Moral of the Story {Lights down Low part 2}

Adventures in America Part 7: The Choice

                  The room was quiet. It was only ever interrupted by the purring of cats, and the turning of pages. A small book rested in nimble fingers, steadily watched by sharp eyes. The soft, low sound of Hunter waking up made Shoto put the book down. He beckoned the feline to his thighs, which the mammal happily agreed to. It was hard staying at home while his lovers worked, but he could manage. His thoughts were interrupted by Hunter making “kitty biscuits''. His claws dug into Shoto’s thighs slightly, so he knew he had to trim them soon. A part of his mind wished that Mezo would declaw him, the same way he did with Mocha, but no dice. Speaking of Mocha, his eyes darted around as he searched for her, then he calmed his nerves when he recognized soft tan fur by his feet. Zodiac would be coming by later with her chinchilla, so he should probably get started. However, with the obstruction of two cats, it was easier said than done. Sighing, he leaned his head back, letting it thump softly against the soft chair in his apartment. A light knock alerted him, and he sat up, only to be greeted with a face full of grey fur. He blinked, then leaned back to get a closer look. Zodiac beamed, holding her chinchilla in front of his face. “It’s good to see you too.” Shoto mumbled, gently guiding her hands back to her. She pouted, but brushed it off. “So you’ll say hi to me, but you’ll ignore Tenko? How rude.” Zodiac humphed. Shoto raised his eyebrow at the name, but brushed it off quickly. He leaned down, looking at the blue eyed creature in its pupils. “Hello to you too, Tenko.” Zodiac beamed, then set Tenko down beside Mocha. As she sat down, she hummed to get the heterochromiacs attention. “So how are you? On the topic of homesickness, of course.” He sighed. This was why he called her home. Even though it had been two years, he got a voicemail from Toga, saying that big sis Magne was murdered. The voicemail continued about how much they missed him, and how things are horrible because the girls took over. It ended with Himiko tearing up, asking quietly if he would come back, just this once. “I’m not sure.” He sighed, exasperated.

    Zodiac contemplated this. When she first heard this message, she was disturbed. It was suspicious that Magne, a wanted person as Shoto said, was only killed after Shoto left. Which means that those whores had something to do with it. The only way any mafioso would’ve known Shoto left is from word of mouth. The real question was, why? Why let someone kill Magne? Unless she’d done something, there’d be no purpose in luring him back to Japan, unless...Unless they were luring him back to crush him completely. Damn it! She bit her nails nervously. She was a fan of murder mysteries, but figuring one out took practice. Her jittery hands reached over to the coffee on the side table, precariously taking a sip. Nails clicked on the keyboard, looking up the police reports and visuals of the murder. And then, she saw it. In the upper left hand corner of the camera, behind one of the many mafiosos, was Momo Yaoyorozu. The rich one. She must’ve paid someone to kill Magne. It all made sense now. Zodiac paced around the room, making Tenko look up at his master curiously. They were at a crossroads now. Either go into the trap in hopes of reversing it, or stay and leave the only family he had left behind. This would be up to him.

    Shoto sat with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, and back slanted forward.  His heterochromic eyes stared out the window. The beautiful sunset seemed to contradict his mood entirely. Tenko, who sat in his lap, looked up questioningly, before hopping down, running away to bother a sleeping Hunter. Shoto watched him leave, before focusing back to the sky. Turbulent feeling came through like a storm, eyes unfocused as he saw a plane go down. The conspiracy that Zodiac refuted to him was absurd, but it seemed right. Tears appeared on his waterline, as the thought of leaving his family behind entered his mind. He couldn't do that. Not again. After all the trauma he put them through, they didn’t deserve to have everything fall apart again. They loved him, and he loved them, but he created a new family out of the shambles he was given. Now his old one was turning into shambles, and he had the chance to fix the mess he created.  Mezo and Hanta entered the room, greeted with the sight of their boyfriend pondering by the window. The duo shared a look, before cautiously walking over to the peppermint. The white haired male ghosted his lips over Shoto’s neck, before pressing a heated kiss to his nape. This shocked him out of his stupor, as he shivered with delight. “How have you been Sho?” The question dampened his mood, and he nodded mutely. Hanta hummed, sensing his mood. “What’s the matter sweetheart?” Shoto sighed. He couldn’t hide anything from them after all. He relented, and told them the story. By the end, he was fiddling with his hair, which now reached his mid back, even in a ponytail. Strong arms wrapped around him in a comforting embrace quickly followed by another pair of leaner arms. “Oh Shouto.” Mezo mumbled against his skull. “No matter what you choose to do, we’ll be there with you the entire way.” A creak interrupted the scene. Camie, Zodiac, and Inasa walked in. “What makes you think we won’t be there with you?” Shoto teared up again, before wiping his eyes and hugging them. “Thnk you.” He mumbled against her collar bone. Inasa grinned. “No problem!” Mocha meowed, rubbing against her master's ankle. Looking down, Shoto grinned, before picking her up. “Hope you’re ready, Mocha. We’ll be going back home.”

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