Fruits Basket Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Neko's Healing ❯ Breathe ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. ::sad sigh::

Someone asked about the Ranma crossover--that hits in Chapter 9; and the Ranma side-story that happens just before that, is my fic “Unworthy.” It's only two chapters, and doesn't actually solve anything for Ranma--I just picked something I thought might get Ranma and Akane to actually talk to each other, rather than falling back on their habitual embarrassment, hurt feelings, and mutual insults, that end with Ranma getting malleted. Though if Kasumi didn't decide to actively Do Something, minor though her part seems on the surface, then Akane's little plan would've back-fired on her in the worse possible way...

6- Breathe

 

Shigure was quite amazed at his feline escort. For all they appeared to be darting almost directly under his feet as he jogged along, none so much as brushed against him to endanger his balance. Once they headed into the shadows under the trees, and it became difficult to see his own feet, he was grateful when they spread out somewhat to give him more open area to run in.

 

The black neko stayed in the lead. The inu set his eyes on that one, a formerly unnoticed small, bright white patch of fur between its shoulders somehow just visible in the darkness. Rather like chasing a shooting star, he thought whimsically.

 

Shigure followed that single star of white, hoping he was doing the right thing. He hadn't wanted to worry Tohru, or Kazuma for that matter; but he was beginning to be extremely concerned about Kyo--and Yuki, too, of course; the nezumi had been missing for several hours before Kyo left to search for him. This--decidedly odd behavior, by what was looking more and more like nearly every neko in the entire district--was like nothing he'd ever heard of before.

 

It wasn't natural! The Curse had to be involved, somehow.

 

And that--scream--that had been laced through all the noise of the area inus...! A chill skittered up and down his spine at the mere memory of that sound. A horrible suspicion had crept into his mind, as they waited for Kazuma...as to the source of that scream. He'd never heard the voice of Kyo's bakemono-form, after all; didn't know how high a register its voice could reach.

 

But whatever had been screaming, had certainly had a large and powerful set of lungs...

 

...had most certainly been in a very great deal of pain...

 

...and it had also been very, very, angry.

 

Shigure ran harder, trusting the nekos to steer him away from the worst pitfalls; trying very hard to not indulge his mind's sudden strong inclination towards worry. He was doing all that he could for the boys, without knowing what their situation was. Images of robbers and accidents of all kinds were flashing before his mind's eye; images he firmly squelched as soon as they came, trying to focus completely on the nekos guiding him until he calmed some.

 

There was no use in frantic worrying just then--that could come later, when he had leisure for it. Preparing himself for realistic possibilities was one thing; but some of the images his writer's fertile imagination was coming up with--!

 

Oh, my; maybe I should be taking mental notes...some of these scenarios would make quite decent scenes in some of the stories I have underway!

 

Shigure shook his head, sternly disciplining his mind to stick to the business at hand. His memory was very good--he'd be able to easily recall those thoughts later on. He had more important matters to be ready for just then.

 

Such as not falling and breaking his neck!

 

The inu had noticed that the brightest colored nekos were those closest to him, making it easier for him to see when they leapt over or turned to avoid the various obstacles in the deep darkness of the night-time forest. Not much moonlight was penetrating the thick leaves and branches above. It was a good thing the surrounding land wasn't too hilly, and there were no gullies or ditches hidden by deadfall...

 

He quickly realized they were heading him in the direction of Yuki's `secret base'--the small garden plot where the boy went to calm down, or cheer himself up. The inu had been careful to keep his distance from the area, to let the boy have his private space; even as he left Kyo alone when the neko retreated to the roof of his house.

 

Shigure frowned; had the boys truly been fighting--trying to hurt each other, for real? And now needed help? Or had they been fighting with someone else? There wasn't a big gang problem in their district; but there were some present, and strangers sometimes passed through. It was vaguely possibly one or the other of the boys had run afoul of one of those groups of violent delinquents, camping out in the forest. He'd best be prepared for meeting others, then, who were not of the friendly type. That would certainly be one good reason the nekos hadn't wanted him to be in his cursed form when he went to find the boys...

 

Though if Kyo and Yuki between them couldn't handle a group of brigands, with all the martial arts training those two had had over the years, Shigure doubted there was anything he could do but run for the police! Then again...he might be needed to help carry one or both of them, or at least help bind wounds until help could come. Or go for help, himself--any of which tasks would be difficult to do as an inu; or as a naked human, once he'd transformed back.

 

And if Akito were with them...

 

He shook his head slightly as he ran, once more refusing to let gloomy thoughts rule his mind. Time enough for that later, if he found the worst. He was probably imagining things, anyway; and he preferred to keep his imagination focused in other directions.

 

Like High School Girls!! Oh, yes, indeed!

 

Actually...he was more concerned with researching ways to break the Jyuunishi curse. Not that he wanted anyone to become aware of that! The inu snickered to himself as he ran with the nekos, wondering if anyone other than Hatori and Ayame had yet figured out how much of his usual flighty, hentai behavior was fake.

 

Granted, it certainly was a great deal of fun teasing certain people...especially a certain pair of teenage boys...!

 

It was far easier to get people to do what he wanted if they thought him a baka hentai, rather than the scheming manipulator that he actually was. All in the family's best interests, of course... It was really a shame that Akito hadn't ever figured out that sugar gets you a great deal more than vinegar; instead preferring to have everyone obey their Clan Head through pure fear.

 

The inu was, by nature, the most loyal of all the Dobutsu no Jyuunishi...and also the best at keeping secrets. If Akito had been even a little bit better at managing the Jyuunishi-cursed, or had been born before Shigure, the inu might well have given his unthinking loyalty to his Clan Head. A dark smile flickered across his shadowed face as he thought of how fickle Chance had finally shaped events in favor of the Jyuunishi-cursed Sohmas, this time around.

 

He planned to make the most of it.

 

Akito, being the core of the Curse, would surely object to a cure--whether it was the Curse working directly through Akito, or the Clan Head's own will...as a cure would most likely end with the core's destruction, or dismissal; neither of which would sit well with Akito. Who among them would wish to stay with the Clan Head, after all the abuse suffered under Akito's overly-heavy hand through the years? Except maybe Kureno, who had no real outside life for comparison...but even the ondori would likely desert Akito eventually, if the Clan Head was unable to change.

 

A largish, pale, erratically moving blob straight ahead through the trees caught Shigure's attention, breaking his train of thought. He hadn't meant to become distracted, but no harm had come from it--he hadn't fallen, thanks in large part to his careful feline escort.

 

The nekos seemed to be taking him right for that pale blob of movement. As he got closer, the blob resolved into a pair of figures staggering along, one apparently struggling to hold the other up. Brow wrinkling in true concern, Shigure ran faster, not really noticing when the nekos drifted away to join their multitudinous brethren that had been shadowing the pair of boys.

 

As he came to a panting stop in front of them, the inu saw that it was indeed his missing younger cousins--a highly bedraggled and mysteriously shirtless neko, with a nearly unconscious, and equally bedraggled nezumi's arm slung about his shoulders. Yuki, at least, had all of his clothes on... Shigure's mouth twitched towards a smile as he fought the urge to tease, as he came to a stop right in front of them. It looked like Kyo was keeping the two of them upright through pure willpower, alone; he'd save the teasing for later, when the boys could--er, `appreciate' it more.

 

“There you are! Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun--where have you two been, Tohru's worried absolutely sick abou--”

 

“Shut up and help me with him, you k'so inu!! He's having an asthma attack--a bad one!!”

 

The near-panicked, raw desperation in Kyo's hoarse and highly strained voice shut Shigure up immediately, surprise nearly unhinging his jaw. His eyebrows reached for his hairline as he looked closer at Yuki, noticing the nezumi's heavily strained breathing even as his own quickly settled after so much running. He reached out a hand to gently raise Yuki's listless head by the chin, worried by the vagueness he found in the violet-gray eyes. A hand to the boy's forehead relieved him of the concern of fever, for a while anyway.

 

He wondered what in the world was that dark stain on the lower front of the normally fastidious nezumi's shirt? Then his extremely sensitive nose identified a scent he'd become all too familiar with, having brought Yuki--and others--out from Akito's `ministrations' numerous times.

 

Blood.

 

Shigure's eyes widened, and he gasped softly. He then peered keenly at Kyo, who was waiting impatiently for Shigure to take Yuki's other arm. The neko was breathing heavily, and shaking; the inu could see the sweat rolling off him, even in the pale moonlight that filtered through the trees. Other than a couple light scratches, there didn't appear to be a mark on the boy; he was probably suffering more from his rain-induced lethargy than anything else, the storm wasn't far enough gone to have released the boy completely from its influence yet. The blood-smell didn't appear to be coming from him.

 

That stain on Yuki's shirt, however--

 

Shigure's dark eyes narrowed and darted back to the stain, then to Kyo's face. The neko met the inu's gaze without a trace of guilt, but with a whole boatload of unanticipated concern; still trying to get his own breathing under control. Shigure noted shivers starting along the boy's skin, and wondered just where his shirt was. He was disconcertingly aware that he had absolutely no idea what in the name of the kamis these two had been doing!

 

A quick glance down showed Kyo was shoeless, as well. And the bottoms of his pants legs were gone. A chill shivered through Shigure as a memory teased at the edges of his mind. Something about Kyo's clothes--or lack thereof, really--was...familiar. He felt he should know exactly how Kyo's wardrobe had gotten in that deplorable condition.

 

It didn't seem to Shigure like Kyo was at all responsible for Yuki's condition, at least. If Kyo had won a fight between the two, he'd be crowing about the accomplishment. If he'd somehow caused the harm to Yuki, Shigure knew very well that the boy's conscience wouldn't let him look his older cousin in the eye without at least a flinch. He'd been raised by Kazuma to be honest, and not to hurt others unnecessarily--not even his “worst enemy.”

 

And...Kyo wasn't a hypocrite. The neko hated it when others were dishonest about their feelings, even if it was supposedly to spare someone else pain--so he showed his emotions in all their ferocity, as he felt them, plain for the whole world to see. The boy was forever chastising Tohru for pretending to be all right when she was really sad.

 

“It's...all right. I--fixed it. It's just the asthma, now.” The boy's voice and appearance was so tired, like he was barely able to stand on his own, let alone support the nezumi. This...was more than his usual curse-induced lethargy, Shigure realized, as he stared into those strangely resigned red eyes in confusion.

 

Kyo had--`fixed it?' Fixed what? And how?! Not that an asthma attack wasn't serious enough in its own right--

 

“Damnit, Shigure, quit standing there gawking and help him!!”

 

After one more long look at Kyo's near-desperate expression, hearing the unaccustomed break in his voice, Shigure nodded. He turned his back to Yuki, squatting down a bit, turning his head to talk over his shoulder to Kyo. “Give me his arms--get him up on my back.”

 

It took them a couple minutes to get Yuki properly settled across Shigure's surprisingly strong back. For someone who supposedly lazed about, avoiding work all the time, he was in quite good physical shape. The inu made sure he had a good grip on the nezumi's legs once they were settled about his waist, keeping his upper body leaning a bit forward, letting his younger cousin's arms hang loosely down in front of his chest.

 

He started off at a steady jog, the smoothest he could manage, careful of his passenger. The boy didn't weigh all that much; Shigure figured he'd have no problem running him all the way back home.

 

Kyo staggered along after them, looking more exhausted than Shigure had ever seen him before. He had no idea how the neko had gotten the two of them any distance at all; he was beginning to worry that he'd have to carry the both of them back, as it looked like Kyo really did have nothing left but pure, stubborn willpower. How the boy had managed not to transform was a mystery, exhausted as he appeared.

 

Whatever had happened to these two, it certainly promised to be an interesting story! Maybe he should be taking notes after all, for later use in his writing.

 

Nekos traveled with them all the way back to Shigure's house, hundreds and hundreds and likely even thousands of eyes of yellow and green reflecting scant moonlight from the black shadows about them; shadows that seemed to move on their own as the felines flowed through them in a wave. The inu hadn't realized there were that many nekos in all of Tokyo! The deep, thrumming rumble of their unified purring set his hackles on end.

 

He wondered what that sound might be doing to poor Yuki. The boy was the nezumi, after all; and nekos--generally, ate nezumis. He didn't imagine that sound would help ease the boy's asthma attack the least little bit!

 

He slowed down a couple times, thinking to allow Kyo to catch up, but the neko breathlessly snarled at him to never mind him--just get Yuki to his inhaler, as fast as possible. In cruder language, of course.

 

Becoming more and more intrigued by the unprecedented level of concern his favorite hot-headed cousin was showing for his avowed worst enemy's well-being, Shigure trotted on, his memory curiously comparing present-day behaviors with long-forgotten things. An image of two little boys, four-year-olds, laughing and playing happily together, flickered across his mind's eye. Not a really notable image--except for their distinctive hair colors.

 

Silvery gray...and carrot-orange.

 

The night certainly was bringing with it reminders of the long-lost days when little Kyo and Yuki were the best of friends. It had been such a shame, when Akito insisted their memories of that friendship had to go...but Akito would get so unreasonably jealous of anyone who got close to the Clan-Head's too-precious nezumi. Shigure had been unable to convince Akito against the idea, much as he'd tried. After all, the inu had gone to so much trouble getting those two together in the first place!

 

The young inu hadn't been foolish enough to use the excuse of Kyo's mother's suicide only a few days before-hand, to try and get Akito to at least wait a month. Akito's...dislike...of the neko went well beyond the merely unreasonable. Shigure hadn't wanted to risk having Kyo end up locked up in the Neko's House immediately and for the rest of his life, on top of losing his memories of his best, and pretty much only, friend...and loosing his mother; especially the way that tragedy had happened.

 

Having Hatori take the boy's memory of finding her, dead and covered in blood in the family's bathtub, would have been Shigure's choice of uses for the tatsu's power. But that was too compassionate an act for Akito to ever order it...rather, the Clan Head had expressly forbidden Hatori from easing Kyo's mental suffering, in any way.

 

Shigure was still surprised Akito had allowed Kazuma to take the young neko in. The inu could only reason that his Clan Head must have wanted the neko to have close ties with at least one person of Akito's choosing, so that Kyo could be more easily controlled when he got older.

 

Or, at least...more easily caged. A strong enough threat to Kazuma would certainly send Kyo meekly into captivity.

 

Kazuma and Tohru were both at the quickly opened front door when a tired Shigure finally reached his house. Kazuma readied himself to help Shigure lay Yuki on the couch, after the inu panted out a request for Tohru to run and get Yuki's inhaler from a certain dresser drawer in his room. He remembered to say that he'd also found Kyo, and that the neko should be home any minute--he was tired, but walking quite under his own power; and had appeared uninjured.

 

Kazuma caught and held Shigure's eyes at this. The inu didn't doubt for a second that Kyo's foster father would have his hide for a doormat, if he thought Shigure was lying about Kyo's condition--probably literally. It was quite clear in those charcoal-dark eyes.

 

Once Tohru was safely up the stairs and out of sight, Shigure turned and allowed Kazuma to lift the shivering, wheezing boy off his back. The karate master hesitated for a long moment, once he got a look at Yuki's back. The rain had stopped before washing away much of the bloodstain from his impalement; and the hole in his shirt was starkly obvious in good lighting, pale skin showing clearly through the darkened material.

 

With shaking fingers, Kazuma gently lifted the still rain-damp shirt, even as Shigure asked him what was wrong. When he found no trace of injury on Yuki's pale skin, the karate master frowned, puzzled; realizing that Shigure's calmness wasn't false for Tohru's benefit, after all--the boy wasn't really bleeding to death on his back.

 

It was definitely Yuki's shirt; Kazuma had seen the boy wearing it before. And he doubted the normally fastidious--not to mention notoriously blood-shy!--Yuki would have voluntarily put that shirt on with it in that condition, modesty be damned.

 

So--what had happened?! Was that Kyo's blood--? But--that did not explain the hole in the material!

 

Kazuma shook off his multiplying questions and quickly lifted the still-wheezing nezumi off Shigure's back, strong arms gently laying the slender boy down on the couch and straightening his icy-cold limbs. It was the same story for the front of his shirt; copious bloodstains on the fabric, and a matching hole...as if something had gone right through Yuki.

 

But there was no mark on his skin; no unnatural paleness as of excessive blood loss. The only thing the adults could find wrong with the nearly unconscious boy was his current severe asthma attack.

 

Shigure and Kazuma shared a confused look, before the sound of Tohru's footsteps above reminded the two that she would be back in a minute--and if she saw all that blood--! Shigure hastily but gently lifted Yuki by the shoulders, while Kazuma worked quickly but carefully to get that ruined shirt off. The inu then dashed for his study to stash the ruined shirt out of sight and grab a blanket from the closet, while Kazuma looked Yuki over more closely.

 

The boy wasn't aware enough to question, yet; they'd have to wait for Kyo to explain what in the name of the kamis had happened. Kazuma cast a worried glance at the door, debating going after his son as soon as Shigure had Yuki in hand. He glanced up as the inu returned with the blanket, a slight frown marring his normally serene expression.

 

“What happened to him? His shirt...!” Kazuma asked quietly, worried eyes fixed on Shigure's face as the inu carefully draped the blanket over the stricken nezumi.

 

Shigure shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven't had a chance to ask either of them any real questions; I suppose we'll just have to wait for Kyo. --Ah, speak of the neko!” Shigure turned towards the door even as Kyo staggered in, gripping the frame to keep himself upright.

 

Kazuma was up and at his son's side before Kyo had taken a full step into the room, wrapping a strong arm about those shivering, bare shoulders. The boy looked apt to fall on his face at any moment! The dismayed karate master supported the gaunt and near-collapsing neko, as Kyo determinedly headed over to the couch, making a straight line for Yuki. He didn't seem to really see anything other than his wheezing cousin.

 

A look of astonishment was exchanged between Shigure and Kazuma when Kyo settled himself to sit on the floor right at Yuki's hip, back to the couch; one hand reaching tiredly up to fumble after the nezumi's, even as he all but collapsed against the couch. His head turned, and red eyes stared intently at Yuki's strained face as Tohru finally burst back into the room, precious inhaler in hand.

 

“Kyo-kun!! Oh, Kyo-kun, you're back; you're both back--!”

 

Kyo's eyes landed on the inhaler, and he abruptly cut her off, reaching for it. “The inhaler--quick! He needs it...” He was still breathing rather heavily himself, his whole arm shaking as he held it out. Tohru, eyes wide, quickly put the inhaler in his hand, then clutched her own hands in front of herself in distress.

 

Kyo switched hands with the inhaler, then wormed an arm under Yuki's shoulders, trying to get him more upright. The task looked to be too much for the exhausted neko, in spite of gritted teeth and a tired-sounding snarl of determined effort. Kazuma quickly stepped over and gently levered the nezumi up by his shoulders, charcoal eyes thoughtful as he stared at his son.

 

Kyo nodded in grateful thanks, hardly glancing up at his foster-father. He coughed once, giving his own chest a quick thwack, then wrapped one of Yuki's hands about the medicine; guiding it towards the nezumi's face, which he pulled around by the chin. He lightly popped his free hand against the pale cheek, calling softly, “Yuki. Yuki. Come on, damnit--here's your inhaler, k'so nezumi; you gotta wake up enough to breathe it in!”

 

Kyo's lips thinned as he got no response. His hoarse voice then went stern, with a peculiar deep and commanding tone that none in the room had ever heard from him before. They all went wide-eyed, staring at the neko like he was a stranger.

 

“Sohma Yuki!”

 

Shigure quietly settled himself on the edge of the couch at Yuki's feet, staring intently at Kyo's obviously concerned actions. His eyebrows rose when Yuki finally responded to the remarkably stern command in Kyo's voice; sluggishly bringing the inhaler the rest of the way to his mouth, puffing a breath of medicine into his seriously straining lungs. Kyo caught both hand and inhaler when Yuki let his arm fall, concerned red eyes never leaving the nezumi's face.

 

-.-.-.-

 

I've got a bad habit when I'm writing...well, not so much bad, really. It could be called good, too. Anyway--I focus. When I write, I'm as involved as when I'm reading someone else's work. The real world around me might as well not exist--unless I hear my name, or my bus number. Took me years to train my ears to only nudge my brain when they pick up certain key words!

 

Unfortunately, the off-duty drivers who play dominos in the drivers' room during the mid-day...while I'm typing busily away on my laptop...shout out “Fifteen!” with nearly every throw. And my bus number, this year--is fifteen.

 

AAAAGH!!! I'm gonna SMACK `em, fifteen times each, at this rate!! Talk about distractions!

 

Sheesh!