Chapter Two of Flowers in Snow

[LovelyHue]

Authoresses' Note: It'll probably show, but Shigure's my favorite character. Also, let me apologize in advance for any sighted OOCness - it's not my intent at all, but I tend to do that quite accidentally. And if anyone was wondering, I'm a Kyo and Tohru fan, which will be very well-represented here, no worries.

There are spoilers in this one too, though if that bothers you, I have to wonder why you read past the first chapter.

~***~

Chapter Two of Flowers in Snow: The Weather Will Kill You Soon Enough

~***~

When the call first came, it started out normally. It was late morning; Shigure was in the study, for once being kind to his editor through the virtue of work; and all the kids were at school, which was in many ways a relief. Hatori breathed heavily over the phone for a moment (this was the part where Shigure both recongized it was Hatori and that he was taking a drag), before finally stating: "Akito has requested you."

"Oh?" Shigure sighed, glancing at the increasing piles of written work that he had yet to sort through for the next book. As usual, it was the worst possible time, but that would probably make Akito happier. "Alright. I'll be there in half an hour."

Hatori had legendarily bad phone manners. He often failed to see the merit of a conversation that had passed its intended point, so by now he would usually have hung up. But for some reason he hung on, though he didn't say anything. Shigure raised an eyebrow. "Um, Hatori? Something wrong?"

"I don't know. You'd know better."

"Eh? Hatori, please try to make a little bit of sense."

This time, Hatori sighed. It was an uncharacteristic display of emotion, especially for such an ordinary event. After all, Akito probably summoned Shigure about twice a week, and it wasn't uncommon for Shigure to visit in-between those times as well. "You're more adept at understanding Akito than I am, Shigure. But I have a feeling that there's something going on."

Shigure laughed. "There's a lot going on, Hatori. Don't worry, I'll be over soon, and I'll make sure to save you from the scariness."

Then, Hatori hung up.

~***~

Shigure told Akito, "You have an idea." And he waited.

As he saw it, there was no use in beating around the bush. In the secrets of her stance and nuances of her behavior, it was obvious to the well-practiced Shigure that Akito was plotting, or at least planning, something. Hatori was right - Shigure did have a talent for reading the woman - and he could tell that she was excited. It wasn't the kind of happy-excited you might see Tohru wear, either. Akito was never happy-excited.

Akito sat on her hands at the windowsill, her playful grin darkened by a falling wave of hair. "Yes." Turning, she looked at Shigure fully. "I'm taking a vacation."

"Very good. I'd be the first to say that you've been stressed recently."

Something dark within her expression flashed, but she forced it into fading. He'd touched a nerve. More importantly, this 'idea' was so important that she was apparently more interested in communicating than indulging her temper - rather rare. "I agree. The best part is that you won't miss me."

"Oh? Am I accompanying you?"

"Sort of. But you won't find it too foreign, Shigure. My stay at your place should only last a month or so."

~***~

It was quite possible that there was nothing better than this; if there was, Akito was interested in finding out what that might be. Shigure so commonly seemed to know everything - seemed to predict everything, even control things he should technically have no power over - that the ability to truly surprise him was, well, in a way, sacred. She could see that her last line was undoubtedly a shock, though he was working pretty hard to keep a poker face.

"Akito." Shigure began.

"Yes?"

"Have you thought this over thoroughly?"

"What? Of course I have. Jesus, calm down before you give yourself a stroke." Even Akito had to admit that it sounded a little bit ridiculous, since at least on the outside, there was no visible change to Shigure. He was using more serious words like 'thought over', but still smiled like they were having a friendly chat about the weather. "If you're suggesting my company isn't welcome, we'll just have to see about your owning a house on the outside."

"Don't descend to threats, Akito. I wasn't suggesting any such thing. You know I'd be more than happy. I just wanted to make sure that it would be the same for you...though Tohru is so hospitable, it's sort of like living at a spa anyway. So you'll probably enjoy it."

Both parties smiled at each other. The weather was very nice today, though nobody mentioned it.

Not missing a beat, Akito moved on. "Tohru's."

"Tohru's...what? Skirts? They're very pretty."

"No! Her room. Tohru's room."

Shigure shrugged. "Fine. Tohru's room." He paused, blinking hard. "You mean, you, in her room?"

She rolled her eyes. "What did you think?"

"But where will Tohru..."

Akito waved her hands as if dismissing something unpleasant. "No, I'm not interrupting the other plan. She can move into the guest room. Other guest room, I guess. You had two?"

"Ah. Okay. Yeah. That works well."

"Honestly, what else did you think I'd be doing?"

~***~

Shigure knew exactly what he wished would be happening with the sleeping arrangements, but he thought that she'd hit him if he voiced it. So he didn't. "I don't know. Just being silly, I suppose."

This isn't about me, though. Obviously. To protect Tohru, I'll have to do quite a bit of work, although this also works out nicely as a test for her. It'll be interesting to see how it's handled, especially by Akito's targets - the younger set.

I have a bad feeling that they won't be happy with me at all... especially those two...

~***~

Authoresses' Last Word: A surprising amount of humor in this chapter (not necessarily funny humor, but you know, I try), but it involved Shigure, so what did you think? And since everything involving Akito in the manga is so achingly serious - and she's practically the main character here (I find her fascinating, personally) - I feel like I have to make it a little bit lighter just to ease some of the connotations she naturally carries with fans. I will have my fair share of drama, but even I'm not going to want to write it if it gets too depressing.