Please keep in mind, if you are kind enough to read this author's work, that the author does not claim to own these characters, neither does she claim to know what she's doing ^.^ This is her first Furuba work - while she likes purist work (work that stays true to how the storyline has been thus far) this may eventually have...stuff in it that may make this work for mature readers. She will try to write this as she imagines the story to take place. Please be kind and honest in your reviews... That said: The author knows that Natsuki Takaya owns the characters and original storyline. No infringement is intended.
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A/N some of the words I use in this story may not seem familiar...or may seem familiar - but you don't know exactly what they mean...
Yokatta: I'm glad, I'm relieved, thank goodness...
Wakatta: I know, I understand
Wakarimasen: I don't know, I don't understand...the opposite of the above. ^.^
Let me know if there are any other words I use that are confusing! Arigatou!
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He watched her. He was very careful about it, he always was.
He knew that she was special from the first moment he looked in her eyes. He couldn't place exactly why he thought her so. Maybe there was no reason. And maybe there was one. But that part of his life was over.
Hatori took one last drag of his cigarette and crushed the glowing cherry in the ashtray beside him. He closed his eyes and, without thinking, rubbed at his temple with two fingers. It was no use. He closed his eyes.
He knew it was pointless. He had picked up a novel when he couldn't focus on his chart. But even now he couldn't pull his mind away from her.
Shigure was no help - neither was Ayame for that matter. Both were constantly trying to get his mind off of whatever seemed to bother him. They were both unthinking and indelicate. Sometimes, he felt like he was a babysitter for those two.
He couldn't understand it. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? It was as though her very essence rubbed off on him, creating a mold in his mind that he couldn't break.
Pointedly closing the book with a frustrated glare, he stood up and walked to the window.
It had seemed like years since a woman had broken his heart - or rather, he had broken hers. He still loved her, and he knew that there was a part of him that always would. No woman that he had met could ever measure up to the standards that Kana had placed in his heart. Except for her.
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Tohru smiled at the two boys in front of her. What did she ever do in her life to deserve such wonderful and caring friends? She truly felt unworthy of them. Both had shared a part of themselves with her, in a way that most men couldn't. They had let her see them as they really were. In their true forms.
And she was never disgusted.
She was sometimes hurt, but none of that seemed to matter now. She knew that they would be there for her no matter what. They had told her so. Not in words so much, but in actions. Even when she acted stupidly, they always helped her.
Yuki-kun, when he helped her so much with studying and she still did poorly, never made her feel dumb. Instead he helped her by creating a study guide for her makeup exam. He was her confidant. The first man she ever trusted. The first man she was attracted to. Drawn like a magnet, she had watched him. It was as though she was in a trance, drawn to his beauty and grace. He never faltered in the way he spoke, or the way he moved. He was Adonis in flesh.
Even now, her heart melted when he looked at her with his beautiful lavender eyes. His eyelashes fanning his face, his soft voice - nearly a purr...if he was the cat.
But he wasn't.
Kyo-kun was.
The young fire haired man was the cat. And as unlikely as it seemed, he was the one she loved. He wasn't always nice to her, but she knew that that was how he was - that was a part of him. He always tried to be considerate to her feelings, but sometimes when he was mad, he tended to get angry and impatient with her too. That's just the way he was. But what truly touched her heart was that he knew when he did something wrong, and he wasn't afraid to apologize when that happened.
If this was a different time, or if this was a different place, it may have been different. She could have easily fallen for Yuki-kun - but she loved the cat. Ever since she was little, she was predisposed to love the cat. It began that she felt badly for the cat in the myth of the Juunishii, but it grew beyond that. She began to wish that she had been born in the year of the cat. But, she was born in the year of the dog - which made it difficult - but she always prayed that she could change to the cat. But her prayers were never answered. The cat began to occupy her mind and soon, her heart.
She had never dreamed that she would meet "the cat" from the Juunishii, but that was just another thing for her to be thankful for. She smiled at the red-eyed man and clung tightly to his hand.
She knew that she couldn't hug him, unless she wanted to end up cradling a cat in her arms. And while that wasn't bad, it made it difficult to say things.
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Souma Kyo looked at his hand with interest. This was something that he had never thought to be possible. To think that a woman, albeit a girl now, loved him. He couldn't imagine. But there Tohru was, holding his hand, and his heart.
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Souma Yuki looked with sad eyes at the scene in front of him. He couldn't help but feel jealous at the feelings expressed between the bakaneko and Tohru. He couldn't tell her how he felt. He knew that she always loved the cat, but he couldn't help but feel... what did he feel? It wasn't really anything, but maybe, sadness... and regret? Regret that he had never had the courage to tell her his feelings when he felt them. He always thought that maybe she would notice. But she never did. He closed his eyes for a moment, as he thought of himself with Tohru - instead of the bakaneko.
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Tohru noticed.
"daijoubu, Yuki-kun?"
Yuki smiled in spite of how he felt inside. "I'm fine Honda-san"
Tohru's eyes narrowed in concern. "yokatta"
Yuki's eyes glazed over. Bakaneko had beat him.
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"NANI?!" Hana-chan's voice cracked with emotion. "Tohru's with Souma Kyo!? When did this happen?" Her eyes widened and darkened as tears threatened to spill.
Arisa stopped to look at the dark haired girl next to her. Her own eyes were filling. "Hai, Tohru's with Kyo. I'm not sure when it happened. She was our same Tohru one minute, and then this happened."
"Arisa..." Hana's eyes dropped to the floor at her feet. A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed on her boot.
"It's all right. If she's happy...it's all right."
"Demo..." Hana's reply was so soft Arisa didn't hear it. "demo...Arisa..."
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A/N some of the words I use in this story may not seem familiar...or may seem familiar - but you don't know exactly what they mean...
Yokatta: I'm glad, I'm relieved, thank goodness...
Wakatta: I know, I understand
Wakarimasen: I don't know, I don't understand...the opposite of the above. ^.^
Let me know if there are any other words I use that are confusing! Arigatou!
**** **** ****
He watched her. He was very careful about it, he always was.
He knew that she was special from the first moment he looked in her eyes. He couldn't place exactly why he thought her so. Maybe there was no reason. And maybe there was one. But that part of his life was over.
Hatori took one last drag of his cigarette and crushed the glowing cherry in the ashtray beside him. He closed his eyes and, without thinking, rubbed at his temple with two fingers. It was no use. He closed his eyes.
He knew it was pointless. He had picked up a novel when he couldn't focus on his chart. But even now he couldn't pull his mind away from her.
Shigure was no help - neither was Ayame for that matter. Both were constantly trying to get his mind off of whatever seemed to bother him. They were both unthinking and indelicate. Sometimes, he felt like he was a babysitter for those two.
He couldn't understand it. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? It was as though her very essence rubbed off on him, creating a mold in his mind that he couldn't break.
Pointedly closing the book with a frustrated glare, he stood up and walked to the window.
It had seemed like years since a woman had broken his heart - or rather, he had broken hers. He still loved her, and he knew that there was a part of him that always would. No woman that he had met could ever measure up to the standards that Kana had placed in his heart. Except for her.
**** **** ****
Tohru smiled at the two boys in front of her. What did she ever do in her life to deserve such wonderful and caring friends? She truly felt unworthy of them. Both had shared a part of themselves with her, in a way that most men couldn't. They had let her see them as they really were. In their true forms.
And she was never disgusted.
She was sometimes hurt, but none of that seemed to matter now. She knew that they would be there for her no matter what. They had told her so. Not in words so much, but in actions. Even when she acted stupidly, they always helped her.
Yuki-kun, when he helped her so much with studying and she still did poorly, never made her feel dumb. Instead he helped her by creating a study guide for her makeup exam. He was her confidant. The first man she ever trusted. The first man she was attracted to. Drawn like a magnet, she had watched him. It was as though she was in a trance, drawn to his beauty and grace. He never faltered in the way he spoke, or the way he moved. He was Adonis in flesh.
Even now, her heart melted when he looked at her with his beautiful lavender eyes. His eyelashes fanning his face, his soft voice - nearly a purr...if he was the cat.
But he wasn't.
Kyo-kun was.
The young fire haired man was the cat. And as unlikely as it seemed, he was the one she loved. He wasn't always nice to her, but she knew that that was how he was - that was a part of him. He always tried to be considerate to her feelings, but sometimes when he was mad, he tended to get angry and impatient with her too. That's just the way he was. But what truly touched her heart was that he knew when he did something wrong, and he wasn't afraid to apologize when that happened.
If this was a different time, or if this was a different place, it may have been different. She could have easily fallen for Yuki-kun - but she loved the cat. Ever since she was little, she was predisposed to love the cat. It began that she felt badly for the cat in the myth of the Juunishii, but it grew beyond that. She began to wish that she had been born in the year of the cat. But, she was born in the year of the dog - which made it difficult - but she always prayed that she could change to the cat. But her prayers were never answered. The cat began to occupy her mind and soon, her heart.
She had never dreamed that she would meet "the cat" from the Juunishii, but that was just another thing for her to be thankful for. She smiled at the red-eyed man and clung tightly to his hand.
She knew that she couldn't hug him, unless she wanted to end up cradling a cat in her arms. And while that wasn't bad, it made it difficult to say things.
**** **** ****
Souma Kyo looked at his hand with interest. This was something that he had never thought to be possible. To think that a woman, albeit a girl now, loved him. He couldn't imagine. But there Tohru was, holding his hand, and his heart.
**** **** ****
Souma Yuki looked with sad eyes at the scene in front of him. He couldn't help but feel jealous at the feelings expressed between the bakaneko and Tohru. He couldn't tell her how he felt. He knew that she always loved the cat, but he couldn't help but feel... what did he feel? It wasn't really anything, but maybe, sadness... and regret? Regret that he had never had the courage to tell her his feelings when he felt them. He always thought that maybe she would notice. But she never did. He closed his eyes for a moment, as he thought of himself with Tohru - instead of the bakaneko.
**** **** ****
Tohru noticed.
"daijoubu, Yuki-kun?"
Yuki smiled in spite of how he felt inside. "I'm fine Honda-san"
Tohru's eyes narrowed in concern. "yokatta"
Yuki's eyes glazed over. Bakaneko had beat him.
**** **** ****
"NANI?!" Hana-chan's voice cracked with emotion. "Tohru's with Souma Kyo!? When did this happen?" Her eyes widened and darkened as tears threatened to spill.
Arisa stopped to look at the dark haired girl next to her. Her own eyes were filling. "Hai, Tohru's with Kyo. I'm not sure when it happened. She was our same Tohru one minute, and then this happened."
"Arisa..." Hana's eyes dropped to the floor at her feet. A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed on her boot.
"It's all right. If she's happy...it's all right."
"Demo..." Hana's reply was so soft Arisa didn't hear it. "demo...Arisa..."
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