Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A Gift of Fruit ❯ Running on Empty ( Chapter 9 )

Running on Empty

 

#94 Pavement

 

Her head pounded with each step her feet made on the pavement, pain shooting through her as her body reverberated with its protests. Unable the see the world around her from behind the blurry haze of tears, her every breath brought more pain to her lungs as she ran. Even though Tohru knew she'd have to face him sooner or later, she hadn't been ready yet. He hadn't visited her at the hospital, which left her feeling both upset and relieved for the short break to sort out her emotions. She hadn't expected him to be there...waiting...

 

All it took was one look, seeing the face she loved so dearly again, it had brought her emotions into turmoil again. Embarrassment, regret, heartache...for so long she'd been so selfish. Refusing to see the pain he held within, only taking from him--never noticing it was her that caused him all the hurt.

 

Tohru ran because even after everything he told her, she still wanted him for herself. She wanted to stay by his side, wanted to be the one to love him, and wanted him to love her. A selfish wish that wouldn't ever be realized, it broke her heart all over again--so she ran.

 

She could hear the rapid footfalls gaining on her, Kyou had followed her and no matter how fast she ran--he was much faster than her. Determined to keep moving, Tohru pushed forward as his voice rang in the air. "A person whose just recovered shouldn't be running all out like this!"

 

It was typically Kyou; worrying about her even when he was obviously irritated at her. The thought made her start to cry even harder, but she didn't break the rhythm in her run. Steadily moving forward, Tohru knew she was on borrowed time, Kyou would catch up with her any moment. She wouldn't be able to run forever.

 

She hadn't seen it until the last moment, as it darted in front of her. The black blur startling her as she stumbled slightly. Distracting her momentarily, Tohru gathered her wits and looked back in front of her again. Panicking, Tohru tried to stop her feet before she ran into the obstacle in front of her, but only managed to stumble and trip.

 

Approximately sixty cats stood blocking her path, every size, every color, the sight was amazing--and she was going to crush them as she fell. Tohru closed her eyes, preparing for the landing--but two steady hands prevented the carnage from happening. "I should wring your neck!" he growled.

 

"C-cats!" she cried out in disbelief, still shocked at the amount of them that were surrounding them. She could feel several of them threading their way through her legs, brushing up against her, and from the look of it their numbers were quickly increasing. "Y-you called the cats!"

 

"Keh, I have one superhero power at least..." he mumbled, setting her on her feet as he let her go. “It's good for something." Tohru looked up at him finally, watching as he frustratingly pushed a hand through his fiery hair. His eyes turned their focus on her, and his expression turned serious.

 

Tohru immediately broke into tears.

 

"Damn it," Kyou sighed and the cats moved out of his way when he took a couple of steps toward her. Awkwardly the neko grabbed one of her hands in his and he placed his chin on the top of her head. "Don't cry...I know I always mess up everything...just...don't cry."

 

Shaking her head, Tohru reached forward and gripped a piece of his tee shirt in her hands. “I've been so selfish, I'm so sorry for that. I didn't even notice--”

 

“You're what?!” Kyou interrupted, pulling away to look down at her in surprise.

 

“I-I'm…”

 

“Tohru, what the hell are you talking about? You are the least selfish person I've ever known!”

 

“That's not true,” she replied, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “I-I just didn't see how much pain being with me brought you, I just wanted to be with you.”

 

“Pain?” he choked out in disbelief.

 

Tohru nodded looking up at him as his face slowly started to turn red. “I've been so selfish and I'm sor--”

 

“Selfish?” Kyou interrupted. “Since when have I told you that you couldn't be selfish? I've always thought you needed to think about yourself more…I just…I didn't ever think…damn it.” Kyou jammed a hand through his hair, frustration marring his posture as he refused to make eye contact with her. “I said so much that day—but left so much unsaid. I thought you'd understood…I mean…I wouldn't do that to someone I didn't love.”

 

`Do that? I don't understand. Do what?' Confused, Tohru looked up at him, trying to figure out what he had done that he wouldn't do to someone he didn't love. `Love? Wa-wait…I …' He still wasn't looking at her, but his cheeks were a darker hue than his hair and Tohru suddenly had a sinking feeling that something she thought - “It…wasn't a dream was it?”

 

“No!” he yelled, turning to her before the tension visibly melted from his frame. “You don't remember?”

 

Tohru furrowed her brow as she tried to remember. “Things are really fuzzy from after I fell…”

 

“Well you did hit your head,” he sighed, obviously disappointed in her answer.

 

Tohru couldn't help the happy smile that crossed her face as she watched him. “And…I was told my feelings were a disillusion…so…”

 

“No one's ever gonna let me forget that, will they?” he growled, making Tohru giggle in response. “It's not funny! I didn't mean it like that anyway…I just…panicked. I don't know…I shouldn't have said it. I'm sorry. I just…what are you looking at?”

 

Tohru's eyes widened in shock, she hadn't even realized she'd been staring at his mouth. `He had to tell me that it wasn't a dream…I barely remember it…I…' Her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Tohru dragged her eyes away from him, ignoring his question and instead asking one of her own. “Um…Kyou-kun? Are you sure…that being with me wasn't painful at all?”

 

“The guilt,” he sighed, his voice going quiet as he stared away from her. “Choosing to stay with you…yet never being able to tell you the truth…because I didn't want to lose you.”

 

“Kyou-kun…” Tohru trailed off as Kyou slowly turned back toward her, a surprising sparkle in his eyes as he caught her gaze.

“And I thought your mom would roll over in her grave if she knew I lusted after her daughter.”

 

“Eh?!” Tohru's surprised shriek was interrupted by Kyou's mouth claiming hers in a deeply passionate kiss. A chorus of `meows' erupted around them as the cats reacted to the sudden emotion running through the pair. It took Tohru a moment to respond to him, but he pulled away as she did. “I…uh…” Tohru brought her hand to her mouth, her lips still tingling from his touch.

 

“You won't forget that one?” he grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets in a way that Tohru couldn't help but find adorably endearing.

 

“I…uh…no…” she replied, feeling her cheeks quickly flushing as he grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the swarm of cats that had formed around them.

 

“It's time to go home, no more running away,” he smiled before adding, “for either of us. We still have a lot of talking to do tonight.”

 

Tohru…just grinned with happiness.

 

 

I do not own Fruits Basket or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Natsuki Takaya…I am just `borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone.

Sari-15