Title: Second Chances
Author: Gia
E-Mail: divinechild18hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Pairing: None [..honestly..]
Time: Present time during the anime. However, taking place during summer vacation.
Summary: What if Ayame had a second chance to make up for Yuki's childhood? Yuki has reverted into a 6yr-old, with no recollection of his older self. How will everyone react? How will Akito react to this?
Disclaimer: I own not a thing.
Author Notes: I'm baaaack!! I've just been all excited about working on Brotherly Love, but I haven't forgotten about this! Both Brotherly Love and Second Chances, is my big comeback against all those romance stories out there, and to the lack of stories that consist of Yuki and Ayame! I'd like to see more of there relationship getting better, and so I'm taking a STAND! Bwhahahaha.. I might even start a trend!….--;; Or not.. Too much to hope for??
COME ONE! COME ALL! The "Save the B.B.(Bish(ounen)Brothers) Organization" is UP and RUNNING! Donations of:
1.) Glue
2.) Rope
3.) Handcuffs
4.) Ladders
5.) And anything that can keep Yuki and Ayame close together and to breach the GAP between them!
Get the idea? As you can see, my two anime stories, "Brotherly Love" and "Second Chances" are the first movement to promote more fanfics that deal with Yuki and Ayame! SO! Wave those "Save the B.B.(Bish(ounen)Brothers) Organization" , or the abbreviation, "S.B.B.Org!" Banners, and we can breach the gap between the two, using objects ranging from duck tape and ladders to "cross" the GAP! Extra thanks to those with creative methods to keep them together! Yuki and Ayame will be closer brothers by the end of both stories, or I'll-- I'll.. LET MANGOES TAKE OVER THE WORLD! BWHAHAHHA!! S.B.B.Org can be found at my HOMEPAGE! Just go to my profile and click on my homepage link!
::Gia waves a banner that says, "S.B.B.ORG!" proudly::
This chapter is dedicated to: Red
Why?: IT'S HER BIRTHDAY!! (August 31) HAPPY BIRTHDAY RED-CHAN!
Ayame shut the door behind himself and headed downstairs. Kyou and Haru were sitting at the table watching TV, while Momiji was asleep on the couch. Shigure was nowhere to be seen, and Hatori was sitting outside. Walking silently outside, Ayame took a seat beside Hatori. "He's asleep." It wasn't a question on Hatori's part.
"Yes. It wasn't that difficult, Yuki was asleep before his head hit the pillow." Ayame smiled fondly.
Hatori glanced at him with the corner of his eye, "He will be seven tomorrow Ayame. This process will fast, over before we know it. Will you be able to handle it when he's changed back?"
Ayame smile never faltered. "Yuki will be different, won't he? Yes, he'll remember his true memories, but the new ones… they will help ease his childhood pain." It shocked Hatori a bit, to hear Ayame speaking so seriously. When it came to Yuki, however, Ayame's responses are always spontaneous, so he shouldn't be surprised.
"Ha-san?"
"Hmm?"
"Tell me.. about Yuki."
The Next Day
Sound of a thud. The smallest sound of a hissed swear word.
"Ssh! You might wake him!"
"Wake him!" a voice hissed back. "You're the one who dragged me here!"
"…I just want to see him."
Kyou glanced at him oddly, before facing the small bump under the blankets. At 5 in the morning, he had found himself being rudely awakened by Hatsuharu. Before he could take a swing at him, Haru had maneuvered him into Yuki's room, where they were currently hiding in. They were crouched at the foot of the bed, and--waiting.
"That's stupid! You could've seen him at breakfast."
"…"
Before Kyou could make another retort, Yuki suddenly moved up into sitting position. His eyes were half drooping, and he showed no sign of acknowledging the tops of white and orange hair sticking out in plain view. One hand lazily rubbing his eyes, Yuki scooted over to the side, and stood on the floor. He slowly walked around the bed, and stopped at the foot of the bed. Haru froze, and looked up into a dreamy violet gaze.
"Yuki?" he inquired softly.
Silence.
BAM! KICK! PUNCH!
"DAMN IT! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Kyou cried, clutching his head and stomach. Haru was in a similar state, but shockingly, he hadn't reverted into Black Haru. Kyou vaguely noted that it had to be because it was Yuki.
The same violet gaze blinked out of its drowsy state, and a very surprised seven year old Yuki stared down at his cousins.
"H-Haru? K-Kyou?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Shigure pointed to the large bruises on both Haru's and Kyou's faces.
"SHUT UP YOU DAMN DOG! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"
"Why did you go into Yuki's room in the first place?" Hatori asked calmly.
"ASK THAT STUPID COW! HE'S THE ONE WHO MADE ME GO!"
"STUPID COW?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU DAMN CAT! YOU CAN GO TO HELL!"
"SHUT UP!"
Yuki blinked, and watched as Kyou and Hatsuharu engaged into a fight. Wincing slightly at each swear word Kyou and Haru cried out, Yuki couldn't help but watch in amazement as they performed seemingly difficult kicks and jumps. A hand suddenly came down on Yuki's shoulder, and Yuki looked up into his brother's eyes.
"Ne, Yuki, are you hungry?"
"..Hai."
Ayame gently took Yuki's hand, and lead him inside the kitchen where Momiji was sitting too, away from his cousins' loud bickering. Unbeknownst to him, Yuki's mind's eye went to incident. An incident that had changed Yuki's perspective of his brother a long time ago.
'Why is my oniisan… different? Will it… be like this?'
With his free hand, Yuki covered his mouth and coughed. Ayame glanced down at Yuki, and found his younger brother's gaze already facing him. It chilled Ayame to the bone to not be able to read that gaze, and it was very cold when he realized he knew so little of his brother. Squeezing Yuki's hand gently, he gave a cheerful smile.
"Sou da! Let your wonderful brother prepare breakfast!"
Yuki blinked and a smile cracked its way onto his face. 'Hai… wonderful brother.'
Shigure looked to the left and to the right. Kyou felt his eye twitch unnaturally, and he resisted the urge to hit Shigure. Haru stared impassively ahead. The three were sitting down on the couch, Shigure sitting in between them. It was obvious that Shigure was bursting to say something. Kyou was anticipating it, and looked forward to hitting Shigure through the roof.
Shigure opened his mouth--
And shut it before Kyou could curl his fist. His grin grew wider. "So, Kyou, why were you in Yuki's bedroom, hmm?"
Kyou's eye twitched again. "None. Of. Your. Damn. Business."
Shigure continued unfazed. "Aa.. Kyon-kichi isn't denying that he was inside. Was Kyou--" He put his hand over his mouth in a mock gasp, "watching our dear sweet Yuki sleeping?"
Haru's eyes glinted strangely. Kyou's eye twitched again, and again. "Sh--"
BAM!
"ITAI!! DAMNIT HARU, WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"
Black Haru looked up, his expression angry. "Oh, did that punch hurt? When did you become such a pansy Kyou?"
Kyou leaped up, hands drawn. "I don't know what the hell brought this on, but I'm going to kick. Your. Ass."
Shigure hid a grin behind his hand. He knew he shouldn't set Kyou and Haru off, but it was just so easy. And when it came to Yuki… well.. Who could pass up such an easy chance? However, as entertaining as this was, he didn't want his house to be demolished--again, "Kyou, Haru, why don't you take this outside? I don't want you to destroy my house."
Kyou ignored him, as did Haru. It seemed the latter sentence only prompted them to become more destructive. Shigure tried another tactic. "You'll be able to fight better outside." he pointed out. He waited, and inwardly grieved when Kyou made a large hole in the wall. Shigure tapped his chin thoughtfully, barely registering the sounds of their yelling and the chair flying overhead. Just then, Momiji, Ayame and Yuki walked in. Shigure glanced at Yuki momentarily, and came up with an idea. Shigure called out coyly, "This will be a bad influence on Yuki. Besides, what if you accidentally hit him, hmm?"
Yuki turned his head to face Shigure, hair whipping around. Tilting his head to the side, he only received a wink from Shigure. Yuki's eyes trailed to both Hatsuharu and Kyou, and blinked when they both froze. Grumbling, Kyou dropped his hands walked to the chair and dropped down onto it heavily. Haru made no move to call him back, as he had reverted to White Haru. Hatori, who had remained silent through the whole ordeal, stared at Shigure curiously. Not many people knew Shigure, thinking him to just be a flaky perverted novelist. Which he was-- but he happened to be cunning to boot. Not a the best combination, in Hatori's opinion, but it proved to be amusing. Not that he'd let Shigure know that. He'd never live it down.
Yuki moved away from his brother and sat down beside Hatori. Hatori stiffened slightly, but relaxed. He remembered only too well the incident when he had to erase those children's memories, and wondered if Yuki was thinking about it too. Yuki had always been very distant towards Hatori after that but would it be different now? Hatori didn't want to think about it.
Momiji turned to everyone. "Oh, why don't we go out today? It's a nice day, and we could go to the hot springs!"
"We've already been there." Kyou muttered, resting his head on top of his hand. He stared blankly ahead, but not facing Yuki.
"I know, but Haru hasn't! And Yuki! Not to mention Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori! Okami-san had wanted to see them when we first met, and this a good chance!"
Shigure smiled, "Sounds like a plan, let's go right now."
Hatori turned to face him, "Are you running away from that editor again? You're terrible."
Shigure shrugged modestly. "Hatori, you're too kind."
"More importantly, Okami-san doesn't know about Yuki's predicament. I will have to speak to her first, and tell her ahead of time not to pass on the news to Akito."
Everyone in the room grew silent, especially Yuki. They hadn't yet explained why Akito was letting him stay here, and it didn't take long for Yuki to realize that Akito didn't know. He hoped to keep it that way. He liked staying here, staying with his brother, even with his cousins. He didn't want to leave, and he most certainly didn't want to go back to Akito.
Shigure nodded. "Right, you can call her. Then we can go. It shouldn't be a problem.
"Then it's settled! We're going to the hot springs!" Momiji cried out, breaking the tension.
"Ah, Yuki! How adorable you are!" Okami smiled down at Yuki, who stared up at her haltingly. Hatori had explained what was going on, and she understood the meaning behind his cautious words. She didn't plan on letting Akito know, only on showing them a good time.
"Come in, I've prepared rooms for you."
She led them inside, and showing them the same room they had used before. She had one more room for the adults, and said if they needed her they could just ask. Hatori did most of the talking to make sure Okami didn't go into apologizing mode, what with Shigure and Ayame's antics. "Thank you, Okami-san. We'll be fine." She nodded and left them.
Everyone went to their respective rooms, donning towels. Soon, Momiji grasped Yuki's hand, "Come on Yuki! Let's go swim!"
Without further words, Momiji pulled Yuki towards the hot spring, all of them already changed. The trio, that is, Ayame, Shigure, and Hatori weren't planning on going into the hot spring just yet, so it was just the four of them. Momiji jumped inside, but Yuki took care, and carefully slipped in slowly. Momiji was already swimming around, but Yuki didn't know how to swim very well. Hatsuharu came over, pulling his hand out of the water, and holding it out to Yuki.
"I've got you." Haru spoke.
Yuki looked at him silently, before grasping his hand. Yuki found he could keep himself afloat without assistance, but it was a lot safer sticking close to Haru. Momiji came over to them, playfully splashing Kyou. It wasn't the best thing since Kyou automatically smacked him, causing Momiji to cry out. He dropped the act though, when he decided to jump inside so he could splash Kyou more. Climbing out of Kyou's reach, Momiji jumped--
SPLASH!
The wave of water came, momentarily covering everyone. Kyou growled, and was ready to grab Momiji, when he noticed frantic splashing and Haru calling out Yuki's name. Without thinking, Kyou held his breath and plunged himself into the water. Yuki must've been caught off guard by the splash, and went under. How, was anyone's guess, but it wasn't important at the moment. Kyou reached for him, and pulled him up. Yuki's head broke the surface, his face flushed, and coughing.
Momiji had a very apologetic face, and he apologized profusely. Kyou just helped the coughing and sputtering Yuki out of the spring, and let him sit on the edge. He hastily laid his hand on Yuki's back, "Yuki? Are you okay now?"
Yuki nodded, water dripping from his hair. He took a deep breath, followed by another. Kyou felt worried, and he had half a mind to get Hatori, but Yuki seemed to calm down. Apart from his irregular breathing, there was nothing serious. Then-- time seemed to slow down. He could hear Yuki's breathing in his ears, his heartbeat, it drowned out everything else. Momiji's frantic apologizing. The gentle splash of water. Everything.
Beat.
"The Death."
Beat.Beat.
"--casting aside former convictions or beliefs…"
Beat. Beat. Beat--
"Give not the mouse your apathy, but your empathy."
He pulled his hand back as if it was burnt. Kyou's eyes widened, staring at the side of Yuki's face, which was unaware of Kyou's frantic stare. 'Where did that… come from?' Kyou thought. It was as if someone had returned the sound, and he longer heard the steady beat of Yuki's heart. Momiji came over and went straight to Yuki. He hugged him fiercely, speaking over and over that he hadn't meant it. Yuki lifted his head, and he lightly rested his head on Momiji's shoulder. He brought his small arms around Momiji smiling softly. "Arigatou." he whispered.
This stilled Momiji's apologies, and they both just sat there hugging each other. Both Haru and Kyou stared at them in silence. They both knew Yuki didn't have much interaction, if any, with the other Sohmas'. In a way, Yuki being a child at this moment, allowed him to have the proper attention from his cousins. His brother. His family. More importantly, it was helping the Sohmas' themselves. Back then, they had no chance to make any changes or act like this. It wasn't outwardly spoken that they weren't to act so--free. Akito made it clear, though, of what he wanted, and no one would go against that.
It was surreal, this fake time. It seemed almost carefree. No Akito looming over them, no nasty fights and arguments… well, he and Haru still fought but it never went more than that. It was just a petty thing, that both needed to get out of their systems. Kyou averted his eyes from the scene, stopping his philosophical tirade. "Let's go. It should be time to eat lunch."
Haru's eyes slipped towards him, and they both reached a level of understanding at the second--
"Hurry up you stupid cow. I'm hungry."
"THAT'S ALL YOU THINK ABOUT! EAT EAT EAT! NO WONDER YOU SUCK AT FIGHTING! YOU'RE GETTING FAT!"
"SAY THAT AGAIN YOU DAMN COW!"
--well, that level of understanding was for only a second.
Soft creaking in the wood was the only sign of the person moving. He approached a nearby servant, and his toneless measured voice called out.
"Where is Hatori?"
The servant spun around quickly, the voice chilling him to the bones. The servant, Asaka Katsunoshin, kept his eyes trained to the ground, as they were all instructed when addressing the Head of Sohma House. "He has taken a leave of absence to Shigure-san's home."
Akito's lips curved into a mock smile. "Hatori has been spending quite some time away. I wonder… if it deals with something important. Something he is not telling me. Tell me," he tilted his head slowly, his measured voice never losing its silky tone, "when Hatori has come back. I have so much to tell him."
"Hai." Asaka bowed low.
Akito turned, and walked away. Perhaps he'd lie outside, and call for his pet.
'I do not like secrets that are kept…'
Yuki leaned back into his chair, a content smile on his face. Okami had served a humongous lunch, and Yuki had enjoyed watching how the Sohmas' interacted during lunch. He couldn't help but smile as Kyou every now and then yelled at--everyone. Excluding him of course. It was obvious Kyou was pretending Yuki didn't exist, but it wasn't really ignoring him. He helped him wordlessly when Yuki asked for someone to pass the bowl of rice, but he didn't speak to him.
Not that it was bothering Yuki, but all he could remember of Kyou was that he always yelled at him. He tended to reply with sarcastic remarks as well, but that was then. Kyou was obviously mature now--
"Ah, close your damn mouth when you chew, Haru."
"Why don't you make me you stupid cat?"
Or not. Yuki surprised everyone when he accidentally let slip a small laugh. The sounds of chatter immediately stilled, and Yuki flushed uncomfortably when everyone, including Kyou, was staring at him incredulously. Was it that surprising that he laughed?, Yuki wondered. He knew he didn't laugh at all in front of his parents, but still, he was entitled to laughing, wasn't he?
Shigure tilted his head on his hand. "Ah, Hatori, Ayame. Isn't it just lovely to hear children's laughter, compared to Kyon-kichi's loud yelling?" Shigure sighed dramatically.
A pulsing, angry vein appeared in Kyou's temple.
Ayame grinned. "Hai, Gure-san. I always get headaches when I hear Kyon-kichi whining over and over about my dear little brother, Yuki."
Yuki's head snapped up, staring at his brother curiously. "Me? What do you mean, oniisan?"
Another vein appeared, and fire flashed behind Kyou's eyes.
Ayame smiled gently, laying his hand atop Yuki's head, "What that means Yuki, is that Kyou lov--" Poor Ayame was cut off when Kyou decided that his fist needed to get acquainted with Ayame's head.
Ayame got up quickly, which was surprising since that punch had to have hurt. A bandage was conveniently placed over his bruise, and spoke in a sing-song voice, "Kyoon-kichi! You just set a bad example for Yuki, and now he's," Ayame put his hand over his eyes in mock horror, "scarred for life! How could you Kyou? To our dear, sweet, little Yuki? You should be ashamed!"
Kyou sputtered angrily, and finding that he had no comeback, he stood and walked away with astounding calm -- after he sent Ayame through the roof.
Sweatdrop.
"Serves him right." Kyou spoke smugly. His victory, however, was short-lived. What goes up, must come down after all.
BAM!
"Itai.." Kyou moaned painfully. Ayame gave a hundred-watt smile, and thanked Kyou for cushioning his fall. Yuki surprised everyone else when he laughed again.
Life was good, you could say.
"Good-bye Okami-san! Thank you for having us!"
The Sohma boys' waved good-bye to Okami-san from the charter bus. The drive was uncommonly quiet to begin with, but it was like a companionable silence. If you were to look around, you would see the famed "Mabudachi Trio" sitting in corner discussing something of importance. Momiji was currently engaged in teaching Yuki a song he had made up, although it was obvious that Yuki had no plans whatsoever in singing it aloud. Kyou and Haru sat across from each other, there eyes were narrowed, fists clenched--
Having a staring contest.
All this is nice and well, but we must now go to what exactly the Mabudachi Trio is talking about. Their topic dealt with Yuki, but not wholly. It was Ayame's idea, closely supported by Shigure. The two were intent on getting Hatori to agree to.. What?
Ayame opened his mouth in a righteous whisper, "Come on, Ha-san, it will be fun. And all thoughts aside, don't you think it is my duty, and yours as well, to do the brotherly duty of interrogating--"
"Iie."
"But Hatori," Shigure piped up, "If things will continue as they are now, Yuki will be confused as to who will steal his--"
Hatori gave them both pointed looks. "You two are terrible."
Their expressions dropped instantly, until an idea suddenly popped in both of their minds.
"Hatoori!" Ayame and Shigure gleefully sang.
Hatori sighed tiredly. "Yes?"
"You may have immense blackmail on us," Shigure stated coyly, "but me and Ayame have some on you as well."
This definitely got Hatori's attention slightly. "Oh? And what would that be?"
Ayame's smile widened, and he leaned in to whisper something in Hatori's ear. It took all Shigure had not to cackle evilly. He calmly noted out loud, "You never did take alcohol very easily Hatori."
Hatori's eyes widened considerably, an uncharacteristic blush on his cheeks. "That never happened Ayame."
Ayame grinned coyly, flashing a wink at Shigure. "Oh but Hatori," Ayame dropped his voice to a low whisper. "It did." His husky voice seemed genuine, and Hatori didn't remember that incident, which could be explainable if it were from the effects of alcohol…
Hatori conceded grudgingly. "Fine."
"YATA!"
"After you give me the pictures."
"Mou.."
Hatori trained his expression to be blank before respectively stepping inside Akito's room. As usual, Akito's window was open, and the person in question was looking outside. Akito's pet was nowhere to be seen, which came as a small surprise to Hatori. He'd never visited Akito without seeing that bird around him.
"Punctual as always, Hatori." Akito's light tone was sprinkled with amusement.
"…"
"I've noticed, Hatori," Akito turned around to face Hatori. His eyes glinted dangerously, "your constant absence from the Sohma house. Why is that?"
Hatori inwardly blanched, and wondered where Akito was going with this. Akito noted this and continued without letting Hatori answer. "It's no matter really." He turned back around to look out the window. Hatori took this as a sign to leave, so he immediately made for the door.
"Hatori."
He paused in his stride.
"I don't like secrets being kept. Do care to keep that in mind."
Hatori left without a word.
Yuki hummed a nonsense song under his breath while he swung his legs back and forth in the huge chair. His oniisan had gently told him to wait outside Hatori's office while he went to talk to his Ha-san. Momiji had to go to one to his father, because he needed to see Momiji for some reason or other. This wasn't the best thing to do, since Yuki never really enjoyed coming here. Then again, he didn't enjoy it because he was always alone, but he wasn't now.
Yuki let a smile spread over his face as he looked up. Hatsuharu and Kyou were sitting opposite of him, in a couch. Haru was calmly sitting in the middle, but Kyou had made show of sitting the farthest he could from Haru. Haru felt Yuki's gaze and looked up to smile back at him. Yuki tilted his head in his smile before turning to Kyou. It was obvious that Kyou was aware of it, since he hands had suddenly clenched and his facial expression was very tight.
Yuki hummed just a tiny bit louder to presumably get Kyou's attention but it seemed in vain. Hatsuharu must have thought it his duty to help Yuki get his attention, because he spoke out in his polite tone.
"Kyou. Yuki is trying to get your attention."
Silence.
Humming gets louder.
"Kyou. Look up. Yuki wants your attention." Haru reiterated his tone slightly harder.
The humming almost reached shrieking, but not quite. Yuki had a very concentrated look on his face to not lose breath in his frenzied humming.
"Kyou--"
"ALL RIGHT ALREADY! I'M LOOKING UP!" Kyou yelled loudly. He defiantly met Yuki's tilted gaze, his smile never leaving, but his humming ceased. Kyou almost choked on his own spit. He didn't know how to act to a Yuki that was nice to him.
At that instant, Ayame opened the door to Hatori's office. He put his hand on Yuki's shoulder. "Yuki…"
In Yuki's mind, he thought he had come here to for a check-up. His face immediately froze. It seemed as if the temperature in the room literally fell. Yuki's eyes flashed, and Ayame could almost swear he heard thunder outside.
"Er… no, Yuki. You're not having a check-up right now."
Just as strangely, the room temperature went back to normal. Ayame sweatdropped and coughed awkwardly before regaining back his energetic behavior. "Your oniisan and his friends want to have a little talk with Kyou and Haru."
Yuki let his eyes slide back to both Haru's and Kyou's surprised expressions before slipping back to his older brother. He nodded reluctantly, and resumed his activity of swinging his legs back and forth.
The windows inside of Hatori's office were covered completely, and only a small lamp light on his desk was on. Shigure was already standing beside Hatori, as Ayame led them inside. There were two chairs that Shigure indicated for them to sit on, which they did. Ayame went to Shigure's side, and the three adults stared back at the two boys with solemn gazes.
"What's going on here?" Kyou demanded.
He was instantly quieted when Shigure shot him a look that told him to stay silent. The entire atmosphere was certainly serious, meaning the object of this visit wasn't any joke.
"You are here today," Hatori began, "to discuss someone of great importance."
Yuki.. Kyou thought instantly.
The lamplight was immediately turned onto them, the intensity of it making them squint. Ayame stepped forward. "You are each going to be interrogated by us to see.."
Pause.
"if you are worthy of Yuki!"
"NANI!?" cried two voices in unison.
An unseen wind blew from somewhere, making Ayame's hair move. "As little Yuki's older brother, it is my duty to question you." He rubbed his hands together, staring at them with a surprisingly evil smirk.
"Now, it won't be painful."
An obvious contradiction, you see, because Hatori was plainly seen testing a particularly large syringe. Shigure mysteriously disappeared but he brought out something that resembled a large black box.
"First, we're going to give you a lie test."
Yuki blinked and turned his head to the door of Hatori's office. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn he heard Kyou scream. He slid off the chair and was getting ready to eavesdrop when a sudden chirping caught his attention. Dark lavender hair whipping around, Yuki saw a small bird, a canary perhaps, flying outside a large window.
A smile curving on his face, Yuki immediately approached the window. The small bird perched on the outside window sill and chirped. Squinting, Yuki felt a sudden familiarity when he looked at the bird. To which Sohma did this bird belong to? Yuki wondered.
"My name's Yuki." he whispered, as if sharing a secret to the bird. The bird chirped once more, before flying away. Sighing softly, Yuki watched it fly away.
It would be too late before Yuki realized that the bird did belong to a Sohma.
Akito.
Kyou's eye twitched. A habit that Kyou had recently developed, though how, would remain a mystery. He noted that Haru didn't seem at all bothered with the questions Shigure shot at him. In fact, he seemed ready to answer them.
Is he taking this seriously?! Kyou thought incredulously.
"--at night?"
Kyou snapped his head back, and looked up at Ayame's expectant face. "..er.."
"Not paying attention Kyou? That's not good." Ayame marked something on his clipboard. Kyou resisted the urge of breaking in Ayame's face by a thread. His eye was currently twitching up a storm.
"I said," Ayame continued, "Do you have erotic dreams of Yuki at night?"
"NANI!?!"
"Check! Ohohoho..saa, do you--"
"M-matte! I didn't say yes!"
"Ah, but, you didn't say no!" Ayame laughed loudly, hand partially covering his mouth.
"That's not true!"
Ayame paused.
"Honto ni? Maa, Kyou, why won't you be more like Haru? He's answering all the questions straightforwardly. Watch. Oi! Haru!"
Haru paused in whatever answer he was saying and faced Ayame. "Do you think Yuki is cute?"
"..hai."
"See?" Ayame gave a bright smile to Kyou.
Kyou immediately felt a flicker of anger coursing through him at Haru's admittance. "Fine damnit! I'll answer like him already!!" Kyou yelled.
"Good. Now, read this sign out loud." Ayame held up a sign in Japanese.
"Ecchi..shite..hoshi..desu…NANI!?!" I would like to f you.. WHAT?!!?
"Kyoou!" Ayame batted his hand at him. "You can't cheat on Yuki!" The sudden implication hit him, and he gasped. "You cheated on him! This isn't looking good Kyou.." Ayame wrote another thing on his clipboard.
Of course, if you would have taken a look on Ayame's clipboard, you would have just scene doodles on the sheet of paper. Although, there was a cute little doodle of a kitty, but that obviously had nothing to do with the interrogation. As such.. Ayame just wanted to torture poor Kyou.
Three hours and twenty-four minutes later, Hatsuharu and Kyou finally came out. Yuki had taken a nap during this period, and was currently asleep in his chair. Smiling softly, Ayame bent down and picked Yuki up. It was almost night time, signifying the end of seven-year old Yuki's day. The entire group headed to the car, ready to go to bed in Shigure's house.
Yuki was sitting beside his brother, or rather, sleeping beside him. His head was leaning against Ayame's shoulder, and neither brothers seemed at all troubled in this position. It seemed the two were getting closer, something for which all the Sohmas' would like to see.
Akito whistled softly, and his pet bird immediately came at his call. It alighted on his finger, staring innocently up at Akito's face.
"You will always come at my call, won't you?" Akito wasn't expecting a reply, but the bird chirped back at him.
"I wonder.. How Shigure is doing these days. And Kyou and Yuki…"
The small bird broke out into the sweetest song, seemingly telling Akito its day's events.
Akito let a smile linger on his face as he urged the bird to fly into the air.
I think it may be time to pay Shigure a visit..
A/N: O.O… ::shudders:: I didn't want to end this chapter with a freaky end, but it just turned out that way. Hope you like it so far!!!
WAIT! DON'T FORGET ABOUT THOSE DONATIONS! IF YOU'VE READ THE TOP AUTHOR NOTES, THEN YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. IF YOU DON'T, THEN SCROLL UP AND READ IT! I'M SERIOUS! Come on, you only need to type in a few words, no brain power needed.
Also, just a few things I need to say on the chapter.
I have this idea. You see, all the twelve Sohmas' (yes, I'm including Kyou), all represent the animals from the zodiac. And many rumors say that Akito may represent the God who invited the animals. So, being a God, he must have some type of odd ability like the other Sohmas', yes? So, after much thinking, I made out this entire explanation. That bird the Akito usually has with him, (Canary?), what if Akito used this bird to find out about things that went on. I know, it doesn't make sense, but it works for my story.
If you think about it, all they know, is that the head of the family would be the one that bears the curse. But why? It doesn't really connect with the whole God business, but hey, it's my story, and in my world, it makes complete sense. So, for those who are wondering how Akito could have understood what the bird is telling him, (Yes, the bird was "telling" him what went on. Think of it likely him being telepathic.. Sheesh.. You know what I mean.. anyway.. It's not going to be a really big thing in this story. I won't have Akito talking to animals in every chapter, and heck, this'll probably be the only chapter Akito does talk to the canary). So yeah.. That's about it..
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