The fire crackled and popped as it ate away at the digital logs from the electric fireplace. It wasn't much for roasting marshmallows, but Ranmaru, Tamao and their young son Hayate seemed to enjoy it. With another baby on the way, Ranmaru found the electric fireplace to be better suited for children. No one seemed to complain as they huddled around the illusion. Tamao waddled back into the living room, then, holding her stomach.

"You Father says that Hayate-Kun is doing just fine and that we shouldn't worry." She said. Ranmaru only nodded. She smiled before excusing herself again, saying she needed to lie down.

"Why didn't you bring Hayate-Kun anyway? Kyohei and Sunako haven't met him yet, right?" Noi asked, peering at them curiously from her spot on the floor. Ranmaru spared her a smile, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I wasn't sure how things would turn out, so I thought it would be best if he stayed with my folks for the weekend." He said. "Mom's always complaining that she doesn't see enough of her Grandson anyway."

The others nodded in understanding. None of them knew how things would go once Sunako and Kyohei met face to face again, and with the way things turned out, it was probably a good idea to leave the toddler behind. They all seemed to sigh simultaneously as they were reminded of the pair.

"I wonder how they're doing…" Yuki murmured.

"Hasn't anyone tried calling them?" Machiko asked. Noi pointed to the kitchen, where Takenaga stood, speaking on the phone.

"I think he's trying that now." She said. The group fell silent as they waited for the news from Takenaga. He rejoined them a few moments later, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he fell into a chair.

"The phone lines around the Nakahara mansion are down." He explained. "I just got off the phone with Oba-San. She tried getting hold of them as well, and when she couldn't, she checked the security feed. They've been snowed in."

"Seriously?" Machiko asked, surprised.

"At least they're safe from the storm…" Ranmaru murmured, though it was obvious he was more worried than he let on.

"Yeah, but not from each other." Noi said, shaking her head. "Will they really be okay? How long is the storm supposed to last, anyway?"

Ranmaru looked back towards the TV, sighing.

"It's supposed to go on until late tomorrow evening, if we're lucky." He said.

"Oba-San said that she's already got a team together to dig them out once the storm is gone." Takenaga explained. "She asked us not to worry too much, but…"

"How can we not worry?" Yuki whined. The group fell silent again, unsure of what to do. "Man, this sucks… The waiting, I mean."

Machiko leaned into his arms, kissing his cheek, silently telling him things will be okay.

"Maybe leaving them behind was a bad idea…" Noi said, sulkily. She scooted closer to Takenaga, resting her head against his knee. He ran his fingers through her hair comfortingly. Silence was their only companion for a few long moments. There was no sound but the beat of their own hearts, the crackling of the electric fireplace and the quieted talking of the news anchor on the television screen.

Tamao suddenly appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. She looked physically upset, clad in only a nightgown and holding her stomach.

A foreign liquid was dripping down her legs.

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A shiver ran through his body, stirring him from his slumber. It had grown colder in the room and, absentmindedly, he pulled his blanket back over his shoulder, scooting closer to that source of warmth at his side. He closed his eyes to sleep again but the warmth shifted slightly, and his eyes flew open. Sunako was curled at his side, her head resting against his shoulder. He felt his face grow warmer and, for a moment, he didn't want to move.

When was the last time she had been so close? He couldn't even remember. He mentally kicked himself, feeling his stomach twist in disgust with himself for allowing himself to feel something for her again. He shoved away from her and stood, scowling at the floor. Sunako fell forward onto the cushions, immediately waking up. She sat up and glared at him.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" She shouted. She stared at him for a few minutes, watching his flushed cheeks and scowling features, and she understood, feeling her cheeks warm. "Oh. Sorry."

Kyohei shrugged his shoulders, peering into the smoldering embers in the fireplace. The room had already started to get chilly. He set to work on fixing the fire.

"What time is it?" Sunako asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Kyohei shrugged again.

"Late." He said. "Or early, depending on how you wanna look at it."

Sunako sighed.

"Specific." She muttered sarcastically, looking to the clock on the wall. 4:45 in the morning. "It's early."

The windows rattled slightly with the shuddering wind and as the pair listened, they could hear the howling clear as day. The storm hadn't died down yet. Sighing, Kyohei finally fell back into his seat, staring at the fire. Sunako retrieved the first-aid kit and set to work on replacing Kyohei's bandages, feeling slightly bad that she had fallen asleep before she could replace them. Once she was done, he helped her replace her own bandages before they finally settled back into the couch. Neither spoke a word for several long minutes, tension building between the pair.

"If the storm continues like this, we won't be able to get out for another few days." Sunako murmured in an attempt to break that tension, peering at the snow-stained window with an agitated frown. "That would suck, I have a test Wednesday."

Kyohei snorted at that, shaking his head. She scowled at him.

"What's so funny?" She asked. He looked at her with his icy eyes, smirking.

"You." He said. "Since when were you such a school-girl?"

"Since I grew up and went to college like a fully functional human being?" She said, crossing her arms. He laughed loudly at that.

"You? Fully functional?" He snickered. "I still remember your obsession with torture weapons, horror movies and anatomy dolls. Where is Hiroshi-Kun anyway?"

Sunako flushed slightly, hugging a pillow as she looked away from him.

"Gave him up." She said. "The others too. I donated them to the anatomy lab at school."

There was a long period of silence before Sunako looked up again. Kyohei stared, completely in shock at the girl.

"You gave up Hiroshi-Kun?" He asked. "Your best friend? Your general in your army of darkness? Seriously? Why?"

He remembered the times he would sneak into her room, while she was out, and he would sit and chat away his sorrows to Hiroshi-Kun. It was his fault that Hiroshi was stolen by those crazed fan girls to begin with. To hear the young woman say that she had given him up, and as a donation, was nearly heart breaking. Sunako stared forlornly at her feet.

"It's not like I don't see them all the time." She said. "I'm allowed visitation rights all the time. It's just that the school needed them, and I…well…I didn't anymore."

Kyohei couldn't believe his ears.

"Why?"

"The entire time I was in Africa, I was focusing on being more social. On finding real friends I could spend my time with. I still loved Hiroshi-Kun and Akira-Kun and Josephine and Sergeant George, but they weren't helping me as much as they were before. I couldn't find the same amount of comfort in them as I did before." She explained. "They were there for me when I cried, but they couldn't heal me. They couldn't make me numb like people could."

She shrugged, staring into the fire.

"So I gave them away." She said. Kyohei was silent for a moment or two before finally scoffing.

"Idiot," He said. "You know how useful that would have been to us all those years ago? We'd have had free rent a hell of a lot sooner."

Sunako looked at him for a second.

"But it is to my understanding that you didn't stay even after Aunty offered you free rent." She said. Kyohei instantly fell silent, his hands clenching into fists. "Why? What's happened to you, creature?"

He didn't speak for a minute before he finally scowled, shaking his head.

"It's none of your damn business." He said. "Now make yourself useful and fix me something to eat, woman."

Sunako frowned.

"You've got two working legs and two working hands, why don't you do it yourself?" She snapped. Kyohei glared at her.

"You want me to burn the house down?" He threatened. Sunako gave an exasperated groan, standing up.

"Fine, then." She growled, though deep down she was a little bit thankful. He was asking for food again and that was good enough for her.

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A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. I've had some things come up. But here it is! Enjoy guys and another chapter will be up next weekend, I promise!