Prologue: Arc

Disclaimer: Do not own DC/MK.

"Sensei said that we were supposed to draw hearts, Kaito."

The little girl, her hair tucked into two messy pigtails, bounded over to the crayon-cluttered desk where the boy was sitting. Tucking her hands on her hips, she leaned over, frowning at the wobbly red circle splattered across the paper.

The boy didn't look up, just traced the circle round and round with the red crayon.

"Kaito."

"I don't want to do hearts." He tilted his head to look at her. The familiar elfish grin. Something was glimmering in his eyes.

(Water?)

And the girl thought - the boy's nose looked a little red.

"But it's Valentine's Day, everyone has to draw hearts!" She came around the table and peered over his shoulders. "Here." The girl reached out, her tiny hand clamping around his on the red crayon.

He didn't budge.

"Kaito."

"...break." His voice was paper-thin. She strained her ears. "But circles last forever."

Taken back, her fingers slackened and she felt him took control of the crayon. Round and round the circle went, the red bleeding redder with each stroke. She was tracing the circle with him... again, and again, in the one line that had no beginning... no middle, no end...

A/n: This was originally going to be a mid-length one-shot. As you can probably see, my plunnies have a way of getting (sprinting) away from me. However, unlike "Writer's Block" which is just really long and "bleh" as one-shots are supposed to go, I've decided to chop this up into chapters for lighter reading.

Your thoughts? (And I know... starting a new story before updating my old ones... but the plunnie won't leave me alone, I swear! _)