Ah! Hello, here is chapter 3. I'm uploading it super late and I'm really sorry. It just have been a busy week with little time to write and I really wanted to finish it today. I hope you enjoy it and reviews are always welcome. You guys have no idea how happy your reviews make me. :)

Belinda:

I never meant to "insult" Inukashi. 1) There's nothing wrong with being a lesbian. 2) I fucking love her too. She has to be one of my favorite female characters ever. 3) I was just saying it for creative purposes. I have no intentions of going into her sexual orientation. 4) What if Atsuko Asano had made her a lesbian in the novel?

I will not apologize for art because I did not "insult" anyone. Do I appreciate your review? Yes. Thank you and have a nice day.


It's around three in the afternoon when I finally woke up. I'm not one to usually sleep in during Saturdays but with today and last week I needed as much sleep as possible.

My room is dark. I keep the single window closed and covered with a dark blanket. Other than my bed, there's a desk, dresser, and four bookshelves. Two stand on either side of the closet door which is in the middle on the wall opposite to where my desk and bed are together (my bed between the wall and desk). The other two bookshelves are on the other two walls of my room facing each other. They are all overflowing to the floor with books.

My parents aren't usually around being that they are the only two people in this town that travel for their job. I don't mind being alone. I've learned to like it. It gives one a lot of time to think and sleep in peace.

I roll off my bed and stretch as I remember I have to pick Shion at 6. I know where he lives being that the town is so small and that I was forced to one of his birthday parties as a kid. He only lives with his mother ‒ Karan ‒ and I don't know what happened to his father. I'm not worried of getting lost on my way to his house.

I decide the first thing to do is to try to tidy up my car a bit. There's a lot of paper and metal scarps in the back. I also usually keep an extra set of clothes somewhere. I think Shion would be mortified to see such a mess.

I walk out of my room, down the stairs, and out the front door. My car isn't new but it isn't so old either. It's a dark blue 1990 Toyota Celica. My dad got it for me as a birthday present. It works so that's what matters. I open the back and start separating between paper and metal into different bags. It doesn't take long before it looks decent. His Majesty should be able to tolerate it.

After I'm finished, I go take a shower and get dressed. I put on a baggy yellow shirt and jeans before I go back downstairs to have something to eat before I go. Once I'm finished eating some leftover soup I grab my leather jacket and scarf and head out to go pick up Shion.

I have no idea what to except for tonight. I thinking Shion will be scared out of his mind and never speak to me again and I'm perfectly fine that. Another is that he could get seriously hurt and I would blamed as the asshole that put 'poor innocent' Shion in danger and this one I'm not too cool with.

I pull up to Shion's house and decide to go knock on the door rather than honk until he comes out. I park my car and start walking to the door. I give two steady knock before the door is open. His mother is the one that answers.

"Hello there Nezumi. Well this is a surpise." She smiles as she greets me.

I feel very awkward having to speak to her. I only spoke to her a couple of times when I was child.

"Hello Ms. K," everyone calls her that; "I came to pick up Shion."

"Oh, he's very excited to be going with you. I'm happy that he feeling excited for something." She smiles but her eyes look sad. I decide it's not my business to ask.

"Is he almost ready?" I ask.

Karan is about to answer me when her son pops up behind her.

"Hey Nezumi! Sorry to keep you waiting. I was looking for my coat." He explains. He has a stupid smile on his face so I quickly turn around saying my goodbyes to his mother.

I'm back inside my car as I see Shion kiss his mother on the forehead and wave goodbye. She waves back at him.

"Put on your seat beat." I say as he enters the passenger's seat.

"Ah, almost forgot." He says.

I hold back a sigh. He really is an idiot.

He waves one more time at his mother before I start driving. It doesn't take much time until we are out of our small town.

"Where are we going?" Shion asks.

"Rikiga's is at the next town over." I answer looking forward.

"Does it take much time?" his next question comes.

"About an hour-and-a-half." I reply.

"Is it a very big venue? What kind of person is Rikiga? Is Inukashi going?"

"Shut up! Damn it!" I yell turning to glare at him.

He quickly stops talking and looks down at his hands. He looks like a little kid doing that and it actually makes me feel bad for yelling at him. He just looks so defenseless and vulnerable it's pitiful.

I sigh getting my angry under control. "One question at a time Shion."

"Is Rikiga's place big?" he asks after a few seconds.

"It can fit a little over a hundred people so you'll have to be careful." I answer in a calm tone.

"Is he a good person?"

I laugh. "As good as they come." I say sarcastically.

"Are you being sarcastic? Please just answer honestly."

I smirk. "Fine; Rikiga is a slimy old weasel and should be arrested for letting kids our age enter his place of business. He really is just an alcoholic scumbag."

"Nezumi! You shouldn't be so mean. I'm sure he has many good qualities." He defends the man he doesn't even know.

"Yeah, like his ability to sneak women and drugs under cops' noses." I laugh again.

"Stop it!" he yells.

"Well it's the fucking truth! What do you want to hear? A lie? You told me to answer honestly and I did so don't give me this shit." I glare at him quickly.

"I-I guess you're right. I did tell you to answer truthfully." He looks like a little kid again. I'm about to say something when he look back to me. "But I'm still going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure he has some good in him."

"Fine. Waste your time." I say.

"I will." He smiles.

His respond makes me laugh. "Oh, so the Prince knows how to use sarcasm."

"N-no! I-I w-was just…" he stutters.

"Relax Shion, damn." I laugh.

"Sorry. So is Inukashi going?" he asks.

It's almost amazing how he can change so quickly. I hold back my laugh as I try to answer him.

"Hell if I know."

"I hope we see her there. I think she's a very unique person." Once again I don't have to look at him to know has his stupid smile on his face.

"You don't know her too well."

"Well, as I become friends with you, I'll become friends with her."

The rest of the ride is just him asking me question after question. I don't know how I didn't just open his door and kick him out onto the highway. I did yell at him a few times and he would apologize over and over.

Before long, we reached Rikiga's place. It was pretty packed (there was band playing tonight that a lot of people have been waiting for). I parked my car in the back planning to enter through Rikiga's office then the jam-packed front.

"We have arrived your Majesty." I tease as I park the car.

"Wow! There are so many people." He says as he steps out of the car.

"What did you except?" I ask as I close my door.

I lead Shion to the back entrance of Rikiga's club. The back door is usually if not always locked but I know where Rikiga keeps a hidden key. I search the side of the door before I feel cold metal under my fingers. I unlock the door and walking in with Shion following behind me.

It's a narrow short hallway with two doors ‒ one is Rikiga's office and the other is a private bathroom ‒ that eventually leads to the back of the bar and main hall.

There are a few minutes before the show starts so I decide to wait in Rikiga's office until then. The door to his office is a plain, dark wood door that has the word 'MANAGER' in big, black letters. I turn the knock and enter without knocking.

"'N-Nezumi, are you sure we should be in here? I don't see how a band can play in such a small room." Shion says standing in the doorway.

"Good observation. You might not be as dumb as I think you are." I say as I sit down on the single worn-out couch.

"Nezumi! I'm being serious." Shion says nervously.

"Just relax. Honestly, you're too serious."

He takes a step forward and enters Rikiga's office cautiously. Rikiga's office isn't too big. It can keep a desk, a couple filing cabinets, and a couch with enough space to walk around.

"Where can that damn band be?" a loud masculine voice yells.

Shion jumps at the voice. I just make myself more comfortable on the couch as I wait for the voice's owner to appear. It's a few second before Rikiga is in the doorway with the biggest look of surprise on his face.

"Eve, what are you doing here? And who the hell is he?" Rikiga asks pointing at Shion.

"A 'hello' would be nice." I say standing up. "This is your newest customer, Shion."

"Shion?" Rikiga says. "Are you Karan's son?"

"You know my mother?" Shion asks.

"I used to go to school with her. Wow, it's amazing how the years have passed." Rikiga says sitting down behind his desk and pulling out a bottle and cup from a drawer.

I make a face and a gagging sound. "Sentimentally pussy."

"You wouldn't be saying that in ten years." Rikiga says.

"We'll see." I say back challengingly.

"How is Karan, Shion?" Rikiga asks with an unusually soft tone.

"She's well. She owns a bakery in our town. You should visit us sometime. She would love to see some of her old friends." Shion answers with a 100-watt smile.

I can't stand the atmosphere and decides it time to get out. "Well, see you later old weasel. Give my regards to your latest whore." I say exiting Rikiga's office.

"You better watch that mouth of yours Eve. Goodbye Shion. Give my hellos to your mother and enjoy the show." Rikiga's tone becomes softer when he speaks to Shion.

"I will and thank you." Shion says following me.

I can hear the sound of the crowd get louder as we walk closer to the main hall. I'm planning on pushing through the crowd to sit on the second floor seats which are regularly empty. I'll let Shion do whatever he wants once we're in the crowd.

"Nezumi, why did Rikiga call you 'Eve'?" Shion asks.

"It's nickname." I answer him.

"How did you get it?"

I stop walking and strike a pose. "Because I'm so damn beautiful. Rikiga would love if I came to work here when I'm old enough."

Shion ponders over my answer for a few seconds. "You really are beautiful now that I think about it."

His answer catches me off guard. What was he saying? I know that he is extremely honest but to actually tell me I'm beautiful is being just too frank.

"You shouldn't say shit like that so easily." I say starting to walk again.

I can hear Shion trying to tell me something but I ignore him. I quicken my pace until I reached the end of the hallway and at the back of the bar. Shion bumps into me as I suddenly stop and look over the crowd for way to the second floor.

"Nezumi?" Shion asks.

I ignore him and start walking. I can hear Shion calling my name over and over. A band starts to come on stage. They're front man starts talking to the crowd getting everyone pumped up and jumping. I push through as people bump into me and step on my feet.

"Nezumi! Nezumi!" Shion continues to call.

The band starts to play. I can barely hear Shion's voice anymore. I decide to check to see if he is still following me. I turn around just in time to see him get elbowed in the face.

"Shit." I curse under my breath.

I push back towards Shion as fast as I can as everyone starts to jumps. I see him on floor and grab him by his sleeve. I drag him onto his feet and into the bathroom. No one is ever in the dirty restroom unless they're getting high. No one is in at the moment. I let him go as soon as we are in the door.

"Ow." He complains rubbing his cheek.

"Let me see." I say pushing his face up with my forefinger and thumb under his chin.

His cheek is red and bit swollen. I'm just grateful his nose didn't get broken or he had gotten a black eye. I turn from him and wet a paper towel.

"Here." I hand it to him.

"Thanks." He says placing it on his cheek.

"What were fucking thinking following me?" I ask.

"I wanted to be with you." He answers.

Once again, his answer catches me off guard. His honesty is just too overwhelming. He always keeps his guard down leaving himself exposed to everything.

"You're an idiot." I say turning away from him.

"I'm sorry." Shion half whispers.

I turn back to face him. "For what?"

"I told you wouldn't have to look after me." He says a little louder than before.

I sigh loudly. Really? "Don't worry about it Shion. All that matters is that you weren't seriously hurt. I don't know what I would have told your mother if I brought you home with a black eye."

"Really?" Shion smiles at me.

"Yeah. As long as you're in one piece." I sigh again.

We stay in the bathroom for the rest of the night. Shion would ask me questions or give comments on lyrics he didn't understand. I would try to answer him or I would just laugh at him. He always needed an answer. Sometimes music was just music and words just meant what they meant.

It wasn't until one-thirty in the morning that everyone starts leaving. We ran into Inukashi on the way out and Shion forces me to give her a ride home. She lives on a small farm in the outskirts of our town. Her parents raised hunting dogs for shows and some of local huntsmen. It was pretty good business being that her parents are considered some of the best in the country.

For being nearly two in the morning, Inukashi and Shion were talking the whole ride back. It was mostly nonsense and Inukashi making fun of Shion without him really knowing. I would either agree with her or yell at them for being too loud.

It is a little pass two-thirty when we finally reach Inukashi's house. I'm too tired to keep driving and insist I stay the night. Inukashi first yells at me but I remind her she owes me for driving her home.

"Fine you sneaky rat!" she yells as she unlocks her front door.

I smirk to myself and enter. Shion follows quietly behind.

Inukashi's house is pretty big. It's a two story house with four rooms. I've stayed here enough times to know where the guest bedroom is. It's on the second floor next to her parent's office. There is a single queen-size bed with simple white and black color scheme.

I walk into the room and fall onto the bed.

"You should call your mom and let her know you aren't coming home tonight." I say to Shion.

"She already knows. I told her that before I left." Shion says.

I sit up on the bed and start taking my jacket off. Inukashi then walks in with blankets and a change of clothes for both Shion and I.

"Here you leeches." Inukashi says throwing the blankets and clothes on the bed.

"Aw. Why so mean?" I say with an innocent tone.

"Fuck off Nezumi." She says leaving.

"Goodnight to you too sweetheart." I say.

In the doorway Inukashi gives me the finger and leaves.

"You should be nicer to her, Nezumi. She did let us stay here for the night." Shion says sorting through what Inukashi brought us.

"You won't get anywhere being nice to her." I say.

Shion just rolls his eyes and starts to change. I wasn't staring at him changing but when I saw the stripe of red around his body it was difficult not to look at him. I thought his scar was only on his cheek and neck; to see it all around his body was bit intense. I gasped which caused him to turn around.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have gone to the bathroom." He says blushing slightly.

"Is that scar from when you were sick?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah. The doctors say it's only on my skin though. I actually really hate it."

The last part of his answer shocks me a little. He must have been super self-conscious‒even when we were kids.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of it. It marks you as a survivor and you should be proud of that." I say.

Shion gives me a smile and a small nod. I take my clothes and go change in the bathroom. When I come back, he is already asleep under the covers. I sit on the edge of the bed and look at him. There really must be so much more to him than just his smiling face and intelligence. I can't imagine how it must have felt to be him growing up; first getting so sick I might die and then having to live looking so different. I lay down on the bed not bothering to get under the comforter. I grab one of the blankets Inukashi gave us and turn so that my back is facing Shion. There's more to this boy than meets the eye.