Hallo everyone! Chapter 3 is finally done (and by finally I mean took me two days and much deliberation to complete. ;) ) Get ready for some fluff! Yay! And some Momiji cuteness. :) Also implied Hatori and Ayame pairing, though that will come out stronger in Chapter 4. (I can't wait to write more about Ayame. He is so funny!) Anyway, enjoy and review, bitte schön? And this time I will put the German words in italics,butI'll stillinclude a mini-German lesson at the end.

"You're finally home, Haru-kun," Momiji's voice echoed, as bright as ever, in the darkness.

Despite a sudden racing in Hatsuharu's veins, he forced his body to relax so he could accommodate the smaller form. "Sorry, Momiji-kun," he sighed as he reached his unsure fingers to the rabbit's tresses. "I had to talk to Yuki-kun about some things. But I'm glad I'm home."

"Really!" Momiji's chocolate eyes sparkled with delight. "That's good! Tonight I was at Vati's work playing with Tohru-kun, so you played with Yuki-kun so he didn't get lonely either!"

"No," the other boy's voice quivered, renewed pain stabbing at his heart. "Not exactly, Momiji-kun."

Intuitively sensing his companion's depression, the rabbit soothed his hands across Haru's back, his lips smiling against the larger boy's neck as he pulled closer. "Are you OK, Haru-kun?"

The cow bit his lip, shifting his legs in discomfort as his cousin's whisper tickled his skin. 'Oh God, what is he doing? Doesn't he know what he's making me think?' His thought disappeared in the turmoil of his mind. 'How can he touch me like that and feel absolutely nothing?' Internally cursing his involuntary responses, Haru's voice grew falsely reassuring. "Yes, everything is OK. It's getting really late," the larger boy jumped as Momiji's fingertips crept sweetly up his face. Stuttering, he continued, "Maybe you should, well, aren't you getting tired?"

"Your cheeks are all sticky!" The smaller boy quipped, pulling aback with a startled intake of breath. "Haru-kun, were you crying?"

Shaking his head, Haru turned away from his friend's concerned stare. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it," mumbling, he masked his depression in the darkness. "It isn't your problem." He fingered the wrinkled blankets, hoping the other boy would drop the subject. 'Dammit, it isn't your problem, Momiji! You've suffered so much but somehow still have your sunny smile. I can't drop my clouds on your shoulders as well,' he mentally reprimanded the caring rabbit. 'I need you to be happy for me.'

"Nein! Es ist mein Problem!" Momiji insisted, sneaking his tiny arms around the other boy's waist, tugging and begging Hatsuharu to face him. "I want to help you! I don't want you to be sad, Haru-kun," his voice pleaded, sounding even more childlike than usual. "It makes me cry when you're unhappy."

Giving in slightly at the sadness in the other boy's voice, Haru shifted to embrace Momiji once more. "Don't cry for me," he brushed the salty droplets from the blonde's lashes. "I'm not worth it."

"You love Yuki, don't you, Haru-kun?" Momiji questioned, dropping his voice. He exhibited no sign of unease, despite being entwined in the other boy's arms.

Hatsuharu, however, froze in surprise. 'Doesn't that bother him? He asks like it is completely normal.' Choosing his words carefully, he began in a hushed voice. "I think I used to, but now," he opened himself to Momiji, placing steady hands on the other boy's back, "now I'm not so sure."

Understanding seemed to spark sympathy in the other boy, and he caressed Haru's white locks with a trembling finger. "I know," he leaned his head at the crook of his companion's neck. "I know how it feels when you love someone so much, but when you try to tell the person, it only makes her more upset." He sighed, forcing a cheery tone. "Meine Mutti. Well, you know how she felt about me. I cared for her so much, and all I wanted to do was make her love me."

"But I couldn't," he gazed at the larger boy in the darkness, his eyes sparkling with emotion. "She cringed whenever I tried to tell her about my feelings. Yuki wouldn't listen to you when you told him that you loved him, right? He didn't even want to look at you. He might have called you names that really hurt." His heart pounded against Haru's chest, and he hid his tears under the blanket's folds. "She used to scream at night. When I was alone in my room, I could hear her wailing to Vati. She used to say that she hated me, and that I should be dead, though I was too young to know what she meant." His voice broke, but he quickly recovered. "But I could understand her when she called me a monster, and I knew I didn't want to be the type of boy that made his Mutti cry. I just wanted to change for her. I wanted to be a different little boy, so she would be happy."

A lump swelled in Haru's throat, and he could not restrain his hands as they pulled Momiji dangerously close to his body. "You're not a monster, Momiji. I don't know how anyone could think that."

"I was just so different to her," he corrected, feeling a warmth rise up inside of him at the thought of the beautiful German woman. "Mutti isn't a bad person at all. Vati loves her very much, and when I see Momo clinging to her skirt I know she is a good mother. I still love her. I will love her forever." Momiji's voice brightened, his words full of sincerity. "You never stop loving a person, but sometimes the best thing you can do is to leave them behind. When I really love someone, I just want them to be happy. I think that is the best way to tell them how you feel, even if it means not getting your way. Yuki knows you love him when you let him be happy."

Momiji snuggled against Hatsuharu, enjoying the comforting caresses that prompted him to continue. "I talked to Tohru-kun about Mutti tonight, and I told her that no matter how much pain I feel, I want to remember everything that happens to me. Every moment is special. Even though I can't be with Mutti, I can hold her in my mind. No one can take her from me. And knowing that she's happy right now because I was able to let go of her shows me how much I really do love her." He whispered softly, hoping to comfort his cousin. "No matter what happens, you'll always have wonderful memories of Yuki, and when you see his happiness, you'll know that you helped him."

Hatsuharu nodded slightly, fingers dancing over Momiji's back. "You're amazing, Momiji-kun. You've been through so much. You are brave to keep smiling and laughing. Thank you for helping me, though I don't know why you would want to." He grinned weakly, realizing that the painful weight ripping at his heart had vanished. The little voice was like a medicine, healing his emotional wounds and filling him with a certain softness. "But now you really need to go to sleep. Hatori-san won't be very happy if I keep you awake all night and you feel sick in the morning."

"OK, Haru-kun!" He agreed brightly, his voice bursting through the silence.

"Shhh," the other boy pressed his finger to Momiji's lips. "Don't wake up the whole house," he laughed quietly. "Though I think Ayame-san is with Hari-san tonight, so they're probably too worn out to wake up."

Momiji giggled, though it was not apparent whether he really understood what was funny or not. "Good night, Haru-kun."

"Good night, Momiji," he replied, cuddling the smaller body close to his heart. "And thanks. You really helped me feel better."

"I'm glad I made you happy!" The smaller boy grinned broadly, lifting his headuntil it was level with Hatsuharu's face. "Ich liebe dich!" he jumped forward, planting a quick kiss on Haru's startled lips.

Heat crept over the cow's surprised features, and his nerves tingled at the brief contact. 'Ich liebe dich,' the words trickled through his scattered mind. 'He loves me?' Lost in the feeling of the kiss, he stared unseeingly into the darkness.

However, Momiji's continued whispers shattered his happy daze. "Ich liebe dich, mein Bruder."

'Mein Bruder?' Hatsuharu felt a tug at his chest. 'Of course that's all I am to him. A brother. Someone to hold him and comfort him when he is scared at night. The family he never really had. It's selfish of me to hope for anything more. Momiji doesn't think like I do,' he traced circles down the other boy's spine, considering the tiny breaths against his ear. 'His mind isn't twisted like mine. He loves because he wants the whole world to be happy. But I only want to please myself. I'm ill, aren't I?'

Rubbing his cheek against the rabbit's wavy hair, he sighed desperately. 'Would he let me be this close to him if he realized what the slightest contact between us does to my body? How can I risk our beautiful friendship like this? This disgusting lust!' Momiji's heartbeat sent soothing vibrations through his chest, but in that comforting embrace his thoughts raced. 'If only he knew that I am the real monster.'

Vati- father

Bruder- brother

Mutti- mother (but you all knew that, right? ;) )

Mein- my

Nein- no

Es ist mein Problem- It is my problem!

Tschüss until next time:)