Some parents love their children. Unfortunately, not all of them do. There are parents who genuinely don't feel any attachment to their children. There are parents who mistreat and abuse their children. And there are parents who are emotionally distant from their kids.

Shu Kurenai had extremely neglectful parents. His whole life, he had been ignored, unloved, and neglected by none other than his parents. The very same people who had created him treated him like he was trash.

The Kurenai parents had not wanted a child at all, so it was a huge shock for Mrs. Kurenai when she found out she was pregnant. All her friends congratulated her and said she was very lucky to be a mother.

When Shu was born, his parents, instead of being excited about his birth, completely ignored their son. Although all of Shu's relatives adored the sweet looking child with messy white hair, bright crimson eyes, and pale skin, his parents seemed to hate those features. 

As an infant, Shu never received the love and care he needed from his parents. He was never picked up when he cried and had received no cuddles from them. There were times when his parents wouldn't feed him, and he would cry so much that he would make himself sick.

Luckily for Shu, Hinata Ishida, his mother's younger sister, noticed how severely neglected he was and offered to care for him. Of course, Shu's parents agreed, as it meant that they didn't have to bother with him.

Hinata was nine years younger than her sister. She had never received any affection from her sister, so she knew how alone Shu must be feeling. Although she was a college student and had a part-time job, she made sure that Shu received all the care and attention he needed. 

Shu enjoyed his aunt's company. He was never told how his parents truly felt about him. Hinata told Shu that his parents had to work a lot to be able to buy nice presents for him. Shu never learned that his aunt was the one buying him all the things he wanted, believing that they came from his parents.

Hinata grew attached to her nephew and wished that she could adopt him. But in her heart, she knew it wasn't possible. She was too young, and there was no way she could afford adoption. But it saddened her to know that Shu was stuck with parents who didn't love him.

One day, tragedy struck. At the age of twenty two, Hinata passed away from a serious illness. Shu had visited her at the hospital shortly before, his parents simply leaving him there for the day as they couldn't be bothered to hire a babysitter.

The three-year-old child cried at his aunt's bedside. "Aunty Hina, don't leave me!" he sobbed. 

Hinata looked at her nephew sadly. "I'm sorry, Shu, but I have to go soon," she said.

"Why do you have to die?" asked Shu.

"Sometimes people die young. I know that it's hard for you to hear."

"But... what will happen to me? Mommy and Daddy are always working."

"Shu, you are a very brave boy. You must stay strong, no matter what."

And then Hinata's eyes closed for the final time. Shu completely lost it.

"Aunty Hina? Aunty Hina, wake up! Please, wake up!" 

Shu was in such a state of shock that he could only scream and cry. He cried so much that his shirt became wet, and he started hiccupping. Shu cried and cried until he somehow put himself to sleep. 

Shu's parents didn't try to help their son while he grieved for his aunt. The heartbroken little boy was left all alone in a small apartment. The process was truly difficult for Shu. He hated feeling isolated and alone, so he made up his mind to become self-sufficient. So at four years old, he slowly learned to look after himself.

Shu cleaned up the house and taught himself how to cook. He used the money in his piggy bank to go out and buy groceries. Although people were astonished to see a little kid on his own, they didn't say anything about it. 

However, Shu was very anxious when it was time for him to start kindergarten. He had only spent a year in preschool, and nobody had wanted to talk to him there as the other kids screamed when they saw his red eyes and ran away. Shu also had practically zero social skills. 

At first, Shu had no friends in kindergarten. He was so quiet and timid that despite other kids' efforts to talk to him, they soon gave up. But that all changed one day when Valt Aoi came into his life.

Valt was the complete opposite of Shu. He was loud, talkative, and friendly. He made sure to always include Shu in everything he did. Soon, Shu became very comfortable with the boy he will soon come to think of his best friend.