The lights are blaring in the JB bunker, and sobs for the world that was lost are immense. The people of Sentient Society's world that have survived their planet's absorption by the Reapers are huddled around hastily-placed tables in the C&I room, all of them confused and scared.

The Investigation Team themselves are all sitting around their own table, seven of the large hand-fill of people that barely escaped, all thanks to a boy that they had seen as a murderer. They have no idea what to do, nor where to go. Raphael told them they would be protected as long as it takes to bring their world back. They can help fight to get it back by joining his organization, but it isn't a necessity, it is only if they want to.

Lera is huddled close to Boz, with the latter doing everything he can to stay strong, but he is feeling just as grief-stricken as she is. “What are we going to do, Boz...?”

With a slight shiver in his voice, Boz is barely able to speak “I... I don't know. We have to... just have to keep living....”

Her fear and grief exploding out once again, Lera begins to cry uncontrollably, the fourth time since their world was taken from them only an hour ago.

Boz's mind shifts back again That's it... that's how this ends. Our world gone, our families gone.... What I wouldn't give to see my brother again, my dad.... I don't know how long I can go until I start crying too, Lera....

Pulling his baseball cap down over his eyes with his free hand, Boz is about to start loosing tears himself, until something piques his senses. He hears something.

He strains his ears, trying to figure out what it is that his senses have noticed. He focuses his attention, listening past the cries for his world lost among the refugees in the room. Moment by moment, the sound becomes more clear. First a cry, then a voice, then words. He knows what it is within half a minute. It's a child, crying for his mother, but there is no voice along with it, no parent to calm the young one. He hears a child lost and alone.

Boz gives Lera a small shake “Lera... do you hear that?”

Her tears now starting to cess, Lera stutters out the words “W-What...?”

“There's a child, I can hear him. He sounds like he's lost his parents...?”

“A child?”

“Yeah,” Boz speaks “I know it's a long shot, but maybe we should help him. His parent's could have come through with him and are too shocked to look for him. Come on, Lera.”

Her mind is pushed between wanting to help a child and her grief for a few seconds. Her mind goes back to when she was a pre-teen, when her mother said that her dad wasn't coming back. Her mother was strong during it, and was a pillar to her when her dad was gone, but she still cried and grieved for months, and still thinks of him all the way up to now. A child needs their parents.

Lera, with a small amount of motivation starting to form in her heart, looks at Boz and says to him “Let's go, we're going to help him.”

Rising up from their chairs, Boz and Lera begin their search for the child Boz heard. Within a few minutes, having pushed through tables and people while following the voice, they find the child. He is huddled against the corner of a wall, his face red and drenched with tears.

“Hey, are you okay kid?” Boz says, his friendly demeanor just barely holding through despite what he has gone through.

“Huh?” The young boy says. He lifts his head up, his medium-length light brown hair a mess from the stress of just getting through the portal alone. “Who are you?”

“Students from Unimori. Well, former members I guess, heh....” Boz says, almost forgetting what just happened just a few hours ago, his grief breaking for just a moment.

“Do you know where your parent's are? We can help you look?” Lera asks, the tear streaks still clear on her face.

“You've been crying, Miss. Did you lose your mom too?” the child asks in return.

The sadness clicks into Lera again. Her mom is gone, the lynch pin that she could always talk to about anything. About schoolwork, about her feelings for Boz, she even mentioned Raphael a little, but never truly went into details, especially about the sigil heads or her ninja training. She was her best friend, and she's gone....

But so is this young boy's, likely, just like everyone here, the vast majority probably only having themselves to rely on and their entire family gone in a flash. Her entire world gone, with just a few handfuls of refugees remaining....

A moment, a break in the grief, her mind snapping into form in a realization. Everyone in this room might be from different families, people who likely would have never even introduced themselves to each other. Now, though, they have commonality. A single reason to see each other as, maybe not true family, but people that can rely on one another. Maybe not family, but allies, or possibly, a found family in the future.

Then her attention refocuses back to the question asked by the young boy “Yeah, I did, but maybe we can help you find your mom. What does she look like?”

“She has hair like mine, but longer, and shes a little taller than you. We were on the way to get my hair cut, and then everybody started screaming, and they started running, and she let go of my hand, and then I was in this shiny room and I got scared and hid, and then you showed up.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“How about we take a look around for her, okay? Let us know if you see her.” Lera says, holding out her hand for him to take, to which he agrees and takes her hand.

A few minutes pass. Boz and Lera lead the child around the C&I room, asking him if he notices his mom, but he recognizes nobody. The child's eyes begin to well-up with tears again, to which Lera goes down to her knees in front of him, looking at him on an equal level “Hey, hey now, you don't need to cry.” she says, to which he begins to cry for his mom.

Boz looks at Lera and says “You know what happened as much as I do, Lera. What more can we do for him? Our options are kinda limited.”

With a smile on her face, Lera looks at the child and says “What's your name?”

“L-Leo....”

“Leo. That's a great name. Listen, your mom isn't here, and you probably won't be able to see her for a long time, but you need a mother and a father at your age. Me and Boz would be happy to take care of you. Would that be okay with you?

“My mom's gone...?”

“Yes, but so is everybody's in this room. We all have to rely on each other now, which is why I'm going to take care of you. We'll treat you like you're our very own son, we swear. Isn't that right, Boz?

Boz, taking his baseball cap off and putting it over his chest, says “I swear it, Leo. We'll make sure you are safe and happy until you find your mom, you have my promise.

Upon getting to her feet, Lera, Boz and Leo notice a woman coming forward from the crowd, who most of them quickly notice is Sherah “Hey, I know you two have been through a lot. I just wanted to make sure you're alright.”

“I was having a lot of trouble at first, my mind was in a dark place just a few minutes ago, but I got myself out of it, and I did it by finding purpose.” Lera says, wiping the remains of her tears away.

“Purpose? How so?” Sherah asks, genuinely curious.

“Because of Leo.” Lera says, giving Leo a light pat on his head “He made me realize there's more to life than grief. You just need to keep moving forward, especially when there are people who rely on you, and that's why we've decided to adopt him.”

“Ah, lost his parents, I suppose?” Sherah says, her eyes shifting to the young child before returning to Lera and Boz “Well, it shouldn't be too hard to get you custody, especially with all of us in the JB accounting for your credibility. However, there is a snag.”

Boz, with a little concern in his mind asks “And that would be?”

“The two of you aren't married. UMA protocol for adoption requires that adopting parents must be married if they are adopting as a couple. Single parents don't have to worry too much on that part, but that requires more time and paperwork. It would basically be your choice between marrying or waiting longer, and one of you wouldn't be considered his guardian.

“Wouldn't there be a concern about age, though? I mean, we're still high-schoolers...” Boz questions.

“Legal marriage age in the UMA is seventeen. Adult activities, however, are legal at eighteen. I won't get into the details, especially with Leo here, but there was a large court case over a majority of planets in UMA jurisdiction over customs related to refugee orphans, and this is what eventually was the result. Took quite a few years though, it became a mess between religious customs and consideration for uh... what was happening that we are currently dealing with even now, but this is what happened.”

All the while during this, Lera's mind is drifting over the concept of the two of them getting married. Lera focuses back at the end of Sherah's explanation, saying “So, we can get married?” she then looks back over at him, saying “Boz?”

Boz, scratching the back of his head, mutters “Uh... well... I thought we would do it once we graduated Unimori, but... yeah. If we can do it early, and do it for Leo and you, then yes.”

“I see, then I'll help you through the paperwork. It shouldn't be too difficult to get the work done. Given that the two of you just lost your world and have the nanobot treatment, your age should be easy to verify and we can label you under refugee for the lack of background info. That would result in, for the most part, psych profiles being done by UMA psychologists, along with whatever second-hand information can be attested to by other peoples they know, which would be easy for everyone here to assert that you two would be good parents.” Sherah says, looking towards Leo near the end of her explanation.

Boz, for the first time since the loss of his world, releases a smile “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!”

One week passes, the paperwork is filed and evaluations completed, and everything gains the greenlight. By this point, the Investigation group has calmed their tears, and began thinking of their future options. They have agreed to work with the JB for the time being, but most have addressed that they still do not trust Raphael. Boz and Lera have also agreed, but asked for time to have a small wedding, so that they may gain custody of Leo. Raphael sees no problem with this, as the next mission he is planning to do would not require them.

The wedding is short and small. A few members of the JB, specifically the team responsible for the Sentient Society are in attendance, along with Sherah. Also in attendance are the Investigation group, most of them having pushed away their grief, to a degree, over the previous week. Boz and Lera, however, are the happiest they have been since even before the loss of their world, all of the terror and uncertainty gone within this moment.

Their oaths are taken, a kiss is made, and they are bound together. Lera gains a new surname, and Leo has a new family. All feels right in their world, for home is where you make it, and their world will be with them in their hearts and minds, never missing until the day it is returned to them, however long that may be.

A day after the wedding, Lera is giving Leo that well-deserved haircut he needed one week too many. She had some understanding of how to use an electric razor, given her mother was a hair stylist and had taught her daughter how to do a fair, even cut many years ago. Her skill with it was a mite rusty, but she still knew what she was doing.

Leo, having spent time with Lera and Boz over the past week, has had his tears lift away. He knows the two of them are going to help him get back to his mom, but it could take a long time, and he could be an adult by the time it happens, but they will never stop fighting to get them home. He keeps himself as still as he can, but the buzz of the razor near his ears causes him to giggle slightly whenever it gets close, which causes Lera to giggle as well.

A few minutes later and Leo's hair has been put back into shape. His hair is cut close and even, and he notes that his ear's feel a lot cooler now. Lera shows him a mirror to see himself “How does it look, Leo? Did I do a good job?”

“Yeah, I feel a lot better! Thanks mom!”

“Mom... that's going to take a little getting used to. I don't mind it though, I actually like it. It's just that....” Lera thinks for a moment before shutting her eyes and shaking her head. “You know what, never mind. How about we go get something to eat? I heard that they have a soft-serve machine at the cafeteria they just got in! Just remember not to eat to much.”

“Okay, I promise.” Leo says, feeling the close cut feel of his hair with one hand.

With a smile on her face, Lera and Leo leave their room in the general's quarters of the bunker, with the hope in Lera's life being reformed anew.