I do not own any of the characters of K. They belong to Gora/Gohands.

I apologize for any OOC-ness of the characters. It's just my take on how they might behave in the event of situations such as these arriving.I also apologize for any grammatical errors that I did not pick up on.

Summary: How the Red Clan copes with a growing Anna.

A/N: Fushimi is very OOC, borderlining crack in this chapter. There's a logical reason for it, but I'm just giving a forewarning. Also, this chapter focuses a great deal on Seri/Izumo/Reisi but don't worry, this is a story on Anna and Mikoto and these two will remain the story's main focus.

GROWING PAINS

by chickypeg

Chapter 38: The Kiss that Never Came

Anna had awakened a few times during the night to get changed.

She couldn't deny that she had been very spoiled toward Mikoto to keep him close to her.

The first time she woke up, she was in the same position as she had fallen asleep in with Mikoto: on her back with her head tucked under his chin while he lay on his side with his long arm curved over her stomach. The only difference was that it had moved to be above her belly button.

She could feel his soft breath and was so comfortably warm beside him.

But she knew she had to move and go change before she leaked blood all over the bedding. That wasn't something she was keen on doing with Mikoto beside her: even though she knew he would probably just feel sorry for her and pretend it didn't happen, as a female she would feel very embarrassed and as Anna Kushina, she would feel extra-embarrassed.

So, she carefully removed Mikoto's arm from around her, hoping that she did not wake him up.

Thankfully, he remained asleep. He merely shifted and brought his arm to his side.

Anna forced herself to sit up and winced when she felt a sharp pain.

She inwardly cursed her cramps and got out of bed. She went to the adjoining bathroom where she changed and returned a few minutes later.

She got into bed again as quietly as she could. Mikoto was still in his same position but was awake.

"You alright?" he asked sleepily.

She made a soft noise, indicating that yes, she was indeed fine. It was completely quiet and the room was very dark.

She waited for Mikoto to wrap his arm around her again, but he didn't and she recognized that he was falling asleep again by the way his breathing kept getting more and more relaxed.

She lifted his arm, startling him awake.

"Mm...what's wrong?" he questioned tiredly.

In reply, she replaced his arm over her, across her belly and shifted her head so that she could bury it into his neck.

Mikoto simply sighed and gave the top of her head a slight nuzzle before he drifted off again.

Twice more she woke up to get changed and each time she got up from the bed, Mikoto would awaken and each time she returned to the bed, she would awaken him to get him to cuddle with her.

The final time she had to get changed was sometime during the very early hours of the morning, quite close to dawn so it was extra dark.

When she removed herself from Mikoto, he seemed to not awaken this time and unconsciously, he rolled over to the other side, facing away from her.

When she came back to bed figured that she shouldn't bother him anymore. He was normally a quick tempered, easily irritated and impatient man and throughout the night he had shown her more patience and understanding than she had ever seen him do.

However, the painkillers had worn off already and although she had some in the medicine cabinet of her room, she felt too lightheaded from the pain to walk back.

She decided to rest for a moment before trying again.

However, her insides felt like they were twisting and she let out a whimper of pain, alerting Mikoto. She felt him shift on the bed.

"Anna? What's wrong?" he questioned.

She made a soft noise and shook her head when she felt another wave of pain crash over her.

"Are you in pain?" he questioned.

She whimpered again and gasped out, "Yes,"

There was silence for a moment and then his large hand was on her stomach again. It felt around her middle for it was dark and he could not see so she covered his with hers and guided it just under navel.

Once her hand had his in the proper position, she removed her it and waited for him to work. Immediately, he released his red aura, warming her again. She sighed out, so grateful for the relief from the pain that tears came to her eyes.

She was so overwhelmed that she could not stop her tears and Mikoto heard her sniffling.

"Anna?" His voice was full of worry and concern for her.

In reply, she turned and snuggled against his chest. Her arms went around his neck, hugging him tightly. She just couldn't stop crying!

"What's the matter?" he asked her, alarmed at her behavior.

"I'm just happy...that Mikoto is here," she replied.

She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and she felt it settle in relief at her words. He gently patted her hair in response.

"What would you have done if I wasn't here?" he wanted to know.

"I might have been in the hospital and if I needed meds, I would have to push a button and a nurse would have come to give them to me," she replied as she started to feel sleepy again.

"How come you're not in hospital now?"

"Because Mikoto is here," she answered and hugged him tighter.

Mikoto gave a very faint smile at her words.

Well, he was certainly baffled by her behavior, but he knew it had something to do with her 'girly issues'. Even so, he was pleased by her words.

"Coming, I'm coming," Fushimi grumbled at the insistent ringing of his doorbell. He opened it and was surprised to see his Lieutenant standing there at eight a.m, Sunday morning.

"Sir?" he said, quite surprised.

She frowned at him. "You look like hell, Fushimi," she told him baldly.

Fushimi tsked. He was wearing his pajamas, stank of stale coffee and there were huge dark circles under his eyes.

"What brings you here this ungodly hour, sir?" he questioned.

Seri knew she was not welcomed by him so early, based on the underlying, very thinly veiled sarcasm in his voice.

"I need to speak with you, Fushimi-kun,"

"With all due respect sir, this isn't a good time," he said.

"Well make it a good time, Fushimi-kun," she stated in a cold, hard, authoritative tone that made even he, Saruhiko Fushimi, inwardly cringe.

He tried hard to not show his displeasure as he moved back to allow his Lieutenant inside.

"What can I help you with, sir?" he questioned with a sigh.

"Some coffee and aspirin for starters," she responded.

Thankfully, Fushimi already had a freshly brewed batch of his favorite coffee so he disappeared somewhere into the kitchen while Seri sat down on the couch of the living room.

She had tied her hair into a ponytail today and she was dressed as casually as possible in a white, short sleeved shirt that covered her chest properly despite being too tight around her breasts. The purpose was to hide up that red mark on her collar bone and the collars of the shirt did that quite well.

The rest of her wore on a black skirt and black heels to match.

Fushimi returned, still looking like something the cat dragged in, with two mugs of fresh coffee and a packet of aspirin.

He sat on the other side of the couch after setting down her coffee and tablets for her. She thanked him and consumed the pills with a deep gulp of coffee.

"What did you want to see me about, sir? Does it have something to do with Iwao?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No. I want to know what happened last night, Fushimi-kun,"

He shrugged. "When I woke up, you and the Captain were knocked out so I left,"

He let out a strangled noise when Seri grabbed him by the shirt front and pulled his face closer to hers.

"Fushimi-kun," she called his name quite politely.

"Er...yes?" he replied. It was pride that kept him from sounding nervous due to the cold, dead serious expression on his Lieutenant's face.

"What the hell happened?" she snapped.

Fushimi tsked and shoved her off, completely annoyed by the whole situation. He had had a pretty damned frustrating night, hacking into the highly securitized computer system of Seneca High because the administration of the schools did not give out student information so easily and it wouldn't have taken longer for him to wait on the information he needed so he had just gotten it himself. It had been hard to obtain despite his first class hacking skills, especially because he had been half drunk! And where was his Captain and Lieutenant while he was doing everything?

Drunk and knocked out.

Well, he had also been for a period of time but he hadn't used that as an excuse to shirk his responsibilities!

"I don't know what the heck happened with you and the captain!" he yelled in reply as he stood up abruptly. "Last night I woke up to see you lying next to the captain with your blouse almost completely undone and your bra showing! Yes, sir-your bra! It proved that you're actually a woman to me!"

Seri's cheeks flushed red at his words. "How dare you insult my femininity?!"

"Oh screw you and your damned female mind! Do you know what it was like to watched you for the last few months? Moping all over the place for Kusanagi-san and pining away on the other hand for the captain! It disgusts me!" he ranted.

Seri was stunned. "How did you-?"

"Because Misaki is a stupid prick who thinks mocking me about you would bother me at all when I happen to come across him in Shizume City!"

Seri, despite shocked at Fushimi's behavior, commented thoughtfully, "You mean you hunted him down,"

"I did not hunt him down!" Fushimi spat. Did everyone have the impression that he stalked the stupid crow? They had happened to come across each other! "And either way you and the captain have been slacking off and making me do all the work. I don't know what the devil he does all day but I'm the one going after leads on Iwao, I'm the one following certain trails. I send reports to you both but neither of you bother with me. We're here for a reason and it's a work related one! Do you know how frustrating and stressful it's been on me?! I look like this because I had to drink three pots of coffee and two energy drinks to keep me going when I came home last night!"

"Ah, this explains your behavior," Seri remarked.

"Yes. I am not pleased," he retorted before he took a deep breath and sat down. He reached for his coffee, but Seri took it away from him.

He shot her an annoyed look, but her eyes were even more cold and mean than his.

"You're on a caffeine high, Fushimi-kun and because you brought up some very, unfortunately true points about myself I will let your behavior go this time, but I want you to get some rest," On a kinder note, she added, "I promise you that the captain and I will put this case first as it is what should have been our priority."

Fushimi paused, and nodded.

"Now," she continued, "I want you to tell me what you know about this and why it was that someone was touching my clothing right before you left the apartment," She had pulled down her blouse a little and revealed her dark red hickey.

Fushimi's cheeks went red at her words and he stumbled to find his own to explain.

"Look, when I got up, you were sleeping and you were indecently exposed. I didn't think you'd want to wake up and see yourself like that so I fixed your clothing for you and hurried out. If it's a crime then I'm sorry," Fushimi told her as if it was the most bothersome thing in the world.

Reisi's hand reached out and caught hold of the side of her face, forcing her to look up at him and into his dark eyes behind his glasses.

"You're very attached to that man from the Red Clan, Awashima," her King said to her.

Seri blinked and tried to move away from him, but he caught her wrist in one hand in a firm grip while the thumb of the other hand lightly brushed her lip. For a moment, it seemed as though he was almost jealous.

Then, kindly, almost pityingly, he told her, "There is no future with you both. You know that,"

Seri turned her head away from him but he left his hand on her face, gently caressing it, almost comfortingly.

"You belong with us. You know this, Awashima-kun,"

Reluctantly, she nodded. There was no way she nor Izumo could be together because they were both from different clans and their personalities contradicted what their respective clans represented: Seri liked neatness, orderliness and peace and the Red Clan was the complete opposite of that. While Izumo did relish neatness and had some type of OCD toward his bar, he was not a peaceful man for while he cherished warmth and deep bonds it was at the expense of rowdy, riotous individuals and those kinds of bonds were something the Blue Clan lacked compared to the depth the Red Clan had them in.

Seri's eyes became moist for her alcohol induced state made her emotions come to the surface. "It's hard to let go," she whispered.

Reisi pressed his lips against her temple and gently followed down the side of her face with soft kisses. Her mind registered to what he was doing and she became surrounded by his familiar presence that gave her the comfort she so desperately needed to fill that lonely void in her that, as simply a human being, needed to be filled.

"Captain," she whispered as she felt a strange stirring within her.

She wanted him to hold her closer, to give her the security that her heart desperately needed.

Reisi followed a trail down the side of her neck. She was so drunk on alcohol that she only vaguely realized that he had undone the buttons of her blouse. She could feel his hands that were unexpectedly hot, slide into her open shirt and caress her stomach. She let out a soft sigh at the feel of those callouses, rasping across her skin and she gasped when his mouth focused on a specific area on her collar bone where hotly, wetly, his tongue lashes that spot as his lips deliberately pulled on that spot and his teeth broke her skin, certainly leaving a mark there.

Her body was growing hotter and hotter and her arms went about his head, and for the first time ever, she was given the freedom to run her fingers through that thick, blue black hair.

And more than anything, she felt safe, comfortable.

Suddenly, Reisi drew back. He gave her a warm look, one she had never seen before. The wall she had always felt between them was crumbling away and she smiled beautifully at him, almost radiantly.

Reisi returned her smile, and his features looked completely different. He looked so much more handsome...much more like a human.

"We should stop here...but let me have this much, Seri,"

Seri liked the way her name sounded on his lips. It was like a seductive whisper that made her insides melt.

Isn't this what she had wanted?

"So you've joined with those Blues, Seri-chan?" Izumo remarked.

Seri continued sipping on her red bean paste drink.

Izumo sighed as he resumed cleaning his counter. "I guess it's what you want. Your personality does suit that place,"

Seri lowered glass and stood up. "I may not come around here more often anymore,"

Izumo gave her a smile that was sincerely sad. "I would hope that you would at least drop by once in a while,"

He reached across and patted her head kindly. She gave him an annoyed look. "Why are you treating me like a child?" Her voice was very strict when she spoke.

Izumo grinned. "Would you like me to treat you like a woman then, Seri-chan?"

Seri was startled by his words, but the handsome man was leaning over the counter and his mouth was coming closer to hers. Somehow, almost as if she was possessed, she felt herself moving forward, looking forward to the warm lips that would soon touch hers.

How did they taste?

Like alcohol and coffee? She quite imagined it possible.

Then her mobile rang, interrupting them

And the kiss never came

And a few years later, she had been cornered by Izumo in that alleyway and once more he had almost kissed her until Anna and the Red King interrupted them.

And hence, such was the case of another kiss that had never come.

And yet she had certainly longed for from the man who so easily warmed her.

Then it was hitting her that the man who was going to kiss her, whose hot breath was on her face, was Reisi Munakata's, her King's...not Izumo. While she should have been satisfied with Reisi, Izumo was at the back of her mind. In some way, she felt as though she was cheating on Izumo, even though they were not together.

Seri turned her head. "I can't..."

Reisi froze. She glanced at him to see that his expression was hardening. "I see,"

Seri was stunned at herself and Reisi had drawn away from her and had handed her some more tea. "S-Sir?" she whispered, but he said nothing and began to drink his own while Fushimi remained knocked out somewhere.

It seemed that there was much more whisky in this tea than the rest for Seri began to feel even more drunk.

"Why?" she asked in her drunken haze. Even though he was drunk too, he was able to understand that she was referring to what had just conspired between them.

"Because I'm willing to become the man in your life, if that's what it takes to keep you in Scepter 4," was the response.

And somewhere along the way, they had both slumped over into a deep sleep. Seri thought back on Reisi's words. That was why he did it? That was why he had been so gently seducing her when she was drunk? Not because he had genuine feelings for her, but because he wanted her to remain with them? For the sake of the Blue Clan?

"I don't really know or care about what happened. I just fixed your clothes and left," Fushimi was telling her.

Seri nodded and swallowed hard. The memory of the night before had come back to her and she was surprised. She lifted a hand and touched her neck where the kiss mark was. Reisi was the one responsible for this. Him, her king, had laid his mouth on her and had been willing to kiss her...for the sake of keeping her in the Blue Clan.

Her eyes narrowed angrily. She almost felt like taking another drink but she decided against it.

"Fushimi, thank you for informing me-and helping me with my clothes," she told him as she stood up.

"Eh...you're welcome," Fushimi said a bit uncomfortably. There was a blazing look in her eyes, as if she wanted to kick someone's ass. Fushimi was glad it wasn't his. He wasn't in a frame of mind to battle with an enraged woman.

She glanced at him and managed a tiny smile. "You know, you once told me that you hated big hearted people but you yourself have one,"

Fushimi tsked after she left.

"I don't have a heart," he denied to himself as he walked over to his laptop.

He switched it on and the first thing that came up was the profile of Chie that he had hacked Seneca's system to find. He tsked again.

Maybe he did.

Seri figured that maybe she should speak to her Captain face to face and hear what he had to say about the incident. Truthfully, she didn't like being told that he would be her 'man' if that was what it took to keep her in the Blue Clan.

It was a bit insulting. Almost as insulting as Izumo only wanting to screw with her in bed because he thought he got the chance to do so.

However, she figured that maybe they should try to get on better footing, for the sake of their job. They were both drunk and stupid things happened when people got drunk.

And yet, even so, Reisi Munakata had not taken advantage of her. He had was going to stop after he had kissed her.

That was more control than a lot of men had.

Also, as Fushimi pointed out in his caffeine high craze, they were slacking off. She could no longer allow her relationship issues to get the better of her.

So, at around ten in the morning, properly attired in a loose blue skirt and beige blouse, she rang her Captain's doorbell.

He opened the door, looking as clean and pristine as ever as he wore on a light blue yukata.

"Good morning, Awashima-kun. I assume you're fine after all that alcohol last night?" he said as soon as he saw her.

Seri tried hard to hold back the blush that was threatening to stain her cheeks.

"Er...good morning Captain. Yes, I'm alright-I just came to make sure you were alright," she responded.

She waited for him to mention something about the events last night, but he didn't. In fact, when he spoke, his voice was rather cold, making her wonder if he even remembered anything at all.

"I am quite fine and thank you for covering me with the futon," he responded very politely and a bit frostily. He moved to close the door. "I have some work to do so perhaps we shall speak later regarding the case with Iwao,"

Seri was stunned when the door slammed into her face.

"It's called jealousy," came Fushimi's voice.

Seri glanced over her shoulder and saw that her subordinate was standing outside of his own apartment door, just a door down, observing the pair with arms absentmindedly folded. He still looked pretty awful although he looked like had had a bath.

"Jealousy?" she repeated.

He shrugged. "The Captain isn't a guy who would easily reveal that he's feeling something as petty as jealousy for the Red King's second in command," Fushimi frowned before he continued, rather critically, "I thought you would have figured that out before, sir. You're supposed to be very analytical."

Seri narrowed her eyes at him. "Fushimi-kun," she said in a strangely quiet, almost coaxing way that made him feel a bit disturbed.

"Er...yes...Lieutenant?"

"You better hope that that sarcasm is the remaining aftereffects of your caffeine induced high or I'll give you a death wish!"

With that, she stormed off to her own apartment and slammed the door shut.

"Sheesh...is this what I get for being helpful?" he muttered to himself before going inside his own room.

Monday:

Anna had been sent to the hospital the day before and would remain there until probably Tuesday. It seemed that her cramps had become too much and even the heat Mikoto's power gave her to soothe her was not helping her enough.

Mikoto had been standing by her bed as Natsume had her take some painkillers and Mikoto had felt so helpless, watching her clutch her stomach and whimper in pain.

"Why is this happening?" he had demanded of Anna. It wasn't that he was upset with her, it was more the situation because it was terrible for him to bear to watch her suffer and not be able to do a thing about it.

Anna smiled gently, despite her agony. "There's nothing we can do about it,"

"Mikoto, don't go," A newly turned eleven year old Anna begged him.

"There's nothing we can do about it," he told her and gently patted her head before walking away.

It was probably divine payback for the hurt he had put her through in allowing her to see him suffer and watch him practically die shortly after Totsuka had.

"It will get better for her, Mikoto. These are just the times when she will suffer the most and even so, we're seeing signs of improvement," Natsume assured him.

Mikoto shoved his hands into his pockets. "Like what? She looks like she already has a foot in the grave,"

The older woman smiled kindly. "She doesn't bleed for two weeks at a time anymore: she goes on to just a little more than nine days. She doesn't bleed quite as heavily either and she doesn't have cramps so severe that she needs to take morphine for them. It's only been about a year and a half since she first menstruated and I think Anna's shown excellent signs of improvement,"

Mikoto grunted. He didn't really understand this kind of 'female stuff' but that didn't mean that he had to accept that it was enough to help Anna.

"Mikoto," Anna said his name.

He looked at her as she lay down in her bed. They would take her to the hospital just now, once the painkillers kicked in. Once there, the nurses would care for her and be at her beck and call.

"What?"

"I'll get better," she promised him.

Mikoto gave her a lopsided frown and then sighed. "Just make sure you do,"

He gently patted her head.

He had stayed with her at her bedside in the hospital, holding her hand and listening to her breathe. Sometimes he dozed off in the chair and eventually the nurses had pitied him and offered him a makeshift cot which he had accepted to sleep in.

Normally, they didn't let visitors stay like he did but his presence seemed to make Anna feel better and he got her to eat when she struggled by glaring at her. She also seemed to sleep better once he was nearby. He never disturbed her if she napped and he wasn't exactly a chatterbox either.

Even though he seemed like a fierce, fearsome fellow, he was a good 'big brother' to the little girl.

Now, Mikoto was bored. He was getting tired of this case with Iwao that was going nowhere and Reisi irritated the hell out of him so he was not looking forward to class the following day.

Mikoto therefore decided that perhaps he should go to the Finders' Club and take a nap on the couch.

Akemi had been scared for her life when she saw Anna's brother sleeping on the couch of their clubroom. She had been about to go, but the guy merely opened his eyes and glanced at her.

"Where's your idiot friend?" he asked her.

"Uh...he's flirting...with girls," she responded.

Suoh Mikoto snorted and closed his eyes.

Hesitantly, she questioned, "Where's Anna?"

"Sick," he responded.

Akemi frowned for a moment. Anna herself had once mentioned that she stayed home certain days of the month because of her cycle so she figured that that was why her friend was not here today.

Akemi was cautious about disturbing him further and before she could say anything else, the door burst open and Kei walked in.

He glanced at her. "Hey," he said a bit coldly and looked about the room for Anna.

Akemi sighed. Apparently, he was still upset and offended with her for her lack of belief in him that he thought of her as his friend. He was insulted that she still thought him that shallow.

"Why's he here?" he suddenly gasped, pointing at Mikoto.

Mikoto opened his eyes slightly and gave him an irritated look, making Kei shut up right away. Mikoto closed his eyes again.

He mouthed to Akemi, "Where's Anna?"

"Sick," she mouthed back and smirked at his fear of the young man sleeping on the couch.

Akemi figured that it should be alright for her to do some work so she switched on the computer and went through some of their files.

Meanwhile, Kei kept creeping closer and closer to the couch, largely curious about the guy sleeping there.

When he managed to get to be about a foot away, he stooped down.

Akemi, realizing the close proximity of Kei to her friend's seemingly dangerous brother, took her pencil eraser and threw it at him.

It bounced off his head and he shot her a dark look. "What?" he asked silently.

She lifted her hands in exasperation and shot him a look that clearly meant, 'What the heck are you doing?!'

He merely smiled before turning back to the red haired beast.

"Do I really look like your dead brother?" Kei suddenly whispered, quite solemnly.

Mikoto opened his eyes, but Kei remained as he was, observing the red haired young man. Mikoto gave him an annoyed look.

Kei smiled broadly in reply.

"No, you're more stupid looking than him," Mikoto answered.

Akemi covered her mouth, smothering her giggles.

Kei turned his head in her direction and suddenly his smile got all flowery. She immediately stopped laughing for she knew that he was going to get all sadistic on her when he got the chance.

He returned his attention to Mikoto. "Stupid looking?" he repeated.

Mikoto sat up and sighed, seemingly very tired. "Yeah, that's the only thing you both have in common,"

Kei tilted his head to the side. "So we're nothing alike, personality-wise?"

Mikoto decided that it was really his concern over Anna that caused him to talk casually to the annoying brat in front of him, "In a way you're as much an idiot as he was, personality-wise,"

Kei chuckled. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

In response, Mikoto caught him by the the top of his head and squeezed. Kei gave him a frightened look.

"Mikoto-san, that hurts!"

Mikoto immediately released him and Kei gave him a look that showed that he was clearly afraid. Kei automatically drew back.

Mikoto shrugged. "You're not as stupid as he is," Mikoto decided suddenly.

Kei was surprised at his words but what he didn't know was that what Mikoto meant was that Kei was more cautious and thought more about his actions than Tatara had. Even if he was a bit carefree, he knew when to draw back and because he did not throw caution to the wind as Tatara did, he was not as stupid as Mikoto's fallen comrade.

"Kei, we just got a job," Akemi informed him.

Kei looked at her. "Really? What's it about?"

"Some kid lost a ruby pendant in the pool the swimming club uses. It's likely someone took the pendant,"

"Alright, I'll call Natsume-san and ask for the tapes and then we'll go do some checking," Kei stated.

Akemi nodded. "We have to head to class now. You have a free period coming up I think so you can check out the tapes. I'll meet you back lunchtime,"

Kei nodded in agreement. He waved a friendly goodbye to Mikoto while Akemi gave an uncertain wave to him before she hurried out.

Mikoto was left all alone inside. Well, he didn't really mind.

He could catch up on some sleep.

"How are you feeling, Doll-face?" Natsume asked Anna kindly as she opened the window of her hospital room to let her get some fresh air.

Anna, still a bit weak, answered, "I'm a little better,"

Natsume returned and sat at her bedside. "That's good. Do you think you can manage down some food?"

Anna frowned and shook her head.

Natsume sighed. "Well I will still have some brought up in a little while. You know how vital it is for you to eat,"

"I know," Anna admitted.

Natsume gave her a pitiful look. "I also know how reluctant you are to eat if you feel like you will just vomit it,"

Anna nodded.

The older woman suddenly smiled and changed the topic. "Did you have a good time out with Mikoto on Saturday?"

Anna hesitated before replying, "I did, but..."

"But?" Natsume prompted.

"He was very...overprotective. More than usual,"

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Natsume offered.

After Anna finished telling her how Mikoto had gotten angry about her dress and had insisted she get a new one, Natsume looked thoughtful.

"Anna, what animal do you associate Mikoto with?"

"A lion," she replied.

"Yes. And do you know that lions happen to very possessive and overprotective of what is theirs?"

Anna frowned. "Am I...territory then?"

She, like Yata, had watched several documentaries of lions in the wild thanks to Fujishima so she had a fair idea about lion-like behavior.

"In some animalistic sense, he does see you as that but as a human he knows you have thoughts and feelings too. He cares a lot for you and he wouldn't want to loose you or see you hurt in anyway by anyone. He's therefore possessive and very protective of you. He isn't blind either, he can see that you're growing up quite beautifully and perhaps because of your past he doesn't want you to get hurt anymore. In his eyes, you are still that child he rescued, who had suffered too much for the sake of another madman's power,"

Anna nodded. She could understand that.

Natsume continued thoughtfully, "I'm also sure that as someone who monitors what goes on in Shizume City's underworld, Mikoto's come across a nasty side of people he does not want you to witness where there are perverts all around. Perhaps he's a bit paranoid but as I said before, he doesn't want you to get hurt anymore. No matter how he is, he still wants your happiness in the end. After all, he could have insisted that you not get that dress but he did buy it himself for you, right?"

"Yes, he did," Anna agreed and was satisfied with what Natsume was telling her.

"And also, we can't forget that even with some of his memories of his twenty six year old self, he's still currently just fourteen and at that age, Mikoto was very bad tempered and much more irrational. Although he might be a bit mean and stupid even, he would never be deliberately cruel to you, Anna," Natsume continued, "You're aware of how much he cares for you, aren't you?"

"Yes," she replied. Anna didn't need her marbles to know that. Even before all this affection between them, she knew that he had cared for her greatly.

Natsume seemed to want to say something again to her, but was seemingly unsure of how to say it.

"Natsume-san?" Anna voiced her name.

The woman leaned against the chair and reluctantly, she asked her, "Anna, do you and the king sleep together often when you're home in Homra?"

"Yes,"

It took a moment before she spoke again. "Don't you think it's a bit...unusual?"

To her surprise, Anna gave a very tiny smile of understanding. "He doesn't touch me in a strange way,"

Natsume blinked in surprise. Then she returned the smile. "I guess I'm not the first to wonder about your relationship," Natsume thought about the reports given to her on Mikoto's progress with his Sword of Damocles. It was in excellent shape and could almost be seen as perfectly new. Natsume was quite sure that Anna had something to do with this.

However, she still felt it necessary to warn her. So, on a more serious note, she continued, "Anna, you may not like what I'm about to tell you but I want you to understand that you are growing at a very fast rate. You already look older than you really are. When you are fourteen you will probably look like sixteen, and when you are sixteen, you will probably look like eighteen. Mikoto will protect you as much as he could, but remember that he is a man. A king he may be, but he is still a man and you are a young girl and your sexual drive will heighten from time to time. Especially as a strain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Anna did. She had read all the data about it to get a better understanding of the changes in herself. It didn't mean that she wanted to hear someone else tell her about it. In her own way, she wanted to remain ignorant of it and hope that she and Mikoto could always sleep together and cuddle in that innocent cocoon of what the latter part of her childhood had created their relationship to be.

"I do," she confessed reluctantly.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's just my advice to you to cut back on your sleeping habits with him. Not just for your own sake, but for his as well. He would never forgive himself if he touched you an inappropriate way, even by accident,"

Anna said nothing.

Natsume left shortly thereafter.

She was quite sure that Natsume suspected that she had been irritated at her words. Anna loved the older woman very much but she hadn't liked being told this. It was taking away the dream that she was living in and replacing it with a reality that as an older person, she and Mikoto would be required to cut down on their time together.

They already had so little and it was only around bed-time Anna benefitted from his affection.

She sighed. She knew that there was going to come that time when things would change, but for now, she would enjoy her moments with her wonderful king, for they were warm, pure and perfect.

It was a bright, beautiful day. Spring rains had come recently and everything was green, fresh and beautiful.

Mikoto didn't know why he was here.

He should be in his den, upstairs in the bar, sleeping the dark.

Yet, here he was, sitting on a red picnic blanket in some park, looking as out of place as a monkey in an administrative office.

The pair in front of him fit in perfectly with the beautiful cheerful atmosphere for they seemed so bright, especially the tall, slender male: Totsuka Tatara. He was sitting opposite Mikoto with a basket on his lap, full of many different varieties of red flowers. Anna was beside him,using a needle and thread to push through the red flowers and gather them together. Mikoto supposed that she was going to make a flower necklace of some sort.

Totsuka, smiling brilliant as usual, encouraged her with compliments to keep going.

Anna's hands were dainty in her motions, and never once did she stab herself.

"What's the difference between plucking the heads of a bunch of flowers and poaching an animal just to showcase it's head?" Mikoto demanded.

Totsuka and Anna paused. They were accustomed to him being in a sour mood when he was brought outside after spending too much time inside. It had become a joke among Homra that it took Mikoto time to get used to seeing the sun again.

Totsuka looked thoughtful, then grinned in reply, "The flower can grow back it's head but the animal can't because it's dead!"

Mikoto almost made an annoyed noise with himself: here he was, the monster of Shizume City's underworld, sitting on a picnic blanket with a grinning idiot and doll-like girl on a spring day without a shred of food around to use as an excuse for being out there.

It was quite unbecoming of him.

He pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in his mouth.

"King, you aren't going to light that, are you?" Totsuka asked with a disapproving eyes.

"What else would I be doing?" Mikoto retorted.

Totsuka reached across and snatched the cigarette away, making Mikoto scowl angrily. Despite this, Totsuka chuckled merrily.

"Now King, the air is so beautiful! Perhaps it's best keep it as pollutant-free as possible,"

"I'm going back," Mikoto muttered and was about to stand, but suddenly, Anna was in front of him, holding the flowers she was working with.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

Anna looked down a bit shyly and then glanced at Totsuka who seemed to nod encouragingly at her.

She suddenly stood up and dropped the flowers in her hands on top of Mikoto's head. He expected them to fall away around him, but they remained.

He blinked, confused.

"Anna made you a crown of flowers, King," Totsuka explained and somehow produced a hand mirror.

Mikoto saw himself reflected in it with flowers that matched his hair, hanging around his entire head.

"Mikoto is King," Anna stated and turned his attention to her. It seemed she had made his crown for him.

Mikoto smirked. "I guess I am,"

Before she could say anything again, Tatara was hugging her from behind and pressing his cheek against hers. "Anna is so cute!" he exclaimed.

However, his motions also spilled the basket of flowers and at the same time, the wind picked up. In Mikoto's line of vision, he saw the pair amidst thousands of swirling red petals, and it calmed him.

Mikoto opened his eyes to see two people in an embrace like the one he had been dreaming about with Anna and Totsuka, only it was with two teenagers, one with thick golden hair and the other with hair that was caramel colored and probably had lighter highlights under a different light.

It was Akemi and Kei: Anna's friends.

Kei was hugging Akemi from behind and kissing her cheek while she looked at him as if she was terrified of him.

"What are you doing, stupid?!" she hissed at him and struggled against him, but both his arms were around hers, locking her to him. It was possibly that he was squeezing the girl too tightly.

Grinning like an idiot, he replied, "I'm trying to show you that I'm your friend! See, I'm your friend!" He kissed her cheek again.

Akemi seemed to grow even more frightened and she managed to knock his arms away and run off. Kei chuckled when she ran off.

Mikoto was only just understanding the relationship between these two: Kei was a sadist toward Akemi and just to freak her out when he was upset with her, he show her the sweetest face while doing the wickedest things. It was a twisted sort of behavior and Mikoto realized that the guy was sincere in that area of his relationship with the girl.

Which in itself made him even more strange to Mikoto.

"Your girlfriend is upset with you," he commented as he stood up.

Kei froze, then smiled at Mikoto from over his shoulder. It was a forced smile but Mikoto knew that the boy was trying to get on good footing with him, perhaps because he was Anna's brother.

"She's not my girlfriend; but she's my number one female friend, even if she doesn't realize it,"

"And Anna?"

Kei paused.

"Well?" Mikoto leaned against the couch, awaiting his answer.

"I like her," he responded and could almost see the guy's eyes glow red.

"In what kind of way?" Mikoto pressed.

Growing afraid, Kei answered, "As a friend! A good friend! A great friend!"

That seemed to satisfy the beast of a guy for his entire body seemed to relax and the anger Kei had sensed coming from him settled down.

Kei gave him a curious look. "Did you sleep here and miss classes?"

Mikoto grunted and Kei suspected that meant 'yes'. Mikoto stood up abruptly. "What's the time?" he questioned.

"Uh...it's now noon. Why?"

Mikoto didn't answer. He simply left.

Mikoto understood that Saruhiko Fushimi was following a lead on one of the students but had very little to report yet. No one else seemed to detect unusual activity from Iwao quite yet and he played the role of the perfect teacher, even with students and teacher fawning all over him for his good looks.

How boring, Mikoto thought.

Seri was in Izumo's arms as they swirled around, dancing in demonstration to the students.

"You're holding yourself rather stiffly, Seri-chan," Izumo commented.

Seri shot him a glare, surprising him. However, he merely smiled. "What have I done this time?"

"Nothing," she replied and the only reason why she didn't step on his toe was because she would look utterly foolish for making a mistake in the room where she was supposed to be the teacher. And there were many eyes on herself and Izumo because they were both so attractive.

"Where's Anna-chan?" Seri asked, trying to divert the topic from their relationship.

"She's unwell," Izumo replied as they continued dancing.

The woman was quite determined to not relax in his arms. It was only her elegance that kept the other students from realizing it.

Seri's eyes widened slightly. "What's wrong with her? Is she alright?" She did tend to worry about the little girl who was growing up among the members of such a violent, uncouth clan.

"Girl stuff," Izumo responded and took note of the fact that he had to go see her later today in the hospital. He had walked in on her yesterday, being stubborn about eating.

It was Mikoto who got her to eat:

"I don't want the soup, Mikoto," she complained and shook her head at the bowl on the tray in front of her.

Izumo, standing in the doorway, watched with much fascination as out of nowhere, Mikoto somehow produced Lion-O, for when he lifted his hand, the plushie was in it, making Anna's eyes widen in shock.

Mikoto lifted his free hand and a flicker of his flaming aura was on the tip of his index finger. He slowly held it to the toy's head and pointed his finger the way one one point a gun.

"Eat or he dies," the young King threatened.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the sight of her beloved plushie's soon to be incinerated existence.

"No blood," Mikoto began and the fire about his finger blazed more. "No bone," (Not that Lion-O had blood or bones). His finger was coming closer-

"No a-"

Anna picked up her spoon and immediately began to devour her soup. Izumo smiled and entered the room as Mikoto put away his aura, but kept the toy under his arm.

"You're a bully as ever with Anna, Mikoto," Izumo commented when he came inside.

Anna looked at him and welcomed the kiss on her forehead from her guardian. Izumo's kind smile darkened into a scowl that aimed at Mikoto when he stated, "You sure took a while to get here, old man,"

"I am not old!"

"You're twenty eight,"

"I have the graceful beauty of a twenty five year old! And you shouldn't talk, you're really twenty six!"

Mikoto gave a slow smirk then. "I'm fourteen,"

"That just makes you a brat then," Izumo said distastefully.

Pausing between mouthfuls of hot soup, Anna commented, "Even when Mikoto is bigger, he looks younger,"

Izumo frowned. "How much younger do you think?"

"Twenty two," she responded. It was true; after Mikoto hit twenty two, he didn't seem to age and looking nothing like a man in the second half of his twenties. Although twenty six was just four years older, Mikoto didn't look a day older than twenty two.

"Helping me doesn't mean you get to stop eating," Mikoto said and glared at her.

She immediately resumed consumption of her light lunch.

Izumo smiled fondly. Those two were quite a pair.

Seri understood what he was talking about for she herself had provided him the data on Strains for Anna so that they could understand better her needs as she grew.

Seri wanted to ask what was making him smile so wonderfully, but she held her tongue. She needed to be as cold as possible to freeze off this man.

"So your King scolded you for being with me?" Izumo asked her.

Seri turned her head away. However, as she did so, her movement caused her shirt to fall slightly, partially revealing her hickey. Izumo seemed to notice this and frowned. Not showing that he noticed something, he let Seri go.

"Perhaps we should demonstrate the tango," Izumo announced.

Everyone in the room turned around, quite surprised.

"Kusanagi-sensei, I do not believe that is necessary," Seri commented.

Izumo shot her a smile over his shoulder. "Ah, but Awashima-sensei the tango is the dance for lovers," he turned his attention to the CD player and changed the track. The music began and immediately, Izumo reached for her. He grasped her by the waist, and banded her to him before his arm moved slowly upward to position itself appropriately at her back.

The tall handsome man smiled down at her. "Ready, Seri?" he asked quietly so that no one else could hear.

"No, I am not!" she replied angrily.

He smirked. "Angry. Perfect. Let's show these kids some fancy footwork,"

Seri pulled herself into proper position quickly before they Izumo took her across the dancefloor, forcing her to keep up with his steps as they circled around to the beat of the music. She was circled twice before his hand went to her leg and pulled it onto his, allow her to feel its hard muscle. He smirked at her before, according to the dance steps, she was spun around and his arm was around her waist, holding her perhaps more tightly than necessary and she could feel the hard ridges of his muscles through his clothing. She caught his scent of cologne and could feel his warmth completely surrounding her, threatening to thaw her.

Seri was breathing rapidly. She didn't know if it was just from the dance, or if it was from Izumo himself. She was turned around again, some more footwork and suddenly, he dipped her.

She relaxed, knowing that his strong arm would hold her safely.

She felt him draw closer to her and his breath was on her neck.

Then, suddenly, she was upright again.

All around them, the students clapped and cheered.

"We'll end class here today," Izumo announced.

The students cheered harder and ran out the room before Seri could stop them.

"What are you thinking? There's still a half hour left!" Seri snapped.

Izumo merely smiled as the last student left, and walked over to the door. Seri was expecting him to leave, but was astonished to find that he had shut the door and had locked it.

As he turned around and advanced toward her, she stepped back, until she hit the opposite wall, reminding her of the incident in the alleyway over a year ago.

Izumo was still smiling as he slammed his palm against the wall beside her head. She was startled.

"Izumo?" she said his name uncertainly.

"That's a nice mark you have there, Seri-chan," he stated.

"I don't know what you're-" Before she could continue, his hand caught the neckline of her blouse and pulled it downward, revealing the hickey.

"Don't know what I'm talking about? Oh, I assure you Seri-chan; I know," he told her. His face was dead serious and his expression angry.

"Nothing happened, we didn't even kiss," Seri defended herself and almost felt like a girlfriend defending herself in front of her boyfriend.

Izumo smirked suddenly. "That's how Munakata Reisi does it, huh? He marks the woman he claims as his without even a kiss, huh? Well you better let him know that I'm not so kind as to put my mark somewhere so hidden,"

Before Seri could ask what he was doing, Izumo's mouth was on her neck, to the side, just midway. Seri struggled and tried to get him off, but he was physically stronger than her; one large hand pinned her by the wrist to the wall, while the other was around her, gripping her tightly by the waist.

Seri caught his scent, that familiar scent and she was reminded of those days long ago when she would come to his bar and just chat with him.

He was always able to make her talk more than necessary.

She whimpered as she felt his teeth break her skin, marking it, and she gave up struggling. Sensing her compliance, Izumo's hands loosened and one of them went to her blouse, pulling it out of her skirt until he was able to slide under it and feel her warm skin underneath.

Seri's body shuddered at the feel of his soft hand, so different from her King's.

Her King's.

Munakata Reisi.

Suddenly, she felt like she was going to betray him! She remembered him and the many times they had together in Scepter 4, his sense of organization and his kindness and discipline.

Seri pushed Izumo away after summoning strength she didn't even realize she actually had.

"Don't!" she hissed at him, shocking him. "At least my king wants me so that I can have a future with in the clan! You just want me to use in bed because you have the chance!"

Izumo was surprised at her words. "Seri-chan, it isn't like that," he was telling her.

"Don't lie to me, Izumo. You know that there's nothing for us as long as you're a part of the Red Clan, and I the Blue. You just wanted to get your jollies with me since you thought you had the opportunity,"

"You really believe that?" Izumo asked her carefully.

As Seri regained her composure and tucked in her skirt, she responded, "Am I wrong?"

Izumo looked a bit uncomfortable. "Look, it isn't like that," he was saying again but Seri could tell there was some truth to her words for there was some guilt hanging around him.

Seri made an irritated sound. "Enough, Kusanagi. I have things to do and so you, like working on the case we were assigned to by the his majesty the Gold King,"

With that, she walked off, completely ignoring him. She opened the door and thought to herself, at least she could go back to Scepter 4 and focus on her work and everything would be alright. Her king was a great man after all.

Somewhere along the way to her apartment, Seri stopped realizing that no, everything was not alright. Nothing was fine and she couldn't pretend that it was going to be when she got back into the gist of working-not after what had happened the night before with Reisi, and not after the way he had treated her the following morning.

It hurt the way he had been so cold and although they were both drunk, Seri partially blamed herself for not having more control over her emotions. Reisi was not any better either. She didn't think it was possible for her to work with a man who decided he only wanted to be with her for the sake of keeping her within their clan.

On some level, she was touched that he wanted her there that much.

But on another, she was angry for she felt that he was not seeing her worth as a woman.

As for Izumo, he was much worse. He was her first love and she still harbored feelings for him, but she couldn't continue living in the past and expecting that somehow, it would all work out.

Nothing was working out right now, not even in the Blue Clan.

She enjoyed being there but Fushimi had brought up some important things to her-she was currently letting her social life get in the way of work. She was probably loosing respect among her subordinates of they noticed how she 'moped' around. This was not the behavior a Lieutenant should display.

It was time, she decided, to move on from the Blue Clan. She was upset with Reisi and she felt that it made no sense she stay in the Clan if it was that she could not properly do her duties.

And she was not going to go running to Izumo Kusanagi either who just wanted to have sex with her.

She placed her hand over the fresh hickey and winced at its sensitivity while blushing at the same time.

Izumo was a problem as well.

Neither of these men were helping her and they were both making things worse, and she could not think from running from one to the other. That was fickle, stupid and pointless and unbecoming of a normally level-headed, goal oriented woman such as herself.

Seri knew that in the end, only she could help herself and the first thing she was going to do to help herself was to resign from Scepter 4.

A/N: This chapter should have been posted yesterday but it wasn't properly completed. Hope you enjoyed it!

Did you enjoy the Seri/Izumo/Reisi in this? Hope you did!

*****DRINK SAFELY AND WITH PEOPLE YOU TRUST. KNOW YOUR LIMITS. AND DON'T DRINK IF YOU'RE UNDERAGE!

*****PLEASE KEEP NOTE OF THE AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE YOU CONSUME BECAUSE IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. I would know-I used to drink caffeine loaded energy drinks when studying for college exams, and almost felt like I was having a heart attack one day. I haven't touched them since and coffee gave me heartburn so coffee's out too.

Anyway, enough about my lifestory.

Thank you for reading, and all of you who followed, favorited and reviewed this story, thank you so much, I appreciate it. I love you all, God bless :)

For all the reviewers:

Mizuouji: *Pats on back comfortingly* Think of all the joyous faces when you release the new chapter :) Hope you enjoyed the Seri/Izumo in this chapter. I think that they could be together, if it weren't for their clans. I used to kind of prefer Seri/Reisi...in my mind, boss+subordinate=sexy time. Hahaha. But seriously, because it's only recently I really tried to get in interested in Seri's character, I can't really decide right now. I have an idea how to end things with these three, I just hope everyone is pleased with it.

xNightDreamerx: Thanks for the review on the chapter, it made me smile. Hope you enjoyed everyone's interaction in this chapter as well :)

little weirdo: Good luck to you too on your exam! Mine is the day after tomorrow. So un-fun :/ Anyway, thanks for your lovely words, I appreciate them :)

Arius the Heretic: Well, now you know how she got that hickey, and now she has TWO! I'm...kinda jealous? Lol. If only I had a guy like Izumo or Reisi in my life. Anyway, enough about me. Thanks for letting me know that heat really does help! It does make me sad too sometimes when I write this story, and in the sequel she's going to get more older. But I like the idea of her being older and interacting with everyone :) Thanks for your well wishes on the exam, let's hope I do well! And thanks for your lovely review, I appreciate it :)

Nobody Special: My Special Reviewer! Yes, they always do make me happy! And I get more excited to write the next chapter too whenever I learn how much people enjoy the story :) Thanks again and hope you enjoyed this chapter too XD

Mienchan-ish: Yes I'm much better now! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

D: Hm...what do you think about Reisi now? And Izumo? No I didn't get my tonsils pulled out, but i think what happens is that all that dairy builds up the mucus in my throat and chest and somehow that irritates my tonsils and makes them swell. They're almost back to normal now...as long as I ignore the ice-cream in the freezer I will be just fine :) Thanks for your concern though :)

LindyLinn: Thanks for those wonderful words! I appreciate them! Did you get around to reading the manga? Believe me, it's good fun.

Indochine: Thanks for always reviewing! I appreciate that! Well, now you know how Seri got her hickey. Hope you liked the Seri/Izumo moments...and caffeine high Fushimi :)

nekoikoi: Don't worry, I know the drill with college and lame timetables. I'm glad you were finally able to catch up. I'm happy to know that you liked those parts of the story, and hope you keep enjoying it! Thanks so much for reviewing :)

HodgeHeg: It's alright, I'm glad to know you're still reading the story despite my two week long absence! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)

sereneskydragonslayer: Thanks so much for reviewing. Now you know who did it :) Hope you liked how Seri somewhat threatened Fushimi :)

nannerlovessnickers: Yes, Skip Beat is probably the ONLY shoujo manga I actually keep updated with. I get too irritated with some that have been dragging on for too long. In fact, Skip Beat is the only manga that I actually went out to buy the volumes for to support the author. I'm kinda fed up with it now because I'm tired of seeing Cain and Setsu, I want to see Ren and Kyoko mode, or Kuon and Kyoko! Lol. I guess it's not time yet. That was actually my fav part in the anime too! My favorite arc in the manga is the Valentine's Day arc. I loved that one sooo much! Your birthday sounds like it went really nice and I hope that the rest of your day went well :)

Bre Renee: Aw...don't worry, I'm just glad to hear from you! I actually hadn't intended to name the chapter 'Balls' but I didn't know what else to put and that just seemed to fit the chapter so I used it! I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the drama with Seri, and thanks so much for your well wishes. Take care and hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)

Yoshh95: Hi, thanks for reviewing :) It never really crossed my mind to bring in a serious love interest for Mikoto because he never really struck me as caring to have someone, especially since in this story he clings to Anna so much. But the issue might be brought up, either toward the end of the story or in the sequel :)

SomeReviewer: Hello my AWESomeReviewer! OMG, you are the first person I know who REALLY seems to pay attention to so much detail in the story, especially with the plot surrounding the Rise! I actually thought everyone had forgotten about not everything with the Rise being discovered! That will actually be wrapped up in the sequel so you can look forward to it then :) You were right about Fushimi buttoning up Seri's shirt. Mikoto is just possessive. This chapter explains it all :) Thanks so much for your review :)

WitchyCloudPine: That really means a lot to me hearing that! Thank you!

Diclonius57: Thanks for your reviews on those chapters. I appreciated them!

graveheart08: You will vote to Kuroh?

Shigure-sensei: Not sure if or when you will see this, but thanks for your review of the first chapter. I appreciate it, and I hope your reading this means that you really enjoyed the story to make it this far (unless you skipped to this chapter, but that's alright :D).

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews.

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter.

Until the next one, God bless :)