First off, I'm sorry!! This is a really short chapter and it might sound a bit rushed... I apologize to the world!!
Secondly, I have to thank everyone who reviewed this. It makes me so happy... *wipes tear.* And... I also
apologize for making Soubi such a meanie. But, I kind of like Soubi when he's all mean and such.
Anyways, warnings stay the same and I hope you enjoy this :D
Onto the story...
"Where's my mom?!" I cried, looking up to Soubi with a panicked expression.
He let out a pained sigh, putting his hand where one of my neko-ears used to be. "I'll be taking care of you now…"
There was a prolonged silence hanging in the air after he spoke the unbelievable sentence. "What…?" My voice cracked. I refused to believe this lunatic. "You… you hurt her?!" I breathed accusingly before he could start to explain. It didn't matter what he had to say, like I was going to believe him. "What did you do to her?" I screamed, pounding my fists against his chest, the tears returning.
His hands snapped out and grabbed my wrists, pulling me roughly against his chest. I squirmed between his arms as he embraced me. Suddenly I realized he was crying; his face buried in my hair. "I didn't hurt her," he whispered in a pained voice. "She hurt herself, Ritsuka. She left you in my care before she decided she was going to kill herself." I wanted to pull away from him and run as fast as I could to wherever my mom was.
I rested on my knees, pressed up against him, as still as a statue. "You said my mom… killed herself?" I asked in disbelief, pushing away from him. He let me go, sitting down on the bed beside me.
He nodded once, a grim expression on his face. "Are you… are you serious?" I looked over at my mom's smiling face in the picture, somehow already knowing he was. I waited, holding my breath and tears in. "Yes."
That one simple word sent me into hysterics. I threw myself into Soubi's arms, letting the sobs wrack my body. It hurt to cry so hard but I didn't care, I wanted to feel like my heart was being ripped out of my body. I clung to him, burying my face into his shirt. 'He's all I have…' the thought hit me like a punch to the stomach, making me cry even harder.
I don't know how long I sat there with Soubi's arms wrapped around me as I sobbed. Eventually I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
When I woke up I could smell the faint scent of something cooking downstairs. I sniffed the air, my stomach suddenly rumbling. I sat up slowly, rubbing my puffy eyes. I wasn't used to crying so much. Numbly, I pulled on a fresh set of clothes and my jacket.
"I miss you already mom," I whispered, touching the cool glass of the picture frame. I felt the tears threatening to return so I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat and padded down the stairs.
'Empty?' I thought as I walked into the kitchen. I was almost certain Soubi would be sitting at one of the chairs, waiting for me. My stomach grumbled again when I inhaled the aroma of food. "Pancakes?" I asked no-one in particular. I grabbed a few from the plate they were sitting on and sat down at the table.
I was almost finished my third one when a cold hand brushed my cheek from behind. "Gah!" I yelled, shooting up from the chair, tripping over the table leg in the process. "Owwww…" I grumbled into the floor, slowly picking myself up. Angrily, I turned to see who had almost given me a heart attack.
There was Soubi, leaning against the counter with an amused smile. "Sorry." He didn't seem sorry at all. I hissed quietly, picking up the chair I had knocked over. He took a seat opposite me and watched me as I resumed eating.
"Do you want to do to school today?" He asked, studying me as I ate. I dropped my fork, letting it crash loudly against the plate. "What's wrong?" He questioned, sounding alarmed. Slowly, I raised my hand to where my right ear used to be. "I have no ears…" My voice was dull and distant.
To my surprise, he laughed before running up the stairs without saying a word. "What's he doing now…?" I mumbled, picking at my breakfast silently. A few seconds later he returned, a bag in hand. "Here you are," he smiled triumphantly, setting the bag down beside me.
I looked at it for a few seconds before returning to the half-destroyed pancake and popping a mangled piece in my mouth.
After a few minutes of him staring intently at me, I gave in and grabbed the bag angrily. I ripped out a package; I couldn't see what was inside. I looked at the label with a blank expression before looking up at Soubi. He looked pleased with himself to say the least.
"Replacement ears…?" I muttered, looking at him incredulously.
--
The package contains a tail as well. :D