Chapter Forty-Two: My Sacrifice

The scent of fresh home cooking filled the air as Kachi arrived on the landing. He stood there for a moment, staring through the glass on the door to the street beyond. They were still packed with vehicles; apparently, not much changed in fifteen minutes. His vision refocused on his reflection in the door's glass briefly before the mirror image of the kitchen appeared shortly after.

He turned to glance over his shoulder; a line had formed in the kitchen and could be seen snaking into the dining room. Dinner was, indeed, ready. With his hand still on the gift, and sure that he hadn't been spotted, Kachi quietly ascended the second staircase and dipped into the living room.

In the far corner nearest the big bay window stood a tall and confident evergreen, illuminated by colored lights, and decorated from top to bottom with ornaments of all shapes and sizes. It was the first time Kachi had seen the tree turned on since arriving back in Sapporo, and with being tucked away in the corner, he'd barely noticed it.

Kachi turned his attention to the small pile of gifts stashed beneath the tree's lower branches. He crept across the living room; head hung low as he ducked down to get a closer look. At first glance, it appeared each and every one of the gifts bore Natalie's name.

A small twinge of disappointment passed through the canine as he realized there was nothing there for him. It quickly subsided however; Rexmas had lost its excitement years prior. Returning to the task at hand, Kachi removed his gift for Legosi from the pocket of his sweater, slipping it behind the pile so it was out of sight to anyone who look in its direction.

With the package delivered, Kachi left the living room, entering the dining room where the line of family members waiting for their turn at making their plates came to an end. At the back of said line stood Legosi, having been caught in a poor position after being sent to fetch his friend. A soft sigh left Kachi's lips.

The background noise levels were elevated just high enough for him to enter the line undetected by the wolf. After a short moment of consideration, Kachi lifted a hand and tapped Legosi from behind. He tensed his shoulders before looking back toward Kachi, an expression of slight irritation spread across his face.

Kachi pulled his arm away, returning it to his pocket. He shrank somewhat as Legosi's gaze pierced through him. "Told ya I wouldn't be long."

Despite his defense, Legosi still wasn't very impressed. He folded his arms over his chest. "Good. I was actually about to go get you." Without saying anything else, Legosi turned his attention back toward the front of the line, leaving Kachi with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The silence between the two canines continued as the line gradually brought them closer to the spread that had been laid out by Rae-Anne and her mother. Kachi and Legosi grabbed a plate each, them being the last two in the pile.

As they picked from the offerings to be had, Kachi looked down to see his grandmother, Irene, aiding Natalie with making a plate of her own. A little flash of warmth passed through his chest as he observed their smiles. It felt nice to see his family happy, even if he couldn't feel it himself.

Since he was the last to join the family at the table, Kachi had a chance to look at everyone sitting together. His eyes passed from member to member, nearly everyone adding to the quickly darkening thoughts passing through his head. His chest tightened as he took his seat; a realization made.

Everyone's a fox but me. Even Nat looks more normal than I do. I don't belong here. I should have never even agreed to this…

Kachi stared blankly at the plate he'd made. What little appetite he had before sitting down had disappeared, replaced by nausea and a tiredness behind his eyes. He rested his hands upon his lap under the table and swallowed hard before looking up.

The table was packed. Legosi to his left, Rae-Anne to his right. Natalie, his grandmother, and his aunt all sat on the side opposite to him, while his uncle sat at the other end of the table furthest from him. The room was alive with conversation between the few members, all except for Kachi, who reserved himself to silence.

A dull headache began to form in his head as the dinner continued, only worsening the existing nausea. Still, he couldn't convince himself to leave the table and retreat to somewhere quiet. It would only bring questions his way, and as he was the second he got into the truck with his mother, he was in no mood to speak.

"Rae, this is fantastic," stated Irene, breaking the short silence that had finally fallen upon the table.

Rae-Anne glanced upward from her nearly empty plate, a look of slight shock upon her face. She huffed softly, returning to her meal, "Thanks. I did have your help though, so that might be it."

Irene gave a cheerful chuckle and a dismissive wave, "Don't sell yourself short, dear." From his peripheral, Kachi watched his mother roll her eyes. When he glanced back to the rest of the table, he was surprised to see that his grandmother had turned her attention to him. He'd only looked away for a few seconds; she was quick.

"Hey, Grandma," said Kachi softly, sinking deeper into his seat.

"You didn't come see me when you came in! I confused this fellow here for you!" She gestured toward Legosi with an empty hand. "Where did you go?"

Kachi lifted a sheepish hand to his neck as he stared off to the floor, "Sorry, I was in my room. I…had something to take care of."

Irene gave another sickly-sweet chuckle, "I'm only teasing, dear, I'm not upset." Kachi's ears fell flat against his head. He pulled his gaze back up to Irene, her green eyes standing out against her red-turning-silver fur. Kachi opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn't. He just didn't have anything to say. "So, how's school down in Tokyo? It must be nice."

Given a topic, on the other hand, all Kachi had to do was answer the question. Simple. He shrugged; he didn't have the courage to lie to his grandmother. "It is nice down there. Nice school, nice people. Made some new friends, too." Kachi turned set his gaze upon the wolf to his left. "This is Legosi, I'm not sure if he gave you his name."

Irene shook her head. "No, actually, he didn't." She then quickly glanced toward Legosi. "But that's my own fault for not asking, I suppose. It's nice to meet you, Legosi. I'd shake your hand, but I don't want to reach across the table."

Legosi returned Irene's smile with an awkward one of his own, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"My name's Irene, but you can call me Gradma if you'd like!" Legosi's smile disappeared rather quickly after the elder fox's statement.

A nervous chuckle escaped his lips, "Uh, thanks, but I'm not comfortable with that, sorry."

"It's no problem. If you're more comfortable using my name, then that's good enough for me."

Believing the conversation was over and he could return to his meal, Legosi glanced back down toward his plate, but his attention was quickly drawn back to Irene as she continued to speak. Kachi had tuned out of the conversation entirely by that point, something else having caught his attention.

Rae-Anne had been curiously quiet throughout the entire dinner. Though the attendance to that dinner in particular was rather small, she would typically speak with anyone. Talking less would have made sense, but not at all was simply out of character. Then again, it hadn't exactly been a typical year, for her nor for Kachi.

Rae-Anne stared down toward her then empty plate; a stern look caught in her eyes. Her arms were on the table, her head rested in clasped hands as Kachi continued to watch her from the corner of his eye. It confused him, but her demeanor wasn't his focus; a question burned in his mind.

It confused Kachi at first; he'd spent the better part of his time away, as well as most of the time on the ride to and at the dinner, trying to keep conversation between himself and his mother to a minimum. Now that he was sitting at the table within earshot of her, that's when he had something to say.

Perhaps it was the social pressure to speak at a family function. That, or he just wanted to be sure that what he was doing was the right thing. He'd already fallen out with her, but a small piece of him kept telling him there was something to salvage. After all, despite all the vitriolic words exchanged between them, Kachi still loved her. She was still his mother.

Just as Kachi was about to lean forward and initiate what was perhaps their first real conversation since he left, Rae-Anne glanced upward suddenly in his direction. The glare in her eye remained, causing the younger canine to go on the mental defensive.

Though their heads were pointed in different directions, the mother and son's gazes were still locked firmly within each other. Beneath the table, Kachi gripped his thighs tightly to keep from forming fists, gritting his teeth as he leaned in toward Rae-Anne.

"Can I speak with you later? Alone?" asked Kachi, lowering his voice to a whisper. As quickly as he advanced, he withdrew, keeping his eye on the vixen as she gave a solitary nod of approval.

Kachi's heart was racing as the staring contest between himself and Rae-Anne came to an end. The fox pushed herself away from the table and stood up from her chair, grabbing her plate before heading into the kitchen to rinse it under the faucet.

Kachi watched with creased brows as she quickly departed the kitchen, heading down to the landing and out of sight. A few seconds later, the canine heard the front door open and close. From where he sat, he could see the top of his mother's head pass by the bay window.

"But that's enough about me, now you enjoy your meal." The tail end of an apparent conversation rang through Kachi's ears as he turned his attention back to the table. The next thing he knew Legosi was staring in his direction with a rather irritated expression, almost as if to say, 'you didn't warn me about your very talkative grandmother.'

I have a lot to make up for after tonight, don't I?

Shortly afterwards, Irene also turned to look toward Kachi. "We've barely spoken today, though, I'll take fault for that. I spent most of it speaking to Legosi here. Worse off, I spoke mostly of myself!" She glanced briefly toward Legosi. "How selfish of me, I apologize."

Seeing that the spotlight was on himself once again, Legosi corrected his posture, staring Irene straight in the eyes. "Oh, no, it's fine. I don't mind." Before Irene could continue the conversation again, Legosi returned to his plate, which had nearly been emptied.

Irene offered a sweet grin, despite the wolf's attention being drawn elsewhere. "That's good." Having been observing since the end of the previous interaction, Kachi watched his grandmother slowly look back over to him. He faked a smile. "So, Kachi, how have you been lately? It must be difficult to be away from home for school at your age."

Kachi opened his mouth to answer, but no words came to him right away. Instead, more questions flooded his mind, ones he wished would just go away. But, as his luck typically went, an evening of peace was never in order; the most dreaded questions clouding his thoughts relating to the very thing that Irene was quizzing him on.

Does she know about the reason for my transfer? Does anyone besides Mom and Legosi know?

Not wanting to let the answer slip himself, he forced everything into a corner and formulated among the most basic of sentences to satisfy his grandmother's need for information, and desire to speak with her grandson, "Good…I've been good. School's going fine, anxious to go back. Last semester!"

The flow of words felt unnatural, like someone was speaking for him. Someone who wasn't Kachi. The combination of a soft and uncertain tone mixed with feigned excitement made it sound as if he was reading lines from a script, and upon the realization of how he sounded, it only served to shred his nerves further.

"Oh, I know! You've grown up so fast. It felt like just a few years ago you were going for your first day and now you're nearly done." Kachi's eyes went wide at his grandmother's seemingly innocuous reply. Had she ignored the horrid tone he'd used, or was it just his mind operating in overdrive again? Either way, Kachi was glad it didn't come up.

He lifted a hand to his neck. "Time really does move quickly these days…" Kachi's voice trailed off as he struggled to maintain eye contact with Irene.

"You think it moves fast now, just wait until you're eighty!" she joked. Kachi wasn't sure if was meant to laugh. Instead, he offered an awkward toothy grin as he lowered his hand back down to his lap. "Have either of you applied to any universities yet?"

Kachi froze. University. The very notion of postsecondary slipped his mind completely with what had been occurring in his life. In the time he should have been using to come up with a semblance of a plan, he'd been hopelessly angry, helplessly anxious, and harmful to both himself and others.

In the absence of an answer, and seeing that they'd both been addressed, Legosi decided to pick up his friend's slack, "Oh, no, I haven't. I'll have to do that once I get back…don't even know what I want to go for…probably a biology course of sorts…" His voice trailed off as he pushed himself away from the table. He stood up from his seat, grabbing his then empty plate from the wooden surface, and made his way into the kitchen.

"And you, Kachi?"

Again, the focus fell solely on Kachi. He shook his head as he forced himself to string together another reply, just as he had before. "Not a clue…gonna have to pick something though. Time's running out," he said solemnly. "Is it okay if I leave the table now?"

Irene tilted her head in confusion. "Um, yes? I don't see why you'd need to ask permission to do that."

Kachi shrugged, understanding that he'd most likely just embarrassed himself again. "I know…I just didn't want you to think I was walking away from the conversation."

Irene rose from her seat with a scoff, "Don't be silly. I know you wouldn't bail on me like that." As she turned to leave the dining room, she glanced over her shoulder toward the canine once more, "I'll be on the couch, I'll let you sort yourself out."

She then, slowly, turned herself around and began the short trip to the living room. Kachi remained seated, watching until Irene sat down near the middle of the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. He glanced back down to his plate, the food upon which had gone cold. He gripped it with two hands, lifting it from the table and getting up from his seat.

Kachi emptied the contents of his plate into the trash on his way to the sink. He looked up to see that Legosi had disappeared, presumably to the living room as well. As he rinsed his own plate, He glanced over to the table to see Kim, Sarah, and Natalie all still seated, the former two engaged in conversation with the latter. Kachi deposited his plate on the counter to the right of the sink, a deep sigh leaving him.

The shaking he felt in his hands and the unsteadiness of his breaths were all Kachi needed to know he wasn't too eager to return to the conversation with his grandmother. The prospect of university genuinely scared him.

If high school is this bad now, how bad will university be then? Then again, I have to get there first…am I even good enough to go?

Kachi inhaled sharply and forced himself to return to his grandmother. As he entered the living room, Irene flashed him a smile. Kachi tried as best he could to return it before sitting down to her left. As he suspected, Legosi was there, too, seated to his left. Kachi glanced upward from the cold, hardwood floor as Irene cleared her throat.

"Alright, where were we…" she whispered to herself. A sinister part of the canine's mind hoped she'd forgotten, but he knew that would never happen. "Ah, yes. You haven't decided on a career path yet!" Kachi rolled his eyes.

Yeah, say it louder so the whole neighborhood can hear, Grandma. Also, no need to remind me… I'm well aware of my own shortcomings.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out in time, dear. You're smart. You can do anything you set your mind to," said Irene softly, lifting a hand to Kachi's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

Kachi shrugged, shaking his head gently. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll get it. It can't be too hard, right?" he dejected. Thoughts of inadequacy and uncertainty began filling the canine's head once more. He scrambled for something, anything that might arouse enough interest to want to pursue in a postsecondary setting. Nothing.

Not wanting the conversation to turn awkward, Kachi turned back to face his grandmother, "So, how've you been since I left?"

Irene's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" Kachi hadn't realized what he'd done with his asking such an innocent question. Irene began to speak at a mile a minute, making listening to her ravings much more of a chore than it needed to be.

As his grandmother continued to talk his ear off, a sour taste settled onto the canine's tongue, perhaps a symptom of not eating yet that day. He stared off into the TV across from him, hoping it could pull him away from the dark thoughts that began to consume him. The images flashed into his eyes barely registered, and his subconscious continued its vice-like grip on his mind.

There was no future ahead of Kachi. No matter how many different scenarios he came up with, or how many choices he made, it all ended the same way; the only difference was when and where his final moments took place. It was nothing but darkness the whole way through. Kachi gritted his teeth to keep himself level.

From the canine's left, Legosi was watching Kachi's mannerisms and movements closely. The wolf's brows were creased, and his hands were clasped together tightly over his lap; the concern for his friend was growing evermore.

He felt compelled to speak up. He knew it wasn't the sole issue, but Irene's ranting was certainly having an effect on Kachi. He considered reaching across the couch, tapping her on the shoulder, and asking her kindly, yet firmly to stop, but with himself being a guest to a family dinner that wasn't his own, he knew he really had no authority over anyone.

The sound of the front door slamming shut caught everyone's attention, the vibrations as well as the sound passing throughout the entire house. Kachi blinked as he was pulled from the TVs grasp before turning his head over his shoulder to find the source of the commotion.

Rae-Anne stood, staring idly, into the living room from her position in the landing. The draft from the front door closing sent a gust of air into the house, eventually making its way to Kachi's nose. As he inhaled, the faint scent of cigarette smoke was detected. It wasn't uncommon; from what he was told by Rae-Anne herself, she'd been a smoker since age fourteen.

Irene picked up on the scent as well, taking it as an indicator that her daughter had returned. She, too, craned her neck over the back of the couch to see Rae-Anne affix her jacket to one of the many hooks upon the coat rack.

Once on the main level, Rae-Anne turned her attention to the couch. Her gaze fell briefly upon the two boys before coming to rest on her mother. "Did you think you could help me clean this up?" she asked, gesturing toward the kitchen.

Irene smiled, giving Rae-Anne a shallow nod. "Of course, I'll be right in." She left presently, leaving the two boys in relative silence.

With everyone else in the house preoccupied, either with cleanup or with Kachi's little sister, Legosi saw an opportunity to finally check up on the canine. He'd returned to his previous position of staring into the TV screen, eyes vacant as the seconds ticked past. Legosi lifted a hand, placing it on Kachi's shoulder and giving it a gentle shake.

Within seconds, the canine glanced back toward the wolf, Kachi's eyes glassy. "How are you doing?".

Hearing the wolf's calming voice, Kachi released the breath he'd been holding for the past thirty seconds. After steadying himself, he turned his gaze toward Legosi. "I feel sick," he stated simply.

Legosi's level of concern rose, "Did you need to step out and get some air? Did you want some water?"

Kachi glanced around the room for a moment before returning to the wolf and shaking his slowly, "Not, like, actually sick…just…I- I don't know. As soon as I sat down at the table, that's when it started."

Legosi nodded, "I noticed you didn't eat anything at dinnertime. I guess I know why now, right?" Another nod from Kachi.

"I guess I'm just…stressed? I don't know…I didn't really want to come here tonight. I just didn't want Dad to be disappointed in me if I said no," Kachi finally admitted, a wave of shame washing over him.

Legosi watched Kachi's ears fall flat as he sank into the couch cushions. "I know I don't have the grounds to say this; I've known him about the same length of time you have, but I'm sure he wouldn't be disappointed in you if you declined."

Kachi gave the wolf a dejected shrug as he lifted a hand to his neck. "I mean, sure, but…I just want him to think I'm a good kid."

Legosi smiled. "He does, and even more so once we go home tonight." Kachi didn't answer; he instead turned his gaze to the floor. "He knows how difficult it is to be around your mother, and he'll be so proud of you," he continued.

A soft sigh left Kachi's lips as he looked back up toward Legosi. A small smile had formed on his face, and his eyes shone a little brighter than before. "You know what? That's right. If anyone knows about Mom, it's him." Kachi chuckled. "I'll be able to tell him I survived," he joked.

Though it was clearly a comment made in jest, Legosi couldn't help but feel offput by it. Legosi forced a few chuckles as he looked away from the canine, not wanting to see the look of concern that was still visible on his face to be seen. Thankfully, he didn't have to pretend for much longer.

"Alright!" Irene's voice echoed throughout the home, getting everyone's attention. Seconds later she stepped into the living room, crossing in front of the TV and coming to a stop next to the tree in the far corner. Seeing where her Grandmother was standing, Natalie left the company of her aunt and uncle, joining her in front of the tree. "Guess what time it is!"

"Gifts?" replied Natalie moments later. She grinned from ear to ear as Irene gave her a nod.

"That's right, it's time to open gifts. Now, there'll be plenty more tomorrow morning; the ones here are from your family." Natalie giggled with excitement as she sat down at the far end of the couch with Irene.

As Natalie began tearing into the few presents under the tree, Kachi turned is attention away from the action toward the dining room, where Rae-Anne had re-emerged from the kitchen. Her ears were flat against her head as she stared, unimpressed. The sleeves of her plaid shirt were rolled up to her elbows and a dishtowel was draped over her left shoulder.

Kachi pulled his direct gaze off her but kept Rae-Anne in his peripheral. Her expression didn't change as her daughter worked through the gifts that Grandma, and Aunt and Uncle had given to her. As the final gift was unwrapped, she crossed her arms over her chest, her brows creasing as well. His mother's demeanor aroused questions.

What is her problem?

"What's this? Who's Le-go-si?" Natalie emerged from beneath the tree with Legosi's gift in her hands.

Having heard his name be butchered by the twelve-year-old, Legosi's attention was directed toward her. Confusion followed shortly after as he squinted, leaning forward to get a better look at the items in Natalie's possession. To his surprise, his name was, in fact, scrawled across the larger of the two.

Kachi quickly sprung from his spot on the couch, nearly jumping over the coffee table as he reached for the items. Upon taking them from his sister, he caressed them with gentle hands, "Well, judging by the name on the card, Natalie, it's for someone named Legosi." Kachi turned to his left, presenting his gift to the wolf. "This is Legosi."

From where she was situated next to the tree, Natalie gave an understanding nod. "Oh, okay."

The expression of concern was wiped clean from Legosi's face as he slowly accepted the gift from Kachi. Across the canine's face, a genuine smile, perhaps the first real one of the night. Feeling all eyes on him, Legosi set the gift down on the table in front of him, pulling apart the two halves and, naturally, opening the card first.

The adhesive on the envelope let go rather easily, and small portion of the card's cover was revealed as Legosi lifted the flap. He then slipped the card free, taking a moment observe it. It seemed ordinary; a simple holiday scene was depicted.

Pressing further, he opened the card, revealing the interior. Reading the short note that had been written inside, Legosi's eyes went wide, and the concern for his friend returned twofold as he read and reread the message.

Thank you…for everything.

"Well, what's it say?" Irene chimed, breaking the silence.

Legosi's breath hitched as the words became caught in his throat. He glanced back down toward the card, swallowing hard. "Thank you for everything," he repeated.

"Oh, isn't that adorable?" Irene walked over to where the two boys were sitting, trying her best to read the card's contents over the wolf's shoulder.

Looking up once more, Kachi and Legosi's eyes met. The former quickly pulled away, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as he lifted a hand to his neck. Behind him, his tail began to wag back and forth gently. "Well, it's true…"

Peeling his eyes away from the canine, and with a shaky breath in, Legosi set the card and its envelope down on the coffee table next to him. His focus shifted to the navy-blue case that remained, the felt that covered it soft to the touch.

He felt around the seam for a hinge, searching for the proper direction in which to open it. After a second or two of searching, Legosi found what he was looking for. He pried the case open slowly, feeling resistance from the hinge as he pulled back upon the lid.

As the light hit the inside of the container, Legosi was met with the twinkling of tens of silver links, a different one shimmering as the case shifted in his grip. His heartrate accelerated as he stared, unsure of what to say, or even where to begin. He figured, at least, he could remove the jewelry to allow those around him to see.

The chain hung off his index and middle fingers, catching even more light as it dangled from side to side akin to the pendulum in a grandfather clock. The gazes the wolf felt on upon him were drawn to the chain as it swung.

"Oh my, that's gorgeous!" piped Irene, staring toward the chain in awe.

"Let's see that," added Kim from behind. Legosi turned his head toward the fox as he lowered his glasses to his eyes. The wolf left the couch, crossing the living room and holding the chain in front of him. Kim squinted, gripping the arm of his glasses as he leaned in for a better look. "Wow, that's a nice chain right there."

"It is, it's beautiful," commented Sarah shortly afterwards.

Looking around the room, Kachi's family was practically fawning over the chain he held in his hands. Even the pout on Rae-Anne's face eased up a little, her expression turning soft as she lowered her arms from her chest.

Finally, Legosi's gaze fell back upon Kachi. He was looking right back at him, a sheepish grin in his face as he twiddled his thumbs in his lap. Legosi's look of disbelief continued as he made his way back to the couch and sat down next to him.

"Wh-Why did you do this?" he stammered, looking down to his hand.

Kachi shrugged. "I just figured I'd get you something for your troubles, that's all." His voice was quiet, but from the expression he held on his face, the words he spoke were genuine.

As Legosi struggled to find more words to say, Kachi pulled his eyes away from the wolf's, turning them to the chain. He pulled his hands apart, reaching over to the hand in which the chain rested and taking it from him. Legosi didn't stop him.

Legosi stared, breathless as he watched Kachi undo the latch of the chain. His cheeks flushed red as he continued to trip over his words, as well as his thoughts. "Uh- y-you didn't have to do this, y'know." A nervous chuckle escaped the wolf's lips. "Now I feel bad for not getting you anything."

Kachi finally managed to unlatch the chain and held each end in one hand. He shook his head as he looked back up toward Legosi. "Nope. It's fine." He then rose to his feet, prompting Legosi to do the same. Once both boys were standing, Kachi gestured with one hand for the wolf to turn around, making sure to keep his grip on the chain.

Legosi obliged, his heart beating out of his chest as he turned his back to Kachi. He felt footsteps approach from behind through vibrations in the floor, and seconds later, he felt Kachi's presence behind him. He remained still as the canine's arms appeared on either side of him.

Kachi picked up the loose end of the chain with his free hand before resting his hands on the wolf's shoulders. He felt Legosi's body tense up at the sudden contact, which put a little smile onto the canine's face. He fiddled with the latch at the back of the chain as he tried to close it. After a few seconds, Kachi finally managed to get it right, and he allowed the chain to fall freely around Legosi's neck.

With a quick tap on the wolf's shoulder, Legosi turned around, revealing to Kachi the chain he had just given him. It glittered brightly than it ever had before, widening the grin on the canine's face.

A silver chain to go with those stormy silver eyes of yours…it's perfect.

A wave of praise from Kachi's family members erupted through the room as Kachi stepped forward suddenly, pulling Legosi into a tight embrace. The wolf's fur was warm to the touch, a stark contrast from the cold silver that hung from his neck.

Legosi inhaled sharply as Kachi's grip tightened. He promptly returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around the black canine's torso. They stood for a few seconds in silence as they felt and listened to each other's soft breaths.

Moments later, Legosi felt Kachi's head turn slightly to the left. "I really am thankful for all that you've done for me. I know I haven't shown it at all, but it's the truth."

Legosi's lips curled into a smile. "You're welcome, Kachi."