Corliss entered the orphanage and was soon swarmed by ecstatic children. She greeted them warmly then noticed Honjo wasn't among them. She counted and recounted. Honjo was missing.

"Where's Honjo...?" she asked worriedly.

The children looked at each other, wondering if the other knew. They all shook their heads.

"Did you all forget the buddy system? Each of you has a buddy that you're supposed to watch out for and they're supposed to watch out for you." Corliss explained then looked around for Honjo's buddy. "Aoyuzu, do you really not know?"

"I don't..." he said quietly.

"Was he here yesterday?" she asked. They nodded. "Did he go to bed?"

They nodded. She had them look all around the small building, hoping he was simply sleeping somewhere else. He wasn't. Did someone break in? Then again, why would someone want to only kidnap one when there were bunch? Corliss's panic continued to rise, causing the children to worry and cry.

"Ah, don't cry. Honjo's probably fine. Head back to your rooms. I promise I'll bring him back." she said, having Aoyuzu lead them.

She quickly called the night worker, hoping they knew anything. They didn't know anything, but promised to keep a lookout. She informed the rest of her coworkers then sighed. She couldn't leave to search the area and bringing the children with her could put them in danger. She could ask a friend, but the children probably would feel uneasy with a stranger for a long period of time.

Corliss dialed a number and impatiently tapped her foot, each second going by could be one second closer to Honjo meeting death.

"Zoldyck speaking." he said.

"I know this is going to be a tall order especially if you're working, but I don't know who else to turn to..." said Corliss, looking back towards the kid's room. "One of the kids have gone missing. No one knows anything and I need to go out and search, but I can't leave them here unsupervised..."

"None of the others can come in?" he asked, hammering in a nail.

"Not at all... I can't let a stranger watch them either... I know it's asking a lot, but-" she said then heard Illumi ordering people around. "Illumi?"

"I can't get away at the moment, but I had a few of my workers fill in for now. They'll keep a lookout on their way to you." said Illumi with a sigh.

"Thank you..." she said, feeling tears escape her eyes.

She hung up then looked back, now seeing a few children watching her from the doorway. They started to whisper then sent one out, holding something behind her back. The little girl slowly approached her then held out a crooked origami flower.

"We don't like seeing you sad, Ms. Steinbeck... Your smiles give us hope." she said, starting to cry herself. "What will we do if our sun stops shining...?"

"Yurina..." she whispered, taking the flower. "I'm feeling much better now because I received such a cute flower. Thanks a lot."

Yurina smiled happily as she wiped her tears. She ran back over to the others to deliver the news. She never thought the children looked up to her as much as they did now. That they'd become gloomy when she wasn't at her best. Corliss slapped her cheeks, putting on her best smile for the kids.

____

Illumi shook his head as one of them held the sleeping child in their arms. How did he know where he worked?

"Should we have Ms. Steinbeck come get him?" one asked.

"I'll take him back. It'll be faster." said Illumi, sending the others back to the home they were working on. "I hope you reflect on how much worry you've given everyone."

Honjo groaned in his sleep, his head bobbing. Illumi sent Corliss a quick text before taking off in his car.

Honjo groaned then slowly opened his eyes. He looked around and saw he was in a car. Was he being kidnapped?

"Someone's finally awake. Good timing too." said Illumi, briefly glancing at the mirror.

"Mr. Zoldyck..." Honjo said then remembered. "Ms. Steinbeck... she likes you a lot, so please... don't betray her...!"

Illumi chuckled, surprised by the words coming from Honjo. It was blatantly obvious the child cared for her.

"Ms. Steinbeck is a dear friend of mine now. I wouldn't imagine hurting her." said Illumi, pulling over. "Now, time to return you back to her."

Honjo let Illumi help him out and loosely held his hand as they crossed the street. They stepped inside the building and waited. Soon Corliss had come running, enveloping Honjo in a tight hug before giving him a hefty hit on his head.

"Don't you dare pull something like this again! Do you know how worried we were, not knowing anything?" Corliss said, tears falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry... I wanted to do something for you, but I guess I only caused more trouble..." he muttered.

"What was it?" she asked.

"You really like Mr. Zoldyck, so I was going to go tell him to be your best friend and always be there for you... You always have a lonely look on your face..." said Honjo, looking back at Illumi.

"You got yourself a handful there, Corliss." said Illumi, shaking his head.

"I'm just glad you're safe... Promise me you'll never do this again. Otherwise I might reconsider our previous promise." she said, giving him a stern look.

"I promise." he said.

Corliss sighed then looked at Illumi. Words couldn't describe how much she wanted to thank him and show appreciation. She left Honjo's side and settled with giving Illumi a tight hug.

"I really don't know how to thank you..." she mumbled. "I really don't..."

"Hm, I think a kiss will do." Illumi replied jokingly.

Corliss pulled away and stared at him. A kiss? She expected something more on the impossible side. She sent Honjo to go play with the others then faced Illumi again. She cupped his face only to feel him pull away.

"I was just joking. I thought you would've known..." he said weakly.

"Oh..." she replied.

Awkwardness hung in the air.

"Well, if everything's okay then I'll uh, head out..." Illumi said.

"Wait! Maybe... we can get dinner sometime? To thank you of course, haha. Didn't mean it like romantic or anything..." said Corliss with nervous laughter.

"Then we can work the details out over text." said Illumi. "See-"

Corliss had pressed a quick kiss onto his cheek before running away. Illumi touched his cheek then chuckled. He'd get her back for it.

____

Corliss quietly watched the children while reading over tomorrow's activities. Tomorrow was trip day where all shifts took the kids out for a day. She would love to have them more often, but their funds were limited. Honjo walked over then made himself comfortable beside her.

"Honjo, what did I tell you about getting comfortable?" she warned, not wanting the others to think she was playing favorites.

"That it looks like you're playing favorites." he replied, moving away.

"Honjo, it's not that I don't want you close to me, it's just I have to think about everyone else. I know you want to be adopted by me, but until then, you can't be too close. Do you understand?" said Corliss.

"Yes." he replied. He looked at the clock on the wall. "Ms. Steinbeck, isn't it time for you to head to work?"

"Ah, I don't work there anymore. My coworkers were big bullies and I couldn't stand them anymore." she said, not wanting to expose him to anything he shouldn't know yet. "But don't worry, I'm doing fine."

Honjo took her word for it then looked at the calendar she had.

"Trip day is tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yep. We have a great day planned for you all, so make sure you get plenty of rest." she said, putting the calendar away. She stretched out then sighed. "It's about time I left..."

"Ms. Steinbeck..." he called out. She waited for him to speak. "I hope Mr. Zoldyck can make your lonely look disappear."

"We'll see." she said, ruffling his hair with a few giggles. "See you tomorrow, Honjo."

He quietly waved then frowned when she disappeared from sight. What could he do to make her happy but wouldn't cause trouble?

____

Corliss quietly sat in the chair while Illumi went through receipts. Illumi looked at her as she fidgeted.

"I wonder why he wants me to adopt him...?" she muttered aloud.

"Honjo?" he asked, spooking her. She frowned, her cheeks gaining a bit of color. "Sorry."

"I really don't know what to do. I don't think I'll ever be able to provide for him. I want him to find a good home..." she said, looking at her hands.

"Has he refused adults who wanted to adopt him...?" Illumi asked.

"I wish that was the case... In reality, he acts really cold to them and causes trouble just so they won't look at him." she replied, sinking into the seat. "He's really a good kid..."

Illumi quietly thought while Corliss felt at a loss.

"What if I adopted him in your stead and let him stay with you?" he suggested, understanding Honjo's feelings. "It'll take off a bit of stress, won't it? Unless you want to do it yourself."

"That, my dear Illumi, is brilliant. But, do you really want to be bothered with the adoption process...?" she asked, knowing it could take many months.

"Women find single fathers a bit more attractive than single men don't they?" joked Illumi, earning a snort from Corliss.

"Well, if you're serious about this, come over and give my chest a squeeze." Corliss said, wondering if he was really committed.

Illumi left his seat then hovered over her. She discreetly drew back as he reached out then blinked in confusion as he held her hand instead.

"Knowing you, you'd hate to be inappropriately touched even if green lighted, so this will have to do." said Illumi, pulling his hand away. "Even then, I can't will myself to touch you intimately."

"Is it because I'm not sexy like other girls? No big rack or thick ass?" she spat.

"Hey, do you think that's all men look for in a partner?" Illumi asked flatly.

"No, but it's not like you aren't wishing for it. So what is it?" she asked quietly.

"Hm, maybe I see you as a bro of some sort." said Illumi. "Yeah, that seems to fit."

Corliss rubbed her arm as she looked down at her lap. He didn't even see her as a woman. Illumi looked at her worriedly as her body started to tremble.

"Corliss, what's-" he started, but she had quickly bolted out of the room in tears. "Did I say something wrong...?"