A Backdrop for Love
KyouxTohru and HaruxYuki Pairings
Inspired by kimikiss pure Rouge and NANA BGM
Chapter 6 / Episode 21+ Spoilers
I own nothing but the plot.
Chapter One
Sono me ni Utsuru Mono
A leaf that had only just fully developed after the harsh changes of winter fluttered effortlessly in the warming breeze of the early Spring months, twisting and turning along with the other leaves on the tree; all of them going with the flow of change. A slightly harsher wind blew for a moment, one of the weaker leaves finding itself floating along on the light wind. Its short journey was soon over though, landing with ease on a girls shoulder, much to her surprise. The brunette's shoulder twitched as it was touched by something so gentle so unexpectedly, chocolate eyes glancing over to the delicate green leaf before it fell to the ground, ending the journey for now. Although her fragile arms were laden with a few shopping bags, the girl still bent down to pick up the leaf and glace at it in awe. A familiar smile spread across her features as she held it up to the morning sun, before letting it get carried off by the winds of change once again. A few strands of the teen's hair fluttered along with the long loose end of a cream ribbon, making note that she should keep moving on; there were things that could turn in her shopping bags, so she had to get home quickly. The girl stood up, wiping off a little bit of mud that had settled on her pure white socks, and shifted her brown plaid skirt to the right position once more. Resettling the bags on her arms so the weight was distributed evenly, Tohru Honda continued to carry the burden of the shopping through the familiar path back to her house. Or, at least, the house she called home. A lot of the people she cared about lived under that one roof, especially one person that had somewhat grown on her…
"Miss Honda?" A familiar voice called out to her, the soothing undertones making Tohru's eyes search for it. Soon after starting, a glint of the male's silver hair caught the girl's eye, and the smile that graced her features grew a little.
"Oh, Yuki! You're up quite early this morning!" Tohru laughed; the male in question stepping out into full view as he returned her smile with a small one of his own.
"Yes, Shigure did tell me you left rather early to get some shopping done," Yuki started, his hand reaching for one of the girl's bags. "So I thought I could intercept you on your way home to help you carry your things." This action, coupled with Yuki's kind words, made Tohru's cheeks burn slightly, but her head shook with some stubbornness.
"Yuki, it's okay, I'm fine really!" She laughed nervously, but the male wasn't giving up so easily. He picked up a bag from each of her arms, sliding them off hers and carrying them in his own paws. "U-Urm, it's no trouble, really-"
"Miss Honda, relax. I came to help you." Yuki soothed, the girl starting to calm down a little. "So be grateful to Kyou; if he hadn't pissed me off and woken me up so early, I wouldn't have been down here."
"K-Kyou… woke you up?" Tohru asked, finding her pulse quickening with even the slightest mention of his name. 'The Prince' spotted this, his deep purple eyes lowering to the floor infront of them as he started to walk. Tohru's head picked up, skipping slightly to catch up with him and then continuing to walk at his pace.
"I was trying to get some breakfast, but he was being all pissy about how there was no milk left in the fridge." Yuki spoke, letting a gentle sigh pass between his lips. "When I tried to explain that you had left a note saying you were going shopping, he attacked me."
"Ah, Yuki, were you hurt?" Tohru asked in worry, fretting over the violence she knew the both of them could cause.
"Not at all." He smiled. "He woke me up, and I tried to calm him down… But it just ended up as a kick to the stomach." Tohru winced, her eyes turning to the ground in even more worry.
"Kyou…" She whispered gently, even to her own surprise. She jolted back upright, just missing Yuki's judgemental gaze. "Is he alright? You didn't hurt him too badly, did you?"
"Of course not, Miss Honda. I would never do something to someone you care about." He smiled, noting Tohru's change in colour… and also the loss of her smile.
"B-But I care about everyone and I don't want any of the Sohma's to be hurt by anything I've done and-" She rambled, the male letting her carry on before she stopped on her own accord. "Yuki?"
"Miss Honda?"
"Do you think once we get back… we could go to the secret base?" Tohru asked, her smile returning. Yuki nodded in a response, the rest of the journey in silence.
Although Tohru was smiling again now, Yuki couldn't help but wonder; by mentioning him as being someone she cared about, the girl lost her everlasting smile. He knew that she cared passionately for her mother, and guessed that she probably cared a lot about her father too; even though she didn't talk about him as much as she did of her mother. It might have gone unnoticed if he hadn't known her as much as he did, so he felt the need to act on it, without pushing her too much. Her heart was so fragile with all the events that happened in her life… he didn't want to break it by trying to fix it.
"Miss Honda?" Yuki asked, looking to her with a mix between a helpful smile and worried concern. The girl in question simply looked up to the taller male with a smile, since he interrupted her before she could reply. "How come you were awake so early this morning?"
"O-Oh, urm, you see I…" Tohru started, already getting slightly confused and flustered in her sentence before calming down. "I get up early anyway so I can make everyone's breakfast, but then I heard a bang outside my room a-and I didn't know what it was, so I went to go investigate, and then I found out that it was just Kyou practicing outside, so I asked him if we had any milk, but then he kinda shouted at me, so then I said I'd go get some, but I thought if I go, I might as well get the rest of the things we needed, so-"
"Okay. I understand." Yuki smiled, stopping the girls ramble in her tracks before she could continue. "So it was Kyou then."
"Yes, but he didn't mean any harm…" Tohru's smile seemed to waver again, but came back quickly. "After all, I did forget to take the washing in last night, so that's what he tripped over." She laughed softly, Yuki stifling a slight one himself. He was glad she could still smile. If that had broken, what else would have broken in his life? "Yuki?"
"Y-Yes?" He blinked, hearing the girl's soft laugh once again as their hair fluttered in the breeze that picked up.
"Nothing, you just looked like you were falling asleep stood up."
"Oh, really? Well, thank you for keeping me awake, Miss Honda."
"I-it's no trouble, honest!" Tohru smiled still, the leaf that had passed her before passing by again, leading her eyes up the path towards their final destination. Yuki also noticed the small leaf quiver in the spring breeze, but it didn't seem to have the same effect on him as it did on the girl beside him; whose gaze was fixed on it's path.
The path it took lead both brown and purple eyes to the roof of Shigure's house, a familiar sight gracing the panels sheltering it. Loose green combat pants, a baggy black t-shirt, orange hair on a tanned figure… If they were close enough, they would also have seen Kyou's red and black beads clacking against his wrist with each punch that broke through the air. As Yuki and Tohru stepped closer towards the house, the rustle of their clothes and of the shopping bags set off the cat's senses; his ears twitching and crimson eyes darted towards the noise. They first locked onto Yuki's presence, making him hiss under his breath, before turning to his companion… Tohru. The hiss was silenced, and the sharpest of his teeth bit into the inside of his mouth whilst his gaze softened. Ever since he had shouted at her that morning about the lack of milk, even though the house 'adult' pointed out there was still half a carton left in the back of the fridge, Kyou had felt a pang of guilt every time he remembered how she reacted. He hated it. He didn't want her to feel like that. He wanted her… to smile. Deep red eyes turned softly to Yuki again, noting that the two of them were talking. From the distance they were away, he couldn't exactly tell, but he knew one thing; he was making her smile, the one thing he wanted to do. Even if he tried his hardest, he could only manage a small smile from her, unlike everybody else. But, he also wanted to smile for her. Every little thing she did got to him somehow, and… he didn't know when it started.
"Kyou~!" A voice. "Kyou! We're home!" Her voice. "I-I bought some more milk!" Tohru smiled softly, holding up the bag she was carrying. Yuki simply headed on inside, missing the small smile on the face of his 'rival'.
Welcome home, Tohru.
Y-Yes, I know, random leaf opening and really cheesy closing. I couldn't really think of anything else of how to end it though... Hopefully the next few chapters will be a little longer. There will be HaruxYuki, fear not! C&C Welcomed.
XxxxX