Chapter 62: Through the Window

Kyoya had waited until he could hear his father's heavy snores before daring to move. As quiet as possible the seven-year-old rolled over in his bed, from his back to his stomach. Reaching beneath his pillow, he pulled out a book and a flashlight. Casting another nervous glance to his door, he flicked the light on.

Immediately he opened the book and began to read, a smile spreading across his face. Hours passed without sound or incident as Kyoya read late into the night. Even when his eyelids started to droop from how tired the boy was, he persisted. He couldn't stop now! He was just getting to the good part! Yet a small voice inside his head told him he should sleep. He'd already fallen asleep in class a few times already, and if he continued his mother would get suspicious... But neither did he care very much. His lessons were boring anyways.

Even so, eventually, he started to get too tired to continue. Yawning widely, he reached the end of the chapter. His eyes trailed over the tempting title of the next page even as his eyelids fluttered in exhaustion.

Maybe… just one more…

Something creaked.

A soft yelp escaped the little boy as he abruptly shoved his book and flashlight underneath his pillow, eyes instantly wide open and glued to his bedroom door. But the empty space along the bottom remained dark.

For a moment, Kyoya wondered if he had imagined the noise. His overactive imagination getting the best of him late at night in a dark house... Sighing, he clicked the flashlight off and went to put both it and the book on his nightstand-

A shadow darted across his window curtains.

Gasping, Kyoya pulled his arms close to his body, staring at the dark shape in fear. It waved from side to side for a brief moment before sinking down, vanishing soon after.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Kyoya slowly slipped his way out of bed, leaving his book and flashlight behind. He shivered as his bare feet came into contact with the cold wood floor, quickly padding to the window on his tiptoes while his hand dragged along the nightstand. He didn't want to bump into it and wake up his parents or brothers or sister. They'd come up and tell him to go to bed, and then how'd he find out what made that shadow?

Finally making his way to the window, he carefully pushed the curtains out of the way and pressed a finger to the shades. Slowly, he pulled down and peeked through.

It's not as dark outside as he thought it would be. It must be close to midnight by now, but he could easily see what was going on outside, a combination of moonlight and the streetlamp that was between his house and the one next door, which Kyoya's bedroom was pointed at.

Which made it really easy to see the little brown-haired girl sitting on the roof next door.

Kyoya's curiosity increased 10-fold. The house next door had once belonged to a family of three until the son graduated from college and his parents moved out to find a smaller house. The new family had moved into the two story only a few days ago. Kyoya knew his mother had gone over with a plate of cookies just this morning, but he had yet to meet the father and his two little girls. He hadn't realized that one of the girls would be around his age.

Willing up his courage, he pulls up his shades to reveal the actual window. Carefully flicking the window locks, he pushed the glass panel up. The movement and sound catches the girl's attention, making her gasp and scoot backwards towards an open window on her own house. Probably her bedroom.

For a moment, the two kids just stared at each other.

"What are you doing out here?"

The girl shuffles her feet, pulling her knees closer, "Looking for Mama."

"Your Mama?" Kyoya tilted his head. "Why would she be outside?"

"She isn't." Now he was really confused. This girl wasn't making any sense!

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm lookin' for Heaven."

Oh.

Kyoya felt awkward now. He knew all about Heaven. His mom had explained it to him when his pap-pap had… The boy clenched his hands on the window ledge. He wasn't sure if he should just close the window and go back to bed or continue talking to the girl. He was really tired-

"Um... would you like to look with me?"

Kyoya barely repressed a flinch. Normally when the girls at school asked Kyoya to do stuff with them, it was because they liked him. That's what his big brothers teased him about, at least. But Kyoya thought they were just being mean. And then there was that one girl who had tried to kiss him, chasing him around the playground until he managed to climb up a tree, all because they had paired up in gym class.

But… for some reason he didn't think that's what this girl wanted. She looked so small sitting outside. And it was cold out. Kyoya could already feel the breeze just from having his window open. All the girl had was a small pink princess blanket.

If he was sitting outside in the cold looking for Heaven… he'd want some company. Any company.

With a shaky breath, he nodded. Planting his hands on the window sill, he tried to pull himself up and out, but fell back. The ledge was too high up. Pouting, he looked around the room. After staring into the brightness of outside it took a moment to spot what he was looking for, eyes not yet readjusted to the dark.

Less than a minute later, he managed to bring his table chair across the bedroom and set it down beneath the window without having made any noise. Swallowing, he carefully clambered his way up until he was sitting on the sill. His knees were shaky as he set one foot onto the roof tiles. It felt rougher than he had anticipated.

Looking up, he saw the girl staring at him impassively, "I-is this safe?"

"Uh huh. Just be careful."

And careful he was. Keeping both hands and feet firmly planted on the tiles, Kyoya slowly inched his butt closer to the edge of his roof. He couldn't help but note his house's roof was slanted a little more, pushing the edge to dangle a little over the other's. There was no gap for him to jump over, which was a relief.

Before Kyoya knew it, they were sitting side by side, staring up at the sky. The moon was big and full, giving everything a silvery shine. It's a lot colder outside than he had anticipated, and Kyoya was now wishing he'd grabbed a blanket from his own bed before coming out. But he didn't say that outloud.

"What do you think Heaven looks like?"

"Um… white. And bright. And real pretty."

Kyoya pouted, "All I see are stars and the moon."

"Well, if it was so easy I wouldn't need help lookin'!"

He crossed his arms. This girl was so bossy! He wanted to go back to bed already, and he hadn't even been outside for five minutes!

But he stayed anyways, giving the sky another glance, "Maybe… the whole sky is Heaven?" The girl shifts and Kyoya has a feeling she was now staring at him. But when she stays quiet, he continues his thought, "And maybe… the stars are the people? They're bright… and pretty."

"There aren't enough stars."

"Well… what if they get further away the older they are? Then they could get too far to see."

The girl was back to staring upwards, her red-framed glasses glinting in the moonlight, before nodding slowly, "I guess… that would make finding Mama easier. Where do you think she is?"

Kyoya shrugs, pretending to not care that she approved of his idea, leaning closer to the girl and pointing up, "How about that really bright one?"

The girl nodded sharply, "Yes. that's her." She gives Kyoya a shy glance and the first smile he'd seen from her, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. But I gotta go to bed now. I've got school." He began scooting back to his house, carefully crawling up to his window. His hands were freezing and the thought of his warm bed seemed very tempting. He didn't even think about how scary it was to be 10 feet off the ground… he had actually forgotten he was so high up as soon as he started talking to the girl. Weird.

Just before he could climb inside, a voice called out, "Um… what's your name?"

"Kyoya Ootori. You?"

"Jin Fujioka. Kyoya-kun… would you come back tomorrow night? I might need some help finding Mama again."

For a moment, Kyoya considered refusing. Jin could find the stupid star herself, he was cold and tired!

But then another breeze passed between the two houses and the brunette shivered, shoving her hands between her legs. She was cold too… and probably tired. If she was his age, she'd have school tomorrow, too.

Yet she didn't look like she was going inside anytime soon.

"Okay."

*Three Years Later*

"Hey, Ootori-san! Are you interested in joining-"

"Kyoya-senpai! Want to work on math tonight-"

"Wait a minute, Ootori-"

The ravenet ignored everyone as he ran out of Ouran Academy, his school bag bouncing at his hip. A smile was spread across his face as he ran past all the other kids climbing into their family cars. Quickly outstripping the rest of the student body making their way to the train station, he narrowly avoided knocking people down. Only outstripped by bikes and passing cars on the street, Kyoya made it back to his neighborhood in record time, still smiling.

Bursting through the front door, Kyoya kicked his shoes off like they had personally wronged him.

"Kyoya? Are you hom-"

"Hi, Mom!" He was already halfway up the stairs.

Dumping his school bag onto his bed, Kyoya hastily dumped his schoolbooks out before shoving other things into the bag. After his homework, the newest book he'd gotten from the library, and a few snack boxes were safely stored inside, he went to the window and threw it open.

The ten-year-old had already stuck one leg out when common sense caught up with him. Softly cursing himself for almost forgetting, the ravenet stretched to his left and grabbed the black market waiting on his nightstand. Uncapping it, he marked an 'X' next to the words 'In Jin's Room' on the whiteboard that had been hung next to the window.

Satisfied, he capped the marker and threw it in the general direction of his bed before continuing his way out of the window with his bag at his side.

The day is sunny and warm, the roof tiles hot under Kyoya's house slippers. Thankfully after years of learning to balance on the slanted terrain the boy no longer needed to use his hands to climb to Jin's window. It was already open for him, meaning Jin had gotten back home before him… again. Deciding to try something new, Kyoya climbed into the Fujioka's house head-first.

And almost face-planted on Jin's bedroom floor.

The brunette giggled from her spot on her bed, smiling at her friend as he stood up, "Hi, Kyo-kun!"

"Hi!"

Like clockwork, Kyoya sat down at the desk at the end of Jin's elevated bed, setting his bag by his feet so he could take his school jacket off. The brunette quickly shoved her own homework to the side and crawled her way to the end of the bed, flopping onto her stomach to open his bag.

"Aha!" With a cheer, she snagged a box of chocolate pocky and sits back up, gleefully popping open the box to start munching. Kyoya didn't mind the thievery, as he'd brought the treat over specifically for Jin. He wasn't fond of chocolate, and Jin was well aware of that, so permission wasn't all that necessary.

He pulled his homework out, beginning to spread it out across the desk, "Is Haruhi home?"

"No." The girl shook her head, the end of her first pocky stick poking out of her lips like a toothpick, "Arai's."

He paused in his unpacking, "Are we going?"

"Again, no. Beni-kun did bad on a science test, so he's grounded from visitors until the next one, and he can't come over until all his homework is done today, but I think he's staying home for dinner."

Kyoya nodded in understanding, even if he was a little upset. He kinda liked hanging out with the blond boy, especially their sarcasm-fests… as Jin had so helpfully dubbed them. If Kyoya attempted the same thing at home, he'd be told off for being mean, even if he wasn't trying to be.

Besides, he owed a lot to the older boy for looking after Jin while they went to different schools. Sometimes Kyoya wished he did go to public school, just so he could go around and kick all the people who were mean to Jin. Even if she told him that was unrealistic, because his foot would get tired.

Of course, that only made him want to do it more.

"Kyoya?"

At the distant voice, Kyoya turned his head towards the open window and shouted back, "Yes, Mom?"

"I do hope you aren't just playing over there!"

" Moooom! You know I'm the smartest person in my class! And I have all my homework!"

"Don't think I don't know about those snacks you took as well, Kyoya Ootori! You'd better not spoil your dinner!"

Jin giggled and called out, "We're having tempura, Ootori-san! He'll eat it!"

The sound of Kyoya's mother laughing from the other house carried through the window, making the boy glare at his friend, "Alright, Jin-chan! I'm trusting you to make sure of it, Dear!"

"I will, Ootori-san!"

Kyoya took one look at the evil smile on his friend's face before making a break for the window. He made it halfway before the girl jumped onto his back, legs wrapped around his waist. "Ack! Mother, help!"

Across the way, his mother smiled fondly at the two before moving away from Kyoya's bedroom window, probably heading back downstairs. Kyoya let out a dramatic sob, falling to his knees.

Jin grinned, "Told you she likes me more." And with that, Kyoya fell backwards, trying to squish her beneath him.

There was a knock at Jin's door before the girl's father poked his head in, "Is that Kyoya I hear?" He watches as the two pre-teens squirmed on the floor, Jin attached to Kyoya's back like a koala with a bright smile while the boy tried to escape.

"Kyo-kun has to eat all of his dinner tonight. Ootori-san said so!"

Ranka shook his head, a warm smile on his face, "Very well. You should let him up, though. You both have homework to finish." He eyed the bed and raised an artfully done brow at the snack box, "On a related note, you have to finish your dinner tonight, too, young lady. Don't eat too much."

"Okay, Dad."

With a satisfied nod, the man backed out of the room, shutting the door like his daughter preferred when studying. As soon as her father was gone, Jin gracefully rolled away from her friend and onto her feet, a move she had loved ever since she'd learned it at the Dojo. With a grin, she offered a hand to the boy on the ground.

Kyoya remained still.

"Kyo-kun, get up."

"Can't, I'm dead. You killed me."

"Mmm… no, you're not. Come on, or I'll draw hearts on your homework again." She took one step towards the desk before the boy jerked into motion, grabbing the girl's hand and letting her pull him up. They stuck their tongues out at each other before returning to their original spots.

Quickly placing his science homework in front of him, Kyoya began comparing his notes to the first homework question. On the bed beside him, Jin crossed her ankles and pulled her math homework onto her lap. Plucking a pocky stick out of it's box, she began to nibble at one end when something occurred to her.

Eying the box, she tilted her head, "Kyo-kun? Have you ever heard of the Pocky Game?"

The boy paused, blushing a little, "Yes. Why?"

"What is it?" The girl was now examining the box in confusion, "Some of the kids were giggling about it in class, but I've never heard of it before. And it's not like I could ask them about it…"

"Um… it's a kissing game."

Her eyebrows creased, "A… kissing game?

"Two people put the opposite pieces of a pocky stick in their mouths, then eat towards the middle until someone either backs off or they kiss."

Jin stuck her tongue out again, "Ew! Who wants to kiss with a mouth full of food?"

Kyoya nodded again, feeling a little relieved that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand the appeal of the game, "No idea. But they were probably giggling about getting their First Kiss." At that, he watched Jin nod slowly. Clearly she knew that phrase well enough.

"Eh… I still don't see what's so fun about it." She took a bite, "I'd rather eat the entire pocky."

Kyoya hummed, tapping the end of his pen against his pink cheek. He attempted to refocus on his homework, but… something was bothering him. Figuring it would be best if he simply asked his question directly, the boy leaned back in his chair, "Jin-chan? I was wondering… have you had your First Kiss yet?"

"No." The girl scribbled an answer down, not sounding very embarrassed about the sudden conversation change, "I don't like anyone, and no one at school likes me, so why would I kiss anyone?"

"Not even Beni-senpai? Or Mori-senpai? Or Honey-senpai?"

The girl blushed, "No. Honey-kun and Mori-kun are like my big brothers. And Beni-kun… I used to want to, but he said he's… not into kissing girls. "

Kyoya blinked. He hadn't expected… no, wait. He kinda had been expecting that. His stomach suddenly made a weird flipping motion. Internally he told himself that even if Beni started to like him, he could let the boy down easily and they could still be friends… but that didn't quiet the flipping like he'd hopped.

"What about you?"

"What?"

"Have you kissed anyone?" Jin's pencil had stilled.

Kyoya shook his head, "I was almost forced to, though. Some girls cornered me against the lockers, but I managed to turn them down." He didn't feel the need the mention that by 'turn them down' he meant 'hide in the boy's bathroom until someone came in and told him the girls had disappeared'.

"Hmm." Jin polished off another pocky and glanced into the box. There was only one left. Giggling, she pulled it out and waved it teasingly at the boy, "Care to play?" Kyoya blushed and she laughed louder. Kyo-kun looked so cute when he was embarrassed.

She just barely touched the chocolate to her lips when her bed shifted, Kyoya now sitting by her legs.

"I don't want the chocolate part."

She was shocked, but shook herself out of it quickly enough, narrowing her eyes, "You're going down, Ootori."

"Bring it, Fujioka."

The two snickered at their false bravado, before taking the separate ends into their mouths. Immediately Jin noticed how close Kyoya's face was, her face heating up. Have pocky's always been this short? Instead of thinking on that, she focused on the boy's nose and held up three fingers.

3…

2…

1…

She began munching, trying not to get crumbs on her bedspread and keep the treat in her mouth at the same time, not worried with speed at first. Jin figured she'd win, because Kyoya would stop before he got to the chocolate part.

Until she realized that Kyoya had already eaten past the chocolate line and they were now bumping noses, a few centimeters of cookie left between their lips.

Jin's eyes went wide in surprise before darting off to the side. She refused to meet Kyoya's eyes as best as she could, but it was kinda hard when they were literally right in front of her.

Between clenched teeth, Kyoya mumbled, "Gi'e uh?"

"Ne'er." She pulled at the treat, secretly hoping it would break in half or Kyoya would be startled into biting, but she only managed to pull the boy with her. Kyoya made a noise that might've been a growl before returning the favor, and Jin most definitely did not squeak.

The tug of war continued for a full minute until the brunette heard the crinkling of her homework papers beneath them. The game had to end quickly before they ruined her notes or her dad came back up.

Screwing up her courage, Jin took one last bite of the cookie, her lips just barely brushing against Kyoya's before pulling away, quickly swallowing the treat.

Kyoya was frozen in front of her, the tip of the broken cookie still poking out from between his lips as he stared. Jin rolled her eyes, "I don't think that counted, Kyo-kun, stop looking so freaked out." Still, she couldn't help but giggle. He looked so dumb with his dumb red face and his dumb wide eyes as he chewed the food in his mouth dumbly.

Her fingers slowly curled on the bedspread, an evil idea came to mind. Letting her giggles die down until she was smirking, Jin began to lean towards Kyoya again. If possible, the boy managed to flush further, leaning away from her as she advanced. His hands scrambled on the bedspread, searching for a handhold as he started slipping off the bed. Her bed.

" J-jin… "

The brunette gave her best friend the sweetest smile she could manage… then stretched her arm to start drawing a little heart in the corner of Kyoya's science homework where it waited on the desk behind him.

"Hey!" He abruptly shoved Jin back, the girl laughing as she bounced on her back.

And like that, the tension was broken.

*Two years later*

Yoshio Ootori winced when he first saw the damage. When the thunderstorm had hit last night, he hadn't thought much of it except to occasionally text his neighbor asking if his daughter was doing alright with the loud noises.

Of course… that was before they heard a booming crunch as a tree in their backyard fell over.

Now, at seven in the morning, the man was running his fingers through his hair as he surveyed the damage. It wasn't… terrible, but that was only in expenses. The tree had fallen in between his and Ranka's house and it had taken down the roof extensions that connected their children's rooms to each others.

Kyoya and Jin had crossed those sections of roof an infinite amount of times. Whichever room one of them was in, you were sure to find the other. Yoshio remembered the first year the children had started the trend, how his heart would stop momentarily when he would go into Kyoya's room only to find his youngest son had vanished… next door. And the number of times Ranka had called him in a panic asking to check Kyoya's room for Jin-

At the sound of a stricken wail, the man's head jerked upwards. Oh no…

Jin Fujioka's head was poking out of her window, her brown eyes staring at the carnage in disbelief and heartbreak. Yoshio's heart lurched. The young girl was basically a second daughter to him. Seeing her so anguished was indescribable.

"KYO-KUN!"

Yoshio gritted his teeth, trying to prepare himself for what was to come.

Sure enough, as soon as Kyoya opened his window at the sound of Jin's voice, the smile on his face vanished. His eyes went wide, mouth falling open. The two children looked at each other between the houses, and Yoshio would've assumed his heart had stopped completely if it didn't hurt so much.

With another cry, Jin disappeared, calling for her father to help. And Kyoya, once his attention was no longer on Jin, spotted his own father watching him from the ground. He also disappeared from his window.

Two minutes later and Yoshio's youngest was by his side, tugging on his jacket sleeve like he hadn't done in years, "Father… y-you can fix this, right? So it's just like it was before? Right?"

He fought against the desire to smile. Oh, to be a child again and only worry about getting to your friend easier than going down a flight of stairs. Of course Yoshio would have to fix it. Not only was the damage unsightly and the fault of his own property, but there was no way he could let his son lose the intimacy of his friendship with the girl next door.

"Hmm…" Yoshio put a hand to his chin. It was a family joke that when the children asked for something with an obvious answer, he would pretend to consider the alternative. Of course, the moment he realized Kyoya's eyes were filling with tears he dropped the act, alarm slashing across his face, "Woah, woah, Kyoya, relax. Of course I'll get it fixed. I'll even pay extra to make sure it still overlaps the Fujioka's."

Kyoya sniffled, wiping at his eyes as he leaned into his father's embrace, sniffling, " That wasn't funny… "

"No, it was..n't. I'm sorry." Yoshio was staring at the young pre-teen. He hadn't realized until that moment just how important those connecting rooftops meant to his son.

"Kyo-kun!" Jin and her father had stepped outside. At the sound of his friend Yoshio's son released him in favor of hugging the girl, who was also crying. Ranka stood beside his neighbor and whistled lowly at the damage.

Nudging the other man, Yoshio met his eyes before nodding towards their children, "Since it was a tree on my property that did this, I'll pay to fix your roof as well. Kyoya has also informed me that the roofs must look exactly as they did beforehand. Would that be suitable?"

"Absolutely." Ranka looked to be on the verge of tears himself as his daughter cried, "Sooner rather than later would be a big help."

"Count on it, my friend."

*Three years later*

Jin let out a breath as the December air bit at her cheeks. Pushing the window open, she hastily climbed inside, landing on the mat Kyoya's mother had placed there the night before their first snowfall. Abruptly shutting the window behind her, Jin shivered a little and looked around the bedroom.

There was no sign of Kyoya, but that wasn't exactly a surprise. He was probably in the bathroom or somewhere else in the house. They hadn't locked their bedroom windows in years, only if one of them was going on vacation. They never knew when their friend would need to get in if it was raining, or snowing, or if it was late at night and one of them had a nightmare.

As soon as Jin finished pulling off her coat, hat, gloves, boots, and one of Kyoya's scarves, she casually flopped on Kyoya's bed, ruining the perfectly made blankets beneath her. She wasn't sure why her friend had refused to rearrange his room for as long as she knew him, but couldn't complain. While she enjoyed readjusting her own furniture as it was swapped out for larger or more manageable versions, Kyoya's room remained a consistency all it's own that Jin adored.

Rolling to her side briefly, Jin plugged her phone into the speaker waiting on Kyoya's nightstand, pressing play on her most recent choice. A Fall Out Boy song began as she moved onto her back again, stretching languidly. She loved how soft Kyoya's bed was. It was a great after-school napping spot or post-nightmare soother, especially with Kyoya curled up behind her and lightly gripping at the back of her shirt in his own way of making sure she was still there as he dreamed.

Something shifts to her left and she cracks open an eyelid. Nothing's amiss in the room, but Jin had recognized the sound immediately. One of clothes on clothes.

"Come on out, Kyo-kun. I know you're hiding in the closet."

There's a muffled curse before Kyoya opens his closet doors, stumbling out over the dirty clothes wrapped around his ankles, "How do you do that?"

"Honey-kun and Mori-kun played hide and seek with me all the time when we were kids at the dojo. I got really good at listening for those tiny sounds."

"Isn't that how you learned how to travel around a house via its air ducts?"

"Your point?" Kyoya rolled his eyes and walked over to the bed, spinning around and falling backwards on the girl. "Oof!" She light smacked at his arm with one hand, her other pinned to her side, "Get off, you lump! You're too heavy!"

The boy ignored her, lazily plucking the phone off its stand and reading the screen, " The Phoenix , huh? I thought you were in more of a Panic! mood recently?

"Eh," she shrugged, no longer pretending to be bothered by his weight, "It's emo."

"You're the least emo-ish emo person I've even known."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now…" Jin wiggled towards the wall, slipping out from underneath the boy and sitting up, "What's on the agenda for this fine Saturday?"

Kyoya placed his hands behind his head, crossing his ankles, "I was thinking a visit to the Downtown Café for some hot tea and your double-chocolate muffins before the movie starts at 2:15."

Jin grinned, nodding along to the plan, "Sounds great!" With a great shove from the girl, Kyoya tumbled to the floor to their mutual laughter. Jin daintily jumped over him, scooping up her various winter clothes from the floor, "Oh, by the way, I'm grounded because I broke a window with my new staff."

"Of course you did, and of course you are."

"I just wanted to make sure it was balanced!"

"And you did it inside because..?"

"It's cold out."

"And yet you managed to climb to my window just fine."

"Shut up, you sound like my dad."

Kyoya finally stood up, making a show of dusting his pants off, "Well, if you listened to one of us the first time, you wouldn't have to listen a second time."

The brunette stuck her tongue out before grabbing her phone from the nightstand and following her friend out of his room. She managed an awkward wave to where Fuyumi was sitting in her own bedroom around her armful of clothes before the two headed downstairs.

"Father?"

"In here, Kyoya."

The teenagers found Yoshio sitting at the dining room table, which coincidentally was right next to the front entrance. They pulled their winter clothes on as Kyoya relayed their plan to his father, holding up their wallets, train tickets, and cellphones as physical proof they were set to enjoy the day.

By the time they were both completely bundled up, Yoshio had finally finished his cup of tea and was now simply observing the two in amusement. "Jin? Didn't your father ground you after the… incident yesterday?"

"Aww… come on! " Jin pouted at the older man, "First Dad, then Kyo-kun, and now you, too?" She pulled the door open, throwing her hands into the air in disbelief. Kyoya rolled his eyes and followed after her, calling out his goodbyes before shutting the door behind them.

Instead of turning to the right, in the direction of the train station, they made a left at the sidewalk. Jin slipped away from Kyoya in order to hide around the corner of her house, her brown eyes pinned to her friend as he knocked on the front door.

A few seconds later and the door opened.

" Jeez, it's cold out! Oh, hey, Kyo-kun."

"Hello, Haruhi."

"Hold on a second." Jin could picture in her mind's eye as her little sister gave her neighbor a brief smile before turning around and shouting, "Dad! Kyo-kun's here for Nēchan!"

A groan responds from further inside the house, "I just grounded her!" With a huff, Ranka appeared at the door with a fluffy pink robe wrapped around his shoulders, "What were you planning?"

"Hot drinks and muffins, followed by a movie. It should be over by 4:30."

Ranka sighs, but nods, "As soon as that's done, you come straight back here. You have to do homework in her room tonight. I assume that means you're eating dinner here?"

"If you're offering."

"Don't play coy, Kyoya." Jin's father gives the ravenet a warm smile before turning towards the stairs, "Jin! Get down here! Kyoya's-"

"I heard you already, Dad! Bye!" Haruhi and Ranka turned back to the front door just in time to see Jin pulling Kyoya down the snow-covered sidewalk, the two friends hand in hand.

*Present Day*

Jin slammed her bedroom door shut, finally allowing the tears to spill over her lower lids. Her chest shook at the strength behind her sobs. She should've known… she should've prepared herself… she should've…

Hastily shoving her face into her pillow, she cried a little harder. It was always awful going back to school after a break, but this time it seemed almost worse. Her summer had been amazing as always. Her family, and Kyoya, had traveled up to Karuizawa to spend time with the Fujioka's pseudo-uncle before she and Kyoya spent the second half of summer with the Ootori's at their beach house.

But now she was back, and the bullying was getting worse and now she learned that Mori-kun and Honey-kun had joined another after school activity and could only practice two times a week with her! It didn't help that Beni was so involved with his new boyfriend and the upcoming musical, which gave him even less time to spend with Jin, and… and… she needed Kyo-kun!

Lip wobbling, she sits up in bed and starts walking towards the window. Earlier on that day she's gotten a text saying that Kyoya couldn't come over to her room today. But that wasn't exactly a problem. Their family schedules and what not changed constantly. Instead of meeting in Jin's room like they usually did on Mondays, she's just go over to Kyoya's. Perhaps it was that project he'd talked about over summer.

A smile is finally starting to return to her face as she pulls her curtains to the side. If anyone could make her feel better-

She stopped.

Kyoya was in his bedroom… with a girl.

Jin was frozen in place as the mystery girl looked around the room, not once leaving Kyoya's personal bubble. She smiled brightly at the boy, who was a good deal taller than her, as he lead her to a chair to sit on. Jin swallowed, her hands starting to shake as fury coursed through her body, tinting her vision red. Because Kyoya didn't even seem bothered by the girl practically hanging off of him.

With a sudden surge of rage, she yanks her curtains shut. One of the pegs ripped through the fabric.

Jin looked up from her laptop at the sound of something tapping on her window. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly set her computer to the side and walked over. Kyoya had already taken the liberty of pushing her window open, his signature smirk widening into a smile as she appeared in front of him.

"You're late."

"Lost track of time."

Kyoya chuckled and offered a hand, easily believing the lie. Jin hesitated for a split second before letting him help her outside. It was yet another one of their traditions. On nights when it was warm and the weather was good, they always met on Jin's roof to chat and stargaze, just taking time to unwind with each other. Jin had been looking forward to this until a few hours ago.

Now it felt like a bitter taste in her mouth.

Sitting side by side, Jin didn't know if she wanted Kyoya to notice the small gap between their bodies or not. Deciding to let it play out however it did, she didn't call attention to the space. For a moment, they just listened to the night sounds of their neighborhood. Crickets chirped in their backyards, the occasional car driving past as summer-break stragglers finally made their way home.

Kyoya leaned back on his elbows, letting out a breath as the moonlight shined on his face, "How was school?"

"No different than usual." She heard him sigh before letting his head rest against her side, a silent acknowledgement that he knew what that meant. Jin swallowed back the lump in her throat, abstaining from combing her fingers through his hair like she usually did.

Instead, she waits for four more seconds before shifting, dislodging the boy's head as she stands, "I'm really tired, actually. I should probably go to bed. Sorry, Kyo-kun."

Kyoya watches her as she goes, not stopping her. She shuts her window just as he wishes her good night.

The pattern continues for a week. School becomes one fresh horror after the other, and now her number one confident was too involved with...

Jin refuses to finish that thought. It was too painful. All because she had once thought… that maybe possibly… Again, she chases the idea off. It was no use thinking it over and feeling worse.

A breeze trickled by. Not shiver inducing, but enough to make Jin wrap herself tighter into her favorite sweatshirt. Or… she hesitated, plucking at the sleeve… was it Kyoya's? It was hard to tell, really. There were a number of sweaters, t-shirts, and various other clothing articles that they'd swapped or stolen over the years, so it was basically a co-ownership where no one knew who had it first.

Somehow, that managed to make her feel worse.

Across the way, Kyoya's window opened and the ravenet scampered out. There was a smile on his face as he approached her, looking rather pleased and relaxed as he collapsed onto his back beside her.

Jin tensed, not wanting to know what his body language meant.

"Hey, Jin."

"Hey."

Kyoya sat up, his grey eyes immediately fixated on her, "Is something wrong?"

"No."

"...I don't think you're telling the truth."

Jin winced at being called out so early in the night. For a moment she wonders if she should tell him about the teacher who had forced her to stay behind after class to clean her desk of all the 'FREAK' graffiti she most certainly hadn't done herself. Or how she hadn't eaten lunch all week because her hiding spots had been found already. Or even the past three nights of nightmares that had landed her just outside of Kyoya's window, her fingers curled on the sill, but instead of going in and sharing her dreams only to be cuddled in a place where her dreams were only ever sweet… she had turned around to face her bad dreams herself.

But then a memory of the girl laughing at something Kyoya had said only three hours ago flashed behind Jin's eyes and she curled up a little, "Just a little chilly."

"Oh. Well, I can fix that." She did her best not to flinch away as Kyoya leaned against her, an arm coming around her shoulders.

Jin allowed herself three seconds to indulge in silence before asking, "How was school?"

"Just the project I was telling you about." She couldn't see his face, but knew Kyoya was rolling his eyes, "It's stupid, and my partner is absolutely useless. I can't wait until it's over with."

Jin nodded along, not really listening, "I hate it when that happens. Actually… I think I'm going to turn in early again. It's been a hell of a week."

"Really?" Another nod. Anything to make Kyoya stop staring at her like he was. "Oh, okay… anything you want to talk about?"

"No…"

Jin gave the boy a quick glance before starting to walk to her window, "Night, Kyo-"

"Wait! I almost forgot!" She gasped when she felt Kyoya grab her hand, but the boy was smiling up at her again, looking almost embarrassed, "So, apparently I talk about you too much, because… a friend of mine wants to meet you tomorrow. Is that okay-"

"No!"

Jin jerked her hand away and jumped into her room, slamming the window down and… locked it. The lock squeaked in protest out of lack of use. The brunette got one last look of Kyoya scrambling up her rooftop, attempting to reach her window, before she lowered the blinds and pulled the curtains together.

Falling onto her bed, the tears started falling. She quickly grabbed her headphones and plugged in her phone, attempting to drown out Kyoya's knocking against the glass.

*Kyoya's P.O.V.*

My eyelashes flutter in exhaustion, but I shake my head. No. No falling asleep just yet. Looking back down at my desk, I see that I've not only completed all of my homework already, but I've also powered through the last couples pages of a sudoku puzzle book and half of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The clock says it's only 11:24. I probably won't go to sleep until perhaps 2 in the morning.

Sighing, I look to my left and out my bedroom window. I had moved my desk here for easy viewing of the roof while I did my homework and other forms of entertainment… just in case Jin ever came out of her room.

My stomach lurched horribly and I placed my head in my hands. I still don't know what I did to upset her so much, but all I want now was to apologize and hug her and be back on at least speaking terms.

We haven't spoken for a month. To think, there was a time where I once thought that was impossible. But it's not. I still knock at her window every night, hoping for a change, but it never happens. Her father and sister have unhappily turned me away from their door every day after school as well, apparently instructed to not let me into the house.

Of course, a week ago I got sick of waiting and simply marching into the Fujioka's dining room and sat down, refusing to leave until Jin came down from her room to speak with me. Ranka eventually carried me and the chair I was sitting in outside, where I then waited on the front lawn like the idiotic person I am.

I got a cold from sitting out there until midnight passed without even a jacket.

And then I did it again the next day.

The only thing that kept me trying was the fact that she didn't block my phone number. She never answered my texts or my phone calls and apparently became oddly deaf and mute whenever I came up in conversation, but she never blocked me.

I knew my actions were… outlandish. Some might even say borderline stalking, and I regretted how they looked, but it felt like someone had cut a part of who I was and was now dangling it just barely out of reach. Reaching out and almost touching… and it was pulled away just before my fingers could close around it. Except the it was a her, and she didn't belong to me… I just... miss... her...

My eyes opened slowly, and for a moment I don't know where I am. Groggily, I push myself upright, my back cracking in protest as I do so. A blanket slips off my shoulders and I rub at my face, which has indents running across the right side. Groaning, I stretch. I must've fallen asleep at my desk… and from the looks of it my mother must've come in and given me a blanket and shut my lights off.

A yawn escapes me. I should go to bed. It's… I check my watch... 3:30 am? Geez, I have school tomorrow. With a great sigh, I go to stand up, casting one last glance outside my window-

I nearly plastered myself to the glass, staring in shock at Jin Fujioka sitting by herself outside. My heart stops beating.

Cautiously, in case she runs, I carefully slide my window open. As soon as the glass barrier is gone I hear it. Jin is crying, her face buried in her arms. She didn't hear my window opening. My heart breaks in two before I quietly climb outside, using my memorized non-creak points until I'm right next to her.

She doesn't realize I'm there until I'm hugging her.

Jin jerks when I touch her, but instead of running away like I half expected her to, she practically molds herself to my side, sobbing miserably against my chest. I pull her into my lap, just as I've done so many times before and press my cheek against her forehead.

" Hey… hey… what's wrong? "

" E...e-everything! "

Suddenly every bad thing that's happened to Jin over the past month is flooding out of her mouth. I listen with a broken heart as I learn about her cousin professing a hatred for her. Honey-senpai getting a cavity, which I remembered dealing with at school, and how he had kicked her across a room, narrowly avoiding breaking her arm. And her class going on a trip to the aquarium, where Jin had suffered a panic attack in the shark exhibit, and it was only a matter of time before her tormentors were shoving sharks in her face.

By the time Jin finished, she was shaking like a leaf, like all the fight had gone out of her. My fingers were gently combing through her hair as I let her get it out. My strong Jin…

" B-but I wasn't strong… "

She adjusts herself and for a moment I'm afraid that she's going to leave again, but she simply holds up her left arm and pulls the sleeve back.

I can no longer breathe.

Tears trickle down my cheeks as I shakily trace the little nick on her skin. It's small, hardly even a centimeter, but with the way Jin was acting… I knew what it could've very well have been. What it was supposed to have been.

" Oh… Jin, why… why didn't you talk to me before now? Why did you stop… oh, Jin, I'm so sorry. I should've tried harder… "

"No… oh, no, Kyoya it wasn't your fault, I was just being stupid. I… I just tried it… I was so hurt and I wanted it to go away, but it just hurt more. And I felt so guilty… no, no, don't cry, please!" She's trying to wipe my tears away with her ever gentle hands, but she's shaking. Or I am. Perhaps we both are.

I gather her close, practically cradling her in my arms. Her fingers are clenched in the fabric of my shirt. She's crying. So am I.

There's no telling how long we sat there in each other's arms, but it's still not enough to replace a month apart. Still, despite everything, I feel like I'm whole again when Jin nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck, taking deep breaths in and out. Not wanting to risk having her fall asleep before I get some answers, I tenderly pull away. Jin's hands scrabble at my back for a split second, afraid I was going to leave until I look her in the eyes.

" Jin… why did you cut me out? "

" I…" her eyes darted down, her fingers playing with my jacket's zipper, " I'm sorry. I figured you'd be too busy with your new girlfriend for me… like Beni and Gorou… "

"I-" The words won't come out at first. What was she talking about? "Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

"That girl I saw in your room..." It's phrased almost like a question, Jin's brown eyes regarding me hesitantly. I suddenly remember who she was referring to. The first week back to school. When Jin ran off...

I almost laugh at the absurdity of it, "Jin… that was my partner for the project I was telling you about. We were paired up in class because our parents work together, so I had to be polite, even though I found her rather boring and useless for the actual work. The only thing she did all week was make weak passes at me."

"But… you wanted to introduce us?"

"I wanted to bring my new friend, Tamaki Suoh. He's an exchange student from France and is… an acquired taste. That's why I was a little hesitant to call him my friend back then." Kyoya paused, thinking his actions over from that evening, but this time in a new light, "I… suddenly understand how you might've assumed I was in a relationship-"

And Jin is laughing. She looks up at me with a bright smile before letting her head fall to my shoulder, "Oh, my gosh… I'm so sorry! Gosh, I'm an idiot!" Tears are running down her cheeks for a new, better reason.

I can't help but smile myself, pressing my face into her hair, " I will never be too busy with anyone or anything to help you, Jin-chan. This past month has been torture for me to not see you, and I'm a little upset that it was due to a simple misunderstanding… but I am far more curious as to why you stopped speaking to me because you thought I had a girlfriend. "

Jin stiffened in his lap and attempts to wiggle herself out of my arms, stuttering nonsense words while her face flushes a pretty red color. I let her move out of my lap, but before she can get too far I take her hand. She immediately stills, looking anywhere but me.

I can't help a smile when Jin finally meets my eyes. I can see the hope and nervousness I'm feeling mirrored back.

A second later and Jin's lips are on my own, the two of us meeting halfway. There are no words in any language that could've given the kiss justice. All I knew was that I was deeply regretting not kissing Jin sooner as she somehow was replaced in my lap, through her means or my own, we still can't agree.

All we are sure of is that by the time we fell asleep side by side on that roof, our legs tangled together and a final 'sweet dreams' kiss was exchanged, the sun was starting to rise.