AN-I think one of my favorite pairings is Hanajima and Kazuma. I love Hana so much, and I really wanted to see her find someone who would love her and not be threatened by her denpa waves. Hanajima seems so quietly self-contained and unflappable; whereas Kazuma seems to be some sort of strange juxtaposition of absent minded professor and martial arts master. They make an incredibly bizarre couple, especially when you consider the significant age difference. And yet I don't think there are many people who could love and accept Hana in all her mysterious glory the way Kazuma would. I think he understands that there are "more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of" because of his being privy to the secret of the Juuneshi curse and from being a martial arts master. Besides, Kazuma needs someone psychic to be two steps ahead of him every time he goes in the kitchen and tries to cook! Hana could probably help him keep from burning his house down!
I do not own Fruits Basket!
I watched the man closely as he smiled and patted Kyo's shoulder with an easy familiarity. "Pride…and great affection," I thought to myself as I tuned into his waves. "But beyond the immediate feelings and sensations…loneliness and self sacrifice." I could tell that this was someone who had cut himself off from his dreams of ever having a normal life to in order to do what he considered right, although I was not entirely what that meant in the context of his life.
I stood quietly in the shade of a large maple on the street corner while I continued to watch the interaction between the man and Kyo. I had walked to where the man had his Karate dojo for the express purpose of satisfying my curiosity about him. He had been playing on my mind since I first saw him a few weeks ago at the parents, students and teachers conferences. Sitting with Tohru, Uo, Yuki and Kyo, I had announced that he was the sort of man I would want to marry. Kyo had not at all been happy with my declaration but I paid little mind to his opinion.
Normally I do not concern myself with the opposite sex. For the most part, high school boys seem overly concerned with puffing themselves up like giant, strutting peacocks for the express purpose of drawing the interest of the girls. Unlike many of my female peers, I am looking for something more than a handsome boy to wear on my arm like some sort of fashionable accessory to make the other girls jealous. But this situation was a little different.
For one thing, he wasn't a boy. This was an adult man who apparently ran a small, but well regarded dojo. And then too, there was the calm, steady energy that flowed off of him, stilling all but the most chaotic of waves in his vicinity. Years of effort had taught me how to maintain a filter that kept the cacophonous noise of other people's unguarded thoughts out of my awareness; it was not hard for me to recognize the ability to do the same in someone else. What I didn't know was if he was aware of his ability to manipulate the denpa waves, or if this stillness was merely the result of the discipline and meditation a martial arts master would necessarily engage in as part of his training. It was possible, especially if he had developed mental discipline when he was very young, that he never faced the struggles and challenges that Megumi and I had encountered when our powers manifested in middle school. I turned my attention back towards the man.
Kyo seemed particularly animated as he gestured and spoke excitedly to his foster father. I tuned into his waves once more. "A match with the champion of a rival dojo…Kyo defeated him, but only after an arduous battle." I arched my brow and smiled slightly with amusement at Kyo's pleasure in relating the details of his victory to the man. He was laughing and carrying on like a small boy, his manner completely unguarded and free. This man made Kyo feel safe; with him, Kyo could let his façade down and be real.
I focused on Kyo's foster father again, taking in the details I may have missed the first time I saw him. He was a very tall man, broad in the shoulders. Judging by the way in which his kimono hung nicely on his frame, I would say he was very fit, with the sort of long, wiry muscle that hides great strength in a deceptively slender frame. His face was very handsome with a strong, straight nose, well formed lips and delicate brows that had a naturally quizzical arch to them that gave him an expression of wry amusement all the time. He looked to be in his thirties, but with his silvery gray hair lightly brushing the base of his neck, he was likely much older. His eyes crinkled at the edges giving him the appearance of a perpetual smile.
Now they were laughing together. The man slipped his arm over Kyo's shoulder affectionately and they walked together toward the open door of the dojo. I stood there a moment more, silent and still in the shade of the red maple tree, and then I turned and began to quietly continue on my way to the house that Tohru shared with Yuki and Kyo, startling a flock of nightingales that had perched unknowingly alongside me.
I knew I would see this man again, and my denpa waves hinted that he was somehow connected with my future. For now, I was content to wait and see how that future unfolded. I had learned long ago that being impatient did little more than make the passage of time more noticeably slow.
Hanajima's black cloak and hair swirled out behind her as she turned heel and walked away. Kazuma looked behind him as he followed Kyo through the door of the dojo and his heart lurched unnaturally as his eyes fell on her figure walking away. He paused watching her hair and cloak as the wind caught them and gently blew them out behind her, creating an illusion of a black mist flowing around her. He wondered who the woman was, and he continued to watch until a concerned Kyo interrupted his reverie and distracted him. When he looked back, he saw nothing but an empty street where she had been walking.
AN: Please let me know what you think of the story. Even a single word review of "good" "bad" "awesome" or "boring" would suffice, although I prefer to know why I suck or I write well LOL. Reviews give me the opportunity to refine my writing skills and provide better stories.
