Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Prince ❯ Chapter 11

Dark Prince

 

 

 

Chapter Eleven

 

 

 

Yuki sat by the window, sipping his tea thoughtfully. The sun was just beginning to peek over the hills, chasing away the shadows from the night past.

 

A frown settled on his lips as his thoughts turned to Hatori and what he'd almost done. Yuki knew the doctor wasn't at fault; he knew the mastermind behind the plan. He'd been so close to erasing Tohru's memory, to making Yuki nothing more than a stranger. As much as he told himself he didn't care about her, he couldn't lie to himself any longer.

 

He sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the cool glass. It was his fault. If he hadn't pushed Akito like he had, then Hatori would never have tried to erase her memory. Akito had warned him, but he'd ignored him, duping himself into believing that he was no longer under Akito's thumb.

 

“What a fool,” he muttered, angry at himself. He was so busy being angry and hurt that he'd been ignorant to the fact that Akito would use Tohru to get to him. After all, Tohru was his weakness. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Akito knew it just like everyone else did.

 

Yuki shook his head, dispelling his thoughts. He was tired of dwelling on his mistakes. The only thing that mattered now was that he'd gotten Tohru out of harm's way. As long as Akito was unaware of Yuki's whereabouts, she would be relatively safe. The only question was, how long would Akito be in the dark?

 

A sound from the hallway caught his attention and he looked up. Tohru stood looking at him shyly, tugging on the hem of the long-sleeved button-down shirt he'd given her to sleep in. Despite the way the shirt engulfed her tiny frame, the sight of her wearing his clothing did something to him and he had to look away, taking a hurried gulp of the hot tea.

 

“Um, good morning,” she greeted uncertainly. Yuki grunted in return, refusing to look at her. Tohru hopped from foot to foot, sensing his tense mood. She wondered briefly if he was mad at her before asking, “I, um, don't have any other clothes, so I guess I should be getting home now…”

 

Yuki glanced at her, his eyes flashing. Tohru let the sentence trail off, quieted by the look in his misty gray orbs. He shook his head. “No. I don't want you going back there, not as long as…I'll go get your things myself.”

 

Tohru nodded, not daring to oppose him. She didn't know why she felt so awkward around him. It hadn't always been like this. She could remember a time when they were comfortable with one another. She pursed her lips, determined to get back to that place again.

 

“Have you eaten?” She asked. Yuki shook his head. Tohru smiled, grateful for something to do. She felt she owed him for what he'd done for her. After what happened last night, home was really the last place she wanted to go. Even now, when she thought of what Hatori had almost done, tears came to her eyes.

 

Busying herself with preparing a light breakfast, Tohru tried not to think of last night, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help remembering the look on Hatori's face as he'd reached out to touch her forehead.

 

“Tohru?”

 

Tohru looked up, surprised. Yuki rose from his seat, moving quickly toward the shaking girl. He studied her, lifting her chin to meet his intense gaze. Her lower lip was trembling, her azure eyes glittering with unshed tears.

 

“Are you ok?” He asked carefully. He'd watched as she'd gone about the kitchen, seemingly engrossed in her chosen task. All of a sudden, she'd stopped, standing stock still, her eyes wide with fear. She now stood staring up at him, fear still lurking in her gaze.

 

Yuki couldn't resist brushing his thumb against her lips, trying to calm her. This only caused her trembling to intensify, her eyes widening even more. Yuki fought against his natural instincts, trying not to move closer to her. She was so alluring, even in her vulnerability.

 

“Yuki,” she whispered, the sound heart wrenching. Tohru wanted so desperately to be comforted by him, her body aching to be near him. She took a step toward him, hoping he wouldn't deny her this small consolation. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her, something she'd only gotten to experience briefly. She wanted more. She'd never been envious of anyone else in her life; her mother telling her that she had no reason to be, but she admitted now that she was jealous of Kagura and Kisa, who were familiar with the feel of Yuki's embrace. Tohru wanted that, even if only this once.

 

She let her hands travel up his arms, settling lightly on his broad shoulders. He was looking down at her, his gaze a mixture of torment and something else that Tohru's naiveté made her blind to. She was unaware of the battle going on within him, his emotions battling for dominance.

 

Yuki took a step back, but Tohru followed him, pressing herself flush against him. He had to bite back a groan, her nearness weakening his resolve. Tohru didn't know what was driving her; she only knew that she needed him to hold her, kiss her, touch her.

 

She looked up at him, seeing his stern expression falter. Whatever reasons Yuki had for distancing himself from her, she could tell that they were temporarily forgotten. Surprising both of them, she leaned up and kissed him softly.

 

Yuki was sent reeling from their brief contact. Tohru had surprised him a second time by making a move on him and for the life of him, he couldn't think of one good reason to turn her down. Everything that had happened in the past seemed so far away…

 

He grabbed her waist, gripping her tightly, afraid of letting her go. He'd been holding back for so long, locking his emotions away. All he wanted to do was pour everything that he was feeling into his kiss.

 

“Tohru,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against her own. He stared into her hypnotic gaze, seeing the desire that lurked just beneath the surface. She didn't even know what she was doing to him.

 

“I need to know…” he murmured, cupping her cheek. Tohru leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. Her heart was full to bursting it was so full of emotion. Anything he wanted her to do, she'd do. Anything he wanted her to say, she'd say.

 

“What do you need to know?”

 

Yuki leaned in, kissing the corner of her mouth, noticing her quick intake of breath. “I need to know how…you really feel about Kyo.”

 

Tohru's eyes snapped open. Yuki was looking at her, his expression serious. She looked away from his gaze, not able to look him in the eye. What did she tell him? Did she tell him the truth and risk having him push her away again or did she lie? She couldn't lie to him, even if she ended up losing him in the end.

 

“Yuki, you have to understand that while you were gone, Kyo and I became closer.” Tohru took a deep breath, turning her gaze to his. “As time passed, Kyo told me how he really felt about me and I…I realized that I had developed feelings for him, too.” She saw the brief flash of pain in his gray eyes.

 

“I…see,” Yuki said, feeling the pain of two years ago wash over him all over again. How many times was he going to do this to himself before he saw the truth?

 

“No, no!” Tohru said quickly, shaking her head fiercely. “You don't see! Yuki, I may have feelings for Kyo, but…but I've always had feelings for you! I-I love you.”

 

Tohru held her breath, fearful of his response. She hadn't expected to confess her true feelings and now that she'd said them, she wished she could take them back. The chances that Yuki felt the same way were almost nonexistent…of that, she was sure.

 

Silence settled between them, making the air thick. Yuki didn't know if he'd heard Tohru correctly. He wanted her to say it again, wanted to hear those words again.

 

“What did you say?”

 

Tohru looked down at the floor. “I-I love you.” Her voice came out in a tiny whisper, the words barely reaching his ears. But he heard them and the wall he'd built up to guard his heart crumbled. It had been so long since he'd heard anyone tell him that…he'd long since given up on the thought that someone would ever love until Tohru. To know that his deepest wish had come true was almost too much to bear.

 

Yuki brought his hands up to her face, brushing away the strands of hair. Tohru gasped slightly, for the first time in a long time she was seeing that smile; that smile that she had dreamed of seeing for so long. It lit up his entire face, making his gray eyes shine.

 

“You beautiful girl,” he said softly, leaning in to kiss her. Tohru's heart rejoiced at his gesture. This was what she'd wanted. She clasped her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer. Yuki wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hand on the small of her back.

 

Neither of them noticed they were being watched. The small, beady eyes took in the scene between the girl and the boy, head cocked slightly. After a few moments, a small brown and white bird flew from the window ledge, soaring over the city. It flew quickly towards its destination, finally alighting on a slender, outstretched hand.

 

“Good bird,” Akito murmured, smoothing the back of his hand over the bird's feathers. The bird looked at him, its head cocked. Akito stared into its tiny black eyes, seeing all that the bird had seen.

 

Akito's eyes grew wide, his face turning a deep shade of red. Before the helpless bird had time to flee, Akito's fist closed around the small creature, his fingers snapping its neck. He looked down emotionlessly at the limp animal, tossing it aside.

 

“So, Yuki,” he muttered. “It appears you've found a way around our family curse. How exactly did you manage to do that?”

 

Akito was livid. Not only was Tohru still a factor that needed to be dealt with, but Yuki had his own little secret that he'd been keeping from Akito. He felt like things were spinning out of his control and there was nothing he could do to stop them.

 

But, like his little mouse, he too had a secret of his own.

 

*end*