Corliss groaned then started to register weights that didn't belong to her. Her eyes snapped open and looked around. Her face heated up in embarrassment. When did she fall asleep? When did he? Why was he holding her? Why was his face so close to hers? She quietly observed his face then curiously ran a finger over his cheek. His skin was like porcelain.

"Were you always this attractive..." she whispered, voicing her subconscious thoughts.

She quickly covered her mouth, hoping he was still sleep. She tried freeing herself from his hold but was unsuccessful. She crossed her arms in a huff then made herself comfortable. Minutes passed and Corliss found herself starting to drift off, head bobbing and eye lids ready to shut.

"Good morning, Liss..." Illumi whispered, her entire body shivering from his whisper in her ear.

"Morning. Do you mind letting me go?" she asked.

Illumi let her go then sat up, stretching and hearing joints crack. His body wasn't used to sleeping on the floor. He yawned then rubbed his eye, taking in his surroundings. He ended up falling asleep too.

"Illu-" she said then noticed he was already at the door. "You're... leaving...?"

"Did you need to tell me something?" he asked curiously.

"I figured you'd stay to at least shower and eat..." she said, looking down at her powdered hands. "I won't keep you if you have to go."

"I'll gladly take a rain check on breakfast." he said with a smile. "Plus, I need to change clothes."

"Haha, right... I'll see you then." she said, closing and locking the door behind him. She sighed quietly, a part of hoping he would've stayed longer. "What's gotten into me..."

She walked back towards the kitchen then noticed something on the floor. She picked it up then face palmed. He left his credit card. At least now she had an excuse to see him again without it seeming suspicious.

____

Corliss unintentionally hummed happily as the children played outside. Honjo as usual sat by her side, acting pad her guardian. He looked up at her, taking note of the relaxed look she had.

"Ms. Steinbeck, you're really happy today. Did something good happen?" he asked.

"Huh? Ah, not at all. I just had a really good breakfast this morning." she said. "Why don't you play with the others? You'll need friends later on in life."

"They don't like me. They call me beggar because I always hang around you." he said, looking at the other children. "Even Aoyuzu keeps his distance..."

"See, what did I tell you about hanging around me so much?" she said, shaking her head. "I'll straighten things out, so get ready to play, okay?"

He quietly watched her round up the other children and proceed to talk to them. After a while, a few of them came over to him and invited him to play.

"What are you playing anyway...?" he asked.

"Red rover!" one said enthusiastically.

Corliss smiled happily, seeing Honjo interact with the other children. Her ears perked up at the sound of the door alarm. She headed over and politely greeted the guest.

"Today's the day isn't it?" Corliss asked, knowing the woman frequented the place.

"Yep. I'm ready to bring home my new family member." she said, beaming.

Corliss opened the door to the back then called the kids over. Everyone greeted the woman then sat down.

"Yurina." Corliss called out. The little girl stood. "I hope you love your new home."

Yurina broke out into a wide smile as the woman stood with open arms. The other children said their farewells one by one, causing Yurina to burst into tears. The day she had always hoped for was here, but now that it was, it pained her. She had to say goodbye to Ms. Steinbeck and the wonderful friends she had here.

"Don't cry. I promise we'll come by when we have time, okay? Until then, would writing letters do?" the woman asked.

Yurina nodded, giving everyone one last wave before taking off with her new family. The other children collectively cried, having yet another friend go and having to wonder when their time would come.

"Everyone, Yurina wouldn't want you all to cry. She'd want you to smile and keep your heads high. Can you do that for Yurina?" Corliss asked, hoping to raise their spirits.

Honjo spiritedly answered while the others remained dejected. She watched in awe as Honjo started to give his own little speech, raising their moods up.

"He really is a handful..." she thought with a smile. "Maybe having him around would make things less dull at home."

"Ms. Steinbeck." a little boy called out, tugging on her skirt. "Will Yurina really write to us?"

"I'm positive, so don't worry so much. She would never forget her first friends." said Corliss, knowing that could end up being the case.

The door alarm sounded again. There wasn't supposed to be another visitor for another two hours. She quickly made her way to the door and saw Illumi standing by the empty desk.

"Illumi? What are you doing here?" she asked in confusion.

"Corliss! Thank god you're here. I need to get back into your place. I-" he said quickly then was silenced by her producing his card from her pocket. "Oh, thank you."

"You're too old to be forgetting important things." she teased. "I'm guessing you're leaving now?"

"No, I actually came to see Honjo. We should talk to him about our plan." said Illumi, crossing his arms.

"Ah, right. I'll go get him." she said.

He quietly watched her leave then noticed something in plastic on the floor. He picked it up then called after her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You dropped this." he said, holding it out.

Her face turned extremely red and she was quick to hurry over and snatch it from him. Illumi curiously looked at her, wondering what the problem was.

"Forget you saw anything!" she said before hurrying off.

He blinked in confusion. What exactly was it wrapped in plastic? A part of him wished he held it a bit longer in hopes of finding out.

Corliss returned with Honjo. She avoided making eye contact.

"Ms. Steinbeck said you have something to tell me." he said, looking up at Illumi.

Illumi moved them over to the seats then sat on the other side on Honjo.

"Ms. Steinbeck and I talked about how passionate you are about wanting to be adopted by her. So, we came up with an idea." he said then looked at Corliss, figuring he'd be convinced more if Corliss explained.

"We were thinking that Mr. Zoldyck would adopt you since I'm not able to myself." said Corliss softly. "But you'll be staying with me, he'll just be your legal parent."

"I don't want that! I want Ms. Steinbeck as my mom!" he whined. "I want to be a Steinbeck..."

Illumi looked at Corliss who seemed to be thinking hard. Was there a way to convince him? There was another option, but it would only work if Corliss was willing.

"Corliss, can we talk in private?" he asked. They moved off to the side and glanced back at Honjo. "I have an idea, but I know you'll be against it."

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"I provide the money for you." said Illumi.

Corliss quickly shot him down.

"Are you stupid? How could you suggest giving money to someone you hardly know?" she fussed. "I won't consider this plan."

"Someone I hardly know? That may be true in some areas, but how can I just sit idle while a child desperately wants to have someone to call family? I'm not heartless like that." said Illumi with a serious look.

Honjo stared at the two adults who were now arguing. At first he couldn't hear, but now they were talking at full volume. A few children came to see what was going on.

"Forget the plan and just get out of my sight!" Corliss shouted.

She glared at Illumi who was already making his way out. She looked around and saw the children looking at her with worry. They should've talked outside. Corliss felt her hands be held by Honjo and Aoyuzu.

"Will kisses make your pain go away?" Aoyuzu asked quietly.

"Don't worry about me. Go ahead back into the room. I'll be there in a bit." she said, forcing a smile. "You too, Honjo."

Aoyuzu wordlessly took Honjo's hand and practically had to drag him away from Ms. Steinbeck. She kept smiling until the children were out of sight. She sat down then covered her face with her hands. He was looking down on her, making it seem like she couldn't do a thing without his help.

She didn't need it. She's always relied on herself. A few tears rolled down her cheeks while more fell onto her lap, leaving damp spots on her skirt. She had no choice but to rely on herself. She left her suffocating family behind and lost friends over time. Her quiet sobbing soon found its voice.

"Don't cry, Ms Steinbeck. You're our precious flower and we'll keep you safe from bad things." a chorus of voices said.

She looked up and saw the children standing, each a different item in hand. Some had origami flowers while others held cards. Honjo wiped her face with a tissue.

"You..." she whispered, unable to find her voice.

"We love you, Ms. Steinbeck! Stay strong!" they said in unison.

Hearing that sent her back into being a sobbing mess. The children gathered around her, giving her a group hug. Never did she ever expect something like this. The children she watched over were the sweetest in the world.