Chapter Three of Flowers in Snow

[LovelyHue]

Authoresses' Note: To clarify, it turns out that I'm not *that* caught up with the manga chapters. I just read a summary of chapter 124, effectively ruining it for myself. But please consider my official knowledge to be...oh, around chapter 100 somewhere. Obviously, it will stay there.

And finally...Tohru!

I'd better explain now that, when in the perspective of a person not aware of Akito's proper sex, 'she' will be referred to as a 'he'. Sorry for any confusion that causes, but honestly it makes more sense to me in the long run.

~***~

Chapter Three of Flowers in Snow: An Umbrella For Two

~***~

While waiting patiently at the curb, Tohru fidgeted. She played with the straps of her bag and unconsciously shifted weight multiple times, anxiously analyzing the flow of traffic. Her hurry probably had to do with the cold; snow had begun to fall, dusting both the sidewalk and her shoulders. The sky was so overcast that people had their high-beams on, and the falling white had found a way to mute the lights darker than they were.

Tohru didn't like to fidget. It was a nervous action, like biting her nails, that she was trying to slowly but surely wean herself off of. With a little effort, she forced herself into stillness.

She'd just managed the position for a whole twenty seconds, when a single flake decided to attach itself to the tip of her nose. Despite herself, she twitched. And then sneezed.

"Here."

A familiar voice sounded behind her, and suddenly there was a shadow. Tohru looked up at Kyo and his umbrella, giving a little gasp. "Ah...! Kyo!"

"Traffic's horrible because of the snow." Kyo observed. "Sorry you had to walk part of the way home, Tohru."

"But weren't you going to meet with Sensei today, Kyo?"

With his free hand, he playfully pushed at the back of her head. "Don't worry about that. Sensei was having a class, and neither of us wanted you to walk the whole way back in the snow." Up ahead, the light turned red. "Ah, let's go."

~***~

Shigure was having a little countdown of his own. He could measure the exact second when Tohru would arrive home. He wasn't sure of Kyo, since sometimes he visited Sensei, and he was pretty sure that Yuki would be, as usual, home later - now that he was Class President, he seemed to have a million responsibilities to tend to in the hours after school. It was a lot different than when Ayame held that position; although honestly, it was more like Hatori was the President and Ayame was a very flagrant figurehead.

He still couldn't decide whether or not it was better to experience the hell all at once, or recieve Yuki's and Kyo's rage individually. In the meantime, he decided that all he could do was drink tea, albeit with a little added gin.

And then the clock struck that fated second; a couple rooms away, he heard the sliding door open. Sighing, Shigure got up from his very comfortable seat, readying himself to break the news.

"Oh hey, Kyo - Tohru -"

Kyo's voice, coming from another room: "Not right now, Shigure. We're all wet."

"Um, well -"

Tohru this time, with that delightful pleasantness: "Oh no, Shigure! It looks like I'm a load behind in the laundry! I'm so sorry!"

"I don't mind, but...Kyo?"

"What?"

Shigure had emerged into the hallway, where Kyo stood, unbuttoning his jacket. He gave Shigure a look that couldn't seem to decide between being confused or annoyed. Eventually, it managed a combination of both.

"Did Tohru go upstairs?"

"Yeah, for the laundry..."

"Ah." Shigure fought to draw his expression as blank as possible. "Well, you should know that we have a visitor."

Kyo scowled. "Not Ayame again!"

"No," said Shigure, smiling faintly. "Not Ayame."

~***~

The laundry fell all over the floor, the multi-colored shades of cloth splaying in multiple directions across wood. In the back of her mind, Tohru told herself not to worry - it was already dirty, and a little companionship with the floor probably wouldn't harm it any.

The front of her mind wondered why Akito was standing in her room, holding the picture of her mom.

To Akito though, none of this seemed surreal. She looked up and gave Tohru a smile.

"How are you, Miss Honda?"

"Please," said Tohru, making a futile clutching motion for the laundry she'd already dropped. "call me Tohru."

Akito.

...God.

The person who controls all the Juunishi's lives.

And hurt Hatori's eye.

And scared Kisa.

And that time, hit Momiji.

The one who's going to imprison Kyo after graduation.

Akito was still smiling, though at Tohru's staring a flicker of strain had shone through. "Of course. How silly of me. But you never said how you were, did you?"

Likewise, Tohru fixed on a smile. It was something she did quite unconsciously now, and regularly. Sometimes she felt like it was bad, even morally wrong, because it was so misleading, but she couldn't argue that - at times like this - it certainly had its infinite uses.

"I'm fine. How are you, Akito? It's wonderful that you're visiting here."

"Wonderful...yes. Is this your mother?"

She nodded. For some strange reason, she had an urge to tear the picture out of Akito's hands; but it was fleeting, replaced only by a stronger worry that Akito might accidentally drop it. Or not so accidentally drop it. On previous occassions, Akito had made it crystal clear that her opinion of Tohru didn't always wax favorable.

"Amazing. Though she looks nothing like you." Gently, Akito placed it back on the dresser. "You must miss her terribly."

"Y...yes." She paused, before finally finding courage to ask: "Do you?

"Do I what?

"Have a mother?"

Akito laughed. "You're so silly, Tohru. Do Gods have mothers? Anyway, move out these things, including this ugly picture."

Tohru had learned to prepare herself for anything when facing Akito. But this - this was like toppling off the side of a cliff. By the power of a few simple words, she felt all the breath rush out of her.

"What's that expression about? The picture - or the moving out of your things? Ha! Don't worry, Tohru. I'm not so cold as to place you out on the street, like the dog you are. But I am going to take this room while I visit. Surely Shigure has spoken to you about this? It's really not -"

Just then, a particularly loud noise rocked the house. It was Kyo, yelling, with only three words discernable:

"AKITO IS WHAT?!"

~***~

A headache was definitely coming on; Shigure could feel it. He massaged the upper part of his forehead. Then, before the incurring damage had a chance to worsen, he clamped his hand down on Kyo's mouth. In the heat of the moment, it was the only possible way he could think of to stop it.

So only Kyo's eyes were visible - the eyebrows slanted down angrily, and a fire definitely lit, somewhere - before Shigure let out a yelp and jumped back.

"You bit me!"

"You're the one who put your hand over a cat's mouth, idiot! And what the HELL are you talking about -"

"Shush, would you? We're not in a place as big as the Main House, Kyo. Akito can definitely hear." Sighing, Shigure transferred his attention from his aching head to his newly pained hand. There was no blood, but it was still as annoying as anything. "How you developed the idea that he's deaf, I have no idea..."

It seemed that Kyo was finally seeing some sense. His mouth stayed shut, his features now pulled into a tight glare. For not the first time in his life, Shigure found himself incredibly thankful that, as much as they might sometimes seem to possess the power, looks cannot actually kill.

If they could, I'd be dead by Akito a long time ago.

Seeing no point in continuing to stand there and engage in a staring contest (which he would surely lose), Shigure began to turn away. "Well, now that we've all come to terms with that, let me see if I can..."

"No." Kyo grabbed Shigure's arm, though lightly. "Akito's staying here. Here? For a month?"

"That's what I said. Don't make me say it again. You might bite me."

"Oh, Jesus Shigure, I barely grazed you." His voice dropped lower, to a more serious tone. "So he's here...upstairs?"

"Well, do you see him downstairs?"

And that was it. Realization dawned. Kyo's eyes widened, and he immediately let go of Shigure. And then he was up the stairs, to protect his princess.

The fury had temporarily passed. But there would come questions, later. Yuki would come home, pitch a similar fit (hopefully less physically challenging, though Shigure made no foolish wishes), and then both the cat and the rat would want to know why. Why was Akito, who saw this as a place for the misfits of the Juunishi, planning such a long stay?

And Shigure would smile. He would shrug. He would say, 'Why not?' He would secretly wish he could understand it better himself. Because, really, this was inexplicable; it was just like Akito, actually.

What he wouldn't tell anyone was that, deep down, a part of him was glad. He missed Akito, even when she was standing right next to him.