Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Revelations ❯ Neko--Gone ( Chapter 7 )

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

I realize those of you who think Yuki and Tohru belong together are probably ready to wallop me with a giant uncooked lasagna noodle right about now, but, well... >=P'''

I've always thought Kyo needed Tohru, in a different way than Yuki did; and that Tohru would be drawn to that need. Also, Kyo would be better for Tohru simply because he would never let her turn into a doormat. Just listen to the advice he's always giving her; to admit when she's bothered by something, to be selfish once in a while; to not let others take advantage of her--not even him...

I think Yuki's got her up on a pedestal in his mind and heart, which he of all people ought to know better than doing. He's not nearly as quick as Kyo to point out when she needs to assert herself more, and I'm not sure he could work himself up to bullying her into stopping it. He and Tohru both have major shy streaks; they both need somebody to balance that. (No, I'm not planning on setting Yuki up with Arisa; not unless the story grabs the bit and unexpectedly runs that way with me! =P ) Yuki just needs someone who can inspire him to loosen up a bit and be comfortable around regular people, while he in turn tones her down to something like polite levels. A challenge, sort of.

Heh--it's a shame either Kyo or Yuki wasn't a girl; I'd be really tempted to stick them with each other, then!! <evil grin; fending off outraged screams and attempted slugging from both Kyo and Yuki> `Cept I like Kyo as a guy too much to really wish for him to be a girl--Yuki too. Heh! And since I've spent the whole story so far setting them up to be brotherly...

I'm about ready to give up on MediaMiner's formatting. Most of it's OK, but there's some bits--most notably, these author's ramblings at the beginnings!--that ain't uploading right! Somewhere in the process, my italics are going bai-bai on me. Hmph!!

DISCLAIMER--Nope. The characters and such from Fruits Basket still aren't mine. ::mournful sigh::

Chapter 7 - Neko--Gone

Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani were waiting for Tohru by the school's front gate. They had been starting to worry--Tohru was never late to school! Especially not since her mother died. She'd made that promise to Kyoko-san, after all, to graduate high school; and she took that promise very seriously.

When they finally appeared, Tohru and the Prince were both looking decidedly depressed. Hana noted a deep sadness permeating their denpa waves, even as Uo glowered and muttered about what “carrot-top” must have done; and where the hell was he, anyway?!

Hana kept quiet and watched Tohru closely as the girl determinedly tried to present them with her usual cheerfully smiling face. The Prince looked at them, especially Uo; and before Tohru could stammer out any kind of excuse, he bluntly said that Kyo wouldn't be coming to school any more.

Hana and Uo stared at him, surprised. Uo was the first to speak, trying to hide her hurt feelings with brusqueness, “What? Why not?! We not good enough for him, or something?”

Yuki looked down and away from them, as Tohru fought to hold back a sudden burst of tears. Her two best friends looked on in distress as she bit her lip and tightly closed her eyes, before whirling away from them, hugging her arms to herself.

They immediately reached out to her, drawing her into a two-sided hug, trying to comfort her from whatever it was about Kyo that had her so upset. It was obvious it had something to do with the orange-haired teen, though they couldn't figure out what; unless it was simply that he was--gone.

`Not--not dead, surely...!?' Uo went pale at the thought. Hana glanced at her in concern when her denpa waves drastically changed.

Yuki's voice from behind them caught their attention, even as Tohru struggled against her tears. “Kyo--Kyo has been--c-called back by the Sohma Clan Head. H-he--is going to live at the Honke, from now on.”

Hana and Uo were amazed to see what looked suspiciously like tears building in the Prince's gray eyes; and had he actually been stuttering?! Those two boys got along so poorly, fighting so much--the girls had been certain they absolutely hated each other, cousins or no. What in Kami-sama's name had happened to Kyo, that Yuki of all people would be upset about it? Uo especially had been convinced that the Prince wouldn't have shed a tear at Kyon-Kyon's funeral!

Hana--had known better. Their denpa waves were intriguingly mysterious in some ways, but not in their feelings towards each other. There'd been no true hatred between them; a fairly strong rivalry, and some mild jealousy, yes; along with a lacing of something Hana had only seen between close friends. They might not have been willing to admit it, even to themselves--but Kyo and Yuki were definitely friends.

The ringing of the bell sent them all four scurrying for class. The girls tried for the rest of the day to get an answer, any answer, from either Tohru or Yuki, but had no luck. The Prince buried himself in his Student Council work at every spare moment, surrounded by too many people for them to get a word in edgewise without causing enough of a ruckus to get in trouble with one of the teachers; and Tohru--she would simply burst into tears, refusing to say a thing, whenever someone so much as mentioned Kyo's name to her.

They finally had to give up for the day, after Uo offered to go beat the crap out of Kyon-Kyon for upsetting Tohru...the girl had gotten nearly hysterical at that, begging them not to blame him for something he wasn't at fault for.

Hana's curiosity was caught by one little phrase Tohru had let slip, at that point. It had been hard to make out, Tohru had been talking so fast and crying so hard all at once. It had been something like, `It's going to be so hard for Kyo-kun; he's already hurting so much...'

Hana's brow furrowed as she cocked her head to the side, considering. There had been something building in Kyo's denpa waves, buried deep but rising slowly to the surface, for as long as she'd known him...something suspiciously like fear. Whatever was going on, Hana doubted it was a surprise to Kyo. She finally spoke up in her soft, toneless voice, “Perhaps we should simply go ask Kyo.”

Her quiet comment brought dead, panicked silence from Tohru. The stricken look on her face, and the sudden spikes of sorrow and pure fear in her denpa waves, gave Hana pause--but then Tohru collapsed to her knees in tears, sobbing as she hadn't since just after her mother's funeral.

Hana and Uo traded an alarmed glance and knelt to hug her again, tightly, promising they absolutely wouldn't do anything if Tohru really didn't want them to, they'd just been curious, after all; they'd gotten fond of Kyo, was all, and would miss the baka at least a little bit--they didn't mean to cause Tohru so much upset, she was such a sweet person they just wanted to protect her--so please don't cry--!!

When Tohru finally got herself somewhat calmed down, she softly promised her friends that she'd tell them what she could, after school. Uo had tipped the girl's chin up with one hand so they could see her tear-reddened eyes, telling her they could live with their curiosity if she really couldn't tell them. Tohru had briefly closed her eyes, then firmed her expression, promising she would tell them what was wrong. As much as she could, anyway.

Yuki had seen Tohru's distress when she collapsed, and had been purposefully making his way down the hall past his many clinging “admirers” to assist her. When he got there, she was just standing with Uo's help, her trademark smile fixed like a tissue-paper mask over her face. The sorrow underneath clearly showed through, to those who knew her.

There was no trace of the fear, though it still permeated Tohru's denpa waves. Hana frowned, mildly perplexed. It wasn't often that Tohru could mask any of her emotions; the girl was usually an open book. Complete with careful Braille translations and audio tapes for the blind reader, as Uo would wryly say.

“Honda-san, are you all right?” The Prince leveled an almost hostile look at Tohru's two friends as he spoke, making it clear he did not approve of them upsetting her. It was rather unsettling; usually they were the ones looking at him with that look!

“Oh, I'm all right, Sohma-kun...I-I just t-trip--uhm...” Tohru's face suddenly went serious with thought; then she actually frowned, biting her lip. The expression was so alien to her face that all three stared at her in surprised silence until she went on, brow still furrowed, “No--no, I'm not really all right. I'm--I'm upset, about--about Kyo-kun--leaving.”

Three extra-wide pairs of eyes were fixed firmly on Tohru's face as three people suddenly felt that the Apocalypse had surely come. Tohru Honda, admitting to being upset?! Without anyone dragging it out of her?!? The world as they knew it suddenly tilted alarmingly on its axis.

Tohru looked at their stunned expressions as their silence dragged on, and suddenly had the urge to giggle. She held it back, along with the subsequent wave of tears, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Kyo-kun--” She swallowed a sudden hard lump in her throat, blinking back more tears. “Kyo-kun is always telling me I shouldn't pretend to be happy, when I'm not...at least, not with my friends. I've decided--to try and follow his advice. I promised him...”

Hana and Uo traded another look, as Yuki shook his head once and sharply to clear it. It was true, after all--they'd all many times heard Kyo trying to get Tohru to quit hiding behind her ever-cheerful mask.

But--she was actually doing it?? None of them had ever thought Kyo, of all people, would have so much luck in changing her habits!

“Oh, I'm going to be late!!” With that, Tohru spun and raced off down the hall, leaving two very confused girls and one bemused Prince staring in her wake. It was nearly a minute before their eyes returned to normal size and they blinked; then they also headed off to class.

Tohru didn't really want to try and explain Kyo-kun's disappearance to Hana-chan and Uo-chan. Never mind trying to keep the Sohma family secrets--she really didn't want them to see just how upset she was, about his leaving. They would only worry; there was nothing they could do to help.

She found her mind drifting back to her last conversation with Kyo-kun, up on the roof that morning--

***

“I love you, too, Kyo-kun...”

The neko in her arms had frozen at her words. Tohru had almost missed his breathless, “N--na-niiiii...?”

She'd held the stunned, limp neko away from her, so she could look him straight in his shocked red eyes. It was actually rather funny, to look at him--his mouth was hanging open, his huge, dilated eyes glued to her face; his neko body limp as a used dish-rag as she held him up by hands wrapped `round his chest.

“I said, `I love you, too, Kyo-kun,'” she solemnly repeated. It was such a relief to actually say that out loud! She'd no longer have to try and lie; to herself, or to him.

The shocked neko kept staring at her, unable to wrap his mind about the idea that his secret feelings were actually returned. Tohru started to panic when his eyes suddenly rolled up, and his head lolled.

The Sohma Neko had fainted.

Tohru wasn't sure what to do--`Why did he pass out?!' She couldn't just put him down and run for help; he'd likely transform back to human as soon as she reached the edge of the roof, and she sincerely doubted he'd want to be laying up there stark naked for any length of time whatsoever, especially not while unconscious. If she kept hugging him to keep his curse activated until he came to, he might faint again--after all, she didn't really understand why it had happened in the first place! And just laying him out and piling his clothes on top of him wouldn't be very comfortable; not to mention the embarrassment factor to both of them, even if she promptly turned her back...

Kyo came to while Tohru was still dithering about. She was still holding him, babbling to herself at sixty miles an hour and looking wildly about as she tried to decide on a course of action, her eyes huge and panicked. He shook his still-feline head and watched her with a look of awed wonder, until she noticed his eyes were open. The hectic flow of words abruptly cut off.

He looked down and away. Tohru swore she could see the blush on his face, neko-form or no.

“You can put me down, now,” he said in a very small, almost child-like voice. Tohru obligingly placed him gently on the roof in front of her, then turned her back as he glanced about to see where his clothes were.

The characteristic <POOF!> came a bare moment later, followed by the scrabbling of a body moving over the roof tiles; then the rustle of cloth. Tohru waited until Kyo said it was okay before she turned back around.

The neko sat there, staring a hole down through the roof, rubbing his left wrist. Something about that gesture bothered her, but she couldn't put her finger on what... He was very definitely blushing, though.

“Kyo-kun...? I--I didn't make Kyo-kun angry, did I? I--”

Kyo's head whipped up and he quickly leaned forward enough to place a gentle hand over Tohru's mouth, before she could start stammering out an apology. There was nothing even vaguely angry about his rather shell-shocked expression. “You got nothing to apologize for, Tohru. You just--startled me. That's all. I...” He took a deep, shaky breath, still staring intently into her chocolate eyes, “D-d-did you--mean that?”

Tohru could feel the faint tremors in his hand. His eyes clung to hers like a drowning man to a lifeline; she could easily see how desperately he needed her answer. Her eyes softened, and she nodded slowly, never breaking eye contact. She reached up and wrapped her hands around his, pulling it down from her mouth to hold it cradled against her chest.

She was surprised when his face crumpled and he spun away, though he didn't try to free his hand from her grasp. She could have sworn she saw tears starting in his eyes, though...

***

`Kuso! Kuso, kuso, KUSO!!!' One word wasn't enough; his mind started down his entire vocabulary of curses, stringing them together inventively. This was going so wrong it wasn't even funny! He was supposed to have been letting go of Tohru, so she and Yuki could have a guilt-free life together. That was supposed to help console him to his fate, after Akito threw away the key to the Neko's House.

He'd never dreamed the girl he loved would actually pick a worthless monster like him, over a perfect Prince like the nezumi! He'd never thought to plan for that!

Shimatta!!!

Now what could he do?! There was no way to `soften the blow' for Tohru, not if she--if she actually loved him--kamis, and what about Yuki?! The nezumi was going to be pissed, and hurt; there was no doubt about it...both for Kyo lying to him about his feelings, and because Tohru apparently hadn't chosen him.

Gyaah, there went their budding almost-rekindled friendship... Kuso!!!

Kyo froze when he felt Tohru lean her head against his arm once more. He closed his eyes, tilting his face up to the sky and grimacing. Then he carefully cleared his expression, making sure his face was dry of tears, before turning to look down at the top of her head. His free hand hesitantly lifted to pat, rather awkwardly, at her soft brown hair.

That wrist, which now bore no monster-sealing string of beads, caught his attention; grim reminder of his appointment in just a few short hours. He shivered once, convulsively, and briefly checked the sky again for clouds. It would be just like his luck for an unexpected storm to blow up right over his head, at just that particular moment. He didn't want to inflict his `true form' on Tohru, ever again--she might be able to suppress her fear of it enough to actually touch him while he was transformed into it, but it did still scare her.

Hell, it scared him!

Reassured by the unbroken blue above, he briefly rested his cheek on top of Tohru's head, then gently pushed her away. She needed to get to school...and he needed to pull his scattered wits together before noon. There was no way in hell he was going to let Akito, of all people, see just how scared he was! Never!!

“Tohru--you'd better get going, you don't want to be late for school.” Her chocolate eyes, brimming with tears, looked up at him with sorrow. He swallowed, hard, as his own sight blurred again. He sighed, and tried to put at least a half-grin on his face as he said, “Promise me you'll at least try to not be a doormat anymore...?” Since he wasn't going to be there to remind her, anymore...

Tohru sniffed and giggled softly, before sobering and giving him a serious nod. “I-I'll try, Kyo-kun. I promise.” He nodded slowly, before closing his eyes and dropping his head.

“Tohru--I--” He sighed, grimacing at the roof under him. His free hand swiped at his hair, then kneaded the back of his neck, before he looked back up at her with a pained expression. “Tohru--h-how do you feel about--about Yuki? Really?”

She blinked, then looked down at his hand, still held in both of hers. She remembered what Kyo had said, about wishing her and Yuki to be happy; and so gave the matter some serious thought before looking up once more. “I--I feel for him what I feel for Uo-chan, and Hana-chan. Sohma-kun is--like a brother, to me. How I care about Sohma-kun is very different from how I care about Kyo-kun.”

Kyo visibly winced at the word `brother.' Tohru was rather surprised when he grimaced and looked down, head hunched down between his shoulders, looking for all the world like a puppy who expected it was going to be kicked into a wall some time in the very near future. “Kyo-kun...??”

He sighed. “Yuki and I--had a little talk, earlier. He asked me--” Kyo cleared this throat, lightly. “Ah, he--he asked me, how I--feel--about--you.” Red eyes flickered up at her from behind loose bangs.

Tohru's eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sohma-kun...asked that...?”

The eyes glued themselves back to the roof. “...yeah.”

Tohru cocked her head slightly, beginning to be worried by Kyo's odd behavior. “Ano...what--did Kyo-kun tell Sohma-kun...?”

Another throat-clearing, followed by an uncomfortable squirming. “Uhhhm...I--er, I...uhhh, I--lied. I told him I...uhm...thoughtofyoulikeasister.”

Tohru blinked, taking a moment to decipher the high-speed words. She could almost feel the embarrassed blush radiating off Kyo's down-turned face. “...`Sister'...? Oh, dear...”

“Uhmmm... Yeah.”

Tohru started giggling. She couldn't seem to help herself; she curled over Kyo's trapped hand that she wasn't about to let go of, the sound quickly reaching hysterical proportions. Luckily, she got herself under control and sat back up before Kyo could become either offended or outright worried; he was only confused as hell, staring at her like she'd gone crazy.

“Kyo-kun--you weren't trying to play matchmaker, were you...?” She let out another quick spurt of giggles, then got herself under control. Her eyes still sparkled with suppressed laughter for another few moments, though. Kyo blushed even more, looking off to the side.

Once she'd sobered enough, she continued, “Kyo-kun shouldn't be so silly.” That snapped his eyes back to her! “I love who I love. If the ones I love go away--then it happens; but I won't ever regret loving them. Mom always told me to be myself; she also told me to accept life as it is, and not to constantly worry about bad things before they can even happen. I know she'd still have loved Dad, even if she'd known he was going to die while I was still little. Her time with him was precious to her, and she felt it was worth enduring the grief of his death.” She smiled.

“It's sweet of Kyo-kun to try and take care of Sohma-kun and myself after Kyo-kun is gone--but I don't love Sohma-kun that way...and I don't think he really loves me that way, either, even if he may think he does right now. It wouldn't be right to try and force something that doesn't exist. I wouldn't want to give up my friendship with Sohma-kun.”

Kyo leaned over their joined hands, shivering, pulling her hands to his chest, placing his other hand over them. Tohru leaned her cheek against the top of his head for a moment, closing her eyes, squeezing his hand so he'd know she wasn't mad.

Kyo snorted to himself at the thought. Tohru didn't get mad! Hell, she didn't even get even, for crying out loud!

He sat back up, staring at her with sad eyes. It didn't really matter, now--it wasn't like he was going to ever see her again. He didn't want her going anywhere near the Honke--and Akito. He hoped Yuki would be able to keep her from trying anything foolish, like visiting him.

At least Tohru and Yuki would be able to talk about their relationship, whatever it would end up being now. Yuki likely wouldn't have gotten up the guts to talk to her about it for another year or two, if he was still wondering about Kyo's feelings.

Kyo knew the nezumi would never get mad at Tohru for her not returning his feelings. It was possible he wouldn't want to be around her for a while, though--it would likely be too painful. It didn't really matter if he found out Kyo had lied to him--Tohru's loving Kyo hadn't been because she knew the neko loved her. Or so Kyo tried to reassure himself.

And it wasn't like he'd ever be able to do anything about it, anyway. There was no way he could ever be married, have children--

Kyo quickly slammed a mental lid down on those bitter-sweet thoughts. He'd never allowed himself to daydream of ever having a family--not since he'd found out he was going to be locked up. It was too painful to dream of something he couldn't--ever--have.

Kenji-neko was one of the few Neko-cursed who had managed to have a kid before he was locked up. Kyo had read his diary entry on that, on the girl who'd stolen the previous neko's heart by their final year of high school. They'd been married a whole month before graduation, and Kenji's son--Shishou's father--was born seven months after Kenji was locked away.

Unfortunately, the poor kid got stuck with the curse of the Jyuunishi Tiger, and had himself died fairly young, passing the Tiger curse on to Kisa.

Kenji had mourned not even being able to attend the birth of his only child. He'd specifically asked in the Neko's Diary that any and all of the future Neko-cursed not follow his path, unless they were assured they would be able to be there for their families.

Tohru finally, reluctantly let go of his hand when they heard Yuki quietly call her name from below. Kyo's hand steadied her as she turned and began her climb down the ladder. Kyo's eyes followed her out of sight as she walked down the drive towards school, Yuki at her side, turning frequently to look back at him.

His heart felt like it was bleeding. He hardly noticed when the tears started down his cheeks again.

***