Leo stood alone on the deserted sidewalk, the metal railing that guided the cement towards the school doors feeling cold against his back. An early morning wind whistled through the budding trees and parted his thick black hair to kiss the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Taking a deep breathe through his nose, he smelled the freshness of the rebirth of nature, the calming clean that still lingered after last night's rain. Exhaling in a deep sigh, he turned his head and stared down the sidewalk to where it rounded and disappeared down a hill in the distance. Licking his chapped lips, he continued to stare, waiting upon her daily arrival to school, one of his favourite parts of the day. To watch her appear slowly over the hill's crescent, first her shining red hair, that shimmered like the hottest fire, then her face, so delicate and calm, always smiling. Then the rest over her would appear until her tiny gentle frame was making its way towards him, her eyes meeting his and her smile growing to outshine the sun. Picturing her image in his mind, Leo clenched his hands into tight fists in the pockets of his jacket, a warm sensation exploding from his core. It wasn't that long ago when he had met her, when he had jumped down from the tree with that silly black cat that seemed to act as though she were the greatest of all evils. Thinking back, he remembered the shocked expression on her pretty face as he suddenly appeared before her, and her eyes…ahhh her eyes were his favourite part of the memory, because when they met his they didn't hold fear. No, her eyes had held nothing but curiosity. Shaking his head, he returned the loving memory back to it's place where he would call upon it once again when he was alone without her beside him. Looking back down the street, he practically jumped out of his skin with excitement as he saw the familiar flaming hair appearing just beyond the hill. He couldn't suppress the stupid grin that broke across his face as she topped the hill, but then again, he didn't want to. As she brought her big round eyes up from staring at the sidewalk before her, they immediately locked on his, and he felt his heart give a leap of joy in his chest. And then her name was on his lips before he knew it.

"Yukio!"

Leo waved his hand high in the air in greeting and walked towards her in three steps, his long legs carrying him the distance between them. As soon as she was close, he pulled her into a secure hug and held her tightly. He heard her giggle and felt her tiny frame shake up and down in her arms.

"Morning Leo." Her sweet blue bird voice said.

"Did you get last night's math homework done?"

Leo leaned his cheek against the top of her head and breathed in the scent of her herbal essences shampoo, smiling as the tropical scent brought back the warm memories of his childhood. The sight of tall ferns scraping against his hands filled his mind as he ran along the worn dirt path towards the dark blue lagoon. As he neared the edge of the vegetation, he heard the sweet sound of a woman's voice lulling out the soft verses of a lullaby. As he parted the last large fern leaves that blocked his view, his eyes fell upon a lovely, tall, black haired woman who was standing knee deep in the dark blue waters of the lagoon. The long skirt of her green summer gown floated out around her like a mermaids tail as she sat upon her calm. As the woman turned to face him, her face illuminated and her green emerald eyes sparkling, she extended her arms out towards him and beckoned him closer. He ran to her, his voice ringing out in a childish squeal as the memory began to fade.

"Mom…"

Yukio shifted her head and tried to look up at Leo as the soft spoken word left his lips. Pushing back from his embrace, she raised her hands and placed them on either side of his cheeks. His beastly eyes looked distant and shaken.

"Are you ok?"

Leo's eyes met hers and he nodded. He raised his hands and gently removed hers from his face. He gently intertwined their fingers as he spoke.

"I didn't finish my math homework last night because as soon as Yukio left, I couldn't concentrate on it."

Yukio hung her head in defeat at his confession.

"I left because you couldn't concentrate on your homework while I was there."

Leo shrugged his shoulders and an innocent puppy grin covered his face.

"Yukio is always on my mind."

Yukio shook her head and stood up on her tip toes to brush her lips against his cheek.

"And Leo is always on mine."

Leo grabbed her hand and spun away from her. Yukio giggled as a bright red blush crept up his neck and overflowed his cheeks. The pair of them walked up the remainder of the sidewalk to the school doors and disappeared inside. Once inside, they blended in with the crowd of high school students and made their way to their lockers, which were now side by side. Opening her locker door, she playfully let it go so that it swung wide and hit Leo in the side as he was hanging up his coat and backpack. He looked at her over the top of the locker door with an innocent why-did-you-do-that expression, before gathering his own books and closing his locker. He studied the stickers, pictures, and drawings that covered the inside of her locker door as she finished hanging up her things and retrieving her home room books.

"Who is that?" Leo asked as he pointed to a picture of her family that was located near the top right corner of the metal door.

Yukio looked at the old picture of her when she was nine, and at her dad who was sitting, with her climbing on his back. Neither of them were who Leo was pointing at. He was pointing to the red haired woman who was crouched down beside them, with her arms thrown around her dad's neck.

"That's my mom."

"Oh? How come I never see you with her?" Leo asked as she closed and locked the locker door.

Yukio shrugged as they headed down the hall towards the stairs.

"She left when I was ten, and I haven't seen nor heard from her since."

"Really? Why?"

Yukio felt a stab of anger at Leo's question. She didn't know why her mom had left, she had just up and gone, with no explanation, no reason for leaving. She had just left.

"I don't know why." Yukio answered, her voice sounding strained in her own ears.

Leo looked down at Yukio's face, which was now clouded and unwelcoming. Nodding his head, he refused to push the subject further, though the question still burned in his mind. As they climbed the stairs and made their way into their home room classroom, Yukio walked away from him and took her old seat beside the window, instead of sitting beside him near the front of the class. Watching her as she sat down and turned to look out the window, he began to wonder even more about the situation of her mother. Was she now dead just like his own?