~~~~Yuki~~~~

            A few weeks had passed since Haru's memory had been erased. I spent the first day crying, and the first week in pain. Haru remained at the main house for a while, Hatori said it would be best.

            During that time, I had been ordered to see Akito. The visit was hellish on me. I expected him to lash out with every word cooed from his lips.

 "You disobeyed me Yuki… by rights I should have you re-educated to the severest of punishments…" He said softly, his hand dancing on my face.

            I felt myself trembling, but I wouldn't back down, not this time. I stared him in the eyes, "I'm not abandoning him, and you can't stop me."

Akito stood up, his eyes boring down on me, a devilish smile across his face, "Oh… we shall see… for now, you may be. Stay with the stupid cow. Just remember, sweet Yuki..." He reached to me, and pulled my chin up so my eyes met his cold grey orbs, "The harder you love… the harder you fall. I broke you once, I will do it again."

I stared into his harsh eyes, and rose to me feet, "Love conquers all, your control on us has expired."

I stood up and walked out of the room, faintly hearing and ignoring Akito ordering me back.

It was undoubted I would pay for this later, that Haru and I still would have to fight. Fight until the tyrant was laid to rest. But I could do it now, I had been through hell and back, I could endure any punch thrown at me. Let Akito bring on his re-education, I wasn't scared. For once, I would be strong.

*                   *                  *

I sat on my bed, thoughts stampeding through my head. Haru was due to show up any moment, Hatori had agreed we could see each other again. I was not to speak of Tohru unless asked, which shouldn't happen. I was by no means to tell what had actually happened. Including Haru's time with me. Hatori said it would be obvious a mind erase had occurred if I reminded him of anything.

            I sighed deeply, and heard my door creak open. Immediately my eyes flashed to the door, and the familiar white haired boy looked back at me. His face was blank, not filled with the joy I so had come accustomed to when we saw each other before.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep composure. I stood up and walked to him, "Hello Hatsuharu, it's a pleasure to see you again, and I think we'll make good roommates. My hopes are we become the best of friends." My soul was crying, enraged I couldn't hold him again.

            He nodded a little, like he was contemplating if I was teasing him or not. He raised his chin up boldly, "You're a rat, I'm not supposed to trust or like you. But..."

            I wanted to die at the words. I looked at him, wondering if the immense hurt in me was showing. I was in awe, the amount erased was more then I could ever imagine, even our childhood memories were gone. I gulped deeply and shut out the thoughts, "But?"

            He smiled, that sweet easy going smile I loved, "but, something inside argues. Quite the opposite really, I wish to trust you with all my heart. Can I trust the sneaky devilish rat?"

            I thought for a moment and with a smile walked to my sock drawer.

            Carefully wrapped, as it had been for a year or so, was the little clay cow and rat. My trembling hands unwrapped the treasure; more precious then the genies lamp, the samurai's sword, or ones own pride. I smiled, proud the animals were in perfect condition, I may have wept had they not.

            I returned to Haru, and gently pulled his hand in mine. He looked at me confused for a moment. A tiny smile rose on his face, as well as a blush in his cheeks. I gently opened his hand and placed the little cow with the rat on its back in his hand. He cocked his head and gazed at it for a moment, then looked at me questioningly.

            "Why should you trust the rat? Let me tell you a story… The cow wasn't tricked into carrying the rat… Trickery had nothing to do with it; it was love, and only love." I started off, ready for him to learn the true story.

As he softly smiled, I realized for the first time in a year, it would all be ok, that nothing, not even a god clad in fury terror and pain could break the eternal love of the rat and cow.

                        ~~~~Akito, four months later~~~~

            I am now too sick to even move. My time will be over soon. The thought depresses and excites me, but for now I just wait. I put up with Hatori's doctor visits, and Shigure's attempts at cheering me. Today I just sit, and gaze out the window. Today I don't gaze at the flowers or the birds. I gaze at Yuki and Haru, in the garden.

            Yuki has placed a flower in Haru's hair, it looks ridiculous. I smirk, knowing I can do nothing now. I tried to punish them, they overcame it. Where am I to go from here? I have failed as head of house, and everyone knows it. I watch the boys, they sit together, holding each other close. It makes me more nauseas than I had been. I had wanted them to be birds, for them to fly. Yuki had almost flown, ordering Haru's memory erased. Then he crashed, associating with him once more.

            He was a damn pigeon.

            A pigeon that loved a cow, ridiculous.

            But they looked so happy. What I would've given to be like that. I lay back on my pillow, bored of watching them. I was alone, and I was no bird. I shut my eyes, still waiting. Soon, I would be free, I would have wings.

~~~~Haru~~~~

            Yuki and I sat in the garden, talking to each other and playing around though we had been friends for years. He had put some pink flower in my hair. It was silly, but it made him laugh. His smile was gold to me, and if it took me looking like a ninny to get it, I would do it. I smiled happily, I remember being sad and miserable for months and months. Four short months in Yuki's care and I was revived. How could I have known my love would go to the one I was told to not trust, the sneaky manipulative rat?

            I wrapped my arms tightly around him and kissed his cheek, happy he had handed me a scrap of paper with a poem on it. I would never tell him but it was rather child-like. Instead I told him the other truth, it was the best thing I had ever received, and it made me giddy to read it.

            I smiled to him, his princely grin returned mine. I hugged him tight and whispered in his ear, "Thank you… for confessing your love for me… I don't know if I could've done it."

            I felt his hand squeeze my own, and he talked as though he knew something I didn't, "You could've. I just believed it was my turn to say something."

            I kissed his soft lips, and he returned it. He looked into my eyes, something he never failed to do, and told me without shame or hesitation, "You've taught me so much… thank you... You will never be alone. Don't ever forget that."

            I hugged him, my mind was nagging with the words déjà vu, and I discarded the thought. "Thank you Yuki. I will never leave your side. Don't you forget it!"

            With a grin I jumped to my feet and offered him my hand which he gladly took. "I'm hungry, want to go home and find some food?"

            He laughed, and wrapped his arm around my waist, letting himself lean into me. A slight nod left his head, "Let's go home."

            We took off still clinging, heading home together. It should have always been this way. It can't be made up, but we can always keep it this way, and I intend to. Yuki was right, the rat didn't trick the cow, it was love, an undying devotion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My life begins today
right this minute I'm accepting my weaknesses
continued struggle
goes on forever
the pointlessness of feeling useless
we can survive tonight,
tonight while I'm at your side
I'm through crying over the milk that has yet to spill

standing still, amidst a commotion
while the force against us is in perpetual motion
we can survive tonight
tonight and I'm at your side
We don't need to be all alone
we can hold up one another
We won't be all alone, if we hang on to each other
Days spent in a hurry, destined never to return
don't fret, don't worry, we've got lessons left to learn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel warm and fuzzy. I hope you do too. =P  Thanks to you all for reading and reviewing, so appreciated you have no idea ^^ 

Till next time,

Haru-the-bishie-chaser

Song list/credits: (wouldn't want Metallica to have a hissy fit and sue me now would we?)

Don't let me be misunderstood- The Animals

Truly Madly Deeply- Savage Garden

Killing Game- Skinny Puppy

Dreamer- Ozzy Osbourne

Lonely is the Night- Billy Squier

Nothing Else Matters- Metallica

In the End- Linkin Park

Blackheart- V-mob

Black and White- Static X

Bloody Valentine- Good Charlotte

Lip Gloss and Black- Atreyu

Art of Life- X Japan

We will meet again- Vast

Decompression/Debilitation- The Impossibles