The Second Horse
"Don't you ever forget that! You are not needed."
(Akito to Rin, Vol. 14)
Early that morning a girl with long dark wavy hair was quietly working in the kitchen, her crimson shirt tied around her waist, a loose black tank top hung on her torso her bare feet padded softly across the kitchen floor.
"He's been so kind; the least I can do is make him and his family breakfast." She said softly as she set the coffee maker. Her pale finger worked quickly to create many European breakfast dishes, she had every intention of making them a full continental breakfast.
"All this food, I hope they can eat it all..." she said pausing and looking up a soft tingle in the pit of her stomach a feeling of someone watching her, Shigure was standing there his arms crossed his eyes calm, as if he had been watching her the whole time
"From the back you look like Rin... but the way your hair is wavy when hers is so striate made it obvious you weren't her." he said Akki looked down
"I-is Rin a girl friend of yours?" she asked her voice shaking a little
'don't ask him that you idiot!' her mind yelled but she didn't care, she had to know, if so... she had to leave as soon as possible, she wouldn't be able to bear it if a girlfriend showed up while she was there. A soft chuckle met her ears and she looked up his shoulder were shaking a little as he held back his chuckles
"No Rin is not a girlfriend; she's part of my family." He said his dark eyes meeting hers, she flushed and looked away quickly
"I-I see..." she said he smirked and stepped forward
"Why? I mean that was such a personal question." He said she began slicing spices to put in the scrambled eggs
"W-well... I mean you have so many fans I was just wondering... I mean you're handsome... I mean young! Wait no I mean..." she looked back at him quickly to try and correct herself when a sharp pain filled her hand and she winced
"Akki!" He stepped forward instantly seeing the crimson on the knife when she dropped it, taking her hand in both of his.
"You have to pay attention to what your doing when your cutting things, that's how accidents happen." He said dragging her over to the sink and turning on the warm water she flushed, his hands were so much bigger then her, masculine and warm to her cold fingers.
"I-I'll be fine... honestly it's just a little cut if I lick it the spit will make it heal faster..." she said looking away Shigure smirked.
"Lick it?" he said his tone confused her and she turned just to see him lift her hand to his mouth and he lightly licked the cut. A shiver ran though her, his eyes were closed as he softly and slowly licked the cut.
"Y-you don't have to do that..." she said weakly, she was shivering, why was he doing this? What could be going on in his writers mind to drive him to do such a thing with the demon that she was?
Shigure's thoughts were spinning, when he had first walked into the kitchen, seeing the wavy haired girl his first thought was Rin, then looking at how her hair was so wavy and covered all of her back like a flowing cape he remembered Akki's presence. How she had she boldly asked whether Rin was his girlfriend then how she had blushed, had been so cute. When he saw the blood from her cut he had become instantly alarmed, what drove him to care about this girls safety and well being?
He had asked the dogs if they had seen the girl with the crimson eyes, and if they knew where she was staying, one had told him that a few dogs had come across a girl resting in the park fitting Akki's looks, that's when he had chosen to offer to her a place to stay in his home... but why? She was just a fan... Kyo was right, if she learned the secret her and Tohru would have their memories wiped by Hatori but... he just couldn't let her sleep in a park, or on the street, or any where away from him. Opening his eyes he looked at her face, she had given up her weak protests and was now looking away from him, her face a beet red her shoulders trembling.
"I'll get you a bandage." He said softly letting go of her hand, the spark that had hit him when he had first touched the thin limb vanished as soon as the contact with her skin was broken, was the touch that intimate that he felt such a powerful pull? He didn't think so but this girl was strange in many ways, not only with her name, but the way she acted... and the way she had seemed so empty the night before. When he had first told her that if she intended to bend the spoon she should use her hands. When she had looked at him there was a flash of empty sadness that had pulled at him so hard it took every thing her had not to cross the few feet separating them and pull her into a tight and warm embrace.
She watched as he walked out holding the injured hand lightly she looked down at her cut finger despite the depth of the cut, the bleeding had stopped, the thought that his lips and tongue hand touched her finger ran through her mind and she closed her eyes lightly kissing the injury. He was back quickly a bandage in hand, pulling the warping off the placed it on her finger over the cut with such light touches and tenderness that she flushed again.
"Th-thank you... I'm sorry I'll be more careful from now on.." she said softly He smiled
"No need to worry but we will need some more spices, I doubt it's a good Idea to put blood soaked spices in food." He said lightly she nodded weakly
"Y-yah... wait... we?" she asked looking up at him he smiled and nodded
"Yes, we I can't have you cook one your own with that cut, also I think it's best if I'm here to make sure you don't cut your self again." He said evenly She nodded and set to work cleaning up the spices while Shigure grabbed a clean knife and began cutting up fresh ones. Working so close together on the food Akki could feel the warmth radiating off him, his house robe didn't seem to restrict him at all as he worked, though he seemed like a horrible cook. He kept asking her what he had to do next and it was a while before they were finished, but the result looked great steaming plates of eggs and bacon, piles of sausages and pancakes with cold glasses of milk and bowls of oat meal.
"Wow! I can't believe how amazing this looks, I think we could give Tohru a run for her money!" Shigure said proudly, happy with the fact he had managed to make something that was edible. It wasn't long before the three teenagers were drawn down stairs by the scent of the food, and the fact that they had school.
"Akki-san Shigure You made all of this!" Tohru asked amazed Akki blushed lightly and nodded
"It's a full continental English breakfast... I thought I should thank you for allowing me to stay." She said bowing.
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After everyone had eaten and the three had headed off to school Akki started cleaning the dishes.
"You don't have to clean those up I can get them." Shigure said standing his foot catching the sleeve of her tied short she let out a soft yelp as the tug pulled her back Shigure acted on impulse the dishes went flying but his arms grabbed her stopping her from falling. The instant he did it he regretted it, now he would transform and both Akki and Tohru would lose their memories. As the dishes crashed to the ground he looked down at her, her eyes were closed he looked at her his eyes wide. Slowly her eyes opened to see a look of horror on Shigure's face suddenly she felt as if she had done something wrong
"S-Shigure?" she asked tentatively he let her go and stepped back his hands shaking
"Nothing happened... why did nothing happen?" he said his voice shaking.