe the tables. It was already closing hour, and the tables were all empty, except for the table in the most corner where the student president had taken a seat._

_It surprised him when their eyes met two hours ago as Reishi entered his coffee shop. From the other's reaction, Mikoto instantly knew that this encounter was not coincidence and it would only mean trouble. Nevertheless, he couldn't think any single reason for getting himself in mess. _

_As soon as he took his seat, Reishi straightforwardly made a point that he needed to talk to Mikoto. The red-haired student attempted to elude the conversation by making excuse that he was busy working. Yet, Reishi pulled out his book and rewarded him with his enigmatic smile, claiming that he would wait so not to bother Mikoto's work. He couldn't demand the school president to leave as well, since he was making orders like the rest of customers._

_"I'll be direct. I'll be tutoring you, Suoh. You have no say in this matter."_

_"…What?"_

_Reishi closed his book and pushed it away to the edge of the table. "Within a month, there is no improvement in your overall marks, if not getting worse. If it's not your intention to extend your happy adolescent school life, then I don't know what you could possibly want to do with those marks."_

_"It's none of your business." Mikoto scoffed, giving off an apathetic impression._

_"It is, as a matter of fact. The teacher division has personally requested the student council to solve this matter, thus to allow you graduate this year without further delay."_

_"You mean, getting rid of me." Mikoto interjected with a sneer. _

_The mauve eyes twinkled with amusement as Reishi chuckled, "I'm glad you quickly get on the idea. In place of the academic division, I will personally take this matter to my own hand."_

_"Why do you bother?"_

_"It's my duty."_

_Mikoto shot up and turned his back on Reishi, waving dismissively. "Get somebody else for your little game. I've got no time for you and your stupid sense of duty." As if to make his point crossed, he slammed the door, leading to restricted area for staff. _

_Reishi calmly finished his tea, as if the clash didn't take place previously. Izumo carefully approached and offered a refill of hot water, only to be declined. "I'm sorry, but it's better if you don't come here anymore."_

_Reishi stared at the surface of tea in his half-filled cup and stated, "I believe that you're his best friend, Kusanagi Izumo. You have graduated with pretty above average marks and now take the position of acting owner of this coffee shop, is that correct?"_

_Izumo took a step back, feeling wary toward the spectacled student, who was watching at him like observant hawk now. Just how far this president had investigated them after all? Clearly he had implied that the president knew Mikoto's family circumstances and the reason for his preceding failure to graduate._

_"I assume that you would've known that at this rate, he would be enforced to repeat another year. While it might not matter since he seemed to already decide on his career path, but an education degree is always important, and I'm sure you've understood its significance." Reishi paused to place his cup on the saucer, giving a time for Izumo to follow the direction of their conversation. "I only wish to get all students to graduate in time. While the academic committee is currently handling the matter, none of the members would volunteer in tutoring Suoh."_

_"We are too busy in taking care of this shop. But he is doing his best during breaks and I occasionally help him." The blond defended, slightly ticked off at the thought that no one in the school would take his best friend's side. He regretted it for a second that he left Mikoto behind, tuning down the reasoning voice in his mind that telling him that he was making a right decision. _

_"Nevertheless, his effort won't be enough to allow him to graduate. I do realize that possibility that he has no time to study. Thus I'm offering you an option." Reishi rose from his seat until he was about on the same eye-level with Izumo. "If you could persuade him to let me tutor him and get his cooperation, I would give a helping hand at this shop."_

_"What? No, right now we can't possibly pay-"_

_"For your assistance, of course it's more appropriate if I recompense your effort with the same value, without money involved."_

_Izumo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, shifting his weight to his other leg. "What's in it for you? Why are you doing so far just for someone who you don't really know?"_

_Reishi placed the money for his order on the table and smiled politely before he passed through Izumo to the exit door, "As I've mentioned before, it's simply my duty."_

* * *

"You're using a wrong formula here, Suoh." Reishi frowned darkly as he made big, red circles on the notes. "I've taught you this last week. Did you even use your bird-size brain?"

"It _has been_ a week." Mikoto yawned and stretched his legs. He had been sitting on the seat pillow for hours, across Reishi. The final exam was going to be held on next week, thus the model student was being even stricter than before. He had been making neat and simple notes for Mikoto, which the red-haired man really appreciated. Reishi was apparently good at teaching than some of the teachers in his school by giving the important pointers and he was more persistent in pushing (forcing, to be exact) Mikoto not to quit halfway.

His amber eyes rested on Reishi as the dark-haired one was in deep concentration, unconsciously putting the tip of his pen to his lips. The reason he kept making mistakes was exactly in front of his eyes that was distracting enough with every tiny shift he made. Mikoto told himself that he really deserved some slack from managing some self-constraint.

If he looked back on one year ago, he would have never thought that he could possibly tolerate Reishi's eccentric personality and his sharp tongue. Back then, Mikoto was annoyed by constant nagging from Izumo to give Reishi a chance to proof himself as a capable tutor, in exchange for an extra hand for their coffee shop. Finally yielding to his best friend, Mikoto was forced to spend hellish hours every day during school lunch break and after work to study. It was draining, and absolutely exasperating, especially when there was too much lesson crammed into his head. While he had to admit that those hours of tutor were more significant than the time he spent in classes, several times he had felt that he was at his limit, with the unbearable exhaustion and constant lack of sleep.

However, the one time that really dismissed his thought of enduring the tutor sessions was when he caught the top student, sleeping soundly on his desk with dark rings around his eyes one evening in empty class. If Mikoto was leading a busy life, Reishi was definitely leading an apocalyptic one, especially after he took the responsible of helping with Homra and Mikoto's study. Preparing study materials for Mikoto to easy to grasp would certainly have demanded some of his time. Yet, Reishi never allowed any slip-up in front of him to show his exhaustion, until that one time. The red-haired student thus once declared that he wanted to stop the tutoring, thinking that he should let the latter to have time to recuperate. However, all he received was a smack on the head with thick book and painful punch on his gut before he got dragged to the Homra's staff room to study.

"But you're doing well, in overall. If you're performing just like today, you should be able to do the exam." Reishi smiled genuinely and tidied up the cluttered table with books scattered all over the floor. It was weekend, the last days of their exam preparation that Izumo had suggested for the shop to close until the end of exam period. As they finished reviewing the material, there was a majestic color of fire on the horizon, signifying the advent of nightfall.

Mikoto propped his chin on his hand and mirrored the smile, "I have a tyrant tutor, that's why."

"Just admit it that you love it rough, Suoh," Reishi lifted his head to answer with a smirk.

"Only for certain arrogant jerk."

Reishi leant forward, putting his fingers under Mikoto's chin with a playful leer and pulling back as quick as he went closer, "I didn't know that you loved me that much, Suoh. It makes me nauseous." He rose from his seat and turned on his heel to gather his books into his bag. Reishi shrugged it off when he heard a soft mumble, saying like 'as if' with a scoff.

"Hey," A voice abruptly stopped him, making Reishi turning his back in wonder to glance down at the red-haired friend. "If I pass the exams, let's go out."

It took him several seconds to process what Mikoto had been suggesting before his expression turned sour, to Mikoto's irritation. "I would prefer to be somewhere else than to go out with you. It's revolting enough to see you every single day."

"Ungrateful bastard. I'm just thinking that I should pay back your help with my study by sparing my time for you. You would probably be lonely, with no one to accompany you to spend your free time." Mikoto put his arms together behind his head, sneering at the latter, only to feel delight when there was a shade of annoyance looming on Reishi's face.

The dark-haired president pushed his spectacles frame with his fingers and answered with his hardest frown, "I don't need your concern, thank you very much. Just make sure that you will graduate this time, Suoh." Reishi pointed his forefinger at Mikoto forebodingly with an icy stare.

"You sure? I'm paying, you know."

Reishi froze for a fleeting moment before he smirked viciously that Mikoto promptly felt a shiver along his spine and began to regret his decision. "Then you better save up a lot because I'll make you paying me back in full for all the trouble you've caused me for a whole year."

Mikoto only let out a laughing snort and waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Don't forget to bring your student card tomorrow." Reishi reminded as he slipped out of the half-opened door.

Once the door was closed and the silence sunk in, Mikoto shoved away the books from the floor to make some space to lie down. He exhaled as he threw himself on the floor, using his arm as a pillow. It felt like spring was just yesterday, when his repeating third year had just begun. Yet, seasons were transient that he barely noticed and before he realized it, they were already at the end of winter, with constant chilling breeze and short-lived snow fall. It was without doubt the busiest year he had ever lived; a perfect blend of bitter and sweet.

When he and Izumo had just opened the coffee shop together, he simply didn't have time to think of having a relationship, with majority of his time was fully booked by a certain authoritarian classmate, if not working at the coffee shop. After spending so much time with Reishi (and hours of awkward moments), only then he realized that the latter was not a case of transcendent existence without flaw. Hundreds of students may admire him and whole teachers would be behind his back, supporting him, but Reishi was just a peculiar teenager with weird old-people's hobby like solving puzzles or Sudoku when it was not necessary for him to keep up appearances. This student council president was known as composed, meticulous and heartless, that some opposing students called him as a cold-hearted machine. But Mikoto pitied them for knowing only the surface of a man called Munakata Reishi. In his opinion, the very same cold person was quite compelling when Mikoto relentlessly pulled his leg.

It was definitely not on his original plan to be friends with someone with ghastly personality like Reishi. However, as much as he would like to deny it, there was a tingling spark whenever the president was around. It grew more intense with the amount of time they spent together. He would blame it on teenage hormone, but reasoning with it wouldn't dissolve such alien feeling. To his detest, it felt so close and confusing like romantic interest.

Only recently, Homra's family was just getting bigger with new staffs coming in. Izumo decided that balancing school and work life was practically impossible for both attendants with final exams closing in. Misaki was the first one to enlist, followed by his childhood friend who appeared to be forced to comply with the crimson-haired teen's whim. Fushimi always clicked his tongue at the sight of Mikoto; somewhat infuriated as if he despised Mikoto 24/7 although he seemed to be in better term with Reishi. In contrary, Misaki was like a faithful puppy that adored and followed him around.

Their work shift became reasonable to study for the exam. Their study sessions moved to his bedroom, away from the noise of the coffee shop, yet the temptation was too great with his prey was before him, staying still like a sitting duck. Reishi was not helping with his desire either, with his constant teasing. He was like an exquisite display behind glass case; visible yet untouchable. It only made Mikoto yearning to rend him; to confirm that he was not inviolable, delicate thing.

Nevertheless, recently he could perceive the affectionate smile on Reishi's feature whenever the latter thought Mikoto didn't notice it, before it twisted into a stoic frown when their eyes met. It appeared that he was not the only one that was bothered with their study arrangement. The time to declare the victor of their little dangerous game was nigh. 

* * *

"Good morning!" Misaki joyfully shouted as he entered the shop from the front entrance with high spirit, with his best friend scowling behind him and pulling his scarf closer to his neck. The weather was rather cold although the season had turned into spring and wild flowers begun to bud and bloom along the paved road. As the season turned better, so was his spirit, since the final exam was long gone that he would soon welcome the second year of his high school with Fushimi.

"It's too quiet, isn't it?" Fushimi sighed in relief as the warmth inside the building comforted him when he was glancing around at the empty shop. Usually when they came, Reishi would be the first one to meet and Izumo would come out from the kitchen and greeted them with his usual smile.

Misaki pondered for a while before he shrugged, "Maybe they are at the back of the store. Let's see…"

His red-haired friend was about to open the door leading to the staff room, when Fushimi heard a familiar voice, grim yet calm across the closed door. He immediately grabbed Misaki's hand, to his friend's confusion, and shook his head, giving the latter a signal to listen in secret. It was difficult to comprehend most of the lines with some words died down before it could get through the door, but Fushimi got a feeling like it was rather important conversation and they were not to interrupt.

"Then, congrats. And thanks to you, Mikoto easily passes the final exam." Izumo started, almost too careful.

"It's all thanks to his effort and your support, Kusanagi," Reishi replied politely. "So, with the current situation, I believe that this shop would be just fine, especially with you around."

"Well, in case you forget, you help me with the accounting too. Are you certain that there is no way for you to continue to be here?"

"With Suoh graduating, I don't think this shop requires my assistance any longer," A soft chuckle filled in. "I assume that he would be overjoyed to finally get rid of me, as much as I do."

Izumo sighed, partially disagreed, "That's pretty mean, Munakata…"

"Ah, I apologize." Reishi said, without a tone of remorse. "Moreover, Fushimi and Misaki are doing quite well that I'm certain that they would be great assets to Homra." There was sound of footsteps sauntering closer to the door. Fushimi abruptly yanked Misaki's neck collar and dragged him away from the door in hurry.

"Well, if you've decided…Please notify Mikoto as well, would you?"

Reishi turned slightly to look at the blond, with his hand on the door handle, before he slipped out from the room. "Of course. He is the owner, after all." 

* * *

The back alley was dark and remote, with only faint glimmer of moonlight barely reaching the corner of the small path. Mikoto huffed as he threw out the trash to the back of the store. Taking a short break, he pulled out cigarette box and the lighter to lit one. They nearly finished with cleaning and preparing for the next day that he decided to take his time in solitude after a day full of noise and people. Even though most people hated darkness, Mikoto found solace in its cradle. He loved people and his friends, but once in a while, he always ended up sparing little time to retreat to his own thought.

The butt of the cigarette flickers in crimson light as it burned with a hue of white smoke fading away into the sky, as if it was trying to reach up the moon. How transient and fleeting, he thought. Time surely passed by almost like a storm, leaving as soon as it turned up. He took the last draw of his smoke before he put the stub out with the heel of his shoes. 

* * *

Mikoto was pushing through the door when Misaki excitedly talked with Fushimi, "Then, let's throw a congratulation surprise party for their graduation and farewell party for Munakata!"

"How troublesome. Why do we have to-" Fushimi was startled when he noticed the familiar red from the corner of his eyes. He sighed wearily as he said, "And now you ruin the surprise, Misaki."

"What were you saying?" A low scowl escaped Mikoto's throat.

Misaki flustered, feeling embarrassed for his busted plan. "Sorry, Mikoto-san, we just thought we should celebrate your graduation, so…" Before he could finish, Mikoto already whirled around in rush to the kitchen, leaving Misaki in confusion.

Putting the last dish on the dryer, Reishi dried out his hands and was about to step out to the staff room to change his uniform when he nearly bumped to Mikoto unexpectedly by the kitchen door. Out of impulse, he took a step back and was about to give a stern lecture to the real owner to act composed and mature, when a dark glare met his violet eyes. The aggression left him in perplexity as he had almost never seen such angry expression from Mikoto directed at him, no matter how he treated Mikoto in the name of education.

"Is there something wrong?" Reishi started evenly. There was not even a hint of surprise when Mikoto clasped his wrist roughly with his hand.

"Are you leaving Homra?" Mikoto attempted to suppress his emotion, but it still sounded like a bark.

Behind Mikoto, Misaki and Fushimi came after him with bewildered look. Something finally clicked in his mind and Reishi pushed his glasses with his free hand. "I see. So my feeling wasn't mistaken this morning. That should make things easier." Fushimi averted his gaze, looking at anywhere which didn't involve the reproachful lavender eyes. Reishi's sharp perception was terrifying in another level.

"Would you kindly let go my hand so we can have a proper talk like civilized people?" The dark-haired waiter gave a gentle tug of his hand and an intimidating smile. A pair of distrustful amber eyes was locked into his, as if searching for deceit for a stretching minute that felt like an hour to the outsiders with the cold silence looming in the kitchen. Finding no chink in Reishi's model student mask, Mikoto clicked his tongue before he released his grasp and crossed his arms in front of his chest with demanding gesture.

Reishi rubbed his sore wrist for a second before he spoke in calm tone, "Yes, I intend to notify you my resignation about sometime tonight. However, I didn't calculate that you would hear it sooner." Misaki flinched from outside the door, fidgeting uncomfortably as he was overwhelmed with guilt. Fushimi narrowed his eyes at Reishi with irritated look. "Nevertheless, I see no reason for your outrage, Suoh."

"No reason?"

It was like pouring oil to the fire, Fushimi thought, as he shivered at the menacing snarl. He never thought that Reishi would pick up such petty fight with Mikoto.

"I've upheld my word that I will provide support to Homra in exchange for your compliance to the tutor sessions. Now that you no longer need any supervision for your study, I see no reason to continue our agreement."

"So it's all just obligation to you?"

"What else it could be?"

There was a loud growl coming from Mikoto before he turned on his heel and stomped out of the room. "Fine, I don't care."

Just as soon as Mikoto left, Izumo took a peek into the kitchen anxiously, "Can someone tell me what the hell has just happened here?"

"Good timing, Kusanagi. I've just handed my resignation to Suoh." Reishi flashed his best charming smile at Izumo. The blond instinctively shuddered and he could feel a heavy weight dropping to the pit of his stomach. "And everything goes as predicted. So, I'll take his reaction as consent for my immediate resignation. Thank you for everything." The cobalt-haired man shrugged flippantly and removed his apron. After folding it neatly in his hands, he gave a curt bow before the other staffs with apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for leaving in short notice. It has been a pleasure to work with you."

"I'm sorry for causing this misunderstanding." Misaki quickly lowered his head remorsefully at Reishi, only to feel relieved when the latter beamed at him and tapped his shoulder lightly.

"It bounds to happen, Misaki, regardless he knows now or later. You have nothing to worry about."

Fushimi clicked his tongue before he spun and left without exchanging words. Misaki glanced at his friend's vanishing back and hastily chased after the raven-head.

"Do you think you can make another attempt of telling him, you know, _in subtle way_?" Izumo asked with a weak laugh. It was a rhetorical question, really, because he already knew how it would end up.

"No matter how many times, it will not change anything," Munakata pushed his eyeglasses with his finger, answering almost immediately. He tapped Izumo's shoulder as he walked out the kitchen to the change room, commenting off with a polite smile, "Besides, knowing him, he won't be concerned enough over one staff."

Once Munakata was out of his sight, Izumo scratched his head and muttered under his breath, "You still don't know him well enough, do you?" 

* * *

"Whoa…it feels gloomy, huh?" Misaki commented off as he wiped clean the glass windows, shivering lightly along his spine. It was another late morning with bright blue sky hovering on top, and the warm spring sunlight was casted into the room, yet there was a sense of depressing chill once Mikoto sluggishly trudged down the stairs into the first floor, not far behind Izumo. The blond had taken the initiative to wake up Mikoto, since the one who was usually up to the task was no longer around. Nevertheless, even Fushimi seemed to pity the acting owner and their chef by going up and down the stairs to wake up the sleeping lion. Mikoto finally showed up, after the fifth try, and Izumo appeared to have drained all of his energy for the rest of the day.

Fushimi muttered darkly without even a glance to Mikoto, "If he is really angry about Munakata's resignation, he should just refuse it. That should make things easier for us too."

Misaki spun around to face his best-friend and put his hands on his waist, "That's not Mikoto-senpai's fault! Munakata-senpai is too cold for taking his leave just like that. After all, aren't they friends for a year? Yet he said that it was out of obligation."

"Well, it's not our business." Fushimi shrugged his shoulder as he leant against a table on his back. "Get back to your job, Misaki. It's almost opening hour and you still haven't finished up."

His red-haired friend gasped in panic and rushed back to his work. Fushimi threw a glance at the closed staff room, where Mikoto had disappeared for some time. Somehow it took him longer just to change. The thought that the man was slacking off right away just because there was no certain watchdog to keep his rein, was completely aggravating. However, he just couldn't muster the courage to chastise his senior, since he didn't really like brutes and pain.

His irritation was probably so transparent that Izumo said it to him from his back, as he walked out from the kitchen to pick up some ingredients, "Oh, he says that he will go out for a while. So it will be just the three of us this noon."

"What!? How irresponsible!" The raven-haired protested, feeling his cheeks heating up with rage; only to be rewarded with an easy, yielding smile.

"There is nothing I can do. He is impulsive that's so bothersome." Izumo laughed it off as he picked up the new sack of coffee bean into the back of the store. "I'm counting on you, Fushimi, Misaki." 

* * *

He was taking a nap on the bench under the shade of a tree, with the ray of light shined through the slit of leaves. The spring breeze was cold when it ruffled his short hair, although it was not as harsh as the winter air. Despite the vast area of the park inside the institute, it was left in solitude and barren of people. All he could hear was the whistle of the wind and distant loud chorus of bustling city; there was no people coming around this place apparently. He felt like time was ticking so leisurely, yet peacefully that it lulled him off to his sleep.

He was fundamentally a light sleeper, although he could slip back to sleep as effortlessly as he was stirred up. Thus, when he heard a string of brisk footsteps coming toward him, he only feigned a sleep and opened his eyes only when the one approaching stood before him with a very exasperated look.

"I was only talking to the administrative personnel here for thirty minutes, and there were 15 missed calls from you? On which part 'I'm busy, talk later' that you fail to understand!?"

Mikoto smirked, lightly pushed himself off the bench with his arms, only to find the one he had been waiting for somewhat different. It had been one year since he noticed Reishi's existence, but the man was always on his uniform. Seeing the ex-president in front him in a white shirt, black casual vest and a scarf circling around his neck confounded him in a good way. Nonetheless, apart from his fashion, Reishi was just exactly how it was yesterday.

Somehow the latter seemed to fit well with the surrounding, as if he was out of a painting. Even though he had just graduated, Reishi had always possessed a mature ambience around him, as if he was older and wiser; naturally, his exterior betrayed his real age. Now that they stood in the middle of university's park, the latter came out as ordinary part of it, in contrary to him. For a year they worked together, it was only today that he found out that it was Reishi's ambition to attend law school. It never crossed his mind to ask and Reishi most likely didn't consider of telling him although he knew that there was no way for the former president for not having future plans mapped out long time ago. A twinge of bitterness stabbed him, feeling loss at the thought of being left in the dark.

"You're the one who tells me to come here," Mikoto yawned and slouched forward, leaning with his crossed arms on top of his lap. "It's your fault to make me wait so long. I'm busy, you know."

"You barbarian," Reishi looked down at him as if he was an insect, adjusting the frame his glasses with his finger. "How can you possibly be so busy when all you do is taking a nap?" A smirk from Mikoto only got on his nerve. "No matter, I have no time to waste on you."

"What, so now you don't have time talking with a friend anymore once we graduate?" The sneer came out harsher that he intended to, as his voice dripped with sardonic venom. He regretted it slightly though when those violet eyes were glazed with remorse and the latter made no abrupt comeback to his words.

"Although I don't think that I owe you anything, but I'll still apologize. It's probably rude to leave on the day I hand over my resignation, even though I have notified Kusanagi two weeks ago, so I have been searching for my replacement." Reishi took out his PDA out of his pocket and flicked his finger on the screen for a while before handing it to Mikoto. "Our junior, now second-grade student, Totsuka Tatara. He has been admiring you for a reason I couldn't phantom, and he is a bit air-headed, but his classmates' testimonies speak a lot of good things about him; hard-worker, kind, and cheerful. He is looking for a part-time work, as well. I would like to recommend him."

His amber eyes were locked on the screen, to find a photo of a young man, with blond hair like Izumo, smiling brightly. Just one look from his photo, he already caught a glimpse of his brightness, if not a bit too naïve. And since it was Reishi who was doing the homework to dig up the background, this Tatara was certainly a good kid. If they were in normal situation, he would definitely consider the option.

"Is this why you're calling me?" A growl escaped from Mikoto's throat. There was a murky feeling swirling inside him, so oppressing like a wild beast that he only one inch away from smashing the device in his hand to the ground. Of all scenarios, there was no way that Reishi would take initiative to apologize, but he never thought for this kind of lead.

Mikoto rose from the bench, shoving the PDA on Reishi's chest as he passed through the latter without much thought. "If that's all, then I'm going back."

Reishi was appalled for a moment, staring at his PDA with confused look before he spun and walked briskly after Mikoto. Once he was within arm-length, the dark haired one reached out for the jet black sleeve persistently. "Hold on, why are you still angry? I've helped you to find a new good staff in my place, and we should be even!"

Mikoto yanked his sleeve harshly, only to feel infuriated that the fair hand was strong enough to keep him in the place. He turned around and snapped angrily, "I didn't ask for it!"

"Then, it's truly childish to stay angry at me for no particular reason, if I haven't done anything wrong." The violet eyes were locked to his amber eyes with a glint of fortitude behind them. This time Reishi clasped his hand on Mikoto's wrist and clenched it tighter until it bruised. "I wish we can have a proper parting as former classmates and colleagues, but you're not making it easy, Suoh."

Mikoto rolled his eyes and exhaled harshly, "Well, too bad. I don't consider you as my classmate."

There was a flare of hurt contorted in Reishi's feature before the corner of his lips curved upward slightly into a poignant smile. "If that's the case, there is nothing I can do." A short silence dawned upon them, and it felt so dreary and heavy that Mikoto had this immediate urge to leave the place. Nevertheless, the hand on his sleeve remained still, never letting go, although he could feel it loosening its grip.

He was about to take his first step to depart when a clear voice interrupted him, "Then this amount should be nothing since you already detest me, no?"

Mikoto was turning around to question the meaning behind such puzzling statement when there was an abrupt, rash pull on the front of his shirt and the next second, he felt something soft pressed against his lips for several brief seconds. Within a hairline, he could see the long cobalt lashes fluttering close and similar sapphire strands of hair fell on his nose. While he was still in daze, Reishi had retreated and stood where he was fleeting moment ago with a smile mixed with mischief and sadness. "Goodbye, Suoh. I wish you good luck."

"…What was that?" Mikoto started hesitantly, staring attentively at the dark-haired man; only to receive a flippant shrug from the latter.

"It was as it was," Reishi replied without much effort to clarify his demeanor as he folded his arms together on his back. "Aren't you leaving?"

Mikoto glared darkly with pointed look, "Not until you explain yourself."

"Even an elementary student knows what it was, Suoh." The latter sighed dramatically, knowing that his respond would only collect more wraths from Mikoto. Nevertheless, it would be better to leave Mikoto in confusion, so he could walk away with dignity intact. The last thing he needed was a pity or offended look from the scarlet-haired ex-classmate when the wound of rejection was still fresh. He curtly nodded politely and strode to the entrance gate of the university, "Well then, I have something to take care of if you won't take the privilege to leave first."

"If you choose to act like a bastard, then you have no room to complain." Mikoto interjected him and dragged Reishi out of the paved road to the lines of luscious trees and thick bushes next to the path. The sapphire-head yelped in surprise with sudden jerk and winced when his back and the back of his head hit the trunk of the tree painfully with Mikoto's hands on his shoulders. Reishi was about to object the ruthless treatment, when Mikoto leant forward with one hand ran up to take a hold of his chin and returned the kiss. Mikoto took delight when the other man stared at him incredulously and gaped in bafflement. When a voice finally found Reishi again, Mikoto hastily cut him off by assaulting his lower lip and the crevice of his mouth with his tongue. He made a pleased noise when Reishi responded back reluctantly, exploring each other's mouth timidly.

They pulled back when their need for air was intolerable, gasping desperately. Reishi rubbed his abused lips with the back of his hand and glanced at Mikoto's darken golden eyes, searching an answer for questions that swirling in his mind. Mikoto smirked at him with a glint of malice, hinting that he would not let one word to escape Reishi's mouth. Realizing that, Reishi swiftly clamped his hands on Mikoto's lips and threw a dagger look when he met resistance, "No, you listen to me. What are you doing?"

Mikoto grinned wider with arrogant leer against Reishi's hands, "Well, I'm simply giving you back whatever you did just now. What were you doing then?"

Reishi narrowed his eyes with irritation while Mikoto appeared to be quite pleased to be able to turn the table against him using his very own weapon. "…That's a foul play."

"Look who's talking. You kiss me out of nowhere, then planning to bail out without explaining anything," Mikoto wrinkled his nose with distaste.

"Just how hard is it for you to understand that I harbor a feeling for you? I really wonder how you are able to pass the exams." Reishi replied without a blink of eye, as if he was stating about weather. "…If you did it for a payback, let's stop now."

"Then, why you can't understand why I did it?" Mikoto smirked contemptuously, "And you're supposed to be the smartest student."

There was a surprised look on Reishi's face that Mikoto couldn't help but laughing at it inwardly. Now looking back to it, their little game of flirt was way too obvious, if they really gave some times to comprehend the meaning behind it.

"Since you said that we were not even classmate…" Reishi trailed off, already thinking hard to connect the misplaced dots.

"Well, you're not just a classmate, are you?" Mikoto stole another peck on the lips, only to be rewarded with a smack on the head. "…Won't you come back to Homra?"

Reishi shifted slightly as he started to feel discomfort for being pinned against a tree. Settled with slight increase of distance from Mikoto, he finally spoke up, "I left because you no longer needed me there." He quickly added before Mikoto could interrupt him, "I was there to uphold my word, and there is no more reason for you to have me there, now that we've graduated. Moreover, I need to focus on my studies now that I attend university. My schedule would be tightly packed."

"You were doing pretty well despite your demanding job as student president. It won't make much difference now." Mikoto argues, without a bite in his voice.

"I'm also an assistant to a professor who offers me a recommendation, on top of being a student. It will be busier than before." Reishi shook his head with a defeated sigh. "Thus, I assume that it would be better for Homra to recruit a new staff."

"You can always come as a guest," Mikoto said haughtily, earning him another dubious look.

"Persistent, aren't you?" Reishi finally chuckled softly.

"And you still owe me a promise."

Mikoto clicked his tongue when Reishi tilted his head, looking completely bemused. He eventually spilled out impatiently, "You agreed to go out after graduation."

A comprehending bulb seemed to light up and Reishi flushed in embarrassment for forgetting his own words. There was so much things going on and after his last quarrel with Suoh, he concluded that there would be no further interaction between them with growing bitter resentment from Mikoto. Logically, such promise would have expired its due date, he thought. "Oh, right."

"Clear up your weekend. I'll notify you the details later on."

"Fine. And don't worry, I'm not expecting much," Reishi smirked impishly and slipped out of Mikoto's confining arms to turn his back on him and walk out of the institute at his leisure. 

* * *

The bell chimed as the door was pushed open.

Tatara immediately brightened up and approached the new incoming customer with his brightest smile, "Welcome, Munakata-senpai! Long time no see!"

Reishi laughed softly at the blond's overfriendliness. There should be a limit on naivety for someone to have, but Tatara was entirely on different league. He took off his coat and tugged his side bangs behind his ears, smiling politely, "Nice to see you too. I'm having the usual, Totsuka."

"Sure, come with me!" Tatara ushered him through the crowds to the most corner table beside the window. It was always Reishi's favorite spot; warm sunlight to provide enough light for him to read and a sense of seclusion for the comfort of privacy. Once he took his seat, he beamed at the latter, "It seems that you're doing quite well here."

"Yeah, they are all great friends, and boss is really kind. It's hard not to like this place." Tatara laughed as he waved his hand flippantly. Reishi bit his tongue just in time from blurting out his argument that among linguistic options they had, '_kind_' was hardly on the same page with Mikoto, in his opinion. Nevertheless, it was probably just him, since Misaki and Izumo seemed to share the same sentiment with Tatara about that, so it was inappropriate for him to counter other's belief. Instead, he just kept on his neutral smiling façade and listened to Tatara. "Then, please excuse me. I'll put in your order, Munakata-senpai. Please wait for a bit."

Reishi pulled out and scattered his notes and reference books on the table to start reviewing the material for upcoming classes when there was a clatter of the saucer and cup with a black coffee in it without any prior announcement next to his book. The black liquid nearly spilled on his book that Reishi scowled and glared to his expected offender. "I see that your service doesn't improve one bit, Suoh."

"You have to request someone else if you want regular service." Mikoto smirked down at him, putting his hand on top of Reishi's note.

"I'll just ask for Totsuka then," Reishi challenged him with amused smile, "unless you can provide a better service..."

"Don't underestimate me." Mikoto grinned mischievously and put his hand on Reishi's chin to tilt it upward. He leant down with his back on the public view and planted a light kiss on Reishi's for a fleeting second. He laughed pleasantly when the dark-haired man made a frustrated noise as he retracted to have a better look on the latter. Reishi's expression was absolutely the one he had been waiting for. "I'm off at seven. I'll meet you at your apartment at eight?"

Reishi smiled coldly with an admonishing look, "If you're one hour late, don't bother to come. I'll set the chain on the door."

Mikoto just rolled his eyes and pecked another kiss on the right cheek.


End file.
