In Smaller Proportions
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Well, here's yet another chapter. The fourth one so far.
And YES! I got a total of twenty-seven reviews! (count them! TWENTY-SEVEN!) THANK YOU!
And nope, no intelligible words from chibi-Kyo just yet (and that means no 'horsie', GirlWaterShamen. Oh, he'll talk soon enough, just not presently.)
PJ
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Perhaps... Yuki thought, studying chibi-Kyo. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to borrow clothes from Hanajima-san...
The toddler was wearing a navy blue jumpsuit with the words "We Are One With The Force" printed in white on the back. As monotone as it was, it happened to be the only set of clothing in the bag that wasn't one solid piece of black or gray. Those had made chibi-Kyo look like he was attending a funeral service, and that was just too creepy.
Tohru had suggested adding designs onto those outfits of "doom and gloom", but that might not really help. Besides, they would return those suits soon enough when chibi-Kyo became Kyo again. Or maybe they wouldn't wait that long, and buy him some other clothes with a little more variety of color.
But before that, they had to feed him.
And in order to do that, dinner had to be prepared.
Chibi-Kyo's tummy ached. And there was a big, growly monster that he couldn't see or ignore (PJ: It's his stomach growling. He just doesn't know it). He needed backup! But he had been taught not to go to the lady (plenty of painful grabs and angry "NO!"s), the funny man had disappeared when he wasn't looking, so that left only one person to confide his troubles in.
"Nnnnn!" chibi-Kyo whined loudly, for the fifth time in a row, and clamped himself onto Yuki's leg, looking up and into his eyes pitifully.
Yuki took a very deep breath and slowly counted to ten, reminding itself how wrong it was to deliberately maim a young child. I'll just have to kill Kyo when he gets back to normal. Forcing himself to be patient once again, he reached down and tried (tried!) to pry chibi-Kyo's small hands from his leg. "For the last time, Kyo, you have to wait. Honda-san hasn't finished yet."
"Nnnnn!" chibi-Kyo whined again, refusing to comply. The big, growly monster that he couldn't see was hurting him! And he was hungry! He needed help, and he needed it now!
"Dinner's ready!"
Oh thank goodness. Yuki headed for the dining table, dragging the leg that chibi-Kyo was still clinging on to. Shigure was already seating himself when he saw the two approach.
"Aw...is little Kyo-chan lonely?" Shigure crooned, clapping twice and extending his arms. "Come to your Daddy 'Gure then!"
"How very manly of you, Daddy 'Gure," Yuki commented dryly, as chibi-Kyo detached himself from his leg and scampered to Shigure for a cuddle. He went into the kitchen.
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"Do you need any help, Honda-san?"
"Oh no, Yuki-kun, it's alright. Why don't you go sit down first?"
But Yuki wasn't listening. He had noticed a disposable bowl set aside by itself, and saw a kind of mush inside. "Honda-san, what's this?"
"What?" Tohru looked in his direction as she spoke. "Oh! That's for Kyo-chan. Hana-chan gave it to me along with the clothes. She told me that it was easier for young children to eat food like that."
"Kyo-chan"... Et tu, Honda-san? Man...
"I'll take it outside," Yuki offered, picking up the bowl. Out of curiosity, he asked: "What's in it?"
"Well...it was prepackaged. I remember porridge, but not the rest. Maybe I should have kept the box."
Yuki picked up a spoon and carefully looked through the expertly mashed contents. He saw what looked like meat somewhere, and then he found what he was looking for.
There is leek in here. Maybe I should warn Shigure before he tries to feed Kyo. This could get a bit messy.
Ah, what the hey. He had this coming. Vegetables are good for Kyo anyway.
Yuki mixed the mush around a little with the spoon, reburying his discovery, and proceeded to carry it out.
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Shigure looked up from his playing with chibi-Kyo to see Yuki carry a disposable bowl to the table. "Where did that come from?"
"Hanajima-san's recommendation," Yuki replied, passing the bowl across the table. "Here: it's for your friend's dinner."
Shigure took hold of the bowl and peered inside. "Instant baby food, eh? This shouldn't pose too great a problem."
It certainly seemed that way. Chibi-Kyo eyed the contents with great interest as Shigure stirred them around to cool.
Finally, Shigure lifted a spoonful, carefully blew on it, and offered it to chibi-Kyo. "Here we are! Open wide now, Kyo-chan!"
Chibi-Kyo happily did as he was bade.
"Shigure-san," Tohru said as she brought out the rest of the dishes. "Should we call Kazuma-san and tell him what's going on? He might give us some advice."
"I...don't think it's the best thing to do," Shigure replied, sticking the spoonful of food into chibi-Kyo's open mouth. "I dropped in on Hatori before I came home, and he told me Kazuma-sensei's come down with the flu."
"Is he alright?"
"He's a little delirious, but Hatori didn't sound worried, so he should be fine," Shigure replied. He smiled in approval at chibi-Kyo as he fed the toddler another spoonful of baby food. "Besides, we're having so much fun taking care of him ourselves! Aren't we, little guy?"
Too preoccupied with his dinner, chibi-Kyo did not supply an answer.
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Yuki stared as chibi-Kyo finished spoonful after spoonful. The mush was rapidly disappearing down the toddler's throat.
The kid was eating leeks. The kid was eating leeks willingly. The kid was eating leeks willingly, without complaint.
Of all three actions, the Kyo he was familiar with would die before he attempted any of them.
Something strange was going on around here, and he wasn't too sure he liked it. (1)
"Yuki-kun? What's wrong?"
Yuki smiled reassuringly and picked up his chopsticks. "It's nothing, Honda-san."
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After dinner, Shigure took charge of chibi-Kyo once more. Carrying the toddler with one arm, and a stack of flashcards in his free hand, Shigure selected a spacious bit of floor where he sat toddler, flashcards and himself.
"Now then, Kyo-chan," he said, laying out the cards on the floor between him and the toddler. "Time to reintroduce you to the wonders of learning!"
Yuki, who happened to be finishing a gardening manual, looked up. "Is there even a point in that?"
Shigure nodded confidently. "Of course there is! It just might strengthen Kyo-chan's learning capabilities once he gets big again!"
"Why else?"
"I was bored."
Yuki returned to his book and gave no further comment.
Shigure grinned and held up a flashcard with a black dog on it. "Now this, Kyo-chan, is a dog, one of your Daddy 'Gure's favorite animals! Can you say 'dog'?"
Chibi-Kyo's wide eyes stared at the dog picture, but he said nothing.
"Let's try this a different way." Shigure put down the flashcard and rearranged it among the others. Finally, he sat back again. Before him were a random assortment of animal picture flashcards. "Now where's the dog?"
Chibi-Kyo frowned in deep concentration. Then he smiled and pointed at one of the pictures.
"That's right!" Shigure exclaimed gleefully, replacing the flashcards with new ones. "Now then, where's your Daddy 'Gure?"
Chibi-Kyo looked up at Shigure, then back down at the pictures. Each one had a strange thing on it, and only one looked relatively similar in basic shape.
He finally pointed at that picture.
"Such a clever boy," Shigure praised, petting chibi-Kyo on the head. "Yes, you are."
Yuki put his book down, took a curious glance at the picture, then glared at Shigure. "That's a picture of Sendoh Akira."
"Yeah, I know," Shigure replied. "Why? Are you telling me that I don't look like him?"
"I'm telling you that you're two bananas short of a fruit basket."
"Humph," Shigure said, frowning. Then a devious glint appeared in his eye, and he pulled out more pictures. "Never mind, Kyo-chan. This should be easier for you: Where is Yuki?"
Chibi-Kyo looked at all the pictures, then at Yuki, then back at the pictures. Stress was etched all over his young face. This time, there wasn't even one that was close to the basic shape. He looked pleadingly up at Shigure.
"You can do it, Kyo-chan," Shigure reassured him, stealthily tapping his finger on the edge of a particular flashcard.
Still doubtful but without hesitation, chibi-Kyo followed his lead and pointed at the picture of a dodo.
"Right again, Kyo-chan! That's Yuki all over!"
"SHIGURE!" Yuki shouted in justified anger and shot to his feet, the book forgotten the moment his name had been said. "You are so gone, you stupid damn-"
Shigure gasped and covered chibi-Kyo's ears. "Yuki-kun! Shame on you!"
Yuki paused in mid-advance. "Now what?"
Shigure glared at him in righteous indignation, leaning protectively over the mildly confused chibi-Kyo.
"No bad and dirty words in front of the baby!"
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(1): D Plot thick-e-n-s-s-s-s-s....
ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:
HW: Twenty-five reviews in three chapters, you spunk-skunk! Way to go!
PJ: Thank you, thank you, thank you. #bows#
HW: lol. ANYWAY: When's Chap. 4 coming? I wanna read it!
PJ: Without reviewing, as usual.
HW: And to think I keep giving you advice! Where's your gratitude?!
PJ: ...
HW: WELL?
PJ: #sigh# Thank you a million times, Howling WereWolf. Never in my life will I have the power to repay this debt.
HW: Sweet! Kiss my feet, too.
PJ: EAT... MY... TURD!!!
HW: lol! Good comeback, I'm impressed!
PJ: lol. That makes the two of us.
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