Big Sister Fujioka!

by hostclubmanager17

The Host Club was entertaining with just ONE Fujioka girl... but what would've happened if there had been TWO? Meet Jin Fujioka, Haruhi's older sister, who's about to give the host club a brand new twist! Follows the English dub anime. OC enters later in the story. Warning: Haruhi is somewhat OOC. Slow burn is slow. Main story ends at Chapter 52

65. I Am Not the Villain

Wow, you all really liked that last chapter. Don't worry, I've already made plans for writing the following six years of school, but I'm going to put other chapters in between them. Mostly because writing Year Two is going so slow, and I somehow got inspiration for this chapter instead. I promise, all of your Hogwarts AU questions will be answered in the next chapter!

Okay, so this chapter is actually a really late request from Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi. I had plans on writing a Teen Titan's chapter instead of this, at least at first, but it never worked out for me for some reason. Then, I randomly wrote a possible start while I was at work, and what I wanted to be a short flashback turned into seven pages of straight Kyoya P.O.V. So, I decided to keep it up. And now we have a full chapter that is almost strictly from Kyoya's point of view. I hope you like it!

Also, Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi asked if Jin was a fan of Marvel or DC. Answer: Marvel, but she does like the new Wonder Woman and Justice League movies. Jin dragged Kyoya, Haruhi, and Ranka to Infinity Wars the day it came out and cried like a baby at the end. Afterwards she was on Tumblr for hours, scrolling through the 'Infinity War Spoilers' tag and crying again at all the gifs and theories.

Thank you to foxchick1, Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi, Ichigo0-0Rose, Stolyint, Shadowing, Momochan77, Zae Marks, Shiranai Atsune, gossamermouse101, Fallen Heavens, AnimeMangaLover, and Wonderwomanbatmanfan for your reviews.

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Warnings: Minor Character Deaths

I also borrowed a term from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson novel, but I couldn't think of a better way to name it.

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I Am Not the Villain

I was little when it happened. My age not even in the double digits.

Life was simple back then. Probably because I was too small to remember it as anything else, but as far as I was aware we were happy. Me, my parents, and my three older siblings. I had two big brothers and a big sister, who was my favorite.

Which, I should mention, wasn't exactly my big brother's fault. We were being raised in a very masculine-centered household, after all. Even at my young age I was starting to have a harder time expressing my emotions around my family and classmates.

Fuyumi, my big sister, was the exception.

She smiled a lot, that much I remember perfectly. There were also a lot of hugs. And forehead kisses, which I pretended to despise but in secret looked forward too.

I wish I hadn't pretended. Maybe I would've gotten more.

She probably got her sweet nature from our mother, who was also very gentle and soft with her children. When I was very small, many years before the incident, she would come into my room after the maids put me to bed as I was fast asleep. She'd sit at the edge of my mattress and stroke my hair, caressing my cheek with her thumb. Most of the time I just pretended to be asleep.

I wish I'd pretended more.

It's funny, how fast a child can grow up, depending on the circumstances. At the time, there were some kids in my grade who still believed in Santa Claus, while others were already talking about what high school they wanted to go to in 6 or 7 years.

I had been a part of the latter group.

If I'd been in the former… I try not to think about it, but the incident might've broken me beyond repair.

It had been a regular, boring, run-of-the-mill sort of day. A Friday, in the middle of spring. Our gardens were just starting to bloom, and Fuyumi wanted to bake a cake. As I think back on it, I don't quite remember why she wanted to do it in the first place. It wasn't anyone's birthday, and most of our family, myself included, didn't really crave sweets so much. But since it was Fuyumi, and because she had the time, she came up with enough of a reason to bake a cake. Despite the fact that she'd never baked a cake before in her life.

What's more, she wanted to go shopping for the ingredients herself.

"It'll taste even better if I pick them out!" She had insisted, already throwing a pretty sweater over her dress. "And this way if I find cute decorations or something else to add to the cake I can get it all at once!"

Not to anyone's surprise, Fuyumi's wish was granted. She even managed to wrangle our mother into going with her. A spontaneous Mother-Daughter day trip to the store. No one argued.

But we should've.

We should've argued. Pleaded. Demanded. Begged. Anything and everything to make them stay at the house. Locked them in one of the bedrooms, if that's what it took.

But we didn't. And they went, Fuyumi giving me a fleeting kiss to the forehead. I'm pretty sure I saw my mother giving my father's hands a brief squeeze, but I didn't get a good look, so I'm not sure. My big brothers, Yuuichi and Aikio, weren't there at the moment. They both had Friday classes that semester at the nearby college they attended, but would be home after a few hours. Fuyumi and Mother would be back before then.

They didn't come back.

Yuuichi and Aikio's return was the first sign that something wasn't right. Then Fuyumi didn't answer my texts. Or my phone calls.

And then the police showed up at our door.

Now, that moment stands out perfectly clear in my mind, even to this day. The policeman, in his full uniform, staring down at me and quietly requesting my father. I had hesitated to leave the stranger alone, especially after he politely refused my offer to step inside, but eventually I just left the door open and ran to fetch my father.

He had been in the sitting room, quietly watching the fire with his newspaper on his lap. I knew he'd been faking interest in reading it ever since Fuyumi and Mother's absence stretched over two hours. I guess by that point he didn't care if he showed his concern or not.

The moment I told him the police were there, he was out of his seat and running through the house, me hot on his tail. Aikio spotted us through the kitchen doors and called out to Yuuichi, both of them leaving their half-eaten lunches behind to follow us.

My father was panting softly by the time the four of us reached the door. The policeman was still there, spine as stiff as ever. He let out a long breath through his nose when my father questioned his presence.

We weren't given a warning. Or eased into it.

"Ootori-san, I'm sorry to tell you, but your wife and daughter are dead."

After that, the world moved around me in slow motion. I felt the vibrations going through my shoes and up my legs as Yuuichi fell flat on his butt, hands coming up to hide his face as he sobbed. Aikio was shouting something, his face growing red even as he knuckles went white from holding the front door too tight. Father staggered on his feet, slumping sideways so the door frame would take most of his weight.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, but according to Aikio it only took me 10 seconds to burst into tears and run outside. The policeman reached out to grab me, but I was too fast and had caught him off guard. I'm glad.

Because as I ran down the long, winding driveway, out of sight from the front door, screaming for my mother and my big sister, I unleashed my powers for the first time.

Now, if I had gotten my powers at any other time in my life, I would've been thrilled. In a world full of superheros, I had nearly flipped my lid upon learning that my family had the special gene that passed on super powers. Father didn't have any, and neither did Fuyumi, but that didn't matter to me, because I knew I had powers. Even if I couldn't get them out at first.

See, most powers are influenced heavily on emotion or brainpower or some combination of the two, depending on what said powers are. Mother, who could tell when a person was lying or was telling the truth, and whose touch acted as a truth serum, had used an even balance of both. Yuuichi can see into the future, but not for long and not too far if he wanted to avoid a nose bleed or a migraine. He mostly relied on brainpower to activate his powers. Aikio was the other way around, his control over his emotions allowing him to cast a similar control over a small amount of people for a few minutes before releasing them with no memory of the incident.

I, however, seemed to be like my mom.

Right as my powers were unleashed, my screams for my mother and sister had taken a shrill crescendo. I dropped to my knees and slammed my hands on the ground, fingers splayed wide, and immediately a dark essence spider-webbed through the ground, starting from the center of my palms and my fingertips. My tears made it too hard to see what I was doing, and my chest hurt so badly I didn't even care that I was using my powers. I just wanted my mother and sister. I wanted to be with them. I wanted them to hold me in their arms and squeeze me tight until the nightmares went away.

Yuuichi was the one who found me, having used his own powers to find me while Aikio took care of the policeman before he started asking questions. What my brother saw scares him to this day. Not my powers, of course, but what I was about to do with them.

Every shadow within a ten foot radius had answered my call, slipping away from even the tiniest blades of grass and the pebbles scattered across the road to encircle my small body. My own shadow didn't even match up to my hunched over form, being swept away in the tide of darkness now swirling around me. According to Yuuichi, it was the most bizarre sight he'd ever witnessed. You never realize how much you depend on shadows for your perspective, or even your own sanity. And I was able to take them away and use them myself.

But I didn't care about that. I was still calling for my mother. For my big sister.

The shadows swirled even faster, combining until it looked like a bottomless pit was opening up beneath me. Yuuichi finally snapped out of it when he noticed my tears were no longer splashing against the pavement, but were disappearing through the inky blackness. And my hands and knees were starting to sink after them. It was almost my first time "Shadow Travelling", which would've been a disaster if Yuuichi hadn't grabbed me in time.

Or, well, "grabbed" is a gentle word. In reality he practically tackled me to the side, knocking me away from the darkness and causing us to roll across the street in a heap. The sudden hit shocked me enough to actually see what I'd done before I lost all my concentration and the shadows slid back to their rightful place in nature.

Perhaps that's why the sun shone as bright as it did that day. Punishing my disobedience of its natural work by bringing joy to everyone but my family.

But that wasn't the end of the story.

It was a car accident that killed my mother and sister. They were leaving the store, waiting on the sidewalk for the limo to pull up when another car drove straight at them and crushed them where they stood. The video camera showed my mother trying to push Fuyumi out of the way, but it was too late.

The killer was never found.

Which is what started it all.

For the first three days, the police worked with us. They gave us pamphlets for grief counselors, shared updates on evidence, and one nice lady even gave me and my brothers a plate of cookies while we sat in the station.

But then the lab reports came in.

And they included the fact that my mother had powers.

The only people in that whole station who knew were the mortician and the chief, a gruff, lumbering man named Kamitanu Hajime, who invited my father to his office that same day. To inform him in person that they'd be dropping the case.

People with powers live under different jurisdictions than those that don't. And whoever killed my mother could've been a villain targeting her for being a hero. My sister ended up being collateral damage, but the police department couldn't hunt a villain unless they were called in by a hero, to minimize the death toll.

My father didn't take the news well.

It started as a simple hunt for revenge. Using our combination of powers and his own "superpower" of money, we were able to collect all the evidence pertaining to the case before it was destroyed. From there, we took matters into our own hands.

I was 15 when we switched tracks.

Not to say we'd given up, but our moral was almost non-existent at that point. There was no way to find the guy. The plate on the car had been faked, so there wasn't any history from it at all. There were no prints or other kinds of DNA to be found, and the city cameras from that day didn't provide any new leads. And on top of all that, I was still attending high school and my older brothers had their own jobs. We had even less time than we did when we started.

Then... a small break.

A large sum of money. Video enhancements. The barest hint of a logo on the murderer's jacket.

We had a target.

It was our family's main business rival, Tayton Corporation.

Looking back on it, that might've been what drove my father to the edge, where he began the nerve-wracking teetering. To learn that his wife and daughter might've been killed thanks to him and his work, but never got justice for a completely unrelated reason… well, I'm sure that would've messed up anyone.

It began small. Recon missions. Aikio or myself going undercover, looking for employee lists or merchandise sales on the day of the incident and before. But so far? Nada.

On the other hand… as we worked on the cold case, my father started learning some interesting things about the rival company. Such as high employee turnover rates. Bare minimum insurance. High employee injury rates. Other stuff, too, but father didn't like showing them to us. He didn't really show us anything at all. Ever since the incident… he's become very protective, in his own way.

Since that discovery, he became sort of like our control tower. Laying out missions and giving us instructions through earpieces. And so, we worked to take Tayton Corp. down. We couldn't go to the police. We'd learned our lesson, thank you very much. We were also getting our information in not 100% legal ways. Also, Yuuichi, Aikio, and I all had powers. Meaning, we had to protect our identities and separate them from our hero work. Going public was a big no-no for this. We had to be vigilantes. Sounds cool when I say it like that, yes?

But not everyone saw us that way.

Tayton Corporation did a good job covering their tracks. They also had the advantage of going public, talking about the "strange" and "unprecedented" attacks. Thankfully with Yuuichi's foresight, we knew how to cover our tracks and keep them from pointing fingers at the Ootori Group. Even if that did mean a few "attacks" on our own hospitals here and there.

But regardless, before long we were all given… Villain names.

Aikio was the first. He became the "Puppet Master". That had been hard on him. He locked himself in his old bedroom for five hours after that, and when he came back out his eyes were rimmed red and he had long scratch marks all the way down his arms. That was when we decided that no matter when or where we were, we'd never refer to each other as the names the public gave us. Not even if we were fighting.

Yuuichi's name followed. "The Oracle". It wasn't as bad as Aikio's at first, but when a news special went on about how his name had come from the death omens in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, he refused to speak for nearly a week.

And although he never set foot into a fight, even Father was given a name. He was just "Father", because that's all anyone ever heard us say into our headsets. There are many theories about him. A spirit controlling our bodies. Some malevolent god we worshiped. Some controlling alien being. A villain who took the three of us in to use us, making us call him "Father". Very few people thought we were all actually related.

I was the last one. Probably because I made a point to be rarely seen. But that's also what lead to my name.

"Shadow", they call me.

My entire black suit is probably what kept my name from being "Ghost", since they didn't learn about my shadow powers until the week after the name going public. And they only learned about them because I had decided that I didn't care about being seen. I wanted to be seen. I wanted to be seen as what I really was: a hero. But I couldn't.

My powers, which I had at one point in time thought were really cool, scared people. Rational creatures fear the dark. They fear the things that walk in the dark without missing a step. The fear the things that can overthrow the light.

They feared me.

It wasn't until I ran in front of a family of three and the little girl screamed in terror upon seeing me that I finally got with the program. I would never be the hero. Even if somehow all the truth came to light and Tayton Corp. was taken down, I'd never be seen in a positive light. My reputation as a superhero was smeared.

I was scary.

And, when scary things begin to appear at certain places… eventually the real heroes show up.

It took us four months to attract the first hero. "The Prince", or just "Prince". Bright blond hair, glowing purple eyes, a flair for the dramatics, a pure heart, and telekinesis had combined themselves to make the picture perfect hero. Save for his idiotic tendencies.

Oh, sure, he was a good fighter, and he was very nobel. But sometimes he would start a conversation, right in the middle of a fight! Not even the general "I know there's good in you, why are you doing this, blah, blah, blah" talk, but things like the dogs he saw on the way there and questions about life in Japan because he'd just moved there from overseas or how he wished he was called "The King" instead. When we first met, I first thought it was his way of throwing us off our game to gain the upper hand, but soon I couldn't deny the fact that our nemesis was a moron!

A clever moron, but a moron nonetheless!

And, like a bigger moron, I just had to say those words out loud to my family one night.

The following day, we had two more heroes to fight.

A week later, another pair.

Two months after we first ran into Prince and we had a grand total of six heroes against us. Six to three. And the heroes all had incredible powers. The kind of powers that sort of automatically make you the hero if you have them.

"The Iron Wall" was a really tall dude whose main objective seemed to be protection. His skin was impenetrable, as was his uniform. Whether he was actually made of iron or not remains to be seen. But, if that wasn't enough, he could also conjure force fields. Probably two separate powers from his parents that he had the fortune of inheirating. Some people get all the luck. Much like his little companion, the "Lucky Rabbit".

While his size might fool you, the small child was basically the heavy artillery of the group. His hand-to-hand combat was insane, and it took months before anyone could land a single hit on him. And that didn't even factor in his power of super-speed. If it weren't for Yuuichi's powers, the kid would've gotten us arrested long before now. Which makes his bunny super-suit all the more irritating.

However, he was nowhere near as irritating as "Cheshire". Now, even though there's only one name, it actually refers to two people, even though the public doesn't know it. Twin boys with flamboyant red hair and an affinity for tricks and wide, mischievous smiles that loved to throw wrenches into our plans. One time even literally. And, well, considering they share the powers of invisibility and teleportation, the name just makes a lot of sense.

When they first showed up, even after I figured out they were two seperate people, I would often be confused by their status as heroes. Truthfully, for the first couple of months, the boys were more anti-heroes than anything. They seemed to enjoy causing havoc, no matter who the victim was, even among their fellow heroes. I couldn't understand it. But eventually they eased up on Iron Wall and Lucky Rabbit, explaining during one fight that they just liked having fun.

To be fair, it was sort of funny seeing Prince go off on them in the middle of a fight, throwing things at them to dodge. But then, a new hero showed up and Cheshire turned their full attention to him.

"Stormcloud" was named the very night of his debut. Grey aesthetics, grumbling sort of personality, and the ability to control the weather. Oh, and he can fly. There's that, too.

Also, and I found this mildly entertaining, "Stormcloud" was actually a good gender-lacking name for someone who didn't care much about gender. I'd discovered Stormcloud was actually a girl after our first real one-on-one fight, but judging by how she handled the press and her unwillingness to correct them about being a boy, I came to the conclusion that she either didn't care or had no preference. Her brazen attitude and quick tongue actually endeared her to me, somewhat, even though we still fought each other.

And that was it. That's what my life was like every other week. No after club activities for me. Without fail, once all three of us had a free opening in our schedule, Yuuichi would help Aikio and I sneak inside a Tayton Corporation building with Father whispering in our ears. Then some mixture of the six heroes would come and we'd have some sort of a fight before my brothers and I slipped away.

Because we were the villains.

*\/*

The infiltration had gone without a hitch.

We were on the hunt for video footage today. A few clients from this particular hospital had made a few more trips in than usual, their illnesses acting up. It was our job to find video or any other sort of proof that the doctors weren't helping on purpose, in order to bring in more revenue to the hospital by increasing patient visits. If we could find something like that and put it on the internet, the doctors would be fired, the patients would finally be given the correct care, and Tayton Corp. might be inspected by federal law. Something we really needed.

"Okay boys, keep calm. Follow the plan."

That was Father's voice in my ear, but none of us responded. We were too close to the hospital's security to risk it. Aikio and I were staring at Yuuichi as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. A few seconds later and he opened them again, nodding towards us. I nodded back and grabbed him and Aikio by their arms.

Then, we Shadow Travelled.

It's hard to explain how I do it. But, you know how when you walk through a dark room and even if you can't see anything you know where the furniture is? That's kinda what it's like for me, except I have that feeling even in places I've never seen before. And I can travel long distances with a single "step". All the shadows of the world are connected, so I can use them as gateways without actually travelling for as long. Which is a good thing, since Shadow Travelling is rather exhausting if I do it for too long or I'm carrying too many people with me.

Regardless, I carefully steer my brothers away from the shadows leading into the security room, and we pop out in the main hallway. Raising a finger to my lips, I point us to the right and we move silently through the hospital. All the patients should be asleep in their rooms three floors below, and the offices around us are empty. Our only problem involves the security guards watching the video monitors for this hallway, but Yuuichi didn't see any complications, so we were golden.

The door to the video room was helpfully labeled, but locked. No trouble there. A small tug on my own powers and I flooded the keyhole with darkness, creating a mimic key that opened the door silently. So silently that the man sitting in his little rolling chair didn't even get the chance to turn around before Aikio's powers overtook him.

Instantly the guy sighed, relaxing his stiff posture against the chair cushion. But only for a second. Yuuichi took the watch as Aikio and I approached the guy who was now working to create a copy of every videotape from the past two weeks ago. I looked around nervously. We've been doing our best to stay off the grid lately, but that had only served to put the public on their toes even more, wondering when we'd "strike" next. But the entire room was encased in darkness and shadows, and I could feel nothing out of place in the room.

"Father," I whispered, "There's no sign of the heroes, but I'm not sure we should push it. I say we get out of here as soon as the CDs are printed off."

"No." The answer was quick and short, and I didn't dare to argue. Father got like this periodically. Bursts of almost obsessive-like energy and drive, not to mention a new idea to push our agenda along. This always happened after he visits Fuyumi and Mother's graves alone, which he does more often than the rest of us. I suppose it's the guilt he bears. But still, his plans are sometimes... too energetic. And not careful enough.

Because even though I wasn't arguing, hunting down paperwork from the doctor's personal offices was going to be much trickier. Especially-

"We're going to be found in two minutes."

Yuuichi's announcement had a finite ring to it. And why wouldn't it? Aikio and I exchanged a glance while we waited for Father's orders.

"Did you see if we got the papers?"

"...I didn't see that we didn't."

"And the video recordings?"

"We get them."

"Then you have to try."

I let out a deep sigh, but nod to myself. We did have to try. For Fuyumi. And Mother.

The man finished in less than a minute, and Aikio dropped his powers the second I locked the door behind us. We didn't bother trying to stay quiet as we ran for the offices. We were about be caught anyways, so there was no point.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking. Oh, but why didn't you try to leave the hospital? Isn't that what you were asking your Father? Why didn't you try to change the future Yuuichi saw? I get it. That's what we used to do, too. When we were younger and Yuuichi had just started developing his skills, we tried to change the future. But it doesn't work like that. Yuuichi's visions are air-tight. No muss, no fuss. But he doesn't see the whole picture, so there's no telling what happened to lead up to the image. And if you try to change the future, you just end up there anyways.

For example, when we were younger, he once saw Aikio on the ground with a skinned knee and his bike lying down next to him. Assuming that meant he was going to get hurt riding his bike, Aikio immediately got off and went to head inside when he tripped. He skinned his knee on the sidewalk, right next to his bike.

And then there's now. Yuuichi saw us getting caught. He knew the time but didn't know who caught us or where, even if he had a vague idea, but being "caught" was a definite. We could be caught trying to make our escape. We could be caught wherever I lead us through Shadow Travelling. We could be caught by a doctor or a patient or-

"You boys aren't really good at stealth, are you?"

-or a hero.

I gritted my teeth, biting back the words I wanted to spit at Prince. He annoyed me to no end, especially with his jabs. And he wasn't even trying to be mean, which pissed me off! Ugh, how come he got all the luck! With his telekinesis he could've been a villain, but because he was blond and acted nice, he got to be the hero.

With a short laugh, Prince pushed himself off the wall of the side hallway he'd been waiting in, flicking his bangs to the side along with his...

"Is that a cape?"

"Yup!" The boy laughed and spun around, his white and royal purple cape fluttering around his frame. "Doesn't it look so cool? I was watching old hero clips last week and saw this one hero who had a cape that just... just sort of 'whooshed' behind him when he shot his fireballs out! I figured that it could do the same whenever I threw something! What do you think?"

"This is the dumbest thing you've ever done, which is really saying something."

"Huh? Wah, so mean, Shadow!"

I scoffed, keeping my eyes pinned on Prince. Hopefully, by keeping his attention, it would allow for my brothers to sneak away. For some reason, Prince was obsessed with old heroes and their ways. Probably the reason he insisted we were 'arch-enemies' or something. I disagree. It didn't matter that we fought often in one-on-one battles. I just had the unfortunate luck of fighting Prince first. If it had been Yuuichi or Aikio, they would've been Prince's arch-enemy instead of me. Just the luck of the draw.

Or, well, luck is a bad way of putting it.

Prince let his pout dropping into an actual scowl before giving his left hand a lazy flick. A rumbling boom echoed down the hallway as all the doors shut, nearly taking off Aikio's fingers. Instantly the three of us were on our guard, but Prince crossed his arms again, glaring straight at me.

"What do you mean my cape is dumb?"

My mouth dropped open a bit. No matter how often it happens, I'm still stunned by how ridiculously stupid this guy is. Sometimes I wonder if he'd let all three of us leave without a fight if we just agreed and nodded along with whatever he said, and perhaps if I had more self control I'd be able to try it. But the truth is... I just can't help myself.

"You know what? Fine. But let's get this thing started first." And I pounced.

Prince yelped and threw a door open in my path, like I expected. Slipping through the new shadow from the overhead lights, I disappeared through the door and popped up behind him. Prince spun around, cueing Aikio and Yuuichi to start running in the opposite direction. Prince staggered back, halfway through the process of throwing a decorative plant at me when I tripped him.

Now, some elements of my powers confuse even me at times. I don't quite understand how I am capable of temporarily creating solid objects out of shadow, but somehow its possible for me. Nothing exceedingly large, of course, and nothing with functioning parts like a car or a gun. But a tripping hazard or a blockade? Perfectly acceptable. And what's better is that Prince, for some reason, can't use his telekinesis over my creations.

Which is why he fell over with an undignified thump and a yip of pain. I watched as he proceeded to scramble back onto his feet, raising an eyebrow as his hands and feet became tangled up in his newest costume addition.

Gesturing towards his flailing body with a hand, I announced, "My first criticism is this right here. Capes are impractical nowadays. They have been since the 1960's. It's strictly a fashion statement that does nothing to enhance anyone's powers, and only gives your opponent extra material to hinder you with. And, my second point..."

Prince yelped again as I charged, our hands fisting in each other's uniforms as I shoved him through a dark shadowy corner, the two of us quickly reappearing in the main lobby of the hospital... in the rafters.

I gave the other boy a rather wicked smile before reminding, "You can't even fly."

And then I shoved him.

I only did it because I knew he'd be fine. I might be a, quote-unquote, villain, but I've never killed anyone and I never planned to. Prince, for all his idiotic tendencies, was pretty decent when it came to self preservation. He could've easily bent one of the metal beams supporting the roof to catch him, or moved the chair cushions into a pile on the floor for a soft landing. It was only a three story drop, after all.

But, as it turned out, Prince didn't need to do any of those things. Because he had backup.

Faster than I could blink, a colorful blur shot through the air, catching some nice hang time in a jump before snatching Prince out of the air. I narrowed my eyes and slipped back into the shadows, popping up on the other side of the rafters to keep an eye on the lobby. I wasn't sure where Yuuichi and Aikio were, but I hoped they were getting the papers. Because I was going to remain here and keep an eye on the heroes. Because if Rabbit was here, then so was Iron Wall. And possibly some of the others...

Prince was thanking Rabbit at the moment, squeezing his hero friend in a tight hug and dramatically recounting the save. I rolled my eyes, then immediately regretting it. Clicking my tongue under my breath, I hastily rubbed at my left eye, where my contact had shifted off center. It was one of the more annoying parts of my powers, putting in contacts so I didn't have to worry about my glasses during a fight. Sure, it probably helped to keep me from being recognized as Kyoya Ootori, but I wasn't too worried about that. My entirely black uniform helped disguise my figure as well as my hair and the lower half of my face. Truth be told, I looked like an upgraded version of the U.S.A.'s idea of ninjas. But my big brothers designed it, so even if I had any complaints I didn't exactly have anyone to tell.

Oh! The Iron Wall! Well, at least I know he's here and not a few floors above, but he's so damn quiet it's hard to make out what they're saying...

Or at least it would be if Prince could keep his trap shut.

"They're here. Father's henchmen."

Excuse me? I do not hench, thank you very much! I had half a mind to jump down on top of Prince's head, just to announce I disapproved of being seen as a supporting cast member. Homosexual or otherwise.

I grimaced at my own train of thought. The internet was a dangerous place when people didn't know you were related to your siblings...

"Yeah, I saw them on the fifth floor, leaving the security camera station. I think they had a CD or something... no, I've got no clue what was on it. Shadow distracted me while the other two got away, then he dropped me from the rafters."

I ducked further into the shadows as their eyes darted upwards before going back down.

"Is the rest of the family coming?"

Rabbit hummed, bouncing in place like he had no choice but to expel energy. "Cheshire-chan and Storm-chan are too busy, Prince-chan. They have that big end-of-the-year project due tomorrow morning."

I blinked, peeking over the lip of the steel beam. This was interesting... did these heroes know each other outside of these fights? It sounds like they were schoolmates, or at least some of them. And Cheshire and Stormcloud were classmates? That was... very interesting. Prince always liked to play pretend with the other heroes, calling them his family, but maybe they actually were all close. It would explain how all six of them managed to get to the fights so quickly. Maybe it was just extra security for them all?

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I almost missed the next part of the conversation.

"-on her way, but I dunno when she'll get here."

She? Who she? If it's not Stormcloud-

"Kyoya?"

I straightened my back on instinct, but was quick to drop back into a crouch. I gave a low hum, indicating I was listening.

"I'm watching through the security cameras. Aikio patched me through once you three were separated. Your brothers are back on the fifth floor and they just got the papers. Go meet up with them and get out."

I nibbled at my bottom lip, staring down at the three heroes still talking. I wanted to follow Father's orders... but I was also curious about this new heroine they were talking about. I didn't usually get the chance to eavesdrop on these heroes, too preoccupied with fighting in places that didn't offer halfway decent hiding places. And I was already learning new things.

But, Father's orders.

I sighed and turned my head to the side, in the process of telling Father I was on my way, when I was abruptly grabbed.

I didn't even get a chance to react before I was plummeting to the ground, a rope wound around my left arm and waist. I let out a pained grunt as my back hit the floor, leaving me winded. My own name rang out in my ears before I went on autopilot, blocking out everything else around me. Walls of shadow went up around my body, offering brief protection while I writhed against the rope around me. It took a while for my vision to clear, so when I felt something cold and smooth around my arm rather than a coiled strand of rope, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

Snake!

I clawed at the thing, and was both disgusted and confused to find that the top layers gave way easily under the pressure of my fingertips. Of course, when my vision finally cleared, I was still confused by what I saw. It wasn't a snake (thank god), but it was green. And... it was a vine? How did-

A sudden shout reminded me that I was in the middle of a fight.

Struggling to my feet, I pulled in the shadows surrounding me, letting them slide under my feet and push me up onto a pedestal. A quick glance showed me Rabbit and the Iron Wall running (at varying speeds) down the hallway. No doubt heading upstairs towards my brothers. Prince was standing by the receptionist desk, but looked more interesting in observing the scene rather than attacking me.

And then there was someone new standing at the front doors.

There was no doubt in my mind that it was the heroine the others had been discussing earlier. She had on a green uniform that left her hands, hair, and the lower half of her face uncovered, and the design had an odd leaf-y look to it. Thankfully without looking primitive or overdone. I didn't have the time for two fashion-failure heroes at once. Of course, what really got my attention were the writhing potted plants resting just behind the girl, her wrists rotating slowly in time with the plant's movements. The girl jutted out her lower lip, her green mask shimmering around her eyes as she tilted her head down.

"Aww... you ripped my vines. On the night of my debut, no less."

"My apologies." I carefully eased myself back down to the floor, the shadows now creating what looked like an ocean wave poised behind me, frozen at the peak of cresting. "If I had known that another melodramatic hero was on their way, I would've made sure to crack my head open on the floor instead. For your convenience."

The pout immediately disappeared in favor of a big grin. "Nice to know our enemies have a sense of humor. Good. More fun that way. Prince? You mind?"

"Oh no, go ahead." Prince smiled and took a few steps to the left, opening the door for the stairs as he went. "It's your first night, so you get dibs. But I expect you to share Shadow-chan with me next time!"

I growled, "Since when was this decided? And don't call me that!"

"Nope~" He replied, popping the 'p', before shutting the door.

I flexed my hands, letting the wave behind me shift around. "You got a name?"

"Not yet. I've heard the news station around here is good at picking them for you."

"You've heard wrong."

The girl tilted her head, and that's when I struck.

Half of the shadows I had collected rushed the heroine, causing her to squeak and lift herself into the air using the nearby potted plants, tendrils wrapped around her waist. Of course, my shadow split into two on the floor before it even reached her, shooting towards the plants and shattering their pots. As I expected, without a solid stance for their roots, the girl wobbled in the air before dropping gracefully to the ground.

She only spared a second to look disoriented before leveling a solid glare at me. I had only seconds to let the shadows overtake me before she threw what looked like uncooked rice at me from a pouch on her waist. Slipping into the shadows, I felt more than saw the seeds immediately sprout into a tangle of wild grass that whipped around like a sea anemone. If I had been any slower, no doubt I would've been tangled up in that mess. But I had been in battle before, and this girl hadn't.

I had the advantage.

The girl stomped her foot before running after Prince. Thankfully, I had a much faster way of getting to the 5th floor.

But Rabbit was, of course, much faster. And, with his head start, my brothers didn't stand much of a chance. I arrived just in time to see Yuuichi take a flying punch to the face, causing him to spin around before falling face first to the floor. I popped out of the shadows just in time to catch him, and my appearance shocked the Rabbit enough for Aikio to work.

Neither Yuuichi's nor Aikio's powers are necessarily good for a fight, but Aikio's were a special case. As people with special abilities, more often than not our bodies are stronger than those of powerless folk. Bone structure, pain tolerance, you name it. But that also meant resistance against other people's powers, too. Just as how Prince can't use his telekinesis on my shadows, Aikio's control doesn't work too well on heroes. If he controls them for too long, there becomes a greater chance of them breaking free of his grip. Thankfully he learned that lesson early on in life when he tried to make Yuuichi and I clean his room for him, instead of figuring it out during a fight.

But, that being said, none of us would be comfortable with Aikio sending innocent people to fight any of these heroes. Least of all Aikio. He may be a little shit at times and a pain in the ass, but he's not a villain. Al three of us have set limits for ourselves. What we will never do, no matter how evil the world thinks we are.

Which is why Aikio focused his powers on the Rabbit. And not on the sleeping patients below us.

The Rabbit stumbled over his own two feet when Aikio's powers reached him. He shook his head, as if he was trying to physically remove Aikio's presence, but instead found his feet moving on their own. He wasn't going at his highest speed, but it was still enough to knock over the Iron Wall when they collided further down the hallway. The moment Aikio dropped his hands, I grabbed his wrist and dropped the three of us through the floor.

We landed on top of Prince, which was a nice bonus in my opinion.

The boy squawked in outrage, flailing his arms around but thankfully not lucid enough to throw things or us around the hallway. After throwing in one decent punch at his jaw for good measure, I grabbed my brothers again and phased us into the next room. It was a patient's room, but it was empty. Thankfully. No beeping monitors. No stench of sickness in the air. The potted plant in the corner of the room lacking any signs of a 'Get Well Soon' card attached to it.

My family may run hospitals, but that doesn't mean I enjoy being in them.

I shook my brother's arms, forcing them to focus after a quick run. Thankfully, Yuuichi hadn't been knocked unconscious by the punch. His cheek would bruise up nicely over the weekend, though.

"Video?"

"Right here." Aikio patted at his left thigh, which made a faint clicking sound as he did so. I was tempted to make a comment about how sweaty the case would be by the time we got home, but decided to wait.

"Papers?"

"No." Yuuichi shook his head and pointed at his slowly swelling cheek. "Ambushed, remember? Lost my grip on them while trying to get out."

"Right. Sorry, Father, but we have to go. There's a new heroine-"

"Aww... you remembered me."

I barely had enough time to wrap my brothers in shadow before I was being scooped by a pair of huge leaves and thrown out the window. I pushed my brothers in their shadowy "cocoons" in front of me, shattered the glass windows before I tumbled out after them. A quick veil spared me from getting cut by the falling glass, but I barely managed to fall through the building's shadow on the ground instead of hitting the frozen ground. Immediately I popped out through a thin opening on the side of a cherry tree a few feet away, rolling along in the grass which is the exact opposite of the place I wanted to be.

Looking around, I spotted Aikio and Yuuichi's temporary cocoons on the grass nearby, and could feel them both pounding on the sides, wanting to be let out. Instead, I pulled them towards them. Hopefully their stomachs wouldn't hate me later.

Just as I had them in my hold, the heroine drifted out the window. The potted plant's leaves gently slid her down the four floors until they gently deposited her on the ground.

I raised myself and my brothers up, just to get out of the grass.

The girl tilted her head at me again, slowly approaching us. Without thinking, I pushed Aikio and Yuuichi through the small platform, quickly directing them as far away as I could. This girl was dangerous. I'd rather get a feel for her fighting style before revealing the other playing cards. We might need an actual strategy for fighting this one.

She stopped a few paces away and straightened her back... but she didn't attack me. She just stared for a bit. And I stared back. Her eyes were brown. Much like her hair. They were dark, too, unless that was because it was nighttime. I gritted my teeth. Aikio and Yuuichi weren't far enough away. I could travel fast in the shadows by myself, but I had to assume that they'd come running right back to the hospital the moment I released them. And I couldn't risk them putting themselves back in danger before I stopped them myself.

"Why are you still here?" The girl took another step forwards, hesitating just short of her shadow touching my little platform. I couldn't help but notice how the grass around me was starting to swish faster than the wind was blowing.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you sent the other two off in your shadows. Why didn't you go with them?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why defend them so fiercely?"

"Why not?"

I don't know why I was entertaining her with a conversation, even if it felt more real than the talks I shared with Prince. But still...

"Why aren't you attacking me right now? You have many options right now. The grass, the tree, your seeds. I'm clearly outmatched."

The girl hummed, "Well... maybe that's why I'm not."

"...What?"

"You're smart. I don't know if that's actually you or Father whispering in your ear, but you are smart. And you care about the other two. I guess... I want to figure you out, Shadow. You're not what Prince or Rabbit or the Iron Wall... or anyone, has told me."

Aikio and Yuuichi finally resurfaced across town, their cocoons falling away as they rested on the side of a road, next to a closed tea shop. Good thing, too. Because I had no idea what to say.

"I... what?"

The girl took a few more steps until we were close enough to touch fingertips if we chose too. My platform shrunk by a few centimeters.

"You didn't attack the patients."

I stared at the girl. And she stared right back at me.

Something soft touched my cheek and I dropped through the shadows at my feet without a second thought. It was only when I resurfaced in front of my brothers, who punched my arms and shook my shoulders and at one point hugged me until I felt my ribs cracking, that I realized what it was that had touched me.

A cherry blossom had come to rest against my collarbone, caught on my uniform's texture.

*\/*

"Are you sure you don't need help? Will you be able to push-"

"I'm fine. Seriously." I placed a hand on the rim of the cart, shaking it a little. "My roommate is already moved in, so it's not like I won't have any help if I need it."

Aikio's mouth is a straight line as he nods, like his voice hadn't been wobbling for the past ten minutes. Yuuichi is standing behind him, expression not as air tight. Father also nodded, before throwing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it briefly before pulling back.

I had a pretty good idea of what was going through their heads. I was the first one in our family to actually live in a college dorm room rather than stay at home and commute, but to my great surprise none of them had argued with my decision. Even Father had agreed that it might be a good idea for the three of us to start branching out in our lives. Yuuichi was even looking into renting an apartment a little closer to our family's corporate headquarters, where he worked. I was glad. Fighting and being surrounded by the stigma of being a villain 24/7 was never a good thing for anyone.

"Well…" I took in a deep breath before straightening my back. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Don't get into too much trouble." Aikio gave me what he probably thought was a friendly punch to the arm before Yuuichi walked around him and enveloped me in a brief hug. I was so caught off guard I didn't get the opportunity to hug back or make fun of him before he ducked back into the limo.

A few more words passed between us before Father and Aikio followed Yuuichi's example, and then I was left alone, staring after the limo with a cart full of my stuff at my side. After a few more seconds I let out the breath I had been holding in and began pushing my cart into the building.

As I made my way up to the fourth floor, I couldn't help but wonder exactly what, or who, was waiting for me in my new room. Not that I was nervous, per say, just… curious.

I'd already seen the set up during orientation, and the student at the front desk who helped to check me in told me my roommate had already arrived half an hour ago, which meant there would be a couch and a refrigerator in there now, too.

Along with… my roommate.

I didn't know much about my new "best friend" other than the fact that he's a 1st year student like myself, had also requested a room with only one roommate instead of the usual three or four person arrangement, and he had a preference for the larger bedroom. The guy didn't have any photos online, not even a Facebook page, which was surprising given how he'd described himself as a 'bubbly and infectiously happy person, perfect for making strong friendships quickly".

By the time I arrived in front of my new "home" for the upcoming school year, I had come to the decision that I was going to do my best to avoid whatever character I'd been saddled with. And if worse came to worse, I could always try to switch out of the room. How long did I have to wait before I could do that, again?

My phone buzzed in my pocket, granting me another 15 seconds to put off going inside. I half expected a text from Yuuichi or Aikio, even if just to annoy or embarrass me, but no such luck. It was just my alarm, reminding me that I had only a half hour to empty out my cart of stuff and return it to the front desk.

Sucking in a slow breath, I tested the door handle. When it gave, I pushed the door open and shoved my cart and myself inside.

"Hello! Sorry for the intrusion!"

Immediately I heard shuffling and what sounded like something falling to the floor in the bedroom off to my left, followed by a strained but pleasant, "Hello! Welcome! Sorry for the mess!"

And it was a bit of a mess in the sitting room. A comfy looking blue and white striped couch had been shoved in the far corner, but whoever had put it there had shoved the table and its cushions off to the side, so there was only three sitting places instead of four. A deconstructed standard bed frame was scattered across the floor, apparently having fallen down from being leaned against the refrigerator on the other side of the wall.

The window and curtains had been pulled open to help with the stifling hot air inside. I remembered getting an email earlier on that the AC had blown out a few hours ago, and until it was fixed we were advised to put up fans and keep our windows and doors open. I suppose having someone pass out on move in day would set the school year off on a rather sour note…

Carefully kicking my shoes off by the door and maneuvering the cart up onto the floor, I pulled it through the mess and into my new bedroom. Thankfully, other than the opened window, it looked untouched. Ignoring how my shirt was starting to stick to my sweaty skin, I immediately began unloading the cart. My television was at the top and I slowly eased the box onto one of the beds. Maybe I'd later push the two beds together and grab some queen-sized mattress sheets from home, just for some extra comfort. That actually sounds-

"Hey! You're Ootori-san, right?"

I turned around at the sound of my name, getting my first look at my roommate. He was standing in the doorway to my room, holding a hanger with a green sweater dangling off the plastic by one shoulder.

If I had still been holding my television, I would've dropped it.

"My name is Suoh Tamaki! Please take care of me!"

I responded to his bow on instinct, taking the split second he couldn't see my face to externally panic. There was no mistaking that blond hair and those purple eyes.

Holy shit, it's Prince.

Fighting hard to put what I hoped was a friendly smile on my face, I said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Suoh-san. Please take care of me as well."

The boy beamed. "So, you're here for business, right? What's your focus?"

"Management. My father expects either myself or one of my brothers to take over his position as CEO for his company, and out of the three of us I'm the only one truly interested."

"Really! That's cool! That's the same for me! I'm expected to take over for my father's company after college, too!"

"Is that so?" I grunted as I struggled to pull my printer out from the bottom of the cart. And I also didn't want to look Prince in the eye too much. What if he recognized me?

"Oh, hey, let me help with that!"

Hoping my face wasn't growing pale, I shifted sideways to give Tamaki enough room to get a handhold on the printer before we lifted it out.

"Want to put this in the sitting room? I mean… after I clean my stuff out of the way. Sorry about that."

"It's fine, and yeah, I was planning on letting you use the printer, too. It'd be kind of a dick move if I made you go all the way to the library to print your stuff when I have this. Just make sure you shut it down after you use it, okay?"

"O-kay!"

The two of us set the machine down on my bed and Tamaki stretched his back. He opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return this cart back to the front desk."

"Oh, sure. Don't let me stop you. I still have quite a bit left to unpack as well… See ya in a bit!"

"Right." Keeping my head down, I quickly pulled my shoes back on and yanked the cart out of the room, nearly clipping the doorframe.

All the way down and back from the lobby I kept my eyes trained on the floor, working the problem. If these was one thing I had learned from the fights with the heroes, it's that there's never any time to freeze. If you freeze, you either get hurt or you get caught, and that's not ever an option. You have to immediately start thinking, and figure out a solution. Any solution.

And that's what I needed to do now.

From the looks of it, Prince didn't recognize me, even though I definitely recognized him. Probably because he only had a thin white mask that went over his eyes, I had the exact opposite. My suit even went over my hair, so unless he'd been staring into my eyes a lot during out fights in those dimly lit buildings and was able to notice the edges of the contacts I wore during battle, I don't think he'll be able to recognize me at all like this. That was a definite advantage.

The trick for keeping my cover would be not calling Tamaki's bluff. I'd have to be extra careful to not call Prince by his real name during a fight and to not call Tamaki by his superhero name while at school. That would definitely be a challenge, but I've managed to refrain from doing so with Yuuichi and Aikio, so maybe I have a chance.

By the time I made it back to my room, a more sincere smile had traveled to my face. Because, so long as I could keep my own alias around Prince, this could become the biggest breakthrough in our mission. I was literally working a solo undercover mission. Which does sound a little exciting.

Tamaki called out another greeting when I entered the dorm, but didn't come out of his bedroom a second time. For the following half hour, the two of us stayed in our own rooms and unpacked. Tamaki held his own one-sided conversation with me through the walls, probably irritating our neighbors but oddly enough I found myself able to ignore it. Or, at the very least, I wasn't driven into a murderous rage.

Probably because I'm already used to Tamaki's odd ramblings. After all, even though he doesn't know it, we've been interacting with each other for years, and Tamaki's personality wasn't at all different from Prince's. I know I'm personally more open with my internal thoughts as Shadow, just to keep social media a little further off my tail, but Tamaki doesn't seem to take any of that into consideration. If anything, I'd bet that Tamaki would actually be thrilled if his secret identity was ever discovered. Considering he's spent the past ten minutes talking about which of his shirts best brought out his purple eyes, I'd say he's a very attention-seeking person.

Then again,I think bitterly, If the world discovered Prince's identity, Tamaki would become a celebrity. A constantly targeted celebrity, but at least the public loves him. If they found out who I was…

I shuddered to think.

A flurry of knocks on the door pulled me away from that dark line of thought, and cut off Tamaki's talking with a surprised yelp. I finished hanging up my last shirt and shut the closet door, listening to Tamaki fumble through his own piles of stuff.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kyoya! I meant to tell you but I forgot! My friends and girlfriend said they'd help me put my loft together! Is that okay? I'll keep them out of your room, but it might get a little crowded, is that okay?"

"Tamaki, it's fine. Just let them in before they break down the door."

I leaned against the doorframe of my bedroom, getting a face full of Tamaki's smile before he kicked a few more boxes out of the way and reached towards the door. In the back of my head, a new list of questions popped up. These friends… did they know about Tamaki being Prince? Had he told them? Would he tell me after a few months? Was he that open with his powers? That would certainly make my job a little easier. But how smart were these friends? How often would they be hanging around our dorm? Would they notice something Tamaki didn't, like how my disappearances from the dorm correlated with "Shadow's" appearances?

I clenched my right hand around my left arm, stilling the incessant tap, tap, tap of my finger as Tamaki pulled open the door.

An almost forgotten piece of information clicked inside my head right before I saw who was on the other side.

"Hey, guys! Come on in!"

My stomach dropped to my toes. I barely refrained from slamming my bedroom door shut and shadow travelling the hell out of there. Because just then I remembered the conversation I'd overheard between Prince and Rabbit just last week. About how all the heroes were friends with each other. Including Prince.

Including Tamaki.

"Ugh, why is this place so hot?"

"Haven't they ever heard of air conditioning?"

Cheshire strolled in first, their red hair spiked up in opposing directions and wearing matching expressions of grumpiness. They kicked off their shoes before hurrying to the couch and collapsing across it. One of them, the one closest to the opened window, let out a pained grunt as he sat down on a pile of notebooks, but made no move to remove them.

"Hey, no need to be so rude! It's not just my room anymore, you know!"

"They do know, Tamaki." Stormcloud walked in next, placing a hand on Tamaki's shoulder to keep her upright as she removed her own sandals. "It's just fun to mess with you."

My mouth had gone dry by that point, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when the Rabbit locked eyes on me the moment he walked through the door.

"Hi! Are you Tama-chan's new roommate?"

"Yup!" Tamaki answered before I could, hugging Stormcloud to his chest as he beamed at me. "This is Ootori Kyoya, everyone! He's here for business management, like I am!"

The rest of the group said their hellos to me, even the Iron Wall as he walked through the door. I barely had enough sense to nod in response. I have no idea how they didn't realize my panic in that moment. My fingers had gone white from how tightly I was holding onto my own arms, and I was all but positive that my face was the same. I was surrounded...

Another voice sounded from just outside the dorm, "Ootori? Like the hospital chain?"

And there she was.

The new heroine.

I watched in disbelief as the girl drifted into the dorm, the flowers on her blouse taunting me with the knowledge of her powers. It felt like the rest of the room suddenly lit up as she entered, her bright grin alighting similar expressions on the other heroes.

It also didn't help my nerves to see her tense up the moment we made eye contact.

I gulped, struggling not to do anything irrational. Like scream. Or dropping through the floor and escaping to Korea. I couldn't freak out. Nothing good would come from it. There... there was no way she could know who I was. No way...

And I was right. Because as soon as I noticed the tension, it was disappearing. The girl's shoulders drooped and she smiled at me.

"Sorry for the intrusion, but thank you for letting us in. Tamaki needs some help putting his loft together, but these guys wanted to help me move in first."

"You're a first year, too?" I am beyond surprised that my voice didn't waver, given all the pressure I was under to sound normal.

"Yup! My major is Accounting, so I'm in the dorms on the other side of campus. Oh, uh, sorry, my name is Fujioka Jin. I went to high school with the rest of these clowns."

"So mean, Jin-nēchan!" That was Cheshire. They both sat up properly on the couch, each raising a hand as they introduced themselves.

"I'm Hitachiin Hikaru."

"And I'm Hitachiin Kaoru. We're third years at Ouran Academy in Bunkyo."

"Same as me." Stormcloud inclined her head in greeting, the most she could do while wrapped up in Tamaki's hug. "My name's Fujioka Haruhi. I'm this moron's girlfriend and I feel sorry for you, but you also get to go to school with my onēchan, so congrats."

Tamaki frowned, but didn't say anything about being called a moron. He was probably used to it. And despite the panic still swirling around my gut, I have to admit that Haruhi's personality was growing on me even further. I even managed to send her a small smirk and a returning nod.

The Rabbit ran across the room and launched himself onto Jin's back, hooking his arms around her neck before announcing, "My name's Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but you can call me Honey! And that's my cousin, Morinozuka Takashi, but he likes being called Mori! We're second years at this university, so if you need help finding someplace just ask! Oh, would you like our phone numbers? Here, tell me your number. I'll text you!"

It was like he was using his powers of speed to talk. Somehow I managed to share my phone number without saying anything else. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the twins also saving my number into their phones. Mori stood beside Tamaki's bedroom door, having only given me a wave and a short "hey" when Honey introduced him. I guess he just doesn't talk in general...

"Perfect! I'll start a new group chat! That way you can get everyone else's numbers!"

"You're all pretty close, huh?"

I wanted to bite off my own tongue.

Thankfully, my ill-advised statement was only met with nods and sheepish smiles. Honey spoke up again, "Well, yeah! Most of us have known each other since preschool! Haru-chan and Jin-chan joined us in high school, but Takashi and I knew Jin-chan even before then, so... we're kinda childhood friends!"

Hikaru snorted, covering his mouth with a hand. "Eh... the Boss moved to Bunkyo during middle school, but he was such a funny-looking kid Kaoru and I took pity on him and allowed him to hang out with us."

"Hey!"

Haruhi just barely managed to keep her boyfriend from tackling her classmates, and the blank look on her face only endeared her to me even more. It's nice to know that you're not the only one capable of being exhausted by too many happy people. Mori-senpai and Kaoru at least seem to have lower energy levels, too. I have the feeling that we're going to be really good friends.

Wait, what am I saying?

Tuning back into the conversation, I watched as the twins continued to needle Tamaki, bringing up how he evidently promised to provide them food and entertainment to repay them for their help. Tamaki's claims against them were brushed off, resulting in a dramatic spiel of how friends were supposed to help for the sake of helping, as opposed to requiring incentives. Meanwhile, Mori and Honey had already gone ahead into Tamaki's bedroom, Mori rummaging around for a tool kit while Honey called out requests for cake afterwards. And Haruhi and Jin just hung back, watching the boys with resigned, if not slightly amused, expressions.

As they slowly began to drift towards Tamaki's bedroom, I brought a hand up over my mouth, and did my best to stifle my laughter.

I couldn't help it. Here I was, starting my new life as a college student, only to find out that my new roommate and all of his friends were the people I spent hours of my time fighting or preparing to fight. And none of them knew who I was. And what was better, was that it hadn't even taken me five seconds to figure it out. All of their personalities as normal people were the same as their superhero identities. How had these idiots managed to remain under the social media radar for so long? How had their old classmates not realized who they really were? How on earth was I this lucky?

"A-hem."

Or, maybe not completely lucky.

Looking up, my hand falling back to my side, I came face to face with Fujioka Jin. Her earlier smile is gone, leaving behind a pair of crossed arms and the beginnings of a glare. She takes in a slow breath before letting it out in a single huff.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I wouldn't say wrong... just..." Jin glanced over her shoulder, towards the doorway to Tamaki's bedroom. Just beyond it, I can catch glimpses of the others moving around, trying to figure out how to put Tamaki's loft together. From the looks of it, Hikaru or Kaoru has just slid a rather important looking screw into their pocket. Another low laugh escapes my lips, drawing Jin's attention back to me.

"Look, I know that Tamaki can be hard to deal with at first, and if you get irritated with him on a regular basis, I can respect that. Same goes for the others, because to be quite honest we're all rather big handfuls at times. But... you don't know him like we do. Like I do. He took care of Haruhi for a year while I study abroad, and he's a lot smarter than a lot of people give him credit for. So.. since I don't know what you were laughing at just now..."

I gulped as she took two steps forward. My eyes dipped briefly to her green shorts, wondering what photosynthesizing tricks she might have in her pockets.

"...I suppose it's only fitting that I give you a warning." Her brown eyes bore into mine, her sweetness giving way to what can only be described as brine-stone and fire. "If you ever, ever, do anything to hurt, ridicule, or otherwise negatively impact Tamaki, in any way, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and make you pay for it."

And just like that, she turned around and left without another word, immediately being greeted by a frantic sounding Haruhi from the other room.

Well... shit.

Without another moment's hesitation, I took a few steps back and shut my bedroom door, like I'd wanted to do ever since I met my new roommate. Pressing my forehead against the wood and staring downwards, I attempted to sort through my thoughts, which were, understandably, a mess.

I couldn't decide whether I should be panicking over whether Jin was referencing her powers during her little accusation or if I was just overwhelmingly pissed off at her deciding on instinct to name me an asshole like the rest of the goddamn world.

My hands curled into fists as I pressed them gently to the wood beside my head. Breathing heavily through my nose, I shut my eyes and fought against my powers. One of the biggest negatives about powers is learning how to control them when you're overwhelmed.

Yuuichi was either lucky or unlucky enough to not have to worry about it until he was studying for his college entrance exams. Lucky in that he hadn't needed to worry about it before, but at the same time it was a terrible time to start. While studying, he'd often find himself thrown into unwanted visions of the future, which only served to ruin his concentration and heighten his stress. Thankfully, he learned pretty quickly how best to "shut down" the part of his brain that activated his powers.

Aikio and I weren't so lucky, since our powers are either entirely or partially controlled by our emotions. It took Aikio a few years to learn how to not let his frustration overtake his will. He practiced by waiting in lines or in traffic during lunch rushes.

As for me? It only took a frightening close call when a classmate of mine was talking up their uncle and everything he did as a police officer to properly lock my emotions down.

After a few more deep breaths, I pushed myself away from the wood and waved a hand behind me, dispelling the shadows that were starting to encroach upon me. I was their master. Not the other way around.

Straightening my back, I leveled a glare at the closed door before turning around and marching to my bed. And the cell phone that was beside it. Pulling the phone from its charger, I went to open the messenger app when a loud voice called through the door.

"Kyoya? Are you hungry? We're going to roam around town for a place to eat once we finish the loft! Shouldn't take too long!"

Something metallic hit the floor, followed by a soft swear and an apology.

"Um... well? Are you in?"

Tightening my grip on my phone, I thought it over.

"...Sure."

"Awesome!" Tamaki cheered before retreating, probably to tell the others that I was joining them. I faintly heard Honey give a soft, chirpy response to whatever was being said.

I sighed, then dropped the phone onto my bedspread. I still had a lot to do before we all left. I'd just have to tell Father, Yuuichi, and Aikio about my discovery some other time.

*\/*

Except, I didn't.

During the first week of classes, I had a very viable excuse not too. That first night had ended up being one shenanigan after the next until the early morning hours. I had been so exhausted the following morning that all I could do was repeatedly hit the snooze button until I was almost late to my first class.

From there I got sucked into my classes. Tamaki and Jin both shared one class with me, each, and by some stroke of bad luck the teacher partnered us up for the in class assignments and group projects.

But even outside of class I found myself in the company of one hero or another. Tamaki started eating lunch with me on a regular basis in the cafeteria for our dorm, the two of us walking straight there after our 11 o'clock classes. By the end of the first week, we had been joined on Mondays and Wednesdays by Jin, and Tuesdays and Thursdays by Mori. For dinner, it was usually Tamaki, Jin, and myself along with whatever combination of the other five could make it that evening.

Of course, like I'd originally predicted, I got along best with Kaoru, Haruhi, and Mori. Our personalities were just better fits, and after only a few days I finally admitted to myself that I was starting to enjoy their company. Not to say that I couldn't handle the others. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Honey were all basically big balls of energy, which both intrigued and annoyed me to some extent, but with the help of the other's sense of calm, I learned how best to react and interact with them all.

It took a full two and a half weeks before I finally got a half-decent shot to slip away and have a long talk with my father and brothers. Tamaki and I were trying to study for out first Business Management quiz and he had just gone to the bathroom, looking faintly sick to his stomach. I could tell him that I was going to a study room or he should go for a walk to get some air, then make the call. It was late at night, so it wasn't like someone could overhear me if I played my cards right. And Tamaki seemed so out of it that he'd be easy to trick.

But I didn't.

Instead, when Tamaki came back out I suggested texting Mori or Honey, to see if they could offer some assistance. Which they did, and the next day we treated both upperclassmen to lunch for their help.

At first, I tried to justify that, with the quiz coming up and a few hours of studying still looming before us, I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on anything after that particular conversation with my father, and a new, better opportunity would come soon. So I waited.

And then when another chance came, I decided to wait again.

And again.

Again.

Again...

The seventh time I kept myself from telling my father about the heroes is when I stopped lying to myself. I barely managed to not slam my head against the concrete wall, because despite my best efforts I had undoubtedly become friends with the very same people who attempted to punch me in the face every other week or so.

And I felt like such an idiot for not realizing what was happening sooner.

Whether it was at the library or the park or the book store, I'd find myself smiling along to the stories being tossed around the group. I didn't mind whenever Tamaki dragged me into a stress-relieving game. I started looking forward to movie nights, sometimes hoping that Hikaru would start throwing popcorn around and get everyone involved in a popcorn/pillow war again.

I guess I just didn't realize how deep I was digging my hole until I overheard Tamaki calling me his "Best Friend".

But then there was Jin, who was a whole different element to consider.

Yes, the first week or so was rocky with a capital 'R'. Somehow without letting Tamaki know, and thus letting him down, we circled each other like wild animals. Whenever she tagged along with the group or Tamaki insisted that the three of us have a get-together, I'd watch from the background, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And there was no doubt in my mind that she was watching me, too.

But then... and I'm not completely sure how or when... but somehow in the past month the tension began to fade away. I'd catch Jin smiling in earnest whenever we tag-teamed against Tamaki during game night. Or how she wouldn't refuse the spicy flavor packets when we ordered out, just so she could give them to me and I wouldn't be charged extra by asking for more. And our economics class was definitely far more enjoyable with the lack of competition between us.

So... yes. I'd have to say that I actually do enjoy Persephone's company.

Oh, yeah, "Persephone". That's what the public calls her now. Ever since the footage of our first fight went viral, the name caught on fast. After all, in it she was covered in cherry tree blossoms and had just "narrowly" escaped a close encounter with Shadow who "nearly took her with him into the darkness".

Honestly, though, I could've easily dealt with the public thinking I was sexist for not fighting her in the end. I also could've handled the ridicule of people saying I couldn't beat a girl in a fight, either.

Unfortunately, it wasn't anything like that.

It took a full month after I started classes for Father to come up with another mission that, surprise surprise, ended in a fight with the heroes. It was, arguably, one of the strangest experiences in my life. It was incredibly difficult to go through with any scare tactics I thought of, let alone attempt to hit one of them. I did manage to land one punch to Tamaki's chest, but that was for him leaving his dirty laundry in the bathroom more than anything. I also steered clear of Jin during the fight, specifically in an attempt to sedate the rumors flying around us.

It didn't work.

Before I could blink, the internet was full of shippers, claiming that I was avoiding fighting her because I didn't want to hurt her. Because they thought I had a crush on her.

What bullshit.

That was absolute bullshit.

And it cost me six whole days of my brothers teasing me about it, sending me photos of me and Persephone poorly cropped together with terribly drawn hearts floating around us. They only stopped when I went home and threatened to pants them during our next fight in front of the heroes.

Not like I could threaten the online shippers as easily. Fanfiction, fanart, theroists... hell, even some local tabloids were staring to get in on it, slowly driving me insane.

Then again... Jin's really beautiful, whether she's Persephone or not. So it's not like I was insulted or anything by the accusations-

No, wait, stop. I shouldn't be thinking like that. It's bad. Bad in every sense of the word. Any physical attraction I might have for Jin, which would be in my best interest to remain nonexistent, would never go anywhere, at anytime. Because I am a villain, and she's a hero.

Even though... since she doesn't know that I'm a "villain"... I'd be tempted to assume she might have a bit of a "thing" for me. Tamaki certainly seems to think so. He's even offered to-

Nope! I can't afford to think like that! Technically, I shouldn't even be thinking about friendships, much less anything beyond that. It only took one month of knowing them as real people to make it nearly impossible to hurt them in a fight. Anything further would only hurt me in the long run. Physically and emotionally.

I should tell my father about the heroes. Before it gets any worse...

But even as I told myself that, I knew that I wouldn't.

*\/*

A relieved sigh escaped as I pulled my grades up on my laptop. My midterms had officially passed without a hitch, sending me into summer break with top marks.

My phone buzzed in my pocket with an incoming text. Without even looking, I knew who it was from. But that didn't stop me from smiling at the new message on screen.

Jin: I passed my midterms! Full marks in eco! Hbu?

I hummed before unlocking my phone, quickly typing out a response.

Kyoya: Congratulations. I received full marks, as well.

A few seconds later and my phone buzzed again.

Jin: Yay! Congrats!

I smiled down at my phone for perhaps longer than necessary before realizing what I was doing. The warm, happy feeling in my chest disappeared. Sliding my laptop onto the coffee table and setting my phone on top of it, I fell sideways on the couch.

What was wrong with me? It's been almost three months and I still haven't told Father about the heroes. I still hang out with them. And my crush on Jin is still growing!

How could my life get any worse?

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't realize the shower had stopped running before the bathroom door opened in a cloud of steam, Tamaki waltzing into the main room with a towel around his head and another around his waist. Said second towel which almost slipped completely off his hips before Tamaki spotted me and screamed, frantically clawing at his towel until it was secure in front of his nethers.

"Kyoya! Jesus... I didn't hear you come back! How are you so damn quiet?"

"I wasn't quiet. Your god-awful shower singing blocks out everything else. I'm surprised you haven't gone deaf yet. Or that our neighbors haven't attempted to smother you in your sleep."

Tamaki pulled the towel around his hair off and chucked it in my general direction. "Dick. How was your little party?"

"You can't possibly imagine how happy I am that you chose this towel to throw at me," I announced, kicking said towel off my legs. "And it wasn't a party. It was a small get together to celebrate getting through our midterms."

"It was put on by a frat."

"A business fraternity."

"That you're pledging into."

"Because I need to build up my networking and interview skills."

"You already have a job lined up for when you graduate!"

"That doesn't mean I won't need to interview others in the future."

"Ugh! I hate it when you act smart!"

"I am smart!"

"Shut up!"

I raised an eyebrow at Tamaki's huge grin. "You're in an oddly good mood for this argument. Is there something on my face?"

"Nope! You just can't bring me down today, Sour Puss! I've got a date!" And with a flamboyant hand flip, he slid into his bedroom and shut the door.

"A date, huh? And does Haruhi know about this date?"

"She practically asked me for it! You know how she refused to visit me all week because I had to study for midterms? Well, she just texted me a few hours ago asking if I was done and wanted to hang out!"

I huffed, but didn't argue against Tamaki's logic. In Haruhi Speak, that was pretty much asking for a date.

"I'm taking her out for dinner and a movie, and it's going to be perfect! Do you know why it'll be perfect?"

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me regardless of my next answer."

The bedroom door creaked as it opened, Tamaki sticking his head out and looking far too mischievous to be any good.

"Because I took the liberty of inviting Jin here while Haruhi and I went out, so you two get to spend some quality time alone for a few hours."

My head snapped upright. In the split second he had before I charged his door, Tamaki hurriedly shut himself in and leaned against it. The doors in our room may not lock, but that doesn't make them immune to brute force.

"Tamaki!" I slammed my fists against the wood. "What the fuck, man! Why the fuck would you do that? Why-"

"Oh please, Kyoya! I'm doing you and the world a huge favor with this! You and Jin aren't exactly subtle, y'know! The whole group ships you, and I'm pretty sure your economics class does, too... if you guys behave like you normally do while you're in class!"

Swallowing past the lump that had formed in my throat, I stopped hitting the door. Seriously? The whole group? I thought that shipping would've at least been contained to the internet... but I guess I can't escape it no matter what I do.

After a moment of silence, Tamaki's voice rang out once more, albeit softer, "Kyoya, listen. I know how you probably feel, and I know I likely won't be able to help you shake off all the nerves, but I'm being honest when I say that you have a good shot here. According to Haruhi, Jin talks about you a lot. And she's even admitted to both Haruhi and Honey that she has a crush on you. I'm not going to force you to confess tonight, but at least try to see this as a practice date? Dinner, some alone time, maybe a little Netflix and Chill? Just see what... wha-why are you laughing?"

I couldn't help myself. Tamaki had been making more sense than usual, so when he suddenly let loose with another signature moment of "Dumb", I had been so relieved I just started cracking up. Or perhaps that was the leftover stress from midterms?

I felt Tamaki try to open the door from his side, but I grabbed the doorknob and held fast, sliding to my knees as I did so.

Tamaki knocked a few times, calling out again, "Kyoya? You good?"

"Tamaki?" I gasped around my laughter, "Do you even know what that phrase means?"

"Uh... what phrase?"

Deciding to skip straight to the good stuff, I opened the door myself and gave a wide-eyed Tamaki one more second on ignorance before explaining, "'Netflix and Chill' is code for having sex."

He choked, the unfortunate outcome of trying to speak, gasp, and cough at the same time. It was enough to make me burst out laughing again, placing my hands on the floor to keep my balance.

"I... my point still stands!"

I couldn't breathe.

Tamaki grumbled and gently kicked my arm. "I'm serious, Kyoya. You and Jin would make a good couple."

At that, all I could do was sigh. "Tamaki, as good as your intentions are, I'm sure you're just-"

A sudden knock at the door made us both jump.

I hurriedly got up off the floor while Tamaki squeaked, slamming his door shut with the words, "I'm not ready! Kyoya, get the door!"

"No," I respond, already walking over to let the sisters in. Sure enough, Jin and Haruhi are waiting patiently on the other side, looking far too amused to have not heard Tamaki's shouting a few seconds ago.

I welcomed them inside, nodding along as Haruhi took an educated guess on whether her boyfriend was ready or not. Rolling her eyes, she walked right into his room, ignoring his indigent scream upon her arrival.

Leaving Jin and I alone in the sitting room.

Jin offered a shy smile as she lifted the plastic bag in her right hand. "I, ah... decided to pick up some ramen for dinner. I know you guys don't have any cooking supplies here and there aren't going to be any restaurants around without a huge waiting list tonight, so I figured this might be a nice change from your terrible eating habits."

For a moment, I entertained arguing with her that mine and Tamaki's eating habits were just fine... but then I remember exactly how long it had been since I last ate a piece of fruit and decided not to waste my time.

Reaching out, I gently took the food from her and responded, "Thank you. But we could've just ordered in. You didn't have to pay for it."

"You and the other boys pay for every other take out meal we get together. I already told you I don't have you saved as 'Free Food' in my contacts."

"What a relief." I dodged the soft punch she aimed for my side before continuing in a whisper, "Are you staying after dinner as well? I know Tamaki expects it, but what were your thoughts?"

Jin rolled her eyes, but there was still a blush on her cheeks as she explained, "Haru says I spend too many of my weekends shut up in my dorm, so she'll be checking in on Snapchat every so often to see if I'm still here."

"Oh, will she now?"

"Yeah, which is stupid of her. I mean, she's going on a date, for goodness sakes! And it's not like I'd leave after eating dinner, anyways."

"You know I can hear you Nēchan!"

"I know, Haru! This is my fifth attempt to tell you not to do it!" Jin walked past me to further taunt her sister through the walls, unaware of the question now burning in the back of my mind.

You wouldn't?

Half an hour later, long after we'd waved Haruhi and Tamaki out of the dorm and had eaten a good portion of our own meal, I was still mulling over what Jin meant by that. In the most obvious terms, I knew she was saying that she would've stuck around after dinner even if Haruhi hadn't asked for regular updates. But what I couldn't quite understand was why.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?"

I carefully lifted my eyes away from my bowl, swallowing when our eyes met across the table. Hastily wiping my mouth off with a napkin, I fumbled for something to say.

"I don't really have a preference on what we do... we could play any of the two-player games laying around if you'd like. Maybe play a video game? I think the girls in 219 finally returned our Mario Cart..."

"Hmm... maybe. How would you feel about a movie?"

Tamaki's voice echoed in my head, 'Netflix and Chill'. So I mentally stuffed that Tamaki into a garbage bag and threw him in a closet.

"If you'd like. Anything in particular?"

Jin hummed, her chopsticks swirling the few remaining noodles around her bowl. "Actually, there's this new American one that came out that I want to see."

Immediately, I knew which one she was talking about and leveled a teasing gaze at her. "This movie wouldn't perhaps be centered around Greek Mythology, would it?"

Jin snickered, caught. "Okay, fine. Yes, I want to see the Percy Jackson movie, but don't act like you don't want too, either."

"I dunno, Jin. I've heard some pretty negative stuff about it."

"Because you always spoil yourself on purpose by looking at it on the internet!"

"Like you don't have a Tumblr for that exact reason."

"I block the spoilers tag!"

I rolled my eyes, but didn't argue any further because she was right. Again. I did want to see the movie. But it had nothing to do with Persephone, no matter what my brothers said. I do like Nico and the shadow-traveling thing, though. I don't get the shivers or the whispering that's explained in the book, and nor would I want to, but on the whole the author did a good job with his descriptions and character building. It's nice to see the kid with dark powers who lost his older sister get a... well... a happy ending.

But, even though Nico wouldn't be in this movie, I was still a little excited to see it.

It took us a while to get everything set up, Jin clearing away our meal while I looked the movie up on Netflix. They didn't offer it in Japanese dub, but there were Japanese subtitles available, so at least I wouldn't have to solely rely on Jin to translate a quarter of the movie for me.

Finally, Jin flopped down on the couch beside me, her hands squeezed between her knees as she beamed in my direction. "Ready?"

"Ready."

We were not ready.

Not even a full ten minutes into the movie and Jin was already chucking the throw pillows at the screen while I cheered her on. We were both hollering at the monstrosity playing out before us, curses and complaints spewing out as more and more things went wrong.

"Pause it! Pause it!"

I did so happily, rubbing at the developing headache in my right temple while Jin leapt to her feet. She paced the room, her hands flailing around wildly as she listed her extensive complaints. I nodded and agreed with everything she said, but didn't interrupt. I knew how Jin hated being talked over, so I let her be. It was actually kind of cute how into it she was getting.

I know a few people would've stepped in at this point and tried to explain to us that there was no reason to be so caught up in a dumb movie, but I knew that wasn't exactly the point. Jin let herself get sucked into books because it was important to her. They had been her only escape when she was growing up. Same as me. The books we read were a part of us, just as much as our hair colors or how we loved our siblings.

So, for Jin to see such an instrumental part of her childhood wrecked, to see such interesting and complex characters "normalized", for the mystery and the background and the realism to be thrown out so the directors could throw in more fight scenes...

I'm 95% sure that if Jin had any less self control she might've asked me to sue the director. But I also know that she would never, because even with her emotions at peak level, she would always be rational. She really is something else...

I wonder, not for the first time, if her powers are emotion based...

"Kyoya?" She had finally calmed down enough to notice my staring. And she blushed, crossing her arms as she sat back down. "Sorry. Got a little carried away."

"No, no, it's alright. I like it when you're passionate."

I bit my tongue, wishing that I knew how to keep my mouth shut. Jin looked at me, slowly turning the rest of her body as my words sunk in. My breath caught in my throat. Her big brown eyes were so wide, her lips parting ever so slightly.

"Kyoya... please don't tell me I'm imagining... this."

She doesn't clarify what 'this' she's referring to, but I have a pretty good idea what she meant. So I shook my head 'no'.

Two hours later and I found myself standing awkwardly in front of Tamaki, who had come back a full hour earlier than I expected. Meaning, he caught me walking out of our bathroom in only a pair of boxers and an unbuttoned shirt.

"Kyoya? Why..." He hesitates before lifting and arm and using it to gesture at my under-dressed profile. "Why?"

I can't think of a good way to explain my current situation. Because there is no good explanation. I usually never leave my bedroom or the bathroom without at least a pair of pants on. And honestly...

I watch as Tamaki's eyes survey the dorm room, pausing briefly on Jin's shoes still waiting by the door and the Netflix logo bouncing around the television screen. His eyes are wide in a silent question as they return to staring at me.

And that's when his element of surprise wore off and I shrugged, walking back to my room. But not before patting his shoulder and giving a little hint.

"Netflix and Chill."

I can't help the smug smile as Tamaki lets out a little scream. Possibly from my hint. But more likely because he saw the long red lines down my back. Or he caught a glimpse of the girl lying in my bed before I shut the door behind me.

*\/*

Being in a relationship with Jin Fujioka isn't nearly as complicated as I thought it would be. We had all summer to figure out how to interact and work around each other, so by the time school resumed we had roughed out most of the major bumps. I supposed it helped that we were constantly surrounded by what can only be described as a "Fan Club", comprised entirely of our friends.

Her father seems to have some reservations about me, but at least he doesn't appear to completely despise me like he does Tamaki.

I honestly don't know how I got so lucky with Jin. Up until that night, I had assumed that the universe had some sort of vendetta against me, or maybe I had been a homicidal murderer in a past life. But with Jin.. Tamaki has described us as opposites who are so alike, and I have to agree with him on that. We laugh at similar things, hate the same people, and genuinely enjoy time with each other.

Sure, the sex is great, but it's not the only thing about us that is, either.

Of course, our fights are a little more... dramatic, than most couples.

"Duck!"

I dropped to my knees, wincing as they came into contact with the metal at the same time that Aikio socked Kaoru in he face. The word 'sorry' was on the tip of my tongue, but I bit it back, instead making Kaoru shadow travel out the postal car and reappear on the nearby sidewalk.

The van gave another lurch, sending Aikio and I sideways into the piles of letters and packages that hadn't fallen to the floor yet.

Aikio squeezed my shoulder. "Go help him. There might be some heroes giving him trouble. We'll keep looking back here."

I glanced at the postal worker sitting behind Aikio, who was still sorting through the letters with one hand while the other held on to the straps attached to the wall. Giving Aikio a nod, I leaned to my left and phased through to the cabin. And sure enough, Yuuichi was experiencing hero problems of his own.

He had one hand on the wheel and the other holding up what looked like the passenger side seat cushion against the driver's side window. Tamaki was hanging onto the outside of the van, and from the sound of it he was swinging something heavy at the window, trying to break it. I almost wanted to shout at him to not get glass all over my brother, but once again I held back.

I just hoped that Haruhi wasn't so focused on keeping the rainstorm up that she couldn't remind Tamaki not to grievously hurt us. Sometimes he got so wrapped up in his own head that he needed some outside reminders. Only, unlike when it came to doing homework on time, it couldn't come from me this time.

Gritting my teeth, I thrust my hand out towards Yuuichi's window, sealing the developing cracks with my powers. Tamaki hesitated and Yuuichi let out a sigh, dropping the cushion and pulling the van back into the correct lane.

"Thanks."

"This is going to sound cheesy, but don't thank me just yet."

I waved my other hand like I was performing a backstroke. The rain immediately began to putter out, like I thought it would. Haruhi had a bad habit of getting closer to the fight than was required, and I knew I'd heard careful footsteps on the roof earlier.

I wasn't concerned that she'd get hurt from falling off behind us. Her powers of flight were almost purely reactionary at this point. And besides, the moment I swept her off the roof Tamaki had also jumped off the van, no doubt running to check that his girlfriend was alright as we spoke.

Crouching on the empty spot where the passenger cushion used to be, I went through the heroes in my head. Tamaki, Haruhi, and Kaoru were behind us for now. Yuuichi had foreseen only one Cheshire, so Hikaru was a no show. I personally knew that both Honey and Mori had a huge group project due tomorrow morning, so they wouldn't be showing up at all.

Unfortunately, there was one more hero who I knew we'd be coming across within the hour.

"Hey, you still here?"

"Hm?"

Yuuichi managed a side smile in my direction. "I know you mentioned you have somewhere to be tonight, and I'm sorry that we're pushing your time table, but we need you to stay focused for now. Okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Letting out a long breath, I slid through the passenger door. Using the rear view mirror and a lot of upper body strength, I clambered up onto the roof. Haruhi's storm made the smooth surface slick with rainwater, so I cast a thin blanket of shadow to act as an adhesive while I walked along the roof.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked behind us, my contacts irritating my eyes more than usual. The police cars were starting to catch up to us. Enough that I didn't even have to strain to feel the shadows they were casting on the street. The silhouettes of the officers moving around were visible through the windows.

Still no sign of Jin...

Facing away from the police, I gingerly rubbed at my left shoulder. There was definitely going to be a nasty bruise there soon. And it was my fault. I had the perfect opportunity to give Kaoru a Charlie Horse, which would've prevented his following kick... but I just could do it. Now I was stuck with the issue of either trying to mask my pain or come up with a convincing story for Jin later tonight.

Maybe I could say I had been getting more paper for my printer down from my closet and a box of cleaning supplies fell down on my shoulder? That sounded believable, right?

Sighing, I expanded the pull of my powers a little further, trying to take my mind off of it unsuccessfully.

It wasn't like I enjoyed lying to Jin. The exact opposite, actually. And not just because I always get the feeling that she doesn't always believe me. Actually, it's because she always has this soft, gentle look in her eyes when she patches me up. Never pitying, but never accusing, either. Just a simple acknowledgement that I was in pain, and she didn't want me to be. It was sweet, and I honestly felt a little dirty because I knew those looks and her "magic kisses" were because of a lie I had fed her. I hated it.

"Kyoya? Aikio found the papers. He's going to switch Yuuichi out with the driver, so you might want to hang on to that roof really tight. Then, when I give the signal, get your brothers out of there."

"Yes, Fa-"

I trailed of, eyes widening as the edges of my powers detected something. As attuned as I am to the shadows of the world, I've gotten really good at recognizing the shadows of all my friends and family members. I knew them by heart. And Jin's was especially recognizable.

She was here. Hiding behind one of the parked cars further up the road. Next to a pair of trees that framed the sidewalks.

Under my feet, the truck began to swerve. The police cars were almost bumper to bumper with us.

"Watch out!"

Two seconds later and I was diving out of another shadow, grabbing Jin and pulling her away from her hiding spot, the two of us rolling further onto the sidewalk. Just as my back hit the brick wall of the house, the postal truck gave another swerve and clipped the front of one of the police cars. Enough to send it into the parked cars along the street. Jin yelped and lifted her hands, sending the tree beside us bending itself in half to create a thick cushion of leaves between us and the car.

I faintly heard Father give the signal and sucked my brothers out of the truck just as it righted itself and slowed way down. The postal worker wouldn't even know what had happened until the police made him pull over.

Which meant I needed to get out of here. And I needed to let go of Jin.

I scrambled back to my feet, and just before I fell backwards into the shadows, I saw Jin propped up on her elbows at my feet. Staring at me with her big brown eyes through the dark green leaves. I felt Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kaoru's shadows moving quickly along the sidewalk, no doubt to check to see if Jin was okay.

Then it all went black.

I didn't see Jin again for another hour, when she walked into her dorm room. She doesn't seem surprised to see me in her kitchen, calling out a teasing 'hello' as she removed her shoes.

"Welcome home, Darling," I replied, showing off the katsudon I was unpacking. "I know it's not the most romantic thing ever, but I didn't want to risk burning down your kitchen."

At this, Jin laughed, coming over to hug me properly. "You're not that bad of a cook."

"Says the girl who won't even let me use the microwave."

"Well, maybe if you had helped clean up the soup."

"I was in shock! It blew up!"

Jin laughed louder, burying her face into the crook of my neck afterwards. I bend my head and take a deep whiff of her hair. It was slightly damp from the earlier rain, but there was still a faint scent of mint clinging on. Which meant she had used my shampoo instead of her own strawberry-scented one. I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her a little tighter.

After a quiet moment, she hummed, "How did you get in?"

"Through the front door- ow!" I chuckled and gave her a light swat in retaliation. "Fine, sorry. Your roommate let me in."

"You still haven't learned her name?"

"No, I have. I just don't care enough to use it. She's made one too many passes at me to have my respect."

"Hmm... fine. Suppose that's fair."

When we finally pulled apart, I reached over behind the bag of take out, reveling in Jin's surprised gasp as I revealed the bouquet of flowers. I watched carefully as her eyes zipped from the ranunculus to the amaryllis and finally to...

"Are those tulips?"

I can't help the small smile I give at the softness of her voice. "Yes, they are."

"Kyoya... did you read up on flower meanings?"

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

Jin's gaze was imploring as she stared up at me. Her hands were shaking as they went from her chest to joining mine around the bouquet. "What... what do these flowers mean, then?"

"That I remember? Amaryllis means splendid beauty or worth beyond beauty. The ranunculus can mean you are radiant with charm or you are attractive, which I felt were both applicable in this situation. And the tulips... " I carefully moved one of my hands from the bouquet to her face, rubbing my thumb along her cheekbone. "Tulips are a declaration of love. I'm sorry if you think it's too soon, and I won't force you to say it back bu-"

I'm cut off with a rather passionate kiss, to which I gladly return. It's a little awkward with the flowers in between us, so the kiss doesn't last long enough in my opinion. But Jin's smile when we pull away almost makes it worth it.

"I love you too, Ootori Kyoya."

"Happy six month anniversary, Fujioka Jin."

She giggles, and just before she can remind me that the phrase 'six month anniversary' doesn't actually make sense I kiss her again. The next time we break apart Jin takes a step back, taking the flowers with her.

"Come on, we still have dinner."

"Fine."

She shoots me a wink before scooping up one of the food trays, carrying it over to the table. "Thank you for this, by the way."

"Of course."

"...And... thanks. For not letting me get crushed by that car..."

My dinner falls from my hand, clattering onto the counter-top and spilling a little over the sides of its container. I whipped myself around and found Jin still standing in the little archway between the kitchen and the sitting room. She looked oddly passive for having said something so Earth shattering.

Our eyes met from across the room.

"Shadow."

"I- what did you call me? You think I'm-"

"Kyoya, please don't. Neither of us are dumb here. I know you know I'm Persephone, too, so no more pretending. I can't."

My mouth had gone dry. She knew?

"For how long?"

"Since we met. You?"

I gave a painful swallow. "Same."

She nodded solemnly. "I figured. C'mon, we need to talk."

All the blood rushed to my feet, and I guess it showed pretty clearly on my face because Jin nibbled her lip and continued, "I... I don't want to break up, if that's what you're worried about. But we have some things we need to talk about."

Despite what was coming next, I did feel some relief upon hearing Jin's reassurance. If she knew that I was a "villain", but didn't want to break up, then maybe this talk wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be. I left my dinner on the counter and followed Jin out of the kitchen.

She and her roommate didn't have a couch like Tamaki and I did. Probably their sacrifice for a dorm room on the top floor with a kitchen. But there wasn't much room for one either, considering how they had a larger table than Tamaki and I had. Said table which Jin set her dinner on before leading me into her bedroom.

I followed her up to the doorway, choosing instead to watch as she carefully set the bouquet down on her desk before flopping on her bed. She shifted around a bit moving to press her back against the wall, making her face the doorway I was still stand in. Reaching up, she used her right hand to pat the empty space next to her.

I was quick to comply.

Soon we're lying on her bed, face to face. I chose not to remove my glasses, enduring the awkward press of my nose piece slowly drifting to the bridge of my nose, and just take in the view. It's one I've seen a hundred times before, and it gives me a bit of whiplash to have something so normal given the discussion we were about to have.

I can see Jin's eyelashes almost individually from this distance and I want nothing more than to reach out and kiss her again, but I don't. Jin doesn't seem to be in any hurry, her breathing coming slow and easy as she stared up at me.

Eventually, she reached up and ghosted her fingertips over my left shoulder. "Kaoru told me he kicked you. Does it hurt?"

"A little." I bring up my right hand and gently grab hers, holding it in between our faces. "Do they know? About me?"

"No. I don't think Kaoru would've been able to land any hits on you if he knew. Same for the others."

"I always wondered why Persephone never managed to land a hit on me."

"Well, you're freaky fast with your disappearing act, so I was lucky to even snag you in my vines after my first surprise attack."

We exchange soft giggling before falling back into silence for another handful of heartbeats. Jin broke the silence a second time, lacing our fingers together as she did so.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"You know what I mean, Kyoya."

I sighed, bending my head to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Why am I a villain?"

"I don't think you're a villain. You've never hurt anyone. Only the people who try to hurt you first, right?" She waited for me to hum in agreement before continuing, "But I want to know why you're stealing these things."

"Are you asking for my tragic backstory?"

"Yeah, suppose I am."

I sighed. I'd hoped that this day would never come. I guess I'd always hoped that some day, as the years went by, my brothers and I would slowly start to disappear off the villain map and I'd never have to revisit my past. It was painful even when I wasn't actively thinking about it.

"Kyoya?" Jin's other hand came up to cradle my cheek, slipping between my face and the pillow.

I gripped her right hand a little tighter. "Jin... do you remember how I mentioned that my mother and older sister are dead?"

"Yes, I remember." Her eyes are wide and imploring, her thumbs both gently stroking my skin as I begin my story. All the way from the beginning. I have to take a few breaks here and there, the tears that spilled out made it hard to continue in a few places.

Jin never rushed me, or tried to get me to stop crying. She just watched, waited, held my hand, and occasionally hugged me to her chest until I finished. When I told her about getting the news of my mother and sister, I felt her chest seize up against my face, letting me know without words that she was crying, too.

It didn't surprise me. She lost her mother at a young age too.

And so we remained curled up together as I continued telling the rest of my story. It was a relief to finally have all the words out of me. The anger, the frustration, the loneliness all dumped out. I knew it wasn't fair to give it all to Jin, and if she hadn't asked for it I probably wouldn't have. Or, at least I would've cut it down to only a short explanation. Perhaps I should think about seeing one of the school counselors on campus. If sharing my story once already felt this good, maybe sharing it again with someone whose job it was to help me further was something long overdue.

I wrapped up my story by explaining our focus on Tayton Corp. outside of finding the man responsible. And that's when I realized that Jin had gone still.

Carefully wiggling myself backwards out of her arms, I looked her in the eye. She seemed... confused.

"What is it?"

"I... Kyoya, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but... we've done our own research on Tayton Corp. Hikaru and Kaoru have even gone undercover. We've never found anything like that."

"...What?"

Jin grabbed my arms. "Don't. Don't run off. Not tonight. Promise you'll let yourself stay still for tonight, no matter what I tell you."

"...I promise."

She immediately relaxed, grabbing my hands once again. "Okay. Here's what I know. Tayton Corp. is just like any other functioning medical facility in the world. They're not perfect, especially where insurance and price ranges are involved, but they're not committing fraud or anything like that. Like I said, we've done our own research too, once we noticed a trend in your "attacks". But I'm telling you, Kyoya, that Tayton Corp. is innocent of whatever your father says he's found."

I blinked, not quite sure how to wrap my head around her words.

"It's all... been a lie?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry, Kyoya, but I just don't know."

I noticed how her hold on my hands had tightened considerably, bringing me back out of my thoughts. Jin is staring at me, searching my face. She's worried. Probably that I'm going to break my promise and run off. But as much as I want too...

Forcing out a long, slow breath, I wrap my arms around Jin and pull her close. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere tonight. It's still our anniversary. Let's stay in for the night. Tomorrow we can deal with this. Tomorrow we can be Shadow and Persephone again. But not tonight."

Jin peeked up at me from my chest. "So... tonight... we're just Jin and Kyoya?"

"Exactly."

I press another kiss to the top of her head and shut my eyes. In truth, I know I won't be able to outright not think about everything I've just been told. It's just not possible. But what I do know is that I'll be able to fake it long enough to enjoy the rest of tonight.

*\/*

I felt like my heart was about to pop right out of my chest. Commuting from the dorms back to my house had never felt so long before. The fact that I usually went home via shadow was irrelevant.

Because as much as I wanted answers, I knew that I'd been putting this off all day. Even though there were breaks between my classes and an opportunity to skip dinner with my friends, I didn't take them. Of course, it wasn't a long term solution by any means. Even Tamaki had noticed at one point that I was acting oddly fidgety during dinner.

Of course, I couldn't force myself to actually leave my dorm and head for the train station until Jin gave me a verbal and physical push out the door. And even then, I didn't rush to reach the station. Or push myself to board the first train. I even got off one stop early and walked the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I wished it, not one of those things stopped me from arriving at my own front door way sooner than I was ready for. It didn't help that Yuuichi was the one to answer my knocks.

"Kyoya? This is a surprise! I didn't even see you coming!" He smiled at me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. My stomach churned, even as I smiled weakly at my brother's poor attempts at jokes.

Do you know? Did Father tell you and Aikio? Did you figure it out? Or do you blindly trust Father, like I did?

"Hey... you alright, Kyoya?"

I blinked, eyes and mind refocusing on my brother's face in front of me. His smile was gone, replaced by concern. I felt bile rise up in the back of my throat.

"No. I'm not."

The hand on my shoulder tightened before Yuuichi drew me inside, now hastily asking questions about school and my health. I bought myself time to think on how to answer by taking my shoes off as slowly as possible.

I sucked in a long, slow breath before reaching up and squeezing the hand still on my shoulder. "Yuuichi... I need to speak with Father."

"Alright. But can't you at least tell-"

"No. I need to speak with him first. Has he... well, is he in one of his moods?"

"Surprisingly enough, no." His smile was back, if only faintly. "Aikio and I are so proud of him. He was going to go visit Mother and Fuyumi earlier, but I guess he changed his mind once he got caught up in his work. Maybe he's finally starting to heal?"

"Maybe. But that's good for another reason, too. Come on. Oh, and..." I pulled his hand off my shoulder. "Don't look into the future for a while."

Yuuichi's lips twist, some odd mixture of a pout and a frown, but he nods his consent anyways before leading me further into the house. I know that Father is usually in his study at this time of day, still in the working mood despite being home. But every two week he'd take a break from his work and go visit the grave site, only to come home with a new scheme in mind. Something about seeing them seemed to rile him up.

I'm glad I'm not the only one of his sons to be happy about him avoiding his usual schedule.

Just as we reach the second floor, Aikio comes bustling around the corner with a magazine in one hand and a toothbrush in the other. There's a little bit of foam on his upper lip, but at least he appears to have spit out the rest of it before rushing out to meet us.

"Kyoya! I thought I heard your voice! What are you doing here? You usually don't come home unless we call... you?" Whatever excitement my other brother had upon me being home dissipated when he saw my expression. I didn't need a mirror to know that my face was likely very pale.

"What's wrong?"

What was wrong?

Everything.

I was afraid. Afraid of what might come out of my mouth when I spoke to Father. Afraid of what he'd say in return. Afraid that he would deny everything. Afraid that he'd confirm my fears. Afraid that Jin was right.

I was afraid... that my father was a villain.

"Kyoya? Kyoya!"

"Aikio, help me get him to a bathroom!"

"No!" I pushed my brothers away, taking deep breaths when I noticed wisps of shadows curling around my ankles. Since when had I been staring at the floor?

The hands didn't return, but Yuuichi's voice persisted, "Kyoya... you look like you're going to be sick."

"Yeah... I feel sick."

"Then let's-"

"That doesn't mean I changed my mind! I need to speak with Father. Now!"

I look back up just in time to see the tail end of a 'look' between my brothers. Then they nodded and we continued down the hall. I was given numerous glances out of the corners of their eyes, but I ignored it the best I could. Despite my insistence, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to reach Father's office and confront him without throwing up somewhere in between.

Clenching my fists so they wouldn't shake, I keep my composure all the way up to his office door. And before I can back out, I reach up and knock.

"Father! I need to speak to you!"

It takes a few seconds for him to answer the door, and for every second I wait a deep and vicious part of my brain is screaming at me to shadow travel the hell away from this place. I wanted to know... but I also really, really didn't.

The door opened before I could make a run for it, and whatever internal speech I had been preparing in the back of my head was suddenly lost. Father looked... healthy. Healthier than he'd looked in a long while. Usually with his mood swings, he'd come back from the grave site looking rather stretched and frantic. Possibly grey. Over the past few years his black hair had gained white streaks that turned into roots faster than my brothers and I could comprehend.

But today was one of the good days. The bags under his eyes were nearly invisible, and his white hairs looked more silver than anything. His eyes were clear and focused as he looked up at us, focused on me in particular. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He was glad to see me.

Just as his expression shifted, probably due to my own appearance, I burst out, "Show me the documents."

All the air in the nearby vicinity disappeared into the lungs of my brothers. Father's posture went stiff before my eyes. All three of them knew exactly what documents I was talking about. Anything and everything we'd ever stolen from Tayton Corporation. The stuff Father never let us see.

"Kyoya..." Father's voice was gentle, yet firm. "You know why I don't want you to look at them."

"Do I? Do I really?"

"Kyoya, what are you-"

"Doesn't it bother you?" I turned on my brothers, the sick twist in my stomach fading just enough to leave room for courage. "You're both in your twenties! You have university degrees! And yet Father doesn't think we can handle seeing documents? Documents that we've actively stolen?"

Aikio opens and closes his mouth like a fish, the occasional sound coming out but nothing coherent. Yuuichi looks very uncomfortable.

I turn back to Father, his own eyes wide as I continue, "So... either you don't trust us. You don't trust our intelligence. Or... you're hiding something."

At the accusation, Father straightens his back a little. "Where is this coming from?"

"Let's just say I've had some things brought to my attention."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that despite how long we've been targeting Tayton Corp., not a single person beyond the four of us has found anything incriminating on them. Multiple undercover journalists and government agencies have inspected Tayton Corp., you know this, and yet they find none of the same things we do. How is that possible?"

"We've been over this before, Kyoya-"

"No! We've vindicated ourselves. Said that we're doing it for the greater good but we're not, are we? We're just targeting our business rivals!"

"Kyoya, stop! You're not-"

"I'm not sick or anything!" I roughly brush off Aikio's hands, staring my father in the eye. "Show me the papers, or I'm done."

Father's expression flickers. He blinks a few times, like he suddenly can't focus his vision.

Yuuichi pipes up in the following silence. "Actually, Father... I think Kyoya might have a point. Not about everything! But... we do have a right to see the papers. Four pairs of eyes are better than one, so wouldn't we just be helping?"

His words only serve to confuse Father more. His eyes narrow, but he looks more focused on my chin than my eyes. Yuuichi has gone a bit still on my left, and Aikio's fidgeting out the corner of my eyes only worsens the longer Father goes without speaking.

"I... I don't know what to say. It's odd, but even though you do bring up a fair point, Yuuichi... I know that I can't let you boys see them."

The nausea disappears in a sudden wave of ice. My heart drops.

"Then I guess that's it." And with that, I turn and walk back the way I came. Yuuichi and Aikio chase after me, but I can't hear what they're saying. Father was hiding something from us.

Shadow travelling down the stairs to put some extra distance between us, I'm able to put my shoes on by the time they caught up.

"Kyoya, stop for one second and think! You can't just-"

"I can't what?" The anger explodes out of me with no warning. I can hardly remember the build-up to it, as consumed as I was with disbelief. "I said I was done and I meant it! I'm not fighting battles for Father any more! Mother and Fuyumi are gone! We can't bring them back, and we're only disappointing them like this! They guy we're hunting probably didn't even work for Tayton Corp. and is long gone! If you keep this up for much longer, all you're going to do is be discovered or hurt people! And I'm done!"

With my last word, I throw open the front door and storm out.

I'm so overwhelmed with my own thoughts that I run straight into the person standing just outside our house. I turn to look up at their face just as a hand comes up to steady my arm-

... Oh...

... Oh no...

... No...

...

*\/*

Jin's P.O.V.

Something's not right.

My toes tapped against the metal floor of the subway as I stared at the illuminated sign above the doors. From the sound of it, I'd be arriving at the public library within the next five minutes.

Nibbling on my bottom lip, I pulled out my phone and stared at the lock screen. Kyoya looked right back at me, a teasing smile on his lips. I was there, too. Tucked into his chest and laughing because he had decided to tickle me right before taking the photo.

Pressing my thumb against the home button, the lock screen fell away and revealed a second picture of the two of us. Hiding behind a variety of apps, we were roughly in the same position as the previous photo, only this time I was pressed up on my toes and giving Kyoya a kiss on the cheek, which was bright red. Still, he had a hand pressed to my lower back and had a closed-eyed smile.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice how the boy sitting beside me is glancing at my phone screen over my shoulder. He lets out a sharp breath and turns away, now wearing a sullen expression.

Rolling my eyes, I double check the time and tuck my phone away. The last thing I wanted was for Kyoya to get back to the dorms before I did. He didn't know I was doing this, and if my hunch was wrong, I never wanted him too.

Wringing my hands together, I thought back to my earlier trip from this morning. Kyoya hadn't been happy to let me leave the bed before necessary, but I managed to tell him I had to pay an important visit this morning without needing to specify where.

It had taken a while to reach the police station near Kyoya's house, but with the early morning rush over with, it was almost a peaceful trip. Similarly, the police station itself was just as quiet and uneventful. A rather tired looking reception greeted me and asked what I needed. Delivering my lie with ease, I said that I was researching cold-case files for a university paper and was hoping for information on one in particular.

The murders of Ootori Noa and Fuyumi.

The receptionist bought my story without a second thought and looked up the files in the computer database, only to regretfully inform me that the files and evidence from that particular case had been destroyed because it had been a superhero's body.

I left quickly after that, because now I knew for a fact that something was very, very wrong. Not just concerning Kyoya's father and his, quote-unquote, discoveries about Tayton Corporation, anymore though. But because the story about Kyoya's mother and sister wasn't completely true.

I know all about losing a parent. And I'm glad that my dad didn't do what Kyoya's did and look for revenge... but that was just it. My mother died due to a poisonous gas she was exposed to during a particularly nasty superhero and villain fight. But all of the hospital and police records regarding her had been kept. Because she was a civilian.

Just like Ootori Fuyumi had been.

Not to mention that a civilian's car had been involved, which should've been kept around for insurance claims if anything.

So here I was, seven hours later and already poking into Kyoya's personal life yet again. I wasn't sure what I would find... but I knew that there was one piece of evidence that had to be left unscathed. Possibly even forgotten.

The old newspapers were kept on the very top floor of the public library. What was so great about this particular library was that, even though it wasn't the largest in all of Bunkyo, it was still rather broad in terms of local history. Newspapers from almost every Tokyo Ward for the past thirty or so years were neatly filed away in its archives. The physical paper copies only went back by a year, but the projector records were sill around.

I only had a vague guess as to what date I was looking for. Kyoya told me his age and the season it happened, so at least I had it narrowed down to a few months, but it truly came down to pure luck in the end.

I wasn't even a full month into my search when I found it. The story only took up half of the third page, accompanied by a close up photograph of a police 'do not cross' tape in front of a blurred background.

I teared up a little as I began to read the article. It was a horrible story no matter who was telling it. The only reason I didn't outright cry like I did last night was because nothing could possibly come close to the sound of Kyoya's heartbreak bleeding through the words.

But this time, the ending had a new twist. My eyes widened and I had to take a physical step away from the projector as I came to the last paragraph.

It didn't say it.

There was no mention of a car in the report.

Because Kyoya's mother and sister had died from something else entirely.

"Oh my god... Kyoya!"

I ran. The subway was almost too slow for me. A part of my brain wanted to throw on my superhero uniform and traverse the city by means of tree and grass power. But I didn't. Instead I frantically texted Kyoya and Tamaki, trying to find out where my boyfriend was. He didn't answer his texts, but Tamaki did, saying that Kyoya hadn't returned from his house just yet.

Once again I found the instinctive urge to "power-up", as Hikaru calls it, but instead ran all the way from the subway station up to Kyoya and Tamaki's dorm. My roommate had responded to my texts, reassuring me that Kyoya wasn't at our place. And as often as she tried to make a pass at him before and how little Kyoya trusted her, she had her own boyfriend now, so I was inclined to believe her. Just this once.

True to Tamaki's word, Kyoya wasn't at their dorm either. Tamaki's hand on my shoulder was the only thing preventing me from running back out to go find him.

"Hey, hold up! What's going on?"

"Tamaki, help me call the others! Something's really wrong!"

Immediately his face darkens and he reaches over to turn down the radio he'd been listening to. "It is their usual time frame... but I haven't heard any alerts yet. Are you sure-"

"Tamaki. Listen to me and think. Kyoya isn't back yet."

It takes a few moments, but eventually Tamaki puts two and two together. His hard, hero look drops in shock.

"You... you think they took Kyoya?"

Before I can answer, the song cuts out on the radio, an urgent bell dinging in its place.

"Villains spotted in downtown Bunkyo! Shadow, Puppet Master, and the Oracle are launching an assault on the civilian population! They have taken hostages! Repeat, they are taking hostages, including women and children!"

All the blood in my body rushed to my toes.

"Oh god..."

Tamaki turned to me, his wide eyes actually conveying fear. "They... they're attacking people? Since when did they do that?"

"Call the others. We'll need everyone. I'll explain on the way."

*\/*

It's worse than I thought.

Finding Kyoya and his brothers was easy. We just followed the trail of kicked-in doors, smashed windows, and burning cars. It looked like something out of an action movie. Tamaki, who was flying down the street beside me on a levitating door probably would've been excited about the chance for some real action scenes to happen to him in real life... if he wasn't still processing what I'd dropped on him and the others ten minutes ago.

Below me, Hikaru teleported next to a streetlamp and hesitated for a moment, looking both ways down the street. "So... you're telling me that Kyoya, our Kyoya, did all of this?"

"Yes. But I don't think he's doing it on purpose."

"Yeah, we get that. Just... I feel so stupid! How could we not know he was Shadow?"

"I kicked him in the chest yesterday!"

"I've punched my best friend more times than I can count..."

"Well, to be fair, Tama-kun, he's punched you a lot, too." Haruhi's voice is as level and calm as always, but I can feel her hands trembling as she held me and flew us down the street.

Finally, we reached the end of the line. The screaming from a house on our left drives Honey inside without a second thought, the rest of us close behind. Aikio and Yuuichi are waiting for us, along with basically a small army of civilians. From kids so small they wobbled where they stood to full grown adults, they filled the room and stared at us with the same vague stare we'd gotten used to for the past few months or so. They were all so densely packed together that we couldn't actually see Kyoya's brothers aside from their hair at the back of the crowd.

I tugged at Haruhi's arm.

The two of us jumped out of the house just as a wave of "puppets" slammed into one of Mori's force fields. Haruhi pulled me up to the second story window and I lobbed a succubus at it, which I forced to grow at an alarming rate until it crashed through the glass.

Sliding inside, I gasped at the scene.

We were in a child's bedroom the walls covered with blue paint and cartoon posters. An electric piano stood in the corner with various music sheets scattered around and the bench knocked over. The poor boy had probably been practicing when the attack came. Now he, Haruhi, and I were forced to watch as his mother pushed his father into a pool of swirling shadow that Kyoya had conjured. When the mother turned back to face her son, her eyes had the same vacant look in them as the people downstairs."

"Mom! Mommy, stop it! Mommy, you're scaring me!"

I shot a vine out across the room before properly thinking about it. The mother was shoved to the side where she fell into the boy's closet. The vine pulled the doors shut before winding itself around the handles. Haruhi ran around me and stood in between Kyoya and the boy.

And gasped.

I understood, because I noticed it at the same time. Kyoya's eyes were just as fuzzy and distanced as the woman now in the closet. Only his face actually displayed disappointment and annoyance, rather than remain blank, like Aikio's powers tended to do.

"Kyoya?"

He turned towards me, eyes narrowed.

"Kyoya, what are you doing? What's happening?"

He didn't speak, but his gaze sharpened and he suddenly engulfed the entire bedroom floor with his shadow, and all four of us were sucked in.

The shock of shadow travelling almost kept me from thinking outright. I felt the usual pull and consumption of shadows forming around my body and leading me away, but as opposed to our usual fights, I couldn't see a damn thing. And my stomach churned like I was moving really really fast, except there was no wind blowing on my face.

Suddenly, I understood why Shadow seemed to possess super speed.

Of course, the distance was still far enough that I was able to wretch my arms out from the shadow's clutches, and I faintly hear Haruhi's grunts that told me she was dong the same. She grabbed my right hand just as the world reopened around us. It was still sort of dark, but with faint moonlight shining through the air it was leaps and bounds ahead of shadow travel.

Haruhi quickly harnessed the winds and propelled the two of us upwards, but Kyoya's shadows were still encompassing the little boy and dragged him down to the cement floor.

Haruhi set us down on the catwalk just in time to see a burly looking man appear out of the shadows and grab the flailing boy by his arm. Immediately his screaming and cursing subsides, the boy's body going near lax in the shadowy grip. With a satisfied expression and a nod in Kyoya's direction from the man, the boy was released.

He turned and quickly made his way over to what I now noticed was a cage. I hadn't seen it at first because despite all the people inside, they weren't attempting to escape. Not even when the man opened the door for the young boy to walk inside. He marched right in and sat next to his father, who absentmindedly patted his head.

The man locks the door once more before turning around and giving Kyoya a smile. "Thank you, Kyoya. Excellent work."

"Thank you, Father."

"No!" The word escapes my mouth before I can stop it. Because I know that he can't be Kyoya's father. For one, he's far too cruel. Even when Kyoya spoke of his father's odd moods after visiting his mother and sister's graves and his strict rules of the house, I knew that there was no way Kyoya could care for someone like this.

And two, Kyoya had actually described to me what his father looked like. And this man looked nothing like that.

Despite this information, it was actually really stupid of me to say anything. But I had a feeling that the man knew we were here, anyways.

He and Kyoya looked up at Haru and I, and he smiled.

"Ah, the Fujioka's. I'm so glad you decided to drop by!"

"Villain puns? Really?" Haruhi muttered, but beneath her sarcasm I sensed her fear. This was so out of our league.

The burly man smiled wider, holding his arms out wide. "Oh, how rude of me! Introductions! My name is Kamitanu Hajime, and I'm the head chief of the Arakawa police department."

My eyes widened. "You... you're the one..."

"Ah, yes, Kyoya informed me that he shared his sob-story with you. A stupid decision, but it's to be expected from his kind."

"His kind-"

"Ah, sorry, you're probably confused. So, while we wait for your idiotic friends to try to find you, I'll do my best to entertain you. First, you don't have to worry about my little guests here or the ones Ootori Aikio is babysitting for me. They're safe for now. But once your little friends arrive, well... I suppose it's only a matter of time. Regardless, they're the least of your worries."

"What are you going to do to them?"

"Ah, right to the quick with you, hm, Stormcloud? If you're so curious, go take a look out of that window. My right, your left."

Haruhi gave me a worried look, but I shook my head. "Don't worry. I can protect myself."

Our eyes met briefly and I conveyed the last of my message. Besides, he's monologing. We can use that to our advantage.

Giving no indication that she'd just heard my voice in her head, Haruhi sighed and soared away from the cat walk. I kept my eyes trained on Kyoya and Kamitanu, but neither made a move towards either one of us. Kyoya's glazed eyes were staring forward, but he didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. Unless you counted the wooden crates stacked up in neat little rows across the warehouse floor.

"Nēchan... that's the bay..."

"Correction, that's the bay down the side of a 50 foot cliff side."

My hands shot forward to steady myself with the railing. I looked at the cage full of unsuspecting civilians before turning back to the man. "You're... you're gonna-"

"Oh, no need to be so dramatic. If anything, my plan should be impressive. I mean, you can't hypnotize people to death no matter how powerful you are. It's one of the more irksome rules of dealing with living things. However, fear for loved ones does act as a helpful tool. In my case, I simply need to show them the image of a loved one falling off the cliff side. They'll rush to help, and I will simply... disrupt their balance."

Haruhi dropped to my side with a loud bang, her eyes burning bright behind her mask. "You're a psychopath! And you're going to fail! Once Kyoya and the others see what you're doing they'll break your hold on them-"

"I don't think so! All they can see is the man they believe killed their family when they look at you. Don't expect any kindness from them."

"Father, they've arrived."

Without another second to think, Kyoya's brothers and the rest of our friends dropped from the shadow beneath the catwalk. Everyone landed on their feet and for a moment, everything was still.

"DON'T LET HIM TOUCH YOU!"

Haruhi sent a gale straight at the man, sending him in a heap across the floor. The rest of our friends split up, running down the aisles of wooden crates. I spotted Hikaru and Kaoru attempted to pull open the cage, but before I could warn them it was no use, Kyoya sprung up right in front of me. He grabbed a fist-full of my uniform and lifted me off my feet.

In my shock, I dropped the grass seeds I'd grabbed from the hidden pouch at my right thigh and they instantly sprouted. Most grabbed my feet and tugged me back down while the others twisted around Kyoya's ankles and knocked him off balance.

I ran down the catwalk as he tore angrily at the grass starting to crawl up his body. Hikaru and Kaoru were now inside the cage, shaking people and trying to snap them out of their funk. Aikio was facing off Tamaki and Honey, making their aims a little off to keep him out of the crossfire and force them to think about the other's movements as well as his own. Yuuichi seemed to be using his powers of foresight to their greatest extent, ducking out of the way of swings from a cement Mori at the last second and using construction vehicles to his advantage. Haruhi was roaming around the ceiling area, using wind, rain, hail, and whatever else she could create in the building to hold Kamitanu against the wall.

Despite being outnumbered, he had enough manpower to hold us stagnate. We couldn't stop him while also fighting the Ootori's.

Thankfully, I already knew he had a weakness.

Throwing a pod over my shoulder, it grew to the size of a beach ball before connecting with Kyoya's chest. He let out a pained grunt, but managed to lob it over the side of the railing before it became too heavy for him to lift it.

If he wasn't attempting to severely injure me, I might've found it hot that he could carry that much weight.

Spinning around, I stared Kyoya in the eye and forced the pod to expand even faster. By the time it hit the floor, it was already big enough to nearly touch the bottom of the catwalk. So I gave it a little bit of a kick.

Just as Kyoya's foot hit the metal again, the whole thing shook and knocked us to opposing sides. I ended up right above the cage, and before deciding whether to run left or right along the building's wall, I glanced down to check on the twins. They were screaming and shaking people, but all they managed to do was annoy them. One man in particular was watching them blankly, but not in the same way that the others were. My eyes widened when he looked up at me.

It was Kyoya's Father. And he wasn't being controlled.

"Why these people specifically?" I shouted down at Kamitanu, "Why are you separating families?"

"Families?" He spat the word out, like the taste itself disgusted him. He screamed as a volley of hail slammed into the metal slab he'd found, "They shouldn't even have the right to be called that! They're vile, unchecked abominations, with no regard to the end result. Cross breeding!"

I tripped over my own two feet. I knew that phrase. It was a horrible, vicious slur against-

"Superior beings marrying beneath themselves! Creating disgusting mixes! Power wielders making children with our race's weakest link! We've been blessed with the powers of Gods and they dare to dilute it! Producing monstrocities! Children who carry power in their veins but do not possess it themselves! Children with extraordinary abilities but might not pass it down to future generations! Do you not see? Before long we, those of pure ancestry and blood, will become extinct! We must protect ourselves from those who do not understand our rightful place! Benevolent beings!"

My mouth went dry, head spinning even as I blocked another one of Kyoya's punches and kicked him across the face. From my position, I can see my sister, plain as day. Her skin is pale.

"That's... that's why you're only interested in the boys. You don't care about the Ootori's. Or me and Haru. Because-"

The man spat on the ground, grinning leering up at me through the holes in the catwalk metal. "Your mother got what she deserved! She entered a world in which she was inferior and was purged!"

I faintly heard Haruhi let out a chocked sob, but with Kyoya still raring to attack I couldn't focus on her. Summoning flowers up my arms and to my hands, I caught and deflected Kyoya's brutal punches and kicks, letting thick layers of petals take the brunt of his power. I needed more time... I needed...

I needed to break this man's hold on my boyfriend.

Grabbing Kyoya's next kick, I twisted him until he fell on his stomach. Before he could get back up, a dozen vines wrapped themselves around his arms, legs, and torso. Snaking through the holes in the metal, they pinned him down as fast as possible.

"Why the Ootori's?" I yelped as the shadows beneath my feet roiled, bucking me almost over the railing.

Kamitanu laughed below us, but it was hard to hear over the miniature tornado Haruhi had conjured. She was probably tiring out from the constant strain of her powers, but the dig at our mother must've given her a second wind. Still, he was shouting loud enough for everyone in the warehouse to hear.

"Because they were so easy to use! One of the largest mixed families I'd ever seen... Ootori Noa was used more than once in our investigations, so I got to know "Truth Serum" very well. I might have even fallen in love with her. Her powers of touch brought out the truth, while mine obsured fact and made the truth unobtainable. I can change a person's mind and what they see, so long as I touch their skin... but I soon learned the truth."

He shot his right hand out, reaching through the bars of the cage in an attempt to snag Kaoru's ankle, but the boy moved away at the last second. Kamitanu quickly withdrew, but did not appear bothered.

"When I learned who she really was and how she'd not only married a civilian but created four abominations for him? I could not have forgiven her. Never. So... I did what needed to be done. From there, I was able to establish close contact with her widower, and that's when it began. It took years of patience on my part... he really is a stupid man. He visited the grave site on the same day every two weeks. It was almost too easy to follow him and give him a little dosage of my birthright."

He turned his head and nodded at the incarcerated Mr. Ootori, but the other man didn't even look up.

"From there, it was a simple game of making him and the abominations villains. Quite possibly it was the only thing that kept me on my path. No matter how much I hated them, I could always make others hate them just as much. Of course, they only serve as good pawns for as long as I require them... which I won't for much longer. Once have have pure blood under my control, I can dispose of them along with the others. I'm going to greatly enjoy pushing them off the cliff first."

Kyoya was starting to break the vines holding him, lobbing shadow after shadow at me so I couldn't focus on regrowing them.

"Why now? What changed?"

"Ah, it was an oversight on my part. I wanted them to collect as many pure blooded beings as possible before I began collecting but I did not count on the mixes being as powerful as they are. I was required to wait until they became distracted before I could enact my plans... I must admit, I thought I had missed my chance on the day that Kyoya moved out. Their emotions were high that day, and they were separated in a way they hadn't been before. But I could not guarantee that their emotions wouldn't backfire and make them more capable of spotting my approach. And so, right as I was beginning to think that their own bullheadedness would be my downfall... to my great surprise and delight, Kyoya found another abomination and attempted to breed with it, leading to the greatest disruption of their mental capacities in their whole life!"

"Breed with it?"

The terms caught me off guard. Not for longer than a second, but it was still one second too long.

I was knocked in the chest and sent over the lip of the catwalk. The remainder of the vines snagged me and gave me enough boost that Kamitanu couldn't snag my foot and Haruhi quickly changed her efforts to giving me a soft, cushioned landing. Immediately after, however, she dropped to her knees on the opposing cat walk, panting from the exertion.

Shadows snaked across the floor before encompassing my arms and legs, pinning me to the ground similarly to what my vines had done earlier. I couldn't move an inch.

Before I could force my arms out of the grip, Kyoya's face appeared above me and I froze. His head was blocking out the moonlight that was shining through the high windows. His grey eyes, which usually shined bright with love were only blank and cold now.

"Kyoya... please..."

"Oh my, how wonderful. You know, this might be my favorite part of what my powers can do. See, your dear Kyoya can't see you right now. All he sees is his mother and sister's killer. No matter what you say or do, there's nothing that can break through to him. He can't even question it. It just makes sense, doesn't it, Kyoya?"

"Yes, sir."

I sucked in a breath. Had his voice wavered on the 'sir'?

"It's always a delight to see how desperate people will become in their last seconds, especially with a loved one. I saw a man allow his husband to shoot him, simply because he believed the other would not do it. Another threw himself on the very knife his sister attempted to take her life with. Didn't stop her, of course, but I suppose he thought the sentiment would still stand. And perhaps my personal favorite was when dear Noa placed herself in front of the bullet I had aimed for her precious daughter Fuyumi. I even gave her a few seconds to grieve before shooting her, all the same. But perhaps I'll have a new favorite in a few seconds? What do you say, Kyoya? Will her sister sacrifice herself? Or will she tell you that she loves..." Kamitanu frowned at the new scene before him. "Kyoya? What is the meaning of this?"

Kyoya wasn't leaning over me any more. He was staring at Kamitanu blinking more often than necessary.

"You... what?"

"What do you think you're doing? Kill her."

Kyoya's brow was furrowed and he seemed to be staggering a bit. "You... you killed them? You killed my mom? And Fuyumi?"

A faint echo could be heard to my left and I looked over. The rest of my friends were there, Mori holding Yuuichi and Aikio up by the backs of their uniforms so they could watch the scene. Aikio was holding his head like it hurt. Yuuichi was limp, save for how he was staring at Kamitanu.

"What? Has your brain rotted out of your ears, boy? Their killer is-"

"You said it." Kyoya's voice suddenly hardened, and his eyes cleared. "And now you're going to pay for it."

*\/*

Kyoya's P.O.V.

I wish I could say that I had no memory of being under, like if Aikio had been in control. Or, I wish I could say that while I was under, in the back of my head I was screaming and banging mental fists against whatever door Kamitanu had slammed on my consciousness.

But I can't say either of those things. Because I had been completely and totally aware of what I was doing, and not once did I think I was doing something wrong. I saw the same man in every person he wanted me to see him. I saw the man from the blurry video and I heard my "Father" telling me what to do and where to bring him and who to attack and I believed him. It was a far worse feeling than when Aikio lifted his powers and I suddenly found myself standing out in the yard with no clothes on.

Far worse.

But I didn't have the time or luxury to deal with that right now. I had more than enough to deal with in front of me. My shadows slipped away from Jin and she carefully got to her feet. I wanted to hold her hand and check on her, to see what sort of damage I'd dealt, but with Kamitanu staring at us, panic in his eyes, I was afraid of even twitching at the wrong time.

From behind us, Aikio's voice rings out across the warehouse, "As one puppeteer to another... there's something you always have to remember in a fight. Heroes are harder to control."

He runs.

It's so sudden and his arms are outstretched to grab anyone that comes close, so we can do little but hover and send our powers out in an effort to stop him. But, as sick and twisted as he is, he knows how to deal with powers coming his way. He jumps and dodges and weaves his way to the front doors. Were it not for Tamaki's telekinesis, he might've managed to lock us inside.

Instead, we all rush out just in time to see him climb into a rather large truck and start it up. It's almost funny to hear his shout of alarm when Hikaru and Kaoru appear suddenly in his back seat. They vanish from sight before he can attempt to touch them, and when he turns back around it's just in time for him to see Mori slamming his new iron fists into the front hood of the car.

His back lights shine white before he's suddenly shooting towards us, Mori being dragged along for a few meters. Kamitanu swings the car around, shaking the metal man off.

Yuuichi shoves my arm so I fall left. "He's going to smash through the warehouse!"

The rest of the group dives out of the way just as the car does just that. I faintly hear Kamitanu's crazed laughter as he breaks the wood doors in half. Aikio jerks up into a sitting position, half leaning over Honey's body, and thrusts both of his hands to his right. Immediately the captives still in the cage move as one, shrinking against the wall as the car tears through the warehouse.

Everyone is scrambling to their feet. Tamaki reacts next, frantically deflecting any debris away from the cage and redirecting it back at the car. There's the sound of shattering glass as he breaks one of the windows.

Honey darts ahead of us, deadlocking the back doors but it's not enough. Kamitanu punches right through the wood regardless. The deadbolt is tugged from its hold in the building and a faint moan echoes through the structure.

"It's wood based!" Yuuichi shouts even as we continue running. "He wanted to make it easier to demolish it after everything! It'll come down!"

Tamaki skids to a stop and pushes his palms towards the ceiling, shouting, "I need Honey, the twins, Yuuichi, and Aikio to help get these people out! Everyone else, after him!"

We don't even question the orders, already in the middle of following them.

Through the broken window, I can hear Kamitanu's laughter more clearly than ever. In the shadows of his car, I can feel how his head is turned almost completely around to watch us over his shoulder.

He doesn't see the cliff face.

Because he's insane.

Still, that doesn't stop the way my heart clenches when he looks back out the front window, only to see the cliff approaching rapidly. His laughter turns into a scream as he slams on the breaks.

Not soon enough.

The car spins sideways a bit, stopped just shy of the edge... and the rock beneath his front wheels gives out. Kamitanu screams yet again as his car begins to teeter dangerously over the edge of the rock face.

I can tell without even looking that the mood of the whole team has changed in an instant. The grass growing on the hill shoots up and wraps itself around the back tires while Mori grabs the bumper and pulls down. Haruhi stops beside her sister and summons more wind, but it's weak. She's tired, and with more soil sliding out from under the car, we only have a few seconds.

Unlocking the car door from the inside, I let it fall open and carefully extend a bridge of some sort towards Kamitanu. I have to keep it connected to the truck, and it's not very thick, but it's the best I can do. I've used my powers more tonight than ever before. My knees were starting to shake from exertion.

"Come on... get out."

The truck shakes as Kamitanu leans out of the open door. His eyes are narrowed as he observes me, my makeshift bridge, the trembling warehouse, and the other three heroes behind me.

He sneers before spitting on my creation.

"My pure blood's on your dirty hands now, boy."

He let go of the truck.

And fell straight down.

*\/*

I hummed a vaguely familiar song as I scrolled through my morning "newspaper". Like most of the local papers around Tokyo, its top story was that of the huge hospital merger between the Ootori Group and Tayton Corporation. The article went on about how it was strictly the hospital part of both families and it was meant to help create better techniques and make hospital visits more affordable for their patients. It was no place to be practicing business rivalry, even a playful one.

Avoiding the part where my father named me as the head consultant and creator of the project, because I knew I would blush, I instead skipped to the 'heroes and villains' segment. The reporter, Ukyo Chikage, reminded the readers of a new mystery villain that had appeared the week before, likely filling up the power vacuum left by "The Control Tower".

I hummed a little louder as my eyes caught my brother's and father's villain names marked under the 'retired' list.

"Shadow" was the newest update in the list right below them, accompanied by a spin-off article by Tomochika Sakyo that went into detail about Shadow's new look. He paid extra attention to the new purple highlights and the lack of a full face mask, spinning out theories that even I hadn't thought of.

The name "Hades" popped up more than once, but I didn't think too hard on it. It was unlikely that the name would ever really catch on outside of Tumblr... but I suppose I can appreciate the sentiment.

"Kyoya?"

"In the kitchen, Darling!"

Jin breezed down the staircase and beamed in my direction. Skirting the table at which I was sitting, she gave my phone screen a quick glance before pressing a 'good morning' kiss to my cheek. Of course, I couldn't let her off easy, and made sure to give her a proper kiss before she could pull away. Carefully setting my phone down, I reached up to cup her face with my hands, attempting to draw her further in.

I did not pout when she pull away regardless, poking the tip of my nose as she did so.

"Nuh uh. You're not pulling that before our guests arrive, Dear. Not today."

"Please? For me?"

"Don't do that."

"What?" I asked, fainting innocence.

She scrunched her nose up at me, which was absolutely adorable. "You think that whenever you say 'please, for me' I'll do anything you want. Not this time."

"...Please? For me?"

"...Fine. Only 'cause you're so cute."

She does her best to kiss my smile right off my face, which is fine by me. But just as I managed to pull her into straddling my lap, the doorbell rings.

Jin pulls back before I have the chance to grab hold, shooting me a cheeky smile over her shoulder as she walks to the front door. Scooping my phone off the table, I pocket it and join her.

Opening the front door, we're greeted with the sight of all our friends.

"Congratulations on your new apartment!" They shout in chorus. Jin laughs merrily before gesturing them to come inside. Antoinette, Tamaki and Haruhi's newest dog, is the first to take Jin up on her offer, bounding this way and that to sniff at everything.

Our friends come in, bumping into each other and shouting as they try to kick off their shoes. Hikaru and Kaoru even attempt to climb over a few people, trying to hand over their housewarming gifts first.

We can do little more than take it in stride, carefully gathering presents to be opened later and accepting whatever hugs they offered. Tamaki's were particularly vicious, as he'd made the comment a few months earlier that since he could no longer punch me every other week he had to find other ways to express his love. I didn't complain. At least not any more. It made my grief counselor happy, at least, to know that I had such a solid base of support outside of our sessions.

Even though they drove me mad sometimes.

I caught a glance of Honey exploring the sitting room over Tamaki's shoulder and let out a big sigh. "Okay! Laying down some ground rules! First off, no powers in the apartment!"

---

I'm sorry for how long this chapter took, especially since you were all probably expecting another Hogwarts AU. But since I got a new job (with better pay and hours) and my online class will be ending soon, I should have more time and energy to write. I also have a new group of writing buddies that I meet up with every week, so that'll be a huge help!

And holy moley, almost 30,000 words! I guess my friend was right to make me participate in Nanowrimo this November! (If any of my writing readers are interested, I highly suggest you do it, too! It sounds like a lot of fun!)

Well, I hope you enjoyed this!

See you next chapter!