Little Tiger

Souvenirs

The car dropped me off at Shigure's house. I grabbed my bag and my souvenirs and headed up the cobble staircase, feeling Akito's eyes burning into my back the whole way. The house came into view and it looked warm and safe, like a cabin in the dead of winter. I opened the front door and took off my shoes, announcing my presence to anyone who could hear.

Shigure poked his head out into the hallway, then Tohru, then Kyo and Yuki.

"Welcome back," Shigure said with an elated grin, sauntering towards me and engulfing me in a tight hug. "I missed you," he murmured into my shoulder.

I hugged him back with my bags in my hands. "I missed you too," I replied, truly meaning it. His smell, the feeling of his arms around me, his body against mine. I really did miss him, even though I'd only been away for a night.

"Koharu, I saved you dinner, if you're hungry," Tohru offered, standing behind Shigure.

"I'm not working at the salon!" Kyo shouted at me. "Yuki told me his plan and I won't do it."

Shigure released me, turning to face Kyo. "Now, now, Ko just got home, why don't you give her some space?" he suggested, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me into the kitchen.

"Kyo, I haven't even talked to Aya about it yet," I replied mildly, sitting down at the chabudai, anxious to eat the food Tohru had left out for me. The food at the bed and breakfast was great, but I was sort of tense eating it beside Akito, so I ended up only eating half of my lunch.

"Besides," I added when a thought struck me, "you weren't a good receptionist."

Kyo seemed flabbergasted by this. "I'll prove you wrong!" he growled, hunching over the chabudai with his palms leaning against the wood.

I wasn't planning on being another rival of Kyo's. "A job isn't the same as fighting," I explained with food shoved in my mouth. "When you work, you just do what you're told when you're told. Clock in, clock out, you know? There's no need to prove wrong or right."

Kyo huffed, understanding that I wasn't going to be his opponent, and sat down at the chabudai with his arms crossed.

"But we do need help at the salon, so if you want a job, Aya will probably give it to you."

"I'll think about it," he muttered.

"Yuki, you could work there too, you know. If you want space from Kyo, just go to the salon," I reminded him, a bit irked that I hadn't realized this sooner. Yuki would be a much better receptionist than Kyo. Then, I remembered why there was no point in thinking that.

"Not with my brother there," he snapped.

I looked back down at my food, nodding my head unenthusiastically. "Right." Sometimes, it was hard to imagine that Ayame was on anyone's bad side. Sure, he was a bit too much at times and he did get on my nerves, but he was still my best friend.

"Yuki, your brother loves you," Shigure assured him. "He just has a funny way of showing affection, right, Ko?" He was searching for me to back him up, but I couldn't necessarily agree with him. Ayame was nothing but blatantly affectionate towards me as well as the rest of his friends. It was evident that his relationship with Yuki wasn't one based on unbridled affection.

"There's nothing funny about it, he just hates me," Yuki murmured. I was almost relieved that he hadn't fallen for Shigure's false reassurances. Only someone like Tohru could believe that.

"That is always subject to change," I offered weakly, patting his shoulder.

Shigure furrowed his eyebrows at me. "That's the best you've got?"