[[HEY LOOK AT ME I'M NOT DEAD! Sorry it took me so long to upload….again….school and drama and school and drama and summer and being a butt. BUT HERE I AM!]]

Matthew stiffened out and suppressed an unmanly squeal, instead letting out a small yelp. His eyes had gone bigger than those of an ostrich and his hair almost stuck out at weird angles like in those weird Japanese shows. As soon as he could breathe, he turned his head and saw the fairly sizable bullet hole next to his head. What the f-

"Big brother, was that really necessary?" Lili said softly –successfully interrupting Matthew's thoughts- her eyebrows pulling together in a concerned and slightly upset way.

Matthew slowly and cautiously turned his head back to where the shot came from just in time to see a tall, blonde, rather burly man rise up from behind the couch. The tough blonde leaned his rifle against a wall where there was a fairly sizable collection. It was menacing really. Just like a bad horror movie that Alfred watched one time. It was fun to hear him scream like a little girl…

"Of course it was necessary. There is someone on my property and someone standing…" the unknown man's head whipped to glare at Matthew, "…very close to you."

Matthew automatically stepped a fairly large distance away from the petite blonde and looked down at his shoes. What kind of psychopath is this guy anyway? Does he always shoot at people he doesn't know who enter his house? It worried him for Lili's health…what if one day he wasn't paying attention and shot her as she was coming home from a nice evening stroll in the park?

Lili sighed and shook her head slowly. "I still don't think it was very nice…" She skipped over towards the man and wrapped her slender arms around his built waist. The man hugged back gingerly and glared pointedly at Matthew. The Canadian's hands started to shake ever so slightly. Well, at least he had the knowledge that Lili would always be safe. He sighed and peered up ever so slightly over his glasses. Lili looked so happy in that man's arms. Her brother, was it? They did look a lot alike…maybe it was the hair…

Matthew started to look around the house. It had little green and white and blue trinkets and knick knacks around. Some pictures of flowers and some white lilies sitting on the table. Ha-ha…Lilies…Lili…was that a coincidence? But the house really wasn't all that big. It suited two people…which was all there seemed to be living there…wait…where were her parents? Were they completely out of the picture? He assumed so…poor girl. He didn't feel too bad for the man though. He was mean to him.

Lili gazed up at the man with her large, beautiful green orbs. "Aren't you at least going to introduce yourself to my friend? It's only polite." To this the man sighed and pulled away from his sister, walking over to Matthew slowly. As soon as he was an acceptable distance away, he held out his hand stiffly. "I'm Vash, Lili's older brother." His voice was deep and strong….and super protective. It was something that told Matthew that he had to look out. Matthew quickly stuck out his hand and slid their palms together, curling his fingers around the man's hand. "I-I'm Matthew. It's a pleasure to meet you." Vash's hands were big…and massive…and could probably crush him with a simple flick of his wrist. But no matter, he was here for Lili, not to be terrified by her brother. Although, it was probably quite possible for him to do both.

Vash's hand quickly slipped away from Matthew's and he walked back over to Lili, standing at her side like a tower. He was awfully good at looking scary. Lili looked up at him again and connected her dainty hands behind her back. "Would you like me to make supper?" Vash shook his head. "No, I can do it tonight. You should spend time with your….guest." Matthew could feel his self-esteem dropping like mad. Not that he had much to begin with, but this guy was so making it ten times worse for the boy.

Lili smiled and nodded. "Thank you! We'll be in my room if you need anything." Lili trotted back over to Matthew with a happy smile on her face. Vash looked at the two with cautious, protective eyes, although, something told Matthew that it wasn't him he was protecting. "Keep your door open, Lili." To this, Lili rolled her eyes slightly. She was facing Matthew, so it didn't catch Vash's eye, but it made Matthew giggle a little. She had some sass…cute. "Yes, big brother." She took Matthew's wrist and started to pull him to her room. It seemed like just a one floor house; there was not a single flight of stairs in sight.

Lili smiled as she tugged the blonde boy behind her, obviously excited about something, even if it was just being able to spend some time with the boy. She opened the door to her room and inside everything was light green and pale pink. They were colors that suited the girl in Matthew's mind. Colors that said cute, but mature. It wasn't at all like a typical little girl's room. Lili was most definitely not a little girl. Not in the sense that most people would say, anyway. She was little in the physical sense, but Matthew could tell she was mentally strong and mature.

Lili pulled Matthew to sit on her bed and she plopped down beside him on her back, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. "Ahhh, finally. Home and relaxing…" She turned her head to meet her eyes to the purple ones of the boy beside her, who was looking over her lithe and graceful form ever so subtly. "I'm sorry about my brother…he can get kind of protective and possessive of…everything."

Matthew sighed at that. Poor girl, for her to think that she would have to apologize for her brother. He waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. "It doesn't matter to me. Everyone is different and has their own personality. You don't have to apologize for him." Although, he did have to admit, it did feel nice to hear an apology for once instead of giving them out twenty-four-seven. And even if he felt like he deserved the apology, Vash was the one who should be dealing them, not this sweet girl. Lili sighed and laid an arm over her head, her elbow bending at just the right angle, the folds of her dress accenting every part of her perfectly. This caused Matthew to gawk over her form once again. She was so beautiful in his eyes and she always seemed to be incredibly polite to everyone she met, but she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was everything he wasn't. Brave…kind…outspoken…

Lili noticed the boy's reverie and tilted her head ever so slightly. "You okay, Mattie? I can call you that, can't I? Tell me if anything I do bugs you, okay? I know it always helps me to say what I'm thinking as I'm thinking it." There she goes, being brave and kind and strong.

Matthew quickly nodded to her statement. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. And you can call me whatever you want, I'm not picky. I respond to everything."

Lili let out a soft giggle and shook her head softly. "You're cute."

Matthew's face lit up like a game show board. He could feel the heat rising fast to his cheeks and he averted his eyes quickly to avoid becoming mute from sheer embarrassment. "Th-thank you, eh…" he said quietly, a little of his Canadian accent slipping through his tone.

Lili giggled again. What was it with this girl? Did she have to be so sweet and adorable as to make the shy Canadian so flustered? Matthew's eyes flitted up to hers and saw the smile that lit them to the ends of the universe. It made him feel like he was positively flying on cloud nine. That was something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Lili slowly sat up and ran her fingers through her soft golden locks, automatically fixing the lavender ribbon as her deft fingers slipped over it. "So, Mattie, You never did answer my question before. You know, while we were walking over here?"

Matthew's mind froze yet again. Here he was, backed into a corner, falling off his cloud yet again. Would Lili judge him for his previous mission during school hours? The sacred act that made his mind stop if only for a moment. The thing that made everything he was feeling inside physical and palpable. His face paled, the blush receding from it completely. "I-I…uhm…" He started to fidget with his own hands, trying to get his mind to work again. Could he really tell her that he was trying to glide a blade over his skin in the bathroom during school hours? What would she think? How would she act? But wait…she had scars too…would she judge him less? Would she judge at all? Matthew took a deep breath and let out with it. "I was trying to get to the bathroom…it was a really stressful day today and I needed…release…I brought my blade…" He didn't feel the need to continue further. He messed with the bandaging on his hand and sighed heavily.

He saw Lili's face fall with a somber expression. Suddenly, Matthew felt himself in her warm and yet soft embrace once more. Her hug was similar to a tackle and Matthew lost his balance, having not expected it in the slightest and tumbled back onto the bed. She buried her soft and childish face into his neck softly and held him tighter. "I'm sorry…I didn't know…you were to do it then…" Matthew heard the whimper of distress in her voice and his arms quickly snaked around her. "Hey, w-wait…i-it's okay…you…you caught me before I could…and…you stopped me. So you don't need to be sorry. You helped. You saved my arms from another cut." He nuzzled her head with the side of his own, unable to resist due to the extreme closeness of her in his presence. Her pure blonde hair tangled together with his dishwater blonde hair at the action and he pressed even closer to her. He still had strong feelings for her, but just let what was there be for now. He didn't want to spoil what little he had with this precious, beautiful, stunning girl. Her embrace was warm and she smelled like white lilies and sunshine. The feeling of her face pressed into his shoulder was like experiencing Christmas for the first time. It was exciting and new and welcomed greatly. Although the reason made him less than ecstatic.

He slowly pulled back to face her and looked deeply into her shining emerald eyes. "Lili, you have no reason to be sorry. You've done nothing but help." Suddenly, he realized how close their faces were. It was everything he had not to kiss her right here. He quickly turned away his face to avoid further embarrassment. Lili's hand caught his jaw and turned him back to her. "I still don't ever want you to have to think that a blade is your only option. From now on, I'm here with you too. You can talk to me rather than a knife and a corner, okay? Please?" Matthew heard each intonation of desperateness in her voice and saw her eyes shining and sparkling with hope, so he nodded quickly, wishing to make her happy in any way possible. "Okay. I will."

She smiled sympathetically at him and let her hand trail off his jaw softly. "Okay…" She quickly rolled off of him and sat up on the bed, leaving Matthew laying there. What…what just happened…? Wow, he felt like an idiot. He should have just planted one on her! UHG! He sat up as well and sighed. What time was it anyway? He pulled back his sleeve just slightly to look at his watch, careful to reveal nothing more. Only four o' clock?! It would be a while until he had to get home for supper…He turned to Lili and raised an eyebrow. "Should we do homework or something?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "Sounds great! I'll get my bag." She quickly got up and gracefully trotted out of the room to the front door.

Matthew watched after her and sighed happily. It was some sort of miracle to be able to know this girl at all, much less be in her house, talking to her, and having an almost kiss opportunity moment with her. As she came back, book bag in hand, he almost smiled at her. His lip just sort of twitched.

Lili plopped down beside him and reached into her bag. She took out various books and their corresponding worksheets and then gnawed at her lip, turning to him. "I just realized, I don't have a pencil…Do you have one I can borrow?" Matthew already had out his messy black accordion folder with corners of various colored papers sticking out left and right and a few textbooks. Upon hearing her question, his head whipped around to her. "O-oh…sure. There should be one in my bag somewhere."

She smiled graciously and ducked her head down. "Thank you." She took Matthew's bag and reached a hand in, the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she searched while her emerald orbs rolled up to the ceiling. She was searching purely with her hands. How cute was she? She certainly looked adorable as she did such things. "Thanks for letting me borrow one; I'll be sure to—OUCH!"
Oh sh—

[[THERE! I'll try my very very hardest to not take such a long time to upload. Thank you for reading! R&R and I'll give you a cheesecake!~]]