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Shinichi stands behind his mother, curiosity burning in his veins.
His parents had been weird all day, mentioning someone would be visiting, and their reactions had been, well, mixed.
There had been obvious excitement from Kaa-san. She's been smiley all day, and even dug out a very old photo album to giggle at.
Tou-san on the other hand had a subtle weight on his brow. Dread and something that Shinichi would later on realize felt a little like empathetic grief. The feelings someone displays on their face when thinking of a dearly departed friend.
But, said someone was visiting, aka not dead and now Shinichi had a mystery on his lap about the source of the grief his Tou-san had showcased.
And now, someone was knocking on the door.
Kaa-san had stood up to go open the door. Shinichi had followed her, insistent on seeing their visitor himself.
Just what is it about their guest that invoked such mixed reactions? Did Tou-san know something Kaa-san didn't? Or was she just better at shrugging off whatever caused that grief?
Caught up in his thoughts, the 6-year-old misses his mother opening the door, and suddenly there's a blonde man at their door step.
Shinichi's eyes snap to the man's face immediately.
Honey gold hair and blue eyes are the first thing he sees.
Sky eyes blink at him and Shinichi feels like he's met a angel.
He shakes the feeling off, and focuses on observing the man.
Casual clothing, an orange hoodie with blue jeans. An old pair of shoes that Shinichi doesn't recognize- must be a really really old. Hair free with a weird worn green headband across his forehead with what must be an even older family heirloom hanging off of it.
But really. If the shoes look like they came from an early 50s teen magazine, the medallion looks like something from the bronze age.
And there's no way something that looks like its made of solid gold isn't an old family heirloom. There's even a dragon carved on.
Shinichi shakes his head, and focuses his attention away from the sparkly amulet and back on the man himself.
He's on the shorter side, approximately 165 cm tall, lean with a face that lends itself more towards Korean than Japanese.
But his entire ethnicity seems like a bit of a mystery.
Shinichi can easily classify the man as asian, but his coloring is throwing Shinichi off. Blonde hair seems to scream foreign.
But for all intents and purposes, the man has no features of a foreigner other than the hair and the rare but still possible blue eyes.
That's not even mentioning the paradox of his age. Shinichi can see that the man must be around 18, possibly even younger, however for some reason that conclusion feels wrong, and Shinichi's inclined to believe the man older than his parents except no- that's not possible, he looks like a teen.
He manages a small frown before the man starts talking.
"Hi, hi! Nice to see you again Princess, where's your prince? And oh-aha! Is that the little lord I've been hearing all about?"
Shinichi flinches back slightly when the man kneels down, his bright grin right in front of his face.
He would liken it to staring into the sun. It's blinding, dazzling and it lights up the world.
However, it's also intense and should one stare too long, you'll have permanently damaged your eyes.
The man basically radiates sunshine.
"You're a cute little fella, those big blue eyes of yours could make a sinner turn into a saint."
The man snickers a little at something Shinichi doesn't understand, and then- his eyes open up to a heavy gaze that snaps Shinichi from his daze.
The eyes that look at him are mature and feel somehow old, it's a gaze far too deep for him to even begin to decipher.
The man with hair spun from gold lifts his hands up, palms placing themselves on both sides of Shinichi's face, not squishing his cheeks but pulling him just slightly up, so his own blue eyes stare straight into the crystal blue abysses of the man.
Shinichi feels his heart rate rise, small puffs of breath escaping him in anticipation of something- anything.
It feels like Shinichi is being stared through.
"Hmm, very cruel indeed."
The man hums, and Shinichi shivers.
And then a bright grin is suddenly blooming on the mans face, and he squeezes Shinichi's cheeks.
"Aww little lord is so cute! Look at those chubby cheeks!"
Just like that, the moment is over and Shinichi is left reeling, him alone feeling the effects.
"Shin-chan's just the cutest isn't he? Now come on inside and let's talk properly, Yuusaku can take Shinichi to bed, it's past his bedtime anyway."
Shinichi glares at his mother. That's a bold faced lie and she knows it. It's barely six and his bedtime lies somewhere at nine.
Still, he goes along with it when she pushes him in, and Tou-san nabs him from the floor to carry him away.
He stares back, where the blonde not-foreigner is taking off his shoes, and makes a decision.
He very determinedly decides to spy on them.
_______________________
Zeno smiles slightly as Yuusaku enters the study.
The heavy double doors shut behind him, and Zeno lets his finger slide atop the delicate porcelain cup's brim. Steaming tea warming his cold fingertips.
Yukiko sits silent on her seat across from him, and Zeno let's them wallow in the sound of Yuusaku's echoing footsteps as he paces and occasionally stops to shake his head.
After a few solid minutes of the man walking around, he sighs, and Yuusaku sits down next to his wife.
Zeno's smile is still a grim little thing. Has been ever since the youngest one was out of sight, but not even slighty out of mind.
Yuusaku struggles for words, his expression faltering. He knows a little more about Zeno and the things surrounding him, but not by a lot.
Smart boy, he figured out a lot by himself.
Zeno stays quiet, as Yuusaku's expression drops and he hangs his head, eyes falling to the floor, having finally given up on finding the right words.
Yukiko coughs, and starts speaking with a voice like a rusty nail scraping against even more rusty metal.
"So..? I mean, Shinichi..."
She too hesitates, and Zeno can only smile on grimly.
"It's... fundamentally a blessing. Meant to be one, and in the eyes of certain people with a certain mindset, you could see it as a blessing."
Yuusaku lifts his head little.
"And, compared to... your-?"
"I would say what I have is worse, but I'm personally biased, and for him, it could be anywhere on the scale. Some other man, not as... sympathetic and wallowing, likely would have loved what I have. Many men have- and still are coveting what I have."
Zeno doesn't slip up, words pouring out automatically, yet showing none of the emotions associated. Just his grim smile.
Yukiko glances at her husband, still so hesitant yet wanting to know more.
Ignorance may be bliss but it'll leave you vulnerable.
"Yes, normal people would consider it a curse. His blessing comes from death after all." Zeno says quickly.
Yuusaku grimaces. Something complicated seeping into his eyes.
"Wherever death lays, and injustice is found, he'll be drawn towards it. There's no preventing it- just coping with it. Fate will lead him to follow his blessing, and there are not many who have blessings that could drive your son's off. Neither Death, or Justice are susceptible to many."
"So, no matter what we try, he'll eventually just, start finding bodies?"
That sounded very bad. Zeno almost let a grimace slip.
"Yes, Justice is strong with this blessing. You can't do much about blessings though."
Yuusaku looked hesitant again, and Zeno decided to give a little extra.
"They can be good things- Lady luck has continuously blessed many, but few are aware of it because of her tumultuous tides."
Zeno brings the tea to his lips, taking a small sip.
Justice has blessed a surprisingly big amount of children this year.
Little Kudo Shinichi is the first one Death has blessed in almost an eon.
The last one Death blessed went insane in his teens, too frail to handle constant corpses around him. People drove him to suicide quicker than Zeno could plead.
Fate has also blessed a little girl. First one in a century.
All of them located here in Japan.
Then again, Fate seems strangely agitated recently.
Having guided Zeno very specifically lately, as if afraid he'll ruin some branch of the future she doesn't want touched.
So very protective. Fate picks them weirdly. Ever so steady in her choices.
She was especially mad with his visit to Lady luck's most recent favorite. She had been even more mad than when he became friends with Lady lucks most infamous favorite, little Lupin.
Zeno swirled his tea cup, watching steam rise off in a steady cloud.
His eyes drifted to Yukiko who looked to be biting her lip. Honestly this poor girl, she became a mother a little too early.
Not that Zeno would tell her that, but he can see the signs.
Yuusaku had stayed silent, until now, mulling all the words said over.
"Ouryuu-sama?"
He looked, and met eyes with the man whose son was now basically a murderer magnet.
Fate will lead him to those planning unforgivable deeds.
"Yes, Yuusaku?"
"You said, there's not many whose blessings overpower death."
Zeno nodded. "Indeed. Death is a lord among the lords."
"But there are some?"
There was a small kindling of hope in those words, and Zeno would have to be the one to snuff them out.
"No. Hope hasn't blessed anyone since Winston Churchill, and Life has only one blessed, and it's not the kind that will help Shinichi."
And that is the one minor lie he has told.
Life has indeed only ever had one blessed. However, she is long gone.
Life hasn't blessed anyone since a lifetime ago, and there would never be another.
Had there been, they might've helped, but Zeno did not know for sure.
He is only the Yellow Dragon's toy soldier.
Millennias he may have lived, but apart from Fate who hates him interfering in her futures and often leads him away, the gods do not interact with him often.
He has changed many fates with just a few words and acts. Just by continuing to exist he's causing differences, because Fate cannot predict him.
Still, she does try to insist he stay sleeping the years away in a cave. Forever.
An immortal is a fate changing person to encounter after all.
Zeno muses, his tea long gone cold, with Yukiko tightly holding onto her husbands arm.
The man is staring at him, lips drawn in a thin line that tells him Yuusaku knows he was told a half truth.
"But I do believe should he encounter any of Lady Lucks favorites the blessing will be kept at bay temporarily."
Yukiko's eyes lit up.
"She doesn't have much influence over death but she does do a lot to keep her favorites happy. If said favorite dislikes death, Lady Luck will go to great lengths to keep murder away."
Even at a cost, because luck comes in waves.
Zeno grimaces as Yukiko shakes Yuusaku, a small giddy smile in place.
"It should be a last resort though. Fortune is followed by misfortune, as it always has."
He is asking them to make decision. Either stick Shinichi to Lady Lucks favorite forever, or don't approach- unless you want even more death on your sons doorstep.
Like a flower, Yukiko wilts and Yuusaku smiles.
It's a bitter little thing. Dismayed but accepting. Knowing even.
People can't do much about it after all.
Not him, not Yukiko, not Zeno. Not even Shinichi himself.
"I guess, all we can do is... get him desensitized early? So much murder will... affect him."
Yuusaku sounded so resigned Zeno almost felt like he was looking into a mirror.
Resigned and accepting. Unwilling but having no other choice. The alternatives being far less stellar options.
No choice. Just, having to deal with it. Rage all you want, cry all you may hut it won't change a thing.
Zeno let his own bitter grim smile fall, sighing as he massaged his temples.
"That, and get him educated well, and he'll live, burdened though he may be."
His memories rug up the image of a young man. 16 at most, smiling.
Little Hayden had been a bright boy. Brighter than most, willing to do so much more for justice than most.
He couldn't handle the people around him. He came across death at every corner he turned. People he knew, others he didn't. Suicides, accidents, victims from both groups.
The people around him saw how much death he came across and started whispering.
Zeno had only just turned to death to plead him to recall the blessing before he was gone.
Hayden hanged himself. In the town square for everyone to look at.
Zeno can only hope that with Justice being the main contributor to the blessing here, Shinichi won't see as much as Hayden.
Yukiko and Yuusaku talked softly to each other. Their occasional question answered by Zeno.
The discussion eventually turned to recent news and how he's been. More friendly, much less heavy discussion.
Hours later, with wilting smiles he knew would crumble when the door closed, they bid him goodbye.
Zeno was gone before midnight.