Back to ze past

"Yes I can." He laughed quietly. "I need to fix his captain doll too." Shade stood up.
"I'm going to go start helping out with clearing the fields." He said. 'I'll be back later." Taro nodded.
"If you need my help just tell me."
Shade grunted and shut the door.

"Maybe I should make your brother some girl dolls, sneak them into his room. What do you think?"

"Yes!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Do that!" she giggled. "He'd be sooo mad."

Taro smiled slightly. "Want me to start making your doll now?"

"Only if you want." Evelyn said shyly, biting the sleeve of her nightdress. "OH! Yuki got back this morning! He has a puppy!"

"Really? And how do you know that?" He asked, looking mildly amused. "Okay. I'll go see Yuki, I'll then make your doll, and then we can play a joke on your brother. Sound good?"

"Yay!" Evelyn grinned and clapped her hands

"Right, I'll be back in a bit." He said and beamed at the child. "See you soon." He headed for Yuki's house.

Evelyn waved goodbye before turning to Rhun. "RHHUUNN!" She screamed, running to look for him. "You need to clean your room!"

"DO NOOOT!" He hollered back from his room. "MUM DIDN'T SAY SO!"

---

Taro knocked on Yuki's door, humming to himself.

"Yes she did!" Evelyn exclaimed. "You just didn't hear her!" She kicked his door.

---

Yuki looked up. Who was bothering him now? Placing the puppy gently on the floor, He stood and opened his door.

"Don't kick my door!" Rhun snapped. "I'll tell Mum on you."

---

Taro smiled. "Hey, just thought I'd come and say hi. Evelyn said you had a puppy"

"Your not playing fair!" Evelyn said, sticking her tongue out.

---

"Word travels fast." Yuki commented, giving Taro a small smile as he moved his hair from his face. "Even with the fire going on." She stepped out of the way so Taro could come in.

"Well you're not playing." Rhun grumbled, opening his door. His room was an absolute mess. Dolls and random toys were scattered across the floor, his blankets in a pile in the corner - he'd pulled down his fort.

---

"I know. That will prove a huge problem soon" He said lightly, walking inside. "Named the puppy?"

"Clean up or mum will be mad." Evelyn said, putting her hands on her hips. "And she'll cry again."

---

"Haru." Yuki said, picking the puppy up. He wouldn't say why.

Taro smiled softly. "That's a nice name. He's adorable." The blonde commented, reaching over to scratch Haru behind the ears.

---

"She won't cry, and it's so boring, cleaning."

The puppy panted and gave a small bark as he looked about the room. Yuki smiled softly and placed Haru on the ground.

---

"Do it or I'll cry and run to daddy saying you hurt me." Evelyn nodded.

"But I didn't!" He whined. "You'rre so mean!" He said angrily and stormed across his room, picking up toys as he went.

---

"So, how are you?" Taro questioned, leaning against tthe wall.

Evelyn grinned. she won!

---

"Getting there slowly every day." Yuki said, making his way across the room with a shrug. "But... Getting there."

"Maybe you should take Haru here out for a walk. Pupppies always have too much energy." He said, crouching and calling the pup over. "Might be nice for you too, get to go out more often."

Haru ran over to taro and jumped into his arms, licking his face.

Yuki shook his head. "I can't face the world, not while I'm like this. Haru can play around the back."

Taro petted the pup, brushing him away from his face with a small smile. "If there's one thing I can tell you, keeping yourself locked up makes it worse." He said, sitting back on his heels and looking up to the demon.

"Back in England... I barely ever left the room I was given. I didn't speak to anyone. It was only when one of the maids started trying to befriend me that I started to wake up a little." He said, eyes fixed on the puppy once again. "Even if you don't speak to anyone, just getting out more often, maybe taking Haru down to the river. Just doing things makes it easier."

Yuki sat down and held his head, his eyes wide as he looked to the floor. "I just- I loved him so much. Every day it... It doesn't seem worth even waking up for anymore. I don't get to see his smile, hear him call my name." Yuki gave a laugh, a few tear drops hitting the ground. "What I'd give to even go back to before we were lovers. Just to see him again.. feel him. Know that he's safe and warm and... Mine."

Taro stopped patting Haru, shaking his head sadly. "But death isn't something that can be changed." He said. He didn't know what to saay, exactly... at all, but seeing Yuki like this was heart-wrenching, and he didn't know how to comfort him.

"No. It isn't." Yuki gave a small laugh and looked up to Taro. "And thats what hurts the most." he took in a shaky breath and looked away, trying to blink away the tears threatening to fall. "I just want him back." Yuki's jaw clentched. "And I want to kill whoever took him from me. No, I don't even want to do that. I'd forgive them, hug them, be friends with them, anything... Anything if it would bring him back to me." Tears were now rolling down his cheeks.

Taro exhaled softly and moved over to sit beside Yuki, placing an arm around his shoulders. "But he wouldn't have wanted you to be making yourself live like this. He would have wanted anything but. He really loved you, annd he wouldn't want you to be suffering like this."