I don't own Kagerou Project or Mekakucity Actors or the picture which may be accessed here: . ?id=145719 . So, yeah.

What was that crying sound?

Kido scowled in annoyance, jerking up in her bed and looking around. Momo was fast asleep, her mouth slightly open. Marry's bed was empty, but it always was. She, apparently, couldn't sleep without Seto. Sometimes, Kido wondered why they even had a bed for her anyways.

She swung her legs off the side of the bed and padded over to the kitchen to get herself some hot water before identifying the person crying. But, on the way there, she passed the sound of the crying somewhere she never expected to hear it from – Hibiya's room.

Why was he crying? He always seemed kind of depressed, but he handled himself with sarcasm and solitude and maturity. He was one of the last people in the Dan that she'd expect to hear bawling their eyes out in the middle of the night.

Sighing deeply, Kido carefully opened the door and slipped into the room.

"Hey."

Startled, Hibiya looked up from where he was curled up on his bed and began furiously wiping tears from his eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard crying." She sighed again, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong. Now go away." Hibiya pressed his lips together in an angry frown, determined not to say anything.

Kido didn't move. She just sat there, weighing her options and waiting for him to crack.

A long silence stretched between them. Finally, Hibiya muttered, "I miss her. Hiyori, I mean."

Kido nodded and waited for him to go on.

"I've liked her since forever… and now she's dead. Because of me."

The silence continued before Kido cleared her throat awkwardly. "When someone you love dies, it can be hard. But that doesn't mean you can't go on living. You have to."

"Don't tell me what to do," Hibiya said angrily, tears reforming. "Why am I alive? Hiyori should be the one alive, but she's stuck in the daze, and I should've died… I should've died."

"Don't reflect on what happened. You can't change it anymore. I know what it feels like to have someone you love die. My sister, Ayano-"

"That's not the same!"

Kido scowled, but she quickly smoothed her features into a placid expression and waited.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was quietly remorseful. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at his feet, his head bowed.

"It's fine."

There was more silence. Kido glanced over at the dejected-looking boy. "The past is the past," she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. "It's hard to get over. I still haven't gotten over what happened to me. And they might not be the same, but I know how it feels to lose someone so important. I'm not saying you should forget about her; you should never forget. Just look forward and not back."

God, when had she gotten so philosophical? It felt more like she was trying to convince herself rather than him.

Tears began to stream down Hibiya's face, slowly at first, but then all at once. And he was shaking by himself, tears dripping to the floor.

Kido reached for him on instinct, the way Ayano always did, and held him to her side. She felt so protective of him in that instant, like his mother.

He cried until he couldn't cry anymore, so he just shook with sobs until he fell asleep.

Kido looked at his tear-stained face, and then back at the clock. It was three in the morning. But perhaps it was worth it.

Smoothing Hibiya's hair back, she tucked him in like a real mom would, and thought of how to make him feel better.

So… who in the Dan could cheer him up? Not her, most definitely. While she looked out for everyone, she wasn't really a cheerful person.

Certainly not Kano either. Marry might help, but Hibiya didn't really respect her and Marry seemed wary of him. Maybe Seto, perhaps? Seto seemed like a good option.

Kido didn't know Shintaro or Ene that well, and Seto would be the better option anyways.

Unless…

She decided she'd ask Momo to help Hibiya the next morning. After all, she seemed to know Hibiya pretty well, and the boy seemed to like her, despite his grumpy demeanor.

She got up swiftly and left the room.

As she closed the door, she shot Hibiya one last affectionate look, perhaps a little exasperated, and whispered softly, "Goodnight."