PART 6

"Taizo, wake up." Kozi grinned and shook his shoulder where Taizo’s face was resting as he slept against his back.

Taizo mumbled something and yawned hugely as he looked around at the trees slowly passing. He smiled and clicked his heels against the sides of the horse. They started trotting. Kozi scowled and slowed the confused horse back down. How many times could Taizo do that before it wasn’t funny to him anymore? Apparently he wasn’t tired of it yet since he was giggling to himself. Kozi only shook his head.

Taizo let his head fall back down again and nuzzled the back of Kozi’s warm neck. "So where are we going?" Not that he really cared. He could go anywhere, as long as they didn’t leave the forest… In Taizo’s entire life he had never once left the comforts of his surroundings. He even avoided the edge of the woods! He reached around and played with the buttons of his jackets absantly.

Kozi hesitated. "I have a job to do still…"

Taizo froze and pulled his hand back. "Oh."

"It’s a lot of money, Taizo…"

Taizo grunted sarcastically. "Yes, of course. Money is more important than life after all."

Kozi shook his head slowly. "You don’t understand… after this I will have enough money to stop. I’ll never have to do a job again."

"You know I’m going to try to stop you." Taizo said grumpily and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kozi nodded. "I wouldn’t expect less."

Kaoru was lying over the top of Hakuei, though they were both clothed. It was mid-afternoon and they were both bored. They had finished the chores before even mid-morning and had already ate lunch. Kaoru hadn’t eaten better food in his life. They had started with a chicken salad and ended with fresh, peeled and sliced fruit grown in the green house. Kaoru almost felt ashamed until Hakuei had taken his hand and told him to knock it off.

"So, tell me about your life." Hakuei said and stroked Kaoru’s freshly trimmed hair. Hakuei had done it himself when they woke up. The ends of his hair had been so broken it looked totally demolished. Now it was smooth and smelled like Hakuei’s shampoo. (Night Note: I know there wasn’t shampoo back then, but it smells better than soap, ne? ^_^)

"There is not much to tell." Kaoru said. "I have not had a very interesting life, more tedious than anything. My parents weren’t married, just one-time lovers. They were both slaves and sold off, they never saw each other again. I lived with my mother until I was ten in a tiny one-room shack with two other families. That’s when I was sold… and I never saw her again. I’m sure your life has been better than mine."

"Well, I wasn’t liked very much. My family thought I was too tall. Girls avoided me because they thought I was weird... I kept to myself most of the time and I don’t usually date women. Sometimes people come here to make appearances or introduce their daughter’s, hoping I’ll take one as a wife since I have a lot of money.

‘There is a lot of talk going around about me because of my interest in men. You should have seen my dad’s face when he caught me with…" He trailed off and shook his arm as if it didn’t matter. "I’m lucky I got anything when my father died. He didn’t like me much, but I am his only child and the money had to be kept in the family."

Kaoru was silent. He thought that he would take Hakuei’s life over his own any day but still didn’t say anything.

Hakuei blushed. "I know it sounds like I’m simply whining."

"No, it’s okay." Kaoru said as he stared out the window as the tiny crystals of ice. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Hakuei pushed his eyebrows together. "There’s a blizzard outside! Let’s stay here, ne? Hey, do you like birds?"

Taizo was becoming more allert. He knew they were nearing the edge of the woods from how there was much fewer branches and weeds going across the path. Also the shrubbery among the trees was thinner. It was usually thicker farther in because of the traffic of small animals leaving the woods trampling it down towards the ends as they ran out to patrol the estate grounds at night and the weather could beat at it through and around the trees easier on the outside. Taizo squirmed on the saddle.

"What’s wrong?" Kozi asked turning his head slightly.

"We’re almost there, aren’t we?" He asked coolly, he was losing his patience rather quickly. He thought about taking the bow and arrows and hiding them high up in a tree but didn’t want the only lover he’d ever had to be mad at him.

"Yes, we are almost there… you don’t have to go to the house with me… You can wait for me somewhere if you’d like…"

"Oh, really?" Taizo said with mock happiness. "May I really? Then what, when you come back I get to wash the blood from your skin and clothes?"

Kozi sighed angerly, he didn’t want to point out the fact that he would actually be nowhere near Hakuei when he killed him. Taizo didn’t understand at all. They rode on silently as a dark cloud of silence settled over them.

Kaoru looked around totally amazed. The room was set up like a tropical jungle but the walls and ceiling were set up to match the greenhouse. It was very warm in the room. Hakuei and Kaoru were standing on a narrow gravel path winding its way through the large room.

(Night Note: Have you ever been in one of those buildings at a zoo where its a big greenhouse with tropical birds and butterflys flying all around you with no cages?? If you haven’t you HAVE to go its so cool!)

The birds were loud though Kaoru could only see a few around him. "Where are all those bird noises coming from?"

Hakuei laughed. "This is my own little bird-sanctuary. Come here." He took Kaoru hand and led him around a curve to an opening where there was a large pond built into the ground and benches set up though most have them were covered with bird droppings. At least a hundred birds were gathered around this area, some species he had never seen before! He watched in amazement as a large bird with bright red and green feathers (Night Note: Can you guess what this is?) flew in front of them.

The thing that made the room look the most beautiful was that the walls were pure glass and through the oasis he could see the snow still falling heavily and resting up two feet against the bottom panels. Kaoru hadn’t realized that Hakuei left his side until he returned cutting his hand shut holding something.

"Hold out your palm." He sprinkled bird seed onto Kaoru’s palm and quickly stepped back, as the sound of the bird seed falling made every bird nearby, nearly ten birds all rush Kaoru and quickly sat on his hand and arm to get the seed.

Kaoru laughed loud and happy for the first time in a long time. Hakuei beemed that he could make him so happy and slid up behind him to wrap his arms around him as he watched the birds devour the seeds. "Are you happy?"

Kaoru smiled. "I don’t know why you want me to here but I’m happy you do." He rested back against the firm chest.

Kozi ignored the happy smiles on the two men’s faces as he spied at them through the opera glasses he had stolen from Yuki. He could only imagine how red his face would get if he knew, then he wondered if he knew already.

Taizo glanced up at Kozi from where he was kneeling beside the stream. There was a hole in front of him where Kozi had helped him drop a heavy rock into the thickly frozen water. His hair was soaked against his scalp from dunking his head into a deeper part of the stream. The cold didn’t bother him as it did Kozi, considering he wasn’t human. The water felt good streaming down the side of his face. He rubbed water absently over his arms.

He watched as Kozi set down the opera glasses beside him and pulled out his bow and arrow. He had told him before they had got there to go wash up by the stream. Did he think Taizo was an idiot? Did he think he could finish before Taizo was done?

Taizo padded back to Kozi, who jumped as he turned and saw Taizo walk towards him. Kozi only looked at him, but with a determined look, turned away.

He held his breath as he aimed, not wanting the slight movement to disturb the path of the arrow. He closed one eye, the dot of the arrowhead touched Hakuei’s smiling face. Quickly, get it over quickly… He closed his eyes, hoping he would move before the arrow was fired.

Taizo sucked in air greedily as he watched the arrow pulled far back, saw Kozi’s hand starting to lossen…

"No!" Taizo jumped forward as the arrow was released. A pained scream escaped his lips. He felt himself falling and felt the whole world seem to slow down, then he hit the snow at the edge of the woods, sinking and leaving a Taizo-shape hole… red snow.