AUTHORESS' NOTES: I apologize for the very, very long wait; but I'm now elated to present the sequel to my previous fic, "Stronger Blood." If you're a new reader of mine, please stop now and read the prequel first. This story will prove confusing, otherwise.
DISCLAIMER:As always, I own nothing.
AUTHORESS' NOTES CONTINUED: I spotted some serious errors and have now reposted this first chapter with them fixed. Sorry.
"Shishou, please... It's scary."
"It's just a kind of secret, Kyou; and the unknown is nothing to be afraid of. Go on, now. I promise nothing bad will happen to you."
Big, crimson eyes looked up at the stain on the wall.
"A big 8-year-old like you? C'mon... walls shouldn't be scary. Even if you do know what happened to the wall. Even if you don't, it's just a silly little secret. Nothing scary."
The man put a hand on Kyou's back. The boy felt expected to act immediately and reached up towards the big stain on the wall.
"Why is it..." he thought to himself, lying on his futon that Thursday afternoon, "that seventeen years is a long time... but not a long time to have been alive?" Kyou closed his eyes. He hated the way rainy days made him feel. It'd been drizzling since 10 a.m. that morning. He felt like a slug. The sky was a dreary shade of gray and Kyou thought that, perhaps, when the sun came out again, it would shine gray light. He was sure that, if he went outside, the grass would be gray, and so would all the flowers. That would make the most sense. He heard strong, although not heavy, footsteps approach.
"It's too bad the rainy season had to start so soon after you arrived, Kyou. We haven't had a chance to have any fun since you got here." Shishou's smile made Kyou remember that were colors. He looked up at the man, lying on his side, facing the doorway, and closed his eyes once more, intent on keeping them shut for a longer amount of time.
"Still tired. Well, that's alright. I can't blame you. It's just the way this weather affects you. You can't help it."
Kyou heard a shuffling of clothes and a soft thump.
"Why are you sitting down there in my doorway, Shishou?"
"I didn't feel like standing."
Kyou pushed his face into his pillow. He smiled slightly. Shishou was funny. Shishou was the perfect companion.
Tohru watched Momiji scribble on the paper. She began to talk with him about which way to fold it into a card. Horizontal versus vertical was a very big decision. It would heavily influence how the recipient would interpret the card's intended meaning. Tohru offered to ask Shigure, who, as an author, should know about such things. Momiji agreed. They grabbed up the paper they had written on, a pencil each, and extra paper, and went to consult the man of the house.
"I don't think he'll mind whichever way you fold it. It doesn't really matter much..."
"Oh, but it does! Doesn't it, Tohru-kun?"
"I think it does."
"See? Tohru-kun thinks so!"
Shigure smiled. "If it's really that important to you, then... fold it this way." He took the paper from Momiji. "Then... cut three sides of a square here, in the crease. Push it in like this... Then, glue on another sheet of paper on the outside folded the same way. Like so." He took an extra piece of paper from Tohru. "See? Now you've got a lovely little pop-up card! Just glue a picture or shape you've cut out on the tab on the inside. I bet he'll like it a lot when we visit tomorrow."
"Wow! This is a-ma-zing!" Momiji snatched the papers away and ran off to construct his own pop-up greeting card.
"That really is a cool idea, Shigure-san!" Tohru smiled.
"Anything I can do to help." Shigure smiled back. "Is Yuki-kun still up in his room?"
Tohru's smile stayed strong. "Yes. He said he was working on some of his duties as president of the student council."
"Of course he is..." Shigure's expression turned sly and Tohru tilted her head in confusion.
Yuki wondered how miserable Kyou was feeling today. It was raining, after all. He told Tohru he'd join them tomorrow to visit him; but... he was still considering staying behind. He could come up with a feasible excuse easily. He wouldn't even have to lie. He always had things to do. But still... He remembered the silent promise he'd made with Kyou when he left to live with Kazuma again. Would it be fair for him to stay behind tomorrow? Would it be fair for him to even go at all? He pondered with Kyou's face in mind. He tried to decipher the defenseless expression he'd held that last day he saw him.
He still hated Kyou. It was in his nature. He knew Kyou still hated him as well, but, "out of sight, out of mind" was a very accurate phrase to describe this predicament. They'd suppressed their hateful thoughts in the last weeks with the hopeful thoughts left behind by their friendship promises. Promises to at least try, even if the end product was impossible to obtain. Yuki rubbed his forehead. He'd been thinking too deeply for a while. His head hurt him.
AUTHORESS' NOTES: I think I used too many lines to separate scenes... ." Anyways, R&R, please. I'd love to see return readers, as well as new ones. Again, sorry for the insanely long wait for this sequel. As for you new readers, don't be shy about reviewing my old fic. I really don't mind. (: I also apoligize that this chapter is very short. As the story gets rolling, they'll become longer. I just needed to get it started. I'll try to update soon.