K: Bittersweet Flames

Chapter 10

When Kaiyo lost consciousness from the world, her body went slack, and she fell forward, leaning her weight onto Anna as she caught her body. Her skin felt hot against her palms and that brought a sense of dread washing over the white-haired female.

"Kaiyo?" Anna called out her name. Called female didn't respond and neither did she react when she shook her shoulders. "Kaiyo?!" Fear crossed her features as she cried out her name once more.

A black fur jacket was tossed onto Kaiyo and the ravenette female was pulled away from Anna. She looked up to see Mikoto carrying her in his arms with his jacket wrapped around her. "Let's go." He grunted out. "It's best to return to the bar rather than yelling her name here. We would be able to do something there."

Anna wiped her tears and rose to her feet. The two of them then ran out from the alley and down the street, dashing towards their half home half bar building.

"Mikoto, Kaiyo..."

"Kusanagi will see to her. But I can diagnose that she might have a fever running." Mikoto spoke, his breathing steady and strong since he wasn't running at full speed to match Anna's pace. He stared at the pale, slightly flushed face of the ravenette he was carrying in his arms. Despite being unconscious, her breathing was slightly quick for someone not in the world. The colour of her lips was lighter than usual. The blood that dribbled down from the visible cut from the side of her left temple had dripped a few drops onto his hand.

Fury crossed his features the longer he stared. 'I shouldn't have let them go. I should have burned them till there's not even ashes left.' This thought crossed his mind.

The bar was in their sight after they took a quick turn at the corner. Anna ran ahead of Mikoto with a quick sprint and climbed up the steps, slamming the door open.

Those inside the bar were taken by surprise. Thinking that it was an enemy attack, Kusanagi and Totsuka stood on the alert with the former flipping open his lighter with the flames ignited.

When he recognised who it was by the doors, he extinguished the flame and closed his lighter's cap.

"Ojou-chan?" Totsuka called. Just then, Mikoto appeared from behind and Anna took a step to the side to give him a path to walk through.

When they laid their sight on the person their king was carrying in his arms, the cigarette in Kusanagi's mouth slipped out and fell to the countertop when his jaws dropped open in shock.

"Kusanagi, Totsuka. Help!" Anna appeared by Mikoto's side and yelled out desperately.

The blonde immediately sprang into action. He ran out from the serving side of the bar's counter and directed Mikoto to place Kaiyo on the couch by the wall as Totsuka pulled the other couch that faced the wall and the coffee table away for more space.

"Wha happen' ya?!" His Kyoto dialect came out more prominent at this stage.

Mikoto gently placed the unconscious Kaiyo onto the couch. "By the time we got there, she was in a fight with a gang. It was a brutal one. A seven odd versus one." Mikoto growled out. "I wanted to kill them for harming Anna and her, but she stopped me. That I am pissed."

"One of the gang members was Kaiyo's middle school bully, Nakura Hamaro!" Anna pointed out, remembering the name and his face from the park and when Kaiyo had introduced who he was.

"I see." Kusanagi then noticed the cut on her face. His eyes widened, and he rose his hand towards her. "You're bleeding!"

Anna shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. "I'm fine! Kaiyo is in an even worse state than I am. Please, tend to her first." She begged.