Title: When September Ends

Characters: Shigure, Ayame, Kureno, Akito
Genre: Angst
Rating: K+
Warning: Spoilers for chapter 97 and 101 among others
Author's Note: We still don't know why Ayame doesn't live at the honke. This takes place when he first leaves it, and before Shigure gets kicked out.

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When September Ends

It wasn't until the day Ayame left that Shigure realised nothing would ever be the same. Drowned in responsibility, Hatori was already lost to them. And now she'd exiled the Snake.

As he watched Kureno lead the faux-frail tyrant across the garden, Shigure remembered the little chick who had once followed him everywhere, hanging on his every untruth.

Such twisted games they played to hurt one another. How much easier would it have been if he were truly as careless and insensitive as he pretended? As he tugged Ayame into his arms to say good-bye, Shigure realised he'd had enough.