Hey there everyone, Untitled is finally back from the massive break I took. God, first it was massive storms and then I got a job and finally moved across the country. But anyway, I am where I am now, greatly enjoying my time with my family. I figured I'd come back with something fresh for everyone to take in, rather than just updating one of my other stories. Anyhow, about the story…
Basically, it's a series of one-shots of Kyou and Tohru based off of different songs by the Temptations that I enjoy. You'll never guess in a million years how many times I had to listen to each of these songs as I wrote to keep my creative energy moving. Let's just say it's a lot.
This first one is going to be "Lean on Me." Here, Kyou's not having the best day ever and who's there to cheer him up when the chips are down? Tohru of course! Not sure how the rest will come, but hopefully they will turn out well.
As the torrents of rain and loud rumbles of thunder repeatedly bombard the house, a young man known to some as the "stupid cat", stares out through the window pane. Lightening illuminates the room, exposing the deep scowl lines embedded on his face. Somehow, the day had gotten on the "bad news bus", took a wrong turn at terrible and crashed into the corners of Colossal Waste and Pain in the Ass.
Sure, the sun had been shining and the birds had been singing their usual songs and Tohru had been walking with them to school, talking about what fun the upcoming school festival would be. He had been smiling softly at her in the usual way as well, willing her to not turn toward him and at the same time hoping she would as well.
The first bad thing that had happened came this morning, when he would have to walk to school with that damn rat, Yuki. No time spent with this guy is –in Kyou's book- a good thing. He had been walking to school together with this bastard ever since Tohru moved in, so he is relatively used to it. Even still, that fifteen minutes he must endure the guy's smiling at Tohru and talking -not just to her, but in general- is excruciating. It's like having an insect slowly burrow into your brain listening to this idiot spout off about his 'secret base' or whatever.
Just when he had been starting to think he'd rather have shards of glass in his ass than be here, the school building came into sight and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Thinking back on that as he adjusts his head on the pillow, it doesn't seem as bad as the continuation of the chain of events leading up to this moment. He puts his hands behind his head and closes his eyes, regrettably recalling what happened next.
At around ten in the morning there was a free period, as the teacher was out and there was no one to fill in. Everyone had decided to take this time to play "Rich man, Poor man", a game commonly brought up during periods of boredom. He decided to join in on it, mostly to show that Yankee friend of Tohru's that he could win against her.
And then it happened.
"I'd like to join if there is room," A soft voice came from behind one of Kyou's other classmates. It was Yuki, the embodiment of antisocial awkwardness, wanting to join the game. The orange-haired boy can remember feeling his eye twitch with irritation.
He had looked over toward the next sound he had heard, which was a small giggle coming from the direction of Tohru's seat.
The metal legs of the chair gave an awful screech as Tohru pulled it over next to her own seat. "Here, Sohma-kun, sit next to me! Of course there's room!" It was probably the first time that her kindness had ever made Kyou angry. The temperamental boy can remember grinding his teeth together in annoyance. Not only was he joining in a game that –to Kyou- he was not welcomed to, Yuki was also getting more of her attention.
Kyou knows that he's not supposed to vie for someone's attention, much less hold such a considerable amount of affection for another person the way he does for Tohru. He also knows the trouble that could thus ensue if it was ever found to be true that he is harboring such emotions for this girl by the head of the family, Akito. But this is how it is, he cares for her. So, needless to say it pisses him off when other men try to be too close.
Surprisingly, he had made it through the game without blowing up at Yuki in front of Tohru and the others. Once again, he lost to that damn rodent and is the "Poor man", writing the notes the absent teacher had left for someone to copy up onto the board.
"So, Kyou's the poor man again huh?" Yuki asked, trying to sound nonchalant to Tohru. The only thing that it did however, was further invoke Kyou's frustration. Even if he knew that he wasn't good enough to win anything, he didn't need Yuki to constantly remind him of it.
"I guess he is," Tohru replied in a quieter voice, turning her beautiful blue eyes toward the angry teen, "Would you like me to help Kyou-kun?" A small smile filled her face as she asked, hoping to be of assistance.
For an instant, and an instant only, the cat's attention was taken off being overwhelmingly angry with Yuki, and put to a much different use. His entire focus went to forcing himself not to smile back, at least not where the rat could see him.
"No Tohru. I lost, so don't worry about it…" He trails off, his thoughts moving back in the direction of anger. His eyes meet with that damn rat's for a moment before his next words come out. "One day, I'll definitely win."
"If you need to say it every day to feel better, then go right ahead…baka neko." The rat tells him icily, turning to leave. Reaching his breaking point, Kyou sends a kick towards the boy's head, making Tohru squeal and look around, horrified. Probably worried a teacher might see this.
Luckily for the cat, no one is around but Tohru when Yuki's counter attack sends him flying to the ground. Without another word, the rat turns and leaves the classroom, leaving a shocked Tohru and injured Kyou on the ground together in the room.
Wiggling toward the boy on her knees, Tohru lifted his head into her lap, careful not to be too close.
"Are you ok, Kyou-kun?" Her voice came out timid, her words a little shaky. He knew that it deeply upsets her to see the two of them fight and remembers cursing himself mentally for letting the rat-boy get to him. It had been Yuki's fault for provoking him to begin with though.
Kyou lifted his hand slightly, remembering that he still has not answered Tohru's question. He latched onto her school blazer with his large fingers, looking up at her from an angle. If he can make her smile now and apologize, or do anything to wipe the expression of worry off her face, it'll be worth being a little embarrassed. "The only thing that got hurt today was my pride."
When he heard a small giggle pass over her small, pink lips, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry for making you worry about all this all the time."
Later that afternoon, Kyou had been drinking milk while studying. Yuki was also in the room, helping Tohru study for a test next week. Just seeing the rat smile at her like that made his blood pressure rise. His teeth clenched together and in the next instant, he felt liquid running down over his uncovered red shirt and school pants. Looking down, he then realized he had been squeezing the carton so tightly that the seal at the bottom had broken, thus creating his current and very nasty dairy problem.
"Damn it!" He hissed, slamming the carton in to a garbage bin and making for the door like someone running from a burning building.
"Kyou-kun, what happened?" Tohru's soft voice floated into his ear.
"It's none of your damn business!" He whirled around toward her, shouting the harsh words without meaning to. He could see her eyes glimmer with hurt and even noticed the slight tremble of her lip. Her face lowered a little bit and the rat gave him a death glare.
"Wait, no I didn't…I mean…what I meant to say was-" Kyou rambled, not noticing Yuki until he has him by the collar of his shirt.
"Just get out of my sight and leave her the hell alone you stupid cat!" He shoved Kyou through the sliding door and into the hallway, sending him stumbling to a fall.
And the final little gem of the day was walking home alone, as the afternoon thunderstorm the weather channel had warned of that morning began to move in. Thinking back on that day and how irritated he had been, it probably all stemmed from the fact that he had known it was going to rain that day. Being around Yuki made his temper flare so, the threat of rain made his spirits dim and the final straw had been yelling at Tohru, who had been nothing but helpful to him today. That had not only made Tohru cry, but had shattered him in a way.
Being around the lively, happy-go-lucky girl up to this point had made part of him begin to forgive himself, if only a little. Hurting her, worrying her- those were the worst sins he could commit. And today, he had done both. Actually, in the past he had done both on numerous occasions, but since the time she had seen his true form and accepted it though she feared him, he had vowed to never again let his anger or frustration be misdirected at her.
He hadn't even made it a forth of the way home at his slow, solemn pace, when the sky had let loose. He broke into an exhausted run, hoping to at least not transform before he made it back to the house.
His eyes glossed over with irritation, Kyou turns away from the window and toward the door, just in time to hear a small knocking sound. It's so tiny, so soft that at first he doesn't even give it a second thought. But when it comes again after another few seconds, he sits up.
"Come in." His voice is gentle, knowing that only one person in this house would knock so gently on his door, let alone even come see him.
In comes the brunette, looking slightly bashful. "I'm coming in now…" She whispers.
He has to refrain from rolling his eyes at this shyness of hers. "Just come on in."
She tentatively steps inside, her face slightly red. She carries a trey of rice balls, freshly made.
"I thought I'd bring you these since you never came down to eat tonight." She holds them out as he motions for Tohru to sit. Carefully, she takes a position beside him. He looks over the trey at the girl, smiling gently. He notices the crimson creep over her cheeks, her smile in return looking rather shy.
"Thank you Tohru," He tells her, beginning to eat without another word. He hadn't realized how hungry he had been until he tastes the food. He eats a little faster, until he hears his stomach begin to rumble. His face flushes deeply as his eyes flick to the girl sitting beside him. He can only hope she's not sitting over there laughing at him and his noisy stomach.
However, as his eyes fall to the girl, the sight that greets is not the giggling, bubbly girl he'd get ready to scold for laughing. Rather, it is the sight of a girl who looks deeply worried over something. Sadness and worry are etched into her entire expression. Sighing deeply and causing Tohru to look at him, he set the trey down on the nightstand next to his bed. Her eyes follow his arm, then rise to his eyes just as he looks over at her.
"What's the matter Kyou-" She begins to ask her usual line of questions. Kyou can't let her when he has something this important to say to her.
"Tohru..." He reaches out, gently laying his hand over hers. Their eyes have remained latched, both faces deeply red in coloration, since he had set the trey on the small bedside stand."
"Yes?" She questions at the mentioning of her name, wondering what it is he could want.
"Thank you for being on my side today. I was having a bad kind of day...it was nice of you to help me out." He explains, having only just begun when he notices her wanting to launch into her usual "I didn't really do anything" sermon. He holds up his hand, instantly silencing her as if he had pushed a mute button in advance. "Before you say that you didn't do anything, let me just say that no matter what you say you did or didn't do, I'm really grateful for today."
He waits for a response, only smiling when she offers a quiet and reluctant, "You're welcome."
"Also, I just had to say that I didn't mean to upset you at all today. I...I didn't mean to worry you and I really didn't want you to cry. Believe me, I'd never intentionally hurt you. So, I'm sorry about that..." He trails off here, lowering his head and begins to rub his throbbing forehead. Thunder and lightening loom outside the window, the rain slamming into the window making the ache in his head grow stronger.
Tohru backs away a little, slightly confused, but also knowing that Kyou has more that he wants to say. She lightly tightens his hand around the cat's larger hand. They look at one another, tired, worn amber meeting a pair of vivacious baby blues.
"Kyou-kun, you once told me that when I had something to say that I should speak my mind. A-and knowing that you told me that, it gave me the courage to speak my mind even in the most fearful moments I've had. I want you to feel like you can lean on someone when you're in trouble and I'll be that someone if you want. Please lean on me. It's not a burden. So, if you're feeling like you're not strong or you need my help or have something on your mind, please feel free to tell me. I really don't mind hearing about whatever it is, even if I don't really understand-"
He cuts her off again, only this time without really meaning to. He has reached out with his free hand, placing it gently on the side of her face, his thumb gently glides over her cheek. Her expression is that of a girl completely taken aback. Normally, Kyou would blush like crazy and start yelling if someone even mentioned he had feelings. But here is the proud, strong-headed Kyou-kun, smiling like a prince and rubbing the side of her face lovingly. Her cheek is feeling the heat of a deep blush yet again.
"Yes, I get it Tohru. I just really want you to know that I'm sorry about today. I didn't want to make you cry and I didn't want to yell at you."
Her eyes are again alight with confusion, and for a few seconds Kyou must ponder the meaning of this, before she speaks.
"Don't worry Kyou-kun, I wasn't crying because of you! I was only upset because you were upset and there wasn't anything I knew to do to help you, thought I guess I did, because you said so! That's all, I'm not...mad or upset with you or anything! I promise!" She nods at the end of her rambling, as if she needs to further affirm what she had just said with actions.
Kyou simply shakes his head. He should have guessed it'd be something more like this with Tohru. She doesn't seem capable of harboring anger toward any living being and she certainly is not the type to give up so easily. Just look at her life: She had a father that died when she was no more than a toddler, and continued to smile. She had a mother that was killed only just over a year ago and she could lift her head up and continue on. She had to endure not only living with a family that treated her as a hostile witness in a courtroom, but then was forced to move out and occupy a small tent in the woods. Then she had met the Shomas, and though she was forced to stay in the house with repulsive people like him and keep a huge secret even from her closest friends, she was not only able to smile but also thanked them and said she loved them! Then, she even accepted him in his darkest, most downright ugly state and hugged him, carrying him all the way back home, honestly wanting only to remain by his side.
He still can't quite wrap his head around that concept, how anyone could accept him that way even though they are afraid and still love him. In this moment, he's sure that he's never witnessed a more real form of purity and beauty than the girl he's looking at. And also in this moment, he's sure he's never loved anyone more and will never love anyone more. His heart aches for the girl in front of him to love him back, all the while knowing that even if it were possible for her to love him that way, there would be many obstacles for them to overcome and even more hardships possible for Tohru.
"A-also...I wanted to tell you..." The frightened neko looks deep into her eyes, knowing that he'll have to tell her the truth sooner or later. No time like the present, if he would have to fathom a guess. "To tell you..."
She tilts her head, a smile filling her face. Her hand continues to hold tight to his.
"I wanted to tell you that I love you Tohru." He finally gets it out, trying not to rush it or sound as frightened as he is.
Her smile stays in place as she moves toward him a little, looking unbelievably happy. "I love you too Kyou-kun."
Upon hearing the way she speaks to him, he realizes that she has completely misunderstood him. He lowers his head a little, his heart beginning to feel like a lead weight in his chest. Now he has to give this whole nerve-wracking confession all over again. As if it wasn't bittersweet enough the first time.
"No...no, that's not what I meant. I don't mean I love you like a friend. It's...um...different than that. Like..." The poor boy has to rack his brain to come up with a good enough example, something that will make sense, clarify his meaning even to this lovely, yet dense young girl. Suddenly it hits him. "Like your father loved your mom. That's what I mean. I love you like that!" At this point he realizes that he was talking pretty loud and lowers his head, the embarrassment evident in his clammy palms and cherry red face.
He can see when the meaning behind what he has said finally sinks in. Her face becomes as red as his, before she finally directs her line of vision away from his eyes and toward the sheets. He suddenly feels panic set in, but doesn't move or even speak, quite frankly too scared of her rejecting him to even think about what to do other than stare and wait.
When she does lift her head so their eyes can meet once more, the tears dancing in the very corners of her eyes suddenly bring him back to the land of the living. His mouth falls agape, his hand already attempting to pull away from hers.
"Tohru, if it upsets you this much, just forget I said anything." He feels like crawling under a rock at the bottom of a deep chasm and never coming out again.
However, what she does next makes him rethink all of that.
"Kyou-kun, I'd never want to forget it. I really love you too Kyou-kun, I really, really love you. I had always thought before that you didn't care for me that much or found me annoying. But I'm just so happy, I can't stop the tears!" She moves her hands up to each side of her face, trying to remove the tears with her sleeves.
He moves in toward her, amazed all the more. How? How could she love him so much? How is it possible? And yet, it must be. Tohru doesn't lie to anyone, so it has to be true. His eyes shine with happiness, adoration and love. He lifts her head, wanting to look her in the eyes, regardless of her tears. His eyes latch onto hers, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Can...um...would you let me kiss you right now?" The question signifies his unique innocence, making Tohru smile and nod in return.
"Of course Kyou-kun." Her embarrassment is at it's climax. There's no doubt that this is her first kiss, and he's knows it's his.
Slowly and carefully, he leans in so that their lips brush together in a fleeting touch that feels like nothing before. He cups her cheek again, his fingertips dipping into her silken brown hair. He can hear her deep breathing and feel her pulse rising with his own. At least he doesn't feel like a pansy now that he knows she's feeling this elated as well. The touching of their lips isn't a deeply passionate kiss, nor is it a kiss meant to lead to anything more. However, it doesn't have to be to mean the world to both or them or leave them each walking in the clouds. They press their lips a little more firmly together before pulling away and staring longingly at one another.
Once Kyou comes back down to Earth, his expression fades from euphoria to seriousness and fear. "Tohru, you need to know something..."
She nods, now trying to look as serious as she can, despite the mother load of emotions rushing through her.
"We can't be a couple. At least, not right now," Well, that's really as much of the truth as he wants her to know. His face becomes downcast when he notices the shock on her face. "And please don't think that it's not because I don't want to be. Because I would love nothing more than to be a boyfriend you can be proud of. But there are just some...things...going on with the family and I don't want to make Akito angry with you. If you know the story of what happened to Hatori, then I can only imagine how much harder he'd go on you because I'm the cat. I can't let him take out his anger toward me on you. So please, for now, let's not tell anyone or become a 'couple.' If you want to kiss from time to time that's fine. Just...will you be willing to wait to be with me, no matter how long it takes or how hard it gets? Is that something you can do?"
She looks at him a moment after he finally finishes as if her answer should be obvious all ready.
"Of course I can wait, Kyou-kun. I can wait as long as it takes, I promise!" She grins at him gleefully, tilting her head to the side -a mannerism of hers that he personally finds very adorable- and starts to speak again. "And in the mean time, I want you to continue to confide in me. Please let me be the one you lean on, please lean on me. Even far, far into the future, please lean on me!"
The grateful neko leans his forehead onto hers, not even noticing that the storm outside has subsided at last. He places a hand on either side of the rice ball's face, grinning widely. "As long as you do the same thing Tohru."
Well, there you have it, chapter one is completely finished. It's rather sweet and fluffy, while at the same time kinda dramatic. I like it nonetheless. I do hope that all of you like it as well. As always, I do not accept flames as I do not like rude people. Constructive criticism is accepted here because I know that it will help me grow as a writer. As someone who posts my writings and ramblings where literally the entire world can see them, I want to make the reading experience as good as it can be for all of you, fellow writers or readers. And I most definitely enjoy hearing from those of you who really enjoy reading what I heave written.
So, I really hope that most of you enjoyed it. I also hope that a good number of you will review these chapters as they come up.
If anyone on here knows of the Temptations, please give me a song of theirs that you think will make a good one-shot for this story, please either PM me about it to let me know you'd like me to write for it, or leave the name of the song and why you think it would make a good one-shot along with your review of the story. Thanks to all of you who take the time out of your schedules to read and review my work.
~StoryCurrentlyUntitled~