Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A Bump in the Road ❯ Dog Days ( Chapter 4 )

Bump in the Road: Chapter Four

 

A/N: And another chapter, come and gone. Okay, not really. Endless thanks to Aoi for being a positively gorgeous beta reader, despite illness and the endless idiocy of university administration.

 

XxXxX

 

Chapter Four: Dog Days

 

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts...

 

~As You Like It, II vii

 

Shigure's head was killing him. It felt, actually, much like his first hangover. His skull ached and the gray matter housed inside the bone throbbed relentlessly. In fact, the more he thought about it, he realized that the pain wasn't restricted to his head. His entire body felt as if he'd been hit repeatedly by a ton of bricks.

 

Or, perhaps, a car.

 

As he gradually became more aware of the world around him, he began registering his surroundings with increasing concern.

 

The sterile, medicinal scent of the room made his nose twitch, and when he cracked one eye open, he saw that he was on a gleaming examination table in what looked very much like a veterinarian's office. Added to this was the fact that the world was still in grayscale shades; Shigure barely suppressed his groan.

 

All this, and he was still a dog. Damn it.

 

A deep male voice tugged at Shigure's attention, and his ear flicked toward it. "All in all, I'd say your friend here was pretty lucky, given the circumstances. He's banged up fairly badly -- scraped up, too, but he caught the brunt of the blow with his body. He's got a nasty bump on his head and a pretty impressive sprain of the carpus joint along his right forepaw - essentially, it's a sprained wrist. He's a bit worse off along his left side; his ribs are pretty badly bruised, but that's the worst of it."

 

Lucky? Who does this guy think he's kidding?

 

Then there was a relieved sigh -- Tohru? No, not Tohru. "Damn it, I told him to be more careful."

 

Definitely not Tohru. He was fairly sure the girl never said anything worse than "darn," if that.

 

"It was an accident, Akemi."

 

"I know..."

 

"So, take him home, let him rest up, and in the meantime, circulate some flyers. A dog like this? Someone's bound to miss him."

 

There was an unnaturally long pause. It bothered him. People didn't pause like that unless they were about to--

 

"Can't he... stay here?"

 

At these words, Shigure's eyes snapped open, only to close again when the bright fluorescent lights caused his pupils to contract painfully. He tried again, opening them more slowly.

 

The vet, a youngish, neat sort of man, ran a hand through his hair. "Akemi," he sighed, shaking his head. "This is a clinic, not a kennel. You know I'd do almost anything for you, but I can't keep him."

 

The owner of the feminine voice worried her bottom lip between her teeth before looking down at the floor. "But... what if he's feral?"

 

"Feral dogs aren't that well-fed."

 

Shigure was very nearly insulted by this remark. Well-fed? What's that supposed to mean?

 

Akemi wrapped her arms around herself, sparing a glance at Shigure -- she seemed apprehensive that he was awake. "But... what if he's... not friendly?"

 

The dog on the table snorted softly.

 

At the soft huff of breath, the veterinarian glanced at Shigure, who was watching them both with a very steady gaze. After several moments, the vet blew out a breath. "I'll tell you what. I'll let him stay here for the night. One night -- no longer."

 

Shigure felt his heart pound a little harder in his already aching chest. Ohh, no. No cages, thank you very much. He turned his gaze to the woman who -- he assumed -- had brought him here and sent her his most trustworthy, most sincere, and most earnest gaze. With any luck, it would work as well in his canine form as it did as a biped. On second thought, I hope it works better than when I'm bipedal. Uttering a small sound deep in his throat, Shigure slowly -- slowly, because the room felt like it was tipping and twirling -- moved his head towards the woman's hand, nosing it gently.

 

The vet chuckled with obvious amusement. "I think you insulted him."

 

The reply came without heat. "Shut up." Akemi's hand glided up his muzzle, coming to rest between his ears, scratching lightly before drifting back behind those ears. Her fingertips drifted across a bump and she gave a sympathetic wince. "Oh god... the poor thing."

 

Shigure had to suppress a smirk despite his discomfort. These were not the actions of a lady intent upon leaving the premises without him.

 

"It'll... probably just be for a day or so," she murmured, rubbing his ears gently.

 

Yes, Shigure agreed silently. If that long. He tilted his head against her hand. Ooh, right there.

 

"In that case..." The veterinarian was moving purposefully around the examination room, opening drawers and closing them "Let me give him something for the pain. It should make the car ride easier for him -- I'm parked around back." Soon the vet was gathering the loose skin at the scruff of his neck.

 

Something for the pain? Well, that sounds promis--

 

When the needle jabbed into his skin, Shigure had to clench his jaws shut to keep from swearing. He glared indignantly at the vet, and then at the woman rubbing his ears. Indignation, however, was not long-lived. In fact, it soon faded under a comfortable, fuzzy warmth. He lowered his head to his forepaws and let his eyes slide shut. There was, of course, a sliver -- a large sliver -- of apprehension, even if it wasn't standing up very well under the heaviness inundating his body. As he slipped into slumber, Shigure was fairly positive he wasn't in danger of changing back to normal TOO soon. But the danger existed, certainly.

 

But, better to transform in a private residence, far, far away from a cage than in a kennel any day of the week.

 

XxXxX

 

As day passed into night, the trio living under Sohma Shigure's roof was beginning to grow concerned. In fact, the elder Sohma's absence brought an almost foreign stillness to the house.

 

Three sets of eyes were fixed on the place-setting, three minds thinking three very different things.

 

Damn stupid dog. Where the hell is he? It's not like him to miss one of Tohru's meals.

 

I hope Shigure-san's all right. I'll put some leftovers together for him so he can have something to eat when he gets in.

 

A skipped meal? He's probably with Hatori. But still, he should have left a note. I'll call over there after dinner.

 

XxXxX

 

He could smell food. Very good food.

 

Shifting his head against the pillow, Shigure sighed. What a horrible, strange dream. A tiny, satisfied sigh escaped his lips. "Smells delicious, Tohru-kun, but, really, you shouldn't have," he murmured to himself before yawning widely and stretching. His wince was immediate, as was the sharp twinge prodding through the content haze that had wrapped itself around him. At some point during these few moments, Sohma Shigure realized something was still very wrong. For starters, he was colorblind. Still.

 

He looked down at himself. Oh, just...hell.

 

The dream, unfortunately, was not a dream. Bits and snatches came back to him, leaving him with a general sense of unease pervading the drugged haze. Shigure sighed heavily. It wasn't a dream; he was still a dog, and something large and metal with four wheels had pummeled him -- quite effectively, it appeared.

 

But, he was somewhere comfortable. He stretched again, more carefully this time, and pressed his paws into the soft mattress. Very comfortable.

 

And, according to his nose, there was food nearby. Even better.

 

He looked at the door for a moment before glancing at the carpeted floor. "Okay, just take it slow..." he murmured to himself, easing one leg down at a time. "One... down. Good, good." The world felt wobbly and uneven, and he closed his eyes for a second or two to regain his equilibrium. "Two legs... down. Good."

 

In actuality it was not good, as another twinge came, this time from his right forepaw. He gritted his teeth against the pain and continued his careful descent. "Three... and four." All four legs went weak unexpectedly, and Shigure soon found his nose level with the carpet. Very good -- quite graceful, really. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly; his entire body ached, and now that he'd gone through the effort of getting off the bed, he wanted nothing more than to return to it.

 

He made another attempt to get to his feet, meeting with only limited success. Odd: he could see his legs, and there were four of them, to be sure. But Shigure was damned if he could feel any of them.

 

"I think I'll just... stay here," he yawned. "On the floor." He stretched out, facing the open door. There was food being cooked, and while the spirit -- and appetite -- were both willing, the flesh was very weak.

 

Shigure wasn't sure how much time had passed before the footsteps began approaching. His eyes cracked open in time to see a pair of bare feet stop just short of either kicking him or stepping on him

 

A tiny, surprised squeak came from somewhere above his head, too far to look right now. The feet disappeared, replaced by knees, and soon a warm hand was against his head, a soft thumb stroking the sensitive spot between his eyes. Shigure closed them blissfully, tail moving feebly of its own accord. His body felt heavy and his mind seemed as if it was edged in cotton, but that -- that slow stroking between his eyes, down his muzzle and then back again... that felt better than words could describe.

 

When she spoke, her voice was low and soothing. "Hey there, big guy... what're you doing on the floor, hm? My bed not good enough for you?"

 

Shigure tilted his head slightly and regarded his temporary caretaker blearily. Mmhmm... yes. Bed. An excellent idea.

 

Her name was... something. He had a vague snippet of memory -- an impression, really. The veterinarian had called her... something. Ah, well. It would come back to him eventually. He blinked slowly, trying to clear the haze from his vision, but everything still seemed very out-of-focus. She had short dark hair and light eyes -- green possibly, maybe blue, but they appeared grey to his canine vision. Shigure tried to look at her more closely, but her features were blurred by the tranquilizers lingering in his system. He closed his eyes again, giving in to the slow pets across his head.

 

When he looked again, she had lowered herself down further, leaning on her forearms. The wide neck of her shirt fell a bit and Shigure blinked, trying to clear his vision. Cleavage -- just a hint, the tiniest glimpse. It was blurry, yes, but it was cleavage. Shigure had almost managed to will his vision to focus when she shifted slightly. Gone. He swore silently at the unfairness of it. He was injured, he was drugged -- was it asking too much to get a little peek of flesh for his pains?

 

"...Do you think you could eat? Or should I maybe put you back to bed?" She paused for a moment, tilting her head slightly in an unconscious imitation of the injured “stray.” "And... I'm talking to a dog now."

 

Mm... you are. And you should really think before you speak. Honestly -- putting the words 'eat' and 'bed' that close together? Tsk. I'm drugged, not dead.

 

.

 

Akemi scratched the base of the dog's ears slowly, sighing; his fur was soft and smooth, and the light ministrations made something begin to unwind somewhere between her shoulders. "You're probably thirsty, huh? I'll be right back." Standing, she strode to the kitchen, coming back a short while later with a wide, shallow bowl filled with cold water. She set it on the floor, settling on her knees. "Baby steps, right? Or, maybe in your case, puppy steps? Drink up."

 

The dog blinked, clearly caught between the need for more petting and water, then heaved himself up enough to reach the latter. Sighing softly, Akemi sat back, stretching one leg out and pulling the other in against her body. She rested her elbow on the bent knee; propping her chin in her hand, she watched the dog drink from the bowl. "Takashi's going to have a stroke when he sees you," she mused softly. If he sees you. With any luck, your owners will be out looking for you, and you'll be with them before he finds out. Grinding her teeth and looking away, a small scowl darkened her features for a moment. "You know, I feel almost as if I should apologize for him, because God knows he wouldn't do it himself." She exhaled in a snort. "Baka."

 

She glanced back at the dog, which was blinking at her, and she offered him a crooked grin. She'd been worried about bringing an animal into her house -- it was small, with only a narrow strip of grass in the back, barely enough room for a garden, though she did her best. The house had belonged to her grandmother, who left it to Akemi after she died. So it was small, yes, but comfortable. Cozy. And not the sort of place favorable to large dogs, who doubtless required room to move. But, then, the animal was injured and weak, and once Sho pointed out that it would spend most of its time resting, she found herself on the wrong end of a losing argument. Of course, then the dog had looked at her with that steady, honest gaze typical of most canines, and she realized she didn't stand a chance.

 

"I'm sorry he wasn't driving more carefully," she said quietly. The dog glanced up again and looked up at her, blinking slowly, and for a moment -- just a moment -- it was if the animal seemed to understand. Mm. And I bet no one's sorrier than you that it happened at all.

 

Akemi held the dog's gaze for a few seconds before scolding herself silently for her silliness. With a quiet sigh, she pushed herself to her feet and padded off to the kitchen. She stood in front of the stove for a moment before taking a plate and piling it with steaming beef strips. She served herself from the same pan, adding a little rice to her dish. When she returned to her bedroom, she set the plate next to the dish of water and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Pulling her legs up, she ate slowly, watching the dog contemplatively.

 

.

 

Shigure felt her eyes on him, but kept his attention on the food placed before him. It was, he realized, better than he'd expected. Of course, if she wasn't an animal owner -- and his nose told her she wasn't -- then it made sense that she'd have no dog food on hand. And for that his stomach was very thankful. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was still watching him, chewing thoughtfully on the end of one chopstick.

 

"I should probably call you something," she murmured.

 

Shigure froze. Well, yes. A name certainly makes sense, doesn't it? It wasn't as if he could have told her his, and it wasn't as if he could have expected her to guess. He swallowed the fragrant, tender beef strips and kept his gaze away from the woman, wondering how long he'd have to endure answering to any number of silly dog names.

 

"You're awfully lucky to have gotten through that with as little damage as you did, you know."

 

He turned back to his dinner and continued eating. That did it -- he was going to be named an adjective, wasn't he? "Lucky" or "Lumpy," or something equally--

 

"Hmm... Kuroi?"

 

He looked up. Eh? Kuroi?

 

"Well, you looked. I guess you're stuck with it until someone claims you, hm?" She brought a piece of meat to her mouth and nibbled at it.

 

Well, it is better than "Pochi." And slightly more accurate, too, given my coloring. I suppose I can live with it for a day or so.

 

At that point, an electronic trilling came from somewhere. The woman set her bowl down on the bed and got up to answer it, leaving Shigure to finish his dinner. He lapped at the water in the dish, his brow creased in a thoughtful frown as he listened to her walk away. His ears were trained on the soft thudding of her steps; they grew quicker - she must have started running for the phone. Light bumping was followed by muttered swears before a bright and slightly breathless, “Hello?”

 

Shigure listened to the one-sided conversation shamelessly as he contemplated his situation. Things could have been worse, definitely. For starters, he could have been killed. Paralyzed-

 

“Takashi, I expected to hear from you hours ago...”

 

- or left on the side of the road. Instead, he was somewhere warm and comfortable, eating what tasted like very good steak. So, in that respect, yes, he was lucky.

 

Wait. Takashi? As in, he who hit me with his Toyota? Shigure's ears twitched as he listened more closely.

 

“No, no, of course - train delay. I just...” There was a brief pause and she chuckled before adding playfully, “Yes, you poor, abused, maligned thing. Forced to wait for your train with the rest of the plebeians. And now you're, where?” There was another pause. “Ooh, very nice. Swanky, one might say.”

 

Soft footfalls started back toward the room and Shigure looked up, cocking his head as she entered, trying once more to latch on to whatever her name was. He knew that he knew -- he just couldn't remember. She held a small cellular phone to her ear, chattering happily as she reclaimed her seat on the bed, taking the bowl on her lap.

 

She smiled at something the speaker said. "No, no... nothing like that. I was just beginning to worry," she said into the phone, tapping her chopsticks on the side of the dish. "But you probably had plenty of time to go over your notes for your lecture. So, call that a silver lining."

 

It was rude to eavesdrop, but Shigure found himself doing it with no compunctions. His ear flicked once as he swallowed the last piece of meat in the dish. There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "Good, good..." Dark brows lifted slightly as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "Oh. Right." She paused awkwardly, sending Shigure what looked to him like a very guilty glance. "Actually, that's a funny story. See, Sho couldn't keep him, so..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "Well," she said reasonably, "I'm sure it'll only be for a few days. Someone's bound to claim him. He's a beautiful animal."

 

Shigure puffed up slightly as he continued to pretend that he wasn't listening.

 

"Taka!" she exclaimed, her tone both affectionate and scolding. After a moment, she let out a soft huff of disbelieving laughter. "I hope you're kidding." There was another pause as her brows twitched together, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded somewhat different -- lower, more serious. "I'm not going to take him to the animal shelter."

 

Shigure's brows lifted as he watched at her. Sounds like "Taka " isn't a dog lover. He frowned slightly. The sooner I get out of here, the better.

 

“Just some X-rays, and a prescription.” Color flooded the woman's face until she seemed to be burning with it as she looked down, fixing her gaze on the food in her dish. “No, Sho didn't charge me.”

 

Hm. She's lying.

 

Her face flamed further and her eyes widened in shock. “Takashi!”

 

Why do I have a feeling Takashi-san just offered up a less than flattering speculation as to why Sho-san didn't charge for services he clearly charged for? Stretching a bit, and wincing as he reminded himself he simply shouldn't attempt to move anymore, Shigure yawned widely, gingerly pushing himself up into a sitting position. All right. Enough of this.

 

Moving carefully, trying to remain aware of his limbs, he got to his feet. Once again, his right forepaw twinged, and he clenched his jaws against the expletive that wanted to escape. Cautiously, he padded over to the bed, where he sat again, resting his head on her knee. He'd been promised a bed, had he not? He aimed a pair of particularly soulful brown eyes on her, and when she finally looked down at him, her expression softened, her hand once more going to his head.

 

"Takashi, I've got to go. We'll talk about this later." A small, lopsided grin lifted her lips when Shigure arched into her touch. "Ah... I've got something on the stove. I'll see you in a few days." The smile warmed slightly. "I love you too. ...Bye." She snapped the phone shut and stood, stretching. "All right, you. I know you're full and happy..." She tilted her head. "And probably blissed out on whatever Sho shot you up with, but I'd rather not wake up to any rude surprises--"

 

My dear woman, that might just be unavoidable...

 

"--so let's get you outside for a bit, eh?"

 

Outside? What on earth could you think to accomplish by...

 

And then it hit him. Outside? Outside. He was supposed to do... that? Outside? He arched an eyebrow at her, a gesture that went by largely unnoticed.

 

I don't think so. You're cute, but you're not that cute.

 

And yet, a warm hand was carefully gathering the fur at the scruff of his neck. "Come on. Get up."

 

A deep whine formed in his throat as he turned and started to follow her, grimacing again when he took a step. As Shigure limped after her, the whine faded when his eyes settled on two back pockets. He tilted his head as she walked, her hips swaying with her gait. Certainly he'd always realized the advantages to having his eyes at this level, but it was always nice to have the occasional reminder.

 

She crossed what looked like a living room before reaching a sliding door, which she pulled open. "There you go. A whole fenced-in yard, all to yourself."

 

Shigure sat upon his haunches and looked first at the door, and then at the petite woman holding it open. He looked back and forth for several seconds.

 

No. Nope. No way.

 

There were some things even he could not make himself do. He'd learn to embrace some of the more... normal canine traits for as long as he was here, but Shigure absolutely, positively refused to budge on this one tiny detail.

 

"Come on, you," she said, nodding toward the door. "As cute as you are, if you think I'm of a mind to clean up that kind of mess, you're nuts."

 

Shigure very nearly groaned at the blatant unfairness of it. He wasn't really a dog, after all. Why should he have been expected to behave like one in all respects? He looked over his shoulder. There had to be a bathroom in the house. Had to be. He then looked at his paws, sighing inwardly. That would make things a little more difficult, wouldn't it?

 

"Kuroi," she said reasonably, leaning against the door. "Please -- sometime tonight?" She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly at a light but potent breeze. "I won't watch. Promise."

 

Shigure stood slowly, his head bowed as he tried to retrieve the remaining scattered shreds of his dignity. He hated it -- it went against every fiber of his being, but... at the moment, he had no other choice. He could feel his tail droop as he reluctantly padded outside. Outside, into the cold. He sighed again.

 

The Sohma was having a hard time remembering a moment when he'd hated his curse more.

 

XxXxX

 

Crickets chirped, but the night was otherwise silent. The three occupants of Sohma Shigure's house were trying very hard not to appear at all concerned over the elder Sohma's absence. It was by now late in the evening, and he'd not returned.

 

Yuki stood in the hallway, the phone to his ear as he idly twirled the phone cord around his index finger. He counted the rings absently, wondering -- worrying, really -- about his cousin. Had he gone off and simply forgotten to leave a note? Possibly -- but that wasn't like him. Yes, Shigure could be a great many things -- but blatantly thoughtless? He had to know that disappearing like this was bound to make them worry.

 

The boy started slightly when the deep, familiar voice came over the line. "Hatori," he said in his quiet, intense way, "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour."

 

"Nonsense, Yuki," the Dragon replied. "Is everything all right?"

 

"Actually... I was wondering if you'd seen Shigure."

 

There was a brief silence on the other end of the connection. "Have I... seen him?"

 

"Yes," Yuki replied, winding the cord tighter around his finger. "He's been gone all day -- we thought maybe he was with you, but when he didn't return for dinner, we began to worry."

 

"And he... hasn't been there at all?" the doctor asked curiously.

 

Yuki was careful to keep his voice down; he didn't want to worry Honda-san needlessly, although it was probably too late for that. He sighed. "No, we haven't seen him since this afternoon. He transformed at the market. We actually thought we'd find him here when we came back, but..."

 

"But there's been no sign of him," Hatori said softly.

 

"None."

 

The faint snick of a lighter met Yuki's ears before a static-laden exhale came through the line. "Have you spoken with Ayame yet? Shigure may well be with him."

 

The younger Sohma said nothing for a moment or two. "No, I haven't called him yet."

 

Hatori maintained a judicious silence that lasted for several seconds. "Would you like me to speak with him?"

 

Yuki considered this for a moment, as it was an extraordinarily appealing option. If Shigure found out how worried he'd made them, Yuki had absolutely no doubt he would revel in the concern -- and possibly take advantage of it. And if Ayame knew, he would unwittingly assist Shigure.

 

The Rat's silence spoke volumes to Hatori

 

"Keep looking tonight, Yuki. If there's no sign of Shigure, I'll phone Ayame in the morning."

 

XxXxX

 

In another part of the house, far from the hallway where Yuki stood, speaking in hushed tones to Hatori, Tohru knelt on the porch, looking out into the thick forest. She could see next to nothing under the moonlight, but still she looked, still she gazed out into the darkness, her ears straining for some sound, some noise that would preface Shigure-san's return.

 

He'd come back -- he had to come back. He had to be safe. It couldn't be happening again -- not again, after all this time, and not to Shigure-san. Had she said it to him? Those words? Had she told him to stay safe? Had she even thought the words to him as he scrambled out of the grocery store amidst curious exclamations? Should she have followed to make sure he--

 

"Oi."

 

Tohru started, looking over her shoulder. She could only just make out Kyou's silhouette in the dark.

 

"He's coming back."

 

She nodded once. "I-I know. I just... don't think he'd want--"

 

Kyou's footsteps were silent on the boards as his figure drew closer to her. "He's probably just off goofing around with Ayame or something. Don't worry, okay? He's not worth making yourself sick over." He offered her his hand to help her to her feet. "Get some sleep, all right?" A moment of heavy silence passed between them and Tohru nodded, taking Kyou's hand. He tugged her to her feet, wincing suddenly.

 

Tohru's eyes went huge with worry. "Kyou-kun, are you--"

 

"I'm fine," he muttered tersely before letting go. After only a brief hesitation, Tohru padded inside, pausing in the doorway to smile back at him before vanishing into the house. Kyou remained, striding to the spot the girl had abandoned and looking outside.

 

You'd better be fine, stupid mutt. If you've upset her for no damn good reason, I'm gonna break a shoji with your thick head.

 

Kyou stood, his arms folded over his chest, glowering into the dark nothingness. His thoughts were similarly dark, focused primarily on exactly what he was going to say to Shigure when he finally decided to show up. He turned his head slightly. "What do you want?"

 

Yuki's steps were silent as he joined his cousin on the porch. "I just spoke with Hatori."

 

"And?"

 

The Rat followed the Cat's gaze, staring off into the shadowy foliage. "He hasn't seen Shigure at all today."

 

The taller boy blew out a long, frustrated breath, managing to mask the wince that followed as a sharp pang shot up from his ribs. "So, what's that supposed to mean?"

 

"It may mean," Yuki replied quietly, "that Shigure's with my brother."

 

"So we'd have to thank him for not bringing Ayame here."

 

Yuki nodded. "It may also mean that we're going to have to find him. Hatori's going to call Ayame in the morning if Shigure doesn't come back. In the meantime, we should probably make sure that he isn't around here somewhere."

 

Nodding once, Kyou lowered himself from the porch. "Stay with her. I'm gonna go back to the market to see if I can find out where the hell he went."

 

Yuki opened his mouth to reply, but Kyou was already walking away, the stiffness in his movements giving away the fact that his injury was still bothering him. In his wake, Yuki could hear the underbrush rustle with the movement of small, lithe, feline bodies. But soon that too ended.

 

Once alone, the Rat closed his eyes and sat down, blowing out a breath. Too many things were piling onto themselves. Graduation was approaching quickly, and there was still a great deal of university preparation to be done -- more so, in fact, given that he wouldn't be going to school in Kyoto. And now they had Shigure's absence to contend with.

 

In truth, Yuki was quite concerned for his cousin. But something inside of him tried to hold back on that anxiety in an attempt to keep from indulging it too completely, because this was still Shigure they were dealing with. While this behavior wasn't normal, neither was it entirely outside the realm of possibility. And the moment Shigure believed any of them to have been at all worried about him, he would embrace the situation and take full advantage of it. It was far better to let the Dog think they hadn't been worried at all.

 

Suddenly, Yuki shook his head a little, an almost fond gesture. Well, aside from Honda-san, of course.

 

Her concern for the welfare of others was such an integral part of her personality, it was foolish to expect her to turn it on and off, like a switch. She would, whether they wanted her to or not, worry about Shigure enough for all of them. Neither he nor Kyou liked to see her fret, and they would do all in their power to keep her from sliding into a complete frenzy (something for which she also had a propensity). But there were some things you couldn't change about a person, and even if you could, that didn't mean you'd want to.

 

The situation was nowhere near as cut and dry as the Rat would have liked. On the one hand, he hoped something had happened to Shigure, because it would explain the situation more neatly than it would if the Dog had simply traipsed off somewhere. It also made Yuki, at least, less inclined to harbor anger at his cousin, if he was actually hurt. On the other hand, Yuki sincerely hoped that Shigure was all right, because he did not want the responsibility of breaking the news to Honda-san, who, defying all logic, was genuinely fond of the Dog.

 

Besides that, if the unspeakable had happened, there was no telling where the three of them would end up. Kyou would go to Shihan's obviously, but what were Honda-san's options? What were his?

 

Closing his eyes, Yuki rubbed tiredly at his face. You'd better be all right, stupid Dog. But you'd better have a damned good reason for disappearing like this.