Baka Neko

by Needles and Pins

Someone is sending Kyo love letters. Once he finds out that it's not some joke, he's desperate to find out who has the hots for him! When the search reaches a dead end, will the secret admirer be revealed? [Kyo x ?]

Title: Baka Neko

Author: Needles and Pins

Fandom: Fruits Basket

Genre: Romance/Humor/Angst

Rating: T (language and romance).

Disclaimer: If I owned Furuba, would this really be called fan fiction? XP

Summary: Someone is leaving Kyo love letters. He finds them everywhere, all the time. Once he's convinced that it's not some silly practical joke, things get serious. Desperate to find out whom his secret admirer is; Kyo goes on a quest to interrogate everyone he knows. When he thinks he's reached a dead end, will his forbidden love reveal him- or herself[Kyo x ?.

Author's Note: Mystery pairing! Kyo's secret admirer may be male or female. Either way, there will be mentions of homosexuality. This is the forewarning. Also, I don't plan to end the story when Kyo finds out who his secret love is. Why? Well, that's where the angst comes in. He is the cat of the zodiac, and if Kyo's feelings are returned, of course he'll have to take it up with Akito… Another thing: This takes place relatively early in the series, pretty much excluding anything major that happened.

So, enjoy. Reviews are muchly appreciated!

---

XoneX

Kyo-kun.

I was up all night, debating whether I should give this to you. I decided that I needed to…I need to let you know how I feel. Kyo-kun, in the time I've known you, I think I've fallen for you. There are feelings that I can't explain, and I feel like I need you around. I wish I could tell you myself, but there are many reasons why that'd be a bad idea. Well, I'm not sure how I'd like you to react to this, and I don't know what you should do with this, either. I just needed to let you know how I feel. Nothing else matters.

Xxxx

"Nani?" Kyo Sohma gave the small piece of paper a scrutinizing glare. He reread the letter for about the seventh time since he'd found it. Bemused at the messy handwriting that was scribbled onto the paper, he wasn't too sure what to make of this.

It had to be a joke.

Did the idiot who wrote this take him for an imbecile? Kyo scoffed, laying the piece of paper down on the counter, atop the dark maroon envelope in which it had been sealed. With a sigh the flipped open the top of the rice cooker and grabbed a bag of rice from the cabinet above his head. He poured some in, added water, and closed the top. He hit a few buttons and waited, leaning against the counter with one elbow propped atop the granite surface. He stared at the rice cooker, and then the wall, chin resting in one of his slender hands. Before he knew it, his gaze started to wander back to the letter.

With a grunt the redhead picked it up again, his crimson eyes slowly taking in each word. He kept reading it, over and over until the rice maker pinged. Kyo just felt angry. He'd firmly convinced himself that someone was playing a cruel joke. Nobody would ever do something like this for real. Slightly enraged, the cat boy clenched his fist, crumpling the letter into a paper ball. He pulled back his arm to fling it at the trash bin just as the door slid open. Just as Shigure Sohma stepped through the door, Kyo had launched the ball through the air. It bounced off the side of Shigure's head before falling to the ground. The twenty-seven-year-old graphic novelist looked down at it, puzzled.

"Nee… Shigure." Kyo muttered, watching as the handsome black-haired man bent to pick up the ball. Kyo just assumed that he'd toss it into the trash, but that would be overestimating Shigure. With a slight smile, he started unfolding it.

"Hey! Shigure, no!" Kyo lunged at the man. Without looking up, Shigure put his hand out, palm flat against Kyo's forehead. The redhead started flailing his arms, trying desperately to reach the letter. Shigure held it out of Kyo's reach, though, and laughed as he read the letter.

"Oooohhhh! Kyon-kyon has a secret admirer!" Shigure intoned, letting it drop into the trash bin when he was through reading it. He let go of the struggling cat, and he fell forward into Shigure. They stumbled off balance and hit the floor, limbs tangled with Kyo on top of the mutt. His elbow jammed hard into Shigure's ribs.

"Itai!" The dog man yelped, the breath knocked out of him.

"Ah! That wasn't my fault, you klutz!" Kyo protested, pulling himself off of Shigure. Shigure grunted, sitting up and rubbing his sore torso

"Well, I suppose I may be to blame." He sighed sadly, "His expression crumpling, "Oh, how will I forgive myself? Poor Kyo hit me in the chest! I'm sure he's in…so much pain right now…" He went on, and at that point Kyo wanted to club him over the head. Damn dog…

"…and it would be ever so terrible if I just happened to…" Shigure paused suddenly, taking in a whiff of the air. With his sensitive nose, it must have been a pretty rank scent, because he grimaced slightly. "Is something burning?"

"Aah!" Kyo jumped up, stumbling over to the counter. A thin stream of smoke was rising up from within the cooker. Quickly he pulled the plug from the wall socket. Disappointed, the cat opened the top of the cooker and peered inside. What he saw was a mixture of brown, black, and white.

Oh.

"…You're cleaning that up." Shigure appeared behind Kyo, looking over his shoulder. "There's rice stuck all over the side…" He whipped a spatula out of the drawer and handed it to the disgruntled feline, "Scrape time!" He announced.

"Shut up!" Kyo snapped, snatching the spatula from Shigure. He picked up the warm rice cooker and hauled it to the garbage can, starting to scrape out all the burned rice.

"…Why did you wanna throw out that letter?" Shigure asked, sidling over to lean against the wall next to his relative.

"It's just a stupid joke." Kyo answered, almost absorbed in the task at hand (if he didn't clean it all, Tohru would get upset and then try to clean it all herself). He sighed, "Honestly, Shigure, nobody except for some shy little princess would write that. Even if it wasn't a joke, I ain't interested." He muttered, chunks of rice landing atop the envelope with a 'plop'.

"What if it were…Tohru?" Shigure cooed.

Kyo froze.

"Well?" Shigure prompted, clearly enjoying making Kyo squirm.

"Eh…" Kyo looked up, resting the near-empty cooker on the table. "I didn't think she wrote it," He mumbled, "It sounded too depressing for Tohru."

"Well, that's true. But…it does kind of fit." Shigure said, sighing.

"What d'you mean?" Kyo turned with his back to the counter and jumped up, sitting on it.

"The letter said something about 'reasons' for not telling you. There are reasons why it would be a bad idea for Tohru to confess her feelings, you know."

"Yeah…" Kyo tilted his head back to look at the ceiling tiles. "The cat. The cat in the zodiac…" He said it bitterly, "A member of the Sohma family. I have to be locked away eventually…and there's no way Akito would allow it. After what happened to Hatori-san…"

"Oh, now let's not get mopey!" Shigure sang, a sweat drop crawling down the back of his head, "Do you like Tohru-chan, Kyo?"

Kyo looked up, shrugging his thin shoulders, "I don't know. She's just so strange, Shigure. I mean, in the good way…she's always so damn happy. She's really pretty, too…I mean, I guess she is."

"Yeah." Shigure sighed in agreement. "The way she cares about everyone. The way she goes about life, skipping around in that short little school skirt…."

"Bakamono!" Kyo shouted, "Do you have to be such a pervert all the time, Shigure-teme?"

"Nee, Kyo-kun, I was just trying to lighten the mood…" Shigure chuckled, putting his hands up defensively. Kyo grumbled something about Shigure's attitude but left it at that.

"Speaking of cute high school girls in skirts, where is she?"

A muscle in Kyo's eye twitched upon hearing Shigure's choice of words, "She's at school with the damn rat. Student Council thing." He said, sliding off the counter, "It's not like I care!"

"Tadaima," A light, cheerful female's voice broke the tension. Kyo and Shigure looked towards the door as it slid open. Yuki held the door open for Tohru, and she thanked him before taking off her shoes and stepping inside. Just the sight of that pretty boy made Kyo's blood heat up.

"Hi, Kyo-kun. Shigure-san." The cute chestnut-haired girl greeted them, bowing slightly. Kyo's rage cooled some and Shigure grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Tohru, I told you, you don't need to put a suffix at the end of my name." He said, "Shigure will do just fine."

"Oh…gomen, Shigure-sa – er, Shigure." Tohru corrected herself, smiling.

"Aah, so cute…" Shigure breathed, floating over to Yuki, who was busy unlacing his shoes by the door.

"So. Kyo, how was your day?" Tohru asked, her eyes wandering to the rice maker on the table. Kyo shrugged, casually slipping his hands into his pockets, "It was fine." He said, "Nothing interesting happened…" He followed her gaze to the abandoned rice cooker, "Oh, I accidentally burned some rice before. I'll clean it."

"Oh, don't be silly, Kyo! I wouldn't be earning my keep if I made you clean it!" She rushed over to the rice maker and scurried over to the sink, starting to wash it fervently.

Hah. He knew she'd do that.

"Kyo, you forgot to mention the letter!" Shigure whined, closing the door after Yuki walked in.

"Quiet!" Kyo hissed, but Yuki and Tohru were already looking over, listening intently.

"What kind of letter, Kyo?" Yuki asked, his soft voice still sounding smug.

"A love letter!" Shigure cooed.

"I told you to shut up, you idiot!" Kyo grabbed the spatula off the counter and started running after Shigure, a fire in his eyes. Shigure let out a whimper and ran around the table, in circles. Kyo was right behind him.

"Uh…uh…guys! Kyo, Shigure-san…um, could you please stop…?" Tohru looked afraid, but not surprised. She was already used to this kind of thing happening. The boys running around paid no mind to her. Yuki sighed.

"I'll take care of it, Tohru." Yuki said, walking over. He stuck his foot out after Shigure passed, and sent Kyo flying through the air and into the opposite wall. He hit it face-first with a thud, and then staggered backward and fell on his rear end. He sat there, dazed, until a trickle of blood seeped from the side of his forehead, just above his eyebrow.

"Oh! Yuki!" Tohru gasped, and Yuki looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Tohru-san." He said, "I didn't mean to be so violent…"

"What?" Kyo tried to get rid of his vertigo, glancing in the direction of Yuki's voice, "You damn rat! What was that for?"

"Kyo-kun, Kyo-kun!" Tohru rushed over with the first aid kit, kneeling beside him and flicking it open. He looked at her as she announced, "Oh, no, you're bleeding!"

It then registered that there was, in fact, warm liquid trickling down the left side of his face. He lifted his hand to dab at it, and pulled it away. There was blood on his fingers. He noticed that the color of the blood was the same shade as the red beads on his bracelet. Blood and bone…

"Agh! Itai!" Kyo suddenly cried out, feeling his cut sting even more. He snapped his head around towards Tohru, but two soft, pale hands locked around the sides of his face and jerked it back the other way.

"Calm down, you stupid cat. You're such a baby."

"And you're such a girl!" Kyo snarled back, crossing his arms, "Just let go, damn rat!"

"All done. Gomen nasai, Kyo-kun." Tohru said, packing her things back into the kit. Kyo slowly looked at her.

"No, Tohru, don't be sorry. It was Yuki's fault." He said.

"Kyo…" Yuki warned.

The feline jumped up, whirling to face his cousin. "Oh, don't you 'Kyo' me!" He threatened, shoving the rat boy. "I'll knock you into next week!"

"You couldn't if you tried, Kyo-kun." He said mockingly, an elegant smirk in his eyes. Damn him! He even looked pretty when he was cocky. Kyo balled his fists, letting out a little hiss.

"Look, I'm not really in the mood to go easy…" Yuki loosened his tie.

"Guys…come on, I'm about to make supper…" Tohru interrupted weakly. Shigure stepped forward, taking hold of Tohru's upper arm and pulling her to the other side of the kitchen, "That won't stop them," He said, "You should know this by now."

"Yeah…" Tohru sighed, folding her hands in front of her. She watched, concerned.

"Gimme all you got, you damn rat!" Kyo growled, charging forward. He pulled his fist back and launched it at Yuki, who simply moved to the side. Kyo tried it again, but Yuki dodged. He looked serious, unlike the Yuki that Kyo knew. He looked so severe, and all his moves were so deft and graceful.

That really pissed Kyo off.

"Stay focused, Kyo." Yuki's self-righteous voice pulled him out of his thoughts, right before a fist smashed into the underneath of his chin. His head snapped backwards, and he stumbled back a few steps. Kyo's jaws had closed hard on the inside of his cheek, which was now bleeding. He tasted the tangy, metallic liquid and cursed under his breath. Yuki came at him again, but Kyo whipped his hand up and caught the boy's fist.

With an impressive force that Kyo didn't even know he had, he closed his hand hard over Yuki's fist, pulling the boy towards him. Everybody saw it coming, but nobody could really believe it. Kyo's knee lifted upwards, ramming hard into Yuki's gut. Yuki gagged and choked, the wind knocked out of him. Kyo's other hand latched onto a fistful of Yuki's grayish-purple hair. With a snarl he dragged Yuki over and onto his back, on the ground. Yuki cried out when he got his breath back, and –

"Kyo, stop it right now!" Tohru's hysterical shriek tore through the air, and something collided with his chest. Kyo let go of Yuki when he felt Tohru's arms lock around his body. He felt himself falling backwards, his human form bursting into a cloud of smoke.

When they landed, Tohru's knees banged roughly against the wood floor, and she hurt her hands on the floor when she made sure that she wouldn't crush Kyo. The orange cat was underneath her, lying on his side. Tohru's warm tears dotted his soft fur. The cat sat up, suddenly realizing what had happened. Tohru's shoulder's trembled as she stayed there on her hands and knees, sniffling.

"Do you guys really have to hurt each other like this?" She sobbed, "I'm sorry I turned you into a cat, Kyo, but I didn't know any other way to stop it…"

A few coughs came from next to them, and Tohru got onto her knees. Shigure was there, helping Yuki to his feet.

"Stupid cat…" Yuki panted, glaring slightly at the animal on the floor. Kyo stood up, shaking himself. He said nothing.

"Forgive me, Honda-san." Yuki added softly, stepping away from Kyo to go kneel next to Tohru. She looked at him and he smiled softly, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. The hair along Kyo's spine pricked as he saw this, a surge of jealousy running through him, along with a wave of pure rage. He disentangled his feet from his clothes, and started walking away.

Before he could get very far, though, he'd transformed again. Tohru yelped and buried her head in Yuki's chest, the nearest place to hide her eyes from a nude Kyo. That just made Kyo even angrier – stupid Yuki, always getting the better treatment!

Grumbling, Kyo walked over and picked up his clothes. Without putting them on first, he stormed out of the room. Everybody knew where he was going.

After about two solid hours of lying on the roof and staring at the sky, Kyo noticed that the sunset looked particularly gorgeous tonight. Streams of reddish-orange light shone through a few red-rimmed clouds, making the sky Kyo's very own light show. A cold breeze blew by, and Kyo shivered. He was outside in nothing but pants and a t-shirt in the middle of October, and evening was coming. He was absolutely freezing, but even more unwilling to go downstairs and do anything about it. His stomach rumbled, but for the nth time that night, Kyo ignored it.

A sound off to Kyo's right caught his attention, and he sat up just in time to see a small hand grasping the edge of a bowl appear over the side of the roof. The hand carefully lay the bowl of steaming rice and miso soup on the roof, and then disappeared. Tohru appeared afterwards, and she offered Kyo a smile as she made her way across the shingles to sit next to him. The aroma of the food wafted into Kyo's nostrils, and his mouth watered.

"Here, Kyo," She said, handing him the bowl. He took it, silently. "I made it just for you. I didn't think you'd wanna come down after what happened, so I decided to bring it up." She told him, smiling.

"Ah…arigato." Kyo murmured, digging in as politely as he could. Tohru sighed, her breath visible in the cold. She loosely hugged herself, then looked up at the sky. Again, her ceaseless smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Kyo swallowed what he had in his mouth and looked up, too.

"The sunset is really something from here, isn't it?" Kyo said quietly, also marveling at the blends of beautiful colors that swirled in the sky. "The stars, too, that's almost the best part."

"Yes, it is." She said, seemingly awestruck. Kyo stole a glance at her face, and couldn't help but be granted with a ghost of a smile. Then, he averted his eyes to the sky. It was a while before any of them spoke again.

"Daisuki, Kyo." She whispered.

Somewhat alarmed, Kyo's head whirled around to look at her, "What?"

"I love you." She repeated, smiling at him.

"You what?" Kyo was incredulous. Did she just say…?

"I love you, Kyo. I love you, and Yuki, and Shigure, and Momiji and Hatori…" Shimmering pools formed along the rims of her eyes, and Kyo just stared at her.

"I love it here, and I love being with you all. It just makes me so happy…that I can be a part of something so special…I don't think I deserve it."

"Ano…Tohru, you're welcome here, with us." He said, "E-everyone cares about you, everyone…you're someone who can…who can, you know, really care for everyone. You're really, um, likeable, Tohru. You do deserve it, okay? Um, we love you, too…" He finished, suddenly losing his appetite. He looked down at the half-eaten dish, and figured he might as well finish it for her sake.

"You know what, Kyo…" She rested her head lightly on his shoulder, careful not to touch him too much for the fear that she might make him transform again.

"…I think you're right."

A/N: That's that! Chapter one is now completed. Well, you guys can make any guesses about who you think is Kyo's secret rabu-rabu (love-love) at any time through the story, but I won't be giving any answers. Maybe I'll give some clues, I don't know. P But Chapter Two will be up A.S.A.P.