Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Long Denied ❯ Ayame's Rage ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Petshop of Horrors X-over Fruits Basket

Long Denied
Chapter 9: Ayame's Rage


Several days earlier-
Hatori-


'Momiji...crying?'

The first thing Hatori saw, when he woke up, was Momiji's golden hair. Momiji's head was tilted down, his arms wrapped around himself as he quietly cried standing by Hatori's bedside. Momiji, though he acted and looked like a very young child, didn't cry like one. He'd never been one to loudly sob and wail. Instead, Momiji was more apt to do what he was doing now, just let the tears fall silently and try not to let anyone see it.

"Hari? How are you feeling?"

Hatori slowly turned his head and saw Ayame looking down at him, his golden eyes trained on Hatori and intense with worry. Ayame's face was drawn with worry and his eyes were more than a little blood shot. "Tired." Hatori's voice sounded odd, even to him. He couldn't see well, everything seemed to be...off. "My eye..." Hatori tried to reach one hand up, but found it wouldn't move. When he tried to look at his arm, he had to turn his head just to see it. There was an I.V. taped to the crux of his elbow and other wires attached to his arm. "What...where...?" It was only when he looked back up at Ayame and realized that he wasn't in his house. The walls were all white and there was a familiar smell of disinfectants in the air.

Ayame looked over his shoulder at something, but quickly turned back to Hatori. "Do you remember anything? Akito and Kana? It all happened very quickly, I came as quickly as I could, right when 'Gure called me!" Ayame's eyes were watering, as if he would join Momiji in crying. "Oh, Hari...I'm so sorry."

The memories, flooded back at Ayame's words with violent demand to be remembered.

-Kana and I wish to be married.-

-I refuse to allow it!-

-Kana! Get Hari out of here!-

-You think you can break the curse? You're nothing! You're worthless to us!-

There was pain. Akito screaming furiously. Kana's beautiful eyes opened unnaturally wide with fear and horror. Pain. Shigure was yelling, holding Akito back with all his strength.

Hatori gasped, trying to drag himself out of the memory, though Kana's terrified eyes stayed in front of his face. "Kana, is Kana all right?" He couldn't remember anything more than when Kana finally got to her feet and helped him to stand as she started to cry. He must have passed out.

"She's uninjured." Shigure said, though he didn't move from where he stood by the closed door. It was Shigure that Ayame had looked at, before. He still wore his usual dark grey kimono, but his expression was very serious. He'd been worried, too. He was leaning against it and, if Hatori knew Shigure, he was guarding the door so no one would come in and surprise them, they could speak privately. "Akito didn't touch her."

"You're not telling me something." Hatori knew Shigure well enough to tell when his friend wasn't telling the entire truth about something and it made him nervous. "What happened?"

Shigure looked directly at him and there wasn't a sign of the normal good-humor or the carefree smile that was usually on Shigure's face. "Your doctor said you need to rest, Hari. We'll talk after you've had a good sleep."

"Don't treat me like a fool, Shigure!" Hatori was irritated and getting angry, but he could hardly get his voice to rise more than a whisper and he sounded more tired than anything. "What happened? I feel...so...so odd. What happened to Kana?" He didn't want to admit that he was a little hurt she wasn't here.

Ayame looked as if he'd answer, but Momiji started crying again and he leaned down, putting his arms around Hatori, as best as he could. "Hari! I was so scared! I thought you were going to die!" Momiji choked out his words and Hatori knew the boy must have been holding it all in for a while. "There was so much blood when Kana brought you home and you wouldn't wake up, we had to call the ambulance."

Hatori hated seeing Momiji cry, especially about him. He didn't like that Momiji depended so much on him, gave Hatori so much of his love. It made him feel weak.

Hatori reached up, moving painfully slowly, and gave Momiji a weak hug, trying to comfort him. "Hush, now. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." As he reached up to hug Momiji, Hatori's bare arm brushed against the bandage that was wrapped around half his head. No wonder he couldn't see properly. "My eye?" He shifted his one good eye to Ayame. "What was damaged?"

"Well...Akito hit you with that vase." Ayame started nervously, afraid to break the news. "The doctor said a lot of little bits of ceramic got into your eye and c-c-cut it up very badly. She said...um...well..."

"You've lost your eye, Hari." Shigure's voice was firm and calm, seemingly unaffected by the news. "You may have limited sight, such as seeing light and dark, but nothing else."

Hatori nodded slowly, even as Ayame shot Shigure a poisonous look for being so blunt. Blind in one eye. "I'll survive." Hatori said out loud. "It's only one eye. I'll learn to do without it." There was little else Hatori could do, realistically. No point in getting all upset about it.

The worst part was that Momiji and Ayame had to see him like this.

Shigure continued, "You've just come out of a three hour operation, they had to make sure they got all the little shards out of your eye. The doctor said they want you to rest as much as possible, so we won't stay long. We wanted to be here when you woke, though. The whole family is worried and asked us to send their love."

Hatori wanted to say that Shigure shouldn't have brought Momiji or Ayame, they were both to sensitive and to easily upset. There was no reason either of them should have to see Hatori like this. Wasn't it bad enough that he'd seen Kana crying before he blacked out? So weak and helpless? Oh, Hatori knew exactly what he looked like, dressed in the uniform white hospital gowns with a thick bandage covering half of his face. He knew that he was probably pale and that the medications he'd been dosed up with left his one untouched eye glassy and his skin pale. His mind, although a bit fuzzy, was clear enough to see the worry on Momiji's face.

"Go home." Hatori had said, his voice sounding weak, even to him. He reached out and patted Momiji's hand, which was on the bed, and then looked at Ayame. "I'll come home tomorrow, there's nothing for you to worry about. It was a simple operation, really."

"But..." Momiji bit his lip uncertainly. "But you'll be all alone. I don't want you to be alone. I'll stay here with you, if you want."

Hatori knew he hadn't done a very good job raising Momiji, but he had done his best. Momiji was a sweet boy, though he acted years younger than he true age, and he had a warm heart. Hatori had sometimes wished he'd been able to do more for Momiji, but he had never even considered having children and had no idea what to do when the child had fallen into his lap after his parents had given him up. He'd never thought he would be a good father and Momiji proved him right.

"The doctor's going to be back soon and she'll give me something that will make me fall asleep. If you stay, all you'll be able to do is watch me sleep." Hatori tried to smile, but, from Momiji's expression, it didn't turn out very well. The surgery had gone well, but he was still exhausted.

Ayame, from where he sat on the side of Hatori's bed, spoke up. "I'll stay and watch you sleep, Hari. It's no trouble for me." He gave a dazzling smile and moved his hand to touch Hatori's. "But, I'm sure you'd like to rest a bit, right? You'll be happier if we leave you to get some peace and quiet?"

Hatori nodded gratefully. "It would help me if you'd walk Momiji home. Momiji, I'll be home tomorrow, they'll just want me to stay overnight for observations." He shifted his eyes back to the worried bunny. "I'll worry less with you at home."

In the end, Momiji agreed to leave, but only with Ayame gently urging him along. Ayame paused for a moment by Hatori's bed. "I was worried, Hari." His voice was thick with emotion and he leaned down to kiss Hatori on the cheek. "Please, Hari, you take such good care of everyone around you, please take care of yourself, too."

Hatori knew that Ayame was in love with him, he'd known for a long time. It was pretty hard to miss it. He could see the little signs that pointed out Ayame's infatuation. He never did anything to encourage it, but Hatori couldn't bring himself to completely separate himself from Ayame all together. He was closer to Ayame than almost anyone and it would hurt him deeply to lose that friendship. He needed Ayame.

"I will." Hatori promised, making no sign that he thought the kiss was anything other than one of friendship. He wouldn't let Ayame get his hopes up, but he also wouldn't break Ayame's heart.

As soon as Ayame and Momiji were gone Shigure stepped forward, his smile seeming more forced than usual as he took Ayame's place sitting on Hatori's bed. "The doctor said you should stay here a week. There's still danger of infection and she wanted to check your stitches every day."

"I'm more than capable of taking antibiotics at home and if there are any problems, I'll return to the hospital. There's no sense in me wasting time here when I'm needed at the estate." Hatori kept his voice as calm as he could. He knew he couldn't let Shigure get to him, the dog had a way of manipulating people into doing what he wanted. "I have things to take care of at home."

"Things? You mean Kana." Shigure walked away slightly, moving around the bed, to the window where he looked out at the sky with a distant expression. "She isn't doing well, Hari. Ayame asked Ritsu's mother to keep her in seclusion, she owes Ayame that much after he convinced Akito to force her husband to divorce. Are you sure you want to see her?"

"Yes." How could Shigure even think to ask such a painful question?! Hatori couldn't help but felt a burst of anger at his friend. Shigure had been there, he had been the one who restrained Akito, giving Kana and Hatori time to escape God's wrath. Shigure had seen the blood and the tears. How could he just start talking about Kana so callously?

"She really isn't well." Shigure said, his smile faltering slightly. "I got a call last night, while you were still in surgery. Kana cried herself to sleep. Hari..."

"I know what you're going to say." Hatori turned his face away from Shigure. "You're wrong. She'll be fine. It was a shock for her, that's all. How would anyone react, seeing Akito go into a temper for the first time? She was so happy...she couldn't stop smiling. Did I tell you she almost fainted when I gave her the ring? She smiled so brightly..." His voice trailed away at the memory of Kana's brilliant smile when he'd knelt before her and given her the diamond ring. The memory faded, replaced by the look of horror when Akito had smashed the vase over Hatori's head. He'd looked up, nearly blinded by pain and blood, and saw Kana with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide. She looked like she was living a nightmare.

"Maybe." Shigure admitted. "She might be stronger than everyone thinks. She took the curse well, didn't even bat an eye, as I remember. But, Hari, don't..."

"No." Hatori felt his heart start to beat faster with agitation. "I don't want to hear it, Shigure. I believe in Kana. She won't give up on us. We're going to be married. Akito will forgive us, he'll understand. If he doesn't, I'll take Kana and we'll live away from the estate. I won't give her up, Shigure! I love her!"

"Are you sure of that? Can you really leave Akito against his will?"

"You did."

"Yes. And it rips at my heart." Shigure turned away, but Hatori saw a glimpse of true pain in Shigure's eyes before he got a hold of himself. "It's not easy, Hari. I'm always thinking about what's going on at home. Always wondering if I made the right choice. Can you live with knowing that you've left Akito alone without medical supervision? That Akito might hurt someone and you won't be there to help?"

Hatori was silent, hating Shigure for being so sensible.

Shigure finally sighed. "I'll do everything I can to help you." He turned and smiled at Hatori, though it looked like a rather sad smile. "I'll start working on Akito, see if I can get him to come around. He feels pretty guilty about hurting you; he wants to come visit. I don't think he feels badly about Kana being unhappy, though."

"I don't want him to visit." Hatori said quickly. Just the thought of seeing Akito right now made Hatori feel sick to his stomach. "I'll see him when I get home. I just...I just need a little time."

"I know. I'll keep him distracted till you get home." He paused. "He WAS upset, you know. He didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, he meant to hurt Kana." Hatori wasn't at all moved by Shigure's attempt to make Akito look better. It wouldn't have been so bad if Akito had intended to hurt Hatori; Hatori could have lived with that. He knew, though, that Akito had meant to hurt Kana. She was so much smaller than Hatori; Akito might have killed her with that blow. How could he ever forgive Akito for trying to hurt Kana?

Shigure didn't say anything for a long time. He obviously didn't want to say anything against Akito, he never did. Sometimes Hatori wondered about Shigure's true feelings towards Akito. Even when they were alone, Shigure never spoke against Akito. "Do you want me to have Kana at the estate when you get home?"

"No. I'll go see her at the hot springs. I don't want her at the estate without me, anymore."

"All right."


Days later-


It didn't go well.

Kana burst out in tears the moment Hatori walked though the doorway of the hot springs. She sobbed at the sight of his head bandaged and wouldn't touch him. When he tried to touch her hand, she cringed away from him. She didn't even want to look at him and she ran away when he tried to speak to her.

It seemed that Shigure had been right. Kana had been destroyed by this and the self-hatred was eating her away. It was hard to love someone who was cursed and she'd been as strong as she could, but it just wasn't enough.

Hatori knew what he had to do, even without Akito's urgings. Akito had called him and spoken so sweetly about how Hatori should take Kana's memory if he loved her.

"It's especially at times like this that your techniques become useful, don't you agree. We both know her memories should be erased. Before now, I doubt you'd have even hesitated. At this very moment, it's her memories of you her feelings of you that cause her to suffer. You're the only one who can save her. You can put an end to her suffering. It'll be your final act of love, Hatori. The truth is that she wants you to release her. The truth is that she wants to forget."

Hatori could have hated Akito just then. How dare Akito speak of Kana when it was his fault that Kana was in so much pain? Akito didn't have the right to decide what was best for Kana! Akito didn't even care about Kana, he'd have killed her if he'd had the chance! No...Akito had every right. Akito was the head of the family, he was God. He had the right to do whatever he pleased.

Besides all that, Akito was right.

"It would have been better, if we'd never met!"

Kana DID want to forget. He WAS the only one who could save her. The final act of love...

So Hatori had gone to the hot springs again, making sure that there would be a few women to help Kana after he was done with her. She was so pale and lifeless when he saw her. He'd had her brought to one of the empty rooms in the hot springs and stolen her memories. Without even the energy to cry anymore, Kana had stared at the floor when Hatori approached her, not looking up at him. She looks to pathetic, kneeling on the floor before him. Hatori hated seeing her like that, she didn't seem like the vibrant Kana he fell in love with.

Hatori reached down and slid one hand over her almost vacant eyes. "Thank you, Kana. Everything will be all right now. You won't have to be troubled for me any longer. I hope that one day you'll meet someone who can make you truly happy. It's my dearest wish." It was all Hatori could do not to cry as he said that. No man should have to give up the one he loved and then wish she found another.

"Hatori, I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to protect you. Forgive me."

Hatori went cold at her words. She loved him. She really did. She loved him so deeply and so completely that she couldn't bear to see him in any kind of pain. It would kill her. Those words made Hatori's heart break. She was sorry for something that wasn't even her fault, sorry for seeing the truth of their twisted, dark family. That truth had frightened her so badly that she was losing her mind.

Hatori opened his mind and let his connect to hers. Through touch and a bit of concentration, Hatori could connect his mind to any other person's and then it was only a matter of searching for the memories. He didn't just steal the memories, he could see memories, too. Not thought, exactly, but only memories. It was hard to describe. 'Stealing' memories was far more accurate than when people said he 'erased' them.

Memories don't just disappear; they have to go somewhere. The memories of people that Hatori had to steal, he took into himself. So every painful, terrible moment that was associated with the cursed Souma family was stored in Hatori's mind. He could feel it all as if he were the one who found out her son turned into a rabbit, or that a friend turned into a rat, or that a crush turned into a snake when hugged. He remembered every moment of fear and every disgusting moment when a person thought to use their loved one to make money like a sideshow freak or to just kill the monstrous thing.

Kana's memories were just as beautiful as they were painful. His heart ached when his mind and soul were filled with her memories of their first meeting and he knew that she'd loved him from the moment she first saw him. He could feel her love for him and understood how that powerful love was destroying her now. She needed to be free of it, if she was going to live, she had to be free from the overpowering emotion.

Kana slumped limply to the floor and he knew she was gone. Gone from his life forever. She would wake up in a short while, thinking that nothing was out of the ordinary except for a slight headache. He, however, would never forget.

Hatori turned away from Kana and walked out of the room. Best to just leave quickly, try to forget her. 'I almost wish I could. Why am I the only one who can't forget?' Hatori was the one who had to bear all the terrible memories, there was no one who could take his. It seemed very unfair.

'But I love her, and I always will. I'll hold our love, our dreams forever. I'll never let them die.'


The next day-


"Hatori! Hatori, let me in!" There was a hard knocking on the door and Hatori's eyes fluttered open. He didn't want to move, didn't want to listen to the fear in Hatsuharu's voice. Why wouldn't anyone let him sleep? Hadn't he suffered enough? "Hatori, it's an emergency. Please!"

"Haru, leave Hari alone!" Momiji's voice scolded and Hatori felt guilty again. Momiji had suffered at loosing Kana, too, and even now he was trying to protect Hatori against his best friend. "He's tired."

"Fuck that!" Hatsuharu's voice turned very suddenly harsh and Hatori groaned, knowing that Black Haru had come out. "Yuki's hurt and he looks like he's dying, if Hatori won't come out, I'll drag his ass out!"

Hatori threw open the door, having jumped out of bed the moment he'd heard that Yuki was hurt. Still dressed in his pajamas and bare footed, he glared at Black Haru with his one working eye. "Take me to him!" Together, the three of them made their way across the estate as fast as they could. Hatori carried his black, leather medical bag and wore a thin robe over his pajamas and knew he must have looked quite the sight, but he really didn't care. He'd lost one loved one already; he wasn't about to lose Yuki, too.

By the time they came to the home Yuki shared with his foster parents, Hatori had worked himself up to a rage. He jabbed a finger at the closed front door and snapped an order at Hatsuharu. "OPEN IT, NOW!"

Hatsuharu didn't reply, but he dashed ahead of Hatori and Momiji, smashing in the door with a single kick. Hatori marched in, taking no notice of the started couple who ran into the hallway to see what had made the door crash in.

Both of Yuki's foster parents, Yoko and Tashei, came rushing out to the hall, obviously having heard the crash. "Hatori-sensei, what are you...?" Yoko asked. Her voice and guilty expression made Hatori's blood boil. He knew that Hatsuharu never lied, but she made it all the more obvious that she was hiding something from him.

"Hatsuharu, keep them out of my way." Hatori ordered, knowing that if Black Haru chose to, he could kill both of them, easily. Right now, he didn't care. They didn't understand the utter loneliness of being cursed. To lose even one member of the cursed family, was tragedy. Hatori didn't know Yuki well, Akito and Yuki's foster parents had made sure that no one but Akito could get close to Yuki, but he knew enough that Yuki could seriously be dying. His health, although greatly improved lately, was not good. Hatori didn't even pause as he made his way to Yuki's room with Momiji and Hatsuharu close at his back. He tried the door but it was locked from the inside. "Haru."

Hatusharu needed no more prompting. He took the doorknob in one hand and gave it a savage twist, breaking it and sending a crack down the wooden door. Hatori took one look into the room, at Yuki laying prone on the bed with a still burning cigarette on the floor from where it had fallen out of his fingers, before he shot another order at Hatsuharu. "Go get Shigure. Tell him to come to my house. Go now!"

Hatori was at Yuki's side before Hatsuharu went, his heavy boots thundering as he ran out of the house and to Shigure's home. The room was filled with an almost blue cigarette smoke, a sure death for an asthmatic like Yuki. He was also bleeding from a sever cut on his forehead. Yuki's eyes opened when Hatori lifted him, but closed after only a second. Yuki was very thin, he always had been. Even Hatori, who wasn't the strongest of men, could lift Yuki as if he were nothing more than a baby.

"What-what do you think you're doing!" Yoko put herself directly in his path, blocking the doorway. "You can't just take our son, Hatori-sensei. Doctor or not, he belongs to us."

Apparently, with Hatsuharu gone, they thought they could act brave again. Hatori's eye narrowed. "Belongs? He isn't a pet. Get out of my way before you make your fate worse."

"Are you threatening us?" Tashei put himself next to his wife and looked down at Hatori. He was a large man, he'd spent years working as a professional boxer, but Hatori wasn't afraid. He felt a surge of disgust that this little man would put himself between Hatori and the welfare of one of the Junikyu. He had to get Yuki out into the clean air.

"Yes." Hatori started walking forward, not pausing, even when they didn't seem like they would move. "Do you think Akito will be happy when he hears you've almost killed his favorite?" That made them both move out of the way. Cursed or not, all Souma's feared the wrath of Akito with the possible exceptions of Shigure and Kazuma. Hatori made his way out of the house, leaving the foul excuses for parents behind him. "Yuki will no longer be your responsibility. I'll have his brother take custody of him if no one else will have him."

"You can't do that!"

"Watch me."


Later-
Shigure-


When Shigure got home that day from a long meeting with his emotional editor, he was horrified to find Rin sitting in his living room, with a book on her lap, reading intently. It wasn't just any book, it was THE book. The diary of the Souma family dogs. He snatched the heavy book out of her thin hands before she even noticed he was in the room and closed it quickly.

When Rin looked up, her eyes were hard. "You knew."

"What are you talking about? This little book? It's just a work of fiction." Shigure smiled, setting the book back on a bookshelf as calmly as he could. "I was modeling the family after ours, but I doubt it'll ever get published. It's far to depressing."

"Liar." Rin stood up, her willowy body moving gracefully. "That wasn't your handwriting, not at the beginning. This is an old book, the pages look a hundred years old, at least. You know about the curse, this book looks like it tells everything. How could you keep this to yourself? How could you do that to the rest of us!?"

"You're confused, Rin." Shigure kept smiling as he took her arm and showed her to the door. "That book wasn't real. You mustn't believe everything you read, you know."

At the door, Rin wrenched her arm away from him. "I didn't finish reading it. If it's just a book you're writing, let me finish it. Let me read the end. I want to see what happens."

"No. I'm sorry, but I just can't stand to let people read my unfinished work. Maybe when I decide what the ending should be, I'll let you see it. For now," He lowered his voice and put his face close to hers. "I suggest you forget what you read. No one would ever believe you if you tried spreading rumors that I, of all people, know the secret of the curse."

Rin glared at him before she turned away in a huff and strode away.

'Stupid.' Shigure rushed back into the house and grabbed the precious book off the shelf. 'I didn't think any of them would come prowling around the house. I'll have to find a better hiding place for this.' Of all the worst people to find the diary, it had to be Rin. She had more drive than most of the family and wouldn't think twice about hunting down a person she thought had done her a wrong. If she found this Count D, he would surely kill her or use her to trap the rest of the family.

When he'd found a better hiding place for the book, Shigure went out to sit on his front porch. He knew Rin wouldn't forget this and she could be trouble. He didn't have long to think about the problem, though. A frantic yell caught his attention.

"Shigure! Shigure!"

Surprisingly, it was Hatsuharu running at top speed down the path that led to Shigure's front door. Shigure shook his head. 'I'll have to stop thinking of him as a child. He's an adult, really.' Strangely, unlike many of the Junikyu, Hatsuharu hadn't chosen to claim his own house when he'd turned ten. His parents were very patient and loving, even with his unpredictable temper, and Hatsuharu was actually pretty close with them.

Hatsuharu, Shigure admitted, was far smarter than people gave him credit for. Though he was normally slow moving and quiet, Hatsuharu was very observant. He was a very good judge of character, even if he looked like he ought to be on his way to a sleazy nightclub. His hair was black and white, just the way Yahiko's hair had been, and he had recently started to get himself tattoos. Thanks to the laws of the Junikyu, Hatsuharu's parents couldn't stop him from getting his first piercing, a simple earring, when he turned ten years old. Of course, Hatori did it for him, Akito wouldn't stand for one of his people to be mutilated by some 'outsider'.

"Good afternoon, Haru. What can I do for you?" Hatsuharu normally didn't come to visit him, no one did, really. Akito was still a tiny bit irritated at him for not coming home permanently, but Shigure knew that to go back to living at the estate would be a show of weakness, something he just couldn't afford. Hatsuharu wasn't one to go wandering about by himself, not with how easily he lost his way.

Hatsuharu was the ox, now a fourteen year old boy and, as he watched Hatsuharu pant for breath after he came to a skidding halt just in front of Shigure, he couldn't help but feel sad that it had been fourteen years since Yahiko had died. It hadn't seemed like all that long ago. Hatsuharu was so like his predecessor, Shigure thought, especially when it came to his looks. His attitude was almost entirely different, however.

"Shigure, you've gotta help!" Hatsuharu's voice was almost pleading and his normally lazy eyes were wide open when he looked up at Shigure. "It's Yuki, you've gotta help!"

Shigure stood up and started out of his house without asking questions, forcing Hatsuharu to keep up with his long strides. He knew Hatsuharu was taking martial arts lessons from Kazuma, so the boy would be able to keep up, out of breath or not. Kazuma had always stressed the importance of endurance. "What happened?" Something told Shigure that this was it. This was the moment he'd been waiting for to keep his promise.

"I...I'm not sure. Yuki's gonna die, I think. Hatori told me to come and get you." Hatsuharu sounded as if he were either going to cry of burst into one of his black moods.

Shigure rounded on Hatsuharu so suddenly that the boy almost ran into him. "What?" Shigure felt his heart start to pound loudly in his chest. "What did you say?"

"He's bleeding awfully badly and Hatori says you have to come right now. Hatori looked like he was gonna hurt them and he ordered me to break down their front door."

Shigure had a very bad feeling about all this, but, in a strange way, he was exhilarated. He'd been waiting for this opportunity for years. Had things finally gotten so bad that he wouldn't have a choice but to steal away the children? He had thought, at first, that he would take Kyou. Then Kazuma had adopted the cat. Next, he'd thought of taking Momiji, when Momiji's mother started to get irrational, but Hatori had taken him first. Now Yuki was the one in danger. Yuki was also Akito's favorite. 'I'll use Yuki, if I have to. Perhaps Akito will be more lenient with the other children if he knows I have Yuki. Then I can get Yuki thinking for himself. If he can become strong enough to stand up to Akito...maybe the others will be able to.' It was the grand plan, really. To get everyone thinking for themselves. Akito wouldn't like it, not at first. But, if no one treated him like a god, maybe Akito could learn to lead a normal life. Maybe Akito could be happy.

Shigure knew that it would come to this one day, but he had hoped, in a very distant part of his mind, that it wouldn't. He had hoped that perhaps his generation of Souma's would be able to break the cycle of abuse that ran like a disease through the family.

"Come on, hurry it up!" Hatsuharu snapped irritably, trying to get Shigure to walk faster. Shigure wondered if the boy was going to have another of his 'episodes' when he lost control of himself. Really, it was a very over dramatic way to say that he lost his temper. Black Haru, indeed! Still, at this moment, Shigure was glad that Yuki had somehow earned Hatsuharu's loyalty. It was that loyalty that might just save Yuki, now.


At the estate-


By the time Shigure arrived at Hatori's house, it was nearing dusk. Hatori was waiting by Yuki's bedside when Shigure strolled in, leaving Hatsuharu with Momiji in Hatori's living room. With all that had just happened in the past few days, with Kana, Shigure was almost glad that Yuki gotten hurt, though it sounded evil of him to even think such a thing. Hatori wouldn't dwell on his own misery while he had someone else, like Yuki, to worry about. That meant it was less likely that Hatori would drift back into his own self-destructive habits. With luck, worry about Yuki would last until Hatori had settled down about losing Kana.

"Haru said I should come by." Shigure spoke softly as he closed the door behind himself, to give him and Hatori privacy to speak. He went to the bed Hatori kept in his spare room for the patients he needed to watch closely. Yuki's face wasn't all that badly injured and Shigure knew Hatsuharu had just panicked, exaggerating the injuries. "He doesn't look all that bad to me. Haru seemed to think that Yuki was dying."

"Haru is more perceptive than most people credit him for. It's not Yuki's physical injuries I'm worried about. That's only bruises and a few cuts." Hatori brushed a bit of hair out of Yuki's eyes with his long, delicate fingers. "He hasn't spoken a word since Hatsuharu and Momiji found him. I believe he's awake, he just won't 'let' himself wake up." Hatori paused. "He was having an asthma attack when I got there. By the time I managed to get Hatsuharu to bash down the door..."

"Bash down the door?" Shigure looked at him incredulously.

"Yes. Hatsuharu kicked the door down for me, but we found Yuki's inhaler on the floor just a few feet from him, but he wasn't trying to use it. He'd also stolen some of my cigarettes and smoked until the air in his room was nearly blue with smoke." Hatori paused meaningfully. "I'm putting him on suicide watch."

Shigure didn't argue with Hatori's diagnosis. It would be useless. If there were anyone who knew the despair of being of wanting to die, it was Hatori. "So, he'll try to kill himself."

"Not exactly. I don't think he's going out of his way to kill himself, that would take to much effort. He won't cut his wrists or deliberately overdose on pills or put a gun to his forehead. I think...and I'm not sure of this...I think he just won't go to any effort to save himself. He's going to let himself die."

Shigure took a deep breath. "Then it's come to this, has it?" Shigure was half talking to himself and if Hatori gave an answer, Shigure didn't hear it. Really, Yuki didn't look all that badly hurt, as Hatori had said. There was a mark on his neck that looked as if someone with a large hand had grabbed him very suddenly. A few scrapes and a large bandage on his forehead that Hatori must have put there. Shigure knew what he had to do and this was the perfect time. If he didn't, he was sure that Yuki would find a way to do what he wanted and die.

"Shigure?" Hatori's voice broke though Shigure's thoughts. "Shigure, don't smile like that, please. You always get that look when you're thinking and that makes me nervous." Hatori said this in a perfectly serious tone and Shigure wondered if Hatori had meant it as a joke. Hatori didn't often make jokes, though, and this was hardly the time to start.

"Akito hasn't seen Yuki yet, has he? They wouldn't let Akito think they were hurting Yuki." Shigure didn't take his eyes off Yuki and wondered if he really was awake, like Hatori said. His breathing was low and regular, his chest rising and falling slightly with every breath. He wondered if Yuki could hear what they were saying and what Yuki thought of all this. There were other questions, but Shigure decided he would ask Yuki later.

"No. I can only guess that this is recent. Yuki was hurt only a very short while ago and the asthma attack, if I hadn't gotten there in time, would have killed him." He looked away from Shigure. "We were very close to losing him this time, Shigure. Very close."

"So...Akito's probably not going to be very happy with them when he finds out what happened."

"That's a safe bet. I'm going to talk to Aya and see if I can convince him to take custody of Yuki. He's a legal adult now, so we can do it even according to normal laws. With Akito's approval..."

"No. I'll take him. Yuki's going to need someplace quite and away from all distractions to heal. My lonely little house in the forest should do well. He's always been fond of gardens, right? I'll give him a little plot and let him start his own. He'll be fine with me and Aya will have time to get used to his brother without lots of family around all staring at them. Trust me, it'll be for the best."

Shigure fought not to smile. It was, perhaps, evil to smile when his young cousin was lying in front of him so obviously hurt. 'Then again,' Shigure reflected, 'since when hasn't someone in my family been hurt?' Shigure realized, just then, that he really didn't feel very sorry for Yuki. Of course, he was sorry that Yuki was hurt, he was sorry that Yuki was feeling so badly that he wanted to die. Still, Yuki wasn't any worse off than any other Souma throughout history. 'Maybe I'm just getting numb seeing people hurt. Maybe I'm not a good person anymore.' Shigure had once thought he was a good person.

He had been very proud, when he was younger, that he was honest and trustworthy. Somehow, as he'd grown older, Shigure had lost those nice qualities and now all that remained was a desire to save his family. He wanted to protect them and make them happy, but if he was going to survive, he couldn't allow himself to feel for them. He just didn't have enough tears to cry for them.

It was better to lie and keep secrets. Better for the whole family. Shigure had found that he could keep people safe if he lied. The sight of Yuki, waiting to die, didn't horrify Shigure as much as he thought it should have. It should make him sick to know what was done to Yuki, but it didn't. As horrible as his life was, Yuki had suffered no more than Kyou who'd watched his mother put a bullet in her forehead because she couldn't stand her life with him anymore or Momiji who'd seen and heard how much his own mother hated him from her own lips. No more than Hatori who had been routinely beaten as a child or Ayame who'd lost his mother because she wanted so badly to have another cursed child.

"What are you thinking of, Shigure?" Hatori asked, his voice hushed as he put a few drops of medicine into a nebulizer, before he held the plastic face-mask on Yuki, covering the boy's mouth and nose. The dull noise of the machine filled the room and a fine mist was produced by the machine, filling Yuki's lungs with every breath.

"Do you trust me?" It was something Shigure had asked once long ago. If Hatori were smart, he'd say no. Hatori was very intelligence, but he wasn't devious or cunning.

"To do what?" Hatori gave him a guarded look.

"Just answer...do you trust me?"

Hatori sighed and looked at Yuki who lay as if he hadn't heard a thing, still quiet and peaceful. "I'll trust you to do what you think is best for the family." He finally conceded.

"Close enough." Shigure tucked the white blankets that covered him around Yuki, wrapping him up as if he were an infant instead of a teenage boy. "I'll taking him to my house now, he can't stay on the estate. He'll stay with me until he wants to return. I won't let him be taken back here, Hari. He must return by his own free will." Shigure weighed the future very carefully as he watched the impassive face of Yuki. Everything was going to change today, he realized. Shigure knew life in the Souma family would never be the same once he took Yuki away. Perhaps the changes wouldn't be as great as Shigure hoped. Perhaps he was only going to make things worse instead of better. Still, if he could save just one child...if he could show Yuki that life wasn't one long string of hurt and pain, maybe the future would be brighter. If Yuki could see the joy in life that seemed to elude the rest of the family, maybe he would be more apt to teach the next generation of the cursed Junikyu.

Hatori nodded slowly, not exactly giving approval for what Shigure was doing, but not condemning him, either. "I understand. Have you asked Akito about this?"

"I'll let him know once I get Yuki comfortable at my house." Shigure tried to make his voice sound as light as possible, as if he didn't see the importance of what he was going to do.

"You're playing a dangerous game."

"Life's no fun without a bit of spice." Shigure winked at Hatori before he leaned over and slid his arms under Yuki's knees and back. Yuki tensed for a moment, but then let himself completely relax until it felt like Shigure were holding nothing more than a doll. "Tell Hatsuharu not to visit for a while, I know he'll be worried, but it's better to give Yuki some space for a while. I don't want him thinking about life on the estate to deeply. I'll enroll him in the local high school as soon as I get the chance."

"Not until I say so, you won't." Hatori said, steel in his voice. "He's to be kept under constant supervision for two weeks. I'll let you know when you can allow him a bit of freedom. Until I'm satisfied he's not going to hurt himself, you must watch him. I'll come to check on him once a day." Hatori said as he followed Shigure out of the house. "If there are any changes in his condition, for better or worse, let me know at once any time of the night or day and I'll come. You have my cell number. Do you want me to drive you home? It'll be awkward to carry him all the way."

Shigure shook his head. "Better you keep as far out of this as possible, Hari. You don't want your name mentioned when Akito asks where Yuki is. If anyone asks you, tell them I said I was taking him to see Akito. They'll believe I lied to you."


Ayame-


Ayame liked his work. It allowed him to distance himself from the pain at home. He hated seeing Hatori in so much pain, but he'd known it would come to this. Not exactly, of course, but he knew the relationship couldn't last.

Kana wasn't strong enough. She'd turned out to be strong enough to deal with the curse itself, but she couldn't handle Akito. If she were to marry Hatori, Akito would become a huge figure in her life. Hatori would never leave Akito, not even if Kana demanded it. He would stay to guard Akito's health, protecting the rest of the family, if nothing else. She'd broken under the strain of seeing what Akito was capable of and now Hatori was the one who had to heal that damage. He was the one who'd have to live with the memories while that selfish witch, Kana, went on with her life, blissfully ignorant. Because she wasn't strong enough, Hatori was the one that had to suffer. That just wasn't right.

"Oh, Mine-chan," Ayame laughed as he easily stitched a hem, trying to think of anything but Hatori. He and Mine-chan sat side by side in the front room of the store, 'Ayame', and traded stories. It was a normal working day for them, slow but fun. Business would never be terribly busy, but Ayame was fine with that. It gave Mine-chan and him more time to talk and they were able to focus more on the quality of their work. "You can't be serious about that!" It was some idle chatter, the same that filled most of their days. Ayame liked Mine-chan very much. She was fun and smart and very clever. In a way, she reminded him of what he might have been like if he'd been born a girl.

"But I do, boss." Mine-chan insisted. "I think this friend of yours should come for a visit. What did you say his name was again?"

"Leon Orcot." Ayame answered, smiling at the thought of his American friend. "He's a dear boy, but I don't know that he'd like my family all that much. He's such an innocent, really. Oh, he gives off this big, bad attitude and tries to sound so tough, but he's really a child at heart." Ayame's smile broadened. He would like to actually meet Leon, one day. It was hard to only talk through letters and Leon didn't have a computer, so they couldn't email each other. How nice to be able to just walk down the street and talk to Leon.

"Leon." Mine-chan said the name awkwardly, rolling it over her tongue. "I like it. It sounds so exotic. From what you tell me, he sounds very nice."

"Oh, he is. Ah!" Ayame gasped and dropped the skirt he was working on when he remembered something. "Did I tell you the latest? He's got a new friend!"

"That's nice. You said he hasn't got many friends, right?"

"That's right, my dear. He has a lovely lady friend named Jill and you'd simply love her. I've got a picture of her that Leon send me at home, I'll bring it in to show you sometime. She's cute as a button, really! Curly chestnut hair and freckles all over her nose! Adorable!"

"She sounds very cute!" Mine-chan's voice was just as enthusiastic as Ayame's. She loved cute girls. "So, who's the new friend? Someone 'special'?" Mine-chan added a wink to her question to show her meaning.

"Well," Ayame leaned forward and whispered confidentially, although no one would hear them in the empty story. "He doesn't say as much, but I get the feeling there might be something going on between them. It's a man and his name is D. Just that, D. No last name, which, if you ask me, is a bit odd." He frowned slightly. "I tell you, I'll be very upset if this is just some petty minded man using dear Leon for amusement. Anyway, Leon talks about him in every letter I get. It's always, 'D this...' and 'D that...' I can't get through a letter without hearing about him, but Leon won't say much about him. If you ask me, Leon's got a crush, but he won't admit it."

Mine-chan giggled. "How cute. I think I'd like to meet Leon, too. Oh, please, boss! Please, invite Leon to visit us!"

"I have." Ayame gave an exaggerated sigh. "He just keeps insisting that he hasn't got the money to travel. Still," Ayame pondered the problem. "I suppose I could always give him the plane ticket. He must be able to take time off for, say, Christmas. Oh! And I'll send him an extra ticket for this D, too. I think I want to meet someone so important to Leon."

"Good idea, boss." Mine-chan agreed happily. "It would be a nice Christmas present."

The telephone rang and Ayame hopped up to answer it and he smiled when he heard the family voice on the other end. "'Gure-san, how are you?"


At Shigure's house-
Shigure-


Shigure spoke softly into the phone, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "Aya, I need you to come to my house as soon as possible."

-You're house?- Aya's voice came over very clearly over the phone, sounding mildly curious. -Mine-chan, use the red lace. Yes, that looks lovely. Sorry, 'Gure-san, you were saying?-

Shigure almost blurted out what had happened, but he controlled himself. None of this was really Ayame's fault. He hadn't been old enough to help when Yuki was younger and now he was spending so much time away from the estate. He'd even stopped visiting Hatori so much after Kana had come into Hatori's life. Not that Shigure could blame Ayame for that, it hurt to have to watch the person you love fall in love with someone else.

"Aya, I really need you. Please..." Shigure let his voice trail away, just before he hung up the phone. Quickly, before Aya could call back, Shigure disconnected the telephone and made his way back up to where he'd left Yuki. That little mystery should convince Ayame to come as soon as possible.

Shigure wasn't pleased to find that Yuki was still asleep. 'I should have done this long ago.' Shigure berated himself as he stood in the doorway and watched Yuki's shallow breathing. 'Maybe I waited to long. Maybe we'll lose Yuki, anyway.'

When the doorbell rang, Shigure was sure that it was Ayame and impressed that his friend had made it over so quickly.

"We've come for Yuki." Yuki's foster parents, Yoko and Tashei, stood on the doorstep and Shigure was very still for a long time.

'They'd dared? They really dared to come to me and demand Yuki?' The absurdity of it all almost struck Shigure as funny. Then his canine pack instincts kicked in. 'They're threatening my pack. Souma's they might be, but they aren't part of my pack. My pack is the Junikyu, the cursed.' Shigure fought the urge to attack them. The small woman who looked so much like her evil sister, Ren, and the huge man she'd brought into the Souma family. They were just like Ren. They only wanted the power Akito could give them, the wealth and prestige that having the rat for your child could bring.

Shigure could grow to hate his family. "How dare you?" Shigure felt his voice start to shake as he raised his eyes to them. "How dare you become so arrogant that you think I'll let you put a hand on Yuki?" He looked from one face to the other and saw that they really didn't understand. After raising Yuki for fifteen years, they didn't understand. "You can't have him. Akito cares nothing for you and, when I tell him how you've been abusing Yuki, he'll probably have your memories erased and then kicked off the estate. You can't come to me and think I'll just hand him over, not after what Haru and Hari saw."

"You can't talk to us like that, we're his parents. We're the ones who raised him." Tashei was a heavy handed man who reminded Shigure a little to much of Ritsu's father, a man the family hadn't seen since his memory had been taken and he'd been divorced from his wife.

"Get out of my house before I do something you'll regret." Shigure spoke as calmly as he could, not bothering with manners or his disguise of the empty headed buffoon most of the family believed he was. "If I have to defy family tradition and go to the police, I will. I'll have you both up on charges of child abuse and I don't think Akito would like that at all, do you?"

"You wouldn't!" Yoko sneered. "Akito would never allow it!"

"Try me." Shigure invited. For a moment, Shigure was sure that he would be attacked by the furious foster parents. He didn't care and was even looking forward to it. He knew for a fact that they couldn't out fight him and he was feeling that pack instinct screaming at him to kill the threats against his family. Yuki was doomed from birth to face terrible things in his life and they'd gone and made everything worse.

Then, Shigure heard the creak of the stairs behind him and turned to find Yuki standing on the bottom step. He'd wanted to avoid this. "Yuki, go back to bed!" Shigure snapped, not wanting to take his eyes off the foster parents for any longer than necessary. They wouldn't give up Yuki without a fight, not when Akito's good will depended on it.

When he turned just slightly, after realizing that Yuki hadn't done as he was told, Shigure saw a look a fear on Yuki's face. Yuki had one hand on the stair's banister and the knuckles of that hand were white.

"Yuki! It's about time!" Tashei came forward as much as he could without bumping into Shigure, who stood where he was like a wall. "Come here, Yuki. It's time to go home. Enough of this fooling around."

Yuki said not a word, just stared. All of a sudden, Yuki's eyes rolled up into his head until only the whites showed, and he fainted, crashing to the floor and tumbling down the stairs. He'd cut his head again, when he fell, but Shigure didn't budge. He refused to let them go to Yuki.

"Get out of my way!" Tashei balled his hands into fists, threateningly. "Scrawny little shit, you really think you can stop me from doing whatever I damned well please? You aren't as important as you think you are, Shigure. Akito doesn't like you, he never even speaks of you. He'll believe me when I tell him you tried to steal Yuki away. After all, we've always taken good care of his precious pet, why wouldn't he believe us?"

"Because you're not one of us." Shigure said simply. "If you haven't realized that about him yet, you never will. You aren't one of us, so you aren't important. Get out of my house."

"I don't think so!" Yuki's foster father made a lunge at Shigure, both of his hands out stretched before him. He looked as if he would seriously kill Shigure.

A hand dropped down like a lead weight onto Tashei's shoulder and stopped him dead in his tracks.

Ayame.

He looked colder than Shigure had ever seen him. There wasn't a hint of emotion on his face as Ayame stared at Yuki's fallen body. He just stood there. Very, very slowly, Ayame turned his head to look at Tashei. Still, Ayame was silent and even Shigure found himself unnerved by Ayame's silence. It just didn't seem natural.

The attack was lightening quick. Ayame lashed out with his right fist, catching Tashei on the chin and sending him reeling to the floor. Still, Ayame said nothing. When Tashei tried to get to his knees, Ayame kicked him in the face, hurling him backward with a strength that only one of the cursed could have.

"Don't..." Ayame's voice shook when he spoke. "Don't ever..." But whatever he was forbidding them to do would never be known. For once, Ayame didn't have the words to speak. He turned abruptly with a sharp movement and went to Yuki, lifting him easily. "I'll stay with him, 'Gure. You go do what you need to do."

Shigure's eyes went to Yoko and Tashei, who was just standing up again. "As I said, get out of my house. Yuki's no longer your concern. Aya, if anyone tries to get in the house except Hari or I, stop them. You have my permission to do whatever you have to, just don't get blood on my carpet." Shigure watched as both Yoko and Tashei's eyes went to Ayame before they scrambled out of the house. Shigure followed them, feeling more satisfied than he had all day. After sliding the door closed behind him, he called out to Yoko or Tashei, "By the way, tell Ren her plan won't work. I'll never let her control the family. I don't care how much mercy Akito showed by letting her live, I'll kill her if I see her face again."

Shigure knew this was Ren's work. He had no proof, but he knew all the same, that Ren was controlling her sister and brother-in-law. Ren was far to ambitious to give up her desire to rule the Souma family and Shigure had heard rumors, mostly from Hari and Kureno, that Ren had been seen on the estate, sometimes around Yoko and Tashei's house.


Boston-
Chris Orcot-


"We can't just keep him like this!" His uncle had said. "He's sick and he needs to go to a hospital. Somewhere that they know how to take care of him."

"But we can't just send him away." Chris' aunt had protested. "We don't know why he won't talk anymore. What if they think we've been abusing him? Our lives will be ruined if a rumor spreads that we've been abusing Chris or that we've let something happen to him. Surely we can find some way to help him get better right here."

"What? You think we can just keep him locked up all the time and no one will notice? His teacher is pretty likely to notice he's gone for one thing. The best thing is to send him to Leon and tell Leon to drop him off at the asylum in San Francisco. They've got a very strict confidentiality policy, so no one will ever find out where he's going."

"Leon?" Chris' aunt had demanded incredulously. "That lazy good for nothing? You think we can trust him to keep quiet about this?"

"We don't have a choice. Leon won't say a word. If I know Leon, he's going to get rid of Chris as soon as he can so he won't have the problem of a little boy hanging around under his feet while he's got women at his place. God forbid he actually want to keep Chris around. Whatever's screwed up with Chris, living with someone like Leon is sure to make it worse. He's no fit role model for a child."

In the hallway, outside his aunt and uncle's room, Chris felt like his heart was being stepped on. They didn't really care. So long as no one found out that he was 'sick' and no one thought they'd done anything wrong, they didn't care what happened to him.

Stunned, Chris went back to his bedroom and lay down on his bed. The moon was high over the rooftops of the neighbor's houses and Chris found himself trying to think about what was going to happen to him. He couldn't for the life of him imagine what this mysterious brother of his might look like. Would he be mean? Would he really just shove Chris off to an asylum, whatever that was? Would he...Chris didn't want to think about this anymore. It was to depressing.

'I don't want to leave.' Chris thought, hugging his pillow tightly. 'But they don't want me here. My own family doesn't want me.' Without meaning to, Chris started sobbing silently and cried himself to sleep that night. He didn't know why his voice had vanished, it just had after his cousin had told him why he lived with them.

"They aren't your real mom and dad!" She said, holding her broken doll. "You killed your mom, that's the only reason you have to stay with us." Chris had broken her doll. It was just an accident, but she'd been so angry. "You killed your mom! No one loves someone who kills their own mom!"

Chris' voice had vanished at that moment. He didn't care. They'd lied to him all that time. They didn't care enough to tell him the truth. Chris stopped himself from crying and lay down. Going to see his big brother wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Leon was really nice. Maybe Leon wouldn't hate him for killing their mother.



Days later-


The plane landed and Chris was still staring out the window. He didn't want to look at anyone else, especially not anyone who would want to talk with him. So he ignored the man sitting next to him and just stared at the other airplanes in the airport until a hand landed on his shoulder.

"It's time to get off. We're in San Francisco."

Chris looked up to see that everyone else had gotten off the airplane and the stewardess was reaching for his small bag that was in the overheard compartment. Chris had liked her well enough when his aunt had given him to the woman at the airport. She was kind and had kept asking if he needed anything during the long flight.

"Now then," The stewardess said briskly with a practiced smile. "Do you know where you belong? Your aunt said you had to find your brother, right? Leon?"

Chris thought for a moment that maybe this woman would be different. Maybe she'd be able to hear him. -My brother's name is Leon. Aunt said he'd be waiting for me.- Chris said. But the woman just looked at him and took his hand.

"Don't worry." She said kindly. "I'll see that you get where you need to be."

Chris' head hung and he let himself be led off the airplane. 'She can't hear me, either. I don't care. I don't want to talk to people, anyway.'



Leon was a lot taller than Chris had thought he'd be. He seemed to be a giant as he stood, leaning against a wall with a cigarette in his mouth and his arms crossed over his chest. Leon's bright blue eyes, the same as Chris', fell on him the moment he walked into the lounge of the airport. At a distance, Leon looked Chris up and down while puffing on his cigarette. In the end, he stood up and dropped the cigarette before crushing it with the toe of his sneaker.

The stewardess stopped when Leon stepped in front of them. "I'm here for Chris Orcot." He said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket so the stewardess could check his ID. "I'm Leon Orcot."



San Francisco-
Leon-


"So, how did I end up like this?" Leon spoke to himself and ignored the curious looks of the other people as they waited for friends and loved ones to arrive at the airport while he walked out with Chris at his side. 'How can they just ship him over here? I don't care what they say, I'm not raising a kid!' Leon thought of all the stuff he had to do, none of which gave him any kind of time or energy to look after a kid. Even if that kid was his brother. His work ate up most of his time and even if he had time for a kid, his apartment was inches from being condemned. That wasn't a fit place for a kid to live.

Chris had arrived with only a small bag of clothes and a frightened look on his face when he saw Leon. It was shocking for Leon to see Chris for the first time, it was like seeing himself as a child. Leon was glad this was only going to be for a few days. That was a reason why he'd never tried to get married. No good ever came of having kids around or having someone depend on you. It was better to be alone.

'I'll have to find a baby sitter while I'm at work.' Leon thought, trying to think up someone he could trust with Chris. 'I'd ask Jill, but we work the same shifts. I'm not gonna leave him at home, that neighborhood's not fit for a child to be alone in. Maybe D would let the kid hang at the petshop.'

A few months ago that would have been unthinkable, but now Leon seriously considered it. He had never given up the investigation about D's true purpose at the petshop, he HAD to be doing something illegal, but D wasn't so bad as Leon had first feared. He was mysterious and secretive, but D had never really lied to Leon. Lying was, as far as Leon was concerned, the worst of all possible vices. The pets were often dangerous, suspicious, or just plain irritating, but they'd never done any harm as far as Leon was able to prove. The only harm usually came to people who seemed to deserve what happened to them. D was intelligent and gentle; he was the best person Leon could think of to look after Chris for a few hours.


Count D-


Count D loved all his pets. He loved the cats and the dogs and the birds and all the other various beings in his menagerie. But it was a cool sort of love. He would protect them and give them all the care he could, but he would not let them enter his heart. That was to dangerous. Far to dangerous for such a creature as a kami.

He couldn't love. That was far to dangerous as his papa had proven. Poor papa who'd fallen in love with a human and lost his mind when that human started aging before his eyes. D didn't like to think what would happen if he gave his heart away. It would just be to painful.

Count D was the proprietor of a China Town Petshop, but it was really owned by his grandfather, Sofu D. Count D was also an inherited title that was passed down in his family. It was a very limited family, and D with only three living members.

D wasn't human.

To call him a human was about as accurate as calling a gerbil a rock. None of his family were human. They were something far grander, something that no human could truly understand. The Kami clan had existed for as long as the Earth herself had existed and, D believed, their family would only die with the Earth.

As he passed through his petshop, occasionally glancing into this room and that, D took note that no one or nothing was out of place. He liked to keep a tidy shop and part of that meant keeping everyone happy and content. The petshop, at least this part, was dark. He rarely lit any lights in this part of the shop for the benefit of the animals who disliked light.

"Count? Master?" A timid voice spoke up, drawing Count D's attention down to where a young girl dressed in very little looked up at him with large eyes. "That human of yours is coming up the street."

"Thank you, my dear. Feel free to return to your room." He gave her a smile, causing the girl to smile in return, before she scampered off to her room.

D didn't sell humans, of course. His was a petshop and he only sold animals.

That human was, naturally, detective Orcot. Leon was the only human who regularly visited and never bought a pet. Actually, Leon thought D was doing something nefarious, like selling drugs or something. It was a silly accusation, but D found that he rather enjoyed having Leon around. He would never allow himself to become so attached to Leon that it would hurt when he had to leave, but, for now, D permitted himself the luxury of friendship.

"Tet-chan," D called out. "We have a guest, please prepare some tea and cakes."

Tet-chan, in his usual appearance of a young teenage boy with shaggy red hair and dressed poked his head out of the kitchen. He was, after all, a gourmet chef and took great pride in creating the best of everything for Count D to eat. "What should I do anything for that damned human?!" Tet-chan was a tou-tetsu, a supposedly mythological creature that normally lived off human flesh. Though he was mostly innocent looking, Tet-chan it would be a fatal mistake not to take him seriously. Tet-chan had survived for many years killing and eating humans. He was one of Count D's prized pets, a rare and valuable find. He also had an intense dislike for the brutish human, Leon.

"Because I asked to you." It was all D needed to do. Tet-chan pulled his head back into the kitchen, muttering about stupid humans even though D knew Tet-chan would be doing the cooking, just as he'd been asked to do.

"D?" Leon's voice rang through the petshop and D hurried to meet Leon before the curious detective started to explore more than was healthy for him. There were standing orders on all the Petshop residents not to lay a finger on Leon, but there were always some pets who couldn't control themselves.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Detective...what do you think you're doing?" D's mood went very abruptly from happy to see Leon to alarm. "Who is this? You never told me you had a son?"

"Son?" Leon looked down at the young boy he'd pushed into the petshop and blinked at him. "He's not my kid. This is my brother, Chris. He's gonna stay with me for a couple of days, just till a place in the institute opens up."

"Institute?" D still felt a little overwhelmed to see a mini-Leon looking up at him with weary eyes.

"Yeah, Chris doesn't talk and my aunt and uncle say they're sending him to the institute to find out why and help him. They live in Boston, so I'm looking after him for a few days. Look, D," He gave the boy another encouraging push further into the petshop. "I'm late for my shift, I've really gotta run. Keep an eye on him for me, will you? I'll be back in a few hours. Chris, behave yourself."

"Does this look like a nursery!?" D demanded, outraged that Leon would do this to him.

"Ah, you'll be fine. He's a good kid." Leon smiled charmingly. "I'll tell you everything after work, I swear." Then Leon was gone without another word and D was left staring down at the little human.

'Leon, I may just let Tet-chan eat you for this.' D sighed. He knew it was his own fault, really. He'd allowed Leon to get to close to him and, despite how often Leon accused him of murder or selling drugs, Leon had come to regard him as a friend. It was such a short time since they'd met, but Leon had already gone from trying to arrest D to presuming upon him as a nursemaid.

"Bit of shrimp, isn't he?" Tet-chan had come out of the kitchen and looked down at the little boy with a smirk. "Looks like that big fool was an ugly kid, too." He picked up the child by the back of the neck and it was then that D was amazed.

Chris kicked Tet-chan in the stomach and ran off into the halls of the petshop when Tet-chan dropped him. "He saw." D had never known a human who was able to see the pets in their true forms. It wasn't possible, yet Chris had seen Tet-chan's humanoid form. "That boy saw you, Tet-chan."

Tet-chan nodded, rubbing his aching stomach. "He's a brat, just like this brother." He gave a little snarl that was almost amusement. "But at least he's got spirit. I could get to like the kid."


Leon-


Sitting at his desk in the police station, with Jill sitting opposite of him at her own desk, Leon tried to focus on his paperwork. It was so hard to fill out names and numbers when he had basically only one thought on his mind lately. Still, Leon knew that this was an important part of his job and he did it diligently. He couldn't help but think of those little irritating thought of what he was going to feed Chris for dinner since he only had a can of soup at home. What about school? Should he sign Chris up for school for only three days?

"Leon, are you feeling all right?" Jill looked at Leon over the rims of her small glasses as she looked up from her own paperwork. "You've been real quiet all day. You've got me worried."

"Fine, I guess. Nothing to worry about." The last thing Leon wanted to do was worry Jill. She'd always been a great friend and had always tried to look out for Leon. She didn't need to worry about him anymore than she already did.

"Stop lying to me, Leon." Jill snapped. "I can tell when something's bothering you and this is weird. It's not the Count, you usually yell about him. Nothing but the Count normally gets you upset. So...spill it."

"I told you, it's nothing. I just got a call from my aunt and uncle, it kinda upset me, that's all." Jill knew all about Leon's childhood, he'd told her about his aunt and uncle long ago. Leon sighed and knew he really didn't have a choice. Jill would find out in the end, anyway. "My kid brother just got into town and I'm looking after him for a few days."

"You never told me you had a brother." The pain in Jill's voice made Leon look at her over his shoulder. She really did look hurt and Leon sort of understood why. They'd known each other for years and thought they knew everything about each other.

"Yeah...haven't seen him for a while." Leon made no apologies. He didn't regret keeping that information to himself, he'd tried to forget Chris several times and hadn't seen him since his aunt and uncle had sent him away to the orphanage.

Jill gave him a sour look and scowled. "I wish I hadn't had to pry that out of you, Leon. Some day, you're going to have to learn to trust me. Just for that lack of trust, I'll reward myself with some snooping." Before he could stop her, Jill stood up and reached over to Leon's desk, snatching a letter Leon had dropped there earlier with her strong hands.

"Cut it out, Jill!" Leon tried to grab the letter back, but Jill had always been faster than he was and by the time she was sitting down was already examining the letter.

Leon was sure that police work had ruined Jill's hands, but for the life of him, he didn't know why he noticed it. Jill's fingernails were short and blunt, for the practical side of her life, and her hands were almost always dry. Probably because he always noticed that the Count's hands were so nice.

"What's this?" Jill turned the unopened envelope over in her hands before grinning at Leon, mischievously. "If I didn't know you better, Leon, I'd say you were getting letters from a lady. This smells like some fancy perfume. Who is this? Souma Ayame? That's an interesting name." She lifted her Styrofoam cup of coffee to her lips to drink.

"Put my mail down, Jill!" Leon didn't try to get the letter back again, knowing full well that Jill would just jerk it out of his reach. That was one of the down sides of knowing each other for so long. Jill and Leon knew each other as well as a brother and sister. They knew all of each other's weak points. "He's my penpal, if you must know, and he always puts perfume on his letters."

Jill choked on her coffee, spitting it all over her desk. Leon felt a surge of perverse pleasure that he'd gotten such a reaction out of Jill. She stared at him for a long moment. "You write to a guy who always puts perfume on his letters?" She raised a curious eyebrow.

"Well, he always has since we've started writing to each other." It took Leon a moment to see what Jill was hinting at and he flushed bright red. "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING!" He shouted. "Knock it off! It's nothing like that!"

"Nothing like what?" Jill asked in an innocent tone. "I just think it's a bit odd that you like getting letters from this guy, but you don't even have a kind word for the Count. You keep going on about him being to feminine, but this penpal of yours is all right?"

"It's different with D. That's all." Leon didn't know how Jill always managed to turn the conversation around to D. D always came up when they were talking. "D's just...he's not like Ayame." Leon didn't want to say anything else, not in public anyway. D wasn't like anyone else on the entire planet. Ayame was a friend and a confidant, but D...D was close. He always seemed to be looking right into Leon's soul while he looked at Leon with those mismatched eyes. Those beautiful eyes.

"He's Japanese, right? Souma's a pretty common name over there, or so I've heard." Jill commented, setting the letter down. "So what are you writing to a Japanese guy for?"

"I told you, he's just a penpal. Besides, I'm busy, Jill." Leon determinedly kept his eyes on his paperwork and not Jill. "You know, this is what we get paid for?"

"Awww...come on!" Jill encouraged. "Just give me a hint. I might get jealous if you go having friends without telling me. Worse, if I tell the Count, he'll get jealous, won't he? Please!"

"Not while I'm working." Leon normally tried to avoid the unpleasant subject, but he was sure Jill would find out anyway. If nothing else, she'd resort to going through his trash to satisfy his curiosity. "It's not important, anyway. He's just a friend." Just a friend was probably to mild of a term for someone who was as important to Leon as Ayame was, even though he hadn't yet met Ayame. Despite never meeting, it was Ayame who'd gotten Leon though some very hard years. "Don't you have anything else to talk about?" Leon was getting very tired of the damned letter.

"Well, we could talk about the Count." Jill suggested innocently. "Did you get that stuff he likes so much? What was it? Baklava? Ten dollars a piece at that fancy, up-town restaurant, wasn't it? Why Leon," She gave him a mocking look. "Are you blushing?"

"Shut up, Jill!" Leon slammed his fists down on the top of his desk and half stood, glaring at his partner. He glared at her until her smirk broke though and he realized she'd gotten to him...again. Very slowly, Leon looked around, but was glad that no one was staring at him. Everyone had grown used to Leon's outbursts of temper, by now. He sat down, but grumbled, "You don't have to keep bringing him up."

"Me? But Leon, I thought you wanted to talk about something other than that wonderfully mysterious letter. You haven't even opened it, yet."

So, as usual, Leon broke down and tore open the letter. "When the chief asks me why my work isn't done, I'm blaming you." Leon grumbled, pulling Ayame's normally long letter out.

"Go ahead, he won't believe you, anyway." Jill smiled as she jumped up and hurried over to read over his shoulder. She was quickly disappointed, though. "I can't read it. He writes in Japanese?"

"Of course, he IS Japanese." Leon couldn't help but add a smug note of 'well...duh' to his voice. "Didn't I tell you I could read Japanese?"

"No. You're keeping to many secrets, Leon...oh, my." Jill's voice lost its hard tone when two airplane tickets fell out from between the pages of the letter. "Tickets to Japan?" Her expression turned doubtful. "Leon, you know I was just teasing about you and this guy, but if there's something really going on..."

"It's not like that!" Leon snapped back. "Stop letting your imagination run away with you! You've got such a filthy mind." But Leon picked up the tickets, curiously. Ayame had offered, many times, to fly him to Japan for a vacation, but he'd never gone so far as to send tickets. "He wants me to go visit him, but I keep telling him I haven't got the money. Geeze, he always was stubborn." Leon sighed. It might be nice to meet Ayame. Not like he had any time off from work or anything. Leon stuffed the letter and the tickets back in the envelope.


To be continued...

A/N: Dear readers, my but this fic does seem to be getting long. I've had all kinds of ideas and now I think I want to bring Jill more into it.