Waking up in the early morning, Kotaku was left to himself and his toys for company. He licked his lips hungrily and hopped down off the bed towards the kitchen to get himself a snack. Dreams of the past had been haunting him as of late, and they were stirring up his appetite.

Yet, it wasn't his past he was dreaming about. He had only the tales of giant monsters, impenetrable barriers and an alarming lack of cable television. It was the time period from which his parents hailed, them and his uncle Kohaku. And that was another story in itself, he supposed.

He flipped on the light in the kitchen and skipped toward the refrigerator. He knew his mother wouldnt approve of a fridge raid while she wasn't present, but he had to live dangerously sometimes, didn't he? Kotaku got for himself some bread and cheese, melted them in the microwave, and sat on a stool to eat it.

Tucked underneath his left arm was a large book. With a mouthful of his cheese sandwich, he opened this book and began to look it over. It was a pirate book, with big, fancy pictures and simple text underneath. Though he could read at a higher level than this, he still liked the story and carried the book with him everywhere. Unfortunately for him, he heard footsteps heading ever so slowly, right in his direction. In a flash, he wrapped his sandwich in a paper towel, grabbed his book, and turned off the lights and hid in a corner, hiding his face.

"No not now...Momma go back to bed!" He whispered to himself and pressed himself harder against the wall, doing his best to make himself invisible. The footsteps seemed to circle around the kitchen, and finally the lights were flicked on. When Kotaku opened his eyes another pair of eyes were staring right back at him! He squealed...

Shippou started to laugh. "You forgot I was over here today, didn't you?"

"AHHHH" Kotaku raised his book in anger, "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sure I can scare you man..." He grabbed Kotaku's sandwich and book and set it aside. Then he grabbed Kotaku by the waist and flipped him around and swung about.

"Eeeeeeeee! Put me down!"

"Whyyy?"

"You are a bully!"

"Now you don't mean that. You are trying not to laugh."

Just as predicted, Kotaku broke out in a fit of giggles. Shippou laughed himself, and flipped his braid back over his shoulder. Kotaku tried his best to flip himself over by grabbing on to Shippou's denim jacket, but to no avail. He wriggled about like a worm on a hook, but Shippou's iron grip held strong. In the middle of all the laughing and giggling, complete silence came when another pair of footsteps were heard approaching the kitchen.

"...Scatter." Shippou gulped and set Kotaku right side up. He hit the lights and ran out, and Kotaku left in the other direction, towards his room. He made sure to get his sandwich first, he couldn't just leave a half eaten sandwich as evidence the next morning. Rather quickly, Kotaku slipped into his room, inhaled the rest of his sandwich, tucked his book under his bed and curled up under the covers. He listened intently for any sort of footsteps coming toward his room, but none came. If he was lucky Shippou would take the heat,and since he was much older no one would get in trouble. Then again, after the recent stream of tricks he had played on his dear friend in the past, there was no guarantee of anything.

In all the clutter and hassle of moving, most of his room was filled with boxes and bags of belongings he insisted he needed. His mother had wanted to sell some of his toys and just buy him new ones, but he wouldn't have it. He liked his stuff, and was most reluctant about moving than anything else. Though he never voiced it, he resented how they were forcing him away like this. He would never get a chance to live like his parents did, and now he would have to adjust to a lifestyle that he just KNEW he wouldn't like.

On this night, however, there would be no more tears. His father had told him to look at this as an adventure, and that is exactly what he planned to do. As sleep drifted into his eyes, he thought about all the stories his parents had told him, and hoped that they would once again come to life in his dreams.