"HA! Take that, Ex-Schwarz scum!!"

"Hey! I'm ex-Schwarz too!"

"Sorry, that was just an automatic insult. And it was so easy to say! It just rolls off the tongue." Schuldich accepted Yohji's strange apology with a smirk and returned his attention to the enemy: Omi, Nagi, and Farfarello. Schuldich, Yohji, and Ken had been challenged to an all-out, loser has to buy winner an expensive dinner, fight-to-the-death, snowball war.

Brad and Aya were on the porch, both absorbed in their own little worlds. Brad was reading a newspaper that he had gone into town to buy earlier that day, and Aya was curled up on the porch rail with a book. No one even bothered to question #1: Why he wanted to sit on the railing in the first place, and #2: How he managed to keep his balance in that position. From time to time, one would call out a warning, threat, or (rarely) encouragement, and then go back to reading.

After another thirty minutes had gone by, Brad went back into the house to "get feeling back". Aya nodded absentmindedly, never lifting his eyes from the book. Brad smiled softly and went into the house. A few minutes later, he returned carrying a tray with seven mugs of hot cocoa on it. The younger assassins called a temporary truce while they drank their hot cocoa, and sat around the porch, talking battle strategies.

When the hot cocoa was finished, Brad came back outside to collect the cups. "Thank you," Aya murmured, still more engrossed in the book than paying attention to the world.

"For what?" Brad asked, correctly assuming that he was the one the younger man had been speaking to.

"For the hot cocoa."

"Don't worry about it." Aya looked up and offered a small smile, making Brad glad he had thought of it.

~~

After another few hours of playing in the snow, the six snowball fighters had found a winner - Omi, Nagi, and Farfarello - and had almost worn themselves out. They were all lying in the snow, the chibis and Ken making snow angels, and Farfarello trailing behind them, destroying the angels. Yohji and Schuldich looked up to the porch where Aya was still reading.

"You know . . ." Schuldich started, gesturing to the silent redhead, "we need to do something to get the ice princess into the snow. He's cold enough that he just might enjoy it."

"Ice princess . . . hmm, I'll have to remember that one. But he hates the snow, trust me. Omi, Ken, and I threw him off the porch a few years back, and I thought he'd never forgive us. He came downstairs later that day with his katana, and all I could think was 'This is the end. I'm going to die by the blade of my teammate'."

"We'll just have to get him to come out here of his own free will."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Well . . . he did start yelling when you insulted me . . . maybe if we started throwing insults at each other . . ."

"You're more desperate than I am. Do you really think he's going to fall for that?"

"Of course he is. Watch." Schuldich suddenly jumped up, face scrunched up in rage. "You lying jerk!" he yelled, staring straight at Yohji.

Yohji jumped up at the insult, and pushed Schuldich into the snow. "How dare you call me that! You're the murderous piece of scum that would sell out our own team as soon as tell them your name!"

__ That's a good one! __ Schuldich sent to Yohji telepathically.

"ENOUGH!!" Everyone outside looked at Aya, who was standing on the top step of the porch, looking close to murder. "Can't you two behave for ONE DAY?"

"Well, excuse me, but he's the little bastard who- " But Schuldich didn't have a chance to finish the insult before a pale hand gripped the collar of his jacket and lifted him a few inches off the ground.

"Do not even THINK about finishing that sentence, do you understand?" Schuldich tilted his head back to look at his captor. Aya's eyes held anger, frustration, and - to Schuldich's surprise - tears. When he nodded, Aya lowered him back to the ground and turned to go back inside.

"Aya, wait!" The smaller redhead turned back to the telepath. "What happened? I mean, why does our insulting each other bother you so much?" After a few minutes of silence, Schuldich had gotten tired of waiting for a response. He spoke to Aya's lowered head. "Well? Are you going to answer me, or be your normal, emotionless, unfeeling self? Why is it that you can give us all kinds of commands, but when it comes to answering a simple question, you get quiet? Are we not good enough? Huh? Are you so good and important that you can't even answer a question from one of us mere mortals!"

When Aya looked up, the others were surprised to see tears running freely down his cheeks. "Yes, I was going to answer you!" Aya yelled, his voice thick with tears. "You really want to know why it bothers me? Because I've heard those insults all my life! Every time I did something, it was never good enough; I'm just the 'bastard' that can never do anything right! You all call me emotionless and unfeeling, but maybe it's because I've had feelings kicked out of me! Have you ever thought of that? I grew up hated by everyone! I had to weigh everything I said so that I wouldn't get yelled at or hit for it later! You would be quiet, too! So stay out of things you can't understand. And while we're on 'simple questions', why don't you just go into my head and pick out the answers? Why are you suddenly so conscientious about other people's privacy?"

Schuldich paused for a minute, trying to filter in all the younger man had said. "Be- " But Aya had already run into the house. The six assassins that were still outside exchanged looks and followed him in.

~~

A/N: What did you think? This is the result of reading a bunch of different kinds of fanfics, things that my family has told me about their lives, and a touch of insanity from my own imagination. I hope I didn't scare you with this one, but trust me, it has to do with the plot. The family stuff will come in a few more chapters, promise! Please review and let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for what should happen in the next chapter, let me know? Thanks!