Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Tainted Choices ❯ Misplaced Assumptions ( Chapter 9 )

Tainted Choices

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters. They belong to Takaya Natsuki

Chapter 9

Misplaced Assumptions

 

“Kyou-kun, I am pregnant.” Tohru said gently.

She could see the anger in Kyou's eyes but also the hurt behind it in the deep crimson orbs. He seemed to be trying to keep himself from exploding, the pressure seemed to be rising each second.

Kyou literally shook with pent up fury as he grabbed her by the upper arms.

“You what? Who's the father? That Kuso Nezumi? He better not have touched you! I'll kill him! Whatever! I don't care anymore! Achh!”

Tohru tried to take Kyou's hand and calm him but he pulled away, “No. Don't touch me! You can't fool me now! I know you don't really care! I don't want to see the sight of your face anymore!”

And Kyou pushed her away and jumped down to the ground below.

Tohru yelled after him but he kept running and disappeared into the woods.

“Oh no! He thinks I hate him and I never cared about him now! Mother, what do I do now?” Tohru thought out loud through her tears as she climbed down the ladder as fast as she could. She had to catch up to him and tell him the truth. It was going to be dark soon. When she got to the bottom of the ladder she started to turn quickly and felt herself crash right into Yuki's chest.

He looked up in surprise and saw that Tohru had been crying.

“Honda-san? What's wrong? I didn't hurt you when I bumped into you did I?”

She bent down and took him up in her hands, bringing him up to her eye level.

“No, you didn't hurt me. Don't worry. I am sorry; I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was just a little upset because Kyou is angry with me. I told him something that was very hard for him to hear. This reminds me that I have something I need to talk to you about Yuki-kun. Can you join me at the Secret Base at around seven o'clock?”

Yuki was intrigued. She wanted to talk to him…he knew she was pregnant already...what else could it be? He silently hoped that she would tell him that she had feeling for him. But, he knew that was a dream. The world just didn't work that way, at least for him.

“Sure! No problem! I will be there. Maybe we can pick some of the strawberries. The new crop should be ripe by now.” He said as he looked up to her hopefully.

It disturbed him to see what he read in her eyes, a sadness lurking behind her smile.

“Well, umm…I will get going before I change back.”

He said as he jumped out of her hands and ran towards his room.

Tohru wiped her eyes and straightened her dress and set off to find Kyou. She was very worried that he would run away again if she didn't find him and set things straight soon.

 

Deep in the forest, Kyou climbed a tall evergreen tree. He climbed as high as he could and he could see for miles all around. The sun was low in the sky and it gave the clouds a coral tone. He thought about what it would be like if he simply just let go and let his body fall to the forest floor. His remains would nourish all sorts of plant and animal life there.

“Why should I go on? I don't want to live without her! I am just going to be locked up anyhow! The cat always is! I hate this world! It is so unfair! Why does that Rat always have to win at everything? Why can't I have the one person I care about most in this whole world feel the same about me? My life is worthless!”

He screamed these things to the sky above and the world below. Hoping some kind of deity would have pity on him and free him from the life he had been cursed with. Of course, there was no answer, there never was. All he would have to do was loosen his fingers one by one and he would fall silently to earth like an autumn leaf and all his troubles would be over. But he was a coward. He couldn't do it. He was scared. That more than anything pissed him off. He didn't even have the courage to off himself, much less tell Tohru how he felt about her. Now it was too late. That Rat had won the prize once again. He ran his nail across his arm and a cherry red line of blood welled up. He did it over and over again, it made him feel better, draining away the pain…later he would tell the others he had fallen in some brambles, as if they would ever care to ask…

 

Tohru stumbled through the undergrowth. The woods were so dark at dusk and she was probably the worst tracker in history. She didn't know much about the forest and it seemed all she was doing was walking in circles. After she passed the tree she knew grew next to the house about six times she gave up.

“I am never going to find him alone…especially in the dark. Hopefully, Kyou-kun will return to the house for breakfast. I will cook his favorite.” She said with some optimism lighting her voice and she ran back towards the house.

She pushed open the door to find Shigure and Yuki sitting at the table. Shigure was reading a novel and Yuki just looked bored. She needed to think over what she was going to tell Yuki and Kyou. She wasn't sure if she should tell them who the father was. She didn't want Yuki or Kyou to blame Hatori. And she even was scared to let them know what Akito had done. She wanted to hate Akito but she couldn't. She just felt pity. It must be horrible to know you were born to die and not have a choice in the matter. She waved at Yuki and Shigure and ran up the stairs to her room. She plopped down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

“Oh, Mom…what should I do?” She sighed.

She had to go down and face Yuki. She would tell him everything. He needed to know the truth and she was tired of hiding it.

She went downstairs and Yuki was now alone at the table. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Tohru sat down quietly across from him and said, “Yuki-kun? Is it okay if we go to the Secret Base tomorrow morning? I know I said I wanted to go there tonight, but I can't find Kyou and I am worried. I was wondering if you could help me find him…he ran into the woods.”

Yuki smiled and said gently, “Sure. That's no problem. I can help you look for Kyou. Although, he will probably return when he gets hungry and cools off. Let's go!”

He stood up and handed Tohru her coat, then he pulled his own on and grabbed a flashlight.

“We'll need this. It is going to be pretty dark in the forest. We will be lucky if we can find him. In fact, unless he wants to be found, it may be very, very difficult.”

Tohru smiled and said optimistically, “Well, at least Kyou-kun knows the forest from his training in the mountains. We'll look around for an hour and if we don't find him then I will have to be patient I guess.”

Yuki could tell that Tohru was just trying to be brave. Knowing her, she probably blamed herself that Kyou was out in the woods cold and alone. Of course, he knew it was just that Baka Neko's pride that kept him out there. After searching for quite a while they returned to the house. They were both shivering and a little discouraged.

Tohru took Yuki's hand and looked into his eyes, clearly worried about Kyou, and said, “Yuki-kun? I am scared that he won't come back. Maybe I hurt his feelings so much he won't want to have anything to do with me…” And she started to cry.

Yuki reached up and wiped away her tears from her glistening cheeks.

“Don't blame yourself, Honda-san. He will come back. He is just being stubborn. You can be sure he can't leave you for long.”

Tohru smiled and tried to look tough.

“Okay Yuki-kun. I will try to be strong. I am going to head to bed now. I need to get some sleep so I can wake up nice and early and cook Kyou-kun's favorite breakfast!”

She ran past him and up the stairs to her room.

 

Yuki could hear her sobbing quietly through the door when he went up to his room. He wanted to go in and comfort her but he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what had gone on between Tohru and Kyou. So, he went into his room and shut the door, trying to drown out her sobs. He eventually fell asleep. The sun beaming through his window woke him and he rubbed his eyes wearily. He had never been a `morning person'. He stretched and got dressed. He could hear the bird chirping outside. But, there was something missing. He didn't hear Tohru downstairs preparing breakfast as usual or Kyou outside practicing his martial arts. He opened his bedroom door and went across the hall to Tohru's. He knocked quietly.

“Honda-san? Are you alright?”

Tohru opened her eyes and heard Yuki at her bedroom door.

“Oh no! What time is it? I must have overslept if Yuki-kun is already awake! I have to make breakfast!”

Panicking she sprung out of bed, donning her clothes in a matter of seconds.

“I'll be down in a minute Yuki-kun! I am so sorry!”

She heard Yuki say “Okay. I'll be downstairs.” And he padded down the stairs.

Tohru ran down the stairs, almost falling down them in her haste. She saw Shigure and Yuki sitting at the table. Shigure looked somewhat annoyed and Yuki was his usual morning self.

“I am so sorry to make you wait! You must be starving! She stammered.

Tohru was embarrassed that she had made them wait and apologized as she went into the kitchen.

Yuki stood and followed her in.

“Miss Honda? Can I help you?”

Tohru tied her apron around her slender waist and said as cheerfully as she could, “Sure! I would love some help, Yuki-kun!”

Yuki smiled and asked, “What would you like me to do?”

Tohru looked around the kitchen for a task suitable for Yuki to do. He always managed to burn something or cut himself while in the kitchen, but she didn't want him to feel as if she didn't appreciate his help.

“Hmmm…how about washing off the vegetables for me?”

Yuki smiled and went to work scrubbing the daikon radishes and carrots in the sink.

As she worked, Tohru chatted with Yuki, “Yuki-kun? Is it alright if we go to the Secret Base after breakfast?”

Yuki answered, “That sounds good, Honda-san. It will be nice. The sun is warm this morning.”

 

Tohru set the table and served breakfast. Kyou had apparently smelled the fish cooking, and sheepishly joined them. His arms were bleeding and he had explained to Tohru that he had fallen into some brambles in the woods. Yuki and Shigure were both suspicious about that explanation because Kyou would not generally be so careless but they didn't want to make Tohru worry, so they kept quiet and just nodded to each other across the table. Kyou sat crossways from Yuki, eying him with what Yuki could only describe as deep hatred the whole time they were eating the food. Shigure had eaten as fast as possible and retired to his room to get away from the tension he felt building. Tohru seemed to be oblivious as usual. After the meal, Tohru and Yuki headed to the Secret Base. Yuki could feel Kyou's eyes on him as he walked away, drilling holes into his back. He had rarely felt such loathing, even from Kyou. It made him shiver, part of the instinct of the Rat taking over he was sure, he felt as if he was about to be a cat's snack.

Tohru noticed Yuki's uncontrollable shuddering and her eyes filled with concern.

“Are you okay Yuki-kun? You're shaking…did something scare you?”

“Uh, no…no I am fine…let's go!” He said with as much gusto as he could and he took Tohru by the hand, pulling her down the path towards his garden.

 

Yuki led Tohru over to a large boulder on the side of the field and sat down.

“So, what do you have to tell me?” He asked curiously.

She swallowed, gathering up the courage and said as tenderly as possible, “Well, I want you to know how much I care for you and that I don't want to ever see you hurt by anything I tell you. Please remember that as I tell you. Promise?”

Yuki nodded and said, “I will do my best.”

Tohru held Yuki's hands in hers and squeezed them tightly.

“Yuki-kun, someone you know is the father.”

Yuki's eyes widened and he felt as if his heart fell to his feet.

“I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just wasn't sure how to tell you.”

Yuki felt his eyes welling with tears, he didn't want to let her see him cry, but the tears rolled down his cheeks anyhow.

“Oh, don't cry Yuki.”

Tohru said with sadness filling her voice and she hugged his head to her chest, as close as she could without making him transform.

“I am sorry, Tohru. I can't help it.”

Tohru wasn't sure she wanted to tell Yuki who the father was without the story behind it so she started out with telling him the `how' and not the `who'. “Yuki, do you remember when I was attacked?” Yuki thought to himself, “There is no way he could ever forget that night…” He had felt so useless. He had allowed her to get hurt and he had a hard time getting over that. “Yes. That was a horrible night.”

Tohru gently stroked his head, trying to keep him calm, and said, “That night, as you already know, I was raped. And the father of this child is the man who raped me. Now before you vow to kill the man. I think there is something you should know. He was a victim as well. He was drugged and he didn't know what he was doing. The man was one of the Sohmas.”

Yuki's eyes widened in horror.

“But how? Didn't Akito say it had to be someone from outside the Sohma family it wasn't one of the Juniishi was it?”

He asked hoping it wasn't for the child's sake. If it was then the child could potentially be born cursed. That is, if something should happen to one of the others before its birth.

Tohru nodded her head.

“Yes, it is one of the Juniishi.”She said quietly.

Then it must be one of the Juniishi who lived in the Honke. Akito didn't have access to Kyou.

“Tohru, I understand. You don't want me to get mad at the man who did this to you. I promise you, I know whomever it was, Akito was the mastermind in all of this.”

Tohru bit her lip nervously.

“Yes, Akito-san drugged the man and he made him do this to me. But, please, don't hurt Akito-san either. Akito-san has had a hard life being the core of the curse. I hate what he did to me, but I don't hate Akito-san, I pity him.”

Yuki was dismayed by Tohru's perpetual ability to see the good in everyone, even in Akito. Even after he did this evil thing to her.

“Tohru, how can you say that you pity a man who has tortured you? I don't understand.”

Tohru looked down and seemed deep in thought for a moment, and then she looked into Yuki's eyes.

”I don't really know anymore.”

And she fell forward and sobbed. Yuki wrapped his arms around her and sobbed along with her.

Tohru sat up slowly and looked into Yuki's violet eyes.

“There is one other thing I need to tell you. I need to tell you who the father is…it is Hatori-san, he didn't even remember what he had done until Akito-san told him. He didn't mean to hurt me. Please don't be angry with him.”

Yuki knew it had to be someone at the Honke, he wasn't surprised that Akito had chose Hatori, because he had easy access to Hatori's food and water. That and Hatori was more trusting than the others of Akito.

Yuki smiled and said gently to Tohru as he brushed back her hair out of her teary eyes.

“It is okay Tohru. I don't blame him. I am sad for him. I know how it feels to be used by Akito.”

 

They sat there talking for hours until they noticed it was getting late into the afternoon and they had talked right through lunch.

They started back and as they walked back to the house, Tohru asked Yuki if he was angry with her.

Yuki looked at her tenderly and asked, “Why would I be?”

Tohru answered desperately, “Will you help me Yuki? I need help to stay strong. I feel bad asking you, you've already done so much for me, but I feel as though I might go crazy from the strain of this.”

Yuki stopped and took Tohru's hands in his own.

“Tohru. As long as you want me around I will do anything you need for you. I …I love you Tohru. I want to help you any way that I can.”

Tohru blushed furiously; she thought to herself, “Did he just say he LOVED me?”

Yuki smiled and kissed her hand saying gallantly, “A prince must always be there for his princess…shall we go, my Lady?”

Tohru beamed and they headed into the house.

 

Kyou fumed in the tree. He had seen that dirty Rat kiss Tohru's hand and he wasn't going to let him get away with stealing his mate. The Rat would pay dearly, no one could do that to her and get away with it. He couldn't believe that Tohru had been swayed by the Rat's fake charms. He never believed that innocent Tohru would let anyone talk her into the perverted things that must race around in the Rat's mind. The more he thought about Yuki touching Tohru, the more he wanted to tear Yuki limb from limb. For the first time in his life, he actually wanted to take off his bracelet so he could destroy his rival. He would find a way. But for now, he would just bide his time and act like he had gotten over the shock of Tohru's `announcement'. He walked into the house as unruffled as he could. Tohru and Yuki were sitting at the table and they seemed to have been joking about something, Tohru was giggling and the Rat was smiling at her.

“Yo!” Kyou said casually as he walked past them and continued up to his room.

Shouting down behind him, “Hurry with dinner! I'm hungry!”

 

Yuki sighed and rolled his eyes, that guy could be so insensitive sometimes.

“It's okay Tohru. Why don't we both go to the grocery store together and get stuff for dinner? We wouldn't want to keep the kitty waiting too long for his supper. And it is a nice night outside.”

Tohru smiled at Yuki's little joke and said, “Okay, Yuki. I surely wouldn't want Neko-san to wait for his feast. Let's go!”

She pulled on her jacket and handed Yuki his.

“Here Yuki. Make sure you put this on. I don't want you to get a cold.”

Yuki teased her saying, “Wow, you've already go that `Mom' thing down don't you?”

Tohru winked and they left. The air actually was quite chilly when they got outside.

“Brrr…I am glad you talked me into wearing my coat Tohru. It is cold out tonight. I hope it doesn't get too cold for the new seedlings.”

Tohru got this worried look in her eye and said, “You don't think it will kill the strawberries, do you? That would be horrible! You worked so hard to plant those!”

Yuki put his hands in his pockets, wishing he had also remembered his gloves and said, “I don't think so. Strawberries are supposed to be pretty cold tolerant.”

Tohru was disappointed when she saw that Yuki's hands were in his pocket, she had wanted to hold his hand, she thought perhaps Yuki didn't want to hold hands.

Yuki looked at Tohru and noticed that she was lost in thought and staring at his pockets.

“Tohru? Do you want to hold hands with me? We can keep each other's hands warm while we walk that way…”