A/N: I don't own KHR or any of its characters.

"Kyoooooya?"

My head peeks into the kitchen. Silent, save for the slight purr of the tea kettle coming to a boil.

I patter quietly to his bedroom.

"Kyoyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?" Again, empty. His room is bare of any decor and perfectly immaculate. Though to be fair, Kyoya can't take all the credit for that.

"Hmm." I hated to admit it, but I'd gotten used to Kyoya's company at all times. We ate together, we practiced together, we played together - by the time winter had come around in full swing, somehow we'd wound up doing everything together without even realizing it.

I glance out the window as snow lightly begins to fall. There's only one other place he could be.

I walk into the hallway and rifle through the closet. I grab a giant umbrella, a spare comforter and a battery-powered space heater. In a giant stack, twice my height, I balance everything easily in my arms as I walk to the backdoor. I slide the door open gently with my foot and step down into the lightly snowed over greenery.

"Ah, so cold." I sniffle as the breeze picks up.

I walk toward the furthest building in the estate, which has the tallest roof. I gaze up, already knowing what awaits.

I quickly launch off the sides of the buildings til I reach the rooftop.

Kyoya naps peacefully, the expansive view of namimori before him. Snow clings to his hair.

"Ya baka. At least wear a jacket…" I say in a whisper. I carefully and QUIETLY drop the stack of items beside me. You do NOT wake Kyoya from a nap. I've never met anyone more cranky than a nap-disturbed Kyoya. IT'S HILARIOUS, but also, the chasing for half a day that ensues is really not worth that pay-off. The good thing is that being quiet is legitimately my forte, well, when I want to be.

I open the umbrella and position it above him, blocking anymore snowfall. I turn on the space heater in between us, then drape the comforter atop us both. The snow quickly melts from his hair.

Kyoya's cheeks are tinged red in the cold. His breath is visible to the eye. Napping Kyoya ranks #3 on my list of favorite Kyoyas. It's the time I can actually take a look at his face, relaxed, without his classic intimidating stare. My #2 favorite is Generous Kyoya. The Kyoya that indulges all my snack cravings and adventures. He doesn't complain, he participates in what I want to do as if doing it is as natural as a cloud drifting through the wind. But #1… #1 is what I call Classic Kyoya. The Kyoya that says "I'll bite you to death" at every turn. The Kyoya that craves a good fight and looks down upon weakness. The Kyoya that trains harder and perseveres through anything more than anyone I've ever met. It's Kyoya, at his core, this is who he is. And I wouldn't change a thing. Sure, it was incredibly annoying when I first met him, but eh, it's got it's charm in the end.

I snuggle deeper under the blanket, tucking the sides underneath myself so that no cold air drifts in. It's cozy.

I watch Namimori - the down town, the temple, the school - and feel content. What a peaceful life.

I drift to sleep.

It's warm…

My eyes open.

She's beside me, as always.

Well, she's burrowed deep under the covers. She hates the cold. She wouldn't ever admit to it out of pure stubbornness to be stopped by mere weather, but she rises later from bed and comes home early. She had started wearing 3 layers of sweatshirts and a giant blanket around the house. It looked ludicrous of course, but she walked around as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A tangle of dirt-caked hair peeks out the top of the blanket. Still that same brat that I met on her first visit.

But rather than annoyance at her presence… is it comfort?

NO. No, thoughts like that are weak. Crowding is for the weak. Still I glance at the little bundle that is her and the worries wash away.

I take a look at the heater and blanket. The snow is piled high around us. It's fully dark out now. Winter vacation starts next week and then there's one more term left.

I remove myself from the comforter and wrap the rest around her. I cradle her gently in one arm, and grab the heater and umbrella with my other. I jump down from the rooftop, the landing jolting her slightly awake. "Hungry… hot pot...cheesecake…" she mumbles, quickly going back to sleep.

I smile, incredulous. She even dreams about food?

I walk carefully to the back door, where Obaa-san is waiting for me. She slides open the door.

"Hurry in before it gets too cold."

I nod, setting the blanket and heater down on the ground so I can readjust my hold on Hatsu.

Obaa-san looks at Hatsu, asleep in my arms. "She'll be hungry when she wakes." Ha, no kidding. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Hot pot."

"Ohh? We've never had that before."

"Hn."

She smiles, "Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"... And cheesecake."

"Hmm, suddenly a craving for sweets?"

I blush, "Yes."

I walk down the hall toward her bedroom. For all her time here I had never been to her room. Rather she would come barging into mine. I set her down on the bed and take a walk around. There are few signs of her presence in the room - her suitcase in the closet, her school uniform draped over her chair, and a savings account book on the desk engraved with the Vecchio signet.

What could she possibly use a savings account for? Considering it seems like she has literally zero.

I reach for the bank book, flipping to a random page. My eyes widen.

-¥50,495,000

To reiterate - that's 50.5 million yen IN THE NEGATIVES. And it seemed like money was being added to that debt every single day. I flip to the very end of the book - unused save for one name written: Hoshi Ohsumi. Who is that?

My fists clench. A discomfort in my chest.

"Kyoya?" Her voice sounds from behind me. I drop the book stealthily back on the table.

"Sleep. Dinner isn't for another hour."

"You're the spitting image of princess sleeping beauty when you nap, so delicate hehe."

"You're the spitting image of a piece of shit."

She looks away innocently, "Just paying you a compliment~."

This little… "Do you want to be bitten to death?" I walk back over to her bedside, pulling out my tonfa.

She blinks up at me with wide eyes.

Cute. I bonk her on the head lightly.

She jumps up from the bed, tackling me to the ground - "Wha -"

"Do YOU want to be bitten to death?" She ruffles my hair, laughing maniacally.

"Get off." I flip her onto her back.

She quickly flips me back. The desk chair topples over and crashes to the ground.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" Obaa-san appears in the door frame.

"Wahhh it smells so good." Hatsu sniffs at the air, quickly bolting up and past Obaa-san.

"... She's crazy."

Obaa-san laughs.

I grit my teeth as the Boss punches another man in the gut - "Agh." I had been doing an odd job here and there, transporting contraband goods for some cash for the most part. I was used to rough-housing, even though I was one of the youngest recruits. But this… turning on your own men - my eyes narrow as the scene unfolds.

"What the fuck is wrong with you all? Do I really have to take care of this myself?"

"B-boss t-there's something strange about those kids -"

"KIDS. We're talking about two KIDS?! Fucking useless." The Boss grabs a side table and slams it over his underling's body.

He collapses on the ground, broken and bloody, even more than before. That's over twenty men since last month...

A line of seven of his men kneel on the floor, broken bones and black eyes. They flinch as the Boss paces in front of them. "Namimori is ours. I need it in order to expand our trade business. I don't care what it takes, just get rid of the damn kids."

The Boss's two highest-ranking men stand behind him, snickering. "Mercy Mark" on the left side, chain-smoking at all times and prominent goatee. And no, he is not merciful, his moniker deriving from the kick he gets from hearing his victims beg for mercy. "Ando-san" on his right side, flashy sunglasses and a missing pinky finger, twirls a pistol in one hand.

"Eheheh~ Should I give it a go Boss?" Mercy Mark chimes in.

The Boss nods.

"No more failures."

"Eheheh~ Of course not Boss."

"Kid -" The Boss addresses me directly, "clean up this trash." He motions to the body on the ground.

I grit my teeth again.

"You hear me you little shit?" He flicks my perfectly styled, regent pompadour hair.

"Yes Boss."

2 MORE MINUTES.

Just two more minutes, for the love of god, is TIME MOVING SLOWER THAN USUAL? Yes, I know that's not possible, but how the hell are there 2 minutes left of class. I've been staring at the clock for FOREVER.

Today is the last day of the second term - aka, the best day of the second term. It's not that school was terrible, in fact, I found it interesting… the first couple days. I'd never participated in civilian school and all the knowledge of the ins-and-outs of school socials were sure to come in handy one day. But seriously the material was SIMPLE, omg it was so simple. School seemed like an agenda for 5 minutes of learning spread out slowly into 5 hours instead. Like a mini-series that somehow is rebooted for 10 spin-off series when there's no more material to possibly spin-off. Yes, yes just like what you're thinking. School was like the Transformers franchise.

RING. RING. RING. The bell finally rings. Cheers erupt from the class. Rightfully so.

I shoot up from my seat, quickly lift up the window and bolt out, not even bothering to use the door.

"HATSU-CHAN PLEASE USE THE FRONT DOOR. HIBARI-SAN YOU TOO - " Hibari glares at him - "n-nevermind."

We race down out the school grounds, down the street, through the town. We were both far quicker, stronger and smarter than we ever had been. Kyoya's physical strength is insane - what level he was at when we first met, he had at least doubled. For me, I am much more agile than he is - and he has yet to win any race against me.

I laugh, boosting my speed to 80% for the last kilometer.

I easily leave Kyoya in the dust, skidding into the shadows of the Warehouse District.

Kyoya appears behind me a couple seconds later.

"Out of breath already?"

"Say that to me when the score isn't thirteen to twelve." He reminds me.

"Say that to me after today." I bite back.

I am ONE behind, but today I'll get the lead. My pride can't handle it otherwise. There were plenty of rumors swirling about ruffians snooping around the warehouse district the past two days. And if I find any, I'm going to beat the shit out of them (before Kyoya!).

We stroll through the streets, side by side, like two suited-up badasses making an entrance into a Men In Black scene. Passerby cower in fear as Kyoya's tonfa reveal themselves. He's quickly becoming a feared name around these parts. And even though I was a part of his crusade to discipline the town, I am hardly noticed. Reasonable considering Kyoya's presence far overshadows mine. For any seasoned fighter, his bloodlust is palpable. Even civilians, though not knowing why, know instinctively to avoid him.

I, on the other hand, have almost no presence. One of my best natural skills - to blend in with the masses, mask my aura - shit like that.

A group of ten delinquents appears before us.

"Oh? Seems like they're expecting us Kyoya."

"These are the kids the Boss wants us to take out?"

"Eheheheh~ The girl is mine." WOW, what a creepo. He ranks higher than everyone else by their quick deference to him. He also at least has some sort of authoritative presence. Hopefully this will be more exciting than the last losers. I smile back at him.

Kyoya, looking pissed (not uncommon), points at the goatee man - "He's mine."

"Wha - no he's MINE. He literally singled me out."

Kyoya's fists clench around his tonfa. "I'll kill him."

"... No, I will kill him."

"No."

"Yes."

Kyoya glares at me in a way that tells me he isn't playing around. I glare back in a way that says, fuck you I don't care. :D.

We have no more time to argue about it as the gangsters rush toward us, weapons raised.

Hibari, "Herbivores, I'll bite you all to death."

I charge in, brandishing just my fists. It's too easy, despite their numbers.

WHACK. "Fifteen." I say.

"Fifteen." He responds.

I grab the gangster's bat and jump into the air, I land on another's head - taking him out in the process - and use him as a platform as I launch straight at Creepy Goatee Dude.

"Eheheh~" Creepy Goatee Dude lifts up both fists revealing brass knuckles on each. "Come here little girl~" He sings. His stance… why is he taking up a stance as if he were using a blade?"

"Why don't you come here instead you whiny little bitch?" I wink at him. I can tell it both irks and amuses him. Again, there are a lot of creeps out there.

His fists barrel in quick succession at my face. I dodge, crouching low and punching him in the gut. He is sturdy enough not to topple over, but not enough to keep his footing as he slides back two feet. I don't waste anytime as I launch toward him once more - his right arm barely comes up in time to defend. Suddenly a blade shoots out from the edge of the brass knuckles, nicking me barely on the shoulder. Ah, so that's why. A hidden knife. How boring.

I land a clean punch to the side of his cranium - the resounding CRACK echoes through the streets. His body falling limp to the side.

"SEVENTEEN." I turn to Kyoya with a giant smile.

"Took you long enough. I gave you that one."

"First come, first serve. And to remind you - I'm ahead of you now."

"The night isn't over."

"Really?"

Kyoya grabs Creepy Goatee Dude's limp body from off the ground, extremely roughly I might add. "We'll get this guy to lead us to the rest. We'll end this now."

"Oh aw Kyoya, looking at you using your brains for once!"

His tonfa flies past me as I narrowly dodge it.

A/N: Reviews do help :D