To Reviewers:

AKITO. At The Disco: "Beautifully written?" Thank you! Thanks for reviewing; you really warm my heart by reviewing… :p

Pocky-Pocky-chan: Thanks for reviewing! But then, I really hope to keep this from being rated "M", so… I just cannot describe some scenes too… Descriptively, yes:) So… Yea, THANKS!

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Destiny Declined (Chapter 2: Silent Promises)

Kyo stood in front of an off-white building, hands on his knees and his body bending slightly forward. Panting, he walked up to tall glass doors.

Stepping into the sheet-white hall, he instantly picked up the sick scent of chemicals and medicine and wrinkled his nose.

Striding towards the elevator, a nurse at the counter asked abruptly, "Excuse me, sir, are you a visitor or –"

Kyo turned around a little too quickly and yelled, "Like it's you damn business!"

The nurse peered at him suspiciously over her glasses, and her eyes landed on his flaming hair.

"What? It's my natural hair colour and I like it this way! Have a problem with that?" Kyo snapped defensively.

Grumbling, he entered the elevator and violently pressed the button for the second floor. He was more frustrated and snappish than usual; many of the zodiac had visited Yuki, all coming back with "He's asleep" or "He's resting".

Hatori had refused to tell them anything but "With time he will heal". He growled. If the rat would not talk, Kyo would be the one to make him do so. After all, Tohru was worried sick and it was all the damn rat's fault.

Inhaling a deep breath, he suddenly found himself standing in front of the rat's room.

He put his hand on the door knob, and pulled back again. Wiping his sweaty hands on his cargo pants, he flexed his fingers. 'I'll just go in and shout at him to talk to me.' That seemed easier said than done.

Taking a deep breath, he thumped his nose and opened the door.

The curtains sealed the windows of setting sun. A nightstand rested beside the bed, overloaded with gifts, candies and paper birds spread all over. A typically huge monitor sat against the walls, beeping slowly. Two transparent tubes were attached to it; one laid above the pale lips of the patient, the other connected to a hand.

Kyo's breath hitched in his throat as his eyes landed on the pale hand. He could eerily make out the rat's blue veins, and the boy's fingernails were of hardly any colour.

Shaking his head, he murmured, "O-Oi, nezumi…"

Was it just his eyes, or did the other teen's fingers twitch? He clenched his fists; this was harder than he had thought.

"…Uh… So… Damn rat, you know it wasn't me… Uh… Wanting to come, right? I mean, Tohru was really worried." He voice came out dry and hesitant; after all, he was the one sneaking away after school to the hospital without even telling Tohru.

"Well? Er… I've come here to speak to you damnit! You're making everyone upset!" He almost yelled, but kept his voice down.

Still, there was no response. An awkward silence flooded the room; 'So he's asleep?' Kyo walked up to the bed slowly, and hesitantly poked the rat's hair.

When said boy did not stir, he began to fondle with the paper birds.

"…Hey, you're really asleep or what?" He mumbled.

-----

"…Everyone's different after… Um, Kisa, Hiro and Momiji are sleeping over at Shigure's. and Haru and Rin stay outside as long as possible, and… Well the damn snake is having it real bad… Uh… JUST GREAT! Now I'm having a chit-chat with a sleeping kuso nezumi! Damnit am I'm goin' crazy or something!"

Kyo thumped on the wall, cursing. He missed having a sparring partner to take out daily stress blows, but for some reason, it seemed he didn't just want the rat for sparring.

"Damnit you know, the house's freaking quiet without your usual stupid… Ugh!"

He turned and faced the windows, pulling back the blinds; the night skies greeted him.

He had never had a talk with someone for so long, not even with Shishou. Well, maybe that wasn't exactly what one would call a 'conversation', but then…

"I'm worried about you…" The words slipped swiftly, naturally off his tongue, and he quickly covered his mouth with both of his hands.

"…Uh… Uh! No, I mean…" Kyo stuttered, and the fact that the rat was sleeping hit him.

Sighing, he sank to his knees, his fingers gently tugging at the boy's silver locks.

"I didn't mean that." He mumbled as his fiery blush began to die down.

"…Did I?" Suddenly he saw everything in a whole new perspective, how Yuki had been violently abused, both physically and mentally. 'I'm not the only one with a sucking past.' He looked at his cousin, for the first time realizing how fragile the nezumi really was.

Gently caressing the grey bangs, his hand found the rat's. The violet eyed boy had always be wearing a perfect mask, but once the mask shattered… This was what the rat of the zodiac had left. A broken mind and body. Unconsciously he stroked the pale hand with his own, and jumped with purple eyes fluttered open.

"Why?" Kyo sat, petrified.

"Did you mean what you said, all those things just now?" The nezumi inquired weakly.

"Huh?" managed Kyo.

"Do you mean them? If you don't then why tell me? Why?" Yuki asked, eyes trained on Kyo, voice rising.
Kyo stood up, abruptly, trembling slightly. He turned and ran.

-----

Yuki leaned his head against his pillow, breathing softly.

Kyo had barged in suddenly, babbled for hours about things that the rat had never thought to come from Kyo and then said "I am worried about you." And fled from his room.

He shook his head slightly, clearing his confusing thoughts.

'Did he really mean it? Did he come on his own accord? Did he even know I was not asleep? Did he know I was actually listening?' Thoughts whirled in his mind. A sudden sear of pain cut through the chain of questions and he clutched at his head in pain. Moaning slightly, he laid back into the blankets as the sting dulled to a throbbing.

Curling into the blankets, he closed his eyes.

Dimly he wondered at the back of his weary mind, why the two people he was expecting most were not visiting, yet the stupid cat was the one to sit beside his bed until night fell.

Kyo…

Did you really care…?

-----

It was night. The cloudy skies allowed no stars to twinkle and there was no moon the guide the way.

The main house of the Sohma Estate stood sturdily over smaller houses, with not a sound escaping from its forbidding lips. Light shone coldly in its windows, but one room had its lights all off.

Shadows loomed over at the two beings in the room, sitting opposite to each other.

"…You have held me off for so long; why shouldn't I see him?" Cold navy eyes bored into pear ones.

"You cannot," Murmured his older cousin, yellowish eyes turned towards the wooden floor, his silver hair barely reflecting light in the dark room.

"I want to see him! Hatori had kept me here because I was not feeling well, but now I want to go! There's no reason not to! I want him back here!" The boy's voice cracked slightly as he fisted his hair in frustration.

"You cannot, Akito-san. He's… He's not well… Yet." The snake's tone was slightly strained.

"It's not my business! I want him right now!" The smaller one screamed at the man, the little deed of composure he had shown just before thrown to the winds.

"May I ask, why do you want him with you?"

The god fell silent for a while, gazing at the snake.

"Because… Because I need someone to stay with me always." Suddenly, the phrase seemed innocent, as if coming from a child.

"…It need not be him," Said Ayame quietly.

"It needs to be him! Because he's mine! The nezumi is the god's, and he was sold to me! He was given to be as a present; he was meant to stay with me! And… And…" The god faltered, and fell silent.

After a few moments, "Hey," Akito said, slowly, a smile slowly creeping back on his lips.

"Yes, Akito-san?" Ayame asked.

"Yuki doesn't deserve to spend his life with me, don't you think?" The young god said as the snake's eyes widen and narrowed in a split of a second.

"He's young, and we'd all like to see him live his life to the fullest. He can lead his life, I think?" Akito continued.

"He can lead his life, and another will fill his place. Maybe Tohru-kun?" Before Ayame could protest, Akito carried on. "But who'd like to live with such an ugly girl? One of the juunishi will do so; one of them… Maybe Hatori will fill his place?" Akito smirked. "Or maybe, to take the one whose life is climbing to its peak… Tame the untamable… " Akito got onto his feet and made his way to the snake.

"Why you leave, Shigure, Mine, your shop, your life… And stay with me? For Yuki?" "Of course," Ayame's voice was grim as he answered determinedly.

"…And to leave Hatori, and Yuki-kun, never to talk to them or any other juunishi, or see them let see you again?"

The corners of Ayame's eyes brimmed with tears, "I…"

"Because you're mine if you agree; just like Kureno… Yes?" Akito nuzzled into the crook of the snake's neck.

"I…" Ayame's hands curled into fists as he chewed on his lip.

"I…"

-----End of Chapter Two-----

AN: Hihi! I was a whole month since I updated the fic. It was quite hard to do the characterization since most of the Sohma have split personalites, but I tried my best! Sorry if Ayame and Kyo seemed OOC, please bear with me… Thanks to three people for reviewing last time; they kept me going. If you can, please review? Oh, and this may turn into a shonen ai story. Depending on the way it will turn out. Uh… Thanks for reading:)