Chapter 2: Ace of Swords

This thing wasn't needed, Saruhiko thought. If anything it did not deserve this kind of preparation, not to mention celebration in the first place. Why in hell would you celebrate a thief's apprehension?

Munakata Reisi's thoughts were the most difficult thing for Saruhiko to decipher, or more accurately-impossible. They often did not make any sense, the Blue King acted as he pleased and did what he thought was right, of course all of that was only for the good of the Kingdom and its citizens.

Citizens. Not magicians.

He tried asking his bothersome maids, but they did not give him a proper answer only muttering something along the lines:

'Ah, of course this needs celebration! The King had listened to all of our complaints and now that it is over… Why not? Our people have been waiting for this moment to come for years now—'

He successfully tuned them out, not really bothering to hear them whine about the well being of 'successful rich lords and commoners' after all they have been through with all that stealing and terrorizing and what not. He has heard more than enough of those people whining his ears off and Saruhiko was more than glad that it would finally be over. No more bitching about lost goods, stolen jewelry, muggings. Ah, maybe he could finally get a break without having to lift himself from his warm and cozy bed at ungodly hours, without managing to get a wink of sleep after his own 'nightly activities'.

Speaking of his activities… All the more reason he did not want to go to this fancy ball. The black haired man had no doubt in his mind that he would be, once again, pushed against beautiful ladies dressed in revealing gowns. Either by his King, his colleagues or their fathers, it would happen.

All of that fake politeness, socializing, trying to avoid more than half of the people there—

All of this pain just because Suoh Mikoto was finally arrested.

A ball was really really pushing it.

Pain racked down his scalp and with a hiss Saruhiko glared at the brown haired old maid, the one that has been unfortunately taking care of him ever since he was a young brat. She glared back at him, eyebrows furrowed as if daring him to complain and Fushimi just clicked his tongue in annoyance, trying to hold back snarky comments and complaints, turned his cerulean eyes away.

This was the number one reason he hated formal meetings and such in the first place. Every time these annoying women barged into his chambers, not really minding if he was busy or indecent just like he was a few minutes ago, and forced him into clothes which he hated with a huge passion. He hated fancy clothes lined in golden fibers, flowing around his skinny figure, drowning him in silk. It made him feel like he was truly a part of those rich snobby lords and he despised that. He had never truly belonged there, among those people, it suffocated him. He wanted to be free, dress however the hell he pleased and act however he wanted too, no restrictions, no anything. Maybe it truly was in his nature, seeing as he was born in a poor family and spent his childhood on the streets, not that he remembers any of it, not since that night. It was like a gaping black hole inside his head and he sometimes felt like he really forgot something important which made him feel anxious. He wanted to leave the palace as soon as he got that feeling, but after all this time he had learned to control it. When the late King was still alive, and Saruhiko was still little, he would try to sneak out, run away, run into the dimly lit streets, run run run… Somewhere far away, where he could feel like he had space to move around without any etiquette and other formalities.

Of course that never worked. He was caught every time and severely punished for it. For leaving just like that without any permission from the late King.

'You're no longer a street rat, Saruhiko. It is time you forget your callings. This is your home now, this is where you belong.'

He had his most cruel punishment that day; thrown into cellar for a few days, with barely any food and darkness all around him, confining him, restricting him in one place with no human interaction would drive anyone insane and break them.

He had learned his lesson and never ran away again.

Still, that need to leave never disappeared and sometimes he wished, that he wasn't the Blue King's most loyal subordinate with responsibilities burdening his back every day. Maybe if he was a lower rank… Ah, if only… His subordinates seemed to have it pretty easy; they had more spare time on their hands to spend with their families and lovers—

Harshly Saruhiko shook his head, trying to rid himself of these stupid thoughts. He should be proud to have made it this far, to have gained everyone's trust, power was everything in this country, something that he had great pride in as a knight. And loved ones? Family? What was that really…? It is not like he had anyone in the first place.

Another tug at his hair brought him back down to earth. That again.

"Quit moving so much, Fushimi, I can't finish yer hair like that y'know?" The maid barked at him, and glared daggers, black eyes gleaming in the faint light emitted by the silver lantern lit nearby.

"Watch what you are doing, maybe then I won't struggle." Saruhiko hissed just as threateningly as the woman beside him, eyes glittering with blue sparks in a challenge.

God he really hated her. There was nothing more he wanted than to plunge one of his knives into that thick neck of hers and watch her bleed to death as he twisted the knife and stabbed once again. All he wanted was to watch her die choking on her own words that never failed to push all the right buttons of his and piss him off.

Saruhiko never truly liked her even when he was a kid. He used to wake up screaming in pain or fear from his nightmares, immediately that woman would barge in, worried and screaming (in her case asking, Saruhiko just thought that she was loud) what was wrong in that deep voice of hers and when the dark haired boy would just reply that he had yet another nightmare, she would gaze at him apathetically like a pig brought for slaughter and tell him to go back to sleep and stop his goddamned shouting for no big reason. If anything he was offended. He was a kid and she was put in charge of him. If you're in charge of someone you do not act like that and most certainly you do not make fun of it the next day.

Just thinking about it ruined his mood.

The gigantic maid barked a laugh and Saruhiko knew what was coming.

"Oh my, look who is actin' high and mighty, like a true prince, eh? All getting' pampered and covered in whores, poor King for having to deal with your daily caprices—God bless his soul, and poor lady Awashima for having to go aroun' lookin' out for ya and savin' your ass. You should be grateful for what ya have, kid, it'sa cruel world out there ya know, you would be lost without us—"

Anger boiled in his chest, eating at him like a giant beast and he clenched his fists at his sides. Oh how he hated her, he hated her so so much—

A meek voice interrupted the gorilla maid mid rant and stopped Saruhiko's murderous train of thoughts just in time.

"It's already d-done, Mister Fushimi…" the other girl gave one last tug at the dark purple band carefully banded around Saruhiko's right leg, yet tight enough for his legs to feel a little numb. Her yellow eyes were glistening with unshed tears and her lower lip trembled slightly. She was a pretty girl, the dark haired man thought, when he realized he hadn't seen her before. Or maybe he had, he never bothered to remember everyone's faces, people came and went just like that, so why bother.

The longer he stared the more the petite maid trembled and the gorilla maid tugged at his hair again.

"Stop it, yer scaring her with your staring! What's with all those death stares, she's just doin' her job, no need to look like yer about to murder her just for talking." The maid mumbled and pushed another pin into his hair. "We'll be done in a second, sweetie, gotta tame 'young master's' mane of hair here, impossible, absolutely impossible, how do ya even live like this, doesn't it get in the way, you could build a bird nest in here... tell your whores to not tangle it so much the next time, I can't unknot it afterwards.. tche, so annoying." The maid huffed in achievement and let go of him, towering over Fushimi with her massive height and gave a pleased smile. "There ya go, it looks better now, though if it were me I would have cut that mess at yer nape a loooong while ago."

"…I could've managed without this piece of crap in my hair."

"Wha' was that, ya little brat?"

"…Nothing."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now go look at yerself in the mirror and tell me if there's anything more you'd like. Ah, what's with you not liking jewelry, don't you like to show of yer status to everyone you see? If you wore—"

Not paying attention, Saruhiko looked at his appearance in the tall mirror with skillfully carved edges. It felt like he was looking at someone else and not himself. With a frown he looked at his mirror image, displeased. Flowing clothes did not suit him in the least he thought and tugged at his silk pants, flowing freely around him, burying him in soft cloth, successfully camouflaging his far too thin thighs. Everything was dyed in blue, white, purple, gold. The shawl around his arms, flowing to the sides, constricted his movement, pinned with golden ornaments, sewn with golden fibers, unnecessary gems encrusted into his clothes, his arm bands that were cutting out his blood flow since the maids did a far too good of a job to tie the ribbons as best as they could, jewelry, shoes. The heavy jangle of his jewelry made his face turn even bitterer. The chains around his neck, he had no other word for it, choked him uncomfortably, the golden piercings pinned into his ears weighed a ton, and the god damned ornament that the gorilla maid worked so hard to fasten up in his dark hair, to keep half of his messy locks from getting into his face, was pulling at his hair until it hurt when the small squares pinned to it jangled from movement.

Saruhiko did not have the time to analyze his own displeasing appearance, when the maid shoved him towards the oak door and Saruhiko ungracefully stumbled forward.

"If ya got nothin' to say, then get goin', narcissist boy. The King is waitin' for ya, don't make him wait too long. Its gotta do something with that hoodlum from tha Red Clan or somethin', cause you missed out like ya always do. Hands of tha hair piece! C'mon go, go."

And Saruhiko much to his humiliation was all but shoved out of his own chambers in front of two maids looking at him with pity in their eyes.

He will kill this gorilla maid one day, he so will. For making him feel like a twelve year old trouble making child and treating him like this, while knowing that he couldn't fight back, just because the rules said so.

Just because that there were certain lines he could not cross in this palace.

The building that day was unusually weary. Unlike every day full of liveliness, cheering, fighting and laughing it seemed void of life. Silent, so silent you could hear the faint sounds of the city, lively and raucous as always, as the 'special' citizens carried on with their lives as if nothing had happened.

Silence didn't go hand in hand with the Red Clan or so as they called it Howling Flame.

It was weird to say the least, but he wouldn't have had it any other way. He just could not deal with the usual ruckus right now.

Patience was wearing thin, and he needed that the most right now. It will be alright, it will work out, he—no they just had to wait. The man pulled the thin long pipe from between his lips and exhaled the smoke, watching it disappear in small waves and pulled his right leg closer to his chest, with a faint click clack of some bracelets jangling together. He curled into himself even more and looked out through the window. The street was empty, he hadn't seen a single person walk by today, so maybe they were aware of it. Either that or no one wanted to mess with the Reds after their great loss, which was the most likely in his eyes.

The great Suoh Mikoto was captured by the Blue King and will most likely be sentenced to a public execution if not killed by now. No, he'd rather not think about it right now…

Everyone was scared, all of those who were deemed lowlifes not worth walking on this earth, filthy magicians and those born poor, so poor they could not possibly pay their taxes and deemed just as useless. Their greatest hope for a better tomorrow was destroyed completely once they placed those chains on Mikoto for everyone in these parts of the town to see, everyone was devastated. Now that Mikoto was gone, what would they do? What if their families got blamed, targeted, hunted down? What if the purges were conducted once again and everything was going to be set ablaze in order to get rid of their blood. People were sick and twisted, they were afraid of things they did not understand and did not have. No Suoh Mikoto to protect them, to cut the chains of slavery, fear and persecution.

What is the Red Clan against the Blues even with magic, magic so weak they relied on others and not themselves to make it work, what was the Red Clan, what… That situation will happen again and again and if Mikoto won't be there to save them what is he going to do, the only one left to keep them steady and grounded, he wasn't that strong, he wasn't like Mikoto.

Nothing like him.

He won't be able to save his family like that and his family was the most important thing to him in this world, he'd sacrifice himself as many times as needed—

The reds and oranges of the upcoming sunset dyed the sky even though it was still rather early, reflecting shades of crimson from his blond hair and he felt so old, much older than a man in his late twenties and the time was going so fast yet so slow at the same time.

'Don't you dare to just leave like that, we'll get you back, we need you here. Hurry, we need to hurry.'

Sparing one last glance at the red sky the color of his hair, he looked around. A straw color haired man paced around the room in circles, gnawing at the skin near his fingernail, a bad habit the older man noticed, the younger male never quite got rid of ever since he was a little kid and kept doing that every time he was stressed. Jangling followed the quick pacing movements of the younger one caused by the scarf tightly tied around his waist. The click clacks seemed to have annoyed another member of the Red Clan with black hair as he stared at the straw color haired man, an empty bottle of wine obviously stolen from the cellar, he was going to get hell for this afterwards, face flushed dark red and eyebrow twitching repeatedly. The black haired man opened his mouth ready to scold the pacing man, but immediately shut up when the older one puffed the smoke out and glared in warning.

No shouting. There was not going to be any shouting until they were done.

Magic was really amazing, yet he couldn't help but worry—

"Mister Kusanagi."

A voice, so void of the usual liveliness and obnoxious shouting reached his ears. There curled in the corner sat their youngest male member of the group, looking vulnerable and at least five years younger, like a distraught child. Waiting has done that to the whole lot of them.

"…Are they done yet? It is already getting dark and others still haven't returned… We don't have time. If we won't hurry up they might k-ki—"

Everyone in the room grew tense and turned their eyes to the auburn haired male, looks of disbelief and irritation on their faces, some of them gasping in shock. No one could believe their own ears, this boy, the one who loved their King more than anything in the world was saying something so preposterous.

The aforementioned man—Kusanagi Izumo gaped at the shaking boy and opened his mouth ready to consult him when hisses of some other members interrupted him. The black haired man pushed off one of their members that was sleeping on his lap, releasing a string of curses when the other barely moved, stood up on shaky legs, swaying to sides ever so slightly and pointed a finger at the distraught auburn haired teen.

"Now listen here, ya brat. Wh'… who gave you the right to say that? The King is invincible! So stop your fuckin' whinin', jus' because they g't 'im—oh for the love of God, stop pacing, it's giving me a headache!" The angry man spun on his heel almost falling down in the process and turned his face towards the male with straw colored hair, eyebrow twitching repeatedly. Kusanagi raised his eyebrow. It wasn't like Bando Saburota to be this angry or stupidly brave really. All that alcohol truly worked wonders on him it seemed and now he was asking for it, Kusanagi thought turning his gaze towards the small teen. He could almost see the fuse shortening, eyebrows slanted into a frown, small hands forming fists.

Startled the man with straw colored hair jumped up in surprise, the tip of his thumb he was gnawing on earlier leaving his mouth, lips forming into a pout.

"Ah, I'm sorry, San—"

"Enough with your sorrys, Shouhei, listen to yer elders damn it and go change, we aren't on duty right now ya look ridiculous, and it's distracting."

Obviously offended Akagi Shouhei huffed indignantly and crossed his arms, pushing his lower lip out like a five year old child throwing a fit. "I don't see what is wrong with the way I am dressed."

"Ya look like a damn woman, where da hell did'ya get thi' anyway? Did you steal it from a belly dancer or somethin'?" Walking up to the younger, the black haired man tugged at the ends of Shouhei's red shirt that indeed looked rather feminine. It was untied revealing his chest, ended an inch or two below his ribcage, golden patterns sewn all over the maroon fabric. "And it is Bando, Ban—do, s' stop callin' me that nickname, we ain't nine anymore-"

"How can you say that, San, Mister Totsuka gave this to me!"

Twitch.

"Why do you keep bothering him, you moron? Leave Shouhei be, he didn't do anything."

Finally, the small voice from before turned to its usual level of loudness and the auburn haired teen stood up, anger radiating from him like fire. "And stop your yelling it is you who gives me a headache. If you got a problem, I'm ready to kick your ass right here right now!"

Twitch twitch.

"Y-Yata, please calm down, we don't want any troubles, remember that we have a job to do." A tall big man, with blond hair, Rikio Kamamoto who was somewhat Yata's partner in crime yet kept him in check most of the time interfered trying to calm the soon to be brawl.

"Don't interfere, Kamamoto! I gotta teach this punk a lesson!"

"Gimme yer best shot, midget!"

"N-Now now, calm down, you guys…"

"Shut up, Shouhei!"

"Eh…? What is this noise all about, are you guys fightin'..?"

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!"

"Stop this racket right now!" Kusanagi roared, his patience finally snapping. The place went quiet once again, eyes turned to him. He turned his gaze to the troublemakers, eyes lucid. "You two shut up right now, before I kick you out! This is no time to be fighting among ourselves, so keep quiet and sit the fuck down, otherwise we won't see Mikoto and we don't fucking want that now do we?" in utter fear they shook their heads, eyes wide. "Good, so now be good kids, act nicely and wait. Am I clear?"

"Y-yes sir…"

The bar went silent once again, Yata and Bandou glaring at each other from their places and Kusanagi sighed. It was hard dealing with their kids, not to mention when there was alcohol involved. Everyone was tense, nervous and they didn't really know what they were doing, each one of them lost in their own thoughts.

Just then the heavy curtain from a certain room lifted and a heavy smell of incense filled the air, a spicy scent of cinnamon and a small girl with white hair appeared. Kusanagi mustered his best smile and greeted her.

"Are you done, Anna?"

The small girl hummed in approval and nodded her head, fixing the red rose slipping from her hair. Kusanagi quickly stood up, ready to go into the room hidden by the thick curtains when Anna ran pass him and stood in front of still fuming Yata.

"Misaki."

Blinking his brown eyes in surprise he pointed his finger to himself.

"He wants to see me…?"

A nod. "Misaki first, Izumo later. Hurry. He is very tired." She pointed at the curtains, and quickly Yata rose up and followed the small girl, wondering what it could be that their skilled Magician wanted to tell him. It must be very important if he asked for him instead of Mister Kusanagi to enter the room first. Feeling uneasy, he pushed the curtain aside, letting the spicy scents assault his nostrils and he felt uneasiness wash over him. Something was up; he could feel it in his heart.

Stepping into that room changed his destiny completely and turned his life upside down.

That was the last time the Red Clan saw Yata that evening.

Just like he had suspected this evening was turning out to be quite a mess.

After a small meeting with his King and some other members of Scepter knights that were in charge of Suoh Mikoto's arrest (lead by Lady Awashima herself) Fushimi was sure that he won't be able to deal with the attendants with his shitty mood. Discussing plans or future and ways to get rid of everyone's magic in the Red Clan, did not interest him in a bit. It seems they had found out the source of everyone's magic, and just like Saruhiko thought every end led to only one person that went by the name Totsuka Tatara and served as his 'King's' vassal. Apparently no one felt the need to deal with him, they did not fill in Saruhiko any details. He felt so out of place, so left out. It was like everyone knew something he did not and they did not bother to fill him in, serious eyes of their knights looking at him with these weird glints in them. The dark haired youth tried to brush it off, but the longer it went the more pissed off he became. When they were dismissed he was the first one to storm out, sending one last hateful glare at Lady Awashima, and she returned it with the same force. It was all her fault that he did not take part in the arrest, she sent him out of the city with orders and by the time Saruhiko returned the King of Thieves was already placed under arrest. Almost everyone around him was in a great mood, cheering, downing drinks and praising Reishi Munakata and his iron rule. To say that the young man was a bit surprised would be an understatement. Especially when he saw that some people dressed in less fancy clothes were shedding tears, kids with dirty hands and knees and immediately Saruhiko knew that something big must have happened, something that involved the Red Clan.

It was very shocking when he heard the news and his blood boiled. He wanted to take part in it more than anything and then that annoyance that went by the name Awashima Seri interfered, leaving everyone, his gorilla maid included teasing him about it.

Awashima was showered with praises for her brilliant strategy; Saruhiko had to admit it was indeed well planned, if not a bit of abominable. To take hostages like that for the Red King to surrender, it was shocking that she managed to catch them and make them surrender in the first place, they said that their magic wasn't exactly in place that day, was a bit of a foul play, but the most logical thing to do without anyone dying. It only took a few words, and their 'King' was downright ready to give himself in, hands chained for all his dear followers to see.

What a pity, if Saruhiko was there blood would have been shed. Negotiations weren't his strong side and what was the fun if you didn't get to stab one magician or two?

They should have used the purge method long ago, all they needed to do was to set some things on fire and burn, burn fire, burn all of them alive. At least they would be rid of all that filthy magician blood, but the new King, their strong and dependent Reishi Munakata as much as he hated magicians valued his less fortunate citizens' lives. Fire wasn't going to choose what to burn, magician or a poor person, everything will be eaten by its flames. Nothing but burning flesh and ashes would be left behind.

As if he was in some sort of trance, Saruhiko scratched at the burn marks on his left shoulder, scars from long ago. Fire never chose… It ate everything in its path. He placed the glass full of alcohol he did not recognize to his lips and sipped, watching the small flashes of red reflecting on the many dancers there. It felt like he… forgot something. Something was out of place and the more time passed the more uneasy he felt. What was it..?

A small feeble voice interrupted his train of messy thoughts, this time it was directed to him. Everyone was talking while Fushimi didn't even try to pretend that he was listening to those conversations, a look of boredom on his face.

"Sir Fushimi, are you feeling well? You look… sick."

Ah yes, it was her, who else would it be Saruhiko thought and resisted the urge to roll his sapphire eyes. Tonight she was the one Munakata had presented to him, like the last few times. Her name was Yukizome Kukuri and she was indeed quite something to the dark haired youth because she seemed like the only girl out of the bunch through the years that frankly was not interested in him whatsoever. He has to give his King some credit, the man obviously had noticed his type over the years. Brown short hair and big brown eyes. She was really pretty and elegant, he could certainly give her that much with her purple silk flowing dress, layers upon layers of smooth cloth, so thin it was almost see through, accenting her slim figure quite nicely. Her eyes flashed in slight concern as she looked into his own sapphire ones. The dark haired youth just waved his hand.

"I'm just feeling tired, that's all." He mustered the most polite response he could and she just pressed her lips together tightly, nodding wordlessly. Saruhiko could see the perfect mask of interest in others conversations come back on her face once again, while her eyes secretly glanced to her side. A rosy pink flush dusted her pale cheekbones and immediately Saruhiko knew what made her this way or more like who made her flustered. It took only one glance and he saw him standing right there, the kid who's name he could not remember—it was Mishina or something, this greenhorn who only recently joined Scepter, glancing to their side, trying to catch Kukuri's gaze and once he did his face turned dark red. He saw Kukuri wring the handkerchief she held tightly in her hands from excitement and Saruhiko sighed.

It was gross just to watch, but that is how things like love worked. All he knew was that Kukuri did not belong here by his side, neither did he by hers, but knowing her father, that boy will certainly be killed if the old man as much as saw him touching his daughter on the hand. The Yukizome family was quite famous and one of the wealthiest in the country, it was no surprise why Munakata had insisted that they would meet each other some time ago. A young, beautiful and wealthy girl, what could be any better than that?

Wordlessly Saruhiko rose up from his seat, nodded his head and excused himself. A thankful look was sent his way from Kukuri and she rose up too. They walked in utter silence and parted ways, the Yukizome heir trying to find a way to meet Mishina without causing too much suspicion, while Saruhiko aimlessly made his way through the mass of people and rubbed his palm over his forehead. The music pounded in his hears the beat of it putting him to sleep and all that alcohol he drank before made his ears buzz and his eyesight blur. It felt like he wasn't exactly there, the drowsiness making his eyelids heavy.

What the hell was going on it wasn't like he drank that much so why..? Suddenly it felt like the sound went up a few notches and he looked around annoyed, glaring at some dancers, blurs of red in his eyes. His chest tightened, he knew this feeling, where was it from... Face burning he looked around and then he saw.

That person. Wait, didn't they meet before? The black hole in his head was back again and he wanted to scratch at his head in frustration.

Somewhere… somewhere… where was it? When did they meet? Or maybe they never did and he was imagining things.

Red clothes, the ones the dancers wore, red… Red. Naked waist, bracelets, the scarf barely covering the lithe torso, auburn hair…

The lithe figure turned around, eyes widening and it felt like something snapped in place, yet he still couldn't quite put his finger around it, his head pounding.

The short boy looked around and cautiously slipped through the crowd, almost disappearing out of sight but no one noticed much to Saruhiko's surprise, like the person was never there to begin with. He thought that he had started seeing things, shook his head but then he saw him again standing at the corner of the hall, a small smirk gracing his lips, eyes burning into him, a red glint in them. Wasting no time Saruhiko followed.

This sensation… where had he felt this before?

A part of him wanted to chase after the lithe boy, but his more reasonable part screamed at him to stop, yet his legs did not listen and before he knew it he was in one of the chambers in palace. With his leg the small teen kicked the heavy door shut and before Saruhiko knew it his whole world tilted and the auburn haired youth was on top of him, a dagger pressed into his throat. The eyes boring holes into his skull turned normal again, the red scarf somewhere on the floor far away from them and once the jangling stopped, Saruhiko's senses came back. All of his memories flooded back to him and he clicked his tongue.

How could he have fallen prey into this guy's hands a second time? How could he have forgotten him? The memory from more than two years ago was still blurry, yet he did not know why, it wasn't that long ago really, but he could care less. All he knew was that this was the guy that fooled him, played him like a puppet on a string and ran away. The dark haired man tried to twist his body around and shake the smaller one off of him but the sharp metal was pushed into his throat even deeper, warning him.

"Don't you even fucking think of moving, or I will kill you." The boy hissed, fingers curling into his shirt. A wild smile appeared on Saruhiko's face.

"It's been a while, Yatagarasu. Didn't really expect to see you here. Could it be you came all this way just to see me? Grew attached to me perhaps?" He just couldn't help but mock the shorter one, a laugh escaping him when he saw the lithe man's face grow darker.

"What the fuck are you on about, like hell I am! Now shut up, and tell me where he is!"

Ah, of course, here to rescue his precious Suoh Mikoto. Why was he not surprised…

"Tell you where he is? I have no idea what you're talking about, Yatagarasu." Oh how he loved seeing that face grow angrier by the second, eyes lucid. His eyes looked at the dagger the smaller one held. The handle was golden and had some jewels encrusted into it, Saruhiko knew stuff was expensive the moment he saw it and this one most definitely fit into that description. "I see you keep stealing, even with him gone. What a bad kid, didn't anyone teach you any better? Oh right, I forgot. Sorry" He smirked in mock apology and the dagger sank into his neck even further, slicing slightly. Yatagarasu just growled like a true animal and leaned closer, close enough their noses were touching, auburn hair tickling Saruhiko's forehead.

"Stop fucking around and tell me where he is, or this same dagger will be etched into your throat. I came here all the way into this stinkin' castle to get some answers and I sure as hell will get them even if it means stabbing one of your kind or two. Give Mister Mikoto back to us, tell me where he is damn it!"

The desperation however well masked could be heard in the smaller one's voice, his hands shook slightly and Saruhiko felt annoyance flood him, so intense he could not explain it. He's heard stories of Suoh Mikoto and how he meant the world to a lot of people out there, but to care for him on this level, care so much that he went into the lion's den just like that sacrificing himself, knowing fully well that he might not return alive. Not even he was loyal like that to Munakata so seeing this devotion made him confused.

"Why would you go through such lengths just to save him?" the question slipped pass his lips before he could even register it and hung heavily in the air.

There was a moment of silence, only their breathing disturbing it. The shorter male sucked it a deep breath and lidded his eyes, a melancholic look in them.

"Because he is our only hope in this corrupted country, but I don't expect you to understand." A bitter laugh escaped the auburn haired male. "You who was born into luxury, secured under the King's wing will never ever understand what it is like down there in the real world, in our world. We are equal, blood or social status means shit. I don't expect you to understand what magic users go through every single day. We are dying out there, starving to death and you are not willing to help us. That's where Mister Mikoto comes in. "a slight smile graced his lips, full of fondness."He is the ray of hope for everyone, can't you see? If it weren't for him, half of the people out there would be dead from starvation. I don't plan on seeing my comrades and friends die, whether it is from hunger, diseases that start eating magic until the user can no longer stand up and the only option left is to die—" his voice turned even more bitter "or your fucking purges. I keep losing so many people and I can't just stand back and do nothing, you won't ever understand, so give us Mister Mikoto back, give him back. I will do everything to get him back to our family and no one not a single one of you will be able to stop me!"

There was a moment of silence as Saruhiko tried to process what he heard and resisted the urge to snort. This kid was truly a child with his ideas of justice. Equality? Ray of light? What nonsense. He was so stuck in his own creation of perfect world; he failed to notice anything around him. World was not fair, nothing was, it was hard. Just like he thought, they were a bunch of poor kids playing their pretend family game and trying to go against the nature of the world.

Fushimi Saruhiko has heard tales and stories of magicians from old women.

A sense of insecurity guided him here. Without Suoh Mikoto their family was not complete and they looked out for their own kind, treated each other as equals. A smile appeared on Saruhiko's face.

He knew what to do.

"I understand you."

"Wh-What?" the boy above him shifted down a little, eyes wide yet cautious as ever. Piece of cake. He was walking right into Saruhiko's trap without knowing it.

"I said I understand. I am sorry that Mikoto is arrested; I know how unfair everything is. Do you think I enjoy it here? With this entire pretense they're turning your backs on you. I don't belong here I never truly did."

The auburn haired boy eyed him warily, trying to pick up if the dark haired one was lying, eyes roaming the pale beautiful face searching for some sort of nook or cranny in that flawless mask of pity, something that would tell him the taller one was lying and give him away completely. He shifted again, settling on the dark haired man's stomach, removing some pressure from the dagger. No way was he going to trust him. Not yet…

"What makes you say that? You're Munakata's dog here, yet you're saying that you don't belong here. Do you think I am going to buy it just like that? Do I look stupid to you or something?"

"I wasn't there during the arrest, and the information where the leader of Red Clan is held captive is confidential so I don't know where he is." Fushimi rolled his eyes. He was way too honest with this kid, but maybe that was exactly what did not give him away. Better for him really, the lesser chance that he'll get caught, the better.

Yatagarasu just lifted one of his eyebrows and his gaze turned sharp. "Go on." he commanded.

"As I was saying, I don't belong here, that is because you see… "He lifted one of his hands to his chest and the shorter one growled in warning pressing the tip of his dagger into Saruhiko's throat, eyes focused on his chest, as if trying to see through it if the taller one had a knife of some sort inside of his shirt, but that was just stupid, the shirt was tight around his body, so he allowed the small action and that was enough.

Warnings their Magician gave to him resounded in the back of his head, warnings of all sorts that he did not hear, his thoughts about Mikoto and Mikoto only, about the castle and the visions, but what he saw was too unexpected, too damn sudden.

"You see… I am…" one of Saruhiko's hands slipped inside his shirt tugging it to the side, revealing a nasty looking burn on it, flesh blackened. The shorter one's eyes turned wide and his dagger slipped from his arms with a loud clang against the marble floor, the sound echoing in the room.

"N-No way… there is no way…"

Right there in the middle of that nasty scar was a sign, a swirl of red right above Saruhiko's heart, a sign that marked him, a sign he despised, scratched out and barely recognizable yet it was there. There to remind him of the past and his origins, a mark of shame.

"I am one of your kind."

To tell the truth Saruhiko wasn't expecting the reaction he had received, the smaller boy was so shocked like he had seen someone slaughtered in front of his eyes. Mild shock? Yes. But this was too weird.

"No way… this is not possible. I don't believe this." His hands were shaky when he reached out and grabbed at his glasses surprising Saruhiko, and quickly removing them from his face, making Saruhiko's vision blur and he felt slightly vulnerable, unable to see Yatagarasu's face clearly, but not for long as he leaned in closer, his fingertips still on the sides of his face, erratic puffs of air reached his lips and Saruhiko shivered, eyes widening.

"No, I will never believe this. You are...!"

And just then Saruhiko felt his head swim again, this time much worse than it had before, his eyes widened, pupils dilated and before the auburn haired male could finish his knee shot out and slammed into the shorter male's stomach knocking him out. Once he was sure the other wasn't moving, he pushed the small figure away from him and stood up as fast as he could. Picking up his glasses and the red scarf, bundling it up and hiding it behind the flowing white shawl he ran to the door, locked them and left in search for others, all the while feeling like this body did not belong to him.

It was no longer him, this person.

"Ace of Swords…deception and exposal. Be careful please. This will be hard and… watch out, something doesn't look right."

The next day Fushimi Saruhiko forgot all about that conversation.

On December 21st the vanguard of the Red Clan Misaki Yata was taken into custody.

TBC
AN/ oh my fucking god you guyyyyyyys. I cannot believe I actually managed to type this out. Took me a while. Then when I was about to post it my internet disappeared and I was downright ready to tear my hair out, it was so damn frustrating, I love you guys so much and I wanted to post this for you and you only-kissus- Finally my winter break started, and I can relax. I studied hard and in the end it paid off ~now I can be a lazy ass for the next two weeks...haha yeah right. So many fanarts to draw, so many fanfics to write...

THIS IS MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR YA'LL MY DARLINGS. REACH FOR THE STARS BECAUSE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, I WISH YOU AN AWESOME NEW YEAR. See you next year? I don't think I'll manage to update this fic before 2012 ends. AND DON'T CRY WHEN K ENDS, I WILL TRY TO CHEER YOU ALL UP WITH MY FICS.

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY MASTER, SHOUHEI-KUN (GO READ HER STORIES IF YOU HADN'T DONE IT BY NOW) I love you baby, have a nice year and thank you for your presents~

Also due to popular demand, I will write more chapters for this fic SO BE HAPPY. YES.

BUH BYE FOR NOW.