Disclaimer: I do not own MR. Tiger x Hare yaoi! The guardians do belong to me however, please ask permission before using them.

Realizations

'Where did Hare and Tiger go?' Genki glanced around, realizing that the two were not following them. 'I hope they didn't get lost,' Holly stopped and turned round to look back the way they came. 'Bakas. They probably did,' Suezo commented. 'Mocchi!'

'Tiger can find us again, like he found you that time, Holly,' Genki grinned, starting to walk forward again. 'If you say so,' the girl sighed as they continued on.

~*~

Silence. The air tingled with the sound of footsteps and dust. The pair walked alongside, neither speaking a word to the other. The hare guardian finally sighed, it just wasn't like him to stay quiet for so long. 'What's he like?' the question came out of nowhere. Hare blinked in surprise down at the blue furred beast pacing next to him. 'Who?' he finally choked out, shocked that Tiger was asking him. 'The tiger guardian,' came a toneless reply.

'I see. Well, he's... how do I put it?...He's really... gee, I've never actually thought about that before. He's one of a kind, that's for sure.' Tiger let his golden eyes fall upon the halfling beside him as the hareboy spoke. There was a strange smile on his face. By all rights, even a guardian hare should be intimidated by the tiger guardian. 'Don't look at me like that, Tiger.' Tiger of the Wind felt his eyes widen at being caught and he immediately focused forward on the path once more.

'He... the tiger guardian I mean... he was noble. No matter what was happening, he'd always come up with a solution to the problem, even if others disagreed with it. Course, he also tended to be very stubborn and more of a loner. He never really enjoyed staying within the city, all the other guardians stuck around there. Nah, most of the time I found him meditating or something in the forest, or at the Crystal Springs. Sigh! That baka...' Hare mumbled the last part to himself, remembering all the times the tiger guardian had snarled at him for annoying him in his private moments.

'You obviously didn't like him,' Tiger grinned to himself. 'Actually, you couldn't be more wrong,' Hare whispered, staring down at the ground. He obviously hadn't meant for the other monster to hear, but glanced up to find Tiger of the Wind staring right at him. 'Uh... I mean, the guy was a real pain most of the time, but... uh, we got along,' the hare guardian laughed nervously. ~Yeah, we got along all right. As if. He couldn't stand me following him around all the time. Is it my fault I felt drawn to him? Is it?! Not like we were meant to bond or anything, I just... wanted to get to know him better. Is that too much to ask?~

'I can't see that being true,' Tiger commented. 'What do you mean by that?' Hare asked. 'You are a hare, even if you are a guardian. Tigers do not socialize with baka monsters,' the other told him. 'I'll have you know that hares are intelligent creatures. You're just saying that because you are under the impression that all hares act like your Hare. Well, they don't. Your hare was very different from them. What? Just because he tried to get you to lighten up once in a while, you feel the need to speak against him. You forget, I know everything about each and every hare upon the lands below. I know the way your hare thinks and why he acts the way he does. I just wish... you'd be able to understand for once,' the Hare guardian calmed down as he whispered the last part. Tiger never understood, he just didn't care.

'Understand what? My hare... I mean, Hare, was nothing more than a trickster and a thief,' Tiger growled. 'Takes one to know one, Tiger of the Wind,' the guardian smirked. 'Snarl! Why the hell should I even listen to you? You obviously do not understand why Hare and I fight as we do,' Tiger growled back. 'You think I don't? Why not tell me why you fight him so much? Could it be that you... might like him?' the guardian teased, darting quickly out of the way to avoid getting pounced.

'I do not like that little...' Tiger growled, lightning flashing. 'He liked you well enough,' Hare commented aloud, before shutting his mouth tight. ~Smooth move. You've just dug your other form into a pit of no return. Tiger's gonna kill me... or, the other me...~ Tiger could do nothing but stare at the nervous halfling, who in turn started walking faster to escape the gaze. 'What did you mean by that?' the wolf monster rushed to catch up. 'Mean by what, Tiger?' the guardian asked, trying to get off the subject, but failing.

~*~

~I wonder where Hare is... not the guardian, our hare.~ Genki pondered this thought in his young mind as they walked on. The pathways seemed endless, always twisting and turning, sometimes forking so that they were forced to choose a path out of many. It was all very confusing. That's why it's called a labyrinth.

~How did the hare guardian know us? Is it because he somehow has a connection with our hare?~

~Flashback~

'Thank you, Genki' the younger boy's eyes widened in surprise. 'You know me?' he asked, with a tilt of his head. 'Yes. I know all of you,' a hand held up something for them to see. A very familiar red handkerchief.

~Could it be?~ Tiger stared at it, then at the youth. 'Do you know where our friend, Hare, is?' Genki asked, blinking at the guardian. 'He's the hare guardian, of course he does!' Suezo yelled from his seat across the fire. 'Yes, I do. He's... safe,' the youth whispered, tucking the handkerchief into his crimson belt.

~End Flashback~

~It doesn't make sense. Why didn't the hare guardian take us to Hare before we hid here. If Hare is still in the city, he's in danger. I just can't leave a friend in danger. But... this whole adventure has been weird. Let's see... we get attacked, Hare falls of a cliff, he rejoins us finally... he was acting pretty strange since then. Leading us to the mountain and all. How did he know where to go? It was almost as if he had some hidden knowledge of the passageway and this place. Could the hare guardian have gifted him with such a thing? So that Hare would know where to lead us?

~It still doesn't make sense. This hare guardian shows up and Hare disappears. Tiger doesn't even know where he is. Now those two are missing and Moo is after us. This adventure is just getting mixed up!~

~Wait a minute... I remember...~

~Flashback~

'You... and our Hare... both wear masks. Why can't you just let us know how you feel?' the younger boy wondered. The look of surprise was replaced by a thoughtful one. 'Perhaps, because we both have secrets, ones that are dangerous to tell. Besides, he smiles to bring happiness to your group, especially that creature over there,' Hare motioned to Tiger with his head. 'You don't have to be happy all the time. Sometimes, it's nice to cry,' Genki admitted, wrapping his arms around his legs. 'There is no time for tears. I've learned that,' the hare guardian whispered.

~End Flashback~

~They both have secrets that they hide. The hare guardian seemed to know our Hare inside and out. But, his comment... almost as if they were the same monster...~ Genki's eyes widened as the realization hit him. ~Why didn't I see it? We all heard Hare scream from the city. Tiger was there before us, but all we found was the guardian hare. Then, the guardian hare knows us and claims that our hare is safe. Of course he was, he was safe all along... with us. Hare would never willingly give up his scarf, Tiger was right, he was hiding something. But, he's not one of Moo's creatures... our Hare... is a guardian.~

~*~

'You know what! Hare didn't like me, that's just... growl! You have no idea what you're talking about,' Tiger of the Wind snarled aloud. 'Of course, you're absolutely right. After all, I'm just a guardian, how could I know about my charges? How could I know their hearts' desires, their strongest wishes, their hidden secrets? I'm only a guardian, not a god. Perhaps I spoke too quickly, ignore my words,' Hare replied, trying to make the other monster less angry at him. Tiger simply grumbled under his breath as they kept walking.

~Hare likes me? That can't be true. The trickster plays more pranks on me than anyone else. He never stops with his teasing and flirting ways... no, not flirting... what the hell am I thinking? Hare is just a baka creature, not even my own species... but then, crossbreeding is not unknown among the monster race... growl! Tiger, get your mind off those thoughts. You are both male, both a different species, and not suited to each other at all. Besides, when did you start thinking of Hare like that?... Ever since you first met him.~

Tiger went shock still, the hare guardian not even noticing his sudden lack of movement as he continued walking. Brown eyes glanced back to find the blue furred monster stuck in his own self realization. 'Tiger,' he spoke aloud, waking the creature from his trance. 'Hai. We'd better find the others,' Tiger mumbled, hurrying past, still caught up in his thoughts.

~What's up with him?~ The hare guardian just shook his own head and followed.

~Could it be? Do I... have feelings for that... Hare?~

...tbc...

Author's Note: Finally getting into the yaoi! Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope to update the chapters more quickly. Will the two groups ever meet up? Will the other two guardians ever be found? Find out... in the upcoming chapters! Bye!