I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands.
I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I failed to pick up on.
Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna.
Genre: Drama/Humor
***I've gotten a few reviews since starting this story stating that I should include romance in the genre. Just to clarify: this fic has a lot of genres associated with it besides drama and humor. However, drama and humor are the most dominant genres in this fic and that is why it is listed as such. Romance is not really the focus of this fic although it is included.I edited the summary to state 'implied pairings', but I decided to change it again to 'implied romance' just to clarify more. I will not change the summary or the genres anymore after this unless I think it's necessary.
GROWING PAINS
by chickypeg
Chapter 11: When Things Start To Go Wrong
"Eat it," Mikoto ordered Anna.
Anna looked about as displeased as Anna could get; there was a brief pursing of her lips in annoyance. She eyed the bowl of oatmeal before her warily. She did not mind the two warm waffles on her plate beside the bowl, or the apple.
It was just the oatmeal.
Oatmeal that reminded her of puke she once saw a dog throw up on the street. Anna almost shuddered at the memory.
"I don't want it, Mikoto," she insisted.
It had become habitual to have breakfast at the bar. Most weekends, the usual members of Homra were able to join but because everyone had jobs or other commitments (such as girl chasing on the part of two specific womanizers), and not everyone could make it on weekdays.
This morning, it was Kamamoto, Mikoto, Izumo, Yata and Eric in the bar with Izumo giving them orange juice or water to drink.
"Oatmeal is good for you," Mikoto told her as he stabbed his fork into his waffles.
"Why aren't you eating any?" she asked blankly. It was true: he had a plate stacked with waffles, but not a flake of oatmeal near him.
Mikoto stiffened for a moment. "Don't be cheeky with me, brat. Eat your food," he commanded gruffly as he cut into his waffles again.
Anna decided to ignore the bowl and reached for her waffles instead. She placed a hand on his wrist to stop him from taking the syrup bottle and squeezing it onto her food. He gave her a warning look through golden eyes, but she shook her head at him.
"Mikoto, perhaps you are being a bit too harsh with her," Izumo said gently, noting that for the first time ever, Anna and Mikoto were disgruntled with each other.
Mikoto gave Izumo an annoyed look. "She doesn't eat enough to give her proper energy for the training,"
"Then cut down the amount of time she spends doing it,"
"I would, but she insists on going on," Mikoto pointed out and took away Anna's waffles from her. He gave her an angry look when she looked at him again. "Eat the oatmeal and then you'll get your waffles,"
Anna glared.
Everyone stared.
Because Anna glared.
And she did not glare at just anyone; no, she glared at Mikoto.
"Then I will not eat them," she told him primly. Then, she hopped off her stool and moved to go away to her room, away from him and his overbearing attitude to her eating habits. Izumo placed a hand on his face and shook his head while Eric and Yata observed the scene with great interest. They were sitting a few chairs away from the unhappy pair.
Kamamoto was about to reach for her, to try to sway her, but Mikoto caught the back of her night dress and deposited her onto the chair she had been in previously.
"I will eat half of the oatmeal and you will eat the rest," he stated, perhaps having realized that he was overdoing it.
Anna hesitated, then nodded slowly. If Mikoto could eat it, then it had to be alright.
Right?
He pushed aside his own waffles and picked up Anna's spoon. He lifted it and dug into the lumpy meal.
He frowned at Izumo with the first bite. "Why didn't you use milk instead of water?"
"We ran out. Everyone used it up yesterday when we ended up eating cereal," Izumo replied. Mikoto tried not to grimace, but he forced himself to eat the bland, horribly textured food while Anna keenly observed him.
When he was halfway done, he pushed the bowl to her. Anna accepted it, and the new spoon Izumo handed to her. She forced the first bite down. It was really was probably the most boring, tasteless and badly textured food Izumo had ever made for her.
It did not taste like dog puke (not that she knew how that tasted).
Izumo, however, relished his oatmeal and had it at least once a day for himself and advised everyone to include into their diets. Thus far, only Kamamoto ate it to help him keep fit.
"Oatmeal is good for your stomach and lowers cholesterol," Izumo told her to encourage her.
"Anna doesn't eat a lot of oily food to have high cholesterol in the first place," Yata pointed out while Eric nodded.
It seemed that the only time the two of them got along was when they ate because they were too focused on food to care about expending energy toward anything else like arguing which would effectively ruin the meal. Unless one was eating and the other was not.
Then the one who was not eating would pick on the one who was.
Meanwhile, Anna pulled her plate of waffles toward her again and picked up her bowl of oatmeal. Everyone watched with horror and disgust as she emptied the oatmeal onto her waffles and proceeded to eat them.
Except Mikoto though. He was just satisfied to see her eating and he figured it was just her way of getting past the taste and texture of the oatmeal. He drank some water, finished his food, cleared his dishes, then disappeared to go upstairs to take a nap.
"I know he's being overbearing but he is concerned about you," Izumo told Anna gently as he wiped the counter where Mikoto had been eating.
Anna nodded. "I know,"
Her eating habits were bad based on Mikoto's standards and he often dropped something edible into her hands whenever he could and glared at her to finish it if she refused. His behavior had come to irritate her although she knew that it was because he was worried.
Over the last couple of weeks, she had been working hard with her training to become a skilled fighter. Since everyone in Homra already knew a variety of various martial arts, they taught her new moves from different disciplines. It had been a little more than a month, but it seemed that Izumo and Mikoto thought that she was progressing very well.
She still slept beside Mikoto every night. They still did not say too much to each other.
And he always nuzzled her whenever they were alone in his room and about to sleep. She did not really know why he seemed to have a thing for the hair above her temple.
It was like watching a lazy cat suddenly come to life at the sight of its favorite toy. Anna did not mind, for she indulged in his affection and enjoyed it because she knew that she would be denied it when she started school because she would be away from him.
Anna trudged up the stairs and entered Mikoto's room. He was lying on his side at the edge of the bed with his eyes closed. Anna moved to stand beside him and watch him, taking in the sight of his flaming red hair, and the beautiful red in his chest.
"Mikoto," she whispered his name.
He did not stir.
She sighed and bent a little to place a soft kiss on his temple. She rested her forehead against the side of his head, feeling his red hair as her own fell down her shoulders and cascaded them both in silvery white.
"I'm sorry," she murmured and moved to draw back.
However, Mikoto's hand was suddenly to the back of her head. He opened his eyes and turned his head against hers, while keeping his forehead pressed against hers. He drew back a little and nudged her cheek briefly, giving her the feeling that this was his way of accepting her apology, and offering her his own.
"Natsume will be here to talk to you again," Mikoto told her as he let her go.
Anna stood back and gave him a blank look. Mikoto sensed her hesitation. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Why?" she questioned.
Mikoto rolled onto his back. "She has some very important information for the both of us," he answered.
Anna climbed into bed, not caring that he was on the very edge so that she was now lying on top of him. She lay her head on his chest. He was surprised by her movements at first, but let his arms go around her to hold her in place as she curled up on his chest like a kitten.
"Sleep," she answered his unspoken question of what she wanted to do. She liked Natsume, but the woman still represented to her the place she would be taken away to, away from Mikoto.
Mikoto accepted that, and shut his own eyes. Anna enjoyed the feel of the hard body under hers and closed her eyes as well, knowing that she was going to have a stressful afternoon. She had to speak to Natsume, then head to the bank with Izumo.
She had insisted on him finally using some of the money that was legally hers since her parents' deaths. Izumo had always been reluctant to use it although both she and her aunt had advised him to use it when he had become her legal guardian.
He agreed to make it in such a way that while she was in school, an amount of money would be advanced to her in a special account that would allow her to make purchases for herself when necessary, or in the case of an emergency when she needed money. He had originally planned to use his own finances and it would have been easy to cover up her tracks because the bank in Seneca, like the school, was run by members of the Red Clan. Anna recalled their conversation from earlier that morning:
"That money is the money from your parents that is to go to you. I am your guardian, I am legally responsible for you. When you get to be an adult, I will sign over full responsibility of your finances to you," Izumo had told her as she sat opposite him on a barstool.
"That money is supposed to cover my expenses, including my educational ones. The contract with the insurance companies and the banks stated that the person who had legal guardianship over me would have access to those funds in order to properly care for me," Anna pointed out.
Izumo gave her a frown. "Why can't you sound like a normal eleven-year old?" he demanded, wondering since when kids knew how to talk law and financial matters. But then again, Anna was not a normal child.
Anna merely looked at him.
He sighed. "I want to take care of you,"
"You already do," she assured him.
"You won't let me continue,"
Anna looked at him steadily, and told him slowly, "The money my parents left was entrusted to the legal guardian of me until I came of age to take full responsibility for myself. It is their way of caring for me, even after they died,"
Izumo was stumped. He could not argue with that. So, reluctantly, he agreed.
"Anna, Mikoto's birthday is tomorrow. Do you know what you would like to give him?"
She shook her head. She had been trying to figure it out, but could not think of anything except to make him something like cake, or try to cook him breakfast. After all, Mikoto never really care much for anything except food and sleep.
"We'll have to go to the mall. Perhaps after we go to the bank, we can walk around and find something for him. What do you think?"
She nodded. Maybe she might actually see something he might like.
The last birthday they had celebrated was Yata's which had been July 20th. It had been lovely where the members of Homra had a celebration for him. He had officially turned 20 so he had been allowed to drink alcohol.
As Anna slept, memories of that occasion came up.
Yata had been opening gifts while everyone looked on. He was sitting on the couch, surrounded by an assortment of presents wrapped in bright paper. So far, he had a bottle of sake from Izumo and Mikoto, a new skateboard from Chitose and Dewa, clothes from Fujishima, Kamamoto and Shohei and finally a gift certificate for an electronics store from Bando. Anna had gifted him a new hat.
"Pucca DVDs were sold out," she informed him as she sensed that he wondered why no one had given him any yet.
"Eh..that's okay. I'm happy with everything else," he replied sincerely.
"Your final gift is from Eric," Izumo said, pointing out something wrapped in light blue gift paper.
Eric sat opposite Yata with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket.
"Open it! Let's see what you got!" Kamamoto urged, seemingly more excited than Yata.
Yata picked it up and carefully tore the paper. He uncovered a medium sized white box. He gave Eric a funny look.
"Did you give me something weird?" he demanded.
"Is that how you treat someone who kindly gives you something?" Eric shot back.
Yata tsked and opened his box. To his surprise, he saw a package of round, light brown cookies. "I didn't think you would get me anything at all, but thanks!" Yata exclaimed and lifted the bag and tore it open.
He bit into one.
"Do you like it?" Eric asked.
Yata nodded excitedly and reached for a second one.
Fujishima, to Yata's side, reached down and picked one up and looked it over while Yata gobbled the cookie and went after his third one. He sniffed it and then gave Eric a frown. Eric shrugged at him.
Fujishima turned to Yata. "Er...Yata..."
"What?" Yata asked, irritated that his chewing of the yummy cookies was being interrupted.
"Those are dog biscuits, specific to Chihuahuas,"
Yata froze, as did everyone else in the room. Only the sound of AC/DC's 'Back in Black' was playing in the background.
Suddenly, Yata began to retch into the box, spitting out the cookies. "You bastard! How could you?" Yata demanded as he wiped the back of his mouth.
"Well you did give him a chew toy for his birthday," Bando pointed out.
Yata grabbed one of his cookies and shoved it in Bando's mouth. "Shut it Bando! This is food we're talking about!"
"What are you worried about? They're rich in iron and protein," Eric stated as Bando spat out the cookie.
There was a crash and suddenly, Yata was chasing after Eric.
Izumo was shaking his head in exasperation while Mikoto merely looked on lazily. The others laughed at the other two until Yata ran into one of the barstools.
"Yata-chan,Eric-san," Izumo called out to them sweetly.
They both stopped their running and turned to him with scared looks on their faces. They became more frightened when they saw his sadistic smile on.
"I'll forget it's Yata-chan's birthday today if you both don't stop," he sang warningly to them.
They both nodded and seated themselves for they knew that Izumo could be a very violent man when his beloved bar became harmed in any way by their antics.
Izumo suggested that Yata try his alcohol.
It turned out that nearly everyone got drunk that night. Except Anna of course, because she could not consume alcohol due to her age. She sighed wearily as she listened to Mikoto and Izumo's drunken insults to each other.
She was sitting beside Mikoto at the bar while Izumo was opposite them. "You stink of perfume," Mikoto said to his friend.
"It's cologne!" Izumo snapped and took a long gulp of wine.
"It's the same thing,"
"Leave me alone,"
"And you're supposed to sip wine. Where's your etiquette now?" Mikoto asked.
"Screw you!"
Mikoto shrugged and went back to drinking his bourbon.
"You know, Mikoto, this bar is as beautiful as the most beautiful woman on earth," Izumo informed him solemnly.
"Is that so?"
Izumo nodded seriously. "Yes. The feel of the wood is like touching the smoothness of her skin. The taste of the alcohol is like the taste of her lips,"
"Izumo has all sorts of alcohol here," Anna said as she drank some water.
Izumo and Mikoto looked at her. "What does that have to do with anything?" Izumo demanded.
"Then there are many tastes of alcohol in this bar, therefore there are many lips to taste from," Anna replied.
Mikoto looked thoughtful. "Ah...Izumo's bar is a harem then,"
"My bar is not a harem!" he snapped. "It is beautiful and it is pretty! Just look at the the clarity of these crystal glasses!" he lifted his wineglass to the lightbulb above.
"What are you doing, idiot?" Mikoto demanded.
"I want you to see the beauty of the glass as the light shines through it and...ah!" Izumo suddenly cried out when he lifted the glass so high to the lightbulb, that it smashed it and the glass. "Nooo!"
There were several lights around, all of which were casting a dim light into the room so they could still see Izumo as he wailed over his shattered glass.
"Mikoto?" Anna said his name.
"What?"
"What's a harem?"
Mikoto, despite being somewhat drunk, replied, "It's where some guy has a bunch of women living together,"
"So he can kiss them?" Anna questioned.
Mikoto paused. "Ah...yeah,"
Yata suddenly approached them. "AC/DC is awesome, but I want to play another song," he said to Izumo who had an arm over his eyes as he sobbed over his beloved glass. Yata's cheeks were flushed, indicating his alcohol consumption. Izumo,came to his feet to handle Yata's demands.
He handed Izumo a CD which the older man proceeded to play. They were shocked to hear what sounded like fiddles that gave the tune of an European folk song. Suddenly, guitars began to play and a song in English began to belt out.
'Happy little, happy little, happy little boozer! Happy little, happy little, happy litte boozer!' were what the lyrics were as the music went at a very fast rate.
"What is this?!" Izumo demanded of the younger man.
"Happy Little Boozer!" Yata replied. He grabbed Anna's arms and pulled her to the middle of the floor. He had her take off her shoes.
She gasped as he suddenly held her hands and began to spin in a circle with her as he sang along the song, 'Happy Little Boozer'.
Anna was worried and she made a little surprised noise as they began to go faster and faster. The room was already dark, and the faces around her spinning faster and faster. Everything was becoming a blur as Yata kept spinning.
But it was fun! It was so much fun that she let her feet along as well to go quicker.
She did not laugh, she did not smile, but her mouth remained in an 'O' shape as she made her way round and round.
"Happy little, happy little, happy little boozer!" Yata sang.
The music kept playing, and then suddenly, it stopped and Yata stopped too.
"That was fun, wasn't it?" Yata asked her.
Anna nodded, but held her head in one hand as dizziness washed over her.
"Yata, you were a bit rough with her. She will probably get sick now," Izumo chided him.
"I'm fine," Anna told them, but she did make a zigzag movement. Mikoto was there suddenly, behind her, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. He had a cigarette in his mouth.
"Time for bed," he told her. She nodded, knowing that it was rather late and disappeared up the stairs to his room. He entered, much later and quite sober. He gave her a customary nuzzle, then moved to his side and went to sleep.
"Anna, wake up," Izumo said, shaking her.
When she opened her eyes, she was all alone in the bed, and Izumo was standing over her. He smiled gently.
"Get ready. Natsume-san will be here soon,"
Anna rubbed her eyes and nodded, then slid from the bed to head to the bathroom to get ready.
Natsume arrived approximately an hour later. She spoke with Izumo and Mikoto first, before sending for Anna. Kamamoto was the one to knock on her door and inform her that Natsume was awaiting her.
When she arrived downstairs, wearing her usual red and black dress made of ruffled material, she found Natsume, Mikoto and Izumo in the sitting room.
"Anna-chan, it's good to see you again."
Anna gave a slight bow in response.
"Natsume-san will discuss things with you privately, Anna," Izumo informed her and stood up with Mikoto.
They gave brief goodbyes before leaving to go to the next room.
Natsume turned to her.
"How have you been?" she asked the young girl.
"Well, and you?" Anna returned politely.
Natsume smiled. "Good. I've been good. Now, let's get down to business," Natsume picked up a disk in a plastic case. Anna recognized it.
"This is the information given to Izumo by Awashima Seri of the Blue Clan. She gave him detailed information on the growth of strains,"
Anna nodded, understanding.
Natsume continued. "There are different personality types of strains. Humans also have different personality types: we have introverts, extroverts. Some theorists classify us based on a Type A or Type B personality. Strains it seems, go through puberty based on their own personality types. There are four types: Type A, Type B, Type C and Type D. Type A's are more warm, kind hearted and quiet types. I fall into that category," Natsume informed her.
Anna gave her a blank look. "You're not quiet,"
Natsume laughed. "Growing up I was. Age brings brand new experiences that changes you. Plus, you can't be a quiet principal you know,"
Anna nodded.
"Type A's tend to menstruate like normal women. We have heavy periods sometimes and our bodies develop quite normally as well. Type B's are the more irrational type. They are grumpy, unhappy, moody and they tend to have regular periods and normal body development as well. They're just extra mean during that time of the month,"
Anna was glad she did not know any Type B's, although she had come across some in the institute when she was younger.
"Type C's are carefree, childish and happy. Your friend Neko falls into that category. Anna, you are Type D. The type that is classified as 'little adult',"
Anna looked at her. "I am sometimes called that,"
Natsume nodded. "The problem is that you are mature at a young age, but your body is not mature. In fact, it is not at the maturity of a typical pre-adolescent. That is a common issue with Type D's. That is why you look more like a nine year old," Natsume was saying.
"But I do have signs of adolescence already and I was informed that strains tend to go into puberty slightly sooner than normal people," Anna told her.
"You are correct, and that is why you already have pre-adolescent signs. The problem is, Anna, is that when you start menstruating, your body is going to mature to accommodate your already adult like mentality. In other words, you will mature at a much faster rate than the other type strains,"
Anna gave a little frown. "Why is that a problem?"
"When you start menstruating, you are going to have severe cramps. It will be very painful experience for you and while most women go on for five or seven days, you will bleed for nearly two weeks,"
Anna visibly paled at those words.
"It seems that is how your body will be pushed to maturity. By the time you turn fourteen, you will look like sixteen and when you are sixteen, you will actually have the physical and psychological make up of an adult,"
Anna was surprised by her words.
"But will I always have that kind of pain?"
Natsume shook her head. "Not always. It seems that the first year is the most difficult. Over time, the days will lessen, as well as the pain and you will have regular periods like most women. It always depends on the person, not necessarily the type in this aspect,"
Anna nodded. Puberty did not sound like fun.
"I've already informed Izumo and Mikoto. Anna-chan, the school's nurse office is equipped with medication and facilities to give you proper care when you come to Seneca. You will be under my care, so you will not have to worry," Natsume was telling her.
She decided that that was probably the only positive thing about going to the boarding school.
Anna looked at Natsume suddenly, and asked, "Natsume-san, what's going on with the Rise?"
Natsume looked a little troubled by her question. She sighed wearily. "Honestly, Anna-chan not much information was available on them except that the guy who the Blue Clan caught had a cyanide tooth in his mouth which he bit down on when he was captured, automatically killing himself,"
Anna nodded.
"We're at a lot of dead ends with them. Whoever they are, whatever they are is obviously not good and are very good at hiding up things about themselves. Thus far, it seems that they have stopped their kidnappings. Perhaps it may be because word has reached all strains about the danger that they are in so they are trying to keep more safe. You will as well, won't you? Be careful when you go out, Anna-chan,"
Izumo and Anna headed to the bank after speaking with Natsume. Anna had been pensive about going. Something had been niggling at her, telling her not to go. Yet, she knew she had to sort out things at the bank with Izumo and that she needed to get a gift for Mikoto.
After the bank, they went to the mall. It was just the two of them.
"I can't think of anything that guy would like," Izumo was saying to her as they passed a clothing store.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang.
Izumo immediately pulled Anna against him and looked to see what it was.
There was screams, commotion and people began running.
Behind them, a store had exploded. As the smoke cleared, tall men wearing on what looked like white suits came out. They were covered from neck to toe like that. There were at least three of them.
Since their faces were not covered, it was easy to see that one was completely bald. He had a big nose and a nasty smile. The other had an orange mohawk. He was extremely skinny and had a pointy nose. The third one had thick black hair and wore on dark shades. Perhaps he was the most 'normal' looking one out of them all-although there was nothing normal about their outfits.
On the left arm of each men, there was a large unidentifiable electronic device.
"We've come for you, Anna Kushina," the black haired one told her.
A/N: I apologize for the delayed chapter. Had lots of stuff to do and got really sick (I was in AGONY last night).
'Happy Little Boozer' is a song by the Finnish metal band Korpiklaani.
I don't remember much about personality types although I studied psychology, that's why I didn't go into a lot of detail about them. I made up the stuff about the personality types of the strains though.
*****As always, thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows. They really do encourage me to keep writing and are always much appreciated :)
How did everyone feel about the last K episode?
SPOILER FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT WATCHED THE LAST EPISODE OF K YET:
I don't think Mikoto is dead. They showed no bodies (neither his nor the silver king's) so I think they're both still alive (the silver king is immortal anyway). I watched the raw for it and I cried at the end. Also, only Reisi knows what Mikoto was telling him when he stabbed him. I also think think that the red we saw rising up from everyone might have something to do with the possibility of Mikoto still being alive. After all, Anna said at the end, 'Mikoto, your red is still warm'.
(or am I deluding myself?)
I think I could continue writing this fic. Maybe the manga might give me some inspiration.
The next chapter might have a bit of stuff about episode 13 in it.
P.S. Did I turn anyone off from oatmeal? It really has a lot of health benefits and I would advise anyone to include it in their diets.