I'm sorry this has been so slow. I've been really busy.

Witness me totally playing fast and loose with Ayame's characterization. But I don't feel bad. I figure that nobody can be that clueless, not even him.

Chapter Two

Shigure looked around his kitchen in desperate search of something for breakfast. Not much. Maybe that was a blessing in of itself. Talking to Akito had a tendency to make him pretty queasy anyway. He could skip breakfast, and grab some lunch on the way home. Or maybe convince Hatori to feed him . . . despite the man's cold demeanor, he had a soft spot for strays. Of which Shigure definitely counted as one.

Shigure glanced at the table and saw a note that Yuki had left for him. He picked it up, read it, and smirked slightly. Ayame would have a fit when he heard about this . . .

Yuki could probably manage to fend for himself when he got up. He was a teenaged boy. He'd find something. Shigure sighed and went hunting for his coat, which he had dropped on the floor instead of hanging up. Just as he was ready to leave, the doorbell rang.

Frowning, he went over to answer it, expecting that it was probably Ayame or Hatori coming by to see what was going on. Instead, Mit-chan was standing on the doorstep, looking worried. "Ohayo," Shigure said, blinking at her in surprise. "Didn't you get the manuscript?"

"Ohayou goziamasu," she said, bowing slightly. "I did, but . . . I just wanted to make sure you were all right." She blurted this out very quickly. "When I got your note, I figured someone must have died or something . . . are you okay?"

Shigure began to laugh. "I really must torture you too much, Mit-chan," he observed wryly. "I'm fine, my family is fine, I'm glad you got the manuscript. One of my cousins had run away from home and I needed to help look for him, that's all. I should have just left the manuscript in the house . . ."

"No, no!" Mit-chan said, waving her hands wildly. "I'm very glad you didn't!"

Shigure gave her a smile. "I need to go, anyway," he said. "But thanks for stopping by."

"N-Not at all," she stammered.

"D'you think you could give me a lift into town?" Shigure asked hopefully. He hadn't thought to call the Main House for a ride, and had been planning on walking into town to get a taxi. This would be easier.

"Of course," she said, looking surprised.

"And don't worry," Shigure said, stepping out and locking the door behind him. "I'll be sure to hide the manuscript really well next time, to make up for it."

****

Ayame pounced on Shigure as soon as his friend walked through the door of Yuki's parents house. "You found him, right? Tori-san told me not to worry, he said that you were taking care of it, but he wouldn't tell me what haaaaapeeennnnned . . ."

Shigure raised an eyebrow at Ayame. "You're strangling me," he pointed out.

Ayame let go of his kimono and smoothed the front of it. "He's okay?"

"He's fine, Aya. He's asleep in one of my guest rooms."

Ayame nearly wilted in relief. Then, just as quickly, sprang back to life and frowned at Shigure. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because he was exhausted and cranky and the last thing he needed was you barging in and trying to drag him home," Shigure said.

"So he didn't argue with you dragging him home?" Ayame asked, puzzled. "Wait, where is he?"

"I told you. He's asleep in one of my guest rooms."

Ayame gave Shigure a steady look. "You're not going to bring him back."

"No," Shigure said quietly. "I'm not."

"But Shigure -- " Ayame began.

"What's all this about?" Keiko interrupted, frowning at Shigure. "If you found him, why didn't you bring him home? He's our son!" Her husband, Ichido, was behind her now, frowning and nodding seriously.

"Ah, just the people I was hoping to see," Shigure said. "Can we sit down and talk about this?"

They looked at him suspiciously, but agreed. They knew him fairly well, as well as any non-Juunishi ever knew a Juunishi member. He had been at Ayame's house often enough as a child, though usually they loitered at Hatori's instead.

"To start off," he said dryly, "you should be pleased, Aya. Yuki-kun seems to have inherited at least a little of your rash idioitic streak. I caught him last night just before he was going to go into a dancing club for teenagers, and almost certainly give away the family secret to a hundred high schoolers."

Keiko and Ichido both paled. "But you caught him in time?" Ichido asked.

"Yes. And I ask that you not mention to this to anyone."

Seeing the sense in this, they both nodded.

"Secondly, I have something to return to you." Shigure pulled out what Yuki had left with his note that morning. "This much is yours," he said, handing a stack of bills to Keiko. "He took it from your purse. And this much is yours." He handed the rest to Ayame. "You left your door unlocked, so he, ah, liberated the funds you keep in your stash."

Ayame blinked at him, then at the money.

"So where is he?" Keiko asked, choosing not to mention the money as she put it on a side table. "Why didn't you bring him with you?"

Shigure sighed slightly, inaudibly. Now the fun part. "I brought Yuki-kun back to my house last night. It was late and he was upset, and it seemed that it would be better that way. After talking to him for a while, he made it perfectly clear that he was not going to come home, and if I tried to make him, he would run away again. So from now on, he's going to be staying with me."

There was a pause. The two of them blinked. Ayame sat silently, with his hands folded in his lap, setting a personal record for solemnity. "Excuse me?" Keiko finally asked.

"He's going to stay with me."

Ichido laughed. "It's hardly up to you to make that decision, Shigure-kun."

"No, it isn't," Shigure agreed. "It's up to Yuki-kun. I offered and he accepted my offer."

"We know you mean well, Shigure-kun," Ichido said, his voice firm, "but it isn't acceptable. Even if we were willing, which we aren't, Akito-san will never allow it. You must know that."

"I fail to see how it's any of Akito's business," Shigure said coolly.

Keiko gaped at him. "He's the head of the family!"

"So you let him control your son?" Shigure asked, his voice going from cool to icy. "Let him lock your son into a room and beat him?"

"Shigure!" Ayame stared at him.

"It's true," Shigure said quietly. "Look at them and you'll know it's true."

Ayame blinked at his parents, saw his mother's guilty blush and his father's shifting eyes. He shook his head. "No . . . if you'd known, you would have . . . you would have done something . . ."

"What could we do?" Ichido asked angrily. "It wasn't our fault! Akito-san developed some weird fascination for him, probably because they look so much alike. We couldn't just tell him he couldn't see Yuki anymore. He's the family head, he's in charge!"

"Just because it wasn't your fault doesn't mean it's not your responsibility," Shigure said quietly, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Yuki-kun will be staying with me, and that's the last I want to hear about it."

"You can't do that!" Keiko protested tearfully. "He's our son!"

"We could have you arrested," Ichido snapped. "For kidnapping, or at the very least, for sheltering a runaway!"

"You could do that," Shigure agreed. "And if you're going to, please let me know so I can get in touch with a lawyer now. Because I'm sure the police would be very interested in knowing how Yuki got those bruises on a face, and I may just tell them."

They stared at him. "You wouldn't do that," Ichido said. "You wouldn't cause a family scandal like that."

"Try me," Shigure said wryly.

Ichido looked like he might try, but a quiet voice interrupted him. "Tousan, don't." Ayame looked up from where he had been staring at his hands during this discussion. "If it's what Yuki wants . . . just let him go. 'Gure-san will take good care of him."

They hesitated.

"This is not up for debate, Keiko-san, Ichido-san," Shigure said softly.

"Fine," Ichido snarled, and marched out of the room. Keiko hastened to follow him, calling his name plaintively.

"'Gure-san . . ." Ayame looked over at him. "I didn't know. I really didn't."

Shigure pushed both his hands through his hair. "You didn't know, Aya," he said, his voice a bit sharp, "because you didn't look. Because you ignored him every time he tried to go to you for help."

Ayame flinched and looked at the floor.

"I know it was hard for you," Shigure said. "I know that your parents thought he was the perfect child, and that you were loud and obnoxious. You are loud and obnoxious. I don't care for you any less, but that's true."

"But Yuki is special," Ayame snapped. "Is that what you're going to say? It's what everyone else says."

"Yuki-kun is special," Shigure agreed. "And so are you. But you didn't need to act on your feelings of rejection by rejecting him. That wasn't fair, Aya. And now you'll have to live with it." He stood up, lit a cigarette. Time to see Akito. The fun part of his day was just beginning.

Ayame said nothing as Shigure left the house.

****

Shigure knocked on Akito's door and went in without waiting for a reply. "Akito-san," he said respectfully. Akito was draped half out the window like usual, watching the birds. Shigure normally felt a pang of sympathy for him at this juncture, but not today. Perhaps not ever again.

"You've brought Yuki back?" Akito surmised, not moving from where he was staring dreamily out the window.

"I found him downtown," Shigure replied. "He's going to stay with me now."

There was a very long pause. Then Akito turned around. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. Shigure tensed involuntarily. "No," Akito said. "He isn't."

"Yes," Shigure said. "I'm afraid he is."

"No," Akito repeated.

"Akito-san," Shigure said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have any say in this. This is between myself and Yuki-kun."

"Sou?" Akito said, sounding deceptively disinterested. "What about his parents?"

"They've agreed that they don't have any say in the matter either."

"Yuki is still a child," Akito said softly.

"Maybe, maybe not," Shigure said. "If he's not, then he has the right to make his own choices. And if he is, then he deserves protection. And that's what I'm giving him."

"From . . ." Akito asked softly.

"You know what I mean, Akito."

Akito smiled at him. It was not a pretty sight. "You can't take him away. He doesn't share your . . . abnormality."

Shigure didn't flinch. His ability to leave certainly was abnormal, so he supposed he couldn't get annoyed at Akito for naming it as such. "He had the courage to leave, Akito. He wouldn't have come back."

"You don't know that."

"Yes. I do."

"We'll see," Akito said softly. "We'll give it until . . . shall we say New Year's? He'll be back by then."

"I don't think so," Shigure said, relaxing a little. Apparently Akito was strong enough in his belief to not lose his temper and fly off the handle. Always a good thing.

"Just as long as you don't stop him, should he express any desire to return," Akito said languidly.

Shigure nodded. "If he shows inclination to come home, I won't stop him." He was considering inwardly. New Year's was about three months away. That was plenty of time to get Yuki settled, get him used to living away from Akito. Hopefully enough that Akito wouldn't be able to intimidate him into returning at the party.

Akito draped himself over the windowsill again, obviously considering the audience over.

Shigure took the cue and left the room, not wanting to stay a minute longer than necessary. He turned and nearly walked right into Hatori. "Ohayou, Ha-san," he said with a smile.

"That went well," Hatori said.

Shigure smiled. "You were waiting outside?"

"In case you needed help."

Shigure nodded. "Thanks." He knew that by 'help', Hatori meant 'in case you needed me to hold him back and keep him from killing you.' They had a tendency to hang around during each others' audiences with Akito, just in case. Ayame had never had the problem. Akito didn't like him, but apparently viewed him on a level too low to bother with.

"Are you going to enroll Yuki in the high school?" Hatori asked, lighting up a cigarette.

"Aa."

"Akito won't like it."

"I know. That's why I didn't tell him."

Hatori rolled his eyes. "I have one condition of my own. Yuki's health is still rather fragile. He hates it when I check up on him, so you'll have to remind him that it's still necessary."

Shigure nodded. "I will."

"How'd Ayame take it?"

Shigure snatched Hatori's cigarette and took a drag on it. "For someone who never cared to notice his brother before, he seems awfully worried about him now."

Hatori shrugged. "He's Ayame, Shigure. You can't rely on him to notice things. Not even about himself. I hope you weren't too hard on him."

"I probably was," Shigure admitted with a sigh.

"I'll go find him," Hatori said. "He listens to me more than you anyway. Besides, you should get home. Yuki will be awake by now."

"Aa. I need to pick up some lunch, too. Come by later today or tomorrow? Just to get Yuki used to you being in and out?"

Hatori smiled one of his rare smiles. "I'll be sure to."

****

Yuki was sitting uncertainly at the table in the main room when Shigure got back. He gave the impression that he'd been there for some time. Shigure wasn't surprised; it wasn't as if he had much else to do. "Konnichi wa," he said cheerfully. "Come help me carry your stuff, okay?"

Yuki nodded and got to his feet. Shigure had taken a taxi from the main house. He might have taken the bus to save money, but not with Yuki's things with him. Wordlessly, the two of them carried in boxes until the taxi was empty, at which point Shigure paid him and he left.

"Well," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Shall we go into town? It's about a twenty minute walk, maybe half an hour."

Yuki blinked at him, uncomprehending. "What for?"

"Well, I need groceries and I still haven't eaten lunch, and I doubt you have either. Anyway, we need to run by the school and get you enrolled. I really don't think your parents would be pleased if I didn't make you go."

"Oh." Yuki stood up. "All right. I didn't know there was an all-boys school around here, so I assume I would still be going to my older school."

"There isn't," Shigure said casually, handing Yuki his coat.

Yuki stopped and blinked. "Then where . . ."

"Kaibara High," Shigure said. "It's coed." He smiled sideways at Yuki's flustered look. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but I never expected to actually get it." Yuki looked profoundly nervous with this situation. "I was just using it to argue with Akito. And . . . I'm not sure it'll work. I mean . . . all those girls . . ."

"Yuki-kun," Shigure said firmly, "if I can survive my manager, you can survive high school. I promise."

Yuki managed a nervous smile.

"Anyway, just a few house rules," Shigure said, as the two of them walked down the road. "You could probably tell I'm not much on cleaning or anything. So pretty much my only rule there is to try not to destroy my house." He pushed his hair out of his face. He'd never had to make up house rules before. "The only thing you'll have to go back to the Main House for is for New Year's. Can't get you out of that. And Akito has given you that long to come back to the fold, anyway."

Yuki frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that Akito is convinced you will be home of your own volition by the end of the week," Shigure said, trying not to sound bitter. "Because you don't share my abnormality."

"Is that what he called it?" Yuki asked curiously.

"Yes. And that's what it is."

"I suppose." Yuki fell silent, walking with his hands in his pockets.

"In any case, he gave the impression that if you were still staying at my house at New Year's, not only would he be quite surprised, but he would also try to make you come home. There's no point dealing with that until we get to it, though."

Yuki nodded.

"My only other condition is that you have to let Ha-san come by and do his checkups like usual."

Yuki frowned, looking sullen. "But -- "

"No buts, Yuki-kun. As much as you might want to not have asthma, you still do, and I'm not going to be responsible for you getting sick."

"All right," Yuki agreed. "But I don't have to like it."

Shigure lit a cigarette as he walked. It was a bad habit that he'd picked up from Hatori and had been meaning to get rid of it. He always found it amusing that his friend the doctor smoked. You'd think he would know better. Probably came from the stress of having to deal directly with Akito so much. "You really dislike Ha-san, don't you," he said, his voice merely curious, not accusatory.

"Yes," Yuki said coldly.

"Just because he erased the memories of your friends?"

"And because he's so cold all the time."

Shigure shrugged. "It's not his choice, you know. He doesn't like having to do it, being the one with the gift."

"But he still does," Yuki snapped. "He doesn't care."

"Well, let me tell you a little story," Shigure said. "And then you can either hate him or not, as you choose. You know Momiji-kun, I'm sure? And what happened with his mother?"

Yuki nodded. "If this is supposed to make me like Hatori -- "

"Let me finish," Shigure said. "Ha-san erased Momiji-kun's mother's memory because she asked him to, and because her husband agreed. That wasn't to say that Ha-san wanted to do it, he didn't. He came over to my house afterwards -- this was after I moved out of my parents' house, but while I still lived on the compound. He told me that Momiji-kun had been waiting outside, and had seen what had happened. He hadn't meant for that to happen."

"And?" Yuki asked, apparently impatient for the end of the story.

"And he was very upset," Shigure said softly, thinking back to finding Hatori curled up on his sofa, looking miserable. "He felt awful for what he'd done. The same way he had felt awful after what happened with your friends. It's never anyone's fault when the secret gets out. But he's always the one that has to clean up the mess."

Yuki said nothing.

"Come on," Shigure said with a smile. "Hasn't he ever done anything nice for you?"

"Well . . ." Yuki frowned slightly. "There was that thing at last New Year's, but I never figured out what really happened."

"Oh?" Shigure blinked at him. "I haven't heard this story."

"It was mostly between Haru and I," Yuki said.

Shigure smiled slightly. Yuki and Hatsuharu; now there was an odd friendship if he'd ever seen one. Especially given their Juunishi history. But still, once Haru's loyalty was given, it seemed totally unswerving. And Shigure was glad; Yuki could use a friend like that. "So what happened?"

"Well, last year was my year to dance."

Shigure nodded. "I remember. You did very well."

"Thanks." Yuki scuffed at the ground as he walked. "But I was nervous. Not nervous about dancing -- I knew I could do that. I'd been practicing. What I was nervous about was that Akito might come."

Shigure considered this. Akito was not formally a member of the Juunishi, but as he carried the full weight of the curse, he was entitled to come to the Juunishi party on New Year's. He didn't always, and when he did attend, it was rarely for very long. Last year he hadn't made an appearance at all.

"I just knew that he was going to come watch me dance, and that I would look up and see him and trip or something stupid like that," Yuki admitted. "I didn't know what to do, so I told Haru about it. He just got a really thoughtful look on his face and then said he was sure I'd do fine."

"And then Akito didn't come." Shigure frowned, casting his memory back. "He had a fever."

"That developed suddenly the day of the party," Yuki confirmed.

Shigure burst into laughter. "You think Ha-san drugged him!"

"Well, I saw Haru talking to Hatori at the main party that afternoon. And Haru doesn't usually talk much to Hatori, so I thought it was strange at the time . . . and then at the party, when Hatori said that Akito wasn't coming, he gave me a little smile. He doesn't smile much, so I thought . . . I asked Haru later, and all he would say is that he'd gotten a little help from a friend."

Shigure was still laughing. "That's just like Ha-san, too. Passive aggressive to a fault."

"Do you think he did?" Yuki asked, curious.

"Oh, most likely," Shigure said. "I always used to joke that he should just poison Akito and have done with it. He never told me about it, though. I'll have to ask him next time he comes by." The two of them emerged from the forest that surrounded Shigure's house and started walking down the street, towards the school.

Yuki was silent, thinking this over.

"That's the way Ha-san is," Shigure said with a shrug. "He doesn't let people know when he's helping, any more than he lets people know when he's hurting."

"All right, I don't hate him," Yuki said. "But I still don't like him."

Shigure smiled. "That's all right. I don't ask for miracles."

****

Ayame never locked his door. Hatori wasn't quite sure why; he supposed it was because, being part of the compound, locked doors didn't really matter. Thus, he was rather surprised when he tried to open it and go inside, and found it locked. Frowning slightly, he rang the doorbell.

There was no answer. Hatori frowned still more. There was no reason Ayame wouldn't be home unless he was at his parents' house, and Hatori had called there first to make sure he would be home. It was the dinner hour. He circled the house and tried the door to the back. That slid open easily. "Ayame?"

There was still no answer, but there were lights on inside. Hatori toed off his shoes and shut the door behind him, walking into the house.

He found Ayame in the living room, jabbing at a poor innocent piece of cloth with a needle and thread. Hatori had always found it amusing that Ayame used embroidery for stress relief. He supposed that was why he'd wound up starting a clothing shop. "Konban wa, Ayame."

Ayame glanced up. He looked tired, an expression not normally seen on his face. However, upon seeing Hatori, he smiled his usual smile. "Konban wa, 'Tori-san!"

"Why was your front door locked?" Hatori asked, sitting down without being asked.

"Oh, that . . ." Ayame muttered something about being more careful.

"If you want to be more careful, you should try locking your back door too," Hatori pointed out.

Ayame blinked at him. "Oh, I suppose I should."

Hatori let out a dry chuckle.

"What brings you here, 'Tori-san?" Ayame asked cheerfully. "Needed a good meal for once? Did Kana-kun stand you up?"

He was rewarded for his comment with a slight coloring of Hatori's cheeks. "Kana and I didn't hate a date tonight, as you well know. Shigure said you were upset, so I came by to see if there was anything you needed."

Ayame seemed to wilt, staring forlornly at the cloth he was mangling. "No."

"No, you aren't upset, or no, there's nothing you need?" Hatori asked.

"Just . . . what am I supposed to do, 'Tori-san? Yuki hates me now. I suppose that's his right after what I let happen to him. I didn't know . . . I really didn't. But 'Gure-san is right. I didn't know because I didn't look. I didn't see the bruises because I didn't want to see them."

Hatori and Shigure had long ago put their heads together and tried to decipher Ayame's behavior. Normally so bright and outgoing, he became reserved around Yuki, almost aloof. He ignored his brother's overtures for friendship. Ignored him entirely.

"It can't be easy, being the brother of the mouse," Hatori mused, almost to himself. Because Yuki was special, the most revered of the Juunishi.

Keiko and Ichido hadn't been pleased to have one Juunishi as a child, let alone two. But rather than taking it out on Yuki, as most parents would have, they took it out on Ayame. Hatori thought he understood; Ayame was a bit difficult to deal with. He hardly ever took anything seriously. And he needed a lot of attention -- attention that, after Yuki's birth, wasn't focused on him anymore.

Small wonder, really, that Ayame had been cold to him.

Ayame just sighed and began to work with the cloth again, trying to undo the damage that he'd done. "What do I do now?"

"You let him go, Ayame," Hatori said, as gently as he could. "You let him live with Shigure and be happy. He'll be far better off with him than he would be here, you know that. Give him time. He'll understand, when he's older and the sting has worn off some."

Ayame nodded slightly, pushing his hair out of his face. "'Gure-san is angry with me." He laughed slightly. "That makes me feel even worse."

"Shigure isn't angry with you, Ayame." Hatori leaned back on the sofa and wished for a cigarette. Ayame didn't let either him or Shigure smoke inside his house. "He's mostly angry with Akito. He's annoyed that nobody saw it and put a stop to it, but he may as well be as angry with me as he is with you. I should have realized too. We all should have."

"He seemed awfully angry," Ayame said sullenly.

"He's angry at himself, Ayame," Hatori said. "No matter how much he tries to rationalize, he feels like he abandoned the family and he always will. He had good reasons to leave -- but finding out what's been happening in his absence makes that harder for him."

"Akito didn't get so much worse when 'Gure-san left," Ayame said, but there was no conviction in his voice. They both knew it wasn't true.

Hatori didn't bother to argue. "Maybe Shigure feels that he would have noticed if he had been here."

"'Gure-san no baka," Ayame muttered, jabbing the needle into one of the pincushions and reaching for another spool of thread.

Hatori snorted. "You're one to talk."

"Do you think I should go visit?" Ayame asked.

"In a few weeks. Give it time, Ayame."

Ayame sighed. "Patience was never one of my strong suits."

Hatori just rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the newsflash."

****