Disclaimer—I don't own Furuba or RENT
A/N—I can't believe I'm doing this. I haven't done this since my old account. But I have an addiction. I. Am a. REVIEW. WHORE. I need them. PLEASE review. Thank you to the ONE person who reviewed and put my story on their C2.
Off-Key
Yuki pulled his hood up over his head and tightened the drawstrings. Aside from the cold, someone was singing Christmas carols in a key unknown to man, and the assault on his eardrums was nigh onto unbearable.
He had left the house five minutes ago and hope to be at Haru's in ten minutes, making his ETA 9: 20. But the biting wind kept pushing him back and stinging his eyes. Consequently, he was barely two blocks away from the apartment.
"Yuki? YUKI!"
"No…why me?" Yuki raised his eyes upwards and motioned his hands hopelessly. "Why me?"
"Yuki! How strange we should meet now, on Christmas Eve, too! It's destiny! The Fates are on the side of brotherly love!"
"Actually, Ayame, I was already on my way here when you joined me," Shigure said. "So, really, I'm on the side of brotherly love."
"Oh, hi Shigure," Yuki said, dropping his hood now that the off-key singing had stopped, and it was no use hiding himself once Ayame recognized him.
""Oh, hi" after six months? And here I came thinking I'd be welcome for Christmas Eve, especially since our last meeting was none to cheerful." The last time the Sohma clan had gotten together was at the double funeral of Akito and Kagura. Aside from the obvious cause of sorrow, Sohma families had all managed to find cause to argue, and had eventually been thrown out of the funeral home.
"What are you doing out here, Yuki? It's frightfully cold and here you have nothing but a threadbare jacket!" Ayame grabbed Yuki's sleeve and began inspecting it. "Whoever made this made it as cheap as they possibly could! You should burn this, Yuki, it'll give you more warmth that way."
"I'm on my way to help Haru. He's protesting against the rent prices and evictions at midnight tonight, and his equipment isn't working."
"Didn't you two break up?" Shigure asked.
"Yes, for the millionth and final time. Is there some rule that I can never see him again? He's moved on; I've moved on. We're still friends, you know!"
"Yeesh, sorry, Yuki, didn't know it was a sore spot," Shigure said.
"I have an idea!" Ayame said suddenly, clapping his hands. "Shigure, we're already on our way to get Kyo, why don't we get Hatsuharu, too?"
"Get him for what?" Yuki asked.
"There's a support meeting for people like us who're dying from disease, or in our case, a curse," Ayame said. "I was on my way to it when I ran into Shigure, and…"
"Wait a sec. Shigure, what happened earlier?"
"Oh, I was mugged."
"You were mugged!"
"They just got my coat. And Ayame found me afterwards, and gave me quite a delightful cure for my consequential pounding headache. So it was really worth it in the end." Shigure threw his arms around Ayame's neck and nuzzled his head into his shoulder.
"I'm not gonna ask," Yuki said, shaking his head. "I am just not gonna ask."
"Yuki, come with us back to the apartment!" Ayame said, slipping his arm around Shigure's waist in response to him. "We'll get Kyo out of his stupor. A support meeting, a protest, and some food after will be good for him! It's simply not healthy for him to waste his life away in mourning for Kagura."
"Tell that to him," Yuki grumbled. "I've been trying to for the past half a year."
"The three of us can convince him!" Ayame said, his free arm reaching out and grabbing Yuki's jacket. "Come on, dearest little brother, and we'll convince him!" Ayame took off, dragging Shigure and Yuki with him.
"But I have to…Ayame…oh, what's the use?" Yuki said, defeated. Once Ayame set his mind to something, what seemed like a hurricane with silver hair ensued. There was simply no stopping him, and only fools tried to.
Kyo looked up as yet another series of knocks came at his door. Uo had left earlier to go back to her apartment below his, and since then no one had intruded upon his silence. He had been hoping that it would stay that way, but the universe seemed to want him to suffer other's company.
When he did not get up he heard a key overturn the lock and the door burst open.
"OH, HOLY NIGHT…"
"Oh my God," Kyo said, sitting up. Standing on either side of a conquered Yuki were Shigure and Ayame, two of the most annoying and hyperactive Sohma relatives. "How could you let them come here?" Kyo shot at Yuki.
"You try to stop them next time," Yuki flung back at him.
"Oh, Kyo, have you still not left the apartment?" Shigure said. "Tsk, tsk. 'Tisn't healthy for you, dear kitty. And on Christmas, too! You should be out reveling."
"I found the prospect of your company so much more inviting," Kyo said sarcastically.
"Now, now, Kyonkichi-kun, don't go hitting on my boyfriend," Ayame interrupted.
Kyo looked over at Yuki. "Does this man understand sarcasm?"
"Have you met my brother?" Yuki responded acerbically.
"In all seriousness, Kyo, you should get out," Shigure said. "Come out with us. We're going to a support meeting for dying people, then we're going to Haru's protest, and then we're getting something to eat."
"Support meeting?…Even if I wanted to go, I don't have any money."
"That doesn't matter, because I'm the one paying for it all!" Ayame said. "My shop is doing very well, this wealthy old lady just purchased my most expensive schoolgirl outfit, and…"
"Stop," Yuki said, putting his hands up to silence his brother. "Before that image is permanently engraved in our minds."
"How rude, Little Brother! I was just going to say that she paid in cash and I have it all on me! So come on, Kyo, go out with us tonight!"
Kyo opened his mouth, trying to think of the most forceful way to tell Ayame to buzz off, when the door knocked.
"That's a most interesting sound, how did you learn to do that?" Ayame asked.
"Stupid, that was the door." Kyo stood up while Yuki turned to open the door.
"You certainly took your time with that. Don't you have any manners? Would you just leave someone standing out in the cold like that? And on Christmas Eve, too?"
"Hello, Hiro," Yuki said flatly.
"I'm here for the rent. I gave you fair warning, so you should have it."
"Fair warning? You called us fifteen minutes ago!" Kyo yelled, bristling. "You know we don't have the money!"
"And you broke your word to us," Yuki said accusingly. "You told us we didn't have to pay it."
"Well, maybe I had to go back on that promise. I'm not the only person invested in this building, or did you forget that people make their living renting to people like you? How can you be so incredibly selfish?"
"Hiro, I am gonna feed you to starving piranhas if you don't—"
"Calm down, Kyo, anger is very unbecoming and your threats just make you look unstable," Hiro said. "I'm willing to make a deal with you. You can get out of the rent for this and next year if you do one itty bitty thing that I think even your abilities are capable of."
"What?" Kyo asked sullenly.
"Convince Hatsuharu to stop his protest. You see, I really have no problem in letting him riot but my investors think it'll be bad for business."
"This building is bad for business," Yuki said flatly.
"Forget it, Hiro," Kyo said. "Call the cops if you want to stop Haru's protest."
"Oh, really? You know, as renters you have an obligation to your landlord to obey his requests. It is perfectly within my rights to kick you out right now."
"And it's perfectly within our rights to do the same thing. Get out!" Kyo yelled.
"Believe me, I'd rather not be here right now. Your rudeness and immaturity…"
"Good night, Hiro." Yuki began pushing Hiro out the door.
"But it's what I expect from you—"
"Good night, Hiro!" Yuki managed to shove Hiro completely into the hallway, and slammed the door behind him.
"How does Kisa put up with that?" Ayame sniffed indignantly.
"She must be on some heavy sedatives or something," Kyo said, flopping back down on his bed.
"So, are you guys coming along or no?" Ayame said, completely swinging his mood. "Like we've said at least a dozen times, it's Christmas. We should all be out having fun!"
Yuki looked at his brother, a look of contemplation. He had already made a resolve to end the rivalry between himself and Kyo. He might as well tack on repairing the relationship with his brother. Granted, Ayame had caused the rift, but shifting blame would not end the bad relationship. He was already in a bad place with almost all his relatives, why turn down someone who was reaching out to him?
And if he refused his brother, it would not do any good, anyway. Ayame had a special knack for getting people to do what he wanted.
"You know what? I'll come," Yuki said. "But first I'm going to go help Haru with his equipment."
"Great! The meeting's at 10 down at the free clinic," Ayame said. "Kyonkichi-kun, how about…"
"No."
"But Kyonkichi-kun…"
"No!"
"Aya," Shigure said, putting a hand on Ayame's shoulder. "Let him be. He'll come to his senses eventually. He's just being stubborn."
"Well…I suppose you're right," Ayame said reluctantly. "He's an obstinate donkey, but he'll come 'round!"
"I'm still in the room, you know!" Kyo exploded.
"We'll be at the free clinic! Au revoir!" Ayame said. With one hand he snatched up Shigure's own, and with his other he reached for the doorknob. "Yuki! Do not forget your promise! This Christmas will be the Christmas we truly become brothers!"
And in a whirlwind of platinum hair, Ayame and Shigure were out the door and running down the hallway, singing, "SILENT NIGHT!"
"Do we have any aspirin?" Kyo asked, rubbing his temple. "Those two give me a headache."
"As much as I loathe to admit it, they have a point," Yuki said. "You have to get out of this s—hole for a while."
"Rat-boy, I'm not in the mood. Go be a good little ex and help your old squeeze with his stupid, useless protest."
"You're not helping Kagura by moping around the apartment and not even trying to live."
Kyo jumped up, all the blood in his body rising to his face. Yuki had seen Kyo angry thousands of times before, but this time it was different. If Kyo attacked Yuki at this moment, Yuki was no longer sure who would win the fight.
"Get. Out. Now," Kyo said, a deadly fury lacing his words, his every breath. "Just get out."
"Kyo…"
"Now! Get out now! I'm sick of you! I'm sick of the God d—mn world! Just get out! Go away!"
Yuki stood rooted to the ground, staring at Kyo. Then slowly, he reached for his midsection and began buttoning his coat from the bottom up.
"Fine. Stay here and rot for all I care. I'll be out there living if you care to find me."
With that, he turned on his heel with an almost audible snap, yanked open the door, and marched out, slamming the door behind him.
