A/N: So, sorry about those last two chapters. They were a bit... yeah, sorry. Although those may not be the last chapters of their kind, the next ones that'll be coming up won't be quite as heavy. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy.

NarikoSarutobi: OMG Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! And yeah, their relationship is gonna be... interesting? I think... I dunno how to describe it lol

Also, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

Chapter Genre:

Chapter Rating:

Rating Content: Brief Mild Language, Sexual Implications

Tahki had decided to spend the majority of the day outside. After being cooped up in her room (recovering, as Jesse and Pagan had put it) she was itching to move around. She wanted to work at planting trees, anyhow, which was harder than what it seemed. The wounds on her legs would often stretch whenever she knelt down and it would cause her some slight pain.

Pup was always running right beside her, jumping up and barking happily. He would sometimes carry a stick to her and just when she was about to grab it, he would pull away, wagging his tail playfully. She would eventually give in and attempt to get the stick from him.

Pagan leaned against a tree and just watched as the Canadian worked and played with her wolf pup. After the incident, he refused to leave her alone, so he came outside with her. It was almost strange; not even four days ago she was laying on her bed, recovering from almost lethal blood loss that came from wounds she inflicted upon herself. And now, she was running around with her wolf, laughing and smiling as if nothing had happened. Either she was attempting to cover up what she was truly feeling, or she just didn't care.

Or this could be some way of coping. Something that brought her some element of joy.

He was shaken from his thoughts as something scratched at his leg. Pagan looked down to see Pup sitting in front of him, a stick in his jaw and his tail wagging from side to side, his icy blue eyes gleaming with mischief. He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"He wants you to play with him." Tahki said.

"I can see that."

Pup set the stick in front of him and barked, spinning around once in a circle and placing his paws in front of him as his rear stuck up into the air, tail wagging. Pagan made a face. "I'm not playing."

The little wolf cub sat down, then, and howled almost mournfully, staring expectantly at the man. Tahki snorted and placed her hand on her hip. "He's not going to leave you alone. You know that, right?"

Pagan stared into those sad puppy eyes, determined not to break. Pup shuffled his paws and let out a small, tiny whimper as his blue eyes glistened with moisture. Was the mutt actually about to cry?! His ears suddenly drooped and he whimpered once more, hanging his head slightly as if he had just been harshly scolded. The King of Kyrat sighed and knelt down to pick up the stick. "I'm only doing this so you can leave me alone." He informed the wolf cub.

Pup howled and panted happily, now standing on all fours and wagging his tail. With a small huff, Pagan threw the stick as far as he could and Pup took off towards it with an almost amazing speed.

The stick fell into the bushes and the cub dashed into it without hesitation. Pagan couldn't help but chuckle as the bush rustled and shifted. Soon enough, Pup came back out with the stick in between his teeth. Shaking himself off, he trotted over to Pagan with a proud look in his eyes. He set the stick back down in front of his feet and looked up at him expectantly. "I threw it once for you, already!" He snapped, now clearly annoyed with the creature.

Pup barked and nudged the stick closer.

"Puppies need lots of playtime, Pagan!" Tahki informed him. "One toss of the stick isn't enough for a high-energy dog."

He huffed again and picked up the stick. "I don't do puppies..." He muttered, tossing the stick away once more.

As Pup chased the stick, Tahki made her way over to the King. "You said you're staying, so you may as well help take care of Pup."

"He's not my mutt." He snapped.

"No, but he's in your household. Or palace. You may as well play with him."

Pup soon came back with the stick and quickly set it down in front of them, looking up and waiting patiently. Now, if they both would just...

Tahki leaned down to pick up the stick, thinking that Pagan wouldn't want to throw it again. In that moment, he had leaned down as well to pick it up. The result of their movements was their heads smacking into one another's.

Pup covered his eyes with his one paw as the two growled in pain. That wasn't supposed to happen, but it worked.

"You have a damn thick skull..." She groaned, rubbing at the side of her head.

"Oh, hush!"

Pup jumped up so his front paws were on Pagan's leg, panting with his tongue lolled to the side. "Why does he even make that face?"

Tahki picked up the stick. "I think it might be his way of smiling." She threw the stick and Pup ran after it, barking happily.

With the minor pain in his head dulled down to a small throb, Pagan asked her, "Even after what you had gone through a few days ago, you somehow seem to be content. Happy, even. Why? Or should I ask 'how'?"

The Canadian shrugged. "The outdoors brings me a sort of happiness. I always enjoyed nature, ever since I was young. And now with Pup hanging around, I have something to fill the time in. I've always wanted a puppy, anyways."

"He's a wolf cub."

"Same difference."

"That still doesn't answer how you're so... happy."

She shrugged once more and looked to him. "It's in the past and the small 'crisis' is over; no sense in dwelling on it. I may have almost died, but I'm determined to make a change in myself. And in order to do that, I have to find... healthier ways to get rid of negative emotions."

The little wolf finally came back with the stick, but just before he reached them he practically collapsed, panting heavily. "You all tuckered out, Pup?" She asked, approaching the cub and leaning down to stroke him behind his ears.

"Lunch should almost be ready, anyhow." Pagan informed her. "So, we should be heading inside."

Tahki scooped Pup into her arm and he placed his front paws over her shoulder, resting his head around her neck. "You're just a suck-up, aren't you?"

He licked at her ear, making her giggle.

/ / /

Pup lied underneath Tahki's seat, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths as he slept. Occasionally he would twitch but other than that he was a calm sleeper. Such a cute pup, she thought.

Jesse, for whatever reason, hadn't made it to lunch so they had proceeded to eat without him. It was odd, however, as Ronin had been sent to inform him of lunch and normally Jesse would have arrived tout suite, but he never made it back. Neither did Ronin, for that matter.

Although she didn't like to jump to conclusions, Tahki had at least some sort of idea as to what they were both up to. That was fast, she had thought.

It was not as extravagant as most dinners were; just some baked potatoes and ham, but it was still delicious. The ham must've been fresh and the potatoes well-preserved, because they tasted absolutely amazing!

"Do you ever cook?"

She looked up and quickly swallowed some of her food. "Pardon?"

"Do you ever cook?" Pagan repeated. "Being that you and Harper are the only ones who lived in your little house, I thought you'd be the one to cook."

She made a face. "Because I'm a woman?"

"That and you seem like the type who enjoys to cook." He stated.

Tahki rolled her eyes and cut at a slice of ham with her spoon (odd way to cut ham, but spoons had a sharp-ish edge, so they worked better than a fork). "I can't cook even if my life depended on it. Jesse doesn't cook much, but he normally made the food whenever he brought his boyfriend over."

Pagan suddenly choked on his potatoes, making Tahki jump back in surprise and Pup startle awake, hitting his head against the chair leg. Once he was able to regain his composure, he finally was able to ask, "Boyfriend?!"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He gestured with his fork. "He's...?"

She nodded again. "Yeah."

"And he is alone with Ronin!"

"What, is he gay as well?"

"Yes!" He snapped.

Pup pawed at Tahki's leg and she quickly handed him a piece of her ham. "I don't see anything wrong with them being together, Pagan. And if you think there is, there's probably something wrong with you." She sighed and pushed her chair in, setting her plate aside and leaning in on the table. "Look, Jesse has been alone for a few years and he deserves more than just happiness. If Ronin can give him that, then I'm happy for them. If you knew Ronin was gay, then you should be happy for them as well."

"I don't want Harper-"

"Jesse!" She corrected him.

Pagan rolled his eyes. "I don't want Jesse distracting one of my best and most trusted men!"

"Oh, suck it up! What are you going to do anyways, demote Ronin?" She shook her head. "On second thought, don't answer that."

He set his fork down and pushed away from the table. "If they're doing what I think they are..."

Tahki, using her fork, flung some of her baked potato at him. Thanks to her superb aim it landed directly on his cheek, making him flinch in shock. "Don't bother them." She told him. "Do you have something against homosexuals?"

"No." He quickly replied, wiping the potato off with a napkin. "I don't. I had just given Ronin an order and I expect him to follow through with it."

"Well, you ordered him to inform Jesse that lunch is ready and, if he told Jesse about lunch, then he followed through with the order. You never said that Jesse had to come. So, once or if either of them manage to get here, don't give either of them shit for it. At all."

Pagan sighed and pulled his chair back in, grabbing his fork and stabbing a piece of ham. Satisfied that he wouldn't try to bother them, Tahki put her plate back in front of her and proceeded to eat her own food.

Tahki had to admit that she felt it was a bit fast in how Jesse suddenly became interested in Ronin (and vice versa), considering they had been there for only over a week, nearly two weeks. Well, Jesse had told her that he and Ronin talked a lot when she was out in the gardens (which he still refused to help her with), but that still seemed a bit fast for him.

How old was the man, anyways? He looked fairly young... then again, Tahki had only seen Ronin in his Army suit, so most of his features were covered. And if he was Pagan's best soldier, there was a chance that he was older than twenty. Maybe he was in his thirties.

Pup suddenly stood at attention and trotted towards the door, his white-tipped ears perked up in curiosity as his head tilted to the side. "What is it, boy?" Tahki asked.

The doors to the dining room opened and Jesse quickly came through them. Pup howled briefly before running to greet him, jumping up and barking happily. Jesse briefly leaned down to pet the little wolf behind his ears. "Hey, buddy." He then stood and took his seat beside Tahki. "Sorry I'm late. I wasn't in my room when Ronin came to get me, so he had a bit of a hard time finding me."

Tahki briefly eyed her friend. He appeared presentable; fresh clothes (composed of black pants and a grey v-neck t-shirt), his hair was brushed through (almost a little too neatly) and was pulled back into a pony-tail. However, despite his appearance, Tahki didn't fail to notice the faint blush on his cheeks as well as the small red mark on the juncture between his neck and shoulder. Was it already bruising?!

"Where were you, then?" She asked.

Jesse served himself some potatoes and ham. "I was in the garden looking for you." He replied.

"You just missed us, then."

She gave him a look, eyebrow raised and a ghost of a smirk on her lips. 'I know...' it told him. He gave her a look in return, one that almost begged her to keep quiet. She nodded slightly and resumed with eating her meal.

Pagan didn't fail to notice the minor exchange between the two Canadians but he decided to let it slide. That didn't mean he wouldn't have a 'chat' with Ronin, later.

/ / /

"Jesus, this room is bigger than your last one!"

"I know, and it bothers me."

After lunch was over, Tahki had asked for Jesse to come by her room whenever he had the time. She needed to have a chat with him.

Jesse placed his hands in his pockets. "So, uh... why am I here?"

"You know why."

He sighed and brushed back his hair (which really wasn't needed, considering it was in a ponytail, but it was one of his nervous habits). "Look, KiKi, I'm a grown man."

She shrugged. "Doesn't mean I can't be concerned for your well-being. Jesse, I'm happy for you; I'm happy you found someone! But, all things considering, how do you know he won't...?"

"I'm not too worried about that right now, Tahki." He walked towards the bed and sat beside her, careful as to not disturb the sleeping Pup who was currently twitching in his sleep. Most likely was chasing something... "Look, right now, it's just purely... physical. We're worrying about emotions later."

She nodded. "Ah... still, I don't want you getting hurt."

"I know." He hugged her with one arm and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, KiKi."

Tahki smiled.

"I haven't really been able to ask about you, lately." He said. "How're you feeling? You know, with moving beside his room and whatnot?"

She shrugged slightly. "Could be worse, really. Pagan doesn't snore, surprisingly, Pup no longer howls if I kick him off the bed and, somehow, Pup seems to make it into Pagan's room to bug the shit out of him."

Jesse made a face. "You mean you let him in-"

"No, I'm being serious; before I wake up Pup goes into his room and jumps on him! Either that, or he goes rooting through his stuff." Tahki chuckled slightly. "Brought me one of Pagan's socks, once."

"Was it pink?" He asked.

"No, surprisingly."

A small silence passed between the two friends and Jesse looked to Pup. "I'm really beginning to think that that wolf cub might actually be some spirit animal."

Tahki looked to Pup then to Jesse. "You're not being serious..."

"I'm dead serious!" He hissed. "This wolf cub pops up out of nowhere and it bonds with you almost instantly. He treats you like you've been his owner for years, he saved your life twice, do you not think there's some sort of entity in all of this?"

She shrugged. "You know I don't believe much in the supernatural, Jess."

Pup's body twitched and he whined slightly.

"At least consider that he might actually be here for a reason, KiKi. Okay?"

"And that reason is to annoy the shit out of Pagan."

"No."

"It is for me. Now get out of here, I need to take a rest."

/ / /

He was becoming half bored out of his mind! Now that Tahki was up and moving, there really wasn't too great of a need to keep watching over her. Of course, he'd be in the general area that she was in in case something happened, but he wouldn't be right beside her like he had been whilst she had recovered.

Sure, he could watch something on the tele*, but he had already watched the last season of Lie To Me and he had finished reading his novel. He wasn't about to wander around in the gardens, lest he step on something and have her chew him out for it.

Pagan had considered in going to talk to Ronin about him and Harper, but he briefly reflected on what Tahki told him; 'don't give either of them shit'. He supposed that would include a small discussion about their relationship. Well, perhaps another time when it wasn't so apparent as to what they had both been up to.

He growled in frustration and fell back onto his bed, placing his hands under his head. Perhaps a quick rest would do him some good. He couldn't remember the last time he truly had a decent sleep.

He heard something scratch and growl at the door and before he could react, the door opened and he physically cringed as the sound of claws scraping against the wooden floor drew near to him. "I still don't understand how you're able to open the door!"

Pup barked and hopped onto the bed and into Pagan's lap, making him groan in protest. "You're too big for this, mutt!" He hissed, attempting to push the wolf cub off of him.

The little wolf howled and sat on top of him, panting happily with his tongue lolled to the side. What a goofy little face he makes, he thought. The King sat up and briefly stroked the young pup's head and down his back. "You're an annoying little shit," he told him, "but you are... cute."

"I think that we should have a puppy."

Pagan snorted. "And create more trouble? I think not."

She shifted onto her side and placed a delicate hand against his chest. "A puppy would give them something to occupy their time with, Pagan. Especially Ajay."

He thought about it for a brief moment. A puppy would give the children something to do whenever they were busy with something. "I suppose a puppy would be... cute. Not a bad idea, Ishwari."

Pagan's hand grasped tightly at the sheet underneath him and Pup whined, gently nuzzling his nose into Pagan's free hand, breaking the King from his trance. He felt angry. Not at the wolf cub, but more at himself. He had so many regrets, so much hate and anger. The things he felt, he desperately wished he could be rid of.

Sighing heavily, he patted the cub reassuringly. "You know, Pup..." He said. "There are some moments in which I think you truly understand what I feel. What everyone feels."

Pup whined again and lied down on his lap, resting his head on his paws and closing his eyes. As Pagan continued to pet the cub, he couldn't help but feel a soothing aura around Pup. Soon enough, he felt his own eyes fluttering closed and his breathing slowed.

Sleep came swiftly, for him.