White Rabbit

Reviewers!

Shannon: Great, I love this. Please keep up with this story!

Thank you! I plan to! Thanks for reviewing!

Jukebox: I think the story is intriguing and seems to flow well. I look forward to seeing how the initial meeting between your two main characters plays out.

*chuckle* Oh yes, I love throwing opposing forces together...so much fun. *smirk* It creates such lovely tension...^_^ Thanks for commenting! I'll be sure to read some of your works as well!

Paige: It's a good story so far. I like the main character. Bunny ears! :3 Kawaii. Would you care if I drew him?

Thank you! I'm glad you like Ashi! I'd have no problem with you drawing him, I'd be honored! I tend to draw him all the time so...yeah. ^_^

Chapter Three

The man he called ‘chief’, or more bluntly, his most immediate boss, often spoke to him about returning to the field, reminding him of the departments wishes, all the good he could do, would do, but he never felt up to it. Now, with his new assignment, he knew he couldn’t just pass off again. They wouldn’t take it, couldn’t take it, forever. He needed to do this, and do it right. His job likely depended on it. Sighing, Garnen took a deep breath, and opened the door before him, the door to change, the door to remodification, and, unknowingly, the greatest role of a lifetime.

The instant he walked in, he felt the glare on him, like a dead weight, lead, and heavy, uncalled for. He frowned slightly and took near no time to find the source of the problem. Narrowed, lightning-struck lavender, like taking a sea of blue-violet vision.

Ashi’s eyes scanned over the man by instinct, letting his gaze take in the form, noting near every detail at even a brief glance. Well built, large in frame, tall, reasonably attractive even if one got past the expression. He looked in a permanent state of depression, not his face per say, or even how held himself, but somehow, all body language (which Shi’d grown quite proficient at reading) pointed to an overall lack of interest in life to put it bluntly.

As their gazes locked, Ashi quickly noted his flicker of emotion, a minor shift in posture, standing. Surprise, disgust, but behind the shadow, a tiny hint of overriding curiosity. The albiri sighed and leaned back in his chair, eyes shutting in annoyance and fatigue. Great first impression.

The rabbit sat back in a black, cushioned chair, the kind that spun when you were bored enough to make amusement that way, and Garnen’s stomach clenched at the sight, feeling an unbidden flush of disgust and revulsion. Never in his life had he seen a more underdressed, over characterized, and blatantly displayed male before him, and from that instant, he had every instinct to turn from the room, toss the job, and forget everything.

As he forced himself to sit, calmly as possible behind the desk facing him, he couldn’t decide which disturbed him more, the sight of the boy, or the reaction it brought about in him.

Finally, after far to long of an overly uncomfortable silence, he forced himself to speak, keeping his words calm and even as possible despite all. “Name?”

Ashi groaned and covered his eyes before glaring to the ceiling in accusation. “How many times...do I have to answer...that stupid question?? Don’t you bastards write anything down!”

Garnen gripped his pen tighter than necessary and kept his gaze firmly on the paper beneath him. “Just...tell me...your name.”

Violet snapped over to him warily before he finally shrugged in indifference and answered fluently. “Ashielori Akenimeh Tekieri.” The name fell off his tongue like rolling water, dew from a leaf, with such ease and timing Garnen hardly registered the beginning before it ended. He grit his teeth.

“Could you...spell that, please?”

Ashi glared. “B-O-B, jackass.”

Garnen slammed to a standing position almost against his will. He wasn’t a terribly emotional person, at least recently, but the man before him brought about the easiest rise in temper he’d felt in far to long. Everything about him seemed to just edge at his conscience, picking and poking at all he found wrong and misplaced in a person.

His voice rose with his temper and his words flew as he stood. “Look here! I can assure you this is not my night either, but if you think, for one second, that your smart-ass little comments are gonna do horseshit for either of us, then you’ve got another thought coming, cause-“

Ashi glared snappishly, flaring violet narrowing in anger. “Oh wow! You’re up a bit late...missing your beauty sleep. Guess what? I woke up with a DEAD MAN! His body...was rotting not three feet from me but oh...you know what? I’m just ecstatic to be here with you...the stupidest asshole on the planet! I’m in a great mood!”

Garnen shook, fighting every urge not to run over and strangle the man, snap him in half. He forced himself to sit. “You know...just...nevermind.” He sighed and stared blankly down to the form below him. “Age?”

“Twenty-two.” He glanced up in instant doubt, eyes scanning over the tiny albiri figure and Ashi glared at the move. “What? You deaf? I’m twenty-two!” Garnen simply sighed and shook his head, out of spite for arguing as he jotted down the number.

Looking to the next, he chuckled slightly. “Gender?” He looked up to see the man’s reaction, but instead of an acute glare, snappish reply, or rude hand gesture, the albiri slid forward fluidly and he found himself face to face with the purplest eyes on the planet.

Ashi’s voice lowered to a purr, elbows placed firmly on the man’s desk for balance as he questioned lowly. “Want to check?”

Garnen’s reaction came instant, swift and staggered as he scrambled back in a rush. “Shit! Hell no!” He stumbled slightly for balance in his chair. “Hell no...I think...I’ll guess.” Ashi glared and snorted slightly, leaning back, if not slightly prouder of himself for the reaction.

“Are you religious?” He questioned suddenly, throwing the question out randomly and Garnen frowned slightly.

“We’re not here to discuss me...why do you ask?” The smaller shrugged offhandedly.

“You seem kinda like you would be...uptight, homophobic...” He glanced up. “...stupid.” Garnen ignored the last comment.

“I used to be. But...having no interest in getting in your pants doesn’t automatically make me homophobic. Depending on how you use the word...I believe a man is made for a woman and vise versa. Nothing else. That opinion didn’t change with my lack in faith.”

Ashi snorted. “Great...I’m sure we’ll get along just peachy.” Garnen again ignored his sarcasm.

“Profession?” He returned to questioning as if nothing changed and the rabbit rolled his eyes, reaching for a cigaret.

“Tooth-fairy.”

“Can’t smoke in the building.” Garnen lectured by instinct, not even looking up from his paper to see Ashi’s glare. The albiri, after brief consideration, disclaimed the comment and Garnen looked up at the flick of a lighter. “I said no smoking.”

“I heard you.” Ashi put the cig in his mouth, carefully drawing in as it lit before smirking in success at the resounding red glow. He chuckled and blew, crossing his legs in defiance even as he glanced toward the man at the table, a silent challenge.

“Put it out.” The words ground out, forced into a steady tone as Garnen fought with his will. Ashi’s lashes lowered slightly, half-way, lidded, in a smug look of victory.

“Care to make me, officer?”

“Why you little-“ The fight against his better, more sensible, thoughts left in an instant and he stood in a flash. With his size, he acquired long reach, and in a simple move had his arm across the desk, yanking the other roughly up by the shirt in a swift catch. “If you don’t-“

After his brief shock at the sudden move, Ashi got back to his senses and instantly took the opportunity for all its worth, bridging the small distance left between them, and slipping the cigaret to his hand quickly as he pressed their lips together.

The chief chose that exact moment to enter, finding Garnen’s grip firmly in the smaller man’s shirt and their lips pressed tight together across the desk. “LIEUTENANT!”

Garnen gave a half-choking noise, jumping and dropping his hold instantly in shocked surprise, eyes like a deer caught in headlights as he struggled to get his voice back. “C-chief! This-“

“I told you to interrogate the witness, not molest him! Good lord, Evans...that was a sight I’d prefer not to see again.” Garnen’s cheeks burned with shame, frustration, and anger as he choked out hoarsely.

“That...was not...what it looked like, sir...I swear...I-“

“Well I hope not...we need you to house him tonight.”

“WHAT?!” The objection came doubled in unison from both waiting men in the room, but Ashi quickly continued before the other. “That man was practically raping me, and you’re gonna-“

“It’s not like you’re not used to it...” Garnen grumbled sulkily under his breath and the chief raised an eyebrow. Realizing how that sounded he instantly corrected. “Not that I was! Just-...he-“

The man shook his head. “I don’t want to know, Evans...I seriously...don’t.” Garnen stared.

“You can’t really believe-“ The chief’s look cast instant silence.

“I just hope you have a little more restraint tonight, because-“

“Restraint?! I-“

“EVANS! If you want to keep your job...please listen.” At the man’s quiet he continued. “Take the witness, don’t hit the press...and keep it clean will you? I don’t want your dead faces on the morning news...” The man sighed and shook his head. “Get going, the press is likely lessened some by now anyway...I need you here nine tomorrow...I should have a program set up and better arrangements for the boy by then...”

Garnen didn’t bother to object, and Ashi kept his tongue at the given title of ‘boy’, despite his age, silently cursing his size and height for neither the first or last time. As they exited, he simply followed glumly after the larger officer and around through surely the most round-about way imaginable to avoid being seen on the way out.

Once outside, he shivered, reacting for the first time to brisk air but simply hugging himself slightly tighter, not one to complain, at least not for help. Garnen watched the display as Ashi shivered, before finally grumbling and removing his coat. Thrusting it at the figure in frustration, he mumbled something about cold-sensitive ridiculousness, before making their way across the parking lot.

At Ashi’s confusion he muttered glumly. “You need more clothes anyway...”

The rabbit laughed, dying to a chuckle as he slipped the garment on. “And here I thought you were stripping for me...” Garnen shot a warning glance, but said nothing as he unlocked the car and opened it.

“In.”

“So polite...” Ashi grumbled, opening his own door nonetheless.

“Sit.”

“Woof.” Shi plopped into the seat with a glare and shut the car door roughly. Garnen spared him another glance but kept quiet as he started the engine and buckled up.

“Put your seat belt on.”

The smaller man rolled his eyes. “Why the hell should I? It’s not like you give a fuck what happens to me...it doesn’t hurt you.”

“It could save your life one day.” Garnen replied easily, not even looking his way as he finished the maneuver out of the dark parking lot and onto the equally shadowed street, more of a back, tree shaded alleyway than anything else. The paving there almost surprised the rabbit.

“Why do you care?” He questioned quietly, distant, and Garnen frowned, glancing back to the rear-view mirror briefly for the quick vision of lost violet, distracted off into the shadows before returning his focus to the road.

“Don’t tell me you’re suicidal to...”

Violet snapped up instantly. “That’s foolishness. People like that are foolish, wasted. I value my life highly, thank you very much. I love to live...challenge or no...and to destroy that, take it from yourself before your time...is simple insanity.”

Garnen shook his head slightly. “For something you value...you sure take pretty pathetic care of if...” Ashi snorted.

“Don’t tell me how to live my life.” He glared ahead into the darkness. “No...you have no idea what I’ve been through...” The last came added quietly, and Garnen wondered if he’d been mean to hear it, but pushed the worry from his mind as he pulled into the dimly lit driveway, reminding himself again that he needed to replace the second driveway light, currently flickering disorientedly and casting an only partial glow on the pavement as he parked.

“We’re here.”

“Couldn’t tell.” Garnen ignored this and took the keys from his car, locking after Ashi got out.

“Follow me.” He added offhandedly, not really noting, or caring, as the other’s grumbling form followed after.

“What is it with you and pointless statements anyway? Your last five orders were two words or less.”

“I didn’t want to go over your range of vocabulary.” Garnen grumbled, stepping up lightly to the front door and searching for his house key.

“Police. Find me bound to the bed of a dead man...talk to me for thirty minutes...and think you know everything, typical.”

The other glanced up and graced his eyes over the figure before him. His coat, large and black, near dwarfed the smaller man and he practically disappeared in it’s shell, hands tucked deeply into it’s pockets but still kept close to his body. He wondered again, distractedly, what the man thought as violet grew distant, lost.

An image of the pink-haired figure half-naked and bound to his bed flashed unbidden to his mind and he frowned as Ashi’s voice got through to him. “What are you waiting for? A goodnight kiss?”

He blinked and his frown deepened as the image left and he focused again. “Hm? What?”

The other rolled his eyes. “Nevermind. Just open the door...”

“Right.” Garnen shook his head and did just that, the proper key hanging in his grip as if there the whole time, but he didn’t register and simply put it in, opening the door easily and stepping through.

“What, no ladies first?” Ashi questioned, though the tone had lost it’s bite, focussing his attention instead on the house as the lights flipped on.

Garnen’s house was simply furnished, but neat. Large, at least by most standards, and nicely built. “There’s a bathroom down the hall and one upstairs. You can sleep on the couch. I’d let you have the guest room but...it’s more of a storage closet right now, no bed.”

“Where are you sleeping?” Ashi questioned, glancing curiously to the kitchen in a sudden realization of his hunger. Garnen paused at the foot of the stairs.

“Upstairs.”

Ashi frowned at a new thought. “Am I supposed to sleep in this?” The officer pushed back the urge to growl his frustration at his continued delay of sleep and looked back to the albiri, fitted in tight, revealing leather, and clinging, formed cloth, he felt sure he’d never seen worse sleep-wear and frowned. “Unless you want me to sleep in the nude...”

Ashi, naked on his couch, Garnen cursed the image and shook his head instantly. “No. Follow me...you can...borrow a T-shirt or something...”

“How original...” Ashi mumbled, following the other despite all and easily making it up the stairs in a flourish, light with quick progress.

“Unoriginal solutions...are often that way...because their the best, and get used most often. Practical and unoriginal can often go hand in hand.” The larger man pointed out, almost falling into lecture mode again at the simple practicality of his solution. He frowned slightly, looking through his closet for a suitable over shirt for the smaller body.

“Have a woman to go with that bed?” Garnen’s gaze rose instantly at the question, finding Ashi in full inspection mode of his room, considerably focused on the bed portion unsurprisingly.

“Not anymore.” The answer came plain, not quiet, but final, as he tossed over a suitably large shirt, Ashi catching it easily. Despite his obvious desire to end the conversation then and there, the smaller man probed, continuing as if he’d not given the slightest hint to the sensitive ground.

“What, she dump you?” Ashi questioned lightly, looking over the given shirt even as he did so. Garnen’s look of displeasure deepened.

“No. She died.”

“Oh.” Ashi didn’t look all to phased by this and experimentally draped the shirt as an overlayer on top of his current shirt and clothes. Perhaps it was his indifference, his absent shrug off of the subject, or perhaps Garnen was just tired, but Ashi’s lack of care for his words hurt somehow, not like a deep, gauging wound, or a stab inflicted by someone you knew and cared about, but the type of pain that came from ignorance, dismissal. It pushed him to say more.

“She was my wife.” This got the other’s attention and Ashi looked up, surprise in his eyes, but nothing else. Garnen supposed, even then, it was to much to have hoped for remorse, sympathy?

“I’m sorry.” It wasn’t that he didn’t care for the man’s loss, but the albiri had no notion, no understanding of what it could be like to loose someone even remotely close to him. In all his life, he’d avoided such relationships, pushed people away even as he drew so many in. Ashi, had never loved anyone, not the parents he barely remembered, not the hobo across the street, and certainly not a single of the literally thousands of men he’d kissed and given himself over to. He had nothing to compare, nothing to compensate with. He didn’t, couldn’t, understand.

Garnen shook his head. Though he knew nothing of Ashi’s life, past, he could guess, fill in pieces of likelihoods, if he cared to spend the time, but it didn’t take a genius to see the man lacked any remorse or real emotion in the matter. He said the words, but couldn’t mean them. “Just...get dressed. It doesn’t really matter.”

Ashi looked up from his continued visual inspection of himself, locking eyes with the dark ebony of Garnen’s gaze. “It matters to you.”

It did, but Garnen pushed that from his mind. “It doesn’t matter tonight. Go downstairs...get some rest...”

“I have class tomorrow.”

“Class? I thought-“

“At the State University.” Garnen frowned slightly and ran a hand through his hair in confusion.

“University? You...well...not to be...judgmental...but...what does a hooker study in college? Fucking lessons? I mean...I know classes were screwed up these days, but not lit-“

“If that’s your idea of unprejudiced, then you had a pretty crapped-up vocabulary teacher. Yes, I do go to college, and no, I don’t think they give those kind of lessons and if they did...you need them, not me.” Garnen knew the petty arguements shouldn’t rile him up, shouldn’t matter, but oh how he hated hearing those snappy, quick-mouthed back talks the albiri was so fond of. “I mean come on...you have a giant house, how long’s your wife been gone? I bet you’re the kind who waits and waits and morns around, not doing a single goddamn thing about it...what was she, your first girlfriend? I’ll bet-“

“Don’t you dare talk about subjects you have no bearing on! I loved my wife! You don’t know me, you never knew her, and never deserved to! Worthless pieces of shit like you never meet people like her, and for good cause! Ever thought there might be reasons why I have a house and food while you get fucked up the ass every night for your breakfast the next morning?”

Ashi was shaking, visibly shaking, his eyes locked, furious, and cold. Frozen purple lightning. Garnen pressed on.

“I work! I care! If you want to go off and sell your little playboy’s ass to the highest bidder for the rest of your life that’s fine with me, but when you’re dead, and broken, shot through the head by some marijuana high lunatic, and I’m looking at your wrecked body in the back of the morning paper, no one will know who you are, and no one will care. I’ll know, though. I’ll know that you were one more freaked up prostitute without a life, and go back to the headline news.”

Ashi’s throat felt dry, raw, as if he just screamed those words, and not the man before him. Despite his lack of speech thought, the words felt like his, the same things his mind had shouted every other second of life now. “You...couldn’t possibly...understand.” Clouded, steely violet locked on ebony and he forced his voice steady even as his throat seemingly tightened with every word. “You have no idea, what I live through. But you know what? You don’t need to know.” His words began coming easier. “You don’t need to know...because all that’s important...is that I am alive. I am here, and I want to live. You may think your life’s so great...but I wouldn’t give a spare dime to switch with you.”

The man laughed, but it had lost it’s humor completely. “Would you have a spare dime?”

Ashi spun from the room, and Garnen watched him go, watched as his small form left the doorway, turned down the hall. His hall. His house. A prostitute. A male, twenty-two year old playboy bunny lived in his house, and the bubble-gum pink couldn’t have been more misleading. Garnen fell to sleep wondering what he’d done to deserve his situation, and whether the rabbit could possibly be so confident and steady with his life as he lead on...


Note: Oh my gosh! Reviews! Thank you! If another author reviews...I'll be sure to find some time for your story/stories as well! Thanks to those that do. *nod nod* (c: