Alex was tired when he started out his search. Anni had woken him three times, twice with a shrill squeak of terror, and once by getting up so damn early for her shift. He was even more tired of walking around after the first two hours. He didn't get lucky and run right into the debt collector like he did last time. A giggle floated to him, tugging him from his search. Anni stood across the street, smirking at him. She pulled out her phone and waved it at him in a taunt. Alex made a show of sighing before giving her a nod. His sisters grin grew. Anni beckoned him with one finger before putting her phone away.

"You're having lunch with me first. I've only got so much time before my training today" she announced once he'd finished his jog across the street.

"Fine, if you insist" Alex said, rolling his eyes. Anni lead him off by his elbow, seized again by giggles.

-!DRRR!-

"Hello" Shizuo said into his phone. He stopped in the sidestreet, glad he hadn't been trapped in the loud crowds to deal with a call.

"Afternoon Shizuo" Anni sang from the line. He let himself smile. At least she was in a good mood.

"It's good to hear from you Anni. What can I do for you?"

"Are you busy?"

"Not really, but don't you have training starting soon?"

"Ya, but I'm not asking for me. My butt-head of a brother is in town-" she cut off to talk to someone else. "Ow, cut it out, I'm doing you a favor" she scolded. "Sorry. Anyway, Alex is here, and he wants to meet up with you. Do you mind?"

"Not really. I can meet you both near the dojo then" he offered.

"Thank you very much! I'll see you soon. Bye bye" she sang again, hanging up. Shizuo couldn't help but smile as he made his way to the place they'd arranged. Having her brother around had apparently cheered her up, and he was happy she was so energetic. He hadn't seen her so excited since before the incident with that one scumbag.

Somehow, he arrived before they did, so he had a smoke while he waited. They wandered up a few minutes later, laughing together as Anni pushed her brother off track a few steps. She was red in the face for some reason.

"Ah, Shizuo! There you are" she chimed as she saw him. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I haven't been waiting long" he reassured as she skipped up. He reached out to ruffle her hair again, but the little blonde dodged to the side. Her eyes were bright, alive with a playful challenge. A challenge he didn't take. Shizuo slid his hand back into his pocket. Anni looked a little disappointed, but made up for it by crashing into his torso with a hug.

"I'm already a little bit late, so I can't stay" she explained as she released him and danced past. "I'll see you later. Have fun!"

"See you later" he promised as she disappeared inside. Then he turned to Alex, who was standing to the side, smiling at where he'd last seen his sister.

"I haven't seen her that happy in a long time" he observed simply.

"Neither have I. Thank you for coming out to visit her again" Shizuo said, making Alex laugh lightly.

"I'm not the only one who deserves credit here" he said, waving off the thanks.

"So what have you come to ask of me this time?"

"Something similar to last time. That, and I need to give you the usual big-brother-threat" Alex answered. He added an overly casual shrug.

"You intend to threaten me?" Shizuo asked, more cautiously confused than irritated.

"Yes, actually. Anni means the world to me" Alex asserted, his expression darkening. "If I ever hear that you've hurt her, or made her cry, I will find a way to make your life hell" Shizuo didn't say anything, focusing instead in keeping his irritation in check. As he didn't offer a challenge, Alex dropped his hostility and smiled. "Now that that's out of the way, I can ask for your help."

"This concerns Anni as well?" he assumed, adjusting his glasses and resisting the urge to knock him out. This was Anni's brother. It would be as bad as hurting her if he hit Alex. He's only trying to look out for Anni he reminded himself.

"Yes. Her nightmares are starting to wear on her. She's probably too proud to admit it to herself, but I can tell she's slowly breaking down" Alex explained, worry coloring his tone. "She needs to be able to sleep peacefully for a while and recover."

"She has been acting a bit off lately."

"I know. Anni said something about being able to sleep through the night when she stays with you, can you take care of her for a while until she's stable again?"

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm not about to force her to sleep in my apartment."

"I'm not asking you to. I'll talk to her a bit when she gets out" Alex suggested.

"I'll leave you two to talk after she finishes her training then. Was there anything else?" Shizuo asked, eager to get going. Something about Anni's brother still bugged him.

"Maybe a word of advice. She has a bad habit of avoiding anything that makes her uncomfortable, and pretending to be ok when she's not. Don't let her get away with it."

"I'll do my best" Shizuo promised, waving as he walked away.

-!DRRR!-

It was as the sun was setting that Shizuo caught sight of the Hael siblings in the south park. They were rather hard to miss, with Anni sitting on her brother's shoulders as they watched the sky change colors. Shizuo didn't feel it was his place to interfere, so he kept walking. Anni's squeal brought his attention back to the pair, as Alex had started spinning in place. His sister clung helplessly to his head until he slowed.

"Ow! That's my hair you chicken!" Alex laughed loud enough for the bodyguard to catch. Shizuo decided he wouldn't be as unwelcome, so he started heading over.

"Let me down you asshat!" Anni squeaked frantically, nearly falling backwards off her brother in her desperation to escape the spinning.

"Do you not trust me?" her brother asked as he kneeled to let her fall more safely. Anni landed on her ass and elbows.

"Like hell! You know I hate that!" she replied, falling from panic to the same laughter as Alex, whom she decided to kick. He fell over, and was the first to spot Shizuo.

"Welcome to the fun" he greeted from the ground with a smile.

"If you say so" Shizuo said, offering Anni a hand up. After she bounced to her feet again, the little blonde threw her arms around her friend. "It's good to see you too" he said, taking the chance to mess up her hair as per the usual.

"Hello again" she chimed, letting go and dancing back a few steps. Alex climbed back to his feet on his own and brushed himself off.

"I'm going home, nut job" he informed his sister. "Don't stay out too late" Alex punched her arm as he passed.

"Love you too Dad" she quipped in return, sticking one foot out behind herself to try and trip him. Alex avoided the trap with ease.

"Later Shizuo" he said as he left.

"So where are we going today?" Anni asked.

"Where do you want to go?"

They wandered about the city for a few hours, during which Anni got a call from Maya. Shizuo didn't hear much of what it was about, but apparently Anni was talked into covering her coworkers shift for the next day.

"So much for my day off" she grumbled after she'd pocketed her phone. "Oh well. At least it's not a 7am shift."

It quickly became clear that Anni was exhausted, so Shizuo wordlessly started heading towards her apartment. When they were about halfway there, he decided to ask, "Would you like to stay at my place tonight?"

Anni missed a step. "Tonight? If you're asking, sure. Why not. Alex will probably enjoy not being woken up every other hour too."

"He'll probably enjoy you not waking up every other hour" Shizuo corrected.

"So he did say something" she muttered to herself.

"Does it matter if he did?" He felt his annoyance stirring.

"No" came Anni's soft answer after a moment. "It really doesn't matter, does it?" She sighed, all that remained of her energy and resolve seeming to leave her with that breath. Her little hand wound around his elbow as she walked close. If her change in demeanor hadn't calmed him before, that small gesture certainly did. Shizuo matched her pace as she fell into step with him so she didn't have to stretch to keep up with his strides. "Thank you" she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes. He had gotten used to living with her, and having her around almost constantly, and even being her living pillow by now, but having her hang onto his arm like that still surprised him. He was going to have to get used to it though, with what he planned.

"Don't mention it" he said gently, guiding her home. It wasn't much longer until they stood before her door.

"I'll pack a change of clothes and be right back out" Anni said, straightening up and drawing energy back into her voice. "I'm home" she called cheerily as she pushed the door open, revealing her brother lounging on the couch with her laptop.

"Welcome back Trouble- going straight to bed?" her brother asked before noticing she'd left the front door open, and Shizuo waiting in the hallway. "Ah, packing."

"Ya" she confirmed, disappearing into her room. A minute later she came back out with arms full of folded clothes that were stuffed into her shoulder bag. "Don't destroy the house while I'm gone."

"I'm taking your bed" Alex informed her as she took her bag and headed for the door.

"Enjoy. I'd better find it in the same condition I left it" Anni warned before closing the door behind herself. "Let's go."

The short walk home passed without incident. As soon as they were inside, Anni slipped out of her shoes and went to change into her sleepwear. Shizuo decided to do the same, even if he knew he wouldn't be falling asleep soon. So after he grabbed Anni's blanket, he picked out a movie he hadn't seen in awhile and turned on the DVD player. It was one of Kasuka's earlier films, and one he particularly liked.

"There's no way I'll be awake long enough to watch a movie" Anni commented as she emerged from the bathroom.

"I know. Don't worry about it" he said as he took up a spot on the far end of the couch with the remote. She wrapped herself in her blanket and plopped into the cushion beside him, immediately leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not even going to bother trying then" she sighed as the opening credits started. Something she saw made her sit up. "This is one of Kasuka's movies?"

"Yes, it's one of my favorites" Shizuo replied with a chuckle. Anni looked conflicted.

"I'll try to watch it then" she decided, settling for leaning against his arm as the movie started. It wasn't the most comfortable position, so he moved to rest his arm about her shoulders.

"You still need to sleep" he reminded.

"I'll sleep when the movie's over" Anni said stubbornly. She lasted fifteen minutes before she gave in and laid down, using his lap as a pillow. Shizuo rested one hand on her side and the other on her head, gently brushing back her hair. "You really are trying to put me to sleep. No fair" she complained softly. He shushed her and went back to the movie, absently running his fingers through her hair. By the time the movie had come to an end, he was feeling a little sleepy, but his guest was unconscious. After he turned the TV off, Shizuo was left to carefully move Anni. It was amazing how malleable the little blonde was while asleep. He found that so long as he didn't move her quickly, she didn't seem to care. So he managed to pick her up and stretch out across the couch underneath her yet again. He did it almost perfectly, but as he was pulling her up to his chest, she stirred. "Hnnn? Shiz'o…?" she mumbled, thankfully not opening her eyes.

"Shhh, don't worry. Just go back to sleep" he soothed, wrapping one arm around her and smoothing her hair down with his other hand.

"Yaaaay cuddlez" she sighed, snaking her hands under his shoulders and nuzzling her face into his neck.

"Yes, 'cuddlez'" he confirmed, smiling at her little display.

"Shush pillow, 'm sleep'n" she muttered. Shizuo had to force himself to keep from laughing at her, as that would surely wake her up completely. Anni went quiet after that, falling back into what he hoped were pleasant dreams. This whole situation was hard to wrap his head around. Before he met her, he would never have imagined that he would find a girl who not only didn't fear him, but depended on him and trusted him so implicitly. He didn't realize it was possible to find someone who would not only think of him exclusively as human, but take care of him, and worry about him, and accept him as he was, strength and all. It had become rather obvious now, that on top of everything else, she also cared for him. How could such a woman exist? Yet here she was, her fingers twitching slightly under his back as she dreamed. Tom-san had always said that he would eventually find someone, that he wasn't destined to be alone forever, that he was handsome enough to catch the eye of some sweet girl, but he never really believed him. Until now. Now he had a little blonde who he could defend. It was an incredible feeling. Shizuo slowly drifted off with his fingers still tangled in her hair.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix