Author's Note: welcome to my first KagePro fanfiction~ i'm not new to the fandom per se, but i've just made a comeback of watching and reading the hell out of it again this past month. this time though, i found the pit of no escape (aka fanfiction) and to Kano and Kido, no less. since my semester starts at august, i thought, why not write? i was a bit hesitant to continue with it still, but i've much rather get it off my mind.

story-wise, i've tried my best to keep the all of the characters as close as i could to the light novel and the anime, but since KanoKido doesn't really get that much alone screen time i had to come up with how they act when it's just the two of them. also, i swear, this was supposed to be a random twelve chaptered fluff fanfic but for some reason when i already wrote it, everything got a bit darker. ; _ ; -intense sobbing

aaah. doesn't matter. i still hope you guys would like it, because i had so much fun writing it.

the air to this chapter include Pierrot by koma'n, Kano Shuuya ver.~

without further ado,

Disclaimer: Nothing will ever belong to me. Also the cover photo. I found that one in google.

EINE KLEINE
Twelve Kisses
a KagePro fanfiction

I. August

It was a little past midnight when he finally spoke to her.

"Ne, Leader~" he began in an effortless sing song voice, the one he always uses, the one to show to her he was okay. "Aren't you going to bed?"

Shuuya Kano raised his head inches off the arm rest of the couch, where he decided to lay down hours after the other members had called it a night. His lips curved at the sight of the green haired primo sitting at the other end of the couch, her head tilted back, eyes closed and both of her hands inside her hood's pocket. She wasn't sleeping, he knew, because her shoulders were still rigid - a sign that her guards were still up. When Kido sleeps she always look so peaceful.

Thus, he wasn't surprised when Tsubomi Kido sighs and runs her left hand through her hair, then looks at him just to glare.

"Shouldn't you be the one to take a rest? On times you stay at home, you always end up sleeping at daylight." she scoffed, "Or are you going out again to take another one of your walks?"

"Ah, so you knew." he sniggered, meeting her coal tinted eyes for a second before staring back up the ceiling. "I wanted to, but now that you know I don't think I can leave. It won't be as fun knowing Leader's going to worry about me~" He's seconds away from impact but it made his grin grow wider anyway. Besides, his reason was weak. He would still go out if he wanted to, and Kido knew that. He hadn't told her why, but she understood that he needed those breaks and for that he was grateful.

"Then sleep already." she sounded a lot more tired than he was.

"No way. I'm not even drowsy yet."

"If you actually try to sleep for once, you'll be surprised at how fast it would come."

He sighed dramatically, raising his right hand to his forehead, "I've tried and tried, that just doesn't work for me."

"I could always just knock you out."

"No!" he cringed at the thought of it, because Kido doesn't have a problem carrying out missions. He has all the healed bruises to prove it.

Before he got another word out however, a rolled magazine decides to be an airplane and hit him square on the face, making him yelp and groan out the Leader's name.

"Read. Heard it helps." she said simply before placing the left bud of her earphone on and hum, her head lolling back again. He knew the gesture too; it means he could talk to her if he wanted to, and she would still listen. Kano let out a breathy chuckle, relaxing on his spot. He guessed he looked a lot more troubled than he allowed himself to...or at least around her. Sometimes he forgets that she knew him probably as much as he knew her, and for once he smiled a genuine smile.

"Do you think we'll ever get back everything we've lost?"

As if to test his theory, her eyes swings back at him, shrugging then she sighs again. "No. I don't think we ever will."

"Why not?" he kept his loud happy voice, of course, so as to not let her in in what he was really feeling. His eyes, a bright crimson no doubt, were hidden behind the magazine as he read but not really understood the words.

"It just...ruins the whole idea of living I guess." she paused. "Do you want it?"

"Some of it." without explaining he knew she understood. Ayaka, Ayano-nee, his mum too maybe, and all the innocence he deserved to still live with. He doesn't despise his life so much, but he knew he didn't deserve to live along side all the secrets that he was burdened, too.

He rubbed his eyes and not because he was sleepy.

"I don't." Kido was looking at him when he lowered the magazine. And it was his turn to analyze. I don't because I don't want anything to do with them, or I don't because I much rather stay here with you guys. He knew she had a rocky past and even now they hadn't really discussed much of it. They, after all, operated by past had passed.

And after starting this, still he was the first to give.

"Ah what's that on your face?"

It was completely out of the blue, so the confused look on her face was unavoidable...and also terribly adorable.

"What?" her right hand was on her face then, rubbing and searching. "Where?"

"There. Under your eyes." he pointed, sitting up.

"There's nothing!" she glared at him, slapping his hands away.

"No, really!" he grinned, "There's something."

She turned her body to his direction, her glare going, this better be good.

Of course it wasn't.

Instead he poked the area directly under her right eye. "Eye bags." he murmured quietly.

He laughed outright when she slapped him, hard enough to shove him away but bearable all the same. "You could've seen yourself, Tsubomi-chan~ You were so cute."

The magazine slips from his hand and hits him again, twice before she stopped and huffed, still glaring at him.

"You're an idiot."

He smiles again, catching the magazine this time before it hit him.

"And don't call me cute."

He always liked her more when it was the two of them. She was still the same tough and independent Leader, but much gentle, a stark reminder of the crybaby Kido he used to protect. That didn't mean she toned down the beating though.

"But I'm just telling the truth." he winked before he moved again, right in time to dodge her fist that wasn't holding back this time.

"You really need to sleep." she snarled then stalked off the couch, moving to the direction of the kitchen.

He sniggered once more, relaxing against the couch rest and opening the magazine.

Minutes later, when Kido had finally calmed down enough to sit beside him again, he spoke.

"Still not going to bed?"

There was a look on her face he could so easily read; because it wasn't the first time he saw it. She wanted to talk about something, but she doesn't know if she should. Actually, she had already tried to breach several topics, but then the conversation was over before she could get a decent answer, courtesy by her weakness to all things cute and being called cute. He never heard talk about some of them again. Those, after all, were personal and some quite painful to remember.

"Nine years ago...today." she murmured.

"Hm?"

"Maybe I want something after all."

"Want me?"

Her knuckles were against his sides before he could take back his words.

"I was joking!" he whined, rubbing the spot. "You're so violent, Danchou!"

"Maybe I want something."

"Fine, fine. What is it you want?"

She was suddenly quiet that he had to glance at her if she suffocated under the layers of her garment. Instead, Kido had a serious look on her face, her mouth a thin line no doubt, hidden beneath her red jacket. "My biological sister." she said quietly. "She was nice to me."

"It's not really all that difficult to be nice to you." he murmured, as if it was the most obvious fact in the whole world and maybe, it was. To him, it was. "You're a nice person, so it's easy to return the gesture. Anyone who can't appreciate you doesn't deserve to be around you, and therefore a waste to your time." out of the blue his smile turned teasing, "...fine, maybe not all the time. Especially when you keep on hitting me."

"You're being an idiot, it's completely justifiable."

That's better, he thought, seeing her glaring at him again. They were quiet for several ticks of the clock and for the last time that night it was him who broke the silence.

"Why aren't you going to bed though? It's past one am."

"I don't want to sleep."

Nightmares, he nodded to himself.

"Well I have something to ease the stress away."

"If you're going to turn into something again, don't bother wasting your energy. It won't work."

Lies, she was avoiding his eyes and he grinned. You never got better at lying, Tsubomi.

"You asked me to read, so I did. I found this interesting article though." he said, flicking pages after pages noisily. "I'm quite curious if it works." he paused again. "Apparently kissing relaxes a person. Something about increasing the body's natural calming chemical..."

"What?" she turned quickly to him again, eyes alert and face a vibrant color of red. He grinned stupidly at the sight of it, and it took all of his self control to not-

Too late.

He did it anyway, taking advantage of her surprise and close proximity to press his lips against her. She exhaled heavily through her nose, unmoving, her eyes wide before he closed his. From then on he concentrated on how it felt, how he feels. The blood rushing to his ears, making him dizzy as he tried to play with the fast beating of his heart. The left hand that climbed his arm and grasped the sleeve of his hood; the slightest pressure of the reciprocated gesture as he moved his left hand to the back of her head. He didn't know what made her do it but the hand that was grasping his sleeve tightened, and suddenly she was kissing him back. Kissing him fervently.

It reminded him of the time so long ago, with his mum, with the people at the orphanage whenever the lights suddenly go out after a broken post or a storm swallowing them. It would be cold, sometimes warm, but dark all the same. He remembers seeing nothing but the flame from a candle that lit his room and their room, and the older people would tell him to be careful because it's not a force to be reckoned with.

He took her upper lip between his as he cupped her head, tugging until her right hand grasped his wrist like her life depended on it. It made him smile, made the happiness inside him spread like the light from the candle, the warmth that was consuming him.

Then he was gone, breaking the contact, at least a foot back to his original position.

"See? It helped keep the stress away." he joked lightheartedly before he was on his feet and was moving away without meeting her eyes. Ah I screwed big time, was his fleeting thought as he rushed to his room, the back of his hand raised to his lips.

He heard his name snarled from the living room right before he locked his door and he stared at his opened window. His face was hot, probably as red as his eyes flickering colors. Gold and red, gold, then red. He sighed, rubbing his face then covered his mouth upon the realization that he couldn't keep his Eyes on.

Guess he wasn't sleeping that night too.

CHAPTER END

Hi. Why not right?

Next Chapter:

Sunset. Apology. Bruises.

"I'm sorry I kissed you."