haha wow. this really is...i'll just get on with the story now. Just an fyi on the ages

Shoko and Haruto - 23 / L-elf - 17-18 / Q-vier - 14-15 / Inuzuka - 24

So there is a bit of underage going on. QInu will be a side pairing. If you're not into that kinda thing, fair warning.

Haruto was carrying a paper bag with two burgers and two orders of fries into a small, clean building. He bypassed the front desk, waving to the secretary before heading down the hall and knocking on the door.

"Shoko? I got us lunch."

He didn't hear a reply and knocked again only to be met with silence. Haruto entered and found her on the floor in a daze, surrounded by papers. "Sh-Shoko?!"

"I can't do it!", she yelled, suddenly jumping to her feet. "No matter what I try, I can't!"

"Can't what? I won't understand if you don't explain."

"I'm supposed to help a bunch of kids get adopted, but there's these two...they just...so..." She gritted her teeth and screamed while pulling at her hair.

He put the bag on her desk and took her hands from her hair. "They can't be that bad."

"They are!" Her eyes looked tired just from talking about it. "If I don't find someone to take them I just...I don't know what I'll do."

"First thing's first, let's eat", he said, pulling her towards her chair. He sat on the other side and tried changing the subject, asking about other things in her line of work. Shoko worked for charity organization that raised efforts to help children in the war torn country of Dorssia. Both of them had studied similar subjects in college, but Haruto put his learning to become a kindergarten teacher.

Watching Shoko speak about her work was one of his favorite things. While they ate she talked about the things that were going well and it warmed him to see how bright and happy she was. At the end of the day, she really found this to be fulfilling. It was that part of her that made him fall in love when they went to university together. He could never tell her that though. Shoko was changing the world. He just took the easy way, teaching kids how to finger paint.

"...But none of that's gonna matter if no one takes these kids", she sighed.

Haruto blushed as he realized he hadn't been listening well enough and missed most of what she had been saying. Whatever it was, it had to do with those kids she wanted to get adopted. It was really important to her.

"It's been a while, don't you have to get back to work?", Shoko asked.

"Well it's Saturday, so no. Perks of bein' a teacher. Didn't you realize what day it was?"

"It's already Saturday?! I don't have a lot of time!" She picked up her box of fries and inverted the last handful into her mouth. "Sorry, Haruto. I really need to put my nose to the grindstone."

"No problem. I've got to buy some things for the week anyway. I hope everything goes well." He cleaned up and got up to leave. In the doorway, Haruto gave her a final look, watching her pour over documents before closing the door.

Hours later, he was sitting on the couch in his small living room, watching tv without really paying attention to it. He had to show the girl of his dreams that he was worth taking an interest in; that he wanted to save the world and help the children like she did. His mind went back to the adoption problem but he batted it away. There was no way he could take care of a kid.

Well he did look after twenty kids. But that was only for a few hours for five days a week. Raising a child was completely different. It was something Haruto couldn't do. No. It was something the old Haruto couldn't do. The new Haruto, the one who would make Shoko fall for him could do it. Especially if they were to get married and have kids of their own.

She would see him acting all paternal and it would just click. She would realize how great a father Haruto would be and that they both wanted the same thing. About ten minutes passed between the first thought and Haruto calling her to say he'd adopt one of the children.

Shoko replied with a thousand teary thank yous and told him that there would be an event where orphaned children would be able to mingle with prospective parents. He got the details and ended the call. Haruto looked around his small apartment that had been his bachelor pad for the past two years. He had a week to get it ready for a new resident.

"I was really excited when you agreed to this, but are you sure?", Shoko asked as she and Haruto drove to the site. She wore a white jacket in the chilly November air with her organization's logo on the back of the Earth hugging a person.

"I'm sure. They need a home and I have one", he answered resolutely. "Besides, I work with little kids all the time. This won't be too different."

"Little kid? Ah! We're here." She parked and entered a high school gymnasium.

Dorssian children of all ages were around. The basketball court was covered in long tables that had all sorts of arts and crafts materials. Some adults stood off to the side, as well as a camera crew. Shoko was handed a microphone by a fellow volunteer and tapped it for attention.

"Good morning everyone! About year ago, we successfully took these children from their harmful environment and showed them what peace looks like. However, we can't provide the warmth that a true home brings. So please, everybody enjoy yourselves today and consider your adoption options!"

She turned off the microphone and looked to Haruto. "Come on, I'll show you the two that I was talking about."

"Oh! Haruto! Shoko!"

The two turned to see a familiar young man in a crisp dark blue suit. He waved and walked over, with a camera not too far behind him.

"Inuzuka-senpai? What are you doing here?", Haruto asked.

"I could ask you the same, Haruto. Still trailing behind Shoko?", he winked.

"Th-that's!" He couldn't deny it, not with how red he was and how he was actually following her.

"I'm here for an image thing. The public thinks I'm too cold, so adopting a less fortunate kid might be just what I need."

"Inuzuka-senpai, I can't let you take a child for that", Shoko said with a frown. She would never allow someone under her care to be brought into a home with no love.

"You don't need to worry about that." He put his hands into his pockets. Despite being the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, he maintained a boyish aura. "I'll certainly take care of them. Like they were my own. I've got too much money to not spoil someone with it."

Shoko grinned at that and hooked her arm around his, then Haruto's. "Let's go and meet them!" She led them along until they reached a pair of boys.

"Haruto, senpai, here they are. Boys, these are two friends of mine?"

"Boys?", Haruto said incredulously. One of them didn't look much younger than him. He had pale white hair and sharp eyes that didn't want to be bothered. Not by anything. The other was younger with bright red hair. He looked at them with curious eyes, pausing in his coloring.

"This is L-elf and Q-vier. Like the others, we can't find any official birth records from the government. But, where we found them, there were some papers there", Shoko explained.

"How old are they?", Haruto asked.

"L-elf is seventeen and Q-vier is fourteen."

"I'll be fifteen in a couple weeks though!", the red haired one, presumably Q-vier said.

"Shoko, I thought you said they were children", Haruto couldn't get over this. They were teenagers. Nearly adults in his mind.

"They are. Q-vier is only fourteen-" "And eleven months and two weeks!" "-and L-elf is just under the limit. Haruto, in a few months, he turns eighteen and we can't keep him here anymore. Honestly speaking, L-elf will probably be fine on his own but once he's an adult, I can't check up on him or anything. He'll be officially responsible for himself." Shoko's eyes looked sad and it always got to Haruto when he could tell she was about to cry.

"Okay, okay." He sighed in defeat and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take him."

"Guess that leaves Q-chan for me", their former upperclassman said, looking at his chosen charge.

"Don't call me Q-chan. I'll kill you." Neither Q-vier's voice nor face changed from its sweet looking expression but there was something unsettling in his words.

All through this exchange, L-elf said not a word, and didn't participate in any of the craft activities laid out around the room. Haruto wondered just what he was getting himself into with this guy.