Chapter 1: Return of the Black Blue Haired Guy Named Nezumi

It was yet another quiet year for Shion. Well, not quite peaceful, though. It has been three whole years since that day that the guy he adored so much turned his back on him after giving him a farewell kiss. "Farewell kiss, huh?", Shion thought in his mind, mocking himself for missing that black blue haired male that he had never beaten, especially in the height show-off. And ever since, he had never caught even just a glimpse of his shadow. He had no single clue as to where he was now. The thought made him sigh then flashbacks of him and Nezumi suddenly flashed in his mind.

The fights they had over small and petty things and the several times that they danced. The few chances he had heard Nezumi's calming and soothing singing voice. And those times when he would squish himself into Eve's crowd only to watch him act. All those lecture hours he got from him, all the dangers they had faced. Even every minute—every second they were together—stayed crystal clear in his mind as if it was made only to store his memories with him—with Nezumi.

His trailed off thoughts were directed back into the right path as a tan-haired kid sprinted towards him. The tiny body eagerly made its way through the grassy and rocky road while his face radiated a positive, happy aura. His thin, pinkish lips suddenly curved into a small smile as he heard the kid's small voice call to him. "Papa~!", it always said. It had been his reaction to this kid ever since he learned to say such a word.

Shion spread wide his loving arms and caught the small figure of Shiozumi in it. He was the baby that they saved three years ago during the pre-Holy Day Cleaning Operation—the kid that had lost his mother in the selfish acts of No. 6 officials. The kid was named after both Nezumi and Shion by the latter's sole decision. It may have been because he considered the kid as his own son and he wanted his pair to be Nezumi or because they were the ones who saw and saved the kid. The elders suspect it was the first one but Inukashi argued that it was the latter. Shion earned a hearty chuckle from the ever-so-energetic kid and a tight embrace as to return the warmth back to him.

"What is it, Iozu?" asked by the 'Father' between the two. 'Iozu' was the nickname given to the kid since if it would only be 'Shio' or 'Zumi', it would pertain only to one person. His thoughtful mother was the one behind that bright idea. Another reason of this was the nickname 'Zumi' only made him miss the guy it pertains to more.

"I have just played with Karan and her brother! It was so much fun, Papa~!" the little boy told him. Joy and cheerfulness clear in the kid's small, baby voice. Iozu continued his little 'storytelling' whilst Shion's mind wandered back into the past. His past with the person he longed to see again.

Hearing the word 'play' didn't do him any good. It was supposed to catch his attention and make him listen to the kid's story but the opposite happened. After hearing the word, he remembered the snowy nights when he played with Nezumi in the worn-out and aged playground. His mind recalled how fun it was and the warmth it gave his heart despite the harsh, cold weather. That warm feeling called happiness—it was what kept his blood from freezing then.

"Papa~! Papa~~!" was the angry scream that woke him up from daydreaming again. He turned and faced the kid that he was carrying. "What was it that you said?" he asked the kid in a slightly shy way with a matching blush on his cheeks. Shion felt bad for not paying attention to his son's story.

The reply he got was a cute pout on the kid's tiny lips and a scolding of, "You didn't listen to me again, did you?!" with a glare in his eyes. Iozu was obviously pissed and angry at him for ignoring him and fleeting away into his own world. Shion bit his lower lip and scolded himself in his mind.

A soft and apologetic chuckle was all that Shion could offer. He couldn't possibly confess to Iozu that he never really paid attention to his little talk. His eyes and lips curved to form an understanding eyesmile when the kid crossed his tiny arms over his chest and look at him as if he did a grave mistake. "I am dead."He thought as he saw how mad his kid was.

"Is it my other Papa you were thinking?" the kid asked curiously with a raised brow. Back when Shiozumi was younger, he, Inukashi, and his parents—Karan and Rikiga often told him about Nezumi. About how smart, cool, arrogant, talented, artistic, creative, protective and caring the latter was. The questions that most often followed those kinds of stories were, "Do you love him, Papa?" and "Where is he now?"

In his mind, Shion always answered 'yes' for the first question and 'I wish I know' for the second one. But he always replied a sad sigh. He really could just wish he knew where he was. Only then will his heart be filled with relief. And then one certain time, Shiozumi's little voice declared that he will call the stranger his 'other Papa' since it seemed to him that Nezumi was close to everyone—especially to Shion.

That was then—another flashback. And what Shion didn't know was that he flew into his own world again. "Shoot!" he thought to himself whilst his eyes slowly widen as he had realized what he was doing. "I dwelled into my past again!" he thought, alarmed.

Iozu squinted his tiny eyes then pinched his father's cheeks and stretched it to wake him up once again. "Hey Papa~!" he said, irritation clear in his voice. The kid continued his punishment upon his father until he was sure he was back into reality.

Shion's soft facial features were distorted in slight pain. "Ow! Ow~ ow~", he groaned as he rub his reddened cheeks. "What was that for?!" he asked while wearing a frown, his tone adorned with slight accusation. The older boy puffed his cherry red cheeks as if to put it back to its original shape.

"That was for not listening to me and for spacing out while I was telling you my story~!" the angry little guy blurted out with puffed cheeks. If he was already mad before, he was all seriously irritated now. The angry fire in the kid's narrowed eyes glared brighter.

The surprised look in his face slowly faded and softened as he heard out Iozu's reason for his action, and he knew he was right. He smiled to the kid and voiced out his apologies before he let the latter's feet touch the ground and lead him inside their humble home—Nezumi's home.

Three years ago, when Nezumi decided not to come back, he argued that he took over his place and look after it until he came home. And it has been three long years since then and he still hoped—somehow—to see his soft and girly face. His black blue hair and silvery eyes. And all the traits of that guy that he looks up to—the guy he secretly loved. But as time flew, so did Shion's hope for Nezumi's comeback.

He listened attentively to the kid's story as they walked over the grass and towards their base. An eyesmile was what was plastered on his face as his story went on. "He looks happy.", his mind said as he heard his full story which seemed to be filled with so much fun and excitement that were evident in the kid's positive aura and loud, cute laughs and chuckles that made him do the same.

It was a bit past noon when Iozu approached him in the playground. "He must be hungry." Shion thought as he looked at the kid while he played with Hamlet. He was cooking lunch for them when he jolted in pain as his finger touched the side of the stove. "AH!" he exclaimed and sucked his injured finger to somehow ease the pain.

"You're such an airhead," he heard a voice said. No, it wasn't just one voice. "It's Iozu's voice and…" His eyes widened at the possibility that the other voice was from the one he very much missed.

"…Nezumi's."