a/n: You can skip this if you dislike lengthy author's notes at the beginning as much as I do but I felt I should probably say that, yes OCs are involved but if they'd been Clamp characters it'd just get a bit disturbing. They barely ever appear though, it's nearly entirely Fye and Kurogane. So I hope you enjoy =) …

"Mio-chan! It's good to see you again," he cried delightedly as he swung open the door, revealing the single girl behind it. He blinked. "Where's Usui?"

"He's doing something with his friends," she said, shrugging, slipping off her shoes as she entered casually and languidly slid her school bag off her shoulder, passing through the flat and dumping it beside the leather sofa. She turned around, taking out the ties in her hair, and asked, "Where's dad?"

"Working, he won't be back till late," Fye said, shutting the door and following her through, a playful spring in his step.

"So… it's just the two of us for a while?" she asked, self-consciously clasping her own wrist and smiling lightly.

"Don't sound so offended," Fye laughed as he sank into the desk chair he'd previously been sat in, closing applications and shutting down the computer now he had company to entertain. He turned to her, head perched on hand, a light wink. "You'd think you hate coming here."

"No!" she quickly cried, shaking her head. "Being honest," she sighed, placing herself down on the sofa, "it makes a nice change."

"Mmmm," Fye hummed as he came to sit across from her, smoothly and politely skipping over the subject, refusing to comment. "So how's school?"

"Not bad," she muttered with a small and sweet smile upon her face. Slowly it slipped, her eyes drifting as she concentrated on her words. "Actually, I'm glad Usui's not here. There's something I've been needing to say."

"What's that?" he asked softly, eyes now glowing sympathetically, attentively.

She looked up to him sharply, guiltily, and took a breath. "When I was little, I never saw anything out of the ordinary in any of this. I didn't know any different really. But now that I'm older … I can see it now for what it is and it feels strange." She hastily added, "I'm not ungrateful or annoyed and I definitely don't think it's wrong but it's just… different from a few years ago."

Fye smiled warmly towards her, his step-daughter, he supposed. "It's alright, it's only natural for you to feel that way. I'm just glad you wanted to get it off your chest."

"But I've realised as well," she looked him directly in the eye, deep pools of sympathy and worry, "it must be so hard for you both this way."

His smile slipped to the side, shining fondly and appreciatively. "Thanks for the care, Mio, but it's honestly not that bad." His eyes dropped, reflecting upon something. "I suppose it was hard to begin with but not like you're thinking. It was more things like language barriers and getting other people adjusted to the idea. We're just a bit of an odd couple," he laughed warmly, unhindered. "Most of the challenges were things I had to overcome myself before we got together. And there isn't a challenge I wouldn't overcome for your father."

She smiled, young eyes opening to a more complex world. "You really love him, don't you?"

Fye nodded lightly, beaming, a great emotional depth beneath. "He really grew on me when we first met. And after that, I couldn't stop thinking about him and how I wanted to be with him." His smile took on a humorous taint. "I'm so lucky to be with Kuro-sama."

Mio's eyebrows furrowed. "How did you meet?"

He mocked a gasp, smiling in amusement. "He never told you?"

She shook her head. "I can't remember anyone telling me. And I never thought about it. But I'm curious now."

He grinned slyly. "That surprises me," he said smoothly, voice capturing interest and intrigue. "It was because of you that we met."

She blinked in surprise. "Really?"

He stood up, smiling secretively and dropping a hand closer to the floor. "You were only this high." He then glanced up to her, almost challenging, joking, as he made his way through to the kitchen, "Do you want to hear the story? We could have some tea and talk before I make dinner."

"Yeah, I'll help you cook as well," she said, getting up to follow him through, sleek hair brushing against her back.

"You don't have to," he said lightly, used to the routine.

"That's alright," she said in a quietly enthusiastic tone, "I enjoy it. And I'm interested now. How did you get together?"

He smiled whimsically as he took the tea from the cupboard, brushing his blonde hair lightly from his eyes…

a/n: My friend suggested Usui as a name so if you recognise it from anywhere then sorry I have no idea! A huge thanks to her for reading this over for me and to Me Or The Wallpaper for coming up with the title! This is just an introduction so the first proper chapter is coming soon. And remember reviews make the world go round and me keep posting ;)