Guilty Pleasure Friends

After the Storm

"This place is so empty." The sound of a clear voice reached Hyde's ears from a distance, far-off and removed, yet a welcoming voice, a familiar voice. "Misono, are you sure we've got the right place?"

"Positive," another voice answered. "All the hints point to this building. The kidnappers were here, and unless they somehow found a way to slip under our radar and escape, they still are in here somewhere. So tone down your voice, or you'll betray or location, bastard!"

"You're kinda loud yourself, senpai..."

"Shut up, Sendagaya!" The voices were slowly coming closer, and Hyde could hear steps, the steps of many feet drawing nearer and nearer. Then they suddenly stopped, and there was a moment's silence before a fourth voice spoke up.

"We can't all go up these stairs side by side... may I ask who's going ahead? Have you planned that too, Misono?"

The first voice replied without hesitation. "Thinking simply, it's gotta be Kuro and me! Right, Kuro?"

"Don't lump me into this... what a pain."

Hyde opened his eyes. How long had they been here? He had no idea. It could have been a few minutes for all he knew, or a few hours, or maybe even days. He must have dozed off, or maybe he had fallen asleep, he wasn't sure. Nothing that had happened since he left the dorm that night seemed real. It all felt like a bizarre dream, a twisted nightmare in his overactive imagination.

Yet here he was, injured, scarred and bruised all over, with a broken arm and a broken leg and several broken ribs and probably a dozen other nasties he couldn't name, with a sleeping Licht still resting in his lap, drops of cold sweat gathering on his forehead. They had found themselves in a corridor that turned around a corner and disappeared some way ahead, probably leading up to a staircase or something. There was no sign of anyone, except for the voices downstairs.

"Lily, stay down here," one of the voices said. "We need someone to watch out and warn us if anyone tries anything from below."

There was a low chuckle. "You can count on me, Misono."

"Alright then. Hugh, Sendagaya, let's go!"

"Come on, Kuro, don't lag behind! We're supposed to go ahead!"

"Walking upstairs is a pain... isn't there an elevator?"

"No! Get moving, lazybones!"

"But gravity's so strong today."

"Like hell it is! Now go ahead, who's gonna protect me if we get attacked from above?"

There was a sigh, and a moment later two pairs of feet started walking up the stairs, drawing closer and stopping when they reached the second floor. For a moment everything was quiet, then the voices spoke up again.

"It's so quiet in here... do you think there's anyone here at all?"

"Dunno. Maybe we should go back... I kinda don't like this."

No! Don't go. The thought shot through Hyde's head before he could help it. He didn't want big brother and Mahiru to leave. He wanted to be found. Licht needed help, and so did he. Don't leave us.

He took a deep breath, trying to shout, but his broken ribs protested, and he wound up clutching his sides, wincing and hissing in pain. Dammit, he couldn't make himself heard. If they left again... what would he do? What would Licht do? He didn't even have his phone...

"Go back?" Mahiru repeated, half annoyed, half incredulous. "Like hell we are! I'm not leaving till we've checked all the rooms, they might be in here somewhere! Let's go!"

"What a pain... If we get caught in a sneak attack I'm blaming you."

There was a sigh, and then shuffling footsteps approached, moving towards the corner of the corridor. A moment later they stopped, and Hyde looked up to find Kuro standing there, looking down at the two of them, his expression unreadable.

"Mahiru," he called, "I've found them."

"You did?" Mahiru nearly stumbled and darted in their direction at lightning speed, coming to stand next to Kuro. "You're right, there they are! Hyde, Licht, are you okay? Guys, we've found them!"

There was a hurry of footsteps and a clamor of voices, but Hyde didn't listen. All he cared about was that they'd finally been found. They were safe now. Everything would be all right.

"Angel-chan," he said, nudging Licht gently, trying to wake him up. "Lichtan, look, they found us!"

Mahiru was already next to them, carefully lifting Licht out of Hyde's lap and trying to help them both up at the same time. "You look really beat up," he said, frowning with worry. "What happened to you guys?"

Hyde wasn't entirely sure where to begin. So much had happened since last night that it felt like months had passed when it had only been less than twenty-four hours. Less than twenty-four hours that had turned his whole life upside down. He had been kidnapped, beaten up and captured. He had woken up in an empty room with his eyes glued closed, he had found Licht thrown down next to him, he had discovered that Licht did care about him, somehow. He had remembered his lost love and gotten over her. His entire philosophy had been turned upside down. He had found new hope in the nutcase that was Licht Jekylland Todoroki, the boy he had escaped with, the boy he had fought side by side with, the boy who had tried to protect him when he could barely protect himself.

The incredible, amazing, awe-inspiring human being that was Licht Jekylland Todoroki.

His friend.

"A... lot of things," he said, suddenly feeling incredibly tired, so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. "I'll tell you the whole thing later..."

"Hyde? Hyde! Are you okay?" Mahiru grabbed and shook him, and Hyde winced at the pain in his broken bones. "Oh snap, you're hurt! And Licht too! And his fever's gone way up again... Somebody call an ambulance!"

Lily immediately reached for his phone and started dialing. Mahiru gestured for Kuro to help him place Licht and Hyde back down in a comfortable position, and a moment later Hyde found himself leaning against the boy who had once been his fellow gang member, his brother in arms, then a traitor. And he didn't mind. He didn't hate Kuro anymore, he realized. He still hated what he'd done, but... Hyde had been wrong about so many things. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd been wrong about Kuro and his decision too.

"Big brother?" he asked quietly just as Kuro gently placed him down and was about to step away.

"Yeah?"

"About... what happened." He saw Kuro tense up, his eyes darkening as his whole stance shifted into defensive mode, but he kept talking. They couldn't sort this out just yet, but maybe they could still get along for the time being, somehow. "I won't forgive you, okay? Maybe someday... maybe not. But..." He averted his eyes and reached up a hand, feeling the embarrassment creep up his neck. "Let's call it a truce for now. We're fighting for the same side, so it'd be bad if we didn't get along."

Kuro hesitated for a long moment. Then he slowly reached down, awkwardly closing his fingers around Hyde's hand, squeezing it lightly. "...Okay."

Mahiru watched them from the side, a big smile on his face.

Misono was the only one who was still frowning. He was pacing up and down, inspecting every nook and cranny, opening door after door, his brows furrowed in growing confusion. "There's something strange here."

"Strange?" Tetsu said from the side, nearly making Misono jump to the ceiling.

"Sendagaya!" he burst out, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Don't sneak up on me like that while I'm thinking!"

Tetsu scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry. What were you thinking about though?"

"The kidnappers."

The entire room fell silent. All eyes were on Misono, some surprised, some startled, some wide with realization.

"Since Hyde and Todoroki were brought here by someone," he continued, unfazed by the attention, "it's rather strange that said someone isn't around, isn't it? The kidnappers should still be here somewhere, guarding their victims, but there's no trace of them. Did they leave after realizing their location's been found out? Did they decide to leave the prisoners behind, or did these two simply escape before they could be taken away too? And how did the kidnappers disappear without anyone outside noticing? It's suspicious."

Mahiru frowned in thought. "Maybe they had a secret way out?"

"None of the doors seem to lead to ways outside," Misono remarked, "although I haven't checked all of them yet. There must be a secret door hidden in here somewhere."

Kuro gave him an exhausted look. "That could be anywhere. Can't deal."

"We can take care of that later," Mahiru declared before Misono had the chance to reply anything. "For now we need to make sure Licht and Hyde are okay and wait for the ambulance. Oh, and someone needs to call Mr. Crantz and tell him we found them!"

"Not to interrupt you in your youthful energy," a voice piped in from behind, "but would one of you kids be so kind as to help this old man up?"

Mahiru jumped. Kuro inadvertently grabbed hold of Mahiru's sleeve. Misono stepped behind Lily. Hugh flashed a knife from his pocket. Even Tetsu looked startled.

Hyde narrowed his eyes, glaring into the direction of the voice as he reached for Licht's hand, gripping it tightly. Of course it came from the room they had just fled. The one room Misono hadn't checked yet because the two of them were in the way.

Mahiru swallowed, pushed up his sleeves and took a step forward, cautiously peeking around the corner. "I'm gonna check who's the–"

He was interrupted by Kuro yanking him back by the fabric of his sweater.

"Ow!" he burst out, gasping and coughing. "What the hell, Kuro?"

"Don't go. It could be dangerous."

"But someone has to–"

"I'm going."

Mahiru's head shot up. Eyes widening, he gaped up at Kuro, wondering if he had heard him right. "Kuro..."

The delinquent glanced down at him with his usual exhausted look, but his eyes were dark with determination. "I'm going," he said again, more quietly this time. "Maybe that guy's dangerous."

Mahiru stared at him as the words sank in. Then a moved smile spread across his face, and in spite of the situation, he couldn't help laughing. "Are you worried about me, Kuro? I'll be fine!"

"...What a pain." Kuro turned away, his bangs obscuring his face, but Mahiru could have sworn he was blushing a little. "You're a pro at getting in trouble. If I have to go in and save you anyway, might as well go look myself."

He turned and walked into the room, taking a look around. A moment later his voice appeared from somewhere behind the door, calm as ever, if somewhat confused. "It's all cool," he remarked. "Nothing dangerous. Just this one grandpa."

"Grandpa?" Mahiru repeated incredulously. Opening the door, he peered into the room, following his friend inside to see what he'd been looking at. "Higan-sensei?!"

The art teacher groaned and gave him a lopsided smile. He was a complete mess; his entire body was covered in scars and bruises, one of his eyes was black, trails of drying blood were running from his mouth and nose, and one of his legs lay at a strange, unnatural angle, as if it was broken. He looked like he had fought and been beaten up completely, then left behind by his attackers without a care.

"Good afternoon," he greeted them, shifting in a feeble attempt to get up by himself and slumping back to the ground, groaning. "Or should I say good evening? Do you have the time?"

Mahiru hurried to his side, struggling to pull him up to his feet. "Higan-sensei, what happened to you?"

"Me?" He laughed. "Came to let out our two missing students, but when this old man opened the door they must have thought I was one of their captors and beat me up like this." He lifted one arm in a dismissive gesture. "Well, not that I mind. By the way, does one of you happen to have a light?"

"Sensei! Don't encourage minors to smoke!"

"Sorry, sorry."

"And besides, how can you act calm like that, anyway? We need to get you to the hospital! You're badly injured!" Mahiru dragged Higan through the door, followed by Kuro. "By the way, guys, what's the ambulance doing?"

As if on cue, there was a siren howling from below.

Misono frowned at the injured trio with a sigh. "Perfect timing."

---

Hyde woke up in a hospital bed, with little recollection of how he'd found himself here in the first place. All he remembered was the ambulance arriving and some people carrying him around, and then he must have passed out, or fallen asleep, however one wanted to put it. He wondered how long he'd been sleeping. Was it the next day already? Was it still evening?

And, most importantly, how was Licht doing?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when there was a rustle of blankets off to one side, and a moment later a familiar voice spoke up, a little drowsy but otherwise steady and calm. "Awake at last, shit rat?"

Hyde tried to roll over and found that he couldn't. His broken leg had been put in a cast and placed above the bed to rest, and he couldn't remove it from its hanging position no matter how hard he tried. Groaning, he propped himself up, turning his head in the direction of the voice.

Licht lay curled up in the bed across the room, head propped up on a stack of pillows and a half-eaten plate of melon on the nightstand next to him, blue eyes watching Hyde with a look that was almost akin to relief. Hyde couldn't help cracking a smile. "Good morning, Angel-chan."

"It's noon," Licht replied, shoving another slice of melon into his mouth. "Look at the clock, dumbass."

Hyde pouted at the insult, but otherwise chose to ignore it for once. "Noon?" he asked instead. "How long did I sleep?"

"Dunno. I just woke up an hour ago."

Hyde leaned forward, taking a closer look at Licht. He looked a lot better already. The color had returned to his face, his injuries had been treated, and his fever seemed to have gone down too, judging by the lack of sweat on his forehead and the way he had freed his upper body from the blanket instead of curling up in it. He looked relaxed, almost happy, his eyes sparkling with delight as he munched on his beloved, well-deserved melon.

A wave of relief washed over Hyde. Licht was fine. They were both fine, somehow. They had made it, they had managed, and now they were both safe. He didn't need to worry anymore.

"I'm glad you're okay, Angel-chan."

Licht didn't reply. He just scrambled out of his blanket, picked up the plate with one last slice of melon on it, and walked over to Hyde's bed, extending the plate towards him. "Here."

"...Huh?"

Hyde blinked up at him, wondering if he was seeing this right, if Licht had really just offered him the last slice of his beloved melon. "...Angel-chan?"

"Just take it," Licht snapped, avoiding his eyes and shoving the plate under his nose. "You're hungry, right?"

Hyde's stomach growled in response, and he realized that he hadn't eaten anything all day yesterday. Reaching out, he took the slice of melon off its plate and shoved it into his mouth. It was sweet, too sweet for his taste, but right now it was the best thing he had eaten in his life, the best thing he could have asked for if he'd been offered everything a dozen three-star chefs had to offer.

A big, happy smile spread across his face without a second thought. "This is delicious!" he said, beaming up at Licht. "Thanks, Lichtan!"

Licht glared at his feet. "You're lucky you woke up when you did, shit rat. I was this close to eating the last one too."

"So you saved it up for me? Angel-chan, you're so nice!"

Licht didn't say anything. He just dropped down on the ground next to Hyde's bed, resting his head on the mattress, his finger idly drawing circles on the now-empty plate. "You better get well soon, shit rat," he mumbled, without anger or annoyance for once. "If you don't, I'll kill you till you're dead."

Hyde leaned back into the pillows, watching his classmate with an affectionate smile. The word friend popped into his head, unbidden, uninvited, gently wrapping itself around Licht like it had always belonged there. Licht was his friend now. Not a temporary distraction, not a replacement goldfish for Ophelia, but someone who actually mattered to him as an individual, as a person. His friend.

Cracking a small grin, he snatched the empty plate from Licht's hands, balancing it on his finger. "The same goes for you, Angel-chan."

"Licht! Mais qu'est-ce que tu fais?"

They both jumped. Without either of them noticing, the door had opened, and in walked Crantz, a very worried and exasperated look on his face. "What did I tell you about staying in bed until you've recovered?" he shouted, grabbing his student by the shirt and yanking him back into his bed. "And here I find you sitting on the cold floor! Do you want to catch pneumonia? Back into bed you go, monsieur, and this time you're staying in bed or I'm putting up surveillance cameras! Compris?"

"Whatever," Licht grumbled, pulling the blanket up to his nose.

"And no more melon! If I catch you on the floor one more time, you'll have to live off hospital food! Is that clear?"

Licht peered over the edge of the blanket, glaring daggers at his teacher. "Not the melon."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Then behave yourselves!" Crantz sighed, walked over to Hyde's bed, and picked up the empty plate. "Well, the good news is that at least you won't start any fights in this state."

Hyde pursed his lips in thought. "We could start pillow fights, though..."

"Absolutely not!"

---

Mahiru leaped to his feet as soon as Crantz exited the hospital room. "How are they?"

"They're awake." The teacher smiled. "They're both awake and as lively as ever. Licht even got out of bed without permission. I think they'll be fine."

Mahiru sighed and slumped in relief. "Thank goodness! Can I see them sometime?"

Crantz checked his watch, pondering the question. "Today's visiting hours are pretty much over, but I don't think there's anything keeping you from dropping by tomorrow." His smile widened. "You've been a great help in saving them, after all."

Mahiru's smile faltered. He tensed up, forcing his face into a happy expression while his eyes darkened, glancing at the floor. "Ah, um... It was nothing."

"No need to be so modest! We all owe you, you know. I'm sure Licht and Hyde would also like to thank you themselves," Crantz said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can bring your friends too if you want. It was all of you who rescued them after all."

"Okay... thank you."

Crantz went his way, and Mahiru was about to do the same when Kuro's quiet voice stopped him. "Mahiru."

He turned around, meeting his friend's eyes. Kuro looked serious, serious and worried and just a little confused. "What's wrong?"

Mahiru jolted. Was it really that obvious? He'd been trying not to show that he felt down, but of course Kuro wouldn't fall for that. Kuro knew him too well. He'd been stupid to think he could hide anything from his companion in the first place.

Swallowing thickly, he took a deep breath, staring at his shoes. "You know, it's just... I feel like this whole mess is my fault."

Kuro didn't say anything. He just continued to look at him, as if encouraging him to go on.

"Well, y'know..." Mahiru sat back down on his chair, pulling up his knees and resting his head against them. "I'm the one who sent Hyde out to get Licht melon in the middle of the night. When he didn't come back, I thought everything was fine and waited for half a day before alerting everyone, and that's why Licht got tired of waiting and went out and got injured too... and even Higan-sensei. If I'd just gone out to get the melon myself then maybe... maybe everyone would still be okay, you know?"

Kuro sat down next to him, his expression soft, sympathetic. "You helped find them too though."

"I didn't do anything!"

Kuro blinked, startled by his sudden outburst. A wave of self-consciousness crept over Mahiru. Mumbling an apology, he covered his mouth, blushing with shame. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that, but I just... I really feel like I didn't do a thing. You're the one who told the others what was up. Misono and Hugh gathered all the info and found out where Licht and Hyde were. You found them in that house. I didn't even call the ambulance! If Mr. Crantz hadn't talked to me, I wouldn't even have figured out Hyde got kidnapped and Licht ran away. I couldn't protect anyone... I couldn't do anything."

Oh great, his voice was cracking. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he blinked them back. He wouldn't cry now. He wouldn't...

"You're wrong."

Mahiru glanced up in surprise. "...Huh?"

"I said you're wrong," Kuro said quietly, without facing Mahiru, lowering his head, obscuring his expression with long strands of hair. "You did a bunch. Like... you spent the whole day looking for Hyde. You alerted Bastard-chan and the others... you checked up on Angel-chan when you heard something was wrong... and you found out where Hyde was supposed to meet that teacher." He turned to look at Mahiru. "Right?"

Mahiru shifted in his chair. "Well..." A small smile crossed his face. "You're probably right, but..."

"The others wouldn't have found Hyde and Angel-chan without you." Kuro's voice was calm, matter-of-fact, but it was radiating warmth, a warmth that made something inside Mahiru's heart soften and melt away. "'Course you did something."

"Kuro..." Mahiru whispered, giving his friend a look of pure gratitude. His voice broke again, tears welled up in his eyes, but this time he didn't mind. "Kuro..." he whispered again, unable to say anything else. "Thank you."

The delinquent turned his head away, hiding his face. "What a pain... I'm just telling the truth. You're exhausting when you're down."

Mahiru smiled. "Thanks," he said again, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, basking in the warmth under his palm. "But you know, Kuro..."

"...Yeah?"

"I... I've been thinking." His hand gripped Kuro's shoulder, fingers clenching into the fabric of his shirt. "I still feel like I didn't do as much as I could have... or should have. I mean, this time Licht and Hyde freed themselves, but what if they hadn't?" He paused. "What if we'd had to fight the kidnappers?"

Kuro shrugged. "Didn't happen though."

"I know." Mahiru gave him another quick smile. "But maybe this wasn't the last time stuff like this happened. What if we have to fight the kidnappers next time?"

Kuro looked up, meeting Mahiru's eyes in surprise. "You think there's gonna be a next time?"

"I think Tsubaki's behind this."

Kuro tensed up. Mahiru let go of his shoulder, pulling his hand back to fidget awkwardly. "What?" he asked, throwing a sharp glance at the surprised look Kuro was sending him. "I can't be the only one who thinks this, right? Thinking simply, Tsubaki's declared war on you and your gang, so it would make sense for him to kidnap one of you guys when he has the chance... and if that's right then he could do it again, know what I mean?"

Kuro nodded quietly, his hands clutching his knees. His eyes were dark, glowing from the inside like red-hot lava, fear and anger whirling together into grim, smoldering fury.

Shuddering, Mahiru shifted away from him, trying to avert his eyes and failing. His gaze was locked on Kuro's eyes, locked at the tranquil rage roaring inside them. "...Kuro?"

The delinquent blinked, and the illusion disappeared. Kuro was back to the usual tired-looking high school boy Mahiru knew him as, almost as if the past few seconds had never happened. "Nothing."

"You also think Tsubaki's behind this, right?"

"Kinda, I guess." Kuro shrugged. "I was just trying to ignore it 'cause dealing with Tsubaki's already exhausting enough."

"Geez, drop that attitude already!" Mahiru tried to sound angry and failed, winding up laughing with relief instead, relief that this grim, scary side of Kuro had only been a temporary illusion. "Sooner or later you'll have to deal with him, you know?"

Kuro sighed. "Trying to ignore that too."

"You shouldn't run from your responsibilities! Sheesh," Mahiru sighed, giving Kuro a stern look before smiling again. "Don't worry, you won't have to deal with him alone. You'll have the others too, you know? And me."

"You?" Kuro's eyes widened for a moment, glinting with something akin to surprise before dulling into an exasperated expression. "So I'm gonna have to babysit you again... what a pain."

"Who's babysitting who here?!"

"Well... you just keep getting in trouble and dragging me into it... am I gonna have to save you again?"

Mahiru opened his mouth, ready to retort when he changed his mind. Kuro was right. As he was, he wouldn't be of much help in a fight. He'd get in the way and slow everyone down, and then Kuro would have to save him again, just like he had back then. But... but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to help, somehow. There was no way he'd just stand by and watch while doing nothing.

Resolve hardening within him, he clenched his fists, meeting Kuro's eyes with firm determination. "No," he said quietly, sincerely, every inch of his will standing behind his voice. "Not this time. This time I'll fight beside you, Kuro. This time I'll be strong enough to help you."

"Uh..." Kuro returned his gaze with soft confusion, shifting awkwardly in his chair. "Ma...hiru...?"

The words were out before he could stop them. Without paying a thought to his movements, Mahiru reached out to take Kuro's hands in his own, gripping them tightly. "I wanna get stronger with you, Kuro. Strong enough to protect people... strong enough to fight beside you. As partners."

Kuro's eyes widened, and just for a second a million emotions reflected within them, surprise, embarrassment, joy, gratitude. His face turned pink as he dropped his gaze, turning his head to the side as he mumbled, "Can't deal."

Mahiru smiled. Kuro might not agree to his resolve with words, but the way he tightened his grip on Mahiru's hands spoke more than anything words could say.

"So we have a deal," he said softly, smiling even wider. "Let me become a partner you can rely on. Let's grow into a team that protects people, okay?"

"You and your samaritan complex." Kuro sighed, still not letting go of Mahiru's hands. "What a pain..."

Mahiru knew him well enough to know that was a yes.

Laughing, he got up, hands still clasping Kuro's, pulling his friend up to his feet next to him. "Come on, let's go back! The others must be waiting."

Kuro followed reluctantly, even as Mahiru let go of one hand, pulling him along with the other, lacing their fingers together. His head and heart were spinning. He was glad to see Mahiru happy again, relieved to have given that smile back to his kind face where it belonged, to have dried his tears and calmed his worries and guilt. And he was happy, so undeservedly happy. Mahiru's words made him happy. His friend wanted to fight side by side with him, as a team, as partners. He wanted to help Kuro, to support him and earn his trust and be a reliable partner. No one had ever said anything like that to him. He had fought side by side with many people, but none of them had ever fought by his side out of loyalty for him, out of the simple, honest desire to not let him struggle alone, out of friendship. And here Mahiru was, doing just that with a nod and a smile.

And it made him happy, so happy that he couldn't help the stab of guilt shooting through his heart, the fear lurking over his head, ready to seize him with cold hands. Mahiru was saying and doing all that because he didn't know him. His friend only thought of him as the lazy, awkward high school student who was unjustly accused of being a dangerous delinquent, but that was only part of the truth. He didn't know what he'd done, what he was responsible for. The monster he'd become.

If Mahiru knew... would he still want to fight by his side? Would he still want to spend time with him and smile at him and hold his hand?

Of course not. No one ever would. Shirota Mahiru was the warmest, kindest, most forgiving human being Kuro had ever met, but even he had to have his limits. If he found out, he'd turn his back and leave. Just like everyone else.

And it would only be fair. It would be well-deserved. Someone like Kuro didn't deserve all the happiness he had now. He didn't deserve the trust and friendship of someone like Mahiru.

But even if he knew all that... he didn't want to lose this. It was probably selfish and stupid and undeserved and wrong on so many levels, but he wanted to hold onto this happiness while it lasted. Savor every second he had with Mahiru, pretending to be Kuro the lazy second-year, not Sleepy Ash, the Silent Demise.

He hadn't told Mahiru, but he felt bad about the kidnapping too. He hadn't done anything, really hadn't done anything, not like Mahiru who'd just felt like he hadn't done enough. If things had become serious, he wasn't sure if he could have done anything to help. Because despite everything, he wanted to do something. Hyde's disappearance had made him realize it, that he didn't want to see anyone else dear to him hurt or beaten up. He wanted to protect people. All the people he cared about, even if they didn't return that feeling.

And especially you.

His eyes rested on the boy running ahead of him, still holding his hand, turning over his shoulder to smile at him. The smile that made the sun rise on the darkest, rainiest days, the smile that warmed Kuro from the inside and dazzled him and blinded him with its brightness, the boy who smiled that smile at him of all people, genuinely believing he was worthy of the sight. Kuro wanted to protect all of that. He wanted to see Mahiru safe and happy, no matter what he had to do for that goal, no matter what he had to sacrifice. The thought of seeing him hurt wasn't something he could bear. When he thought that instead of Licht or Hyde, it could have been him Tsubaki had kidnapped, his chest froze with fear, his head felt numb, cold fury freezing in his veins.

Don't worry, Mahiru. I don't care what happens to me... but I'll keep you safe at all costs.

Mahiru didn't have to know that, of course. On the contrary, he didn't want him to know. It was embarrassing how attached he was to this guy, his first ever friend, no, his best and only friend. To Mahiru, he was only one out of many friends. And that was fine. Mostly.

After all, someone like him couldn't hope to have Mahiru to himself even if he wanted to.

---

Misono had been staring off into the air since yesterday, and honestly at this point Lily was getting seriously worried.

He had often seen his childhood friend, or younger brother as he jokingly liked to refer to him, lost in thought, spinning and tossing and turning a case around in his mind even as he appeared to be zoning out and doing nothing. Strange as it looked, Lily knew Misono well enough to know that it was one of his favorite pastimes and not question it, but this was going out of hand. Usually he would have figured out the case or moved on to something more interesting after a few hours at most; staring at nothing for a whole day wasn't something he had ever seen before.

"Misono?" he called softly, careful not to startle him. "Misono, is anything bothering you?"

Misono didn't reply. He continued to stare holes into the air, frowning as the gears of his brain turned at lightning speed.

"Misono!" Lily called again. "Can you hear me?"

No reaction. Lily sighed, voiced a quiet apology, and stepped in front of his friend, waving a hand through his field of vision. "Misono, what's the matter?"

Misono leaped out of his chair, screaming like a little girl. "Lily!" he burst out. "How long have you been here? I told you to knock, bastard!"

"My apologies." Lily chuckled, bowing slightly. "Although, in my defense, you didn't even hear me calling out to you. Is anything wrong?"

"That's what I wonder," Misono answered with a frown. "Lily... I think I overlooked something earlier, and now it's been haunting me all day. There may have been a clue here... a clue about the kidnapping."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. A clue about the kidnapping? He wasn't sure if that was good news to him or not. After Licht and Hyde had gone off to the hospital yesterday the police had arrived to investigate the case, and with that Misono had appeared to close it off for the time being, although Lily knew he could never truly let go of a mystery unless he solved it himself. If he was so invested in it a mere day after passing it on to the authorities, he might be close to bringing himself in danger by investigating on his own.

A grave expression crossing his face, he sat down next to his friend, offering him a smile that wasn't entirely genuine. "Tell me."

"Very well," Misono said, more to himself than to Lily, his eyes still fixed on something only he could see. "Maybe you can make some sense of this. It's about Higan-sensei."

Lily blinked down at him, wondering if he had heard him right. "Higan-sensei?"

"Yes." Misono's frown deepened. "When we found Todoroki and Hyde yesterday, he was already there, beaten up, and when we asked he told us that he tried to release them and they blindly attacked him. I think... I think we shouldn't have believed him like we did."

He paused, trying to gather his thoughts before he went on, "Higan-sensei's explanation leaves too many questions unanswered. First of all, how did he know about Hyde and Todoroki's disappearance at all?"

Lily lowered his eyebrows in thought. Misono's question was valid; while it must have become known quickly that Hyde had gone missing, Licht's disappearance had only been known to a handful of people before he was found, and none of them, to his knowledge, included Higan-sensei. Still, there could be another explanation for that. "Maybe Mr. Crantz told him... or he only tried to release Hyde and didn't know that Licht-kun was there too."

"I considered that," Misono replied, still not looking at him. "But even if he did know about it, how did he find them so quickly? We set all the gears in motion to find them as soon as possible and yet he arrived there before us. How did he know where to look? It's strange."

"Well..." Lily smiled nervously. "Maybe he found out Hyde was missing and instantly took the same steps as you did after school. It's possible, isn't it?"

Misono shook his head. "I doubt that," he admitted. "We were many people, and we would never have found the hideout that quickly if it wasn't for Hugh's underlings. There's no way Higan-sensei could have found the place that quickly... unless he knew from a different source."

Lily stopped even trying to smile. "You mean..."

"I mean that there's something strange about it. The things he knew despite having no way of knowing them, the fact that he found Hyde and Todoroki before we did... and then there's the way he was all beaten up." Misono paused in thought. "I know he claimed that they mindlessly attacked him when he opened the door, but then they should have realized their error soon enough and stopped fighting him. Higan-sensei's injuries speak of more than a quick surprise attack. There was a fight here."

Lily frowned, worried eyes resting on his friend, who was still lost in thought. "Misono...?"

Snapping back into reality, Misono blinked, shaking his head and making a dismissive gesture. "This is only a suspicion," he declared. "Maybe you're right and there's a logical explanation to all of this. We don't have any proof that Higan-sensei is working with the kidnappers or even supporting them. I just think he's suspicious."

He stood up, purple eyes piercing into Lily's gaze. "One way or another, we should keep a watchful eye on him. He might provide us with precious clues."

---

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting!"

Mahiru came to a halt in front of his friends, still smiling. Tetsu and Hugh were sitting on a bench at the hospital entrance, right where Mahiru and Kuro had left them earlier, and Misono and Lily had arrived too, Misono squeezing himself on the bench next to Tetsu and Hugh and Lily standing beside him, waving at them.

Everyone looked ready to greet Mahiru and Kuro when suddenly all eyes landed on a certain spot between them, and four mouths closed themselves at the same time. Misono blushed profusely, hiding his face behind his hand; Lily and Hugh exchanged meaningful looks, and Tetsu just looked puzzled. There was an awkward silence.

"Um...?" Mahiru finally ventured, looking from one to the other in growing confusion. "Guys, what's...?"

"Shirota!" Misono snapped at him. "What do you bastards think you're doing? Have some shame, you're in public!"

"Uh... what?"

Lily chuckled, Hugh quickly joining in. "I had no idea you took your relationship to that stage, Mahiru-kun."

"What the...?!"

Tetsu was the only one who had mercy on them. "You're holding hands."

Mahiru and Kuro both froze at the same time. Turned. Looked down at their joined hands and their laced fingers.

Then they leaped apart, letting go of each other's hands like they were on fire. A furious blush exploding on their faces, they turned away from each other, mumbling and stuttering apologies.

"I-I-It's not like that!" Mahiru stammered, gesturing frantically. "It's not what it looks like! I can explain!"

"Yeah, nothing like that. We just had a moment."

"Kuro! You're not helping!"