A.N. Out of special request from a friend of mine, I decided to post this for her. She really wanted this up. So I decided to comply. ^_^ This is during the end of their high school life.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket
Thank you to all who read and review! ^_^
Dedication: Dedication goes out to PhoenixDiamond, for being a truly wonderful friend and sticking right by my side through everything. Thank you so much, Phoenix!
Enjoy!
XXX
Rustles of blankets filled the quiet room as a young boy twisted and turned in a pathetic attempt to find comfort amongst the soft sheets. Small rays of sunshine broke through the parts in the curtains, making lilac eyes squeeze shut tighter.
"Mm…" Groaning in discomfort, a slender hand reached up to wearily brushed away moonstruck locks. "It's far too early for a civilized person to be awake…"
Harsh bangs brought him from his sleep induced stupor with a nasty groan. "Point in case…that damn cat…" Rolling over, he slammed his fist against the wall in warning. Blissful silence filled the room once again…ahh there was that peace and quiet.
As his eyelids began to drift back into dreamland, a steady pounding pulled them right back. "Yo'! You damn rat! You'd better open this door!" That voice….that damn voice that was the source of all hell for him. In many ways.
Gnashing his teeth together in frustration, Yuki threw his sheets aside. Storming to the door, he tore it free from it's spot, his mouth set in a frustrated line. If looks could kill, Kyo would be laying on the floor right now, having a heart attack.
"What. Is. It?" Forcing himself to clamp down the urge to yell, Yuki realized that Tohru was standing nearby. A pleasant smile tilted his lips as he nodded his head in greeting towards her.
Lips curling in a distasteful snarl, Kyo jerked his head in irritation, his orange locks already soaked with sweat. "What kind of nerve do you have, you damn bastard? Distractin' me while I'm doing my workouts!"
"At an ungodly hour in the morning, you stupid cat." Brushing past the foolish boy, he hurried for the stairs in an attempt to flee from the impending fight. It was far too early for him to be wasting his energy.
A timid voice made his movements freeze up, "Uhm, actually Yuki…it's about noon. I was just coming to get you to see if you wanted to wake up and have some lunch…" Twisting her hands together fretfully, brown eyes shimmered with a pool of worry. "I'm sorry if that would have bothered you…"
Yuki flashed her a sweet smile, ruffling his slender fingers through his already messy hair. "Of course not, Miss. Honda. I should have been up anyways. Thank you very much for the concern. What will be having for lunch?"
Eyes springing back to life, Tohru happily scurried to his side, her voice fluttery with joy. "I was thinking something simple...maybe some dumplings?" Their footsteps were slowly fading as they disappeared from view.
"Sounds absolutely delicious." Finally their voices faded enough as they disappeared downstairs, unaware that they had forgotten Kyo where he was.
Veins popped free from his neck as he clenched his hands into irritated fists. That damn rat thinking he could just walk away like that? Feeling his temper flaring, he couldn't control his mouth as he let loose a holler, "You get back here you scrawny rat! Don't you think you can walk away from me like that!"
Silence filled the house, occasionally broken by frustrated panting. Slowly the anger began to ebb away, being replaced by an uncomfortable feeling. A twisting sensation that knotted his stomach and made his jaw set. Why wasn't he being answered?
Ah, why did he care? Jerking his hand, he roughly shoved his hands in his pockets, enjoying the soft feel of the fabric against his hands. So what if Yuki didn't reply? What did he care? So what if Yuki hadn't been replying to half his comments anymore? So what did it matter?
Carmine eyes drifted to stare out the nearby window, watching as the birds fluttered by. Stepping over, he casually pushed the screen aside and leaned far out, letting the breeze kiss his skin in passing. Inhaling, he took in the sweet scents of Autumn.
Feeling his body fall into a relaxed state, he did nothing to stop it. He stared straight ahead at the turning leaves. Autumn had to be one of the best seasons for him, a season of relaxation and a time when he could be outside without dying of heat or cold.
His eyes drifted shut, ears picking up on every noise. Birds sang beautiful songs nearby, almost in harmony with each other's notes. The soft laughter of Tohru as she worked on lunch…the nearby chatter of woodland animals….
"Rather peaceful, isn't it?" A dramatic sigh snapped Kyo free from his fantasy world. Snapping his eyes to the side with a nasty glare, he set his mouth in a hard frown.
"Yeah, whatever. It's just the outdoors. Nothin' special." Grumbling, he folded his arms and leaned away from the tempting sight outside.
A frustrated sigh filled the air as Shigure too pulled himself inside. "Really now, Kyo. Must you be so moody? You were obviously enjoying the sights…" He knew damn well it was dangerous to push Kyo's buttons, but he could never resist.
"I was not!" Hair rising in true cat fashion, a little growl pushed past his lips. "Mind your own business, you sick pervert!"
Looking truly affronted, Shigure threw his hands in the dramatically. "I? A pervert? How could you Kyo! I am only just a curious and untamed soul! I hardly classify that as a pervert. I have much more class than that of you."
"What?" Both males headed for the stairs to race each other down to lunch. They weren't about to let each other have first dibs on that delicious food.
"Oh don't lie to me!" A sneaky smile worked its way on the dog's lips. "I know what you were thinking, you were thinking of Tohru in one of them frilly little maid outfits, weren't you?" Closing his eyes and dropping his arms to his side, black hair waved as he shook his head in mock disappointment. "Really now, Kyo. I had hoped you would have more manners."
Feeling multiple veins work their free from his temples, Kyo wished right then and there some freak accident would happen and Shigure would drop dead right on the spot. How dare that bastard?
"Ah! No defense for yourself, I see? Then you truly are guilty! Don't worry Kyo, I know the mind is a hard thing to control, and Tohru is quite a lovely thing isn't she?" A sudden thump on the back of his head sent him crashing to the floor.
Stepping right on his back and continuing his trek ahead, Kyo kept his face straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the creature at his feet. "Like I said. You sick bastard."
XXX
The peacefulness of the room settled down on the group like a heavy blanket. Each person was steadily working on their own pieces of lunch, not a word being said.
Unaware he was being stared at, Yuki continued to enjoy his meal in pure bliss as red eyes seemed to unconsciously trail every movement he made.
Robotically picking up pieces of dumpling and pushing them in his mouth, Kyo's mind was taking travels around his own little world. Unaware he was doing anything out of the ordinary, he reached over and picked up Tohru's tea glass and took a gulp.
"Kyo…?" The bubble around him popped in just a word. Casting her a glance, a slender orange eyebrow lifted in a silent question. "You took my tea…"
Looking down in surprise, he quickly set it back into place, aware of the snickers coming from the other end of the table. What was even worse was the purple eyes watching him with curiosity. Another unfamiliar feeling bubbled in his stomach.
Lowering his eyes to his food, he let a little "Sorry…" mumble past his lips as he set his chopsticks aside.
"Pay more attention next time." Yuki said calmly as he continued to eat his food, not even wincing when a crashing sound ensued. Then silence…making him look up to see what was wrong, only to find the space completely empty.
Slender fingers picked up the broken dishes, making them shake with her unsteady hand. "Poor Kyo…he seems so troubled lately. Like something's on his mind…he didn't even finish his dinner." Pushing herself up, Tohru hurried out of the room, fawn brown braid bouncing behind her.
Feeling hard gray eyes staring at him, Yuki cleared his throat uncomfortably. "It's impolite to stare, you know?" Why was his stomach churning in such a manner? Why did it feel like he had done something wrong?
"It's rather strange," Lowering his eyes to stare over the rim of his glasses, Shigure cast him a curious glance.
"You're rather strange. What's your question?" Lowering his own food, orchid eyes locked onto stormy and the showdown began.
A smile pulled the dog's lips in an upward direction, "It seems Kyo is getting rather distressed when you insult or ignore him. Why do you think that is?" Not even waiting for an answer, he rocked back and folded his hands together. "Can it be there is something there, that even you don't want to admit?"
Clamping his jaw in a hard set, his whole body tensed in irritation. Jumping up from his spot on the floor, he swiftly turned on his heel and stormed for the door. "How dare you suggest a ludicrous idea. You should see a professional for those fantasies you have."
As his turned the corner, he heard the mockery in Shigure's voice as it floated back to him, "Am I really being ludicrous? Or is it you, Yuki, who is being foolish?"
Racing up the stairs, he skipped every other one and sped off towards his room. Slamming the door shut, he thumped his back against it and slid to the floor, a weak sigh brushing past his mouth. Why had that comment irritated him so much? There obviously wasn't anything there…
Sliding his feet towards him and letting his head drop to his knees, he let his mind wander. Was there something more than what he thought? Why was it he couldn't seem to get thoughts of Kyo free from his mind?
A steady beating against his chest made him shudder in horror. No. There was just no way. He had no feelings of anything special towards that stupid cat. He never had, never would.
Silver locks fell against his forehead as he lifted his head up and stared straight ahead. "Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is out of ordinary." Giving himself a mental shake, he forced himself to his feet.
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence."
XXX
Feeling the rough wood scratching into his back, Kyo didn't even bother moving. He kept his back pressed against the tree as he stared off into the trees.
Frustrated feline growls shook his chest. "This is so stupid. Why am I being so damn weak!" Slamming his fist into the dirt, he watched as it sprayed up into the air in a nearly beautiful arc. Dropping his head back, he felt it thump against the tree.
Silence descended upon him, even the birds had stopped singing. Did they think him foolish too? Hell, he felt foolish. He couldn't control any of his feelings, and it downright pissed him off. And being pissed off pissed him off even more.
A soft twittering made his eyes cast upwards in an almost envious glare. The little bird of a soft brown plumage titled its head back and forth, soft chirrups breaking the quiet air.
"What? Are you laughing at me too? Get out of here! Get out of HERE!" Scooping up an acorn from the ground, he chucked it up at the bird, watching as it fluttered away, squawking in terror.
Hearing clumsy footsteps approaching nearby, a frustrated sigh puffed out. Why the hell did she have to follow? Didn't she realize she was going to make the situation worse?
"Kyo…?" Timidly lowering herself onto the ground beside him, she watched him worriedly as he tensed up a bit more.
"What is it?" He never could get mad at her enough to flip out. Some part of him felt like a true bastard when he saw the fear in her eyes. "Before you ask, I'm fine." He grumbled, waving his hand in irritation.
When he received only silence in answer, he began to hope she would get up and just go. Maybe he had finally pissed her off, and she would finally let him rest…
"Is there something you need to talk about?" She sounded honestly sincere as she stared at him, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. How in the world can someone have such a big heart?
Heaving yet another frustrated sigh, he shook his head. "No. I just came out here to relax. Don't you have something else to be doing?" Sending her a frozen glare he kept his butt planted right where it was. He wasn't in the mood to deal today…
In response, he received a rather timid smile. "The autumn is rather pretty isn't it? Mom always enjoyed the autumn. I always thought it was sad…because everything was dying…but mom always would say, 'it also shows the sign of rebirth'…." Trailing off in memory lane, she let herself fall into a stupor.
Rolling his eyes in agitation, he reached out and bopped the top of her head lightly. "So what's your point?"
"Oh! My point!" She straightened up and gave him a steady look. "My point is that I now think of autumn as the time when things can change and start over. You should too." Without another word, she pushed herself from the ground and headed off towards the house.
Vermillion irises followed her every movement, face nearly lax in shock. Had she just…? Furrowing his eyebrows in irritation, he let his lips curl back in a snarl. "A rebirth for what?"
The soft twittering returned, glaring up to the trees above him, Kyo stared right at the annoying creature. It was no wonder why cats ate these things. But his mind didn't stay there for long, as yet again the same question brushed past his lips.
"A rebirth for what…?"
XXX
A.N. Well…that's all I have for now! Whatcha think? ^_^