![]() They stuck out their tongue in response, grinned at Rikiga’s scowl, and assumed victory when the old man snapped. Suddenly Rikiga was made of apologies, quietly backing onto a chair and only making a face at Inukashi once Shion’s back was turned. “Keep it down, gramps, Azami is still asleep.” But why was Shion’s door closed? Shion’s interjection was quicker than usual and Inukashi frowned, tilting their head back to get a sweeping view of the living area. “Would you like some coffee, Rikiga-san?” “Now listen here, brat, I have nothing but faith in-“ “Honestly, old man, you go through this same argument every month. Something was off about the tiny apartment somehow, but they hadn’t quite put their finger on it yet. Inukashi huffed, dropping into a chair at the table, arms and legs askew. Certainly not enough to support a child on top of everything-“ “But you can’t be bringing in much, just running a volunteer clinic. His hair was rumpled and he’d clearly just woken, still in his pajamas with a cardigan hastily thrown over the top, back to the stove and a sizzling griddle. “It’s fine, Rikiga-san.” Shion had both hands held up in front of his chest, fending off the older man’s concerns with a placid smile. “Have you been eating well? You’re still too skinny! I should have brought some eggs and bread with me-“ Shion had already started deflecting his barrage of questions by the time Inukashi pushed the door closed, the brown dog at their heels bounding ahead into the kitchen for ear scratches and a slice of bacon. Rikiga reached the door to the apartment first and blundered through it in his usual fashion. ![]() “Oh hush, I’ll send Azami out to play with you, okay?” The dog whined, shrinking down to its belly on the floor. A mouse? “Hey, leave it alone.” Shion could set a trap if he wanted, but it wasn’t Inukashi’s business and they didn’t want the dog making a mess of the clinic trying to catch it. The larger of the two dogs was sniffing at something on the floor and they turned just in time to see something small and black scurry away into a corner. Rikiga was on a long rant about the current state of youth in the world that Inukashi tuned out. What if someone stole it from me? You and Azami would be in danger, and it would be my fault. Shion offered to make a spare key once, but Inukashi flat out refused for the same reason.ĭon’t be such an airhead. Shion lived in a good neighborhood and crime had dropped significantly since the walls came down, even in the part of the new city that had once been the West Block. They didn’t so much enter the little clinic as crash through it, the cluster of bells on the door jangling in alarm as it was thrust open and slammed shut, and Inukashi flipped the lock before moving on, more out of a lingering paranoia than anything else. “You’re right, old man, I’d definitely respect you more if you were a dog.” Didn’t your mother teach you to respect your elders?” Did you forget the flower bouquet or do you mean to pick some out of the window boxes? Because now’s your chance.” “More like a walking mid-life crisis hard up for a date. “I’m a man who knows how to look civilized, not that you would know the first thing about that.” ![]() “Pretty snappy dresser for a breakfast in, aren’t you old man?” Regardless, it was still impossible not to hear them coming. Rikiga always flushed with the attention and Inukashi never missed an opportunity to tease him. Inukashi suspected it had a lot to do with how pleased Shion and his mother both looked anytime Rikiga appeared before either of them, coherent and sober. Rikiga had been on the wagon since the turn of the New Year, though, and so far he remained there-setting a new record for his various attempts at ditching the booze. It was impossible not to hear them coming for several blocks, at least. Half the time Inukashi had to track him down and drag him out of whatever hungover funk he’d fallen into the night before and march him across town with a bare minimum of two dogs at his heels, bellyaching all the way. They never operated on anything resembling a schedule-Inukashi had never learned to read a watch and Rikiga was nothing if not profoundly unreliable when there wasn’t money involved. Inukashi had told Shion once a long time ago that the best way to manage their once-monthly Sunday morning breakfasts was simply to unlock his front door and wait. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |