Disclaimer: I do not own FB, and I've only read to volume 8 of the manga, so I'm going on what I have read so far, and a few rumors I've heard.
A/N: Ok, this part's SUPER long. I just couldn't find a cutoff! But that's ok, because it makes up for the short first part.
Part 2: A Dream Discovered
"Mother!" Ayame said suddenly, "I simply must have an outfit to wear to the dance the school is having!" He had been trying to think of a way to ask her so that she would agree to get him a nice suit of some sort to wear, but his mother was stingy, and didn't care much for whatever Ayame wanted. She didn't care much for Ayame either, because of the curse he bore.
"You need, you need!" She yelled at him, turning on him, "Get out and find you're on way to get a suit! I'm certainly not wasting this family's money on your selfish needs!"
The snake had known his mother wouldn't agree to his request, but he had imagined it would be worth a shot. The woman treasured her precious possessions far too much though. The only thing she treasured more was her status within the family, she would sell her own son for either of these things, in fact, and she had already done so. Ayame tried to remember his brother's face, but found it was getting harder and harder to do so. He also wondered why he found himself wanting more and more to try and think of his brother, where he used to hate him so much.
Ayame wandered out into the streets, walking slowly along, looking depressed around. This was a surprise, he was sure, and to anyone who may happen to see him; since he put on a happy front for the most part. It was rare for him to show his sorrows to anyone, in fact, he couldn't remember ever having told anyone of his secret feelings, not even Ha'ri or Gure.
He wasn't watching where he was going, and didn't notice until it was too late that his leg had swung directly into the path of a young woman from his school, who tripped and fell into a patch of dirt. He blinked; surprised to see a girl who wasn't in the family, but hurried to her side, noticing along the way that he had actually strayed away from Souma grounds.
He held a hand out to her, plastering as bright a smile as he could across his face, "I'm so terribly sorry!" He said enthusiastically as he took the girls hand, helping her too her feet.
"No!" She said hurriedly, "It's my fault, really!" She smiled brightly, her hair twisted into pigtails, her eyes sparkling so that Ayame couldn't help but notice she was very cute, "I wasn't watching where I was going!"
"Nor was I." I admitted as he watched her dust off her skirt, "I'm Ayame Souma, by the way. It's ever the pleasure to meet such a pretty girl as you!" He said in his usual jovial tone. It wasn't rare for him to tell a girl she was pretty, in fact he said it quite often.
The girl blinked, then looked at him, as though she wasn't used to such compliments, "Me?" She said unbelievingly.
"Why yes! You!" Ayame said with a laugh, his downtrodden mood diminishing some.
"A compliment!" She bubbled; clearly she wasn't used to flattery, "Thank you! I'm Mine Kuramae. Where were you heading?" She asked politely.
"Oh, no where in particular, I'm afraid, just wandering about!" Her inquiry as to his destination reminded him of why he had walked away from his home to begin with, and his smile faltered for only a moment. But evidently Mine didn't miss this sign.
"You seem troubled…" She said softly, "I was on my way home, care to join me for some dinner?"
"I assure you nothing is troubling me! But dinner sounds wonderful!" Aya beamed at this new young acquaintance.
"Great! Follow me!" She said with a smile as she led the way to her family's home. Her mother was in a corner with a large bin of fabrics and threads, sewing something of other. Her father was reading the newspaper at a table. Three boys who were obviously older than Aya and Mine were roughhousing in the living room.
The tallest of the boys turned and looked at Mine, "What happened to you?" He said eying the dirt that still clung to the girl's skirt, "Fall again, clumsy?"
The other two boys erupted laughing and Aya stepped forward to defend his new friend from what he assumed to be her brothers, "How rude! If you must know, her misstep was entirely my fault, you see, I wasn't paying attention, and placed my foot in her path!"
The brothers blinked, and then burst out laughing again, "Where's you pick this guy up at Mine? A circus?" Said the second tallest boy.
"He'd have to be a circus freak to want to spend time with her!" Said the eldest brother.
"Yeah! Besides, just look at that pretty silver hair of his! And so long and silky!" The youngest said through fits of giggles.
Mine took Ayame by the wrist and pulled him away from their mockery, her eyes stinging with potential tears.
Her mother glared up from the sewing she was doing, "Look at these socks!" She said waving a pair at the girl, "I told you to patch them up! And you didn't even try!" Her eyes fell on Ayame, "And who said you could bring a guest over!"
"He's just staying for dinner, he helped me when I fell, it's my way of thanking him." She continued through the house, and Ayame followed, surprised by her family situation, given that she was usually rather cheerful at school, despite the teachers' occasional remarks on hr mediocre grades.
As the headed through the dining area into the kitchen, her father stopped reading to look up at her, "If you're going to make us eat that crap you call cooking, you could at least be here to get it time in done for dinner!" He snapped.
Mine said nothing, but hurried with Ayame into the kitchen, where she immediately set about on getting dinner ready, "Sorry about my family." She murmured as she tied an apron around her waist, making her black skirt look like a little maids outfit, Aya couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought, then realizing it was inappropriate for the situation wipe the smile off his face, "Well, they really are being very rude! But that's no need for you to apologize dear." He said kindly.
Mine smiled at him, "So…do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly, tending to the rice cooker on the counter.
"About what?" Aya asked, his bright yellow eyes blinking in curiosity.
"Whatever it is that's bothering you." Mine said.
Ayame blinked, this girl seemed to truly care about him, like no one outside of the Zodiac ever had. The rest of the girls at school liked him because he was admittedly gorgeous, and that was the only reason they cared about him, this girl, however, was different. She seemed to truly care how he felt, whereas he doubted any of his fan girls would care to notice if he was upset.
He smiled disarmingly at her. He felt as though he could tell her most anything, despite that they had just met, "Oh, family problems I suppose." He said simply, and then brightened his tone, "But nothing that you should have to concern yourself over, I assure you! Now let's get dinner ready!"
And so, Ayame and Mine set about making dinner, and Ayame found that he quite enjoyed the process of cooking. It gave him the power to create something, and he very much cherished the feeling it aroused in him. But, he wasn't the best chef in the world he found, as he would have burned the soup had it not been for Mine's intervention.
Ayame stayed and ate dinner with the Kuramaes, and after words, he and Mine decided to study together a while. She was a full two years behind him, but he remembered much of what she was studying and thought that he could help her.
He walked into her room, and saw a room full of dresses, and cute little costumes. He gaped, "I say! These are exquisite! Where did they come from?"
"You like them?" She said with a faint blush, "I made them…I'm not that great at sewing, but-"
He cut her off as he examined one of the outfits, "Don't sell yourself short, my dear! You're fantastic! I've never seen such craftsmanship!"
"You really think so!" She exclaimed, thrilled at the compliment, "My mother says-"
"Don't you mind what your mother says! I think they are wonderful! Could you teach me?" he asked as he let the fabric slide through his fingers, somehow this felt natural, his fingers running over the cloth.
"Of course!" She went to her secret stash of fabric and thread that she had smuggled from her mother and threaded him a needle, "What would you like to make?"
"Hmmm…." He thought carefully a moment, "A suit! I need one for the dance!" He exclaimed, "And Mother refuses to buy me one!"
It took a couple tries, but before long it became obvious that he was a natural. He quickly surpassed Mine's skill level as he took continued lessons from her after school on weekdays, but he was careful not to make it seem as though he were superior to her, and often paid her the compliments she deserved, and was rarely granted by her family.