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

Author's note: I forgot to mention this but I've been dropping some hints here and there regarding the ending. Those poems/song lyrics I'd post in the beginning of my chapters (right below the chapter title) were not just placed there to look pretty. If you read over all the lyrics I've been using, I think it'll give you a pretty good idea of how this fanfic will end. However, I won't answer any questions regarding the ending. You'll just have to wait and see if your theory turns out correct or not. Cheerio!

K: Preserving the Blaze of Your Red

BY: TCOOKIES777

Chapter 15: Blank Space

"Hey, Shu… Have you ever read the picture book called 'The Kind King'? The king was really kind… He gave everyone money… and land… until finally, the country was gone. The people were all mad at the king… But I… really loved him. I think he was my first love."

– Hare Menjou from Guilty Crown

"… Are you absolutely sure about this?" The man stood hunched over the coffee table. His cap was off but the room was bare and made him feel unnaturally cold and itching to cover his shaggy, coppery hair with the beat hat. His hands were splayed stiffly on the table, caging in between several beads with slight cracks and scratches within them.

On the other side of the small table sat an elegant woman with exquisite beauty. Picking up a bead, she stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before setting it back down to release a heavy sigh. "Yes, I'm sure. If she continues on like this… we're doomed."

"I thought we were already doomed… long ago…" The man clicked his tongue, though he didn't sound annoyed, just defeated. He reached back to tie his shoulder length coppery strands but stopped upon realizing he didn't have any ties. Instead, he opted to frown and scratch his head, mussing up his already messy bangs.

The woman just stared at the scratches on the coffee table. Its owner used to wipe and polish the hardwood everyday with tender care. However, it'd been a long time since the owner had last been here.

"So what are you gonna do?"

"Me?" The question broke the female's forlorn stare away from the table to tip an eyebrow at her partner. "You mean 'we'."

"Not anymore." He said gruffly. "The only power I have left is one to protect and watch over you."

The woman shook her head. Just a hint of a smile played on her lips. "No, it's always been us together ever since that time." She reached back to tug off the crimson ribbon that held her ponytail up. Long, silky hair unfurled and pooled down her back but she offered her frayed ribbon to the man. If anything, her hair down only served to fan out her breathtaking beauty, though the male was no more indifferent to it.

Instead, he accepted the ribbon, tying his hair as he took a slow look around the large space they had occupied. The entire area was bare of any furniture save for the essentials—two small beds, a bedtable in between, and several cardboard boxes stuffed with memories. It hardly looked anything like it used to in the past. He went on to shove his hands into his pockets. It was really cold here. "As I recall, it used to be all of us together back then."

The woman simply bit her lip, unable to refute the truth. "I know… I know there's no hope for us. Not here, at least. But… it chose her. She can do what I… could not. It's a long shot but… I have to do what I can. There is still hope for her."

The man walked around to the woman's side and then leaned against the armchair with his arms crossed and head bowed in deep thought. "If what you say is true… and she succeeds…. You know what will happen to us, right?"

"It's only us two now." The woman dropped her voice to a whisper. She shivered and then asked, "What have we got to lose?"

"After all these years?" He mumbled back. "All we have is each other."

There was a still pause, and then the woman angled her head back to stare at her long-time companion who stared back meaningfully with his dark brown eyes. While her gaze wavered with raw emotions, his was hard and dull but contained a torrent of something tender for the female beside him. It was true. They only had each other now. It had been that way for many years. They had no choice but to share the same burden… the same pain. They were each other's pillar, holding one another up for all the cracks that threatened to break them.

"Thank you," The woman whispered and although her voice was hoarse, no tears came out. She had been dried of all her tears a long time ago already, "for staying by my side all this time."

Without tearing his eyes away from her, the man straightened up and shifted so that he stood directly before his comrade. "I'll always be there for you. You can trust me." He then leaned in closer to let his friend wrap her arms around him and bury her face into his torso. In response, he hunched over her form—still so small to him after all these years—and cupped the back of her head as if to protect her from the rest of the world.

The two friends held onto each other like that, just as they had for years, sharing their warmth together.

"I… I don't know…." Anna stammered out. "I can't remember."

Many questions ran through her mind, only causing her head to pulse with even more pain. Why did her head hurt anyways? And why had she just been standing at the top of the stairs? Not to mention her back itched with a vengeance.

Mikoto's frown caught her attention and he stepped forward to gently pat her head, muttering, "Sleepyhead."

Under his touch, all the pain in her body seemed to seep away and fill her with delicious warmth. She hid a smile and, to not keep him waiting any longer, took a step down the stairs. However, as soon as she pulled away from his hand, the pain came back and her ankle throbbed viciously with a searing pain that had her collapsing. She fell forward, and the only thing she could think of as she saw the edge of the stairs coming to break her face was: this feels like… déjà vu.

She shut her eyes to brace for the impact but a sharp tug on the back of her collar pulled her back.

"Careful." Mikoto murmured as he held her up by the scruff of her dress. She looked back at him just in time to catch him hide the worry in his eyes. Anna nodded but he didn't let her go just yet. Instead, his brows furrowed even deeper. "You're hurt."

It was not a question.

When Anna didn't respond back, he sighed and continued to carry her down the rest of the stairs like a lion holding its cub.

"You're finally up, huh?" Izumo asked from behind his bar, smiling lightly. "Good morning, King, and… ah… King? Can I ask why you're holding Anna like that?"

"She hurt herself." Her king carefully set Anna on their usual couch before sitting down beside her.

"What? Really?"

Mikoto grunted in response. He pulled out a cigarette to stick in his mouth but didn't light it. Instead, he crossed his arms and leaned back as the bartender finished wiping his hands on a dishcloth and walked around the counter to crouch before the girl.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Izumo's head bobbed up and down as his eyes skimmed her over for any telltale signs of injury. Still feeling confused, Anna simply shrugged, keeping her eyes on her lap with her hands fisted atop. She wanted to rub her temples to ease the throbbing of her head but she didn't want to worry her men any more.

"Her left leg." Mikoto answered for her. "She almost fell down the stairs."

"What happened? Did you sprain your ankle maybe?" Izumo asked as he gently removed Anna's red Mary Janes and peeled off her stocking. Her mouth twisted down slightly at the feeling of her bare leg being exposed to the cool air.

"I don't know." She murmured, and then hesitated before adding, "I can't remember."

"Hm, well, sometimes people don't realize they've sprained their ankles until later and then can't remember how, so it's fine!" Izumo reassured her, not quite understanding what Anna really meant.

As Izumo inspected her leg, Anna sensed Mikoto peering at her from the corner of his eyes. While his presence beside her was warm and comforting, his piercing gaze made her feel… weird. It made her feel like she had done something wrong. But what? Was she supposed to have done something?

Without warning, a small squeak of pain escaped from her as she felt Izumo's calloused fingers brush by a sore spot right above her foot. The man quickly apologized and then cautiously rotated her leg around to get a look at the cause of her pain.

"These are…" Izumo frowned as he studied the injury Anna didn't even know she had. "It's not a sprain. These are… claw marks?"

Immediately, Mikoto, as well as Anna, leaned forward for a better view. Wrapped around her ankle were five angry red lines. The lines were deep enough to have drawn blood but not enough to need stitches. The skin around the wound was an irritated pink. Anna frowned at the discovery of an injury she was sure she would have remembered getting. The more she stared at the markings, the more she felt unsettled at the phantom sensation of someone's hand grabbing her ankle tightly. Of someone touching her leg when she didn't want them to…. Instinctively, Anna slowly pulled her leg a little bit away from the bartender.

The king's brows furrowed to the same angle as his clansmen. "An animal?"

Izumo's lips twisted thoughtfully and he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Anna hasn't really been around much animals since Basashi and that was already a while back. It's too fresh, see? And I doubt a cat could've caused a wound this bad. Also, Fujishima hasn't brought in any animals lately. At least, not since what happened with Basashi…"

The bartender's eyes widened slightly as another idea seemed to have crossed his mind. He tilted his head back up to peer at Anna. His face was slightly grim-looking but had more of concern etched across his features. When he spoke, he spoke gently-almost father-like. "Anna, did you… do this to yourself?"

This time it was Anna's turn to widen her eyes in shock. She pressed her lips together, considering the idea for a second. No, she told herself, that's… I wouldn't hurt myself! She vigorously shook her head at Izumo in answer, hiding a wince from the pain that the action had stimulated.

"Are you sure?" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed he was as uncomfortable as her with the question. Meanwhile, Mikoto had been staying silent the entire time during the exchange. "I don't know, maybe you were having a nightmare and subconsciously… did this?"

She held herself back from shaking her head furiously and went on to execute the action slowly this time.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Izumo gently persisted in his question. "You did say that you couldn't remember properly, right?"

Anna paused at that. Maybe she should have kept that information to herself…. The throbbing in her head became rhythms of pounding as she mentally scrambled to remember the past few days. However, she found that she couldn't think properly. It was like there was a mental block nestled within the reaches of her mind so that every attempt made to enter her own psyche was like running into a solid wall of pitch black darkness. There was nothing she could see and there was nowhere to go. It was as if the past few days—maybe even weeks—had become a blur of emptiness. Her fists tightened just the slightest on the folds of her skirt. Nobody else would have noticed such a subtle action save for the King observing the situation beside her.

The same king who finally sighed and casually said, "Izumo, if she says she didn't do it then she didn't do it."

"Well, all right then." Izumo finally agreed, though Anna could still hear the layers of doubt and concern in the tone of his voice. "We still have to get this wound treated—"

"Wound? Is someone hurt?" Anna froze up at the voice that intercepted them. Even though she didn't know why, her entire body started trembling and she had to hold back from burying her face into Mikoto's side. She was absolutely frightened. Everything and everyone muted out as her ears chose to focus on the cheery voice of the person who came closer, and closer to them.

"Good morning, Mikoto and Anna-chan!" Tatara grinned down from before the two. While Mikoto grunted in response, Anna couldn't bring herself to look up at the gentle man. Why? Why am I so scared? "Now what's this about a wound?"

"Anna somehow hurt her leg." Izumo answered his fellow executive.

"Really?" Tatara frowned in concern. "Let me see."

Before Anna could do anything, he crouched down in front of her and grasped her leg. Immediately, her heart started thumping wildly against her chest as her bare leg met in contact with Tatara's fingers. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe and her fingers itched to her neck where it felt as if slim hands had wrapped themselves around, choking her.

"There are markings around her ankle." Mikoto's voice rumbled beside her and that one second of the sound of his baritone voice brought enough solace for her to breathe slightly better. But she couldn't entirely fight off the feeling of her throat being gripped tightly… of the feeling of her legs being gripped against her will. Almost instinctively, her hands shifted—not to hide their trembling but to rub at her wrists which suddenly felt raw and burning.

"I wonder what could have caused these markings…" Tatara muttered as he eyed the injury and Anna shivered at the uncomfortable sensation of Tatara's warm breath tickling her skin. She didn't know why but she wanted him—this man—her dear friend—as far away from her as possible. Although she was impatient, she tried to be discrete while she slowly tugged away her leg fraction by fraction to put some distance between her and Tatara.

Trapped in a dark cloud of emotions festering within the recesses of her mind, she almost didn't feel the steady, warm weight beside her shift closer to her just the slightest. She wouldn't have noticed the change had the couch seat not press in under the new movement. Anna also would not have noticed had she not felt that same steady warmth graze his strong arm against hers just barely. Her eyelids fluttered as she relished the comfort and strength her king offered to her without question.

But then she felt the pads of Tatara's slim fingers brush against the markings. Just that light touch alone was enough to alight her injury with pain as if she literally felt sharp nails embed deep into her skin and slowly claw down. Without warning, something within Anna snapped. She shut her eyes closed only to see dark, static-like images flash within her head. There was a man—her friend—Tatara—and his kind face was distorted into something evil. Her ears were ringing, drowning out all voices but a girl's voice. A girl was screaming bloody murder somewhere.

It took Anna a moment to realize it was her.

Somehow, she managed to stop screaming, though her teeth were clenched tightly together and she still had her eyes shut.

It was silent—so dead silent that the air was practically choking with the absence of the usual noise.

Once Anna finally brought herself to open her eyes, she found them widening in horror at the sight of her pale bare foot stuck out and pressed up against Tatara's face. His head was tilted back a little under the force of her small foot. Although his expression was indiscernible, everyone else looked on at the scene in silent surprise. Izumo's shades had slipped down the bridge of his nose. The only sign that indicated Mikoto was bewildered at all was that his unlit cigarette had fallen out of his slightly ajar mouth and onto his washed out jeans.

"I'm… sorry…." Anna could barely whisper out. She dared not say Tatara's name lest her voice break. When she finally peeled her foot back off Tatara's face, she winced at the sight of his skin red with the imprint of her foot. His eyes were slightly widened—likely from shock—but the rest of his expression was entirely neutral.

"Uh.. is—is everything all right?" Yata was the first to break through the awkward atmosphere. He stepped away from the table with the group of men and towards where Anna sat. His hand was slightly outstretched as if ready to provide any assistance but he paused in hesitance halfway over to them.

"Er…" Tatara pulled his hand away from Anna. It hovered awkwardly in midair for a split second before Tatara decided to rub the back of his neck instead. He still hadn't made eye contact with her. He turned his head to respond to the concerned vanguard, pulling a barely hidden but strained smile. "Uh, yeah! Everything's fine! I just accidentally grazed Anna's tickle spot and—well, y'know—it's a natural reflex to kick out like that!"

Yata flicked his dark hazel eyes to Anna—who continued staring down at her lap with her snow white bangs covering her face—before turning back to Tatara. He nodded slowly—reluctantly. "All right then…"

When Yata returned to the men they continued murmuring on like earlier. This time, Anna had an idea of what they were talking about. Mikoto's comment was what finally forced Anna to look up and gaze at Tatara who was still looking at anywhere but her. "Your face…."

"What about my face, King?" Tatara sounded like his usual light hearted self but Anna knew the man was once again hiding something behind that smile. "You like it? I know, I know—I'm incredibly handsome, aren't I?"

"It looks funny." Mikoto snorted back.

"Ehhhh! Not true!" Tatara grasped at his chest as if Mikoto's comment brought him pain. And then he slowly turned to glance at Anna, his eyes softening into a gentle expression. When he spoke to her, he spoke like how Fujishima did when attempting to calm an erratic animal—as if she were fragile and ready to shatter at the slightest touch. It made her feel even worse. "Anna? You like my face, right?" He asked with that endearing chuckle of his and, for a second, Anna remembered her love for this man who was practically her family.

But when she studied his face a bit longer, she started getting flashes again of him gazing down upon her with empty eyes… his lips twisted into a cruel sneer… and his hands grabbing her legs and—she brought a hand up to her temple as she winced.

"Um… I… I don't feel good." She said instead, casting her eyes away from him once again just as Izumo returned from the bar to hand Tatara a bag of ice wrapped in a towel for his face.

Suddenly, a large hand laid itself atop of her head and, despite how distressed she felt, Anna almost purred at the delicious heat pouring from her King's hand. It was rough and calloused but that only made it feel all the better. "A headache?" Mikoto's voice rumbled beside her.

For the first time since her day began, Anna almost smiled. Leave it to her King to catch onto any small detail about her. He always made himself appear as if he was looking the other direction without a care in the world when in reality he'd know exactly what was going on. It wouldn't surprise her if he had been watching her closely during the whole ordeal with her leg inspection.

"A headache? I guess that explains why you're….." Izumo trailed off, unsure how to phrase the sentence so that it wouldn't come off as insulting to Anna. "Ah, yeah, why don't you go upstairs and rest? I'll bring your breakfast to you soon. Breakfast in bed, isn't that nice?"

"Will… Mikoto stay with me?" She tilted her head strategically to the side at just the right angle so that when she looked up at her King with her irresistible wine red eyes, the sunlight caught the tint of red in them, making them appear like sparkling rubies. The perfect begging face that not even Saruhiko could resist before.

Mikoto let out an exasperated sigh but Anna nearly lit up when he said, "Yeah…"

Meanwhile, Tatara had been staying silent the entire time. With the bag of ice covering most of his face, Anna couldn't even make out his expression let alone what he was thinking. It wasn't as if she was looking much in his direction anyways. Something within her—that same uncomfortable impression from earlier—had her wanting to be away from him as far as possible to the extent she couldn't bear to see him.

"Actually," Izumo smiled but unsurely. "I need to talk with you, King. Tatara too—but just for a bit. That all right?"

"Sure!" Tatara said with too much easiness in his voice. He bounced up and onto his feet—the action startling Anna a little—and immediately headed to back to the bar without another word. His face was still unreadable to Anna.

Mikoto nodded firmly in response to Izumo. Then he turned back to Anna and his gaze towards her was still soft and warm, though slightly questioning. For Anna, staring into his golden amber eyes was like staring at the sun—breathtakingly beautiful but something she could get lost in for its awe and power. He stood up, leaving Anna alone on the couch, but gently patted her head once more. "Go on ahead. I'll be there with you soon."

And because Anna always took her King for his word, she nodded in answer and slid off the couch to head upstairs.

Remember. Remember. Remember.

Remember what?

What is there I have to remember?

Anna sat atop of her large, fluffy pink bed, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face inwards. Her headache still persisted but she was able to focus and keep the worst of the pain at bay for now.

There is something in me missing.

She rocked back and forth, feeling the mattress shift under her weight in accordance to each movement.

Something was taken from me.

Her hands tightened into fists. She could already feel crescent moon marks press into her skin from the bite of her nails.

Someone was taken from me.

Anna froze. The thought was sudden—random. It came into her mind from out of the blue and Anna didn't know why she had thought of it in the first place. Did it come from her subconscious? If it did… then there was a chance that there were other secrets and memories hidden away in there somewhere. If so… then were they secrets she had locked away herself? Was that why the period of time from before this morning felt like a blank space? But if she did lock them away… then for what reason?

Anna shot out of her bed, swaying as she practically stumbled her way over to her drawers. She pulled each drawer open, rifling through the layers of clothes frantically. Finding nothing, she made her way to the desk by the large window overlooking the street with the other shops within the district. She shuffled through the stationary tools and flipped through every single paper that had been written upon. She searched, and searched, but to no avail. She could find no note—nothing—that she could have written for her later self before she had locked away her memories.

However, this made her all the more curious. Now, all she wanted to do was to unlock whatever mystery laid within her mind.

Sighing, she slipped back into her bed and laid down. However, as soon as she pressed her back upon the mattress, she felt a plush-like form squish up against her. It rubbed against her back so that her skin started feeling itchy again. Anna frowned, reaching behind her to tug out whatever she had laid on.

It was a maroon stuffed animal. It had the typical black beads sewn in for eyes and one of its ears was slightly bent from her weight but, ultimately, it appeared to be in prime condition despite years it'd guarded her bed with the other stuffed animals. However, its most notable trait was the silk red ribbon tied around its neck into a bow.

"So," Tatara held up the stuffed bunny, changing the subject. "What's this darling's name?"

When she didn't reply, he looked down at her in surprise. "What, Anna hasn't named her yet?"

Anna shook her head a little. "Tatara can name her for me."

"Well then, it would be my honor." He smiled happily before his lips pursed in thought of a perfect name. "All right! How about… 'Vera'?" (A/N: pronounced VYEH-rah)

"Vera?" Anna echoed him. That was sort of a strange name for a stuffed animal. But she couldn't argue that it did have a nice, strong ring to it. Vera. It rolled out of her lips nicely.

Tatara nodded. "Of Latin origin, the name means 'truth' or 'faith'. So although Honami-sensei is gone, you can still continue to have faith in her and believe. Right?"

The corners of Anna's lips drew up slightly and she nodded her head just a fraction. "Yes, it's a pretty name."

"A pretty name for a pretty bunny." Tatara sang out as he reached into the depths of his pocket for something. "Thus, it is only befitting if it is given a pretty ribbon as well. See?"

He tied something onto the bunny for a moment before presenting it to Anna. A bright red silk ribbon had been tied around the bunny's neck. The bow bounced up and down in a dainty manner with every movement.

The makings of a smile began forming on Anna's lips at the memory. Still contemplating the stuffed bunny, she thoughtlessly reached back and scratched at her back to relieve the itch that'd been burning on her skin since she'd stood at the stairs. As she rubbed her nails against the dress material, she jolted at the sharp pain it brought her.

Something had been pulled… from her skin.

Without thinking, Anna flew off her bed and to the floor-length mirror by her drawers. Her breathing quickened as she struggled to shrug the top of her dress down far enough so she could see the pale expanse of her back in the mirror. Her fingers were bare white from the pressure they were pulling the dress down with and nearly ripping the material.

Anna clamped a free hand over her mouth to quiet the soft gasps she was breathing but her eyes were wide with horror at the sight of her back. She almost gagged at what she saw.

The marble of flesh was ruined with angry deep red slashes just barely beginning to heal. The puckered skin was barely held together with staples and thread. Some of the stitches had somehow been ripped out and the ends of the threads hung down limply. In her eyes, she saw her skin was mottled with a bruising red and she didn't have to guess what colors the other shades on her back were.

Not a single thought crossed her mind as she fixed her clothes and shuffled back to her bed in a daze. She felt the tears form in her eyes and before she could blink them back they were already trickling down her pale cheeks. Slowly, as if she was puzzled as to what was happening to her, she brushed away a tear. She stared at the orb of salty water hanging off the tip of her forefinger. It trembled under the force of her soft but unstable breathing. With her sharp eyes, Anna could see her miniscule reflection within the tear staring back at her with dull, frightened eyes.

A sob racked through her small body, rocking the tear off her finger. Anna pulled back her hand to clasp it over her mouth in a poor effort to stifle her whimpers.

Control yourself, Anna.

Control yourself!

She tried to put on her mask. The mask she had grown used to wearing for so many years. A mask to cover any and all emotions… so that she wouldn't hurt the people she loved. She tried to retreat back into her corner of darkness—lock away her mind and form a cage to trap herself in.

A monster.

She was a monster—a danger to her loved ones. She needed to be kept locked in and have the key thrown away.

For a second, she managed to maintain that mask. But then one more tear slowly streaked down the side of her face and landed onto Vera's cheek. After that, the tears only poured out faster, frustrating Anna even more over her loss of control.

"Don't… give up…" A faint voice whispered across the expanse of her room. Anna's head shot up in response to the sudden words… but nobody was there.

"I must be going crazy.." She muttered to herself. "Maybe… maybe I do belong in the Institution…."

"No." The voice came back again. It was still faint but hearing it a second time confirmed Anna's suspicions. "Hope…."

"Who's there?!" Anna whispered sharply. Her head swiveled side to side in search of the mysterious voice that seemed to come from nowhere. Suddenly, she felt a strange warmth emanate from the depths of her pockets. She cautiously reached in and pulled out a fistful of her marbles. There were five of them but one was distinctly larger than the others. Frowning, she picked up the larger marble for a closer inspection. I don't remember making this one? Why is it different from the others?

As she peered into the depths of the marble, she saw her reflection within shift slightly. Anna blinked, not exactly sure of what she just saw. The reflection flickered as if there was a bad connection. The image was grainy but it was enough for Anna to see the distorted image of a young woman who somehow seemed very familiar. Most of the figure's face was obscured under the large hood of a blood red cloak. But from what Anna could see, the woman had high cheekbones to accompany a perfectly sculptured face. Her hair was the same albino color as Anna's but thicker with volume and longer in length to where Anna could not see past the boundaries of the fuzzy image. Her lips were small but rosy red and plump with a natural mature youth.

Anna had to admit that this mysterious woman was beautiful and she yearned to see the eyes hidden under the hood.

"—have to—" The woman spoke but her words were just as distorted as her appearance.

"Who… who are you?" Anna quietly asked.

"Remember." The woman simply said. "—have to remember."

"What?!" Anna whispered harder. "What must I remember?!"

"Running—time. Going—hope." The woman's voice came through like static. The image flickered and wavered with instability. "Remember… time."

And then the image blinked out.

Anna stared hard at the marble as if doing so with enough concentration would somehow bring back the mystery figure.

Who was that woman?

"What am I supposed to remember?" Gritting her teeth, Anna shut her eyes in frustration before dropping the marble onto the surface of her bed. It settled into the cushiness of the soft blanket and sat there glinting under the sunlight like a spark. Anna only felt as if it was mocking her somehow.

Feeling so helpless and lost, Anna pressed her face into the soft plush material of Vera and tangled her fingers with the crimson ribbon. She let the form of her beloved stuffed bunny muffle the sounds of her sobs and, for once in all of her eleven years of living, she effortlessly managed to not think of anything or anyone—she simply cried as silently as possible.

A soft knock on her door had Anna raising her head up, gazing expectantly at the doorway for her King. For some reason, she wasn't surprised when the door swung open to reveal HOMRA's vanguard who stood there unsurely, holding a small bottle in his hands.

"Misaki?" Anna asked and she didn't do anything when her voice broke upon saying his name.

The older boy stared at her wide-eyed for a second before rushing to her side at the bed. "Anna?! What's wrong?! Are you okay?! I mean, that's a stupid question—what I mean to ask is, are you in pain? Where does it hurt? Is it your leg?"

"Misaki, I'm scared." Anna answered in that small voice of hers. She still wasn't sure why she was saying all of this. The words were just escaping her mouth like she already knew what she wanted to say.

"Ah! I've brought some medicine for your leg and—" He stopped fumbling with the cap of the bottle and looked back at her but this time more closely. His brows furrowed slightly in confusion. "You're… scared?"

Anna nodded, tightening her grip on Vera in an attempt to hide her shyness.

"But… you're not in pain?" He asked. His sharp hazel eyes looked so endearing as he studied the young girl.

Anna swiped the back of her hand against her cheeks to wipe away the tracks of her tears even though it was pointless since the young man had already seen her fragile state just then. She went on to place a hand over her heart, murmuring, "It hurts here."

For a moment, the vanguard didn't say anything as he stared at where she was referring to. Then he slowly stepped back, pulling his black cap off to reveal a head full of messy copper bangs shooting off in all directions. He rubbed his hands through his hair, releasing a heavy sigh. "Er.. well, I don't think med—medicine can—um, h-help with that and—and Mikoto-san is still talking with Kusanagi-san and Totsuka-san so—uh—but I—I mean, I can… stay with you until then… if you want?"

Anna simply bowed her head and nodded back.

Yata cleared his throat and then slowly moved to sit on the edge of the bed and beside her. His face turned tomato red immediately but he didn't run away like he usually would have in regards to feminine matters. However, it was more difficult for him to face Anna properly since he was sitting on a girl's bed now. So he decided to keep his hands busy by playing with the material of his black cap. However, when he spoke, he didn't stutter over his words. If anything, his tone was more gentle and soft—a rare occurrence for the hotheaded vanguard. "So, can you tell me why you're scared?"

The little girl remained silent but, from the corner of his eye, the older boy could see her hands twisting themselves around the silk ribbon of the stuffed bunny sitting on her lap. He wanted to tell her that if she kept that up then the ribbon would begin fraying. But he stayed silent. He knew it was a habit of hers to keep her hands busy when anxious about something.

A moment passed and then Yata angled his head in her direction but didn't look Anna in the eye yet. "If you can tell me then I promise I'll beat up whatever is scaring you." He pulled his sleeves past his elbows and flexed an arm with a proud grin on his face. "I'll knock him up so badly that he wouldn't dare touch you again—punishment for scaring you! How dare he!"

And then he paused. "Uh, it's a 'he', right? I don't know if I could hit a girl…"

He felt Anna shrug beside him. Finally, she whispered, "I'm scared… and I don't know why."

Yata's brows furrowed deeper and he fought the urge to scratch his head without showing how clueless he was. He could never really understand what Anna was thinking—nobody could. It's not that he wasn't good with females. It was that this girl was mature far beyond her age. Yata was thankful he didn't have to put up with the typical female behavior a little girl would usually display. However, deep down, he couldn't help but wonder if Anna would have been happier as a normal girl instead of someone who knew too much—who saw too much for her own good. What sort of childhood was that? He once heard that innocence was bliss.. and he couldn't help but wonder about that with Anna.

It took the boy a while to collect his thoughts—he had to make sure he didn't pull off any stupid stunts or make an idiot of himself—but eventually he solidified his decision with sigh and then a sharp nod of his head. His hand shot out to wrap an arm around the girl's small shoulders and Yata pulled her towards him, pressing her head to his chest. "Can you hear it?" He demanded.

"M-Misaki? Hear.. hear what?" Anna asked meekly, her face squished up uncomfortably against the boy's hard chest.

"My heartbeat!" Yata exclaimed. He was trying to hold back the blush on his face even though Anna couldn't see him anyways with their current position.

"Um… yes." Anna answered in a puzzled voice.

"Can you count it?" The vanguard asked his younger clansman.

"One.. two.. three.. four.. five.. six.. seven.. eight—Misaki? Why—"

"Just keep counting!"

"thirteen.. fourteen.. fifteen.. sixteen.." Anna continued counting like this until the boy eventually made her stop at fifty.

"So?" Yata said. He still held her in his arms against his chest, his hand cupping the back of her head for support. "W-what you just did… what did it tell you?"

"Well, Misaki's heart was beating really fast so that means you're really embarr—"

"NOT THAT!" He nearly shouted. "What I meant to show you was that my heart was beating and so… that is—I w-wanted to tell you that… as long as I'm alive… you have nothing to be afraid of!"

Anna went still in his arms but Yata didn't dare look down to see her expression. Besides, he didn't want her to see his face either for it was practically nearing the shade of plum by now. Admittedly, he was a little surprised he hadn't died from embarrassment yet. However, the silence was starting to become uncomfortable for him so he awkwardly rubbed his hands up and down Anna's arm as he held her against him. Clearing his throat, he then declared aloud, "I'll always be here for you! To protect you—and… and stuff!"

"Misaki?" Anna finally said.

"Y-yes!"

"You're crushing me…"

"AH!" Yata immediately released her, flinging his arms up into the air as if he were a criminal caught doing something heinous. "SORRY! SORRY! I'M SO SORRY, ANNA. Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Uhh—ah! Pain bottle—I mean meds—medicine!"

"No." He felt Anna wrap her arms around his torso and bury her face against his chest once again. "I like it like this."

For a second, he wasn't sure how to react. He had no experience with girls whatsoever and Anna wasn't exactly a good example of a normal girl. But eventually Yata gave in to the princess and brought his arms back down to return the gesture. A few seconds passed as the redness of his face simmered down to a light blush. He continued gazing down curiously at the little princess—who was practically like a younger sister to him—before the naturally harsh expression on his face broke into a gentle smile and he hugged the girl back tighter just by a margin.

"Besides," Anna added in after a few seconds, "your Red is much prettier when you're embarrassed."

THANKS FOR READING! STAY TUNED FOR MORE OF K: PRESERVING THE BLAZE OF YOUR RED

Also, reviews are much appreciated and motivate me to update faster (wink wink)

REPLIES TO REVIEWS

Neo Rulez: Yes, the slumber party was a flash back! I just needed a short break from the main story to recollect my thoughts and get my head back in the game. Sorry for the wait!