Kyoya stops in the middle of the forest, in a space where the trees look just like the ones he just passed, to catch his breath. He's gotten used to a lot of running over the years, but today, exhaustion is taking it's toll. The worst part is that he really has no one to blame but himself. Sure, he's being chased by a person with every intent to kill him if he's caught, but it probably wouldn't have happened if he had just kept his mouth shut when he had the chance. Really, he should have known what that man first challenged him to a drinking contest that he wasn't someone one just said 'no' to. He had a chip on his shoulder, a horribly cocky and self-obsessed attitude that deluded him into thinking anyone who refused his challenge only did so because they were so terrified of losing to him. Kyoya had responded to that by asking how the man knew they just didn't want to be bothered, and then had to duck a chair thrown at his head. From there, he'd been running, and he'd been wishing that he'd gotten a little more sleep the night before so that maybe he would have thought of a better way to get the man away from him. Kyoya was a business man at heart and he knew there were times when taking calculated risks was a smart move. This was not one of those times.

He listens carefully, his sharp ears picking up chirping crickets and the occasional bird singing, but no other footsteps and no voices. He didn't relax just yet, though. His pursuers could very well still be on his tail. Just because he hadn't heard time coming yet didn't mean much.

Kyoya waits at the tree for a while longer, counting the seconds in his head both to keep time and to calm himself. He forces more air into his lungs than he really needs, all in an effort to catch his breath now rather than later. Later was not an option. Once he's done with that and checked all three of his guns for ammo and the safety lock off, he starts sprinting again. His feet pound on the dirt and the fallen leaves there, breaking them with sounds that are harsh to his ears. If only it were Spring, this would be much easier.

He keeps running for as long as he can until he can't anymore. When he stops next, even gasping for air is difficult, and his chest and throat hurt like hell. He listens again, and hears a single crack of a twig snapping. He stills. His every sense is fine tuned now to that spot in the distance. He doesn't hear it again, but he does he the low thumping of shoes on dirt. Someone is coming, and they're coming fast.

His hands go for the rifle, fingers wrapping around the smooth and cool metal when a figure jumps out. Kyoya immediately relaxes. The newcomer is short in stature, much shorter than his pursuer. He is also slim and lacks significant muscle mass, another thing that sets him apart from the huge and bulky man. He is alone and there is no other sounds in the distance. Kyoya is now aware of two things. The first is that he has most likely succeeded in losing that man and his group of thugs. The second is that he may have a new problem to face depending on who this is.

The shadow chuckles and shakes it's head condescendingly as it approaches. Kyoya's lips go tight with anger. Nobody looks or talks down to him ever. Were he a lesser man, he'd have shot the newcomer the second that laugh left his throat. Then the man steps into the light, and suddenly Kyoya is more inclined to do just that.

"Boy, you've gotten yourself into some trouble, haven't you Kyo?"

The man grins wide. His teeth are straight, but yellowed, and horrific to look at. The rest of him isn't that easy on the eyes either. He is pale and sickly looking, with small brown eyes, a stubby nose, and perpetually red cheeks. His body is completely hairless from head to toe. He once claimed it was from a childhood illness, and Kyoya never cared to get the full story. He's dressed in black, as is most practical when travel the woods at night, but his clothes are ill fitted and hang out him like he's an emaciated chemo patient. Kyoya saw many of those when he used to go and see his father at work. They were usually nice enough to speak to and confident that their condition would improve. Even those who weren't were not nearly as unpleasant as him.

The man blinks his tiny eyes many times, more times than anyone should need to. It's a strange and annoying habit of his. He gestures with his head at the path Kyoya's been walking and places his hands on his hips.

"I saw that guy chasing you. That Pillsbury Doughboy from Hell. What'd you do to him?"

"Nothing, Kitano-san," Kyoya answers as he walks the circumference of the area, listening for more arrivals. "He has a short temper and took offense to a simple comment of mine, nothing more."

Kitano snorts, and it sounds almost exactly like that of a pig. "Well! I think someone needs to learn to choose his battles a little more carefully. You should've just walked away."

"That's what I was trying to do," Kyoya mutters. "And what I'm still trying to do."

He makes another circle around. Kitano is still grinning like a fool when Kyoya makes the return trip, and then stops him with a hand when he's close enough to him.

"You're not getting anywhere this way," he says. He nods at the dark expanse of trees that he came from. "I've got a place over there you can hide at until he's gone."

His hand goes to wrap around Kyoya's wrist, as if to pull him along back to whatever hovel he's chosen to hole up in. Kyoya has known Kitano for close to a year. The man is not as weak as his appearance suggests, or as cowardly as Kyoya would've liked. Normally, the assault rifle alone was enough to drive unsavory folks far away from him, but Kitano was different. He went back to Kyoya again and again, somehow finding him no matter how deep into the forest he went. Kyoya had been sticking to the same general area all this time, but recent events necessitate moving to someplace new. He just hopes Kitano won't somehow find him again, then Kyoya might just have to cross the ocean into whatever was left of China to be rid of him.

Right now, though, he has to admit, spending one night dealing with Kitano's relentless chatter is preferable to some ridiculous gun and fist fight. He'll just leave at daybreak, regardless of what Kitano thinks, or if he's actually conscious at the time.

He doesn't let Kitano touch him, but he walks into the part of the forest indicated to him, and Kitano is quick to get back in front of him and take the lead.

"It's right this way, my friend!" he says cheerfully.

Kyoya has a bad taste in his mouth.


Amazingly enough, Kitano's temporary home of the week is not a dirty cave hidden away in a lonely crevice somewhere. Instead, it's a ramshackle house covered in chipping grey paint and decaying plaster; not much of an improvement. The windows are either smashed out or so covered in dirt that they are no longer transparent and blend in with the walls. They are walking towards the back of the house, and there's some broken cellar doors laying on the grass. One appears to have been snapped right in half. The cellar itself can't be seen, but Kyoya doesn't image it looks any better. They haven't even gone inside yet, and that fight is already looking more and more appealing.

Kitano whistles. "Home, sweet home. Am I right?"

Kyoya doesn't know what to say to that. Well, actually he can think of a couple of things, but he's not in the mood.

"So when did you first find this… dwelling?" he asks instead.

Kitano snorts. "Dwelling? That's fancy… yeah, I found it about a week ago. Been squatting for a while, 'll probably move on soon. It's good for you tonight that I have though, am I right or am I right?"

"You are right," Kyoya answers tiredly.

Kitano laughs and claps Kyoya on the shoulder, ignorant of the way Kyoya winces and then glares at him.

"Just so you know, there is no electricity or running water, so I wouldn't go in the bathroom if I were you. In fact, stay away from the kitchen too. I have some candles on me, but I'm fresh out of matches, so we're going to have to wait for the sun, unfortunately. Shouldn't be too bad. I just can't believe we bumped into each other like this, it must be fate. We're gonna have a lot to catch up on tonight, you and I."

"I think I may just go to sleep early," Kyoya says evenly. He slows a little to make himself look more tired. He really is tired, and that only helps.

Kitano frowns. "Well, that's a buzzkill. One of these days, I'm going to have to take you out for some fun. You ever tried shooting at bird with that thing? You know, target practice and all that."

"It's occurred to me."

"What about a squirrel? They're quick little bastards for sure. Bet they'd provide you a challenge," Kitano trails off, and goes quietly for a few seconds before turning to Kyoya with wide, crazed eyes. "Or maybe you're looking to move on to bigger game. Like people."

Kyoya stops. He meets Kitano's eyes for a second while calculating all the spaces in the trees that he can run through if need be. Then Kitano bursts out laughing.

"Ah, man, you've gotta see your face right now, Kyo. I really had you there."

Kitano slaps his knees while Kyoya looks on. His eyes have narrowed into slits, and he's not sure if it's more from Kitano's sick attempt at humor or that fact that the idiot just called him 'Kyo' again. He's told Kitano countless times that he won't answer to nicknames, especially not that one. Kitano is not a good listener, and he's definitely not as funny as he thinks he is. He's just proved that without a shadow of a doubt.

"Haha… okay, enough horseplay. I think the temperature may be dropping. You feel that?"

Kyoya said nothing, but had to admit, he was beginning to feel a chill. This one definitely didn't come from him, and it had been happening a lot recently with the dawning of Fall and Winter. He was still walking around in his sleeveless shirt from Summer. He was going to have to get a good coat off of someone, and soon.

While Kyoya was nothing this in his mind, their walk to the decrepit shack had come to an end. They walk up the rickety porch to a dull blue door that was in fair shape compared to the house framing it. Kyoya casts a glance at the small, square shaped window right next to it, but it was completely boarded up. At one time, this was probably a very warm and quaint cabin that either a sweet old lady or a youthful and idealistic artist must have inhabited. Kyoya, with his wealthy, high class sensibilities, would've scoffed at the idea of staying in such a place. A decade of technical poverty and homelessness later, and he's still ready to turn up his nose.

Kitano walks in front of him to the door, and knocks three times.

That's the first red flag in Kyoya's mind.

There is shuffling on the other side, like someone is moving papers around in a rushed attempt at straightening up before going to the door. Kyoya thinks he hears whispering, which is confirmed when another person loudly shushes the first. Kyoya stares daggers at Kitano's back.

"You didn't tell me you had roommates."

Kitano waves it off. "Like I said, it's just a temporary thing. They won't bother you."

The doorknob turns at an aching pace. Whoever this is is taking their time. Then it opens with a creak that is soft compared to that of the stairs, but rings louder in Kyoya's ears. The man in the door frame is must shorter than him, plain in face, but nowhere close to ugly. He is balding, wisps of brown hair are styled in a comb over that is no more convincing than anyone else's. He doesn't look too happy to see Kitano has brought a visitor. He glares heatedly at Kyoya, who answers with a polite smile. That, he's come to find, does a far better job at getting someone's goat than stooping to their petty level. The man grumbles something likely very impolite and moves aside. Kyoya follows Kitano in without hesitating, if only so he keeps up an aloof and unconcerned air.

The door slams shut the second Kyoya is inside, and then he hears a decisive click. The door is locked.

That's the second red flag.

The room is pitch black, and he can hear more whispering. This time, the words are clear.

"Turn on the light."

"Oh, I forgot."

More shuffling.

"Dumbass…"

A match is struck. Kyoya scrunches an eye that isn't yet adjusted to bright light. The one holding the match now lights a lantern with it, and the tiny glow grows to fill the room. It isn't nearly as strong as an electric light, and most of the room is still dim. Of the men on the couch, only the one in the middle can be seen with relative clearness, and Kyoya's nearsightedness doesn't help.

He sees three other men in the room besides Kitano and the one who answered the door. They are sitting in a row on a couch with faded red cushions and stuffing coming out of one side. Only the one directly in front of the lantern can be clearly seen. He is a tall and well built man with handsome features who smiles warmly at Kyoya and nods his head in greeting. Kyoya returns the nod, but not the smile. He isn't even close to convinced that it is genuine.

Kitano slaps him on the shoulder again.

"Sit on down, Kyo. We'll talk."

He jumps onto the couch beside the man one the very end, whose face is muted by darkness and who is slumps over as if dead. Kyoya might've thought he really was if he hadn't grunted when Kitano shoved him to make room. The man who answered the door sits at the opposite end, not on the couch, but rather on a chair right beside it. They are all facing a second chair, which is both empty and directly in front of the lantern.

Kyoya is on Red Alert.

"Kyo," Kitano says, in a lower voice that is unlike him. "Please. Sit down."

The man in the middle silently motions at the chair. Kyoya discreetly runs fingers along the hand guns at his side. They haven't disappeared and he know them to be fully loaded at ready at a moment's notice. He takes a backwards glance at the bolted door, and then sits down.

Kitano grins.

"So," he says, kicking his feet back and bringing his arms up. An elbow knocks into the despondent man, who gives a more pitiful moan of pain. "Now that everyone is here and accounted for, let's talk."

All five men sat up straighter in their seats. Even the man beside Kitano, if only because he's being forced up.

"I've got a hell of a story for you, Kyo, my friend," Kitano goes on, rubbing his hands together. "So it started about a week ago. I don't know if you remember, but the last time we talked, I mentioned that I was looking into some big stuff. I'd met this guy with a real interesting proposition. Now, I'm not going to tell you straight out, because that ruins the fun-"

The man in the middle glances sideways at Kitano, his lips pursed.

"-So I got in with this guy, and he's a hell of a thing, I gotta say. He's been getting together all the thieves and bandits and crooks he can find. He sends out scouts to find them and then when they come, he gives them whole twenty questions routine- it's like being on a job interview, I swear- and if you're in, you get to be part of this whole little army that he's assembling. And I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it, that was enough to make me think this guy is hardcore. But it get's better, much better."

Kitano leans in. Closer to the fire, Kyoya can see his grin in place.

"You want to know why he's getting all these guys together?"

'No, I'd rather leave, thank you,' Kyoya thinks. In reality, he doesn't give any sort of answer, affirmative or otherwise, because the next moment, he's beaten to the punch.

"The man we're working for is called Ryuuga. We're looking for the one called Kaito," the man in the middle says. His voice is deep, much deeper than his looks would imply. "He's taking anyone with skills in combat or intelligence to find him and bring him down. Kitano recommended you to us, Mr. Kyo. We'd like to invite you to be part of our cause."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kitano snaps. He swats at the middle man's head, but is too far away to reach more than his hair. The middle man is unfazed. "You're interrupting me, Icano. Remember what He said? Kyo's my friend and I tell the story. You left out the best part anyway."

Kitano finishes scold his 'colleague', and then looks apologetically at Kyoya.

"I'm sorry about Icano, he's just over-excited. Going after living legends does that to people, you know?"

"I can't really relate…"

"Not yet," Kitano says.

He nods at the man in between Icano and the surly man who let them in. Kyoya can make out a chubby, possibly middle-aged body and a hairline that is almost as far receded as the man next to him. He has been silent this whole time, and yet Kyoya doesn't need a clear look at his eyes to know that they are on him. It's all in his posture. He's paying very close attention.

"This guy right here? We call him Picasso. He won't tell us his real name, don't ask me why."

'Picasso' doesn't move.

"He used to be one of those police sketch artist guys. You know, the ones who draw suspects when they don't have pictures and crap? That's Picasso here… hey, Picasso, don't be rude. We're going to be working with Kyo soon. Say hi!"

Picasso slowly turns his head, and something glints near where his eyes should be. He's wearing glasses. Thick ones too, probably. Kyoya's single old lens hangs around his neck and inside his shirt. He doesn't feel like he can reach for it without setting off at least one of the men before him. He struggles to make out Picasso's hands, which are the only part of him close enough for the light to hit. He has them bunched together, his fingers are pale from the tightness. Kyoya wonders if Picasso wants to be here anymore than he does.

"Hello," he says to the man, if only to seem more cooperative to the rest of them. Unfortunately, Kyoya is not the type to waste time trying to comfort complete strangers. If they throw their lot in with the wrong people, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Kitano waves dismissively at Picasso. Picasso's fingers dig into his hands.

"Don't worry about him, he's tired. He was up all night with Icano here. You'll never guess what they were doing?"

"Do I dare?" Kyoya asks.

Icano glares at Kitano again, harder this time. It was juvenile, but Kyoya might've have laughed a little if he didn't feel the humor of the situation being sucked out little by little with every word spoken. By Kitano or otherwise.

"They were drawing a picture of Kaito," Kitano says excitedly. "Good guess, though. No, Icano here, believe it or not, has seen Kaito in person! Isn't that the coolest thing?"

Kyoya takes a moment to digest that. Icano is staring him down, harder than he already has been. Kyoya isn't cowed as hasn't been from the start. Maybe that's why Icano is looking angrier, and it's not just the sound of Kitano's voice that bothers him.

'Haven't heard much from you,' he thinks.

"You've seen Kaito," he says slowly, enunciating every word the way he's seen psychologists do. "The same Kaito from the stories."

Icano gives a single, loud, humorless laugh that rings in the relatively silent atmosphere. Kyoya definitely doesn't jump.

"You mean the one who can become a giant and has the strength of twenty men? Yes, I've heard them all. For three years now, wherever I go, people are telling them. Those same, insipid little fables. That's not the story, not the real one."

Icano gets to his feet. He walks around the table on which the lantern sits, covering it's light with his body as he stands before Kyoya. He doesn't bear down on him, or appear overtly threatening, but Kyoya inches for the gun on his left side, just in case.

"I've seen him with my own two eyes, it's true," Icano says. "I started the spread of those stories, the day after Kaito let me go alive. They've been distorted over time, new details added in retellings, until they were nothing but fantastical urban legends. The stuff of children's make believe."

He gets down on his knees, looks Kyoya right in the eye. His are bloodshot and have the most awful bags underneath.

"I can assure you, friend, Kaito is real. He is real, but he is no Godlike creature, not at all. He's a man like you and me. He can bleed, and he can die. The only thing he can't do is feel."

With those cryptic words, Icano falls silent. He gets to his feet and walks into the darkness. Kyoya follows with his eyes as far as he can, and from there he only has Icano's footsteps to go by. They become louder and softer at a regular pace, and they never stop, even when Kitano starts to loudly fidget with something in his breast pocket. He mutters something about Icano 'hurrying it up already.' No one acknowledges him.

"Icano-san, can you please elaborate?" Kyoya asks after a beat.

He hears a chuckle, and Icano's steps slow a tad.

"You want to know what happened that night? Well, forgive me if I'm not eager to relive it. I can tell you this: Kaito is a man and nothing more, but on that night, when I looked into his eyes, I could swear he was a monster. I'd never seen anyone so cold, so merciless. He killed my friends that night, and I'll never forget his face when they were begging him mercy. He slaughtered them… I want him to pay for it."

At this point, Kitano can no longer stand to keep quiet. The growing tension in the room completely breaks when he jumps out of his sheet and whips a folded piece of white paper out of the pocket he'd been fingering.

"And this is the drawing of Kaito that Picasso drew. Straight from Icano's memory! Oh, you should've seen Ryuuga's face when we showed it to him. I seriously thought he was going to wet himself, he was so happy."

Kitano shoves the paper under Kyoya's nose, but when Kyoya tries to push his hand away, Kitano backs off. He holds the paper possessively to him when he sits back down and crosses his legs.

"So," he says, suddenly businesslike. "Not much else to it. What do you say, Kyo, you in?"

He leans forward, holding out a hand he fully expects Kyoya to shake. The rest don't seem to share Kitano's conviction. They maintain the same cold glares they always have as far as Kyoya can see. He comes to wonder how strong a recommendation Kitano gave them. How useful did he make him out to be? And how? This may just be how they treat all new recruits, and the more Kyoya thinks about it, the more it makes sense. They are, for all intents and purposes, potential employers, and Kyoya, whether he likes it or not, is the potential employee. The idea of these man being fair judges of characters makes something akin to laughter build in Kyoya's stomach.

"This is… a very interesting goal you all have in mind," he says, and nobody moves. "I must commend your enthusiasm and determination. For something like this, those can be your most powerful tools. And I'm afraid they are not tools that I myself do not possess. Not for this."

Kitano's smile fades. Kyoya thinks it's the first time this has ever happened, and something deep inside him takes a sick satisfaction in it.

"Kyoya… buddy, you're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

Kyoya pushes out his chair, it scraps against the floor, but the ugly sound is welcoming. Icano is silhouetted against the wall, arms crossed and stance like that of a predator, but he's nowhere near the front door. Kyoya is sure he can unlock the door and run before anyone reaches him. If they do, well, he's the one who is armed.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure meeting you and I wish you nothing but luck, but I must be going now."

He walks backwards to the door until he's halfway across the room and no one has tried to stop him. It is both reassuring and alarming, the two sides of his mind go to war over it. If Kyoya reaches out now, he is sure his fingers will brush the door knob. He is that close to being outside.

And then Kitano tsks.

"Kyoya, that's not good," he says. "That's really not good."

The lantern's light is weakening, now with only a small circle of light shining through that tells him very little except that everyone is getting to their feet. He can also feel Icano's presence much stronger than before; closer. Kyoya's mind goes into panic mode and he takes a large and abrupt step back. His hand closes around the doorknob. Icano's hand closes around his.

"You're not going anywhere," Icano says gravely.

Kyoya closes his eye.

"You see, Kyo," Kitano says as he walks over. "This guy we're working for? Ryuuga? He's all about secrecy. He is so paranoid that word of his plans is going to get out. Anyone who finds out has only two options. They join up with us, or…"

He lets it hang with nothing but a tiny chuckle. Kyoya squeezes the doorknob tight, holding on as long as he can until Icano's superior strength overcomes him. He is wrenched away from door and held in a reverse chokehold. No pressure is applied, so it seems that Icano only wants to keep him still. For now.

"What does it matter if I help you or not?" he asks. "It's not like there's anyone I can tell who would stop you. The police, the government, it's all gone. What threat am I to you?"

"That's what I said," Kitano says, shrugging. "The old Boss man insisted. He said anyone who refuses to join gets a bullet in his head. Or a knife. He's not choosy."

Someone, likely the surly man who opened the door, yanks the assault rifle from around Kyoya's neck. Kyoya momentarily can't breathe and gasps. In that time, he's been relived of his handguns as well. The surly man tosses them aside, but keeps the rifle and hefts it over his shoulder. Kyoya hears someone pick up the handguns. He's pretty sure it's Kitano.

"So I told him that you'd help us, I gave him my guarantee," Kitano says sharply. "You're forcing me to go back on my word, Kyo. And I like you, I really do. That's why I'm going to give you another chance."

Icano jabs at Kyoya's back with something sharp. Kyoya winces, thankful for the lack of light so they can't see his show of pain. The only thing worse would be to show fear.

He is walked across the room, to an area even darker than the living room. Icano marches him far from the dying flame and then turns him into another, colder room and throws him to the ground. Kyoya hit's the floor on his shoulder hard. There will probably be a bruise by morning.

"I'm going to give you until morning to think it over," Kitano's voice says from… somewhere. "I hope you'll really give some thought to what you're risking hear. I'd hate to have to shoot you with your own gun."

The door slams shut, but isn't locked. Kyoya feels a degree of hope, until he hears Kitano loudly telling someone to stand and guard it. Whoever it is answers affirmatively, in a voice Kyoya doesn't recognize. He assumes it's the fifth man, the one who never said a word and was never introduced to him, and whom Kyoya had all but forgotten about until now. Kyoya rolls onto his back. His fist is clenched and he wants nothing more than to slam it as many times as he can against the wall until his fingers are beaten and bloody. If he wasn't so sure the walls had ears, he would have.

But that would be showing fear.


Kyoya waits by the door all night. For hours he sits, one ear pressed lightly against the door. He has barely moved, his whole body aches. His eyes are heavy, but he will not close them. He doesn't know how long Kitano plans to give him, but he wagers that it will be no later than when the sun is high in the sky. Right now, the sky has turned from black to dark blue. It won't be long now.

He is starting to think he will never find what he's looking for. He hasn't heard a thing all night. Maybe the walls aren't as thin as he thought they were. A few hours ago, there was a thump of someone sitting down, and that was the most Kyoya had heard since Kitano and his gang left him. This whole thing may have been in vain, and he may just give in to sleep now, and wake up to a gun in his face.

And then he hears it.

After hours of waiting, it is the most wonderful sound he has ever heard.

His guard dog is snoring.

Kyoya goes for the knob. He examined it before and found smooth metal where the lock should be. It's possible there are no locks on any of the doors in this house, which explains the guard. Kyoya is slightly disappointed. It would have been so much easier if Kitano was really as stupid as his behavior implied. Only 'slightly', because while Kitano was pretty smart, he was clearly not smart enough to remember why the guards of anything always work in shifts.

He turns the knob a fraction of an inch at a time. His heart starts to beat faster, pouring anxiety all throughout his body. He has to work extra hard to keep his hand steady, but when he is rewarded with a quiet, yet resounding click, he feels peace.

He doesn't wait any longer that that. He pushes the door open, thankful that it, at least, doesn't creak. His guard is leaning on the wall beside the door. There is a knife in one hand and the other is half curled. His head lolls to one side. He is utterly dead to the world. Kyoya spares him but a glance, and then he is off. The sky is becoming lighter, but there is still no sun. Each room he passes has the door wide open, and he can just make out someone sleeping inside. The first room houses Icano. The second, Picasso. In the room directly across his, the surly man rests in an old recliner. At his feet is Kyoya's assault rifle. Kyoya zeros in on it, turns into the room with even softer steps than before. He watches the surly man for any signs that he's waking up. Kyoya doesn't know what he'll do if the man does before he can get his hands on that gun. Kyoya reaches down as far as he can. His knees are close to buckling, and then the gun is it his hands. He picks it up carefully, the strap brushes the wood carries a small rock with it. Kyoya stops. He uses a foot to gently push the pebble off and onto the floor.

When he leaves the room, the rifle is over his shoulder where it belong. Now he just needs those handguns.

He makes it out of the hallway and into the main room. Kitano is asleep on the couch, his hands under his head to form a pillow. He snores so loud, it's a miracle Kyoya never heard it from his room and mistook it for the guards. Kyoya questions, for a moment, shooting him right here and now, but that thought is brushed away as both stupid and reckless as quickly as it entered his brain. His hand guns are both on the table with the extinguished lantern. There is something white beneath one of them, but Kyoya pays no attention as he takes them both up and shoves one back into it's holster.

He moves to the door, is as close as he was last night. So close that he can hear the birds chirping outside. And then he hears another thump.

He whirls around, gun at the ready. Any one about to approach him had better think again. There is no one there. Kyoya looks around, left to right and up and down. When he looks down, he sees a mouse scampering along his feet. It stops to sniff at the air around him, then continues on it's way. Kyoya shakes his head.

'At this rate, they won't have to kill me. I'll just have a heart attack.'

He stealthily unlocks and opens the door a crack. He wait's a moment, then opens it a little more. It had creaked yesterday like nothing before, but today it will be as silent as a mouse, for lack of a better term.

He gives himself just enough room to slip out onto the porch. He shuts the door behind him, just as slowly as the first time. When it clicks into place, and there isn't a single sound from inside, not a yell or a scream or a knife being drawn. Kyoya hears an odd sort of roaring in his ears, and realizes now that it's his heart, which apparently never stopped pounding throughout his entire escape. Kyoya aims at the door as he walks down the porch steps. He skips the last one, that had a pretty awful creak to it too. When his feet hit the dirt, Kyoya finally does what he's been dying to do for hours now.

He runs. He runs so fast, everything around him becomes a blur, and he doesn't stop until he is absolutely exhausted from both the exertion and the lack of sleep. Then he finds a tiny enclave under a tree and hides himself inside it. He covers his body with fallen leaves and tree branches, and ignores the creepy crawling under his behind.

The last thing he sees before he closes his eyes is the sun peeking out over the horizon.

The last thought he has is that it has never been more beautiful.

Kyoya passes by a large tree that looks exactly like the last tree he passed, which had looked exactly like the tree he passed before. He would think he was lost, but he knows this path. The forest is particularly dense and anyone without a weapon of some kind was a complete and utter fool to try and cross it. Anyone with a weapon was just a fool. Kyoya didn't care so much after making the trip so many times. It wasn't fun, but it was a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Beyond it was a small village that in all his years of traveling, he has never once seen Kitano in. The man finds him absolutely everywhere else, but never here. He's probably too scared of the forest, Kyoya thinks with a sardonic laugh. It's the perfect place for him to lay low for a while, until Kitano either forgets all about him or just gets bored with hunting him down.

Kyoya keeps walking until the most dangerous part is out of the way. He knows, because the lovely sun starts shining through the trees and warms his chilled body with her rays. Kyoya runs his hands along his bare arms. They feel like ice. He is definitely going to have to get a coat and fast.

His gun has been in his hand ever since his escape. He woke up with it still clenched in his hand and never put it away. He's never had any sort of encounter in this forest despite knowing the chances. That's why he'll never take them. He will never be caught off guard again. Not like last night.

Kyoya switches hands briefly so he can rub his other arm. Something white falls to the ground and gives him pause. Kyoya looks down and sees a tiny slip of paper at his feet. He picks it up and examines it. It is creased in places and a little damp from the sweat of his palm. Kyoya doesn't know what to make of it, and then something sparks him memory and his eyes go wide.

Didn't Kitano say something about having a drawing of Kaito?

'So that's what he was keeping beneath my gun. Dear God, he really is a fool.'

Kyoya rolls his eyes. He can imagine the horror Kitano must have felt when he woke up to find not only Kyoya gone, but also the drawing he had loved and obsessed over so much. Kyoya really didn't get it. Beyond the sheer insanity of going after someone who probably didn't exist based on the story of one unhinged man, how strong could his memory of one face be three years after he supposedly saw it?

Kyoya unfolds it, not sure why he's bothering to even look. Odds are, he's going to find one of two things: an ugly faced man with exaggerated 'evil' features, or a generic nobody who could be anyone you saw on the streets. It wasn't just Kitano for him anymore, all of these people, including their so-called leader, must be soft in the head to believe in such a thing.

The picture is folded several different ways. It takes time before Kyoya has made it to the half fold. He opens it fully-

And drops his handgun.


A/N: So, we've checked in on Kyoya and he's doing... more or less okay. Where will he go now? That remains to be seen. Going back to the main storyline in the next chapter, and we may even see a certain cake loving host again. See you then!