Story Time

By Katia-chan

A/N: It's pointless…like the rest of them. Started out as a drabble, and you can all see how long that lasted. It didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to, but I figured with how little I've been writing lately that this was as good as it was going to get.

Disclaimer: I'm in denial, so I won't admit that I don't own Fruits Basket, it would be bad for my mental health.

Dedicated to Adi88, who's e-mails were what finally got this idea going!

Enjoy!

XXX

The three boys sat out in the main garden of the Souma compound. Shigure lay flat on his back in the grass, his feet in Hatori's lap. The other boy kept glancing at them, appearing vaguely annoyed as dirt drifted onto his clothes, but content to let them be. The day was far to nice to be irritable, he had even laid aside the perpetual book that seemed attached to his hand. While the two of them lazed on the ground Ayame sat perched on the stone wall next to them. He had been talking for what seemed like years, his delicate hands gesturing frantically. It was doubtful that either of the boys on the ground had heard much of what he was saying, but his voice was such a constant in the background that it didn't really matter. They listened when they were supposed to, when the dancing in Aya's eyes would stop sometimes. During those times they stared at him with fixed gazes, hands and hearts ready as always to pick up any strain that would make their dear Aya less than the bright flashing comet he normally was.

But this wasn't one of those times. He continued to talk, and he knew they weren't really paying much attention to what he said. They were paying attention to him though, and that was all he needed. Shigure's eyes drifted lazily over his face, watching his rapidly moving mouth and fast moving eyes. Hatori's gaze idly followed his hands as they flipped through the air, their slender fragility making them almost hypnotizing. It was an afternoon where they could just be together, their teenage minds shrugging off any responsibility that might have normally burdened them. Spring was enough to make anyone do this, and the ones who couldn't were locked safely away inside. The sunlight could only accept those who could pretend they had no problems, there was no place for the lined faces of their elders, or for the iced face of their God. Even the one who bound them together couldn't break into this moment, even if he had tried.

It was a few minutes therefore, in this state of blissful oblivion, before the moment was broken. The two on the ground noticed someone just as Ayame stopped his chatter. Their eyes flicked to Ayame's leg. Standing by it was a small child, couldn't have been more than three. This was obviously Aya's brother, the one none of them saw often.

The boy was standing timidly, his head bent slightly, looking at Ayame through his hair. There was an awkward silence before Hatori coughed discretely and Shigure gave Ayame's leg a light poke. Still no one said anything, but Ayame looked down at the boy and raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be with Akito-sama?" he asked. Yuki dropped his head a little further, making no move or sound. He was unnervingly thin, looking as if he'd shatter if you blew on him to hard. A ghost of a child, to faint to seem natural in the bright sunshine. The quiet lasted another moment before Ayame sighed. "What do you want Yuki?" The concern that should have accompanied the question wasn't there, making Shigure even a little uneasy. The passive look Ayame gave his brother was just unnatrral enough to make the silence that followed even more uncomfortable.

Yuki took a breath, it seemed to raise his little body nearly off the ground, and then he timidly stepped closer, very very slowly holding up what looked to be a childrens book. All four of them stared at it, nearly in shock.

Ayame was slightly stunned, probably for the first time in his life. To his knowledge the younger boy didn't really have much of an idea that he had an older brother, and Ayame didn't really know that he had a younger brother if you wanted to be frank about it. He opened his mouth once, shut it, stared at Yuki some more, then shook his head, shrugging.

"Go back inside," he said, waving the boy away. No one moved for a second, then Yuki took one more step forward and placed the book in his lap. The brothers stared at it for a moment and then Ayame gave Yuki a little push, throwing a slightly pleading look at Hatori. Pushing Shigure's feet off his lap the other boy rose, taking Yuki's shoulder beneath his hand and leading him, in that gentle impassive way of his back into the house. Ayame watched them go, and it was only for a second, but he thought he saw a look of scorn in Hatori's face. It was this more than anything Yuki had done that made him slip the little book into his bag instead of tossing it aside.

It would be years before he ever looked at it again. Only when it was to late would he open the little childs book, see the tiny flecks of blood that stained the paper. The edges of some pages were crinckled, where little hands had clutched them in fear or frustration or rage. He never knew which it had been. The old drawings were faded now, and he knew it would be years before he would dare approach Yuki with the book again. That faint flicker in Hatori's eyes that day had told the entire story, even better than the pleading look on his little brothers face ever could. He had been a coward, something he still was, but something that only now he could truly hate himself for. Maybe someday he would take the book to Shigure's, see if he could work up the courage to take it out and return it to his brother. He doubted he ever could, because the thought that Yuki might hand the book back, the thought that he might follow in his brother's footsteps was something more painful than either side of him, the vain or repentant one could take.

So back the little thing went into the drawer. It would stay there until things changed, until he could lookk his brother in the face and have the look returned. The day they could sit down and read a story together.

Things had to happen first, but who knew. He had given up on wondering, time would tell.

XXX

A/N: Love it, hate it, want to burn it as a sin? Fine with me, just click the button and tell me so.

TTFN!

Katia-chan