Disclaimer: I still don't own Furuba - sorry o.o
Okay... I'm back again, this time with Part Twenty Eight! Yay! And I have some dissapointing news... I'd estimate one or two more parts before the story finishes. I tried not to rush the ending but... I'm not convinced... I'm pretty sure it's rushed - even though I tried not to! Eck! Well, in any case, you can be the judge of that. So, remember, one or two more parts to go - and then an epilogue if you're lucky. Whoot!
And, SerialHugger asked whether the Demon Cat will talk to Kyo more in this one - no, no it won't, but it will hold a large part in the sequel, Cat's, Dog's and a Little Bit of Magic. The end of this fiction will focus on whether Shigure regains his memory n.n
So yeah, enjoy! (And don't forget to review xD)
Part Twenty Eight: Decision
Hatori exhaled, hitting the pipe against the ash tray. He didn't normally use a pipe – nobody knew he had it. It was his own secret pleasure that his father had given him before he'd gone off to college, and he didn't use it often, but it served to calm him. This was the first time he'd used it since Kana had left.
So, propping his hand on his chin, he hit the pipe against the tray again, trying to get most of the ash out.
"Ha'ri!"
Hatori slowly turned around as if he'd known that Shigure had been there the entire time. "The appointment time was 11am, Shigure." He said matter-of-factly, "It is now 5pm. Does the word tardy ring any bells in your small brain?"
Shigure put his hand up apologetically, but was still grinning. "Come on, Ha'ri! I was hoping to surprise you."
"So in other words you were standing out in the hallway for six hours then?"
"Uh... not exactly. But there is a good reason I was late..."
"Which is?"
"Hold on, I have to think about it!" Shigure interrupted, rubbing his head for a second, "Oh! Right! Yeah, I found some kids harassing a turtle... so I saved the turtle, and then..."
"Shigure. We read that book when we were seven."
"Uh... right... when did you get that pipe?"
"None of your business. Now, if you don't mind, I don't want you to waste my precious time." Hatori stated, leaving the pipe up against the ash tray, he stood up, walking back in Shigure's direction, into his office.
"Who's a poopy-bum then?" Shigure said, making a face.
Hatori paused momentarily, picking up a deck of cards from his desk. "No, I want to get it over and done with so I can beat you at Poker."
"..." Shigure blinked. That whole thing had just gone over him... Hatori had... made a... joke? Wow... that was new...
"Now then. I have to talk to you about the issue about who's going to replace Akito." Hatori began, sitting relaxed on his computer chair, swinging around to face Shigure.
Shigure sat where he was, ignoring the fact that a cushion was two feet away from him. "Aren't you going to do it?"
"Personally, I have too much to deal with already." Hatori sighed, "I don't want to take the responsibilities of Head as well." He sighed, resting his elbow on the edge of the chair and his chin on his hand, "Needless-to-say, Ayame is completely out of the question, as is Kureno, I worry about his mental stability."
"Wasn't Yuki supposed to be the next Head?" Shigure asked absentmindedly, tilting his head in thought.
"He was," Hatori admitted, "However – Akito died sooner than any of us could have expected, and Yuki is far too young to take on the responsibility. I expect that that was half of what destroyed Akito – he was Head of the Family before he'd even known what hit him."
"And then that leaves...?"
"You."
"Me?" Shigure blinked. Pointing his hand in his own direction, before spluttering; "Are you completely mad?"
"No." Hatori said, scratching the back of his head. "You may act like a complete idiot, but I know that you do have intelligence in that head of yours."
"But... if I were to accept the role, wouldn't I have to leave my lovely little cottage in the woods? Who will take care of Grandma?"
"Again, Shigure, we read that story in English class in year 1. And, to answer your question, yes you will have to leave your shack."
"It's a cottage." Shigure said, and pouted. Hatori ignored him, and kept talking.
"If you were to accept it, and leave your shack in the hands of Yuki and Tohru, you'd still be able to watch over the production of it. After all, I'm sure Yuki isn't going to be willing to move back to Sohma House any time soon."
"Hrm... but what about Kyo?" Shigure pondered, "You didn't mention him in your little speech."
To that, Hatori arched his eyebrows, and the reason why Shigure was the perfect candidate for Sohma Head clicked in Shigure's mind.
"I have great news!" Shigure sang, practically dancing into the house rounding the corner to the dining room where Tohru and Yuki were lounging on one side of the table holding hands, and Kyo was on the other side, staring blankly at the television. All three of them turned their heads to look at Shigure. "I'm going to be the new Sohma Family Head!"
"WHAT?" Kyo screamed.
"EH? CONGRATULATIONS!" Tohru squealed without thinking.
"Get. Out." Yuki said angrily.
Shigure sweat dropped. "Hey now, hey now, I ain't going to be like Akito now."
"But how are you going to leave the house, stupid mutt?" Yuki asked in a monotone, as if it was an obvious question.
"I'm leaving it in the hands of you and Tohru, silly." Shigure grinned. "You graduate soon, and I'm sure you two lovebirds want a house of your own."
Yuki and Tohru both went pink, but didn't protest.
Kyo looked at Shigure, and Shigure looked back at him... "I'm going to bed." Kyo said stiffly. Shigure sighed, scratching the back of his head, and left after him.
In fact, Kyo hadn't gone to bed. He'd gone straight up onto the roof – and he wasn't coming down for anybody! It had been approximately half an hour since he'd started brooding, and the sun was slowly setting in the sky. It would have been a beautiful picture if it wasn't for what had hit him so hard minutes before.
Shigure hadn't mentioned him in his explanation. Shigure was becoming the head of the family. The fact that Shigure hadn't mentioned it in his explanation and the fact that Shigure was becoming the head of the family... just couldn't be ignored. Shigure was going to lock Kyo up – that was why he wasn't staying with the damn rat and Tohru in the house.
Sighing, Kyo lay on his back, supporting his head with his hands.
What had Kyo expected anyway? Shigure didn't remember anything about him anyway, so why should Shigure ignore the custom and save him from the fate that he was born with? There was no real reason anyway – Kyo was... destined, to be unhappy. Yep. That was it. He was destined to live in a dark, dank environment.
"Kyo-kun!" Shigure called. Apparently he'd found a ladder, and was now climbing up onto the roof. "Kyo-kun, why're you sulking?"
"... Who said I'm sulking?"
"You always sulk on the roof." Shigure commented, hoisting himself up onto the roof, walking over to where Kyo was, wobbling once or twice, but regained his balance. He then plopped himself down beside the cat. "So, what's up your ass this time?"
"NOTHING!"
"It's not nothing." Shigure said simply, "Kyaaah, look at that sunset. Pretty no?"
"I don't give a shit about a fucking sunset." Kyo growled, rolling over onto his side so that he wasn't facing Shigure. Shigure simply sighed.
"Does it have to do with me becoming the head of the family?" He asked, stretching.
"... No."
"Ah! So it does." Shigure grinned. "Was it the bit that I didn't include your name in?"
"... No."
"Ah! So it was. Well, there was a distinct reason for that."
"Of course there was." Kyo said grumpily. "I'm the cat – I'm destined to be locked up. You're the head of the family, why should you ignore the custom?"
"Eh! I wasn't going to lock you up! Heaven forbid!" Shigure said in mock horror, gasping and using his hands to add effect.
Kyo blinked. He wasn't going to get locked up...?
"I didn't mention you in that bit because you're going to be moving in with me!"