Bonjour! (It just seems appropriate to talk French in this story considering the title:) Which brings me to my next question...Ayame will be using a few little French expression, but nothing too uncommon. Do you think I need to define them at the bottom? (I did for the German in my HaruxMomiji story, but Momiji spoke so much more German than Aaya will speak french.) Well, I'll do it this time. Just tell me what you think:)

So, anyways, I've actually been finished for several days, but since log-in was down :( I couldn't post until now! This story is maybe a little easier to write than my last story. I think it is because both of these characters are fairly predictable. In "Into Ashes All My Lust" Haru confused even me sometimes! It's easy for me to write Aaya just like it was easy for me to write Momiji, probably because those are the two characters that I'm most like. Yay!

I hope you enjoy chapter 2! Please read and review, s'il vous plaît?

"I'M SORRY! I APOLOGIZE FOR BREATHING! I APOLOGIZE FOR WALKING ON THIS STREET AND TAKING UP THE SPACE I DON'T DESERVE! I'M SO SORRY!"

Ayame's heart fell in his chest as he listened to the resounding screams. 'Ritsu? But why? Why are you here?' Sliding through the crowd, he retained a dignified strut even in his frantic to reach the other boy. 'It seems that you're haunting not only my dreams today.'

"I can't believe I was born so useless and stupid that I can't even find my own school," slumping across the concrete walkway, the monkey choked on his sobs. "I, I, should just die. I hope nobody ever, ever finds me here, and I die! Mother wouldn't be so ashamed anymore! I couldn't ruin people's lives ever again!"

As the snake forced his way through the crowd, he stopped, a sickening feeling spreading through his chest. He could not believe what he was hearing, and the sincerity with which the other man spoke added to his horror. 'How could anyone think so little of his life? Did I do this to him?' Ayame could not bear to consider the thought. Finally breaking through the circle of people surrounding his cousin, the silver-haired man swooped down on the crying figure. "Oh, dear Ritchan! What on earth are you doing here?"

Looking up with terrified eyes, the younger man's cheeks burned with shame. "Ayame-san?" He whispered almost inaudibly. "What, what-," he lost control of his words in a rush of shudders. "I'm so sorry for troubling you! Now you must be embarrassed to be standing here with me! I'M SO SORRY!"

Ayame's eyes narrowed slightly as he heard snickers arise from behind him. However, he hid his annoyance at the onlookers with a carefree laugh. "Oh, don't be silly, Ritchan! I am the great Ayame! I never get embarrassed!" Waving his arms dramatically, he reached a hand to the other boy's crumpled shoulders. "But now really, Ritchan. Is this the time or the place to be practicing your lines for the play?"

Flushing as he watched the snake's hand reach for his arm, Ritsu gave a confused look. "Play?" He squeaked.

"Oh yes," Gaining momentum, the dress designer directed his tale toward the listening crowd. "You must excuse my dearest little cousin! He's appearing in a performance tonight, and he found it necessary to review his part one last time," Ayame's grin sparkled. "Do not be alarmed by his behavior! There's nothing more to see here today." Giving the monkey a purposeful tug, he led them both toward the brightly-decorated storefront. "I am sorry, but the two of us must depart and leave you to go about your ordinary lives." With a final bow, he pushed the younger Sohma through the doorway, hiding him from the goggling stares. "Au revoir!"

Ritsu tumbled backwards, sprawling across Ayame's carpeted floor in a frantic attempt to get away from his cousin. "Ayame-san, I'm so sorry I bothered you like this! You must have been busy, and now I'm troubling you with my presence. All because I got lost and rode the wrong bus this morning!" He buried his tan eyes behind his palms, struggling to control the tears that streamed down his face. "I'm so shameless."

"Oh, little monkey-chan! Don't be so dramatic!" Ayame rushed to console the boy, pained by the wretched expression on his younger cousin's face. "It was no trouble at all! See, this is my shop," he gestured proudly to the racks of cloth that surrounded them on all sides. "So I had to walk but a few steps before finding you! Aren't we lucky that you got lost so close to where I live?"

"Thank you so much for helping me." The redhead nodded slightly, his eyes whirling around the room. "This is your shop, Ayame-san?"

"Oh, yes," the snake replied, pride dancing through every word. "And my apartment is right upstairs. Isn't it a charming place?"

"Yes, it's very beautiful," Ritsu agreed completely, his eyes swelling with adoration for the taller man. "I'm too ugly to be here."

Sighing emphatically, the silver-haired man extracted an embroidered handkerchief from his shirt pocket. "Ritchan, Ritchan," he scolded gently as he leaned to clean off the other boy's face. "Whatever are we going to do with you?" The snake's head pounded as he wiped the tears from under the monkey's sticky eyelashes. 'He's crying. Just like he did so many times when Shigure and I made him the butt of our jokes. The day he gave me that flower, I told him that it was ugly. I told him that he was ugly.' Helping Ritsu to his feet, Ayame stood back with an affirming smile. "See, now you look as pretty as anything in this store. You most certainly do belong here!"

"Do you, do you think so?" The younger boy looked surprised, growing flustered as he awaited a response. "No, don't lie. Please don't. I, I shouldn't be flattered by you. You're too good to talk to me."

"Dear Ritchan, why would you ever assume that I'm lying?" He chuckled, twirling his fingers through the cross dresser's tresses. 'I'm not just flattering him,' he thought, bemused as he surveyed the face before him. 'He really is attractive. It's just so hard to notice his face when it's always smudged with tears!'

"Ayame-san?" Mine's voice interrupted them as she peeked out of the storeroom door. "Do we have a customer?" Her arms loaded with a plethora of vibrant dresses, she rushed toward the cash register, piling her load on the counter top as she hastened to satisfy her curiosity. "Can I help?"

"I almost forgot, sweet Mine!" Flashing a broad grin, he eased Ritsu in the direction of his coworker. "We have very special company! This is my cousin, Ritsu Sohma."

"Uh, uh," the monkey dropped his head in a bashful bow. "Pleased to meet you. I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Not at all," Mine replied politely, her eyes scanning the redhead. Her face contorted into a look of shock as she identified the boy in front of her. "I'm just," forming wordless questions behind her smile, she studied Ayame's face expectantly, as if she was waiting for some sort of explanation. "I'm just surprised."

"Yes, Ritchan's visit came as a pleasant shock to me as well," agreeing with the girl, he draped his arm around the younger boy's shoulder. "It isn't every day that my cousins stop by to see me!" His eyes drifted toward the nearby trash can, immediately noticing the wilted roses that stuck out over the rim. 'Especially not after I wished to see them. I feel like this was supposed to happen today. I finally have a chance to change what I did to him as a child. This is my opportunity to get to know him better and show him that I truly do regret the past! This is my time to rid myself of these nightmares forever!' He swung his hands around the room in a fluid motion. "But come, now it is time for the grand tour! Would you like to see the rest of my merchandise?"

"Yes," Ritsu whispered with a sincere smile. However, once he spoke the words he hurried to mask his eagerness. "Of course, that is, if you don't mind."

"Mind?" The silver-haired man gave a hearty laugh, clasping his long fingers around the other boy's arm. "Of course I don't mind! I'm honored to show you," he sounded a bit overenthusiastic as he floated around the room, pointing out extravagant articles of clothing with pride in his voice. "Dearest Mine, you don't mind taking care of the business while I attend to my guest, now do you?"

"No, not at all," she answered swiftly, though still sounding puzzled as she watched her boss's interaction with the timid monkey. "Have fun!"

"We will, we will," the snake pranced between the racks of dresses, the rhythm of his steps demonstrating his excitement. "Now, these are all of my current projects. Most of them, like this one," he extracted a flimsy pink miniskirt, "are special orders custom made to fulfill the fantasies of my closest and best customers." He winked at Ritsu. "You understand, I presume?"

"Oh, um, yes," the other boy trembled in response, analyzing the floor beneath him as he struggled to avoid Ayame's gaze. "Um, I think so."

"Yes, and of course I do everything in confidentiality. I think it is a very important gift to be able to satisfy other people's romantic urges. I am always so glad to know that I've done a great service for these people! I would never want anyone to feel awkward about their sexual preferences. You know, people with fantasies about nurses and maids. Men that prefer to dress like women," finally taking note of the uneasy expression on the other boy's face, he realized that Ritsu did not appreciate the direction of his comments. 'Oops! I thought that would help him feel more comfortable! I guess not.' He digressed immediately. "Of course, some of these are entirely my own creations."

Ritsu regained some of his composure as his eyes probed through the various outfits. "They're all so wonderful. You are so good at designing clothes," his face shone with admiration. "You're so good at everything."

Fighting the urge to agree with him, Ayame attempted an air of modesty. "Nonsense! We all have our talents and our weaknesses, of course." His heart burning as he recognized his own internal battle with selfishness, Ayame laughed off his guilt. "I just happen to design amazing dresses. I'm sure you have talents yourself, right, Ritchan?"

"No," stumbling backwards, the monkey fumbled in his meekness. "No, I'm useless. I'm not good at anything." Tears brimmed instantly under his thick eyelashes, but he sniffed into his sleeve so as to hide his hurt from the older boy. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't bother you with my problems. It's rude of me to talk about myself when I'm here in your lovely shop taking advantage of your hospitality. I'm so sorry."

"I really hope you don't mean that, Ritchan," Ayame stated with a gentle chuckle, though he knew that the other boy did in fact mean every word that he said.

"I, I," one of the dresses on a nearby rack caught the redhead's eye, causing him to lose focus on the conversation. He stepped warily toward the outfit, admiring the soft mint fabric and graceful curves from a distance. "That is very pretty, Ayame-san." He sighed, offering his cousin a reverent smile. "Did you really make the whole thing yourself?"

"Oh yes!" Leaping forward, the snake snatched the tiny dress and held it out to Ritsu. "This is my very own design, and one of my favorites still available in this store. Would you like to try it on?" He asked hopefully, awaiting the other boy's response.

"Oh no, I couldn't! It wouldn't look right," the smaller boy shook his head emphatically, trying unsuccessfully to hide desire for the green garment. "You'd only ruin it if you put it on me."

"Ritchan!" Ayame flashed a dramatic pout, accentuating his disappointment. "I really, really want you to try it on this instant. Won't you do that, for me?" He felt satisfied as he saw the other boy's face soften. He knew that Ritsu would never do anything he thought might trouble his older cousin, even if his wish to satisfy Ayame forced him to drop his shyness and self-loathing for a moment. "I really would like to see you in it."

"Um, well, OK," he replied in a shaky tone, reaching cold fingers to grasp the fabric. "But only if it doesn't bother you."

"Not at all! I've never seen anyone except myself in it before, so I am very excited! You can change over there," he gestured to a silk screen at the far end of the room, "if you'd like." Watching as the other boy disappeared into the cramped dressing room, Ayame's heart warmed. 'He is such a sweetheart! I can't believe anyone can be so grateful and polite!' The snake felt a sense of admiration ebbing at his heart. 'But he can't understand what a good person he is.' He gave a regretful sigh, twirling his fingers around a roll of lacy ribbon. 'I hope he realizes that other people don't hate him, even if they may laugh at him or ignore him. I don't think it's possible for anyone to truly hate someone so gentle!'

"Ayame-san?" the other boy interrupted the snake's thoughts, emerging from behind the screen with a nervous whisper. "I, I-."

"Oh my, you look amazing!" Sashaying forward, the silver-haired man surveyed Ritsu's petite figure and sparkling eyes with awe. "This outfit suits you absolutely perfectly. It looks like it was made for you!"

"No, no," Ritsu tried to protest, his voice trickling away in a fit of shivers. "I mean, it's so gorgeous, and I-."

Ayame wagged his finger playfully. "Now Ritsu, don't you trust my expert opinion on this subject? I know a perfect fit when I see it." His gaze drifted to a baggy spot just below the waistline. "Oh, except, right here," wrapping his arm around the other boy's waist, he tried to tighten the silky bodice. "Right here it would need a little alteration."

His skin jumping under the snake's touch, the monkey bit his lip. "Oh, um, I," his eyes blurred in shame as he tensed at the other man's action. "I, well," he looked absolutely flustered, his chest heaving in an attempt to suppress an impending blush. "Ayame-san?"

The white-haired man studied his companion intently. 'That's interesting,' he marveled at the other boy's obvious uncertainty. 'Does he, hmm, I wonder if he likes me?' Ayame was stunned by the warmth that spread in his chest at the thought. 'Why am I so happy? It won't be the first time I've acquired a little admirer!' Letting his hands linger on the monkey's hips, he flashed a sparkling grin. "You really look positively beautiful! Green is your color! And the shape," he let his fingers travel up Ritsu's side in a flirtatious motion, "emphasizes your figure quite nicely."

His eyes widening, the smaller man ripped away from the caress. "Oh no, I, I'm very sorry." He stared at his feet as he wrung his hands in front of him. "I'm, I'm very shameful."

The snake ignored the other boy's protests, reaching to stroke the monkey's thick locks of hair. "I think you should keep it. Take it as a present!"

"What!" Ritsu squealed, his hands flying to unbutton the delicate dress. "I couldn't do that! I couldn't steal from you and abuse your generosity! You've already given me so much of your time today. I can't accept anything else from you! I should be the one giving you a gift." Tugging the outfit from his body, he flushed in uncontrollable embarrassment. "I'm so sorry if I made it seem like I wanted to take this dress. That was very rude of me! I'm sorry! I'M SO SORRY! I HAVE TO LEAVE YOU RIGHT NOW! I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL! I'M SO SORRY FOR WASTING YOUR TIME!"

Catching his younger cousin in an embrace, Ayame hoped to comfort the other boy. "No, no, thank you for coming, sweet little monkey-chan. I haven't seen you for a very long time, so your visit was quite a treat for me. That's why I want to give you this gift. You really must accept it!"

"I, I," the redhead stuttered, hurrying to put on his own silk kimono. "Thank you, but I really need to get to school. I, I, I'm glad I got to see you, too," he mustered a smile.

As he watched the monkey drop the outfit and bustle toward the door, Ayame's head pounded. "Are you sure you don't need any help finding your way to college? You'll surely be late to class if you lose your way again." The snake felt unready to let his guest leave.

"No, no, I couldn't bother you like that." Ritsu assured him, slumping his shoulders in an attempt to hide his fearful expression. "Thank you. I hope you have a nice day."

Reaching to pick up the mint-colored garment, the silver-haired man shook his head. "I'm serious, dear Ritchan! I want you to have this dress. I'll call you as soon as I finish the alterations, and then maybe you can come back and pick it up?" He could not believe the anticipation he felt at the idea of another visit from his cousin. "I really hope you will accept it."

Saying nothing, the timid boy left the store and ran back toward the bus stop.

Ayame watched the retreating form, barely able to understand the heat boiling in his chest. 'I didn't do something wrong, did I? No, of course not! He'll be back. He has to come back. I, I,' he groaned slightly. 'I don't know what's going on with me!'

His eyes darting back toward his coworker, he regained his vivacity and offered a charming grin. "So, what did you think of the amazing Ritsu Sohma?"

Français avec Ayame:)

Au revoir- Good bye!

Like I said, not very much to define! Lol! Next chapter...a little bit angsty with Aaya and Yuki. :( It might be a few days before I update, though, because I'm graduating on Saturday!