Ayame walked confidently through the halls of the Inner House, charming the
young female attendant ushering him to Akito's room. He laughed loudly at
the joke he had just told her, and she blushed. Pausing in front of a
door, she said, "Here we are, Ayame-san. Akito-san is inside."
"See you later, Ayame-san," she giggled, leaving him alone in the corridor as she hurried to do one of the many tasks in the large house.
Ayame looked after her through the somewhat dim lights of the corridor, and listened the oak floor creak. He sighed; smiled to himself, then smoothed out the wrinkles in his crimson robe, and slid open the door, entered, and shut the door behind him.
Akito's room was swallowed in the cool black of night. None of the light from the hall spilled into the room from under the door. The only light came from the open window that Akito was leaning against, his dark form and pale skin barely visible against the velvet blue of the sky. As Ayame's eyes focused, he could see only a hint of the walls and room from the starlight stealing in.
"Ahah! Konbanwa Akito-san!" trumpeted Ayame.
His boisterous good will was absorbed into the dark, barely fading before being extinguished.
"Ayame." Akito, his voice as low and quiet as ever.
Ayame faltered, then ran his fingers through his hair and tossed his head, "Beautiful night isn't it?"
"How is Yuki doing?" asked Akito, ignoring Ayame's question.
" . . . I haven't seen Yuki recently," replied Ayame, all vibrancy he had swept in with dissipating.
"He's been spending much of his time with Tohru . . .san, ne?" Akito gazed out the window.
"They do go to school together," countered Ayame, surprised at his own obvious impertinence towards the head of his family.
Akito turned from the window to Ayame, reflected, and replied, "Sou." He paused again, and then staggered up from his seat. Ayame made no move to help him. Akito moved towards Ayame, who was still standing next to the door. Ayame could hear his kimono whispering on the tatami mat.
"Forgive me, I have been sick recently," murmured Akito, "and have forgotten my manners. Do sit down." He motioned, a gesture barely discernable in the darkness. Ayame cautiously knelt on the floor, glancing around at the room as he did so. He could see nothing. Akito, almost invisible, moved a step forward, cloth rustling.
Ayame felt a touch of fear. Being near Akito always made him extremely nervous. Akito was an extremely volatile person, fragile but capable of exploding in rage and shattering shrapnel on all the other members of the Souma family. The rest of the house seemed dead, without noise or light reaching into this chamber. The world seemed dead in this silence. Ayame glanced up at Akito, then casting his eyes towards the floor.
"Ne," said Akito lightly, "you and Yuki do look very alike."
Ayame froze. " . . .Hai."
He could hear the rustle of cotton as Akito raised both his arms, and brought his hands to Ayame's vibrant white hair, twisted his fingers in the full strands. Ayame resisted a very strong urge to jerk himself away.
Akito tugged gently on Ayame's hair, "I do miss my nezumi," he reflected, "his hair was softer than yours, his voice quieter."
Akito moved his face downwards towards Ayame's, "but I think another songbird could be found, after mine has stolen away." Another tug, harder.
"Ayame," Akito whispered, his cool breath passing next to Ayame's ear, "Do you know who that songbird might be?"
Ayame's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted out of here, he wanted to run away, far away and back to his shop where Akito could not wind his long fingers in his hair and wrench at his soul. He had betrayed and abandoned for this moment not to happen, so that Akito could have a toy forever, as long as that toy was not him. He tried not to shudder and failed.
Akito laughed, feeling the tremor pass through Ayame, tugged his hair one last time and freed his hands, resting one along Ayame's cheek as he backed away.
"Well," said Akito, "I will call on you again. You are free to go."
Ayame got up, opened the door, walked slowly out, shut the door, and stood on in the hall for about 5 minutes before he decided that it was a lovely night for a walk. A nice, long walk. He found an exit, walked out, neglecting to notice the slamming door behind him. He walked in a kind of daze to his favorite spot here when he was little, the koi pond.
It would be too late to even think about calling on Ha-san, he decided, and he had just seen Shigure that afternoon. Ayame smiled faintly to himself and walked exactly across the bridge, and sat himself down. Out in the courtyard the full moon could be seen, and the silver light streamed down all around him, rippling off the water. Ayame peered into the depths, hoping to spot a black-speckled orange fish gliding through the water, but he saw none.
Regardless, he swung his legs over the bridge, where his feet almost touched the water. He pondered how water rippled, just as he had done when he was younger, and spent sometime meditating on that.
The moon had moved several inches across the sky when Ayame was woken from his daze by the sound of footsteps on the pebbled path to the bridge. He started, and looked over in alarm to see a delicate boy with blond hair and curious brown eyes looking over at him.
"Who are you?" the boy asked, "Are you Ayame?"
Ayame stared at the boy for a few moments. The boy said, "Well?"
"Yeah, I am Ayame," he replied, and looked out over the water, "Who are you?"
"Ah, I thought you were Ayame!" said the boy with a vivaciousness that caused Ayame to look back, "I recognized you from Hatori's house! You go there sometimes. You're a Jyuunishi, ne? I saw you at the celebration last year; it was my turn to dance! My name is Momiji. Ne, do you remember me?"
Ayame blinked, and smiled at the Momiji's warm show of affection for an almost complete stranger.
"Ne ne Ayame, can I sit with you on the bridge?" Momiji chirped.
"Sure," Ayame said.
Momiji ran up the bridge and plopped himself down next to Ayame, "When I heard the door slam I was sure I was going to get caught by someone who would ask questions about me and who I was and who I belonged to, but since you're a Jyuunishi I figured that now its okay! I'm so relieved; I would've had to explain to dad about someone seeing me out when I'm not supposed to be. Ne, are you related to Yuki? I heard Yuki complain about his brother, and I think his name was Ayame."
Momiji stared up at Ayame with unforgivable cuteness.
"I like your clothes," he said, and stared off to the other side of the pond.
Ayame quietly laughed at Momiji's incessant rambling.
"You know Yuki?" asked Ayame.
"We go to school together!"
Ayame looked down at Momiji, who was smiling at him.
Ayame smiled back.
"See you later, Ayame-san," she giggled, leaving him alone in the corridor as she hurried to do one of the many tasks in the large house.
Ayame looked after her through the somewhat dim lights of the corridor, and listened the oak floor creak. He sighed; smiled to himself, then smoothed out the wrinkles in his crimson robe, and slid open the door, entered, and shut the door behind him.
Akito's room was swallowed in the cool black of night. None of the light from the hall spilled into the room from under the door. The only light came from the open window that Akito was leaning against, his dark form and pale skin barely visible against the velvet blue of the sky. As Ayame's eyes focused, he could see only a hint of the walls and room from the starlight stealing in.
"Ahah! Konbanwa Akito-san!" trumpeted Ayame.
His boisterous good will was absorbed into the dark, barely fading before being extinguished.
"Ayame." Akito, his voice as low and quiet as ever.
Ayame faltered, then ran his fingers through his hair and tossed his head, "Beautiful night isn't it?"
"How is Yuki doing?" asked Akito, ignoring Ayame's question.
" . . . I haven't seen Yuki recently," replied Ayame, all vibrancy he had swept in with dissipating.
"He's been spending much of his time with Tohru . . .san, ne?" Akito gazed out the window.
"They do go to school together," countered Ayame, surprised at his own obvious impertinence towards the head of his family.
Akito turned from the window to Ayame, reflected, and replied, "Sou." He paused again, and then staggered up from his seat. Ayame made no move to help him. Akito moved towards Ayame, who was still standing next to the door. Ayame could hear his kimono whispering on the tatami mat.
"Forgive me, I have been sick recently," murmured Akito, "and have forgotten my manners. Do sit down." He motioned, a gesture barely discernable in the darkness. Ayame cautiously knelt on the floor, glancing around at the room as he did so. He could see nothing. Akito, almost invisible, moved a step forward, cloth rustling.
Ayame felt a touch of fear. Being near Akito always made him extremely nervous. Akito was an extremely volatile person, fragile but capable of exploding in rage and shattering shrapnel on all the other members of the Souma family. The rest of the house seemed dead, without noise or light reaching into this chamber. The world seemed dead in this silence. Ayame glanced up at Akito, then casting his eyes towards the floor.
"Ne," said Akito lightly, "you and Yuki do look very alike."
Ayame froze. " . . .Hai."
He could hear the rustle of cotton as Akito raised both his arms, and brought his hands to Ayame's vibrant white hair, twisted his fingers in the full strands. Ayame resisted a very strong urge to jerk himself away.
Akito tugged gently on Ayame's hair, "I do miss my nezumi," he reflected, "his hair was softer than yours, his voice quieter."
Akito moved his face downwards towards Ayame's, "but I think another songbird could be found, after mine has stolen away." Another tug, harder.
"Ayame," Akito whispered, his cool breath passing next to Ayame's ear, "Do you know who that songbird might be?"
Ayame's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted out of here, he wanted to run away, far away and back to his shop where Akito could not wind his long fingers in his hair and wrench at his soul. He had betrayed and abandoned for this moment not to happen, so that Akito could have a toy forever, as long as that toy was not him. He tried not to shudder and failed.
Akito laughed, feeling the tremor pass through Ayame, tugged his hair one last time and freed his hands, resting one along Ayame's cheek as he backed away.
"Well," said Akito, "I will call on you again. You are free to go."
Ayame got up, opened the door, walked slowly out, shut the door, and stood on in the hall for about 5 minutes before he decided that it was a lovely night for a walk. A nice, long walk. He found an exit, walked out, neglecting to notice the slamming door behind him. He walked in a kind of daze to his favorite spot here when he was little, the koi pond.
It would be too late to even think about calling on Ha-san, he decided, and he had just seen Shigure that afternoon. Ayame smiled faintly to himself and walked exactly across the bridge, and sat himself down. Out in the courtyard the full moon could be seen, and the silver light streamed down all around him, rippling off the water. Ayame peered into the depths, hoping to spot a black-speckled orange fish gliding through the water, but he saw none.
Regardless, he swung his legs over the bridge, where his feet almost touched the water. He pondered how water rippled, just as he had done when he was younger, and spent sometime meditating on that.
The moon had moved several inches across the sky when Ayame was woken from his daze by the sound of footsteps on the pebbled path to the bridge. He started, and looked over in alarm to see a delicate boy with blond hair and curious brown eyes looking over at him.
"Who are you?" the boy asked, "Are you Ayame?"
Ayame stared at the boy for a few moments. The boy said, "Well?"
"Yeah, I am Ayame," he replied, and looked out over the water, "Who are you?"
"Ah, I thought you were Ayame!" said the boy with a vivaciousness that caused Ayame to look back, "I recognized you from Hatori's house! You go there sometimes. You're a Jyuunishi, ne? I saw you at the celebration last year; it was my turn to dance! My name is Momiji. Ne, do you remember me?"
Ayame blinked, and smiled at the Momiji's warm show of affection for an almost complete stranger.
"Ne ne Ayame, can I sit with you on the bridge?" Momiji chirped.
"Sure," Ayame said.
Momiji ran up the bridge and plopped himself down next to Ayame, "When I heard the door slam I was sure I was going to get caught by someone who would ask questions about me and who I was and who I belonged to, but since you're a Jyuunishi I figured that now its okay! I'm so relieved; I would've had to explain to dad about someone seeing me out when I'm not supposed to be. Ne, are you related to Yuki? I heard Yuki complain about his brother, and I think his name was Ayame."
Momiji stared up at Ayame with unforgivable cuteness.
"I like your clothes," he said, and stared off to the other side of the pond.
Ayame quietly laughed at Momiji's incessant rambling.
"You know Yuki?" asked Ayame.
"We go to school together!"
Ayame looked down at Momiji, who was smiling at him.
Ayame smiled back.