Loud beeps came from the sensors, signifying that somebody had attempted to steal something from the store.

That somebody was Mark.

Madnug quickly turned his head to see Mark walking out of the store with a book, store clerks rushing to Mark and shouting at him to stop.

Despite the shouts, Mark walked on as if he didn't hear them.

"Mark, that's not yours."

In one swift movement Madnug had gently tooken the book from the child gundam's grasp, and handed it back to one of the store clerks.

"Uh! Aaah!"

Mark attempted to take the book back, but Madnug held him back.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. He has a mental disability, and hasn't learned yet that he can't take from a store."

The clerk looked from the gundam to the child.

"As long as your son doesn't try this aga-"

"Oh he's not my son."

"Ah, sorry. Have a nice day."

As the clerk began to walk back into the store, Mark tried to go after the book again, but Madnug stopped him once more.

"Mark, the book is not yours."

He took Marks' hand and began to walk the direction opposite from the store.

"Lets go to the others."

Mark began to throw a fit upon being dragged from the thing he wanted, earning some stares from people passing by.

Madnug kneeled down to Marks' eye level, and tried to get the boy to look at him.

"Mark, stop crying."

As Madnug said stop, he held his hand up so Mark could see it and closed it, then as he said crying, he balled his fists and brought them to his eyes.

Even though Mark had heard it and saw it, he still looked back to the store and continued to cry.

Madnug repeated the same sentence and hand gestures a few times before giving up, and was forced to pick Mark up and walk back to the others.

"Madnug's taking longer than it should to get back here."

"I'm pretty sure he has his reasons."

Zero looked around before speaking again.

"I wonder if Mark is the reason he's taking so long?"

Wailing began to fill the air.

"Aaaand there they are."

Sure enough, Madnug came up, Mark over his shoulder, whom was kicking his legs and screaming.

"What happened?" Zero asked as Madnug placed Mark down.

"He tried to take a book out of the store without anybody buying it, I tried telling him that the book wasn't his, but he began to panic."

The knight sighed.

"Did you do the gestures?"

"Yes, but he ignored them, and I was forced to carry him back here."

By now, Mark having been set down on the ground, had crouched down and continued to cry.

Zero kneeled down and began to reach a hand out to Mark.

"Mark, I'm sorry you couldn't get the book, but it wasn't yours."

When the hand was laid on his, Mark flinched and pushed it off.

Zero's heart ached when Mark did that.

Mark rarely pushed away from people, but there were times when he did.

They stood there until Mark started to calm down.

"Okay Mark, lets go to the play park."

Zero held out his hand, and Mark eventually took it, being pulled up from his crouching position.

The group started to walk to the play park, upon reaching there Mark and Orantu ran off to play in it.

Zero sighed again and sat back on a bench.

"You're sighing more than usual."

"It's just the struggles a parent goes through when they have a child like Mark."

Zero gazed over to the tire swing where Orantu and Mark were; Orantu was turning it while Mark sat in it.

Over with the child gundams, Mark was giggling while going in circles, when Orantu took a moment to catch his breath from going in circles endlessly, Mark looked over to where his father was.

He was holding his head with a propped up hand, and seemed to be talking with the others.

Mark remembered that his father did that many times, especially after he got upset.

He never liked seeing him like that. He looked tired and sad whenever he did that.

Mark contemplated about his father until it was time to go.

When their names were called, Orantu shot over like a rocket, tackling Baku with a hug.

Mark knew Baku was just Orantu's uncle, but the reaction he saw on Baku's face gave him an idea.

When his name was called again, Mark quickly ran over, and repeated the action that Orantu did to his father.

Mark lifted his head up to his father's face, which looked confused at his actions, before saying,

"I'm sorry, I love you Daddy."

When Mark said that, Zero didn't say anything for a few seconds, before picking him up and saying,

"I love you too, my son."

Zero pulled him into a hug, Mark snuggling into the inviting warmth.

They had their hard times.

But they had their easy times too.