Disclaimer: I do not own the anime, manga, novels, and most importantly the characters of K. K is officially owned by GoRa/GoHands.

Author's Note - Please read to help understand! : The Anna in this story is almost 13 years old. In the anime, she is 11 years old (please correct me if I am wrong). So it would be about 2 years since Mikoto and Yashiro's (the silver king) sacrifices. So when the Dresden Slate sends her back in time, she is supposed to be only 9 years old and about to turn 10 because her birthday is coming up. In case you're confused, the anime begins a year and a half after the murder of Tatara. So it would make sense for Anna to be about to turn 10. But even though the Slate sends her back in time, Anna is still only 13 years old. Sorry, my bad; I mean in her original timeline, she's close to 13 so she's actually still 12... I'm so sorry if this is confusing but please bear with me, hahaha. This is to explain why her vocabulary is a little more sophisticated than the vocab of an average 12 yr old girl. Besides that, she's an intelligent character herself. Thanks for reading this!

K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

By: TCOOKIES777

Chapter 5: Tipping the Bottle

Anna woke with a start… and the most terrible of headaches. She felt Vera in the crook of her arm and realized she was back in her room and lying on the bed. Anna rubbed her temples just as a hand held out a glass of water to her.

"How are you feeling?" Izumo asked her. There was a cigarette stuck in his mouth but it wasn't lit. Anna knew it was a bad habit of his that showed when he was worried or stressed.

"I'm fine." She murmured before taking a few sips off her drink. It was a lie, and Izumo knew it just as well as she did. Anna remembered every single detail of her nightmare. A nightmare? Or… a vision…?

Izumo sighed and the crease between his brows deepened even further. "Anna, we've talked about this before; about feelings and whatnot? Don't be afraid to speak up if you have something to say or else all we can do is worry about you. Mikoto—though he may not look like it—is extremely concerned for you. And look at Totsuka-san here! That idiot…."

Anna turned her head to see Tatara asleep in a chair beside the bed. A little drool was peeking out from his corner of his mouth and she almost chuckled at the sight of it. "How long has he been like this?"

"Ever since… you fainted…." Izumo replied with a little hesitance. Anna did not miss it and so she lightly touched Izumo's hand. He looked up at her but refused to meet her eye.

Now she was worried. "Izumo-san? What happened? Izumo-san… tell me, did something happen?"

Izumo shook his head and smiled at her. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about! Really! The men were just being clumsy with the groceries is all!"

Anna sensed that it had to do with her. But she was asleep the whole time… was she not? She couldn't have done anything during her nap. Wait, now that she thought about it, she remembered that even if she was unconscious, she could still lose control of her Strain powers if her mental condition was unstable.

What a weakling she was! She had so much power coursing through her veins; power that she wanted to use in order to protect her loved ones. And yet, she seemed to be doing the exact opposite! She was ashamed of herself. Even a little bit disgusted at her loss of control. It was a good thing Honami-san had forgotten her and was no longer taking care of her. Otherwise, she might've seen Anna for the monster she was….

Tears brimmed in her eyes and she tilted her head down so Izumo wouldn't see the frustration and guilt she was suffering from.

"Tell me the truth, Izumo-san. D-did I… hurt anyone?" She asked him in the smallest voice he had ever heard.

The bartender's heart wrenched for the poor little girl before him. Her kindness and consideration, despite all the pain she had to go through, overwhelmed him to the point where he could feel a slight sting in his eyes as they began to water. He blinked fast to dispel the tears coming on and then smiled at her with the love a father would have.

"Believe me, I think the guys of Homra can withstand a few cuts and bruises. Nothing they haven't seen. Besides, they've been hurt a lot worse. So don't worry, Anna, you've done no harm!"

Anna didn't say anything but went on to grip the folds of her dress tightly. I can't believe this, she thought. What have I done? This is not what I came back to do! I've hurt my friends… my family…. Suddenly, she felt someone cup her face with a warm hand.

"Heh, what's this I see? Tears? Tsk! No, no, no. Tears don't suit Homra's princess." Tatara softly said as he brushed off with the tips of his slim fingers the salty droplets threatening to spill over the corner of her eyes. He was awake and stretching out the kinks he had gotten from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.

Izumo rubbed the back of his neck. "Morning, sunshine. Seeing as you refused to leave Anna's side the entire time she was out, I suggest you get some rest when you're done."

Tatara was here the whole time? But of course he would stay with her. Because that was the sort of man he was. Too kind for his own good. Maybe that's what got him-no, she shoved the dark thought back into the recesses of her mind before it could finish.

"Whatever you say, Mama-san." Tatara grinned innocently at the other man.

Izumo growled at his nickname and opened his mouth to tell him off when Tatara intercepted him.

"Say, why don't you go back downstairs, Izumo-san? I'm sure your bar is in need of attention from you." Tatara proposed. "Besides, there's no telling if the men are fixing things right down there. Don't worry about Anna! Though, if you don't mind, maybe some onigiri would make a nice snack?"

He gave a nod to Izumo that said 'I've got this' and as the bartender left the room, Tatara turned back to Anna.

"So…." He began as his lips tugged upwards the slightest.

Not meeting Tatara's eyes, she fiddled with the red ribbon of her stuffed rabbit. "… So."

"So," Tatara climbed atop her bed and faced her on his side with a consoling smile on his always-blissful face. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Hm, Izumo-san had asked me that earlier as well." She quietly replied. "Guess what I told him."

The young man answered without hesitating. "You said that you were 'fine', didn't you?"

The silver-haired girl nodded.

There was a pregnant pause before Tatara reached over to cup Anna's cheek again and have her face him. "But you're not fine, are you?"

She shook her head in response.

"Would you tell me how you really feel?" He asked and touched his index finger to the upper left of her chest, where her heart was beating. "Here."

Anna hesitated once more. Did it really matter? All of this would pass soon enough so couldn't everyone just forget what had happened? She had traveled back in time because she had something to do; a mission. And that was to save Tatara and Mikoto. This was no time for her to be spilling out her feelings when she needed to make plans for tonight.

"Ne, Anna, why don't we just keep it between the two of us?" Tatara said after seeing her uncertainty. "Nobody else will have to know. It can be a secret, yeah?"

"A secret?" She frowned in confusion at the idea. "But everyone told me that I shouldn't keep things from them, especially when it comes to how I feel. We're all family so there's nothing to hide."

Tatara chuckled and then pat her head. "Ah, but technically it's not really a secret if someone else besides yourself knows about it. But, we'll just call it a 'secret' anyway. I think you'd feel safer if we did, right?"

"My secret…" Anna whispered. She flashed back to the time when she had communicated with the Dresden Slate. The Slate was the reason why she was here in the first place. And why she was reliving almost three years ago. It came to her when she was feeling most vulnerable and at her lowest. It offered her another chance when she had thought that there were no more. It saved her….

"I feel… empty." Anna murmured before glancing up at Tatara whose face had become serious but still reassuring. "I want to help everyone. I want to be their shield just as they have always been mine. I want to be there for my family just how they've always been there for me. I want to express my love for them. I want to find a way to keep those beautiful smiles on their faces every day. I want these days to never end. I just… I just want our days of red to last forever!

Am I… am I selfish for wanting such things, Tatara-san? Am I naïve for even desiring it in the first place? Because I feel powerless knowing that none of these things can possibly come true with the way I am. I may seem like a princess, but what's a princess of Homra if she cannot even control her powers much less use them to help the ones she loves?"

Anna was practically gasping for air once she had finished her rant. This was one of her rare moments in which she had spoken much. Remembering her glass of water, she took several gulps of it before settling down. Oh, what a child she was! She wanted to dive under her covers to hide her shame and embarrassment for acting the way she did. That was not how she usually behaved. For Tatara to see that side of her for the first time… what did he think of her now? He must think she's a spoiled child crying for attention….

All of a sudden, Tatara's arms were wrapping around her as he leaned in to give her a tight hug. "So, this is how you've felt all along…. Thank you for telling me this, Anna."

"You're not… upset at me?" She asked.

He only tightened his warm hold on her in response. She could smell his scent; sunny. That was the only way she could describe it. His personal scent was sunny… just like his personality; it always made you feel warm and tingly.

"I could never be upset at you, Anna. And don't you ever say that you're selfish—because you are not. Do you understand? You are the most sympathetic, compassionate, and warmhearted person I have ever met. One day, you will learn who you are; that does not necessarily mean that you must be able to control your powers because, no, you don't need to. It's you who is in control of who you are and the kind of person you want to be. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise or try to change you to become someone you are not, you hear?"

She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"And all those things that you said you wanted?" Tatara leaned back to look her in the eyes. "That only makes you more of what you are; absolutely beautiful. Really, you are definitely Homra's princess. Nobody but you can fit that role." He dipped his head down to lay a peck on the back of her hand.

"I swear."

Never had Anna been so emotional until now. She felt like crying and laughing in both happiness and sadness but couldn't decide which. Instead, she muttered a sincere thank you and then hugged him as if she was planning to never let the man go.

"By the way, Anna..." Tatara said slowly. "You seem... different."

The girl stiffened up the slightest. "R-really?"

"Yes, I just know it. You don't seem the same." Tatara whispered into her ear. "For example, I remember your hair was two inches shorter. And you're a bit taller than you were before..."

"A growth spurt..." Anna muttered an excuse. Did he suspect her of not being from this time?

"Well, that must be some growth spurt" His cheeks were tinted just the slightest shade of red. He cleared his throat, "Because you seem to be filling out there as well..."

She didn't understand what he had meant by that but Anna blushed all the same. Imagining Izumo whacking the man on the head for saying something inappropriate to a young girl such as her, Anna held back a giggle before sobering up.

"Actually, th-there's one more thing I must tell you, Tatara-san. One more secret…."

"Eh?" Tatara blinked in surprise. "Does it have to do with your 'growth spurt'? Does it have to do with your Strain powers? A-are you taking some kind of medicine? Oh my, is it a drug-"

Anna touched a finger to his lips to shush him. "No, not exactly... I'm not going to promise that it's not something crazy though..."

Could she tell him? She wasn't sure what the consequences would be, considering that the Slate had never revealed to her the details. But everyone made risks to be where they are. If she didn't take any risks then how would she be able to change history? She had to tell someone—and not just anyone. Besides, maybe Tatara still remembered what she had once told him five years ago. She was about eight years old when Honami-san and her had paid a visit to Homra's bar. That was also the day she would meet her future family.

What about Mikoto? Hm, no, not him; there's no telling what he would do. King was too unpredictable.

Izumo? Ah, he might think she was still dreaming. And, for sure, he wouldn't hide such critical information from Mikoto either.

Out of everyone else, Anna knew that she could entrust this huge secret to Tatara the most. After all, Tatara was the most understanding in the clan. It was one of the many reasons why he was such a likeable person that seemed to attract people to him everywhere he went.

"Tatara-san, you're not going to believe it but…." She took a deep breath and made a motion for the man to come in closer. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered into it, "I am Anna from the future."

OMG! SHE DID IT. SHE DID WHAT THE SLATE TOLD HER TO NOT DO NO MATTER WHAT. OMGOMGOMG. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? DO YOU KNOW? DO I KNOW? WHO KNOOOOWS? WE'LL ALL KNOW NEXT TIME ON CHAPTER 6 OF K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red ! Stay tuned for more!

Also, if ya'll are wondering why it's rated M, you'll know why in the later chapters. Please be patient! But if you're here because you were expecting some smut and you saw the M-rating... well, sorry, there's no romance in this story. No, there's no romance involving: YataxFushimi, TataraxMikoto, IzumoxSeri, or ChitosexMaria, or even AnnaxMikoto (though I personally ship those two). This fanfic revolves around Anna and her hero's journey (it's a literary term for coming-of-age stories) to save her family.

Thank you so much for reading! God, you readers are such beautiful people for reading an amateur's work. I really don't know how you guys bear with me and my writing but thank you so much!

As always, reviews are much appreciated (especially constructive criticism) :)