“Papa! Papa hurry up!” Seto tugged his father’s shirt. “We’re gonna be late!”

The man laughed. “Ok, ok!” He fastened the last button on his younger son’s jumper. “Done! Let’s go put on our shoes.”

“Mama first!” the first born demanded.

Papa laughed again. The 7-year-old was very particular about almost everything. Especially time.

“Yes. We say good morning to the family first.”

The three gathered in front of the family altar. Mama's picture was in the center. Around it was Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Yuki and Uncle Taka and Mochisan the dog. Papa lit an incense, and they all bowed their heads. A moment of remembrance for the family that waits in the next world.

Mama didn’t want to go to the next world, Papa had told Seto two years ago. She wanted to stay with baby Mokuba and Seto and Papa. But someone on the other side needed her, so it was time for her to go. Don’t be sad because she’s gone. Live a happy life so you have lots of good things to tell her when you see her again.

Papa sighed. “Ok, boys. It’s time for us to go.”

“Wait.” Seto looked intently as his mother’s picture. “Mama, please tell Papa he has to get a new mama.”

“What?” Papa stared at the boy. “Where -”

“Tuwa-chan got a new mama, and a new onii-chan. And Aki-sensei said that men like Papa need a woman to take care of them, or at least an omega like Shin-chan -”

“Shin-sensei,” Papa corrected.

“- and Auntie Reiko from next door smells funny and doesn’t give Papa the happy face like Tuwa-chan’s new mama.”

“Ah.” Papa nodded. “I see.” He knelt beside his sons. “Seto, Mokuba. Mama told me when she left that it was ok for me to find a new mama. But I haven’t. You want to know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want a mama that will just make me happy. I want someone who will be happy with us. All of us. And that’s a very hard person to find.”

“Why?”

“Why? Huh. Why.” He stood up. “Come on. Let’s see if I can explain on the way, ok?”

They walked to the daycare and dropped off little Mokuba. Then, Papa and Seto walked to the primary school. The whole time, Papa tried to find a way to make relationships simple.

Seto frowned. “That’s not right!” he huffed as they arrived at his school. “You should have a faded bear too!”

Papa laughed. “Fated Pair. But, I think I’d rather have a ‘faded bear’. Give Papa a hug, ‘faded bear’.” They held each other for a moment.

“Papa, when I grow up, I’m gonna tell everybody they have to find a faded bear.”

“You’re going to tell everybody? You’re going to run the world?”

“Yes.”

Papa laughed and kissed his cheek. “Ok! When you run the world, everybody will be very happy!”

In class, Seto was still thinking about it.

“You look very serious today, Seto-kun.” Shin-sensei sat beside him. “Want to tell me what’s up?”

“Do you have a faded bear?”

“A - oh.” He smiled and sighed wistfully. “No. But somewhere, out there, the perfect Alpha waits for me. Why? Do you like someone?”

Seto shook his head. “Why does it have to be an Alpha?”

“I don’t know.” The teacher shrugged. “Just the way it works. Boys like girls, Alphas like omegas.”

“We should all be Betas,” Seto insisted.

“Why?”

“So we can all like anybody.”

“You can like anybody.” Shin-sensei smiled gently. “But the fairy tales about Fated Pairs are all about people who are so different that they can’t help but fall in love. You want to know a secret?” He leaned closer. “Really, no matter how far apart you seem, the person you fall in love with will be just like you. And it won’t matter a bit if it’s a boy or a girl, or an Alpha, Beta, or omega.”

The teacher ruffled Seto’s hair. “But that’s a lot to think about. You’re supposed to be writing what kind of job you want when you grow up.”

“I’m going to run the world,” Seto said matter-of-factly. He handed over his neatly written assignment.

“The whole world?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s a big job! How are you going to do that?”

Seto frowned as he considered that.

“Shin-sensei,” Aki-sensei called him from the doorway. The Headmaster was with her.

Seto watched the teachers’ whispered conversation, and recognized the distressed expressions. Something bad had happened. Something bad they didn’t want the children to know.

The teachers all looked at him.

“Seto-kun,” Aki-sensei looked like she was going to cry even though she was smiling. “Reiko-san came to pick you up early today.” Behind her, Shin-sensei covered his face with both hands. “Come on, dear, let’s go get your things.”