Kiri: Chapter 4

Unlocking the door of his apartment, Ryo yawned largely before stooping to pick up Kyon-Kyon. The kitten kneaded his chest with his sharp little claws and purred loudly. He flipped on the light switch and turned to the boy following him.

“Come on in, Kite,” Ryo said with a welcoming smile.

“Are you sure about this? I don’t want to be a bother for you,” Kite said as he stepped into the apartment once more, clutching his pillow to his chest. He turned to look uncertainly at the older man.

“It’s really not a bother. I’m honestly kind of grateful. If I hadn’t gone to pick you up, I’d still be pretending to be civil with my dad complaining about everything I’ve chosen to do with my life,” Ryo said with a shrug of his shoulders. He began scratching Kyon-Kyon’s head causing the little cat to purr even louder.

“Skye is so pushy sometimes,” the boy sighed. His head dropped slightly in defeat as he shuffled into the room and closed the door behind him with his foot. He slung his backpack off his shoulders and looked up at Ryo though his auburn bangs.

Chuckling, Ryo nodded as he led the way into the bedroom and toed off his shoes. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he tossed the kitten onto his pillow. He pointed at the desk chair.

“You can put your bag down there. I don’t have any extra blankets, so you can sleep on the other side of mine if that’s okay with you,” Ryo said smiling warmly.

“That’s fine.”

The auburn haired boy sat his bag down before crawling onto the bed to play with the kitten. Ryo watched his face for a while until he heard the boy’s stomach growl. Rising to his feet, he padded quietly into the kitchen and looked in his cabinets.

“Would you like some Ravioli?” he called over his shoulder.

“Uh… sure, I guess.”

Ryo shook his head slightly at the uncertain note he heard in the boy’s voice. Skye had apparently not told him of her plans to have him stay with her former student over the weekend before she had left. Somehow, the older man thought the boy would have done well enough by himself, and obviously the boy thought so as well. Ryo had promised Skye though, and he didn’t want to let her down.

“Hey, um… Ryo?”

“Huh?” Looking up, Ryo found Kite standing in the doorway with the gray kitten curled in his arms. He smiled brightly at the young boy. “Yes?”

Ducking his head, Kite scuffled his foot on the floor awkwardly. “I was wondering. Would it be okay if I read some of The Heartwood Pendant after I eat?”

“Ah! Sure!” Ryo said flustered as he waved a hand in front of himself apologetically. “Sumimasen! I was supposed to get that to you! I can’t believe I forgot, and after I promised, too!”

Kite blushed. “It’s okay,” he muttered embarrassed. “I just wanted to read it. I could have gotten it in the store, but…”

When the boy broke off, Ryo chuckled and turned back to the stove and the ravioli cooking there. “I’ll get it for you as soon as you’ve eaten. I promised you a copy, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I wish I had gotten it to you sooner,” Ryo said. The ravioli started to bubble in the pan, and he sat it off the burner. Reaching into the cabinet next to the stove, he pulled down two bowls and served the meal. He sat the bowls on the table and motioned to the chair across from him.

“Sit. Eat.”

Setting the cat down, Kite nodded and took a seat. Ryo smiled and began eating his own ravioli, barely half of what he had poured for the boy. The silence was broken by the clink of the silverware against the dishes and the occasional questioning meow from the kitten, weaving around their legs.

A few minutes later, he had already finished and rose to his feet, carrying his empty bowl to the sink. Looking over his shoulder, Ryo found the boy concentrating fiercely on his meal. He smiled and his dark blue eyes softened.

“Kite, I’m going to go take a quick shower. I’ll set the book out on the bed for you. Just sit the bowl in the sink. I’ll wash them tomorrow. It’s too late to worry about that now.”

Green eyes raised to meet his own, and Kite nodded offering him a weak smile. With a grin, Ryo slipped out of the room. He grabbed a copy of the novel and laid it at the foot of his bed before disappearing into the bathroom.

Finishing his shower quickly, Ryo pulled on a pair of loose flannel pants and an old ragged gray tee shirt. When he walked into the bedroom, he found Kite reading raptly on the bed. The auburn head lifted after a moment, and the boy nodded to him.

“Hey,” Ryo said as he walked over to sit down at his computer and turn on his laptop, slipping on his glasses. “How do you like it?”

The boy held his chin in his hand thoughtfully as he tilted his head to the side. “It’s good.”

“You sound amazed,” Ryo said in a humored, but slightly wounded tone of voice.

“No, it’s not that!” Kite defended, flustered. “It’s just an unusual story, and it’s so different from ‘Ring of Lies.’”

“It’s okay!” Ryo laughed lightly as he turned to his computer. “I’ve heard everything that can possibly be said about that book from critics and my publisher. I doubt you could hurt my feelings at this point.”

Kite shook his head as he looked down at the book held open in his hands. “It’s not that I don’t want to hurt your feelings. I truly think it’s a good book. I’m only a little way into the first chapter, but I really like it so far.”

“Well, thank you. I’m glad you enjoy it,” Ryo said as he turned his head to smile affectionately at the boy.

A moment of silence passed, and Ryo turned back to his computer and opened a file and began typing rapidly. He had written out nearly half a page of text before Kite spoke again.

“What are you writing?”

“Mmm… my next story,” Ryo replied, his fingers barely pausing on the keys. The older man could almost feel Kite intently watching him from the bed. He glanced over and smiled. “It’s the sequel for that one so you’ll have to read it before I’ll discuss this one with you at all.”

“Oh.” Kite frowned unhappily, but curled onto his side and began reading again.

It was an interesting feeling to be writing with someone else in the room, Ryo decided as he returned to his work. There was a sense of comfort in the quiet presence behind him and the soft rustle of the pages being turned.

Kyon-Kyon’s purring started up behind him, and Ryo turned to see the gray kitten kneading the blankets beside the boy. He watched as Kite set aside the book for a moment to curl down, murmuring quietly to the kitten as he stroked the soft fur with light, sure touches.

Turning back to his story, Ryo blocked most of the rest of the room from his mind as he jumped deeply into the middle of the story. He straightened some time later with a loud groan as his back protested being kept in the hunched position for so long. Pulling off his glasses, he rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily before he saved his work and shut down his computer.

Ryo stood and came to an abrupt halt. Kite was curled around Kyon-Kyon, the book hung loosely from his hands. Watching the sweetly sleeping boy, the Asian man shook his head with a tender smile. He looked so innocent laying there like that.

Walking quietly over to the bed, Ryo scooped up the short boy so he could pull the comforter back. This dislodged the kitten, and he cast an unhappy look over at his owner. Settling Kite back onto the bed, he covered him with the blankets.

The kitten settled on Kite’s chest as Ryo lightly brushed the auburn bangs off of the boy’s forehead. He reached over and set the book on to the nightstand before flicking off the light switch. Walking around the bed, he flopped down on his stomach on the soft mattress and pressed his face into the pillow.

Sometime in the early morning, Ryo woke groggily and groaned opening his eyes. He lay still for a second, trying to figure out what had awakened him. It didn’t take him long to figure out as a warm arm tightened around his waist.

Arching an eyebrow, the man looked down to find Kite pressed close to his side, still very much asleep. He let his head fall back into the soft pillow and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before he fell asleep again peacefully.

***
End Chapter 4
***

Previous | Home | Next