5.
My fifth fanfic. Third POV. I know, I know…this plot's been overdone but I simply could not resist! Haven't seen FB for awhile so if the characterization is off, I apologize ahead of time.
I heard that there's an Anime or something called Strawberry Panic; lol. But I kept the title anyway because I think it really fits the story.
Oh, and btw for all those KyoTohru fans out there...there's a smidgen of it towards the end.
Disclaimer: Be thankful pitiful mortals. :p
Strawberry Panic
Tohru's just eating strawberries...so why's Yuki spazzing out?
☆Yukiru
- - -
"Honda-san?"
"Yes Sohma-kun?"
"Why exactly are you here?"
The brunette-haired girl seemed to stiffen at his words, sapphire orbs blinking rapidly as she met his amethyst gaze almost shyly. Her hand stilled on the fine china cup she held within her grasp, hands shaking just slightly. "I-- I thought you might like to join me for tea. Shigure-san said that you looked exhausted from being out in your garden all day… a-and that I should relieve you. I'm sorry if I interrupted you! I didn't mean to bother you, but I thought perhaps you might like a break and, and--"
"Shigure said that?" Yuki intoned calmly, interrupting the poor girl in the middle of her babble-talk.
Tohru blinked, color rising in her cheeks as she nodded. "H-hai."
Yuki looked surprised for a moment, pondering over this fact as Tohru set out to the tedious task of pouring their tea. Shigure's idea? Since when did he care whether he spent the entire day in his garden or not? Usually he got a kick out of poking him in his sides whenever he got a particularly nasty sunburn. "Oh lobster-chan," he'd sing-song, grinning deviously from ear to ear. Yuki was more careful to wear generous amounts of suntan lotion slathered on his fair skin from then on. So why all of a sudden now did he bother to act paternal and fret over his skin's condition?
Wait…of course. He didn't.
Like a trainwreck, everything seemed to slipshod and collide in his head as the pieces slowly came together. Sweet, simple Tohru's words repeated in his mind over and over again like a broken record player as he unconcsiously began to dig his nails into the polished wood beneath him. "Shigure-san said that you looked exhausted from being out in your garden all day… a-and that I should relieve you."
Why. That slimy bastard. That would explain his (and conveniently Kyo's) sudden absense earlier that day, and that moronic, idiotic grin he'd sported as he had sauntered past him in the hallway, eyes alit with something he couldn't identify behind his white fan. "Just on my way to the store! You kids behave while I'm gone, ne?"
Yuki's eyebrow gave a twitch in irritation and he could already feel another headache coming on. He glowered down at his toes with downcast lavender eyes, muttering under his breath. Tohru seemed to notice this right away, and called him from out of his dark thoughts.
"A-are you alright?"
When he met her gaze he was touched immediately by the genuine concern for him he saw glittering in her gentle blue eyes. He took in the way she hesitated, the tips of her ears turning pink as she worried her bottom lip slightly. She was so cute when she did that he thought, eyes unconsiously going to her pink-bud mouth.
"Yes, yes I'm fine. I was just thinking…I'm alright now."
"Oh! Okay then," Tohru beamed cheerfully, eyes lighting up as she cocked her head cutely to one side. Yuki felt the corners of his lips rise unbidden to form a small, gentle smile. She really was just simply too adorable in all her naivete and innocence.
He came over and sat next to her. Her tray besides holding the traditional herbal green tea held a plate of rosy-red strawberries and a bowl of cream. He raised one delicate gray eyebrow as he looked down at the ripe fruit.
"Strawberries?"
Tohru blushed again, lowering her eyes as she fingered the edges of her summer skirt. "I picked them myself, Shigure-san insisted I eat with you after I ate with him. He asked me to describe your reaction afterwards... I-I didn't really understand but the fruit is sweet so I brought some."
During the race of getting the words out as soon as possible, she lost her breath and Yuki watched her face flush ten different shades of red, from a dusky pink to a deep, deep cherry-- her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath.
Yuki's eyes widened considerably as he realized where he had just been staring and glanced away quickly, a slight pink warming his pale cheeks.
-Don't look there. Don't look there. Don'tlookthere.-
"Shigure said that as well?" he managed cooly.
"Hai! Shigure-san is far too kind! He even said we could use his book for inspiration if we "ran into a rut"!" she smiled, "although, I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that…but it was really kind of him to offer, wasn't it?" Yuki nearly gagged, forcing himself to remain calm and collected as her eyes sought out his eagerly.
"Of course, Honda-san. That was very…considerate of him. I'll have to remember to thank him properly for that later."
Yuki cast a quick glance over the strawberries, scanning them for anything out of the ordinary; he noted nothing suspicious. Nevertherless...
"Honda-san, please have some first. I'll drink some tea."
She looked mildly disappointed but dutifully poured him his tea and reached for a strawberry. Yuki watched over the rim of his rose-embossed tea cup as Tohru delicately swirled the strawberry with pale cream and lifted it slowly to her lips.
-Those soft, pink, moist lips... Don'tthinkthat!-
Pearly teeth were glimpsed as she parted those lips and nipped at the fruit. Yuki shivered. How could she make something so simple as eating strawberries doused in cream look so innocent yet, yet -- so sensual at the same time? Her eyelids fluttered close as she chewed her small bite, her face alive in delight. Yuki took a hasty gulp of the too hot tea almost choking.
"Sohma-kun? Are you alright?"
She had a bit of cream on the corner of her lips... Apparently noticing she flicked her pink tongue out and licked it cleanly away. That small sight was the last straw.
- - -
Shigure was laughing so hard he was holding his sides in pain and Kyo seemed to be mumbling something under his breath although Tohru wasn't too sure. Shigure brushed at the tears in his eyes, "Nosebleed? A NOSEBLEED you say?! Ahahahaha!"
"But I still don't understand Shigure-san," Tohru fretted nervously, eyes hopelessly wide as she clasped her hands together, "I was really worried and all he did was run away and tell me to eat the strawberries by myself...I thought Sohma-kun liked strawberries!"
Shigure burst into another fit of giggles and when a troubled Tohru looked to Kyo for console, he merely snorted. Avoiding her inquiring eyes the cat stared at his feet, hands buried deep in his pockets. "Heh. Don't ask me, not like I understand a damn word that comes out of that pervert's mouth anyway."
The strange thing was though, Tohru could have sworn she saw Kyo blushing.