Chapter Text
Munakata sighed. “I see. She left on mutual terms. That’s all well and good, but that doesn’t change the course of matter now. We still need you to make the right decision here – “
Anna glared at him. “I already gave you my decision. I will not betray my sister.”
Munakata sighed heavily. He started to get to his feet when Shiro held his hands up. “Wait. There may be another solution.” His gaze drifted over to Anna. “If we find her without your assistance, are you going to stop us?”
Anna tensed up and looked away for a long hard moment. “Honestly… I want to. If what you say is true, her life will be forcibly changed forever. If you… don’t force her to the slate and only speak with her… I’ll… stand aside.”
Kusunagi glared at Shiro and Munakata. “How do you intend to track her down?”
Shiro offered a simple smile and before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Awashima glared at the door but Shiro explained, “They’re here for me. Could… we let them in?”
After getting permission from Munakata, Awashima opened the large doors. Eirwyn stepped in and at her heels was a large wolf like creature. He was a combination of a husky and a wolf but with markings lining his legs and back and reflective white fur that shimmered in different colors.
Shiro smiled at Eir . “I’m glad that you made it here safe and sound.”
Anna stared at Eir and stood to her feet. “What is the meaning of this?”
Eir gave a sympathetic look to the young girl and explained, “I haven’t lied to you, nor did I intend to keep any secrets. However, I came here to fulfil my duty.”
Kusunagi’s eyes widened. “Your duty?”
Shiro fanned his hands. “Now now , allow me to introduce you all. Anna, Kusunagi , Munakata…the woman before you is Eirwyn Brighid . She is the White King.”
All of them stared in shock and Anna turned quickly back to Shiro for answers. “Then what does this mean? Why do you need Saya then?”
Shiro shook his head. “Listen Anna, we aren’t – “
Eir interjected. “I think perhaps I can clarify the situation we’re in. If things are left as they are, the Green clan is going to use the slate to give powers to everyone in this world. To let the Dresden slate go unchecked. Allowing that will throw this world in to chaos. That is the main goal we’re trying to accomplish. The Green clan is aware that the black king is here as well. They pursue Sayaka at the same time. If we stop all our efforts to keep her out of the Green clan’s clutches, they will still capture her and force her to the Dresden Slate. That is how she will awaken. My job is to prevent her from ever awakening. In the end, that is the resolution we all want. But Saya needs to trust us. We need to convince her of the situation and what to do if the worst were to happen. What we want to do is bring her into custody for a period of time until the green clan is taken care of.”
Munakata looked at Shiro and asked, “When we first spoke, you had mentioned using the black king on our side.”
Shiro looked away and rubbed the side of his neck. “I… know. But after discussing things with Eir , she proved a valid point. The last black king lost his sanity to the darkness. We have no way of guaranteeing the same thing won’t happen again.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “You’re saying… if Saya awakens to the Black King… she could become like our father?”
Shiro looked down. “To my understanding, Hensen wasn’t entirely awful until after he became a king…”
Anna shouted, “Then no matter what we can’t let her near that slate! I can’t… we can’t… do that again…”
Munakata looked at Eir . “Then we’re all in agreement. No more waiting. We will retrieve Sayaka Shunsama today.”
Shiro asked Eir . “You said you knew her location?”
Eir nodded. “I do. Oberon and I happen to live right next to her.”
“Can you speak with her?” Shiro asked.
Eir shook her head. “Her mind is made up. We’ll have to drag her back.” Eir looked away a bit dejectedly. She hated the idea of forcing any person to do something that didn’t want to, but she kept thinking about her father and how she couldn’t stand the thought of the black king awakening again. When it came down to forcing a person against their will or letting hundreds of people die, she knew which option she hated more. She asked them, “Are you ready to go then?”
Munakata stood. “Let’s go.”
Fushimi had paused outside an electronics store, his eyes on the game console in the window. He hadn’t sat down and played a game in so long. When he thought about it… probably not since the three of them were friends in high school. There were a hundred other things he should be concerned about but he kept wondering if something like this would help occupy her time until she could go out again. He had started to for the door when he heard his name and looked over at the small red king. He impatiently asked, “What is it, Anna?”
Anna looked down at the ground. “You need to return home at once.”
He paused, his hand on the door, mulling over her words before his eyes widened. Without another word he turned and rushed off, phone in hand.
Anna closed her eyes tightly. “Saya… I’m so sorry…”
Saya walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, pulling her jacket close. She was messing around on her phone with her free hand when she heard a noise outside her door. She had just turned and started for it when she heard someone call from the other side. “Sayaka Shunsama . We’ll ask once more for you to come speak with us. The situation is dire.”
Saya glared at the door when she recognized the deep voice of the blue king. Her hands twitched at her sides. How did they find her place? There wasn’t a point in ignoring him. It sounded like they were at the end of talking. She glanced down at her phone when she felt a text message and saw one from Saru :
Get out.
Saya glared up at the door. It was too late. Saya shoved open the door and glared down at the blue king. “Tell me what you want. I don’t need to go anywhere. You wanted me to go to the slate. Why?”
Shiro was standing beside him. “ Saya, that is no longer our intention. But there are still those who wish to force you there. The Green clan. We need to protect you from them.”
Saya glared down at them. “I don’t need protection.” She snarled.
Munakata adjusted his glasses. “And that’s why we’ve resorted to force. You don’t understand how dangerous this situation has become. You cannot defend yourself against them. Only under Scepter 4’s supervision can we ensure you’re not captured by JUNGLE.”
“I’m not alone.”
He smirked in irritation. “As smart as he is, Fushimi couldn’t possibly assist you in facing them. Just come with us.”
Saya narrowed her eyes. “I’m not about to let you bully me around – “ A growling erupted from behind her and she looked over just as a reflective wolf tackled her down, biting into her shoulder. Saya let out a hiss of pain but as soon as she hit the ground, she rolled and kicked the dog off of her. She jumped back to her feet, but half of her jacket was torn off, revealing the black tribal marks over her shoulders and down her arms.
Eiry straightened up from where she was in the crowd of blues. “There’s our proof. You wield the same marks as your father.”
Saya’s eyes widened before narrowing. “He has nothing to do with me. Proof of what!?”
Munakata threw his hand out. “Scepter 4! Detain her! Do so without harming her to the best of your abilities, but do not let her escape. If any green clansmen show up, dispose of them.”
All of them shouted their agreement and charged right for Saya. Her eyes narrowed, but she remained calm. She’d been in plenty of brawls. Just cause they had swords didn’t mean a thing. When the first couple blades came flying at her, she danced between them with ease, tripping both men and elbowing the backs of their necks. More came towards her and she parried around them. As easy as fighting was, without a weapon herself there wasn’t much she could do except find an escape around. She jumped out of the way of a blast of blue and started to dart another direction when she felt sharp teeth into the back of her leg. She growled in pain and looked back, seeing the wolf from before biting into her calf.
Eiry stepped forward. “He won’t kill you, on my command, but I have asked him to detain you, Saya. You have no idea who you are and you need to cooperate with us.”
Saya snarled at her. “I don’t give a damn who you think I am! I know who I am!”
“Oberon.” Eiry ordered. The dog growled and pushed his weight forward so Saya toppled to the ground. “Do you know who I am?”
Saya glared in rage. “A royal cunt.”
Eiry ignored her accusation and held her hand up, her white sword forming in the sky. The Damocles formed like a storm of glitter and around the shimmering blade rainbow glitter reflected around it. She explained, “I am the White King and Oberon is my one and only clansman.”
Saya clicked her tongue. “I don’t care! Just leave me alone!” She turned and punched the dog off of her leg and she gimped up to her feet and started to run off. Just as she did though, a blast of white light shot past her and cut off her escape. She had to put her arms up to keep from being blinded by it. But when the light faded, Munakata now stood there, his sword raised.
“Give up Sayaka. Before we’re forced to hurt you.”
Saya glared at him and her lip curled back. She started to tell him that he’d have to kill her before she cooperated but she remembered the conversation she and Fushimi had just had. She had to make it out alive, no matter what.
“I don’t get it. Why force your protection on me?” Saya asked. “I don’t want anything to do with the colors anymore. I just want to live my life in peace, away from all these shitty things.”
“You don’t get that luxury. And believe me, if it was dire to this city’s safety, then I wouldn’t bother with you at all. But it’s my duty to ensure that everyone is safe.”
“What do I have to do with the city being safe?” Saya demanded. But before she could get an answer, there was a shout and a line of people wearing helmets all raised their guns.
Yukari jumped down behind the green clansmen and shouted, “Shoot anyone who’s not the girl!”
Shiro quickly pointed his umbrella out and created a massive silver shield as the bullets pelted it, and the air began to fill with smoke.
Eiry growled, “Great… this just turned into an all-out war…”
Munakata glared over at the line of green clan members and he gritted his teeth. “Of course they would come join the fray…” He pointed his sword at them. “Scepter 4, take them down!”
Just like before, the collision between the blue and green clan resulted in a fog of smoke, but unlike last time, Saya wasn’t able to escape in it. She jumped back but Eiry was right there, a fist covered in light heading right for her.
Saya spun around in time to block the fist with her arms but she still flew backwards. She hit the ground and flipped back to her feet just as several arrows of light flew down where she was standing.
Eiry shouted at her, “I hope you’ll forgive me…But I can’t let the past repeat itself. I can’t let you become a king.”
Saya’s eyes widened. “A what?” She gasped when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and put in a headlock. She glared back at the blue king who was holding her in place with the sheath of his sword against her neck. Yanking against it caused a massive amount of pain so instead she kept trying to elbow backwards at him. “Let go of me!”
SHiro put his hands up. “Sayaka… please calm down. We just need to take you in for a while… until the situation with the Green Clan is resolved.”
Munakata looked up at Shiro , but his gaze was dark. “Silver King… do you honestly think that is an appropriate resolution? A woman who is destined for what she is… cannot be allowed to live.”
Shiro’s eyes widened. “What?”
Eiry glared at him. “We don’t want to kill her! We’re only meant to detain her!”
Munakata drew his sword, the blade now pressing against her neck. “You’re fools if you think that there is any solution that allows her to live.”
Eiry started to say something else when she stopped.
A blade was pressed to Munakata’s back.
“Let her go, now.”
Saya’s eyes widened when she recognized Fushimi’s voice. “ Saru !?”
Munakata’s smirk was humorless. “You seem to enjoy betraying me more than you should. How does defending this woman contribute to your mission to join the Green Clan? You intend to hand her over to their king? To defy me? To drive that knife into my back?”
Fushimi narrowed his eyes. “This has nothing to do with the green clan.”
AWashima shouted at him, “Fushimi! Stop! He was your king! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
Fushimi’s eyes darkened. “He’s not my king, anymore. I’ll tell you again, let her go.”
Munakata’s expression straightened up, all humor, joking gone. “Is there anyone you won’t betray, Fushimi?”
“I won’t betray her.” He growled, his grip tightening on his knife. He wasn’t sure he could actually do anything, but if he could distract Munakata long enough that Saya could sli p away, then it’d be worth it. But before he had to do anything, a blast of green came between all of them and Fushimi and Munakata had to jump back out of the way. He shouted, “Sayaka!” He rushed back over to where they’d been once the green blast passed but when he reached where she was, he saw Yukari was rushing off with a struggling Saya in his grasp.
Fushimi gritted his teeth in rage and didn’t waste a moment taking back off after them. Munakata ordered Scepter 4 go pursue as well but Fushimi spun around, throwing knives down and erupting a massive blue barrier behind him and between all of them.
Munakata glared. “The nerve… using the color he betrayed from me…against me…”