Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters therein. All rights to Natsuki Takaya.
Yuki stared at the door to the main house for a long time. He hated coming back from school and going to see Akito right away. He hated it. He just wanted to go to his bedroom and work on his homework. If he could do that maybe he wouldn't have to study so much during recess. Although… all he would do during recess is sit by himself and hope for an invitation join the others that would never come. If he could study in his bedroom out of the way then maybe Akito wouldn't make him sit in that room.
He mentally resigned himself to his fate and opened the door, making his way to Akito's sitting room to tell him that he'd come back. His heart beat fast and his hands trembled a little. He didn't want to be hurt again. Was that so wrong to think?
He stopped suddenly when he saw something laying beside the wall. Curious, he got down to look and froze when he realized what it was. A rat lay there, its chest heaving and the sound of its breath reminding Yuki how he sounded during an attack. Yuki could sense fear from the creature but not a fear of him. In fact, it sluggishly tried to crawl towards him. Yuki knew what was happening: this rat was dying. It was an old rat and had lived its short life-span. Now it was ready to die.
Yuki looked around to make sure no one was coming and then sat down against the wall, stretching out a finger to stroke the poor rat's head. The old rat ceased its attempt to crawl to him and lay there under his touch, trembling in it's pre-death. Tears stung Yuki's eyes when he realized how scared the rat was of dying. It didn't understand what was happening and its body and mind were quickly betraying it and shutting down and failing.
"It's okay," Yuki whispered, gently picking up the rat, holding him close and stroking its small body. The rat squeaked softly and curled into Yuki's palm, a little too big to quite fit. "You'll be okay," Yuki said softly, tears obstructing his vision. All he could do was hold that small shaking body and stroke the rat's fur in comfort.
He sensed a calm begin to settle over the rat's mind and then a peace. It lay in his hand, curled into his palm and against his torso for another five minutes before the trembling slowly ceased and its body stilled. The rat's gasping came quicker for a few seconds and then withered to nothing. The heart beat that had been pounding against Yuki's hand slowed and then stopped altogether.
Dead.
Yuki held the creature close and cried, mourning its small life. He heard foot steps and looked up to see one of the maids coming towards him. "Akito-sama has been waiting, Yuki-san," she told him. "I suggest you come—" She stopped speaking and let out a scream. "Put that thing down at once! Put it down!" When Yuki shook his head in refusal and continued to gently hold the still creature, the woman struck at his hands, making the rat fly out of them and land with a unceremonious thud on the floor. "That thing's probably diseased! It's disgusting; don't touch it!" The maid took his hand and began leading him away but Yuki yanked his hand back and ran back for the poor rat, picked it up, and running past the woman, went straight out the door, tears streaming down his face.
He didn't stop until he was in a secluded corner of the Souma grounds and respectfully laid the rat's body to the side. "Not… disgusting. Not diseased."
Who could ever love a rat? They're filthy creatures covered in disease. No one could want a rat. Isn't that right, Yuki?
"No." Yuki shook his head as he begun digging a grave for the rat. "Some people might. Some one might." Dirt clung beneath his fingernails but he didn't have anything else to dig with so he kept going. "…Some one… might want me." Finally, when the hole was deep enough Yuki sat back and once more picked up up the rat to lay him inside it. The creature's body was a little cold and no longer as limp.
"I hope the next life is kinder to you," Yuki whispered before filling in the small grave. After patting down the dirt he looked down at his hands. They were covered in dirt and… and filth.
Rats are such filthy creatures. Have you ever seen one, Yuki? They eat filth, they live in filth, and eventually they become filth. Just like you.
Review, yes? It's my birthday today (the 15th of April) so you can consider it a gift if you'd like. :3