A/N: Please enjoi! My first Fruits Basket fanfiction. Hanajima/Kyo
This is a non-curse fic; meaning that the Sohmas don't turn into the zodiac animals when embraced by the opposite sex.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.
0—Bad Habit—0
"You've caused one problem too many, Sohma Kyo!" The school principle exclaimed with a frown. "Fighting on the school campus isn't allowed for any student, even if you are Yuki-san's cousin!"
"Tch. I don't care. Let's just get this over with and punish me already." The orange haired teen glanced off to the side and scowled. He was overly used to this by this time. He would get nothing more than after school cleanup duty or even helping the gardening club with landscaping. "I don't have time to waste, ojiisan. I've got to train as soon as I get home." So that I can beat Yuki the next time we spar!
"Hmph. There will no longer be anymore of these easy punishments anymore, Kyo." The elder male adjusted his glasses and allowed a sneer to cover his thin lips. All of a sudden, he leapt upon his desk and shoved an accusing finger in the troublemaker's direction. "This time things will be different! This time Kyo, I will assign you to a new duty that you haven't yet had the pleasure of doing!"
There was no change in expression from the male other than the slight twitch of his eyebrow. "You sure are going senile, ojiisan…" He commented with a roll of his eyes. "So what is it that's so important?"
A small vein appeared on the man's forehead, which he quickly shoved what little hair he had left on his head over it. "It is a small task." He threw down a small folder in front of the male. "This is what I had in mind."
"Hm?" The male leaned forward just enough to read the label. "…Tutoring..?" He glanced up with a skeptical smirk. "Really? You think that this is the worst that you could do for me? You're going soft."
"In the folder is the name and information of the student that you will be teaching. Also in there is the subjects that your student has failed. Look over them so that you know what you should be teaching."
He shoved his silk-like hair out of his face and climbed to his feet, grabbing the manila folder. "What room is this going to be in?" He asked with a sigh as he made his way over to the door.
"2-B. Have fun."
"Hmph. Weird guy." Kyo said with a frown, sliding the door shut behind him. He tossed the file that had the student he'd be looking after into a trash bin as he passed it. "This won't take long. Nor do I care who it is. I'll just get this tutoring stuff over with then get the hell out of here."
0—Break—0
As soon as he entered the room, a cool chill swept up his spine. "Ugh…What the hell is this familiar feeling?" He looked at his surroundings, at once noticing that the room was entirely dark despite there being windows lining the entire length of a whole wall. Something isn't right…Lines of dread appeared under his left eye as he heard a small cough sound at the back of the room. No way…Anyone but her!
"What a pleasant surprise Sohma Kyo." A pale hand landed on his shoulder from behind, causing the martial artist to leap high into the air, a clear screech of fear erupting from his lips. It was none other than Hanajima Saki.
How did she manage to get behind me? I distinctly remember hearing her in the corner of the back of the room…But I've gotta get through this—besides, she is Tohru's friend. She must have something good about her. Kyo clutched at his rapidly beating heart, trying his best not to pass out from terror.
"Are you ready?" This time she managed to appear at the back of the room again, and as she did, so too did the lights switch back on and it was an average temperature instead of deathly freezing. "I have to watch my otouto's performance in a school play this evening, so I would very much appreciate it if we make haste." She gently opened up a spiral notebook and took out a pencil before looking up at him expectantly with her dark violet hues.
"Oh…Uh…" He scratched the back of his head, immediately regretting throwing away her file. The thing would've at least let him be more prepared than he was when he first walked in. Calm down Kyo. She'll just let you know if you're teaching her the wrong thing. Hai, she doesn't want to be here just as much as I don't. "Uh—well, we can start by going over the math notes that Hanakari-sensei gave us a few weeks ago. Tohru always has trouble with math…Maybe that's what she's having trouble with. He reached into his satchel and retrieved the notes, only to pause when he caught the dark female's intimidating stare.
"Do you know what it is that you're here to teach me, Sohma Kyo?" She asked, the air waves around her began to swirl around her body, causing her hair to move as if the wind were blowing through it.
"Eh?" Damn…I probably got it wrong… "Well, it never hurts to know more, ya know? And by the way Hanajima, just call me Kyo. It's gonna get pretty annoying if you keep saying my whole name each time you address me."
"Very well…Kyo." Saki folded her hands under her chin and once again looked up at him expectantly.
He cleared his throat and scratched at his cheek for there was a slight burning sensation there before pulling back a chair and scooting closer to her desk. "Alright, here's a problem that we can start you off with." He wrote it down on her paper before meeting her gaze. "Try and figure that one out and I'll tell you if you got it wrong or right."
The psychic teen stared at the other for a few brief moments before angling her head down and making marks on her paper.
Whew. I was afraid that this would be more intimidating than it really is. He leaned back in his chair with his pencil hanging from his mouth, staring up at the tiled ceiling.
"I am done."
That was fast for someone who needs tutoring. He pushed himself upright and turned her paper to face him, studying her work. His eyes widened and rose to meet hers. "You got it right." Damn, even I can't solve this problem in a matter of seconds! How on earth is she in tutoring?
"I fail a lot of important tests." Saki answered his thought in her monotone voice. "If we were to go by class grades alone then I would most likely be first in the class, however, I never seem to be able to pass those tests." She straightened and glanced up at the clock, climbing to her feet.
"O-oi! Where are you going? We only did one problem!" Kyo shouted after her, climbing to his feet. That damn principle better not blame this one on me! She's the one that's leaving, not the other way around!
"Due to your tardiness, we wasted about twenty minutes of our session. It is 5:30, meaning that the designated time is complete. I will see you again this Wednesday, Kyo." With that she slid the door shut, its finality ringing in the silent room.
"Wait a minute…I have to do this twice a week? AGH!" He slapped his hand over his eyes and released a steady groan. "No more fights on school campus, Kyo."
0—Break—0
She took one look at the thick stack of papers in front of her blankly before meeting his gaze. "What are these?"
"These are practice tests that I asked Hanakari-sensei for. You already made it clear that you understand the material, but when it comes to tests, you are lost. Maybe we can see if you'll treat this any differently than your usual tests." Kyo reached into his satchel and pulled out a book. "You can begin anytime you want, and you can take as long as you want." He flipped through the pages until he found the chapter that he was on and resumed reading where he left off.
"Am I allowed to use notes?"
His head shot up from his book just to send her a narrow-eyed glare. "Iie. None of the other students were allowed to use them, and you're no different!"
Her violet hues widened for the briefest moments before lowering her head with a pencil on hand. If he were looking, Kyo would've seen it tremble ever so slightly. '…you're no different'…He is treating me as an equal despite my powers. She glanced up to stare at him, her bangs hiding the movement from the male. He had a smirk on his face and would chuckle from time to time at some obviously amusing segments in his novel. Other than Tohru and Arisa, not many people do that…She cast him once more futile glance before starting off on the first problem with an unusual eagerness that she's never felt before.
0—Break—0
He couldn't believe that it got that late. He must've been so into his book that he failed to realize that the sun was going down already. Sure, he told her to take all the time she needed, but he didn't think that she'd need an hour and a half! He stood by the gate of the school, patiently waiting for the dark female to exit the school. The soft patter of her footsteps was the only way that he knew that she was coming. He glanced over his shoulder to see her approaching with that ever present blank expression.
"What are you still doing here?" She asked calmly, continuing to walk past him and out the gates.
"I was waiting for you." He fell in step with her and glanced around them. "You may be a psychic but you are still a woman. I'll walk you home."
"That is not necessary. I live on the complete opposite side of town. I need to ride the train to get to my house, and it is not far from the station. You're chivalry is appreciated, but not necessary, Kyo."
"Hmph. Even so…It's against my principles to just allow you to possibly be in danger." Though I'm sure that I would probably feel sorrier for the sod who tries to attack her.
"Very well." They continued on in silence, only talking whenever it was necessary.
As usual, the station was crowded from all of the people who were just getting off work and making the daily commute back to their homes. They were shoved into the train in an incredibly cramped position; it turned out to be pretty awkward seeing as to how Saki and Kyo were facing each other face to face.
Being the male that he was, Kyo avoided her gaze and glared off at the back of random people's heads, a faint pinkish hue becoming dominant on his tanned cheeks.
"Kyo?"
"What?" He glanced down, his brows threading together at the sight before him. Saki stood there with a chalky white complexion, one that didn't look entirely healthy, and wide eyes.
"I've never been surrounded by so many people in such a small area before…" She shuddered against him, unconsciously burying her face in his chest. "Their thoughts…They are so loud…"
What the hell am I supposed to do? His mind searched frantically for an answer or some idea that would help him with such an unusual situation. What would Tohru do? After hesitating for a few short moments, he allowed his hands to raise and clutch the female to him. "Just…Just visualize that you're standing in an empty room without windows. The only person in there is you and you're sitting on a chair in the center." It was nothing but a simple visualizing technique that he had learned in a book he'd read a few weeks back. He did the same thing when he got fed up with Yuki. It usually worked.
"Oh my…They look so kawaii together!" A couple of high school girls giggled when the train finally came to a stop at their designated station.
"Shut up, shut up!" He flushed completely and sent the females a glare that should've sent them running for the hills. "We aren't 'together'!"
Finally Saki raised her head to peer up at the male, her brows for once threaded downward in confusion. "But we are together, Kyo…" She was right next to him! How could they not be together?
Another squeal. "They're on a first name basis already!"
"Shut up! She doesn't even understand what you meant by that! Go ogle someone else you losers!" When the teens refused to move, the orange haired male growled low in his throat and snatched the psychic's hand into his own, dragging her along, his face about exploding when there was another round of squealing and giggles.
They came to a stop directly outside of the station, and that's where the male released the female's hand. "Alright, so which way is your house?" He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Follow me." The confusion from earlier had dissipated and was now replaced with the standard blank face. As they were walking for a short while, Kyo couldn't help his thoughts.
I wonder if it'll look like a house out of a horror movie…Nah, those places only exist in old, deserted towns.
"We're here."
His crimson hues flicked open and he couldn't help but chuckle at how average and normal it looked compared to his imaginings. "Ah. See you next Tuesday, Hanajima." He had turned away to take his leave, only to pause at the hand that had encircled his wrist. He glanced over his shoulder. "Something you need?"
Her brows knitted together and a slightly confused expression once again crossed her robotic features. "Iie." She said finally, allowing her hand to fall to her side. "Good-bye."
The attractive Sohma cast her a skeptical look before smirking ever so slightly and giving her a small wave over his shoulder as he left.
She stood there long after he disappeared around the corner; however, her gaze was glued to the evening sky. A pale hand lifted and she clutched her chest. "What an odd sensation…" She mused, reaching up with her free hand to allow her wild and long ebony tresses to be free of their confining bands. "I will be sure to converse with Megumi about this. Perhaps he has an idea or two…" She glanced back up at the sky once more before she disappeared into her house.
0—Break—0
"Oi, Hanajima!"
Tohru and Yuki watched in surprise as Kyo left their side to approach their mysterious friend Saki. They gave sent each other a look of confusion before following behind slowly as apposed to his sprint.
"Ah. Good morning Kyo." Her hands were folded in front of her as she stared up at him with her usual blank face. "Is there something that you need?" She continued to walk despite the fact that Tohru and Yuki were falling behind.
"Well it's just that…"
By then neither one of Kyo's housemates could hear their conversation as they continued to walk.
"Hm. I do wonder what is going on there." Yuki said aloud.
"Didn't you hear?" The sound of Uotani Arisa's voice in their ears caused both teens to leap a foot into the air in sheer surprise.
"Gah?" Tohru clutched her rapidly beating heart, before sending one of her best friends a shaky smile. "Hello Uo-chan!"
"Heh, heh. Gomen Tohru-chan." The blonde ex-Yankee patted the shorter girl on her head before her visible eye flicked up to the retreating backs of Kyo and Saki.
"So about those two…What's going on Uotani-san?" Yuki asked. He could tell that she knew.
"Oh, that." She sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. "Well, as I'm sure the two of you know, Hana-chan's test records aren't the best out there. And I'm sure that you're also aware of how high strung orange-top is. He got in a fight a few weeks ago with some nobody and as his punishment, he has to tutor Hana every Monday and Wednesday. Believe me; I was shocked when I heard the news too." She chuckled at their expressions. "No need to look so worried. Hana-chan tells me that he's actually a pretty decent sensei."
She steered the two shorter teens off in a different direction, not noticing the worried stare that Tohru was sending towards the backs of her very good friends.
0—Break—0
"…So…The school term is coming to an end soon…What are you going to do during our break?" Kyo asked, glancing up over the edge of his book to peer over at the black clothed teen.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps we shall all go to the beach? It has been awhile since I have seen the ocean." Saki placed her pencil down softly on her desk and placed the back of her palm under her chin as she looked out the window.
"Hm. Not a bad idea Hanajima…" He mused, lost in thoughts as of now. He couldn't quite picture the female in front of himself wearing a bathing suit of any kind. He pictured her just sitting under an umbrella in all of her layers with a book resting in her hands as she looked up from time to time at her friends as they enjoyed themselves.
"You should ask Tohru-chan and Yuki-san if they would like to join while I ask Arisa."
Kyo nearly gasped when he caught a ghost of a smile stretch over Saki's mouth. Whoa…I can't believe it…His lips lifted ever so slightly in the corners, she's actually smiling in front of someone who isn't Tohru or Uotani! Not bad, Hanajima. "Hai. Sounds like a good idea. We should plan it all out before asking them though. What if we chose the wrong beach?" As soon as the words left his lips, he scolded himself. What the hell's wrong with me? I don't give a damn if the Yankee or Yuki-teme doesn't approve of the beach that we choose!
"Very well." Saki climbed to her feet and began to place her papers and utensils back into her satchel in an orderly fashion.
"What are you doing?" The orange haired teen glanced down at his wristwatch. "We still have twenty minutes until our session is over." What the hell is wrong with me? Why should I care if she wants to leave early?
She paused in her menstruations and glanced up at him, tilting her head to the side. "I thought that we were going to 'plan it all out'?"
"..." A smile fought its way to his lips. "Hai; I guess that we should." He waited for her by the door and allowed her to step out before shutting off the classroom's lights and sliding the door shut behind them. This should be fun. He thought, and for once, it didn't have a hint of sarcasm. He actually meant it. Strange…He glanced over at Saki from the corners of his eyes before grinning. I was so afraid of her four weeks ago.
0—Break—0
"Kyo-kun."
The orange haired male paused on his way up the stairs to see Tohru standing there with her brows pinched together and a hand held against her chest. "Oh, hey Tohru. Is something wrong?"
She fidgeted. "I wouldn't say that it's wrong per say… I just think that it's something that you should know about."
He lifted a brow. "And what would that be?"
She took a deep breath before purposefully meeting his gaze with a determined expression. "Please, don't tease Hana-chan!"
"Huh?" His face went blank and he felt his IQ drop a level.
The brunette female hastily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's just that—well—you see… She isn't too familiar with the ways boys work. If you joke around with her, then she'll think that you're trying to be mean, and-."
"Is that all?" Kyo chuckled and took a few steps forward, patting her on her head. "I already figured Hanajima out weeks ago. We're practically friends now, so don't worry about a thing. I just got back from her house actually."
Her chocolate brown eyes widened. "You went to her house?"
"Hai. This has been my fourth time. Usually if we take too long studying and it gets dark out, I would walk her home."
"W-Well that's good to hear, Kyo-kun!" She suddenly turned away. "I've got to get back to cleaning the kitchen so that I can make some dinner for-."
"Don't worry about me; I already ate at Hanajima's." Kyo answered, giving his housemate one more glance before climbing up the stairs to the solitude of his room.
Hana-chan's already inviting him over and feeding him? Tohru sighed. Please Kyo-kun; please don't hurt Hana-chan. She deserves love more than anyone I know! "Hm, wonder what I should make…" She eased the thoughts out of her head and began to whistle a merry tune, going about her daily chores with ease now that her worry has been lessened even if it was just a hair less. She was sure of it; her friends would start to like each other soon.
0—Break—0
"I can't believe that it's already here." Kyo sighed as he stared out the large windows, watching as all the rowdy teens fled the school as if it were the plague; trying to leave as fast as possible. "Our last session…"
"You sound oddly sentimental today, Kyo." Saki commented as she flipped through a few of her notes. "Is something the matter?"
"Iie. I'm just surprised at how fast the time flew." This would definitely be the last time they saw each other for a while. Even after they went through the hard work of setting up a time and place for their beach outing, Uotani cancelled and said that she couldn't get off of work, and Tohru had her cleaning job. There was no way that Yuki would go with him anywhere, and he would be too embarrassed if it were just he and Saki. What a perfectly good waste…
"Hm. Perhaps we shall take our time today." She offered offhandedly as she wrote down a formula.
"Hai…That sounds good." He flipped through his book and as usual, he began to read; however, this time he couldn't concentrate. His crimson hues were helplessly drawn to the pale black clad female who was known by him as 'Hanajima'.
0—Break—0
The dark streets were barely lit as the orange haired teen escorted the gothic female through town. They had decided to skip the train, a suggestion that was surprisingly Saki's. They stopped here and there when they would get hungry and would rest when tired. They didn't feel the need to talk, for there wasn't really much to say. It was comfortable silence that the two of them could achieve only with the other.
Kyo twitched every time a car would speed by. He'd much rather have her closer to the buildings, but she insisted that it was far to close to human contact. He knew that there was a guardrail to prevent a collision, yet he couldn't shake the sense of unease. Maybe he was just too precautious…
"I'm afraid that we are going to have to take a break, Kyo." Saki sighed. During gym that day, she had been forced to jog with the rest of their group. Not a good idea. She had been pushed down by a Yuki fangirl and had twisted her ankle when Tohru, an equally clumsy female, had helped her to her feet. She didn't want to tell the Sohma that walked next to her for she knew that if he knew about it, he would've insisted that they take the train. For some odd reason, she too wanted to prolong their time together.
"Is something off with you?" He asked, his brows drawing downward. "I know that you aren't as active as I am, but there's no way that you'd get tired this quickly…" His eyes shot down and widened when he noticed her favoring her left foot to her right. "You're injured?"
"Please, it is nothing too-."
"You idiot!" He growled. "Forcing yourself will do nothing but serve to damage you even more!" He took a few angry steps forward before kneeling on the ground in front of her. "Get on, there's no way in hell that I'm going to let you walk on it anymore!"
Saki froze and stared at the bared back in front of her with wide eyes. This kind of stuff didn't happen in real life…She's read about this scene hundreds of times in romance novels and shojo manga…Stuff like this wasn't supposed to be real!
"Come on, Hana! It's starting to get later and later. I don't need to have your parents blaming me for not bringing you home sooner!" He was fuming. She was the one who had suggested this incredibly long walk and yet she knew that she was injured! "Don't pull anything like this again, you hear me?"
"…" She hesitantly made her way over to where the male stood; a skeptical expression on her face. He isn't just fooling around…Is he? She laced her arms around his neck and stepped forward, the feel of his strong back against her front causing the same unusual heating of her cheeks as before. She released a gasp in surprise as the male suddenly climbed to his feet and began to make his way down the street at a faster pace than before. I wonder why he's rushing now…
"We really need to bind that ankle of yours before it gets messed up even worse than it is now." Kyo said all of a sudden, as if he had read her mind.
For some reason, the idea that he did caused the tips of her lips to twitch slightly upward. An amusing thought indeed. She unconsciously snuggled deeper into the side of his neck, seeking warmth when a gust of wind passed through.
The action in itself was quite innocent, yet it made Kyo's ears burn. An unusual sight indeed.
Half an hour later, they were safely inside her warm house as the troublemaker wrapped her ankle with whatever bandages that they could find. He was glad for her longer skirt than most girls their age. If not…He'd have a clear view of her underwear!
He quickly shook the idea off before finishing the last of the wrapping, standing immediately once he was done. His eyes rose to meet hers, surprised that her violet hues were already there. "Well…" He started off a bit awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess this is good-bye for now, Hanajima." He sent her a half hearted smile and a small wave.
"Good-bye…Sohma Kyo…" She whispered; her eyes locked on his back.
0—Break—0
The break passed by without anything worth mentioning other than it was pretty boring and uneventful. Once back in school grounds, Kyo wouldn't ever have the time to chase after the psychic, for she would always be too far off or would simply not see his waving form. He had to admit, the avoidance hurt a little. After all, he considered her a friend, maybe even more..?
However, everything seemed to fall in place after one small incident. A third year whose name isn't even worth mentioning had picked a fight with him because of his orange hair. Not the smartest of things to do, and he defeated the male easily enough, but it was still reported and next thing he knew, he was sitting in front of the same principle as before.
This time there was no long speech. He simply passed him a file with a sigh before dismissing him. Kyo knew that it was another tutoring 'job' just from the way that the male handed him the file, and as soon as he exited the office, he tossed into the bin. He didn't care anymore. He would probably get a bubbly, annoying girl this time…
As long as she's smart enough to learn what I teach her…He slid open the door to the specified room, pausing as a familiar chill swept over his body and the room darkened. His eyes widened.
"…Hello Kyo…"
A smile spread across his lips and he slowly turned towards the voice. His eyes softened when they took in her trademark blank face, and expectant violet hues. One look and he knew why it had hurt so much when he didn't talk to her for so long. He was in love with Hanajima Saki… "Hello Hanajima." He took a few steps forward and shut the door silently behind him. It was okay though; there was no need to rush. He had plenty of time until the end of the next grading period to tell her all about it. And who knows…He thought, pulling up a chair and sitting right across from her. Maybe I could be the one to teach her how to love too. "What are you in for now, Hanajima?"
"English."
0—Bad Habit/end—0
A/N: Blah. I think that this was longwinded…Please let me know what you think! Thanx for reading