Moth to the Flame

***~~~Disclaimer~~~***
Once again, I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. I wish I did, but I don’t.
~Shuen

-Chapter 2-

Ayame returned shortly with a tray that held all of the tea essentials. He lightly smiled as he set the tray on a small table in front of Akito, who seemed to be much more interested in the clouds hovering outside of his window than he did in Ayame’s smile. Akito tore his gaze away from the pregnant snow clouds that had gathered above his home. He watched as Ayame gracefully poured tea for each of them. The fair-haired boy sank down to a spot across from Akito, the small table the only thing separating them. They both sipped from their cups in silence until Akito set his cup back on the table rather loudly. He tilted his face towards the table allowing his silky black hair to fall in front of his eyes. Ayame looked curiously at the other boy, trying to determine the expression that had come to rest on Akito’s dainty features. A smirk formed as Ayame stared at him.

“Is there something bothering you, Ayame-san?”

Ayame set his teacup down and smiled nervously as the boy across from him. Of course there was something bothering him! Gure and Tori-san had gone out without asking him too…why shouldn’t that bother him? They had only been friends since childhood. But after all, that didn’t have anything to do with Akito, did it?

“No, not at all, Akito-san…” Ayame’s voice quivered slightly as the lie escaped his lips. He was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable again.

“Ah, I see…you’re not your usual, annoying self today, Ayame-san.” Akito’s face remained twisted in his smirk as he continued; “I thought you were upset because your darling Hatori went out without you…”

Ayame stared at Akito, his mouth gaping at the comment. His face paled slightly as Akito chuckled to himself.

“I’m only playing with you, Ayame-san.”

The silver haired boy let out a mixture of a sigh with a nervous titter of giggle. He had never known Akito to be a kidder. Frankly, he didn’t like the idea of it, nor could he really see himself laughing at any joke that could pass through the head Souma’s lips.

“Of course you were…” Ayame thought to himself as he rose to his feet. He plastered his smile back onto his face and bowed towards Akito, who had chosen to stand as well.

“I should be going though, Akito-san. I do hope that you enjoy the rest of your tea!” As Ayame turned, he saw Akito frown. He turned to face the smaller boy again, offering another humble bow. Akito continued to frown.

“That’s a shame. I was hoping you would stay.” Akito moved towards Ayame and reached out for a handful of his hair. He ran his fingers through it, relishing in the silky texture of the taller boy’s hair. Ayame’s smile wavered slightly, but he was determined no to let it drop from his face.

“I really can’t, Akito-san. I have so much more work to do in the shop before the week starts up again…” Ayame began, trying to force his most cheerful voice from his throat. All he wanted to do was back away, but he decided against it. It was best to not upset Akito, for he had heard of the things that Akito did when he was upset. Besides, he was leaving soon anyway.

“Ne…if you stay, I’ll tell you a secret.” Akito interrupted quietly. He continued to run his fingers through Ayame’s hair, but Ayame hardly noticed anymore. His mind had been lost at the word ‘secret’.

“A secret…?” Ayame said as he contemplated the idea of a secret from Akito. The mere thought of it was enough to convince him to stay. A little while longer couldn’t hurt.

“You’ve got my attention, Akito-san. I’ll stay for a bit longer…” Ayame said, his loud voice not matching the look of curiosity on his face. Akito frowned for a moment, as if he were deep in thought.

“No, I think I’ve changed my mind. Perhaps you don’t deserve to know after all.” Akito said with a disgusted sigh. Now it was Ayame’s turn to frown.

“You can tell me anything, Akito-san. I promise I won’t tell a soul. I won’t even tell Tori-san, and you know that I tell him everything….” Ayame was determined to hear this secret. He simply couldn’t leave without knowing what it was. Akito’s blank look had formed into another smile. Smiles didn’t suit Akito; they made him look insane.

“Well,” Akito paused for a second, locking his eyes with those of the snake, “You know what they say about curiosity…”

“It certainly didn’t say anything about killing the snake~!” Ayame blurted out, a smile returning to his lips. The smile was lost from his lips when Akito curled his fingers around the chunk of Ayame’s hair and pulled it roughly. Ayame tried to pull away from Akito’s grip but found himself being pulled down to Akito’s eye level.

“I don’t like smart-asses, Ayame-san. If your hair wasn’t so beautiful, I would slap you right now…” Akito hissed and released the silver locks of hair, allowing the taller boy to stand up straight. Ayame rubbed at his scalp where the hair had pulled, trying to mask his fear with a small chuckle.

“I’m sorry, Akito-san.” Ayame replied with an apologetic bow, “I didn’t intend for it to be a smart comment. More like a joke, perhaps even more so as an observation.”

“That’s better.” Akito straightened his robe and looked at Ayame inquisitively. It was amazing how little time it took Akito change his mood. “Do you still want to know?”

Ayame hesitated and began to shake his head negatively. His mind quickly changed, however, and he ended up nodding his head fervently. He mustn’t be left in the dark; he had to know what this incredible secret was. Akito gently pulled down on Ayame’s slender arm and leaned in towards his ear.

“Hatori…” Akito began.

“Hatori what?” Ayame was puzzled. The secret was about Hatori? Well, this wasn’t going to be any fun…Ayame already knew all of Tori-san’s secrets, or at least he would have liked to believe that. The idea that Akito might know something about Tori-san that he didn’t know made him fret even more about this afternoon. Akito cleared his throat, grabbing Ayame’s attention once more, “I’m sorry, Akito-san…please continue.”

“Hatori hates you…”