Sock-chan
By Red Kitsune
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah.
Author's Notes: Hello, Red Kitsune here! This is my first one-shot, Sock-chan. This story was a spur-of-the-moment thing inspired by a comic a friend of mine drew. I just wanted to have fun writing Yuki ANGST over a sock puppet. Enjoy!
………
No one understood his feelings for her. She was more than just a sock. She was a friend, a companion, and a confidante. She had been with him through his darkest hours, listened to his pleas when no one else would, and kept his deepest secrets.
She was missing.
………
It was another sunny Sunday morning at Shigure's house. The three residents of the house were engrossed in their usual morning activities. Except for one.
"Where the hell is that damn rat?" demanded Kyou suddenly. He couldn't help but be slightly curious (and suspicious) as to why the damn rat didn't show up for breakfast yet. He never missed any of Tohru's meals.
"Oh, and why are you so concerned about Yuki, Kyou?" Shigure smirked at his orange-haired cousin teasingly.
"Shut up, I'm not concerned!" Kyou snapped back, stuffing a piece of cod into his mouth.
"Maybe Yuki-kun is still sleeping. I'll go check on…." Tohru started to say, but she was soon cut off.
"NOOOOOOO!" A strangled cry echoed from upstairs, followed by a loud 'thump'.
Tohru immediately abandoned her breakfast and flew up the stairs with Kyou following closely behind her, leaving a rather surprised Shigure alone with his meal. "Those two," the novelist tsked, "leaving a delicious meal like this. Oh well, all the more for me."
………
Yuki frantically searched through piles and piles of clothes. "Where is she? Where is she?" he mumbled over and over. She wasn't in her secret hiding place, a trunk under Yuki's bed. And Yuki was positive that was where he had last seen her yesterday.
"Yuki-kun? What's wrong?" a slightly alarmed Tohru stood in the doorway. Behind her was Kyou, peering anxiously over her shoulder.
"Sh-she's missing," Yuki replied, digging through a pile of socks, "She's not in my room."
"Who's missing, Yuki-kun?"
"My Sock-chan! She's gone. She's not in the laundry room. She's not in my trunk," he rambled desperately, "have you seen her, Honda-san? Have you!"
"Sock-chan?" Tohru blinked in confusion, "who is Sock-chan?"
"She's my sock puppet. She has black buttons and pink stripes," Yuki quickly described.
"The hell!" Kyou shouted in annoyance. The fact that he had just been interrupted from his breakfast just because of some pink-striped sock really pissed him off. "Who cares about your stinkin' sock?" He was about to stomp back down the stairs when a hand grabbed his throat in a death-grip.
"You..." Yuki growled, a murderous glint in his eyes, "You stole her, didn't you? Admit it, you stupid cat! I saw the way you looked at her. You wanted her to yourself, didn't you? IT WAS YOU!" Yuki lunged forwards and pinned Kyou to the wall.
"AH! Yuki-kun, you're hurting Kyou-kun! Please, calm down. I'll help you find Sock-chan!" a very flustered Tohru tried to pry Yuki's hands away from Kyou's throat.
Kyou, now turning an unhealthy shade of blue, managed to choke out, "Lemme…go… Don't have… sock." Kyou had never seen his archenemy look so murderous before, not even to Ayame. Yuki reluctantly let go of his grip and dropped Kyou to the floor. Kyou, sensing this was not a good time for a fight, ran out of the room. Yuki dropped to his knees and banged his fist into the wall.
Tohru gently placed her hand on Yuki's shoulder. "It's alright, Yuki. I bet Sock-chan must have accidentally gotten into the laundry load. Let's go look for her, okay?" she said with an optimistic smile.
………
Yuki's sigh was like a cold, lonely gust of wind. It spread across the laundry room and sank into Tohru's bones, causing her to shiver despite the warm summer weather. "Honda-san, I think we should give up now. We've searched through every nook and cranny of this house," he sighed again, putting a pile of clothes back into the laundry basket.
Tohru's shoulders sagged. Yuki was right; they had thoroughly searched each and every room of the house, even the rooftop. They had shifted through every pile of clothes at one or twice. This was their fourth time looking through the laundry room. It was already three O'clock in the afternoon, and still no signs of Sock-chan.
"It's not your fault, Honda-san. Thank you very much for helping me look for her," Yuki smiled sadly and pulled Tohru up from her sitting position, "You're a very kind person." He bowed and walked out of the kitchen, looking defeated and tired.
Tohru's concerned eyes followed Yuki's retreating figure. Suddenly, an idea hit her like a comet. Her eyes lighted up and she clapped her hands together excitedly. She raced upstairs to her room to get started on her project.
………
Kyou walked up the stairs, sipping on a carton of milk. It was late at night, and the house was peaceful and quiet. It had been an odd day. Yuki wasn't his usual arrogant, condescending self. Kyou knew had something to do with his sock puppet. Kyou snorted, 'What an idiot! Obsessing over some stupid sock...' All day long, the damned rat just moped. He didn't even react when Kyou teased him about his girly figure just to get a rise out of him. He didn't retaliate when Kyou kicked him in the stomach. He just got up and left the room without a word. An alarming thought struck Kyou, 'What if he stays like that forever? Then I'll never be able to defeat him if he kept running away from my challenges! Which means I'll never earn my place in the Chinese Zodiac! NOOO!'
He walked past Yuki's room. The light was still on and he could hear the rat shuffling inside the room. A piece of white paper poked out temptingly from under the door. Greatly intrigued, Kyou snatched the piece of paper from Yuki's door.
Missing: Sock Puppet
Name: Sock-chan
Weight: 17 grams
Height: 20 cm (from leg to heel)
Description: White sock with pink stripes and a hole near the heel of the sock. She has two black button eyes; the left one is slightly loose. She has a wide, pretty smile drawn on with a magic marker.
If found please, please, PLEASE call 989-9898!
At the bottom of the page, there was a badly drawn picture of a sock puppet with two ugly black dots for eyes.
Kyou shuddered and crumpled the page. This was too far... Yuki was seriously losing it. Kyou emptied the milk carton and stuffed the paper into his pant pocket. He needed to do something about this...
………
Another day went and passed. Tohru gazed out of her room at the orange sun sinking further and further down the horizon. She smiled at the pink-striped sock she held in her hands. The pink-striped sock was a gift from her grandfather when she was ten. She kept it in the bottom of her drawer. After sewing two black buttons and drawing a red big red smile on the sock, Tohru had transformed it into the spitting image of Sock-chan.
"Hmm... Something's missing," Tohru tilted her head and examined the sock puppet, "Oh, I know what it needs!" She ran to her dresser and took out two pink ribbons and tied them into bows. She sewed on the bows to either side of the sock puppet's head.
"Ah, that's better."
………
Kyou always hated arts and crafts. It was so girly and messy. A complete waste of time. So then why was he locked up in his room, making a sock puppet?
"I'm doing this for myself," he told himself sternly, "I'm doing this so that damned Yuki would stop acting like a pussy and go back to his stupid self. Then I can defeat him!" He vowed vehemently while painting pink stripes on a white sock. He glued two black eyes on the sock. He tried to draw a smile on the puppet, but it came out more like a scowl.
"Oh, well. Serves him right," Kyou shrugged.
………
Yuki stood outside on the balcony. It had been two days since the disappearance of Sock-chan. During that time, he had done a bit of what his brother Ayame called 'soul-searching'. A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Good evening, Yuki-kun!" Tohru smiled brightly and held up a sock puppet, "I found Sock-chan! She was folded in my pink summer dress. I guess she must have blended in."
"Honda-san, what happened to your hands?" Yuki saw Tohru's bandaged fingers.
Tohru quickly hid her hands behind her back and laughed nervously. "Ah, well, that's nothing! I just accidentally cut myself while cooking, that's all!"
Yuki blinked and laughed, "Honda-san, you really didn't have to go through all that trouble for me. Thank you," he took the sock puppet and kissed her on the cheek. Tohru's face turned bright red. "Y-you're welcomed," she stammered.
He pulled away from her and looked at her in the eye. "Honda-san, I owe you an apology. I was acting so foolish over sock puppet. I realize now that Sock-chan was nothing but a substitute for human companionship. Why do I need an imaginary friend when I already have real friends? I have to let her go," Yuki leaned back against the balcony rail and stared up at the twinkling sky, "I'm sorry you had to see such a childish side of me, Honda-san." Yuki smiled sheepishly and ran his hand through his silver tresses.
Just then, the balcony window slid open and out stormed Kyou, clutching a pink-striped sock puppet in his right hand. "Hey, you damn rat! I found your stupid sock! It was, uh, rolled into one of my socks by accident!"
Tohru and Yuki stared at him in silence for a moment. Yuki looked from Tohru's puppet to Kyou's puppet. He started to chuckle and then it grew into big, hearty laughs. Tohru covered her mouth but she burst out laughing anyway. Kyou's lip twitched and he opened his mouth to complain when he started to laugh as well. The three of them stood out in the balcony, filling the night with light-hearted laughter. "Just think of how the school's gonna think of their 'precious prince' when they find out he plays with a sock puppet!" Kyou snickered.
"You're one to talk, Kyou. How's your Mr. Snuggles?" Yuki smirked between fits of laughter. Kyou turned as white as a sheet and closed his mouth.
Tohru smiled and sighed happily.
………
Shigure watched the three from the doorway of the room leading to the balcony. A smug smile spread across his face.
"Ah, those three. Ever since Tohru-kun first came to this house, they've all changed and grown more than they are aware of. They're starting to find themselves," he turned to his partner, "Isn't that right, Sock-chan?"
Sock-chan nodded her pink-striped, polyester head and her black button eyes twinkled.
Owari