Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A Bouncing Baby Boy ❯ Ayame ( Chapter 4 )

"He doesn't need any clothes," stated Yuki quite calmly. "And I don't want any embroidered nappies, thank you."

"Aw, come on," said Shigure persuasively. "Kyou-kun only has one set of baby clothes, how can you deny him the simple pleasure of clothes that fit? It won't even cost too much, your kind, thoughtful brother has agreed to give them to you for free! All you need is to come along with Ha-san, Tohru and I to choose them!"

Yuki turned brusquely, cuddling Kyou. "You go then, I'll be satisfied with whatever you choose."

Shigure buried his face in the wide sleeve of his yukata, and started to sob melodramatically, causing Kyou to regard him with wonder. "Your brother has so thoughtfully readied the clothes, causing him much labor into the night, and you won't even condescend to view them? Oh how can you be so cruel, Yuyu-chan?"

"Don't-call-me-`Yuyu'," said Yuki between gritted teeth.

"Yuyu!" Kyou recognized a word and laughed with pleasure. "Yuyu!"

"You deny your child the simple pleasure of new clothes and you call yourself a mother!"

"He is not my child, and I am not his mother. It is you who say so." Yuki started to walk from the room and Shigure hurled himself across to clutch at Yuki's ankles. Kyou watched curiously, until Shigure's hands touched Yuki's leg, and then he started screaming obscenities in baby language. Kyou didn't let anyone touch Yuyu.

"See what you did?" snapped Yuki accusingly. He kicked free of Shigure's grip and cuddled Kyou harder.

"Souma-kun, are you ready to go?" asked Tohru, walking in bright as a daisy in a faded yellow dress with a white collar. She was beaming widely in anticipation. "Kyou-kun is going to look so handsome in his new clothes, aren't you, Kyou-kun?"

Kyou stared at her.

"Tohru, Yuki doesn't want to go," stated Shigure calmly, standing up and brushing himself off. "He wants to keep Kyou in rags, all because of his stupid grudges."

An irritation mark pulsed in Yuki's temple.

"Oh, Souma-kun!" Tohru turned her eloquent brown eyes upon him. "Hana-kun and Uo-kun were supposed to come too, Hana-kun was looking forward to it, she feels so bad about Kyou-kun-" She paused, and then flushed. "I'm sorry, it's not fair of me to demand, especially after you've been so kind to me and-"

"Alright, alright! I'll go!"

"Oh, Souma-kun!" Tohru smiled happily. "Thank you so much!" Like he had given her a present…

"Good work, Tohru." Shigure smirked and patted the girl's head as Yuki marched from the room to get himself and Kyou ready. Tohru looked at him blankly. "Huh?"

Shigure sniggered. "Never mind."

***

"So you got him to come along," commented Hatori, hand on the steering wheel as Shigure slid into the front with him, while Yuki carrying Kyou and Tohru clambered into the back seat.

"Well, actually, Tohru did," said Shigure, trying not to look smug.

"Hnh," snorted Hatori, hiding a smile. "I should have known.

"Just drive, Hatori!" raged Yuki.

"Now, Yuki, is that any way to talk to Ha-san, who has been so kind, he is not your chauffeur…" Yuki closed his eyes and tried not to listen to the rest of Shigure's jabbering all the rest of the journey.

They stopped in front of Hanajima's house, and she was waiting for them at the front gate with her brother Megumi. Her black hair was bound, not in her usual braid, but in a ponytail, and she wore a black dress that covered her neck and her arms.

"Uo is not coming, Tohru," she said as she slipped into the backseat, clutching a (black) purse.

"Why?" queried Tohru.

"She had to meet a friend from America, an old school mate of hers," replied Hanajima. She smiled at Kyou, but her black eyes lost their usual monotonous calm. Yuki noticed, and to show he had no hard feelings, he patted her gloved hands. Hanajima looked up, and to Yuki's relief, relaxed and smiled.

Kyou reached out for her lacy purse, gurgling in curiosity.

Hana let him have it, watching him finger the lace, and then start to gnaw at it. Yuki looked down and went red again. "KYOU! I've told you, time and time again, don't- put-things-in-your-mouth!"

Tohru smiled and patted Kyou. "Oh, he doesn't understand. He's so cute!"

"Souma-san, why don't you let Tohru hold him for a while?" asked Hana.

Hatori and Shigure tensed. Tohru's eyes widened in alarm, and she started cursing herself. Yuki, however, calmly said, "Kyou doesn't like to be held by anyone but me. You don't want him screaming the entire journey, do you?"

"No, I don't." Hana paused. "How odd that he should like you the most." Her voice seemed to be almost laughing.

"Don't you start," muttered Yuki, sliding down in his seat.

Ayame's clothes store was situated in a busy part of town. The roads there were not filled with cars, but with rickshaws and trishaws and old women crossing the streets, more frequently than not with chickens. Hawker stores lined the streets, and the drains were filled with muck, food, and Yuki caught sight of a rumpled umbrella. The houses were coated with straggling vines and paint had peeled away to reveal red bricks. It was, as a tourist guide might say, very ethnic.

They found Ayame's store beside a tattoo parlor, and Kyou looked with interest as a tall, lean man with dyed yellow hair that fell into an otherwise handsome face inked a design onto his customers back. The customer was swearing like a sailor.

"What do you expect?" the tattoo artist was demanding, his hand steady. "I'm putting ink into your skin, stupid."

Kyou yanked at Yuki's hair and squirmed, letting Yuki know that he wanted to go in. Yuki frowned. "Certainly not," he told the baby. "We are not going to a seedy establishment like that!"

"I don't know…" muttered Shigure, studying the shop with an interested eye. "I could get a nice tattoo strategically placed…"

The thought of a `nice tattoo strategically placed' on Shigure's body made Hatori slightly dizzy, but he snorted, and said, "Have you forgotten your low resistance to pain?"

"Oh yeah."

"Tohru, look!" Hanajima's eyes had spotted a familiar head of golden hair.

"Ah?" Tohru obediently took a closer look at the inside of the tattoo parlor, even though the sight of the whirring needles made her queasy. Then she saw what Hanajima saw, or rather, who Hanajima saw. "Uo?!"

At the sound of her name, the Yankee turned around. She didn't look fazed or anything, but just smiled and gestured for them to come inside. Hanajima did, and Tohru, after telling Shigure and Hatori, reluctantly did so as well.

"Hey, what are you doing in this seedy part of town?" asked Uo.

"Hey," snapped the tattoo artist, not looking up. "I run a respectable ship here."

"Yeah, yeah," laughed Uo, tossing her hair back.

"Where's that friend of yours?" asked Hanajima, looking around. "The one you said you had to meet?"

"Who? Oh, Phoenix Lee?" Uo grinned. "Yeah, she's Chinese-American. Though she's going to become Japanese-Chinese-American soon, since she's gonna be studying here. I'll get Nix."

"NIX!"

"What?" snapped a girl who had been on the far side, staring at various tattoo designs.

"Come meet my friends, the ones I told you about."

The girl turned around. She was shorter than Uo, shorter than Tohru, even, which was unusual for a Chinese. Her black hair was like Kisa's with two wings arching down her face. Her eyes were large and almond shaped, and framed with a pair of spectacles. She didn't really look like she belonged in a tattoo parlor either. "Are you getting a tattoo?" asked Tohru.

"No," said the girl.

"Aw, Nix, be nice and talk in complete sentences," scolded Uo, putting an arm on the girl's shoulder and pulling her over. "This is Hanajima, and this is Tohru. Say `hi'!"

"Hello…"

"Nix's real name is Lee Qin Er, but her mom insisted on Phoenix being added," said Uo. "Her mom's real romantic. Reads all the Chinese classics and is forever discovering her roots. Recently found out her grandfather was Japanese, so off Nix goes to Japan."

"With no pocket money," muttered Phoenix Lee.

"Do you have an after school job, Phoenix?" asked Hanajima.

"Yes, but I'm on a break now, I'll be going back at… four." Phoenix returned her gaze to the pictures after glancing at her watch. Maybe there was something there, because when her eyes returned to Uo, Tohru and Hanajima who was not overly impressed with her curt attitude, Lee was friendlier. "Don't call me Phoenix. Call me `Nix' or `Qin'."

"Where do you work?" asked Tohru curiously, smiling widely at Phoenix Lee. The Chinese girl's eyes widened at the sympathy on Tohru's face.

"N-next door, the clothes shop."

"Really?" gasped Tohru.

"Yes, and her boss is pree-tty weird," laughed Uo. "But, really what are you two doing here?"

"We are visiting the clothes store next door," said Hanajima calmly.

"Hey, Nix, it's four." Uo started to steer the girl out the door. "C'mon Hana, Tohru, if you're going to the clothes store, we'll all go together. See ya, Mikoshi, maybe I'll get a tat next time."

"You're too cowardly to ever do that, Uo-kun," called the tattoo artist carelessly.

***

In the meantime, Yuki looked around Ayame's store, unhappily. Kyou was staring with pleasure at all the shiny cloth. Shigure rapped at the empty desk. "Aya? Aya!"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late!" A small Asian girl rushed in followed by Uo, Hanajima and Tohru. "I'm supposed to be the receptionist." She ducked behind the desk. "Right. So how may I help you?"

"Aya has a receptionist?" asked Shigure.

"Well, Mine-chan said it would improve business, and make it easier on her, and Nix-chan does sewing occasionally, not that she's any good," sang Ayame, waltzing out of the curtained part of the store.

Yuki covered his face. Hatori rolled his eyes. Uo laughed right out loud. Tohru and Hanajima's eyes widened. Mine-chan hurried out after her boss. "You forgot to get changed again, boss," said Phoenix, leaning against the counter.

Ayame ignored the folds of a gorgeous ball gown floating around his ankles. "Is that little Kyou-kun? I've been keeping Mine-chan busy sewing clothes for him!" Without waiting, he took Kyou out of Yuki's arms.

"No-"

Tohru, Yuki, Shigure and Hatori started to say, afraid of Kyou's screaming, but to their surprise, Kyou giggled and started to play with Ayame's silvery hair.

Yuki twitched and his jaw tightened. Uo noticed, Shigure grinned. "Jealous, Yuki-kun?" he sang.

"Oh shut up!"

Kyou put Ayame's hair in his mouth.