My Thanks to SoulEaterRomanceFan for this fantastic idea!

Ayame was as cheerful as ever, much to Yuki's dismay. His brother really was too much!

"Yuki, my darling brother, Akito wishes to grant your every dream!" Ayame sang happily. The rat gave the snake a strange look before heading into the room. His pupils dilated in fear as all his nights alone with the dying man came back to him.

"Ah, Yuki. No need to fear me," Akito said. Yuki gasped. He had gotten accustomed to dark, sinister eyes and reedy, cruel voice. But these eyes were a clear blue and seemed to promise freedom. This voice seemed comforting. Yuki's fear vanished.

"Yes, Akito," he said as he knelt by the head Sohma's bedside.

Akito looked into the distance. "If you could change the past, what would you change?" he asked. Yuki had been expecting many things, but not this. Change his past? Yuki paused, to think.

He regretted his time alone with Akito, as children. But he then he recalled something. Yuki paused again. Then he took a deep breath. "I would have not allowed Hatori to erase my friends' memories. I would have kept them as near as they would allow."

Akito smiled.

Yuki had been playing with his first grade classmates, especially with his five closest friends. Unfortunately, two of them had been girls, and one had fallen on him in a game of Blind Man's Bluff. The game halted, and Yuki had run away in rat form, embarrassed. Akito had found out about the incident, and had had Hatori erase all of their memories. Then Yuki transferred to a different school. He never saw his friends again.

Yuki was amazed to see his five friends on a playground once more. Osamu Sago was a straight- A student and a stickler for the rules. Kenji Yamamoto was an easy-going little boy who often dared his friends to do crazy things. Right after he did it himself. Tatsuya Nakamura was his parent's only son. He hated the confines of being a perfect near-prince, and often rebelled against his parents' wishes. Mostly by hanging out with Kenji.

Chouko Suzuki hung out with "the boys" for the same reason Tatsuya hung out with Kenji. She was tired of being the prefect daughter of the Suzuki family. As a matter of fact, Almost everyone in the group except Kenji and Osamu were trying to escape their family. The other girl in the group, Kaori Maruyama, was just trying to be known as something other than 'the youngest Maruyama'. She wanted to be seen as somebody rather than a Maruyama nobody.

So the group informally formed and soon everyone had what they wanted- along with a shortened name, aside from Yuki and Kenji. Cho, Taya,Osu,Kori, Yuki, and Kenji were inseparable.

It was Cho's idea to play Blind Man's Bluff, and everyone agreed. Yuki did, too, though he had reservations. The game began, and it was Kori's turn to be the blind man. And Yuki wasn't paying attention.

He sat there as a rat as his friends stopped. Cho screamed. Osu ran for an adult. Kori took her blindfold off and knelt by the rat. Kenji laughed. Taya just stood there in amazement.

"Wow, Yuki!" Kenji said. Kori looked at him. "Yuki? This is a rat!" she said. Kenji gave his friend an odd look. "Yeah? Well, those are Yuki's clothes, and so I think this is Yuki."

Kori picked her friend up. "Yuki?" she whispered. He nodded. "I'm not supposed to tell anybody," he said. Kori giggled. "Well, it doesn't really make sense unless you see it, huh? How do you change back?" she asked.

Yuki sighed. "I just... do. But I need my clothes, 'cause I'm naked."

Kenji was rolling on the ground, laughing, and Taya started in, too. Kori joined in as she set him on the ground and backed away. Cho laughed, too, now that the shock had worn off. By the time Osu had come back with their teacher, Yuki was human and dressed once more.

Then, Yuki was a teenager again, and by Akito's side. "What happened?" he asked, feeling a little dizzy.

Akito studied the ceiling. "Osamu left the group, calling you a freak. Hatori erased his memory. Kaori, Chouko, and Kenji all accepted you. Tatsuya transferred the next year, so his memory was erased, too. You dated Chouko in middle school for a while, but ended up breaking off due to the Yuki Fan Club in high school. There were no hard feelings. Currently, they are waiting for a phone call from you, explaining everything. They are your closest friends, and Miss Honda was welcomed with open arms into the group... Kyo was not."

Yuki stumbled back a few steps before nodding. "Thank you, Akito."

Akito nodded slightly and waved him off, saying, "Speaking of, send her in, would you?"

Yuki bowed. At least he knew Tohru wasn't going to be hurt.