It's so hard to be human. The more you age, the more problems you gain. No one knows how to resolve them but everyone is thrown on this road. You may call it the 'road of life'. A very loud one. Yet very enigmatic at the same time. And who even knows why we are in such a hurry?

If you don't follow the right path you were assigned, then you are nothing more than a maggot in society. Also if you do things your own way, you may end up in jail or juvie, just like me.

Hi, Bob Morent here. I'm in the juvie cause my friends and I raided some shops. The court has decided that we need resocialization and I have been here for a year now. I've already gotten used to this place, the classes, the atmosphere and the people.

That's probably why I still remember the day when I saw him for the first time... He looked like a miserable shell of a human being; in his eyes there was nothing but anger. I remember wondering what was the cause of it. Everyone who is sent here has these eyes. Deep anger, hatred, sadness and loneliness in their gaze. What makes the real difference between us are the reasons. Everyone has them. Usually it's injustice, lack of understanding or a desire to break free from their sorrows. But that guy from the very beginning was collected. I could even say he looked happy to be taken to the juvie. Normally you would rebel against the police and the adults, but he was smiling calmly. That's what made me watch him with curiosity. I couldn't help but want to know his story.

___

He opened his eyes. Rows of white lines spread across the blue sky. It was quiet. A sweet fragrance hung in the air. Suddenly, the wind blew and a new white line crossed the sky. There was no sound till one of the leaves fell down. Then, a new thought came to his mind. He thought 'It's time' and stood up...

The cops were already at the cemetery so he went to face them. Although he kept waiting and stood still and calm, they were approaching him very carefully with their guns out. After all, he had escaped the police once before.

"You are...?" one of the policemen started with a short question.

"Yup, you're right", the blond boy spoke as if he could read that man's thoughts and knew what he was about to ask. "It's me you're looking for", he said smiling and put his hands in front of him to help them capture him. The cops exchanged puzzled looks, then handcuffed him. They quickly took him to their car and kept watching the young boy carefully the entire time.

"What are you looking at?" asked one of the men sitting close to him. The young boy stayed quiet and continued looking out the car window. The irritated policeman poked his arm a few times.

"The world is so... gray", he said and paused. "Every adult knows that, right?" He smiled at the irritated guy.

"Well, yeah... You cannot possibly be an adult without knowing how the world works. Just like you learn how to read, count or swim..."

"You have to wake up very early in the morning, eat breakfast, brush your teeth and go to work... There's no one who doesn't know how to behave in order to have a good, normal, adult-like life. But there is something that people usually forget." Seeing a complete lack of interest in the cop's expression, the boy returned to the view outside the window. "They're our lives. There has to be something you won't do exactly like the others and that's the thing you'll remember for the rest of your life", he stated and watched the cops leave the car. They locked him inside and started talking to some old people.

"Why do people forget to use their hearts? Why do they only use their brains these days? Why do they sleep when they could be doing something else? Why do they... not accept differences? Why does everything have to be the same?... Why do they shout so loudly? What is so wrong with being abnormal?" he mumbled and kept watching the cops till he fell asleep.

___

"Starting today, you will be staying here." An old lady showed him a small room with two beds. One on the left side and the other on the right side. The first one was tidy and neat and the second was a total mess. There were clothes on and around it. Snacks and notebooks as well. Thankfully the empty one was his new bed, although there wasn't even a blanket on it.

"If you need anything, I'll be there", she pointed to her office at the end of the corridor and left the room. The boy sighed and sat on his new bed. Suddenly, someone came in in a rush. It was a short black-haired boy with large eyes and a scuff mark on his nose.

"Hey dude, 'sup?" he started, looking at his new roommate. "Newbie, hm?" Curiosity was visible in his eyes as he watched the blond-haired boy who wasn't even looking back at him.

"I'm Bob Morent, you?" Bob offered his hand, which the other boy only glanced at and ignored. "Are ya mute, dude?" Bob tried to poke him, but his new roommate's stare was sending warnings, so he stopped himself from touching the newbie.

"Gosh..." Bob shook his head and sorrowfully offered the new boy a snack. "Here", he mumbled and threw a pack of crisps at him. The other boy seemed shocked for a moment, but then his expression turned back into the usual indifference.

"Thanks", he uttered. Bob, who had turned away, immediately looked back at him. Though he appeared nonchalant, Bob smiled at him and comfortably seated himself on his own bed.

"Sooo... What did ya do to be sent to the juvie?" Bob asked without hesitation and bravely met the new boy's gaze, hoping for an answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" the blond boy started curtly, "I became a murderer, that's why I'm here."

"You became... what?" Bob's face turned pale, which made his roommate chuckle.

"Y'know, a bad guy, there are only kids like that here, right?" he said, almost smiling while watching Bob's expression. Bob couldn't tell if he was being made fun of or if those words were serious. In any case, the black-haired boy felt a chill on his spine and lost much of his confidence. Before he could even ask which of his hypotheses was true, the other boy cut off their conversation with a short 'Night'.

___

"Night, love."

The lady sent a gentle smile towards the blond-haired boy lying in his bed. Then she closed the door and the whole room turned dark. Only the full moon shone its light into the place. When the sounds of her footsteps faded, the young boy immediately got up and walked towards the balcony door. He came outside and took in a deep breath of the cold air. The moon was so bright and enchanting, he couldn't take his eyes off it for a long while.

"Today was a good day as well", the boy said, smiling at the moon as if he was talking to his dearest friend. "Had I known before that helping orphans was that easy, I would've done it earlier. They gave me so many smiles and hugs, it felt so... warm and energizing!" he couldn't stop smiling and he chuckled a bit. His gaze went down to the dark, cold floor. He sat down and stayed silent for a moment as if he was listening to the moon's response.

"I wonder what the sun will bring us tomorrow." He closed his eyes and listened to the silence once again. "Oh, right!" He stood up suddenly and approached something that was covered with a piece of cloth. Then he pulled it off and a red flower appeared before his eyes.

"Hello, my dear. I hope the wind isn't too cold tonight." Looking at the flower as if it was some precious treasure, the blond boy checked the petals. "You look as gorgeous as always!" he hugged the pot cautiously in order not to break it.

"One more night! Just one!" he shouted enthusiastically, gazing towards the moon again; then he quickly covered his mouth, realising he could've been too loud. His hands ended up covering all of his face as he began to feel embarrassed and hot.

"How am I supposed to sleep when I know I'm gonna see you tomorrow?" he whispered his thoughts and went silent again.

"Oh God, give me a new sunrise soon so I can make a lot of people feel this happy." He looked at the moon with hopeful, bright blue eyes; his cheeks and nose were covered in blush the color of strawberries.

___

"...The little prince still hesitated a little; then he got up. He took one step. There was nothing but a flash of yellow close to his ankle. He remained motionless for an instant. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a tree falls", a middle-aged lady read out loud, almost crying.

"Pfft, finally, he's dead", a young girl with violet hair and a piercing on her face commented right away.

"Is it the end already?" asked a guy who looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"No, it's not", the lady with the book glared at the kids who had destroyed her emotional moment. Then she sent another glare to the other teenagers who were bored to death and looking forward to the end. She sighed and removed her glasses for a moment. "There's still one chapter left", she said and started reading again.

"Do your resocialization classes always look like this?" my new roommate asked me, dragging his hands down his face.

"Sadly, yes..." I answered and shrugged. "But once it's over you have the rest of the day for yourself", I explained, though this guy had already stopped paying attention to my words. He really was something. Dealing with him wasn't easy, which made him even more mysterious and me more curious.

"Okay kids. Now it's your turn - you have to give us your own interpretation of what could've happened to the little prince." The middle-age woman gave the group ten minutes to think and then started asking them at random.

"I think he probably went back home and then his sheep ate that bitchy flower who kicked him out of his own planet", said the girl with violet hair; the lady looked at her with shock, but didn't make any comments and continued on to the next person.

"He went back, but everything on his planet was destroyed by baobabs so he returned to his fox friend", said an emo-looking boy. His friend sitting next to him nodded in agreement.

"I... I see. Next, please." The woman didn't seem too happy with their answers but that's what she had to bear with everyday.

"The prince decided to go on a new journey, hoping to completely forget about his lover", was what I said. Mrs. Carmel only made a wry face.

"Why is everyone so sure that he went somewhere?" my roommate asked, making Mrs. Carmel intrigued by a new perspective.

"What do you mean, kid?" she asked; it looked like the entire group was wondering.

"He was bitten by a snake, right? Doesn't that mean that he's dead?" he mused, gaining even more attention.

"He was, but it's a fairytale so you don't know if that wasn't the way back", Mrs. Carmel explained.

"Then that means we can't say if it really worked." He got what he wanted - now everyone was curious about his interpretation. "I think the snake misled that naive boy and then killed him. So the rose never saw him again, and I'd even say that she had died long before him, because she had lost her only guardian who was taking care of her. She herself paid the price for being too proud and taking advantage of this little guy's naiveness and kind heart. She deserved it", he said angrily.

"So according to you, there was no love between them?" the lady asked, studying his expression with interest.

"They had no clue what mutual love is. Though he certainly tried to achieve it. And his pure love was the end of him. He wanted to give people light and hope, and that's why they took all of it from him... He was robbed of everything even though he gave whatever he could to others, just like the happy prince. Making others happy before yourself..." When he realised that he had been lost in thought for a moment, he immediately shut his mouth.

"Oh, what 'happy prince' were you thinking about?" Mrs. Carmel asked to break the silence.

"I meant the fairytale titled 'The happy prince'. It's a story about a golden statue of a prince who wanted to make other people happy with everything he had, but in the end, his dearest bird friend died right under his feet, and his heart broke. Then the people said he was ugly and simply removed the statue and burnt it. That's what he got for helping people", he said, looking around at the other teens who were whispering among each other.

"That's... a very touching tale, kid. Did you maybe... put yourself in the prince's shoes?" the woman asked, squinting at him. As soon as she spoke, everyone went silent and awaited the answer. The blond kept quiet and met the lady's stare.

"Don't make me laugh. Haven't I explained how pointless such behavior is?" he finally responded, smiling at the lady; she must've been trying hard to figure him out. I guess from that moment, there were many more people who wanted to know his story.

___

After classes, we had some free time. Of course, many kids started trying to get to know my roommate. It didn't surprise me, since after Mrs. Carmel's class, I also thought that he was super cool and that his mind worked in unique ways. That was such a fresh perspective among us. Well, in any case, he blew them all off. There was not a single person who didn't get the cold shoulder from him when trying to start a conversation. And while he was ignoring his fame and shut himself in our room, away from people, I got into some trouble. At the moment, I was running away from it with a blank mind, just trying not to get beaten up. When I reached my door and came in, I felt blessed and relieved. Meanwhile, the boy occupying the bed on the left was looking at me like at a madman.

"Hey, heh heh... 'Sup?" I asked stupidly, as if he could give me a normal response. Of course, he didn't bother answering and returned to the book he had been reading.

"Booooob! Booob Mooorent!" They were calling my name really loudly and ramming the door almost to the point of breaking it off. "Come out, you asshole!"

I could feel the icy stare of my roommate without even looking at him. To be honest, his glare was giving me more chills then the guys outside. When he stood up, I almost jumped.

"I-I-I..." I started stuttering out of stress when he got closer. "I'm sorry buddy, you see, they were harassing animals outside and I couldn't stand it and... and... I..." he stood in front of me and I was speechless. I could tell he was really annoyed.

"Do ya think you're safe there? We won't leave 'till ya face us, ya son-of-a..." in that moment, the door was opened and the three of them saw my roomie.

"Shut the fuck up!" he yelled at them at the same time, shaking them up. He was so annoyed that nobody dared to talk back to him.

"We-we only want to talk to him for a bit..." one of them bravely pointed his finger at me and I started feeling unsafe immediately. I knew how to fight, but if I did, my time in the juvie could be prolonged, which wouldn't be a dream come true. My roomie looked at me and I stiffened.

"Gonna talk to them or not?" he asked dejectedly, as if it was a chore, but I only shook my head in response. "See? He doesn't wanna, get lost", he said calmly.

"It doesn't matter if he wants to or not. We have unfinished business with him, so..." one of them stepped towards me over the broken door; unexpectedly, my blond-haired buddy stopped him.

"Cut the crap already!" he shouted once again, pushing him out of the room and onto the corridor floor. I had no idea my roomie was so strong, but thankfully I wasn't the only one in shock.

"Get your loud asses out of here and never show yourselves in front of me again, got it?" He glared at them and, without waiting for their answer, slammed the door shut. I was so impressed that I only followed him, staring at the calm person who once again took his book and sat on his bed.

"Wow man, thanks a lot." I didn't know if he wanted to help me or just get some peace and quiet, but in the end, he did help so I felt obligated to thank him. As expected, he ignored me, so, fully relieved, I lied down on my own messy bed. I hadn't even started relaxing when I heard something. As my roomie sent me a glance, I found some snacks behind me.

"Want some?" I asked and, after seeing him shrug, I chuckled and tossed him some.

___

When I woke up, I realized that it was the third time in a row I dreamed about the same thing. It was the story my roommate told us during Mrs. Carmel's lesson. I truly had no idea why it was bothering me so much, but I spent a few days wondering what had made him think like that. He himself didn't look like he cared about anything. So why?

"Why is he so frustrated by that?" I asked out loud, and my friend Chris stopped eating his snack to look at me. He had no idea what I was talking about because I came out of the blue with that sentence. "Nevermind. Where were you yesterday? I didn't see you till today morning." I remembered that he hadn't been in any classes. Before he could even answer me, I was pushed towards the coffee machine. My money scattered on the floor when my opponent turned me around to face him.

"I told ya Bob, if you do this again I won't take it easy on you. But I see you're prepared to die." I heard my ex-best friend's voice and made a sour face. I was preparing to say something back, but then I saw my roommate approach us with a cold expression.

"'Scuse me, can you move for a little? I want to use this machine." He pointed towards the coffee machine, looking at me. I quickly removed myself from my former friend's grip, but he stayed still, glaring at the newbie angrily.

"Can't you just use the other one?" he said bitterly.

"Nope. It has to be this one cause I can't do this..." He pulled my ex-friend towards the machine and loudly banged his head on the metal surface. "...with the other one."

He watched the guy fall down, then turned to us. We were so shocked that we couldn't say a word.

"I'm satisfied already, so you may keep the change." He dropped some coins on the floor and left the place quietly, not looking back. From that day, I was very grateful and I felt like a lot had changed.

My ex-best friend Ben would always beat me up whenever I told the probation officer or the police something new about our crimes or reported the bad things he did while the guardians weren't looking. I'd known him since we were ten, so I was never afraid of him. When the police caught us, I came to understand that we shouldn't rebel like that, but he kept his hatred towards adults. Our ways parted and I started hanging out with Chris. Thanks to the newbie, Ben stopped taking his anger out on me, so I ended up getting closer to my roommate. I could tell that he wasn't as bad as he pretended to be; still, he kept ignoring my words and stayed indifferent all the time. He also never had questions about me or my relationship with Ben, so I never asked about his past, either. Even though I was dying to know.

___

"Breaking news! Two weeks ago the police found a dead young boy's body. It was very hard to confirm his identity, especially due to head and torso trauma. Thanks to the housekeeper of the Heart family we can finally tell you who it is. About three weeks ago, the young master of the house of Heart disappeared suddenly. This lady has identified the corpse as the body of the last member of the house of Heart. The lineage of the Heart family has reached the end and everyone is asking "how did it happen?" The young master of the house of Heart was a pure, innocent and very cheerful young boy. "He had a special charm. He understood the world differently from others. He viewed life through his heart. That sweet boy was like 'the little prince'... is what that old lady has told us about the boy. Other servants of the family described him in very similar manner - you can find their stories on our website. We will also ask the police the investigation but before that..." A woman with a microphone in her hand stood in front of the Heart mansion. For a while, we watched her interview a few crying neighbours and far relatives; then she approached a police officer. In a few more minutes we lost our interest in watching TV.

"Did you know, guys?" Chris was looking at us. "The house of Heart is cursed. I've heard that all generations have been cursed since long ago. It must've also been the reason why Lord Heart sold his company and then soon after decided to commit suicide... along with his wife." He talked about them as if he was telling a scary ghost story.

"Well, their far relatives never admitted that there was something like a family curse", I said matter-of-factly.

"Then what's the point in crying in front of a camera when they even didn't know each other well? When they didn't even go to their funerals?" the newbie chimed in out of nowhere, surprising us.

"Well... you see... they're noble families. They are just like that", Chris said, shrugging, and I followed suit.

"Though, as far as I know, that boy was very charitable. And it wasn't just for show, I swear I've met him once..." I tried to recall his appearance. "He had a similar hair color to our newbie and... what was his name again?" I wondered, staring at my roommate intensely.

"Lion", the newbie said shortly and Chris and I exchanged looks. "He had the same name as I have", he added and I couldn't help but pose a question.

"Is it possible that you had a younger brother?" I realized the absurdity of my question when I saw his surprised face and Chris started laughing at me.

"Dude, are you seriously implying that he is that boy's brother?" he said loudly and hit his hand on the table. "Ouch! I think I need some fresh air to cure this pain." He stood up, smiling at us. "See ya around, boys." He waved at us, still laughing at what I said and without further ado, went to have a smoke outside.

"Anyway, do you wanna hear the full story? It's about that boy who was giving light to people, whose laughter was like music to their ears.... He wanted to help people. That's why he had so much energy and happiness. And what's more, I know who killed him..." I said.

"No way. Really?" Lion asked halfheartedly.

"Yeah. He did... He killed himself", I lowered my voice, as if it was top secret information.

"Pfff." He laughed at me like Chris had before.

"What so funny about it?"

"Well, that boy was me." He smiled. "But you're not so wrong about it. You know the person who killed him... You're almost right, he was killed... by me", he said lightly while smiling, so I wasn't sure if he was serious. "That boy who killed him was me", he repeated as if he thought that I hadn't heard him the first time, and then stood up and left. I was so confused that I could not just let it be and followed him to our room.

"You wanna hear the rest of this fairytale, right?" Lion looked at me, still smiling. He knew exactly what I wanted. "If you need to know... He ended up with nothing. No family or friends. No home to return to. And the most painful part - no more youthful dreams. There was no one to help him in the end. He was like fog to people once he stopped helping them... Lion was the one who needed help the most though, and what did he get? My mercy only", he said laughing and carefully studying my expresion.

"You sound as if you were telling your own story", I made my thoughts known but he didn't comment. He just ignored my words.

"We had known each other for a very long time. Both had the same name, the same color of hair and eyes. That was probably why we could empathize with each other. We were similar in appearance but in the end, we didn't have anything more in common", he explained and after a short pause, continued.

"For some reason, we couldn't stand each other. But it was probably because he was always a good, gently smiling boy and I was the total opposite.... However, I worked for his father in their mansion." He went silent for a moment again to word his thoughts properly. "Lion.... always preferred hearing someone out over being heard. Understanding over being understood... Loving, though nobody loved him back. Instead of receiving, Lion was always the one giving something to others... That's what makes me sick to think about while knowing the truth. But neither he nor I was able to change things", he said calmly.

"I never doubted he was a wonderful person. Thanks to his charity my sister's life was saved, you know?"

I thought about my family and remembered how much I miss them and regret disappointing them. I had simply wanted to help them out by getting money easily, but oh well... it ended the way it did.

"His family must've been wonderful as well..." I said without realising it at first and received a weird look from Lion.

"Not really... I still remember that one night when I was still new to the Heart mansion - that was the first time I witnessed his parents argue. To the outside world, they seemed perfect. Then I saw Lord Heart hit Lion's mother a few times. She was crying out loud and trying to protect herself, but she was too weak and he was too drunk. Lady Heart cried for help so much, but for the whole mansion and probably the whole world she was mute. No one ever tried to help her. Not even I or Lion were able. I was afraid for myself just like Lion. Inside the mansion Lord Heart was... really frightening. Then we saw him push her down the stairs and something broke inside Lion. The sight of his mother lying there at the bottom must've been so painful. That night, Lion promised himself out loud that he won't ever become an egoist, blind to what's happening around him. He was his mother's only hope. She couldn't divorce Lord Heart and he knew it well. He had no respect for her, no love. And I'm glad to not know what happened before I came there. Especially when the Lord would invite his friends to the mansion for drinks..." he cut himself off and stared pointlessly at the white ceiling.

"I... never knew..." I didn't know what to say. It was just too much; it completely ruined my idea of a perfect-looking noble family. "But nothing indicated anything like that", I was desperately looking around to fix my eyes on anything but him.

"In the end, both of Lion's parents cut his wings. His father was only focused on himself. His mother was stuck in this miserable vicious cycle thanks to the people around her. Despite all of that, Lion still loved them deeply and wished for their happiness. He was doing everything he could." My roommate smiled at the memory of those times.

"Lion gave them so many opportunities to change, but every time he forgave them would only make them worse. They never learned how to fix their own mess. They never learned to say sorry or thank you. They never did. They made him think that he failed. He, too, was caught in a vicious cycle and he hated it. That he could never change, could never stop being a good boy and never was even able to move forward, just like them. Chained to his environment..." I could feel his eyes on me, as if he wanted me to meet his stare, but I just couldn't. His words were making me uncomfortable and his smile was scary. Not at all matching what he was saying.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same family?" I asked, still holding onto the impression I got from television and the internet.

"Yes."

"But nothing like that ever showed on his face. He just stopped smiling after his parents died." I looked at Lion hesitantly and met his sky blue eyes.

"There was a time when he was only able to smile through everything that happened to him. Eventually, when he stopped, he started crying instead. He only did it loudly once, or it was the only time that I caught him in the act. He was saying to himself, "Now I get it... I did all of that because I wanted to spread love and... I wanted to be loved in return. I'm so hopeless... I'm so lonely..." or something along those lines. He was afraid to open up to others, even though he did strongly believe in people. Lion simply needed someone to love him. He needed someone he could give his whole heart to and feel safe. His eyes looked like they were begging for warmth. He was starving for even just one hug, though he never said it out loud." Lion's smile turned back into a serious expression as he continued.

"He was brave back then. Trying his best and all. Then... you could say his heart had already been broken, but what broke his soul was even worse. Because of her..." Lion hesitated for a moment and I started listening even more closely. "Let's call her Rose. She was truly something to him. He tried to love her the best he could... but Rose didn't understand it. The way she thought about love, it was all wrong. And Lion realized that much too late. There was no mutual love; Rose only cared about her pride and material assets. Her heart was like a stone and nothing like her appearance - she had such a gentle, kind face. But only her sweet smile was truly nice. Basically, she loved herself more than anything and that's what broke her and him completely. Rose... she commited a crime that Lion couldn't forgive. She hurt him badly and lied to him. Made him fall so much deeper in hopelessness. And that was right after his parents' death. Both committed suicide. Lion wasn't able to look at her anymore. He couldn't bear her touch. He was broken down like a deadman and would never, ever smile again."

"Pff, what Rose? I'd call her an idiot instead!" I didn't know why, but I got very frustrated by what he was telling me.

"His story tells the same thing 'The little prince' did - the fact that even if you have a pure, loving person who truly adores you, you and them may both break down because of your mistakes. One-sided love can never make anyone happy. So don't ever be like Rose. Never love yourself more than you do others. That's the message", he said, looking into my eyes.

"Loving yourself and loving only yourself are different", I said, processing his words, and he smiled at me.

"Exactly. You're capable of saying wise things sometimes, too", he laughed gently and I only sighed at his joke.

"So funny, dude", I smiled back sarcastically; then, a new question crossed my mind. "Hey, Lion... You said you killed him... what did you mean by that?" I asked and Lion's face got paler.

"He told me he had no reason to keep living. That he had nothing - he had lost his home and dreams." His voice was shaking, but he was trying to control it. "And he couldn't stop crying. He wanted to die all that time. He begged for it. I still clearly remember his words: "I was always chasing after nothing. Doing whatever I could to help and to be good. And barely did I ever do what I really wanted. It was simply killing me", was what he said. And I... I killed him by not helping him. He couldn't bear it anymore, and he had been so brave and determined for so long. He... wanted to be a wonderful person, but he always was scared to make a move. That's why he ended up where he is now. His love for this world was incredible, but in the end, he was crushed by the world he loved so much; by self-absorbed, vain, unimaginative and desperately lonely people. They fed on his purity and love and took advantage of it, as if they had no hearts themselves. I would question it: "Why do you even care for people in trouble so much?" and "Why can't you leave them alone? Why can't you stop worrying about strangers' lives?" I kept asking in irritation: Why? Why? Why?! Because in the end, they just wanted to be spoiled. When someone gave a helping hand, they took it and never wanted to let go. They liked feeling the most important. Why did your heart so desperately desire making people smile? Nothing good came from him being good, so I just left it all behind. My heart and mind were never really bothered by others. And I could see in his eyes that it was too much for him to handle. I know he hated himself for being so kind, yet he wanted to be their rock. He yearned to be reliable to others when they were in trouble, yet he couldn't open up to anyone completely. Though he had too much faith in others, more than enough love and so much energy. That's what always made me angry."

"So... you never, um... you never killed him with a weapon, right?" I needed to make sure because I was scared for a moment and couldn't breathe normally. He looked at me, amused, and could barely keep himself from grinning.

"If he were 'the little prince', then I would surely be his snake", he said mysteriously. It didn't answer my question at all. He was telling the story like his own; that's why I had to ask about his relation to Lion Heart. But he avoided answering me by comparing the stories further. "He also had his rose, but nobody he could call a best friend. And... no matter how much love he gave her - she never loved Lion back. And no matter how hard he tried to understand and listen to so-called 'friends', they never did the same for him. Lion gave them his everything, but they only took like it was normal and even demanded more from him. I never felt like they appreciated his work but I also never did anything about it. They didn't deserve his help. Not knowing how lonely he was, they wished to be him and blamed him for not knowing their pain. The truth is, he was loved by everyone; yet nobody really loved him at all. So remember - never compare your life and pain to others', cause you have no clue what the person next to you has experienced in the past. They may smile at you, but cry inside." His own eyes were glassy so I couldn't help but want to cheer him up somehow.

"You know, the snake made the little prince realize something, too. He was a wise snake before taking that boy's life, and he knew the prince's future long before him. He didn't just take his life, but also gave him the chance to understand himself better. Also... foxes are mostly associated with stealth and cleverness, right? But that makes them mysterious, careful and patient. I think you were his fox as well. You were definitely guarding him as much as you could - I can tell because of what you've done for me before. You are the only one who genuinely cried for this brave kid. And one more thing... you did go visit his grave."