"Toshiya…"

Toshiya stopped amid licking the wound on Kaoru’s elbow.

He called my name!

He found Kaoru staring at him.

Oh, my god!

***

Kaoru stared at the fox’s eyes, seemingly lost. There was a magical feeling, as if he was in a fairytale and he was somehow communicating with the black creature. His wound didn’t hurt that much now…funny, he didn’t feel as if he was hurt at all…

"Toshiya…"

***

" Toshiya, where are you?" Kaoru said, sighing as he let the fox down from his lap. For a moment there, he thought maybe the fox -was- Toshiya! But that couldn’t be, could it?

Kaoru took a look at the furry thing sneaking around his legs as it chased its own bushy tail. (Kaoru: -___-)

Well, he didn’t think so.

***

Shinya sat down awkwardly on the bed in the room that Die and Kyo told him to stay in. He bit his lips as he saw his own reflection mirrored by the window glass.

Is that me?

His hand reached out and touched the faint lines.

I’m human now? Or how long am I gonna stay like this?

His brows knitted together into a frown.

Human? Like Die and Kyo? Am I now like them? Never be able to change back to a fox? Never ever to meet my Toshiya again?

He bit his lips as his mind got lost.

" Toshiya," he whispered to himself as the mental image of his friend appeared in his mind. "Are you thinking of me now? Do you miss me?"

Tears glazed over his eyes; a single drop escaped the pool around his rim and wetted a path down his smooth cheek. " Would you miss me if I never came back?" He choked on his question…no one answered him. "Why didn’t you come after me that night? If you did, maybe I would have changed into a fox like normal…"

I love you, Toshiya…

His heart wrenched as he confessed to himself. He missed that fox-he wanted to go back to their home, to snuggle up against him, to smell his fragrant scent…he missed the long arms that would wrap themselves around him in the middle of the night as they slept. How he missed him.

Shinya wept.

***

Die walked along the long corridor to the guestroom Shinya was in. He was still a little worried when the young man turned pale all of a sudden. Maybe he was sick… Die quickened his pace. He knocked on the door lightly at first but there was no answer. He knocked louder.

" Anybody in?" he asked, frowning. He heart a faint answer; it sounded very much like a sob. "Are you alright?"

No answer.

Die turned the knob and the door opened easily. The room came into view; immediately his eyes flew to the window where the light coming in shone on a figure on the bed.

" Are you okay?" he asked uncertainly as he took a step towards the bed. The man on the bed lay motionless except for the sign of rhythmic breathing. Suddenly he saw the breathing hitch and he went to his side. " Are you sick?" he asked, lifting the veil of brown hair so that he could see the person’s face clearly.

Shinya looked back at him.

Die felt his heart stop for a mere moment before it resumed with a maddening pace. His face flushed a little even as the round green orbs narrowed at him menacingly.

" What do you want?" he got up and wiped whatever traces of tears off his face.

" I…I wanted to…to make sure you were alright." Die found his tongue a little numb and difficult to control.

" So? I’m alright now, am I not?" Shinya moved away from him to the edge of the bed. The sunlight bounced off his silky hair as he got up coolly. He could still see Die sitting on the bed, looking at him and it was starting to get on his nerves. "So there."

Die quickly got up, slightly embarrassed by the fact that he was attracted by this mysterious, even though seemingly rude, pretty stranger. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

Shinya’s mouth twitched to one side. " A walk?"

" Just see around eh?"

" No."

" Why not?"

" I don’t want to." Seeing Die was off the bed, Shinya sat on it and grabbed a pillow, snuggling his face against it as it reminded him of Toshiya. Die’s face fell with disappointment.

" I see…" He forced a smile to his lips. "I’ll leave you then."

" Okay." Shinya hugged the pillow tight. He didn’t need any human’s company, he just wanted Toshiya to be beside him now. He pouted.

" See you," Die headed for the door.

He missed that fox so much! If only he could see him, just have a glance of him, it would be enough…he wanted to apologise for that night…but he didn’t want Toshiya to see him like this. But…he really did miss him badly…if he could just see Toshiya, even for a minute, a second…to suppress the tugging on his heart…

He stood up. " Die?"

Die turned around; he was halway into the hallway. "Yes?"

" Can we go for a walk in the forest?"

Die stood still, looking at Shinya as if hypnotised, as the young man stood with the light surrounding him, making him look like an angel. Then a smile spread on his face. "Sure! Why not? Let’s go!" Eagerly, Die took Shinya’s hand and led him out.

***

Kaoru laid on the grass, feeling the tiny blade poke at him through his shirt. He sighed as he looked at the clear blue sky, at the lonely eagle soaring miles above, as a black fox sat at his ankles, staring at him. Kaoru frowned and tried to shoo him away but the fox just stayed there. After a while, the fox laid down too, across Kaoru’s legs and fell to sleep. Kaoru gave up and tried to take a short nap.

***

In Toshiya’s dream, he saw Shinya…Shinya running in a long white gown…he heard Shinya calling him…no, Shinya was telling him something…

Run…run, Toshiya, run!