Standard disclaimer applies.
Finally, the sequel to And the Cat Ate the Rat and What the Dog Said. I am hoping to get a few more of these ficlets out this holiday season, so be ready. ;) I appreciate reviews, when you can give them. They encourage me to write more of these ficlets because I learn if they're well-received or not...love hearing your thoughts, even negative ones. Happy holidays to all!
Enjoy!
Hatori was in his office when Ayame stormed in, white hair whipping furiously around his head and shoulders. With a sigh, Hatori closed his book. He had so been looking forward to finishing it, too. He had just gotten to the climax, after working towards it for over two weeks. He had yet to finish a book in less than a month.
Ignoring Hatori's annoyance, Aya marched over and put both his hands on Hatori's desk. It was a violent invasion of personal space, and Hatori drew back, his expression clearly irritated.
"Do you mind, Aya?" He said dryly.
"Yes, I mind!" Aya snapped, his voice shaking with…rage? Hatori was confounded. Aya was never angry. Not like this.
"What happened?" Hatori asked, tolerating the physical closeness for the sake of Aya's nerves.
"What happened?" Aya repeated, his voice still trembling with this completely new emotion. He collapsed into a chair sitting near Hatori's. "Hari…you have no idea! It's a nightmare! An absolute nightmare! I don't know how it could have happened! How it even occurred in the first place! The mere thought is unthinkable! I can't believe it…" He buried his head in his hands and began to sob. "I just can't believe it!"
It must have been something truly serious to push Aya over the edge. His cousin was usually so irrepressibly flamboyant and cheerful that such a change meant that he was about to suffer a severe breakdown. Hatori noticed that instead of his usual scarlet robe, the snake was wearing a simple…mourning?!?! kimono…
"What happened, Aya?" Hatori repeated, leaning forward. The snake continued to sob without speaking. Hatori was truly concerned now. As playful about fashion as his cousin was, he would never wear a mourning kimono. Aya had told him many times how much he hated mourning kimonos; he wouldn't even sell them in his shop. The only reason he could be wearing one was because of the death of a close friend or family member; as Aya had no real friends, Hatori could only assume that some one in the family had died. Shigure? A chill went through Hatori at the thought.
"Is Gure dead?" Hatori asked, the diminutive slipping out before he could stop himself.
Aya looked up, his pale face tear stained. His gold eyes, surrounded as they were by red, made him look vaguely demonic.
"No, it's not Gure." Aya sobbed, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's…it's…"
"It's…?" Hatori prompted gently.
"Yuki!"
Hatori fell back in his chair. The Rat was dead? Impossible…
"Kyo ate him." Aya sobbed, his slim form shaking with rage. "That baka neko ate him!"
Hatori stared at Aya in disbelief. His cousin couldn't be serious. Kyo…ate Yuki? It was unthinkable, unbelievable.
What would Akito say?
