Be My Guest

Choco

Kiyami: An AU romance featuring Atobe x Jiroh! I may even go slightly insane and try doing some random Oshitari x Dan.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis and I never will since I'm way too poor.

"Morning! Have anything for me to do?"

A smiling boy entered the small flower shop. He wore clothes that had seen far better days. His face was streaked with dirt and his once orange hair had dullen to a darker color. Beside him was a small dog with a mixed heritage. The dog was longhaired and brown. Jiroh waved to the elderly lady behind the counter. The old woman smiled at the sweet boy at the entrance of her store.

"Ah Jiroh-kun, how are you? Are your parents doing well?" She unknowingly asked. "I have some deliveries to be done around town. By the time you get back I'll have a nice meal for you. Does that sound alright?"

"Excellent!" He gleefully shouted while completely ignoring the other questions. It was better she didn't know.

It was better that she didn't know that they had disowned their own son.

"Scandals, scandals, scandals! Jeez, don't they have better things to do? They don't know anything, na Kabaji?" Atobe threw down the magazine onto the table with a loud huff.

"Usu." The large man, who was always with Atobe, agreed.

"Sir? M-may I make a s-suggestion, desu?" Dan Taichi, who contrasted sharply in size with Kabaji, spoke up. He was new on the job and always seemed to be in a panic. The slightest sudden movement was enough to make him jump.

"Go on, I'm listening." Atobe sighed and sat down on the leather loveseat in his office. He had already vented his anger by yelling about the magazine scandals.

"Well, a lot of people think you're a selfish, narcissistic, merciless megalomaniac, right?" He said slowly.

"What!" Atobe shrieked, outraged.

"I'm sorry, desu!" Dan yelled out. His eyes were wide with fear and he looked as though he was about to cry.

"You're going to scare the boy to death like that." Oshitari commented with his voice light with humor. "Just let the boy continue." Atobe was the only one who hadn't heard Dan's idea. The poor boy had blurted it out while Atobe was away.

"…Fine. Go on, Dan." Atobe looked annoyed, but his image was concerned. He didn't want to be remembered like a selfish, uncaring man.

Dan took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay…My idea is…is…is…" He bit his lip realizing he had forgotten his idea in his state of panic. "Senpais, desu?" Dan looked pleadingly towards them, hoping they would tell Atobe instead.

Oshitari shook his head. He looked disappointed at Dan. "Dan made the suggestion that you let someone in a bad situation come live with you for a year. Get some interviews with him, make the public pity him, and people might think better of you. Stuff like that." He examined his nails as he spoke. Dan relaxed, Oshitari was very good at talking with Atobe who intimidated Dan.

"So you're basically saying that I should let some smelly, homeless person live with me…in my mansion!" He was outraged by the idea. Letting some random man make his spotless house all dirty. Or it could be worse! It could be a woman. He had nothing against women, but the thought of a fangirly woman staining his expensive clothing with her dirt crusted hands.

Keigo-kun, Keigo-kun, can I have this? Oh, I'm so lucky to live with such a famous person. Such a handsome man too. The scene played in Atobe's head. A squeaky voice woman nosily looking through his stuff and fangirling him.

"Atobe? Atobe?" Oshitari tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" Atobe snapped.

"Dan. He wants to know your opinion." Oshitari didn't mind speaking for Dan much. It would just mean the young assistant would owe him favors later on.

"Well?" Dan wiped his eyes with the green headband wrapped around his head. He sniffed softly. He did not want to be fired three months into the job.

"No!" Atobe replied sternly. He got up from the loveseat and grabbed his jacket from Kabaji. "Come on, dinner is my treat."

Oshitari and Dan exchanged glances. Dan breathed a sigh of relief. He still had a job.

"Good night! I'll stop by tomorrow too!" Jiroh promised to the florist. He eagerly waved then left the empty shop

The woman smiled. The boy was kind and sweet, but he seemed to spend far too much time here than anywhere else. He didn't look much older than a high school student, but he had told her he had graduated from high school.

She had her suspicions that he didn't live with his parents anymore. He always came to her store with dirt and grass stains all over his clothes. He always came to look for work whether it was watering the plants, which he was an expert at, or delivering arrangements to certain people. Most of all he always came with an empty stomach. She didn't mind feeding him. She actually enjoyed his company.

He smiled happily as he glanced down at his dog. The brown dog that Jiroh had dubbed as Choco trotted contently next to him. Today was a good day. He was finally full and it was time to go sleep. Sleep for a nice, long time. That would be good. It would be very good.

"Hurry up, Choco!" Jiroh shouted as he suddenly went off in a dash. Choco barked and ran to catch up with her owner.

He didn't have much money, actually he barely had any at all. He wore old clothes bought from the thrift shop or those he had kept when he still had a home. He lived in a tent at a nearby park and was without any conveniences people had in their cozy little homes.

Even though he didn't have much to live comfortably with he was still happy.

Jiroh was just glad he was alive and breathing.

He thought the idea over and over in his mind. He did not want people to think him as Dan described. At the same time he didn't want some pitiful, poor beggar freeloading off of his hard work. They probably wouldn't want to leave after a year either. Spoiled by the luxuries they would surely be reluctant to leave and if Atobe forced him or her then they would probably cause a huge commotion with the media.

Atobe shook his head at the idea. Maybe he should just take the easy way out and hold a charity ball. It would give Atobe a chance to show off the renovations that his mansion had undergone. That was a good plan.

"Where are we going, desu?" Dan asked timidly.

"Atobe?" Oshitari casually looked at the singer.

"How about we go to—Ow!" The car swerved suddenly towards the left. It stopped suddenly and the car behind collided with the car. "My car!" Atobe shrieked at the sight of the dented metal in the back. He got out of the car, everyone being fine. "Kabaji!"

"Usu." Kabaji answered as he got out of the car. He sounded remarkably calm for someone about to be yelled at by Atobe.

"Explain yourself!" Atobe demanded while pointing to the ruined portion of the car.

"Usu." Kabaji pointed over towards the front of the car.

Atobe cursed softly and walked quickly towards the front.

A dog.

A little, brown dog lay dying on the cool street. Blood soaked the already matted fur. Within seconds she was dead, the bones crushed by the force of the car, which caused the organs inside to be damaged by the bones itself. The bones whose purpose was to protect them.

Jiroh looked around for where Choco had gone. She was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had fallen behind. She had a limp ever since he had found her. He had rescued her from the abuse of several high school students. Of course he was in pain for a week from their beatings directed on him, but it was worth it. Choco was the best companion anyone could ask for.

She went anywhere he went and was loyal to the end. Even on the days where Jiroh felt miserable with the realization of the lack of all the things he used to have Choco was there. Sometimes he would stare lifelessly off into the distance, sometimes he'd cry, and sometimes he'd just sleep believing things would be better when he woke up. The silent dog was a comforting presence.

She and the old woman at the flower shop were all he had left in this world.

His eyes went to the large crowd of people. Choco liked people and she had a natural talent for persuading people to give her food. Perhaps she was there.

Jiroh made his way through the thick crowd of people. People gave way to the messy boy forcing his way through.

Finally the last layer of people was gone. He smiled triumphantly and looked up to see what was going on.

Slowly his eyes opened as wide as he could. His mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out for the first few moments.

"Choco!" He screamed when he could finally force a sound past his lips.

Jiroh did nothing, but stare at the lifeless dog in front of him. He didn't move to perhaps see if there was still life within his companion. His legs wouldn't move. It was as if his ability to move had departed along with Choco's life.

Atobe sincerely pitied the boy who burst out of the crowd only to discover the dog. He had assumed it to be a worthless mutt at first, but he felt strange. He felt guilty in a way. Perhaps it was the look in the boy's eyes as he discovered the dog, dead.

He couldn't understand what the boy was feeling. It was impossible for him. Atobe had never lost anything precious to him in his lifetime. The only things he had ever lost were things, items that could easily be replaced with money, which he had a hefty amount of.

Finally the boy moved. The boy slid to the ground, tearing the fabric covering his knees. He picked up the dog and held it gently like a mother would to a newborn baby. He buried his face into the fur despite how unsanitary it seemed. He sobbed, his body shaking with grief.

"Choco, Choco…" The boy mournfully cried into the dog's body. "Choco…"

"Atobe." Oshitari tapped him on the shoulder. "Should we do something?"

Atobe stared at the crying boy with the dog. He sighed with his mind set on a decision. He moved towards the boy until he was within a distance where he could speak quietly just to the boy.

"What's your name?" Atobe asked.

He didn't reply. He just shook his head.

"What's your name? Aa-n?" Atobe asked, louder this time.

"J-jiroh…" He mumbled softly. His mouth being pressed against Choco's body muffled his voice.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" Atobe asked while noting the horrible state of his clothing. Atobe tried his best to make his voice sound gentle and soothing. He didn't want to further stress the boy. All traces of the anger he had expressed only moments before were incinerated by the strong feelings portrayed by the dirty boy.

Jiroh shook his head silently. He was too shocked to pretend that he did although it was so painfully obvious.

"Come on." Atobe offered his hand in a friendly gesture.

"You're going to live with me now." He announced.

...Be my guest...

Kiyami: Read and review? Tell me how you feel about this one.