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: Ok since break is almost over and school starts in one day, updates will be back to being slow. This is the first update of 2015, whooot! I forgot to say in the last update (Chapter 9 The Hunt) that because I hadn't updated in a long time my writing may be crappy and rusty so please bear with me as I try to re-hone my skills and pardon me if I have a stupid grammar/spelling mistake in here or I got something mixed up. Also, I got a question. Be honest with me guys, I trust you. Do you guys think my writing is choppy? My english teacher told me I have choppy writing. If you yourself do think it's choppy then could you please advise me as to how I can fix it? Thanks :) Enjoy the chapter~
K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red
BY: TCOOKIES777
Chapter 10: Re:BIRTHDAY
And deep in thought like petals white,
Of clearer mind of none to spite.
For what's the most too hold so dear,
Before the stain of colorless fear.
Steel your mind, and widen your gaze,
Speak the truth between the maze.
To yield the self of pain and hate,
To know yourself of futures fate.
"Like I said," Yata glared from his stool at the scowling man sitting at the couch in the opposite corner, "why are you here?!"
Fushimi only responded by simply crossing his arms and closing his eyes, ignoring his ex-best friend."Don't ignore me, bastard!" Yata slammed his fist onto the bar counter, earning his own death glare from Izumo who went on to pull something out from the fridge with a smile on his face.
"I received a call from Seri-chan." The bartender hummed as he shoveled some kind of cream into a piping bag. "Fushimi successfully accomplished his da—ah, I mean, assignment. And now he's been ordered to stay in the company of Anna for the rest of the day."
"Are you serious?!" Yata screeched. Meanwhile, Fushimi himself was trying his best to bite back his complaints, though his frown deepened painfully more.
"C'mon, Yata. The more the merrier, right?" Tatara attempted to calm his hotheaded clansman while setting down the dishes of food for the party. He winced and grabbed his shoulder in pain from the wound he had received at the park yesterday before attempting to change his grimace into a smile. "Besides, we all haven't been together like this in quite a while and Anna seems to be enjoying the presence of everyone."
"Even this bastard?!" Yata couldn't tear his eyes away from the smirking Blue.
"Even Fushimi." Tatara smiled wryly.
Yata scoffed. Fushimi harrumphed. Tatara chuckled. And Anna, whom the three men were bearing the awkward situation for, daintily balanced on the warm lap of her king.
"So what do you think, Anna?" Tatara patted the birthday girl's head as she observed the transformed bar in awe from the lap of Mikoto. Pink streamers hung from the ceiling and lights with red balloons drifting in every corner. Rosy paper flowers were laid coordinately on every table and the floor was beautifully scattered with what Anna suspected to be real rose petals.
"It looks like somebody was murdered here." Fushimi quietly commented on the red scene.
"Beautiful." Anna breathed. Mikoto smiled slightly from behind her.
"A-Are the paper flowers all right?" Fujishima asked as he struggled to hold the wriggling bunny in his hands. "Eric and I took care of them. But we were kind of clumsy since we were pressured for time."
"I never made paper flowers before so it was kind of new to me." Eric said softly. "But it was fun."
Their anxiety disappeared the moment they witnessed Anna's lips tilt up the slightest. "They're perfect." She reassured the two boys and her reserved but joyous reaction was enough for them both.
Somebody whistled from behind the couch Mikoto and her rested upon and she had to twist around slightly to see who it was. It was Chitose and Dewa was half-smiling at his side. "Wow, Anna, you look gorgeous in that dress!" Chitose winked at her only to receive an elbow to the ribs by Dewa. Dewa turned back to her and tipped his hat. "I had to accompany this charmer to ensure he didn't get you anything scandalous. Does it fit right?"
Anna's smile widened only a few centimeters but to her men it was a huge accomplishment. "It's perfect. This is my new favorite dress."
"That's great." Dewa sighed in satisfaction. "You look lovely, Anna."
"Ah, here!" Fujishima brought forth the twitchy bunny he'd been holding all along. "It took a lot of convincing for Izumo but he eventually relented."
"He was about to begin groveling at my feet." Izumo cut in. "I had to do something."
"Anna, we all know you're mature and responsible enough to take care of this little guy." Fujishima continued, ignoring the bunny nibbling away at his jacket. "Besides, he has a heart condition so nobody would want to take the little fella in and, well, seeing as you're the gentlest person I know…"
"It's all right. I'll look after him. Thank you, Kōsuke, he's beautiful." Anna gently took in the tensed creature who immediately relaxed under the light touch of her hand as she stroked its white fur lovingly. "Yuki." She managed to name her new friend before he closed his beady red eyes to sleep under her caressing, his heart beat notably slowing down to a more normal rate. The bunny's fragile body was almost as warm as her King's red aura.
"Oh, and Eric," Raising a hand to grasp her locket, Anna glanced at the blonde boy. "Thank you for the necklace. I'll treasure it." He stared at her in bemusement for a moment before his face split into a shy but contented grin.
"Anna!" Kamamoto bustled in through the crowd of men surrounding the king and their birthday princess. The weighty man set down a large platter of assorted dango. "I ordered a package from Takamura-san! You didn't think that one piece was going to be enough for you was it?"
"Don't get a stomach ache now." Izumo distractedly called from behind his counter.
"Hey, don't forget me!" Yata walked out from the pantry. Flour marked his face but he didn't seem to notice as he excitedly trekked over to the young girl with something in his hand. "Besides the feast I helped Kusanagi-san prepare, I myself got you a little something else! Well, it may not be the best birthday present but I know you had lots of fun playing it that time we went to the arcade together! Here." He slid a case onto the table already laden with gifts and sweets. On the cover of the case was the face of a zombie with its entrails and guts pouring out, the blood gushing in an almost comedic manner.
"Anna," Pressing the rifle trigger, Yata blasted away at the zombies on the arcade box's screen. "Crush the head—the head!"
"I got it." Following her teammate's model stance, she lifted the plastic rifle atop her delicate shoulders and nailed every head shot with deadly precision.
From the side as spectators, Tatara was smiling calmly beside Kamamoto who looked horrified, reaching his hand out uselessly towards the occupied little girl. "Ya… Yata-san…."
"Ah, that sure brings back memories." Tatara noted from the side.
"Hn…" Mikoto contemplated it from his seat as Anna closely inspected the familiar game. Ah, of course she remembered this. Anna's eyes sparkled at the nostalgia. It was so much fun playing with Yata and the others...
"Yata, is that really appropriate for a child?" Chitose asked with a skeptical look. "Or is it that you just couldn't bring yourself to shop in the girl's section?"
"N-No way, that's not it!" Yata was quick to turn red in the face which prompted Fushimi to mockingly chuckle at the poor boy. "I-I-I just th-thought th-that A-A-Ann—"
"Misaki," Anna lightly tugged on the skater boy's long sleeved shirt. When she won back his attention, she smiled serenely at him. "Thank you, I look forward to playing with you again."
Her comment only served to deepen the boy's blush and he managed to stammer out a 'yes' before clearing his throat for a proper reply. "Y-Yeah, let's show everyone our awesome teamwork in zombie slaying when we have the time, okay Anna?"
'When we have the time' Anna's smile faltered at that but she nodded her head for Yata's sake. "Right…."
The skater boy and the observant King behind her both noticed something was off with her response but before they could question her on it, Bandō pushed through with a triumphant expression. Fluttering in his hands was a silk sash with clumsy stitching on it which read 'The BOSS' in bright red thread. "Handmade for a beautiful ruler like you, Princess." Bandō rubbed his nose, grinning proudly as he set the sash over Anna's slim body.
"Don't forget the tiara!" Shōhei presented a sparkly crown with pink gems. Obviously, it was not the real thing, but it looked almost amazingly so in Anna's adoring eyes. "This too is handmade!" Shōhei stated before handing the crown to Mikoto.
"You know, I think the princess is old enough to have her own coronation now, don't you think so?" Chitose said with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Chitose, I hope you're not pulling anything silly on Anna over there." Izumo absently warned the flirtatious man as he busied himself with whatever was occupying him from behind the bar counter.
"Kusanagi-san, don't be such an old daddy now. I was just joking earlier when I said that in five years time Anna would already be a beaut—ouch!" He rubbed the back of his head when Dewa and Yata smacked him in unison. "You two… are enjoying this aren't you?" Chitose eyed the men accusingly.
"Chitose…" Kusanagi looked up from his work to smile threateningly at the lady killer. "I see you're asking to clean up the entire bar after the party is over, is that right?"
"Eh?!" Chitose's handsome face fell. "W-Well…."
"Mou, let's get on with it, yeah?" Kamamoto raised his arms to dispel the situation. "Let's let King coronate Princess Anna."
"What's a 'coronation'?" Anna asked, her eyes widened by curiosity.
"It's basically a ceremony to give royal power to someone who qualifies for it." Shōhei answered in simple terms for the young girl. "Do you want to be coronated, Anna?"
It's a ceremony to give power to someone, Anna pondered about it. I do need all the power I can get to defeat the Colorless King. More… more power. She nodded her head furiously in response.
"We don't have a priest here but Mikoto-san can do it, right?" Shōhei suggested.
"Isn't that an honor, King?" Tatara chuckled as he stood up from the nearby armchair he'd been sitting in. "Yosh! I'll help too!" He took Anna by the hand to pull her from Mikoto's lap and everyone moved to make more space before standing to attention. Even Izumo paused from his work to partake in the moment. Fushimi looked amused and more than freaked out from his respective corner but he remained silent.
"Here, ya go!" Tatara lifted her by the waist to place her atop of the coffee table though she was still below Mikoto's height. Upon hearing Tatara groan slightly and clutch his shoulder, Anna's face transformed into one of alarm. That's right, she thought in concern for the injured man, Tatara got hurt because of me. She flash backed to what had transpired at the park between the Red and Blues, remembering the terrifying memory. I was trying to stop everyone and Tatara chased after me but… he got hit by a dagger. Why is it always my fault when he gets hurt, Anna thought in despair. It's always for my sake… And then there was when Time froze… Munakata said that there were two powers of King level emanating at that time—one was a power similar to that of the Red King but the other was new despite it being a King power. What if—
"Tatara, are you all right?" Izumo's voice snapped Anna out of her thoughts and she remembered they were in the middle of her pretend coronation.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine!" Tatara grinned reassuringly though Anna with her keen eyes knew he was in pain. "And now, it's time for the princess's royal coronation speech! King, it's almost your turn now."
"Yeah…." Mikoto stood before her, looking confused but at the same time focused as he clutched the tiara in his hands. Tatara grabbed the blanket that was always folded on the couch for napping and draped it over Anna's shoulders, tying a knot to keep her new cape from falling off. Grabbing Anna's hand again, he lifted it up as if he were a prince about to press a chaste kiss on the princess's hand in greeting. He cleared his throat and everyone fell silent.
On this evening, we celebrate our princess's birthday
A day when we obey whatever she says
Her beauty, her strength, her courage, her powers
Her smile, her voice, her touch, her presence
We worship them all with a shower of flowers
And for when danger may loom beyond the horizon
We shall protect her with all our might
Leaving no blood, no bone, no ash
Yet a phoenix of flames shall rise and take flight
Because as long as one flame still burns
A fire shall ignite
Besides Mikoto, Tatara, and Izumo, everyone else kneeled down to their knees to honor the mock coronation as Tatara bowed his head, holding Anna's hand with his left and reaching across to touch his heart in promise with his right. There was a pregnant pause and then Tatara peered up expectantly to Mikoto. "Uh, King… it's your turn now."
"What do I do?" Mikoto bemusingly asked his third executive.
"King!" Tatara said with an exasperated smile. "This is when you crown the princess!"
"Ah, is that so?" The king said and then lifted up the plastic tiara to carefully set it on the young Strain's head.
Not a second later, everyone else stood back up and clapped in celebration. "All hail, Queen Anna!" Yata pumped his fist in the air.
"No, Yata, her sash reads 'The BOSS'. So it should be 'All hail, The BOSS'!" Bandō corrected him.
Yata scratched his head. "Eh... that doesn't really make sense though."
As the two began squabbling, Kamamoto spoke with Tatara. "Wow, Totsuka-san, those words were really fancy! And they rhymed! Amazing!"
"They were a bit too fancy, dontcha think?" Izumo commented lightly.
Tatara rubbed his neck in modesty as he chuckled. "Ah, thanks, Kamamoto, I'd like to call myself a poet but Kusanagi-san's right; all you really gotta do is just think of some fancy words and link them together with other stuff that rhyme. That's all there is to it!"
"All right, everyone, let's sit down and eat now!" Izumo said after he had finishing washing his hands and drying them. They moved the coffee table elsewhere to temporarily set another table large enough to hold the birthday feast. Once all the dishes and drinks had been set down, they said their thanks and began passing the food around, though Fushimi remained in his corner of the room. His eyes were closed though his tensed form proved he was wide awake and was just ignoring them.
"Fushimi-kun," Tatara called to him, "care to join us?"
Fushimi clicked his tongue as if answering was a pain for him. "My orders are to simply remain in the presence of Anna for the rest of the day—not celebrate with you."
"Ah, okay then." Tatara's smile became a bit strained in response to that. "Well, there's always an extra chair for you if you decide to join us at the table later."
"Cheh! Don't bother with him, Totsuka-san. He'd only be a party pooper." Yata spat out viciously but Fushimi simply sneered at the vanguard. Despite how she wanted the former Red to join them in the celebration, Anna decided not to push it any further and make Fushimi any more uncomfortable than he already was.
After placing Yuki, her new bunny, in its cage to rest and eat its vegetative food, Anna chose to sit down between Tatara and King but it was Izumo who wanted to speak with her.
"Anna," The bartender called for her attention. Upon seeing that his shades were off—which was a rare sight indeed—for a moment, she flashed back to the Izumo from her original timeline. He had been so emotionally broken to the point where to Anna it felt that… even he had died. What was he doing now that she was gone? Did she even exist in her timeline anymore or had the Slate erased her existence there to maintain the order and balance? Izumo's fatherly voice shook her out of the memory though. "So what did you think?"
"Hm?" She blinked.
"Of the book." Izumo repeated, his gaze becoming more and more concerned by the second. It wasn't like Anna to not pay attention, especially when it was Izumo speaking to her.
Book? Anna felt lost for a second. Oh! "It… reminded me of a lot of things."
"Like your date with Mikoto?" Tatara laughed whilst he picked up a napkin to wipe tomato sauce from the corner of the Strain's mouth. Mikoto stilled at Tatara's comment but didn't say anything though he did look slightly perturbed—possibly because that date also involved a certain Blue King as witness…. "It was back in May, right? Almost seven months ago."
"I ordered that book—along with Mikoto's help actually—for you also because you're growing up and you'll always want to learn new things." The small sighed Izumo let out seemed slightly sad and old. "One day, you'll up and leave this place because you'll want to go out and see what the world has to offer you."
"Izumo," Mikoto said quietly as he shoveled food into his mouth, "you sound like an old man."
"Eh?!" The bartender's face scrunched up at his friend's comment.
"Mikoto's right, Kusanagi-san!" Tatara cheerily agreed. "You make it sound as if Anna plans to leave us!"
The sound of a fork dropping against a plate echoed near the three men and they peered in the direction of the source. "Ah, sorry." Anna mumbled. Although her face remained impassive, beneath the table where no one could see, she was clutching the edge of her dress tightly. She tried a small smile for Izumo and Mikoto. "Thank you for the gift. It was very thoughtful of you two." And then her smile faltered once more.
"Actually," She attempted to throw the men's attention elsewhere lest they notice something was wrong with her, "Fushimi paid for the book."
"Huh?" Izumo frowned. "I prepaid it for you though…. Ah, what a greedy librarian that man is…."
Anna heard a tongue clicking and when she turned to look at Fushimi, she could practically read what he was thinking: you mean I didn't actually have to pay for that book? She debated for a whole minute, chewing her food slowly, before gracefully sliding off her chair and heading in the direction of the sulking Blue. Several of the men watched her in curiosity, their faces transforming into one of discomfort upon seeing Anna climb onto the sofa and sit casually beside Fushimi.
Sitting on her legs, she stared at the former clansman's face before he himself opened one eye to look at her. "What do you want?" He said coldly. "I have no gift for you if that's what you came to me for."
Hesitating for just a second, Anna then leaned forward—Fushimi's eyes widening with every inch she covered between them—and slowly pressed a chaste kiss on his cheek. She felt his body tense and practically freeze up as Fushimi rigidly lifted a hand to—not rub her kiss away—but to touch the pads of his fingers against the spot. She leaned back to give him his needed space. "Thank you for the date, Saru."
Somebody at the table choked on his drink and that seemed to wake Fushimi up from his stupor because he then blinked and went back to scowling, though the shock was evident in his eyes. "IT WAS NOT A—"
"Date?!" Sputtering, Yata twisted around in his chair to stare, completely flabbergasted with everyone else maintaining the same reaction though some were milder than Yata's.
"You're too loud, Misaki!" Fushimi snapped at his ex-friend, evidently still recovering to even emphasize the skater boy's feminine name like he usually did.
"A-Anna, you're not growing up to be like me, are you?" Chitose chuckled nervously, receiving a tight-lipped smile from Izumo.
"Heh," Tatara looked mildly shocked but more than amused as he smiled wryly. "Are you jealous, King?"
"Hm…" Mikoto grunted, leaning back against his chair as he had already finished eating. "That's new but I don't see anything wrong with it either."
"King's right." Tatara nodded in agreement. "He brought her back safe and sound. And she had fun… right, Anna?"
Anna nodded; she truly did have fun hanging out with Saruhiko. More… she thought excitedly, I want to spend more time with Saruhiko. I want to hang out with him again—but next time with everyone else!
"D-D-D-Date!" Yata stuttered. "You…. What have you done to Anna, you bastard?!"
"Tsk! What am I—the villain?!" Fushimi snapped at him. "I did nothing so shut up you squeaky monkey!"
"I-I never took you as that type of man, Saru…." Yata said, his eyes widened and he pointed accusingly at Fushimi. "Ah! You're even blushing!"
"What nonsense are you spouting you damn idiot?!" Fushimi stood up from the couch indignantly as he grew more and more irritated by the second.
"Don't pretend now! I've known you for years and I can read you like a bad novel." Yata smirked at the angry Blue from the seat of his chair. "But it… it feels weird… to know that your old friend was a lolicon all this time…."
"Don't you dare call me that!" Fushimi growled quietly and Anna could sense the seriousness in the sudden change of his tone. "I'm not like that kid…" Before she could do anything, Fushimi was already up and exiting the bar. The customer bells tinkled but to Anna it made the room feel only lonely.
"Yata, calling Fushimi a lolicon was a bit extreme even for him, don'tcha think?" Tatara said.
"No, it's not." Yata mumbled and Anna could feel the sadness writhing deep within the young man's heart still scarred from his friend's betrayal. "It's never enough for that traitor."
"Don't worry." Izumo sighed, sipping some brandy from his glass. "His orders are to stay with Anna until the day ends so he's not going anywhere. It's only a little past nine anyways."
"Whoa! It's that late already?!" Kamamoto exclaimed.
"It's a special occasion today so it's all right for you to stay up late this time, Anna." Izumo smiled. When she didn't respond, he turned to her only to find the couch empty. "A-Anna?"
"She's gone to Fushimi." Mikoto nodded his head towards the door Fushimi had just exited out of. "Outside."
Her breath went up in steady misty puffs whilst she leaned against the alley wall next to the Blue clansman. As soon as Fushimi had stepped out of the door, she did not hesitate to follow after him. After all, they were supposed to stick together for the rest of the day, right? Though, her fingers were starting to go numb after staying outside with her former clansmen for several minutes. Neither of them said a word, only watching their breaths puff up. Anna risked a peek from under her bangs to find Fushimi staring at the opposite wall with a blank expression. She didn't know what was going on in his mind right now, though she really wanted to—if only to help the aloof man.
Time ticked by and Anna spent the most of it staring at their shadows as the lamp post nearby illuminated their corner outside the bar. Eventually, she spoke up. "It's cold."
"Then why don't you go back inside?" Fushimi muttered, refusing to break his eyes away from the spot on the wall he'd been staring intently at.
Anna said nothing.
"Why?" Sighing in exasperation, Fushimi finally tore his gaze from the wall to study the smaller companion beside him. "Why did you follow me?"
Anna met his eyes for a moment before finding an interest with the thin layer of snow on the ground. She twisted the heel of her foot against the snow, hearing the white frozen powder crunch. "Why did you stay with me back at Scepter Four's Headquarters?"
Now it was Fushimi's turn to say nothing. "There's your answer." Anna smiled.
Sighing, Fushimi rubbed his neck and turned his gaze the opposite direction. Anna cocked her head at him. "What are you thinking?"
"You can't read me?" Fushimi said with surprise lacing his tone. "Thought you were an empathic Strain?"
"I want you to tell me yourself." Anna simply stated so Fushimi didn't know whether she truly could read his thoughts or not.
Silence.
Fushimi sighed. He glanced down at Anna again and nodded at her with narrowed eyes. "You first."
Anna smiled once again, this time at how the former comrade cared for her and what she thought. She studied the wall opposite of them since staring at the snow for too long hurt her eyes as it looked too bright due to her colorblindness. "I'm thinking of how I love everyone."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone." Anna said with emphasis. "I'm thinking of how life is really precious because you never know when something precious to you… is taken away."
Fushimi peered at her from the corner of his eye. That's right, he thought to himself, this girl has already lost her parents and essentially even her aunt. "That so…."
"But" She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess that's what makes life precious after all."
Closing his eyes, Fushimi let out a breath. "It is what it is."
"And that's why you need to stay with your loved ones." Anna tilted her head to peer at Fushimi. "The people you care about—and the people who care about you… being with them is what makes one happy the most. We may argue and fight… and sometimes we hurt each other… but in the end, we're there for each other when we need a hand to pull us up when we fall down. Because that's—"
"—what life is." Fushimi opened one eye to peek at her. "Right?"
Nodding, Anna touched the locket hanging around her neck. It was warm, heating up her cold hands to battle the winter air. Something wet touched her cheek and she angled her head to glimpse up at the pitch black sky which was decorated with tiny flicks of white raining down upon them. "It's… snowing." She breathed, holding out a hand to feel the soft snow land in her palm and melt.
Together in silence, they viewed the ephemeral white shower for a long while, simply appreciating the cold beauty. "I'm thinking…" Fushimi quietly murmured after several minutes of staring at the falling snow, "of a time when I… had someone I could count on. There was someone who always had my back but… shit went down somehow and we fucked up."
Anna stayed quiet, letting her old comrade speak his mind since it was such a rare thing for him to do considering he was reserved like her and didn't express his thoughts often. In a way, the two of them were very similar in that sense.
"When I was younger…" He glared at the wall before them, speaking bitterly, "I had many opportunities given to me and I turned a lot of them down—I grew to be a cynical man with a—I guess one would say—twisted sense of justice." He glanced at her. "You think so too don't you?"
Anna didn't understand what he meant by 'cynical' but she did understand what he was trying to tell her. She slowly reached for his coat and tugged on his arm sleeve. "You will always have another chance."
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" He sneered. "All of the chances I've received—I've always turned them down. I think by now I've already run out of my fair share of extra chances."
"Lemons." Anna mumbled.
Puzzled with her out-of-the-blue response, he frowned down at her. "Lemons?"
She nodded. "Tatara once told me when we were making lemonade last summer that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." She met Fushimi's eyes and smiled shyly at him. "Don't worry, Saru. I'll share my lemonade with you."
His eyes widened by a fracture at the young girl's generous offer. This girl… he silently thought to himself. "I-I see….Ah, I almost forgot. Here." He slid his hands into the breast pocket under his coat and pulled out seven tiny red orbs.
Her eyes widened as he poured them into her hand. "My marbles."
"Before we left, Lieutenant gave them to me by order of the captain." He stuffed his hands back into the depths of his pocket. "To return them to you."
She squeezed the precious crystal balls, fingering the seventh distinctively larger one she had made at the park when Time had stopped and Anna had promised to save her family. Each marble was comfortingly warm as if untouched by the winter cold. "Thank you."
Anna's smile grew slightly before her face scrunched up to sneeze. While she rubbed her nose, Fushimi stepped away from the wall and finally began heading towards the doors of the bar. "Let's go in. It's getting stuffy out here." He mumbled and Anna followed after him, her eyes happily alight as she stuffed her marbles in the warm pockets of her dress.
"You're back!" Tatara exclaimed when the bells rung as the unusual pair walked in. "We were wondering if you two had become ice sculptures standing outside for so long in the cold."
"What's going on?" Anna asked as she noticed the tables were cleared and Tatara was standing in the center of the room fiddling with his guitar. Everyone else, including Izumo and Mikoto, was lounging in the chairs arranged in a ring around Tatara. In front of Tatara sat a chair that had yet to be occupied.
"I'm giving you my gift—is what's going on!" Tatara strode to her and, taking her by the hand, he guided her to the chair sitting in the center before the guitar player's make shift stage with Fushimi leaning against the bar's counter to watch.
"Gift?" Anna asked, still confused as to what they were doing.
"I wrote you a song." Tatara answered her.
"Isn't this a serenade?" Chitose inquiry only befuddled Anna even more.
"Then he needs to stand under a window." Mikoto added.
Izumo palmed his face. "You guys… I don't understand how you can think like that."
Tatara cleared his throat while taking his seat on a stool before his audience. After rubbing his injured shoulder for a moment, he trained his eyes onto Anna and winked at her almost mischievously. "This song was written for a precious girl I keep in my heart. Happy birthday, Anna. I hope you enjoy my little concert for you." He sucked in a breath and began strumming at his guitar.
My eyes adored you
Though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you
Like a million miles away
From me you couldn't see
How I adored you
So close, so close
And yet so far
Carried your books from school
Playing make-believe you're married to me
You were fifth grade, I was sixth
When we came to be
My eyes adored you
Though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you
Like a million miles away
From me you couldn't see
How I adored you
So close, so close
And yet so far
Funny, I seem to find
That no matter how the years unwind
Still I reminisce about the girl I miss
And the love I left behind
My eyes adored you
Though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you
Like a million miles away
From me you couldn't see
How I adored you
So close, so close
And yet so far
All my life I will remember
How warm and tender
We were way back then
Though I'm feeling sad regrets
I won't ever forget
You, my childhood friend
My eyes adored you
Though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you
Like a million miles away
From me you couldn't see
How I adored you
So close, so close
And yet so far
So close, so close
And yet so far
The last of Tatara's final strum echoed into the silence of the bar and it was only until when the note ended that everyone released the breath they didn't know they were holding. Anna was the first to begin clapping and the rest of the clan followed suit.
"Totsuka-san, that was…" Kamamoto wiped the corners of his teary eyes, "beautiful!"
"I have to say," Izumo nodded, "that one really blew me away."
"You like it, Anna?" Tatara shrugged off the guitar and laid it back on its stand in the corner.
"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you so much, Tatara."
"You know, there's a story behind that song and it's what inspired me to write it." He chuckled lightly. "I wrote it from the perspective of a father singing about his daughter whom he's too busy working to see often but still loves her very much nonetheless. But I'll let you figure out the rest of the story on your own!"
"All right!" Izumo cut in before Anna could protest, grabbing the attention of the entire clan. "It's half past ten and we've yet to get to the finale of the party!"
"Which is?" Dewa asked.
"CAKE!" Yata exclaimed in excitement, pumping his fist in the air.
Walking over to the bar counter and reaching behind it, Izumo pulled out a large cake. He seemed to be struggling with it though because he glanced at Fushimi, eyeing him for assistance to which Fushimi relented. Between themselves, they balanced the cake large enough for a dozen men as they brought it over to the coffee table in the center of the bar. The cream was white with a tinge of rosy pink and the top was decorated with honeyed strawberries. Happy Birthday, Anna labeled the cake in Izumo's creamy red writing. Eleven candles, yet to be lighted, ringed the outer rim of the cake.
"King," Izumo gestured towards Mikoto, "if you would do us the honor, please."
Mikoto stepped up to the cake and lifted a finger to a candle. A tiny blaze of fire burst from the tip of his finger and lighted the stick. He continued the action until all eleven candles were aflame.
"Make a wish, Anna!" Tatara said from behind the camera he was holding up to film her. She closed her eyes. I wish… I wish to save everyone and keep our flames alight forever. She opened her eyes and—to the surprise of everyone—gave her biggest smile ever for a split second before blowing out the candles.
"It's half past eleven. And now for the final gift!" Izumo claimed after almost an hour had passed since cutting the cake and eating it. Anna waited on the lap of her King as everyone else got in line holding a single rose each. Fushimi viewed the spectacle from the table booth near the door.
Ah, she remembered this was the original plan in her timeline. Izumo had the idea of having every person give her a rose so in the end she would have a huge bouquet of roses. The memory made the corner of her lips turn down slightly when she remembered Tatara never got the chance to give her his rose much less wish her a happy birthday.
"If you would go first, Mikoto?" Izumo said in the front of the line, bringing Anna back to the present.
Mikoto grabbed Anna around the waist to set her aside so he could stand up. He turned to face her and, sighing, he thrust his own rose towards her and mumbled, "Happy Birthday" before patting her head and sitting back down after she had accepted it.
Then Izumo came up to her, smiling like a father would with his daughter when presenting her a gift. "Happy Birthday, Anna." Next was Fujishima, Bandō, Shōhei, Yata, Eric, Kamamoto, Chitose, and then Dewa. She had almost a bouquet of roses except one more was missing. The only one missing was….
"Eh?" Kamamoto voiced what everyone was thinking. "Where's Totsuka-san?"
Anna froze. A sense of dread washed over her and she instinctively reached in her pocket for her marbles. Something felt terribly wrong… and she had a horrible feeling she knew what it was.
"Ah! I remember," Yata spoke up. "Totsuka-san slipped away just a while ago. He said he wanted to go out and film something really quickly to show to Anna. He wanted to give one more gift to her."
Anna's blood ran cold in her veins and the red aura within her seemed ineffective against it. No, she thought, this can't be happening! I-I changed events! I changed the timeline here—how could this be happening?!
"He must be at that roof top then." Mikoto noted, and Anna almost broke out in tears over how oblivious her King was to the future that would await his friend and eventually he himself.
"Tatara…." She whispered. I thought I changed the future! I thought I…. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall; 11:34 p.m. Tatara died fifteen minutes before my birthday on the seventh of December. Even though today is already my birthday… if he is still fated to die then it must still be at 11:45. I have… nine minutes to stop it from happening! Nine minutes to save him.
She stood up from the couch, gripping the rose bouquet so tightly the whites of her knuckles were showing.
"Anna?" Eric noticed the little girl's uneasy look. Fushimi frowned from his corner, straightening himself on the couch as he became more alert of the sudden tension the Strain was emanating.
Sucking in a shaky breath, Anna looked each of her clansmen including Mikoto in the eye before bracing her legs. She already knew where she needed to go. "I'm sorry, everyone."
Then she dropped her bouquet and sprinted for the door, accidentally stepping on Fushimi's foot in the process but it didn't slow her down. She faintly heard her name being shouted when she reached the cold streets but she didn't have to look back to know that they were starting to follow her after recovering from shock.
They're going to stop me, she realized in awful dread. Even though she was running as hard as her body allowed her to, she was short and had thin legs; she was just a child—she would never be able to outrun her fellow clansmen. And if the guys got on their motorcycles, or Yata had his skateboard… no, just her King alone would be enough to catch her. She gripped her marbles hard and they flashed strangely hot for a second. It caught her off guard but what surprised her even more was that her feet had lifted off the ground. Hovering a few inches off the snow covered pavement, Anna squealed in fright just as something popped and crackled right over her shoulder. It sounded like a blazing fire. She looked back and saw a broad blaze of fire shooting out from her shoulder blade—she had grown wings of roaring fire!
She didn't stop to admire her aura's form or question why it had suddenly acted like that but instead willed herself to move forward. Her blazing red wings didn't flap but simply jetted out a stream of fire as she flew higher into the cold black sky above the near empty streets. The extreme height made her anxious but her fear for Tatara's life and her even stronger determination to save him overpowered all of her doubts as she sped towards the building off in the distance where Tatara had breathed his final breath on that fateful night.
The streets below her filled up with clamor and raucous sounds as her fellow clansman and a single Blue raced towards the same destination the princess was heading for. Against the blackness of the dark winter night, red lights began popping up all over the city as civilians began lighting up the Candle app on their PDAs. With every red light that appeared, a second ticked closer and closer to 11:45 p.m.
Whose gift for Anna do you think was the best? By the way, the song Tatara sings for Anna is a real song and you should listen to it because it's so beautiful. It's called "My Eyes Adored You" (obviously haha) and it's sung by the Four Seasons or Frankie Valli (he's the lead singer). I like the version of it in the Jersey Boys movie. Just go to Youtube, search 'my eyes adored you jersey boys' and you'll find it. Frankie Valli was always busy singing and provided for his family so he rarely had the chance to spend time with his daughters. One of his daughters who was inspired by him to sing herself, overdosed on drugs and died in her teen years. I chose this song specifically because of the lyrics itself. Especially the part "Funny I seem to find that no matter how the years unwind, still I reminisce about the girl I miss and the love I left behind" it makes you think Tatara himself is talking about how after he died he of course consequently left everyone behind and the girl he misses is Anna.
ALSO! When Anna tells Fushimi that she'll share her lemonade with him, what she means is that she will share her own happiness and opportunities in life with him. And when Mikoto comments about a serenade being done under the window, that's actually how a traditional serenade is supposed to happen. A lover sings under the window of his woman, particularly at night.
THANK YOU FOR READING GUYS AND STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!
Replies to reviews:
Neo Rulez: Regarding chapter 8 - Yes, Tatara is injured. I love him though! I didn't do it because I hate him or bear any ill will towards his character, hehehe. Regarding chapter 10 - I'm not sure if I'll have Kuroh appear because in the anime timeline he only appears after Tatara dies and this story goes in accordance of the anime/manga's timeline. BUT I may give him a cameo appearance. Neko may appear too now that I think about your question and consider the anime/manga's timeline events. But, for sure, Shiro will not appear because the Colourless King is still inhabiting the boy's body so Shiro would still be up in his original King body within his blimp in the sky. Sorry if I didn't make sense there, ahha. Please bear with me it's already 4 am Well, hope I answered all your questions and that you enjoyed this chapter! OH, and thank you SO MUCH for every single one of your reviews! I can't believe you reviewed every chapter including the prologue! Thank you, you're so wonderful!
TinaFOTZE: It's been 11 hrs since I posted this chapter and this is an edit so I'm not sure if you'll see this but thanks for being such a patient follower and thanks for welcoming me back (your review for ch 10) that's so sweet of you. Hope your christmas was awesome and warm! I'm glad you liked how I wrote Fushimi, he's a really difficult character to write. Actually, most of the clansmen except Yata are hard for me to write because their personalities aren't very extreme and they don't have much lines in the anime and like only a chapter of background in the main manga. I feel more relieved though to hear you and other readers telling me I'm writing the characters pretty well so thank you so much!