Taro's inner conflict

Taro walked out with the others, still looking at the floor and remembering the things Isaiah said

Taro walked out with the others, still looking at the floor and remembering the things Isaiah said to him. He hated this whole situation, and he questioned himself about why Isaiah was like this. Why couldn't he be the scary bad guy just like he looks? Even if, up until now, he would never have grasped that something that looked like a husky could look like a villain, she was still not forceful and tried to get him to his clan by force. Instead, the moment Haruka mentioned that he was once sick with some kind of disease, he showed his worry without even thinking twice.

'Why? Just why couldn't you be just like I imagined you to be?'

Taro wanted to go to sleep, so Haruka carried him to bed. Taro wanted to sleep over this and think, but the problem was that he could not sleep. The moment Isaiah mentioned that his transformation did not go as planned, he was filled with worry and anxiety. He knew that spleeping was impossible, so he stood up again and waited until someone would come through the door and talk to him.

He waited and waited. But nobody came, and so he waited for 3 hours until Haruka finally came back. She wanted to look for Taro; normally he would only need seconds to sleep, but what she saw surprised her.

"Taro, is something wrong with you?"

Taro saw the sad look in Haruka's eyes; he wanted to say that everything was fine. But he couldn't; instead, he buried his dog's head in a blanket.

"Taro, what's wrong? Does the transformation hurt? Talk to me. Taro felt the sensation of Haruka stroking his fur from the head to the stomach; he wanted to jump up and play with her. But then he remembered this damn leg of his and remained lying on the floor, doing nothing.

"Don't be anxious, Haruka; I am just bored. You know that I was always a dog who jumped around in excitement."

"You are right; since you were a puppy, you always jumped around and waved your tail excitedly back and forth. A gentle laugh came out of Haruka's mouth while talking with Taro.

"You don't need to worry about anything; as soon as this Isaiah is gone, you don't have to think about anything, and then we can stay together forever. Grim reapers live for eternity; you need to know."

Alone, the thought made him the happiest being that existed. For a dog, he was already pretty old at seventeen years. He knew that he would live longer as Haruka's soul mate. But he was still bonded to the life expectations of a dog, and when he died, his powers would have merged with Haruka's, and she would have become stronger. But now he could be with her for eternity.

He imagined all the things they could do. But then he saw himself as a creature that looked like a mixture of an Austrian sheppard and a grim reaper. But he was not normal; his left leg was too long, and he couldn't walk. He saw the image of Haruka, who tried to carry him on her small back. These images were intended to cause his wonderful world to crumble and shatter into pieces.

"Look, Haruka, I will talk with him about everything that I need to know about myself in these coming days. Then, when he is gone, we will study all day long in order to pass the entrance exams. We spent time together in girm school and earned our degrees. If I am right, having your degree was one of your dreams."

Taro could clearly see with his inner eye the days when he studied the night before a test. She closed not a single eye and studied until she fell asleep on her desk. He remembered that Haruka never saw herself as a smart person and studied every day for a minimum of one hour.

He was happy; he knew that now, as a grim reaper, he would be part of this, help her with her studies, and then together hold their degrees in both hands.

"Good then, ask him until his ears fall off his face. But now let's get to bed; it is late already. Taro felt at ease that he was able to talk to her about this. He could simply get rid of his exile by talking to Isaiah, and then, when he learned everything he needed to know about himself, they both got into their beds and slept until the next day.

---

On the next day, Taro woke up and wanted to talk to Isaiah, but he couldn't make out why he was so excited to talk to him. But he wanted it to be, and he saw Haruka still sleeping as if she were a small child.

He couldn't bring himself to wake her up and tried to get out of her bed himself. He looked confident as he saw his right leg grow larger and longer, but when he turned to his left side, his still-too-big leg pulled him down, and he fell out of bed. Taro looked around and was glad that he only fell on a blanket that was lying on the floor. He dragged himself out of the room. He reached the front door, pushed it open with his hands, and crawled across the grass. Walking was difficult, but he managed to move somehow after three minutes of trying. He headed for a small house that was just 500 meters away from the one he lived in.

Even if it was only 500 meters, it took him far too long. He clawed the long nails on his hands into the ground and dragged himself forward. After a long fall and crawl, he finally reached his destination. He threw his body against the door to knock. At the moment, he does so. The door burst open, and Isaiah stood there as if he were already waiting for him.

Oh, my dear. Taro, are you alright? Why didn't anyone carry you? Isaiah saw Taro, and what he saw sent anxiety through his whole body. Taro lay on the floor, sticking out his tongue and panting for air.

"Haruka was just sleeping so peacefully. I just couldn't bring myself to wake her up, and besides, I forbade myself to be weak. Even if I stay like this for the rest of my life."

Taro looked up at the creature that stood like a mountain packed with muscles and at a height of 200 cm.

"Good, but first come inside and rest."

Isaiah picked Taro up and brought him to an area where many comfortable blankets lay. Isaiah laid him inside, and to Taro's surprise, they were perfect. The mole in the mountain of blankest was perfect for him. It was as if they were piece-by-piece organized for only him and nobody else.

Isaiah brought him three huge bowls filled with water and placed them in a row in front of Taro. Taro drank out of them as if he were walking through a dessert right now. After drinking one of the bowls until not a single drop was left, Isaiah asked

"Why did you say that you would forbid yourself to be like this, even if you would stay like this forever?"

"I talked with Haruka, and she mentioned that we could stay together now forever. I saw an image of myself. I had an image where I had a leg that was way too long for me and how she tried to carry me somewhere, and now I am a little bit afraid. You know?"

Taro was not sure where this feeling came from. He felt as if he could trust Isaiah more than 100 percent.

"What you are saying could not be a simple thing that you created in your mind. Let me tell you something. A story."

Isaiah looked Taro deep into his eyes and began to tell him a story that would later change his way of thinking for eternity.

to him. He hated this whole situation, and he questioned himself about why Isaiah was like this. Why couldn't he be the scary bad guy just like he looks? Even if, up until now, he would never have grasped that something that looked like a husky could look like a villain, she was still not forceful and tried to get him to his clan by force. Instead, the moment Haruka mentioned that he was once sick with some kind of disease, he showed his worry without even thinking twice.

'Why? Just why couldn't you be just like I imagined you to be?'

Taro wanted to go to sleep, so Haruka carried him to bed. Taro wanted to sleep over this and think, but the problem was that he could not sleep. The moment Isaiah mentioned that his transformation did not go as planned, he was filled with worry and anxiety. He knew that spleeping was impossible, so he stood up again and waited until someone would come through the door and talk to him.

He waited and waited. But nobody came, and so he waited for 3 hours until Haruka finally came back. She wanted to look for Taro; normally he would only need seconds to sleep, but what she saw surprised her.

"Taro, is something wrong with you?"

Taro saw the sad look in Haruka's eyes; he wanted to say that everything was fine. But he couldn't; instead, he buried his dog's head in a blanket.

"Taro, what's wrong? Does the transformation hurt? Talk to me. Taro felt the sensation of Haruka stroking his fur from the head to the stomach; he wanted to jump up and play with her. But then he remembered this damn leg of his and remained lying on the floor, doing nothing.

"Don't be anxious, Haruka; I am just bored. You know that I was always a dog who jumped around in excitement."

"You are right; since you were a puppy, you always jumped around and waved your tail excitedly back and forth. A gentle laugh came out of Haruka's mouth while talking with Taro.

"You don't need to worry about anything; as soon as this Isaiah is gone, you don't have to think about anything, and then we can stay together forever. Grim reapers live for eternity; you need to know."

Alone, the thought made him the happiest being that existed. For a dog, he was already pretty old at seventeen years. He knew that he would live longer as Haruka's soul mate. But he was still bonded to the life expectations of a dog, and when he died, his powers would have merged with Haruka's, and she would have become stronger. But now he could be with her for eternity.

He imagined all the things they could do. But then he saw himself as a creature that looked like a mixture of an Austrian sheppard and a grim reaper. But he was not normal; his left leg was too long, and he couldn't walk. He saw the image of Haruka, who tried to carry him on her small back. These images were intended to cause his wonderful world to crumble and shatter into pieces.

"Look, Haruka, I will talk with him about everything that I need to know about myself in these coming days. Then, when he is gone, we will study all day long in order to pass the entrance exams. We spent time together in girm school and earned our degrees. If I am right, having your degree was one of your dreams."

Taro could clearly see with his inner eye the days when he studied the night before a test. She closed not a single eye and studied until she fell asleep on her desk. He remembered that Haruka never saw herself as a smart person and studied every day for a minimum of one hour.

He was happy; he knew that now, as a grim reaper, he would be part of this, help her with her studies, and then together hold their degrees in both hands.

"Good then, ask him until his ears fall off his face. But now let's get to bed; it is late already. Taro felt at ease that he was able to talk to her about this. He could simply get rid of his exile by talking to Isaiah, and then, when he learned everything he needed to know about himself, they both got into their beds and slept until the next day.

---

On the next day, Taro woke up and wanted to talk to Isaiah, but he couldn't make out why he was so excited to talk to him. But he wanted it to be, and he saw Haruka still sleeping as if she were a small child.

He couldn't bring himself to wake her up and tried to get out of her bed himself. He looked confident as he saw his right leg grow larger and longer, but when he turned to his left side, his still-too-big leg pulled him down, and he fell out of bed. Taro looked around and was glad that he only fell on a blanket that was lying on the floor. He dragged himself out of the room. He reached the front door, pushed it open with his hands, and crawled across the grass. Walking was difficult, but he managed to move somehow after three minutes of trying. He headed for a small house that was just 500 meters away from the one he lived in.

Even if it was only 500 meters, it took him far too long. He clawed the long nails on his hands into the ground and dragged himself forward. After a long fall and crawl, he finally reached his destination. He threw his body against the door to knock. At the moment, he does so. The door burst open, and Isaiah stood there as if he were already waiting for him.

Oh, my dear. Taro, are you alright? Why didn't anyone carry you? Isaiah saw Taro, and what he saw sent anxiety through his whole body. Taro lay on the floor, sticking out his tongue and panting for air.

"Haruka was just sleeping so peacefully. I just couldn't bring myself to wake her up, and besides, I forbade myself to be weak. Even if I stay like this for the rest of my life."

Taro looked up at the creature that stood like a mountain packed with muscles and at a height of 200 cm.

"Good, but first come inside and rest."

Isaiah picked Taro up and brought him to an area where many comfortable blankets lay. Isaiah laid him inside, and to Taro's surprise, they were perfect. The mole in the mountain of blankest was perfect for him. It was as if they were piece-by-piece organized for only him and nobody else.

Isaiah brought him three huge bowls filled with water and placed them in a row in front of Taro. Taro drank out of them as if he were walking through a dessert right now. After drinking one of the bowls until not a single drop was left, Isaiah asked

"Why did you say that you would forbid yourself to be like this, even if you would stay like this forever?"

"I talked with Haruka, and she mentioned that we could stay together now forever. I saw an image of myself. I had an image where I had a leg that was way too long for me and how she tried to carry me somewhere, and now I am a little bit afraid. You know?"

Taro was not sure where this feeling came from. He felt as if he could trust Isaiah more than 100 percent.

"What you are saying could not be a simple thing that you created in your mind. Let me tell you something. A story."

Isaiah looked Taro deep into his eyes and began to tell him as story that would later on change his way of thinking for eternity.