Dark Knight – Prince Tobias Yui

Prince Tobias was wondering the halls of the north wing looking for Fayt. Even though Fayt was his father's dog, he and Tobias had a kind of bond, since he was the only male child in the whole palace.

As he wondered the halls he noticed that there were no servants anywhere along the corridor. He was a little scared because he never wondered the halls without his mother or Lady Kitty Luna. As he wondered further he heard a bark; Tobias smiled when he heard it and ran forward toward the sound. When he reached the room that he had heard the bark from, he noticed that unlike the other doors in the hall, this door was opened.

Tobias walked in cautiously using his lessons of stealth to creep through shadows. When he observed the room his saw Fayt, but what he didn't expect to see was his father. Tobias came out of the shadows and ran to his father.

"Father! You found Fayt!" Tobias said with his calm cheery smile.

Heero looked down at his son and nodded, and then he patted him on the head as he began to move towards the window in front of them.

"Father, what is the matter? Aren't you happy that you found Fayt? Didn't you miss him?" Tobias asked curiously.

Heero stopped for a moment then turned back to his son, the last of the day's light shinning around his form.

"Tobias, I apologize to you, I am happy to see our faithful companion, but after our visit to Venus I haven't been myself."

Tobias thought about the last two weeks and how there had been so much yelling the first week then the second week there had been so much crying from his mother and complete silence from his father, and sadness that he sees his father portray still at this moment in time.

"Father… why was everyone so sad, I don't understand why seeing aunt Minako would upset you so. Is it because uncle Quatre didn't come to see the boxes?" Tobias asked as Fayt started to lick his hand.

Heero shook with hidden emotions as he listened to his son's innocence about the death of his friend and god daughter.

For the first time in Heero's life he had problems holding back his emotions. Tobias stood there looking more and more worried as his father shook from what he didn't know.

"Father, what is wrong? Please don't be sad, I'm sure uncle Quatre will be there next time! Please don't be sad father." Tobias said; his innocent eyes shinned with determination to make his father happy.

That was all it took for Heero to lose it, he collapsed to the floor and tears fell down his face his eyes shut tightly in shame and agony for all of the events this past week.

As Heero cried, Tobias stood there in shock. Never before had he ever seen his father cry, he had cut himself with knives when helping mother with crafts, he had been bitten when Fayt was still a pup and he and Tobias's mother had fought, but never before had he seen his father cry.

"Father, please don't cry, I didn't mean to make you sad! Please daddy, please don't cry!" Tobias exclaimed running to his father in distress.

As Tobias embraced his father Heero let out actual sobs and pulled his son to him. Heero cried into his son's shoulder, and Tobias held him tight trying to think of a way to make his father feel better.

Fayt got up on his paws and slowly crept over to the sorrowful yet beautiful picture of a father son moment, and laid his head right next to his two masters' shoulders.

When Tobias felt Fayt's wet nose touch his ear, he remembered something his mother once told him.

"Father, you know even though uncle Quatre and cousin Abby weren't there in body doesn't mean that they did not come to the meeting spiritually."

Heero pulled back in shock at his son's young wisdom, it made him wonder if now his son understood that Quatre and Abigail were dead.

Heero wiped his tears and questioned his son, "Tobias, do you understand why Quatre and Abby were not there?"

Tobias looked confused for a moment then he smiled and replied, "No father, but I guessed that they didn't want to see aunty cry and they went to get flowers for her."

Heero's eyes welled up more at his son's pure innocence. But he knew that if his son lived that lie it would hurt him more than just knowing that two people that they all cared about were not coming back.

"Tobias my son… There is no easy way to say this, but Quatre and Abby were not gone because they wanted Minako to feel better…" He paused for a moment, "they passed away… Do you understand what that means?"

Tobias's eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity, he shook his head, "What does it mean father? Will you tell me?"

Heero's eyes filled with more tears, this would be harder than he thought it would be, "Son, it means that they… well it means that they died Tobias. Do you know what that means?"

Tobias's eyes then changed from the wide eyed ignorance to tearful understanding, "F-father are you saying that they, they were the reason aunty was crying?" Then another realization shook Tobias's young features, "They were the ones in those big black boxes weren't they? The boxes that they put into the ground, everyone was crying because uncle and Abby were in the boxes."

Heero knew that this was hurting Tobias as much as it had hurt him. He nodded in acknowledgement toward the forlorn boy, which only made him cry harder.

"Son I'm sorry I shouldn't have told you so bluntly, please don't cry. I know it's hard to accept, believe me… " He stopped to hold his son, "Quatre was one of my best friends, I miss him dearly but what you said before, how they were there spiritually… It made it better, think about what you said, it still fits because that was the only way they could be there."

Tobias looked at his father for a moment the smiled; he wiped his tears then hugged his father. That was how the Queen found them when she entered the room.

Heero and his son looked up to see their Queen, her eyes were still red from crying all week, but she also had a look of stubbornness.

"My love and darling child Minako has called from Venus. Everything is alright and back to normal there, she said that people don't have to cry anymore for the loss of our dear friends, for she has seen them in the stars." Queen Serenity said with a quivering voice.

Heero nodded and looked over to his son; Tobias had cried so much that he was starting to fall asleep.

"You told him what really happened didn't you Heero." Serenity said mournfully.

Heero nodded again swallowing the lump in his throat.

"You do know that he will probably never be the same again right? He has lost a part of his innocence; he might even change from a sensitive boy to more of a sturdy solid man."

Heero nodded yet again and picked his now sleeping son up from the floor and walked up to his wife and they both left the room together, with their son in hand and Fayt in tow.