DSOAS4

Two weeks.

For two weeks, they'd watched him, kept an eye on him, made absolutely sure they knew where he was at all times. And in two weeks, nothing at all had happened.

Shigure didn't know whether to be worried or relieved.

Ayame seemed to be back to his old tricks. He was exuberant and cheerful around the shop. He was arrogant and irritating around his brother. Everything which Ayame always had been, he was again.
Only he wasn't.

Always before, he had been with them. They were the Mabudatchi Trio. Together forever, until the very last. But Ayame wasn't with the two of them any more. He avoided them like white after Labour Day. Especially Hatori. If the dragon was in the room, he'd ignore him completely, as if he wasn't even there. And if Hatori tried to be alone with him, Ayame would come as close to panicking as Ayame ever got and just leave. He didn't want to talk to Hatori. That much was certain.

Shigure was nearing his breaking point. He had enough emotional strife to deal with from the kids. He didn't need any more. Ayame should just be as Ayame had always been and leave the mental breakdown for AFTER Shigure lost his litter of angsty teenagers. It was the least he could do. But that was a selfish, inconsiderate thing to think. Ayame needed his help.

"But why did he pick a time so damn inconvenient?" He sighed, tossing a pen across his haphazard home 'office'. "It's not like there's any particular reason for him to be acting up like this. Nothing's changed."

But something had, hadn't it? Torhu had shown up. The young maiden had been causing quite a stir among the entire Sohma family. Since her arrival, there had been more emotional upset than in almost his entire memory. Perhaps Ayame's dysfunction was just one more by-product of her presence.

"That's it." He smiled quietly to himself, regretting he no longer had a pen to tap against the desk. "It's all Torhu's fault."

Had he known the overly apologetic young woman was behind him at the time, he would have kept his mouth shut.

"You're worthless." Akito mumbled, digging his fingers into Ayame's hips. "Even YUKI makes a better fuck than you. But I guess that makes sense. You ARE just a whore, after all."

"Please stop…" Ayame sobbed, trying to bury his face in his hands, only to realize his hands weren't there. "Please, Akitosan… Stop…"

"Stop?!?" Akito laughed, hamming into him once again. "Now you tell me to stop? Now, after all we've been through? What about the first time, you little slut? Why didn't you ask me to stop then?"

"I was ten years old!" Ayame screamed into his non-existant hands. "What was I supposed to do!"

"Oh no, don't you pin that on me!" Akito grunted. "I wasn't even born way back then! That was the old God's doing. You were already a whore when I got my hands on you."

"No…" Ayame whispered. "No…"

But despite all his words, all his protest, all his pain…

Ayame never once fought back.

A short little chapter just to let you know I'm not dead. I've already got up to six written and typed, so don't worry about me leaving this for another couple of years. Just... remind me, ok? Send me reviews so I won't forget about this story's existance again. Thanks again, darkestNoir, for getting me back into the groove! Many updates to come!