His gaze happened upon, as if by chance, a small gathering in an even smaller park. The few sakura trees were beautiful, and the breeze made the soft white-pink ripple with the green. A family was having a picnic. Well, the mother and son were. Well, they were trying to. He froze, riveted to the spot as the mother consoled her crying son. "He'll be here soon, I'm sure he will be. Don't cry..."

Sure enough, a man in a business suit hurried up, loosening his tie and already offering his "Gomennasai" 's to his family. His wife shot him a brief glare as he kneeled next to the boy and hugged him, stuttering about his boss and traffic and apologizing profusely.

Better late than never, you ungrateful little brat, Ren couldn't help thinking. He slung his bag over one shoulder and walked on, the spell that had been holding him shattered. He's even got his mommy there to cry on. How snotty the youth of Japan are these days to let something like that ruin a perfectly nice day. Besides, it's just not a day for flower-viewing. This day had one perfect shimmering purpose and he took off to seize it.

Ren slowed his pace from a run to a casual stroll as he neared the mangaya. Wouldn't do to look like some snot-nosed kid, anxious to get his comics...even if he was. Anxious to get his comics. He was a 4th year student now, after all. He had to act his age.

He dropped languidly into a chair as he scooped up a favorite tankouban of Yami no Matsuei. He'd read them all repeatedly; hell, he owned them all. But he wanted to sit in this chair near the window, drape his leg over one arm, and reread some of his favorite parts. Then he'd pick up some dinner and take the long, scenic route home, passing through Midori Park on his way to the apartment in order to earn a few hundred yen. It was easy work, if you could do it, and he did it like no one else.

After all, he WAS the Captain of the Chess Club.

He flipped past character after character attempting to get into Tsuzuki's pants until he found a cherished favorite part (mostly to do with the gorgeous images of Muraki in it).

It was about then that something tugged on the corner of his eye for attention. He blinked up over his book and tried not to stare. He looked between the manga and the youth seated in a nearby chair, not sure if one of the Shinigami had come to life or not. It wasn't that the young man resembled any of them, not really. There was a slight resemblance to Tsuzuki, but that wasn't it. He just...felt...like...

Ren was used to getting a feel for people, and looking at shoulder length ebony hair and richly purple eyes, at the well-kept school uniform, the same as his, he noted, and at the quietly withdrawn posture, Ren felt...warm. He'd never, ever felt warm to another human being outside of the aunts and uncles that had substituted for mothers and fathers.

He...he's like I am. ~Lonely~ And his heart hurt as though it were all one large bruise at seeing himself reflected there. And yes, part of it, most of it, was that someone else felt this horrifically empty way. But there was also a part of him that shunned its own reflection so truly and accurately detailed in human form before him.

Mostly...he just wanted to hold this kindred spirit and sob.

He didn't do that, no matter how much he wanted to. He'd gotten so very very good at walling up the pain of the tacit rejection of his parents. He just didn't notice it, never looked at it, and everything was fine. And now here it was, staring him in the face...sort of.

He lowered the tankouban and double blinked at finding this spirit-made-flesh holding a Yami no Matsuei tankouban as well. He almost laughed. Did I get dropped into a Twilight Zone episode?

"You like Yami no Matsuei too?" he asked, sitting properly in the chair and leaning forward to see which volume his reflection had chosen. The reflection nodded tightly. "Yeah, it's a great series. Who's your favorite character?"

He looked at Ren as though he were an alien being speaking an indecipherable tongue. Ren smiled reassuringly. "I'm just curious, I'm not going to kill you over it. I have a hard time picking a favorite, but I really like Muraki."

"Really?"

Oh he does speak! And in such a -nice- voice... He nodded. "Really. It's hard to put a finger on just WHY but..." And the conversation was off. The angel in human form not only had a nice voice, he had a decent mind behind his words. He didn't speak much, but when he did, he expressed himself clearly, succinctly, perfectly. He didn't need to say more, so he didn't. Ren found this incredibly intriguing.

To say nothing of the fact that the boy knew of a supposedly incredible little manga store with great prices, whose owner was a personal friend. While that was cool and all, Ren was more interested in him himself. He was interested in the two of them alleviating their mutual loneliness.

Which brought up an interesting question. Ren had had a few girlfriends, had even had sex with them. It took him forever to get interested, and he could only really get off by shutting his eyes, by shutting away the image of who he was with and imagining someone else in their places. And no matter what shape the dream lover took, it was always male.

So Ren had, with much aplomb, sworn off girls, ostensibly because of his studies and his love of chess. There had still been the occasional girl, usually first or second year, who tried to turn his head from his chessboard. He merely declared that he was a King waiting for his Queen to put him in Check, tried not to laugh at the image "Queen" brought into his mind, and shooed them off on their way.

He had been discreetly searching for a boyfriend, but without success so far. And now here was this soul who shared his pain, who knew, for whatever reasons, how hard it was to be shut away from everyone else, from caring and love. He desperately wanted to share more...but not if it would frighten him off. With my luck he's straight as a steel rod...but that's not really important. Sex would be nice...would be verrrrrrry verrrrry nice, as his thoughts dipped into a temporary lecherous glance up and down the leanly muscled body, but...if it comes down to just being friends, I'll be beyond happy with that as well. I need a friend who understands this, this VOID in me that I can't ever really talk about. Please..., and now his thoughts turned plaintive and hopeful as though the other boy could hear them, please PLEASE be my friend...so we won't have to be lonely anymore.

"Hey, let's get out of here before the teeny bopper shoujo crowd shows up and mauls us to get their hands on, " in a girly voice, "Tsuzuki!!!" Ren's voice reverted to its normal tone and he grinned. "Whaddya say?"

"Sure." It was a bit hesitant, just a bit, but there it was. Agreement. Ren nearly bounced out of the chair.

"I see you go to Genkai Koutou Gakkou too, ne?" He nodded but Ren wasn't ready to give up yet. "What year are you? What's your name even?"

His newfound friend recited, "Date Seichirou, 4th year, Class B."

"Really? I'm 4th year, Class E!!" Realizing he hadn't given his name yet either, he added it sheepishly. "Asano Ren." He cleared his throat a little. "You ready for the exams?"

They walked out of the mangaya together, Seichirou holding his bag like a briefcase, Ren letting his dangle from his fingers as he held it over one shoulder. Seichirou was saying something about studying and kendo and whatnot.

"You're a member of the Kendo Club?" Ren asked, realizing that thinking about exams was exactly what he didn't want to be doing.

"Yes. My father wouldn't have had it any other way."

"Really? He made you join?"

"More or less. He runs a dojo..."

"OH, I see. 'Family tradition' and all that, ne?" Ren asked. Seichirou nodded again.

"Anou....Asano-kun..."

"Ren, please."

"Ah. Eh, Ren-kun, where are we going?"

"Midori Park. It's too nice a day to go anywhere else! C'mon, I'm not going to hurt you or anything, I just wanna hang out, you know?" Why did I say that? He didn't sound anxious, just curious...

Seichirou blinked at him and a long gaze passed between them that made Ren's heart pick up hopefully. "But...uh....you know, if you have somewhere you have to be...."

"No. I don't. The park is fine."

"Great!" He grinned as they strolled. "So...uh..." something to talk about here.... "...you in any other clubs?"

He shook his head in response. "No. You?"

"Captain of the Chess Club," he beamed proudly. "And before you call me a nerd, jock-boy...."

"I wasn't going to call you any such thing." There was a pause and Seichirou added, "At least, I wasn't until you called me a 'jock'...Nerd." And he offered up an uncertain smile.

Ren blinked and then laughed. So Shinigami can smile. Who knew? "Hai hai, gomen na."

"You know why I'm in Kendo Club; why are you in Chess Club?"

"Well, most of the guys would say they like the logic and strategy of it. Me, I just like beating people."

"Huh?"

"Well, my uncle taught me how to play chess when I was...um...10 I think. And it turned out I had a natural talent for the game," he boasted truthfully. "I've been beaten before, but that's really pretty rare. I'm not the best chess player in the world, but I'm the best in THIS neighborhood, that's for sure. Chess is what I do, and I do it well. So that's why I like it."

"Ah. And each defeat of your opponent proves to you that you're doing things well, ne?"

"Exactly." Ren grinned at his friend as they passed through the wrought-iron park archway. "C'mon, I know this hill...it's wonderful."

"Hill?" Seichirou blinked.

Ren smiled mysteriously in response. It didn't take the other boy long to figure it out as they climbed up the not-too-steep slope and Ren tossed his bag onto the grass as a pillow for himself. He saw the glimmer of understanding in those violet eyes and then nothing but blue sky as he laid down and looked up. He caught Seichirou doing likewise peripherally and could feel him next to him. It was very reassuring, to have someone next to him.

It wasn't that he hadn't been around people. He'd thrown parties, let people crash in his otherwise empty apartment. But it was all temporary. That different-but-same-ness about Seichirou changed everything. It was all Ren could do not to cuddle up next to him.

Their chatting was sparse and light until dusk began creeping up on them. "I should get home," Seichirou commented heavily, sitting up.

"Yeah, don't want your father to worry about you," Ren said, trying to keep any trace of jealousy out of his voice. My father might have stopped by the apartment, but hell will have frozen over if he's there waiting for me.

"I doubt he would. He'd just be upset that I was so late for dinner."

"Ah." And that was when Ren began to understand WHY Seichirou shared his own loneliness. Seichirou had no mother and a father who kept him at an emotional distance. Something like that. A family you couldn't touch was no family at all.

"Hey, I got an idea. What if you..." I DON'T MEAN IT THAT WAY he scolded his own mind, and continued on, "...spent the night at my place? My parents are...literally...never around, and...I...well maybe I'm overstepping myself and all, but I think we could both use the company, hmm?" The other boy hesitated in every way, and Ren pursued, trying not to sound as desperate as he was. "You can call your Dad from my place! It'll be okay! I mean....Seichirou, aren't you Sick and Tired of being LONELY??"

Their eyes met again, and for a long, soul-searing moment, Ren saw his defeat. He saw Seichirou shaking his head, heard him say no, and watched him walk off, never to be seen again.

"Sure."

It took a moment for that to register, and another moment for it to be comprehended.

"You really want to?" He winced internally at how childlike he sounded.

"Ye-yeah. I...I really do." And there was something...just something about the way he said that...I can't be imagining it. "It'd be nice...not to be lonely." And there was that uncertain, out-of-practice smile.

Ren returned it beamingly. I'm not usually this happy...unless I've just beaten someone at chess. Taking a cue and a line from an old American movie he'd seen for an English class assignment, he led Seichirou off to his place and said, "This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship."