Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Prince ❯ Chapter 10

Dark Prince

 

 

 

Chapter Ten

 

 

 

Yuki stood in the doorway awkwardly, not really knowing himself why he was there. Tohru stood staring at him, a look of pleased surprise on her pretty face. He frowned. Why was he here? He couldn't very well tell her that he'd had a feeling that something was wrong, that would only make her worry.

 

Putting his hands in his pockets, he nodded inside. “May I come in?”

 

“Oh, um, yeah!” She sputtered, flustered. She stood aside so Yuki could enter; staring at him as he looked around the place he used to call home. He smirked, glancing over at her. “Hasn't really changed much.”

 

Tohru shrugged and returned the smile, clasping her hands in front of her. “No, not much…although Shigure did start using your room as a storage space…” She trailed off, noticing Yuki tense up.

 

“I mean, only until you re -”

 

“Whatever.” He responded shortly. Tohru looked down at the floor, pulling at her hands. She felt so nervous around him, and not the good kind of nervous that made you feel like a million tiny butterflies were fluttering around in your stomach. This kind of nervous made her feel anxious, like waiting to see the dentist.

 

“Is everyone here?” Yuki asked, his expression guarded. Tohru knew what he was really asking. She looked up quickly. “Well, Shigure-san is in his study working on his latest novel and Kyo is -”

 

“I don't need to know where that idiot cat is,” Yuki said a little too sharply. He saw Tohru flinch and sighed, realizing that he was letting his emotions get the better of him again. He thought he'd gotten a handle on his feelings, but being around Tohru made things harder.

 

They stood in uncomfortable silence, Tohru wanting to reach out to Yuki, to make any kind of contact, while Yuki desperately wanted to leave, believing he'd made a mistake coming here. Before Yuki could think of an excuse to make a quick exit, the door to Shigure's study slid open.

 

“Tohru-kun! Do we have any of that delicious…” Shigure stepped out of his study and stopped, his eyes wide with shock. Yuki turned at the sound of Shigure's voice, groaning inwardly. This was definitely not what he wanted to deal with right now.

 

“Yuki?” Shigure said with a hint of uncertainty. Yuki brushed the hair out of his eyes and gave the novelist a brief smile. “Long time no see, Shigure.”

 

Shigure just stared at his now-grown-up cousin. Even more surprising was his sudden appearance after being gone for so long. Finally he smiled, puzzlement giving way to relief at seeing Yuki again.

 

“How have you been?” He asked, walking toward them. Yuki shrugged. “Good.” Shigure nodded, glancing at Tohru. She was staring at Yuki, a look of pure adoration on her face. Yet there was something else, something that Shigure couldn't quite put his finger on.

 

`Interesting…'

 

Shigure turned his attention back to his long-lost cousin. “Where are you staying? Are you moving back in?”

 

Yuki shook his head. “No, I've got my own place in the city.” Shigure was surprised. Did Akito know of this? Did he even know Yuki was back? He kept his expression neutral, giving nothing away. The whole situation left behind a bad feeling.

 

Yuki shifted impatiently, wanting to leave now more than ever. “Well, I should -”

 

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Shigure frowned. “I wonder who would be calling so late…” He made his way over to the door and opened it.

 

“Hatori, what are you doing here?” Shigure greeted the solemn-looking doctor. Hatori looked past Shigure to the two standing just behind him.

 

“Yuki,” he stated, a slight frown on his face. Akito's earlier words came back to him, now making sense. So Yuki was back…interesting. Yuki nodded in greeting. Shigure closed the door and gestured for them to go into the sitting room. Hatori declined, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

 

“I can't stay long,” he explained, glancing at Tohru. She was smiling at him, her expression full of warmth. Hatori's gaze slid away, afraid he'd lose his nerve. Akito had given him orders and he had to follow through. If he didn't, then Akito would let him know in no uncertain terms how displeased he was.

 

“I came to talk to Tohru,” he gave the young girl a small smile. Shigure nodded in understanding while Yuki studied the doctor intently. Something was bothering Hatori. Yuki may have been gone a long time, but he could still sense when something was bothering the doctor.

 

“Will you accompany me outside?” Hatori directed the question to Tohru, who nodded eagerly. He stood aside as she walked outside. Before he could follow her, Yuki grabbed his arm.

 

“What is this about?” He asked, suspicion getting the best of him. Hatori kept his expression blank. “I merely need to…discuss something with her.” He snatched his arm away. “You can't come back after all this time and just expect to be in charge, Yuki.” He said smoothly. His eyes flashed behind the thin frames. “We all know who's really in charge, after all.” He walked out, leaving Yuki and Shigure staring after him, confused.

 

“What was that all about?” Shigure asked, sensing the tension in the air. He, too, had noticed something strange about the doctor. Yuki sighed, shaking his head. He'd told himself that he wouldn't get involved, but…he found that he was unable to leave.

 

Tohru stood looking at Hatori expectantly, waiting for him to say the first word. He clasped his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky.

 

“How have you liked living here?” He asked. A surprised smile lit her face. “Well,” she said hesitantly, “I love living here. I-I feel like this is my home…like you all are my family.”

 

Hatori flinched at her softly spoken words. A ball of guilt settled in the pit of his stomach, making him want to break down and confess his plans, but he didn't. Instead, he hardened himself against her, thinking of her as just another outsider that needed to be taken care of.

 

`But she's not…she really is just like family.'

 

He brushed the thought aside, turning to face the smiling girl. She looked so sweet and innocent, as if everything were right with the world.

 

“You knew this could never last,” Hatori whispered, a pained expression on his face. Tohru's face crinkled in puzzlement. “Hatori?”

 

He sighed, slowly taking off his glasses. “You…knew that this was only temporary.” He saw the confusion slowly give way to realization, her blue eyes widening.

 

“B-but Hatori…why?”

 

He shook his head, unable to bear the accusation in her tone. He wanted to get it over with, make her forget that he'd done anything to cause her pain. He reached out a hand toward her, placing it on her forehead. She didn't try to run or stop him, she just stood there, staring at him in dumb shock.

 

“Why?” She whispered again, tears leaking down her face. He had no answers to give her, no insight into his unexpected actions. All he had to give her was release.

 

He closed his eyes and immediately doubled over in pain. Hatori let out a breath as his midsection burned painfully where something had hit him. He looked up, staring into a pair of blazing gray eyes.

 

Yuki didn't have to say anything as he took Tohru by the hand. She was still in shock, her gaze unfocused. Shigure stood in the doorway, taken aback by what had almost happened.

 

“Hatori?” He asked, staring at the doctor. Hatori sunk to his knees, gripping his torso. He didn't want to look at them, ashamed by what he'd almost done. As he hung his head however, no one noticed the sardonic smile on his lips.

 

`It seems that you won't win this one, Akito.'

 

Yuki gently tugged on Tohru's hand, getting her attention. She snapped out of her daze, her eyes focusing on Yuki's face.

 

“Yuki?”

 

He sighed, relieved that she was ok. He glanced over at Hatori. “Don't come near her again, Hatori.” He warned, his eyes flashing. “The next time I might really lose my temper.”

 

Yuki led Tohru away from the house. He had no intentions of leaving her there where Akito could get to her again. No, the only safe place for her was with him…no matter what the price to his heart.

 

*end*