A/N: I complain that I don't get enough reviews and that it makes me slow to update, and then when I do get reviews I don't update for a year. Good job me. Well, if it's any consolation, I really appreciate the reviews, and as several of you pointed out, I'm going to be slowing down a bit with the pacing. I think I tend to try and push harder when I feel like nothing big is happening, or I have plot points I want to get to faster. Also, something that likely contributed to my stopping in updates was my moving out of the house and going into college! Woo! Anyway, it's summer and while I have one class, I have a lot more time than I'm used to. I realized just how much I miss writing and how into this story I was, so I'm getting back into it. Hopefully, after this chapter, I won't wait so long for the next one, since I love to complain about authors who never update, yet I seem to love to do it. Last comment, I'm going to try and write longer chapters and get more organized with the story. I kind of know where I'm going with this, but for the most part I'm going chapter-by-chapter in a random pattern. Anyway, please enjoy!

The room was freezing, which wasn't necessarily abnormal, if it weren't for the fact that there was a cold, looming sense of thread over the trio as they stood as close to the door as humanly possible, as if they might race out at any moment. Their eyes stayed trained on the figure sitting alone in his the giant chair of his giant office, seeming completely absent from the conversation, even as the bad news of their failed mission was relayed. No, he seemed perfectly preoccupied with the snow falling outside his window, drifting wildly in a way that was anything but gentle, as those from other reaches of the world might expect.

Still, his subordinates knew better than to take this attitude as a sign of apathy towards the situation. If anything else, it meant even more danger to them and their livelihoods as it meant he was thinking deeply on something; never a good sign after bad news.

"I see," he said finally, after the stumbled explanation was stated. He allowed those ambiguous, icy words to float in the air for a moment, and then he stood, the trio shrinking even more, defying all previous beliefs that it might be possible. The figure was huge, standing taller than any of them, which became more apparent as he stepped closer to them. "You have failed me, yes?"

The answer was already stated, but a confirmation was one none of them wanted to give up immediately. They glanced at each other, wondering who was the bravest out of them, before the smallest spoke up.

"Y-yes, sir," he said shakily, painfully aware of the three eyes trained on him. "W-we tried to get Alfred, like you asked, but it seems he was s-sold with the other robots. H-his owner kept getting in the way. W-we tried but-"

A hand shot out suddenly, long, strong fingers managing to wrap around the boy's head and tilt it upwards. His companions flinched, and the trembling in the youngest became worse. The giant man's breath seemed to be frozen, like deep inside he was cold and hard.

"Alfred belongs to me," he said, his voice low, but rumbling like thunder in the distance. "I am simply reclaiming him. You will not fail me a second time, understand?"

A squeak and a small nod was all that he responded with, trying to pull slightly from the iron grip, staring deep into the heartless eyes of the man above him, eyes seeming an unnatural shade of violet. And then he smiled a smile that never seemed to truly reach his eyes, no matter how it might seem to those unfamiliar to his ways.

"Good!" He said, releasing him mercifully, straightening back to his towering position. His black shoes clicked on the ground as he strode leisurely over to the window once more, all previous unspoken threats seeming forgotten. "We will have to come up with another plan soon. Arthur will have caught wind of these events by now, yes? For now, we will give them time to… settle down before our next move. You are dismissed."

Wasting no time at those words, the three couldn't have bolted from the room faster, leaving the large man alone in his large office.

For a moment, he didn't move from his spot, but something unconscious in himself sent his feet to his chair once more, where, in his solitude, he relaxed his stiff position, pulling his ever-present scarf over his nose and feeling the familiar fabric on his fingers and lips. A hand trailed down to a drawer and from it he produced a single sunflower made of found metal parts and acrylic paint, crudely made but filled with care.

He would not be stopped this time.

Through a deep haze, Kiku became acutely aware of three things; he was laying on something that was moving slowly, he could hear mechanical sounds and a very faint clicking noise, not spaced out like a clock, but not completely removed, and he could hear a faint, muffled vocaloid song. Also, that he didn't want to move, but he also got the sense that he had slept long enough, and there was a sense of unknown dread looming over him that he couldn't quite place.

Then it all came to him and he realized what was happening. He was currently on a plane, headed halfway across the world, to a place where the people didn't speak his native language and he had never been before. And he was currently laying against who could only be Alfred by the whirring and clicking sound, the latter of which he had never been close enough to hear before, which only meant he was currently laying his head directly over Alfred's chest.

Slowly, trying to soothe his rapid heartbeat, he opened his eyes to look up. Alfred had since gone into sleep-mode (a mode Kiku supposed kicked in when Alfred spent a long time without doing too much, once more a very inadvertently human trait), headphones over his ears but eyes shut. He was leaning back in his chair, poised to look at a large TV screen tilted towards him, which had been playing Captain America last time Kiku was awake, but now played the Pixar movie Up, which gave Kiku an idea on how long he had been asleep.

That, however, raised the question of when he turned over to lay directly on Alfred's chest. Hell, his arm was half poised over Alfred's abdomen as though to hold him, an unconscious action Kiku had never done to anyone but his brother Yao many years ago. It would've had to have been a while ago as the seatbelt against Kiku's left arm had long since made an indent, meaning it had been in that odd position for quite a while.

Prompted by this fact and the sudden stopping of the song playing somewhere, Kiku dislodged himself from the embarrassing situation as slowly as possible, hoping he might be able to save a bit more dignity while he pulled out his phone.

There he met the main cause for his unconscious dread; 39 messages from Yao and 18 missed calls. Yes, Kiku probably should have had a better plan then "explain to Yao the situation through text while he's busy at work and then take a nap on the robot that is the center of this mess." Yes, the brother who panics if Kiku doesn't check in twice a week at the right time would certainly be okay with that.

With another bout of wisdom, Kiku chose to text back, but within the middle of his response to the 39 angry and flustered messages, Yao was calling again. Well, it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, he answered.

"He-"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Yao started, his high-strung voice piercing through the receiver and managing to even rouse Alfred from his rest. "You leave me a sorry excuse for an explanation about how you're dropping everything to move, won't respond to my messages for almost an hour, and then want to text me?! Did I go wrong somewhere? Did I plant the seeds for these terrible choices somewhere years ago? Do you not understand your actions young man?! Are you feeling ill? If you are not then you best start explaining before I make it so."

"Hello, Gēgē," Kiku started. His voice was calm but he had called his brother Gēgē, which meant he knew hell was going to be paid and was trying to soften the blow. "Yes, I am feeling perfectly fine. However, I am not truly able to explain the situation at the present time as I don't necessarily know all of the details myself-". Wrong answer.

"Don't know the details?!" Yao screeched. "You are moving across the world and you don't know all the details?! Are you mad?!"

"I am aware that this is a… rash decision," Kiku said, able to tell even on the phone that Yao knew it was an understatement, "but I have to do this! Alfred needs me!" This caught the attention of the one next to him, who most certainly wasn't listening at all, no sir. His eyes darted over to Kiku and stayed there, even as he tried to pull them away to look out the window.

"Again with the robot!" Yao groaned. "Kiku, I am starting to regret buying that thing in the first place. You talk about it like it's alive and now you're moving across the world because of it? I had hoped it might open up new doors for you, not this!"

"But he has! I'm going to be working for Arthur Kirkland himself! That's a new opportunity right?" Kiku prayed that this angle might lower his brother's wrath the slightest bit, and thankfully, the heavens were merciful that day. Yao let out a groaning sigh.

"Yes, it is," he grunted, "however these rash, poor choices are risky. Men like Kirkland can be dangerous, and if they aren't, the people around them are."

"Gēgē, this is something I need to do!" Kiku insisted, feeling he might have the upper hand after all. "If I don't… well…" He became very aware of Alfred's conscious presence and quickly worked around saying just what he meant. "My life goes back to being boring and static."

There was a long pause, and Kiku guessed there'd be a lot more explaining to be done, but ultimately, his brother sighed again.

"This is what you want?"

"It is. Very much so." It was true. Kiku hadn't felt so strongly for something in a long time.

"Very well… But you must call me daily! And I'll be visiting you as soon as I can. Send me all the information! And make sure you're eating right! Going to foreign countries can make getting sick very easy, so exercise and wash your hands regularly! Make sure-"

"Ahhh, look we're about to land," Kiku interjected. "I have to turn off my phone!" Not necessarily a lie; they'd be landing soon.

"Hm, all right… But I love you! And be safe, okay?"

"Of course, Gēgē, I will. And I'll call you often."

A long pause, but Kiku knew better than to hang up first.

"Yao?" He asked in the silence.

"You didn't say you love me too," Yao said, sounding legitimately offended.

"I didn't think I needed to…"

"You always need to! You still aren't saying it!"

"It's something that goes without saying! I don't have to-"

"Xiǎodì!" Now it was serious. Kiku sighed.

"I love you too…" He grunted with as much dignity and maturity as one could, and there was a small, triumphant huff from the other end.

"There, that wasn't so hard! I'll talk to you later. Good luck!" Click.

Kiku sighed and put his phone down, before glancing at Alfred to his left, who was grinning like a mad man. Kiku's face lit up.

"I-it was just my brother!" Kiku said quickly. "He always gets so dramatic… He's a very sentimental person." Was he defending himself, or his brother?

"Oh I understand!" Alfred said knowingly, but gave Kiku a bit of mercy. "It won't be too much longer. While you were asleep, Arthur sent me a message to tell you he'd be sending someone to pick us up at the airport. He also wanted to know how much money you were bringing but I said that I didn't know and that you were comfy so I didn't want to wake you."

Ah. So Alfred was awake when Kiku dozed off on him. Well…. Since that was obvious he might as well ask something he was wondering.

"What's the clicking sound in your chest?" Alfred's smile dropped. For such an innocent question, he seemed suddenly thrown off.

"The clicking sound?" He responded, feigning innocence. "In my chest? Wh…. What are you talking about?"

"Well, I was just wondering since I hadn't noticed it before…" Kiku said, not quite sure he should continue his line of questions when Alfred had such a negative response. "Nothing is damaged right?"

"No, nothing like that!" Alfred said quickly, then looked out the window, trying to find the right response. "I am just missing a part, is all. It doesn't necessarily effect my main functions. It won't harm you in any way, I promise."

Once more, Kiku was faced with a dilemma of letting Alfred keep his secrets or pushing him to answer. He rather quickly chose the former.

"Well that's good, I suppose…" He shrugged. "If it doesn't negatively affect you then I suppose it's not something to be worried about…" He glanced out the window too, seeing the cities and landscapes through the clouds they passed by. It was all so similar to his home, yet still different.

Silence fell between the two, and Kiku got the feeling that Alfred was hesitant in continuing the conversation for fear of returning to the topic of the clicking deep in his chest. Something was incredibly amiss about that topic, so Kiku decided to help him away from it.

"So you grew up here?" He asked curiously.

"Oh! Yes!" He stated quickly, a smile returning to his face. "Well, sort of. I don't necessarily grow, but the concept is there! Arthur's been working on me for years, and I've gone through several stages. When he finished me, I lived with him for a long time before he decided to ship me out with the other robots."

Kiku resisted the urge to ask just what caused him to have to get shipped out, seeing as Arthur said there was danger involved, enough so Alfred's integration was kept a secret. It probably wasn't something Alfred would like to talk about if he knew the answer.

Thankfully, they were interrupted by the announcement by the captain that they'd be landing soon. They were asked to put their seatbelts on and return to their seats, not that Kiku or Alfred had really stood up very often during the flight, despite that the jet was designed for luxury travel.

The landing and then docking of the plane went off normally, with Alfred excitedly speaking of how he wanted Kiku to meet his family, or the people he considered his family at least. Regardless of being a robot, Alfred was purely buzzing with excitement, even as they stepped off the plane and into the airport, or as they passed through security and into the streets. It just seemed to grow.

It overflowed when Alfred saw who was picking them up, someone clearly close to the robot. A man, shorter than Alfred but taller than Kiku with blonde hair in a ponytail and a light beard on his chin, stood by the entrance waiting for what could only be them, as when he saw Alfred he smiled pleasantly. It was bright, but nothing compared to the grin that grew onto Alfred's face when he saw the man, accompanied by an excited wail and a lunge forwards.

They embraced (or, Alfred smothered the man with his hug and the man became caught between returning the hug and trying not to suffocate from the choking hold) as Kiku calmly approached, watching the scene. The man Alfred hugged, upon closer inspection, seemed a bit older than Kiku. He didn't yet have grey hair, but he definitely had the beginnings of wrinkles at the corner of his lips, and his eyes seemed to hold a weariness that was always present. Not necessarily a tired look that meant he was facing hardships, but rather one that was left over from some great issue he would never quite shake. Like scars in the form of shadowed eyes.

Still, he seemed warm and loving to Alfred despite this, and when he was finally released, he looked him over like a parent might their child after a long time apart.

"You are looking well!" He said. Through his knowledge of English, Kiku supposed the man had an accent. French maybe? "How have you been? I haven't been able to speak with you in so long!"

"I've been good! I've been better than good, actually!" Alfred grinned a bit wider, if that was possible. "I've missed you though! How are you?"

"Ah, things have been quieter since you left," the man sighed. "Arthur's been his usual self though. A bit more mopey, but mostly the same. Though, Matthew should be coming back in a few days!"

"What?!" Alfred's voice boomed and he grabbed onto his friend's arms. "You're kidding! Mattie?!"

"The paperwork is being signed and the terms are being discussed," he nodded. "We figured it would be best if you both came back to stay with us for now. Given the current state of affairs…" His smile fell a bit, but the topic caused him to look at Kiku. "Ah, you must be Mr. Honda, non?" Through the tone of voice, Kiku guessed that he hadn't just heard the name in passing; there had been discussions about him.

"Yes," Kiku responded, feeling suddenly very self-conscious. "I hope I won't be disrupting anything with my actions."

"No, on the contrary, you may have helped speed up this process by coming instead of causing a fuss," he responded, a reassuring smile on his face. "The same can't be said for Alfred's brother, but at least you have been rather helpful."

Kiku nodded as though he understood, but he really didn't. Alfred had a brother? That was the main question in his head, but he pushed it aside when the man suddenly bowed with a bit too much grandeur.

"Where are my manners," he lightly scolded himself, "my name is Francis Bonnefoy. Welcome to London!"

"Oh!" Well that was unexpected. "It's… nice to meet you. And thank you?"

Next to him, Alfred chuckled softly. "Kiku's easily embarrassed, you might not want to do that in public," he said, pulling a rather surprised expression from Kiku. It was true, yes, but for Alfred to state such a thing out loud…!

"Ah, of course," Francis said, straightening up, but this knowledge was likely to be kept somewhere for a later time. "Well then, shall we be off?"

Thus, the trio climbed into the car, Kiku, after an odd debate with Alfred as to who would sit where (Alfred insisted that Kiku should sit up front and Kiku insisted Alfred should), they both ended up seated next to each other in the back. Through the city they drove, and once more an odd sense of familiarity and foreignness hit Kiku. It was both like his home and different. Of course, there was the obvious differences, like the city having far fewer Japanese people, different shops, and the odd red, double-decker busses, but still he saw the same forms of advertisements, the same types of people, and the same lives being lived. It was an odd feeling to say the least.

The buildings started to become a bit sparser as they drove, and eventually they found themselves on an incredibly large property. They drove parallel to a long fence surrounding a huge building reaching up several stories with a large sign on the sign reading, in beautiful script, "Kirkland Industries", until they reached a security gate, where Francis, upon a single glance, was admitted.

Once more, Alfred's excitement was palpable, even without looking at the robot next to him. Once parked, Kiku could hardly keep up with him as he shot out of the car and ran up to the towering building. And there, at the front, stood a figure wearing an immaculate dark suit and the same tired look as Francis. By how he carried himself, it was easy to guess that the man standing in front of him, the man Alfred took down with his death-hug, was Arthur Kirkland himself.

Kiku took a careful breath several feet away, not quite sure he should approach yet as Arthur and Alfred greeted each other in an odd way. Alfred knew these people. He knew them very well. He grew up here, in a sense, and Arthur was family. Kiku felt incredibly alien.

Kiku had only known Alfred for a few months, and here he was intruding on the family Alfred had here? He should have turned around the second he got the airport in Tokyo. He should have taken the money and sent Alfred on his way. He should have ended everything when Arthur asked for Alfred back. He should have-

A hand settled on his shoulder, and he unconsciously hopped to the side. Francis smiled softly at him.

"Alfred cares for you," he said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Kiku sputtered, taken aback.

"Alfred cares for you," he repeated. "I can see it. He looks at you like you're part of the family already. You're important to him."

"Why are you-"

"If you left now, Alfred wouldn't stop you, but you'd break his heart." Francis looked towards Alfred, who sat next to Arthur on the ground, neither having gotten up quite yet. Alfred was talking quickly, happy to see the man who created him again, and Arthur, despite his annoyed expression, was happy to see him too.

"There's so much I don't know about him," Kiku sighed. "I hardly know him, yet I can see there's a history in him I know nothing about."

"Yes, there is." Francis's smile turned a bit bitter. "There's a long story behind him. Him and many people, including me and Arthur. But whether you know the answers or not, would that change anything? How you feel about him?"

Kiku got a suspicious feeling that Francis was implying more than he let on about him and Alfred, but chose to let that slide in lieu of thinking on his words. "I suppose not. No, I don't think anything Alfred told me could change how much I care for him." Was he really spilling his feelings to one virtually a stranger to him?

"Good. Maybe he'll tell you on his own all his secrets one day, but be here for him today, right now. Things aren't going to be easy for anyone with the dangers present, but he needs you here."

Kiku nodded, and as he watched, Alfred turned towards him and smiled brighter. Alfred needed him. That was quite an unusual thought, but as he pondered it, he supposed he needed Alfred too.

A/N: A bit longer than usual since I've been a butt and not updated. I'll probably plan out some more chapters and try and keep things moving! Wish me luck, and also, critiques and comments are very much welcome! Thank you for reading!