Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ No Regrets ❯ Discovered ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: This piece of work is not to be sold in any from. There's no authorization by Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics. It's only for personal reading.

Author: Chi-san

Rating: PG 13 (varying according to chapter)

No Regrets

IV. Discovered

He looked at his alarm-clock. Half past eleven. Patiently he waited. It would come anyway.

And there it was: gentle footsteps outside his door. They came from Yuki's room and tiptoed down the hallway. A furtive knock, followed by almost inaudible whisper. A door opened, the footsteps vanished.

This had been going on for quite while now. One or two times a week, Yuki sneaked into Tohru's room. They didn't study for school there, that was obvious. But Shigure hadn't dared to spend a second thought on that yet. His little cousin was the younger brother of one of his best friends, after all. And a love-affair would have to be announced to Akito. However, at that age it wasn't even sure how long love would last. When he had been that age… He giggled. A little longingly he remembered the many times when he had climbed out of his window to visit girls. And his parents were worried why he never got enough sleep. Later he had hung out with Ayame, picking up girls.

He was a little jealous of Yuki. His cousin didn't have to do acrobatic exercises to get to his girl.

The two of them hid their love pretty well. They had always spent a lot of time together so he hadn't noticed anything at first. In retrospect there were, of course, some strange things. For example, they had both been pretty embarrassed when he had asked them if they had spent the time well after he had returned from his weekend with Hatori and Ayame. On the other, hand he had wanted them to be embarrassed. And ever since then Tohru wore a necklace with a small charm. Moreover they always were very tired and breathless when they returned from Yuki's little garden.

He probably still wouldn't have noticed anything if he hadn't been struck by inspiration in a dream three weeks ago. That had been so excellent that he had to write it down at once. When he started to leave his bedroom to go into his office he had heard footsteps in the hallway. Surely that was Baka Neko who had spent half the night sulking on the roof. Shigure almost opened the door and to tease the stealthy Neko when the steps stopped. And Kyou's room was on the other end of the hall. There was something else going on!

During the next few nights, he had lurked behind his door to find out what was happening inside his own house behind his back. And he learnt this: around half past eleven, when the other inhabitants usually were asleep, Yuki sneaked out of his room and vanished behind Tohru's door. At about five in the morning the spectacle reversed itself. That didn't happen every night, but at least two or three times a week he could hear the gentle footsteps.

If he could just make a remark about it! He really enjoyed embarrassing others. Yuki always got mad at him, Kyou threatened to beat him up, Hatori countered with old stories and Tohru dropped her eyes, blushing. Superb! He giggled again.

He really would have made stupid comments about Yuki's nightly visits to Tohru's room if the situation hadn't been so serious. But he wanted to wait and see first. Maybe the problem would solve itself. The two of them were still young after all. Marriage was out of the question. Nonetheless Akito would be very, very angry if he found out later on that there had been something going on behind his back.

Shigure didn't know what Akito's reasons were to let Tohru live with them. He had thought it over and over but it still puzzled him. Not that he had anything against it. He had come to like Tohru. The house was clean like never before, the food was excellent, and most importantly, Tohru's friends sometimes paid her a visit. Hanajima was a little freaky, but Uotani was really cute. And it gave him the excuse to go to her school. There were so many cute high school girls that he just couldn't get enough. If only the uniforms were a little shorter! He sighed with yearning.

No, those dreams had to wait. Determined, he pushed those thoughts away. He had to find a solution for the Tohru-Yuki-problem.

Akito hated Tohru although he let her live in the Sohma-house and hadn't erased her memories. Shigure didn't even want to imagine what he would do to her if the affair was discovered. And Yuki had always suffered from Akito's whims.

On the other hand, Shigure was loyal towards the head of the clan. He didn't like to keep things from him. Back then when Tohru discovered the curse, he had gone to him at once. But Tohru had been a total stranger to him then. Today she was a member of his household.

She had also caused a lot of positive changes within the Juunishis' personalities. Especially between Kyou and Yuki, the atmosphere wasn't so tense anymore. Kyou had become more presentable. Yuki seemed to be more relaxed. Hatori smiled more often. And Momiji had taken a shine to her.

Oh, of course Yuki was more relaxed now! He got a regular special dose of Tohru! Shigure chuckled. He wondered how far those two might have come by now. Had they already…

He had lost his thread again. This was too important. He could fantasize about his cousin's love-life later on.

Hatori was probably the worst example for the tragic end of a relationship. He had suffered a lot from Akito's reaction. Not only physically.

Since Akito had become head of the clan, the number of marriages had decreased considerably. Now that he thought about it, Shigure noticed that all of the Juunishi were unmarried. Not only the children, but also the ones who could have been already enjoying the state of matrimony. Hatori had been the last one to ask for a permission.

Shigure knew Akito since the latter one had been a little child. He had been easier to handle when he was younger. Also Shigure pitied the ailing head of the clan a little. He was more or less bond to the house and could only go outside when his health was good enough. And usually that wasn't the case. But still his moods were inexplicable and unpredictable. And Shigure didn't want to be the object of one of his outbursts.

So he had to find a compromise. If he went to Akito, Tohru would have to leave the house if not something worse was waiting for her. Nevertheless, he had to go to Akito. Shigure would be punished terribly if Akito found out from someone else what was going on in Shigure's house. And he really didn't want to lose his house. He didn't want to move back to the main house where everything was under Akito's control.

What should he do? Was there a golden mean? Maybe he should talk to Yuki first and find out how serious the situation was. If it was just teenagers fooling around, he could just forget about it.

But he didn't even know when the whole affair had started. He was pretty sure that at least since his trip with Hatori and Ayame there was more than friendship between the two. That was two months ago, by now. What if the affair had been going on for a lot longer? Then it had to be serious. Yes, he definitely had to talk to Yuki.

After this decision he had to think of a good point in time. Best would be to take care of the matter as soon as possible. The sooner dealt with it, the sooner the pain would be forgotten if the worst came true.

Maybe he should do a little investigation about the intensity of the relationship. If it was pure sex, then it wouldn't be worth worrying about it. True feelings would be something different. True feelings meant an honest love-relationship. And that meant going to Akito, who would decide about their future.

Tomorrow he would take a look around Yuki's room. There he would probably find something. Maybe love-letters (not good at all!), porn-magazines (good, then it would be just an experiment with a real girl) or something like that.

When he, Shigure, had been that age he had loved to experiment with real girls. His animal-form had been a great advance then. What girl didn't like to pet a dog? And he had really enjoyed copying the bad habits of other dogs. Dogs liked to sniff people, dogs looked under skirts, dogs got lost sometimes. For example, in changing-rooms…

Shigure giggled. That had been really fun! He just had had to be careful not to change back too early. But he had found out about female anatomy and scent pretty early.

Later, when he had hung out with Ayame and Hatori, this knowledge had been very advantageous. He had been able to make out from a distance which girls had been willing to spend the night with him. Ayame had profited from that too because girls rarely went out alone. Only Hatori had spent most of the nights in his own bed. Shigure sighed longingly. Those times were over.

Most women his age were either married or in long-term relationships. High school girls were rarely interested in him. Nights out with Ayame and Hatori had become rare. Hatori had a serious job, which kept him very busy. Ayame spent most of his nights designing clothes. If he would just design something useful, like, for example, extra-short school uniforms… but the gowns Ayame made did nothing for Shigure's simple mind.

Extra-short school uniform… he really liked that thought. Then he wouldn't even have to strain himself to look underneath the skirts. That would be heaven on earth! With these thoughts he fell asleep, a broad smile on his face.

***************************************************

"Ittekimasu!" The door fell shut behind his three housemates. Now he could start looking through Yuki's room without being interrupted.

He opened the door. Yuki's room was amazingly tidy. He had to be careful that he put everything back like it was so no one would notice that he sniffed around in other people's rooms.

Where to start? The drawer for underwear would be the most likely place to hide secrets. Down to work! Slightly ashamed, he sorted through the neatly folded briefs. Nothing. He mused for a minute. Maybe there was a loose panel on the floor. He crept through the room, knocking on the panels. Nothing again. His eyes went to the closet. There? He pushed the coat hooks aside. There was nothing on the bottom, either.

He gave up, disappointed. There was nothing at all. Not even the slightest hint. He glanced through the room. Apart from the futon there was no place else to hide something here. Oh, he hadn't taken a closer look at the futon yet! He lifted up the mattress. There was something! Small packets. He took one of them for closer investigation.

"Hahahaha!" He started laughing. His little cousin hid condoms under his futon! That was something he hadn't thought he would find! Oh, well, but hiding condoms didn't really mean that they would be used as well. This wasn't a real clue for the nightly migration's reason.

What now? He looked at his watch. He still had plenty of time. And sniffing around was really fun! Why stop now? This affair involved two people. Should he search through Tohru's room, too? No. Tohru was a girl. Her things were none of his business. On the other hand it could be even more interesting just because she was a girl. Girls kept a lot of things. A short look around her room would do no harm.

He walked to the other end of the hallway. Hesitant, he stood in front of the door. For a short time he fought with himself, but his curiosity won. He entered the room and was surrounded by female fragrance. Sure enough a faint hint of Yuki's smell mingled with the scent. He frowned.

Shigure went to the wardrobe and opened it. He repeated the search as in Yuki's room. And again he found nothing. And here he really didn't want to search through the underwear drawer. Did he? No, he was a mature man! On the other hand, he had been wondering for some time what Tohru's knickers looked like.

And again curiosity won. This time the expression on his face was a little different than in Yuki's room. A broad smile sneaked on his face. It was real fun here! Neatly folded, Tohru's panties lay in the drawer. Most of them were white cotton, some a pale pink. Carefully he lifted up a stack. Oh, what was lying there? Something small and black that looked very lonely and lost. Shigure put the stack of cotton knickers away to inspect his new discovery.

Oh, yes, it looked familiar. Sometimes girls he had gone home with had worn something like that. This thing was basically yelling to be taken off. Black lace, more air than fabric. A cute little pair of string bikini panties. Did Tohru really wear something like this? She probably had bought this for Yuki's nightly visits. Shigure snickered. Yuki really was lucky!

He cautiously put the panties back into the drawer to take a look beneath the other stacks, too. But apart from bras and other underwear he didn't find anything. Didn't they write love-letters? How unromantic!

Maybe here beneath the futon, too? He lifted up the mattress. Nothing.

Totally disappointed, he left the room. He had looked for a hint the whole morning. But apart from condoms in Yuki's room and some lingerie in Tohru's he hadn't found anything. What now?

He could observe if the number of condoms under Yuki's futon changed. That would be a sure sign that they were being used. And what would that mean? Actually nothing. But if they weren't being used that would be a sure sign that the affair between Yuki and Tohru wasn't just pure sex.

All right. He would keep an eye on the condom stash. Then he would decide what to do.

***************************************************

For over a week he peeked every morning after everybody had left under Yuki's futon. But the number had stayed the same. Now he had to prepare himself for a serious conversation with Yuki.

Suddenly he didn't know anymore if that really was such a good idea. He was torn between loyalty for Akito and fondness for Yuki. But he couldn't help it. He had to continue with his plan.

***************************************************

"Why?" Yuki yelled at Shigure. "Why do you have to tell Akito? Every time my life is going normal, every time I'm happy he destroys everything! I can't let that happen! I don't want to lose Tohru! Did you consider what'll happen to her when Akito can't tolerate our relationship? Where is she supposed to go? She doesn't have anybody but us!"

"Yuki-kun, …"

"No! We kept our relationship a secret for a reason! I saw it coming! I knew you would run to Akito right away, like a little snitch!" He hit the table with his hand. No! I won't permit…"

"Yuki-kun, don't excite yourself, it…"

"What? I shouldn't excite myself? You horrible egoist! Tattling to Akito is more important to you than our friend! You're disgusting!" He got up, turned his back on Shigure and banged the door shut behind him.

He needed to talk to Tohru, but first he had to calm down. So he climbed up the ladder onto the roof. It was very cold, but at least he was on his own. His breath formed little clouds in front of his mouth. He sat down and thought about the matter.

Of course it had to come to this. In secret, he had been expecting this. It had gone too good for too long. But he still had nursed a small spark of hope that Shigure would have reacted in a different way. Now everything was over.

Pictures of the last few years appeared in his head: Tohru, just having moved in. Tohru, calling him by his first name for the first time. Tohru, floundering through awkward moments. The thunderstorm at the lake. Their first kiss. The necklace he gave to her and which she was wearing now all the time. Their first night alone. His nightly visits to her room.

Should all of this have come to an end now? No, no, no, no! He had sworn to himself not to end up like Hatori. Even when it meant to fight against the whole clan, he would defend his love! He got on his feet and lifted his fit against the sky.

"I will not give in! Never!"

Filled with fighting, spirit he descended from the roof and knocked gently on Tohru's door.

"Yes?"

"It's me, Yuki. Can I come in?"

"Yes, come in."

He entered the room. Tohru sat on her Futon, a book on her knees. Yuki sat down next to her and suddenly he didn't know how to start. After some time Tohru broke the silence.

"What's wrong? Did something terrible happen?"

"Shigure has… He found out everything."

With big eyes she looked at him. "And what now?"

"Of course he'll go to Akito and tell him. But I will stop him. I don't want us to be apart! I want to spend the rest of my life with you!"

"How do you want to prevent him from going to Akito?"

"I don't know. But somehow I'll manage that. There will be a way."

"Are you sure? I disagree. Shigure will go there at any rate."

Yuki felt anger growing inside him again. But Tohru continued quietly: "The only thing we can do now is to beat him there. If we went there ourselves he maybe wouldn't be as angry as when he hears it from someone else."

"Which side are you on? Didn't you learn anything from the tragedy with Hatori and Kana? Akito will never tolerate us staying together. Furthermore, he will punish both of us because we went behind his back. Do you want that?"

"What alternatives do we have? Shall we run away and hide the rest our lives? Does that sound better to you? That would be like an affirmation for Akito! And he will look for us. Yuki-kun, I don't want to live a life in fear of being discovered."

"What do you want, then?"

"I'll go to the Honke tomorrow morning and pay Akito a visit. Then I'll see how he'll react. Maybe it won't be that bad, after all."

"I won't let you go there by yourself! We'll go together. This is about us. About our future! I swore to protect you!"

"No, I'll go alone. That's better, I think. It mustn't look like I need reinforcements to talk to him. If you came with me he might think I can't talk for myself."

"You could ask Hatori to…"

"No. That would be the same. I have to go alone."

She looked at him with determined eyes.

"Good. If you're so sure about it I can't hold you back. So my part will be to wait for you."

"Thank you. Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone although I have to prepare myself for the conversation. And we don't have to hide anymore. I need you close to me right now."

"Of course I'll stay. When I can't support you tomorrow, but I can at least do that for you tonight."

"Thanks."

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Tohru lay awake for a long time and thought about how she would face Akito the next day. Yuki gave her strength, but would that be enough? She didn't want to lose him! For nothing in the whole world! She wanted to be with him no matter what.

His presence was comforting. The whole evening he held her hand without saying a word. She had to convince Akito that their love was important. She wasn't allowed to show any weakness. Weaknesses would be exploited.

"Okasan, do I really have the strength to stay through this?" quietly she asked her mother's picture so she wouldn't wake up Yuki. "Am I really strong enough? He's the most important thing in my life. I don't ever want to be without him! Why does this have to be so difficult? Will I be able to do what I intend to?"

Akito's reaction was unpredictable. Tohru expected the worst, hoping it wouldn't come to that. She had feared before to lose her memories. But at that time it hadn't come to that. Maybe it wouldn't this time. Speculating didn't help. The coming day would show what Akito would do. And she had an important reason to see the head of the clan.

For Yuki. For Yuki she had to be strong enough to face Akito. For Yuki.

Author's comments: Sorry it took me so long to update! I was really very busy with studying and working at the same time so I didn't have much time left to spend on other things. I'll be faster with the next chapter, promise!