The young albino sighed in pain and confusion as she tried to get up from the alley floor. Unfortunately, the young girl had twisted her ankle only a few moments ago. The wound was fresh, and Anna couldn't help but cringe from every movement she made. However, pain was only a small price to pay for getting situated in a better position. Right now, her back was sprawled against the grimy flooring, her right leg was twisted under her, and her forehead throbbed from impact.
With Herculaneum strength only witnessed through the power of Kings, Anna moved her leg so that she could lay completely flat on the floor. Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears from the fiery sensations that raced up and down her ankle. In the past, she didn't have much experience with causing major injury to herself; this was the first time her bones had been broken by accident.
Her chest heaved from the effort of using all of her strength to situate herself adequately. The fiery sensation was quite like the feeling she felt when those sick scientists used to experiment on her. Even when she spent most of her childhood at the whim of a madman, the torture she felt at that very moment was raw; it was like tiny needles of lava were driving painfully into bone. Anna took comfort in that Mikoto's fire and flames were a safety blanket compared to the sensation she was feeling now.
Whimpers left her throat only to be muffled by the sleeves of her fashionable dress. Unlike many of her peers, Anna chose not to display weakness or faulty emotion. Too much sentiment made her feel drained and it would lead to her powers getting the best of her. Miserably, she thought she could handle the bout of pain for a few more minutes. All she had to do was wait it out until her fellow Clansmen came to rescue the princess. Until then… she fingered the red marbles she always kept in one of her pockets to use her powers. Maybe the combination of her Strain powers and her special marbles would aid her friends in finding her.
Using her mental map, she willed her marbles to show her where the others were. Images of the Red Clan began to glimmer from the marbles, each of them depicting them looking exasperated and worried. Content with the thought that they were going to find her eventually, Anna placed the spheres back into her pocket until their next use. The pain was still wreaking havoc on her right ankle, but it had dulled to a roar of thunder instead of slicing her leg with lightning.
Satisfied, she tried to drift to sleep.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a smooth, baritone voice intoned.
Curiously, the young girl looked up from the alley ground to find the face of a young man peering down at her. Instead of crying out for joy, Anna angled her face away from him. Of all people, she wanted to mutter, the Blue King had to be the one to find her. The only thought that sort of warmed Anna's heart was that at least he had some sort of communication device to call Mikoto.
Still, she decided to play along.
"Do what?" Anna gritted out.
"Sleep," the young man conversationally continued. If Anna's cold exterior upset the Captain of Scepter 4, he showed no sign of it bothering him. "Sleeping might have led other people to think you were dead or someone might have missed you. Numerous problems would arise should someone harm you."
That was true, Anna conceded. Still, she would rather take on members of a mafia instead of dealing with the Blue King. She struggled to sit up so that she could at least level the playing field when talking to Munakata, but she thought better of it. Her body was still trying to recuperate; it took too much strength to do anything.
"Are you going to call Mikoto?"
Munakata nodded, the easy smile of his brightening his face. Despite the soft creases in his face that illuminated his best features, Anna did not let her guard down. Instead, she felt wary and suspicious of his motives.
"Of course." Anna stilled. Would he really help her after all? "Right after my medics have a look at you."
Ah. There it was.
"No," Anna shook her head decisively. The young girl looked away from and swatted away his hands. "I don't need—"
Anna's tone of discontent did nothing to stop Munakata from carefully scooping her up. Gingerly, he minded her right leg because he didn't want to cause her anymore trouble. Meanwhile, the young girl kept her face as blank as a white sheet of paper. Still, a whimper or two passed her pale, pink lips whenever the slightest hint of jostling upset her right ankle.
"My sincerest apologies."
Delicately, Anna turned her head away from him. At the sight of her wounded pride, the Blue King pretended not to notice. Anna scowled. Despite his valiant efforts, a few chuckles escaped the confines of his mouth. It was not the most gentleman-like thing to do, but he could not deny that the situation was a bit humorous. At his blatant display of hilarity, Anna scowled even harder, but a hazy dusting of a blush coated her normally white cheeks.
She crossed her arms and stared defiantly down the folds of her dress and muttered, "I didn't need your…" She seemed to swallow something akin to bile before continuing, "help."
"Hm?" He was a little shocked, but he somehow knew that Anna wasn't one to receive help from the likes of him willingly. "Perhaps you're mistaken, Miss Kushina, but it's my job to help you." Continuing to carry the princess of HOMRA, the Blue King passed through the alleyway slowly until he happened upon one of the Scepter 4 specialized vehicles. As the Blue King stepped forward to greet his subordinates, he felt Anna's small form tremble and stiffen in trepidation. The curiosity ate at him, and his eyes bore down on hers.
With the power of Kings on his side, it was no wonder that Anna finally succumbed to Munakata's authority. Still though, she tried to hold out for as long as she could.
"I want Mikoto. Take me home." Her words were clipped and to the point, but slight panic danced like a flickering ember in her eyes. She was frightened. Consequently, Munakata used a tiny fraction of his power to assuage her worries. "Please." Her fingers, while tiny, tugged at his lapels harder and more urgently as they neared the van.
Sadly, the young man shook her head. In reality, he wanted to comply with the Strain's demands, but it was beneficial to help out the young child.
"I am sorry if I'm being repetitive, but," he began, "I can only offer my sincerest apologies. As the Blue King of Scepter 4, it is my job to help and aid Strains whenever possible." Soothing and low, his words were meant to placate the struggling girl. It was a way for the King to show that the matter was out of his hands and he was doing his job. Nothing more, nothing less.
The little girl looked up at him; a hint of defiance roiled in her eyes.
"You can help me by—"
Munakata smirked when one of his trusted medics hurried to meet him.
"Oh, here we are!" With a broad smile, Munakata reached the van and deposited her on top of a bench. A medical professional, dressed in a white uniform with blue accents signaling Clan alliance, immediately went to work on Anna.
While the treatment was unexpected (and felt completely invasive), Anna felt herself relax when the doctor elevated her foot and placed a cold compress on her ankle. Also, any minor wounds that was on her body were treated by the doctor. The medic would have done more to ensure that Anna was in tip top shape, but thankfully, Munakata shooed her away. During the process, he had stayed by Anna's side, a soothing rock that managed to make Anna rational and tranquil. (She didn't think she was going to thank him, though). Then, the image of Kusanagi reprimanding her for poor manners dominated her mental faculties.
What a dilemma.
Cordially, Munakata sat down beside her at a safe distance. A look of satisfaction sat on his face. The scene was appropriate, and Anna felt slightly at ease. However, she was still debating on whether she should just accept it or continue to hold onto her pride. While she was internally debating with herself, the Blue King decided to question her. After all, while it was his duty to aid the weak and punish the cruel, Munakata still wanted information about Anna's agenda prior to her "accident."
"You're eleven, correct? Most children your age would make a fuss."
Anna inclined her head to acknowledge his observation.
"I suppose you're more used to pain than the average child." The brunet hummed softly. "However, that causes me to make another observation." He leaned forward, concern resting in the pools of his violet eyes. "What caused you to twist your ankle?"
An imperious look entered the girl's eyes, her mouth already set in a frown.
"An accident."
"Are you implying that you were reckless enough to get lost and twist your ankle?" Disbelief and a sense of knowing that she was hiding something colored his tone. "Miss Kushina, we detected a large portion of your power setting off in the general area. A few moments before your power surge, I have seen many of your fellow Clansmen trying to find you." Munakata's eyes softened. "What happened?"
Anna hesitated, but she looked away.
"An accident."
"Power surges like the one you just emitted aren't from the result of an accident." Munakata continued to prod. "It was clearly a cry for help."
Choosing not to reply, Anna turned away from him. Instead, she opted to ask him why he decided to help. After all, at this period of time, Munakata could have deposited her into Mikoto's care.
"You could say that I'm doing this for the sake of appearances," the Blue King mused. In a way, he was, but Anna didn't need to know that. She was a bright girl, she was bound to connect the dots herself. "Despite that sound reasoning, I do admit I have an ulterior motive."
Anna raised her right eyebrow. She had already know how calculating the Scepter 4 Captain could be, she just didn't realize that he would be so upfront with his intentions.
He continued smoothly, "I was curious."
Anna's eyes widened.
"Of what?"
"I was just wondering what it would be like to take care of a child." The bright fluorescence glinted off his glasses, making his expression unreadable, but Anna knew that he wasn't bluffing. There was just something earnest and raw in his voice. Even her all omniscient red marbles didn't have to tell her she was witnessing something few would ever see.
It was surprising.
Kusanagi once told her that she should always give something in return. Quid pro quo, the blond had told her. She might as well tell him as a thank you for his services.
"I got scared and ran."
"Ah? Oh!" For the briefest of moments, Munakata looked confounded, but he realized the meaning of her words. "Why were you scared?" The light that glinted off his lenses had faded, leaving behind a pair of concerned eyes.
Shifting some weight to make herself more comfortable, Anna looked away.
"Black and white nightmare."
Before Munakata could probe any further, Anna closed her eyes and leaned back into the gurney. It was far from comfortable, but the little girl made do. However, Munakata was having none of that. From a cabinet, he produced a blanket and laid it over her head as a makeshift pillow. As he watched, her breathing deepened and her eyes underneath her eyelids began to swim in monochrome dreams.
"Ah…so this is what it means to be a guardian."
For a moment, Munakata hovered over her, but a slight thudding prompted him to look at the doorway.
Smoke curled from his lips like a snake uncoiling to attack.
"Thought for a sec I was going to have to burn the place down…Munakata."
The Blue King moved away from the Strain so the Red King could assess the situation for himself.
"I am glad you came. I thought you were to leave her in my care…Mikoto."
Mikoto shrugged as he carefully held Anna, minding her wounded leg.
"If she keeps running like this, I'm not sure I'll always be this charitable," Mikoto mumbled. Still, his eyes smiled down at the child. Abruptly, he apologized for an interruption and stepped towards the door. However, Munakata stopped him with another question that plagued his mind while the child had slept.
"Miss Kushina said something about a black and white nightmare. Care to explain?"
The Red King grunted as he glared at Munakata from the corner of his eye.
"Don't tell me you care. 'Sides, we got it all taken care of."
Nodding, Munakata followed Mikoto out of the emergency vehicle. Mikoto's footsteps thudded on the pavement; they were steady and controlled. This was a lot different from the crazed frenzy Mikoto would get into whenever he was angry or in a fight. A corner of his lips tugged in slight appreciation at his enemy's consideration for his young charge.
"She takes after you," Munakata said out of the blue. "Stubborn and heated."
"Thanks for taking care of her."