His warmth spread its frail wings, coveting Touka in its golden rays. His eyes were brimming with sincerity as the wind puffed against them, desperately trying to keep its chill.

He smiled and the world seemed to smile with him, basking in his joy and cheer.

"Hello. The name's Hide." He grinned.

She noticed how the awkward aura that was emanating from Haise a moment earlier was shattered into a rain of crystals.

An air of comfort wafted around him, letting a gentle smile spread across his expression.

And for some reason, a surge of relief rushed through Touka's chest as well.

How strange.

It was almost as if Hide had brought a new form of happiness into the atmosphere around them.

"My name is Touka." She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh?" A teasing smile flashed across his face and Touka was immediately reminded of Yoriko. "So you're the girl that Haise is tutoring. Quite the catch, huh, buddy?" he laughed, nudging his friend with an elbow.

Crimson flushed across Haise's face before quickly using his hands to cover what he could.

"H-Hide!" he stammered, his eyes peeking through his fingers in surprise.

Touka raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by his reaction.

"Aw, he's being shy again." Hide chuckled. "He's always like this around girls." He playfully winked at Touka who rolled her eyes.

"S-Stop it, Hide." He said, struggling to keep his voice stern. "I-I mean it."

"Sure, buddy, sure."

A swirl of energy spun around the three as she watched Haise mumble words of denial against Hide's constant teasing. It brought a sweet scent of something akin to cherries and the fresh taste of chilled mint.

These two…

She could kind of sense it.

A friendship that bloomed with trust.

She gave herself a light chuckle. It was a bit refreshing.

"N-No, I don't just start hitting on girls in the library!"

"You don't have to hide anything from me!"

"I'm not!"

"I, your charming and handsome friend, am obligated to hear about your love life!"

"I don't have one!"

Actually, at this rate, she was going to get a headache.

Refusing to put up with their idiotic spat any longer, she turned on her heels and was about to leave until a familiar voice reached their ears.

"Touka!" Yoriko panted, jogging over to her. "What's taking so long?"

She paused, her hazel orbs quietly resting on Hide then onto Haise with mild confusion. And almost instantly, a questionable look melted onto her face.

She chuckled, patting Touka on the shoulder rather aggressively as she smiled brightly.

"My dear friend," she sighed. "You should've just said so."

"Huh?" Touka frowned, ignoring the strange premonition crawling around in her stomach. "What-?"

"Are you Sasaki Haise?" Yoriko asked, her eyes wide with hope.

"Y-Yes?" he blinked, slightly flustered. "A-And you are?"

"I'm Yoriko! Touka's friend and roommate!"

Her arm lashed out, grabbing both Hide and Haise by their hand, and all the while, oblivious to the look of genuine concern etched across Touka's expression.

"I cooked a wonderful meal back at our room." She said, her voice breathless and excited. "Would you like to join us?"

"What?" Touka snapped.

"H-Huh?" Haise gasped, his eyes darting from Yoriko to Hide to Touka then back to Yoriko in a panicked frenzy. "J-Join you?"

"Yes!" she laughed, a gentle curtain of anticipation layering her eyes. "I'm sure Touka doesn't mind! Right, Touka?"

"Hold on a minute-"

"See?" Yoriko quickly said.

Haise and Hide both flinched at the strength of her grip as she held onto that oddly warm smile.

Her twinkling hazel orbs gave a sharp glance at Hide

And in that one glistening moment, a jolly grin spread across his lips as he inherited her intentions and fiery determination.

Softly resting the palm of his right hand on top of his friend's shoulder, he gave him an encouraging smile.

"Haise," he started dreamily. "I support you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Haise exclaimed, swatting away Hide's hand. "Y-Yoriko, we appreciate the offer, but I feel like we're intruding-"

"No! Not at all!" she cut in, the strength of her grip increasing tenfold. "It gets quite lonely after a while, y'know, just the two of us. So it'll be fun to have some guests over! The more the merrier, right?" she pushed forward, her smile only widening.

Haise opened his mouth once more to kindly reject her offer, but a sinister aura began seeping out of the girl in front of him. A swirl of negative emotions seemed to be oozing out of that friendly-looking smile as she nearly crunched the bones in his hands with brute force.

"Right?" she hissed in between clenched teeth.

"Right!" Hide laughed nervously, struggling not to fight against her deadly grip.

The other nodded vigorously, wincing against the shock of pain that jolted his hand.

"Right!" he squeaked.

Touka stepped forward, now more than ready to bash her fists into all three of their heads, but Yoriko slowly turned around.

A menacing smile lacing her lips, sending a dangerous shiver down Touka's spine.

"Right?" she whispered. "Touka?"

The pleasant and simmering air that Hide first brought to the group froze over, and a chilling atmosphere of dread slowly replaced the original cheer.

"R-Right…" Touka mumbled, hugging herself.

Man, it sure did get kind of cold out here.

She could practically feel sheets of ice crackling over her skin.

"Good!" Yoriko laughed, finally letting go of the boys.

They fell over, massaging their fingers as best as they could and letting the blood rush through their hands. Haise began mumbling incoherent words underneath his breath while Hide desperately tried to convince him that the innocent young girl named Yoriko was not trying to murder them.

"I-I've faced more horrible things than this, and yet why am I so…so…" Haise stammered in between pants. "Scared?!"

"You've faced things worse than a cute girl trying to rip your hand apart?" Hide laughed. "Like what? I'm curious now."

A strange silence drifted between the two, veiling the muffled giggles from Yoriko as she chased after a frustrated Touka.

Then after another eerie moment, he spoke.

"Assassination attempts is one of them." Haise smiled.

The blonde blinked, not quite registering what his friend had just said.

He stared at him, not reacting even when Haise chuckled and smiled, "I'm kidding!"

Maybe he was the only one who sensed it, but the wind seemed to have gotten thinner, silently brushing past them, and leaving behind a shimmer of ice. It whispered words of doubt, working its way into Hide's head and quietly caressing his thoughts.

"Hide?" Haise smiled uncomfortably, raising his hand to his own chin. "I said I was kidding."

The blonde remained silent before bursting out into a fit of laughter, plastering a clueless smile across his face as he did. His voice rang like bells, catching the attention of Touka and Yoriko once more.

But as he laughed, a dark look dawned upon Haise's face, calmly dusting his expression before instantly reverting back to his awkward nature at the quick blink of an eye.

But Touka saw it. She noticed it, her violet orbs flickering at his expression like the wind playing with the frail flame of a candle.

Touka frowned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion but then was quickly pulled away by Yoriko's chirpy voice.

"Hurry up!" she exclaimed.

"You crack me up sometimes, bud." Hide breathed, running his fingers through his hair. "Come on, let's go. We don't wanna keep two ladies waiting."

It was a bit awkward for Touka when they arrived at their dorm.

She sat on the couch after finishing her meal, ignoring how Haise hovered uncomfortably around her. Hide seemed to be having a blast with Yoriko because she could hear laughter from the far end of the room.

Feeling the rough fabric of the couch scratch against her skin, Touka clasped the cup of coffee in her hands in irritation. She shot a glare at Haise, letting him know that she was very annoyed with their sudden intrusion and loud presence.

Hide howled with laughter, his sun dyed hair graciously flying with his movements as Yoriko joined him. She giggled, painfully patting his shoulder then handing him another can of what seemed to be beer.

Very loud presence.

Haise caught her look almost immediately and nervously glanced away, his hazel eyes averting around the dorm in a frenzied, panicked pattern.

"I swear to God," Touka started, her violet orbs piercing Hide and Yoriko with a menacing stare. "If they get drunk…" she trailed off, noticing how Haise flinched at her voice. "What are you so jittery about?"

He gave a slight jump, scratching his head with discomfort.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry."

She groaned, loud enough so he could hear and he gave a weak chuckle in response, but snapped his mouth shut when she shot him another threatening glare.

A suffocating moment of silence ripped at his throat, and he coughed, a sudden expression of hopelessness gently spreading across his face. He spoke with a voice that sounded awfully familiar to the purple haired woman, but she remained quiet with a frown tugging at her brows.

"U-Um, T-Touka, I'd like to get to know you better." He said softly.

"Yeah?" she said lowly, sipping her drink. "Why?"

He seemed taken aback by her response, but he answered with semi-confidence.

"W-Well, I'll be tutoring you from now on. So, I guess I just want to um…" he paused, awkwardly staring at the floor. "I think it would be better if we were more comfortable around each other."

He exhaled as if that one sentence carried the weight of the world.

Touka said nothing, listening to the constant laughter and giggles that erupted from the corner of the dorm, and the clinking of cans as they chugged down what they could.

"Fine." She said, a sense of exasperation releasing from her posture. "You're right."

She couldn't be annoyed at him forever. She wasn't even sure why he was so annoying actually.

Just the way he talked, the way he carried himself, the way he walked, and just everything about him pissed her off.

But she knew she was being unreasonable. She was giving him anxiety for no reason, and she knew that wasn't very fair of her.

So with a sigh and the crossing of her arms to show even a tiny bit of pride, she scooted a couple of inches over the coarse texture of the couch and motioned him to sit down.

He complied, a smile painted with relief embracing his expression.

"So," she said, leaning slightly farther away from him. "What do you want to know?"

He seemed nervous (more nervous than usual), but he gave her his usual smile at her words.

Annoying.

Again, she felt extremely annoyed.

She internally smacked herself, cursing her lack of reasoning.

"W-When's your birthday?" he asked sheepishly.

"July first." She replied.

Annoying, annoying, annoying.

She felt her gut bubble with something akin to frustration. It ate away at her insides, pulling and itching at her stomach. It squirmed and wiggled, biting and nipping at her senses, burning her flesh and skin with pure irritation.

She could punch something.

She bit her tongue and plastered an interested look upon her face as she listened to him speak.

And he spoke with a casual tone of simplicity.

"Do you um have a job?"

The wretched emotions that grew inside Touka with such aggravation suddenly vanished.

It flew away like a wisp of smoke, leaving behind a husky scent of dying embers.

She stared at him, searching for any ulterior motives behind that innocent façade of his. But his smile was still the same, his eyes still held that same naïve sparkle of wonder, and his hands were still resting calmly on his lap.

Annoying.

She could almost laugh.

"No." she lied. "I'm looking for one though."

He nodded as if he understood.

"I see." He said softly. "I can help you look for one." He offered.

"No thanks." She forced a chuckle. "I'll do it myself."

"O-Oh. Okay."

A tense moment of silence curled at Touka's ears.

"What about you?" she said, her voice quickly shattering the ice.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Who else?" she snapped.

"O-Oh, sorry. No. I don't have one yet either." He laughed.

"Well, being my tutor is a job now, I guess."

He blinked at her statement and a warm smile brushed past his face, melting into his skin like a thin layer of cool snow.

"I guess so."

But then he stopped, a weird expression of realization widening his eyes. He gave her a look of astonishment, his hazel orbs glittering with excitement.

"You're paying me?!"

She hit him.

Haise gave Touka a goodbye, hauling a very drunk Hide over his shoulder.

It has gotten pretty late, but thankfully it was Touka's day off.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." He said, ignoring the dense aroma of beer swarming around his friend. "And I'm sorry about Yoriko."

Touka glanced back at her friend who was completely passed out on the couch. Her can of beer had fallen off of her hands, spilling its remaining content across the floor, staining the surface with its intoxicating color.

"No, it's fine." She mumbled, massaging her temples. "Just make sure he showers or something."

"I will." Haise laughed then let a second of brief silence drift between them. "I…thank you for having us over. It was very fun."

She said nothing for a moment, watching how he struggled to keep Hide stabilized. But then she sighed, ruffling up her hair and giving him a rare smile of warmth.

"It was." She agreed.

He chuckled, a strange charm emanating off of him as he did.

"I'll see you Thursday."

She gave him a curt nod and a wave, slowly closing the door.

"Yeah. Night, Haise."

"Goodnight!"

She shut the door, hearing it close with a faint click.

She exhaled, narrowing her eyes and storming towards her incredibly drunk friend and roommate.

"Yoriko!" she hissed, yanking her up by the arm. "Hey! Wake up! You smell like shit!"

"Mmm…no…leave me alone…" the other mumbled, giggling and groaning at the same time.

"You have to shower right now or else."

"I don't wanna, Toukaaaa." She slurred, half awake and half dead.

She then rolled off of the couch, slamming onto the floor and into the pool of beer that she had unknowingly spilled.

She squealed and hiccupped, smiling up at Touka in her drunken stupor.

"It waz fun, wazn't it, hehe, Toukaaa?"

"Very." She snapped. "Now get up."

"But why?"

"You're such an idiot."

"That's…" she gave another hiccup and spoke in a raspy voice, her eyelids slowly closing. "Mean."

Rolling her eyes, the bartender glared down at her friend with a look of disgust and anger.

"You know, Touka?" her roommate suddenly piped. "Hide told me soooooo many thingssss! Haha! Did ya know that Haise…" she rolled over, letting the cool liquid of spilled beer soak into her clothes. "When he liez…he does this weird thing…"

"Oh yeah?" Touka frowned, grabbing a napkin and dabbing what she could from the floor. "How interesting." She deadpanned.

"Yeah…" Yoriko continued with a burp then a high pitched giggle. "Something with…his hand on his chin or something, haha! Isn't that weird?"

Her friend nodded, aggressively trying to pull the intoxicated girl's shirt off.

She nearly threw up at the burning aroma of alcohol whirling around them like a deadly twister.

"Yeah." She growled, finally ripping the disgusting, beer-soaked shirt off of the brunette. "You're going to wake up with a hangover tomorrow." She whispered.

"What's a hangover?"

"Hell."

"Ohhhh, okay." She hiccupped.

Tossing the shirt over her head, Touka got up and furiously turned on the shower.

"I'm going to toss you in the tub and I don't care how much you hate it." She yelled over the pelting sound of water.

"Okaaaaay!" the other called almost happily.

The rest of the night involved violence.

Touka threw her friend into the water, ignoring how she squealed in confusion and discomfort.

"No!" she had giggled. "No! It's coooold, Toukaaa!"

"Shut up."

Touka had simply rinsed whatever scent of alcohol she could off of her friend's hair and body with a thick layer of soap. She had dug her fingers into her scalp, coaxing and ripping away at the stubborn aroma of beer and whatever else was trapped in there.

Yoriko protested in a series of pathetic punches and whines, splashing water on Touka and onto the floor. Out of exhaustion and fury, Touka had grabbed the shower head and turned it up to the most powerful level, watching it pelt against her friend and forcing her to remain seated in the tub of water.

Yoriko didn't attempt to escape after that.

Finally, after dragging her out and patting her down with a spare towel, Touka simply wrapped a fluffy robe of pure white around Yoriko and hurled her onto the bed.

"There." She hissed, panting and wiping off the sweat with the back of her hand. "Done."

She glanced at her watch, kicking herself in the leg for letting it become so late.

She'll just take a quick shower then climb into bed right after.

So that's exactly what she did.

She let herself be immersed in the steamy temperature of the water, letting it relax her nerves and smooth out her muscles. She took a deep breath and exhaled, relishing this brief single moment of peace, and escaping the reality of her life that cried with turmoil and danger.

She got dressed afterwards in fresh sweatpants and a t-shirt then crawled into bed, tossing the covers over her body and snuggling into her pillow.

She was half way into her slumber when a gentle voice from Yoriko lightly cradled itself into her murky consciousness.

"He…said something else too…" she yawned. "Something…about a…glass eye…"

Touka soon drifted away into a world of dreams moments later.