Chapter Forty-Two: Runt
[Which are easier to train boys or girls? Or does it not work like that?] Ash asked Ibe-san's neighbor, Mori-san.
[Well, typically the girls are easier to train, but the girls in this batch can be a bit of a handful,] Mori-san replied.
They watched as Eiji, sitting on the grass, was swarmed by jumping puppies.
[Those three there,] he pointed at the ones currently nipping at Eiji's fingers and shirt, [are the females. [And those two there,] he pointed at one puppy that was busy smelling Eiji's shoelaces and another that was further off eating grass, [are the males.] He walked to the male eating grass. [Hey, drop it,] he said, scooping up the dog and prying a fallen seedpod from its teeth. He brought the dog over to Ash. [This one here is the runt. He's also the calmest one by far, but he does like to get into things he's not supposed to.]
The runt of the litter stared up at Ash and licked his hand as he went to pet it.
[He seems pretty well behaved,] Ash noted. [Is he house trained?]
[None of them are just yet, but he's pretty close. So is the female over there with the black collar.]
[That's not how you decide, Ash!] Eiji called from the swarm of puppies. [You decide like this! By sitting and letting them choose you!]
[I thought you said you've never had a dog, Ei-chan.]
[I haven't.]
[Then how do you know?]
[Instinct!] He chirped happily. One of the puppies pulled at the back of his shirt hem. He gave in to the tension and laid down in the grass. It took only seconds for the puppies to climb all over his chest and abdomen. He giggled as one licked up and down his neck.
[He's right, it's not a bad way to pick,] Mori-san laughed.
[Oh alright,] Ash gave in and joined Eiji in the grass. He laid down beside him.
With the addition of another body, the puppies were now conflicted over who to climb on. They danced between Ash and Eiji. One of the females pulled at Ash's hair, causing him to let out a chirp of pain. [Gah! Come here, you!] He said, pulling her off his head. He tossed her onto Eiji's stomach, where she proceeded to bite at his t-shirt.
[Ooof! Ash!] Eiji complained between fits of laughter.
Mori-san set down the runt and left the two to get to know the puppies. He puttered around the yard while they did so, doing some light gardening and fixing things the puppies had gotten into.
The runt wandered over to Ash. One of the other puppies pounced on it as it reached him. And then another. Soon, the three females were wrestling the smallest dog, pulling at its ears and tail.
"Hey, hey, hey! Knock it off, you three!" Ash piped, scolding the females. He shifted into a sitting position and used both hands to pry the girls from the runt. "Ouch!" he yelped as one of the females nipped at his broken hand. "Gosh! These girls are rowdy!"
Finally, he managed to pull the girls off the runt. He scooped up the smallest dog and held it against his chest. "Oh my gosh, Eiji, look he's shaking."
Eiji sat to see. He scooped up one of the females by her armpits. "You all are not so nice to your brother, huh?" Eiji told the puppy. "How would you like to have your tail bitten? That's not very nice." The puppy squirmed and Eiji released it back into the grass. It immediately began biting at the hem of Eiji's shorts.
Mori-san, who apparently spoke some English, chimed in from across the yard. "Puppies always give hard time to smallest one. Every litter that way."
Ash cradled the runt and spoke to it in a soft voice. "You poor thing. Are they mean to you?" He rocked the dog in his arms like a baby. "Hey, you've stopped shaking, huh? I guess that means you like me, huh, bud?" He looked up from the dog to Eiji. "Eiji, he feels like he weighs nothing at all. He's like holding a cloud of fur."
[How old are they?] Eiji asked Mori-san.
[Three months. I don't like to sell them any sooner than that.]
"You're just a newborn," Ash said to the puppy against his chest. "Just a little baby."
Ash set the runt down but it simply sat beside his legs, not running off like the other puppies had. It was only seconds before the other puppies noticed the runt and were running back towards it. The runt, seeing them coming, retreated into the safety of Ash's lap. Before any of the other puppies could pounce on him, Ash scooped him back into his arms, holding him out of the others' reach.
The puppy cowered in Ash's arms. Ash stood, completely removing the threat of the rowdy females.
Eiji, holding the other male, also stood.
"How's that one?" Ash asked Eiji, gesturing to the other male with a nod of his head.
"Pretty nice. His teeth are quite sharp though," Eiji said, showing Ash the bite marks all over his hands. "Can I hold that little guy?" Eiji asked.
Ash nodded, "Trade me."
They switched puppies.
"Oh my gosh, he does feel like a cloud of fur," Eiji said, smiling down at the runt.
"And you're a little porker, huh?" Ash remarked as he held the other male.
"No, you're just used to the size of this one."
"That one is biggest," Mori-san said, agreeing with Ash.
"I knew it," Ash teased Eiji. Ash set the male down on the grass and it immediately ran off to join the females who were wrestling one another.
"Set him down," Ash said to Eiji. "I wanna see if he'll run off to join them too."
Eiji did so, but the runt simply sat and pawed at Eiji's legs, begging to be picked up again.
[Ahhh, looks like you've been chosen,] Mori-san remarked with a smile.
Ash cradled the dog to his chest once more. "I think he's the one, Eiji."
Eiji nodded in agreement. "He's a sweetheart."
"You wanna come home with us, lovely?" Ash asked the dog in a baby voice. "Huh, bud? Aunt Miyuki's gonna love you!" Blond hair tickled the dog's nose, as Ash talked to it, causing it to sneeze directly in his face. Ash laughed but otherwise seemed unfazed as he wiped his face on the shoulder of his shirt. [Yeah, he's the one,] Ash told Mori-san. [When can we take him?]
[You can take him today if you'd like.]
Ash looked to Eiji. "You cool with that?" Ash adjusted the dog so now its head and front paws were draped over his shoulder and Ash's good hand supported its butt. "We could stop by a pet store on the way home, get some food and stuff like that."
Eiji smiled, "And here I thought you were reluctant to get a puppy, and now you're dying to bring it home."
"Shut up," he said with a smile that showed no malice.
"Yeah, I'm fine with that," Eiji said, answering the original question.
[We'll take him home today,] Eiji told Mori-san.
The three of them went inside with a swarm of puppies at their feet. The mother dog also greeted them indoors. She was a large, well-groomed, and well-mannered golden retriever. She let Eiji pet her before returning to her bed in the living room. The second she laid down, the puppies were all over her. Biting and pulling at her fur like she was one of them.
They paid for the dog, signed some forms, and collected a leash and carrier from Mori-san. He gave them instructions for the dog about feeding and taking it to the vet for its vaccinations and other various things they may need to know.
Ash clipped the leash to the puppy's collar but refused to put it in the carrier for the ride home. "You can drive, Ei-chan, I'll hold the little man," he said, smiling at the puppy.
Eiji grinned. "Toss me the keys."
They stopped at a pet store on the way home. As they parked, Ash told Eiji, "I'll wait in the car with the little man."
"The little man can come inside with us. It's a pet store, Ash, they allow pets inside."
Ash unbuckled excitedly. "No way!"
"Yes way!" Eiji matched his excitement in jest.
The puppy was more than capable of walking on its own but, still, Ash insisted on holding it as they shopped. He told Eiji he didn't want any big dogs to scare it, but Eiji suspected the real reason was more self-serving than that. They piled the cart high with puppy food, food and water bowls, toys, a brush, and a collar and leash set. Mori-san let them take a leash and collar for free, but Eiji said the dog needed something more classy. He picked out a leather collar and leash set. Although, the collar was for an adult dog, so he wouldn't be wearing that for quite some time.
"Eiji, look!" Ash pointed excitedly at a dog swaddle that wrapped across one's chest so you could hold the dog and use your hands at the same time.
"Ash, if you buy that, I'll never get to hold him."
"Nuh-uh, I'll let you hold him plenty."
"Then he'll never get used to being on his own."
"So? Babies need to be held." He bounced the puppy in his arms. "Isn't that right, little man? I'm gonna hold you until you're too big to hold."
Eiji couldn't help but smile, "Oh, Ash."
He shook his head and snapped himself out of it, "No, you can't hold him all the time. That's just asking for a dog with separation anxiety."
"It's my money and I'm buying the dog sling." He looked at the selection. "Hmmm...how about..." he glanced at the puppy. "White? No, too plain. Yellow? Too close to your fur. Not to mention you'll end up looking like a banana. Black? No, that will get too hot in this weather."
"The pink is cute," Eiji cut in.
"Ehh, maybe if it was pastel, but that shade is too bright."
"Oh look," Eiji said, pulling forward one that had slipped to the back. "Lavender!" He held it to the dog's fur. "Ooo, that's so cute."
"That's the one."
Eiji tossed it in the cart and, with everything bought, they headed to the checkout line.
[That's such an adorable puppy,] the cashier remarked as they loaded their items onto the checkout conveyor belt. [What's its name?]
[He doesn't have one yet. We just picked him up today.]
[Oh, how exciting!] She scanned the items, stopping when she got to the sling. [I have one of these for my cats. Best pet-related purchase I ever made.]
Ash wiggled his eyebrows at Eiji. "Told ya it was a good idea."
Once back to the car, they piled everything into the trunk and Eiji slipped his phone from his pocket and dialed Miyuki's number.
"Whatcha doing?" Ash asked as he settled into the passenger seat.
Eiji held up a finger to quiet Ash. [Hey, do you have tennis today? … Yeah? … Did you walk or drive? … Well, I was thinking it's too hot to walk home. Ash and I are already out and about, we could swing by and pick you up if you want … Ok … Ok, see you then. Bye.]
"You wanna surprise her, huh?"
Eiji nodded. "She loves dogs, especially puppies. She's at tennis practice now, but by the time we get there she'll be getting out. She's gonna be so surprised!"
A half-hour later, Ash and Eiji sat parked across the street from Miyuki's school. She was chatting with a friend when they pulled up. They both ran across the street, tennis gear and backpacks in tow. She knocked on Eiji's window, prompting him to roll it down. "Hey, can we give Rin a ride too? She's just a few minutes away."
Eiji responded with a yes that Miyuki barely heard, because, just then, her eyes caught sight of the puppy. "Oh my God! Did you guys buy a puppy, Ash!?"
"Uh-huh." He got out of the car so that she could see the dog and also so she and Rin could pile into the backseat. Both girls fawned over the dog before getting in the car.
Ash let Miyuki hold the puppy as they drove.
[So, who's Mr. Hollywood?] Rin asked Miyuki with a smirk.
[He's Eiji's fiance.]
[Shame, I thought maybe he was yours.]
Miyuki laughed, [As if!]
[Why are all the gorgeous ones taken, assholes, or gay?]
Miyuki laughed and shoved her friend.
Ash turned to peek into the backseat. [His name is Ash and he speaks Japanese, and he just so happens to be all three,] he told Rin with a devious smile.
Without a moment's hesitation, she asked, [Did you pick the dog to match your hair, Mr. Hollywood?]
[He's not an actor, and he's not even from California, ] Eiji chimed in, annoyed at the nickname.
[You're not an asshole, Ash,] Miyuki commented, still thinking about his previous statement.
Eiji laughed, [He can be.]
Miyuki raised an eyebrow as she stared her brother down in the rearview mirror. "Oh yeah? Why don't you get drunk and tell me all about it, Ei-chan."
[No fair! You know my English isn't that good!] Rin complained before Eiji had a chance to respond.
Miyuki rolled her eyes. [Not my problem. We've been taking English since grade school. If you can't keep up, that's on you.] "I refuse to believe you're an asshole, Ash. Maybe a bit of a shit at times, but you're not actually mean." She glared at her brother.
[Oh, turn left at the next street,] Rin cut in to tell Eiji. [Mine's the third house on the right.]
Miyuki kept talking. "You should have seen him when you were drunk, Eiji, he wasn't even angry. He practically carried you to the car after you thoroughly embarrassed him and yourself. You told me he was good in bed and he didn't even yell at you."
[Of course he is, look at him,] Rin muttered to Miyuki.
Miyuki's head whipped towards her friend as Eiji parked. [Oh, you caught that, huh?] She asked, harshly.
Rin smirked, [Yep.]
Ash opened his car door so Rin could climb out. [Thanks for the ride, Eiji!] She looked at Ash and pretended to tip an imaginary hat. [Mr. Hollywood, good day.] She slung her bag over her shoulder and ran up her front steps.
The second the door closed Miyuki was talking again.
"Really though, Eiji, it was funny at the time, but the more I think about it, the more messed up it was. And how could you do all that and then turn around and call him the asshole?!"
"Relax, Mi, I wasn't that serious!" Eiji yipped as he pulled away from Rin's house.
"Relax?!" She opened her mouth to continue bickering but Ash stopped her in her tracks.
"Miyuki," he said sternly, using his boss voice again. That shut her up. "I called myself an asshole too because I can be. But more than anything, it was just a joke. I just wanted to give your friend a hard time." He studied her red, fuming face and thought about what could have sparked such an overreaction. "You haven't broken your promise to me, have you?"
Eiji glanced at the two of them through the rearview mirror with utmost confusion.
Miyuki ripped her eyes from Ash and focused on the squirming dog in her lap. "No," she said through gritted teeth.
"You sure about that?"
She didn't care that Eiji was in the car, she decided to say what she had to say. "Yeah, Ash, I'm sure! You mean a lot to me, that doesn't mean I've fallen in love with you!" She looked angrily out the window. "At least not romantically," she said more quietly, but still just as stern. "You're like a brother or a close friend. I love you, but not like that, okay?
He was quiet then, returning his eyes to the road in front of them.
"You don't believe me, do you!?"
"I do believe you, Miyuki. I just can't understand it," he said softly yet seriously.
Eiji stayed absolutely silent. He continued to drive, deciding to take them all back to their house, rather than drop Miyuki off at home. Aki was at work and he knew going home to an empty house would only result in lots of tears from his predictable sister.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that other than parental love, I have a hard time accepting that anyone could just platonically fall in love with me. Eiji never asked for or expected anything I wasn't willing to give. He waited patiently until I was ready, but that didn't stop him from wanting. And I don't hold that against him. Love or not, people want, that's just the way it is. But, if you say that's the truth, then I'll believe you. It's just hard to understand. After a life of being objectified by basically everyone, it's...well, if it's true, it's refreshing."
"It's true," she said seriously with red, burning eyes. She took a deep breath. "Look, I recognize the fact that you're attractive, but you're more than a body. You're a soul too. And I think you have a lovely soul. But I also think your soul belongs with Eiji's. And that's beautiful. I love you as a person and as a friend, but not romantically, and certainly not as a prospective lover. I don't want as you call it." Her eyes watered as she stared into his piercing jade eyes. "I swear that's the truth."
She broke their stare and a moment of silence fell.
"Then that really...it means a lot, Mi. Thank you." He looked back at her and smiled sadly. She stared out the window with a few rogue tears rolling down her red cheeks. "Sorry, I didn't want to make you so upset. See what I mean? I am an asshole sometimes."
She shook her head. "You're not," she said stubbornly.
Eiji pulled into their driveway.
"Oh, am I coming in?" Miyuki asked with surprise, hastily wiping away her tears. She thought certainly her outburst would land her at home.
"I wasn't gonna take you home, you'd be all alone," Eiji replied. "And I know you. You'd be miserable right now."
"But I was an asshole to you, Eiji."
"I'm not angry with you. You're right, I acted like an idiot the other night. You're allowed to call me out on it."
Miyuki passed the puppy in her lap back to Ash so she could climb out of the convertible.
"We have a bunch of leftover stir-fry from the other night, if you want to stay for dinner," Ash told Miyuki as they filed inside. "Hey," he switched to a baby voice as he looked at the puppy in his arms. "This is your new house, little man." Ash transferred the puppy into Mikyuki's arms as she set down her school stuff.
"I'll get the stuff in the trunk, Eiji," he announced.
It took Ash two trips to get everything from the car. By the time he was back inside, Eiji and Miyuki sat on the floor watching the puppy as it explored the house. It sniffed at furniture and licked at crumbs on the kitchen floor. Eiji rushed forward as he saw the puppy lift his leg beneath a floor lamp. He scooped it up before it could pee and took it out into the yard.
"That was close," Eiji laughed when he returned with the relieved puppy. "You can't pee inside, buddy boy."
The dog continued sniffing as it made its way back to the living room with Eiji.
"Yeah, little man, that's a no-no."
They spent a good two hours talking on the floor and playing with the new puppy, running it outside periodically, just in case. They found out pretty quickly that puppies were a lot of work, but even more fun.
"Hey, Mi, look what I bought at the pet store," Ash said as he dug through one of the shopping bags. He pulled out the pet sling and began to unwrap it. He draped it across his body like the instructions showed and set the puppy inside it. "Ta-da!" Ash exclaimed in a sing-song voice with his hands extended from his sides to show just how hands-free the product was. "No hands!"
Miyuki laughed and clapped as if Ash had just done something truly amazing. "Wow, now you never have to put him down."
"That's the idea. Now I can warm up dinner, and keep an eye on my little man."
"I thought I was your little man!" Eiji shouted in faux anger from the bathroom.
Miyuki giggled.
Ash dug the leftovers out of the fridge and popped them in the microwave. "Now, Eiji, I've never once called you that! You can't hog all the nicknames."
Miyuki sat at one of the barstools at their kitchen island. "What are Eiji's pet names?" She asked curiously.
She half-expected Ash to tell her to piss off, but he actually answered.
"Let's see...I call him...love, lovely, baby, the occasional sweetie...Anything else?" Ash asked as Eiji reentered the kitchen.
Eiji thought about it. "No, I think that's it."
Miyuki cocked her head to the side, "I didn't expect you to be one for pet names, especially not 'baby.'"
"Eiji says 'baby' more than I do. My go-to is 'lovely.'"
"I don't think I've heard that one before. Is that an American thing?"
Ash shrugged. "I dunno. I say it because no one ever made me call them 'lovely' back when I was at Club Cod, or anywhere else for that matter, and no one ever said it to me either. There are no bad memories attached to it. That's why I say it."
"Ash, I didn't know that!" Eiji chimed in.
"That's tragically sweet," Miyuki whispered sadly.
"Do you mind that I call you 'baby?'" Eiji asked with concern.
"Eiji" the microwave beeped and stole Ash's attention momentarily as he pulled the dish out. "Shit that's hot," he cursed under his breath as he removed the dish. "We've been over this, I don't mind. In fact, I like it."
"Did Dino call you 'baby?'" Eiji asked with urgency.
"Sometimes, but mostly he said…" his voice trailed off, suddenly regretting the turn this conversation had taken. He took a deep breath. "Well, he called me 'angel' or a 'good little boy,' or 'darling', or... or…" The sentence lost momentum and fell flat. Ash let it hang in the air like a spider's web, messy and unpleasant. "Food?" He asked, changing the subject completely. Miyuki stared at him. Eiji moved to get plates and drinks.
Miyuki had many questions, but it seemed both Ash and Eiji were going to let the topic drop, so she did too. She'd cry for him later, she decided. But the questions were eating away at her and her face showed it.
"Ask," he said. "I can tell you want to. It's not good to let things brew inside like that."
Iku-san had told him as much many times.
Miyuki shook her head. "No...I have too many questions, Ash, let's just eat."
Ash put the puppy on the floor while they ate and removed the sling he'd been wearing. "I don't mind, Mi, you can ask all or just some. Or none at all."
They ate quietly for a few minutes while Miyuki contemplated his words and her own questions.
"Is Club Cod the place you were...?" She asked nervously, unable to find the right word to end it.
"Sold?" Ash finished for her. He nodded, "Yes, it was."
"And Dino was...the mafia guy, right?"
Another nod. "And I was his favorite toy out of all the other children."
"And he's dead now...but...I remember your friend Max said...well, you weren't the one to do it?"
Another nod. "God, I wish it had been me."
"And your friend...the one in the picture…"
"Shorter," Ash supplied his name.
"Yeah...Shorter...he was one of the kids in the club too?"
"No. No, actually he was the leader of the Chinatown gang."
"Did you...never mind."
"It's okay, ask."
"Did you...have a thing...with Shorter?" She saw Ash's eyes widen in shock. "I just...the picture...and...I don't know, you look really happy, that's all. And...he's got his arm around you and I know you don't like touch too much and-"
"It's fine. Shorter was a friend. Never more. He was into chicks and I never thought of him as anything other than a good friend."
"Oh, sorry," she said awkwardly. Ash waved a hand in dismissal. "And you knew him too, Eiji?"
Eiji nodded, "Yeah. He was a good guy. We were friends and he protected me until...well, we won't get into that." Eiji noticed Ash staring at his hands. "Ash. I know what you're thinking. You don't have to tell her."
Ash nodded. "Sorry, Mi, maybe someday I'll be able to tell you how he died."
It was the second time he'd told her this now.
"Ash, I wasn't going to ask that, honestly. You don't have to ever tell me."
Ash frowned at his hands. He believed he owed it to her. In his mind, he was the one who murdered Shorter, his best friend. Didn't she deserve to know what kind of person she was friends with? Ash thought so.
"Ash? I don't need to know," she said again. "Not ever."
He simply shrugged in compliance.
"So," Eiji said in a cheery voice, hoping to lighten the mood. "Any name suggestions for our new buddy?"
"Actually...Buddy is kinda cute," Miyuki remarked. "A very American name for an American dog."
Eiji smiled, "Hmm, yeah that is pretty cute. Ash?"
He shrugged, "Sure."
"You don't seem to like it," Eiji stated.
"Ehhh, it's pretty basic."
Eiji pouted, "I think it's cute. And besides, there probably aren't many Japanese dogs with that name."
"Yeah, Ash! Just cuz it's basic in America doesn't mean it's basic here!" Miyuki chimed in passionately.
Ash threw up his hands in defense. "Fine, fine, Buddy it is." He smirked with a raised brow, "But I still say it's basic."
Just then Buddy scratched at the leg of Eiji's chair. "Hey, Buddy!" He picked him up and set him in his lap. "What do you think of that name?" He used a squeaky, baby voice, pretending to speak for the dog, "I like it! I don't think it's basic at all!"
Ash rolled his eyes and tried, unsuccessfully, to bite back a smile. He didn't tell Eiji, but he still planned on calling the puppy Little Man.
They finished dinner and then played with the puppy. Miyuki tried to do homework on the couch but was endlessly distracted. "I need to go," she finally said, admitting defeat. "I'll never finish this if I stay."
Eiji drove his sister home and when he returned to his own house, he found Ash lying on the sofa with Buddy asleep on his chest.
"Shh!" Ash hushed Eiji as he entered the home. "He's asleep."
Eiji tip-toed dramatically to the sofa. He lifted Ash's legs and put them atop his own as he sat. "Ya know, Ash, if you don't like him we can always take him back," Eiji teased.
"Eiji!" Ash hissed, throwing two gentle hands around the puppy's ears. "He won't know you're joking!"
Eiji threw his head back and laughed, "You're such a goof!"
Eiji's laughter woke Buddy and Ash plastered a scowl to his face. "Eiji, you woke him!"
Eiji's laughter morphed into a soft smile. "Do you think he'll ever be a real baby?"
"No, Ei-chan, he's not a pokemon, he's not gonna evolve into a human," Ash joked.
"No," Eiji playfully swatted Ash's foot on his lap, "I mean, do you think maybe someday you'll be holding a real baby to your chest?"
"I hope so," he said sincerely, putting aside all jokes.
Eiji smiled, "Me too."