Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ In order to remember ❯ blue lips ( Chapter 2 )

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

In Order To Remember Chapter twoUo, hereafter to be called Arisa, was leaning against the wall of one of the many hallways at school. Her expression was impassive, tinged with a bit of a glare as she watched the Yuki Fan club fawning over Yuki as he entered the building.
“It makes me sick,” she said out loud, “the way they treat him. Honestly, I don’t know why he puts up with it.”
Hana looked at her friend, her dark hair held back in the usual braid. People swore that when she “made contact” with the electrical signals in the air, a small piece of her hair stuck up on the top of her head like a cowlick or a spike with a swivel head.
“He seems out of sorts this morning,” she observed.Arisa flung her light hair to one side, arms folded as she watched the group of giggling girls swarm around the poor boy. He was friendly enough, had a smile for everyone. That was probably one of the main reasons Tohru liked him.
“With a herd of love-sick girls hanging on him like that, who wouldn’t be?”
“No,” Hana said in her gentle voice, “it’s something else. Something is troubling him.”
“Speaking of troubling,” Arisa interrupted, “you haven’t seen Tohru lately, have you? It’s not like her to miss school. I knew we should have gone over there last night,” she added when Hana shook her head.
“Maybe Yuki knows something,” she suggested. “Perhaps we should ask him.”
Arisa pushed away from the wall and started walking towards Yuki and the giggling girls, Hana by her side. The Fan Club scattered with exclamations of fear as they approached. Yuki had to hold still while they rushed past him to get away, looking behind him to see the cause for their flight. He smiled when he saw Hana and Arisa, but it was a sad smile.
“Good morning Miss Uotani, Miss Hanajima,” he greeted.
“So,” Arisa started without preamble, “how’s Tohru? We didn’t see her yesterday. Is she okay?”Yuki let out a deep sigh. Hana turned to face him more fully.
“Something has happened to her,” she said, “hasn’t there.” It was not a question.
Yuki seemed to struggle a bit with answering.
“Miss Honda… Miss Honda’s been sick,” he finally admitted.“What?” Arisa rose up on her toes, her eyes opening wide in worry. “Why didn’t she tell us? I knew we should have gone over to see her!”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Yuki said. “She’s very ill and isn’t allowed to have visitors.”
“Not allowed…? What kind of crap is that? We’re like family,” Arisa complained. Her body was rigid, fist clenched in Yuki’s face. “You can’t keep me from going over there right now…”
Hana put a hand out towards Arisa, almost as if she were holding her back. “No, Arisa.”
“She’s not at the house,” Yuki said almost tiredly.
“Then where is she?” Arisa had half a mind to take Yuki by the collar and shake him, or knock his head off. She’d do anything for Tohru and to be denied seeing her when Tohru needed her, preposterous!
“Is it the hospital,” Hana asked. “Was she taken there?”
Whatever it was, she could sense that Yuki was more worried than he was showing or telling.Yuki fiddled with his shirt collar a moment, his face slowly turning red. He was definitely feeling uncomfortable about all of this, wishing he could tell them whole truth but knowing that to do so would endanger not only Tohru but them as well.
“You might say that. It’s a private clinic.”
“Whoa,” Arisa said, waving her arms in the air to emphasize her point. “Private? Since when can Tohru afford that?” She gave him a piercing look.
“We called in a favor,” he offered as explanation.
“He’s speaking the truth,” Hana spoke up, feeling sorry for him. And though she wasn’t sure it was exactly the truth, it rang with enough of it to count. “I’m sure that if he could tell us more he would. We will have to wait and see what happens. That’s what the electrical signals are telling me.”
Arisa tipped her head back as if to say, “you gotta be kidding me.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“You’ll tell us the minute she can have visitors, right?”
Yuki took a moment to answer, whether because he was regaining his composure from the stare down, or because he couldn’t bring himself to say what he should.
“Of course,” he finally answered. “As soon as she’s well enough.”
Hana gave him an impassive look.After Shigure had left, with a large push from Hatori, several hours after Yuki had gone, Kyo found he had Tohru’s room pretty much to himself. Hatori had reminded him not to wander into any parts of his house that Akito could see into and Kyo had only half listened to the lecture. He wasn’t stupid, after all. He knew the risk he was running by being there. If Akito found out, he’d be kitty litter, literally. He’d only heard part of what Akito had said when he’d come over the day before, when he’d found out that Tohru was there.
“You brought her here!?”
The tone of voice he’d used had almost put chills down Kyo’s back. He’d only wished he’d heard more of the conversation but Hari had closed the door between the laboratory and the public part of the house. The door between the spare room and the lab had been closed already, just in case Akito glanced that way. All Kyo knew about the conversation after that was that Akito spoke loud enough for him to hear his anger. Then there was Hari’s lower voice mumbling more quietly in reasoning. In the end, Akito had left. Hatori had looked relieved when he’d returned. The door was closed once again while Hari was off tending to the other members of the Sohma House. Kyo held a wet cloth to Tohru’s forehead as he thought about what he’d heard and tried to figure out what Akito could have said.
“You know,” he said conversationally, “you’re pretty lucky. If Akito really had minded you being here, he’d have come in and ripped your hair out.”
He knew he’d likely do worse, especially once he saw who else was there. Heads would roll.Tohru didn’t respond to his voice but he felt that somehow, she heard him. She hadn’t woken up yet, and even with the medication, her breathing still sounded funny. He focused on that sound for a while, wondering why it sounded so raspy. Every now and again, she’d cough weakly, mumble something incoherent, and continue on as if nothing had happened. He’d gotten almost used to listening to it, like some routine or song he couldn’t stop listening to. It was almost hypnotizing. He started to doze.And woke up with a start, falling out of his chair. Something was wrong.He picked himself up, angry with himself for falling over, then righted the chair, hoping Hari hadn’t heard. He was probably in the main room tending to one of the cousins. He looked at his watch, wondering if that had anything to do with it, checked his beads. They were fine, on his wrist where they should be. He clutched at his chest, heart still pounding, trying to figure out what it was. Then he stopped.He couldn’t hear Tohru breathing.He jumped to his feet, his body as rigid as an angry cat, back arched. If anyone had been looking, they might have fancied a set of cat ears sticking out of his orange-ish hair, cat fangs protruding from his teeth. He would likely have reminded someone of a cat ready to either attack or fly for its life.He looked at Tohru. Her lips were turning blue. He shook her.
“Come on Tohru. Stop that. You’re scaring me,” he said in rising panic. “Come on.”
Her raspy breathing did not resume, despite his shaking her. He didn’t know if he dared to anything else. Hatori was applying some antibiotic to a scrape on Kisa’s knee. Kisa had fallen on the way home from school and had stopped by Hari’s on the way home because his house was closer. Her young face was smudged with tears. He wondered if someone hadn’t really shoved her around causing her scrape, instead of just tripping as she’d said had happened. Even though she’d found the courage to go back to school and talk again, she was still timid and often teased and bullied by the children her age. If he could have, he would have done something about it.He was just putting a band aide on her knee when Kyo burst into the room, his hands slicing the air in an almost manic way, his eyes a story of absolute panic.
“Hatori,” he yelled, not even caring if anyone else heard him. “Hatori!”
Hari was just about to reprimand him for coming into the main part of the house when he stopped to consider Kyo’s emotional state.“Hatori, it’s Tohru,” he said almost too quickly to understand. “She’s not breathing!’
“Sissy’s sick?” Kisa asked worriedly.Hari stood up quickly and began to follow Kyo into the back room.
“Kisa, stay here.”
But Kisa wouldn’t be left behind if her beloved sissy was sick. She followed after them.Once in the back room, Hari saw that Kyo was right. Tohru’s lips had gone decidedly blue and the monitor, which had been turned down, was flashing an alarm. He turned to assess what he had on hand for the situation, noticing Kisa had followed them.
“Get her out of here,” he said very firmly.Kyo quickly grabbed Kisa’s hand. Her eyes were as big as silver dollars, her face drawn out in fear for her sissy.
“Come on,” he said, tugging on her to follow, probably harder than he should. She wouldn’t budge.
“No! Sissy!” Kisa yelled as Kyo scooped her up and carrying her out of the room, heading past the laboratory and deposited her on a low couch. She struggled to get up and away.
“You gotta stay here,” Kyo said angrily. “You can’t be in there right now.”
“Sissy! Sissy!” Kisa was practically screaming. Momiji, another Sohma cousin, chose that exact moment to enter Hari’s house, looking for Kisa. His boyish face said he was younger than he truly was, and his outfit was definitely not something most boys would wear. His shorts were of he shorter variety, a light blue, with a girl-ish looking jacket over a light colored shirt. He wore a brightly colored cap over his blond hair. He stopped in mid-stride when he saw Kyo struggled to keep Kisa from getting off the couch.
“What’s going on? Stop that, Kyo. You’re hurting her!”Momiji’s voice distracted Kyo only for a moment but Kisa took it and kicked him as hard as she could. “Let me go! I wanna see Sissy!”
“Momiji, help me,” Kyo growled. “We gotta keep her from going back to see Tohru.” He continued to hold Kisa’s arms, despite her kicking.
“Stop that, will you,” he growled.Momiji’s face filled with surprise. “What’s Tohru doing here? Is she sick?”
“Never mind! Just help me!” Kyo grabbed for Kisa’s hands again. She’d managed to get them free.
“Hatori says she’s not to go back there, no matter what.” Kisa bit him and he let go with a shriek of rage and raised a hand to hit her. She ran for Momiji, burying her face in his chest as she started to cry.Kyo shook with checked emotion.
“Keep her out here or so help me, you’ll be sorry.” Momiji looked at Kyo, his eyes large with shock but he didn’t dare disobey. If he hadn’t known any better, he might have thought Kyo would thump him too if he didn’t obey. Seeing that he’d keep Kisa there, Kyo turned around and stalked back through the lab to Tohru’s room. He couldn’t see what Hatori was doing to her but he knew that he definitely was going to help if Hari’d allow it.
“Here,” Hari said, seeing him come back in, “Hold her by her shoulders.”
He had Tohru leaning over a small basin. Her body was wracked with spasms that reminded Kyo of someone throwing up, except that she was coughing up something that definitely did not look or smell pretty.Kyo obediently held Tohru’s shoulders while her body shook, the awful smelling stuff spilling out of her mouth and nose.
“Yuck! What is that stuff,” he asked with revulsion, turning away and trying to hide his nose in his shoulder. If he could have, he would have plugged his ears as well. Her coughing and retching definitely sounded horrible and he was tempted to lose his own lunch. A minute later, Tohru’s body stopped convulsing and her coughing decreased to an occasional outburst, her face red, but at least she was breathing!
“It’s all right,” Hari was saying to her, then he gently wiped her face off with a cloth. He moved the basin and set it down somewhere.If Kyo thought he could get away with it without turning into a cat, he’d have scooped her up, her feeble body in his arms. But instead, he pushed a stray strand of hair from her face.“That is what was in her lungs,” Hari finally said in answer to Kyo’s question, a question he’d almost forgot he’d even asked.
“That?” He looked at the basin with disgust. “No wonder she couldn’t breathe!”
“Yes, no wonder,” Hari gravely agreed as he helped Kyo lay her back against the pillows.
“It’s a good thing you were paying attention,” he added. “You may have just saved her life.”
They both looked at Tohru, a slight sheen of moisture on her skin. She groaned, her head tilting a bit more to one side, like a marionette whose string had been cut. Her cheeks were still flushed.
“How can she sleep through all that,” Kyo asked with more heat than he’d meant. She’d definitely given him a scare and he wasn’t about to soon forget it.
“It’s, in part, because of the medication,” Hari said, “and because she is so ill. Her temperature’s gone back up,” he noted as he took the basin away.
Kyo sank into the chair, weariness stealing over him. He felt inclined to cough himself but decided it was only because she’d been coughing too. He didn’t feel like he could very well complain after what had just happened. She’d almost died!Hari returned a few minutes later.
“I’ve sent Kisa and Momiji home,” he said, wondering if Kyo even remembered about them. He’d certainly been surprised to see Momiji there, but once he’d learned about Kyo’s threat, he wasn’t entirely surprised. He’d had to reassure Kisa, telling her that Tohru needed to sleep and that if she came back tomorrow she might be able to see her. Only after he’d reassured her did she agree to let Momiji take her home.
“You should probably go home as well. It’s becoming more dangerous for you to be here, especially after your outburst,” he continued.
Kyo looked sulkily at the wall, not bothering to lift his head. It was easier to glower at a wall than at Hatori.
“If Akito didn’t know you were here before, he very well may now,” Hari reasoned. “It’s safer for the both of you if you leave now.”
“No…way…I’m not going.” Kyo tried to stand up to confront him, fists clenched tightly.
He swayed slightly as he did so. He felt dizzy all of the sudden. Probably from the shock, he reasoned.
Hatori was almost instantly by his side, trying to persuade him to sit back down.
“Get off me,” Kyo said and pushed him away. He felt a bit lightheaded but sat back down. He didn’t know if he had the energy to fight him over it.
“Kyo, Look at me,” Hari commanded.Kyo lifted his eyes to look into Hatori’s.
“I’m… not… leaving.” His throat tickled again and he tried to mentally smother the cough before it left his throat.Hari grabbed his shoulder firmly and tried to place his other hand on Kyo’s forehead. Kyo’s anger flared. He evaded him, breaking away as he stood up abruptly and pushed Hari away.
“Leave me alone,” he growled. “I’m fine.” He moved quickly over to the door, weaving slightly as he did so, and slipped outside before Hari could grab him again.Hari let his hand drop back to his side, watching as he left.
“Hmmm.” He ran a hand through his hair, debating on whether or not to go after him or let things be. He’d likely come back, but when? It wouldn’t do to create another scene. Akito may not have learned about the commotion, but he may have heard Kyo’s voice which might lead him to check on things. At least Kyo wouldn’t be here if that was the case. He looked at Tohru and sighed. He’d probably have to put her on oxygen after this. Her wracking cough could have easily caused damaged inside. He just hoped that most of the fluid that had been in her lungs was there no longer. At least they’d gotten some of it out. Kyo wove around the grounds of Sohma House, trying his best to avoid causing a scene as he made his way out of the place. He hoped Akito hadn’t seen him, or anyone who would tell him that he’d been there. If nothing else, he at least wanted a clean shirt. Some of that nasty smelling stuff had gotten on it, and as much as he loved Tohru, he really didn’t want to live with the smell of her…whatever it was… on him. He leaned against one of the trees near the gates. He still felt a little dizzy but he knew he should leave before anything else happened. Resignedly, he went through the gate and headed home, walking in half a daze as he did so. He couldn’t believe something like that could have happened to Tohru. It was crazy! He’d sneak back in after dark, preferably after Hari was asleep so that he needn’t be bothered with him checking up on him. It was annoying. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him! Instead of coming in the front door, he decided to climb up the side of the house and get into his room that way. Maybe he was being contrary about it, but he definitely didn’t want to deal with either Yuki or Shigure right now. With a grunt of effort, he hoisted himself up and scrambled to get over the railing of the second floor. He thought he heard Shigure talking on the phone somewhere but wasn’t sure. He didn’t care either. One more step and he was over the railing but he had to bend over to catch his breath.
“I shouldn’t be… having so much... trouble. It’s all Yuki’s fault,” he decided and went into his room.
He threw himself onto the bed with a grunt and went to kick his shoes off, as was habit, suddenly realizing that he wasn’t wearing any.
“Stupid!” He thought about yesterday morning and how he’d thrown them down the stairs when he couldn’t get them unknotted.
Growling, he went to go retrieve them if for no other reason than to have something to do.
“Uh huh,” Shigure was saying to someone over the phone. “Yes, well…” He looked up as Kyo let out another snarl of rage.
“No, he’s here.” There was a pause and if Kyo had been paying more attention he might have caught what the person on the other end was saying.
“Looks his usual self to me. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him.” Then he hung up the phone.“Stupid…shoe laces!” Kyo had picked up one of the shoes. He tripped over the other in the process, cursing them both loudly. He looked up, seeing Shigure watching him, laughter filling his stupid little mouth.
“Don’t say a word,” he warned. His face was red with anger.
Shigure shook with his suppressed laughter, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes.
“Well, what’re you looking at?!” Kyo thrust forward into the room, standing directly in front of Shigure and right into his face. “Huh? Huh?!”
“I’m sorry,” Shigure said while wiping away a few tears, “but you looked so funny just now that I couldn’t help myself.”
“Well you’d better!” Kyo clenched his fists in his face and would have thrown a punch but the front door slid open at just that moment as Yuki came home.
“You stupid rat!” Kyo yelled when he realized who it was.Yuki stood in the doorway, his mouth open in surprise as he looked at Kyo.
“So, you finally decided to leave her,” he said through his teeth.
“Why I oughtta…!” He lunged for Yuki but Shigure had enough presence of mind to grab hold of his shoulders before he could get anywhere.
“Let go of me!” He struggled against his firm grip.
“Shouldn’t you be playing nice,” Shigure asked.Kyo shook him off and ran out the door, yelling as he went. “Why don’tcha just leave me alone!”
Yuki stepped aside as Kyo ran out, swaying slightly as he whisked by. He brushed himself off, then closed the door behind him.
“What was that all about?”Shigure shrugged.
“What is anything about these days?” He straightened his robes. “Hatori just called.”Yuki had just started for the stairs as Shigure spoke. He slowly turned around.
“Miss Honda?”
“Apparently there were a few… difficulties this afternoon,” Shigure answered, but continued quickly as Yuki pressed forward. “But she’s all right now.”
“What happened?”He fingered his robes, looking down. “She stopped breathing,” he finally said.
“What?” Yuki stiffened.“It’s all right though,” Shigure said, laughing uncomfortably. “Kyo called for help in time. She’s worn out but breathing again.”
Yuki turned to head back outside.
“He doesn’t want anyone coming over tonight,” Shigure added and Yuki stopped.
“No,” Shigure answered, “But I think he’s more likely to go sulk on the roof for a while. Actually, Hatori wanted us to keep an eye on him tonight.”
“Why?” Yuki didn’t turn around, his fist still clenched. Shigure walked up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. His expression had turned grave. “Because he’s worried. Kyo hasn’t quite been himself today, or so I’m told.” He moved as if to look past Yuki but he wouldn’t have seen anything through the door even if he’d had x-ray vision.
“Hari called partly wondering if I’d seen him. I guess he stormed out of his place an hour ago.”
“I wonder why.” Yuki’s voice was laced with venom. “But I suppose he’s likely gone off somewhere to sulk,” Shigure continued. “Let me know if you see him.”
And he walked off into the kitchen.Yuki continued to stare at the door, slowly unclenching his fist. After all, Kyo wasn’t there for him to vent his frustration on. Kyo, as it happened, was on the roof. While Shigure and Yuki were talking, he’d scrabbled up there, using the back porch. He stared up at the evening sky moodily. He’d had a hard time climbing up to the roof and it made him mad. It shouldn’t be like this!
He threw a stone he’d found in his pocket, watching it flash in the now dwindling light as the sun went down for the night. He’d wait until everyone inside was asleep then go back. He coughed a bit, his throat feeling raw.
“It’s all Yuki’s fault,” he said to the sky. “If you’d just lay off I might get some peace around here!”
Maybe in a few hours he’d go into his room and finally change his shirt. He’d have to go inside to get his shoes anyway, and he’d also want something to eat. There was no way he was going back down there while Yuki was awake. He had half a mind to go to his “secret base” and rip up a few plants for spite, except that it wasn’t just Yuki’s garden. It was Tohru’s too and how did you tell which part belonged to whom?
He dangled a leg down one side, tapping it gently against the shingles, then kicking it as hard as he could. That stupid rat! Everything was his fault, his and Akito’s. He’d probably been the one who’d ordered Kazuma to take his beads away so that he’d take on his original form. Kazuma, his master, wouldn’t do anything so cruel. At least he didn’t think he would.
“It’s all your fault!” He yelled out, now standing on the ridge. “None of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for you!”Below, Shigure and Yuki could both hear him yelling as they ate.
“What did I tell you,” Shigure said. “He’s on the roof. I don’t think he’ll come down before morning.” He lifted another chopsticks’ worth of food to his mouth.
Yuki tried to ignore Kyo’s voice as he picked through his rice. They’d ordered out again, what with Tohru being ill and neither one being a good cook.
“If he falls off he has no one to blame but himself,” he commented.“Hmmm,” Shigure mused but didn’t reply. Somewhere a clock struck midnight. A cat meowed from the ground and Kyo opened his eyes with a start.
“Go away,” he hissed at the cat, which was looking up at him from below.
He’d fallen asleep on the roof and now he had a sore back. He cursed the roof quietly, trying to keep things down, hoping that everyone downstairs was a sleep. If only the cat would go away too, with its’ quiet mewing. If he wasn’t careful, even more cats would come. He slipped down the roof to the second floor and his room, talking his shirt off as he walked in.
“I was wondering when you’d come down,” Yuki said quietly from the doorway.Kyo grabbed for a clean shirt and threw it on.
“Get out of my room!” he said and stumbled in the dark as he headed towards Yuki. “You have no right to be in here!”
“Like it or not, we both love Tohru,” Yuki said quietly, his voice tight.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” He tried to push Yuki out but Yuki wasn’t budging.
“Hatori says he’s worried about you.”
“So, he can worry if he wants,” Kyo retorted. “I won’t stop him. What do you want anyway? Come to gloat over the ‘stupid cat’?”
Yuki folded his arms. “Don’t talk so loud. Shigure’s sleeping.”
“I can talk loud if I want to,” Kyo said, but he lowered his voice all the same. Yuki was right; he didn’t want Shigure to wake up. Now if only Yuki would leave him alone and go to bed too.
“We’re both worried about Miss Honda,” Yuki said. “I guess I just envy you.”
Kyo snorted. “Yeah right. Why should you?”
“Because you get to spend so much time with her.”
“Oh come on!” Kyo went back to his bed and sat down. “And you don’t get to spend time with her? You have your secret base where you two are all the time.”
“But I haven’t been with her since she got sick,” Yuki said quickly.
“Not my fault,” Kyo defended. “I’m not the one who went for student council president.” He said the last bit snidely.
Yuki clenched his fists but tried to contain himself.
“Just stop spending so much time with her,” he said and left the room.Kyo watched his retreating form and shook his head with a snort.
“Man, he’s wacked.” He picked up his dirty shirt and stuck it in a laundry hamper, then closed his door, listening as Yuki closed his own door. He could hear Yuki rummaging around as he got ready for bed. He waited a full twenty minutes before he quietly slid his door open again and headed for the first floor, walking slowly because the lights were off. Even with cat eyes, things had a tendency to jump out at you if weren’t careful, and he still wasn’t sure about his steps. He was still a bit dizzy. Once on the ground floor, he stubbed his toes a bit while trying to feel around for his shoes. He had to resist the urge to curse them yet again, so that he wouldn’t wake anyone. He figured he’d never make a good spy if he couldn’t control his own outbursts when it really mattered. He slipped the shoes on, despite the knotted laces. Creeping as quietly as he could, he headed for the kitchen. His stomach was rumbling. The light from the fridge almost blinded him and he closed the door quickly, shielding his eyes and cursing. He opened the door again, slowly, and looked around, noting leftovers from take-out. He picked at one of the cartons, cringing at the smell of leeks. He pushed the carton aside and reached for another one, one that contained chow mien. He bumbled around until he found some chopsticks and ate half of what was left in the carton, sticking it back in the fridge, chopsticks stuck in the noodles. His stomach stopped rumbling at him. Now that his stomach had something in it, he decided it was time to head to Sohma House. He crossed his fingers that everyone was asleep. It would almost be easier to sneak in as a cat but he didn’t know if he could make himself transform, and short of finding a girl to come in contact with, he had no other ideas other than to just sneak in old school style. Besides, what would Hari or even Tohru, should she wake, think about finding a naked Kyo on the floor? Not to mention, his fiery red pelt would be easily recognized by anyone on the grounds. It wasn’t that easy to hide that color in the dark. Why couldn’t he transform into a black cat? At the gate, he struggled to climb to the roofing, running lightly along until he came near the inner courtyard. At least his clothes were dark. He’d thought that much ahead at any rate, though he hadn’t exactly remembered that his hair would likely be easily distinguished by anyone who saw him. Not that too many usually cared about him in that part of the grounds. It was the inner court that would be harder. Hatori’s house wasn’t too far from Akito’s, after all. He tried to slink from bush to rock, any shadow he could find. There was a tense moment when he saw Akito’s silhouette in the window of the main house and he froze in his tracks, trying to breathe quietly, hoping he was well enough in the darkest corners to not be noticed. Akito turned from the window and when nothing happened, Kyo sighed with relief and continued onward, thanking his luck. “I’m coming Tohru,” he said quietly as he neared Hatori’s house.A light burned in Hari’s bedroom but the rest of the house seemed quiet. He slid down to the ground and snuck from shadow to shadow until he came up to one of the windows on the other side of the house and looked in. It was dark inside. He pushed open the screen and climbed in, laying on the floor a moment while he caught his breath. Once he’d done that, he crept to the back room, carefully avoiding Hari’s room as he went.A low light was coming from the lab, spilling into the room, the monitor keeping track of Tohru’s breathing and heart rate. He saw that she’d been hooked to an oxygen tank, but at least her breathing sounded better. He touched her hand, which felt cold to him. He knelt on the floor, looking up into her face.
“I’m here,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out.”
He curled up on the floor, his strength spent. Not too long after, he was sound asleep.