Sorry that this is taking so long to update. I have been really busy lately with school. I hope you guys like the chapter.

It took a long time for Rio to calm down, and when he did, he tried as hard as he could to stay close to me. I couldn't help but smile at how cute he was acting. This makes him so different from Yakumo. Maybe I met Rio before he developed the same personality as Yakumo. The rest of the day passed peacefully with Rio following me around whenever and wherever he could. Sadly, all of the kids still wouldn't speak to him, and they still tried to avoid him. After school, I said bye to Rio specifically and quickly went back to my apartment.

Closing the door, I took off my high heels and set them neatly by the door. Those shoes are cute, but they make my feet hurt after a while. I strolled into the kitchen and set down my purse on the table. I opened the refrigerator and looked inside. I should cook an actual dinner, but I'm still tired. I'll try to make dinner tomorrow. Closing the refrigerator, I opened the freezer, took out a frozen pizza, and started to preheat the oven. Leaving the oven to heat up, I sat down at the table. I wonder what Yakumo is doing. I giggled and shook my head. That's a stupid thought. He's either sleeping or working on a case. My mind wondered back to today. Frowning, I shake my head and cross my arms. I can't believe how Rio is treated. If Mrs. Taka is right, even his mother treats him horribly even though he's such a cute kid.

The oven beeped, letting me know that it was done preheating. I quickly put the frozen pizza in the oven and set the timer. After making sure the timer actually started, I sat back down. Did Yakumo have to go through the same thing? Biting my lip, I reached over to my purse and pulled my phone out. With a bit of hesitation, I called Yakumo. It only took three rings before he picked up.

"Hello?" he asked. He sounds wide awake. He must be on a case then.

"Hey," I said. "Did I call at a bad time?" It was quiet for a few moments, and I opened my mouth to apologize, but Yakumo spoke before I could get a word out.

"No," he said. "What trouble are you in now?" he asked.

A shard of pain stabbed me. Am I just a burden to him? I sighed and shook my head. Stop thinking that. "I don't always call you just because I have a problem, Yakumo," I said. The other end of the line was silent, and I sighed in irritation. "I actually called because I wanted to ask you something." Yakumo hummed to show that he heard me. "Where you bullied and avoided as a kid?" I asked softly.

The line was dead silent, but I refused to say anything until he did. "I was," Yakumo finally said. "Why?"

I bit my lip again. "Well, I met another boy like you," I began, but I immediately stopped talking once I heard Yakumo's irritated sigh. A little bubble of irritation formed in my chest. "What was that sigh for?"

"You're being a busybody again," Yakumo said. "No every little boy is like me, Haruka. In fact, there isn't another one like me."

Anger flared within me. "I don't find every little boy like you, Yakumo, and this one is more like you than any little boy could be," I snapped.

"You're making imaginary connections, Haruka," Yakumo said, "and you're being a busybody like always."

My heart plummeted. Like always? He really does think of me as a burden. "Okay," I said quietly. "I won't bother you about it anymore."

"Haruka," Yakumo said, but I cut him off.

"Bye, Yakumo. Good night," I said and hung up. My eyes filled with tears as I set my phone down. Sighing shakily, I decided to stop thinking about him until tomorrow. Luckily, the timer for the pizza beeped, so I was saved from dwelling over what my talk with Yakumo revealed. I couldn't help but think about Rio though. I thought about him for the rest of the night.

The next morning, I made myself breakfast and packed a lunch for myself and Rio. I hope he likes ham and cheese sandwiches. Once I was ready to leave, I rushed to the school and greeted Mrs. Taka in her classroom. I noticed that Rio was already in the room, and he was in the same clothes as yesterday. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry. Did he not change clothes? Are those the only clothes he has?

I walked over to him and sat down on the floor beside his desk. "Good morning, Rio," I said. I saw his uncovered eye widen and his head whip around to see me. I gave him a smile and moved his hair out of the way of his red eye. He flinched back, but relaxed when I continued to smile at him.

"Good morning," he said quietly.

"Why are you in the same clothes as yesterday, Rio?" I asked gently. His eyes widened and he looked at his desk. "I won't be mad. I'm just worried." Rio looked at me with confusion written clearly across his face. I smile gently again. "I want to make sure you're being taken care of."

His eyes filled with tears, and he bit his lip. He opened his mouth, but the door opening interrupted him. He looked back at his desk and made sure that his hair covered his red eye again. I pat his head and get up to greet the students as they trickled in.

The school day was about the same as yesterday, but I actually had a lunch prepared for Rio today. His visible eye light up, and he had the cutest smile. It wasn't until after school that the days drastically changed. I had to stay late to help Mrs. Taka grade papers and come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow. It was already close to eight at night when I was finally able to leave the school. As I walked to my car, I saw someone sitting by one of the entrances to the school. Cautiously, I approached the person. I've been on enough cases and almost died enough times to know not to just walk up to a random person and think that they won't hurt me.

My heart stopped at what I saw at the entrance. "Rio?" I gasped in shock. Rio's little head shot up, and he looked at me in shock. I ran to him and knelt down in front of him. "What are you doing here?" His eyes filled with tears again, and he looked down. "Rio," I said sternly. "What are you doing here? You should be home."

"She doesn't want me," he said quietly. My eyes widen in shock. Please don't tell me Mrs. Taka was right about how his mother treats him. "She said that I can't come home, and she won't come to get me."

My heart squeezed painfully. "Rio," I say gently, "look at me." He slowly looked up at me. I smiled gently at him. "Come home with me, Rio." His eyes widened in shock. Then his facial expression went blank. My eyes widened in shock. His facial expression right now is just like Yakumo's. I slowly stretched out my hand to him. "I'll take care of you, and I have friends and family that will take care of you too. They won't care that you have a red eye." A little bit of hope filled his eyes, and he slowly reached out his hand. Once he grabbed my hand, I pulled him in for a hug. He stiffened up at first, but he slowly relaxed. After a few minutes, I slowly stand up and made him stand up with me. "Let's go, Rio. It's getting late, and it's not safe to be out late."

Rio and I walked to my car. He climbed in the back seat behind the passenger's seat, and I walked around the car to sit in the driver's seat. I turned to look at him. "We are going to stop by somewhere before we head home, okay?" I asked.

"Okay," Rio said with a small smile.

I smiled back. Turning around, I focused on driving. Glaring, I thought about Rio's mother. I've never even met the woman, and I can't forgive her. How can she do this to him? I'll make sure he has a happy childhood. I can't guarantee that he'll be put in a good home if I let him go to the orphanage or a foster home. I know that some of those places are bad. Plus, even the good ones will have people that will avoid or bully Rio. It's up to me. I'll be the best mother figure he could have.

I pulled into the police station parking lot and parked the car. Unbuckling, I turned to look at Rio. He looked really nervous. I gave him a reassuring smile. "You're not in trouble, Rio. I'm here because I want them to know what happened with your mother and that I will be taking care of you. Plus, I have some friends here that I want you to meet." Rio relaxed a little and nodded. I got out of the car and waited for Rio to get out too. Once he did, he hesitantly grabbed my hand. His grip was very loose, and he was looking at the ground. I held his hand tightly. He looked up at me, and I smiled down at him. He smiled back and held my hand tighter. As we got closer to the police station, he looked at the ground more and walked closer to me. He must be nervous to meet new people.

We walked into the police department, and a few officers and detectives greeted me. I smiled at them and continued walking toward Detective Gotou's office. No one stopped us because they were used to seeing me there by now. It's so much easier to do this thanks to trying to help on so many cases. I was down the hall from Gotou's office when I ran into Detective Ishii.

"Hello, Haruka. It's been a while since we've seen each other," Ishii said with a slight blush.

I smiled at him. "Hello, Ishii," I said. "It has been a while." I felt Rio squeeze my hand a little tighter.

Ishii looked at Rio. "Who's the little boy?" he asked.

I smiled again. "This is Yamamoto Rio," I said. I looked down at Rio. He was looking at the ground and squeezing my hand tightly. "Say hello to Detective Ishii, Rio," I said.

Rio looked up long enough to say, "Hello, Detective Ishii." He looked at the ground immediately after.

Ishii smiled at Rio even though Rio wasn't looking at him. "Hello, Rio. It's nice to meet you." Ishii then looked at me. "Why do you have Rio with you, Haruka?"

I glared suddenly, and Ishii looked a bit frightened. "That's actually why I'm here. I need to speak to Gotou," I said.

Ishii looked confused, but escorted me into Gotou's office without another word. Gotou looked up when he heard the door open and raised a brow at me in confusion. "I don't see you in here often without Yakumo," he said. His eyes then found Rio. "It looks like you never come here without a male of some sort. Now who's the kid?"

I took a seat, and Rio sat down beside me. "His name is Yamamoto Rio, and his mother abandoned him," I stated bluntly. Rio squeezed my hand. I gave his hand a quick squeeze.

Gotou and Ishii straitened and gave me their full attention. Gotou narrowed his eyes. "Why did you bring him here, Haruka? You know we don't do normal investigations, and this looks like a normal investigation to me," Gotou said.

"She abandoned him because he's like Yakumo," I said.

Gotou raised an eyebrow while Ishii tensed. "Is he like the other boy that was similar to Yakumo?" Gotou asked.

I shook my head. "He's much more similar to him than the last boy," I said. "That's why I decided that I'm going to adopt him. I have the best situation for him to live in."

Gotou sighed. "I need to know how he is similar to Yakumo. I can't just take your word for it like I usually do, Haruka."

Sighing, I turn my attention to Rio. "Rio," I said gently. "I need you to let them see." Rio looked at me with fear in his visible eye. I smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Don't worry. Ishii won't have as bad of a reaction as other do, and Gotou won't have a bad reaction at all. They will be a bit surprised, but Detective Gotou won't avoid you."

Rio's eyes filled with tears, and my heart almost broke. I can't believe I'm making him do this even though he's so scared. He has to though. It's the only way for Gotou to make sure that he is either in my care or in the best care that he can possibly get. With a shaking hand, Rio moved the hair out of the way of his covered eyes and looked at the detectives. Ishii gasped and Gotou's eyes widened. Rio quickly covered his eye and looked at the ground again. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. He hesitantly hugged me back. I watched the reactions of both men. Gotou sighed and nodded while Ishii kept staring at Rio. I figured Ishii would have a better reaction considering he's worked with Yakumo a lot.

"Does Yakumo know about this?" Gotou asked.

A stab of pain and anger shot through my heart. "No," I said quietly. "I told him that I won't tell him about any more little boys that I thought were similar to him anymore."

Gotou sighed and pulled his phone out. He's calling Yakumo, isn't he? Well, I guess Yakumo can't complain now. I didn't tell him about it. It's an official case now. Gotou started talking on the phone, and I waited for him to end the call before asking if he needed anything else. Gotou sighed. "I need the name of his mother. Then you can go home," he said.

"Yamamoto Hana," Rio said. Gotou nodded and wrote the name down.

I stood up, and Rio quickly followed and grabbed my hand. We walked out of the police station and climbed in the car. As I turned the car on, I saw Yakumo get out of his car. It was parked directly across from mine, and I made eye contact with him before I pulled out and driving away. It didn't start as a problem, and I can't control if it turns into a problem. I'm just glad I found Rio tonight.