Fruits Basket Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Neko's Healing ❯ Explanations ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: Boy do I wish I owned Fruits Basket...! But, I don't...and I'm not making any money off this fanfiction. ::sigh!::

 

Hmmm. I haven't mentioned yet that I don't write full-blown yaoi/yuri/lemon-type stuff, have I. Hate to disappoint any-hentai-body waiting for things to get hot'n'heavy, but I just ain't comfortable writing it. I tend to change the scene just when the lip-locks start!

 

Since I'm getting so close to the end, I've decided to step up the posting schedule. Enjoy!

 

8- Explanations

 

A smile twitched at the corners of Kyo's mouth before he answered, expression going decidedly sour, “Kenji told me.”

 

Now Kazuma and Shigure were both staring at Kyo. Yuki stifled a snicker at the dumbfounded looks on their faces. The nezumi leaned comfortably against the back of the couch, one elbow over the back, fingers laced together at his chin. It looked like Kyo was going to tell them everything; this should be quite interesting!

 

Shigure finally blinked, and shook his head quickly. “You mean--he left something in writing for you, yes?”

 

Kyo glared straight into the inu's dark gray eyes, a touch of his habitual anger coming to the fore. “No.” He reached up and tapped his temple. “He told me. He's the newest--so his voice is the easiest for me to understand.”

 

Shigure's jaw hit the floor with a nearly audible clang!! as his eyes bugged at Kyo. Yuki snickered into his hand, eyes dancing with amusement. Kazuma's face wasn't quite as--eloquent; but that might have been due to the fact he was already in a great deal of shock. He certainly was anything but calm!

 

Kyo rolled his eyes and gusted out a sigh, his notoriously short patience quickly being used up. He kept on glaring at Shigure as he elaborated, “I've got the spirits of every Sohma ever cursed with the Neko's spirit in my head; all the way back to the first one.”

 

The neko's voice was strained, his teeth clenched. He shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. “You'd think somebody in the family could have been bothered to do a little research on nekos, considering how long we've had the curse--but no-o-o-o! They researched every single Dobutsu no Jyuunishi but the neko! And nobody ever bothered to ask any of us any questions about the differences in our curse, either.

 

“Have you ever seen a true-neko that's mad all the time? Ever?”

 

Shigure, eyes still huge and glued to the abnormally talkative Kyo's face, slowly shook his head `no.' He didn't want to interrupt the neko with a protest that he, himself, had done at least a bit of research on the outcast animal of the Jyuunishi... He hadn't truly done all that much, he admitted ruefully to himself--and most of that had been by pure accident, by simply being too lazy to change the channel on the television when a documentary on nekos came on.

 

He had paid attention to those programs when they were on, though. The information that nekos didn't show it when they were in pain...that they would simply hide when it got too bad, had given him something to think about. That had sparked the inu's first re-evaluation of his fiery young cousin--something he hadn't ever done, with anyone else.

 

He'd never had cause to doubt his own well-proven ability to read people, before.

 

Kyo snorted. “Anger's the only way I've got to drown out the crowd, when they all get talking at the same time.” His lowered his face, eyes going sad. “Whenever something happens to me that's--too close to something that happened to one or more of them, they--can't help but...well, project their feelings, their memories, onto me. If I get angry enough, all that's blocked out.” Tired red eyes rose to Shigure's. “I don't know how many stories of previous nekos you know, but--“

 

The neko swallowed, a shiver visibly going through him. His voice went nearly whisper-soft, his expression haunted. “Some of them...got real raw deals; and I'm not just talking about getting locked up early. Akito's--not the worst Sohma there's ever been...” He looked off to the side for a moment, trying to get himself back under control.

 

Shigure had settled back as he sat and listened, his face going thoughtful and troubled as he stared at his young cousin. He had seen some records, in his surreptitious research into the curse...he knew at least some of what Kyo was talking about. Just reading some of the dry, factual accounts--most especially the doctors' reports--had given Shigure irregularly recurring bad dreams. He didn't want to think about having those actual memories, in his head; having to actually experience those things, without them ever really happening to him--

 

Yuki started when Kyo suddenly shoved himself to his feet, wobbling a bit from weariness. Shigure wrenched his thoughts from his introspection and looked up at the neko, going a touch nervous. There were several things the inu had done, some of them recent, that he felt Kyo might rightfully be rather angry about.

 

“Shigure...” The neko unexpectedly bowed from the waist to the inu, and held it. “Arigato.”

 

The inu's jaw hit the floor again. Yuki's wasn't far behind as he stared at Kyo, until the neko finally straightened up. Kazuma's lips twitched towards a smile, but he quickly suppressed it; he suspected he knew what Kyo was thanking Shigure for.

 

“Ano...not that I don't appreciate it, Kyo-kun...but...” Shigure blinked a few times, accumulated shock stealing his usual eloquence. “What was that for?” The inu was too shocked to even think of making fun of the rare gesture. He couldn't remember the neko voluntarily giving it to anyone, other than Kazuma!

 

Kyo snorted as he sat back down, a smirk playing about the corners of his mouth, one eyebrow raised. “You want a list?”

 

Shigure and Kazuma shared mystified looks with Yuki, who shrugged in equal confusion. The inu quirked an eyebrow at Kyo. “List?”

 

Intense, knowing red eyes bored into Shigure's. “I remember who first introduced me to Yuki; and who got me out of the house whenever Mom wasn't looking.” The inu's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as Kyo went on, unusually calm red eyes never wavering. “I remember who's always been meddling with Akito's decisions, redirecting them when they're too harmful. I know who talked Akito into allowing Shisho to take me into his dojo. And who got my best friend out of the Honke, a couple years ago.”

 

Yuki's eyes searched Shigure's face as Kyo spoke, catching the flicker of surprise that shot the inu's eyes towards him. When dark eyes met violet-gray, the inu's widened in shock. Shigure's eyes darted back to the neko, and he cut off anything else Kyo might have been about to add.

 

“You--you remember!!”

 

Kyo nodded slowly, eyes sad. His voice was very soft when he answered, “I never forgot.”

 

Shigure gasped. “You--! Hatori--I know he used his power on you, to take your memories! Just like he--“ His eyes darted to Yuki, who nodded grimly at him.

 

“I don't remember; not really. I just--remember my feelings towards Kyo, now.”

 

The inu sat dumbfounded, staring between the two boys, mouth working but no words coming out. It was unheard of for Hatori's power to not work! Shigure finally shook his head, hard, filing that disturbing but fascinating piece of information away for future reference. There was more to be discovered about the day's events, and it looked like Kyo was in a rare mood to answer questions. The inu was too disturbed to notice that Kazuma didn't show the least bit of surprise at Kyo's intact memory.

 

Dark eyes raised to fasten on red as Shigure thought for a moment, before asking, “Kyo-kun. What happened to the two of you out there, today?”

 

Shigure blinked in surprise when Kyo's face--trembled, for an instant; eyes going suspiciously watery before he dropped his head, his expression hidden from view by shadows and orange hair. His hands were fisted so tightly on his knees, the inu wondered at not seeing blood flow from under the nails. He frowned slightly when he noticed the boy's trembling--and the hand Yuki gently reached out to place on his shoulder, which quickly stilled the tremors.

 

Yuki caught Shigure's eyes, his face grim as he answered. “Lightning struck that old tree, and it--fell on my garden.” The nezumi blinked a couple times, swallowing hard at the memory. “I--was--under it...”

 

Kazuma gasped, wide eyes darting to Yuki's bare torso, then back to his face. Yuki glanced over at him, and nodded as the karate master whispered, “The holes in your shirt...!”

 

Kazuma and Shigure exchanged a bewildered look, before giving their attention back to Yuki, who'd quirked a small smile as he settled on his knees on the couch, now resting both hands in his lap. “Kyo found me, pinned under the tree, and got me out. But--I-I--“ He looked down and swallowed again, fighting a shiver at the too-recent memory. His voice was whisper-soft when he continued, “I was...dying. There wasn't time to get help; or to even get me to the house. So Kyo--he--“

 

“It was still raining. So I took my bracelet off, and I healed him.”

 

All eyes went to the neko at his soft-voiced, matter-of-fact words. He was still staring at the floor, though his back was straight now, instead of slumped. He slowly raised his head, and met Shigure's eyes. “Hatori's not the only Dobutsu no Jyuunishi with a special power. The tatsu takes memories; the neko takes injuries.” A painful-sounding bark of a laugh burst from Kyo before he could hold it back. His eyes glazed with emotion. “It's funny, really. If I could trust Akito--I could probably heal the bastard.”

 

Kazuma slowly knelt and set a hand on Kyo's shoulder, confusion in his eyes. “Kyo. Your--true form...it can heal?”

 

Kyo nodded, reluctantly, then turned to his Shisho. “It--locks me in that form, though; unless the beads...are re-energized. Which can only be done by the person I healed.”

 

“...Re-energized?”

 

Kyo looked back to Shigure. “Yeah. They have to--bathe the beads in their own blood, to restore some of the energy used in the healing.”

 

The karate master's face went grim, as did Shigure's. There was no way anyone could trust Akito to do that for Kyo, no matter the benefit to the Clan Head. The insanity of the core of the Jyuunishi curse was too much--unless Kyo could somehow heal that.

 

The mere possibility of a cure quickened Shigure's breathing with excitement, for a moment, until he got himself back under control. The way Yuki was acting--it was obvious to Shigure that the healing hadn't been as simple as it seemed. Simply being locked in cursed form, even as hideous as Kyo's true form was, shouldn't make Yuki that distressed.

 

Then, exactly what Kyo had just said registered with both adults. Kazuma blinked in shock, then stared at Yuki with new respect. Shigure, speechlessly incredulous, stared between the two boys, head whipping back and forth. When he finally found his voice, all he could say was, “Yuki? Bleeding?? Willingly?!?”

 

A smirk twitched at Kyo's mouth as he slanted amused eyes at the nezumi. Yuki's face was rather sour, with a touch of pale queasiness about it as he requested, “Shigure. Please. Don't talk about it!!” The nezumi was swallowing heavily, obviously fighting nausea.

 

Kazuma's hand on Yuki's shoulder steadied him. “Arigato, Yuki-kun.” Charcoal eyes had a wealth of emotions in them as they met Yuki's--concern, fear, worry, surprise; respect...but most of all, thankfulness and relief, that he hadn't lost his son.

 

Yuki nodded, slowly. “It was--the least I could do, after Kyo--after what he--was willing to sacrifice--!”

 

The nezumi's eyes were quite bright with unshed tears. Shigure's eyes narrowed slightly, staring at him. What in Heaven's name were the boys not telling them...?

 

A low growl came from the neko just before he lightly bopped Yuki on the forehead--just like he did to Tohru, when he thought she was acting ridiculous. The surprised look on Yuki's face was nearly as priceless as the one Kyo had sported when the nezumi leaned into him, earlier. “Knock it off, you k'so nezumi--I knew what I was doing; it was my decision. You're the one had to do the hard part, with that phobia of yours.”

 

A glaring match was suddenly underway, violet-gray versus red, the two astonished adults finding themselves suddenly and completely ignored. They watched in fascination as Yuki leaned forward until his nose was mere inches from Kyo's, his expression and voice equally fierce. “All I had to do was endure a tiny little cut on my wrist. I'm not the one who chose to give up his very humanity, body and mind, to save the life of somebody who was supposed to be his worst enemy!!” Visible shivers rippled across Yuki's skin, driven by remembered horror at seeing what Kyo had risked, on his behalf--seeing the pain the neko had endured--with no expectation of being saved in return!

 

Shigure's eyes widened, his eyes fixing on Kyo. Give up his humanity...body--and mind--?! The inu had a very strong feeling there were still things about the neko's curse that he did not know--things that could be very important. Losing his mind...did that mean the spirits of the previous Neko-cursed Sohmas would have taken over Kyo's body? Would he have simply fallen into some sort of coma?

 

What were those boys talking about?! Shigure very nearly gnashed his teeth in frustration, barely able to keep his expression calm.

 

Kyo was still glaring at Yuki, trying to think of a suitable response when everyone suddenly realized that Tohru had finally come back from the kitchen, holding a tray piled with cups of tea and onigiri for everyone. She had stopped dead in the doorway, chocolate eyes dark and wide in a face pale and shocked. The gathered Sohmas all froze as they heard the slight rattle of the cups and plates, as her hands shook slightly.

 

“Sohma-kun...? K...Kyo-kun...? A-a-are you--are you really...both all right...?”

 

Kazuma was at her side in a flash, gently lifting the tray from her hands before she could drop it, placing it carefully on the table. He set one hand on her shoulder and guided her to the couch, where Yuki promptly scooted over to give her room to sit down. She looked like she desperately needed to sit.

 

Yuki was staring between Tohru and Kyo, looking extremely worried; as was Shigure. Kazuma kept his eyes on the girl, trying his best to project a calmness that was quite at odds with his current state of mind. And Kyo--

 

Kyo had jumped to his feet as Kazuma moved, and now returned Tohru's stare with trepidation, sweating and looking slightly ill. He obviously had not wanted her to hear any of what had happened; probably so she wouldn't worry herself sick. He swallowed, hard, as wide, now watery chocolate brown eyes seemed to peer into his very soul.

 

He refused to look away from her, in spite of the intense internal demand that he run from the room. She'd heard enough to scare her silly on his behalf; if he didn't make sure she understood everything, her imagination would likely conjure up even worse things--and she'd worry herself into a fever within ten minutes!

 

“Tohru...” He bit his lip, hands fisting at his sides. She kept staring into his anguished red eyes, waiting patiently for him to find the words he needed. She, of all people, understood how hard it was for him to find the right words to talk about--difficult things.

 

Kyo sighed heavily, dropping down to squat in front of her, hanging his head and running one hand through mussed orange hair, the other resting on his knee. A tentative touch of delicate fingers on that hand brought his eyes back up, as Tohru leaned towards him, tears barely held back.

 

“Kyo-kun. Please--tell me what's going on? I--I want to help you...! Please tell me...?”

 

He dropped completely to his knees, gripping her hand tightly in his own. He knew he couldn't quite meet her eyes directly as he explained to her, or he'd never get the words out; so he looked off a bit to the side.

 

“Tohru. I--there's more...to my curse, the Neko's curse, than any of the others of the family have ever known about. Just like Hatori can take people's memories, my--true form--can take away injuries.” Red eyes flicked to her face, and away. Tohru held her tongue, knowing from the tension in Kyo that this--gift?--wasn't was straightforward as it sounded; and probably wasn't as wonderful as she might think it.

 

The Jyuunishi curse seemed made for bringing sorrow...but how could the ability to heal, be made into something terrible? Kyo's next words froze her wide brown eyes in an expression of horrified sympathy.

 

“The problem is, when I use it--I'm--locked in that form, until my beads are--re-energized, by the person I healed. That person has to bathe the bracelet in their own blood; and...it has to be done fairly quickly. If they wait too long, the--the curse--will take over my mind.”

 

There was dead silence in the room. Yuki was the only one unsurprised, as he had seen first-hand what happened to the neko. Kyo took a deep breath and continued before anyone could gather their wits to question him.

 

“When I went out to find Yuki, earlier...I ended up at his secret base. That one big old tree had been hit by lightning, and had fallen right on the garden. Yuki--he was right under the tree; and he wasn't answering, when I called. He...” Kyo gulped, again glancing quickly at Tohru before continuing. “He was--hurt. There wasn't time to get him here, or to bring help there; he was--he was dying. It was still raining, so I--I pulled off my bracelet; and I healed him. Then he bled on the beads, so I could turn human again. But--then, he had an asthma attack. So--I started carrying him; Shigure found us half-way, and carried Yuki here, while I followed.”

 

Tohru's face had gone white as a sheet as she listened intently. Her eyes left Kyo-kun's face only long enough to quickly look over Sohma-kun, who suddenly blushed bright red all the way down past his collar bone and jerked the blanket up and about his shoulders, only then realizing he was shirtless in front of her. He gave her a soft, slightly nervous smile as he quietly reassured her that he was fine now, steadfastly ignoring the embarrassed blush he felt painting his cheeks.

 

She stared at Kyo-kun's bowed head for a moment, then reached her free hand out to touch his cheek. His grip on her other hand tightened, briefly, then he reluctantly let her coax his face up so he could meet her eyes.

 

“Kyo-kun...” She didn't know why, but she was certain there was more; there were other things, distressing things, that he wasn't telling her. For one thing, she knew very well that Kyo-kun had never showed any level of trust in Sohma-kun. When he healed Sohma-kun--she shivered; she wasn't stupid, just incorrigibly optimistic. She realized that Kyo-kun must not have expected Sohma-kun to be willing to re-energize his beads, especially with his phobia about blood. Kyo-kun must have expected to be stuck in that horrible form--forever--!

 

A quick glance at Sohma-kun's worried expression as he stared at Kyo-kun made her even more certain there was more to the story. She'd never seen Sohma-kun look at Kyo-kun with an expression other than some form of annoyance; yet suddenly, he was acting like a very concerned, close friend.

 

Like she'd wished, for so long now, the two of them would act...

 

“There is more, isn't there?” Chocolate eyes looked pleadingly into red, melting right through the neko's defenses. He swallowed, quickly blinking away a certain watery sheen from his eyes.

 

“...Aa. I--“ Those beautiful red eyes that Tohru was so fascinated by closed, then reopened, exhaustion and despair equally strong in them. “I have all the spirits, of all the previous Neko-cursed Sohmas--in my head.” One finger tapped his temple.

 

Tohru gasped, trying to understand. Her free hand fell from his cheek to grip the hand holding hers. What was he saying?!

 

“They're--the reason I'm so angry, all the time. It's the only thing that drowns them out; that keeps what's me, separate from all of them. From--” His voice dropped to a thin whisper. “It.” Kyo-kun's head dropped again, hiding his face from her--but not before she caught a glimpse of the shame in his eyes. Her face softened as she stared down at the top of his bowed head.

 

He wasn't finished, though. In a broken whisper full of suppressed anguish, Kyo-kun told her what was going to happen to him, after graduation. She sat frozen as she learned that he was going to be taken away from her--taken away from everyone! Her mind couldn't help but conjure up what it would be like. To be locked up; all alone, in a little, lightless room; for the rest of his life--never to even see the sun again; never to feel the wind in his hair, never to even see another human being, except for Akito-san...if the Clan Head chose to visit him...and even then, it would likely only be to--to hurt Kyo-kun--!

 

She couldn't stand to think of it; couldn't stand to think of Kyo-kun in such pain, with only that horrible, awful fate to look forward to--! Suffering in silence; not letting people get close to him, for fear that his disappearance would hurt them--

 

Tohru pulled her hands from his and wrapped them about his head, drawing it to her and bowing to rest her cheek on his soft orange hair, silent tears pouring down her face. Her shoulders shook as she tried to keep control over her sobs, knowing it would only hurt Kyo-kun more to think he'd caused her pain. She had long understood the gentleness, the deep caring he hid from the world behind his wall of anger. It was there for anyone who took the time to look for it. She just hadn't known why the anger was there.

 

Yuki wrung his hands together beside her, his heart hurting with them. He couldn't be angry at Kyo for making Honda-san sad; it was Akito who had done that, with his intention of locking the neko up...and the ultimate blame lay squarely on whoever had placed the Jyuunishi curse on his family in the first place, without a care for the suffering of future generations.

 

He couldn't even dredge up a proper fit of jealousy over Honda-san's obvious feelings for Kyo. Not after what Kyo had done for him, all these years...and especially not after his saving Yuki's life, risking his very humanity in the process. The nezumi placed tentative hands on each of their shoulders, struggling to hold back his own tears.

 

Kyo hadn't understood, at first, when Tohru's hands left his; he'd feared the worst, that she wouldn't be able to accept the additional strangeness he was cursed with. He should have known better...should have been prepared when his head was enveloped in the closest she could come to a hug, with a Jyuunishi-cursed boy. He should have expected the tears that soaked his scalp...

 

Shigure and Kazuma watched sorrowfully as a sudden, choked-off gasp of a sob was wrenched out of the neko. Then the boy lurched up into Tohru, wrapping his arms about her waist and pressing his cheek against her shoulder, for the couple precious seconds before the transformation took him in a <poof!> of orange smoke.

 

The adults silently removed themselves from the room as Tohru held the small orange neko, and cried. Yuki's hand stayed on her shoulder, even as the sad-faced nezumi also stroked an orange-furred shoulder.

 

-.-.-.-

 

This is the last bit that's straight Fruits Basket. The crossover with Ranma begins next chapter!