In Smaller Proportions - Take Two and a Quarter

Well, like I promised...it's here!

To the newcomers, good to have you, and hope you'll take interest in the first instalment "In Smaller Proportions".
To those who have already read it, nice to see you again, and thanks for coming.

Okay, I'll keep this short and in points:
One - I'm off Final Fantasy XI. Hopefully, for good. Which means I can't try and find any of you guys over there.
Two - I got myself an extra part-time job to pay my bills, so I'll be busy. Which means I'll be slow now and then unless I get more time. Apology in advance.
Three - I miss the good old days when my parents helped me cover costs for online games. What I'd give to be a kid again...
Four - this would have been up a lot sooner, but one of my many talents is procrastinating.

Well, here we go.

It was yet another peaceful day in the Sohma residence. With all back to school and every other normal mundane activity, everything was just peachy for this home's current dwellers.

Yuki was working on his assignment in his room when the front doorbell rang.

"Will someone get the door?"

patter-patter-patter-patter-patter

thump!

patter-patter-patter-patter-patter

As Yuki looked up, an A4-sized, reasonably thick package scuttled pass his door on a pair of short legs.

"... Um... Isn't anyone going to sign for that?" the delivery man can be heard feebly protesting from the doorway.

"Hang on, my good man! I'm coming!"

"Thank you, sir. Sign here, please... Thanks again."

Then Shigure stuck his head into Yuki's room.
"Yuki-kun, have you seen little Kyo-chan?"

"He went that way."

"I don't - "

Then the walking package came back and bumped into Shigure's leg.

"Oh, there you are. What are you doing under there?"

"Bang-Bang!" the package replied.

"Ah, that would be mine. Thank you for bringing it in for me. You're a very helpful little fellow. Yes, you are."
As he spoke, Shigure took hold of the package and lifted it off the little boy who had been carrying it all over the place.
"Now go frisk your big brother Kyo while I take a look at this thing's insides."

"Bang-Bang!"

"SHIGURE!" Kyo hollered vengefully as the child made a beeline toward his fleeing form.

"Dear me, now, don't start swearing!"

"Bang-Bang!"

Yuki was interrupted from his homework a second time by a small hand reaching up - holding a rubber duck and squeaking it for his attention. It appeared that Kyo finally managed to shake chibi-Kyo off.

"Bang-Bang?" chibi-Kyo asked hopefully.

"...alright, I'll finish up later."
Reaching down and picking up the happy kid, Yuki rose from his seat and exited his room. In the living room, Shigure had taken a nice spot before the heated table. The package was open before him, and he was sorting through papers.

Yuki joined him for the moment, sitting down on a different side. "Is that our taxes?"

"No, that would be a thicker package. (1) These are from the orphanage; Kyo-chan's particulars."

"That's one hefty stack for one so small," Yuki commented, stopping the little boy from eating his own profile description

"Never underestimate the power of the new century."

Setting chibi-Kyo down to play by himself for a while, Yuki leaned forward to take a look. "So what else is there?"

"Just some available documentation of his background. There's his first picture right there; isn't that cute?"

Yuki picked up the photograph of a black-haired, scarlet-eyed infant and examined it. Then a yellow duck flew pass and bounced off the other side of the kotatsu, squeaking once in its journey.

"I got it!" Shigure called, rising from the table and swiping up the little toy. He turned to find chibi-Kyo fascinated by the empty envelope, holding it over his head and staring inside. Shigure held the rubber duck in front of chibi-Kyo's line of view, and waggled it a bit. That did the trick, and the toddler was reaching up eagerly for it, the envelope promptly forgotten and dropped to the side.

"Kyo-chan," Shigure crooned, holding the duck just a little out of the boy's reach. "Can you say 'Daddy 'Gure', Kyo-chan? Say 'Daddy 'Gure'."

"Bang-Bang!" chibi-Kyo exclaimed, still reaching for the duck.

Around that point of time, Kyo showed up, apparently calmed down from the earlier incident and ready to face the world again. He frowned slightly as he watched mini-him waving frantically like a fox after grapes. "... What are you doing?"

"Teaching him to call my name!" Shigure piped, still holding the ducky slightly out of reach from the feverishly waving little paws.

Yuki shook his head. "Shigure, I doubt he knows what you're talking about."

"He wouldn't care, anyway," Kyo muttered.

Indignant, Shigure turned around. "Well, that's where you're wrong! Kyo-chan here happens to be the smartest kid in the world! Aren't you, little fella?"

Not listening, the "little fella" waved desperately as he continued trying to reach for the rubber duck, filling the air with distressed cries of "Bang-Bang!".

Yuki groaned, snatching the duck from Shigure and tossing it back to chibi-Kyo. "He doesn't care, so will you knock it off, for crying out loud?"

The duck now safely back in his clutches, chibi-Kyo's large crimson eyes stared kittenishly up at them. Suddenly, he pointed at Shigure.

"Doggy," he declared confidently.

Shigure blinked. "... Woof?"

"That was quite unexpected," Yuki agreed.

Chibi-Kyo immediately glanced up at the gray-haired teen, and pointed at him.
"Squeaky," he stated with a nod, and then he turned and pointed at Kyo.
"Kitty."

Kyo blanched.

At that point, Tohru came into the room. In an instant, she noticed the tense surprise.

"Is everything alright?"

Before the others could explain, chibi-Kyo stared at Tohru. His eyes widened a little more than usual, and his little finger shot out again.

"Mama!"

Then there was a shocked silence.

Tohru dropped the book bag she was carrying as she stared at the excited child, still hopping on the spot and pointing at her.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

There was a gasp, then Tohru flew at the tiny guy and hugged him tightly. "I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE YOU!"

And all the other three males in the room could do was resume their shocked silence for a short span of time.

Five to six minutes estimated would be sufficient.

The kid called Tohru "Mama".

She cuddled him, played with him, fed him, and she was "Mama".

All this time of cleaning, patronizing and headaches, and what did he get? "Squeaky".

He did not know which seemed better for the moment - to cry or to laugh. He settled for the usual compromise of doing nothing. Of course, doing nothing with an obvious shocked beyond shocked expression on his face; the term "flabbergasted" might be suitable for the situation.

"Um... Yuki-kun? Are you alright?"

That snapped him out of his reverie, and he made to look calm and perfectly fine. "I'm fine, Honda-san. Really."

"... Well!"
Shigure finally recovered - this man who recovered sooner whenever Ayame dropped him a "classified T/M-rated" line - and shrugged.
"Tohru-chan is the only female in the place, after all. I'm not surprised if a little baby babble like that is bound to happen."

That's not cute baby babble; that's a scheme!

"What was that, Kyo?"

"I didn't say nothing."

"Well, regardless, out of the mouth of babes, we know the truths of the universe!" Shigure declared, sweeping chibi-Kyo up from Tohru's arms and holding him high above his head.
"Well said, my boy! Mama and Doggy-Daddy love you! Isn't that right, Mama dearest?"

That was when the boys decided enough was enough.

As Yuki confiscated chibi-Kyo and removed him from the scene, Kyo let his fury fly.

Out in the safety of the hallway, Yuki held chibi-Kyo up to eye level, his expression one of desperation.

"Kyoshi: don't you ever do that again."

"Bang-Bang," chibi-Kyo replied, playfully tugging at a few gray strands.

Yuki pried his hair free before resuming his "lecture".
"I mean it; don't. I'm not 'Squeaky', Kyo's not 'Kitty', Shigure's not 'Doggy', and Tohru's not your mother.
"Don't do that again...alright?"

Chibi-Kyo nodded, then looked down hopefully.
"... Bang-Bang?"

As Yuki let him down, chibi-Kyo looked up at the older boy. Then, beaming widely, he clamped his little arms around Yuki's leg in a hug.
"Wuv yoo, oo-ki."

Before the teen could snap out of it, the toddler wandered off, squeaking his duck as he went.

... I wonder when his play group starts... Yuki finally pondered.

(1) Apology to anyone here who's from the IRS. Ever since I moved out from home and got myself that apartment when I was eighteen, I was never at all fond of the aforementioned company.

I apologize for how short this is; I'll try and make the second chapter longer.