Beyond The Bewildering Light
Squinting his eyes angrily, Kyo Sohma shielded his face against the brightness of the sun. Truth be told, cats were supposed to love the warmth of hot summer afternoons, but standing on a city curb, fighting his way through the many other walkers, he felt like no ordinary feline.
He sneezed, cursing quietly under us breath at his strange summer cold. His red eyes were slightly dulled from fever, and sweat gathered on his brow. Finally, however, he reached his destination: the bus stop.
The bus would be air conditioned, and he couldn't risk transforming on the walk home, so the bus fair was reasonable price to pay. As the large vehicle finally arrived, and he felt the cool air hit his face as he climbed the stairs, his vision blurred. For only a moment, his hand slipped from the pole, his knees buckling. The man -thank the lord it was a man- behind him pushed him back to his feet, hollering a quick, 'you alright boy?' before climbing in himself. Face flushed, the teen took a seat about three rows from the back. He lay his orange head against the cold glass, closing his eyes as the bus began to move. Four stops, he remembered. On the fourth he would stand to leave the bus, wandering down the old wooded path until he reached Shigure's home.
The bus lurched to a shrill stop, and another sneeze escaped him. He rubbed his stinging nose quickly, almost jumping out of his skin as a gentle hand was rested on his shoulder.
"Gesundheit, kitty-cat."
The voice was familiar, and Kyo's startled crimson eyes met a deep gray pair, staring down at him in amusement. The boy they were attached to slowly took a seat beside him, pulling out an old, dented cellphone and sending a random text.
"Gesundheit? Are you Momiji now, you stupid ox?"
The cat shot back, eyeing the younger teen's phone wearily. Who could the ox possibly be texting? Surely his black side kept any possible friends away. Nevertheless, the cow chuckled, snapping the little thing closed and wrapping his jewelry-covered fingers around it.
"Momiji.. Because it's German for health? Very clever, kitty-cat."
At this, the orange haired boy scoffed and turned away. His head was once again placed against the chilling glass, but he could feel the ox's eyes on him. For the most part, he ignored it, only twitching every so often when he could sense that the other teen had something to say, but the words were never spoken. He didn't feel like starting a fight, especially only one stop away from Shigure's house, because it was obvious which direction Haru was headed.
His head pulsed painfully, but through it, he could have sworn he heard the other teen growl.
"What's wrong with you now, dumb ass?"
The cat muttered, and it sounded surprisingly colder than he'd anticipated.
Haru just shrugged, and if Kyo wasn't so out of it, he would have wondered if that was actually a blush staining his pale cheeks. The bus pulled to it's final screeching stop, and he stood shakily, followed by the younger Sohma, and they made their way slowly to the exit. (Haru thanking the driver for a pleasant ride, and Kyo scoffing in embarrassment)
The dirt path felt foreign to him, while his mind felt blind and confused, but he began his trek home as best he could, Haru lagging only slightly behind. The clinging of the ox's chains seemed to merge with the chirping birds and swaying trees, and soon all the images before him were so mixed up, they seemed to be nothing but bewildering lights and bright colors. He thought he heard Haru's voice somewhere in the distance, begging him to say something, and there may have been a pair of arms catching him, but when did he even fall? Nothing seemed to exist to him anymore; Nothing but lights, and noises, and those strong warm arms holding him.
Then there was cold air, and a quiet, begging voice. He was more comfortable than before, and possibly naked, but still comfortable, and clean. He opened his eyes cautiously, slightly surprised to find himself in his own room. The begging voice belonged to none other than Haru, which strangely didn't surprise him much either. His mind was still slightly foggy, but from what he could hear, the poor teen was begging for his well being. 'Please, he's been in enough pain, just let him get better', he whispered hurriedly.
"You're such a woman, acting so dramatic about a simple fever."
Kyo found himself joking, and he couldn't help but smile when the younger teen jerked in shock. He almost felt bad when the ox's eyes reflected such a strong sense of worry and anguish, but he couldn't think of a way to undo it.
"You fell like a rock; so quickly.." Haru whispered, seemingly ashamed, even embarrassed. "I almost didn't catch you before you hit the ground."
At this, he turned face from the older boy, and Kyo felt his heart melt.
"But why did you?-" The orange headed boy replyed, Haru furrowing his brow in confusion. "Why did you.. catch me?.. it doesn't make sense.."
The black and white haired teen, grinning coyly and making his way toward the, now flustered, Kyo.
"Because, Kitty-cat, you mean the world to me."
He leaned forward, lips inches from the cat's, black nailed fingers stroking the older boy's cheek slowly, and then, ever so gently-
Another sneeze burst from the sick boy, and Haru pulled back, chuckling.
"Gesundheit, Kitty-cat." He drew out.
"Stupid cow."
And then they kissed.
fin.
--
So you've picked up on this habit I have, right? The one where I change the color of Haru's eyes from Brown to Gray, depending on the story. They're usually brown in my AU, and gray/silver otherwise.
My internet was out for another month (DAMMIT WIRELESS CONNECTION!), and I was forced to check my hotmail/myspace/etc on my phone. So while checking my email, and pondering, 'who really cares about my fruits basket fanfiction anymore anyway?', a list of about 10-15 reviews and such were in my inbox. My heart was filled with such overwhelming happiness, God, I love you all, you're so wonderful to me.