Tattooed - yata x oc -

.6

"Do you have a hair brush by any chance?" Asuka asked as she walked out of the bathroom, drying her dark hair with her towel. She locked eyes with Yata as he sat on his bed. The skater boy flushed and looked away. Something about the way Asuka made him all flustered without doing anything messed with his head. They had only been friends for a couple of months but he could tell that he was falling for the strange girl, giggles and wings and all.

"No, I I don't. Anna will though, you can you can ask her when we go back back down."

"Anna?" Asuka asked, cocking her head to the side as she continued to assault her hair with the towel.

"The little girl with red eyes and white hair, dressed like a Lolita. She's hard to miss, especially when she walks with Mr. Mikoto." Yata replied, watching Asuka continue to struggle with her hair as he talked.

"Oh, she's adorable. How'd she end up with HOMRA?"

"Don't really know. She was just here one day. She's a good kid. And you and her have something in common. You're both strains." That really piqued Asukas interest as she stopped fucking with her hair to stare at Yata in surprise. A flash of doubt came to rest in her endless gaze.

"I'm not fuckin' with you."

Asuka rolled her eyes and went back to drying her hair. Their conversation ended there. Yata resumed watching Asuka as she dried her hair, amazed at her patience to try and get it dry. He had given her free access to his closet and was starting to regret it. The pale girl had chosen one of his dark grey tank tops. It hung low on her chest, showing off the full beauty of the tattoo. There was a massive, detailed crow tattooed to her chest. Its wings were extended against her collarbones, the ends of the feathers coming to a stop just before her armpit. From there a dark, fluid stream of black ink seeped down like blood or tar; it dripped down her biceps and stopped an inch or two from her elbow ditch. Smoke curled up from the top of the crow, draping around her traps and around the base of her neck. It was beautiful and fitting, especially with her dark hair that moved like smoke in the wind and pale, freckle dotted skin. A pair of sweatpants, rolled at the waist and cinched tight, sat low on her hips. Right now he finally noticed just how small she was. And, damn, did she look good in his clothes.

Yata shook his head and stood up from his spot on his bed. Asuka put her towel down and followed him back downstairs silently. All eyes were on them once they were situated at the bar. Asuka caught Annas eye and waved the girl over, slipping off her bar stool to crouch down and offer her hand to the small girl. Anna stared at her silently, taking one of her ruby colored marbles and looking through it. Asuka only smiled as Anna observed. Soon enough the girl took her hand and spoke.

"You are like me but are not like me. You're human and not."

Asuka smiled and nodded, "Yes, I am. My strain powers give me the ability to shapeshift into a crow, but I cant do it when I'm this hurt. In a week or two I can show you if you want to see it. Now, can I ask you a question?"

Anna nodded, staring straight into Asukas dark eyes. "Do you have a comb I can borrow?"

The small girl nodded and ran off up the stairs. The men of HOMRA stared at Asuka as she stood back up to her normal height. They all looked at her skeptically, hesitant to trust her but they knew Anna spoke nothing but the truth. Some of the guys were staring at her a little too intently, their eyes just a little lower than her face. Yata saw them staring and went to snap at them only to be stopped by Asuka with a smile.

"They're staring at the tattoo, not my boobs, no need to bite their heads off." Yata flushed a dark red and looked away from Asuka, shoving his hands in his pockets harshly. A couple of the boys laughed at Yatas flushed face.

Anna came back with a black comb in hand, gently passing the tool to Asuka. Asuka took the comb and thanked her, smiling softly as Anna made her way back to sit by Mikoto. Asuka began to pull the comb harshly through her hair, launching into her explanation.

"So, like Mr. Mikoto here said, I am a king - or queen, whatever you want, its the same power - the black king to be exact. My official title would be the black king, the unknown king. For whatever reason every black king since the birth of kings has been a strain. Due to us being strains we have a power unique to us only. We can be used to amplify the powers of other kings and their entire clan. Because of this we have been sold from king to king with every new take to the throne. A weapon of war hidden in the shadows.

With the way the amplified power works it places the black king in a submissive position. With typical two-king relationships the users typically have two colors. If the relationship is forced - marriage, friendship, clanships, etcetera - then one color becomes submissive and the other dominant. If a bond is formed with even one clan member than that strain can extend the use of their power to the entire clan, though the power is stronger if the bond is formed with that clans king.

So far I have been able to stay hidden because I have yet to use my full king powers. If I don't use them then there's no sword in the sky and no one knows I exist. The one person that knows of me and my abilities tried to capture me and sell me the other night. That's why Yata asked you about me coming here as a member and as an equal. I can make HOMRA stronger and it would keep me from getting sold like some expensive doll to a creepo collector." Asuka stopped talking, continuing to rip the comb through her dark locks.

A palpable silence filled the bar as the men stared at Asuka. She could feel their growing doubt and suspicion, adverting her eyes in embarrassment. Her anxiety shot through the roof as the staring got more intense with every stroke of the comb through her hair. Her heart sped up more and more, causing a fluctuation in her aura. As a black smoke rolled off her body the men actually seemed to calm down. They continued to stare though.

Asuka quit brushing and put her face in her hands, trying to calm herself down. She could feel her bones shifting within her body as her strain side tried to force a shift in self preservation. A yelp of pain escaped her lips as her shoulder blades burned and rearranged themselves. Her anxiety had forced a half-shift and it hurt like hell. A wave of shocked murmurs rolled throughout the bar at the sight of wings.

A pair of big, shinny, black crow wings now sat heavy on Asukas back.

The girls entire body shook with pain as she braced herself on the bar top, gritting her teeth and sucking in pained breaths. Yata was panicking, talking fast and standing close. He didn't know what to do. Hesitantly he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the tingling her smoky aura caused on his hand. Her body started to calm down at his warm touch so he threw caution - and his pride - to the wind and pulled Asuka into a hug. He was careful to keep his hands away from her wings as that seemed to be the source of most of her pain. With shaking arms and tears streaming down her face she clutched onto the back of his shirt. As she sobbed silently the wings seemed to disintegrated into a thick smoke. There was nothing left in a matter of minutes.

"Sorry. Got anxious and a half shift was forced. Hurts like a bitch." Asuka apologized with she managed to regain her composure, rubbing her face harshly with the palm of her hand. Yata just hummed softly and pushed her hair out of her face, gently tucking some stray stands behind her ear.

As everyone else was distracted by Yatas soft, blushless interaction with a girl, Anna leaned in close to Mikoto. The red headed king leaned down so he could hear her soft voice. He trusted Anna with his life, her strain abilities never failing.

"I like her, we can trust her. I see a bright future with her as one of us."

Mikoto nodded, "Seems as if she's already got a strong bond with one of us."

"Strong indeed. I think its love." Mikoto mummed and nodded at Annas soft words, glancing over to the vanguard and the crow.