Hey, another chapter today! This is all because Ryuu is sick. Lucky me! We'll be updating our collab, 'The Impromptu Paradoxical Posterity' tomorrow so those who like that story, worry naught! Anyways, thank you all for reading up to this chapter!

Thanks to those who followed (Kaiko Pyon)! Now onto the story! You all will hate me!

Brennt barn forðast eldinn.
-Icelandic Proverb

Tsunayoshi looked out the window, sighing as he dazed in and out of his daydreaming thoughts. School's started again and it wasn't all that boring, though Gokudera had messed up the smooth days with ruckus. He won't admit it, but he liked those days with his friends around. He unconsciously smiled. His friends. Yamamoto-kun, Gokudera-kun, and Hibiki. His smile fell from his face as worry etched into it's place. Now that he thought about it, Hibiki wasn't coming over as frequently, walking to school on her own. It wasn't like her to ignore them for such a long time.

He looked down to see that the second years were out for PE, Sasagawa-senpai yelling about how extreme it was, tiring those around him out. Tsunayoshi gave a small smile before he looked over at the girl's side. And lo and behold, Hibiki was there. She had her normal apathetic face on and she was stretching as all the other girls were, but... for some reason, it didn't feel right. It was as if he felt she was about to break down anytime.

Tsunayoshi scolded himself for thinking such a terrible thing about his friend and was about to look away, when something urged him to watch Hibiki a while longer, but his teacher yelled at him. "Sawada, answer number six on the board if you think that you don't need to listen to what I'm saying!" He winced at the teacher's loud voice that snapped him away from his thoughts as he teared his eyes from the window to the board.

"A-Ano..." Gokudera tried to signal him something, but he blanched. He had no idea what he was trying to say and didn't know the answer either. He quickly guessed, "P-Pi?"

The class burst into laughter as the teacher was irked, confusing the poor boy. "Sawada, this isn't math.. This is world history!"

His eyes widened as he realized his mistake and Gokudera tried to bring out his bombs, "G-Gokudera-kun! Please sto- HIEE!"

As the commotion went on, Tsunayoshi forgot entirely about his thoughts on Hibiki. If he'd only looked on for a few seconds longer, he would have seen her eyes flash as she started to run around the track. Eyes dead set in front of her as she ran as fast as she could, forcing people she past to tumble and fall to the ground at her speed. Her eyes were rough and looked like a caged animal trying to get out. He would have noticed that she wasn't her normal self.. that she was trying to run away from something.

He would have realized she was trying to run away from herself.

...

Parent appreciation day went by quickly. Hibiki knew her parents weren't coming, and it made her feel sick at the notion of seeing other people so happy with their families for some reason, forcing her to stay home that day.

No one thought that she would be alone that day, only a small object in her hand at home as she stared blankly at it.

...

Hibiki looked at the picture frame in her hands.

It was her, mother, and father. She was eight at the time and her mother was three months into pregnancy. Her father was in between the two as he gave a giant silly grin at the camera. Her mother was smiling gently while she had her hand on Hibiki's shoulder. Hibiki herself was giving a smile at the camera as her father's hand was laid atop of her head. They were at the sea in the summer, though cold. Her mother wore a knee length light blue summer dress and a straw hat, a red bow on top that slightly flew in the wind. Her father wore a long sleeved green shirt with jeans, his brown hair tousled from the wind. Hibiki had a dress on similar to her mother's, though it was purple and she had worn jeans that showed underneath it.

Hibiki stared at the object. The picture was only taken a day before her mother had decided to end her life. She had been so full of life that day.. nothing seemed to be wrong. The sea behind them, that was the sea she'd jumped into and killed herself as she drowned. Her body was never found and blood was sighted around the ocean a day afterwards. Enough blood to kill a human.

Her eyes eyes shined as she looked at the picture. Now it was just a memory, the only thing that connected her to her parents other than their blood.

Hibiki turned around and placed the frame into the box behind her. Everything was placed in there. Her futon, her small table, her books, clothing, and towels. The rest were in a smaller box that held miscellaneous things, though there weren't many of those. She sealed the box, covering the photo.

She'd sold Rune's cage and threw away his branch, though Rune had pecked at her for that. He looked a bit irritated... as much as a bird could, but he'd stayed on her shoulder the entire time she packed, most likely knowing what was going on.

Rune was the closest thing to family, but she knew it would be best to let him go. He was to be free, not caged with her. She probably wouldn't be able to keep him anyways so why not let him be free.

She sighed as she picked up a small black duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder where the bird wasn't sitting on. It had a change of clothes, toiletries, and a book in it about German culture that would be of good use to her.

The mail had come in a day ago, a few days after she'd realized what her father had done, forcing her to fully take in everything, telling her there would be someone picking her up to take her to the airport in about twenty minute from now and to make sure she got to Germany from the government. Her aches had dulled, but it was still there, like a scar that would never stop throbbing.

The doorbell rang and she set her bag down next to the door as she walked over to it, opening the door. She was sure the people were coming in twenty, not now.

Hibiki's eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly masked it. "Tsunayoshi-k-," She stopped herself, "Tsunayoshi, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Reborn, what are you all doing here."

The trio's eyes widened when they saw her dressed and the apartment behind her empty. "Hi-Hibiki, please don't leave!" Tsunayoshi yelled out, eyes filled with determination to keep her there. She was taken aback at the request, taking a step back at his volume. He looked at her with such eyes. How did he- Reborn.

She looked at the baby atop of Yamamoto's head and a frown appeared on her face before looking back at Tsunayoshi, "It's not my choice."

Gokudera stalked up to her and glared at her as he grabbed the collar of her shirt, "What the fuck do you mean it's not your choice! You idiotic woman, making Juudaime worry about such a lowlife as yourself. You should be-"

"Shut up!" She pushed him away from her, eyes narrowing as her breathing started to accelerate, "I know I'm a lowlife, that I'm an idiot. I don't need someone like you to tell me something like that," She spat out her words, scaring the kouhai in front of her. The temperature had dropped and Rune had flown off, knowing he shouldn't stay if he wanted to live. "i have no choice in the matter and even if I stayed, there would be nothing Japan could offer me!" Stop, "This isn't my home, I don't belong here." Why are you lying? "I'm selfish and because of that, both my parents are gone!" Who are you trying to convince? "Are you guys here to rub salt in the wound? What are you trying to do, what would you gain from keeping me here, somewhere I wasn't supposed to come to in the first place!?" You're saying things that you don't mean, "I've had enough of you guys always bothering me with your fucking mafia shit!" You never curse, why are you lashing out at them? "You're all such freaks!" Why are you putting them down? "Get away from me, don't pretend to care, and don't bother me with your sympathy, your reasons, your pity, your friendship," Why did you spit that last word out as if it were poison? "I don't need you guys, you guys don't need me. Let me do as I please!" Who are you talking to now? You're not directing this at them, but at the same time, you are, "You all are disgusting to me, why'd you even come here when you obviously don't care!"

She huffed as she stared at each of their horror stricken faces. "You all are nothing to me. I am nothing to you. Let's keep it like that. Forget the other existed, okay? It's not like you need me here." You should stop lying.

"Úlfhrafndóttir-san?" Hibiki looked over at the man with her gaze, making him stumble back, falling onto his butt, "A-I'm h-here to t-t-take you to-"

"My apologies, I've been put into quite the sour mood." She picked up her duffle bag, walking past the four who'd come to see her. "There are only two boxes so there isn't much you'll need to do."

A hand wrapped around Hibiki's arm, but she quickly pulled it out. Judging by how small the hand was, it was Tsunayoshi's, "Hibiki, when you come back... I hope you could tell us what happened."

She ignored his comment as she got into the large car, her eyes blank and face apathetic, as if nothing had just occurred.

As the car left, a stifling atmosphere was left. Tsunayoshi shivered, arms around himself as he dropped to the floor, a traumatized look in his eyes. He spoke in a soft voice, "You know... I never noticed... how scary Hibiki was until now." Or how broken she was.

...

Hibiki sat down on the plain bed, looking around the room. Her body was too large for the bed and the bed was too soft. Around the room weren't much, just a desk next to the bed that was set into the far left corner of the room and a closet for her clothes set at the close left corner of the room. A small window was placed where the desk faced, giving her a view of the front of the orphanage. Her clothes were set in the closet for her and her items put on her desk, the picture frame placed neatly in the corner of the desk, showing her family on it. She was given her own room as the orphanage was small and so were the rooms, making it possible for every kid to have their own, though they all shared the rest of the things there.

She got up and gently picked up the frame, placing it face down on the desk. It was for the best that she did that.

A glint caught her eye as she turned around and looked at the top of her closet. Something was shining there, making her curiosity get the best of her as she stood up on the bed and grabbed the objects there with a piece of paper curiously put there.

As Hibiki sat down on the bed, she curiously looked at the earrings in her hands with matching small dream catchers on them, one with a chain and a cuff. She read the note in hand, brows furrowing. It was in English.

To whomever gets this message and the earrings, I bid you good riddance and hope on your journey as the new Holder of the Horizon. These earrings only shows itself with the note to you when you will be close to falling apart. I hope this will help you and you do not fall into the same fate as I, who was too weak to hold the balance that I wished the world to hold.

-Úlfhrafn

Hibiki's eyes widened as she threw the paper, though it just slowly fell to the ground in front of her. Her father's writing, his name etched into the end of the paper, the earrings. She looked at the earrings as she calmed herself down. They felt... warm, as if they were alive. She looked back at the paper on the floor.

Was this a joke? What was a 'Holder of the Horizon'? It just sounded super cheesy like those American fictions and why was her father's name on the paper.

This-It-None of this made any sense. Hibiki frowned. She was not a hero, she was not meant for heroism, that was for people like Tsunayoshi. Her thoughts fell to Tsunayoshi. That clumsy, strong hearted boy, who pulled her into his world. He'd somehow gotten her to follow him, his bright nature and interestingly hidden charisma coming out when he meets new people, hypnotizing them.

Well, at least she knew she wasn't just a background character, oblivious of the ones who saved them from danger they had no idea of.

.

.

Thought that didn't sound bad at all either.

Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
-Seneca