Right... sorry it's late, I was busy. I'll still be updating on Tuesday.
Yuuri shifted in his large bed as the door to his room was opened. A light shuffling sounded, and a large weight dropped on top of him moments later.
A grunt sounded as the weight shifted, then giggled. "Wake up, Yuuri!"
Yuuri rolled onto his stomach as opened his bleary eyes. Phichit grinned back at him, eyes wide, a small something wrapped in a blanket in his arms. "Happy birthday!"
Yuuri did not reply, choosing instead to roll back over and continue snoring. Phichit groaned. "Come on, Yuuri! It's your birthday!" he repeated.
Yuuri opened his eyes again to see Phichit holding out the package to him, pouting. "Please?"
"Ugh," Yuuri grunted again and sat up in the bed, Phichit scrambling back, and placing the package in his lap. He wrinkled his nose, looking to his best friend, who was still grinning happily. "It's moving. What's in here, Phichit?"
When his friend gave no answer, he looked back to the wriggling thing, and slowly undid the knot on the top. "Nothing better jump out at me, or you're in big trouble." He opened the blanket, and a small gasp came involuntarily from his mouth.
In the blanket was a black greyhound puppy, panting quietly. He gently lifted it out, his face in a permanent look of shock. "W-what?"
Phichit seemed to enlarge his grin, seeing his friend's face. "Her name is Willow. I know you like poodles more, but father said greyhounds are much more useful, and she was so cute."
"Uh-huh," said Yuuri, still staring at the wriggling puppy. Of course, Benz would say greyhounds are useful. The viceroy had had his own greyhound in his younger days, when he enjoyed hunting with Yuuri's father.
The dog, named Kai after the hero of one of Benz's favorite books, had been one of Yuuri's only friends growing up in the lonely castle, as his own sister was seven years older than him. Kai had died of old age years ago, but Benz had always loved the hunting dogs as much as Yuuri grew up loving poodles.
Yuuri, too, had also had a dog when he was younger. Her name was Yukachin, a jumpy brown poodle, named after Yuuri's first crush on a young girl named Yuuko. Yuuko, however, had started dating Takeshi, the young man who had bullied Yuuri when he was younger. The bullying had only stopped when Takeshi realized, and Yuuri for that matter, that Yuuri was gay, and would not love her in any other way than as a friend.
Yuuri had loved Yukachin so much, but she had died since she was already old when Yuuri received her as a gift from his mother and mother.
The thought made his throat swell up. He fought back the tears as the black puppy panted and wriggled happily in his hands. "Yuuri?" Phichit asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Yuuri sniffed as he wiped his nose on the sleeve of his night shirt. "Sorry."
Phichit smiled softly. "Well, breakfast is ready when you want it."
Yuuri nodded slightly and set Willow down on the bed as Phichit left the room. He pet her head softly, and she wiggled and rolled onto her back, with begging eyes. Yuuri smiled and complied with her wishes, rubbing her belly.
Yuuri stood, and made his way downstairs after changing. He looked out the window, seeing the Midworld doused in the light of the rising sun. The king of Day would be doing his job now, the same way Yuuri rose the moon every night. However, his kingdom was still dark, the eternal night the only thing he really knew.
He wasn't halfway out of his room when Otabek, the page, rushed by, stopped, and backtracked. "Your Majesty, where is Viceroy Chulanout?"
"Um…" Yuuri paused. "I… have no idea. I just woke up, so…" Otabek, finding him of no use, rushed by before he could finish. "Wait!" Yuuri called, and when the page did not stop, the prince followed him.
They had not been walking for long until they ran across the viceroy. Benz looked at the pair amusedly, until he saw the look on Otabek's face. "What is it?"
Otabek glanced at Yuuri for a moment, but spoke when the viceroy nodded at him. "I followed the Prime Minister to the prison in the east. He was speaking with Melaka Knise, the man who organized the assassination attempt."
Benz nodded pensively, and Yuuri stared at the page. "Wait, what? The Prime Minister?" He turned to Benz, then back to Otabek. "Who is Knise? I'm so confused… what's going on?!"
Benz took Yuuri by the arm and pulled him into an empty room, Otabek following. "Yuuri, the Prime Minister is working with the man who killed your father. Melaka Knise was a friend of your father's and mine. He was the Dream Guardian before the Nishigori family took over. Knise abused his power, and your father had to fire him and throw him in prison. When Knise was arrested, he went insane and said that his power could not be contained, and he could make Toshiya's life a living hell. He killed Toshiya, though, so I don't really know why he's targeting you. I had my suspicions when the Prime Minister said he did not want you to be king. I told Otabek to follow him around and make sure he did nothing suspicious, but I don't want to arrest him. It would be bad for the kingdom to know that their senate has been led by a traitor all this time, but now I guess I have no choice."
Yuuri's head swam with the overload of information. His breath grew quicker, and he began to sway. His heart began to pound faster and harder, his eyes swimming with stressed tears and a lump grew in his throat. He briefly heard Benz dismissing Otabek, then wrapping his arms around Yuuri. The tears came once more, and Benz was there again to comfort him.