~Break Special~

Rosewood

August 13th, 2010

"No."

Filled with uncertainty, Tatara shuddered, a desperate whine in his disappointed tone as he retracted the glossy wand from Anna's face. "Ah, no good?"

After scrutinizing herself in the mirror, Anna closed her eyes and softly shook her head as she tilted his way. "Onē-san does it better," she announced in a soft coo.

Dropping his shoulders into his dismay, Tatara slackened forward with a heaving sigh. "Of course, she does, but she's miles away from us now, so we have to do it ourselves this year, okay, Anna-chan?"

Anna turned her bright wine-coloured eyes on her reflection again and stared at her thin lips absorbing the deep crimson shade of the lipstick Neirah had left her before departing for Nagasaki. Every year on every birthday, Neirah would paint her lips to leave a specially placed kiss on every one of their clanmates for good luck. Nobody was sure what inspired the ritual, to begin with, or why it became so anticipated, but in Neirah's absence, it was up to Anna to uphold tradition and make sure that the luck was carried by all their members.

That included their king.

Anna watched her cheeks dust with colour as she observed her reflection, her left eye sparkling with the brilliant flicker of the flame she carried. It had been a few weeks since her big sister had left, and the only birthday she anticipated to miss during her stay in Nagasaki was Mikoto's. Because of this, she had entrusted her crimson lipstick to Anna with the vital task of spreading good fortune.

But, of course, her target wasn't just anyone. It was Mikoto, the Red King. In Anna's heart, she knew that he deserved the best luck she could give under the perfect lip-shaped tag. Her lips weren't as plump and full as her big sister's, but she felt like when Neirah painted them, they looked more luscious than what Tatara had managed to achieve. With a soft sigh, Anna raised one of her red marbles from her pocket, looking at her reflection in the mirror as if she was intensely focussed. Then, she dropped her arm and turned her doll-like features back towards Tatara. "Again," she suggested softly. "It should be perfect for Mikoto."

With a sheepish moan, Tatara tilted his faint smile to one side. "It should be for our King, shouldn't it?" He gently raised a moistened cloth to Anna's face and removed the rough application. "Nei-chan left a pretty important task to us, so we can't let her down."

From behind the rag, Anna quietly shook her head.

When he removed the fabric, Tatara popped the top off Neirah's vibrant rosewood shade of lipstick. He'd seen the print on a lot of their fellow clansmen over the years, and when he considered the smudges, his heart started to ache. Neirah had always mentioned that Anna would likely take over the tradition when she was older, but he couldn't help but worry that their young Strain was taking on the responsibility prematurely.

Despondent thoughts plagued his mind as he forced his smile to remain, and he turned towards where the delicate creature before him had closed her eyes, puckering her lips for painting. The sight warmed his heart.

Their darling Anna was mature beyond her years, but even still, she was a child, and Tatara could tell that she looked up to her big sister. Izumo always reminded them that Neirah couldn't leave because she would be an invaluable asset in their lives as Anna aged. It would be important that Neirah returned for several reasons.

"She'll come back."

Tatara startled, his hand faltering a breath away from the eager Strain's lips. He recoiled his dye and watched Anna open her big eyes over her faint, optimistic smile.

"This is her home."

Tatara couldn't help but choke on the palpitations of his heart as his cheeks flooded with the fond sentiment. "It is, isn't it?" he whispered.

"Oi, what is it you two are up to in-" Izumo gagged on the remainder of his statement when he was met with the innocent expressions of two eye sets matching his interruption like fawns in headlights. That wasn't what had staggered him, though. What put a twist in his belly was the sight of creamy red lipstick smeared all over his good white cloth. "Totsuka…"

Tatara rushed over towards Izumo's posture winding up to lash out at the pair to beg forgiveness. "I can explain!" He clapped both of his palms together and raised them over his head. "It's actually very important!"

As Tatara prattled out his excuses, Anna jolted to attention, her ivory cheeks darkening in pigment. "He's here." Her wide eyes shifted towards Izumo and Tatara as she parted her colourless lips with a nervous gasp. "Mikoto."

Izumo flinched unsuspectingly. "Is that what all this fuss is about?"

With a bemused look on his face, Tatara whirled to face Izumo expectantly. "Kusanagi-san! Did you forget that it's King's birthday today!?"

"I didn't," he argued strictly. "But what does that have to do with destroying my nice cloths?"

"It's tradition." Anna didn't falter as Izumo's gaze shifted towards her faint interruption.

Izumo's eyes thinned on the sight of Anna's hands fidgeting in her skirt, and his heart softened. "That's right," he murmured. "Neirah isn't here for Mikoto's birthday this year, is she?"

A squirmy Anna slowly shook her head.

Surrender filled his expression as he heaved an aggravated sigh to let the pressure escape before speaking. "Well, can't argue with tradition," he conceded. "I can always order more cloths."

"Kusanagi-san," Tatara calmly interrupted. He waited until Izumo had hummed his acknowledgment and shared his attention. "Can you distract King for us? Just for a little while? Anna wants everything to be perfect, but I'm kinda out of practice with this makeup stuff."

Izumo felt the sudden urge to roll his eyes. "Really? Out of all the crazy things you get yourself into, makeup isn't one of them?"

Tatara swiftly shook his head. "Ten minutes. We should be ready by then."

Tipping his hands out to either side of him in a shrug of surrender, Izumo turned away from their session. "Whatever you say, Totsuka," he yielded. "I saw nothing."

"Arigatō!"

When Anna caught the sight of her pale features in the floor-length mirror again, she gasped softly, realizing how dark her cheeks had become with humility. She noticed Tatara turning to dismiss Izumo's exit before shifting to view the child while she concentrated on her own reflection. She continued to stare before reaching up and touching her cheek. "Red…"

"Are you nervous?" Tatara tenderly instigated.

Anna slowly nodded her head.

With a knowing smile, Tatara gently took her chin in his hand to turn her youthful features his way. "It'll be fine," he whispered. "It'll all work out."

Anna looked deep into Tatara's eyes while he held her face steady and began to smear the rouge over her lips. Because they weren't as luscious as Neirah's, it was hard to find the edges of her pout, requiring a mastery of the application that Tatara didn't possess.

However, as she watched him concentrate on his task, she noticed that his heart wasn't in it like it was with some of his other varied pastimes. He was distracted, and there was sadness in his eyes that she recognized from the last time Tatara was without his roommate. "Tatara… You miss Onē-san again."

Tatara had become used to Anna seeing through him, so he didn't falter when she announced his heart's predicament. Instead, he let his eyes slip from her lips to her concern before returning soft brown irises to the task at hand. "I'd miss anyone if they left. Even Fushimi-san," he instigated playfully. "It's just not the same if we're not all together."

"But Onē-san is special."

He attempted to avoid faltering even as his lips tightened, his sorrowful eyes focussing intently on his task. "Nei-chan makes me feel helpful," he calmly reasoned. "King worries about her sometimes, I know he does. And Kusanagi-san too." He let his head slip to one side as he attempted to redo the colour on Anna's top lip when it parted invitingly. "She needs me, and when I'm there for her, it helps King too. That way, he doesn't have to worry about her."

Despite the melancholy of their conversation, Tatara found a genuine smile curling his lips as he painted Anna's. "I bet you've noticed it too," he reasoned soundly. "King pretends to be tough and scary, but he really cares for everyone here. I can tell."

"Yes."

He leaned back, releasing Anna's face to admire his handiwork before determining that the vivid shade was weaker on one half of her lower lip. He addressed the inadequacy presently. "King may seem lazy, at times, but he wouldn't let anyone hurt his pride. That's why he needs his hunter, so he can watch over everyone while she keeps an eye on his territory." His expression faltered as he backed away from his work with a heavy sigh. "That's why it's my job as his vassal to make sure that Nei-chan will always be by his side. They're partners, you see. She will always be more useful to him than I am, so it's my responsibility to support her."

Realizing that Anna was distracted by his story, he smiled tenderly and laid his hands on her shoulders, slowly rotating her to face her reflection. "It's important to keep a smile in our hearts, because that's what makes us strong; when we fight to protect our red memories. That's the true beauty of Nei-chan's tradition, because every year, it makes our birthdays special and gives us another smile to protect. So, Kusanagi-san really didn't lie when he told Yata-chan that it makes us stronger."

Anna looked deep into her own eyes in her reflection, admiring how beautiful her lips looked standing out against her fair skin. The dazzling hue matched her irises, which matched their flame, and together, the shades highlighted the small smile that brightened her face.

Tatara leaned his head by her shoulder, smiling brightly back at their combined reflections. "Well? What do you think? Better?"

Anna frantically nodded her head. "It's perfect," she gasped out mildly.

"Then what do you say we go and wish our king a Happy Birthday?"

Anna floated by his side, curling her fingers around Tatara's hand as he guided her through the room towards the doorway.

"Tatara?"

Hm? Tatara paused with one hand in hers and one on the doorknob, tipping his inquisitive gaze her way. "What is it, Anna-chan?"

"I think you should say something about it in your song," she whispered. "About our smiles."

"You think so?" His expression softened with tender fondness as his grip on her small hand tightened. It had been a while since he'd been inspired to work on his song with all that had happened. "What does it feel like, knowing that you're the smile this year?"

The hand opposite the one Tatara had clutched raised to her chest as she thought about his question. "It's warm, like Mikoto's flame," she whispered softly. "And it should be protected." Thinking about it more intently, Anna gently raised her bright eyes to face Tatara directly. "That is what you do, isn't it? You protect the smiles by making sure everyone is together."

Stricken by her cunning realization, Tatara laughed proudly. "Wow, I guess I do," he mused. "Totsuka Tatara, protector of smiles!"

He reached over towards the table next to the door and picked up his camera with a playful wink. "What do you say we go make some more, Anna-chan?"

She nodded certainly. "Yes."

"Mikoto-saaan! Happy birthday!" Misaki raised his arms up in a lively cheer, and his cheeks dusted pink as he badgered their king. "How old are you now, anyway!?"

"Old," Mikoto callously interjected.

"Is that supposed to be a joke," Izumo muttered grimly from behind his bar.

"Wait, you're older than Mikoto-san, aren't you, Kusanagi-san?" Rikio calmly theorized. He turned in his seat to face the aggravated barkeep with a humbled expression in his casual features. "By a couple of years, at least."

An involuntary twitch caused Izumo's teeth to grind as he considered Rikio's instigation. "Yeah, so respect your elders and drop it."

"Happy birthday, King!" Tatara entered the bar from the back, waving his hand next to his Nikon with a delighted beam. "Our little princess has a special gift for you!"

Hm? Mikoto watched Anna start to trot lightly through the bar, and as she approached, he crouched towards her level with a curious hum. "You know, gettin' older isn't that special, right, kid?"

Anna looked back into his eyes levelly for a long moment; golden embers flickering around the flame she knew was inside. She could tell that it wasn't easy for him to keep it contained, but she imagined that's why he needed the smiles that Tatara spoke of. If he saw the smiles of his pride, it would remind him that he had something to protect. That meant that he had to face his fears and every challenge ahead to make sure that those smiles could continue to shine as brightly as the fire burning in their eyes.

Without hesitation, Anna's fingers fluttered behind her with her skirt as she leaned to one side and gently placed her lips against his cheek. When she backed away from his surprise, she met his confusion with the brightest smile the damaged Strain could muster, silently promising herself she would continue to get better at it to remind him why he was important to every one of them.

Her ears dismissed the raucous jeers of their friends around them. For a moment, it was just Anna and her king, lost in each other's eyes while they communicated beyond what words could explain. Then, in a small voice, she cooed her gentle proclamation. "Happy birthday, Mikoto."

Tatara zoomed in on his camera, stepping around the pair with a mischievous giggle. "Anna-chan, look!" His finger slipped into the recording frame as he pointed towards the lipstick print left on Mikoto's cheek. "Do you see how perfect it is?" Tatara slowly tipped out from behind his viewing screen with a satisfied giggle, making sure that he caught Mikoto's fond smile on tape in case he needed to remind him he was capable of them every now and then. "Nei-chan is going to be so proud!"

You were truly the protector of smiles…