Anni quickly found that bringing up what Alex had done the day he left was a bad idea. The first time she called him, she'd started right out interrogating him, and didn't get to hear his voice before he hung up. The second time, she'd asked how his flight was first, and at least got an answer to that. Then she brought it up again and got another earful of dial tone. The third time she called, she found that even hinting at it brought the dreaded dial tone.

"Damn it Alex!" she growled at her phone before calling for the fourth time that morning.

"Hello?" he answered, like nothing had happened. At least he was still taking her calls.

"And you call me stubborn" she accused as she locked her door behind her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" came his mock-innocent reply.

"Of course you don't. So the prank wars really are over, right?"

*Click*, *Beeeeee-* Damn it. That didn't bode well. Anni gave up for now and put her phone away, starting her walk to work. Surely she would find out eventually, even if it was the hard way.

-!DRRR!-

Maya had thrown around small teasing comments and questions about what she called 'Anni's secret relationship' all throughout her shift, which meant Anni was in a foul mood when her shift ended. Was this Maya's revenge for her secrecy? Or was this somehow part of Alex's plan? Anni didn't know what to think anymore. So she started walking through the town in the fading light to try and sort out the mess inside her head. The peace she had expected was far from reality though, as everyone and their mother seemed to have their phone going off.

"The hunt is on!" Anni mocked to no one in particular. Not fifteen minutes later she spotted the pink bunny ears making their way through the crowd. "Run rabbit, run!" she coaxed under her breath. It was a while after that, when Anni had given up on quiet and darkness had fallen, that things settled down. It did nothing to help her mood though. Something between Maya's teasing, her brother's plans, and the events to come tomorrow kept her on edge.

Her only reprieve was when it started raining. It felt satisfying that the weather should match her mood, and Anni had always loved the rain. Something in the droning sound, the crisp smell, and the steady rhythm on her skin always calmed her. She stopped in an open area and leaned her head back, letting herself soak. Her eyes fell closed, not much caring to see what was around her. The yellow scarves were busy now anyway. She thought she could rid herself of her problems if she could just stand here a little longer, but she couldn't. The rain had suddenly stopped hitting her. Her eyes shot open in surprise, taking in the umbrella angled over her head.

"You'll get sick if you stand out here like that" Shizuo lectured.

He's going to be shot and left to bleed out in the rain tomorrow evening, and here he is worrying about me getting the sniffles. Why are people afraid of him again? Anni shook her head at him. "You're taking your new job a little too seriously if you intend on protecting me from a little water."

"I don't think of this as a job" he said, sharing his mobile roof with her as they started walking. It was late by now, so Anni didn't need to ask to know where they were going.

"So you don't think my brother promoted you to be my guardian in his absence?" Anni prodded. She knew it wasn't wise, considering who she was talking to, but she still wasn't in a good mood.

"It doesn't matter. I would be doing the same thing if he hadn't talked to me" Shizuo explained offhandedly.

"I know, and that worries me" Anni muttered to herself.

"Why would that worry you?" He'd apparently heard her.

"Because Alex probably knew that too, which only begs the question of why he bothered. It could have just been a formality, but I think it's more likely a part of whatever else he'd had planned. I still don't know what he set up…" Anni thought aloud, wishing she could go back to relaxing in the rain to sort it out.

"Why are you so suspicious of your brother? It sounded to me like he was only trying to look out for you." Even wrapped up in her own thoughts as she was, Anni didn't let herself miss the way his eyebrow twitched. Careful she reminded herself.

"Because we have a history of messing with each other like this. Would it make any sense if I said I could trust him with my life but not my food?" she asked as they stopped at a red light.

"Not really, but I think I see what you mean. You're saying that you and your brother work out your problems by setting up traps for each other instead of fighting directly, right?"

"Almost exactly. We call it 'The Great Prank Wars'. It started out with small things. I stole his lunch once, so he put something in my food the next day that dyed my mouth blue. When he made fun of my haircut a week later, he woke up with blue hair. Just small things, mostly jokes, never harmful" Anni described. They were nearly to her apartment now.

"You said it started with small things, how did it end?" he asked. He almost missed how abruptly Anni stopped, and had to take a step back to keep her under the umbrella. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It escalated over the years. We both got pretty bad, but I was the one who crossed the line first. I really don't want to go into it, but something went wrong. Terribly wrong. Alex got hurt." Anni wouldn't meet his eyes, instead sadly appraising something on the ground behind him. "It was pretty hectic for a while after that, but we agreed immediately to stop the prank wars. Even if we made an agreement, I don't think he ever forgave me for what happened. Honestly, I wouldn't blame him. I haven't even forgiven myself." Anni gave a small smile and forced a laugh, both of which quickly faded. "I'm only worried now because of everything I've put him through over the past few months. It would be more than enough to warrant him breaking our pact to get one final dose of revenge."

"And why are you so sure that's what he was planning? He could just be trying to protect you, even if you don't know everything he's doing. That's what big brothers are supposed to do" Shizuo asserted adamantly. Anni nodded hesitantly and started walking again.

"It still worries me. I guess there's nothing I can do about it now though. Thanks." The remainder of the walk passed quietly. It wasn't until Anni had already unlocked her door that she broke the silence. "Hey, Shizuo" she called as he walked away.

"Ya?"

"Take care of yourself, ok? There's been a lot going on lately, and…" Shizuo laughed at her hesitant remarks.

"I'll be fine, you don't need to worry about someone like me."

"Just be careful" Anni cautioned. Shizuo just waved and walked away, still smiling at her silly worries.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix