Ayano hadn't wanted to go. "I can't leave you guys alone," she'd said, her voice quiet, "not after Mom…"

Her father cut her off, one hand squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "We'll be fine without you. Go on your school trip. You need a break from all this." He sounded comforting, but his face was pale, his shirt wrinkled. Without his wife, he was falling apart at the seams. Ayano despised the sight.

In the end, it was selfish, or so she would tell herself afterwards. A friend had admitted he wasn't thinking of going, and she wasn't having that. With her usual relentless cheer she'd extracted a promise; he'd go if she would, and that was that.

"Be good for Dad, okay?" she reminded, hoisting the duffel bag on her shoulder. Three pairs of eyes watched her from the stairs. The kids, now almost twelve, leaned on the railing. They looked exhausted, closed off. Closer than she liked to how they'd seemed when they moved in. "Okay?" she prompted again. Two smiles of varying sincerity answered her, flanking a level stare.

"Okay!"

"We will."

"You be good too, okay!"

She ignored the teasing echo of her words. If Kano was feeling well enough to make fun of her, she was happy. She turned back to wave one last time, then left the house. If she'd known she'd never see them again, maybe she would have been just a little bit more sentimental.

…

Kido woke that night to one of the scariest sounds she'd ever heard as a yell ripped through the air. She bolted out of bed before even having time to process. It was coming from down the hall, where the boys slept. She wrenched open her door and dashed to the end of the hall.

Seto's room was on the right, and Kano's was on the left. She didn't have to waste time trying to figure out who had yelled, because Seto was leaning against the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes and looking as terrified as she felt. They pushed their way into Kano's room. Kido knocked over a chair by accident. Seto flicked on the lights.

Kano was pressed against the wall, his knees to his chest. When he saw them, his expression of fear slid into a practiced smile. Kido's heart twisted in her chest.

Kenjirou sat on the edge of the bed, with what looked like a syringe in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was hunched forward, leaning towards the boy.

"Ahhh, here are my champions, come to save me," Kano pronounced airily, his eyes flicking between her and Seto. Kido took the opportunity to move in between the two, climbing on to the bed and glaring at the older man. She didn't trust adults. Ayano's mother had been the exception.

She'd moved to be as threatening as possible to Kenjirou, but now with her back to Kano's knees, she could feel his breath puffing quickly against the back of her neck. No matter what expression he wore now, he was panicking. A cold fury filled her small frame.

"Don't you touch us," she warned, her voice shaking. Behind him she saw Seto's eyes widen as he detected the emotion in her words. Kenjirou didn't seem phased.

"Don't… don't you want to bring her back?" his voice was desperate. Had he been hiding this from Ayano all this time? "I just need some blood, from each of you. You can't refuse me that, not after all she gave for you—" he leaned forward and reached for Kido's wrist.

A pang of terror like a firecracker went off in her chest and she kicked him, hard. He stumbled back and off the bed, staring at them in confusion. He didn't understand why they didn't offer themselves willingly. He might be a little bit drunk.

"You're being silly. If you're afraid of the needles I'll… I'll get some painkillers then, alright?" He backed off, and disappeared past Seto and into the hallway. For a moment they were all frozen, staring at each other. Kido became aware of Kano's hand digging into her shoulder. Then Seto ran to join them on the bed, throwing his arms around her. Kano shifted and wrapped his arm around both their shoulders. Kido found herself sandwiched between the two, Seto trembling like a leaf, even though he'd been the farthest from the confrontation.

Kido ran a hand through his hair, fighting to keep her breathing calm. She was the big sister, in Ayano's absence. The choice was hers. "We can't stay here. Get your shoes and jackets. We'll go out the back door." She heard a quiet noise of assent behind her, and Seto's head nodded against her hand. This had been a safe house for them for so long, but they'd known they couldn't trust adults forever.

Hand in hand and with fear in their hearts, they ran.