Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Prince ❯ Chapter 12

Dark Prince

 

 

 

Chapter Twelve

 

 

 

“Maybe this isn't such a good ideal,” Tohru said hesitantly, slowing her pace. Yuki sighed and turned to look at her, a patient smile on his face. As nervous as she was feeling at the moment, Tohru couldn't help smiling back. She loved seeing glimpses of the old Yuki. Even though she knew they'd both grown and changed in different ways, it was still nice to know some things hadn't changed.

 

“I know this might be hard for you, Tohru.” Yuki said, taking her hand in his. He gently pulled her forward. “But all of your things are there and…I want that idiot cat to understand how things are now.”

 

Tohru saw the subtle warning in his eyes. There'd always been bad blood between the two, but this new situation would only make things worse. Tohru frowned, not wanting anyone to be hurt but knowing someone would have to.

 

“I know, but still…” Tohru leaned her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Why did things have to end up so messy? She longed for the simpler times when things were at least civil between the three of them.

 

“I just don't want to hurt Kyo,” she said quietly. Yuki sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a light squeeze. He knew that Tohru wanted to please everyone, but this was one time when she wouldn't be able to. He wanted Kyo to know that Tohru had chosen who she wanted to be with so there would be no confusion.

 

“I understand,” Yuki relented, backing away. They continued on slowly, each enjoying the beautiful day. Despite what lay ahead, Tohru couldn't help beaming. It was as if she were seeing the world through new eyes, everything brighter and sharper. She glanced over at Yuki and blushed. It was because of him that she was feeling this way. It was the way he made her feel.

 

“Yuki,” she said suddenly, breaking their comfortable silence. He looked over at her, a slight smile on his face. “Hmm?”

 

“I know I've asked you this before, but you never answered me.” A confused look settled over his face. “What?” Tohru looked away from him, trying not to sound accusing.

 

“Well, I um…why exactly doesn't the curse affect you anymore?”

 

Tohru instantly regretted breaking the pleasantness between them by asking the question. As soon as the words left her mouth, Yuki's mood immediately changed. His gaze became guarded, his eyes hard. He remained silent, giving no indication that he would answer. After a few moments, he responded shortly, “Why do you want to know?”

 

Tohru was taken aback, not expecting him to be so defensive. It made her even more curious.

 

“It is a little…strange,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “I mean, you've had this curse ever since you were born and it's just odd that all of a sudden it goes aw -”

 

“Drop it, Tohru.”

 

Yuki stopped, staring straight ahead. Tohru stood still, afraid to make a move. The way he was looking, it sent a chill up her spine. He glanced at her, his expression softening. “Isn't it enough that I'm actually able to hold you?”

 

He pulled her into him, brushing his lips across her forehead. “Let's just get this over with so we can get back and…enjoy each other's company.” His lips moved to her ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin. Tohru inhaled quickly, her heart fluttering. Yuki leaned back and smiled, his eyes twinkling in the afternoon sunshine.

 

“Ok,” Tohru replied, returning the smile with a bright one of her own. As they walked on, Tohru couldn't help thinking about what Yuki had said.

 

Isn't it enough that I'm actually able to hold you?

 

It should have been, but somehow it wasn't. Judging by Yuki's reaction, whatever it was that he was keeping from her was something he wanted to keep buried.

 

`But why?'

 

The question nagged at her. Just what had Yuki done to reverse the curse?

 

///

 

Kyo was in a bad mood and he let everyone know it. He sulked around the house, a scowl planted firmly on his face. At the present moment, he had taken up residence in the sitting room, arms crossed as he slouched against the wall in the corner. The television was on, but Kyo wasn't paying much attention.

 

Shigure stood in the doorway, judging the best way to approach the temperamental young man. Ever since Kyo had found out about Tohru's close encounter with Hatori, he'd been moody, refusing to say more than a few words. Shigure was intuitive enough to know that his behavior wasn't just because of Tohru's memory nearly being erased, although that was a large part of it. It also had a lot to do with where and who she was with now.

 

“Uh, Yuki-kun,” Shigure said lightly, putting on a small smile. Kyo barely acknowledged his presence, his stare remaining fixed on the opposite wall. Shigure sighed and continued on in the same inanely bright tone.

 

“I talked to Kagura earlier and she mentioned that she might stop by this afternoon for a visit.” Shigure half-expected Kyo to jump up and start yelling about what a colossal idiot he was for even inviting her over, but the youth did the exact opposite. He sat sullenly, his gaze flicking to the novelist for a split second before settling back to its earlier spot on the wall.

 

“Humph,” he snorted, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, effectively ending any further communication. Shigure's smile melted away. He was disturbed by Kyo's display, fearing he would lapse into a destructive depression.

 

He turned to walk back to his office, but something beyond the window caught his eye. Tohru and Yuki were walking towards the house, hands entwined. Shigure quickly glanced Kyo's way, making sure he hadn't seen them. Seeing something like that in the state he was in would only end badly.

 

Shigure hurriedly made his way to the front door, hoping to intercept the couple before they got to the house. Before he could open the door, it burst open, a flurry of movement following its wake. Shigure stood wide-eyed, stunned.

 

“Kkkkyyyyoooo!!”

 

Kagura burst into the house, her cheeks flushed, and a wide smile on her lips. She bypassed the startled novelist and made a beeline for the sitting room, where Kyo was just taking notice of what was going on. He didn't have time to react as Kagura, once setting eyes on the cat, threw her arms wide and ran toward him.

 

Kyo scrambled to his feet, a horrified expression on his face. “K-Kagura! Wait a minute…no! Get off!”

 

He struggled to disentangle himself from the young woman's rabid embrace as she squeezed him with all the ferocity of a lioness.

 

“Oh, Kyo! I missed you! It seems like ages since I've seen you!”

 

Kyo rolled his eyes, his hands clawing at the older girl's vice-like grip. “It hasn't been that long, you idiot!” He snapped, finally managing to pry himself away. He quickly took a step back, watching the petite girl with a wary eye. Kagura stood looking at him with a wounded expression, her arms dropping limply to her sides.

 

“But…haven't you missed me even a little?” She asked in a tiny whine, her voice quivering. Kyo winced, hating to hear Kagura sound so hurt and disappointed, but also knowing it could lead to more psychotic behavior if he didn't tread lightly.

 

“Well, I…” The sentence went unfinished as Kyo stared past Kagura, his expression going blank. Kagura looked behind her, finally taking notice of Tohru and Yuki. She'd been in such a hurry to see her favorite Sohma that she'd been completely oblivious to the two.

 

“Yuki!” She exclaimed in surprised pleasure. She momentarily forgot about Kyo as she hurried to give her cousin a crushing hug. Yuki gave her a genuine smile, truly happy to see his cousin again. He returned her affectionate gesture, keeping an eye on Kyo, who was staring unabashedly at Tohru. She was looking down at the floor, afraid to look up.

 

“Oh, Yuki! I can't believe you're back! When did you get here? Where did you go? What did you do? You have to tell me everything!” Yuki was helpless as Kagura dragged him toward the kitchen, talking a mile a minute.

 

Shigure stood back and watched. Seeing that Kyo and Tohru had a moment to be alone and sort things out, he gave the suddenly mute girl a gentle push into the room.

 

“I'm sure you two have a lot of…things to discuss,” he said as he slid the wooden doors closed to give the two privacy. He heard Kagura's nonstop chatter from the kitchen and felt a brief pang of guilt for leaving Yuki alone with her, but Kyo needed Tohru now more than Yuki did.

 

Tohru stood awkwardly in the sitting room, not knowing what to do with herself. She was reluctant to make eye contact with Kyo, afraid of what she would see there. She didn't want to see the hurt and betrayal that would surely stare back at her, accusing her.

 

Taking a deep breath, Tohru risked a look. Luckily, she was spared. Kyo had his back turned to her, his body rigid. She chewed on her lower lip, unsure of what to do next. Did she try to explain her decision or make no mention of it?

 

“I'm glad that you're ok,” said Kyo in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. Tohru smiled sadly. So he was letting her off the hook, giving her an easy out.

 

“Well, if Yuki hadn't…” Tohru instantly realized her mistake. Why couldn't she ever think before saying the first thing that popped into her head? Tohru immediately back-tracked.

 

“I mean, of course Shigure-san was there, too and I'm sure he would have put a stop to things before anything serious happened, but -”

 

“Stop, Tohru.”

 

Kyo turned sharply, his eyes trained on the flustered young woman standing before him. His hands were fisted by his sides, his jaw clenched.

 

“I don't want to hear about what…” his voice dropped, sadness evident in his tawny orbs. He sighed and waved a hand at her. Tohru was confused, not understanding the message he was trying to send her.

 

“Kyo, please tell me what I can do to make things right,” She pleaded, taking a step toward him. Kyo angrily ran a hand through his hair, both frustrated with his own feelings and Tohru's obliviousness to them.

 

“You can't!” He snapped, fed up. “Don't you see that you can't have it both ways? You made your choice and that's it!” In a moment of extreme irritation, he grabbed Tohru by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her flesh. She winced, but remained silent, enduring the slight discomfort if it would make Kyo feel better.

 

“I can't be around you knowing that you…chose someone else, chose him.” His expression lost some of its anger and his grip lessened. He took her hand in his and placed it on his chest. “You feel that?” He asked, his eyes full of pain. “That's what a broken heart feels like.”

 

He dropped her hand and left the room, leaving Tohru to cry silent tears at the irreversible damage she'd done.

 

~*~

 

“And where is this girl?” Akito was becoming increasingly impatient with the man's incompetence. He certainly wouldn't continue to keep someone on his payroll if they couldn't perform the simplest of tasks.

 

The man cleared his throat nervously on the other end of the phone.

 

“Well, you see, Mr. Sohma, the girl is proving rather…difficult to track down. None of the students seem to know where to find her.”

 

“I don't want to hear excuses, Mr. Harding. I want to hear something useful.” Akito sighed, brushing back the hair in his face. “How hard can it be to find one…little…girl?”

 

There was silence on the other end as the man tried to think of a response. He didn't want to further anger his employer, knowing it wouldn't be wise to do so.

 

“I apologize, Mr. Sohma. I'll try harder to find the girl, but -”

 

“No buts, Mr. Harding,” Akito said quietly, his tone at odds with the feral gleam in his eye. “I want this girl found and I want it done now.” Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone.

 

`So this won't be as easy as I initially thought.'

 

Akito frowned. Nothing was ever easy when it came to Yuki. And now just when he had someone who might be able to give him the answers he sought, it turned out to be a wild goose chase.

 

“No matter,” Akito said aloud, a slight smile on his cold visage. “I'll find her and then I'll get the truth about Yuki.”

 

Yes, the girl was the missing piece that he needed to figure out just what his little mouse had been up to while in the states. He had a feeling that in her lay all the answers. All he had to do was find the little bitch.

 

*end*

 

A/N: Once again, I must thank all of my reviewers! I'm constantly amazed at the response to my story and truly happy that you find it entertaining! I hope that I continue to be worthy of such high praise! You guys are the most kick ass reviewers ever!!