1 Intro

Graveyards are typically a quiet, solemn place. A place where those who have lost loved ones go to pay their respect for the dead, to grieve, or simply to enjoy the serene atmosphere in quiet.

In the quiet and empty grounds of Kuoh Cemetery, a young man was making his way to a certain grave.

People honor the dead in many ways. Some give flowers, light an incense, and say a prayer, while others might just talk about their life.

The young man falls into the latter. It hadn't been long since his mother had died, only a couple years, but the pain he felt had barely lessened.

Anelie Endo, the young man's mother, was an immigrant from Germany. She was a prominent and successful businesswoman there, but, for some unknown reason, she had decided to move to Tokyo to start a new business. While there, Anelie fell in love with a man. Eventually, they got married. Not long after she became pregnant, tragedy struck, and her husband was killed in a hit and run involving a truck.

Soon after her son Sho's birth, Anelie sold her company and moved to the small quiet town of Kuoh. Anelie's life as a single mother brought her untold joy. The pain of losing her husband was slowly replaced with happiness.

In school, he was always bullied for not having a dad and having a forefinger as a mother, but even as a young child, he didn't let the words of others bother him. He loved his mother more than anything and couldn't be happier.

The two of them enjoyed their life together. Anelie couldn't ask for a better son and Sho a better mother. One of the things he misses most is having a movie night with her, something they did every Friday just enjoying their time together.

March 24th, 2005. A day Sho will never forget, the day he felt a pain he would never wish on anyone, the day he lost his heart, the day his mom died.

Sho remembers it as if it happened yesterday. He had just gotten his test mark back and was excited to show his mom the 100% he had gotten in math. He was sad to see his mom was not home, but found a note in the kitchen saying she was out shopping and should be home around 6:00 pm. Sho, wanting to do something nice and surprise his mom, decided to bake some cookies, something he enjoyed doing and had got into recently.

He timed it perfectly, so the cookies were done a few minutes before his mom was supposed to get home. After taking the cookies out of the oven to cool eagerly waited for his mother.

6:10 looking at the clock, thinking that maybe his mom would take a bit longer, he decided to take a bath. Not wanting to miss anything, Sho took his phone with him, just in case his mom called him, saying she was running late.

6:25, she still didn't show up, so Sho did his homework in the living room. 6:45 Sho was starting to get worried, but thought that his mom was caught up in traffic and would call or text him if something was wrong. 7:00, Now Sho was starting to think something was wrong. His mother would usually never be this late, and the few times she was, she would call or text him. Not wanting to regret anything, Sho called the police. Unlike what tv had told him, Sho learned that if you think someone is missing, you should call as soon as possible.

When Sho called the police to say his mother was missing, he was luckily put through to a nice lady who was very patient with him. After listening to Sho's explanation, she said it was still a little too early to worry about anything. But promised she would ask the police to keep their eyes open. She also said that if his mom hadn't returned by 9:00 pm to call again.

9:00 pm and still Sho's mother still hadn't shown up, and he instantly called the police again. This time, they decided to file her as a missing person and put in a search request.

Sho was no longer worried, but scared. To stop his mind from going to dark places, he made himself dinner and put on a movie. Slowly, Sho drifted to sleep.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock* ... *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Woken by the sounds of knocking, Sho rushed from the sofa to the door, thinking maybe his mom had forgotten her keys.

"Mo...m."

In front of his doorway stood two police officers, a man and a woman.

The smile on Sho's face was nowhere to be found, but still clinging to hope, he just barely held himself together.

"Hello, young man. Is your father home? We have something important to tell him."

"N-no, dad died before I was born. Did you find my mom yet? Is she ok?"

The two cops froze for a second. Their expressions were now visibly upset. Especially the woman. She had a son of her own and could help but want to hug the young boy.

The man, being the more composed of the two, took off his cap and held it over his heart, and gave a deep bow before talking.

"I regret to inform you that Anelie Endo was found dead a few hours ago...."

That one sentence was enough to crumble Sho's entire world. Everything after that one dreadful sentence fell on death ears. The light in his eyes was gone, and he fell to his knees. No longer able to hold back, all Sho could do was cry, and cry, and cry till he no longer could.

The woman, even though it was against protocol, couldn't stand to watch any longer; she went to hold the boy, to try to comfort him if only a little.

*Slap* slapping both his cheeks, Sho shook his head. There was no use dwelling on the past, especially the bad memories.

Before anything, Sho dusted off the leaves from the tombstone and the surrounding area, then sat down, leaning against it. From his bag, Sho took out a computer and boot up his favorite streaming site.

"Hey mom, how was your day? Hmm. Mine too. So what do you want to watch today? I was thinking something old school, maybe Casablanca. You wanna watch something funny. Hehe, ok. There is a new movie that came out a couple weeks ago. It's called Pineapple Express. Supposedly it is pretty funny, and it has action so, it's a win-win. Sound good? Good."

A few people came along while Sho was watching the movie. They mostly gave him strange looks, but a couple who had seen him there before looked at him with pity, feeling sad that he lost his mother at such a young age. But Sho didn't care. He knows his mom is dead. He's not delusional, but for him visiting his mother's grave every Friday and watching a movie next to her grave helped.

After the movie had finished, Sho packed up his things, but stayed to talk for a bit.

"That was pretty funny, defiantly the better option to lighten the mood," talking a bit more about his week. Sho was wrapping up his visit, but had one last thing to say before leaving.

"Hey, mom... I have something to tell you. I know you would never let me do it if you were still here, but it felt like the right decision, so don't be too mad at me, please. I dropped out of school last year. Oh, you don't have to worry, though. I still talk to and hang out with my friends. I even got a job working for one of the companies owned by the Yotsuba clan. I guess my talent with computers was useful after all. If I am being honest, I still don't know how I got the job without a degree, considering the Yotsuba clan's reputation, but hey! I'm not complaining. Well, that's all I have to say for now. I better get going before you come down from heaven and beat my ass. Bye, love you."

Just as Sho was about to leave, he could hear footsteps approaching him, more specifically, his mother's grave.

When he turned to face the person, Sho was left speechless. In front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was a young woman in her early twenties. She had long, wavy, cherry blossom hair that reacher her hips. She wore a black miniskirt that highlighted her glorious thighs, a white pullover sweater that did little to hide her plentiful bosom, and a brown trench coat.

In her hands was a clay pot. In it was a Japanese camellia, his mother's favorite flower.

"Hi. Is that for Endo Anelie? Oh! Sorry, I must be in your way."

Sho moved off to the side, allowing the woman to pass. Gently, she placed the flower on the tombstone, offering a small prayer. After she had finished, she turned to face Sho, with a smile on her face, making her already stunning appearance even more breathtaking.

"Hello there. My name is Roygun Belphegor. It is nice to meet you. I know this is straightforward, and I hope you forgive me, but how do you know Anelie?"

"Nice to meet you, too. My name is Sho, Endo Sho, Anelie wa... is my mom. I have never seen you before. How did you know my mom?"

Roygun's eyes slightly widened for a second before returning to normal, and the smile she had softened.

"Little Sho? Oh! You wouldn't remember, but we've met before. Though you were just a baby. It was when your mom was still living in Tokyo. As for how I knew your mother, we were friends — childhood friends, actually."

"Wait, what? You don't look a day over 24. How could you be childhood friends with my mom? Sure, mom looked young for her age, but not that young. Shit! sorry, mom didn't mean that."

"Hehehe. Thanks for the compliment, but I assure you I am older than I look. In fact, I am a few years older than your mom. She used to call me big sis when we were kids."

With a smile of pure joy, Roygun reminisced about her past. When she was done, she looked at her finds grave with a sad smile, then back to Sho.

"I was sad to hear about her death, and I only just found out recently. If I knew, I promise I would have visited sooner. I feel even worse knowing that the last time I saw her was 16 years ago. We only sent each other a few letters in those years. I...I was a bad friend."

Slowly she fell to her knees, crying, hiding her face in her palms.

For some reason, Sho's heart ached seeing her sad. Unconsciously, Sho went up to Roygun and gently held her. Roygun, feeling a warm comfortable feeling, looked up to see Sho's handsome, smiling face.

"No, you weren't. Mom never mentioned you by name, but she did talk about a friend she had growing up in Germany. She said she regretted leaving without telling her. And those letters you said you sent each other. Mom kept them hidden in her closet. If she ever felt sad, she would take them out and read them. Though she didn't know, I knew. So no, you weren't a bad friend. You were a great friend."

All Roygun could do was cling to Sho's shirt, burying her head into his chest, letting the waterworks flow like a broken dam.

10 minutes late, Roygun had finished crying,

but she still didn't let go of Sho, enjoying his warmth and the comfort he brought her.

"*Sniff* *Sniff* Sorry about that. Here you are consoling me when it should have been my job. And look, I even got your shirt all dirty. I have to pay you back. Oh! I know, let me invite you to dinner. It's the least I could do. I would love to hear some stories about your mom. I know I have some you would love to hear. What do you say?"

"Sure! I would love to."

That being said. Sho and Roygun made their way to a small diner hidden in the alleys in the area near the cemetery.

**************************************************************

They had bonded very quickly, that by the end of dinner, they were already calling each other familiarly, as if they had known each other for years.

After their dinner, the two had a peaceful night walk through the town. Sho enjoyed this part of the night the most so far. And it definitely had nothing to do with the fact that Roygun was holding his arm between her impossibly soft breast.

"Thanks for dinner. It was delicious. I hope we can do it again sometime."

Happy with his words, Roygun turned to face him, only to see him facing staring ahead, trying to avoid her stare, with a blush on his cheeks and pink ears.

"Hehehe. I would love that."

A few hours later, the two had reached a crosswalk. Reluctantly, they both had to go now.

"Thank you for tonight, Roygun. I had a lot of fun."

"I should be the one thanking you, and I had fun as well. Oh yeah, give me your phone."

Sho listened to her request, and handed Roygun his phone. Quickly, she entered her number and texted herself.

"There. Now we have each other's numbers. I'm going to be busy for the next couple of weeks, but I'll contact you as soon as I can. Bye♪"

Before Roygun, she planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving Sho standing there, stunned.

Sho, unable to stop thinking about the "date" he just had and the lingering sensation of Roygun's soft supple lips on his cheek. Walked home with a stupid smile o his face.

'Is this what love at first sight feels like... Ptff, yeah, definitely not... I think'

Before he knew it, Sho had arrived home and was already unlocking his door.

"I'm home!"

Much to his happiness, Sho was greeted by a large black cat rubbing against his legs.

"Meow!"

"Licorice, your home tonight? That's great! You must be hungry. Come, let's get you fed. I think we have some red snapper left in the fridge. We can watch a scary movie while you eat. I know how much you love them, and I'm not in the mood to sleep right now."

"Meow!" As if she understood him perfectly, the black cat meowed in anticipation and was slightly drooling onto the floor.

As he took the black cat into his arm, she began to purr under his gentle and loving caress.

Sho found Licorice seven years ago. He was walking back from school when he decided to stop by the river to soak his feet and cool off. While sitting on the riverbank, he noticed a small black creature hiding in the shade under a bridge.

Sho, being the animal lover he is, rushed to it, ignoring everything else; what he saw infuriated him, even as a child. The small black cat was covered in blood, and it had cuts all along its body.

It was tricky at first, but slowly Sho gained her trust, and soon enough, they became inseparable.

"Meow!"

Licorice, telling Sho she finished her dinner, climbed onto the sofa and curled up into a ball on his lap to enjoy the rest of the movie while Sho scratched behind her ears.

Before the movie could end, they slowly drifted to sleep.

----------------------- POV change --------------------

"... I see. Thank you for your help."

*Sigh*

"I'm sorry, Anelie, I broke my promise."

'I should have known something was wrong *slam* damnit.'

A few days ago, Roygun received news of her childhood friend's death. What enraged her was that she found out late, three, almost four years after the fact.

Roygun went rummaging through her desk to find the last letter she received from her friend.

Dear Roygun,

Hi. I've missed you. It's been a while since I last wrote to you, sorry about that. Normally I would just talk about what's happened since we last talked, but I have something important to talk about.

Remember those devils from a while back, the ones that offered us a chance to get stronger, the same ones we turned down? Well. While living here in Kuoh, I came across a young devil from the Belial clan who found something interesting.

I know this letter will arrive to you safely, but, just to be safe, I will tell you the bare minimum.

There is a hidden fraction in the underworld, one that has control over the Rating Game and that has something to do with the rumored King Piece. That's all I can say for now.

I-I just wanted to ask. No, I want you to promise. If anything were to happen to me, please look after little Sho. You remember him, don't you? Wasn't he just the cutest little baby? Well, now he's a handsome young boy. I know how you like younger men. If you're lucky, I might just let you marry him when he's of age. Hehehe! Then you would be my daughter-in-law. Hahahaha!

But there is something you need to know first. Sho... Well, he does not know of the supernatural. I put a seal on his powers. I wanted him to have a normal life, at least for a while. The seal, along with a message from me, will unlock on his 17th birthday. If it were up to me, I would have him never enter the supernatural world, but as the heir of one of the 72 pillars, he is fated to get dragged into it.

That being said, as the heir of the Buné clan, the faction will try to force him into a marriage, so before they have a chance, I need your help. Attached to this letter is a marriage contract. I may have been joking before, but you are the only one I trust him with. So please, do me this favor.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. After I sort this all out, you should come and visit. I would love to introduce you to Sho now that he's not a baby anymore.

Love, your favorite little sister, Anelie Buné

As soon as she learned of her friend's death, she hired someone to find where she was buried. Thankfully, it didn't take long since she was buried in the same place she got the last letter from.

Now walking through the paths of Kuoh Cemetary, Roygun drew closer to her friend's grave when she managed to hear the tail end of someone's conversation.

"...I better get going before you come down from heaven and beat my ass. Bye, love you"

Right there in front of her friend's grave was a young man who couldn't be older than 16.

He was a handsome youth with chin-length dark green hair, amber eyes, and athletic that slipped through his baggy clothes.

"Hi. Is that for Endo Anelie? Oh! Sorry, I must be in your way."

'He has the same hair, but I'm not sure.'

"Hello there. My name is Roygun Belphegor. It is nice to meet you. I know this is straightforward, and I hope you forgive me, but how do you know Anelie?"

"Nice to meet you, too. My name is Sho, Endo Sho, Anelie wa... is my mom. I have never seen you before. How did you know my mom?"

...

After parting ways with Sho, Roygun went back to her mansion in the underworld. Currently, she was taking a bath, thinking about the pleasant night she had.

"Hmm hm, hmm, hm hm hm. Sho sure was a cutie. Don't get me started on his blushing face. Sooo adorable, hehe. When was he born again? February 14th was it? I better start preparing. There's less than a month until his 17th birthday. I can't wait for his reaction when he finds out we're engaged."