Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Slave of Sensation ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 7 )

Written in response to no particular Makin' Lemonaide challenge.


DISC: I don't own Fruits Basket or its characters. They are owned by Natsuki Takaya. I make no profit off this story. If anything, it's making me less productive at work and ruining my chances for a raise. You think I'm joking, but I'm serious.




The sun had not yet come up when Tohru awoke. It took a moment before she understood why she wasn't in her own room. And then she smiled and sighed happily. Quietly she rolled her head over to look at the sleeping cat. He looked so peaceful, so happy, it made her heart swell. "I love you, Kyou," she whispered, lightly brushing her lips against his cheek. In his sleep, he smiled.

Carefully she snuck out of the bed and got dressed. She had breakfast to make, lunches to pack, and laundry to wash.

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Once the door closed, his eyes popped open. It wasn't that he wanted to deceive her. He was just enjoying lying next to her, and he was hoping to make it last. He'd actually been awake for about half an hour longer than she had. And once she woke up, he didn't want to embarass her - after all, it was the first time she would have ever woken up naked in someone else's bed.

And of course, he was going to need to take care of something.

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The sound of his door closing woke him. But even though it wasn't even 6am, all things considered, it wasn't like he was surprised when he heard the familiar voice say, "We need to talk."

Sitting up, he replied, "Well, I wasn't expecting you QUITE so early, but... You're right. We do."

The figure at the door crossed over to the desk, leaning against its edge. "She loves you," the cat stated succinctly.

"From the sounds I heard last night, she loves you more," the dog replied. The cat was actually taken aback by the tone. He'd kind of expected the dog to be flippant, nonchalant as always. Instead, he was serious, and there was an undertone of pain.

"I don't want to get into that. It's hard enough on her as it is," the cat replied, sagely. "Besides, you're in love with Akito, so you can't hold anything against Tohru."

The dog forced out his reply, "Of course not. I hold it against you. And what do you know about Akito? I'm certain Tohru never told you."

"Oh. That was a secret between you two? Well then you shouldn't talk about it in the middle of the hall."

The dog nodded. "Your little eavesdropping stint. Right."

"Like you've never listened in to a conversation you weren't invited to."

"Well, that's me. I'm just surprised that you managed to be stealthy enough to pull it off. After all, you really don't have any cat-like reflexes that *I've* ever seen."

The cat glared at the dog and took a deep breath. "I get it. Okay. You don't like the fact that she loves me. Well, I'm not exactly pleased that I have to share her with you either. But none of that matters, so just shut up."

The dog held back his bitter smile. He knew what was coming. He didn't like it, but he knew.

"Tohru is... She's the most important thing to consider. And when Akito locks me up, she's going to need you. So you're going to need to take care of her. If you don't, I'll find a way to break out and kill you. Understand?"

Just as he predicted. It was truly annoying. "And this is what you came here to say?" he questioned. "Nothing about how you're not going to let me touch your girl? Nothing about how she deserves better than a damned dog?"

Kyou rolled his eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Shigure. All that matters is Tohru. If she got what she deserved, she'd be far away from anyone with the name Sohma." He snorted. "Like *I* ever deserved her? Hell, she'll be better off with you. At least with you she'll have a future. I just want to make sure that you're willing to live up to the responsibility. Because she's given up everything for us. And if you're not going to do the right thing, I'm going to fill every last one of the jyuunishi in on Akito's little plan. They may not be able to stop you from doing what Akito wants, but they'll sure as hell kick your ass for it."

Shigure bristled. "Is that all?"

"No, actually. Then I'm going to tell Uo and Hanajima that you're sleeping with her, but that you love someone else. And we'll just see how they react."

The dog laughed and clapped sarcastically. "Bravo! Well thought out. Except one thing. By the time you can find out what I'm going to do, you'll already be locked up and won't be able to talk to anyone, now will you?"

Turning, the cat took on a fighting stance. "God damn, you're a bastard, Shigure! How the fuck did you fool her into falling for you?"

It was like the dog had been slapped. He calmed down and relaxed in the bed. "I didn't, actually. I didn't trick her. I may be a bastard, but even I have my limits." The cat still looked ready to pounce, so Shigure waved his hand. "Oh, do settle down, Kyou. You know damn well I won't let anything happen to her. I love her too, you know." He shook his head. "And before you ask, it's because I knew that you'd come to the decision that I'd be better able to take care of her. Because it's not true and it pisses me off. She'd be better off with you, and if you thought for a second, you'd realize that."

He saw the cat's confusion. "Oh come on. Did you really think those threats would work? Akito would never let me be damaged too badly. If I was, then she wouldn't be able to beat up on me herself. And if you told Uo and Hanajima, it would be the same as if she were sent back shamed. You'd never do that in a million years." He waved grandly. "I, on the other hand, have information that could easily be used to hurt you. Like if I were to tell Akito that you slept with Tohru - that you love her and she loves you - what exactly would Akito do to the two of you? Do you think?"

Kyou's face froze in shock. "You wouldn't!"

And Shigure bowed his head slowly. "No. I wouldn't. But we need to put all our cards on the table, Kyou, and I need you to know that I'm telling you the truth." He waited for that to sink in and Kyou to relax slightly before he continued.

"I love Akito. But I love Tohru, too. If I had to choose one to spend my life with... it would be a pretty damn tough decision. But I don't get to choose, so that's beside the point. The point is, I will do anything I can to protect her - even from Akito. Because Tohru DOES deserve better than me. But Akito... Akito, I think, is my perfect match. She pretty much deserves me and I deserve her."

Kyou sat in shock. Every word Shigure said was making complete sense. And... when he thought about it, the two of them really did seem... It was wrong, but they seemed right. Mind bogglingly right. It made him feel sea-sick.

"So the real question you and I have to decide is how can we protect her from Akito. You do agree with me that she needs protection from Akito now more than ever...?"

Kyou grunted his assent.

"Okay then. Here's the scoop, and you're not going to like this, Kyou." He grimaced and then went on. "We have to train her as Akito commanded. But no one else can know. And no one can know that you two are in love."

Shigure's words rolled around in his head. That no one could know that they were in love made perfect sense. And for sure he didn't want anyone knowing what Akito was having done to her. But the "we" in conjunction with the training...

Shigure continued, "In fact, we need to keep up appearances that Yuki has a thing for Tohru. Because if Akito doesn't see this as a way to strike out at all three of us, she might change tactics."

"Well how the hell are we supposed to get Yuki to agree to pretend he likes Tohru if we can't tell him why?"

"It's called creative use of the truth. Just leave that to me."

"Okay, but you better not mess it up. I'll talk to Tohru about not telling anyone about us."

The question of the training hung out in the air, and Shigure didn't say anything, enjoying watching the cat squirm at the unspoken subject. When the cat finally spoke, the dog couldn't help but grin. "So what'd you mean about 'we' and the training?"

"Well, do you really think you're capable of leaving me alone with her, touching her the way you did last night? Are you trying to tell me that you'll be okay with me being the only one fucking her?" He nodded as the cat's face contorted. "I didn't think so. Well. I can tell you that if we want her to pass Akito's standards, there are going to be things that you're not going to want to be around for. And then, there are things that you will.

"But more importantly, I'm not going to let Tohru just become a slave of sensation and nothing more. Oh, I'll fill all of Akito's demands. But - Tohru will have you. And because she has you, Akito won't be able to make her anything less than she has always been." Shigure sounded certain and determined, and Kyou could see that the dog would do everything that was needed to save Tohru. And at that moment, he knew what Tohru saw in the dog.

"So how is this going to work?"

"Well, you're going to have to trust me-"

"In this one instance, I do."

The dog looked surprised, then gratefully nodded. "And when I tell you to not be here, you have to not be here. I'm thinking you'll be spending some extra time with Kazuma. In fact, I think we should have the story be that you're living with Kazuma for a while. That way, it will seem even more like there's nothing between you and Tohru."

"What... He'll know I'm upset. What can I tell him?"

"Just tell him that you and I are working together to keep Akito from doing something stupid. And we'll tell everyone else that you're trying to get in some extra training so you can defeat Yuki."

The cat nodded. "What about the rat? Are you planning to do... whatever it is we need to do with that damn rat still living here?"

The dog looked startled. That's right. Yuki. He hadn't thought of that.

An evil smirk began to form on Kyou's face, and Shigure smiled as he said, "You've thought of something."

"Don't you think Yuki needs some time to bond with his brother?" Ayame, after all, already knew what was going on between Shigure and Tohru. And since Kyou would be "away at Kazuma's", it would be easy to get him in on it.

Shigure smiled. The boy had promise. "I bet I can even get Akito to order Yuki to live with Ayame for a few months."

They both laughed. As Kyou stood up to leave before Tohru found out he'd been here, Shigure commented, "If we ever do break the curse, I get to be best man at the wedding."

Kyou found himself genuinely smiling back at the dog. "Only if you promise that you and Akito will elope."

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