A/N: I know there's a million Anna-at-Elsa's-door-after-the-funeral fics, but I wanted to explore the Kai-finding-Anna-asleep-in-front-of-Elsa's-room snippet I put in the previous one-shot. Also I love Kai.

The dawn is just breaking. Kai strides purposely through the halls, having found Princess Anna's door ajar and the room empty. He's not scared, not quite yet, but… perhaps a little nervous. No matter how many times the princess disappears and reappears none the worse for wear, he's always nervous.

Nervous for the girl he'd helped raise for the last 15 years. Nervous that the death of almost her whole family will break her. She is a strong girl, and Kai is proud to have been at her side. But the memory of her at the funeral haunts him, holding back tears and clutching herself like she might blow away in the wind.

He rounds the corner to Princess Elsa's hallway. No one has seen the elder princess since they received word of the king and queen. Kai expects nothing but a closed white door and a picture window. He does find both of these, with one unexpected addition. Anna's bright hair peeks out from under the black cap and lilac blanket.

Kai's eyes slide to the door. Anna is lying at the foot of it, curled in on herself. She must have fallen asleep waiting for her sister. Ten years has been a long time. One night would hardly have daunted Anna.

He raises a hand to Anna's shoulder, to wake her—but pauses. The rosemaling swirls before him, so close. His open hand hovers in midair between the princess and the door. His fist closes, and as gently as he can, he taps thrice just above the golden handle.

Kai holds his breath. Silence. Princess Elsa must still be asleep. Kai lowers his hand, kneels down, and then—

"Anna?"

It floats through the keyhole, barely a whisper. Kai pictures the princess leaning against the door; pictured red-rimmed eyes and gloved hands each holding the other. "No, your highness."

"Kai." Her voice is swimming. Louder, she asks, "What is it?"

Are you okay? He wants to ask, but he swallows it and says,

"Your sister slept outside the room."

There's a long pause. Kai knows full well which room the blanket came from. Finally, she admits.

"I know."

Your sister needs you.

"Can I do anything, your highness?"

You need her.

"Take her back to her room. Please."

"Can I do anything for you?"

Open the door.

"No."

Anna stirs. Kai throws one last desperate glance at the door, but holds his tongue. He pulls the blanket from Anna's shoulders. "Princess Anna."

She blinks at him in sleepy recognition. "Kai," she yawns. "Where…?"

"Let's go back to your room, highness."

Anna sits up fully, frowning at the window. She twists around to stare at the patterned door and realizes with a start—

"Elsa."

She raises a hand to thump on the door, but Kai breaks in.

"Your highness—" his voice quiets, and his stomach twists at the ruse, but he forces himself to continue. "Perhaps we should not wake your sister. You have both had a difficult few days…"

Anna's face falls and Kai cannot go on. She looks from her closed fist to the white door, sighs, lowers the hand. She lets her head fell with a soft thud against the wood.

"Why?" she asks, simply. "Why does she…?" A fresh wave of loneliness. Kai cannot bear to see her like this, not when he knows in his heart— she must— they were so close— He's so earnest in his response he forgets all propriety. "Anna. Your sister loves you."

"Then why?" she repeats, childishly. "Why the doors and the secrets?"

Why, indeed.

Kai closes his eyes. He sees two inseparable young girls.

Forgive me, highness.

"Come, Princess Anna. Let's go to your room." Anna starts to protest, but Kai holds a finger to his lips. Shhhh. Anna blinks at him, confused. Kai waves his hands, like he is shooing her away. Realization dawns and she nods furiously.

"I can find my own way back." And she stomps rather dramatically down the hall. After she rounds the corner, Kai offers in a quiet voice,

"She's gone." He glances down the hallway, where Anna peeks her head back around the corner. Kai nods, and Anna flings herself on the ground and starts tugging off her boots.

He hears Elsa murmur, "Thank you."

"Are you sure there is nothing more I can do?" Anna walks on tip-toe down the hallway to him in stocking feet.

"No, there is nothing, Kai. You may go."

Well. Now what?

Anna gestures to the blanket. Kai had almost forgotten it. He brings it up in both hands gingerly. He's come this far in the ruse. He almost wants to quit, but he looks at Princess Anna's face, grieving and hopeful and so starving for love. He clears his throat.

"Would—would you like me to bring in your blanket?"

She can't let anyone into the room, but she also can't leave it there to draw attention. To remind Anna, to give her false hope.

After an eternity, Elsa replies, as though steeling herself, "Hold on."

They told their breath, and the only sounds are Elsa's soft footsteps, and the oddly crunchy turn of a door handle. The door flies open, just a moment, and she appears in the hallway and pulls it shut behind her, quickly, before he can see, before Elsa can register that he is a they—and red braids are flying as Anna launches herself at her sister, hugging and crying, and holding on like they'll break if she lets go.

Elsa stares straight ahead, stunned, her gloved hands stretched out in front of her. She shifts her focus to Kai, accusing

You lied—!

Kai winces, offers an apologetic shrug. But as Anna cries all the pent-up tears from the funeral into her sister's shoulder, Elsa's expression melts—

—pleading—

She's not safe take her away-

—grieving—

All these years why have I done this to her-

-and finally, as she lets her trembling hands wrap carefully around Anna's shoulders, grateful. They're both crying and clutching each other and finally together. Kai takes a step back, naïve, hopeful. They're going to be okay now. They've found each other.

And then—

Then—

Elsa is crying and shaking and suddenly Anna starts. She doesn't let go or back away, but sort of jumps, just a little. Elsa reacts instantly. She's pulled away, back against the door, arms tucked in at her sides. Anna is still reaching out, reaching, why, please—

Kai sees the glittering handprints on the back of Anna's coat, looks from the frosted cloth to Elsa, trying to be open and accepting, but it's all so unexpected, and the pieces start clicking into place in his head, and he's speechless, staring open-mouthed at her like—

Like he's afraid.

Elsa, terrified, looks from Kai to Anna, whispers tearfully, "I'm sorry."

The door flies open. The door slams shut.

Anna hasn't realized there was any magic, doesn't realize anything's amiss except Elsa has retreated once again. She pounds on the door, once, twice, demanding an explanation. Kai takes a shaky step forward. He puts a hand on her shoulder, on top of the already melted handprint. It's cold and just a little damp. They both hear Elsa's muffled sobs.

Anna's hand stops mid-swing before she can thump the door again. The sobbing slowly quiets. Anna chances, "Elsa?"

There's a gasp. She didn't know they were still listening.

"You—you don't have to be sorry." Kai puts both hands on Anna's shoulders, gives them a squeeze when Anna looks like she might break from holding herself together.

"I'm gonna leave this here for you, okay? And I'll leave for real this time. No more tricks." Anna takes the blanket from where it's draped over his arm and places it on the ground.

"Keep it."

"Elsa, it's okay—"

"No, please—please have it."

Anna picks it back up and cradles it close. "…will you be cold?"

"No." And Elsa makes a strange noise, like shaky laugh, but why would she find it funny? "I'll be fine."

Fine.

Such a relative word.

"Okay," Anna nods.

"…Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"I—" Elsa's voice is cracking, breaking at the edges. She takes a deep breath. And another. But the words won't, or can't, come.

"Princess Elsa," Somewhere far away, Kai knows he should not be speaking like this. But he should not have started this mess in the first place, and so he continues. "You have a good reason for… all this. Don't you?"

She finds her voice. "Yes."

"And—" Finish what you started, Kai. "You love your sister."

"Yes."

Anna hugs the blanket tight.

"You know where to find us, your highness, should you need anything. Anything at all."

The room is silent. Kai clears his throat. He can see the disappointment plain on Anna's face, but he has pushed enough today.

"Princess Anna, if you would like to return to your room – I'm sure Gerda is wondering where you are."

"Oh—oh yeah. She'll be totally worried." Anna looks once more at the white door. "um, Elsa… I just… this was… sorry, just—thanks. For the blanket. And for opening the door."

Silence.

Anna turns and forces herself down the hallway, not even noticing the discarded boots until she's tripped over them. As she stumbles around the corner, Kai offers his apologies to the patterned wood.

"Princess Elsa." He closes his eyes and sees icy handprints. Elsa's terrified face. What had he nearly done to them both? "I… I am sorry."

"Don't you ever do that again," she orders, commanding and regal even when she's coming apart at the seams.

"Yes, your highness."

"It's not safe." She slams a fist into the door on the last word. There's a crackling noise, and a frustrated groan. The wood is cold to his touch. He pulls his hands away quickly.

"You have my word, princess." He waits for more scolding, but there is none. "Is—is there anything else-?"

Elsa sighs, weary and lonely, "Kai."

"Yes, your highness."

"…thank you."