What It Takes

By Katia-chan

A/N: Three words for this. What, the, hell.

This thing appeared randomly at the end of my philosophy class, after that ate up and wasted an hour of my life I will never get back. It's incredibly random, took a grand total of 8 minutes to write, 10 minutes to fix, and 3 days to stare blankly at and figure out what I wanted to change.

So if you're expecting high quality, move along. Nothing to see here.

Dedication: This is dedicated to Windswift, because I promised her Aya angst, and because I owe her other things, and because she is the mistress of writing quick little things that make me want to cry or curl up and squeal with excitement. And because I just adore her!

Enjoy

XXX

"Have you ever thought of just apologizing?"

Ayame looked up from the sketch stretched out on his work table, giving Shigure a questioning look as the other man sat with his feet propped on the other end of said table. "Excuse me?"

Shigure dropped his feet, narrowly avoiding toppling a pile of cloth. "To Yuki. Have you ever thought of just trying to tell him you're sorry?"

The question seemed so obvious. After all the years of fighting, Ayame had tried everything. He had used all creative methods he'd had to win over his little brother. There was nothing he hadn't attempted!

So why did he have to think about it?

He looked from his sketch to Shigure, looking disconcerted. Shigure nodded, looking smugly satisfied. "See? Now you have something new to try, be brave my dear Aya."

He nodded back, but the original question had latched its claws into the back of his mind and would not leave. He thought back to all of their conversations, and tried to think if he'd ever actually said those words to Yuki.

Of course not.

He knew, without ever having to try, that they wouldn't be enough. He'd twisted the knife too deeply into his brother's back to remove it that easily. He couldn't fix ten years of hurt and pain with two words, even if he meant them with all of his heart. Yuki would be insulted more than anything, and he knew that the apology would hurt. He needed something more, something harder and more painful to make himself feel absolved. He didn't think he could stand instant forgiveness, even though he pretended to fight for it every time he saw his brother.

But that wasn't all, was it.

He hated to admit it, felt despicable for knowing it, but Souma Ayame had never apologized to anyone in his entire life.

He could say it a thousand times, on bended knee, but he knew he could never mean it. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn't, but the insincerity would kill them both.

"It's a grand idea Gure, but I do think I need something a bit more creative," he said, waving his hands to emphasize the suggestions insignificance. If Shigure had seen the instantaneous battle that had gone across his friends face, he said nothing of it.

He knew too that Ayame could never do it.

But it never hurt to put forth the challenge.

XXX

A/N: Well. . . that's about all I have to say.

TTFN

Katia-chan