K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

by Banana007

After Mikoto's death, Homra breaks apart. With her kingdom dying, the princess seeks a miracle which the Slate grants when it contacts Anna & offers her the power to change history. But what is the cost of her kingdom's salvation? Follow the princess into the past, reliving old memories as she attempts to save the future. She will reignite a new destiny! (warning: lemons)

15. Promises

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

WARNING: PLEASE READ! I just want to warn you guys that near the end of this chapter it gets a little… dark. Well, darker than usual since I guess murder is already dark enough. If you must know what I'm talking about with this particular scene, it has some rape vibes. There will be no actual intercourse involved but there's still sexual content. Anyways, I just wanted to give you guys a heads up so you won't be caught off guard. ACTUALLY IMMA JUST SAY THAT THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS DARK LMAO. Otherwise, enjoy!

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K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

BY: TCOOKIES777

Chapter 14: Promises

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"You are the Red King." The boy's face stretched into a sadistic grin, casting a malicious glint in his jade eyes. "And I'm going to kill you."

"No… no, th—that's not possible." Anna breathed, gripping the strap of her seat belt tightly. And yet, despite what she spoke, it was not what she thought.

"Yes, it is impossible…." Dropping his smirk, the boy's face slowly transformed into that of befuddlement. "The entire underworld knows that the current Red King is a man with hair of wildfire and a burning gaze…. You? All I can see is a dying ember struggling to live. How the fuck did a little girl like you become King?"

"I…." Oh, but it was possible. Deep down, Anna knew it. Everything the Slate had told her made sense now, and with Munakata Reisi's words in mind…..

"How do you know if you were born a King, chosen by the Slate?"

"It's essentially a dormant power, called a 'Sanctum', which rests within you until it is time to awaken." Munakata answered her. "It's unclear when, exactly, it awakens—the situation varies. Though, of course, it will always awaken at some point after a King dies and it is that person's turn to take over."

"Does the Slate decide when to awaken your Sanctum?"

"No," Munakata' eyes drifted shut, "just as long as a King is needed, the one who bears a Sanctum will be the one to awaken it on his or her own. That's why new Kings do not just pop up the day after one has just died."

Was that why no new Red King had appeared yet in her timeline even though it had been almost two years since Mikoto's death? "I understand…."

No—Anna didn't understand. At least, not then.

But she did now.

The boy was right; it was not possible for there to be two Red Kings at the same time—Mikoto and her. However, Mikoto was King of the past, and Anna was King of the future. In Anna's original timeline, at some point after Mikoto's death, she had unknowingly awakened her Sanctum, becoming the next Red King. When she sealed the deal with the Dresden Slate, sending herself to the past, Anna did not simply replace her past self's conscious; she had replaced her past self in both body and mind, hence the miniscule but notable difference in her older appearance compared to her 11-year old self. Anna, a newly born King in her original time line, had leapt back years to when Mikoto still reigned. Two King's of fire—one, current in this time period, and the other from the future—both within one time line. All of this should have been impossible, and yet….

"I want to ask something first. Why… why me?"

The Dresden Slate whispered quietly in the recesses of her mind. "Because if it's you… then it's possible."

"You cannot kill me." Anna announced to the boy.

"Oh?" The boy laughed before going on to casually flick some invisible lint off the sleeve of his brown jacket. "So you say, but I'm the one with years of experience—honing my skills as a Strain. Just like that woman beside you, I kill for a living. Do you have any idea how many people I've stolen lives from by breaking their minds—leaving themselves in a vegetative state?!"

As the boy spoke, Anna tried to be as subtle as possible in prodding his mental defenses. If she could find even just the smallest chink in his armor, it would be enough just to stun him and break off his clutches on Maria's mind. Whilst doing this, Anna slowly, not making any sudden movement, released her seat belt and exited from the car, hoping to distract the male Strain.

Meanwhile, she noticed how the flames were pressing up against him but not even his clothes were singed. If she looked closer, she could see an inch thick of air wavering between the boy and the car flames. Upon first glance, it would've just appeared to be the waves of heat fanned from the licks of the blaze. But Anna knew it was a barrier for protection. And that meant the boy could be injured by the fire if—

"You think I didn't notice?!" The boy suddenly screamed angrily. He pointed a stiff finger at her in accusation. "You think I don't know what you're trying to do, you fucking bitch?! Ah ha… ahahahaha! Ha ha! BULLSHIT! You may be a goddamn King—but in the end, you're just a stupid little girl. You're flame is small and I'm going to snuff it out!"

And then he shoved her out of his head and threw his mind at her. Her vision blackened and Anna gasped as the sharp pain returned in full force, stabbing her mind over and over again like needles. She tried to shield herself however way she could—she could not let him see into her! But he was relentless and brutal… pounding against her like a jackhammer. Despite her defenses being as thick as the mask she'd put on to cover up her emotions, they were full of cracks and easily chipped. She could literally feel a pressure pushing in the center of her forehead as he drilled his way into her mind, destroying the blocks she'd put up in a feeble attempt to hide.

"You can hide," he chuckled in her mind and she shivered in response, "but you can't run."

"Please…" Anna pleaded with him one final time. "You don't want to look! You can't handle the horrors I—"

"Please." The boy sneered. "You haven't even seen my horror story yet."

And then Anna hissed in pain as he smashed through her last wall of defense, her entire mind completely bare before him as every door within blew open. She felt her body sag against Maria's car door, gasping, "NO!"

It was like watching one of Tatara's videos on fast forward. It was soundless, and just a blur of motion. Her whole life was being viewed like a form of entertainment and sadistic pleasure for this psychopath. Thirteen years worth of it all.

"Hm, Anna Kushina… thirteen years old," The boy muttered as he sifted through her memories, "currently under the care of the Red Clan. Parents were murdered and your aunt… well, basically, no family."

No… don't… don't look at my precious memories!

"Huh, you never went to school…" The boy continued with casual grace before pausing. "Wait… the fuck? Your King is alive right now—but that doesn't make any sense. How are you—and then he..?"

He can't know, Anna thought frantically. He can't know that I time travelled! She blindly groped for the marbles within her pocket—perhaps it was better if she just restarted the cycle after all. Meanwhile, she focused on pulling the panels of memories from the boy's grasp, but he held on too strongly. It was like playing a game of tug-o'-war and she was losing. She sensed the boy smirk again before a sharp tug snapped like a band against her mind. The force was enough to rock her physical body and she blinked her eyes open only to see black spots in her vision. It was then that she noticed something warm trickling down her nose. When she touched her hand to it, her fingers came away sticky in red.

Something about the sight of blood on her hands triggered an image of her cradling Tatara's broken body. Cold and lifeless. His warm amber eyes staring into oblivion.

"Ah… ahh…." Swaying on her feet unsteadily, Anna grasped her head tightly as her vision flashed red. She felt excruciatingly hot as her body went up in bright red flames, her Sword of Damocles breaking out into the sky in clear sight.

"What are…" The boy's smirk slowly dissipated at the sight of her eyes glowing a bright pink as she swelled with power. "Stop! You don't know how to control it! You'll kill us all!"

"If you…." Anna mumbled, slowly staggering towards the boy. Her body felt like a doll lazily held up as her numb mind drifted farther and farther away. "If you want to see my memories so badly… then why don't you experience them yourself?!"

"She sees all in the world, and feels it." Tatara explained to the bartender and King. "She brings the outside world into her body. That's that kid's clairvoyant powers. But, in contrast, letting loose what's inside her… that's also, certainly, that kid's ability."

"So basically." Said Kusanagi, taking Tatara's words. "Memories of being burned, memories of drownin'. You mean they're inside that kid, and when she's disturbed mentally, they spill out through her clairvoyant powers."

"GAAHHHHH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" Now it was the boy's turn to grasp his head, though this time with pain that seemingly came from nowhere. He stumbled around, smacking himself all over as if patting out a fire burning him. Despite the wreckage's flames still not touching him, his shield was beginning to show signs of weakening. Anna continued towards him. "STOP! YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

"It hurts, does it?" She took another step forward.

"G-gaaahh..!" He dropped to the pavement, writhing on the ground. "Ahh..."

"How does it feel to be burned alive? Your insides so painfully hot like a fever."

"Guh.. oh god, p-please..!" Tears streamed down his face as he squirmed in agony on the ground. Anna simply tipped her head to the side, narrowing her eyes just the slightest in concentration.

"Gurgh!" Suddenly, the boy grabbed at his throat, clutching it tightly.

"How does it feel… struggling for air with the weight of the water crushing down on you?" There was a darkness growing in her mind. The furious spark of anger coursing through her only seemed to feed it. "Your lungs burn to breathe but you're helpless to do anything about it."

His head twisted this way and that as he seemed to be drowning.

"Yes, my name is Anna Kushina."

Slowly, she stepped closer and closer to the wreckage's tangled fire—to the boy cowering before her.

"I am the Red King."

The flames curled away from her naturally, although she held no shield for protection. It was as if the fire sensed the great hot aura of power festering within her.

"And once upon a time," Anna knelt down to his level. The boy could only shiver weakly in response. "I was broken and lost… just like you are now."

The boy croaked back with tears pooling in his eyes. His hands were raised against his face in a silent plea to stop the torture.

To stop her.

But Anna only brushed the sweaty grey bangs from his jade green eyes. "Tell me. Do you like pain?" She procured a red marble from the depths of her dress pocket—"Then... let me give it to you!"—and peered through it to meet his emerald gaze.

His memories flashed by in a breeze. It was like flipping through a photo album, a picture representing every moment in his life. But the pictures were cluttered and strewn about, as if in an attempt to suppress them… though, ironically, the boy had placed no lock on them like Anna did with hers.

Why? Why try to hide something from yourself but make no attempt to securely lock it away for good?

---

"Akihito." A young woman with ash-like hair crouched before a tearful little boy no older than five years old. She gently touched his cheek and smiled softly at him. "Akihito, why is my little prince crying?"

"Because" He rubbed at his eyes, "Mommy is hurt." The boy pointed at his mother's bruised cheek, mottled with a nasty purple-blue color.

"It's all right." The lady whispered. "As long as you're safe, I'm happy enough."

"But they hurt you because of me!" Akihito sobbed. "Why would you be happy?"

"Because you are our little prince, and you brighten our day." She said calmly. "Don't you know? Daddy and Mommy named you 'Akihito' because it means 'Bright Prince'.

"I'm… a prince?" The boy sniffed.

The woman nodded with a smile. "Our Bright Prince."

He frowned. "Then, where's my kingdom?"

The woman paused for a moment before grabbing her son's two hands and putting one on his chest and the other on her own, over their respective hearts. "Here, of course, at home."

Then she poked his chest playfully and he giggled. "Akihito," The woman whispered, "our Bright Prince."

"Chihiro!" A man with forest green eyes burst through the apartment door. He would've been handsome-looking had he not been wearing such poor, disheveled clothing. Stress had lightened his hair and aged his eyes a little despite him only being in hist late twenties.

"Daddy!" Akihito squealed in delight, automatically raising his arms up to be carried, just like his dad always would.

But this time, the man simply glanced down at his son in sadness before turning to his wife. "Chihiro, they're here. And they want the money."

"Again?!" Standing up, the mother's face turned into one of panic. "But we paid them just last week! We have no more right now. We need more time!"

"There's no more time." The man said grimly. He shrugged off a worn out backpack from his shoulders and began grabbing things around the stuffy apartment, filling the bag with essentials. Meanwhile, the woman began barricading the door with the spare furniture they owned.

Just as the man finished filling the backpack, he passed by a children's book lying on a desk—Akihito's favorite book—and hesitated for only a second before proceeding to shove Alice in Wonderland in the bag.

"Daddy?" The boy asked timidly as he watched his parents hurry around. "Daddy, what are you doing?"

"We're leaving, Akihito." The man replied breathlessly.

"But… but this is our kingdom!" The boy protested. He was confused as to what was going on. Although the child had an inkling of an idea, some unnatural force within him was unconsciously preventing the boy from fully understanding the situation.

Denial.

"We'll find a new one." His father forced a distracted smile.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The door frame shook under the harsh knocks from outside. The two adults whipped their heads towards the source and the woman ran towards the patio at the back, opening the floor-length window.

"HEY!" A crude voice called from outside. "OPEN UP, YOU FUCKS! OUR BOSS WANTS TO SEE YOU."

Akihito was grabbed by his father who hauled him towards the patio, where his mother awaited. "Wait, Daddy!" The little boy squirmed in his father's arms. "I'm a prince! I can tell them to go away!"

Denial.

The man gave Akihito to the woman and went on to shove the backpack against her hands.

The men outside continued hammering against the door, causing the barricade to groan in protest.

The window to the patio began quivering in response to a supernatural power.

"LEAVE US ALONE!" Akihito started to scream. "GO AWAY! GO! AWAY!"

"This door won't budge. We need a Strain." The voice outside spoke to someone else. "Get Five over here. I wanna see some firecrackers poppin'!"

"I'll hold them off." The man whispered to his wife.

"What? No!" Her face slowly scrunched up in a painful sadness. She cried, "I don't want you to go. Y-You can't—"

"I'll see you again. I promise!" The man lied, caressing her face lovingly. He winked a forest green eye at her before leaning down to his son who stared up at him, his jade eyes shining tearfully like emeralds. "A prince needs to protect his people. You'll look after Mommy while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." The boy whispered hoarsely.

Krrk! Krrk! Krrk!

The window began forming cracks across the panes.

Denial.

"Be strong, Akihito." The man pressed a kiss on top of the boy's head.

Then the woman led her son down the fire escape, leaving her husband behind.

On their way down the ladder, an explosion rocked the building. Flames shot out of their apartment, breaking the fractured window and sending shards hailing down upon them.

"DADDY!" The boy screamed as he reached the ground.

"We need to go, Akihito!" His mother grabbed his arm to pull him for a run but the boy wrenched himself out of her grasp. "Akihito!"

"We need to go back for Daddy!" The boy cried, staring up at their apartment which was being consumed by the raging inferno. "I can help with the money! I have powers—I can help get money!"

"No, Akihito! Mommy and Da—" The boy heard his mom faintly gasp. "Ak… Aki… hito…."

He turned back to her only to find a long thin blade protruding from her chest. Blood bloomed on her flower-patterned blouse like an ugly rose that did not belong. She reached a hand towards him, her lips quivering as she struggled to find the strength to speak. "Akihi… to!"

Then the katana was whipped out from her and she fell forward and onto the ground.

"Mo-Mommy?" The boy whispered, falling to his knees beside her.

"Akihito..." The woman gazed at him through her ash colored bangs. She brought a trembling hand up to touch his cheek. "My… bright… prince…."

Her hand fell down before her eyes dimmed.

"Mommy?" When no reply came, the boy grabbed her shoulder and began shaking it hard. "Mommy! Mommy, wake up! Wake up, Mommy! … Mommy!"

"My, oh my! How tragic." A tall, lean man with shoulder-length violet hair crooned. In his hand was the katana that had just slayed the little boy's mother. "It almost makes me laugh."

"You!" The boy stood on wobbly legs but his fists were clenched tight. He glared at the man smirking. "You… you hurt her! You stupid… mean man! I'll get you for this!"

"Ah, so the puppy can bark." The man chuckled. "But can he bite?"

The killer had only just finished speaking before the boy yelled. The ground between the two broke, creating a fissure that headed straight for the killer. Pivoting on his heels, the man twirled away gracefully with the tail of his black coat streaming behind him.

"Bravo!" The man clapped his gloved hands together almost mockingly whilst the boy panted. "With some training, you can become the perfect dog for the boss."

"My mommy always told me not to go with strangers." The boy growled.

The man chuckled. "You remind me of a little Black Dog I once knew. He was like an obedient lil pup following after his master's heels, always performing tricks for Master's approval…. Now, c'mere, puppy."

"Who said I'd go with you?!"

The man smirked. "Because if you don't, you'll never see your father again." The katana's blade glinted dangerously as the man raised it. The point pressed against the boy's throat. "And your father will never see you again either."

"Daddy's..." Knowing something was wrong, the boy hesitated. But he couldn't help but latch onto that shard of hope the man had offered him. "Daddy's alive?"

The man grinned, never letting his katana down. "The boss needs a dog. If puppy can behave, it will receive a nice treat as reward."

The reward, of course, would be a chance to see his daddy again.

Akihito stayed silent—uncertain as to what he should do.

"But if puppy disobeys..." The man pressed the blade deeper by a margin and the boy felt a bead of blood trickle down his neck, "then Boss will sic Five on you."

Akihito gulped nervously, the action rubbing his skin against the blade point. "Who's Five?"

"One of Boss's dogs. He's a Strain, just like you." The man tipped his towards the apartment where the fire was still raging from the explosion. By now, there were sirens echoing in the distance. "It wasn't me who let Five play with his firecrackers…."

It was Five who destroyed his home? This Five—this Strain… killed Daddy? No—no, his daddy was fine. His daddy was still alive.

Denial.

And Akihito would do anything to see him again.

"I…." He glanced at his mom, one last time, before facing her killer. "I'll do it."

From then on, Akihito would never see his mother's killer ever again.

Akihito was seven years old when he was forced to kill a man they had captured.

This was unknowingly his 'initiation' as they liked to name it for newcomers.

"You're saying he doesn't know anything?!" His retainer growled from behind the boy. "Read his mind again! You must have done something wrong!"

And so Akihito did—for the seventeenth time. He scoured the man's mind, this time searching every thread so thoroughly that he unraveled it all until there was nothing left of the man but a vegetable.

"You stupid shithead!" The retainer spat. "What have you done?! Now he's just a broken toy!"

"I—I didn't mean to break him." Akihito whispered, only to receive a blow to his head in response.

"Kill him." The retainer had ordered once he realized it was useless. He handed the boy a pistol. Akihito's hands shook at first, and when he took a second too long, the retainer broke his wrist and told him to aim properly. And so Akihito, the "Puppy", as the other members liked to call him, aimed and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The blood splattered on him but they didn't allow him to shower for almost a week for that.

After all, it was his first kill.

And after that, his name was either 'Dog' or, more officially known as 'Seven'.

Seven was nine years old when he began killing people with his mind instead of a gun. He was growing stronger with his powers and they didn't want him to start having second thoughts about who to shoot with the gun. They grew wary of him, and decided to draw his leash tighter. The beatings grew more frequent to show who 'owned' him.

"You're no prince!" One of the men spat in his face. "You're a dog! You're our bitch! Now whine like the dog you are!"

And as he laid obediently on the floor, they kicked at his torso until several of his ribs were fractured.

Seven was about twelve years old when, after 44 credited kills, the men started accepting him as one of them. That's when they decided to 'educate' him properly. He didn't just read books; he read the minds of many people—target or not. And through those people, he lived through their experiences. It conceived an ugly jealousy within him that grew as thick as the thorns entwined around his heart. It also became his drug, and he fed on their fantasies, dreams, and realities, which all turned into a high for him before eventually becoming a sadistic pleasure.

Seven was fourteen years old when he finally but unknowingly met Five, the Firecracker Strain. Seven had just come back from reporting to one of his retainers when he bumped into a scrawny boy about his age with caramel hair and a set of freckles splayed across his nose. The boy's movements were erratic and there was a wild look in his sunken obsidian eyes. They didn't look at each other for long, much less bother talking. They simply went their own way.

Seven was fifteen years old when he was shown a picture of his next target and told that he could finally meet his father if he could kill the man in this picture.

Father? Didn't his father leave him? Akihito felt nothing. His jade eyes remained dull as he tried to think back to his childhood days. He couldn't remember his father's name, nor what he looked like. Besides, how could a man who left him to fend for himself, be his 'father'?

The man in the photo had peppered hair. His profile said he was in his late thirties but he looked much older in the photo. His face was set to be permanently grim and his skin was burned from the edge of his jaw to beneath his clothes. Although Akihito didn't care about his target's appearance, he studied the man's eyes for a second longer than necessary.

A day later, Akihito pretended to bump into his target while at the train station. The man dropped his paperwork—files said to be so important that they could possibly take down the boss's organization—and they both leaned down to pick up the mess.

"Sorry." Akihito muttered, shuffling the man's papers together.

"It's all right." The man mumbled and they looked up at each other. At the sight of Akihito, the man's eyes widened—in either shock, or disbelief, it didn't matter. It was too late. Because as jade eyes stared into forest green eyes, Akihito was already wiping the man's mind.

"Br… bright…." The man attempted to say, but then he slumped forward as his mind was obliterated.

Seven then stood up and boarded the train that would take him 'home'.

---

Anna pulled back sharply from Akihito, almost dropping her marble as she stumbled away. She struggled to find what to say, and so did the boy too apparently by the way he was grasping his head, lost in thought.

"You… you forgot." She realized. "You forgot! The pain was too much for you to handle so you subconsciously chose to forget! And that's when you started to lose yourself. Listen, you're name is Akihito… and this isn't who you were meant to become!"

"NO!" Akihito screamed. "MY NAME IS SEVEN. I AM A DOG—LOYAL AND OBEDIENT TO HIS MASTER. AND I… I—"

"You had parents who loved you." Anna said. "They loved you so much that they sacrificed themselves for you."

He shook his head violently. "NO, IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S NOT MY FAULT. IT'S BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T PAY UP THE MONEY."

"And why do you think that is?" Anna asked him.

"They…. I…." The boy panted heavily. His face was drenched in sweat and since his barrier was still up somehow, the fire surely wasn't the cause of it. She watched him fight the confusion and doubt arising within him. "I… I don't know! I don't know—I can't remember!"

"You must!" Anna said in desperation—not for her, but for the boy's sake. "You must remember, Akihito! You're a Strain—not a dog! You're a boy—not a killer! You are… You are 'Bright Prince'! Now, remember!"

So she pulled him into the labyrinth of her mind and projected a mirror to show him what she saw. This time though, she amplified the brightness of the sparse lights riddled throughout the darkness of his memories. Anna wanted to show him the good memories—the times of him with his dear parents. She wanted to show him who he was truly destined to have become. She wanted to guide him just like what HOMRA did for her.

In her mind, Anna made a collage of all those precious memories. Then she punched them through the boy's head, actually screaming so her tiny voice would carry over the angry roar of the fire, "Remember, Bright Prince!"

The boy jerked back in response. Brilliant green eyes rolled to the back of his head before he squeezed them shut. It was now time for his long age of denial to end.

Unexpectedly, his entire body went slack suddenly. Anna panicked, thinking she had given too much to the boy and killed him. But if his barrier was still up then surely…? She received her answer when the boy lurched, gasping as his eyes flew open—the fog in them had cleared away.

"I… I remember." The boy whispered hoarsely. "My name is Akihito…. And I was a Bright Prince with no kingdom… only a cage."

Then he grunted and before Anna could do anything, she was pushed back by a psychic force. She rolled several feet away from him, feeling her body begin to form bruises already. Groaning, she shifted onto her side to meet the boy's gaze. His jade green eyes, with a sheen of tears, were as bright as emeralds.

Bright Prince.

"You know, I was lying when I said your flame is small and easy to snuff out." Jade eyes searched her wine red but he didn't read her mind this time. "You have a strong fire within you and it casts one of the brightest lights I've ever seen. But be careful: the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows…. Don't let the rage of your fire consume you, Anna."

"Akihito…." She began to say—though she didn't know what to say at all anymore.

"I hope..." The tears he had withheld the past decade of his life began streaming down now. "I sincerely hope you manage to save your kingdom. Save your kingdom… and the people you love."

He knew, she realized. But of course he did. After all, he was just like her.

She stood up on weak knees.

"Thank you. I was lost… and badly broken… but you helped show me the way." He spoke softly in her mind, unlike last time when his voice had scraped against her mentally like nails on a chalkboard. "I know now… I know my way back home." He moved his hand towards his chest, over his heart, and fixed his gaze upon the blood red setting sky, saying softly, "Mom, Dad… I'm coming home now."

"Aki—"

He dropped the remains of his tattered shield and then the car's engine blew. Anna instinctively pulled her arms up to shield herself as the inferno swallowed him, leaving only a blotted dark shadow of his figure.

Anna clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a scream. She then dropped to her knees, watching the fire shoot plumes into the darkening sky for who knows how long.

Once again, she felt helpless.

I… I didn't mean to, she thought to herself. This isn't what I wanted! I only wanted… to help him.

'But didn't you try to hurt him just earlier?' Another voice whispered in the recesses of her mind. You wanted to hurt him back after what he did to Maria. It's only by accident that you helped him once you saw his memories, though you originally intended to rip through his mind as payback.

Yes… Anna told herself, yes, I did want to hurt him at first but… I couldn't help myself! I was just so.. angry.

But didn't you notice? You became so much more powerful when you used that anger. Imagine what you can do with that fury. Who you can save.

But… it's not right! Anna shook her head. Mikoto died because he couldn't let go of the despair and madness that took over him. He killed himself with that power.

And isn't that what you've been seeking for this whole time? More power? Power to save those you love? Is this not the reason you sought out the assassin, Maria Yubikiri in this time line? Is it not the reason for this whole journey—or the deal you made with the Dresden Slate?!

I… I don't know. She covered her face with her hands. "I don't know anymore…."

Anna sensed Maria awakening before the woman could begin to discern where she was.

"Anna?" The woman called for her. Panic was already creeping into her voice as the female assassin discovered her partner was no longer sitting beside her. "Anna! Anna, where are you?!"

"Here." Anna said just loudly enough. She waited for Maria to get out of her car and reach her. The slow click of the assassin's boots on the pavement was the only indication of her coming towards where Anna simply sat in the middle of the road.

"What… what's going on?" Maria asked quietly. She stood to Anna's side but Anna didn't get up just yet. "I remember… there were some cars chasing us… we got rid of them but.. after that, my mind is hazy. I feel—weird. Like I've been turned inside out."

Anna didn't say anything.

'You have a strong fire within you and it casts one of the brightest lights I've ever seen. But be careful: the brightest lights cast the darkest shadows…. Don't let the rage of that fire consume you, Anna.'

"Anna?" Maria kneeled down to her level. "…. What happened?"

But the little girl, who knew so much, could only speak so little. "There was this boy… and he was lost, you see. And he didn't know his way home. So… I helped him find his way back."

Maria was silent for a while. The sky was dark but the fire was still raging as bright as the sun, casting a flicker of light and shadows across the two girls' faces. Honestly, Anna didn't know if her short—and heavily clipped story with omitted parts—fit together with the scenery before them. She didn't exactly explain why there was a fire, why she had gotten out of the car, why her dress was beyond singed and torn, and why there were tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.

But she didn't want to speak of how the boy had hurt Maria, had hurt her… or that she had hurt him back tenfold in return. Maria didn't need to know of that monstrous side to her. And if Maria figured it all out on her own….

Finally, the older Strain said solemnly, "Then, I think you did the right thing."

Did she? Anna wasn't so sure about that. It was her first real one-on-one fight with someone, and while at first it felt good to hurt back someone who'd hurt her, it scared her in the end. She didn't know how to feel about that anymore. She was wrong about what she thought about fighting with her clansmen earlier. Be it the winner or loser, fighting was a scary thing to do.

"Anna?" Maria touched her shoulder gently. "We should leave now. We've been out later than we should be and I have a feeling Scepter 4 is already on their way here. It's not a good thing to be caught at the scene of the crime. And I think you already know what they do with Strains…."

Maria was right; by now, Scepter 4 would be trying to figure out which foolish King had just carelessly pushed their Weissman level like that. Surely, they would never suspect Anna, who's not supposed to even be a King at this time—not that they would know. But it wouldn't surprise her if they set their eyes on Suoh Mikoto.

Despite Maria's warning, Anna didn't move for a while as she mentally searched the vicinity for any indication that the boy with eyes the color of spring hills was still alive somewhere—somehow.

Nothing.

She stood up, taking the hand Maria offered for support, and they silently returned to the car. As they drove away, Anna spared one last look back at the wreckage. The fire, once an inferno with a heat so strong it had burned the edge of her dress, was now dwindling. Embers from the dying flames fluttered up into the night sky which was now empty of the glorious Sword of Damocles that had appeared. For some reason, the embers reminded her of Tatara's butterflies. She remembered of how Tatara had once told her that butterflies symbolized death and rebirth; the start of a new beginning.

She looked away, facing forward ahead of her. "What time is it?"

Maria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Almost midnight."

---

"Please hurry." Anna said for the fifth time. They were leaving the freeway at around 65 miles per hour but that didn't make Anna any less worried.

Maria glanced at the girl's tiny hands knotted onto the folds of her dress. "Okay, seriously, you need to tell me what's up."

"It's..." Anna hesitated, "complicated."

Maria sighed. "Say that again when you're in a relationship."

Anna reached into her pocket, rubbing her fingers against the smooth expanse of her warm marbles in an effort to ease her mind. Then, she said, "Back at the batting range… remember when I told you I had a dream that someone I love was murdered? Like I said, I never forgot the murderer's face. I know him."

"Like," Maria spoke slowly as she processed Anna's words carefully, "you're saying you know the killer in real life?"

Anna nodded after a slight pause. Well, technically speaking, she knew. Though, she didn't really know the name of said killer. And when she said she knew him in real life, she actually meant she knew his true face—the face of an evil fox spirit. Truth be told, she had a feeling that catching the killer—this fox spirit—wouldn't be so easy even if she knew it's true identity. If he was the Colorless King then he had the ability to steal bodies and absorb the powers of other Kings. That meant this fox spirit had countless masks to hide behind and Anna's only lead was the face of Yashiro Isana.

Thankfully, they were nearing the building now. They were just a block or two away but since they were within a residential area, Maria had no choice but to slow the car down to within the speed limit.

"I'm going to stop him." Anna said when they reached a stop light.

"Who?"

"The killer."

"Oh."

"Mm."

"…. WAIT, WHAT?!"

"I'm going to stop the killer." Anna repeated.

"Yeah, I heard you!" Maria raised her voice. She glanced at Anna, then back at the road, then back at Anna again like she was crazy. "Listen, doesn't your friend have some… I dunno—super firey powers? Flaming balls? Explosion thingies?"

Anna stared at her.

"I mean, can't your friend fight or fend for himself?!" Maria said in exasperation.

Anna bit her lip and directed her stare to her lap. "Tatara… could never use his power to hurt someone."

Maria commented, "I thought he didn't attack me when I was searching for Chitose just 'cause he wouldn't hit a girl. But I guess it's because he's just too nice."

"Mm," Anna shut her eyes to hold back the sudden ache in her heart, "it's often the nicest people who get hurt the most…."

Maria was silent for a moment as the car approached a crosswalk. After the last pedestrian finished walking, she said, "Then let me fight for you."

"Eh?" Anna was caught off guard.

Maria turned to her little companion. A soft look had settled in the assassin's dark eyes, and her voice came out quietly. "You don't deserve to be hurt in this fight. Let me be the one to stop him."

"But," Anna hesitated. "I thought our deal was that I would tell you what happens in my vision of you if you train me to fight? This is the fight you trained me for."

Again, Anna didn't mention how she never had a vision about her to begin with—or that it was actually just an excuse she used so her boys would let her go see the woman.

"I know. But this killer… he must be a force to reckon with if he's risking the wrath of your king. Not even I…." Tightening her hands on the steering wheel, Maria set a grim gaze on the road. "If you're not a King yourself, you'd be a fool to think you could deal a blow to Suoh Mikoto and get away with it." Releasing a sigh, Maria then tilted her lips up for a small smile. "Besides, technically, you've already completed your end of the bargain, ya know."

Anna frowned slightly. "I did?"

"Back at the restaurant when we were eating yakisoba." Maria explained. "You looked into my future… when I asked you if I had any chance at all with Yō-kun. You… you gave me hope that somewhere at the end of this tunnel of darkness I'm going through, there's a bright light waiting to embrace me. And I'll wait however long it takes to get there."

A happy ever after, Anna thought to herself. She felt glad for her female friend—she truly did. Maria did dangerous things to make a living out of her difficult life and she definitely deserved better for a woman in search of someone to accept and love every fiber of her being. Even so, Anna couldn't deny the little seeds of jealousy that had been planted since then. Living a life with the one you love… that's all I ever wanted. Doesn't my family deserve that too?

"But, please, Anna," Maria said, "let me be the one to fight for you. I know I trained you—and I'm damn sure I did an excellent job of it. But, wouldn't it be more assuring if you let the skilled veteran do the job instead—though, I'm not saying you can't do it yourself—"

"No." Anna cut her off. "I get it." And she did. She understood what Maria was saying. I'm not strong enough. I've already failed to save Tatara several times by now. And I couldn't do anything for Mikoto…. And yet… this…. "I'm sorry, Maria. I appreciate the thought but this is something I must do."

After all, it's what I leapt back to the past for.

Maria sighed before giving her a wry smile. "I thought you'd say that. Seriously, does stubbornness and pride run in the family for HOMRA?"

"I guess so." Anna herself cracked a small smile of affection.

"All right, fine, if you say so. But—" Maria raised up a strict finger, "—if I think the situation is even beginning to look out of hand, I'm stepping in. Got it?"

Anna nodded just as Maria parked her car by the sidewalk directly parallel of the building where Tatara should be in now. Although the sky was dark, Anna could see little pinpoints of red light emanating from people's PDA app, Candle.

She reached for the door handle but then Maria stopped her. Maria seemed to study something on the center of Anna's face before handing the little girl a handkerchief. "Before you go off to rescue your darling prince, I suggest cleaning that blood from your nose first." The older woman indicated to the spot below the nostrils.

Anna dabbed the cloth at the spot to find Maria was indeed correct: there was blood on her. Her blood to be exact. It must have been back with Akihito…. The thought that it was her blood and not Akihito's was a strange comfort for her. If Eric was here, Anna was sure his blunt attitude would prompt him to call her a—what's the word?—masochist.

She was about to release a soft chuckle at that when what Maria spoke next brought her back to the reality of their situation: "All right, let's do this."

"Ah, yes!" Anna replied back as they exited the car. Meanwhile, she thought: I can't believe I zoned out there for a moment. Tatara's about to be killed and… I was actually about to laugh for a second? How could I? I… all this stress must be getting to me. I can't remember when's the last time I got a proper rest. She doubted that resetting the cycle would mean coming back refreshed and rejuvenated. After all, she still had the back injuries, courtesy of Seri Awashima, from the first cycle. And when she climbed out of the car she realized her legs felt like jelly and her head was throbbing with every step.

"Hey, you all right?" Maria touched her shoulder in concern. "You look like you're about to keel over."

"I'm fine." The little princess answered immediately.

Maria wrangled her hands together. Perhaps she was nervous. "I'll ask you one last time: Are you sure you're up for this?"

I don't have a choice, Anna wanted to say. Instead, she nodded and lied through her teeth, "Yes." Now that I know I'm a King, I also know that I am capable of defeating the Colorless King.

Maria nodded back, but her brows were still pinched in worry, as if she couldn't shake off a bad feeling.

Well, when you know someone's about to be killed, of course you would get a bad feeling.

Or was it something else?

Of course, Anna had enough common sense at her age to know that entering abandoned buildings—especially at night—usually led to something bad. And yet, it wasn't that that bothered her. Even Anna sensed the atmosphere was somehow more ominous and charged than last time.

Before they entered the abandoned building, Maria grabbed Anna's shoulder one last time. "Listen, from girl to girl, I just wanna let you know that when it all comes down to it… I'll protect you, okay?"

Anna hesitated, wringing the folds of her dress. "Why? Why would you do so much for me?" She wanted to say the reason was because of Chitose but Anna could already see the truth in the woman's eyes before the assassin could speak it aloud.

Maria smiled like it was obvious. "Because we're friends!"

But… I used you, Anna thought guiltily. I'm using you for my own gains—don't you see? Instead, she said, "I… I don't have many friends who are girls… or like me for that matter."

Maria snorted. "Well, I can't imagine you would since that family of troublemakers would just scare any normal girl away." Then she winked down at her. "But besides that we aren't normal girls, we girl friends gotta watch each others' backs, right?"

Anna blushed, though, this time it was because she was happy. In that moment, she was happy she chose to turn to Maria for help. This time… this time, I'll save Tatara for sure! I know it.

"I'll protect you." Maria assured Anna once more. "I promise."

"A promise is a heavy thing to hold onto." Anna reminded her.

Maria grinned. "That's why you don't break it."

"…. Thank you." Anna said while looking into the woman's eyes so she'd understand how much Anna meant those two words of gratification.

In response, Maria held her smile for a second longer before dropping it in favor of a serious look to prepare for what was to come. With a smirk, she cracked her knuckles and said, "Now, let's go be badasses, shall we?"

And as the assassin sashayed her way through the building's doors, Anna followed beside her with a heart strengthened by the bonds made with the sister she had founded within the older woman.

---

Since they were closer to the sky, the rooftop was colder than when they were on the ground. But Anna hardly felt the frigid air as she scanned the open roof, her eyes seeking out Tatara Totsuka.

And, finally, to the far right just a few feet away, she spotted him. There he was, smiling by the edge in all his glory, holding his PDA up to capture the red beads of lights scattered throughout the city.

I finally made it in time!

That was her last thought before she ran towards him, arms outstretched, as fast as her little legs would carry her. " Tatara!"

His face became one of surprise and question as he turned to her, exclaiming, "Anna-chan?!" just as she collided into him for a hug. "And… Maria-san?!"

"Um, hi there." The older woman waved awkwardly.

"Tatara, you're so stupid!" Anna said with her face pressed into his stomach.

"A-Anna?!" Eyes wide in shock, he looked at the little girl latching onto him for dear life. "Th-that's a bit harsh for you to say all of a sudden, don'tcha think?"

"Tatara is a big idiot!" She continued, stomping her foot insistently. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

"Ehh?! Where is this coming from so suddenly?!" Still confused, he put away his PDA to lay his hands on Anna's shoulders. "And why are you here?! Where's King—or Kusanagi-san? Not even Yata-san is with you? You should be in bed by now."

When Anna only shook her head against his pelvis, he then looked to Maria for answers but she just shrugged helplessly and mouthed, 'puberty?'

Tatara sighed and was about to tell Maria to escort Anna back home but then Anna tugged on the back of his long-sleeved shirt, mumbling, "I won't go home without you."

There was something about the way Anna was holding onto him—as if he was going to suddenly disappear from her grasp—that told him something was up. When he heard her quietly whimper, he smiled wryly. Tenderly cupping the back of her head, he asked gently, "What's the matter, Anna-chan?"

Maria took that moment to step away and give the two some privacy—just for a few minutes before getting the hell outta here.

"Nothing." Anna answered too quickly.

Tatara just smiled and went on to caress her head soothingly. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Anna nodded but didn't look at him yet. "You… left me…"

"Just to come up here to see the night time view!"

"You left me for good."

"Ohh... I can see why I'd be an idiot then!"

"And then Mikoto went too."

"Oh, no…." Tatara held her against him.

"Soon…." Anna sniffed against his clothes. "Soon, everyone else left me—even Izumo. And I was all alone."

"Hm, that does sound scary." Tatara murmured against the top of her head. Then he reached for her hand and brought it to his chest, holding on tightly. "But I'm here now—we all are. And I would never leave your side. Don't you trust me?"

Anna nodded.

"If you fall down, I'll be there to kiss the pain away. If you go to school someday, I'll be the one to send you off. If you ever come to seriously like a boy and need love advice, you've got me—and, well, Chitose-san, I guess. And if you ever… marry… I would love to be the one to walk you down the aisle." He pulled away from her to tip her chin up so she'd look at him. "And for every birthday, I'll be the first one to tell you 'Happy Birthday'."

Anna stared into his warm amber eyes, whispering, "Promise?"

He chuckled. "You've been spending quite some time with Maria, haven't—"

"Tatara!"

"Yes!" He released his grasp on her hand to touch their pinkies together. "Pinky promise."

Then she wrapped her arms tightly around his torso once more and pressed her face into him. She breathed in Tatara's spicy, cinnamon smell and although his scent wasn't like the Mikoto's, she liked it nonetheless. It reminded her of home and happy memories.

Tatara returned the gesture by cupping the back of her head again and pressing her towards himself. When she snuggled deeper against him, she sighed contently at the sound of his heartbeat drumming softly. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub.

"It's warm next to you." Anna whispered. To be honest, he didn't exactly match up to Mikoto in terms of warmth. But, right now, the warmest place for her was next to Tatara.

"Hm," Tatara combed his fingers through her long silky strands, "I think that means you're getting cold. You don't have your shawl on. Kusanagi-san is going to scold us when we return."

"Mm." Truth be told, she didn't want to let go of him just yet. She didn't want this moment to end, though, she was still aware of the urgency to their situation.

"Don't worry, everything will be all right." Tatara assured her. Then he pulled away and looked at her. "Now, shall we go home?

Anna let the corners of her mouth tilt up just the slightest. "Okay."

Holding one another's hand, they turned away from the view of the city and Anna thought to herself, finally, we can walk away with our happy ending.

"What? Don't tell me you're leaving so soon!" They came face to Maria aiming a gun at them. She was grinning maniacally, and her dark eyes were alight with something crazy.

"Maria-san..." Tatara pulled Anna to behind him. But Anna peeked over to stare in horror at what had become of her dear friend. "Maria-san… what are you doing? It's me, Tatara Totsuka."

I'm so stupid! I took too long here, Anna thought, and now….

"That's not… Maria." Anna said in a quivering voice. "That's—"

"—The Seventh King—the Colorless King!" The fox spirit spoke gleefully through Maria. Although he wore her body and spoke in her voice—everything else screamed 'evil fox spirit'.

Tatara's face paled and he took several steps back, bringing Anna along with him to put more distance between them and the evil King. "Anna, when I say so, you run, okay? Run to the bar as fast as you can and don't look back."

"No!" She shook her head. "I don't want you to leave me! You promised!"

Maria's face twitched at that last word but she didn't lower the gun.

Tatara smiled grimly in response. "Technically, it's the other way around—"

"If you two can't bear to leave each other then how about I kill you here, right now?" Maria sneered, cocking the pistol in warning.

Tatara raised his hands up but made sure he was still shielding Anna. "What do you want, King?"

Maria—the King—flicked Maria's dark eyes to study Anna who stared back from behind Tatara. In the eyes of Tatara, the person before them looked like a psychotic Maria. But in Anna's eyes, she saw the wispy body of the fox spirit within the woman.

"I want the girl." The King licked his lips. "I want her body."

At first, horror and disgust settled in Tatara's eyes as he thought of what the king meant. But then understanding came over him as he realized that this King possessed bodies. Exhibit A: Maria Yubikiri.

"If you want a body," Tatara took a step forward but held Anna back, "take mine."

NO! Anna grabbed the back of his jacket and held on tight, as if if she didn't let him go then he couldn't be taken from her.

"You're looking for a strong body, right?" Tatara took another step. "That's why you went straight after Maria. That boy over there," he nodded towards the teenager lying slumped by the doorway, "his body wasn't mature enough for you, right?"

"Not another step or I blow your fuckin' brains out, then that little girl, and then this bitch here." The King pointed to himself—Maria's body.

"Okay! Tatara froze. "Okay, just… do what you want—just, please, don't hurt my friends."

"Tatara..." Anna whimpered, but she didn't make a move—lest she encourage the fox to live up to his threat.

"It's okay, Anna-chan, everything's going to be all right." He said quietly. But they both knew his words were meaningless in this situation.

Beginning to panic by now, she started to reach for the power within her. But she didn't feel it. She couldn't sense the power she had used as King, like earlier with Akihito. Why? Why was it that when she needed it now, more than ever, nothing was happening?

"You're absolutely right! I stole that woman's body because I sensed she had some sort of power. But when I entered her, I realized she's just a Strain, so I couldn't absorb her power. But that girl you have right there," The Colorless King roamed his eyes all over Anna's body, and she shivered in response when he met her eyes, "I sense there's something special about her. I see a bright light within, and I'm drawn to it."

"I'll do anything, just please don't hurt her." Tatara insisted, still putting himself between the evil king and Anna. That's when Anna noticed Tatara with a hand behind his back signaling to her. He was indicating to the PDA he had in the back pocket of his jeans.

He wants me to call for help, Anna realized.

"No, Tatara, don't do it!" Anna said. She took that moment to step closer to him and lay her hand against the back pocket, trying to look as natural—though she didn't need to try much to appear panicked—as possible.

"I see you possess a certain light within yourself as well." As the king spoke, Anna tried to be discreet in pulling out the PDA. "Though it's nowhere near as bright as that girl's. And yet, that's how I know you two are clansmen, isn't that right?"

"Yes." Tatara answered truthfully, because lying to a King was useless.

"Oh, this is just too good to be true!" The King cackled in Maria's voice. "I know! I'll use you two to get me closer to your king! It'll be so much easier to absorb his power that way."

Anna could feel Tatara stiffen as she scrolled through the contact list on his PDA. Tatara continued speaking to the King, knowing that he needed to be delayed for as along as possible. "You're going to use our bodies..."

"To kill your King, yes," Maria giggled, "but, specifically, with the girl's body."

"But I offered you mine." Tatara insisted. "I won't let you touch a hair on her head."

"Those are bold words coming from a guy like you." Maria sneered. "But you wanna know why your light isn't so bright? It's because you're not strong enough. That's why you haven't attacked me yet. You can't do it because you're weak."

"I just can't attack you when you're holding my friend hostage in her own body." Tatara reasoned as Anna began typing out a message for help. It was an agonizingly slow process; she could only use one hand and she had to keep as still as possible or else the King would notice her moving about.

"But she's not even a fellow clansmen of yours, is she?" Maria laughed hysterically as if the King within her found the situation entertaining—and it probably was to him, the one in control. "It's a funny thing, don't you think?! You've gotta choose between the life of a woman you barely know, or the life of your family."

"I… I can't do that." Tatara muttered.

"I know you can't!" Maria agreed gleefully. "That's why I'm forcing you to make the decision! Either I use your body to shoot this woman and then jump into the girl, OR, I use your body to shoot the girl, then go after your King! Which do you prefer?"

"I… I…."

Anna had just finished typing out 'HELP. BAD KING ATTACKING US. TATARA AND ANNA. COLORLESS KING. GET MIKOTO. CALL S4.' and was about to add in the address to their location when a gunshot rang out. With a flinch, she dropped the PDA and looked up to find Maria pointing the smoking gun to the side.

"I thought you were being too quiet." Maria jeered. "Quite the naughty girl you are." she had just finished saying when Tatara burst forward and tackled her. Anna watched on in shock for the first few seconds as the two adults grappled with each other for the gun. Since Tatara had had the element of surprise earlier, Maria was on her back with the arm holding the gun outstretched into the air. Tatara was pinning her down with one hand while the other was busy keeping the gun pointed away and at the same time trying to wrest it from her grip.

Another shot rang out as the trigger was pulled accidentally by the struggle. It snapped Anna out of her shock and she fell to her knees, typing out the last of her message. She sent it to Izumo and looked back up just in time to scream, "Tatara!" as Maria used her free hand to claw at his face. With the King in Maria's body, he couldn't use her Strain power to shred his face apart. But her nails were still sharp, and with a furious strike that raked his face, Tatara pulled back in agony just as he managed to twist the gun out of her grasp. The gun skittered away from the two by a couple feet.

Snarling, Maria slammed a heeled boot against Tatara's chest, shoving him away from her as she made a mad scramble for the weapon. Tatara rocked back on his haunches but then catapulted himself forward after Maria. He knew he couldn't reach the gun in time so instead he grabbed for Maria's legs.

Screaming and hissing like a banshee, Maria squirmed and twisted her body, reaching for the gun lying just a foot away from her. Tatara was doing his best to keep her held back but his face was red from the strain and bleeding from her nail marks.

"ANNA, GET OUT OF HERE!" Tatara screamed.

Her Tatara screamed at her. Her sweet, gentle Tatara. Her Tatara who was currently holding back the Colorless King for her sake.

I've got to do something.

Instead of running for safety, Anna ran towards the gun. She ignored Tatara who yelled, "NO!" and was about to reach the weapon when she felt a hand wrap around her thin ankle and pull on it viciously. She went down hard, scraping both knees through her dress. When she looked back, she saw Maria grinning crazily as she tightened her grip on her. Nails bit through her white stockings and broke her porcelain skin, drawing beads of blood.

"Let her go!" Tatara grunted as he grabbed Maria by the shoulders and pulled her from Anna. But the action caused Maria to embed her nails into the thin skin around Anna's ankle and slice down as she was dragged off. Anna hissed in pain as thick drops of blood streamed out from the deep gashes. While Tatara pulled Maria away, the King within the body used that momentum to swing an elbow across Tatara's head. The elbow cracked against his temple and he fell onto his back, heavily dazed and groaning.

Maria then turned back to Anna—who was trying to drag herself to the gun—and slammed her head down with the bottom of her boot. "Very naughty indeed." The King purred in Maria's voice as he pressed Anna's face painfully against the cold cement. Then he kicked her in the ribs, leaving her gasping and coughing, before picking up the weapon. Anna saw stars and blackness when the gun whipped hard across her face.

Sauntering back to Tatara, Maria sat on his chest but kept his arms pinned at the sides with her knees. The King went on to place the gun against Tatara's bleeding temple. "You and your little sidekick gave me more trouble than I expected. But you know what? You gave me a better idea than the one I had before. I'm going to use your body to fuck your little friend right here."

"Run… Anna…." Tatara managed to say.

"Because I like my girls young… and screaming." Maria snarled into his ear before giving a long lick at the blood sliding down Tatara's temple. Then Maria grasped Tatara's face and peered into his eyes.

Anna twisted her head to the side and although her vision was still swimming, she could vaguely make out a white-like wisp of a fox slipping from Maria's dark eyes and into Tatara's amber brown.

Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as she tried to speak. "Ta.. Tata—"

"Ugh… what the hell?" Anna heard another voice and in the corner of her eye she saw the boy slumped by the doorway waking up. It was the boy whose body Yashiro Isana had gotten trapped in back in her original timeline. "What am I doing here?"

"He-help, please..." She pleaded weakly. Her insides were burning with pain from the sharp kick given to her stomach.

"Oh… oh shit!" The boy muttered once he fully came to and realized the situation. He scrambled to his feet and darted out the door before Anna could say anything else. Gone was Anna's last hope for salvation. No, wait, there was still HOMRA whom she had contacted a minute ago. They should be on their way now. Hurry, Mikoto, Anna prayed.

"Anna?" Tatara's voice called out. She turned back to find him unsteady on his feet. Maria laid prostrate on the ground beside him.

"Tatara!" Anna cried out in relief once she saw he was still alive.

Tatara rushed to her side and asked as he looked her over, "Are you all right?"

"My… my ankle is painful," Anna told him. He touched the injury for inspection. "And my head hurts. But I think I'm okay."

"That's not good. Not good at all!" He suddenly wrapped his hand around her ankle and squeezed. He chuckled deeply upon seeing Anna cry out in response. "You need to be sedated more if I wanna fuck you properly."

And as he wrapped his other hand around Anna's small neck, she caught his eyes and saw herself reflected in the cold amber. But she peered past those eyes, looking not at her beloved friend, but at the Colorless King.

"Get out of him!" Anna started beating her fists uselessly against her friend's chest. That same chest she had been hugging not too long ago. That same chest she used to snuggle close to during their ritualistic naps. That same chest that had been so warm and comforting to her. "Get out of my friend! Get out!"

"I see. I understand now." Tatara smirked. "You're a Strain too. A psychic one at least. That gives me more reason to sedate you, so you better shut that mouth or I'll shut it for you!" Then, with his hand still wrapped around her neck, he slammed her head against the cement.

"St… stop! Tatara, it's me!" Anna choked out, clutching helplessly at the hand strangling her. "It's Anna! Your Anna-chan!"

But then the King cracked her head against the pavement again, harder than before, and she lost her strength. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and her vision was spotted in black. My… head hurts…. She raised a trembling hand to touch the back of her scalp, only to feel something warm and sticky.

"Hope I didn't damage you too much." Tatara crowed. "I wanna hear you kicking and screaming when I screw you clean!"

He pressed her legs apart by pushing his body up against hers. Then he began tearing at her stockings, tossing the scraps of cloth away as if he was going through the wrappings of a present.

"Stop!" She grabbed his hair and tugged with all her might.

Tatara looked back up at her in irritation, mumbling, "Fuckin' annoying brat." He took hold of her side and swung Anna onto her front so her aching face was pressed against the cold cement once again. She began squirming immediately but suddenly an incredibly heavy pressure pushed down on her lower backside. She felt him lift her singed skirt and rip up the folds. Her arms were pulled behind her and she whimpered at the feeling of her stitches pulling. Next thing she knew, her hands were being tied by the scraps of her dress. He tied them with three lengths of cloth to ensure maximum restrain. They were wrapped so tightly around her wrists, her blood circulation was cut off almost entirely.

She wriggled around more despite the pain when another cloth covered her eyes. "No!"

She didn't know if being blindfolded was a good thing or bad thing now that she wouldn't be able to see what he was going to do to her. And she was too panicked to care. Not being able to see anything scared her even more than she was already.

"This is to make sure you don't try any of your psychic Strain powers on me." Tatara growled in her ear before turning her onto her back. The position with her arms still bound behind her made it very uncomfortable. Anna tried her best to ignore the searing pain burning her back as she felt some of her stitches had already been torn.

She was so stupid! She should have broken a marble to reset the cycle as soon as things had gone sour. Now, she couldn't even do anything. Her power would not come to her. She was restrained. And she couldn't see.

She was absolutely helpless.

The only thing she could do now was beg for both her and Tatara's life. Beg the King she loathed with every fiber of her being.

She was a princess fallen in disgrace.

"Please don't do this." Anna whispered.

"Don't worry," The King chuckled as he tore through the last of her stockings, "I won't kill you. I'll still have some use for your body after this. You should be honored to be the one to kill a King."

And then he was touching her down there. With Tatara's hands. And she wanted to throw up. Because, no matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to hate those hands that were rubbing and poking where no one else has ever touched before.

Those hands that bandaged her cuts whenever she got hurt.

Those hands that strummed the guitar when he played his beautiful song.

Those hands that combed her hair some mornings.

Those hands that were always so warm and gentle… and cruelly defiling her right now.

She couldn't do anything about it.

But she could cry.

And so she did.

"I don't want you crying." The King said angrily. In Tatara's voice. Tatara's soft and beautiful voice that sang to her. "I want you moaning!"

Anna gasped when her last barrier of clothing protecting her was slipped off her legs. And then she shrieked when something slim and slightly long was pushed into her. That's when she started thrashing around, no longer caring about the rest of the stitches tearing on her back. "NO! IT HURTS! STOP IT, IT HURTS!"

"Shit, you're still dry." She heard him mutter, and then he pulled his fingers out. "I'll get you wet with juice in no time." She was still wondering what he meant when she heard a wet sound like something being sucked. Next thing she knew, he was forcing her mouth open and shoving two wet fingers inside. She tried shaking her head away but he had a painful grip on her lower jaw. "You're not gonna bite this man's fingers off, are you? Use your tongue." He commanded, shoving his fingers farther until it hit the back of her throat.

She gagged, but did as he said. She swirled her tongue against his long digits, having no choice but to taste a mixture of his own saliva and something tangy. She stopped when she heard him say in a low voice, "Enough."

This time, she knew what he was going to do next. So she started kicking her feet around blindly, hoping to knock him away from her. "Stop that." Tatara grunted as he pulled her knees apart once more and held them that way with his hips sliding in between.

"You… stop!" Anna sobbed out. "I don't like this! Please, you're hurting me."

"And why don't you like this, hm, Anna-chan?" She heard him sneer as he began rubbing his fingers against her opening again. He would rub a bit, then poke at her entrance, then push the tip of his finger slightly in, sliding from one end to the other, and then repeat it all.

"Because… it's d-disgusting!" She said, gritting her teeth at the feeling of his cold hand touching her so intimately when he shouldn't be.

"And?" He crooned in her ear.

"You're—mmn!— disgusting!" She gasped out.

"Me?" He laughed and then pressed his mouth to her ear so she could literally feel his lips moving as he spoke, "I thought you love me."

"Not the man pulling the strings." She wish he hadn't blindfolded her so he could bear witness to the amount of hatred and scorn her eyes were practically glistening with.

"Ah, you love the puppet here." He said, and he stopped touching her. He was silent as he lifted her leg with the injured ankle. Then, before Anna could kick him in the face, he pressed a tender kiss on her bleeding ankle. Anna tried to suppress a whimper as she felt him trail his soft lips up her bare leg. She could feel his warm breath blowing softly against her calf as he moved up the slope of her leg slowly, carefully. He was unexpectedly gentle with her, caressing his lips on her skin.

"Ah!" Anna's voice escaped from her when his lips caressed her inner thigh. Then she bit her lip upon feeling him kiss the junction of skin between her thigh and her opening. She cried out when he nipped and sucked at the skin before licking at it gingerly as if he was saying sorry.

When Tatara stopped his assault, Anna found herself panting, even beginning to sweat despite the freezing night air. Her heart was thumping hard against her chest and she sensed there was something… sensual, swelling within her.

Anna was in the middle of catching her breath when she finally heard Tatara say, "And that hurts me." just before shoving his fingers back into her. She arched her back as his long fingers slid far inside her. She felt her opening burn as the swollen skin stretched to accommodate the size of the intrusion.

A weird sound came out from her when she felt him curl the tips of his fingers inside. With her heart thumping a mile a minute, her head began throbbing painfully again. She could barely make out Tatara chuckling, saying, "There's that sweet moan I've been waiting for."

He made a scissor-like motion to stretch her more, and she tried to gulp in short breaths of air as he did that. She almost choked once he started pumping his fingers in and out. At first, he was slow, making sure he wasn't hurting her or scratching her walls. But then he started going faster, and faster, making weird 'shllik' sounds each pump. In, out, in, out, in, out, in, out, in, out. He was pumping her so hard, her body started shaking and rubbing against the cement.

Strangely, it didn't hurt as much this time. She remembered him saying that she was dry and needed to get wet, and that he had her wet his fingers first before continuing. And she wanted to tell him to stop—wanted to beat at his chest until he came out of Tatara. But she could barely get a word out without gasping or 'moaning', as he would put it, and she didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

And since she couldn't hate the body doing this to her—corrupting and defiling her own body, she turned her hatred to herself. She hated that she couldn't do anything—even though she was a damn King. She hated that her body was betraying her mind. She hated that she couldn't help but release small moans for him, indicating that—somehow—she actually liked what he was doing to her, even though she knew it was because her body's needs and desires overruled her mind's wishes.

"Don't tell me you wish I was doing this to your other friend over there," He referred to Maria, "instead of you?"

"N-no." Anna said through gritted teeth. "I don't h-hate—ahn!—her like… I do with—mmn—you."

"You hate me? Your sweet moaning voice seems to tell me otherwise." She heard him groan. "I wish you could see what you're doing to me…. Heh, or, to be exact, what you're doing to this body. You know, I could be fucking that Strain bitch over there. She's got a tight body…. But I like my women real young… and I bet you're real tight down here." He pressed his thumb against a certain spot full of nerves and she practically screamed at the wave of pleasure that hit her.

"I know your mind says 'no' but your body says 'yes'…. It will always say 'yes' because once aroused, it's natural instinct is to mate." He stopped pumping into her, simply letting his fingers lie within the tightness of her slick walls. "Even now, your hot walls are contracting, sucking my fingers in. It's burning hot within you." He pushed farther inside, and she realized he was using his whole hand because she sensed his palm rubbing her entrance. She cried out when he wiggled his fingers. He was hitting a spot within her that felt so good it scared her all the more. "I think I can feel your cervix… and it wants me."

Her what? She didn't care for more than a second. She needed him to stop. And she needed him to get out of her. Something warm trickled out and she panicked, thinking he had gone too far and she was bleeding.

But Tatara simply laughed, saying like it was something to be proud of, "Ah, there we go! We've got you leaking now. The sight of you like this really makes me hungry… I think I'm done prepping you. It's time for my meal!"

And before she could decipher what he meant, she was arching her back once again as the sensation of his tongue licking her obliterated all thoughts from her head. He was burning hot wet strips upon her lower lips, lapping at the juices spilling out of her. It stole her breath away.

Anna shuddered when Tatara pulled her lips apart to get a better look inside her. Revolt made her stomach roll as she thought faintly that this person was looking so deep into her secret place… and that it was about as terrible as someone looking through her mind for her deepest fears and secrets.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't speak.

She couldn't think. Not when her head was throbbing in time with her heartbeat.

She could barely hear him mumble, "Your pink is so beautiful.", and then she bit her lip so hard she drew blood and tasted it as he slipped his tongue into her.

And she hated how it felt mind-blowingly wonderful. Pleasure struck her core with every thrust and lick from his tongue. There was a feverish heat building within her abdomen, and she was sure it wasn't her Aura. He started thrusting the wet muscle in and out of her, just like what he did with his fingers. She could feel her numb fingers twitching and she itched to grab onto the strands of his light brown hair again, if only to hold onto something because it felt like she was balancing over the edge of a great pit.

I hate how he wears Tatara's face like a mask.

I hate how he speaks in Tatara's voice.

I hate how he touches me… defiling me with Tatara's pure, clean hands.

I hate how he is Tatara… and that he's not.

"You have no idea how delicious you taste." The King groaned. "Sweet like nectar…. I can't get enough of you."

"I want… to kill you." Anna takes that moment to say. And she can't believe she just said it. But she did. And it's when that second of silence that ticks by that Anna realizes she meant it too. She meant it just as much as she meant to save Tatara.

But how could she when he was using Tatara's body? And that's when it dawned on her: she couldn't use any of her powers because she had no desire to harm her friend.

"And I want to fuck you." He growled, then bit down lightly on her bundle of nerves and a wave of ecstasy crashed down on her, threatening to drown Anna in its euphoria. She couldn't help but buck her hips, arching her back farther than ever as something inside her exploded, and she fell over the edge. She vaguely heard herself releasing a high-pitched moan while her vision became spotted in white.

A few seconds passed before she started to come down from it and that's when she heard slurping sounds from below. He was sucking at her juices, drinking it up like wine. She could feel the tip of his nose pressing against the swollen flesh as he held her hips up to his face for a better angle. His teeth grazed her lips as he let the last of her juice flood into his mouth. She was still trying to catch her breath when she heard him ask, "So how was your first orgasm?"

And she wanted to knee him in the face since he was so close, but her legs felt so weak from the high. And she was shivering from him speaking so close to her opening, his warm breath making the skin stay aroused.

Anna wanted to ask him if he was done now. But knowing that he would just make another snide remark, she stayed silent.

She didn't expect him to say in a soft voice, "You look so beautiful, all hot and flushed." And when he pressed his mouth back against her slit again, she held her breath so as to not pleasure him with any sounds. But this time, there was something that was different. He was pressing his lips to her swollen flesh, as if he was kissing her real lips.

Why is he so different now? He's kind for a moment, then cruel and punishing the next. It's hard to anticipate his plans...

They stayed like that for several seconds, him just kissing her slit, and licking up the beads of liquid that would dribble out of her every once in a while. And Anna would just hold her breath for as long as she could, preferring the pain of her head over the pleasure of his sick actions. But she despised how it was so silent between the two.

"I want you all to pair off and search the vicinity!"

I'm hearing Izumo's voice in my head. Now that I have two voices in my head, I'm starting to believe I'm losing my mind.

"King and I will stay here. If you find Tatara or Anna-chan—or at least one of them—report back immediately."

"And what about the Colorless King?" Misaki?

Anna focused her attention back to Tatara, who had stopped his ministrations.

"If you see him, do not engage. Report back to Mikoto and I. Did you hear me, Yata? You can't do anything about him on your own."

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Yata had grumbled.

"Mikoto…."

"Yeah," Anna strained to hear her King speak in his baritone voice, "he's nearby."

The voices were echoing off the walls of the deserted street, making it difficult to distinguish where they were exactly. It seemed they were quite a distance away since Anna could barely make out what they were saying. But they were there. And they were real—not in her head like she had initially thought out of her own delirium. They had come for her!

She opened her mouth, about to scream for help despite how raw her voice felt.

But then Tatara was on her again. And he was smashing his mouth against hers to silence her. Nonetheless, Anna still screamed, though partly from the bruising force of his harsh kiss. But the Colorless King within simply swallowed her cries for help and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

She could taste something potent that left her even more dizzy—perhaps a liquor Tatara had drunk back at the bar before he left—and she could also taste that same tangy flavor from earlier but it was stronger than before. Eventually, Anna's cries died down as his saliva mixed with hers and she was forced to swallow it lest she choke. But she couldn't breathe with him sucking on her tongue and attacking it relentlessly like it was a piece of candy.

Can't… breathe… And Anna thought that this will surely be the death of her. To be killed by the man she was trying to save. How ironic.

As if sensing her thoughts, Tatara pulled away from her. A thick string of saliva stretched out between their mouths like a connection. The string broke and landed on her chin once he gave her enough space to breathe. Their foreheads were pressed together as they both began gulping in breaths of air.

It seemed Tatara was the first to recover because now she could feel him leaning his face against her shoulder. Suddenly, he was licking up the column of her neck and babbling something about her sweat, but she didn't bother to listen anymore because she still felt lightheaded from the lack of air.

"You're warm." She heard him say. "It's so warm with you." And, to Anna, it was such an unusual comment to make, especially coming from a murderous fox spirit. Anna chose to stay silent, focusing on her breathing instead. But something warm began trickling from the corners of her eyes and she couldn't hold back from sniffling. The tears poured out fast in small rivers and she couldn't stop them. They seeped through her blindfold and continued down the sides of her cheeks.

Tatara stopped ravaging her neck and before she could twist her face from him, he was licking her tears away, commenting how it was salty like her sweat. And then something soft pressed down on her lips once more and she realized he was back to kissing her.

But, again, he was different. Although last time he was crushing his mouth down as if trying to devour her, this time he was unbelievably gentle. For a few seconds, he would kiss her bruised lips so tenderly, as if she were fragile—or as if they were lovers—before pulling an inch away to give her space. And then repeat again, and again, and again.

Anna was so focused on steadying her breathing that it took her a while to feel him rubbing his thumb in strange patterns on the bare skin of her abdomen. He had hitched the skirt of her dress up to her stomach, leaving her bare bottom to freeze in the cold winter weather. Shivering, she had no choice but to shift her legs up to his sides for warmth. She held breath upon hearing him growl from her sudden movement, but he continued kissing her gingerly.

Each time he kissed her, she prayed that was the last. But it seemed he couldn't kiss her enough because she waited, and waited, and waited. And he continued ravishing her lips. She shuddered at the wet sound their lips would make each time he pulled away from her.

However, Anna's patience had been thin to begin with, and it was near to breaking by now. I can't hurt Tatara, she thought as she tried to ignore the sensation of Tatara's slightly chapped lips brushing against hers. But if I don't do something now, I'll miss my chance. No matter what, I have to do something!

Upon feeling Tatara push his long finger into her slit again, her decision was solidified. She waited for him to kiss her again, and once he did, she pushed her mouth to his with equal force and passion, pretending she was giving in to him finally. Just like she predicted, he pulled back briefly in surprise and chuckled before kissing her passionately again.

Feeling him smirking against her lips, she thought, as if I would ever bow down to a King like you, and bit his lip as hard as she could. She reveled in the sound of his pained grunt. But her victory was short lived because he grabbed her neck and slammed her head back down on the pavement. Anna screamed as her already tender scalp was flooded with more pain.

"You're more naughty than I thought!" She heard the ugly sneer in his voice. "Biting the lips of this man…. I didn't think you actually had it in yourself to do it—I'm impressed! But more than aroused! I'm so done getting you ready and comfy—I want to take you now."

There was the clicking sound of a belt unbuckling, and she actually thought he was going to use it to whip her as punishment. Instead, something hot and stiff poked at her entrance. For a moment, she flashed back on the image of a naked Yata and his junk from five years ago. She couldn't believe how ignorant she'd been back then.

Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!

"You feel that? See what you've done to me?" The King grunted in Tatara's voice as he rubbed himself against her opening. The action was uncomfortable with the rough material scratching against the sensitive skin down there. But she preferred feeling the scratchy cloth, considering it was the only thing standing between her purity and his hot thing.

And then he was lying his torso on top of hers, making it difficult again for her to breathe. And she wasn't sure what to worry about—getting air to her lungs or the fact that he was grinding his stiffness against her opening. It frightened her down to the very core because she could feel the rock hard bulge pushing inside her slightly, and she knew it was way larger than his fingers. And that if he put it in her, it was going to hurt her—a lot.

He snarled in her ear, "As you can see—or not, hehee—I like the bodies of young males. They're so quick to become aroused, and they can get it up really quick."

To open her wider, he grabbed her legs again and pushed them so far back, her knees were literally pressed up on either side of her head.

"Stooop..." Anna gasped out once he started to make thrusting movements. With their bodies molded against each other, they rocked together in time with his hips.

"Do you feel how wet this guy's pants are now?" He grunted after a while. "You're soaking his dick in your juices. What a naughty girl. Sooo fucking naughty."

"Then maybe you should get the fuck away from her." Another voice cutted in, and Anna felt Tatara's body still in response to the sound of a gun cocking. "NOW."

Anna sensed Tatara's body leave her. And for a moment she missed his warmth because her lower half was naked to the cold, but then she remembered that he's really the Colorless King in sheep's clothing. "Care to join us? I don't mind. Though I've never had a threesome before—but I'm welcome to the idea."

"You're a sick bastard!" Maria replied.

"Says the assassin with blood on her hands."

Still blindfolded, Anna tried her best to shuffle her body around so her dress skirt would cover her dignity as best as possible. When Anna finally got the remains of her skirt to cover herself decently enough, she heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh and Tatara grunting in pain.

"Maria!" Anna screamed in frenzy.

"I'm here. I'm here, Anna, oh gosh." Anna's restraints were sliced through with a sharp nail and the blindfold was tugged off. Letting her numb hands fall to her side, the little girl opened her eyes to find the woman smiling at her apologetically.

"You're alive!" Anna threw herself into the assassin's arms, hugging her as best she could. She could feel the blood starting to circulate properly now but she still couldn't move her hands an inch.

"I'm so sorry I let this happen to you!" Maria returned the embrace before pulling from her. She grabbed Anna's arm and tugged her to her feet. "Hurry! We need to—"

"Ow!" Anna fell to her knees again. Her ankle, though the blood had congealed over time, was mottled in purple and swelling slightly.

"Shit, sorry!" Maria winced at the realization that the injury was her fault.

"Leaving so soon already? But we haven't said our good-byes yet." Tatara pulled himself up onto his feet. The same psychotic grin that had been on Maria's face earlier was now on his face. It was incredibly disturbing the witness the face of such a kind and spirited man appear so… deranged.

"Oh, I'll give you a good-bye, all right!" Maria grounded out. Anna looked at her friend, saw the fury in her dark eyes and knew what the assassin was planning to do next.

Anna stumbled to her friend with lightning speed, yelling, "DON'T!", as she latched onto the woman's raised arm with her clumsy hands. "Don't shoot him."

"Anna, do you know what he's done to you?!" Maria didn't take her eye—nor the gun—off Tatara who had his arms up and was waiting by the ledge. "He could be in prison for years for that!"

"I know." Anna answered quietly. Flashes of him touching and caressing her all over began to plague her mind, so she squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, "I know, Maria, but that wasn't Tatara. The Colorless King can possess bodies."

"…. Then that means I've been fucked over twice today, huh?" Maria smiled grimly.

"He wants to use mine to kill Mikoto."

"Then all the more reason to shoot the guy!"

"You can't!" Anna tugged on the arm holding the gun. "Tatara is the person I've been trying so hard to save! Besides, you can't do anything against a King!"

"So you're saying we should let him fuck me over thrice and then finish you?! Because third time's the charm!"

"No, I mean…." Anna turned to Tatara who hadn't moved at all. "What—", she stopped herself. Attempting to bargain with the King was just a waste of time. Look at what happened when Tatara tried with Maria.

"Since you two ladies seem lost as to what to do, how about I make it easier for you?" Tatara smirked before glancing down at the street. Anna hadn't even noticed he had stepped back until he was teetering over the rooftop ledge.

"On the count of three, I say 'good-bye', and you try to catch me." Tatara said mockingly. "One."

"Don't move!" Maria shook the gun uncertainly. "I-I'll shoot!"

"Two."

"DAMN YOU!"

"Good-bye!" He sneered at them just before he tipped himself over the edge.

Everything seemed to slow down as Maria raced to Tatara's falling body and Anna fell on her collapsed ankle, watching in horror as a white wisp shot out of Tatara's eye and headed for Maria's. Maria jerked back violently at the exact moment Tatara disappeared over the edge.

"TATARA!" Anna screamed, reaching her hand out as if she could use her psychic Strain abilities to pluck him from the air.

Two seconds passed before a horrendously heavy sound of a thud echoed into the streets. Everything seemed deathly silent for a period of time.

"T… T-T-Tatara…." Anna stuttered, her eyes wide in terror as she stared at the spot her friend had been standing at earlier. "H-He… fell.."

"M-M-Maria! We… we have to help—" A hand grabbed Anna's throat and slammed her against the wall, knocking the air out of her. She stared into the crazed eyes of the possessed assassin.

"Think you could get away, did you?!" The King within grinned maliciously. "Missed me? I should kill you now for all the trouble you've given me! Oh, but you really pleasured me earlier. Hm, how should I kill you? A gun shot would just alert your fellow clansmen to where we are. But then again, your friend's broken body down there is sure to alert them of us anyways—Haagh!"

Releasing Anna, Maria's body started stumbling around, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Maria?" Anna asked hesitantly.

"Anna..! Get… away from me!" It's Maria!

And then the woman's voice became harsh, snarling, "Stop.. resisting me, Strain bitch!", and Anna knew it was the King speaking this time.

The woman before her trembled as the two souls within fought for dominance. To anyone else, it'd appear to be a woman ill with split personality disorder and talking to herself. To Anna, whose eyes saw the truth to everything, she saw a fight for claim of the body.

It'd only been a few seconds but Maria's body began to lift the gun back up, forcing Anna to back away. It was difficult for her to tell who was winning the battle inside.

"Maria?"

The assassin lurched forward and shoved Anna to the ground with her hands wrapped around her neck again. It took a while for it to sink in that the Colorless King won out the battle, and that her dear Maria had lost. In a last act of desperation, Anna reached into her pocket for the marbles that she'd almost forgotten about during the midst of the chaos and assault.

"Nu-uh!" Maria shoved her down onto the pavement again. Anna's head bounced from the force and she cried out at the explosion of pain searing her temples. Fresh blood trickled down the back of her neck but Anna barely felt it. Her mind was hazy and her sight had narrowed to tunnel vision.

This is it… I'm definitely going to die this time. And I'll ever know what would have been if I had succeeded in stopping the Colorless King. I will never know what tomorrow would have brought me if Tatara had lived past this night.

"Time to say 'good-bye' now!" The King within jeered as he pressed the muzzle of the gun between her brows.

"Yeah, to you… bastard!" Maria gritted out, and with a trembling hand as if still fighting the force within her, she aimed the pistol to the side of her own head.

"Ma… ria..!" Anna said sluggishly. She felt she was going to black out any moment.

The hand around her neck tightened, cutting off Anna's air supply entirely. Yet, Maria's position with the weapon didn't move. It was like the King had possession of the hand choking Anna and Maria had control of the hand holding the pistol.

"I've been mind-fucked enough times today to have learned a few tricks!" The woman said through gritted teeth. "Anna, this won't hold him off for long so when you get the chance, run!"

"But… what about you?" Anna asked weakly, trying to hold back the tears pricking her eyes. What about your future with Chitose? What about your future child? What about that happy ending you've been yearning for?

"I guess that light at the end of my tunnel is coming for me a lot faster than I anticipated." Maria smiled wryly. Then her face contorted in strain as she forced her entire body off Anna, roaring, "RUN!"

Anna's body shook with coughs as she panted for air. She stuffed her hand into the dress pocket and pulled a marble out with difficulty due to her hands still numb from the poor blood circulation earlier. The marble wobbled between her index and thumb before slipping by accident. It bounced and then rolled to the other side of the rooftop.

Anna wasted no time and started dragging her body to where the red orb laid. She tried to ignore the sounds of Maria struggling with herself nearby and focused on moving as fast as she could. But her ankle was badly injured, her head felt like fireworks were going off in there, and she could barely see through the cloud of blackness that was her vision.

It didn't help that her pale hands were numb and useless. So she did the only thing she could think of: she smacked them on the cement in an attempt to bring the nerves to life faster in response to the pain. And it worked. Her hands trembled and ached with the feeling of needles poking them but she now had better control.

Finally, as she neared the marble, she reached her hand out for it, only to have a boot meet her temple. Her head snapped back at the force and her sight completely blacked out. She couldn't see anything… but the little red pinpoint of light sitting before her.

The marble.

She had never been so grateful of her colorblindness as she did now.

Ignoring the splitting pain in her head, she grabbed the marble and turned at the sound of Maria's voice.

"Anna…."

In a few seconds, her vision finally cleared enough for her to make out Maria standing before her, crying with the gun still pointed to her head.

Realizing she wouldn't have enough momentum from her position to break the marble, Anna went on to shove it in her mouth, readying herself in case Maria attacked her again.

"Anna, I promised I'd protect you no matter what, didn't I?" Maria smiled wryly, her hand still trembled with exertion to keep the King contained for as long as possible.

Anna knew what her dear friend was going to do next. And Anna knew she was powerless to stop her. But she did not want to bear witness to it.

"You know I never break my promises."

Anna crunched down on the marble and let the flames swallow her as she closed her eyes to reset the cycle.

But she still felt something warm splatter on her face, and her ears were still painfully ringing with the sound of the gun going off.

---

"What are you doing?" A deep baritone voice shook her out of the darkness.

Anna blinked her eyes open, flinching at the brightness of the place. She took a step back, taking in her surroundings. She was standing at the top of a staircase, in the middle of the hallway before a man with flaming red hair. He was tall, and she could smell smoke rolling off him as it it were a personal scent.

He was staring at her a little curiously and she stared back in a daze.

"…. Mi.. Mikoto?"

"Yeah, it's me." He looked a little irritated since she took a while to respond, and only to call his name. "And what are you doing?"

"Huh?" There was something about his question—and this entire situation in general—that felt oddly familiar to Anna. And she noticed her head was really painful!

"You were just standing there for a while." The Red King tipped his head to the side, studying her more closely. "Were you sleepwalking?"

"Uhm…." Anna touched a hand to her forehead, as if the action would relieve her of the splitting headache she had. But she just felt more and more confused.

"I… I don't know…." She finally said. "I can't remember."

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OH DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW THIS IS AN M-RATED FANFIC. And I told you guys before that I'm sadistic with my characters. But I'm sorry if I scarred your guys' image of Tatara and Anna's relationship.

Actually, I have a friend who ships Anna and Tatara together. And I never would have thought of that shipping if she hadn't brought it up. I used to ship Anna with Mikoto but then stopped because.. you know. YOU KNOW WHY. And so my friend was reading the rough draft of this chapter and she thought the rooftop tousle scene could be extended to give an opportunity for a ANNA/TATARA moment. She specifically requested (actually begged) me to do a full-blown sexual intercourse scene but.. I just didn't have the heart to go all the way and this was the most I could do. SORRY (NOT) EMILY BUT IT'S MY FIRST TIME WRITING SOMETHING SO SMUTTY. So this chapter is twice longer than I planned for it to be. Hope you enjoyed the... um, M-rated stuff I added for spice!

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REPLIES TO REVIEWS (INCLUDING GUESTS)

*****I forgot to do replies last time so this one extends back to reviews on Chapter 12: I'll See You Tomorrow

Kiddiluna : (CH 12) Yes! Anna FINALLY knows about her powers. Too bad she has difficulty controlling it LOL. Did you like the loop I threw you in for this time? Hehehe~ (CH 13) Any chance you still have some of that cake? *stares at you with puppy eyes*

TinaFOTZE : Hey again! Thanks for the encouragement, you made me feel so much better back then. Sometimes when I'm not motivated and having difficulty composing the next chapter, I just reread your review for inspiration. Again, thanks for everything!

Hn (Guest) : Thank you so much for taking the time review! Hopefully you're still reading this to witness my gratitude!

Yumi (Guest) : And thank you for reviewing! And you're absolutely right: there's still that consequence about her time travelling. Like the Slate told Anna, there is a price to pay for in the end.

godess bubbles : You're right! It's not just Tatara she needs to save Mikoto too! Because saving Tatara doesn't mean Mikoto won't stop suffering from the burden of his position as King. Don't worry, I've already got something planned out! Though you won't know until the last few chapters hehe :')

princesasuhina : Well, I just love leaving people in shock hehe :) Yeah, you're right, it's quite confusing having two kings at the same time. I hope I cleared it up in the beginning of this chapter though! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to incorporate the answer(s) into the chapter, or I'll just reply to you directly like this. Sometimes I'm composing the next chapter and I get confused with the time lines and cycles and then I have to look at my notes to understand what I'm doing again.

KProjectFan (Guest) : SEASON 2 YEEESSSS! HAVE YOU SEEN THE PV? NOT THE 1MIN PVS SHOWING JUST THE CITY BUT LIEK THE ACTUAL TRAILER WITH THE ACTION AND NEW CHARACTERS. SO EXCITED! And I'd like to add appearances from the green clan after seeing the movie but the time period takes place before Mikoto's Damocles Down. BUT, for you, I will start planning cameos and references to our new characters. Who is your favorite green guy?

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THANKS FOR READING! STAY TUNED FOR MORE.