--

“Just a doll? You have no idea how I value that doll, mister” Yuuki continued to fire her deathly stares at Hikaru with 50% of her own sanity thrown out of the window and eaten by sea gulls.

“Okay okay… I’ll get it back for you…” Hikaru finally replied after having enough of the pressure being put by Yuuki’s eyes.

“I’m coming with you…” she said then stormed out of the room with Hikaru’s hand linking to hers.


---

“Anou… Can I have the cat plushie I gave to your son earlier?” Hikaru made his way to his make-up artist’s house with a girl named Yuuki tagging along his back.

“That doll? He absolutely loves it… He didn’t even let go of it since he got it…” the familiar lady said which is enough to send two large arrows to fire on Hikaru’s chest.

 “But, you see… We need it back. Can you please make Ryota-kun give the toy back to us?” he said, almost pleading (with his imagination of a knife being pointed on his neck by the girl standing behind him).

“Anou Hikaru-kun… I’m kinda in a hurry now to do that. I have a meeting to attend to. I’m just waiting for the baby sitter to come” the mother of the child said while frantically looking at her watch… “Can you just come back tomorrow?”

“NO!” Hikaru and Yuuki said in perfect sync as if singing the chorus of their favourite song.

“I have an idea… Just let us stay here to convince your son to give us the toy. Then, you don’t have to pay for a baby sitter since we’re the ones to take care of Ryota-kun…” Hikaru said in a convincing tone along with a smile.

“Hmmm… okay then. I’ll be back quite late. Are you sure you guys will be alright with him?”

“HAI!!!”

--

Soon after the little boy’s mom left, Hikaru and Yuuki just sneaked in to the house and found Ryota playing happily with Yuuki’s precious cat plushie. By this, she then elbowed Hikaru with a ‘get-my-toy-back-or–you’ll-be-dead’ message through eye contact.

This made Hikaru walk towards the boy with a cheerful smile, hoping to get out of his painful misery just because of a plushie doll.

“Ryota-kun… you like that doll don’t you” Hikaru started.

“Ahh… you’re the onii-chan that gave me this. I love it. Arigatou…”

After hearing this, Hikaru then gulped, never imaged himself making a little boy cry. However, the sight of Yuuki just staring sharply at him is just too much for him to handle.

“Hmmm… Ryota-kun. I’m just wondering if I can take that back and just buy you a new one?”

“NO.” Ryota replied immediately, still hugging the cat plushie even tighter. The little boy then continually shook his head.

“Ehh? Please… I’ll buy you more toys. Even better than that one.”

“NO.”

Yuuki, seeing this can’t help but to make her own way on how to retrieve her doll. She pulled a candy inside her pocket then walked towards Hikaru and the little boy’s figure.

“I’ll give you this in exchange for that doll…” she said sweetly.

However, all they received is a firm “NO” for an answer.

Yuuki then sighed in despair and looked up to Hikaru… “Great! He doesn’t want to give back my plushie… and now, I’m stuck baby sitting with you.”

“Relax miss… After he sleeps, you can get your doll back. Just wait” Hikaru reassured… “You went to my work place with an attempt to kill me. I don’t even know your name and why our bags got mixed up”

“I’m Yuuki… Hoshino Yuuki. And I think our bags got mixed up because of our initials on our bags” she replied camly (50% of her sanity and own self being regained after seeing her plushie at least safe).

“Why do love that doll so much anyway?”

“My late mother gave that to me. That’s why I will never let anyone take it… it’s her last memory” she whispered then looked back at the doll again being captured on the boy’s hands… “So make sure we get it back!!”

--

*7pm*

Ryota = cuddling the cat plushie while watching his Doraemon DVD set

*7:30pm*

Ryota = Jumping around the sofa with the cat plushie (which by the way he named ‘Fluffy’)

*8:15pm*

Ryota = having tea with ‘Fluffy’ (Yuuki basically sulking in the corner)

*9:45pm*

Ryota = singing Christmas songs with Fluffy whilst Hikaru banging his head on the nearest wall.

“Yuuki-chan… When exactly does a boy this age sleep in peace?” Hikaru said after turning slowly to the girl standing miserably next to him.

“Why you asking me? I just want my toy plushie back… Make him sleep already. I’m tired!!” Yuuki responded and rubbed the surface of her eyelids then sat heavily to the sofa.

Hikaru then had the initiative to ask the child on when exactly is he going to sleep to end their miseries.

“Ryota-kun… Aren’t you sleepy yet? Let’s go to bed” Hikaru begged, still trying his best to retain his composure.

“I don’t want to sleep yet… I’m gonna play all night with Fluffy!”

Hikaru stayed quite for a moment with the words “ALL NIGHT” banging against his chest… “Oh~ that’s nice” he smiled sarcastically.

*10:30pm*

Ryota = playing with the cat plushie with his dinosaur toys

*11:00pm*

Yuuki and Hikaru almost half dead.

*11:30pm*

Ryota = sleeping innocently on the couch, hugging Fluffly tightly.

-

“Yosh… It’s time!” Hikaru said with a maniac smile after seeing the child sleeping soundly before them. The couple excitedly walked towards the small figure as if trying to catch a lose wild zoo animal.

“Okay… I’ll try to pull the doll from him slowly” Yuuki whispered, trying her best not to wake up Ryota. She then managed to pull half of the cat plushie away from the kid with the intention of regaining the remaining half. She tried helplessly but the tight hold of Ryota didn’t help to save her cat. Yuuki then felt cold sweat running on her face which added a little bit of pressure on her side.

“He won’t let go!” she mouthed to Hikaru.

“You can do it Yuuki-chan!!” he cheered silently almost dancing on his place.

After a few minutes of struggling, Yuuki finally got her precious doll. She grinned in excitement and hugged the plushie toy as if it was her own child. Hikaru on the other hand just smiled at the scene with the thought of their success. “Yokatta ne?”

However, much of the couple’s dismay, Ryota woke up not feeling the cat plushie by his side. Suddenly, the little boy just went into tears almost enough to break off the healthy ear drums of Hikaru and Yuuki. The sound of Ryota crying continuously made the couple into a panic mode. Hikaru flopped helplessly with an idea of covering the little boy’s mouth with a sock whilst Yuuki (the sensible one) tried to calm down Ryota.

“Ryota-kun! Please stop crying… You’ll wake the whole neighbourhood up!” Yuuki said in panic.

“I want Fluffy back!! I want him…” the little boy cried loudly.

“Just give him the doll back Yuuki-chan!” Hikaru said with a sock on his left hand.
“I tried so hard to get this. I’m not gonna give it back!” Yuuki replied whilst trying to cover up her ears.

“We’ll just come back tomorrow… I’ll make sure to buy him a new one so you can have yours!” Hikaru tried to convince the girl who is now sulking.

Without saying anything, Yuuki then patted the crying child and placed her precious cat plushie on his lap. Almost immediately, Ryota smiled and hugged the toy with much gratefulness.Hikaru then slumped down his seat, relieved that the boy stopped from crying. He then turned to Yuuki’s direction only to see a girl with teary eyes still eyeing the toy in Ryota’s capture. Hikaru blankly looked at Yuuki with sympathy and patted her shoulder with a smile embedded on his face… “You made one child happy. Don’t worry… We’ll take it back tomorrow” he continued with his weak regards.

After that, the sound of the clicking door had awoken the spirits of the couple. It was Ryota’s mom indeed coming back really late.

“Ahh… gomen gomen for coming back so late” the lady said bashfully… “Did you manage to get the toy back?”

“No… unfortunately not. Hmmm… Can we come back tomorrow and try again? We’ll baby sit Ryota if you want” Hikaru replied with tired eyes.

“Really? That will be great since I’m going out again tomorrow… I’ll see you tomorrow then” the lady waved her good bye to the miserable couple, walking side by side each other on the pavement.

“Right… seems like we’re babysitting again tomorrow” Yuuki said with a pout.

“That’s very brave of you giving back the toy to him” Hikaru bluntly said while watching the faint figure of Yuuki by his side.

“I have to… I hate seeing children cry. It breaks my heart. Even though that was my precious plushie, I can’t help but to feel guilty. Besides, Ryota-kun is a good kid”

“Sorry I gave your precious toy to him… I wasn’t thinking properly that time.”

“It’s okay… It’s actually fun threatening to kill you while we try to get it back!” Yuuki chuckled which made Hikaru stare at her for a moment. He then stopped for a while after gazing her soft weak smile, enough to pull his own smile too.

“You look much cuter when you smile… unlike the Yuuki-chan I saw earlier almost killing me”

After hearing this, Yuuki felt a warm sensation reaching her plump cheeks enough to make it burn. She was just thankful the dim streetlights are enough to hide her blushed face. No one ever said that to her before…

“Urusai!!! Just make sure we’ll