A birthday present!~
For Onige-a; who has helped me ever so much. ;-;

ILU~


Ayase walked down the sidewalk, carrying a meduim-sized brown paper bag filled to the brim with groceries for tonight's dinner. 'I won't cook anything unless I can go get it!' Ayase had blurted out when Kanou called for the Kuba twins to go shopping for him. The large man glared at him, and Ayase went into a sad little pout as fear and regret dug into his stomach. That look must've won the brute over, because he sighed, then motioned to the door. 'If you aren't back in thirty minutes....' He left the rest for the little blonde to conjure up as he practically pranced out the door.

It took ten minutes to get there, Ayase thought, Five to find when I need--so thats fifteen. And then it'll take about thirteen minutes to get back. All together that's twenty-eight. Perfect.

The blonde walked briskly, the cold of winter letting his breath be seen. Light gray clouds hid the sun's warmth, and warned of an incoming shower. Looking up at the sky, he sped up his pace,noticing that the scent of rain water faint in the air.

"Mew," The sound made Ayase's muscles tighten instantly. The groceries shifted weight, causing them to tumble out of the bag as it ripped.

"A-ah...!" He dropped to his knees to attempt to gather the things on the busy sidewalk--but people were already tripping over the contents, or kicking them out of the way. When a tall shadow fell over him, Ayase scrambled to his feet and stumbled to an alley, his heart pounding. "Ehhhh.... Kanou's going to be so angry!" Already, his mind was going to all the methods of 'torture' Kanou used--all of which included shameful pleasure on Ayase's side. What am I--?

His thought pattern was interrupted as another mewl echoed feebly against the walls. Of course, the sick-sounding meow made something in the blonde wriggle with pity. He begun his search for the focal of the sound, hearing the repeated noise getting louder as he walked towards the trashcans. Blue eyes zeroed in on a cardboard box, with a single kitten in it. It was a white kitten, with a gray ear and tail. A dark brown heart-shaped spot between its shoulders caught Ayase's attention. As he reached out for the kitten, it focused vivid green eyes on him, folding its ears back and sinking away.

He made clicking sounds as he continued to reach for the kitten, "Come here, I promise I won't hurt you." He looked around, for the bag he had, only to frown when he saw the squished ingredients on the sidewalk. Of course.

With a grunt, Ayase sat down in front of the box, trying to coax the fluffy kitten out of its corner. It only stared at him, its fur puffed around its neck.

"C'mere," Ayase whined, "It's about to rain." The sound made the kitten's ears prick forward with curiosity. It took a step forward, then another, before it was at the cardboard wall closest to the blonde. For a moment, Ayase just sat there, surprised, but then he smiled, picking the kitten up.

It blinked, its tail flicking as he held the kitten like a baby, his finger swatting at its tiny paw. Its skinny, Ayase noticed as he rocked it. It purred quietly, its eyes closed. Even with that poofy fur, it was apparent when holding it that it hadn't eaten in the longest time.

"Why did someone abandon you? You're so cute...." The kitten's eyes opened again, the narrow pupils shrinking.

"Ayase!" The voice boomed down the alleyway, causing Ayase to yelp and curled over the young cat protectively. "What are you doing!? I said thirty minutes! And then you don't answer when I call you!?"

The kitten yowled, struggling, but the blonde held on tightly, even as claws dug into his chest. "Y-you're scaring him!"

"'Him'?" Kanou, though still angry, let a tone of wonder slip into his voice. Ayase nodded, clinging to the cat as its chest heaved.

The man stormed over, grumbling something about lies and chains. "What's that rat?"

Ayase winced at the claws, then said, "It's not a rat! It's a kitten. And a cute one, at that."

Kanou reached around the blonde's thin arms, his scowl threatening punishment if Ayase resisted. He grabbed the kitten's scruff, lifting it up to eye it with criticism. "It's skinny," the kitten hissed at him, "Ill-mannered, probably mixed, and it was left abandoned--meaning something is wrong with it. Put it back." The brown-haired man held out the kitten, towards Ayase. The blonde only stood here, his arms trembling as he dug his fingers into his palms. He sniffled, tears runing down his face as he glared at Kanou. "What?"

"I'm skinny, I was sold by family, I'm mixed. And, even though I don't mean to be, I can be...." He hiccuped a sob, "Ill-mannered."

Kanou was wide-eyed. So little words would throw the delicate blonde into a fit of tears. He sighed, looking at the kitten, then at Ayase. They were somewhat alike. Both carried that wounded animal air, as if they were afraid to be snapped in half if they lowered their defenses to be happy. Both had the purest hair/pelt color--both showed off expressive eyes.

The man grabbed Ayase's arms and placed the kitten in them, picking up the blonde and telling him to hold onto the kitten.


This is multi-chaptered, by the way. :D