Honey and Mori were walking down the street one hot, sunny afternoon.
It was a weekend, and since it was so hot, Honey had insisted they get ice cream. So Mori stopped at Honey's favourite ice cream shop. Honey got his favourite-strawberry soft serve-and they continued walking.
They had just left the shop when they heard a soft yip coming from their heels. They looked down and saw a small black dog sniffing them. It looked like a daschund, but its ears weren't floppy and it was coal-black. Honey sighed. "It's so cute! Can I keep it?"
Mori eyed the dog dubiously. "It might belong to someone."
Honey got down on one knee and petted the dog. It whimpered. "He's so skinny." He said. It was true, you could see the dog's ribs poking out of its little body. "Anyone who is mean enough to not feed their dog doesn't deserve a dog, anyway."
Honey picked it up. "You're coming to live with us!"
Mori sighed. Mitsukuni always got his way. And he had to admit, the dog did look like it could use a good home.
So they walked back to the Haninozuka mansion, Honey carrying the dog.
Honey walked into his house and the first thing he did was to go to the bathroom. The dog needed a bath. He filled up the tub, tested the water, then put the dog in.
The dog yipped and moved his little paws around in the water. In no time at all, the dog was sparkling clean, and the water was brown.
Honey lifted the dog out of the bathtub and started drying it with one of his own super-soft towels.
"You know, you need a name." He told the dog, drying its little head. "How about Marley?" He turned to his cousin and said, "It is a boy, right?"
Mori, who was perched on the edge of the tub, merely nodded.
Honey continued drying the dog. "Okay, your name is now Marley!" He told Marley happily.
By the end of the day, they'd gotten everything they would need for Marley. A leash, collar, food and water bowls, a bed. Although Marley didn't use it, as he crept into bed beside Honey.
As he settled down into the soft sheets, Marley wondered if this was the right place for him. A sigh came from sleeping Honey, and Marley closed his eyes as well.
'Anywhere is better than my last home.' He thought ruefully. That was the last thing he remembered before falling asleep.