Well, everyone...I've finished the next chapter sooner than anticipated:) Imagine that. This one is set in a steakhouse...lol, which is really funny considering I'm a vegetarian. But steak is the most expensive food in Japan...and you know how our little Aaya-san loves to show off! ;) They also drink wine, and I don't drink, so, yeah...this is just full of little ironic touches. ha ha! Enjoy and review!

"Yes, I have a reservation for two," Ayame beamed at the tuxedo-clad maitre d', looking proud as he wrapped his arm around Ritsu's waist. "The name is Sohma Ayame."

The man shifted through an embossed book, eyeing the two men curiously. "Yes, yes, of course, sir," he nodded, maintaining an air of politeness despite his obvious disapproval of his guests. He studied the snake's silver braid and outlandish purple dress coat, sniffing his nose slightly as he turned to leave. "Right this way."

"Isn't this a charming place, Ritchan?" The taller man guided his date into the main room, strutting behind the maitre d' with a look of satisfaction in his eyes. "Simply fabulous! When I thought to bring you somewhere, I just knew it had to be here. Little Monkey-chan deserves only the best!"

"I, I, I'm sorry, I'm not good enough for this," the redhead was awestruck as he scanned the elegant Western-style steakhouse. Fixing his gaze on the rich burgundy carpet, he blushed deeply, fidgeting with the silk of his green dress. "I mean, thank you. Thank you so much, Ayame-san."

The silver-haired man's heart fluttered as he noted the change in Ritsu's statements. 'What is going on? Is he trying to keep his composure?' He was overjoyed by the other man's attempt at confidence, which only further propelled his excitement. "Here you go, my dearest Ritsu," approaching a candle-lit table, he dramatically pulled out a chair, taking the monkey's hand and easing him into it. "Please have a seat," he bowed, flashing a sparkling grin.

"Enjoy your meal, sir," the host sounded suspicious as he studied Ritsu, "and madam." Handing Ayame the menus, he offered a fake smile before returning to his post at the front of the restaurant.

"Ah, yes!" Taking the seat across from the monkey, the silver-haired man began to finger through the menu. He paused, studying each foreign word, struggling to retain some of his vocabulary from high school language classes. "I think I will order a bottle of Pinot Noir," he mustered an exaggerated accent, moving his arms to match his enthusiasm. "If that suits you, of course."

"Y, y, yes, of course," the redhead shifted in his seat, looking unsure about what he had agreed to drink. Opening his own menu, he earnestly examined the list for something resembling the word that the other man had just proposed. "Oh, um!" He stopped suddenly, his eyes widening. Grabbing for his tiny purse and pulling it into his lap, he started to rummage through each pocket with a fearful look on his face. "I'm not sure I can, I mean, um," he bit his lip, unable to meet the other man's gaze.

Leaning across the table, Ayame caught Ritsu's hand. "Not to worry, my dearest little Ritchan. I invited you on this date, and I will certainly not make you pay for any of it!" Easing the bag out of the redhead's grip, he offered a reassuring smile. "The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself! Now," he scanned the list of foods once more, gaining momentum as he tried to impress his date. "The filet mignon is simply fabulous. I order it every time!" He nodded to reaffirm his lie.

"I don't know, um," Ritsu flushed, ringing his hands under the table. "I don't think I'm worth that."

"Nonsense!" The snake chuckled vivaciously, throwing his hand in the air to signal the waiter. "Excusez-moi, garçon!" He paused, waiting for the tuxedo-clad man to respond. "Could you bring my friend and I a bottle of Pinot Noir, on ice?"

"Of course, sir," the older man bowed, backing away and heading for the kitchen. "Whatever you desire."

Ignoring the prying stares being shot in his direction from the surrounding tables, Ayame fingered his braided hair, grinning at his companion expectantly. "So, Ritchan," he attempted to prompt a conversation, "how is your painting coming along? I would just love to see it!"

"Well," the younger man fiddled with his napkin, trembling slightly as he tried to produce a response. "I, um, I restarted that painting of the gardens. It was ugly, and I didn't want my teacher to be ashamed of me, so I have to keep trying to make it better."

"I thought it was quite lovely," Ayame corrected him, offering the other man an encouraging look. "I'm sure your teacher would've been very pleased with it! You are never going to get anywhere in life if you always worry about not being perfect."

"I know I'm not perfect!" The smaller man's voice rose slightly as his shoulders slumped forward. "I'm sorry, Ayame-san. I should've kept trying."

"Yes, yes, that's a much better attitude!" Laughing, the dress designer placed a finger under Ritsu's chin, gently forcing the redhead to make eye contact with him. Ignoring the awkward blush on the monkey's face, he continued. "Now tell me, do you always paint landscapes, or have you also experimented with other subjects? People, perhaps?"

"No, no," the redhead pulled away from the snake's touch. "I never paint people. I'm, I'm just afraid they won't like my work, and they'll get mad at me, and," he took a deep breath, calming his voice slightly. "Once I went to the zoo and painted a family of monkeys, but I was a little nervous and I don't think it turned out very well. I mostly like doing landscapes because, well, the trees can't get angry when I don't do a very good job." He giggled uneasily, hiding his mouth in his hands.

Ayame's heart leaped at the sound of the other man's laughter. "You're giggling, dear Monkey-chan! I never thought I would hear that!" Beaming at his companion, he relished in the smile on the other man's face, enjoying every moment of it. 'He truly looks happy. I seem to have helped him relax! How magnificent!'

Looking to the taller man, Ritsu misunderstood Ayame's comment. "Oh, I'm sorry!" His face muscles tensed into a look of frantic, completely erasing any signs of pleasure. "I'm so sorry! I was bothering you!"

"Oh Ritchan, of course you weren't! You look very lovely when you smile like that," as Ayame watched his date, his pulse quickened, his mind formulating an idea to persuade the young artist. "You know, sometime I would adore it if you would paint a portrait of me."

"Oh no! I couldn't!" Ritsu hurried to turn down the other man's request. "I'm sorry, I just-."

"Excuse me," the waiter interrupted their conversation. "One bottle of Pinot Noir, on ice." He gracefully placed the silver bucket on the table, uncorking the wine and pouring each man a glass. "Enjoy."

"Yes, we will, thank you," Ayame lifted the glass to his lips and sipped delicately at the dark liquid. Eyeing the younger man, he snickered playfully as he noted the apprehensive look on Ritsu's face. "You have never had a drink before, I gather."

"I, I," the monkey shook with embarrassment. "No, my mom wouldn't let me. But I will if you want me to, Ayame-san," his face swelled with adoration as he chanced a glance in the snake's direction.

"Not to worry, sweet Ritchan," he handed the wine glass to his smaller cousin. "Just take it slow." He leaned back in his chair, watching the monkey take a shy sip of the alcohol. 'Hopefully that will ease some of his tension. It would be so nice to finally see the real Ritsu,' the snake wondered at the other man, silently praying that he would find an opportunity to share his feelings. 'He must know that I love him. He seems to have a bit of a crush on me, as well, so if he calms down a bit I may be able to talk to him about a possible relationship.'

Returning to the cousins' table, the elderly waiter bowed slightly as he extracted a pad of paper from his apron. "And what will you be eating today, sir?"

Ayame responded in a confident voice, gesturing fluidly as he spoke. "Yes, I will have a filet mignon, rare, with a side of hollandaise sauce."

"Very good choice," the older man agreed, scribbling down the order. "And for you, madam," he looked to Ritsu with expectant eyes.

"Oh, I, um," the redhead's voice fell to a whisper as he fingered the menu. "I guess I'll just have a salad-."

"He'll have the filet mignon, as well," Ayame interrupted, his own reply drowning out the monkey's half-hearted request. "And add a lobster tail with melted butter as a side dish."

"Very good, sir," the server flashed Ritsu an inquisitive stare, obviously confused by the snake's specification of gender. "I'll, I'll get that right out as soon as possible," he turned to leave, trying to mask his obvious smirk.

"Well," taking a long swig of wine, Ayame reached to pour himself another glass. Wishing to break the silence, he racked his brain for something to talk about. "My shop is doing amazing this week! We've sold nearly twice as much as usual. It seems that I am gaining a great deal of renown for my work, which is not surprising, of course."

Listening to the other man's boasts, the redhead nodded timidly. "That's because you're so good, Ayame-san," he agreed, his voice filled with sincerity.

"Yes, yes," the snake chuckled, his reply giving way to silence. 'I must give him something to talk about,' he grew slightly frustrated by the other man's short answer. 'I have to find a way to get him to open up to me. I need to find the real Ritsu before I can honestly tell him that I'm in love.' Sweeping his hair over his shoulder, he took a second try, "Did you hear that Ha'ri has a new girlfriend? She is a friend of Kana's, and she dated Shigure when we were younger. I've only met her a few times, but I hear she is also my dearest little brother's teacher in school. Isn't that wonderful?"

The younger man's eyes widened. "But Ayame-san," his voice squeaked. "Don't you like Hatori-san?" As soon as he had uttered the question, he clamped his hands over his mouth, a look of terror striking his pretty features. "I'm so sorry, Ayame-san. I, I," he stuttered, "I shouldn't have said anything. That was very rude of me!"

"So you knew, as well?" The snake ignored his companion's protests, sliding one of his legs against Ritsu's with an affirming grin. "I suppose everybody could see it. But that was when I was younger. I soon realized that, no matter how hard I tried, Hatori would never return my feelings. So I gave up on him."

"I'm so sorry," the monkey fumbled with his glass, blushing as he attempted to comfort the other man. "I'm really sorry."

"Nothing to worry about!" Ayame gave a carefree laugh, waving his hand through the air. "Really! I have forgotten about it entirely! I'm not one to mope! Besides," his voice dropped, gaining an air of seriousness, "I've found someone new that I'm interested in." Making eye contact with the redhead, his eyes softened meaningfully. "I think you know who I'm talking about. Don't you, beautiful Monkey-chan?"

"Oh! I, um," Ritsu stammered, flushing madly as he reached for his wine. "No, I'm sorry, I don't, um, well, I-." His hands trembled violently as tried to close around the neck of the glass. But instead, it slipped from his fingers, shattering on the ground and sending a spray of blood-colored liquid across the carpet. He gasped, looking mortified. "I'm sorry!" He dropped to his knees, frantically attempting to blot out the stain with his napkin. "I'm so sorry, Ayame-san! You shouldn't have brought me to a place like this! I'm too clumsy!"

"Oh, don't worry, Ritchan," joining his cousin on the floor, Ayame desperately tried to soothe the other man, wrapping his arms around his waist in hopes of stopping the impending fit of apologies. Looking up at the other tables, he noted the disapproving stares being shot at them from all directions. "It's really no trouble at all," he laughed, making an effort to curb the younger man's panic.

"I'm sorry!" Ritsu, however, ignored his older cousin's words, caught up in his own terror. "I'M SO SORRY! I APOLOGIZE!" He broke down in sobs, letting out echoing screams in an attempt to gain atonement. "I APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE WORLD! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN! I'M SO STUPID! I MESS UP EVERYTHING I DO! I SHOULD JUST DIE!"

"No, no, of course not, Ritchan," Ayame ran his fingers through the monkey's hair, trying to pull him back to his seat. "Now let's not make a scene. It really isn't worth it. The waiter can come over and clean this up."

"Excuse me, sir," the maitre d' tapped on Ayame's shoulder, a look of suppressed annoyance filling his eyes. "If you don't get her to stop this, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're disturbing the other guests."

"Yes, yes, I know," the silver-haired man brushed him off, returning his attention to the weeping form in front of him. "Now, Ritsu, just come with me and-."

"I'M SO SORRY AYAME-SAN! NOW I'M JUST EMBARRASSING YOU!" Meeting his cousin's gaze, he cowered, crumbling under the fear of rejection. "I SHAME THE ENTIRE FAMILY! I'M SO SORRY! I JUST-!"

The snake's chest clenched as he sensed the self-loathing on his cousin's face. It was the same expression that he had seen that day when they were children, and it was very painful to know that he was, once again, the cause of his cousin's suffering. "No, no, you aren't embarrassing me at all. I don't get embarrassed," he bit his lip, searching his brain for some solution to the predicament. 'I must get him to stop. But how? I cannot hurt him anymore by telling him he needs to be quiet. I simply cannot stand to see him crying like this any longer!' His eyes suddenly fell to the other man's quivering lips, and he started to lean forward, losing all conception of reason. Silencing Ritsu's screams, he claimed the other man's mouth in a desperate kiss.

In Ayame's mind, time seemed to stop. Feeling the other man's lips against his own, he sighed, enjoying the tingling sensations that radiated from their point of contact. "Hmm, Ritchan," he melted into the redhead's meek hug, wrapping his cousin in a passionate embrace. "Ritchan, I," he whispered into the kiss, flicking his tongue against the other man's soft lips, tasting salty tears. "I-."

Ripping away from Ayame's embrace, the monkey stumbled to his feet, his chest heaving as he attempted to catch his breath. "Ayame-san," his eyes looked both hopeful and horrified, as if expecting the other man to laugh and tell him that the kiss had been just a joke. When his cousin failed to respond, Ritsu's voice became even more panicky. "I'M SO SORRY! I'VE RUINED EVERYTHING! I-." Running toward the exit, he bumped into tables and chairs as he hurried to get away. "I'M SO SORRY!"

Staring at his cousin's retreating form, the silver-haired man sighed. As he gathered the broken shards of glass in the palm of his hand, he chuckled, trying to hide his hurt as he met the onlookers' curious eyes. "Well, I suppose I will have to cancel one of those orders." Sinking into his seat, he closed his eyes, biting his lip in an attempt to block out the memory of the painful kiss. 'What did I do wrong?'

'I should've went after him,' drudging up the stairs, Ayame wrenched open his apartment door, sighing as he was greeted by the familiarity of his kitchen. 'I shouldn't have let him get away like that. He's really important to me, but somehow he keeps slipping passed whenever I get close to telling him. I was so close. I really was!'

Shoving the leftover steak into the refrigerator, the snake pulled out his braid haphazardly. He glanced over to the phone, the blinking message light catching his eyes. 'Ritsu?' He anticipated as he pressed the button, preparing for a string of frantic apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Ayame-san. I ruined everything!" The voice cracked from within the answering machine, echoing with hollow fear and regret. "I really didn't deserve such a nice dinner, but you were gracious to me and took me out anyways, and I ruined it! I'm so sorry! I'M SORRY! I DON'T DESERVE TO BE AROUND YOU! I'M SOR-."

Beep. Ayame pushed the button once more, cutting off his cousin. He just couldn't stand to hear the monkey cry any longer. 'Ritsu, you were so wonderful tonight. You really were trying to contain yourself, but somehow you lost it. I really want to see that Ritsu again, the calm Ritsu who laughs and smiles and makes mistakes without collapsing in regret.'

An image of the redhead flashed through the snake's mind. He remembered Ritsu, crying, crumpled on the floor and begging for his forgiveness. "It's OK, Ritchan. I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago," he mimicked the younger man's words as he smiled at a reflection of himself on the kitchen table. 'I know that change is as difficult for you as it is for me. But we can do it together, sweet Ritchan, because I love you and I will not lose you again.'

Sinking into a chair, he smiled, letting the memories of their kiss warm his heart. 'I will not lose you.'

Francais avec Ayame #7 (it's a long one!)

Maitre d'- short for "maitre d'hotel", it is the head waiter or host at a restaurant.

Pinot Noir- an expensive red wine from France. I believe it translates to "black pines"...but I may be wrong. It's just the name of the vineyard.

Filet mignon- yup, I bet everyone knows this one, even little vegetarian me! It is a cut of steak, that literally translates to "little cut of meat"

Excusez-moi- excuse me

Garcon- it means "boy"...however it is often used in American movies as a title given to French waiters. It is actually very impolite, though. Aaya must not know that!

ha ha...well, most of those were words related to food and servers at expensive French restaurants...it makes me want to go to France and eat steak. Lol, just kidding, just kidding...well, I would like to be in France but I could live without the steak. God, it's late and I'm tired! Sorry about that! ;)

Next chapter, major angst, sorry!