Sickeningly sweet. I was going to end it with an angst scene, but decided against it. Oh well, have fun with the bliss while it lasts- the next chapter's heavy with angst.

Warning/Disclaimer: Just putting it here so you know I'm warning for something and disclaiming something...


Moment Seven-

Play-

You aren't working today, right, Kao-kun?


"You… don't have work, Kao-kun?" and he stares at me with big large eyes.

I flip a page in my book, the one that I've been trying to catch up on, and lower my eyes, "People need breaks every so often."

"But, Kao-kun," and he plops onto my lap, laying entirely onto the bed, looking up at me from behind the book, "You were working, and working, and working and working-"

For three weeks straight, I know. I sigh heavily, and put the book on the bed, pushing the heavy weight off of me-

"-and working, and working, and working-" he's continuing, pacing around the room again. I roll over on my stomach, muffling out his words with my pillow, and suddenly he stops, his voice innocent, "You aren't working today, right, Kao-kun?"

I grunt a half-enthused grunt, my eyes closing.

"So… Kao-kun! I want to go to the park!"

I raise my head slowly, blinking as my hazel met his hazel, "… You what?"

He smiles a large smile, plopping his hands on his hips, matter-of-factly, "The park! I always go to the park when I want to play!"

I blink at him, before plopping my head into the pillow again, mumbling, "I'm tired… Go there yourself."

Suddenly there's a tight grip on my hand, and I feel the sheets sliding under me, until I meet the edge of the bed-

"Hikaru! Idiot!"

-and I tumble, landing hard on my stomach, glaring at his smiling face, as he pulls on my hand again, yanking me upward to stand.

"I don't want to go to the park, Hikaru," I growl, giving him a glare, but he brushes it off like it was nothing- he just smiles at me-

"We have to go to the park! It's fun, I promise!" And with that, he gives me a sickening white smile, and I wish that I had control over my life again.

"Let's play!" he smiled happily, dragging me off the bench, his small hand wrapped around mine. I could only watch as he led the way to the small garden in the courtyard of obaasan's mansion.

"Play?" I asked, scared of what it might mean, of what he might do, but he just gives me an incredulous look, his brows furrowed in concentration-

"Yeah! Play! We can play in the leaves; it's really fun," he said, and I couldn't decipher whether it was said sincerely or mischievously.

"I don't want to get into trouble," I mumbled, a hand straying towards my mouth, almost shy to even tell him that. He was my first friend, and I didn't want to seem… weird.

"Trouble? Nah, it's fun, it's fun! Come on!" he laughed, and then placed his other hand over my eyes- I felt slightly nervous- "Okay, don't open your eyes until I say so!"

"Hikaru, this isn't funny," I deadpan, as I run my eyes across the dry landscape; it's the middle of winter, and whoever's sane enough are at their homes right now, drinking hot chocolate and lounging in the warmth of their artificial air.

My fingers are chilled- lucky that I brought my gloves with me, and my hands are stuffed cozily into my coat pockets. The dull browns aren't doing so good for my eyes, but how hard is it to find a bright crimson winter coat in all of this? My hazel eyes scrutinize the half-deserted park, around benches, around trees, around crepe stands-

And I still can't find him.

"Kao-kun!" I almost jump at his reappearance, and whip around to see a strange smile on his face; oh, it's a slight smirk, "You don't know how to play hide-and-seek, Kao-kun?"

I mumble an inaudible answer, but his smile widens eerily.

"I'll show you!" he puts an arm around my shoulders- but that wasn't my answer- "Okay, you count to ten and I'll hide somewhere! You'll have to find me, Kao-kun! Easy, ne?"

"I want to go home," I whine, but it doesn't take long until he prances off, and I can't see him anymore. I simply run a hand through my chilled hair, and sigh.

This is going to be a long day.

I tightened my grip on his hand just a bit and he kept the hand over my eyes, and I continued to walk in darkness, until-

"Tada!" And I blinked, looking around at the garden, the fall leaves scattered about in small piles. I stared- how did you "play" with this? He giggled a bit at me, as I turned towards him, about to ask a question when suddenly-

"Kao-kun, you're so weird!"

I yelp, as he tackled me harshly, until both of us tumble hard into the rough uneven ground, leaves crunching under us. And then, he started laughing, as I looked at him-

"Hika-kun, what was that for?" I asked, but I only received a smile for an answer, and a finger over my lips, as he chucked several dry leaves at me. "H-Hey!"

He smiled, playfully, childishly, "Look, Kao-kun," and he grabbed several leaves and threw them up in the air. His eyes seemed fixed on the leaves, and he was smiling, a warmth in his eyes that I'd never seen.

I sat up slowly as I watched the orange leaves as they spiraled to the ground, landing with a small flutter.

"Hikaru," I call again, frowning, a hand firmly on my hip- it's been several hours already, and he still hasn't shown up- he must be a very good hider, I sigh, my bored eyes raking across the pink and orange horizon. My feet shuffle through the withered leaves in my path, my eyes on the ground, thinking, where could he have gone?

I sigh, slightly annoyed that I was pulled out of the house just to freeze in this sort of weather-

"Kao-kun, Kao-kun!" I raise my eyes, as I see him run towards me, a bright smile on his face, "You didn't find me! I'm good, ne, Kao-kun?"

"Yeah, you're good," I murmur, just to appease his happiness, as I lower my gaze to the concrete ground again. I half-expect him to continue to talk, half-expect him to hug me, anything, but I can't expect him-

"Eh, look, Kao-kun!" and I follow his finger towards a bare tree, stripped of its leaves. On one of the branches, a small bird stood, its feathers puffed out in an attempt to warm itself. I pick up my pace, curiosity leading me towards the tree, my hazel eyes fixed onto the bird-

I reach up, and I can almost touch the soft feathers, when a large gust blows down the pathway, my hand retracting as I see the bird curl up even more.

"It's going to get cold there," I hear him say, and I look at him, and he's looking at it, his hands in his pockets- and for once he actually looks normal until he reaches towards the bird, cupping it in his hands, bringing it off the branch. He smiles, his finger softly rubbing the feathers, as he holds it out to me, his voice light and airy, "Kao-kun, touch him. He's warm."

I don't bother to correct him that this bird might be a she, but I nod, and gently, press a knuckle softly against the bird's shivering body. It's brown feathers are spotted, I note, as I blow lightly against the contour feathers.

"Kawaii, ne?" I whisper, fingering its head, and it ruffles its feathers before settling into Hikaru's gloved hands again.

"Birdy-san would get a cold if he says out like this," he says, in a not so quiet whisper, as he kneels down, pulling off his leather gloves. My eyes blinking, I watch him tucking the warm material around the sleeping bird, placing it within a small crevice in the tree roots. He searches his pockets to find nothing, then looks at me, his bare hands slipping quietly into his coat, "I think Birdy-san is still cold."

I blink, then look at the shivering pile of cloth at the foot of the tree. I slip off my left glove, before crouching, putting the glove at the opening of the tree, leaving a small space for the bird to breath. Sighing into the chilly air, I straighten up, my hands in my pockets again.

"Let's go, Hikaru; it's almost dark," I say to him, pulling out my silver phone from my pocket. I stare, flipping through the numbers, as I look over to him again, a questioning look on my face. But he's stood up, and he's smiling again, his eyes dancing with mischief-

"Orange, Kao-kun. Your phone looks better orange."