Four months later

"Brat, you need a name," Kaolin grumbled, pulling his book out of the creature's hands, the creature had read almost all his books.

Kaolin had been disbelieving at first, that the creature was his real master, possessed the key, but it was true. Of course as soon as the creature had slammed the door shut in a temporary master's face, Kaolin had been dead sure.

"Name has I already," the creature replied, screwing its nose up delicately at the jumbled words. A look of sheer concentration passed over its face and it opened its mouth to speak, clamped it just and got the embarrassed, guilty expression it wore when it had had an accident.

"I don't know why you were never given nappies." Kaolin grumbled; hauling the incredibly light creature up, that was another difference. The creature was like a bird; all fine boned and light, as if its very bones were hollow. It blinked at him.

"Sorry is I." it grumbled softly, looking at the wet patch it had created on the large silk pillow. In a mater of days Kaolin and Toben had thrown ten pillows down the laundry chute to be repaired and or thrown out. The urine wasn't so much a problem as the poo.

"Tell me, do you have a problem with keeping that stuff in until you reach a suitable place to release it? Like say.the bathroom?" Kaolin asked dryly, hauling the creature to the bathroom easily. "Sit and don't get off until you don't feel any urge to defecate or urinate in my room."

It stared at Kaolin's back, blinking innocently as it sat on the toilet and waited for the urge to do one of the things Kaolin had mentioned.

It sat for perhaps three hours before Kaolin came in-no he was no longer Kaolin-Toben came in, after yielding to its incessant wails.

As it sat it thought; thinking was a relatively easy subject as it only involved stringing a line of thoughts together. It thought of butterflies, for awhile, than its thoughts wandered off to the subject of the strange, soft flowing material Toben/Kaolin wore-it did not yet know of Dien, being such a submissive creature itself.

The material came in a large array of colours, like the sky, like dirt, like water or like flesh; it didn't yet know the names of such pretty colours.

"KAOLIN!" it wailed, feeling particularly neglected from being left to sit on the uncomfortable seat for such long amount of time. When there was no reply it began to sniffle and after a few minutes of still not a whisper to indicate that Kaolin heard it let loose a series of heart wrenching wails, thinking that it had been abandoned.

It needn't have worried exhausting itself in such a way for only seconds later Toben bounded in, searching for the cause of the distressing cries.

"This is where you've been for so long? Brat? Don't cry it doesn't become you," Toben whispered lifting its naked body from the toilet seat and cradling it in his arms.

It sniffled despairingly and tried to get away from Toben, the fear of being neglected and forgotten still clear and fresh as a ghastly wound in its mind. It gave up struggling when it realised there was no chance of escape. "You-you-you no leave? You no leave me 'lone?" it asked softly, clinging tightly to Toben now, its fear slowly dissipating.

"No, brat, I was only in the other room, you needn't have worried, why didn't you come out?" Toben asked, stroking its hair gently, a rare sign of affection for one so filled with rage. In fact over the past few days Toben had been noticing how the rage was slowly burning down.

"K-K-K-Kaolin told to stay me here!" it whimpered softly, not realising it had been slowly taking from the bathroom to Toben's room.

In one corner, the eastern corner was Toben's double pallet and wardrobe, in the western corner a thick pile of furs for relaxing. The northern and southern corners were filled with training equipment, of which Toben avoided as he headed for the pile of furs.

"Toben.no leave?" the brat asked softly as Toben laid him down on the furs, with even the slightest indication that Toben was going to move away the creature held Toben's robes tightly.

""m not leaving, brat. See?" Toben lay down next to the creature and held it gently. As Kaolin had suggested earlier, the creature desperately needed a name, and a name it would get.

"Brat, you need a name, Kaolin mentioned it before you had your little accident. I've been thinking and.well you look like the peak of winter but you're so warm inside, how about. Solstice? It's a celebration in the peak of winter and in the summer; I can't keep calling you brat."

To Toben's surprise it nodded slightly. So.it had a name now.

Kaolin jerked awake the familiar warmth of Solstice had vanished from his side, where was he. "Solstice? Solstice where are you?" Kaolin asked hoarsely, searching for Solstice as fear rippled through his body. "Solstice?"

"Yeah?" Solstice asked, flicking on an over head light from the direction of the bathroom. "What's wrong? I got out before I had an accident!" Solstice beamed, than his expression fell. "Did not reach the fluid seat." Solstice mumbled.

Kaolin just smiled in relief. "Thank the gods.oh thank the gods." Kaolin murmured, relaxing. "Come here Solstice." Kaolin whispered, spreading his arms for his 'master'.

Solstice giggled and turned off the light, blackness filled the room and Solstice scrambled over into Kaolin's arms. "Sorry! No mean to scare!" Solstice replied, snuggling into the warmth of Kaolin's arms.

"That's alright.what'd you do? A number 2 or a number 1?"

"Err.both?" Solstice fidgeted in Kaolin's arms.

"You had a bath right?"

"Yes Kaolin and I cleaned it up.it no smell nice."

Kaolin chuckled, running a hand through Solstice's ear length snowy hair and lay a kiss on the top of Solstice's head. "Cute."

Kaolin stayed with Solstice in his arms all night, and for the first time in years he didn't feel threatened, because he was the one protecting not the other way around.

Get out! Air hissed trying to force Fire out of the body.

Won't we kill it if we do that? Fire asked curiously, standing his ground against Air's pushing.

No, because Solstice is alive now and is essentially us, it knows everything about us, now get out! Air growled, pushing at Fire. Get out or you'll never see my arse again!

Fire made a soft wounded sound, rather like a pup. That's not true.? Is it?

I never make threats lightly. Air replied sweetly, his voice sounding rather like thick treacle.

I'm out, I'm out! Fire cried, flinging himself from the body of Solstice rather dramatically.

Air cast Water and Earth a smug look. Said I couldn't do it eh?

Water and Earth grumbled reluctant apologies, they'd thought that since neither of them could get Fire out Air didn't stand a chance, they'd been dead wrong, obviously.

I rule you lose ladada! Air did a small victory dace as he left Solstice who whimpered softly and snuggled up closer into Kaolin's arms.