Tarius heard Sheal running in the inn. He used to tell him to be quiet in the inn, but Sheal seemed not to listen.

"Don't run …"

Tarius opened their room door and scolded Sheal whom he couldn't see. At the time, the rooms other than theirs and the next were empty and Yuria was out. Sheal might be too relaxed because of that, but promises were promises.

Tarius found Sheal and gave a glare. Then Sheal turned around to avoid being scolded.. Just then, he lost his first step.

"I said don't run…"

"I see… Ow… Ow… Ouch!"

Then, he might have tangled as he walked, or lost his steps, Sheal rolled down from the stairs which he still had a few more steps.

"Sheal, are you alright?"

Tarius immediately got down the stairs and raised Sheal in his arms. He tapped Sheal's cheeks, but he got no reaction.

"What's wrong then?"

The landlady heard the noise, and came to check them.

"Hey! Are you alright? Hey!"

The landlady seemed panicked to see Sheal who is wilting in Tarius's arums. She opened her eyes wide, and called Sheal over and over.

"Mm…"

Maybe because of that, Sheal opened his eyes a little after a while.

"Sheal, are you alright?"

"Where am I?"

"Where? My inn and your house now."

"Where's mom?"

Tarius and the landlady looked at each other at Sheal's question.

"Elane is not here"

"Who are you?"

There was a deadsilent.

"Please, who are you?"

"You mean your father? Don't you remember?"

"Uh… My dad?"

His memories were mixed up. He might have hit his head when he rolled down fron the stairs.

"Hey, can you tell me your name?"

"Sure. Sheal. Sheal McRelay."

He somehow still had some memories, but the situation must have been quite complex.

"Hey, are you really my father?"

"No… The father you meant is…"

Probably his real father.

"Yes."

As Tarius was to say no, the landlady interrupted.

"You were so close, weren't you?"

"I cannot remember any of them…"

"You forgot them for a little while because you fell down and hit your head. I'm sure you'll remember everything soon, so please don't run inside my inn."

Not only Sheal but also Tarius felt very relieved thanks to the optimistic landlady.

Tarius changed his mind and chacked Sheal, but he couldn't tell any particular trauma. Then, they decided to go back to their room.

"May I read that picture book a little?"

Sheal looked at Tarius reservedly. As Tatius thought back, Sheal used to be like this. He used to be modest, reserved, and looked like enduring something all the time.

"You don't need to ask. They are all yours."

"All of them? Really?"

"Yes. You have got a lot without notice."

Tarius had to leave Sheal alone during the day; although he became Sheal's parent. Even there's no way other than that, Tarius felt uneasy about it and bought picture books to keep Sheal from getting bored or lonely.

As time passed, Sheal gained more books, and now his shelf is almost full. Tarius noticed that Sheal had opened his mind so much that he could pester for new books.

"I think your favorite was…"

"This one!"

Their fingers hit each other in front of the shelf.

"Did you remember?"

"No, I just guessed. Other things… No… I cannot remember them at all."

As staring at his favorite book, Sheal dropped his shoulders.

"Don't worry you will remember. By then, shall I read it for you?"

"Ow… Will you?"

Sheal used to ask Tarius to read the books. Recently he seemed to want to enjoy reading them by himself, so they hadn't read then together for a while.

"Don't expect too much, I am not as good as Elane."

"Alright. I won't."

Tarius gave a smile involuntarily at Sheal's reaction. This was how Sheal reacted usually.

"He has got the same sleeping face."

As They read half of the book, Sheal started to give a breathing sounds of sleeping.

Tarius wondered perhaps the time Sheal spent with him was something he wanted to forget. If Sheal couldn't regain his memories, how he should treat Sheal?" Tarius felt lost and left the room with no purpose.

"Sheal!"

The very first thing Tarius saw was Sheal's back at the high window. He always told Sheal to close the window when he rode on the bay window, but he thought that Sheal didn't remember it. Tarius felt his pulse got fast by founding out Sheal who was almost falling down.

"Get down."

"No!"

"Sheal, you will be seriously injured if you fall down from there."

"I don't care. I might remember things if I hit my head again."

"You acting the fool. What would happen if you died? It will be much more serious than losing memories."

"But…"

"Listen to me!"

As Tarius shouted loudly, Sheal hesitated momently. Seeing it, Tarius grabbed Sheal's neck, and tried to pull down him.

"No!"

"Hey!"

Sheal struggled hard and Tarius fell down on the floor with his back after they straggled each other for a while.

"Hey, dad. Are you alright?"

Sheal, who was on Tarius's stomach, looked into him with anxiety. Tarius seemed not to be injured seriously, but he hit his back quite badly.

"What makes you think only immediate things?"

"Because I don't like it. I don't like I cannot remember about myself. I cannot remember what happened here, dad, and everything else. I don't like it."

"You can learn from the beginning if you cannot remember."

"How? I don't remember even what I forgot."

"I can teach you them."

Tarius thought he didn't need to worry. They had built their relationship from the beginning. It didn't make much difference if they had to go back a little.

"I know everything about you."

"You are liar."

"No, I am not. What you like is chocolate and Mizet, and what you don't like is lightning and darkness. You are learning swordplay to be able to fight with those ghosts. And then…"

Opening his mouth, Sheal listened to what Tarius told him quietly.

"And then, what you dislike the most is…"

"Yes?"

"Discipline."

"Discipline?"

He wasn't sure, but it sounded very bad.

"Ow. What?"

Tarius raised his upper body, and held Shal on his knees.

"I will discipline you once more if you cannot remember."

"Ow, no. What?"

As looking back in a panic, Sheal saw his bare buttocks which Tarius pulled down his cloths.

"No…"

Tarius's big hand fell on Sheal's buttocks. As his hand made big noise, Sheal felt his butt became hot.

"No, dad, I don't like this!"

"You have got only one body. Why you cannot take care of it?"

"Ow. I had enough. Enough!"

The pain increased, and Sheal thought he couldn't take it anymore. Sheal hit the floor with his both hands.

"No. I wouldn't stop as long as you say such a thing. Listen, Sheal. No dangerous actions. That was the first thing I taught you."

Sheal felt he was losing his consciousness as he was spanked by Tarius. He lost his hearing and lost the sense of pain.

"What?" Please stop. What did I do?"

"You still ask such a thing?"

"After all, I don't know. Daddy, please stop."

"Be quiet! … What? What did you say?"

"What? I said please stop."

"No. Before that. Sheal, can you tell me who I am? Who am I?"

Tarius picked Sheal roughly and made him sit on the floor.

"You lost your memories?"

"Answer me anyway."

"Alright. Your name is Tarius. A teacher of the cadet school, my tutor, and my family. Daddy, did you remember?"

"Yes. Yes. Good."

"Daddy…!"

As Sheal rubbed his bare buttocks, Tarius held him so tightly. Sheal, who couldn't figure out the situation, broke free Tarius's hold.

"This is no good, It's nasty being spanked when I woke up."

"Yeah, I can tell it…"

"What did I do?"

Sheal awkwardly put his cloth on. He vaguely felt he did something wrong.

"I guess you don't remember, I was scolding you because you were about to fall down from that window."

"I wouldn't do such a thing."

"Yes. You did."

"I promised you not to do it when I rose the roof from the window and got spanked badly. So, I wouldn't do such a thing any more."

It seemed that Sheal remembered everything, Including about Tarius, the promises with him, and the spanking he got.

"Hey, are you listening?"

"Yes, I am. Sheal."

"What?"

He looked the same, but the boy in front of Tarius was the son he loved so mch.

"Welcome back."


The end

2nd Nov. 2011
Translator:Ai