King

Ryu sits outside holding the list of people Izumi has to sacrifice.

Hitoshi goes outside to see Ryu, "I know a way you can save your boyfriend, but I'll only tell you if you help me first."

She turns facing him looking into his eyes, "You want your own son dead that badly?"

Hitoshi doesn't say anything waiting for her to decide on whether she'll take him up on the offer or not.

"Alright, I'll give you Tachibana just give me some time to think of an actual plan that might work." She goes inside and sits in front of the chess board moving pieces one by one playing the game all by herself.

"If I want to get to Tachibana I need to first take out his lap dogs. In a few days they come back from their vacation.

"I'll take Ackerman out of the equation by giving him a reason to stay by Sensen's side all the time. I'm thinking maybe an attempted assassination while she's on her way to the Royal house will do.

"Tachibana probably has someone constantly watching Yuno but he's still a businessman he can't avoid his crazy meetings forever and since we have Ackerman out of the equation we're left with Jet and his band of loyal soldiers."

She moves the pieces back removing the queen on the one side, "Jet is a street racer for life a simple challenge to him and his crew they'll say yes in a heartbeat leaving Tachibana all alone.

"Now that we have him isolated we need to lure him out." Ryu huffs when both sides are at a stale mate she's forgetting something but she can't figure out what it is.

She puts the pieces back together removing the rook and all the pawns on Tachibana's side, "Hey, Hitoshi does your son trust anyone?"

Hitoshi nods, "His mother, he may not act like it, but he would do anything for her."

"Would she do anything for you?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Call her and tell her to call your son making it out to be an emergency when he gets there we knock him out and you kill him before the sedative wears off." Hitoshi raises a brow.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something though."

Hitoshi rests his hand on her shoulder, "Your plan will work it's just a matter of timing. Now we wait."

~

"I thought you said you'd be gone by the time I wake up Ken." Yuno rubs her tired eyes sitting up.

"My mother called so I had to cancel today's meeting and without Ackerman here I'm doing everything on my own which is honestly hell." He grabs the keys kissing Yuno goodbye getting in the car driving to his mother's house.

He walks in and the place looks deserted. A door creaks getting his attention he walks towards his old bedroom,

Suddenly he's frozen in place in the hallway.

Hitoshi stalks towards him holding a syringe with a green fluid injecting it into him, when Ken's body gives out Hitoshi grabs him before he hits the ground.

Ken gasps for air waking up in his old room he remembers his father tricking him into coming home and he killed him but now he's alive and he doesn't understand how or why.

Slowly walking to the living room Ken contemplates his next move, voices break his train of thought and he hurries in their direction the sound is coming from someone he recognises, his mother.

Maria and Kim smile at Ken but he's frozen in his tracks staring at Xavier eating cereal and laughing the 3-year-old boy turns giving Ken the oh so familiar smile.

"Good Morning." Xavier greets in a sing song tone turning back to his meal excited about the trip Kim promised him.

"You might want to sit down for this Kenny I assure you this is no dream and this is not a ghost." Kim gestures to Xavier.

"No, this isn't real it can't be." Ken walks away.

Kim stops Xavier from following him, "Your father isn't doing so well right now kido let aunty Kim take you out as promised."

Xavier follows Kim out of the house jumping towards the car.

Maria opens the door and stands next to Ken who's trying to figure out if he's in heaven or hell, "Ken stop being a coward and accept the truth he's alive and while you took a power nap for 3 days the Empress was declared dead a few moments ago, almost 20% of the population died right after."

"Please stop talking like you expect me to fix this, and stop talking to me period."

Maria sighs disappointedly this isn't the first time she has seen him like this, it doesn't ease her mind at all knowing that he is on edge and one wrong move Ken Tachibana will turn into someone else entirely.

"Fine, I talk you listen Ken."

Maria explains the deal she made with the Empress on Hitoshi's behalf in the hopes that it would ease his mind and cool his temper but that is not the case. He is angrier than ever.

Ken grits his teeth focussing on the horizon to ease his mind he has questions he wants answered he just isn't sure where to start.

"Why didn't you tell me? What was the point of all this back and forth it could've been avoided mother."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told your father I wasn't ready to die yet."

Ken's head turns sharply to look at her his blood boils with every breath he takes, "You're joking right? There is no way all this is true that cannot be your only reason for all this, you're married to him but you're not him, you're lying."

"I assure you I'm not, it's said that when you love someone you start to act like them and imitate them and you even want to become them I guess I became your worst nightmare a self-preservative selfish mother,"

She lightly chuckles, "I became your father and you can hate me all you want you do have eternity after all I'll be nicely tucked away in a tomb dead, gone, and buried while you're still sulking for another decade or two though.

"Of course Xavier will still be here following you around like he always has because to him just yesterday was his third birthday."

"Go to hell." Ken turns on his heels fuming and walks towards the door swinging it open to bump into someone.

Yuno feels his hot breath burning her skin Ken's heavy breathing making his chest rise and fall too hard for her tastes she's barely breathing as it is, add the fact that she's forced to sync her breathing with his to let air flow in and out of her lungs properly she's staring at deaths door.

"Ken, you're too heavy, move."

Snow licks his face and Ken stands up helping Yuno up she coughs and he gives her a neutral expression.

"What are you doing here?"

Yuno dusts herself off and sighs, "Came to rescue you, why else? Kim said you were sick which would explain why you missed your meeting with Roman and I knew you couldn't be sick because my water is still in your body and it takes a while for it to get all used up so I panicked.

"Everyone told me she probably has a reason for lying which I think is total bullshit she's not dealing with toddlers, whatever the truth I'm sure we can take it.

"Then a few days later a bunch of extremist take the country hostage after claiming it was their doing that so many Supers died 3 days ago and they're waging war against us because somehow none Supers are now the majority race again," Yuno loses her balance.

Ken instinctively catches her, "Be careful Yuno just fill me in later we have to go."

Yuno isn't given a choice in the matter being sweeped off her feet and carried to the car.

Snow follows behind them chirpily skipping while Ken stops in his tracks looking at Yuno he smells blood and the worry that he actually crushed her under his weight creeps in.

"You're bleeding, What happened?"

"Step outside you'll find out."

He kicks the door open walking to his car driving to the Palace he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary except for the streets being empty, "Where is everyone?"

"If a Super they're hiding, if human joining the crazy extremists, and anyone like us who is dumb enough to be out like this is going to die out here. This ring can't absorb bullets they're not magic."

Yuno groans before losing consciousness.

The light scent of blood is stronger. She has been using what little water she has to close up her wounds she's just lucky her car went over the bridge and into a dam either wise she'd be dead.

Ken carries her inside surprised to see Xavier with Tori and they look like they get along just fine, "Where the hell is Roku?"

Jet takes Yuno from Tachibana, "He's doing some spell to drag everyone here mystically we're only missing Ackerman and Setsuno who went to check on the Roman high kids.

"From what I hear they cooped majority of them at the second palace and a few others will be coming here we're doing our best to prepare the rooms fast enough."

"Dad."

Ken turns around and Xavier is standing right in front of him with a bright smile on his face while the red cheeked Tori is walking towards them.

"Hey there, I see you've met your little brother Hitori, follow me."

He picks up Tori putting a hand over his forehead, "If I had a dime for every time someone tried to kill you."

Xavier follows him into his office holding Snow on Tori's behalf.

"Ken?"

He looks up and finds Sensen sitting at his desk like she's waiting, "Please tell me Hitori's fine and I am being paranoid." She nods offering to take him and put him to sleep.

"Don't you think carrying one child is enough? Now get back in your seat I think I was carrying him just fine on my own. I was worried about his red face and high temperature."

"Oh, that's just blush I did make up on him."

Tachibana puts Tori down and picks up Xavier who's lighter than ever, "I don't even want to know why because nothing you do ever makes sense to me I just want to know how you're holding up with your mothers death and all the others."

She sits in her chair and sighs, "She screwed us over that's all I can say I warned her that putting immortals amongst Supers was stupid and maybe her plan was smart and effective because it looked like it was working.

"With all your efforts to make things easier for Supers everything was falling into place quit nicely, but now we have an uprising and honestly her death is the last thing on my mind and I feel terrible about the way I feel Ken I should be sad and grieving, but I can't."

He gives her a hug as comfort and Xavier brushes her hair.

Tori turns around opening the door walking to Yuno's room to find her sleeping.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Tori smiles at Setsuno who picks him up and they leave to let Yuno sleep sitting in the garden letting him play with Snow till his hearts content.

"Oh great it's you." Ken's voice makes Setsuno chuckle he knows that was meant for him.

"Yeah, it's a great thing I'm here."

Xavier runs towards Tori taking his hand into the maze wondering off, "If you tell anyone I said this I'm going to kill you, but I'll say it anyway.

"I'm worried about them and I don't want them wondering off find a way to keep them where I can see them meaning no going maze running or whatever they are doing in there."

"Don't worry Kai and Rex are in there."

"Which Rex?"

"Both of them."

Ryu and Izumi sigh in relief when Aiko and Hitoshi come back, "I was worried you wouldn't come back since you both got what you wanted."

"We all got what we wanted but we're all still here, so what now?" Ryu asks kicking Lynx awake because he's been sleeping all day.

"Throw yourself of a roof why don't you." Lynx glares at Ryu who only rolls her eyes waiting for an answer to her question.

"It's simple really, we killed the Empress which resulted in us killing all those Immortals and we have a dynasty to claim, are we really going to let a bunch of nobody's take credit for our work?

"All those sleepless nights contemplating and planning will not go to waste so I say we have a meeting with our loyal subjects and volunteers waiting for us, let's go take what's ours."

Izumi smirks at the group in the room with him he's finally free and no one can stop him now, he will take back his seat at the throne as the most powerful Aztec that has come and gone throughout history and made this world into what it is today.

"Join me in creating a new world with me as King the rightful heir to the throne and be at my side as I rearrange the new world making them grovel at your feet as they rightfully should."

"I'm the only one who didn't get what she wants but now I think I just might. I'm in, so stop monologuing and lead the way King." Aiko says.

Hitoshi sighs, "I seriously have better things to do, but I think I'll enjoy them more knowing I won't have your army of brainwashed citizens ready to ruin my fun at every turn."

"Enough! It's a yes from everyone we get it, can we just leave I seriously want to sleep on gold by the end of tonight." Ryu states before she follows Izumi.

They get in the car driving away to claim the spoils of the war.

"I'm too exhausted for your theatrics quit dragging me around like this a spell that powerful should've killed me and I'm still alive."

Aiko turns to Lynx with her hands in her pockets, "How exactly did you avoid dying with the others anyway?"

"I transferred my Immortality to someone else got the idea from your little story about how Ken Tachibana is still alive meaning there is only one immortal amongst us now, and we still don't know what she is."

They all turn to Ryu and she shrugs her shoulders clueless as well, "I don't have my ability anymore so we'll just have to wait and see let's hope I'm something useful."

"You already are it was your genius that gave us our victory after all we shall celebrate until our hearts content tonight." Izumi praises Ryu with a smile on his face.