Chapter One: A Nonchalant Morning

Author's Note: It's been a long while since I've tried writing any fanfiction, I won't make any excuses but keep in mind that I've done my best with this. I hope you all like it, it's also the first time I've tried writing KHR fanfiction. So sit back and enjoy the read! Also, I know people don't think Fran's a good character, his personality is bland, he lacks any sort of real story and he's only been existant for one arc of the anime thus far, but this is precisely why I want to try and create a backstory for him! Something to explain why he's the way he is and who he is. I imagine at some point in the future he'll get his own canon backstory (and I really hope he does) but hopefully until then, this will suffice as a good backstory. Criticism, praise, flames and love are all welcomed in the reviews. Go nuts!

The white parted in two, clouds beginning to slowly drift apart and the sun beaming down gently through the fractured stratus that was now framing this purple-dawn sky.

I lay there, apathetic, lazy as some might call it. The leader was meant to meet me here a while ago, although I was beginning to wonder if he had just left me here to freeze. Thank god master had taught me to ignore my own shivers and numbing sensations through the use of self-illusions, otherwise I might actually end up freezing for real.

I raised my hand to block the sunlight that had begun to make it past the tree branches into my jade-coloured eyes; until I realized something else was already blocking the sunlight for me.

"Get up kid."

Above me stood two large men, brutish and dressed simply but obviously for hard and laborious work. It seemed that their real line of work was about to become evidently clearer.

"I said get up kid, or stay lying down and we'll push this through your skin." The man in the front said as he revealed a craft knife. Albeit small, it was enough to cut through skin with ease. I instantly realised what was going on and sighed, looking at him as if I could see right through him. I went to speak and abruptly yawned after a couple seconds.

"You makin' fun of us? Fine, we'll just do this the hard way!" He went to drive the knife into me.

I sat there, not flinching at all. A small bit of blood trickled from under my coat, but nothing very visible.

"Wha...?"

"You'll have to do better than that, Bel-Sempai sometimes stabs me with several at once. You've got nothing on him, hairy bastard."

"Hairy bastard! You son-of-a-" He ripped the knife out and went for my face, but suddenly froze after realising there was a two foot blade that'd passed in front of him, the silver colour reflecting his image with blood-stained reminders of forgotten battles.

"That's not a good move, and I'm in a bad mood at the moment."

"Leader-san, you're always in a bad mood." The large man fell over backwards in shock, crawling on his elbows and backing away from the blade's possessor: An individual with long white hair and a confident grin.

"It's Leader-san is it now? I told you, call me Squalo. Superbi Squalo damnit!"

I sighed, realising what was about to happen. Leader-san would do his normal thing, rip these two to shreds then boast to me after asking me exactly why I didn't respond. It's not in my nature to directly attack someone, I just don't see the point in fighting, it's boring and usually you can always tell who the victor is from the very first second in a fight.

My mind wandered, drifting to a time when I didn't know who'd win in a fight, when I wasn't able to predict anything, much less the results of a punch up or a duel. A time when I was someone completely different, when I wasn't 'Fran'...

I was raised in a well-off but not noble family. I didn't care much for other people aside from my own siblings and parents and this one uncle that came to visit us on Christmas Eve. I don't doubt for a second that I was spoilt as a child, but it was when I was fourteen that for the first time I encountered real turbulence in my life.

Her name was Francisca May, she was the daughter of a merchant who had stopped by our house in the blizzard, bringing his whole family with him. They were simple folk but my family took pity on them and invited them into our house, at least to stay the night while the storm passed. We had a guest room for when Uncle came down to stay, so they had a warm and comfortable place to stay for tonight at least. It wasn't then that I noticed Francisca.

In the middle of the night, I heard a knock at my door. I quickly slipped on some clothes and answered the door.

No one stood there.

I closed the door gently, maybe one of the merchant's family had become lost while looking for the bathroom, I assured myself. I stood there for a second; sure enough there was another knock. This time I flung it open and skidded out into the hallway, with only half a second or so, whoever had knocked on the door had vanished.

I backed away quickly into the room, afraid that some ghostly apparition might attack me in my unguarded state. I spun around to come face to face with a young girl a little shorter than myself; she had dark brown hair and eyes to match. Of course I didn't notice this at the time and promptly flipped over onto my back in shock.

It was then that she giggled and held out her hand, "What's wrong with you? Silly boy, getting all terrified over little me."

I knocked her hand to one side in frustration and stood up, "I wasn't terrified, I wasn't even moderately scared."

"All right, whatever you say." She replied promptly, a mocking tone in her voice but with a gentle intent behind it.

"So how did you slip past me?" I asked, trying to change the subject away from my embarrassing reaction while also fulfilling my curiosity in one blow.

"Oh don't you know? Magic!" She said jokily. "Night." And she dashed out into the corridor and into the darkness without a word more.

"Who... what..." I said to a now non-existent recipient in the brief chat I had just had. "Ah screw it, I'm too tired for this, I'm going back to bed." I said, residing myself to figure this out in the morning.

"But she was kind of cute..." I lay there mentally slapping myself, wondering what could possess me to see her like that after that irritating prank she had pulled. Slowly, I fell asleep, wondering why I had only just suddenly noticed her.

I guessed I'd figure that out in the morning too.