Piecing Him Back Together

A/N I have no clue what I'm doing. I got this idea the second I started supporting the ship (HATORI X AYAME FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER), but I had no clue how to write it. So… here you go! Super short oneshot. I have no clue what time it takes place… I mean, since the curse isn't really mentioned (other than referring to the juunishi as their corresponding animals), I guess it takes place after the manga ends, right? Well, anyway, enjoy, and please leave a review! And no flames please! OH AND NO EDITOR (as usual). SORRY! Read it anyway, please! xP

Shigure had known it since the beginning. Since the night Kana had gotten her memory erased, he had been certain of it. No matter what Hatori said or did, he would eventually want to be with another. He would not want to be alone for the rest of his life. He would need someone to be there for and with him, whether he would ever admit it or not. And the person he would choose to be with would be one of them. It made sense, he had told Ayame, that Hatori would instinctively want to be with someone he knew well. And he knew nobody as well as he knew the two of them. They had been friends for as long as any of them could remember, if not much longer.

Then, one day, it had happened. The three of them had been at Shigure's house. It had been years since Kana had left, and she was now happily married to another man. The dog had gotten up to get snacks out of the kitchen, seeing as Ayame had been begging for something to eat for about twenty minutes now. He had ended up taking a longer time than expected, for there were literally no clean dishes in the house. When he had returned, he had found one of the biggest surprises of his life. His two childhood best friends, Hatori and Ayame, were kissing. Really, Hatori was kissing Ayame (which only added to Shigure's shock – as far as he knew, Hatori had only even kissed Kana once or twice).

And on that day, the dog discovered that what he had said so long ago was completely right. And now he knew exactly who Hatori had chosen of his two friends. Ayame. But he was not jealous. He had Akito. In fact, he had not exactly wanted to be picked. If he had been picked, he of course would have forced himself to get over Akito, sacrificing his love for his friend. But now that the dragon had made up his mind, the dog has nothing to worry about. Well, he did have things to worry about, but his worry was not directed at himself.

It was directed at Ayame.

Shigure knew how much Ayame loved Hatori. He had always loved Hatori. Since they had first met, which had been many, many, many years ago now, the snake had looked up to the dragon. He had always been his hero. And when he got older, he had realized that he liked him much more than just a friend. He was in love with him. And once the snake had realized this, the only person he had the courage to tell was Shigure. The poor snake was certain that Hatori would never like him back. They were both males! And they were so different! It could never work out, right?

However, now that Ayame had been proven wrong, and Hatori had actually seemed to show some signs of liking him back (though that was putting it rather mildly), Shigure knew he would have to talk to the serpent. And so he did. He explained to the snake that Hatori had been through a lot. He had lost the love of his life, and his eyesight to go along with her. He would have trouble being in any relationship now. He was lost. He was like a puzzle with its pieces taken apart and thrown all over the place, scattered in every direction imaginable. And it was now Ayame's job to find those pieces and put them back together.

It would not be an easy thing to do, Shigure explained. Hatori had been so alone and lost and… scattered for some time now. However, the dog had faith in Ayame. The snake really did love Hatori, and Shigure knew that the snake would use that undying love to his advantage. Ayame had promised Shigure that he would not rest until Hatori was truly himself again. Until every single piece of the intricate puzzle that was the dragon was put back where it belonged.

And so he did. Hatori had chosen Ayame. He had trusted him with the job of fixing everything. And the snake had never been so serious about anything in his life (accept, perhaps, his fight to get his brother to love him). He truly did take the time to make sure that, slowly but surely, Hatori would be healed of everything that had happened. He knew he could not fix the frozen winter of his new lover's past, but at least he could try to prepare him for the bright spring of the future.

Someday, every piece would be put back in place. And everything would be okay.

-End