A Shadow From The Past

Yuu's P.O.V.

 Mika and I got plenty of strange looks as we meandered down the cleanly paved road, but neither of us could honestly say that we cared. Being together once again was enough of a treat as it was. It was hardly a moment to worry about the opinions of some random rich folk.

I kept sneaking glances at Mika, my childhood friend. I couldn't help but marvel at how solemn he looked, and how battle-hardened, as if he had seen a war. He looked so strong and calm, and... dreamy. And then there was me, who hadn't changed at all over the years. I was still the same headstrong kid who would erupt in spirited arguments. I pushed the thought away and murmured, "I like long stories."

Mika looked warily over at me with the hint of a smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," I answered casually," You should tell me one. maybe the one called 'What The Heck Happened To You?'" 

Mika chuckled. " Okay, that is definitely not my favorite story, but I can tell it to you."

"So, who took you in?" I asked.

" You know the King and Queen?" I asked. Yuu cringed and nodded. I got a feeling that he wasn't a fan of either of them. "Well, the two of them adopted me, and at first it was okay, but then they started to expect me to be perfect and it was so grating. ' Did you find that group of rebels, Mika?', "I told you to do the dishes, how stupid are you?', 'I told you to take all rebels into custody! How hard is that to understand?!' I couldn't stand it anymore, so I ran away. Apparently, I looked like an angel, so I should've acted like one. First off, crazy logic. Second off,  I do not look like an angel."

"Yes you do," I argued. "You've got that silky blonde hair and those dreamy blue eyes and you're cute and innocent and--" I cut myself off, blushing. 

Mika eyed me strangely and remarked lightly, "How about you?"

"Eh," I shrugged. " Guren, that old rebel. He's a widower, with four children: Shinoa, Mitsuba, Kumizuki, and Yoichi. They're all okay, a little strange maybe, but still."

"What are they like?" Mika asked innocently.

"Shinoa's a flirt, but she's okay, Yoichi is so innocent and cute, but his really close friend was killed by the royal guard while she was protecting him, Kumizuki has anger issues, and so does Mitsuba, but their okay, too."

Mika looked envious, his blue eyes full of yearning. Hesitantly, I added, "Guren's a good guy, I'm sure he'd let you stay with us."

Mika smiled shyly and murmured," You know, Yuu, you're not so bad of a guy, yourself." He blushed and looked away.