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Later in the evening, after Harper had finished lighting the torches around the shed, she wanted to finally take a bath. She gathered some clothes from the wardrobe that would fit her.

However, when she walked into the bathroom, she didn't expect Hyde to already be in there. He set clothes he took from the same wardrobe and placed them on the counter. Then he walked over to the stone bath and turned on the shower head.

"I didn't know you were also planning on bathing."

"It's been a few days." Hyde grabbed a towel and casually slung it over his arm. "The humidity is no joke. I smell like the trees."

He couldn't stand the smell that humid weather always brought. And now that he was drenched in that horrible scent, he felt it was necessary to bathe.

"Um... is it okay if I take a bath first?" Harper murmured. Hyde scoffed at her, glaring at her.

"I was here first. You can't wait?"

"It's proper manners to let women go first."

"You think I give a shite? Does being a woman make you Queen?"

"It doesn't make me a queen, no," Harper placed her free hand on her hip. She kept thinking about the Whilfox that was resting on the couch still. She would rather hurry and bathe, so she can get back to the room and keep it out.

She was terrified that it would follow her around. "Please?"

"No."

"No?"

"Why should I? Wait your turn."

"Fine then, I'll just stand here and make you uncomfortable." Harper stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and crossed her arms. She hoped he would give in, knowing that he would complain about her presence.

What he did next surprised her.

He didn't say much, but there was a warning in his tone.

Hyde smirked at her. "Are you sure you're okay with doing that?"

"If it gets me to take a shower first, sure."

Hyde stared at her for a moment more. "You're gonna regret that decision."

"What—"

Hyde reached for the hem of his bottoms and yanked it down. Harper dared not look down and kept her eyes up. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart pounding.

Hyde discarded his jacket and top next. Then he untied his hair and shook his head to let it flow down his back.

Harper's eyes still remained on him. There was a slight moment where she looked at his scar but quickly shifted her eyes back up so she wouldn't see the rest of him.

"Are you really going to stand there and watch me?" Hyde turned around and reached into the wooden cabinet above the sink. Harper saw his arms flex, and then his shoulders as he moved them down, carrying a clay-made bottle of liquid inside.

He raised it to his nose and concluded that it was body wash or shampoo. Either way, he'd use it for both. "You're bold these days..." Hyde's eyes lazily glanced over her as he walked over to where the water was running.

"You're still here... one would think that you'd want to join me."

Harper gave up. She turned to leave and opened the door. The moment she did, she caught sight of the whilfox staring up at her. She slammed it shut.

Hyde raised a brow at her. Harper's face was still turned toward the door. She took a deep breath, angered by the fact that she was now stuck inside with a naked Hyde.

"What's wrong?" He inquired after noticing how stiff her body went.

Harper felt embarrassed. "I can't leave..."

"...Why?"

"It's out there..."

Hyde laughed when he realized what she meant. "You should've just waited your turn."

"I was trying to take a bath first to avoid him."

"You still can."

"I'm not doing anything while you're here. Pervert."

Hyde splashed water in his face. "You're the only one making it seem like it's perverted."

"Because it is! Do you think it's just casual for a man and a woman to expose themselves around each other?"

"There's only one bathroom here. What do you expect?"

Harper scrunched her face in disgust. "Hurry up."

"Just for that, I'll take my sweeeeet time." He retorted with a hum. "I don't have anywhere to be tonight."

"You are just so insufferable. Were you always like this? Even as a serviceman?"

Hyde grabbed the shower head and aimed it at Harper. A gust of water spewed, smacking Harper on the side of her face.

"Ah! What are you doing!"

"If I'm insufferable, I may as well keep up the act, right?" Hyde sprayed her again with an evil smile.

"Stop it!" She whined.

"You're getting a quick shower. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Don't—" Harper felt another shot of water. But this time, he kept it on her, drenching her completely. "Stop!"

"Don't stop?" Hyde cackled.

Now, everything was wet. Her clothes and her hair. Hyde laughed at her, but Harper was imagining burning two holes in his head for his mischief.

His laughter died down. When he observed her face, she looked beyond angered. And suddenly, his antics weren't as funny. He decided that he was done messing with her and finished his bath early.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and grabbed his clean clothes. "I was just joking with you. Don't look so gloomy."

"It wasn't funny." Harper snapped. "Just take the dog away, and leave."

"Are you that mad?"

"Get out!" Harper shoved him out of the bathroom and closed the door.

~~~

The next morning, Harper woke up to an empty mat. She sat up quickly to get a better view, confirming for herself that she was truly alone. Both Yanpu and Hyde were gone.

The first thought that crossed her mind was that Hyde took Yanpu and left. Although they made an agreement to help one another, there was still a tinge of distrust in her heart.

After all, initially, when kidnapping her, Hyde had ulterior motives for taking Yanpu. Harper was only an accessory. He still never explained to her why she needed Yanpu to gather organic Puron.

But she was too afraid to question him because she didn't want him to think that she was still weary of him. But that didn't matter now. She needed to find Yanpu.

She flipped the sheets off of her and darted toward the door. The moment she left the bedroom, she saw Hyde and Yanpu just walking into the main room.

Hyde was carrying the whilfox, while Yanpu was eyeing him apprehensively. Her abrupt appearance caught both of their attention.

Rather than asking why she rushed out suddenly, Hyde thought there was something wrong in the room. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harper exhaled and placed her hand on her chest. "I just... feel a little lightheaded." She did. She felt dizzy just thinking that Hyde could've swiped Yanpu away from her.

"Are you sick?"

"I'm fine, where did you two run off to?"

"We went to see if it had a family. Some of the locals say the pup has been wandering around for the past month. Doesn't belong to anyone, so..."

"We're not keeping it." Harper clutched onto the door frame.

"Why not?" Yanpu whined.

"It's a wild animal. He deserves to be free."

"He may be wild," Hyde shifted the creature and held him more affectionately in his arms. "But he's young. His instincts haven't kicked in yet."

"Hyde, you're not helping." Harper was disappointed that he was going against her. He knew that she was terrified of dogs or anything that resembled a dog. Overall, canines creeped her out. It didn't matter how cute they were.

"I wasn't trying to." Hyde shrugged with a smile.

"Please, Harper? Can I please have him?"

"No, Yani, you can't. It's..." She wanted to say it was dangerous, but she knew she'd be lying. It wasn't dangerous to him, but it sure as heck felt like the puppy would eat her or claw at her.

"Hey, kid, leave the room for a moment." Hyde nudged him with his leg.

"Why?"

"Because I said so? Go." Hyde's harsh tone was enough for Yanpu to take his leave. He walked into the bathroom with his head hung low as if he was defeated. He wanted the whilfox. It smelled nice.

"Close the door," Hyde commanded. Yanpu pouted and did as he was told. When Hyde and Harper were alone, he walked toward her.

"N-no!" Harper jumped to the side, running away as Hyde approached her with it in his arms. "Get it away!"

Hyde laughed and chased her around the couch. Harper didn't have much space to run to. He cornered her in the kitchen area.

"How are you gonna protect the boy with a small fear like that?"

"You already know what I went through." Harper retorted. "Bloodhounds ravaged through my subdivision, they killed everyone I was close with! I would've died if you hadn't saved me!"

"I know," Hyde hummed. "But at some point, to protect people you care about, you have to get over that."

He was reminded of Pa Arnesto. Despite Arnest's family being afraid of Hyde at first, they soon learned to accept him. Pa Arnesto helped them see that Hyde wasn't a dangerous madman.

He was covered in blood and torn clothes. The truth is, you can't judge a person by their appearance. If Giada and Arturo hadn't gotten over their fear and closed the distance between them and Hyde, he was sure he wouldn't have been the same person he was today.

For most of his life, Hyde was treated like a stranger, as a prize. If Harper's plans were to do the opposite of that for Yanpu, she needed to make some sacrifices, as anyone with children would do.

"It's not the same thing as a bloodhound," Hyde held the puppy up. "Take a good look."

Harper moved her gaze from him to the creature. Its fluffy white tail was wagging happily as it tried to peer its snout up and kiss Hyde. Its ears flopped up and down in a funny way.

It was cute, Harper admitted to herself.

"Having a pet his age is normal. Lots of kids have them. Maybe you shouldn't pass up this opportunity. It's a part of childhood."

Despite how true his statements were, it surprised her that he was taking Yanpu's side. "Why are you agreeing with Yanpu? You're sounding a lot like you could be his father."

Hyde's mouth twisted in contempt for the word. He felt hatred for that role. He wasn't a parent and didn't have any plans of becoming one.

"Okay," Harper raised the silk part of her skirt that was covering the front of her thighs. "Put him here..." She decided to force herself to be brave.

If Yanpu wanted a puppy, she was just going to have to suck it up and accept it. It was rare for Yanpu to show consistent interest. He was curious, but mostly about factual information he'd seen in textbooks.

She was doing it to make him happy.

Hyde placed the whilfox in the pocket she formed with her clothes. "Ew, ew, ew..." Harper groaned when the pup began to sniff around her cropped shirt. "What's it doing?"

She raised her head high as she felt its wet nose touch her skin.

"He's smelling you. I guess he likes your scent."

"That's just... great," Harper muttered sarcastically. "Okay, ugh, that's enough, take it away."

"I'm about to leave for work," Hyde turned around and sauntered away from her.

"Wait! You can't leave me here! With this thing?"

"Put him down," Hyde chortled.

"Take him awaaaay!" Harper whined.

"Quit it." Hyde rolled his eyes. "You need to go job searching. Maybe you'll find something today." Hyde poked Harper in her forehead.

Harper placed her skirt on the couch, allowing for the whilfox to crawl off. "I'm surprised that you're starting work so quickly."

"We don't have that much time left of the month. I've gotta do something." Hyde shrugged. "Oh, don't forget to consider what we talked about, regarding him."

Hyde pushed open the door to the bedroom, and Yanpu was there, glancing at the both of them, confused as to what was going on. He wondered if he could still keep the whilfox.

"He can't stay here all day."

"I'm still considering it." Harper frowned. She wasn't sure she was ready to send Yanpu off to another school.

"Hurry and make a decision." Hyde tightened his belt around him. "People may start asking questions, and getting suspicious."

"We'll talk about it later." Harper didn't want Yanpu to know what they were discussing. "Be careful at work—"

"I'll be fine," Hyde dismissed her and walked out without saying goodbye.

"So?" Yanpu hopped up and down excitedly. "Can I keep him?"

Harper sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Fine, but you're going to have to take care of him. You have to feed him, clean up after him, and give him a lot of attention. I don't know much about it, so you'll have to find out what it likes to eat and do your own research, or ask Hyde."

"Hyde?" Yanpu frowned, not wanting anything to do with the evil man.

"What are you going to name him?"

"Can you name him?" He smiled, wanting to give the honors to Harper since she was his caretaker.

"Me?"

Yanpu nodded ecstatically.

"Oh, um..." Harper's never had a pet before. She only read about people who owned pets over a century ago, in Westona's history books. She didn't know what to call it.

It was white and soft. Like cotton or socks. "Why not call him Socks?"

"Socks?" Yanpu tested the name on his tongue. "I like it!" He giggled.

"Alright, then take Socks," Harper emphasized with a smile, happy that he was so excited. "To the bedroom, and get ready. You're coming with me today."

"Okay!" Yanpu swept the whilfox in his arms and happily skipped into the bedroom. Harper was left wondering what the heck she had gotten herself into by allowing this to happen.

~~~

Yanpu darted along the dirt path as they were headed back to the center of the village. He had an interest in the river. The water was very clear, and multicolored fish swam about underneath.

Unlike Itaria, which was surrounded by the ocean, the riverbed had various weeds flowers, and smooth stones.

Yanpu seemed mesmerized by the waterfall. As the gushes of water smacked against large stones below, it created a fog or mist that spread all the way where it reached them. The light would reflect many colors, which astonished him.

He had never seen a rainbow before.

He rushed back over to Harper and grabbed her hand. She was still distracted by the board on her right, but the moment he touched her, she paid him all of her attention.

He wanted to share the beautiful moment with her. "A rainbow..."

"Oh. That's right," Harper smiled, looking in the direction where he was pointing. "You've only seen them in pictures."

"Why is there no rain?"

"There doesn't always have to be rain to cause a rainbow, Yanpu." Harper chortled. "You see all the mist over there?"

"Yeah."

"The water is creating that and the band of colors that you see."

"Ohhhh." Yanpu sang excitedly. His tone nearly made her heart melt. He was always so cute when he was this curious.

His curiosity needed to be challenged. It would be hard for her to answer all of his questions once she found a job.

She started to think about Hyde's suggestion of sending him to school. He would learn a lot more there. She realized that traveling to Itaria made her unqualified to teach him everything.

Everything she knew was quickly turned upside down. Westona had to be the only country covered in that dark fog. Oxygen was paid for.

But here, the air was free and breathable. That was a huge shock to her. There were trees, and flowers of various colors.

She wanted to learn more about them too, as she only studied them in a textbook that told her everything died off a hundred years before she was born.

Now was the time to help Yanpu strengthen his knowledge of nature, people, and way of living. He deserved that, like any other child his age.

"Yani, I was wondering. What would you like to be when you grow up? You've never expressed it before."

"I dunno." Yanpu shrugged.

"You don't know?" Harper hummed and paused her steps. "You like to read, right? So maybe you'd like to be a bookkeeper."

"Hmm... no." Yanpu shook his head and thought for a moment. "I wanna be like you."

"Like me?" Harper smiled faintly. "Why?"

"Cause you're smart."

"I'm smart huh? Well if you'd like to be smarter, you're gonna have to learn new things..." Harper started. "I think you'll be smarter than me someday."

"Really?"

"Yeah! There's no doubt!" Harper brushed his hair out of his face. "But you have to study hard. To do that, you're gonna need a teacher to help you."

"Huh?" Yanpu raised a brow.

Harper bit her lip nervously, hoping he wouldn't react negatively. "I've been thinking a lot about everything lately... and I think it's about time that you go to school, officially."

"School?"

"Do you remember the place that Giada took you to in Itaria?"

Yanpu frowned.

"I know you didn't like that place, but things may be different here."

"I don't wanna go!"

"Yani..."

"No!" He whined. "No! No! No!"

"You have to listen to me..." Harper reached to touch him, but he slapped her hand away.

"I don't wanna!"

"Yanpu," Harper voiced sternly. "With our situation right now, it's going to be hard for me to watch you all the time. I have to find work, I know you've heard my conversations with Hyde... At least give it a try and—"

"Why? Why?" Yanpu sniffled.

It was a good question. One that needed an important answer. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to deal with schoolchildren who would chase him, and terrorize him.

"Because here, on this island, children go to school. It's not like Westona—"

"Why can't we go back?" Yanpu wiped a tear away. Those words broke her in a way. She knew that going back to Westona meant having her arrested, and Yanpu killed. But, he didn't need to know the truth yet.

"We're on a vacation..."

"Don't lie." Yanpu huffed.

Harper clenched her jaw and took a deep breath before exhaling. "Dr. Bomb... he's changed. And he's done things that aren't very nice. So until he changes his mind, we can't go back."

"What did he do?"

"Yanpu—"

"I don't wanna go to school." Yanpu pulled himself away from her. Based on the actions he had seen between Hyde and Harper, Yanpu reasoned that Hyde was influencing her. He thought Hyde brainwashed her.

And for that, his anger and hatred burned more. He didn't let Harper finish and ran away back in the direction of their shed.

Harper knew she was going to have to speak with him in more detail, so he would understand that doing all of this was for the better of him.

~~~