The sun was dim, its wave of lavender gradient painted the sky of the magical land of Sylvae, the land of spiritualism. The purplish-green patches of grasses and flowers kept the neighborhood pretty to the eyes while the morning birds spew out their clear yet irritating music.

"Aza hun, It's alright. Look, he just wants to be friends with you. Don't be shy okay?"

In the front porch of a house, a black haired little girl with purple eyes hid behind her mother's legs. In front of her is a brown haired boy with a turquoise tipped scorpion tail doing the same with his own mother. As his chitin-layered fingers gripped his mother's skirt, his six eyes stared at the girl, before he hid again the moment she caught him.

Pale and blonde with the same six eyes the likes of her son's, the boy's mother chuckled at her son's antic.

"Now, Aza... Mom gonna talk to aunt Myrina, kay? So, introduce yourself to her son, kay?" The girl's mother; a fair skinned, black haired woman with elfen-like ears said, smiling as she squinted her eyes, colored with the same shade of purple as her daughter's.

With no other words, the mother glanced to the other mother before turning around to the door as she told her to come in.

Without anymore shyness, the scorpion boy moved to the girl, offering his hand.

"My name's Sion. You?"

"It's Azayaka..." The girl accepted his handshake.

"That's a long name... I'll just call you Aza then."

"Well, I don't mind... Everyone calls me that actually..."

-----

A loud spurring bell echoed across a school yard, alerting many of its students to come in a hurried manner. Sitting in his chair by the school's second floor window, young Sion observed the waves of humans, animalias and spirits coming into the school's pathway with dainty, sleepy eyes.

A fiendishly tall rat carrying a red bag pack, a young arachne with six pairs of glassy eyes trying her hardest not to cry, or even a humanoid with elongated limbs refusing to let go of his mom. As more and more kids came into his view, Sion could only stare with a faint, amused smirk. This is the first day of primary school after all. There are bound to be some kids that will try their hardest to stay at home. And to say that it's pretty funny is an understatement.

Sion himself was one of those kids. But then, he gave up just as easily as he tried to convince his parents for additional five minutes of sleep.

When he began to lose himself to his thoughts, another sight pulled him back to reality; just as the school's gate was about to close, one last kid, a white haired kitsune entered through the gap in between the gate inches before it entirely closed, albeit with his tail momentarily pinched in between. The kid huffed as he put his hands on his knees, though he quickly raised himself and walked to the school with no problem.

When Sion lost his sight of the boy, he mumbled his teeth as he closed his eyes, leaning his head on his wrist as footsteps began to enter his classroom.

'That boy... A kitsune huh...'

He gritted his teeth.

'Tch... I hope I'm not in the same class as hi-'

"Sion!" A familiar female voice yelled to his ear, causing him to squeak in response.

He turned around to see his friend, Azayaka giggling and smiling with mischief.

"We're in the same class!" She said with a cheerful smile, "aren't you excited? It's gonna be so fun!"

As she spoke, Sion only hummed to her words without batting an eye, his eyes attentive to something... Else.

"Hey, is that girl a dark fae? That girl has purple eyes right? Oh and those sharp ears?"

"Ooh! Make sure to hide your stuff properly! Otherwise she'll steal it!"

"Wanna try torching her later? I heard her kind burn like paper."

Whispers of their classmates rings through Sion's ears together with their malicious giggles. Maybe they're too loud or maybe their parents didn't teach them enough about politeness. Or perhaps, it's just his ears being so sensitive. Azayaka didn't seem to hear them. She only smiled as she put her bag down to the seat beside his, unaware of the words centered towards her.

Maybe she really can't hear them. Or perhaps, she was trying to ignore them?

Setting aside those thoughts, Sion crossed his arms onto the desk as the bell rang, signalling the beginning of class.

-----

Rumbles of footsteps tumbled the ground, clanking of metals echoed across the walls, while the yapping of countless children entertained the ear. The school's cafeteria was always loud, too loud even. At least for someone like Sion. He could only squint his eyes at the noise, too overbearing for his own ears to handle. It felt like as if a rumbling wave of waterfall were to be poured directly onto him.

As he swinged his head back and forth with one ear closed by his hand. He once again stopped to observe a certain fox, sitting lonely by himself in a table as he ate his meal.

Weird... Has he been alone this whole time? It seemed like it. Well, everyone in Sylvae had it straight from their mother to never ever talk to a Kitsune. Maybe they're taking it too far here. Maybe he should... Talk to him? No, everyone will think he's weird... But maybe-

"Sion, you don't like noises right? Here, I brought some ear plugs for you," Azayaka's voice once again pulled him from his thoughts as she offered him a pair of pink plugs.

"Oh, t-thanks..." Putting aside his thoughts, Sion grabbed them as she tilted her head.

Yet as he was about to put them to use, the metal table clanked with the addition of two aluminum plates slammed onto it.

"Hey, you're a scorpion brood right?! Cool!"

Sion glanced beside to see two pair of eyes glimmering at him. One pair belonging to a ram-horned boy, while the other to a boy with bat wings attached to his back.

"Y-Yeah, I am," He said nervously.

"Hey, hey! So I heard that your six eyes can let you see everywhere around you. Is that true?" The bat winged boy asked.

"No, it's-"

"What about your stinger? Can it kill? Have you ever used it?" The ram boy cut.

Sion fumbled his lips for a bit as he glanced at Azayaka. Who in turn, caused the other two newcomers to do the same.

"Oh, those purple eyes... You're a dark fae right?"

"Hey, is it true that you can steal basically everything from anyone?"

"Ooh! And do you have wings!? Show us!"

Those questions were thrown around as if they were just some lighthearted jokes that continued without an end. Until eventually without a word, keeping her eyes to the ground, Azayaka stand up and walked away without finishing her meal.

Sion could only stare as she walked further and further, till eventually she merged with the waking crowd.

"Huh, weird, what's wrong with her?"

"Anyways, what's your name?"

He turned back to the pair with uncertain eyes, "It's Sion..."

-----

As the wind rustled pages of the student's test results in the classroom filled with whispers and murmurs, Azayaka look at Sion's empty seat while she sat in her own with eyes the same as what they saw.

"That dark fae girl? Friends? With Sion? Pfft, you're joking right?"

"I've never seen her talks to him. But well, who knows."

"Ooh... If that's true. Then Sion probably were getting payed by her parents to keep her company!"

"Hahahah!"

She could only hid her face within the confine of her arms as those whispers kept on replaying within her mind. Though when she heard a slam from the table beside her, she sneaked a peek to see the scorpion boy already seated in his seat.

She wanted to call out his name. But when she separated her lips and opened her mouth, it's as if the other pairs of eyes in this classroom suddenly jolted and stabbed their gaze onto the back of her head and stapled her lips shut.

Thus what came out is only a tiny whisper, that she herself could only faintly hear.

"Sion..."

Yet little did she knew, he heard her call. Though he stayed silent.

-----

As falling leave rustled through the wind, the sun shined its rays across the concrete street. Passing by the modern houses, shops and stalls, little Azayaka stayed focused on her road with a parchment bag tightly held in hand.

"Just give this to him. I'll guarantee you it'll make you both friends again!"

Her mother's words rang through her head as the parchment bag rustled with every footsteps. She had told her that something that she did bothered her dear friend. Of course that is not the full story. But yet, her juvenile mind still couldn't explain what happened, nor does she know why it happened. She just hoped that what her mother said is true. Perhaps, she could apologize if she ever did something he didn't like. Maybe she could try to treat him some marshmallow puff he liked so much. Or maybe she could-

"!!!"

A sudden bump to her shoulder accompanied by few childish giggles removed her from her trance. When she looked forward, she saw that bat and ram boy both giggling while looking back at her sinisterly.

Though what really caught her attention is Sion, whose walking alongside them without batting an eye back to her.

"Sion! Wait!" The girl yelled, chasing the scorpion boy.

But as she goes closer. She noticed that the two other kids widen their eyes, though Sion himself didn't respond to her call. But the girl ignored that fact as she kept her steps towards the scorpion.

"Sion... C-Can we... Talk?" She said, as soon as she reached his back.

"Hey, Sion look, the dark fae girl's talking to you!" The bat-winged boy said with a mocking tone, only to receive no respond.

"Oh yeah, Sion, aren't you friend with her?" The ram boy added.

And when the boy in question finally turned his head around to meet her eyes, he only said.

"No."

Azayaka blinked twice as she murmured her lips, "Sion? W-What do you mean?"

"You heard him! Now scram off weirdo!" The bat boy said, pushing her shoulder away as he giggled.

As their stare emanated like sharp daggers, all of them turned around, continuing to walk forward without any words.

And there's the girl, standing alone as her friend stray farther and farther forward. With a pair of glassy eyes, she looks to the ground, opening her parchment bag to see a pair of mochi, one purple, one turquoise, with the latter embroided with colorful dots of chocolate that spelled happy birthday.

-----

"I don't expect you to forgive me. After what I've done to you. And to her," Sion says, his eyes blackened by the shade.

Lowering his ears, Ren closes his eyes as he puts his hands together, "I'm not mad at you... It's just... I'm confused," He glances to him, before saying with a bitter tone, "Why? Why would you do that to her?"

The scorpion only chuckles, sucking in another cigarette then blowing out its smoke.

"I... I guess I just don't want to end up like her... Or you... To be isolated from others..."

"I used to be terrified of loneliness... You know?"

With that, a gloomy atmosphere takes over the office as they avert their eyes elsewhere.

As nothing but the sound of tapping beads of raindrops plays in the background, Sion slums himself forward till he meets his own empty eyes on the black part of the marble floor.

"..."

"I don't mind you hating me..." He sighs, "I deserve it."

Replying with a hum of relief, Ren stands up, his arms swaying with his motion. As his tail wiggles off the sweat caused by his prolonged sitting, he glance to Sion with a cathartic, genuine smile.

"Even... If I want to hate you... I can't," At those words, Sion's eyes glimmer.

"My friend said that everyone changes. And it goes for you, me, or even her," He walks to stand in front of Sion, "besides, we're partners. Right?"

Sion lets out a bitter scoff at his radiant smile.

"Speaking off... We've never properly introduced ourselves too right?" Ren offers him his hand, "well then. Wanna start off from the beginning?"

Sion stays silent, hiding his gaze.

Does he really... Wants to forget... Everything?

Even if he really mean it... Do I deserve it?

...

Eh fuck it

As he stands up, he accepts Ren's hand with a slap, giving back his smile, albeit a smaller one.

"I'm Sion... Sion Lync," He averts his eyes once again as his hand shakes with Ren's.

"My names Ren Kitsuko. Nice to meet you, Sion!" He lightly chuckles, keeping the most heartwarming of a smile that ever exist on earth. So much so that, perhaps, it overwhelmed Sion a bit.

"I-I... Nice to meet you... Too."

-----