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


"My family went to a ski resort."

"I just got back from traveling abroad!"

The clamor of friends reuniting after the break interrupts Kyoya's nap - yeah, Kyoya had the gall to nap right upon arriving at school. I'd actually watched him nap for every single class without any teachers calling on him for three days straight. His reputation of kicking ass outside of school was starting to make its rounds. In a good way though! He was exalted as the savior of small mom and pop shops and a voice for environmentalism. LOL. He will literally beat you to an inch of your life if he catches you littering the lint from your pant pocket. Namimori has never shone so bright.

"Welcome back everyone, to your seats." Mr. Onazuka takes his place at the board.

Kyoya places his head back onto the table, attempting to return to slumber.

"Let's start by everyone sharing a memory from their break. We'll start with you Kenji, then onto the next in the row."

Row by row they each reveal their winter breaks - a mixture of snowboarding trips, visits to distant relatives and hanging out with friends. Ya know, typical kid stuff.

A loud KNOCK at the door interrupts the current speaker.

Mr. Onazuka motions for the kid to continue speaking as he slides open the door to reveal an assistant from the administrative office. The assistant whispers something into his ear and Mr. Onazuka's complexion pales. He nods, solemn. Must be bad news.

Mr. Onazuka nods again. I wonder who it could be about.

Just as I think it, his eyes glance toward Kyoya, still asleep at his desk.

My eyes widen. No… for Kyoya?

Mr. Onazuka whispers something to the assistant, then slowly makes his way to Kyoya's desk. The entire class, even the presenter, quiets - someone disturbing Kyoya from a nap?! Unheard of unless you want to get bitten to death.

Mr. Onazuka's hand extends to shake Kyoya's shoulder, but before he makes contact, Kyoya's arm swats Mr. Onazuka's away. His head shoots up with a fierce glare. "What?"

"H-H-Hibari-san - they need you in the principal's office."

"Why?" His eyes narrow further.

"U-urgent family matters." Mr. Onazuka all but mumbles, barely able to force out a response.

It's deathly silent as the room waits. Kyoya's chair screeches as he pushes out of it. He disappears out the classroom door without a word. The students exhale the breath they didn't know they were holding.

Mr. Onazuka coughs loudly. "Okay please continue what you were say -"

"I HAVE TO PEE!" I shoot up and run out the door, chasing after Kyoya and ignoring Mr. Onazuka's cries of protest.

I turn to the right in time to watch him turn the corner with the assistant.

I turn the corner after them. Kyoya's housekeeper and a man dressed in an expensive suit wait beside the Principal. Out the window I see the Hibari car. It really must be official family business.

"Let's go, Hibari-san."

"Hai."

I run after them as Kyoya gets into the back of the car. "Kyoya!"

The entourage turns.

The man steps between Kyoya and I. "This doesn't concern you, go back inside."

"Can I go with him?"

"No, this is a private Hibari matter."

I bite my lip, making eye contact with Kyoya.

"Let her come." He states harshly, words laced with threat.

Silence. "... She cannot." The man turns to shut the door, but Kyoya pushes it back at him.

"She's coming."

The man begins to sweat. "Your father's orders." Kyoya's father is here?

"She's coming." Kyoya holds firm, not wavering for even a second. The man glares at me condescendingly. I glare with equal fervor.

"I deeply recommend against this Hibari-san."

"I don't care."

Kyoya grabs my hand, pulling me with him into the backseat.

The man shuts the car door and I instantaneously take in every detail about my surroundings. The make of the car, the quick way the driver locks all the doors, the nervous tick of the housekeeper who seems to be holding back tears, the scarring on the driver's knuckles - I take it all in as any good hitman would do.

It's a familiar route - straight back to the Hibari residence. A sudden family meeting? If Kyoya's father is here, but sent a henchman to grab Kyoya then the rest of the family must be arriving as well. What could warrant this on such short notice?

A handful of expensive cars pull through the gates of the Hibari residence. Without exiting the car, the air of tension that pervades the residence is easy to pick up on and even I am cautious to trespass on the occasion. Sharp eyes from new faces all stare down the car. They're alert and they're dangerous.

Kyoya leans over me from the seat next to mine, his hand gently grazes my shoulder. He whispers gently in my ear, "Stay close to me." And though I would usually refuse out of pure habit of not doing what he says, I can see worry that is so unlike him as he stares out the tinted windows at all the guests.

"Are they all family?"

"Distant relatives." He says.

CLICK as the driver unlocks the doors.

Kyoya exits on his side of the car, and me on mine.

Two distinguished men and one woman stand at the entrance of the home, in hushed conversation. Typical Hibari jet black hair, gray eyes, and stern expression. They must be the relatives - Kyoya must not be close to any of them going by his tone. Surrounding them, spread across all corners of the estate are around 30 guards, from what I can see at least, though none of them enter the house itself.

As Hibari walks up to the front door, the three of them bow deeply in greeting. "Hello Hibari-sama." They are all at least 10 years older than Kyoya, yet greet him with such distinction?

He bows slightly in return, quickly walking past them to enter into the house. I follow after him, ignoring the judgmental glances from the others. They don't even attempt to hide their disdain, openly speaking of their disapproval. "So this is the scrawny thing she had been providing charity to?" "Who knows what priceless items she's stolen from the house?" "What sacrilege to allow in an outsider from so… below our distinction. Though I can't say I'm surprised she would pull something like this." They enter the house following suit.

I keep my eyes on Kyoya's back. He tenses upon hearing their words, but doesn't falter. I honestly… couldn't care less. I mean, I was forced to be here LOL. I'm just at the whim of Hibari's family wishes and the Vecchio's family wishes - what's a girl to do? Just going with the flow out here. Also, though this has nothing to do with anything, I could probably kick all their asses and then some without breaking a sweat. Just saying.

As we walk down the hallway, I notice two figures at the end - the same two people from the photo I once happened upon in one of the unused rooms. These must be Kyoya's parents.

"Remove her from the house at once." Kyoya's father, I presume, commands the men who followed us in. He doesn't even spare us a greeting.

"She's staying." Kyoya retaliates.

"Kyoya, this is a family matter." his mother chimes in. Both mother and father speak with no warmth.

"Where is Obaa-san?"

They hesitate, "Remove her first." Kyoya must be an unnatural talent in the family to command this level of authority at his age. An undisputed leader.

"She is Obaa-san's guest. Where is Obaa-san?" Kyoya repeats.

His mother and father glance at one another.

"... She's dead."

And just like that... Kyoya's bloodlust overtakes everyone and everything. It impacts everyone differently. To some, it feels like a physical grip on one's chest, slowly and brutally tightening so that the last bit of air is all but squeezed out. To others, it's a deep sense of dread as if you know a great darkness walks behind you, yet you can't turn around. To me, it's like fire. A warmth simmering on the surface of my skin, wrapping me up as if to burn on forever. It doesn't scare me, Kyoya never could.

But even his parents are forced to take a step backward, fighting the flight-or-fight urge that Kyoya's auro commands. I feel his pain immensely, though it manifests almost purely as rage. Though she wasn't related to me, she saw me as who I really was rather than a tool for what I could be. And for that I loved her.

"How?" Kyoya grits out.

"Peacefully. The housekeeper tried to wake her from her nap to find she had passed. She's been unwell for some time, I was told." His mother responds. "We came immediately."

"The wake is tomorrow." His father adds. "We need to talk, when you've calmed down."

Kyoya stands, still as stone, even as the rest of them depart from the room. I want so badly to comfort him, to remove from him even a sliver of the grief he feels. But I know grief well. And I know no one can take it from you. It's a hard battle and it's long. Even when you think it's passed, it returns. But still, I can at least show him, he isn't alone.

Very slowly I wrap my arms around him from behind. He trembles slightly on contact. I tighten my hug around his torso and bury my face in his back. Kyoya.

I don't know what expression he wears, but I hold him for a long while. Until he finds his bearing and moves. He gently grabs my arm, then breaks from my hold. He walks toward his father's office.

"Kyoya..."

He pauses, but still refuses to turn around. "Stay here." he says.

He disappears inside the room.


Kyoya's mother almost immediately returns upon Kyoya's absence. She's obviously trained and highly observant.

"You seem to have been misled by Chieko-sama's unconventional methods, so I shall tell you clearly now: you have no place here."

She means it with every fiber of her being. Though the Hibari's are harsh, they are not dishonest. They would find the idea of dishonesty to be against their pride.

"But Kyoya needs -"

"Hibaris don't need others. Has he ever said as much?"

"...No, but -"

"Because you aren't needed here. It's as simple as that. Do not overstep our generosity. And you should have enough sense to know that whatever happens in this house you shall never mention."

And I know that she's right. Kyoya is the last person in this world to need someone - least of all me.

The doorbell CHIMES.

"Your family is here to pick you up. Your bags are already out front."

I want to stay. "Hai." She walks me out the front door just as Fon walks up the steps.

I want to stay. Kazumi and Guido usher me over quickly, clearly intimidated by the guards. I run up to Fon, discreetly placing the charm from the festival in his hands before I go. "Thank you for your training, I - tell Kyoya …" Tell Kyoya what? What would he want to hear from me? What would he need to hear from me? "Tell Kyoya goodbye for me, please." Fon gently pats me on the head, sending me off with a warm, sad smile. He whispers back, "I'll make sure he gets this."

I want to stay. Kazumi drags me into the back seat of the car. Guido's first words are, "We warned you again and again to be on your best behavior. To be sent home so suddenly - what an embarrassment! What did you do?"

I want to stay. "Nothing - I… I don't know."

I want to stay. "You know what you owe us. What you owe the Vecchio family. There will be no more blunders - not even a chance for it. When we get back to Italy, you'll take the first mission asked of you. At least pay back what you can."

"D-don't be so hard on her - " Kazumi tries to chime in. "Hard on her? How many refusals has this been already? How can we face Edoardo like this?"

"I'm sorry." I say, genuinely. Guido sighs, "Sorry doesn't do anything for us."

"I'll do the mission well - I can fight better than I can socialize. I'll make the money back and more."

"It's not as simple as money." Guido sneers.

"I know."

This is what I have to do and I've never forgotten that.


A/N: TIME SKIP after this!