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: There's a scene in here from chapter 12 of K Memory of Red. It is based on the translation done by Aqua Scans.
GROWING PAINS Part 2
by chickypeg
Chapter 25: To The Zoo!
Mikoto frowned at eight year old Anna who was clutching the edge of Tatara's white shirt that stuck out of his pants. She was looking at him with wide, dark eyes. Though she did not show it, he could tell that she was a bit nervous.
He had been half sleeping on the couch in the bar when she and Tatara had approached him. Upon her soft voicing of his name, he had opened his eyes.
Patiently, he watched the child, waiting for her to speak.
Beside her, Tatara was grinning from ear to ear while Yata and skinny Kamamoto stood on either side of the vassal on this warm Summer's day.
No doubt they wanted to go somewhere and were trying to wheel him in. Mikoto almost clicked his tongue in irritation. Anna suddenly seemed shy and wandered behind Tatara, watching Mikoto from behind him.
Mikoto hadn't seen her act like this since the first time he had met her nearly a year ago.
And it annoyed him.
"Anna wants to ask you something," Tatara explained.
Anna blinked at him while peeking behind the slender young man.
Mikoto sighed. "Anna, come here," he ordered.
She hesitated and released her comrade.
She walked to stand in front of Mikoto.
"Don't hide from me," he told her. It sounded harsh to some, but not to Anna for she simply understood that he did not like it when she acted like she should be afraid for some reason.
She nodded.
"What do you want to ask me?" he asked her carefully. Maybe he was trying to get his voice to be gentle, but it still came out sounding a bit rough. Anna didn't seem to mind.
She lowered her eyes and answered shyly, "Will Mikoto come to the zoo with us?"
"Aren't you afraid they might keep you?" he questioned with an almost genuinely surprised look on his face.
"King, that's not nice to say to Anna!"
"He's looking at us, Totsuka-san...I think he's asking us if the zoo would keep us," Kamamoto pointed out.
Tatara looked at their King and grinned. "They may keep Yata-"
"Hey!" Yata snapped.
"But not me. Or Anna. Perhaps they might keep you in the lion cage," Tatara continued, speaking to the King.
Mikoto snorted at his words thinking that they might keep him as well and have him train all the animals.
"Lion cage?" Anna questioned in awe at Tatara.
He nodded. "Have you ever seen a real one?"
She shook her head. Then, she and Tatara looked at the King again. Mikoto didn't particular care for any of the pairs of eyes upon him...save for a particularly large grey set.
"Do you really want to go?" Mikoto asked her.
She nodded.
The King released a sigh.
How could he refuse her anything?
And that was how Mikoto ended up in the zoo with Izumo, Tatara, Kamamoto, Yata and Anna. Anna, of course, clung to the black sleeve of his jacket as they walked. He had become well acquainted with how to read her feelings over the last year and he understood that she was happy to be able to go to the zoo...as well as for him to be at her side as they went.
That was the only reason why he had even bothered to come.
They stopped outside of the lion cage.
It was really a part of the building that had been sectioned off and a glass screen placed in front of it to allow visitors to see the animals. The lions in the cage were asleep. Although they were still a bit young, they were already large, beautiful beasts with healthy golden manes.
Yet, they looked like the laziest, sleepiest of all the animals they had encountered that day.
"Who do they remind you of, Anna?" Tatara asked as he stooped beside her. Anna looked up at Mikoto who gave her a lopsided frown in reply.
Tatara laughed. Anna gazed at the animals again, then softly, she said, "I feel sorry for them,"
"Huh?" Tatara said. Both he and the king had their eyes on her.
Her own remained on the two beautiful creatures in the cage.
"They should be wandering around, and free, not in captivity," she explained with a rare air of maturity about her.
None of the men with her said anything for a long moment because they were thinking about what she said and how it related to the King. They both knew that Mikoto's power was pushing at him and caging him in from all that he could be. He was a King with several clansmen, but even as a King, he had to work hard to control his own power otherwise he would become a slave to it.
Tatara lightly stroked the top of Anna's white head. He ought to at least give Anna some comfort regarding the lions who were kept in the zoo.
He pointed to a nearby sign with some information regarding the lions.
"It seems that some of these lions had been forced out their prides after they had grown to become threats to current leader of their groups. Most of the time when they're forced out, it seems that they might eventually form their own prides. Unfortunately, some don't and it's very difficult to hunt and feed solo because these lions have to compete with a lot of other lions for food. They may starve in the wilderness. When a species of this kind becomes endangered some lions are adopted by some institutes because they cannot live on their own alone. There's a habitat that's been created for these lions and they will be taken to it soon. They'll have a new home with other members of their kind."
Those words did mean a lot to Anna. She was glad that the lions would be safe.
A short time later, Izumo and Tatara wandered off to watch some peacocks that Anna did not seem interested in. After all, they were known for their brilliant plumage but she would not be able to see it due to her color blindness. Instead, Kamamoto and Yata took her to get some ice-cream.
"Get her chocolate," Kamamoto told Yata.
"No, she'll like cotton candy better!"
"Yata-san, I think chocolate would be better."
"Cotton candy!" Yata insisted and shoved his foot into Kamamoto's currently flat backside.
In the end, she wound up with a cone that had one scoop of chocolate, and the another with a vibrant array of blue, white and pink.
"Where would you like to go now, Anna?" Kamamoto asked as he held her hand.
"Mikoto," she responded. She was tired now and she just wanted to be with her king for a little while.
The king was sitting on a bench somewhere to the back.
All the patrons of the zoo kept away from him for he had such a menacing atmosphere about him. Mikoto really didn't like coming out too often but he suspected that he had been dragged out today because he had been locked up inside for an exceptionally long period of time. The others had become worried about him and tried to get him to come out and see the sun for a bit.
Mikoto looked up when he saw the trio approach him.
Skinny Kamamoto was holding a triple serving of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. He was watching it with desperate unease because his appetite was normally significantly reduced during the Summer. Yata had cotton candy and peanut. He must have forced Kamamoto to take more than his fair share in hopes of fattening him up again.
After all, the 'kyaa' 'kyaa' cries of the females all around them that came upon their sight of the yellow haired young man just ticked the skateboarder off.
Anna had chocolate and cotton candy. Her lips were amusingly blue.
"We're going to see the otters again. Be good for Mikoto-san," Kamamoto told her and hurried off with Yata while Anna climbed onto the bench beside Mikoto.
Mikoto reclined against the seat and glanced at the little girl. She licked the ice cream again and he noticed that her lips thinned out.
"Don't you like it?" he questioned.
She shook her head.
"Then why did you get it?"
"They didn't listen," she responded and he realized that those two just got what they thought Anna might like, without asking her what she really wanted. Even if she did try to tell them, they were probably too caught up in arguing to hear what the soft spoken child had to say.
Well, Mikoto wasn't surprised by that.
"I wanted cherry," she added with a slightly disappointed look in her eyes.
That made sense. The other two idiots obviously didn't realize that Anna would want a color she could actually see. Anna was also an appreciative child who never wasted anything that was given to her, especially by her clansmen. She would therefore eat her ice cream cone even if she hated it.
Sighing, he took the ice cream from her. "Don't force yourself," he told her gruffly and patted her hair gently.
He proceeded to eat her ice cream for her.
The others joined them a short period of time later.
Tatara was quick to notice Anna's blue lips and Mikoto's demolishing of the ice cream. He came to the obvious conclusion that it was Anna's ice cream he was eating.
"King, why are you eating Anna's ice cream? That's like an indirect kiss!" he accused.
In return, Mikoto glowered at him and smashed his fist into his head.
Tatara was holding his head in pain while still retaining a smile.
"Stop saying lewd things," Mikoto admonished him. Besides, it was a bit normal for the clansmen to drink from the same bottle and eat from the same plate.
That usually happened when they went out and they were low on cash and ended up having to split everything.
Tatara only laughed. He proceeded to take Anna to wash her hands from the stickiness of the ice cream that had melted onto her fingers. They moved to check out some flamingos and because she was too short, Mikoto lifted her under her arms and propped her against the protective barrier that blocked them from the strange pink birds.
She was awed by the sight, which showed from the slight widening of her eyes. In her black and white world, all she could really make out was several pale pink hues moving slowly. Perhaps it was their movement that made Anna sleepy, or maybe it was being so close to Mikoto whose warmth lulled her.
Whatever the reason, she started to doze like a baby while leaning onto the barrier. Mikoto noticed and immediately drew her back from it, instinctively lifting her against him and holding her safely and securely against him to ensure her utmost comfort.
Spring was coming to end and the summer would be upon them soon. With the weather seemingly perfect as it was neither too hot nor too cold, Yata had suggested they all go to the zoo. It was a boring Saturday and Izumo had decided that this would be a fine idea.
As he prepared a lunch basket, he called Maria and Chitose and informed them of their outing. Not all of the clansmen could come along but quite a few did try to make it.
Anna wanted to go because she loved being with her clansmen.
Mikoto had been more reluctant though. He thought it was more interesting to sleep all day long instead of going to the zoo and goggling at a bunch of wild animals.
If he wanted to observe such creatures, all he had to do was watch his clansmen.
They were a group of jungle beasts anyway.
Except for maybe Eric and Yata.
They were dogs by their own rights anyway (Golden Retriever and Chihuahua though Yata might claim to be a crow).
Izumo had been the one to convince the king.
The room was quiet and dark despite the sun shining brightly outside. A large body lay facedown on the bed with a white blanket pulled over it almost completely. Only a little peek of red appeared at the top.
"Mikoto, we're going to the zoo. Don't you want to come?"
Mikoto grunted. That meant 'no'.
Perhaps it would have been better to have Anna come and try to convince him. Unfortunately, she was downstairs with Tamotsu, quite enthralled by the adorable baby.
"Why not?"
"Boring."
"Come on, it's not boring! Even Anna is coming!"
"So what?"
Izumo let out a heavy sigh. "Are you really this hard headed, Mikoto? Don't you recall how innocent Anna is when it comes to men? The only male she is acutely aware of is you. If another approaches her, she never knows their intentions. What if someone tricks her?"
"Aren't you going to keep her safe?" Mikoto retorted.
Izumo took in a deep breath.
Oh, Mikoto was being extra-tough today. There was a very subtle challenge in Mikoto's words: what he had been saying was, 'Don't you think you're good enough to protect her?'
Jealousy was not working on the redhead. Izumo had to try yet another avenue.
"Of course we'll keep her safe. I suppose I'll go down and tell those big grey eyes how you've decided to spend the day sleeping in bed instead of with her. She already had to work yesterday and saw only very little of you. Don't worry, I will convey it all to her and I'll even report her disappointment back to you."
Izumo, that asshole.
That damned bartender had his own way of throwing a guilt trip on the King. While Tatara may outright call him a 'meanie', Izumo would drag it all out with agonizing words that made Mikoto seem like even more of a villain than necessary.
Mikoto threw back the blankets.
"Fine," he growled and grabbed up his cigarettes.
And that was how Anna and Mikoto ended up sitting on a picnic blanket together, underneath a tall shady tree that sat upon a hillock that overlooked most of the zoo.
At the bottom was a cobbled path to walk around through in order to eye the animals. There was also a bench there as well where two women with their own little children sat. The women were gossiping more than necessary and this brought up memories of when Anna was a little girl and she was out with Mikoto.
"Is he some sort of lolicon?" one middle aged woman whispered to her friend.
"I think he might be a pedophile!" her friend replied.
"Someone ought to call the police on that yakuza!"
The pair were obviously referring to Mikoto and Anna who were sitting on a bench, minding their own business and eating ice-cream.
Mikoto's was melting at a fast rate.
"Mikoto, they're saying bad things, aren't they?" Anna remarked innocently, but loud enough for the women to hear and understand that they had been overheard.
Mikoto's response was to shrug at the eight year old and tried to finish up his frozen desert that was fast becoming a liquified mess.
The women froze in shock.
"We were just commenting on what a cute sister you are!" one of the women lied.
Anna fixed her with a blank look while Mikoto ignored her.
The women felt uncomfortable and hurried away, thinking that both the scary man and the pretty little girl were just too weird.
Even after many years, people still passed judgement on them.
Mikoto might still look like he was in his early twenties, and Anna might look like she was in her late teens (which she really was), but it did not matter to the people who passed by the pair who were sitting under a tree in the shade.
The baby in Anna's arms did not even deter their tasteless remarks.
In fact, it only fueled on their comments.
"What a pretty girl! Such a pity for her to be tied to that man and used as a baby-making machine!" someone said sympathetically as they passed by.
Another remarked, "What a scary guy! That poor girl, having to manage that baby with him!"
"She's so young too!"
"Her life has been wasted!"
Anna was sitting under the tree on a picnic blanket. On her lap was Tamotsu. He was now a fat, funny, happy little five month old baby. He had rosy cheeks and sharp eyes like his father's. His black hair and cute mouth were Maria's. No one was really sure where he got that nose and ears from but they assumed it might have been from Maria's father-Tamotsu's maternal grandfather.
Tamotsu bounced on her lap, disregarding the awful things people were saying. Mikoto was lying down in front of her with her knees brushing the side of his stomach which had been exposed by his t-shirt being drawn up slightly.
Mikoto's powerful arms were behind his head and there was an unlit cigarette between his lips.
Anna had willingly taken Tamotsu for a little while because she believed that Maria and Chitose would probably like a little break from taking care of the baby.
Oh, they loved their son to bits, but like most couples they needed to spend quality time together. They were also not the type of people to palm off their child on others. They accepted Anna's help this once because it seemed that Anna genuinely wanted to spend time with him. Tamotsu had also retained the liking he had taken toward her from since the day he had been born.
Anna didn't really know how to play with a baby. However, she did like the feel of Tamotsu's small body. He was quite cuddly. The way he sometimes laughed and gurgled tugged at her heart. Even when he drooled, she found him to be very cute.
She never really made funny faces at him, but she sometimes spoke softly to him and sang to him. He loved when she sang to him, just as she was doing now.
Mikoto's eyes were closed but he took in the song Anna softly sang to the child who had started to become a bit fussy.
'Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's going to buy you a mocking bird.
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.
And that diamond ring turns to brass,
Papa's going to buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat don't pull,
Papa's going to buy you a cart and bull...'
Anna's song was cut off when Mikoto spoke:
"What a weird song," he muttered. He had almost fallen asleep with her soothing singing voice.
Until he heard that 'billy goat' part.
He did know this lullaby and he always thought that this part with the goat was just so...out of place. The whole beat of the poem just changed from there.
But then again, most children's lullabies didn't make any sense.
Some scholars even thought that there was hidden meanings behind them.
Perhaps there were.
"It's a nursery rhyme. My mother used sing it to me," Anna confided quietly.
"I see," Mikoto murmured. He wondered if she still missed her parents and if she still thought about them a lot. She had Homra now. She had everyone and they cared for a lot.
She was now their family.
But he supposed that there were times when Anna would have wished that she could have spoken to her mother about certain topics. In fact, there were quite a lot of things Anna would have needed her mother for, especially in her teenage years.
Instead, the girl had to make do with a bunch of tough, wild guys.
Thank goodness for Yuki Natsume. That woman had treated Anna like her own daughter when the strain had been sent to stay with her in Seneca. She had understood the young girl and given her advice.
Heck, Yuki Natsume had even kept certain things secret between herself and Anna from the Red Clan. Things like Anna's friends knowing about her power and that Anna had one male friend-Kei Junichi.
Despite this, the older woman had been someone Anna needed to have in her life and even to this day, she could turn to her for help and counseling.
This was a trust the white haired female rarely displayed to just anyone. Yet, when Anna had been contemplating leaving the bar, it was Natsume she had wanted to confide in. This just showed that Anna was willing to rely on the older woman which was indeed a good thing for Anna did need the influence of an older female in her life.
Tamotsu began to wiggle in her arms. Anna looked down at him and saw that he was looking at Mikoto and waving his little arms.
Perhaps he wanted to go by the King?
Mikoto had not held the little boy since he was born. Babies were so little and fragile that they made even him, the great Red King, nervous.
Oh, he would never admit his anxiety.
He would simply pass it off as feelings of 'unsettlement'.
Maybe a tilt in his sense of peace.
Either way, he wasn't comfortable around little brats. Anna had been the only exception and he still hadn't been keen on her when he had first met her. Only after they had 'connected' through her marbles had he come to some sort of unconscious understanding with her.
When it came to roughness, the only reason why he was like that with her such as when he lifted her by the back of her dress, or flicked her on her forehead was really because he was aware of resilient she truly was.
Well, that was mainly because of his knowledge of Mizuchi's experiments on her. This had made him realize that she wasn't as breakable as he had thought.
Anna carefully set the baby onto Mikoto's stomach.
"Hm?"
Mikoto turned his chin downward in order to see what was this squirming, wiggling little weight on him. His golden eyes met dark brown ones and a happy, gooey grin greeted him.
Chubby, dimpled cheeks and tiny waving arms came into his line of sight.
Mikoto cocked an eyebrow at 'it'.
Yes, he referred to Tamotsu as an 'it'.
This was how Mikoto's mind worked things out with regard to the baby:
Suoh Mikoto had never really interacted with ones so little.
As such, his mind accepted that it was a little human but because babies were something so foreign, so alien to him, he had not properly conceptualized that the child had a gender.
Thus, Tamotsu was still an 'it' in his mind.
It was strange.
It laughed for no reason.
It slumped and grasped hold of his t-shirt in a fist and began to bite it.
No way could bits of cotton be good for it.
"Oi, stop that," Mikoto chided it.
It immediately obeyed and dropped the t-shirt.
Anna's eyebrows lifted slightly. Tamotsu was...obeying Mikoto.
Somehow he had understood that he must listen to Mikoto.
How interesting!
The baby instead gazed at Mikoto and then began to bounce slightly as if very happy.
The rocking motion was starting to irritate Mikoto and he caught Tamotsu by the back of his shirt. He was quite that sure he was not hurting the child.
However, people who passed by thought that the red haired yakuza was being awful to the cute little baby!
Mikoto kept his eyes on the baby who was watching him with awe.
Very much in a similar fashion as Anna had when she had first met him.
Anna occasionally did strange things with him. Perhaps it was for her own amusement or fascination.
Or maybe she was trying to appeal to supposed 'inner child' in everyone.
These were all assumptions one could make.
Especially when Anna had deliberately chosen a plate shaped like a cat for his food to be served on. Those black eyes stared up at him from the top of the tableware.
Even the utensils were rather clunky and child-like.
Well, Mikoto was never one to complain-at least not to Anna because he didn't want to hurt her feelings.
Even if she had chosen a grown-up plate for herself.
That brat.
Mikoto released a quiet breath. He wouldn't bother her about this. The food on the plate interested him more anyway. Besides, she made sure to order his meat rare for him.
At least she knew what he liked.
After a brief discussion on Anna's happiness at being in Homra, she remarked with regard to the child who had clung to his leg, "I wonder if that child came closer because Mikoto's red is so pretty,"
"Only you can see that," Mikoto reminded her as he focused his attention on his meat.
"I'm sure other children can see it too."
"Is that so?"
"Yes..."
Perhaps Anna had been correct.
Adults became frightened at the mere presence of Mikoto. Yet, there were times when certain children either gazed after him in awe or seemed to become cheerful when he was around.
It seemed that Tamotsu might be one such child.
Mikoto dropped the child calmly high on top of him. The little boy's bottom was sitting on his chest and he leaned his tiny body forward so that he could press his small hands on Mikoto's chin. He was able to prop himself up in this way.
It seemed as though Tamotsu was a rather intelligent baby for him to think to do this.
He made a soft noise that seemed to come up from the back of his throat. It sounded as he if pleased with his little spot atop the King.
It (the baby) was very light. Yet, it was warm.
It was wearing on a red t-shirt and black long pants. His mother had given him a pair of red and white shoes to put on his little feet and he even had a matching cap.
Tamotsu didn't care for the cap for he had somehow managed to push it off his head and it was now lying idly beside Anna.
Mikoto at least remembered that it was a boy.
"You look like a girl," Mikoto said to the child.
Anna's mouth thinned into a line. It seemed that she disapproved of him likening the child to the gender that it was not.
The baby's cheeks were very red, like those of women who applied to much blush with their make up. His mouth was also pinkish.
Like girls who wore on pale colored lipstick.
Shouldn't Mikoto question if he was a girl or not?
The baby didn't seem to care for he merely gave a soft laugh upon hearing Mikoto's words. His tiny fingers pressed down harder on Mikoto's chin.
Hm...
Mikoto's mind was now processing and finally conceptualizing and accepting that Tamotsu was not an 'it' but a 'he' who had prettiness of a 'she' but since 'it' was really a 'boy', Mikoto had to refer to 'it' as a 'he'.
He looked interesting when he laughed. His quiet giggles were almost...soothing to Mikoto's ears.
Mikoto lifted his hand and poked his finger curiously at one chubby cheek.
It was soft.
Very soft actually.
A lot more than he had expected for Mikoto's finger pressed quite deeply into the flesh of the baby's face.
Tamotsu paused in his smiling at Mikoto's touch. However, once the king removed his finger, he let out another laugh. This time it was louder.
The baby's joy was infectious for even the ferocious red king's face softened at those little chortles. Mikoto snorted and touched his finger to the baby's other cheek.
Once more, the baby laughed.
And quite a bit louder too.
So loud that he almost toppled over but Mikoto pressed a supporting hand to the baby's back.
The gears in Mikoto's brain began working again.
There was a word one could use to describe the baby.
What was it again?
A word often associated with little children and animals?
It was...?
Cute.
That was it!
Cute!
Tamotsu was cute!
But Mikoto would never say such a word. He would rather choke on his spit than call someone or something 'cute'.
He could almost hear Tatara's voice echo in his mind and go, 'Kawaii!"
But Mikoto would still never say it.
He did think it though, and perhaps that was enough.
These strange feelings stirred up by the child had dropped some of the mental guards Mikoto had and Anna was able to hear the word 'cute' echo from him.
She smiled softly as she looked at Mikoto's interaction with the baby with tenderness in her eyes.
This was a rare sight and she was glad she was able to see it for herself. She could feel how at ease he had become and how his curiosity about the baby had been piqued.
Like a child who had become fascinated with a new toy.
Or a big scary lion who was curious about a strange little mouse.
Tamotsu suddenly seemed to become tired of laughing. His mouth opened wide and he let out a yawn which was so huge that his movements might have made him fall backward had it not been for Mikoto's large hand which still remained on him.
He lowered his head and placed it on Mikoto's chin. Mikoto blinked at the feel of that soft fuzz of the baby's hair on him.
Huh?
Did this brat plan on sleeping on top of him?
"He must be ready for his afternoon nap," Anna said and lifted the baby from his chest.
Mikoto was glad that she took him. Although he had started to warm up to the child, he was not that comfortable with him yet.
Anna cradled the sleepy boy in her arms.
Then, without warning, he started to nuzzle at her chest.
Anna blinked at his movements.
"What are you doing?" she asked the child.
Mikoto frowned deeply.
He was getting irritated with the baby.
Why?
Because the brat was trying to get Anna's breasts. While it might be logical that he was sleepy as well as hungry, Mikoto felt himself become irked.
Some distant part of his mind echoed the words, 'those tits I never got to touch!'
Mikoto scratched the back of his head. He didn't really know why those words passed through his mind, but he certainly didn't think that Tamotsu ought to be pushing his face into Anna's breasts like that.
Even if they did look soft and pliable.
(And probably because Mikoto himself had never done so).
"Tamotsu is probably ready for his afternoon feeding," Maria reminded her husband as they made their way through the crowd and toward the area where Anna and Mikoto were sitting. The couple had a great time for an hour on their own without their son.
Still, he was their adorable baby and they missed him after the first couple of minutes. It was therefore a great relief for them to fetch their son.
They really did indulge their little boy for every week he was given a new toy or a new set of clothes, and when it wasn't them spoiling him, it was the rest of the clansmen.
As Tamotsu grew bigger, it seemed they became less wary of his size and were able to interact with him more. Since Maria did not have many relatives with whom she had a close relationship with, she was very glad that their son had the red clan.
They had even gotten a pet for Tamotsu.
It was a fat little kitten.
In fact, they had come across this particular feline thanks to Anna and Fujishima.
Anna never forgot the fat blob of fat that claimed to be a cat who had lured her out Mikoto's window which nearly led to her early demise. She did occasionally ponder about what had become of it for it had mysteriously disappeared.
Until Fujishima happened upon it nearly a month after Anna's incident on the tree.
The animal lover had brought in his pet rabbit, Fluffy once more to the bar. Today, Dewa and Chitose had come in. The bunny's life was not in danger of Kamamoto's appetite since the chubby fellow was out.
Fujishima heard a soft mewling. Perking up, he looked around.
Seeing nothing, he figured it might be coming from outside. Leaving his two comrades in charge of his pet, he hurried out to see what it was.
Anna was sipping her drink when the door opened.
Everyone turned around and saw Fujishima holding a kitty in his hands.
Anna recognized that fat blob of a kitten.
It was the one that had been stuck on the tree.
"I found this outside," Fujishima stated.
It mewled woefully.
"Evil," Anna said quietly and turned her attention to drink again.
Everyone was stunned at her words.
"Anna?" Izumo said her name.
However, she remained silent.
Mikoto frowned as he remembered her being stuck on that tree the other day.
"That's the cat?" he questioned her from his seat on the couch.
She nodded.
"What cat?" Izumo pressed, curious.
"I went to rescue it from the tree outside Mikoto's room."
"You mean when you were on that tree a few weeks ago? But there was no cat," Izumo pointed out.
Anna looked him straight in the eye.
"He climbed down."
Izumo snorted as he looked at Fujishima now. It seemed the bartender had figured out what the cat had done.
"Ah, that's a menacing ball of fluff you have there, Kosuke. Perhaps you should take it to the shelter."
Fujishima looked at the kitten now.
"Did you trick Anna into trying to rescue you the other day?" he asked.
The kitten simply mewled woefully, as if that was a 'no'.
"Liar," Anna said. " It's not a stray either, it belongs to that council woman who lives in the townhouse."
Fujishima frowned at the cat who was giving him huge, sad watery eyes.
"You played a trick on our Anna. That's unforgivable. I ought to return you to that council woman."
The animal hissed then in disagreement and squirmed to get out of Fujishima's arms. Not wanting to get scratched, he dropped the cat who made his way toward Anna.
He seemed to understand that Anna was capable of comprehending him. It was not that he was a strain of any sort. He simply a cat and cats were smart animals.
It also seemed that he was sorry for what he had done.
Yes, he had played a mean trick on her but he hadn't thought it would go so far. He wanted a home and he didn't want it with that council woman.
Apparently there was a whole litter of kittens who they were trying to get rid off and he certainly wouldn't be missed.
When Anna explained this to her clansmen, Fujishima seemed to have become overwhelmed with pity.
With his stoic expression still on, he said to Anna, "He's sorry, isn't he? Will you forgive him?"
Anna didn't say anything. That cat seemed to be a little too cunning for his own good.
"I've heard of people being fooled by other people but never by animals," Izumo remarked.
"Ah, Kusanagi-san-"
"Don't even ask. All the money in the world wouldn't make me take in that animal even for a night. He put our Anna in danger just for fun. What a cruel creature."
Fujishima blinked.
That was true.
He frowned down at the cat.
Maria had come in with Tamotsu and had heard everything about the cat.
"Perhaps we ought to take him in," Maria remarked as she went over to the animal. It turned its huge, watery gaze on her as if she was his last hope. "You just want a home, don't you?"
If a cat could nod, that fat one just did.
"Motherhood has made you soft," Izumo said to her, but not in a way that was meant to offend.
Maria smiled.
"Perhaps it has. I can understand why you won't forgive him but he hadn't intended for Anna to get hurt. But I think he would be a great pet for us."
With a mewl of delight, the animal jumped happily into Maria's arms.
"Wait a minute! I don't think it's a great idea for that thing to be around my son!" Chitose snapped. In his arms was his very small baby boy who he was holding protectively against him.
Maria smiled ever so warmly. "Oh, it will be fine, don't worry!"
Then her aura suddenly became darker. Her smile became evil and she lifted a hand at the cat, showing just how much sharper her nails were than his claws.
"Because if he dares to try anything, I'll shred him."
The cat struggled to get away as Maria took him away while laughing merrily once more. Everyone watched as she, Chitose and Tamotsu took their new pet out the bar and to their car.
"I...I sort of feel sorry for him now," Izumo mumbled.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Despite Maria's threat to the animal, it was quite happy now. He seemed to genuinely like his new family and fit in quite well with them.
Although it seemed that Tamotsu might squash him to death whenever he got a hold of him.
"Satu is probably missing us. We ought to go home soon," Chitose suggested. 'Satu' was the name of the cat.
Maria nodded in agreement.
At the bench on the bottom of the hillock, two women were still sitting. They had baby prams with their own little ones inside.
They were looking up at the hill and whispering loudly about Anna, Mikoto and Tamotsu.
"How disgraceful! A young girl like that allowing herself to get knocked up by such a dangerous looking guy!"
"And the baby's hungry and she doesn't even have any formula!"
"Maybe she'll start breastfeeding. I bet all the men in the park will give an arm for the sight of her naked breasts!"
Chitose became irked now.
Maria glanced at him.
"I wonder if that guy beats her everyday?" one of the women continued.
"Probably, he looks so abusive!" the other agreed.
Maria knew that when it came to her husband's clansmen, Yo Chitose would change from the flirtatious, yet kind man, to a heartless demon.
"Two women at the zoo on a Saturday without their husbands!" he declared loudly beside them. The women paused in their gossiping to look up at him.
Chitose folded his arms and continued speaking, "They're here on their own with their children but where are the dads? Isn't the zoo a great place to spend quality time with family? These two women's husbands must be a bunch of deadbeats!"
People who passed looked at Chitose nervously.
But he didn't care.
No one insulted the King and the princess.
Especially a pair of gossiping hags.
"I'll have you know my husband is-"
Chitose cut off the woman who defending her husband by saying out loud, "Or maybe you just never shut up so your husbands ran off and left you,"
The women looked mortified.
Maria placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Chitose, that's enough," she told him quietly.
He clicked in his tongue in annoyance. He finally looked at the women. They became frightened when they saw the way he glared at them.
Then, he returned his attention to the trio on the hillock.
"Hey boss, Anna, thanks for looking after our son for us!" he called out loudly and hurried to the top.
The women's mouths dropped open in shock. It had never crossed their minds that the supposed parents of the baby were actually friends of some sort with the child's real parents and that they were doing something good like babysitting for a little while.
Maria sighed before glancing at the astounded pair of females. "I'm quite sure you understand now how badly you misjudged those two and how horrible it feels to be judged yourself by someone who does not even know you."
Maria left then while the women stared after them. Others who had stopped to watch the scene created by Chitose's loud talking decided it was time to carry out with their own business.
Who knew if the women learned their lesson?
Perhaps they had.
"Yes, he definitely needs to be fed. I want him to have his meal now or he'll wake up in a rage later on," Maria told Anna as she accepted her son from her.
Mikoto was sitting up beside Anna now.
"When he's hungry he even tries to nurse from me," Chitose remarked.
Anna looked at him blankly while Mikoto gave him a lopsided frown. "So the brat's just like you," Mikoto said.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Chitose asked.
Maria was patting her baby's back. "Yes, why do you say that, Mikoto-san?"
"He's a little per-"
Anna and Chitose simultaneously reached out and covered Mikoto's mouth with their hands in order to stop him from finishing his sentence.
If Maria heard Mikoto call her son a 'little pervert', she would loose her temper and probably try to kill Mikoto.
He might be her husband's king, but he was not her king.
As Mikoto was not one to run from a fight, he would take her on and disregard that this was the wife of one his clansmen.
It wouldn't be a pretty sight.
Both did have awfully destructive power.
For Tamotsu's sake, the father of the baby and the princess of the clan decided to make sure that Mikoto absolutely did not finish his sentence.
Thankfully, Maria had become distracted when Tamotsu decided to give an angry little wail.
"Come on, let's take him to the car. I'll have some privacy to feed him there," Maria told Chitose who nodded hurriedly.
He bowed to Mikoto and Anna politely before heading to the car with his family. They heard him ask Maria, "It's my turn next, isn't it?"
"That guy's a pervert too," Mikoto muttered.
He remembered that Anna had mentioned (but in nicer words) that Tamotsu would have a foul temper like his mother's riled up, and a filthy mind like his dad's.
Despite his shortcomings, Chitose was a good man. He was a good husband and he was a good father. Tamotsu would also be a wonderful person later on in life. He did have a role to fulfill as someone's protector after all.
"So he was he trying to nurse from me?" Anna questioned. Although her expression was blank, her cheeks were red with embarrassment.
Mikoto reached across and pinched her cheek.
"What else would he have been trying to do, you brat?" Mikoto demanded. Anna whimpered in pain and he released her. He paused by cupping her cheek and softly stroking his thumb against the reddened mark he had caused to her skin.
Anna watched him silently, letting him do as he pleased. Even if his pinches hurt a bit, his tenderness was so much sweeter.
He shifted his hand to her right shoulder and used his other hand to hold her left shoulder.
Mikoto gave her a gentle kiss on that mar to her face and drew back.
Anna looked up at him, but he wasn't returning her gaze.
In fact, his eyes were on somewhere lower than her face.
She followed his line of vision and it seemed that he was staring at her breasts which were properly covered by the bit of black lace that was sewn onto the bodice of her red dress.
"Mikoto?"
He didn't reply but lowered his head and pressed it on her chest.
Anna's eyes widened for she was quite surprised with his actions.
Then, his hands lowered and his arms went around her waist, holding her closer to him.
Her heart began to beat faster and she was quite sure that he could hear it.
After all, his ear was pressed right where her heart was.
Why did Mikoto do this?
Well, it seemed that little Tamotsu had become quite taken with Anna's chest. Mikoto had decided to see what was so fascinating about it in the eyes of a child (because a guy would be sexually attracted to it as opposed to a baby).
Maybe Tamotsu simply thought 'food' when he saw her breasts.
Or maybe he noted that they were soft and rather cushion-like as Mikoto seemed to be thinking.
Yes, that had to be it.
Anna's chest was like a pair of water balloons that were firm and jiggly. They were covered with soft silk and lace and were the perfect place for a man to rest his head.
And indeed, Mikoto was enjoying his new 'Anna-pillow'.
What a sight this was indeed.
Izumo was tempted to take a picture of the pair but then he might like some sort of voyeur in the eyes of the people who were passing at the foot of the hill, glancing uncomfortably at the pair who seemed to be locked into an intimate embrace.
Mikoto was leaning his head on Anna's chest. His dark red hair was stark against the exposed part of her white neck. His arms were also around her, trapping her to him.
Anna would never push Mikoto away from her, especially if he wanted a bit of affection. For that reason, her hands simply gripped his shoulders as she waited ever so patiently for his next move.
Izumo pitied her a bit.
From the way she was kneeling down, she had to be uncomfortable.
And that hard-headed guy Mikoto might have really fallen asleep and not realized Anna's state of discomfort.
Or maybe Anna was just as hard-headed as Mikoto was for putting up with his desire to just laze like a big lion around her.
Izumo flicked some of the ash from his cigarette before taking a long drag from it. He blew out some smoke and wandered over to his King and their princess.
"Mikoto, are you trying to cop a feel on Anna by pretending to be asleep?" Izumo asked.
"Shut up, Izumo," the King retorted and merely gripped Anna more tightly. She let out a soft gasp at his sudden movement but in no way let him go.
"The police may try to charge you both with indecent behavior in public you know. It's alright if you're locked up but I'm not too keen on poor Anna ending up in prison thanks to your sexual harassment."
Mikoto let out a huff. His warm breath permeated through Anna's clothing and she could feel it on her naked skin. How long ago had it been since he had touched her and kissed her? Nearly four and a half months.
It wasn't easy to pretend that she was not sexually aware of him and that nothing had happened between them.
Especially when the craving for him, for his touches and his passion just grew day by day.
That little taste of him that he had given to her on that night she had been poisoned had been enough for her to just want more of him.
She didn't know how long she could hold out on, but if she finally broke she could only hope that he would forgive her.
"Anna, we're leaving soon. Is there anywhere you want to go before get ready for home?" Izumo queried.
Anna blinked up at him. Then, thinking back, she knew what she wanted to see before they left. She nodded and pressed at Mikoto's shoulders to get him her attention.
He turned his golden eyes up in order to look at her.
Gray eyes that reflected red was watching him. With an ever blank face, Anna informed him, "I want to see the lions, Mikoto,"
The King let out a heavy sigh and drew back from her.
"Fine."
Izumo smiled warmly as Anna and Mikoto stood up. Mikoto scratched his stomach lazily, the way he did when he normally woke up while Anna straightened out her clothes in a rather prim fashion.
They were like chalk and cheese yet they went so well together like ice-cream and sprinkles.
Mikoto started to walk and Anna hurried after him. She placed her hand on his elbow and together they headed toward the lion's cage.
As for Izumo, well he was now able to claim that shady spot on the top the hill for himself.
The lions in the cage were the same ones that had been brought in years ago when Anna had first been brought to the zoo by her clansmen.
When Anna had first seen them, they had been smaller. Now, they had grown up and had their own cubs.
Although they had their own habitat, there were certain times of the year when the lions were brought back into the zoo in order to earn some extra income.
This income was geared toward the taking care of the animals. Those lions alone did eat their way into several pounds of meat everyday. Caring for them was quite expensive and the zookeepers needed to ensure that there was always some kind of cash inflow to properly care for them.
Amongst the group was one particular lion who was larger than the rest.
Beside him was a lioness.
The lion let out a soft growl when she pressed her nose against his mane. His low rumbling from her presence was not out of anger but actually because he was pleased with her display of affection. He lifted his great head and shook it slightly from side to side. Perhaps a bug had come to bother him which had led to him performing this display of mild aggravtion.
His golden brown hair moved with his motions. Then he stopped and snorted before nuzzling his mate and licking her face.
Around Anna and Mikoto was a great crowd who were intrigued by all the animals.
Anna's hands were pressed against the glass pane of the window through which they were looking at the animals. Mikoto's larger body was behind hers, just barely brushing against her back.
"Mikoto," Anna voiced his name.
He glanced down at her.
"They're pretty, aren't they?" she said in response to his inquisitive look.
Mikoto grunted and lowered his head to give the side of hers a little nuzzle.
"Yes, they are," he agreed.
Kamamoto was currently still fat. He would start loosing weight soon and get to that size that seemed to appeal to most women.
Except for his childhood friend who felt that fatter Kamamoto meant much more of Kamamoto to love and hug.
And probably Anna. However, she never really recognized when he lost weight. She just saw less of his stomach and less of his red and her favorite part of the normally tubby man was his huge, beach ball of a stomach.
Either way, the point was that he was like a huge, huggable bear. Currently, he was lying down a bench, feeling tired. It seemed that although most people thought it was still a bit chilly, he was already feeling the heat of the oncoming Summer.
As such, he did not want to eat.
Yata was worried that his girlfriend might start fawning over skinny Kamamoto like most other females. Although she really wouldn't, Kamamoto's good looks during Summertime made most men insecure about their significant others.
Thus, Bando and Yata had decided to join forces so that the moment Kamamoto began to loose appetite, they would stuff him with food and keep him fat!
Which is exactly what they were doing when they began shoving pizza, hotdogs, ice creams and sodas down his throat.
"Mommy, why are those scary guys force-feeding that poor man? Isn't that what farmers do to animals before they kill them?" an innocent little girl with a balloon asked.
"D-Don't ask questions about strange people!" the child's mother hissed and hurried her away.
Indeed, Dewa and Kamamoto were like two evil shadows at poor Kamamoto's sides as they forced him to eat.
They even laughed hideously.
Interestingly, the monkey cage was just opposite them. The monkeys were all observing the scene the red clansmen had created and were screeching loudly as if cheering them on.
The humans around hurried away, quite disturbed by the strange atmosphere.
Only two lingered, observing for a long moment.
It was a pale haired, beautiful girl and a tall red haired man.
"Mikoto."
"Hm?"
"Why did we come to the zoo?" Anna asked him. Her gaze remained unblinking at the trio who were a couple feet away from them. Anna had asked this because her thoughts fell along the lines of Mikoto's earlier on: if she wanted to see a bunch of beasts, why not just look at her clansmen instead of coming to a zoo? Because those guys in front of them sure weren't acting like people.
Mikoto shrugged.
"For wild animals to entertain caged animals," was his reply.
As the day drew to a close, the zoo began to empty itself of visitors. The zoo had brought in some new birds from the Caribbean that Anna had much appreciation for. These were known as Scarlet Ibis and they had such a beautiful brilliant red to them that Anna had gazed upon them for a very long time.
The final place she checked out belonged to the flamingoes. They were in a circular area that had a human-made shallow river running through it for them to walk through. Anna stood behind the barrier and observed them.
She was taken back to that time several years ago when she had stood at this very spot with Mikoto and Tatara with her. Tatara was surely gone now, but Anna was learning to live without him and remember him with only happiness in her heart.
That memory had been a beautiful one and she was glad to return to this place with Mikoto at her side.
The sun would set soon.
The horizon was shedding brilliant orange rays that added some color into her vision.
Anna felt...nostalgic.
Perhaps Mikoto felt the same way for his arms went around her, drawing her into the hard length of his body.
Her grip on the barrier loosened as she leaned against Mikoto with a quiet sigh. She was glad he was here with her and she was thankful that he had taken her into his arms and shared his comforting warmth with her.
She turned her head upward slightly in order to view his face for she sensed that he seemed to be thinking hard about something.
Indeed he was as the grim line of his mouth and the slight narrowing of his red eyebrows indicated this.
"Mikoto?" she voiced his name.
He did not speak for a long moment.
"Are you happy?" he finally asked in a quiet tone.
Anna blinked. She was confused as to why he would ask such a thing of her.
"I am," she replied slowly. "why does Mikoto want to know?"
He sighed and tightened his hold on her. He rested his chin on top of her fair head.
"Don't you miss your parents?"
Anna was stunned by his question. She hadn't expected that he would be wondering about such a thing.
In fact, no one had ever really queried her feelings regarding them for a long time.
"Sometimes I do," she admitted. "being a girl in a clan of mostly men isn't easy, especially when I needed to talk to someone about girl related things," She looked up at Mikoto now and there was a tiny smile on her face, "but Mikoto made sure there was someone to help me. You and Izumo and everyone were understanding about a lot of things. I do miss my mother and sometimes I wish for my father. But Homra is important to me. It hurts a lot more to think of losing you or anyone else in Homra. You're all my family and you've made me happy."
"I see," Mikoto murmured. He was glad about this although he did not admit it. However, her words had made his expression soften before he turned his attention to the flamingoes again.
"Mikoto?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you," she whispered softly. His response was a soft kiss at her temple.
Now that it was a bit colder with the sun starting to set, Kamamoto was indulging in a bucket of fried chicken. Flanked at his sides were the two 'angels' who had kindly bought him a lot of food today.
Izumo approached them from the back. Chitose and Maria had left a while ago with their son because it was time that they took him home to rest.
"We ought to tell them that the zoo is gonna close soon," Bando remarked, referring to the King and the princess who were cuddling with each other at the flamingo area.
"They look so cute, I don't want to disturb them!" Kamamoto said.
Yata kicked him in the back.
"Mikoto-san isn't cute! He's macho and manly!"
Izumo let out a weary sigh. Coming to the zoo today had really been for the sake of getting Anna and Mikoto out together for a while.
The bartender felt that they should spend some time out together. Maybe it might hasten Mikoto's decision to finally get that girl to be his bride instead of stalling all the damned time.
"Why don't they just get married already?" Izumo heard Bando mutter.
It seemed that the bartender was not the only one thinking this.
"All things in good time, friend. All things in good time," Izumo replied to his question.
A/N: Sorry for the bit of a late update. Had some health related issues, and doc said to get plenty of rest. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is not the one I had originally intended to post but I decided to tie up a few loose ends.
**The part with 'those tits I did not get to feel' refers back to Chapter 19, based on what 'passionate' Mikoto had been saying to 'normal' Mikoto.
**This chapter is for anyone who wanted to see Anna and Mikoto babysit Tamotsu (I may write a little more interaction with the three of them, but I'm not quite sure yet) and for anyone who wanted to know what became of the cat from a couple of chapters ago (Chapter 15).
**I deliberately made this chapter have an easygoing kind of feel. It is also for anyone who wanted to see Anna and Mikoto go out on a 'date'. This was the closest thing to a date I could fit in. I hope you enjoyed it:)
****The next chapter will start the ball rolling for the final part of the story. I have no idea as to how long it would take to complete, but I do hope you would continue reading and keep up with me to the end.
Thanks for reading this chapter and please let me know your thoughts on it. Also thank you all of you who follow, favorite and review this story. You all really motivate and encourage me to keep on writing. I love you all :)
For those who reviewed:
D: You didn't know?! LOL. Anyway, I'm glad you now know and hope you enjoy it :)
AngelGirl0200: I have some plans for Anna's birthday. You'll understand in a couple of chapters ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the sparkling and Edward Cullen parts as well as the flashbacks :) I actually hadn't planned on doing any holiday themed chapters. Someone had suggested before that I do one based on one of the Japanese festivals like a Summer festival but I'm not quite sure how to fit it in. It really would be a great idea to have everyone dressed up. I cannot make it a promise but I can hint at you that I already have plans for Anna to wear a certain costume (keep in mind that I'm forgetful!) but that chapter won't be out for quite a while though ;)
XxXxSayuri-chanxXxX: I know, why did he have to die?! T.T I don't think Reisi sparkles like a fairy either, I just thought it would be a great insult for Mikoto to sling at him :D! I think he sparkles in more of a kind of 'movie star' way. What does he sparkle like to you? You really seem to like the Blue King :) PS: Was this the friend you were with when you spat out your juice?
LindyLinn: I miss him too! Glad you loved the bit with Akemi and Kei as well as the kiss between Anna and Mikoto :) Someone actually did mention what their possible shipping name could be and 'Mikanna' was what the person said it could be :) What do you think?
LadyCassie: The third part of K you're talking about is the Days of Blue manga where they're making some mention of Tatara's funeral? That's gonna be like heartache for your birthday! Then you have this cancer walk too? Damn, you've got a full schedule! Best of luck to you! And even though it's in about a month's time, I hope you have a really really great birthday no matter what stresses may be thrown your way :)
Indochine: I'm glad you liked those parts with the flashbacks and with poor Bando :) I actually don't disagree with you with the Seri/Izumo bits. I mean nearly EVERYTHING suggests that they've got some really great chemistry between them. But then have you read the recent Gora tweets on Seri and Munakata? That just confuses me :/ I don't hate Reisi. I think he and Seri go well together but I think Seri and Izumo are a lot more interesting :) I do want to introduce Seri into the story again. I can do it but the only problem I have is that a new plot would enter into the story and it might cause it to drag on for longer than necessary. If I do go with that plot and put her in, it won't be for her really ending up with Izumo but there would be some interaction between the two of them that you could look forward to. I can't promise it happening because I want to see how the story evolves from this chapter on and then decide if to add on that plot. Either way, I still plan on writing what would have happened if Seri chose Izumo based on what happened with the Seri/Reisi/Izumo love triangle from the prequel so you can look forward to that (although I'm not sure as to when I would be doing it). I don't think you were ranting. I understand where you're coming from and I appreciate you telling what you would like to see in the story :) I'm glad you liked the chapter and hope you enjoyed this one as well :)
Wonderland Reminiscence: I'm really, really pleased that you liked the chapter and you thought so well of it. Thank you :) I really did hear they were going to release something on his funeral :( Why did they have to kill off such an awesome character? T.T Yes, I used the official art released for Mikoto's birthday and I used some information Gora released on how Mikoto's birthday might have gone as a guide for writing what happened that day :) Gray is an interesting character and I like Nightmare too although I pity him when I see him throwing up blood in the manga. I've been going through more stuff on this game and I'm really curious about Ace. It seems that he has some sort of twisted personality or something? What do you think? I also really like Julius too :) I have watched UtaPri. I liked the first season a lot but not so much the second. I kept up with it until episode 10 and never quite got around to finishing it (although I am going to try to watch it out this week). I think it's because I never fancied Cecil although I admit if I gave him a proper chance, I'd really like him. But in my heart, I will always love Satsuki/Natsuki and Tokiya. They're my favorites :) What about you? PS: Yes, Yata I can truly imagine him! Shy and embarrassed! I think he would be a real tsundere :)
friedchicken: I'm glad you like that part :)
Mikoto's wife: Wow, that's a really huge compliment you've given me! Thank you :) I can't tell you if or when they're getting married but the answer might come up soon in a future chapter :) I'm also pleased you like the dialogue, that line was actually a favorite of mine as well :) I don't hate Reisi though, I actually really like him. But everyone has their own tastes for various reasons :) It would be totally awesome if that were to happen!
Vincent: Thanks:) About the rating: I'm not too keen on writing lemons but there are highly adult situations in here and occasional bad language. This falls in line with ffnet's rules for a fic to be rated M. If added in any more 'M', it would have to be rated as MA. Am I a boy or girl? Hm...what do you think? ;) Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing :)
princessforeveralone: I'm really happy that you're really liking these chapters :) I re-watched some episodes lately, especially episode 6 to see Tatara :( I'm glad that part made you laugh. Thanks and hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)
annashina: It's been a while! How are you? I'm pleased you're still keeping up and thank you so much for those kind words :)
DBerryNia: I miss Tatara a lot too :( Both he and Izumo really were mother hens in Homra! And exactly the way you put it! Glad you enjoyed the Akemi/Kei moments, I have more on them to come ;) I don't like Twilight either! Nothing weird about it!
Hannah Scholte: Hahaha I'm glad you liked that moment! I never added in any flashbacks in this story with that moment with how Anna and Mikoto reacted to Tatara's death because I also thought it had not been clarified enough but I knew Gora would eventually show it in some way. Thankfully they did and I'm glad they had Anna hug Mikoto. Funny how you said Mikoto is cute because it's almost exactly how his train of thought went earlier in this chapter ;)
Thanks again for reading, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter.
God bless :)