It was a good thing Fushimi wasn’t speaking right then. At the mention of Mikoto-san, his teeth clenched so hard his jaw hurt. It would have been enough of a vicious bite to make his tongue bleed had it been caught in the middle.
“He’s not here, so shut up!!” He growled, open wounds as deep as the one he was poorly mending reopening and hurting anew. He knew this shouldn’t be the time to let his own problems flare, and yet…
He felt a sudden push in the air and for a moment, his eyes snapped open in shock, pointing up to the heavens, as though expecting to see the massive red Sword of Damocles manifesting just above them. His breath choked in his throat in anticipation, giving him that suffocating sensation he always felt in the presence of the dreaded monarch of destruction.
….But that was no sword in the air. Blades swatting the sky and creating violent gusts, the chopper carrying Scepter 4′s logo slowly descended onto the building. Relief washed over Fushimi, the red aura soon dissipating from his hand. His fingertips could feel Totsuka’s skin then; coarse, painfully burnt, but sealed at least on his back.
“Fushimi-san!!” Akiyama quickly jumped off the vehicle while it was still in the process of landing, rushing up to him.
“Gunshot wound, left side. I think the bullet passed through. He needs blood FAST!” The third-in-command quickly informed him.
The acting captain nodded, immediately taking Fushimi’s place in pressing the soaked scarf onto the red clansman’s chest, looking around. “Was it a Strain? Should he be transported to Nakanomodo?”
“Just go wherever it’s fastest! There’s no time!” He had to raise his voice due to the helicopter, but he was already standing up. He was, in truth, not sure how to answer that question. The Gold Clan’s hospital should treat any and all superpowered-related injuries, yet would a gunshot wound count for that?
It would, if the perpetrator had really been a King.
But was that true…? Swallowing cold air, his eyes returned to the sky, to the distant lights of the blimp ascending. If the culprit was really up there… then he had to catch it.
He blinked, realizing he’d been ignoring his subordinate speaking to him. Akiyama was looking at him with concern.
“You must go too, Fushimi-san.”
“…No. I’m not finished here. This is a crime scene, I must-”
“Fushimi-san, I must insist!” This time, the acting captain cut him off, his tone imperative. Enough for Fushimi to give him an irritated stare. “You are not on-duty right now.”
He nodded at him, bringing attention to his blood-stained brown coat, and civilian clothes.
“You are a witness, Fushimi-san. Please follow the procedure. I’ll be taking over here.” Making room for two other clansmen who had caught up with them to carefully load Totsuka on a stretcher, Akiyama stood up and faced his superior with a serious look. “This is the Captain’s orders.”
“..Tch.” Clicking his tongue, the bespectacled male returned a begrudging glare, shoulders dropping. He perfectly knew what was actually going on between this stingy pressure for protocol. Obviously, the Blue King had already been informed of everything he’d sent to headquarters. That a red clansman had been injured, and none other than Fushimi Saruhiko had come to his rescue.
This was pity. Annoying consideration, expecting him to be too shaken and personally involved to be entrusted with this case.
Ruefully, he did as told, looking around the crime scene one last time, but well aware he shouldn’t touch anything. All he picked up was his own phone.
His eyes fell on the abandoned camera on the ground. “… Don’t forget anything.” He muttered to Akiyama, before making his way aboard the helicopter.
Normally Tatara was rather well aware of the fact that King better wasn't mentioned around the younger one, but in that moment... feeling the last of energy leaving his body he just felt too scared. Part of him could understand why Fushimi was doing what he was doing, but it still hurt a lot and if Tatara would have left any kind of energy at this point he probably would have cried out in pain all lover again.
He wanted his best friend to be around. To apologize for the mess he just had caused again. For the sorrow he would leave behind. Maybe he just should have stayed at the bar tonight. Should have went home directly without coming here again. But how had he even been supposed to expect something like that to happen?
Had it been a coincidence? The words of the supposed to be king certainly were telling another story but how had he known he would come here tonight?
In the end he wouldn't find an answer to that question. First because his attention went back to Fushimi, once the younger one growled at him to shut up once again, then because there suddenly was another sound coming closer. Suddenly there was something above them.
The last thing Tatara thought he had seen before he finally lost against the pulling darkness was the logo of Scepter 4.
Waking up again felt far more difficult than Tatara had expected. On the other side there had been a not so tiny part of him that hadn't expected to wake up again at all. It was only a short moment that he actually managed to open his eyes though. Everything around him was blurry and white and bright and it hurt so much that he closed his eyes shut already again before he could get a actual look at his surroundings.
Where was he? Was he... had he actually died after all? HE had tried so hard to ignore the pain, to stay awake just like Fushimi had told him to but in the end... in the end he hadn't even been able to do that. The younger one probably was mad at him at this point. But maybe being mad actually was something Tatara preffered compared to the sorrow and grief and anger he must have caused for his fellow clans man.
Did they already knew what had happened?
Part of him hoped so. Part of him wondered if it probably would be better if they wouldn't find out that soon. Maybe that way Anna could still have a nice birthday.
The biggest part of him was confused, that he actually still was able to wonder to begin with. If he was dead... he shouldn't be able to do just that, should he?
In the end he felt drifting away again. If he even had been awake to begin with. Was this a dream? Tatara wasn't sure, but while he drifted back into the dark he felt like he could feel the red flames of his king surrounding him.
The first thing that eventually came back to him was the pain. It wasn't as bad as it had been before, more some numb kind of pain. Not really there but neither gone. It was a strange feeling and it took him only a few seconds to realize that he didn't like that feeling. Not at all. It also caused his head to feel dizzy. He still felt sleepy. Part of him wanted to wake up, wanted to fight against the tired feeling that was clinging onto him way too strong. Eventually there was a faint sound of some beeping reaching his ear, probably some kind of medical device. So... he actually hadn't died, had he? Was he really still alive?
Again he tried to open his eyes. To push this dizzy feeling away. His surroundings still where white and bright but it wasn't hurting that much anymore. Still he blinked a few times, trying to say something, but no sound left his lips.
'...really got us worried this time...'
It was only faint. Actually Tatara wasn't even sure if he had heard that voice for real or if he was imagining things. He tried to figure out where exactly he was. Was he alone? Who was with him? That voice sounded so familiar...he wanted to trust that person, even if he couldn't quiet name it in that moment. It caused him to feel save. To give in to the darkness once again before he drifted away into sleep, a soft smile on his face though.
How much time had passed? It actually was the first question that came up in his mind once he was able to think again. Maybe it was a strange first question, but he felt like he figured the most important one - he was still alive - before already so... how much time had passed? And where the hell was he?
Eventually his surroundings got less and less blurry. A hospital room? Well that probably would make sense. Slowly memories returned to him. The colorless king. Being shot. Fushimi talking to him. The chopper.