Disclaimer: I own nothing. As per usual. P: (Well, apart from Haruka and Katsuya. I own them. Okay, so Anna owns Katsuya, since she thought of the name. And helped me with the plot. And...okay I'll just shut up now.)

This is obviously way before the events of TWEWY (We'll be getting to the Game in later chapters), and is quite AU-ish. Enjoy, guys.

-x-

"Mommy?"

The timid voice came from but a small child of no older than five. In an attempt to gain the attention of her mother, who was currently engrossed in a conversation concerning her adopted daughter's future, the little girl tugged at the hem of her mother's dress.

"Not now, Shiki," the woman said with a smile, gently patting the child's head. "Mommy's busy."

With a small sigh, the child wandered away, for there was no point in staying if she couldn't understand the conversation taking place. Toddling over to her scattered toys that littered the floor, she picked up a certain cat plush, and hugged it close to her chest. Then she proceeded to play with some of her recently neglected dolls, and couldn't help overhearing the words that were being exchanged.

"In return, for your abilities as…" There was a pause, as if the speaker were trying to find the right words for such a situation. Shiki looked up, and saw the man scratching the back of his head in thought. The voice and whom it came from were unfamiliar to Shiki, though he seemed kind, and something about him made him seem like…a guardian.

"…Your true form, Mrs. Misaki, the Higher-Ups have decided, should you agree, that your daughter's hand in marriage will be guaranteed, when she is of the proper age, of course. You must understand that Shibuya is currently failing, and we are doing our best to keep the city stable, in both the RG and UG. As a result, taking back the power Shibuya once held and fusing it all together should make somewhat a difference. I can accept this is a difficult decision for you to make, being that you're watching over such a small child, but weighing the pros and cons should make matters turn in your favour."

Many the thought never occurred to such a young girl listening in on the discussion, such as a weakened city, and the only mother that the child knew, needing the reassurance that someone out there would look care for Shiki if she wasn't around to do so, never ran through her mind. But that was all to come in later years.

After a long while in silence, Shiki glanced over at the two talking figures. From the corner of her eye, the girl noticed her adoptive father sitting awkwardly in an armchair, bearing troubled look; a look that didn't concern the safety himself, but of his wife and daughter.

"All right," the woman said, lower lip trembling slightly.

Her husband looked up, shock written all over his features. "H-Haruka! You're going to—?!" He broke off after seeing the face of his spouse and knew there was no way she was going back on that decision.

Slowly, she nodded. "It's the only way. Otherwise, the Noise…they'll go after Shiki. They'll endanger her. I don't even want to think about risking that, Katsuya!"

Katsuya frowned, seeing her point and reluctantly agreeing with his wife. Haruka and Shiki were his everything, and he didn't want to lose them; though it seemed like fate had other ideas.

"Then I'm going with you," he declared, getting to his feet with his mind set.

"What? But, Katsuya! Shiki…!" His wife stared at him and trailed off in exasperation.

"Don't ask me to change my mind, Haruka. I won't do it. If something does happen after this, I'm going with you, and that's final."

Voice threatening to break, Haruka turned desperately to the currently frowning man, whose clothes eternally carried the distinct smell of coffee beans. "W-What'll happen to her?"

"The little one…?" Coffee-Man glanced at the child who'd been curiously watching the scene, for a moment, before letting his eyes fall back upon Haruka. "She'll stay with me. I promise you both; I'll take good care of her."

Now this much, Shiki could understand. As much as she wanted to protest and cling to the leg of her mother, she remained silent and cuddled the plush tighter. Shiki had a feeling that it'd do the situation no good if she spoke up now.

With a nod, Haruka made her way over to her daughter, trying to feign a smile. "Now, Shiki… You're a big brave girl, aren't you?" She cooed, wrapping her arms around the child.

The woman felt a head shake against her shoulders, and she chuckled once without humour. "Of course you are, dear. Mommy knows you are. But Mommy won't be able to stay here for much l-longer, honey. So she wants you to do her a favour. Can you do that for me?" Haruka winced when she heard the break in her voice, but only hoped Shiki didn't notice and difference.

A nod came from the girl, who let go of her plush and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"That's a good girl…" She said, unable to hold back an escaping tear that slid down her cheek and made a wet stain on Shiki's t-shirt. "I want you to get all the toys and books you want to take with you ready, so that this nice man over here can look after you for me, all right?"

There was a long silence when Shiki made no reaction to those words. She was struggling to fight back a protest, and settled for the question, "Mommy…Where are you going?"

Haruka sighed. She knew that sooner or later, Shiki would start asking questions. But those questions would have to wait until she was old enough to understand, which would be ten years on from then. "I can't tell you now, sweetie. It's a secret for now, okay?" She made an attempt at being enthusiastic, as if this was all a game, but the reality was far from it.

-x-

When Haruka had released Shiki from her embrace, and the two had emerged from the child's bedroom, mother carrying a small suitcase, Katsuya scooped his daughter up in his arms.

"Shiki, I'm so sorry…" He said, so low that only Shiki could hear.

"I know, Daddy." She whispered, sniffling slightly while her mother set her suitcase down on the floor.

Katsuya hugged her tighter; silently surprised she became so understanding toward the subject. It was almost as if she knew and comprehended everything, but that was an absurd thought. The couple had kept as much information on their true existence from the girl as possible, so that she could live a normal life.

As the moments passed, Katsuya finally released Shiki and handed her over to Coffee-Man. "Call me Sanae. Or Mr. H," he said, smiling softly. She nodded, and then looked to her parents. Haruka shed a few tears before Shiki found her voice.

"I'll see you again, won't I?"

Eyes widening, her mother wasn't expecting that question. It took her a few moments to compose herself. "Of…Of course you will, honey. We love you," She said. The smile that lingered on her lips wasn't enough to convince the little girl who clung to Sanae's waistcoat to prevent her hands from shaking, though her lip still trembled.

His expression hardening, Sanae spoke to the parents. "They'll meet you by the River."

With a nod, Haruka swooped down to gently kiss Shiki's forehead, followed by Katsuya. Without another word, the two of them disappeared.

-x-

Sanae held Shiki in silence as the minutes quickly ticked by. Eventually, Shiki broke that silence.

"Mommy and Daddy…They're not coming back." It was a statement, not a question.

Sanae couldn't find the right words to respond to that, so he murmured one of CAT's widely known phrases, "The world ends at your horizons."

He wasn't answered by a word of any kind; only by a muffled sniffling noise and the feeling of water soaking through his tightly-gripped shirt.