CHAPTER I:

Unexpected Meeting

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Family;
A link to the past
A bridge to our future.

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"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee, mum?"

Akane glanced away from her paperwork and unintentionally gazed into the pleading navy orbs of her boy. An exasperated sigh instantly escaped from her mouth as she gave in to the child's begging.

"If your Uncle Gino and Aunt Mika is okay with it. I still had a report to finish."

A smile unconsciously curved up on Akane's face as she watched the kid's face brightened up immediately upon getting her permission.

"Where are you going?" The golden haired Italian called as he saw his companion heading out of their hotel room.

"I need a smoke." The shadowed figure replied without looking back, but instead the silhouette grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a hat sitting on the counter.

"We will be waiting at the cashier with the large sign on top that has the number one. Also, you are not allows to buy more than one junk food."

The five year old rolled his eyes at the woman who shoot a strict gaze back to him.

He knew where the cashier line was and he knew what the number one looks like.

He could count all the way to fifty now and he had managed scored a perfect one hundred score in his recent Mathematic test.

He is certainly not as dumb and immature as the woman think he is due to his young age.

"Can I have two? I want to get the grape candy balls that Akemi really likes."

"… last time you gave her three packets of the grape balls, right?" As she muttered the words out one by one, wine red eyes glared at the partner-in-crime who stood behind her. The raven-haired Enforcer closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall when he felt the burning glare of the young Inspector on him.

"Can I? Pleaseeeee? I promise I won't be sneaking more than one packet for her!"

A sigh escaped from the brunet woman's mouth as she furrowed her brows at him. She knew where this conversation was going, she had been leading on this routine for almost five months. It was always the same – every Wednesday, she will be forced to take the boy to the mall for a treat and the kid will tried to convince her with his tearful puppy dog eyes.

"… Sorry. But yesterday one of her teeth was pulled out."

"EEEEEEEH?!"

The exclamation was unexpected. Startled by the shout, the woman nervously looked around – several pairs of eyes were gazing at her and the kid. The silent man behind the duo gave out a light chuckle, which earned him another sharp glare from the Inspector before the brunet turned her attention back to the child before her.

"Shhh! Why are you screaming like that?!"

"Could… could it be it… the candies I gave Akemi caused her teeth to decay…?""

"Huh? N-no… of course no. It is just a normal process of growing new teeth. However, the dentist did say she should not consume too much sugar in this week. So no grape balls for Akemi."

"Then… can I get nicotine gums…?"

"Why would you need nicotine gums? You're still underage!"

"Because… I know mum had been smoking…"

The woman froze at the child's remark. Behind her, the Enforcer stiffened and looked away – unable to look straight at the child who fiddled his thumbs. It seemed like there was nothing to make the boy not to think of his mother and his sister.

With a sigh, the brown haired woman pulled out her purse and hand out a twenty dollar to the boy.

"Fine, but this should be a secret between us, okay?"

"Thank you, aunt Mika!"

With eyes that sparkled as bright as the stars, the boy accepted the cash and jog into the mall.

"My god. That kid is going to tear my heart open someday!"

The Enforcer merely smiled in amusement as he watched the woman face-palmed herself.

Sighing in irritation, Kougami Shinya took off his dark sunglasses. Wearing it inside will only made it harder for him to see – not to mention, it makes him seems very suspicious as well.

'Hmm… the normal brand I usually go with is no longer available, huh…?' He thought, scratching his chin as he looked up at the cigarette packages before him.

"Excuse me, but can you move a little?"

Kougami whirled around at the unfamiliar voice – a brow raised up when there was no one behind him.

"Down here!"

Peering down, the man met with the sight of a child glaring daggers at him with a stool in his hand.

"Can I help you?" Kougami questioned in a rather amusing tone as he ignored the rude glare shoot towards him.

"Yes, you can. Please move a little." Kei remarked. Despite using the word 'please', the boy's tone was still harsh and Kougami, left with no choice have to move to the side with a step.

Kei placed the stool firmly on the ground before he climbed on top of it and peered up at the cigarettes packages before him.

Kougami looked back at the various types of cigarettes before him, but his concentration was directs at the child beside him. Although the sharp glare he sent to him earlier was enough to surprise him – especially coming from such a small child, but what truly surprised him was the appearance of the child.

The boy is the splitting image of himself when he was around his age. Of course, he knew dark blue eyes and raven-colored hair were quite common among a small part of Asians but this is the first time he had eventually met someone who had the exact facial features as he did.

"…It is not nice to stare, mister."

The sudden statement from the boy snapped him out from his thoughts. Looking aside at the child who gave him a suspicious gaze, Kougami smirked.

"It's rare to see a child shopping for cigarettes, you know?"

Kei looked back at the stranger before he huffed.

"I am just helping my mum buying her nicotine gums."

"Did you come here with your mother and father?"

"I don't have a dad." Kei informed as he tried to reach up for the box of nicotine gum, which is a head taller for the boy's height. "Don't feel sorry for me though – I am happy with just having my mum."

'The boy was sharp.' Kougami thought in amusement as he gave out a light chuckle. There was never once he met a kid who could catch his full attention and here he was – absolutely engross with the boy before him.

"I don't feel sorry for you."

"Yes you do. I can read it in your eyes."

Despite not knowing the man before him, Kei could feels the sympathy gaze on him from the man - it is the exact same gazes adults gave to him after learning about his family's situation.

"What's your name, kid?" Kougami questioned, curiosity overwhelming him.

"My mum said I shouldn't talk with strangers." The boy instantly remarked. "But if you help me get the nicotine gum, then you won't be much of a stranger."

'What a negotiator.' Kougami thought, being impressed by the child once again as he took a pack of nicotine gum from the shelf and gave it to the child.

"My name is Kei." The boy informed once he received the pack from the adult. "Thanks, mister… can I know your name?"

"Kou." Kougami amended. The boy might be a kid, but he couldn't risk revealing his full name, especially not a smart one like the one before him.

"Thank you, Kou-san."

"Kei!"

The duo whirled their head around upon hearing a loud shrieking exclamation. Mika Shimotsuki had an annoyed frown plastered on her face when she saw the boy she had been searching for the past fifteen minutes.

"What took you so long? You have me worried!" The brunet woman complained between her rasped breaths.

Slightly backing away from the frustrated woman, Kei showed the pack of nicotine gums in his hands. "I can't reach for the nicotine gums, so this very nice stranger helped me to get it."

Kei turned around, motioning to the man who just had a conversation with him. However, to his utter shock, the stranger he had mentioned to his caretaker was gone. The boy looked from right to left, wondering where the man had gone.

"I told you he will be fine."

Behind Mika came Ginoza Nobuchika –the former Inspector from Division 1 and a current Enforcer. The man turned to look at his companion's amber hues as he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Haven't I told you so? I pitied your future children. They were going to have an overprotective and short tempered demon mother."

"You bastard…" the brown haired woman murmured and snapped her head to face the Enforcer, her mouth twitching with anger. Mika pulled her Dominator out as she lunge herself at the man.

"GINOZA NOBUCHIKA!"

A loud 'twack!' reverberate throughout the entire mall.

"Tch."

The Enforcer clicked his tongue as he held the fast asleep child in his human arm. He ran his mechanic hand through his raven locks, feeling the painful bump at the back of his head as he gave out a sigh.

"I am going to report you for abuse…"

"Then I will report you for harassment!" The brunette woman spoke from the behind.

"You…" Ginoza's left eye twitched as he slowly turned around to look at the brown haired girl. "I am just speaking the truth. Do you have to hit me with the back of your Dominator?"

"I could have paralyzed you! So be grateful, Enforcer!" The woman shouted back. Her voice was loud enough to attract the passerby's attentions, but Mika did not seem to care.

"I have the perfect evidence to proof you are an insane woman and should be locked up, Miss Inspector."

"You…!"

"Mnn…"

Ginoza flinched when he felt Kei snuggled closer towards his chest. Upon seeing the peacefully asleep boy, the Enforcer gave out an exhausted sigh before he ran his metallic fingers through the boy's hair – watching every strands of the short dark hair fell back to their unkempt place.

He could feel the child's heartbeat against his own, and it calmed down his rising annoyance. For the fifteen minutes walk afterwards, the two adults stayed in silence as they made their way back to the office.

Akane was slowly peeled the skin of an apple. The thin string of the skin curled as it dangled off the fruit. When the apple was peel completely – the woman skillfully cut it in half, then in quarters, then in eighths, pitted the seeds off and finally dropped the small pieces in a bowl.

"Uhm… mum?" The small brunette girl sitting beside her called faintly.

"What is it, Akemi?" Akane asked as she placed the knife down on the desk and ran her hand through her daughter's shoulder-length long locks. The child jolted upon feeling the warm touch of her mother as she looked down at her fidgeting thumbs.

Akemi did not say anything, but instantly pressed herself deep against her mother's chest and embrace her. The force sent Akane back to the couch, but she was able to contain the small impact. The girl curled into a small ball in her mother's chest as she balled a fistful of Akane's shirt.

At first, the mother was very shocked with the sudden action of her daughter. However, when she recovered from her shock—she started to rub soothing circles on Akemi's back and planting a feathery-light kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry you have to go through these, Akemi…" she whispered in a gentle tone as she cradled her child. "Everything will be fine, I promise. You will get out here soon enough and we will live together again."

NEXT CHAPTER:

"Cruel Truths"

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"What do you mean her hue clouded?! It is impossible!"

"It is possible. After all, she is the child of a runaway criminal."

...

"Mum... what kind of person is Dad?"

Ending Note: There you go, second chapter of Lost and Found! I am sorry if this seemed a bit rushing, I have an exam tomorrow and can't spend too much time on my laptop. But then, I still hope you guys love what I had wrote for you! P.S: Will it be weird if I include GinoxMika in this story? I know Mika is lesbian for Yayoi, but I kinda can see the chemistry between them.