Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Giving up old habits ❯ Confrontation ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kuu: Hey people! I've decided that since I've successfully gotten over 200 reviews on Fading Memories, I'de celebrate with a random thing. Hope ya don't mind that I was writing this instead of chapter 13 though, ehehe....... Also, everyone should thank Kaeleer, since she's the one that gave me the idea in the first place, and was also the one who was nice enough to notice and congratulate me for it. (Because I don't really pay attention to how many reviews I get, just what they say...That's not a bad thing right?)

Haru knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. He was actually pretty proud of himself today, he only got lost once on the way to Shigures, which meant it didn't take as long as it usually did. He thought he was actually beginning to get the hang of his surroundings, even though he'd been around them his whole life.
"Haru, what are you doing here?" Came a voice from the, now, open doorway. Haru looked up and locked eyes with the rat, who was giving him a curious and agitated look.
'Ohh, so sorry to waste your precious time.' Haru thought bitterly, deciding to ignore his stupid cousin with his stupid superiority complex. He'd given up on Yuki a long time ago, although every once in a while he would do something out of no where by just habit, like greet him before anyone else, or randomly latch onto his sleeve when he approached.
They really were nasty habits.
"Uhh, Hello? Anyone in there?"
Haru blinked as he saw a hand wave in front of his face and looked at the boy standing impatiently in front of him. What was he gonna do, just stand there until he left? What kind of a host was he anyway? If he wanted him to leave all he had to do was say so, not that he'd actually leave. That was one thing about Yuki that he didn't like, the way he hid his emotions and thoughts from everyone, like he was too good to share his problems.
Well..Maybe that was just with him, Yuki and Tohru had grown pretty close since she moved in.. It's not like he was jealous though, he got treated the exact same way he did before she showed up, Yuki was just better at displaying it now..
He didn't mind though, he'd decided that Yuki wasn't worth wasting his time for, so he'd chosen someone else to direct his affections toward. This time hoping not to get rejected and hurt like before. It was almost like his heart was a pin-cushon.. It may not have looked it, but everytime Yuki had given him the cold shoulder, it was like pushing another one of those sharp needles through his heart. No one deserved that, no matter who they were.
At least that's what he thought. He'd never done anything remotely mean or harmful toward Yuki and yet he had immediately cast him off, so that's why he didn't even bother to go out of his way to be nice to him anymore. But it's okay, he had someone else to follow now..Even though he didn't actually know about it yet..
"Well..?" Yuki asked, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Woops, I guess I zoned out." Haru smiled sheepishly. Yuki rolled his eyes.
"Where's the surprise in that." He glanced at his watch. "And it's just passed 12, did you leave really early this morning or did you actually not get lost today?" He asked in a skeptical tone. Haru arched a brow, had he not realized Yuki was this rude all this time?
Changing the subject. "You know, it's pretty hot out here, if you're not gonna invite me in then I'll just do it myself." Haru muttered and pushed the rat aside to enter the house. He headed straight for the kitchen, since he knew that's probably where Tohru was located. Not to mention the fact that he could hear the dishes clanging against each other as they were being washed in the sink.
"Hey Tohru." He deadpanned as he walked into the room. Tohru whipped around at the voice a dish and a wash cloth in each hand.
"Hatsuharu! Hi, it's been a while." She beamed happily. "I'm to happy you could stop by!"
Haru nodded and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. What else was he supposed to do? Jump up and down and squeal happily?
He wasn't really that happy to be there. Yuki entered the room with a disgruntled expression, obviously annoyed that someone dared to ill-treat the precious prince It made Haru want to gag. Actually. He did gag.
"Are you okay?" Tohru asked worriedly. Haru gave a small chuckle, oh he was just too funny sometimes. Yuki grunted and gave him a condescending look.
"Figures you'de be the one to choke on air." He scoffed.
'Wow, did Yuki just make a vague attemp at an insult?' He wondered to himself, but ignored the rat's comment.
"Where's Shigure?" He asked boredly.
"I don't know." Yuki answered.
"And Kyo?"
"I don't care." The rat stated coldly. Haru furrowed his brows.
"You know what Yuki?" He asked through clenched teeth. Yuki looked up and gave him a questioning look.
"Stop being such a prick for once. You treat everyone like shit except for Tohru, which is wierd, since you can't even call her by her first name." He growled and stalked out of the kitchen, leaving a shocked Tohru and Yuki behind.
"You're a Bastard!" Haru yelled from across the house before he slammed the front door shut behind him. Haru shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way off of the porch, intent on going home. He glared at the ground as he walked. Why was Yuki so cold-hearted? Being like that towards Shigure was understandable since he was a obsessive compulsive pervert. But he had no reason the be like that toward Kyo, other then the fact that he was the cat of the zodiac.
And even that wasn't a good excuse. The rat is the one that tricked the cat. If it were the other way around that would be different. Yuki had everything the cat didn't, so he shouldn't feel the need to act the way he does. He was sure that Yuki wouldn't be able to survive one day in Kyo's shoes. Feeling all the cold glares and hearing people whisper about you as you walked by. Haru saw how the family treated him, and it was all because of some stupid story that probably never even happened.
He, however, could relate somewhat to the cats situation. He often got odd looks and everyone talked about him when he wasn't looking. It was because of his split personality. He was always in trouble for something, even though he usually couldn't remember what happened when he was Black. But he didn't really care what anyone said about him, and neither did Kyo for the matter.
That's what he liked about the cat, he wouldn't submit to anyone. He was always ready to fight for something he believed in. He accepted his burden without complaint and lived with it. Haru really looked up to the redhead. He was stronger then Yuki was in many of those aspects. Another thing that had captured his heart was the fact that Kyo actually acknowledged him and accepted him the way he was. He didn't just brush him off like Yuki did.
Yeah, there were many times when Kyo snapped at him, but Kyo snapped at everyone so it didn't make him feel bad. Haru furrowed his brows as he continued his thoughts. He'd been thinking about telling Kyo how he felt, but wasn't really sure how he would react.
From what he saw, the cat had never had anyone really go out of their way for him other then once. Which was when Tohru went after him after Kazuma pulled his bracelet off. He wasn't there, but he'd heard about it from Shigure.
He didn't want to scare Kyo away. It would hurt if the cat started avoiding him on purpose.
'But Kyo isn't like Yuki.' He tried to tell himself. He just didn't know what to do now. He didn't want to be hurt anymore. Was it selfish of him for wanting to be happy for once? Maybe there was a chance that he could make Kyo happy too?
Haru looked around for a moment.
"Shit." Haru muttered. He must have taken a wrong turn..Or something, because he had no idea where he was.
"This sucks." He mumbled and he started walking again. It wasn't so bad. He could just walk around for a while instead of going straight home and brooding in his room like he usually did. At least it was a nice day out. Haru glanced to the side for a moment, hearing something in the distance. It sounded like dogs barking....
Curiosity won in the end as he walked in the direction of the sounds. Haru looked around curiously as he walked. Somehow he'd ended up in some wierd park he'd never seen before in his life. He just hoped he wasn't so lost that he wouldn't be able to find his way back..
When he finally reached the spot the barking was coming from, he saw about 3 dogs crowded around the base of a tree. Obviously trying to get to whatever it was that was up there. Haru glared at the dogs. Why did they have to be such bullies to smaller animals anyway? Yuki being a dog would make more sense then him being a rat.
"Get out of here you mutts." Haru scolded, nudging one of the dogs with his foot. The dogs quickly turned and ran with their tails between their legs. Satisfied, Haru turned to see what they were after.
'Aw, it's a kitty.' He thought. But the cat didn't move once the dogs were gone. 'Is he hurt?' He wondered, slightly alarmed. He pulled himself up on one of the lower branches so he could get a closer look at the feline. It was just sleeping. It must've been up there for quite a while.
Haru reached out and ran a hand down the cats back, noticing how raggity it looked. But, as soon as his hand came in contact with the dozing neko it jumped up, it's hair standing on end.
"WHAT THE HELL!! DONT SNEAK UP ON PEOPLE LIKE THAT!" The cat screeched.
Haru blanched at the loud outburst.
"Kyo..?" He asked incredulously. The cat studied him for a minute then relaxed, realizing he wasn't in any immediate danger.
"Are you okay? You're so covered up in dirt I couldn't tell it was you.." He stated, picking up the cat so they could get out of the tree. Kyo snorted, or tried to at least, it was hard for cats to snort.
"Is this your hobby? Going around saving poor helpless cats that are stuck in trees?" He asked sarcastically, allowing himself to be picked up. Haru gave him an amused grin and shook his head.
"Nope, actually it was by luck that I showed up here. What happened anyway?" He asked as he took a seat on a nearby beach, with the cat in his lap. Kyo bristled.
"I was just laying out in the sun since it was a nice day." He stated stubbornly. "But then those damn dogs suddenly showed up." He explained. Haru arched a brow as he comtemplated the cats story.
"I see, but that doesn't explain why you transformed." He said thoughtfully. Kyo was silent for a moment, as if he were deciding if he was going to answer or not.
"I'm scared of dogs, alright...?" He muttered embarassedly. If cat's could blush he'd probably be as red as a tomato. Haru chuckled at the cats admittance.
"What's so damn funny?" Kyo growled, batting the cows hand with his paws in a vague attempt to act intimidating.
"Nothing, nothing. It's just kind of cute that's all. The great Kyo, afraid of a puppy." He stated. "I wonder what Shigure would say?" He teased.
Ignoring the cow's statement about him being 'cute', Kyo glared at him in contempt. "Don't you dare tell that stupid dog what I said, besides, I could kick that wimpy dogs ass even in my cat form."
"Well..If it makes you feel any better, mice give me the heeby jeebies." Haru admitted with a serious look.
"Wait a sec, let me get this right. You're afraid of rats..Yet you still chase after Yuki like he's a god? That makes alot of sense." He drawled. Haru sighed and scratched the neko behind the ears.
"Nah, not anymore. I thought Yuki could make me happy since he was the first person to acknowledge that I was Haru and not just the 'stupid cow from the zodiac'. But I guess I was wrong..I'm tired of waiting and tired of getting brushed off like a piece of trash.. I could get hit by a car and he wouldn't even notice. Hell, getting hit by a car probably wouldn't hurt as much as getting pushed away so harshly." He muttered sadly. Kyo realized that he'd brought up a bad subject.
He'd known that Yuki treated the cow like crap, but he'd never actually stopped to think about how Haru felt. He felt guilty for never stepping in to comfort the cow. He liked being in the white haired teens presence, it was comforting. But he'd never actually seen Haru depressed before. The last time he was sad....He went Black and tore one of the school class rooms to shreds.
"Don't sweat it, that bastard doesn't deserve you anyway." He stated, hoping to give the cow a little bit of comfort. Haru snorted, giving the cat a smirk.
"You think so?" He asked skeptically.
"No, I know so. Yuki doesn't deserve you in the least, I'm surprised it took you so long to realize that." He explained sheepishly, feeling a little awkward for talking about it so openly.
"I guess I really am just the stupid cow, huh? See, that's why I like you Kyo, you have too much pride to give up, unlike me." He grinned stupidly. "Just never change the way you are, alright?" He added with a sad smile, patting the cat on the head. "I'll go find your clothes, you'll probably change back soon." He stated, setting the cat on the bench and walking away.
Kyo watched as the cow walked away. He was speechless, he didn't know what to say or even think. He'd never thought Haru was this unhappy. It was like he'd been shown a new side of Haru he'd never seen before, a sad and complicated side that no one knew he had. Was Haru really that good at acting like nothing was wrong..?
And, like Haru had predicted, he transformed back a few minutes later, just as Haru returned with his clothes. He was covered in dirt, but he didn't case as he put his clothes back on. He could just take a shower when he got home.
"Well. I gotta get home. See ya later, Kyo." Haru stated with a half-hearted smile and turned to walk away, waving casually as he did. He let his arms fall limply as his sides as he walked. He'd said alot to Kyo, probably more then the cat wanted to know. But, he didn't regret it, he could only hope that Kyo didn't start acting wierd around him.
Then, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his chest from behind, causing him to stop walking. He tensed a bit, not really knowing what was going on. He felt himself get pulled back against the body behind him.
"I'll be here for you, if you ever need me.You do deserve better" Kyo told him softly. "I like you better when your smile isn't forced." Haru relaxed and leaned into the cat a bit.
"I don't know if I know how to smile anymore." He admitted. Kyo rested his chin on the boys shoulder for a moment.
"Just remember, if you even need someone to talk to or anything..I know this is probably really corny, but I..Want you to be happy." He stated with a blush and let the cow go.
"Oh, and thanks for saving me from becoming dog food." He added with a smile, a real smile. With that he turned and headed back home.
Haru felt his chest tighten a bit at the cat's words. Kyo wanted him to be happy? He felt the corners of his mouth tug upward a bit at the thought. The feel of not getting rejected was..Refreshing. He almost felt like some kind of weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was at the moment that Haru realized how attached he was beginning to get to the redhead. Would Kyo ever even thinkabout him as more then just friends?
Guess he'd just have to find out sometime... It wasn't like he had much to lose.

Kyo walked into the house without a noise and walked upstairs, only to find it empty. He went back downstairs and headed to the kitchen, where he saw Tohru cooking an early dinner and Yuki standing by the counter.
"Hi Kyo-kun, how has your day been so far?" Tohru asked happily.
Ignoring the girl, Kyo stalked over to the rat, who hadn't even bothered to look at him, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and proceeded to slam his fist into the side of the rats face.
Yuki stumbled away a bit, and gave the cat a shocked and angry glare. "What the hell was that for? Punching me all of the sudden!" He demanded. Kyo turned and headed out of the kitchen.
"That's for being such a bastard." He said over his shoulder and headed upstairs so he could look at the clouds from the roof. Yuki just watched as he left, cradling his now bruising cheek in his hand.
That was the second time he got called a bastard today..
To be continued..

Well you guys, this was originally going to be a one-shot, but I figured I could just make it a multi-chapter fic. I owe everyone a non-angsty story anyway, don't I? I just probably won't be able to update this one as fast until Fading Memories is complete. So anyway, tell me what ya think, ne?