Hallo everyone! OK, I was planning on writing this story after I finished "Into Ashes All My Lust", but I just got inspired a few nights ago and had to start! I'm not sure how often I will update until I finish working on my other story, but after that updates will come much more frequently. Well, I know this is a very alternative pairing but I think it's really cute and hope everyone enjoys it! Please review!

"And so, I said, 'I'm so sorry, my dear Ami-chan, but that purple skirt just doesn't compliment your orange shirt." Ayame chuckled vivaciously, scanning his attentive audience with pride. "You should have seen her face!" Waving his arms, he flashed Shigure a mischievous grin. "She looked exactly like a rotten tomato!"

The Sohma cousins roared with laughter. "Oh, Aaya!" Shigure choked out between gasps. "I wish I could have seen that! Did you tell Ha'ri yet?"

"Oh no!" Clasping his hands to his cheeks in an emphatic motion, the snake corrected him. "Don't tell Ha'ri! He'll only accuse me of being mean again, and then I'll feel guilty." Faking a pout, he addressed the crowd of children at his feet. "I'm really not a bad person, am I? I mean, I would never intentionally hurt someone! I'm just trying to be truthful, and I can't help it if the truth hurts."

"Yes, sweet Aaya," Shigure twirled his finger through the other boy's silver locks. "And you can't help it if the truth amuses us, either. You're just having fun." His eyes twinkling, he flashed a 'thumbs up'. "All right!" Whirling around, he clasped his hands around one of the other boy's shoulders. "You agree with me, don't you, Kureno-san?"

"Uh," The rooster stuttered, his face flushing violently. His eyes darted from face to face. "Yes, Shigure-san."

"Of course!" The silver-haired boy rose to his feet, swishing his vivid robe from side to side. He reached down to pat Kureno on the head. "That's my dear cousin!"

The crowd sat captivated by Ayame's dramatic display, hardly noticing as another figure inched toward the back of the group. However, as the boys paused, a meek whisper emerged from the silence. "Ayame-san?"

His green eyes widening, the snake found the source of the voice. "Little Ritsu, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry! I'M SORRY! I apologize! I shouldn't be wasting your time, Aaya-san! Forgive me. I don't deserve to talk to you!" His eyes watering, the smaller boy hid a blush behind his kimono sleeve. "I'll leave!" Turning around, the monkey bumped into Kureno in his clumsy rush.

Smirking, the older boys exchanged curious glances. "Now look what you've done to Kureno-san!" Shigure teased, trying to provoke the timid child.

"I'M SORRY, KURENO-SAN! I DON'T DESERVE TO TOUCH YOU! I'M SO CLUMSY!" The redhead collapsed into a trembling heap. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's OK," Kureno hurried to quiet him, dreading the attention from the group. "Don't worry, please. It didn't hurt."

Shigure bit back his laughter. "Just kidding, Ritchan! We were only joking!"

"Now, what was it that you wished to speak to me about?" Ayame pranced forward, holding his head with confidence. "Have you come to tap into my infinite brilliance, or perhaps to hear my humorous anecdote?" The crowd's rapt silence encouraged him, fueling his energy. "Well?"

His body shaking with fear, Ritsu studied his feet. He seemed as if he would shatter under the other boy's watchful gaze. "I brought you something, but you won't like it, so I'll just leave."

"A present? For me?" Aaya clasped his hands together, giggling with glee. "Well, what is it? Come on!"

"N, n, no," The monkey squeaked. "It's ugly! You don't want it. I'm such a failure!" In spite of his protest, the smaller boy extracted something from behind his back. "I found this, and I thought it looked so pretty. It reminded me of you. But if you don't want it, it's fine!" Opening his fist, he revealed a crumpled, brown flower. Even as he moved his hand, the petals shed uselessly to the floor.

"It's dead, my dearest Ritchan," Ayame pointed out, smiling at Shigure.

Horror seized Ritsu's face as he clenched his chest. "I'm so sorry! I've wasted your time. I shouldn't have bothered you like this!" Sobbing, the redhead shredded the withered flower. "It's so ugly! Everything I touch becomes ugly! I shouldn't have thought that I could give you anything worthwhile!"

"Yes, yes. You are correct. Dead flowers are useless." The snake added, snickering expectantly. He was a bit annoyed at the disruption, but the urge to excite the smaller boy even further was his real motivator.

"I know! I'm annoying you! I never do anything right. I shouldn't even talk to you anymore, Aaya-san! You're too good for me!" Stumbling backwards, he shuddered with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry!" Throwing the flower on the floor, he fled frantically down the hallway.

Watching the boy disappear, Ayame and Shigure erupted with laughter. "Why does he do that? Does he honestly think that people will like him better if he apologizes for everything he does?" Ayame shook his head dramatically. "It makes him even worse! He's nothing more than a headache!"

The crowd tittered nervously, staring at the snake as he danced around the room. "He's fun to mess with, isn't he?" Shigure smirked, a playful glint creeping into his eyes.

Another figure appeared in the hall, pacing toward the group with a determined look on his face. "What just happened, Aaya?" Hatori asked in a serious voice.

"Whatever do you mean, my wonderful Ha'ri?" Ayame batted his eyelashes, adopting an innocent tone as he rushed to meet his other cousin. "We were just playing with Ritchan. We didn't mean anything, of course." He chuckled, running his fingers through the other boy's raven locks. "But you know how Ritsu overreacts to everything!"

"He's out in the gardens, crying. You really upset him," The seahorse explained. "What did you do?"

Shigure cut in. "Oh, Ha'ri! Don't worry about it. We were just having fun!"

Ignoring the dog, Hatori brushed his bangs from his face, revealing narrow eyes. "He's a nice person, Aaya. You should think about how other people feel when you're 'having fun' sometime."

"What are you talking about? I'm not that insensitive!" Faking a scandalized sniffle, he swiped his silver hair from his shoulder. "It saddens me to hear you speak so lowly of me."

Hatori's stare softened. "I don't think you understand how his mind works. He's different from you, Aaya."

"Truer words were never spoken!" Shigure interjected with a carefree laugh. "Thankfully, there aren't many people like Ritsu in the world."

The seahorse rubbed his forehead in frustration. "No, there should be more people like Ritsu. He's caring and doesn't want to do anything that could hurt someone else." Facing Ayame, he continued. "It took a lot of courage for him to come here and talk to you. He really admires you, and the only thing he wants is for you to accept him and offer him some measure of friendship. He gave you this flower, didn't he?" Bending over, he scooped up the dry petals in his hands. "He looks up to you. I hope you know that." He reached for the silver-haired boy, sliding the brittle flower into his palm. "Not everything in life is a joke, especially not other people's emotions."

Opening his fingers, the snake sighed at the crumbled mess that was once a cherry blossom. "Dead flowers are ugly and useless to me, and so are people like Ritchan." Clenching his fist, he ground the blossom to dust, feeling upset that Hatori was criticizing him over such a trivial matter. "You really need to lighten up, Ha'ri-kun."

'They're dead. But I just put them here yesterday!' Ayame thought, gathering the withered mass of roses from the counter and tossing them into a nearby trash can. 'They'll never be beautiful again. What can I do?'

Glancing around his shop, an image of Ritsu's childish face, contorted by the terror of rejection, burned in his mind. 'Why do I have these horrible memories? That happened so many years ago, and yet I can't even look at flowers anymore without thinking of him. I wish I could've been a better person. I was so blind as a child! Everything seemed to revolve around me, and I came to believe that that was how things should operate.'

Gazing at his reflection on the shiny counter top, Ayame moaned. 'Maybe I still think like that. Maybe that's why these nightmares continue to haunt me. Every day, it seems, I must try to amend all the mistakes I made when I was younger. What can I do to erase the past and make everyone forget? I would do anything. Anything!' Tears welling under his piercing eyes, he immediately wiped them away in a vain attempt to prevent his face from swelling. 'What can I do to be a better person when we meet again?'

"Good morning, Ayame-san!" Mine sang, bursting through the door with a cheery smile. "I'm so sorry I'm late! There's some strange woman outside causing a stir, and so many people are watching her! It took forever to get through the crowd." Joining her coworker, her expression softened in concern. "Are you OK? You look sad!"

Regaining composure, Ayame laughed through his tears. "Oh no, I'm fine! Don't worry about me, sweet little Mine!" Resting his chin in his hands, he gave her his attention. "So what's this about a strange woman? Was it the way she looked, or how she was acting? I want to know! Don't withhold such important information from me!"

Mine answered in a giddy voice. "Oh, you should go see, Ayame-san! You'll laugh so hard! She's lying on the pavement, screaming apologies, and nobody even knows what she's apologizing for!" She clapped her hands in excitement. "She's down by the bus stop! Go see for yourself!"

"Apologies?" The snake's pulse quickened, though he hoped his surprise was not visible. 'I'm so sorry! I've wasted your time! I shouldn't have bothered you like this!' The words flew through Ayame's head, swirling in dizzying turmoil. 'It couldn't be. Why would he be here?'

"And everyone was laughing at her, and that made her scream even louder!" Mine continued her story, disregarding the silver-haired man's distress. "I hope they call the police soon. I mean, do you think she's safe?"

Dashing to the window, Ayame craned his neck in hopes of catching a glimpse of the disturbance. But all he could see was a clod of people congregating a few feet down the street. 'They're laughing at him? Just like me and Shigure. He doesn't deserve that! Now I know how wrong we were. If it really is Ritsu, well, maybe I can erase what happened in the past right now.'

Waving his arms extravagantly, he masked his concern behind a broad grin. "You are correct, Mine-san! I will go find out what's happening right now!" Opening the door, he left the store and immediately quickened his pace.

"I'M SO SORRY!" A scream resounded above the noisy street, growing progressively louder as Ayame approached the crowd. "I APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE WORLD!"