Each and Every Bonds

Chapter 7: Ghost Talk

Fushimi found himself awake on a bed in a small cozy home. Was he dead? Where's Misaki?

His face turned and was shocked to see the last person he had expected. He was leaning against the chair lazily with a cigarette on his mouth.

"Oh you're awake." He said.

"Suoh Mikoto..." Fushimi almost jumped at the sight of him but he ended greeting with his could-not-be-bothered attitude. If he did not remember wrongly, he was still alive. Fushimi was disappointed. He tore his gaze away as he felt tears welling up his eyes. He wanted to see Misaki badly so he could apologize to him.

"You're feeling regret. One won't feel it until he lose it. That was how I feel when I lost him." Suoh took a puff on a cigarette while he confided with him. They had more than enough time here to talk. To Fushimi it would be hell being stuck with a man he was afraid of.

"That man you've tried to avenge isn't that simple as he seems." Fushimi would try to provoke him and see how he would react. Much to his surprise, Suoh was unfazed.

"I know. I always known that he is a King. Picked by the slate way earlier than me. Did you think the Dresden Slate didn't tell me things when it called for me? Except it didn't tell me about Munakata. It's teasing us."

"Why?" Fushimi sat up on the bed looking down at his palm.

"The slate made an exception so I can. Anyone who can't be my clansman will be burnt into crisp so the godly stone aren't stupid when that guy offered himself during the ritual so it happened."

"The Dresden Slate wanted him intact so it kept him alive." Fushimi finished for him. "And you suffered the consequence without complaint. You don't really care huh?"

"As long as he's happy. That's all matter. He gave me everything I had wanted. Friends, family, happiness. Yes, I actually cared." Suoh scoffed. He could not help it when he finally left HOMRA as fate dictated. The slate would eventually take him away from him as punishment. He pretended not knowing but the truth was he was denying it. He wanted to see how the Slate will react so he took the route of destruction when his Weismann level had exceeded the limit after keeping in control he should not had for too long despite Munakata's desperate plea.

"And I ended up here, imprisoned with no way out." Suoh glanced around and forced a laugh.

"Am I being imprisoned here?" Fushimi realized in horror scratching his scarred insignia.

"I wonder about it." Suoh started scanning the younger boy. "Depending on your will to live, you might be able to get out, Fushimi." Suoh seemed confident when he said that.

"At this rate, Munakata will fall before the rest." Suoh showed Fushimi the image of Munakata undressing him helping him changed out of his funeral outfit underneath their feet. Fushimi was a little taken aback by the phenomenon. He averted his eyes from what he was not interested to see. His boss did care for that man despite all the cursing and swearing he could hear as if it was being broadcasted. He should have gotten a maid to do that for him.

"Suoh, you better behave yourself. I'm not your nanny." Munakata obviously felt some challenge after a tiring day helping him to change out of his outfit and clean his body. His limp body just would not stay in the position he wanted such as sitting up on the bed or lying sideway.

"I'm tired of having to investigate a deactivated Ruseimaru "Shooting Star" which was activated bypassing my authorisation, listening to Isana Yashiro and now I have to deal with you." He continued to comment after finally managing to put on a new yukata on him and tightened the belt around his waist.

"Shut up, Munakata, you're annoying!" Suoh merely attempted to provoke him not expecting any reply in return. Muankata on the other hand seemed to be stiffened by the words. He was glancing around as though he heard him and he almost dropped his tea cup he just picked up to drink after he was done changing for Suoh. Was that an illusion? He must be talking too much about unnatural being to be hearing one.