Chapter 2: Telling the Truth

Nezumi's reaction was a bit shocking to Shion. He hardly ever cried in front of anyone, even to Shion. He always kept a stern face, void of emotion. Shion attributed this to his many years of living alone, but he soon realized that it was more than that. Nezumi had only casually mentioned his upbringing once as being the sole survivor of his clan, however when Shion had tried to press him for more information, he changed the subject immediately.

"God, what a crybaby Shion's made you into. You used to be such a stone faced jerk before you met this guy!" Inukashi teased with Shi standing beside her.

"That's not nice big sis. Mama wouldn't be very happy with you talking like that to big brother." Shi said. When Inukashi had taken him in, she had let one of her dogs become his mother, but she passed away a few years ago, so she continued to raise him as his older sister.

She looked down at him, and an evil smirk ran across her face. "Oh, don't worry Shi. Your Mama didn't like him in the first place. Every time he'd come around, she'd try to bite off his nose!" They both giggled as Inukashi picked up the little blonde boy.

Nezumi was still frozen in his spot, his tears still streaming gently down his cheeks. It seemed that he had been so touched at his surprise, that he couldn't stop their relentless flow. All the years of hiding his true feelings, even from Shion seemed to be pouring out of him. "I-I-I…" He attempted, but failed.

Shion lunged at Nezumi, nearly knocking him over, and embraced him tightly. Nezumi's arms went limp at his aides and he dropped the roses to the floor. "Thank you for everything!" Shion said as he too began to cry. "I just wanted us to celebrate this special day. You changed my life and I love you for it!"

"For goodness sakes, can we quit the waterworks and get this party started already!?" Inukashi grunted.

"Yeah!" Chimed in Lili and Shi in unison.

"Oh, alright." Replied Shion, wiping his eyes as he released Nezumi. "Let's get his party started!" Before he could walk away, Nezumi reached out and took him into his arms. He had finally regained himself. He pulled Shion into a deep embrace, placing his head onto his shoulder, his tears pooling on Shion's jacket.

"You… You…" He stammered, trying to get himself together. "You're wrong Shion…" He finally managed to stammer out. Shion pushed back from their hug and gently took Nezumi's chin in his hand, making him look into his amber eyes. He wiped away his tears with his thumb as he stared into his lover's silver-grey ones.

"What's with you?" He asked him, his voice full of concern. "Did I do something wrong?" Nezumi didn't respond right away, instead he simply heaved his shoulders with another snivel. Shion was starting to worry. This was very unusual behavior for Nezumi, blubbering on like a baby. Did something bad happen after they split up earlier that day?

"N-n-n-no, you've done everything right… M-m-m-more than you could ever know." He continued to stare into his lover's eyes, his tears had stopped but his eyesight was still blurred from the moisture. Shion smiled at him, still holding his chin in the palm of his hands. He lifted his other hand and started to run them through Nezumi's hair.

"Get a room!" Inukashi shouted.

"Oh, let them have their moment." Karan said as she started directing the other guests to sit. "Lili, Shi, come help me bring around the tea and coffee." Soon, all the others were distracted by their food and drink, leaving the two lovers to have some privacy.

"So, what have I done this time?" Shion asked before he leaned in to kiss Nezumi softly on his damp cheek. Nezumi could hardly control himself. This was it. He had to tell Shion everything. It had taken him ten years, but he was finally ready. Ready to tell him about his past, for no matter how horrible it was, he knew he had found his present and future in Shion's love.

"You..." He paused for a moment, searching for the right words, "You have it all wrong Shion. I wasn't the one who saved you. YOU were the one who saved ME!" Shion furrowed his brows slightly. Maybe the shock of the surprise was a bit too much… But before he could say anything, Nezumi spoke his next words: "I'm ready Shion… I'm finally ready to tell you… To tell you everything there is to know about me… About my past… Even my true name."