"Aika, what are you doing here?" Taki whispered, rubbing his eyes. Aki was still asleep, so he was being quiet. His bright hair stuck up in every direction and he had bags under his eyes. Did he sleep alright? I clutched my stuffed owl close to my chest.

"Amaya-neechan...I made her leave..." I sniffled. He smiled and pulled me into his chest. I started bawling all over again. "I wanted her and Miki to fall in love and get married and be like a princess and prince but now I've ruined it!"

He patted my back tiredly. "Hush, I'm sure whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. Amaya-chan..." He let out a small laugh. "I doubt Minoru would let someone so...special disappear, right?"

I clung to his shirt, letting my owl flop to the floor. "Taki...about Occhan..."

He nodded, a little more awake. "Yes, what?"

"Is...is Occhan a good guy...?" I whispered so quietly, like I was afraid to hear my own words. He was silent for a long moment. I waited. He kept his eyes focused on something far off, as if the answer to my question would appear before him.

"He's...well, he's...yes, Minoru is a good guy." He said unconvincingly. I stared up at him. I was about to ask him to tell me the whole truth, the real truth, but I knew he thought of me as just a little girl.

And little girls needed to be protected, right?

One time I asked Taki why he and Aki ran away. He told me his mommy loved Aki but not him. He said they were separated. They hardly knew each other. But his daddy took him in. And because neither of them could hold a girl, his daddy played pretend. He made Taki his little girl. And then...Taki said Aki walked in on them. Taki wouldn't say what they were doing, though. Aki hated his daddy after that. That night, he took Taki and ran. Within a couple of weeks, Taki had disappeared completely. He had become another Taki. He dyed his hair to match his, he wore the same clothes, he played the same games.

And Taki hated it.

"Come now, stop crying. Let's go in the bathroom and get you washed up." He took my hand and led me out of the room and down the hallway. He turned on the sink and stepped back. I splashed some water on my face. "Feeling better?"

I nodded and buried my face into a towel. "I like your hair," I spoke quietly. He blinked in surprise at my comment. "And I'm sure lots of other girls will like it too." He patted me on the head.

"I don't think I'll ever get a girl to like me, if that's what you're suggesting."

I turned to face him. "One day I'll be a grown up lady and I'll be really pretty and I'll love you for who you are!" I declared, crossing my arms over my (at the time being, flat as a wall) chest. He stared for a moment then laughed. A long, good laugh. I hadn't heard him laugh like that before.

"That's a generous offer, Aika. But I'm still a whole lot older than you. You wouldn't want to date an old man, right?" I bit my lip. I knew he wasn't that much older than me. He wasn't taking me seriously.

"But your father is a whole lot more older than you and you loved him!"

He glanced down, his eyes suddenly lost. "There's a difference between girlfriend boyfriend love and family love, right Aika? I have family love for you." He didn't respond. He didn't respond to my accusation. He just shifted the subject.

Had I said something wrong?

I kept my ground, but shifted with the topic. "We aren't that closely related! Besides, inside the Sohma house there's always...always...what's that word? Intermarriage?"

He sighed. "Aika, I hope you're kidding. I really do. Or I hope you don't understand what you're asking. You should be looking for someone in your age range."

We stood there awkwardly, his hand on my head and my hands gripping the towel. He then just walked back into the hallway and whispered quietly. "Don't follow me. Aki's still asleep, our talking might wake him."

I sat down on the floor, the towel sliding out of my hands and coming to a stop at the floor. I pulled my knees into my (still flat) chest. I wanted to be older. I wanted to be a pretty girl. Then even that stupid seahorse wouldn't be lonely.

I sighed and looked at the towel. I whispered to Taki, even though I knew he had left.

"But I left my owl in there. I can't back down. I'm guessing you think this is immature, but I love my bird."