For my love Mikky for Valentine's Day!

"By… Byakuya… -sama…!"

"I told you not to call me that."

And that was the first thing he said to her when he got back from the island where the remnants of Despair were. Kyouko shot him a rather aggressive look. Not that he was looking at her to see, but he knew she had. She almost always did when he sounded harsh like that, now.

Not because she was policing him, no. No, he had asked her to call him out whenever his tone was too harsh. It was hard for him to distinguish, really. After all, through his whole life he had to be this harsh. Detatched. Cruel, even. Just to survive. But that was beside the point.

After leaving Kibougamine and especially after their joining into the Hope Foundation, they had all become even closer - they being the survivors of the killing game at the school They probably saw themselves as closer to Byakuya well, but he wasn't sure he could say they same - Makoto and Kyouko, perhaps he had come to understand more - was he closer? He wasn't sure. Really, what was it even like to be close to somebody? Was it smiling around them? Being happy to see him? Sure, he felt that way when he saw them - not that he would ever say that - which is one of the reasons he had come to them one day and asked them to point out when his words or voice sounded harsh. Because perhaps that was why only Makoto and Kyouko came to talk to him regularly. Well, and Touko. Who was a different story.

He simply didn't know how to handle her. Before, he didn't care. What did it even matter how she felt? What did she matter at all?

But now, somehow, when he told her to go away or when he said something a bit harsh to her, and she wore that dejected face and sulked off, it hurt him, a bit. Ridiculous. Though it had nothing to do with wanting to know when he sounded harsh.

"A-ah, I'm s-sorry - Byakuya… -kun… I'm glad… you're safe..."

"Naturally."

She had been standing there, at the boat dock, when they returned. He wondered if she had been coming to check. If so, how often? Or perhaps, had she been here the whole time?

"Well, Kyouko and I should get going to let the other two know we're back," Makoto said, holding his hand out to her. "So we'll see you two later."

Kyouko took the offer, and after they both nodded off to Byakuya he was left there, alone, with Touko. Of course.

The two stood in a bit of an awkward silence for a few moments. Eventually, Byakuya asked, "So has everything been alright?"

"Y… yes… w-we made sure that n-no one found out that you three left," Touko replied, biting her thumbnail.

"And what about you?" He continued, meeting her eyes evenly. "Have… you been well?"

Sure, it had only been a few days since they left, really. But he would be lying if he said that he hadn't thought that perhaps something had happened during that span of time. Since joining the Hope Foundation and since Touko had spent more time with the others, Genocider Syo seemed strangely at bay; in fact, Byakuya had not seen her since leaving the school. Which was good - not because of the genuine smile he had seen Touko mentioned when Makoto pointed it out to her, but because of Syo had appeared and they were to be seen as hiding that part of Touko, they might be kicked out of the Foundation. Of course.

"...I… was w-worried about… you… all of you…"

"There's no need to worry about me. If anything, it was at least interesting."

Her eyes fell to the ground. "I s-see… …w-well then I'll… be going," she said, and after a moment's hesitation, turned around.

Byakuya bit his tongue for but a second. "Touko. Wait."

She froze.

"Recently, I… haven't had much interesting to read. Is there anything you've done recently that you'd be willing to share?"

"B-Byakuya-kun!" She quite nearly yelped, spinning around to face him again, her long, braided hair spiraling around her like pretty ribbons. "I-I… o-of course! If you're… interested…"

"Do I ever say anything without intent to follow through?" He stepped forward until he was just a bit ahead of her, before reaching back, hand outstretched to her. "Come on. It's getting dark."

For more than a few seconds, Touko simply stood there, frozen, staring at his hand. And he waited. And eventually, he heard her mumble "of course," and he thought that even in that almost inaudible tone he could hear the small, genuine smile on her face. And then she took his hand and they walked toward the building, the cool sea breeze unable to come in between the warmth of their hands.