(A/N: So… I'm still alive. I don't know if anyone still wants to read this after my almost 4 year absence, but I haven't forgotten this story during any of it. Through multiple moves, working my way from 6-days-a-week minimum wage hell to cubicle purgatory, and the roller coaster that is my mental health…. All of my stories have stuck with me. So, I hope you enjoy; I still own nothing!)

Chapter One: Frost Bite

Ran decided that she would talk to Morinozuka after kendo practice. Until then, she would behave normally so that Ritsu wouldn't freak out. She was honestly surprised that he hadn't developed a heart condition with how much of an intense worrier he is. Feeling a slight tug on her sleeve, she look up to see that they had arrived at school without her having noticed.

"What's on your mind, sis? You're not still thinking about your night mare, are ya? Oh man-" Ritsu was working himself into a fine panic, when she reached up and placed a calming hand on his head.

"I'm fine."She replied quietly, allowing her lip to quirk up slightly.

Mentally though, she was cursing herself. How could she allow herself to drift off when she had just found out a new threat towards her brother? It was unacceptable. She re-set her face back to her cold, indifferent mask and began her usual watch on her classmates to make sure they weren't saying anything mean about her brother. If they were, they'd have to deal with her. They'd find themselves 'tripping' dangerously close to the stairs, or perhaps almost 'falling' into oncoming traffic. But they would see her there with a smirk on her face and then their silence would be bought for a few weeks. Throughout the years and a multitude of different schools, this is how things always worked.

Hearing one idiot shout out, "Look, it's the Blizzard!"

Ran turned her head abruptly to stare intensely at this person in warning, the boy froze in place. At least that meant he was silent.

Another classmate quietly added, "And Frost Bite."

She turned her head to the girl that had muttered her unwanted nickname and narrowed her eyes. The girl burst into tears at Ran's 'murderous look' but also went silent.

Ritsu sighed sadly and she had to hide her own sadness at knowing that the entire class being frozen in terror had truly begun to get to her brother as of late. Especially since she knew that her actions were a direct cause of that silence they endured. However, Ran knew that their words hurt him even more. So she was stuck on this path, and things would most certainly stay the same.

==X==

Ran rushed as fast as she could to the room the Host Club was held. Her brother hadn't texted her like he promised when he got the chance to speak to her captain. As she got closer, she heard her him yelling so she broke into a run.

"WHAT DID YOU PUNKS DO TO MY HAIR? AAAAAAAA!"

Hearing his famous gangster growl, Ran pulled the door open and darted in with her shinai in hand. And promptly froze and the scene that met her.

The Hitachiin twins and the chairman's son were hiding behind a couch, Ootori was writing in his spiral, Haninozuka-sempai was eating cake, Morinozuka-sempai appeared to be trying to meld down into his chair, and someone who looked either like a girlish-boy or boyish-girl was holding their head in an attempt at warding off a headache. All of this was noted from the corner of her eye because her main focus was the absolute train wreck her brother had become in the hours since she last saw him.

He had a weird yellow and green scarf around his neck, dreadlocks in his hair, blue sunglasses, was carrying a teddy bear, and for some reason had a pink flowery bandage on his face. Her brother blushed under her scrutiny.

"R-ran, what are you doin' here? I thought you were going to wait by the gate." Ritsu stammered out, trying to distract her.

She put away her shinai and pulled out her phone and held it up pointedly. Seeing the apologetic look on his face, she walked up to him. As she had done earlier, she placed a comforting hand on his head and said quietly, "Why don't you go gather your things so we can go home?"

When her brother had disappeared into the other room, she turned to the host club. Ootori had been explaining to the others who she was. The twins and Suoh seemed nervous because of her reaction to the 'makeover' they had given Ritsu. Haninozuka was smiling and waving because they had met before, so she nodded back at him with a slight quirk of her lips. The androgynous one also smiled when they noticed her looking.

Ran walked up to Morinozuka, however.

"Please look after my brother." she requested with a bow.

"I will." Her sempai replied in his low, calm voice.

She allowed herself to actually smile because of the weight his response lifted off of her, "Thanks, sempai."

Haninozuka jumped on Morinozuka's shoulders and said, "It's no problem, Ran-chan! We'll all look after him, don't you worry!"

She tilted her head at the trio that botched her brother's 'transformation' and raised her eyebrow. Morinozuka chuckled at that and she couldn't help the smile that came across her face at that rare sound.

Before she could think too much about how easily her mask slipped around her sempai, Ritsu was back with his bag still looking thoroughly embarassed of the way he currently looked.

"Let's go, sis!" Her brother clearly wanted to put some distance between himself and the club.

After they had left the room, she had to ask, "So, little brother… What's with the get up? Other than trying to blind my good eye, I mean?"

He groaned as he prepared himself for the teasing that he knew was retribution for his not texting her updates.

==X==

(A/N: And that's the chapter! Out of curiosity, who all actually remembered this story's existence?)