A Bump in the Road: Chapter Nine

A/N: So much love and thanks goes to Aoi for her beta of this chapter, especially from Niamh, who is particularly thankful none of her blood was spilt in the process.

Also, because the manga is winding down in Japan, we both think it's necessary to remind everyone that this story was originally conceived about two years ago, and while we've made every effort to stay as canonically true as possible, things are, obviously, going to branch off and change. Yes, we realize that the characters (one in particular) as they are NOW, in the most current manga chapters, have developed beyond what they were when we started this. Just remember: Akito is our villain. We warned you about this a long time ago, and it's not changing.

Chapter Nine: Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever

Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love.
Much Ado About Nothing, II.i

As promised, Sho-san returned with dog food, though much earlier than Shigure had expected. He also brought a slender woman with a pleasant face and long hair plaited back in a thick braid. Akemi opened the door and both of them came in, carrying grocery bags, though the woman's bag was perceptibly lighter. Shigure took one look at her middle, her loose shirt hiding a bulge barely-there enough to be noticeable, and deduced that this was Hikari-san. She slipped out of her shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen, where she began unloading her bag, Sho close on her heels.

"I don't know what he was thinking," she said, casting a playfully stern look at her husband. "He came home and said your dog was fine--"

"He's not my dog, Hi-chan."

"--and then he told me that you had the flu. 'So did you get her any soup?' I asked, and then he said he hadn't, and, honestly 'Kemi-chan, I don't know what he was thinking. Have you eaten? You don't look like you have." She narrowed her eyes at Akemi and thrust her hand out, pressing her palm against Akemi's forehead. After a moment, she clucked her tongue and shook her head. "And you have a fever."

Akemi shifted her weight awkwardly. "Ah... yes. Yeah. I... I'd noticed. But I'm doing much bet--"

"Well, get back to bed!"

She blinked once. "But I had to answer the do--"

"Now!"

Akemi looked at the vet, who shrugged. "If you're thinking about arguing with a burgeoning maternal instinct, you're braver than I am." At that point, Hikari, who had been setting about to warm up a container of what Shigure deduced to be soup, whapped him with a wooden spoon. "Uh oh, she's feeling violent," he said, grinning down at his wife. "Better do as she says, 'Kemi."

But Akemi only peered at the pan Hikari was stirring on the stove. "Is that homemade miso soup?"

The other woman beamed and nodded before holding up another container. "And I made you some Tom Yum Goong, too."

From the wattage of Akemi's smile, Shigure deduced that hime-chan was something of a fan of Thai food. "Tom Yum Goong?"

"With extra prawns," Hikari said, nodding; Akemi's smile widened. "No egg drop soup, this time."

Why not? Shigure wondered, watching Hikari-san with interest. I could certainly go for some egg drop soup, considering this morning's breakfast was so sub-par. Ooh, that miso soup smells homemade. I wonder if I could persuade hime-chan to share--

Akemi laughed, interrupting his train of thought. "I'm already sick enough. I don't need to break out into hives on top of everything else."

The Dog blinked once. Hives? He tilted his head. That didn't make any sense -- hime-chan had put eggs in his meals. Why keep a food on hand that makes you miserable and itchy? Idly, he wondered if he'd eaten the eggs usually reserved for Taka-san. He hoped so.

"Sick? I thought you were fine," Sho riposted from the corner of the kitchen. Shigure hid his smirk. He was quite liking her veterinarian friend, despite the fact that he was, after all, a veterinarian.

Akemi shot Sho a glare that wanted -- and tried -- to be indignant, but failed. Shigure didn't bother concealing his doggy grin, and after several seconds of floundering silence, his hime-chan finally managed a weak, "Oh, shut up," before turning and shuffling back to her bedroom.

The Dog started to follow, but cast a glance at the couple in the kitchen and decided to stay there for a while longer. It was possible he could learn a little something about hime-chan; failing that, he might have been able to find out whether or not Sho had had ample opportunity to post the flyers Akemi had printed. Yawning, he lowered himself down carefully and stretched out on the floor, resting his head between his paws as he watched Akemi's friends (at least he assumed they were her friends; he supposed they could have been family, but if she was related to Sho or Hikari, Shigure saw no resemblance).

In the distance, hime-chan's shuffling footsteps stopped and returned. "Kuroi?" Shigure yawned again and looked up at her, his dark eyes mild. "C'mon, Kuroi-chan. Let's go back to bed." But the Dog didn't move.

"Maybe he wants to make sure we don't steal all your cookies," Hikari said with a grin. Shigure's ears pricked at the word "cookies," and the pregnant woman laughed. "Yes, yes -- that's got to be it. Kuroi-san is guarding your kitchen, 'Kemi-chan!"

Chuckling, Sho nodded in the direction of the hallway. "He'll be fine out here, Akemi. Get some rest."

But Akemi looked dubious. "He won't be underfoot?"

Sho shook his head and glanced down at Shigure. "Of course not. I told you -- he'll be fine."

Akemi, though she looked like she wanted to argue the point, gave the group one last look before turning and making her way back to her bedroom. Shigure's ears caught the faint rustling of bed linens as she settled back in bed. He stretched, the picture of canine nonchalance, and watched the couple move around the kitchen. He was nearly put to sleep by the gentle patter as Hikari stirred the soup while Sho pulled a bowl down from a cabinet. There was no hesitation in their movements. Interesting, he thought, watching them. Whatever they are to her, they sure know their way around her kitchen.

"Oh, no, Sho," Hikari said suddenly. Shigure lifted his head. The vet was holding a tin, spooning tea into a tetsubin basket. "Not the black tea, love. Make her the green. Black will just keep her awake."

Sho nodded and put the tin back on the shelf, moving around a few containers before saying to his wife, "She has green, jasmine, and..." he frowned at the label. "What is this, lemon verbena? Which do you think?"

"I think the lemon will help her feel better; she sounds awful."

"Lemon verbena it is, then." There was a pause. "What exactly is 'verbena,' anyway?"

"Lemon verbena is an herb, darling," Hikari replied with a faint smile. "I believe it's supposed to be good for stress." She drew her eyebrows together into a tiny, thoughtful frown. "And I seem to recall reading somewhere it's good for fevers, so yes, definitely make some for her."

"Speaking of stress," Sho murmured, "do you suppose he's been by yet?"

"Taka?" Sho nodded and Hikari frowned and didn't say anything for several seconds. "Well, let's put it this way -- if he hasn't, all I can say is that he'd better have been working."

"Come on, Hikari..."

"Oh, don't start that, Sho." She lowered her voice; clearly this was a conversation they'd had before.

"I don't like him either, and Akemi knows that. But if she loves him..." He trailed off as Hikari rolled her eyes. "It's not our business, Hikari."

Sighing, she leaned against the counter. "But she's our friend. And he's..." She trailed off, making a face.

"Yes, he is." He sighed. "Listen, Akemi knows why we both put up with him. This isn't about whether we like him or not; it's about whether Akemi loves him. And she does. Conversation over."

Hikari pursed her lips and exhaled hard through her nose. "You've seen the way he acts. Didn't you see him when we went to dinner last week? I still can't believe he was eyeing that waitress with Akemi sitting right there. And I still can't believe she didn't notice."

"You're assuming she didn't."

"Sho, please. I love Akemi, but you have to admit that she's a little..." She hesitated, fidgeting with the spoon. "She's too straightforward. And she trusts him."

Shigure grimaced. Oh, that's a bad combination.

"And," Hikari continued, "because she trusts him, she's not going to look for him to be doing anything wrong. She won't see it unless he thrusts it right under her nose. Until then, what do we do?"

"What do you mean, 'what do we do'? We're not doing anything. This isn't any of our business."

"But--"

"Hikari." Sho's tone came out somewhat sharp and he closed his eyes, blowing out a breath. "Please."

Several seconds passed. "All right," she finally said, picking up the plastic containers of soup.

Wordlessly, Sho went to the refrigerator and opened the door for Hikari, who moved to put the soup inside, but stopped short, blinking at the contents. "What's wrong?" Sho asked.

Shigure was curious as well and pushed himself to his feet, padding into the kitchen and peering around the pregnant woman's legs. Aside from a few plastic containers of leftovers, a collection of canned drinks ranging from soda to tea, and vegetables quickly on their way to wilting, the refrigerator was nearly bare.

"I guess she hasn't gone shopping in a few days," Sho observed quietly, shaking his head. "I know she said her little houseguest was helping clear out her leftovers, but this is ridiculous."

"I'd like to know what she was planning on eating," Hikari remarked dryly.

Shigure blinked in astonishment at the contents. I'd like to know what she was planning on feeding me!

"She probably doesn't have much appetite." Closing the door, Sho looked down at Hikari. "I'll tell you what. You stay here with her. Make sure she eats something and gets some rest. I'll go down to the market and pick up a few more things." With a glance at the counters, he surveyed the groceries they'd brought her. "I think she's going to need a little more than soup, juice, and crackers."

She nodded, moving to the stove and pouring the reheated miso soup into a bowl. "All right." Turning away from the stove, she started going through Akemi's cabinets, glancing at the contents. "She's awfully low on rice," she said, shaking the package pointedly. "And you might want to get her some noodle bowls -- something easy to cook. I doubt she'll feel up to it."

"I think she's 'awfully low' on just about everything," he replied with a grin. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."

"Don't get anything that's going to be too difficult for her to make. Easy things. Mild foods. Fruits, vegetables -- things that are good for her."

"Hika-chan..."

She folded her arms and looked at him. "Don't 'Hika-chan' me. You know animals. I know people."

Sho gave her an affectionate, lopsided grin. "I was only going to say," he said, resting a hand on the faint swell at her stomach and rubbing lightly, "that I think by now I'm an expert at picking out mild foods."

Shigure half-expected Hikari-san to hit him again with the wooden spoon, but she only shot him an indulgent smile and shook her head. "Get out of here."

Once he was gone, Shigure found himself considering Hikari, who was putting two pieces of bread in the toaster. If he'd been in his human form, he would have chatted her up with a healthy dose of charm, and in five minutes he would've learned all he ever needed or wanted to know about Taka-san and hime-chan. However, in his current shape, he didn't have it so easy. Granted, now he at least knew that neither of them were Taka-san's biggest fans. I know I have my reasons, but I hardly think Sho-san would be that indignant on a stray dog's behalf, animal lover or no.

He watched as Hikari put the bowl of steaming soup on a tray, and when the toast popped up, that went on the side. She fit the tetsubin and a teacup on as well before picking the whole thing up and making her way to hime-chan's bedroom. Shigure followed and was almost surprised to find that hime-chan had in fact gone back to bed. Her eyes were closed and she was curled up on her side, huddled under blankets. He glanced at Hikari, who very clearly didn't want to wake her. But hime-chan was in greater need of food than sleep, Shigure thought; she could always sleep after she ate, and the Dog hated to see a perfectly good meal go to waste. Thus, just as Hikari-san began to turn and leave, Shigure clambered onto the bed and thrust his cold nose against hime-chan's cheek.

"No, Kuroi-- don't!" Hikari hissed, almost dropping the tray.

But Akemi was already awake, blinking at Shigure, puzzled. His tail thumped the bed as he panted, tongue hanging out. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at Hikari as if she couldn't quite figure out how she got in. Then her eyes went to the tray and she lit up in a smile. "Hikari-chan, you're an angel."

The other woman sent Shigure a reproachful look. "I had wanted to let you get some more sleep, but Kuroi-san here had other ideas." Shigure only panted, thumping his tail again. She sighed a little and shook her head before looking back at Akemi. "So, do you think you're up for a little food?" Akemi nodded and began rearranging her pillows, the better to lean against them. "When did you eat last?" Hikari asked, handing over the tray once Akemi was situated.

The patient shrugged feebly. "Dinner last night."

Liar, Shigure thought, glancing at Akemi. You barely touched your dinner last night.

"Ah, then maybe it's a good thing he woke you, ne? We don't want you starving to death on us."

She settled the tray in Akemi's lap and the latter took a deep, appreciative inhale. "This smells delicious."

Perching on the edge of the bed, Hikari replied, "I'm surprised you can tell, as stuffed up as you sound."

Picking up the spoon, she grinned. "If there's one thing I know, it's good miso soup."

"You're sweet, but I'm sure this is nothing compared to what Takashi-san brought when he stopped by," she said lightly, taking up the tetsubin and pouring out a cup of fragrant tea.

Shigure blinked and brought his head up with a jerk, but the pregnant woman's expression gave nothing away. Hikari-san, you are sneakier than you look. I believe I am impressed.

Akemi's hand paused as she dipped her spoon into the soup -- the subtle stutter in her movements was almost unnoticeable. "Oh... he hasn't been by yet."

"No? Well, that's certainly strange."

Shigure sent the pregnant woman a wry look. You don't believe that any more than I'm starting to.

The spoon paused again. "He's been out of town for a few days."

"I'm sure he'll be by soon," Hikari replied with a reassuring smile. "He's probably going frantic trying to get all sorts of little things squared away so he can come and nurse you back to health. How did his trip go?" Neither woman noticed that the dog on the bed had raised its eyebrow.

Hime-chan swallowed her mouthful of soup and was quiet for a second. "I'm not sure, actually. I haven't talked to him since he got home." She shrugged. "I'm not even sure if he is home. So if he isn't, that's probably a good reason why he hasn't had a chance to stop by."

Or call, Shigure added silently.

"That's probably it," the other woman said with a reassuring smile as she dropped the subject. Shigure wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but hime-chan seemed to relax slightly when she realized that Hikari-san wasn't going to mention Taka-san again. He started to wonder if perhaps Akemi's friends weren't giving her enough credit. Being straightforward was one thing; being naïve was something else entirely. And from what Shigure had seen, hime-chan didn't seem to be entirely blind to her betrothed's bad habits -- particularly his less-than-stellar driving skills.

What she did seem to be was willing to ignore them. The Dog gave a mental shrug. Whatever helps her sleep at night, I suppose.

The two women talked for a while about people and things that meant nothing to Shigure, and he eventually settled in for a nap, dozing in and out of the conversation. Akemi finished her meal, and there was a light clatter of dishes as Hikari took the tray away. While she was gone, Akemi lay back against the pillows, blowing out a deep sigh.

It wasn't long before Hikari-san returned with more tea and reclaimed her seat on the edge of the bed. "So, how's the wedding planning coming along?" Shigure's ear twitched and he opened one eye in time to see Akemi twist her features up into a comical grimace.

"That good, eh?" Hikari observed dryly, bringing her hand to the Dog's head and petting slowly.

"Mama's being... well, you know how she can be." Her lips twitched as she fought to keep her expression neutral, but there was laughter in her voice. "She thinks I still have feelings for Sho."

Hikari arched an amused eyebrow. "Does she now?"

"Yes. And that any reluctance I'm experiencing has to do with repressed something-or-others over the one I let get away."

"At the risk of sounding monstrously selfish, I'm glad you tossed him back."

She picked up her teacup, sipping. "Sometimes you just know when a thing isn't right."

There was a slight hesitation before Hikari spoke again. "And... what about Takashi?"

Shigure looked quickly at Hikari. So much for not bringing it up to her, hmm?

The cup remained at Akemi's lips for a moment. "Taka's a good man. I know he can be a little..." Rather than supply an adjective -- and Shigure's mind was full of them -- she made a face, a rueful grimace. "He can be a little... difficult at times, but he's a good man."

Hikari lifted her shoulders in a vague shrug. "You know what they say: the course of true love never did run smooth. There are going to be difficulties, right?"

Akemi gestured with the cup before taking another sip. "Sure, except for in your case."

"Well, Sho was so very distraught after you--"

"Oh, stop," she said, laughing and nearly choking on the tea.

The man in question appeared in the doorway. "Sho was so very distraught after Akemi did what?"

"Cruelly and ruthlessly broke your heart," Hikari sniffed.

"Right, because 'cruel' and 'ruthless' are exactly the first words that come to mind when we're talking about Akemi." He looked at hime-chan, who still held her teacup in her hands. "Good news -- the larder is... well, more stocked than it was, which isn't saying much, but you won't be dying of starvation anytime soon."

Akemi blinked. "... What?"

Shigure glanced up as Hikari stopped stroking his head long enough to make a noncommittal gesture. "Oh, we noticed you were a little low on groceries, so I sent Sho to the market for you. You're obviously in no shape to go yourself."

Akemi didn't say anything for several seconds, still blinking in disbelief at her friends. "You didn't have to do that."

Sho leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest and snorting a little. "And what were you going to eat?"

"We didn't mind, 'Kemi-chan. Just get some rest and get better, all right? Do you want us to take Kuroi home with us so you can sleep a little?"

Akemi turned her attention back to her soup and shook her head slowly. "No, that's all right. Thanks, though. He's no trouble, really. I think he'll sleep as much as I will."

"Which reminds me -- I posted some of those flyers for you."

"Already?"

He shrugged. "I didn't see any reason to put it off. The poor guy's been away from his family since, what, Thursday? His owners are probably going crazy. I'll see if I can circulate some to the other clinics in the city as well. I know a few people down at the animal shelters, too."

Akemi smiled, but Shigure wondered if he saw the slightest hesitation in her smile. "Thanks. I... really appreciate this -- all of this," she added.

"Well, Sho said you weren't feeling well and that you looked horrible--"

"I didn't say 'horrible,' Hikari."

But she went on, cheerfully ignoring Sho's comment. "So what else would we have done?"

"Well... thanks." Akemi's smile faltered a little, growing slightly sad, though Shigure couldn't quite understand why. Whatever it was, though, Sho-san saw it too.

"Hikari," he said, coming forward and putting a hand on his wife's shoulder, "I think maybe we should let Akemi alone to finish eating and catch a little sleep."

"Are you sure? I..."

Her words trailed off and Shigure saw a look pass between them -- a quick conversation, conveyed solely by facial expression and eye contact. Hime-chan didn't notice -- she was too busy concentrating on her tea.

"You know, I think you're right. 'Kemi-chan, you'll call me if you need anything?"

"Hmm... what? Oh, sure." Another smile, not entirely convincing.

"We'll let ourselves out, Akemi," Sho said, reaching over and mussing her dark hair. "I left the dog food on the counter. Sleep, okay?"

Still smiling, Akemi nodded and watched as the couple left her room, quietly closing the door behind them. After a few seconds, Shigure heard the front door open and close as well.

Blowing out a breath, Shigure closed his eyes and settled against the blankets. You have good friends, hime-chan. That Hikari, though. Better watch out for her. I bet she stole poor Sho right out from under your nose without you even realizing it. But he seems content enough, and he's not watching you with the fire of longing in his eyes, so maybe it's for the best. He thought briefly of Ha-san and Mayu, wondering for a moment how things would have turned out differently there, had Mayu taken his advice and tried to steal Ha-san away from Kana.

But she hadn't. In fact, she'd looked repulsed at the idea, which had intrigued Shigure, even at the time.

Ah, Mayu-chan. If you only knew. He snorted a quiet almost-chuckle. Better for me that you don't. I don't think Ha-san would hold you back, and I've got enough injuries at the mom--

A soft sound made him look up. Hime-chan was... crying?

Tears gathered in her eyes before welling over and trailing slowly down either side of her face, and aside from the occasional sniffle, she was silent as she finished her tea.

The Dog watched, perplexed. He wracked his brain, trying to think of anything that had happened to bring Akemi to tears, but that was the thing with so many women -- sometimes they cried because they were happy, and sometimes it was because they weren't happy. He was almost sure that these weren't happy tears hime-chan was shedding. Perhaps she was still in love with Sho-san -- that would've explained it. He shook his head slowly. No, I'm almost certain she isn't. If there was anything there once, they've both moved on. It's a pity; Hikari-san is cute, but hime-chan looks like she would've been a better match for him.

Unfortunately, no explanation came. When she was done with her tea, she picked up the tray and set it on the floor next to the bed. Then she rolled over and curled up on her side, pulling the blankets up to her chin and closing her eyes. Shigure felt a surge of irritation at the situation -- he hadn't the foggiest idea why she was crying or how to get her to stop, and the whole thing would've been a whole lot less annoying if he could just say something. Under normal circumstances, with adequate verbal skills, it was just as easy for him to get a woman to stop crying as it was to make her cry in the first place.

Perversely, he found himself missing the patented predictability of Akito's rages -- he knew how to start them and how to stop them, and did both without missing a beat. The only thing he could do now was nudge Akemi's damp cheek with his nose and let out a soft whine, deep in the back of his throat.

Akemi didn't open her eyes, but she lifted her hand, sliding it up his muzzle and across his head, coming to rest just between his ears. Her thumb rubbed the sensitive spot between his eyes, and soon he exhaled deeply. Hime-chan isn't the only one who needs to get some sleep around here.

He settled in, shifting only slightly until he was curled comfortably against the nest of blankets and pillows. Hime-chan continued to pet him, tears creeping out from behind her closed lids until her pillow was damp. Gradually the hand atop his head slowed and soon stopped, as did her tears, when Akemi's breathing slowed and deepened. Shigure stayed awake for a short while after that, watching his benefactress sleep. Her eyes began moving behind her lids and he blew out a breath, speaking softly.

"So which is it? You didn't seem to mind too much that your friends wanted to take care of you, so it's not that you hate people fussing over you. And I'm almost positive you're not still nursing tender feelings for Sho-san. What makes a hime-chan cry herself to sleep."

She didn't reply; as she dreamed, her fingers twitched.

"Or maybe it's not one thing or the other, hmm? Your friends -- correction, your ex-boyfriend and the woman who stole him away from you -- take more of an interest in your health and well-being than your fiancé. So they're here and he's not, and still you defend him to your friends." Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "What's it going to take for you to get some backbone, eh?"

The only answer he received was a soft mutter as she burrowed deeper into the bedding. With a soft snort, Shigure leaned forward, touching his nose to her forehead again. She was still feverish, and he shook his head. "Honestly. All of that soup and tea, and you didn't even bother to take any medicine for your fever. Foolish hime-chan. You'd never make it as a Juunishi, would you?"

Again, she didn't reply. He didn't expect her to.

XxXxX

Hatori leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers against his lids. Shigure had gone missing Thursday -- gone three days now, and no sign of him. There was, of course, good news: no one matching Shigure's human description had shown up in any nearby hospitals, morgues, or jails. And after a great many phone calls, and a great deal of leg-work, it was nearly confirmed that no dog matching Shigure's canine description had been destroyed recently. There were some dogs matching his description in a few scattered shelters, but none of them turned out to be Shigure.

He pushed himself out of his chair and padded out to the engawa, withdrawing cigarettes and a lighter out of his pocket. He toyed a moment with the lighter before lighting the cigarette and taking a deep draw on it. It was looking less likely that Shigure was dead, and more likely that he was... stuck somewhere, in his Juunishi form, which introduced its own set of difficulties, to be sure.

Keeping their God sedated and ignorant was still his top priority. The spirit inside him balked at the decision, fighting him every step of the way -- but Hatori was convinced that it was better for Akito in the long run if the details of Shigure's situation were kept from her. It was the kinder thing to do. And if she found out the truth, that he'd been helping to keep it from her... well, the ramifications wouldn't be pleasant, which gave him all the more reason to work at keeping her unaware. He also needed to ring Mayuko and see if she'd heard from any of the clinics she'd called. Momiji, Hatsuharu, Kyou, Yuki -- all of them had experienced similar results. He could only hope that Mayu had better luck than the rest of them. And then, after he spoke with her, Hatori had to choose a plan of action.

It was a novel situation for him -- he was more accustomed to following directions. He was told whose memories to suppress (and if he wasn't told, he was bound by honor to do it anyway, something he'd been rather remiss in lately). Shigure was active -- Shigure, for all of his faults (oh, and there were plenty), did things. And right now, the Dragon couldn't wait for the Dog to return so he could get back to doing things, allowing Hatori to slide back into his role.

It couldn't happen soon enough.