Title: Soma's little Zoo

Fandom: Kuroshitsuji

Pairing: Soma/Agni

Prompt: Amnesty in January: VRD challenge: yellow; the song of a canary

Words: 780

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Summary: Soma has a passion for menageries…

Author's note: Special thanks to my beta, Jen, for all her help!

Author's note 2: Lord Surya is the Hindu god of the sun and Lord Indra is the Hindu god of War, Storms, and Rainfall. He is also the lord of heaven and king of the gods.

888

They strolled through the marketplace, buying what they needed from the various vendors, who were hawking their wares. On the way home, they happened to pass by the bird-seller's shop; a small shop where the market stalls gave way to actual buildings. Soma paused to look at the rows of cages in the window.

"Let's go inside, Agni," he said.

"Okay, my prince, but we cannot stay too long as it looks like rain."

Soma made a little sound of annoyance. "It always looks like rain here."

"I know, and I also know that sometimes Lord Surya does chase away the clouds, but there have also been times when Lord Indra has sent rain."

The prince sighed. "Fine," he said as he opened the door and stepped inside, Agni following close on his heels.

Inside the shop was a loud cacophony of bird calls and Soma felt a tiny pang of homesickness for India. The birds reminded him of all the times he had gone hunting with his father and brothers through the jungles and marshes near the palace. One song in particular drew the prince in. It was the song of several canaries. They were in the back of the shop in small cages, row upon row stacked on top of each other.

"How beautiful they sing! Listen, Agni!" Soma smiled.

"They're very nice, my prince."

"Let's get one!"

"I don't know, my prince…"

"We kept birds in the palace; my sister even had one that even talked."

"I remember him, my prince. He was a very clever bird." Agni smiled. "And the birds in the palace also had their own servants to look after them," he pointed out.

"Oh… but how hard can it be to look after them?"

"I don't know, my prince."

"The bird-seller is here by himself and he looks after all these birds…" Soma waved his hand, startling the canaries. "Sorry little birds. Agni, maybe we should ask him how to do it. Just look at them, they're so beautiful, all yellowy little things, and their song is so pretty too. Miss Elizabeth would love to come hear them sing and the fish she gave me when I was sick are still alive…" Soma smiled.

Agni nodded. He had the feeling they were not going to leave here without a new addition to their household. Soma seemed to have inherited his father's love of menageries, and he was in his own way starting to build a collection on a small scale with a bowl of fish and now the possible addition of a pair of birds. When the bird-seller informed them that the birds were used by miners to check to see if the mines were safe, with the birds' untimely deaths indicating that particular section was unsafe, Agni was hard pressed to stop Soma from getting more than just a single pair, despite being overjoyed at the prince's show of compassion.

It was not long before they found themselves heading home, with a pair of canaries, a large ornate brass cage that Soma struggled to carry and a bag of seed along with the groceries they had picked up. The prince was in his element, and looking forward to letting his new pets loose in their new home. "Agni?"

"What, my prince?"

"Do you think we could get some peacocks? They'd make great friends for the chickens out back and it would be a nice touch of home." Soma smiled.

"I don't know… the neighbors weren't that happy about the goat you brought home last time, what makes you think they'll like peacocks instead?"

"Peacocks are a lot prettier, and they aren't smelly nor will they eat the shrubbery," Soma chuckled, "or nibble on lacy under-things when they get loose."

Agni laughed. "True, but I don't think so, my prince. Let's content ourselves with these pretty little birds and see what happens."

"Okay," the prince replied as they walked down the path leading to the townhouse. "Besides, the bird-seller had no idea what I was talking about anyway when I asked about the peacocks."

Agni opened the townhouse and they went inside. "A pity…" he said although he did not mean it, shutting the door behind them.

"Yeah… Anyway, let's get our new friends in their new home."

"Let's…" Agni replied. Setting down the groceries in the hall, he followed the prince into the front parlor. Soma has set the cage down on the table in corner. After filling the seed and water cups, and lining the bottom with old newspaper, the canaries were let loose in their new home. Soma spent the rest of day watching them and listening to them sing…