Episode 4
The Joy in my Life

Hyde parked the car he and Tetsu had rented and got out from it cursing and fuming. He was decided to find the dog's owners, and thus get rid of the only obstacle to the fulfillment of his happy dream of unleashed sex with Tetsu.
He walked down the street towards the veterinarian office they had visited the day before.

"Ohayou." Hyde greeted the secretary.
"Irasshaimase." The secretary courteously replied. "How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if anyone you know has lost a little dog, ugly, annoying and perverted..."
"Sorry...?" The secretary asked surprised at the description.
"Yeah, well... it's a little dog like this..." Hyde made a sign with his hand to indicate the size of the dog. "... kinda grayish, ugly... shaggy... uh... barks a lot... likes to bite on people's slippers... uh... doesn't smoke.... and licks people's faces."
"You don't know much about dogs, do you?" The secretary asked smiling sweetly.
"Uh... I know enough." Hyde retorted.
"Well... I don't remember anyone looking for a lost puppy, but if you give me your phone number, I'll call you if someone shows up with a similar description." The secretary offered politely.
"Oh. OK. Good idea." Hyde snapped and taking a piece of paper he wrote down his nickname and bungalow phone number.

"Good..." Hyde said lighting a cigarette as he walked out of the veterinarian office and into the street. "I'm getting rid of that intruder..." He inhaled from his cigarette and smirked blowing the smoke.

"Wah! Doiha-chan! Anata! I hadn't noticed before just how sexy you are..." An even more beautiful and feminine Tetsu-housewife exclaimed, starry-eyed, looking at Hyde and caressing his bare chest. Tetsu was sitting on Hyde's lap.
"Yeah... that was because you let that intruder mess with our private life..." A hunky Hyde said and caressed Tetsu's collarbone with the tip of his fingers, smirking sheepishly.
"Oh? Ah! You mean that ugly dog! Yeah... I don't know how I could waste my time with it... I've totally forgotten about it already... I only want to devote my time to you." The sweet Tetsu-housewife sighed smiling radiantly.
"Yeah. That's the best thing you can do." The hunky Hyde said smiling. "Let's go to bed and..."

Hyde's daydream was interrupted by the burning sensation of something incredibly hot spreading on his left foot. He suddenly looked down and caught sight of the chocolate stain on it, and on the ground.
"Kyaaahh!!!!" Hyde screamed in pain and crouched to rub his foot.
"Uh... sorry, mister..." a little girl sobbed and excused herself.
"How can you be so clueless?!!" Hyde screamed trying to keep his tears of pain at bay. "Oh... pretty foot, pretty foot..." he lulled, rubbing his shoe.
"Oh... I'm so sorry." The little girl repeated and started to cry.
"Don't cry! I should be crying, not you!" Hyde protested fuming and rubbing his foot.
"Yes... well, you are crying already." The little girl observed pointing at the tears on Hyde's face.
"Huh? These?" Hyde said rubbing his cheek. "These are from allergy. I'm not that soft."
"Ah. I see. Please excuse me. I was crying and I didn't see you..." The little girl sobbed.
"Huh? Why were you crying? Someone did something bad to you? Tell me who it is and I'll beat them up!" Hyde said standing up rapidly... he still felt he was the hunky guy in his daydream.
"Uh... no." The little girl said and sobbed. "I'm crying cuz I can't find my dog... he ran away yesterday and I've been looking for him ever since... but he's nowhere to be found." The little girl explained and broke down in sorrowful tears.
Hyde's face lit up and he grinned pleased.
"So, you lost your dog?"
"Yes." The little girl said crying softly.
"Could it be an ugly, flea-bag, like this size? Kinda gray..."
"No, he was brown."
"Uh... well... I'm colorblind... could be brown..." Hyde nodded.
"And he is pretty, not ugly."
"Uh... dog people see beauty in the most amazing things..." Hyde commented. "Does your dog have the bad habit of licking people's face?"
"All dogs do that... What kind of a clueless guy are you?"
"Uh... OK... Uhm... all dogs wave their tails too, right? That won't be much of a hint. Listen... can you recognize the dog if I make a sketch of it?"
"Possibly. If you are good at drawing."
"Of course I am! What do you think? I'm have an Art Major!"
"Then OK..."

"It's her dog... I'm so happy... She and her family are coming to the bungalow tomorrow, Tet-chan will have to hand over the flea-bag... He will be sad, and he will cry... so I'll comfort him in bed... hehehehe..."
Hyde hummed happily and got into the car in order to drive back to the bungalow and break the news to Tetsu.

"Oh... Doiha-chan... I'm so sad... I feel so sad now that Satan is gone..." A beautiful Tetsu housewife said between sobs.
"Ne... I understand... but you have me to comfort you." A hunky Hyde replied caressing Tetsu's head.
"And to cap it all off, I've been neglecting you so much! I feel so guilty! I'm not worthy of your love..."
"Ne... Don't worry. I forgive you. I'm so kind, I'll give you the chance to make up for it in bed..."

Hyde screeched the brakes into a grinding halt to avoid hitting a skier.
"What do you think you are doing?! You moron!!" Hyde yelled furiously at the skier.
"You are the moron!! You are driving across the ski route!!" The skier yelled irritated.
Hyde looked up and saw a crowd of skiers coming his way.
"Uh... maybe he's right... that would explain why so many people are coming down skiing this way..." Hyde thought. "I'll let it pass for today, but don't do this again!" Hyde screamed and drove back.
"Jerk!" The skier put his glasses back on and departed.

Tetsu was playing with the small puppy. He laughed heartily and ran after it like a small kid. He felt absolutely happy with his new pet.

"Tet-chan!" Hyde opened the door forcefully.
"Huh?" Tetsu looked up. He was kneeling on the floor, playing with the small dog. Hyde was suddenly startled.
Tetsu looked radiantly delighted, he smiled broadly and played with the dog, which, in return, squealed and jumped around him in innocent joy.
Hyde felt a sudden grip on his heart. He came to realize all of a sudden, that he was going to play the cruel role tearing the dog apart from Tetsu. He understood only then that maybe his dream was nonsense, and Tetsu was actually very happy with his pet. This fact made him feel very guilty.
"Uh... uh..." Hyde began hesitantly.
"You found the dog owner?" Tetsu asked without looking at him.
"Well... no." Hyde snapped and took off his boots. "But I almost run over a skier."
"So very like you, baka." Tetsu smiled at him brightly. Hyde could see the happiness in his expression.
"But the owner will appear. I've... uh... uh..." Hyde didn't know what to say. He didn't dare to say the truth, and he wanted to buy some time in order to undo what he had just done. "I've stuck drawings of the dog everywhere."
"Ah. I see. You really want to get rid of him..." Tetsu said disappointed and caressed the dog's head. The dog happily waved its tail and licked Tetsu's hand.
"Well... uh..." Hyde stammered nervously. "Actually no... uh... not like I want it badly... but... if the dog belongs to someone else..."
"I understand." Tetsu said in a soft voice.
"Maybe it doesn't..." Hyde lied. He was beginning to hope the little girl was wrong. He felt awfully at fault for causing Tetsu to be sad.
"It's OK. If he belongs to someone else, I guess it's only fair for his master to retrieve him."
"Uh... yeah... I guess... yeah... Well, maybe you'd make a better master... cuz... uh... you like dogs... and... uh... you are such a nice guy..."
"Wakatta." Tetsu nodded and picked up the little dog from the floor. Then he walked towards a small ladder that connected to the upper part of the bungalow, and climbed it.
"Uh... Tet-chan... You want me to cook lunch?" Hyde asked softly.
"Do as you please, Haido. I'm not hungry. And I've already fed the dog."
"Yokatta." Hyde sighed. "I'm a mean guy..." He thought and walked towards the kitchen.

"Hideto! I hate you! We are through! You, stupid selfish brat! You've ruined my life! I can't sleep and I spend the whole day crying for my beautiful Cutie!" A very mad and irritated Tetsu-housewife yelled at Hyde.
"I'm so... sorry, Tet-chan..." A not-so-hunky Hyde replied sinking his head between his shoulders.
"This is it! I don't want to spend the rest of my life with such a cruel, heartless person like you! Pick up your stuff and get out of my place!"
"Tet-chan, please...!"
"Don't give me your 'please' speech! I hate you! And I want you out of the band too!"
"But, Tet-chan...!"
"Get the hell out!"

Hyde shook his head and stared through the kitchen window. He thrust the knife down to the cutting board and sighed. Everything was quiet. This vacation was certainly not what he had expected.

Tetsu was sitting by the attic window, his head leant on the wooden wall, his hands caressing the sleeping puppy between his partially folded legs.
"Ne... Cutie... if Haido did stick copies of your portrait everywhere in town, someone will soon come up here to pick you up... He's really good at drawing, I bet he did a nice rendition of you..." Tetsu mumbled sadly.
"I can't groan, because if someone else owns you, then... it's only fair they come up here to pick you up... However... it'd be so cool if you could stay with me, Cutie-chan... I'd be a good master. I'd always take care of you. I'd never hurt you or make you hunger. I'd treat you like a child of mine... And in return, you only have to cheer me up by being yourself... just that, Cutie-chan..." Tetsu went on and sighed.
"I wonder which way are they gonna come to take you away from me... Maybe I'll see them from this tiny window when they climb up the slope..." Tetsu couldn't help dropping a tear that bitterly ran down his cheek.
"I hope nobody sees Haido's sketches... I hope nobody comes... I hope he misspelled the address... I hope he messed up the color description..." Tetsu sighed. "I hope you can stay with me, Cutie-chan..."

Hyde stood halfway at the ladder that connected the ground floor to the attic. He had heard the whispered monologue and felt a tight knot in his throat and an acute pain in his heart.
"I'm a piece of shit..." Hyde thought. "Tet-chan is right. I'm very selfish." He swallowed and climbed up to reach Tetsu.
"Huh? Haido..." Tetsu was startled to see him.
"Y-yeah... it's me. Uh... I've made sukiyaki... I know you are not hungry, but maybe Satan is... cuz... uh... ya know, he's young... and young things eat a lot... So... so... well..." Hyde stuttered. "I was wondering if you would like to come down with it... uh... I mean, him, and uh... like... uh... share... lunch with me... If you want to..."
"Cutie is asleep. He doesn't look hungry."
"Oh. Oh, I see. Yeah... and neither of you would like to share a meal with the bastard that's tearing you apart... I understand." Hyde observed in a low voice.
"I'm not mad at you, Haido. Maybe you did the right thing. For the wrong reason, yes, but it is the right thing in the end..."
"Ah. I see. Well... I guess I'm not wanted here, so... I guess... I guess... I'll be downstairs if you need me... uh... guess you won't need me."
"Go have your lunch, Haido."
"Oh... Un. Un." Hyde nodded and turned to climb down the ladder. He felt even more rotten than before.

Two hours later, Hyde was washing the dishes. The sky was becoming dark, and Hyde knew he would have no time to go downtown and return, as he would be caught in the middle of a snow storm... it was safe to stay nearby...
"Ne... Let's go play outside, Cutie-chan!" Tetsu said in a cheerful voice while descending from the ladder with the dog pressed to his chest.
"Oh! Oh! Yeah! Can I go too?" Hyde exclaimed smiling.
"No. Stay here in case the dog owners come for him." Tetsu answered distractedly.
"They won't..." Hyde snapped and silenced himself.
"They won't?"
"Uh... well... I have a hunch. Plus there's a storm closing in." Hyde shrugged.
"Hmm... I see. Whatever. Stay here. We'll be back in ten minutes or so." Tetsu said and putting on warm clothes we walked out of the bungalow with the dog.

"Kuso..." Hyde said looking at the closing door, and lit a cigarette. "He's very hurt."

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