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.
Rated 'M'
A/N: PLEASE READ! This chapter contains a small SPOILER for chapter 15 of memory of red. I read a translation of it on the tumblr of capioilla. You can check through the tags in tumblr and see if you get a link for the raws in them.
GROWING PAINS Part 2
by chickypeg
Chapter 21: Izumo...?
The bar was quiet, save for the chink of ice in the glass that belonged to a customer who sat alone in a corner.
The customer was a middle aged man who often came into Homra in hopes of catching a glimpse of the pretty young woman with long white hair. The female did not seem be there quite often enough for the customer's liking but he did still hope to see her whenever he came by.
She was so...pretty.
Pretty, pretty like a fairy.
White hair, sweet mouth and eyes that sometimes reflected red.
What a strange girl she was!
Ah, but so beautiful.
Well, this particular patron was quite content to sit in the corner and sip his drink as he watched her silently.
Anna was still wearing on Mikoto's shirt as she picked up some plates from a nearby table. As it was not really busy and there was some work to be done around the bar, she did not bother to change into anything better.
Eric was in the same section as her, sweeping up.
Izumo was making a drink for Mikoto who was sitting at the counter.
"I don't get it," Izumo sighed as he set the bourbon in front of Mikoto.
"What are you talking about?" Mikoto asked with quite a bit if disinterest as he lifted his glass.
"You," Izumo responded.
Mikoto paused before he sipped from his glass. He glanced at his friend.
"Me?" he repeated.
Izumo nodded. "Yes, you," The bartender proceeded to replace the bottle of bourbon he had poured Mikoto's drink from onto a nearby shelf. "Anna got flowers from Fushimi and you don't even care."
"Am I supposed to?" Mikoto queried. Irritation was laced in his tone for it was obvious that such a topic posed no significance to him.
He drank from his glass.
"Yes it is!" Izumo snapped. "What if he lures Anna away with flowers?!"
"Anna is loyal to us," Mikoto reminded him and shrugged. Just why was his friend getting so worked up over this? Over flowers of all things?
Besides, Anna wasn't a puppy who could be baited away easily from them.
The bartender glanced over to Anna who was still collecting plates from around the bar. Ensuring that he spoke lowly enough for only Mikoto to hear, he hissed, "I meant that he could seduce her away from you!"
Mikoto shot Izumo an annoyed look before he went back to drinking.
Izumo snorted. "You don't care at all?"
"I don't, so stop trying to force me and Anna to be together."
Izumo smirked then and nodded at the scene that was unfolding before.
Anna had set all the plates she had collected aside onto one table. She would move them to the kitchen soon. What she wanted to do was clean a particular window that she found had a few dusty spots.
However, it was too high for her so she moved a chair and attempted to reach up and clean it. Meanwhile, the patron who had been eying Anna had decided to give in a bit and try to touch her backside. He got up and went behind Anna.
No one could see what he was doing anyway.
At least that was what he thought.
"Wait," Izumo whispered to Mikoto whose eyes narrowed and had begun to glow red.
Eric had been keeping an eye on the man for he had found the customer watching Anna a little to carefully for his liking.
When Anna's back turned and the guy reached out his filthy hand to touch her, Eric grabbed his arm and shot him a glare that reminiscent of that of an angry dog.
The man became terrified and after a mumbled apology, he dropped some cash and scurried out. Anna had turned around in time to see the man say he was sorry before hurrying away. She blinked as she watched him go.
Eric glared after him before he turned his attention to her and gave her a small smile. He offered her his hand to help her down from the chair.
She accepted it.
"If Anna was really a princess, Eric could pass for a prince. Don't you think?"
Mikoto faced forward again as he lifted up his glass of bourbon once more.
"Footman," Mikoto told him.
"Eh?"
"Eric is her footman," he explained. The last time Anna had been cleaning windows, Eric had helped her down then as well.
"If you don't want Anna for yourself then I'm sure Eric will. He is princely, no matter what you say!"
"Pimp," Mikoto muttered.
"Hey! How can you say that?!"
"You're trying to marry a sixteen year old girl off to the first guy you see."
"Marriage is different from prostitution! And Eric's been with us for years!"
Mikoto's response was a sigh.
Seeing as his friend quieted down, Izumo decided to continue on the topic, "Or how about Kamamoto?"
Mikoto shrugged uncaringly.
Izumo tsked, "But then that mightn't be a great idea. His childhood friend's too sweet on him. It would break her heart. Yata, Chitose, Shohei and Dewa are all taken and Bando...he's just no good. Kosuke's love is animals so the most logical choice is Eric."
Mikoto's eyebrows clinched slightly.
"I don't care to hear your ramblings," he growled.
"You should," Izumo told him, irritated. "especially if you don't know whose child she's going to have!"
Mikoto frowned.
"What the hell are you talking about, Izumo?"
The bartender paused. "She didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
Izumo smiled carefully then. "About the vision she had."
Mikoto was clearly confused.
"It was on the day we went to see Chitose's son. She said she had a vision when she had held Tamotsu in her arms. She said she saw a very vague glimpse of the future where she was speaking to an older Tamotsu and in her arms was a baby. She was telling Tamotsu that he was the child's protector."
"I see."
At least he now had an idea of one of the reasons as to why all that baby talk had come up with her on that evening. It wasn't just because she had been holding Chitose's son, or that they had both relived the memory of when Anna's mother had been pregnant with her unborn sibling.
It was because Anna herself had seen a glimpse of the future with a child in her arms.
"Aren't you worried about who the kid's father is?" Izumo demanded.
"I'd be more concerned about who its mother is."
Izumo blinked.
"Obviously it's Anna, Mikoto. Why else would she be asking the son of one your strongest clansmen to protect the child?"
"She didn't say if it was hers or not."
Well, that was true.
Izumo turned away and absently picked up a glass to polish. Polishing glass was a way of calming his frustrations.
"Maybe the father has yet to be decided," he remarked.
"What do you mean, Izumo?" Mikoto demanded, suspicious now.
Izumo smiled again and showed all his teeth. "Maybe the baby is Anna's but the fate of who its father is hasn't been decided yet."
"Stupid, how do you make a kid without a father first?"
"I think maybe it's possible that we can choose who Anna's husband and the father of her child should be. I think Eric is a good choice," Izumo continued as if he hadn't heard Mikoto speak.
Mikoto let out a sigh, as if he was really tired and weary of this talk.
Izumo chuckled thoughtfully, "Ah, perhaps not. I remember Kosuke mentioning that our golden haired boy had expressed some interest in a girl recently so he's out. Everyone's taken...except me."
Mikoto's eyes shot to his friend's.
Ah, now I've got his attention, Izumo thought gleefully.
Smirking he continued to speak, "Anna did tell me recently that I've always been there for her quite a lot. Maybe our love can blossom into something else."
"Dirty old man," Mikoto said and picked up his glass of bourbon. While he may sound and seem unaffected, his actions spoke loudly for instead of sipping the bourbon now, he swallowed it all in one go.
"Oh come now, Mikoto. Do you think you're the only guy who's ever cuddled with her?" Izumo couldn't help but taunt.
Izumo was playing with fire here (possibly literally as Mikoto could easily burn him to ashes with his power). He sensed a shift in his king's mood. First it had been bored and uncaring, then irritated, then irked and now a strange sense of calm seemed to come over the red head.
Like the calm before a storm.
"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked slowly.
"That night, Mikoto, when Munakata stabbed you with his sword and you were in the hospital. Anna was traumatized. Her power let her see how he stabbed you and she had nightmares about it, over and over again."
That had been more than five years ago, and yet Mikoto became consumed with guilt for the sorrow he had caused her.
Izumo had been sleeping in the couch in his apartment. He had let Anna have his big bed. Sure he could have shared the bed with her but somehow it didn't feel right. The only male Anna ever sometimes fell asleep with was Mikoto.
Now that person was in the hospital, nursing a near fatal wound.
Izumo was about to turn on his side on the couch and try to make himself comfortable but he suddenly heard sobbing.
It came from his room.
Dashing out of the couch, he hurried over to the bedroom and upon opening it, he saw Anna tossing and turning.
She was weeping.
He hastened to her side and sat down beside her.
Touching her shoulder, he found her white skin as cold as ice. Worriedly, he reached out to shake her awake.
But to his shock, he found himself surrounded by red flames as figures began to draw up of what Anna's nightmares were. It seemed that she had just lost control of her power and now he was observing what she was seeing.
Bright red blood pouring on pure white snow.
A sad expression on the face of their King and yet the almost sense of peace that he had yearned for.
And yet, regret because he would no longer be able to see his clansmen.
That he wouldn't be able to protect Anna anymore.
Izumo was shaken by what he saw.
"Izumo," a weak voice whispered.
It was Anna. Her face was wet with tears. The reliving of that nightmare was over...for now.
Izumo reached down and hugged her tightly to him.
"It's alright, Anna, he's fine. We got him to the hospital in time," he assured her as he rocked her in his arms, half trying to convince himself that it was true-Mikoto would be alright.
But what scared him the most was the fact that Mikoto had wanted to die. He had been willing to end his life in order to no longer be burdened by his power. Izumo had been aware of just how much suffering that power had caused their King but now to actually know in his final moments that he had longed for death...it made Izumo sad.
But Izumo also knew something else as well.
Mikoto in his final moments could have died. Even when they had gotten him to the hospital, he could have faded away.
But for some reason, he held on.
He had wanted to live.
"This guy's a fighter. He's trying hard to live," the medic had told Izumo as they had rushed him off in the ambulance.
Yes, he was trying his very best to not die and leave them all behind.
"I fell asleep with her too and when I woke up, she was cuddled like a little kitten with me," Izumo told him. She had been curled up in a little ball at his side and his arms were still around her. It seemed that she had slept peacefully with Izumo.
Oh, Izumo was heckling his King alright and he was probably going to get his ass burned for it.
Getting a beast jealous would have serious repercussions.
But it was worth it.
Mikoto tsked.
"Don't go after young girls, you pervert," Mikoto told him and moved to stand.
Anna approached them with the pile of plates in her arms. She set it atop the counter. Just then, Izumo reached out and touched a strand of her hair.
"Anna, you look quite beautiful today," he informed her and gave a sweet, warm smile that made the ladies melt.
But not this young lady.
Her eyes remained completely blank on him.
In fact, her entire face was blank of any emotion.
Normally, this expressionlessness did not mean that there was nothing going on in her mind. She usually had lots of thoughts going on in her head.
But this was the first time she ever actually got so surprised that her thoughts were truly blank. Just what was up with Izumo?!
Anna glanced to her left when she sensed something amiss.
It was Mikoto. He did not show it but she could sense he was seething inside.
"You," he growled at Izumo. "come with me."
He came around the counter like a lion who was ready to fight with another member of its pride. Izumo could almost see him growling and snarling.
"Wait, Mikoto-"
However, he was cut off when Mikoto caught him by the neck with one arm and dragged him to the back.
Anna watched on, confused.
Izumo managed an awkward smile even after Mikoto shoved him against the wall in the storage room. Even when Mikoto slammed his palm into the wall beside his head, Izumo managed to maintain some composure although he felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of his head.
"Just what the hell are you playing at, Izumo?" Mikoto demanded.
Izumo lifted his hands in protest, "Look, it's nothing! I'm not interested in Anna that way! I'm her legal guardian and I do have someone else you know!"
"I know that, asshole. I just want to know why you did it."
Izumo let out a sigh and Mikoto stepped back from him. He lit a cigarette. Izumo did the same. Just like that, they were comrades again.
"You seemed almost worried there, Mikoto," Izumo commented.
"I didn't ask you that. Why were you hitting on Anna?"
Izumo let out a stream of smoke.
"I just wanted to see if you would get jealous over her. I know you want her, Mikoto. I see it every time you look at her and we both know she loves you very much. I've already given you permission to marry her when she turned sixteen. Why do you still act like there's nothing between you two? There's no need to pretend there isn't anymore."
Mikoto let out an annoyed breath.
"Five years ago, you said sixteen was too young for her marry," Mikoto recalled. "why did you change your mind?"
Izumo smiled again. Only this time, it was a bit sad and perhaps even somewhat bitter.
"Because after Tatara died, I realized how short life is. Then you came close to going as well, and even Anna when those guys from the Rise came after her. I think Anna has the maturity to be a wife and I know you will protect her. You're accepting enough of each other to put up with each other's flaws to build a healthy relationship," Izumo looked at his friend now and Mikoto could see the trust he had in him reflected in his eyes, "I can't ask for a better man than you for Anna and I can't think of a better woman than Anna for you. Why hold off on something that should be put together instead of waiting? Life is too short, Mikoto."
Mikoto huffed. It was so unlike Izumo to be so impatient and for Mikoto to be the patient one.
"When she's older."
"Huh?"
Mikoto's golden eyes glanced meaningfully at his friend.
It slowly dawned on Izumo then what Mikoto meant.
"You mean you will? But when?"
Mikoto shrugged at that.
Izumo smiled now, a warm happy smile. He began to understand a little better now why Mikoto hadn't done anything with Anna quite yet.
"You don't want to feel like you're robbing the cradle so you want to get used to her being more grown up now and when you think you're ready to accept that you'll make our move."
Mikoto made a quiet grunt, indicated that this was his plan.
It did surprise the bartender that his longtime friend seemed to have actually given a lot of thought to his situation with Anna. He was even willing to marry her. Mikoto didn't seem like the marrying kind but if one really looked at the way he and Anna interacted, they seemed very much like a married couple. Mikoto himself must have acknowledged that and seemed to believe that things would work out well with them if they eventually became legally wed.
Anna's hand dropped from the knob of the door that led to the storage room. She had heard some of their conversation from when Mikoto had asked Izumo why he wanted to marry Anna to him when she was only sixteen.
Her heart was beating faster.
Probably even skipping beats!
So the reason why Mikoto had resisted with her was because he felt he wasn't ready yet, but he was, he would give in and marry her!
Anna hurried away from the door. She didn't want them to know she had eavesdropped.
"I guess you now know that if the child in Anna's arms when she spoke to Tamotsu in her vision was hers, then it's father has to be you."
Mikoto actually hadn't really accepted that quite yet. But then again, the idea of kids never really crossed his mind.
Mikoto remembered that Anna had mentioned that Chitose's son was a strain. His power might blossom later on, but it would make sense that if Tamotsu was a strain and the son of his clansmen then he would be powerful.
If he was going to be a protector, as he had been aptly named based on Anna's insight on him, then the only baby that would possibly be required to have some protection would be a child of his and Anna's.
After all, it would make more sense that the baby was the son of the great Red King's.
A child who wouldn't require the protection of just anyone.
Even if Mikoto did not really consider having children one day, he didn't really like the idea of Anna having some other guy's child.
Izumo inwardly grinned. He could practically read Mikoto's mind. Lions tended to be possessive over what was theirs. Especially mates.
And Mikoto was definitely becoming possessive of Anna. Perhaps he had loosened somewhat toward his clansmen to allow them to give her bits of affection, but to no one else he would allow that privilege.
Anna was his, and his alone he seemed to think.
However, Izumo had one more thing to say to Mikoto.
"Mikoto, you are my King."
Mikoto tsked. He didn't really like it when Izumo reminded him of that. It was like he was drawing a line somewhere in their friendship and that pissed him off.
Izumo was aware of this, but he still continued in a formal manner as he folded his arms and became very serious.
Marriage was thing, but there was another issue that concerned Izumo.
"You are Anna's King as well, but I am her legal guardian. I will let you marry Anna but out of respect for her deceased parents and her aunt, I would like for you to do the honorable thing and marry her before you have any sexual relations with her."
Sex was an entirely different matter and he was quite sure Mikoto wouldn't mind having a good feel of Anna before they married.
Mikoto lifted a perfectly arched red eyebrow. Izumo was being a bit of a hypocrite since he tended to sleep around a lot. Still, as her legal guardian he did take certain things into consideration such as what the feelings of Anna's parents would be. No father or mother would like to find out that their underaged, unmarried daughter was having sex at age sixteen. Even if it was with a King.
Izumo wanted to do Anna's biological parents honor even in the grave for he had come to have the legal responsibility of her upbringing.
"Mikoto, I'm being serious about this. You seem to have toned down a bit but when you were sending the antidote into Anna's body, I felt like I was watching an erotic movie."
Mikoto frowned around his cigarette. "Is that so?"
"Yes. If anything at all happens between either of you, I don't care if she's sixteen or not, you will get married. That's only the only condition I have. Do you agree with me?"
Mikoto sighed.
"Yeah. Why not?"
They shook hands on it and decided to leave.
Izumo said Mikoto's name as he reach for the door.
Mikoto flicked him a glance over his shoulder.
"Do you think if Tatara was still alive, Anna would have fallen for him instead?"
Mikoto snorted then.
"Then she would have been with that Kei guy."
"I think she's smart enough to see Kei as a separate person and not as a replacement for Tatara. What do you think, Mikoto?"
Izumo continued speaking as another thought came to him, "Nah. I think Anna is loyal to you the most. She's always had a crush on you. No matter what, her feelings for you will never change,"
"Oi."
Anna jumped like a startled bunny. She glanced over her shoulder with wide eyes to see Mikoto standing there with a cigarette in his mouth and his hands in his pockets.
"Why are you barefoot in a kitchen?" he questioned after cocking an eyebrow at her.
Anna's cheeks reddened slightly as she returned her attention to the dishes in the sink that she was washing up.
She was trying her best to hide the elation in her heart over what she had just heard. Sure, Mikoto had told her that the responsibility of their future was in her hands, implying that he did want something with her.
However, he had never told her what exactly he wanted their relationship to be, or when something more would occur between them.
Now, she knew.
He was willing to marry her once he felt that she was old enough and he could truly accept her as an adult.
"I forgot my shoes outside."
"Go get it," he instructed and folded his arms.
Anna nodded and turned off the faucet. She dried her arms were a kitchen towel and slung through the handle of the oven before she hurried to the door. She had to walk past him to get there, but his arm shot out and caught her by the waist, stopping her.
Anna looked up at him.
His eyes remained on her for a long moment, as if he was thinking deeply.
"Mikoto?" she said his name and tilted her head to the side.
He blinked, as if startled out of his thoughts.
Then, he lowered his head and pressed a brief kiss against her temple. "Eat something," he told her quietly.
She nodded and he released her.
He did treat her like a child by telling her to do certain things, but he did not see her as one. He also had some childish ways about him that made Anna have to act like a parent with him sometimes.
When she was younger and he locked himself up too much, she would request that they make his favorite food to get him to come down more.
She did do certain things around the bar like cook and wash for him when he should be doing stuff like that for himself.
But she didn't mind doing it and he never stopped her. He also never expected her to consistently do these things for him, yet she still did them.
They did have an interesting relationship where they cared for each other's needs to quiet, subtle ways that still, in some way formed a special kind of dependency on each other because they knew they could trust each other.
Eric had just opened the kitchen door and there he saw his king holding the princess of their clan in his arms, kissing her softly at her temple and then speaking to her softly.
Blushing furiously, he closed the door.
Then, he smiled.
It had been a while since he had seen those two interact with such affection. It was not as bad as the other night when the both of them had sounded sexually charged in the backseat of Izumo's car, but it was a very tender scene that brought warmth to his heart.
He walked away, leaving the two to have a moment of privacy.
Fushimi was thinking that he was unnaturally lucky today because of the fact that most of that cake Seri had made had been demolished.
Either his clansmen had eaten it...or destroyed it.
Still, they made sure to leave back a whole big chunk of cake for their King.
"I didn't realize that everyone liked the cake so much, Fushimi-kun. I will make another one tomorrow and save you a piece," Seri told him. She maintained her sense of formality but Fushimi could sense that on the inside, she was actually really joyful that everyone seemed to like her cake.
Haha.
What a joke.
He heard Hidaka was puking in the men's room right now.
"It's alright, you don't have to," Fushimi assured her.
"You can have a piece of mine," Munakata told him. They were in his office and he was sitting behind his desk with a huge slice of cake set before him.
Burnt greenish brown and loaded with blue frosting.
No matter what Seri might think, there was nothing aesthetically appealing about that slab of gunk.
Seri was at his side, her eyes filled with total respect that made it near impossible for the Blue King to find an excuse to not eat it.
"Ah...no, you don't have to-"
"I insist, Fushimi," Munakata stated and there was a hard edge in his voice that indicated that he was exercising authority.
'This is oppression!' Fushimi wanted to accuse. This was just...just plain abuse of power to force him to endure the absolute torture of that nasty cake!
The only reason why Munakata was insisting on this was because if Seri made another cake tomorrow, they would have to eat it again! The best thing to do would be to simply have Fushimi eat some cake today so that tomorrow they wouldn't have to suffer again.
Of course he could just walk off and say he didn't want any.
And he was going to do just that but Munakata continued, "Your former female clansman really liked the flowers, Fushimi-kun. She said to tell you 'thank you',"
That made Fushimi pause.
He was glad he hadn't personally given Anna the flowers.
That would have just been awkward.
Although it might have been interesting to see everyone's reaction.
Seeing Yata and Anna hurt had been more upsetting to him than if one of his blue clansmen had been harmed.
After all, only he, Saruhiko Fushimi, was allowed to harm Yata. In fact, Fushimi had a special throwing knife just for him that he was waiting to use on the skateboarder the next time he saw him.
As for Anna, she was the one person in the Red Clan he had such a soft spot for. He had known her since she was a little girl...and even he had to admit that children like Anna, who were sweet, quiet and obedient, did tend to grow on him.
Even if she was a young woman now, he did care deeply for her. This was because in his eyes, she would always be that sweet little girl.
Fushimi almost clicked his tongue in annoyance for the memory of Anna made him go a bit soft on the female population as he almost considered actually eating Seri's cake.
Almost.
Not quite though.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"I'm allergic to red bean paste."
Munakata smiled slowly then.
"When was the last time you had red beans?"
"Ah-"
"I saw you eat a dumpling with it last week. I think you've outgrown that allergy, Fushimi-kun. Come here."
Fushimi tsked now.
How annoying.
So much for good luck.
Now he had to stuff that cake down.
He only hoped there was a toilet in the men's room reserved for his stomach contents.
Anna observed the yellow carnations in the store. What would be a good bouquet to bring to Yata in the hospital?
"You said you wanted to give your cousin some flowers as a thank you?" Kei asked.
She had returned to Seneca and was able to meet up with her friends before going to the hospital to see Yata. Mikoto and Izumo had already gone but she would meet them there. Afterward she would start her shift at the maid cafe, and spend the night in Seneca as requested by Akemi.
She had informed them that she was going to the florist and they insisted on coming with her. JJ seemed to be a bit bored and decided to tag along as well.
"Yes," she responded to Kei's question.
"You can give him some azaleas. I think they can mean 'thank you' in Western culture," Kei informed her.
Behind him, JJ remarked, "Stupid brother. Azlea means 'modest' in Japanese culture,"
Yata wasn't exactly what one could call 'modest'.
He wasn't arrogant either but he was a bit loud and boisterous.
Still lovable though.
Kei sneered at his brother. "You and your sense of nationalism. Nothing is wrong with adopting some western culture!"
"It's impeding on ours! Our sovereignty is being undermined! Our culture is being encroached upon by western standards! Our ramen stands will be destroyed by McDonalds restaurants!"
"If that's the case then you should be wearing a kimono instead of denims!"
JJ paused.
He looked down at himself.
Okay, so he had on a shirt and a pair of jeans. The denim fabric had originated in Italy but it was a German guy who had moved to the States and another American tailor who had first produced the commercial product that was now worn in several countries throughout the world.
He tsked.
"It's domestically produced: Made In Japan," he retorted.
Kei rolled his eyes and decided to ignore his brother. JJ was deliberately ignorant about certain things and was truly a bad debater. He would say the dumbest things to defend himself, even if it meant contradicting himself.
"Carnations," Anna murmured. It was best she could come up with but she did not really want carnations for Yata, considering that she had received some from Fushimi earlier today.
"Which one of your cousins are you getting them for?" Kei queried as JJ went off to harass Akemi who was standing behind them.
"Yata."
Kei looked thoughtful. "Yatagarasu? If you're looking for gratitude, you can choose bluebells because that what the flower represents in Japanese culture. Or how about edelweiss? They supposed to mean courage,"
Anna blinked as he pointed to some white flowers that had cotton-looking petals and yellow centers.
Yata was courageous. What he had done for her was very brave. Yes, edelweiss it would be.
As she went to speak to the florist about getting a dozen for Yata, Kei went to see what JJ was talking to Akemi about.
"I shall give you a yellow tulip so that I may express my one-sided love for you," JJ told the pretty blonde haired girl as he took one from the flower pot and held it out to her. His smile was flirtatious. They both knew he was just fooling around though.
However, Kei snatched the yellow blossom from him before Akemi could even consider accepting it.
"Don't be stupid, you womanizer! Tulips don't even suit a cactus like her!"
"Cactus!" Akemi gasped, then became angry. How dare he compare her to a cactus?!
"Oh? Cactus? Are you trying to say Akemi is a lustful woman? The flower does represent sex after all."
Both Akemi and Kei's faces went red.
"Oh shut up," Kei snapped and tugged a red hibiscus from a nearby pot where several were growing from a bush of dark green, leathery leaves.
Then, he faced Akemi. Her brilliant blue eyes looked up at him as he calmly tucked the flower above her ear.
"Kei?" she said his name.
In reply, he patted her head and walked away to see what Anna was doing and to also pay for the hibiscus he had plucked, as well as the tulip his brother had taken as well.
"Ah...how strange. Japanese culture considers hibiscus to be for people who are gentle."
Akemi glanced at him.
"Kei doesn't think me gentle."
JJ smiled thoughtfully. "Unless he chose it based on the western meaning."
"And what is it then, in western culture?"
"It means rare, delicate beauty."
Akemi's eyes widened slightly. Although her maid cafe name did acknowledge that she was a rare beauty, she did not ever realize that Kei had thought the same about her.
JJ walked past her.
"You do look very beautiful with that flower in your hair, Akemi-chan."
"Mikoto-san...for you to come here...and I...I'm sorry!" Yata apologized as he lowered his head as much as possible as he sat up on his bed in his hospital room.
"What are you sorry about?" Mikoto asked with a frown.
"I tried to protect Anna but she still got hit and then you had to come all the way here," Yata lifted his head up, his eyes watery like that of a touched child's, "just to see me."
Mikoto blinked twice. Yata's admiration of him could be a bit...much sometimes. But he liked his vanguard well enough. He was strong and he rarely ever failed him.
"You protected her, Yata-chan. She's alright," Izumo assured him.
"But two needles hit her-"
"And two hundred and twenty two hit you," Mikoto put in quietly.
Yata lowered his eyes. "She was still hurt."
Mikoto walked over to his clansman's side.
Startled at the king's nearness, Yata looked up at him.
Then, without warning, Mikoto whacked him to the back of his.
"Ow..! Mikoto-san, why?!" he asked as he rubbed his hurting head.
"You did your job, Yata. You're not accountable for the two needles that hit Anna."
"Only the two hundred and twenty two that got you," Izumo added.
Yata smiled then.
The door opened and everyone turned to see Anna standing there.
She was dressed in her maid cafe uniform as she had to hurry to work afterward. Her large eyes fell upon Yata and the skateboarder could swear he saw a flash of sorry in her eyes. She was observing his torso that was bound with white bandages and the lines under his eyes that came from the pain he felt despite the being administered painkillers.
She took one step into his room.
Then hesitated.
"Misaki."
Yata smiled widely then. "Anna! You're alright and you look great and-"
His words were cut off when Anna flew to him and hugged him tightly around his neck.
She was rarely one to show emotion but it was obvious that she had been very worried about Yata. She was glad to see him alive and recovering.
Yata felt that she might choke him and he was also concerned about Mikoto possibly incinerating him for allowing Anna to hold him so tightly.
However when he looked at his king, who was gazing upon Anna, Yata realized that his leader's eyes held understanding in them.
Mikoto glanced at Yata and nodded to him. Yata smiled back and wrapped his arms around Anna. She was soft and warm, like most girls were and she had the comfortable feel of 'little sister'.
"Hold Anna's hand, Yata," Tatara told his comrade. His own arms were filled with groceries as they walked back to Homra bar.
"Eh?! But...but..." Yata's voice trailed off. Then he met eyes with the little girl who was looking up at him expectantly.
"Could it be that Yata has never held a girl's hand before?" Tatara queried.
"What?! That's...that's...none of your concern, Totsuka-san!" Yata sputtered.
Tatara smiled goodnaturedly. "Well, I can't hold Anna's hand to cross the street because my arms are full. Just take her hand, it won't break,"
Yata looked down at Anna who remained silently waiting.
She was just a kid right?!
A kid who had seen him naked...
Yata shook his head quickly to rid himself of the memory of that embarrassing incident!
"Yata, the light is going to change soon! You need to hold her hand," Tatara urged him.
Yata grabbed the seven year old's palm into his own then, but tried to be gentle as possible. So gentle that her hand nearly slipped out of his grasp.
Perhaps she sensed his uncertainty and she understood for instead of him gripping her hand properly, she tightened her hold on his and led him across the street after the light changed.
"It's like brother and sister, isn't it?" Tatara remarked behind them.
Yata smiled.
Yes, it was. Thinking back on all the suffering the poor girl had to go through and how she was now safe with them in Homra, made Yata just want to guard this girl more and make sure that she was always comfortable and happy.
He had protected her, hadn't he? Mikoto had said so!
"Thank you," Anna whispered as she drew back and held out the bouquet of pretty white flowers to him.
Happily, the skateboarder accepted them. These were special. They were from Anna.
"You did great, Yata-chan," Izumo told him softly.
And Yata's heart was almost bursting with pride that his actions were viewed in a very positive light, by three of the most important members of his clan.
A/N: Just like before, I looked up all the info on flower meanings from Wikipedia. It had both Western and Japanese meanings.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
***I'm on holiday out of the country and I finally decided to check out some Anna/Mikoto fics out there. These are some that caught my attention so if you haven't read them, you can check them out:
-King's Jealousy by FragileBlueButterflies. It's a very nice, well written story and I personally enjoyed every moment of it. Just keep in mind that it is an 'M' rated fic.
-Advertisement by featheredxrequiem. This author has some really nice oneshots and the ones I have read so far, I have found to be very sweet and beautiful.
-Red by WitchyCloudPine. This is not an Anna/Mikoto fic but it is one of the most well-written stories I have ever come across. Her OC is also very well developed and fits in wonderfully in the story.
I know there are a few more treasures and I will look again soon :)
Thank you, all of you who follow, review and favorite this story.
To those of you who reviewed:
DBerryNia: I'm pleased you enjoyed those moments with Reisi, and hope you enjoyed them in this chapter as well :) I think Eid is either tomorrow or Friday, right? All the best to you on that day :)
WitchyCloudPine: Thanks so much, I'm pleased that you enjoyed the part with flowers :)
Bre Renee: Lol I won't kill you! I had wondered what had happened with you. I thought you probably got really busy and didn't have time to read. I'm pleased you're still keeping up with the story and that you're still enjoying them! Yes, you can call them 'sibling moments' :) I'm sure your own brother has his good points. Then again, some brothers don't develop nice points until they get older (like mine. When we were younger, he was kinda mean and now we get along pretty good). I don't mind that you wrote 3 paragraphs! I'm always happy to hear about what you liked in the story and how you think the character development is etc. Hope to here from you again, God bless :)
XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: I thought it would be interesting for Fushimi to give Yata flowers, solely based on its name XD I actually don't have any plans to write in anymore love triangle with those three, at least not in this story. I mentioned in a previous chapter that I would probably do a oneshot based on what would be like if Seri chose to be with Reisi, and another oneshot on what it would have been like had she chosen Izumo (based on what happened in the first part of the story). I'm not sure when I might do that but I'm considering when I've completed this story to do so. I am still planning to introduce her in another way in this story but I'm not sure how or if I will because then the story might end up dragging on for too long and I don't for that to happen. Hope this answer helps :)
LadyCassie: I'm glad that part made you laugh and I'm pleased you enjoyed reading :)
creativeactive: Well, there's no guarantee quite yet that they are going to get married ;) However, there is still a lot to come. There are some other details that need to be sorted out still and there is definitely another arc coming up though and it may be the last one for this story ;)
LindyLinn: I love him too! :)
Flower 117: Yes, Fushimi is a sweetheart :) And Awashima and her horrible cake made yet another appearance ;) The poster really was sweet, especially with the way Mikoto was looking at Anna. I was like 'aww...' when I saw it. I think they should show some flashbacks. I really hope they do :/
Wonderful Reminiscence: Yes, I remember your former username! It's always good to start afresh :) Thanks for thinking so well of the story, I truly appreciate it :) I haven't played any otome games but I do watch some anime and manga with them. Lately I'm into Brother's Conflict. Even though I personally don't find the art and coloring as high quality as other reverse harem animes that were originally otome games, I find it to be one of the most interesting! I actually really like the heroine as well. Normally they tend to be a bit boring (like the one from Amnesia). I think Gora is actually really good at marketing and reaching the preferences of different segments of his audience. He put in specific characters personalities so that it would appeal to a wide audience. I have to hand it to the Gora team, they really knew what they were doing when they came together to make K. I think they're releasing a game around the same time as the movie which is being developed by Otomate. They haven't said if it's a dating game as well, but I guess we will know next year :)
Guest: I'm pleased you enjoyed that bit of Fushimi and Anna :) I also like to think that Fushimi is like her older brother. Anna and Mikoto are definitely my OTP :) The storyline in Hakuouki for the anime was really terrible with the second season. There was more romance but it was just...sad :( I loved Hijikata, Okita and Harada :) I think Sannan-san had some good qualities :) I'm glad you enjoyed the fic so far :) I wrote in some Eric and Anna interaction here as well. Just a tiny bit, but hope you enjoyed it :)
friedchicken: I'm glad you did :)
Thanks for reading, God bless :)