Well whadaya know? I actually wrote something for an anime.
I just love Arisa Uotani so very much. I even role-played as her at Anime Weekend Atlanta this past weekend. (I was actually part of the entire cast of Fruits Basket, which was quite an experience. Everyone was perfect.) I should have some pictures linked in my bio sometime within the next week or two, so check back there if you wanna see any.
Anyway, as can be expected, I've been on a Fruits Basket kick lately. This little one-shot focuses on my two favorite characters, Uo – as mentioned before – and Kyo. If any of you readers are familiar with my other works, you'll know that I am one of the more angsty writers around the parts where I usually dwell. I'm quite proud of myself for venturing out into other fandoms. :)
Disclaimer: No characters mentioned forthwith are mine. I just borrowed them. And didn't make and money in the process.
xxxx
Dedication: To all the wonderful friends I made from our Fruits Basket group, and my dear friend who got me hooked in the first place. You know who you are.
xxxx
The stars were bright as Kyo leaned back on the roof and gazed upward. The moon cast its ethereal sheen over the treetops, lining the world in the richest silver. Yuki had left a few minutes ago to meet Tohru so he could walk her home and Shigure was at the main house until tomorrow…which meant Kyo was left to his solitude. But, as his luck would have it, a stone came flying through the air and hit him square in the chest as he reclined.
"What the hell!" He sat up quickly, just to be hit with another – larger – stone as it came hurling to hit his forehead. "Who's doing that?"
He scrambled to the edge of the roof and peered downward. His face flushed with what should have been anger as the person on the ground came into view. "Stupid Yankee! What do you think…" His words died off as something shiny reflected the moon's light. It was blood. And it was dripping down her face, her blonde hair clotted with it at her scalp.
"W-what happened to you?"
Arisa just stared up at him. He could see the faint outline of a bruise forming on her cheek, another around her right eye. "Can I just come in and wash up?"
"Why should I let you?" Kyo asked, quite confused with the situation. Her voice held no hint of anger toward him, just…irritation.
"Because I'm all sticky and I don't like being covered in blood."
He was silent a moment as Uo's request registered in his head. "Yeah, I guess." As an afterthought he added, "But only because you live so far away." He made his way slowly over to the ladder at the edge and climbed down. She was waiting for him at the bottom.
Now that he was closer he could see that not only was there blood on the side of her face, but there was a large dark stain spreading quickly across her abdomen, where one of her hands was pressing gently. Was she…stabbed?
"What happened to you?" he asked again. She just looked at him with weary eyes. "Shouldn't you go to the hospital or something?" He led her to the front door and opened it to let her inside.
"No…I'll be-" She winced as she stepped into the front hall. "I'll be fine. Where's the bathroom?"
"Over there…" He pointed it out. "Do you, um, want some clean clothes?"
She didn't answer as she hobbled over to the correct door. The click as it closed echoed across the empty hall. He noticed for the first time that each of her left footprints was lined with blood. She had obviously been in some kind of struggle, and knowing how well she fought he'd safely bet that her opponent came away worse than she did. A metallic bang preceded the sound of running water. Now he knew her opponent came away worse than she did if she had that barbaric pipe.
"Hey, um, Uo…" He couldn't bring himself to call her 'stupid Yankee' just then. "I'll make you some tea?" It was more of a question than a statement. He didn't even know if she liked tea.
The water stopped and the door slid back a bit. Her usually hard face poked out. She had cleaned up, her cheeks red from rubbing. "Don't bother," she murmured in response to the question. "But I think I'll take you up on that offer of clean clothes. Are you just gonna stand there? I'm freezing."
"Oh, yeah…sure." Kyo turned on his heel and leapt up the stairs. Clothes…girl clothes. Tohru probably didn't have anything that would fit her friend, seeing as Uotani was so tall. Yuki maybe.
The rat's room was neat, everything well-organized. Kyo bit the inside of his cheek as he considered where to look. He had to make sure that Yuki wouldn't notice something missing. Old pajamas? Yeah, that worked. He started pulling open drawers until he found the one he was looking for. He was rewarded with a find of a pair he had never even seen the rat wear, which meant he probably didn't even like them anymore. Prefect. He yanked them up from the bottom of the neatly folded stack and rushed back downstairs.
Arisa was still in the bathroom when he returned. She slid the door open at his knock and held out a pale hand. He placed the clothes in her callused palm and watched as her long fingers closed around them and disappeared back in the small room. He stood back and considered. She should get some fluids; even though he had no idea how much of the blood that had decorated her body when she came in was hers, it still wasn't healthy to lose all that she had potentially lost.
Kyo was just setting the kettle on the stove when she came into the kitchen. He didn't bother asking how she knew where it was when she hadn't known where the bathroom was. The question was moot, anyway.
"Tea will be ready soon." He pulled down a cup and set in on the counter with a teabag.
"I told you not to bother," Uo growled softly as she leaned against the doorframe. "I'm not gonna stay long."
"Then why haven't you left yet?"
She gave him a hard glare, made all the worse by the bruises on her face. "That's no business of yours."
"Well it kinda is, seeing as you're in my house."
Another glare.
"Fine, be that way." He pointed to the next room. "Go sit. I'll be right in with the tea."
She took a deep breath as though to argue with him, but thought better of it and turned away.
The kettle whistled and he took it off, pouring some of the hot water into the cup. The tea he had chosen was slightly bitter, so in an attempt to be somewhat kind he added some honey and removed the teabag to keep the liquid form getting too strong. When he entered the room he had shooed Uo into he found her sitting against the far wall instead of at the table. Her head was back, leaning against the support behind her, eyes closed. She looked so…vulnerable.
"Hey," he said, reaching out to shake her back to consciousness. "Here's your tea. Drink it, okay?"
She opened her eyes and reached out a shaky hand to take the cup as she gave him a thin-lipped smile. "Thanks."
Kyo sat down heavily across from her on the floor. "So, you gonna tell me what happened to you or what?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, her words dripping with contempt. At his obstinate silence she gave in. "Fine, fine…" She shook her head, running over the events in her mind as she spoke them aloud. "I was coming home from work. I was tired, so I wasn't paying much attention. Some stupid group of girls from a gang rival to the one I used to be a part of attacked me. I beat them off, but not before they did me some damage."
"How many girls?"
"Seven."
"Damn," Kyo whispered in appreciation. He snapped back when Arisa raised a curious eyebrow. "But they were just girls, and you had a weapon. It wasn't a fair fight."
"Who said one of those girls didn't have a weapon?"
He looked at her, almost sick to his stomach as he remembered the blood she had been smeared with. "You were stabbed, weren't you?"
She didn't answer, sipping her tea instead.
"But you're not in the gang anymore, right? So why did they come after you?"
"They must have remembered me. I know I remembered them."
"But…" His words died on his tongue. "Did you…um, do you…need some bandages or something?"
She shook her head. "I used my shirt to stop up the cut."
"Some cut…" Kyo couldn't stop his gaze from falling to her abdomen. "You sure you don't want me to take you to a doctor or something? I mean, I could call our family doctor…he'd come here to see you. Yuki will be home soon with Tohru; I could send him to get Hatori."
Something he said broke Arisa from whatever kind of trance she had been in. She jumped up, dropping the cup of hot tea to the floor. "Tohru can't know! She can't know!" Her voice was laced with panic.
"What's wrong with you!" He sprang up after her to grab her arm as she stumbled. "She's gonna find out anyway, with those awful bruises on your face!"
"It's called makeup, Orangey!" she snapped.
Kyo recoiled as though he'd been slapped. "Why are you getting angry with me? I've only been trying to help, stupid Yankee!"
Uo drooped almost immediately, leaning against the wall heavily for support. "You're right."
"Wait…what?" He looked at her, stunned. She had never given up so easily.
"You're right. You're only trying to help." She glanced up at him for half a second. "Thanks."
He relaxed slightly at her words as he looked her over. She was slumped against the wall, slowly sliding back to the floor. Her usually bright hair was dull, her complexion ashy. Suddenly he was tense again. "You okay?"
"I…think I should leave…"
"No you won't!" He reached down to put weight on her shoulders, barring her from getting up. "You're staying here. You are in no condition to be walking across town to get home. You'd probably die or something."
"Thank you so much for your support," she mumbled dryly.
"Hey, uh, maybe you should go lie down. You don't look so good." He kneeled in front of her, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Why are you even trying? he asked himself. You don't like her, remember? For once he ignored that little voice in his head. She really needed help, and he was more than happy to give it right then.
"Okay…" she whispered, surprising him again both with her compliance and the weakness of her voice. "Maybe I should…"
"Yeah…yeah, right." He thought quickly of a place for her to go. The only room that came to mind – the one room that neither Yuki nor Tohru would go to – was his own. Now he had to figure out a way to get her up the stairs without triggering the curse. He sighed dramatically and stood again, grasping both her hands in his. "This way," he said as he lugged her to her feet. She hobbled after him as he ushered her up the stairs and to his room. Don't touch her, don't touch her…she's fine; you don't need to grab her waist or anything. Don't be stupid and do something to scare her off, like turn into a cat.
As soon as the bed came into view, Arisa made her way toward it. Before he could blink, she was lying down on her back, eyes closed. No question as to whose room she was in. No question as to whether she'd be found. It was then he noticed the stain forming on the flannel top she was now wearing. She was still bleeding.
"I'm gonna pull up your shirt." And he did so without waiting for her protest. She squirmed painfully away.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" She propped herself up with her elbows, glowering evilly.
He returned her look without shrinking away. "You're still bleeding, stupid! Now let me look at it before you keel over from blood loss!" If he expected a fight he didn't get one. Instead she dropped her torso back to the mattress, completely at his mercy. This act alone scared him to bits. She wasn't supposed to be so helpless. It just wasn't right. "Don't move," – as if she would even try – "I'm gonna go get some bandages."
"What, are you a doctor yourself now?" Uo retorted sourly.
Kyo narrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "Listen, Yankee. If you keep bleeding you're going to die, got that? I don't know what kind of injuries you've had before or what kind of treatment that gang of yours gave you, but I'd rather not have Tohru come home and find you passed out. She'll worry herself sick." Yeah, that's right. Pass it off like you're only doing this for Tohru.
Her wide, suddenly frightened eyes focused on his. What exactly she was afraid of he didn't know. "Don't let her know I'm here," she whispered. "Please. She…she'd be so upset if she knew…" Something else occurred to her and she propped herself back up, even if only for a moment. "My skirt a-and pipe are still in the bathroom. I forgot about them. And my shoes…and socks…"
"Don't worry about it, Uo." He picked at the hair near her scalp, still matted with deep red gunk – dried blood. His stomach clenched sickeningly and he jerked his hand back. "I'll bring everything up here, okay?"
She fell back down, nodding slowly. Kyo stood and gazed down at her for a split second. Just to make sure she isn't passed out or something. Right. Her eyes were closed tightly, lips pursed in what had to be pain. He blinked and turned to walk from the room. She didn't stop him.
His movements were quick and flustered as he gathered anything and everything he might possibly need from the cabinet where the first aid supplies were kept. Even those little round band-aids. As promised, he stopped at the bathroom to get Arisa's things. To keep her presence here secret. How much time was left before Tohru and Yuki got home? He had no idea. He piled the various bits of clothing on top of the stack of first-aid stuff. The pipe – which he could swear had some new stains – was last to be removed. He could just imagine her wielding that thing against seven opponents and winning the fight. Jeez, she could have killed them if she had wanted to. For a brief moment his heart stopped. What if she had killed someone? No. No, she wouldn't. Right?
He slid back the door to his room. Uo was still right where she was when he had left, a hand pressed over her eyes. "Don't fall asleep yet."
"Why not?" Her voice was still as sharp as always. That gave him a bit of comfort.
"Because your heart slows when you sleep." He figured that was all the answer she needed. Even if it wasn't, she didn't say anything more on the matter. He kneeled beside the bed and pulled up her shirt again, just enough to see where she had put her makeshift bandage. She didn't jerk away this time. Whatever comfort he took from her voice before fled at her acceptance. "Just be still. This might sting a little."
"Just do it, Orange Top." Uotani was one tough cookie. How long was she in that gang? How long did she have to suffer so much pain? She sure seemed good at ignoring it.
Kyo carefully peeled back her school shirt and threw it to the side. When he saw the gash in her abdomen his stomach convulsed again, this time almost bringing up his dinner. The wound was at least four centimeters long – quite a big knife – and the thin line was distorted; the attacker had obviously twisted the blade to cause more damage. With another wave of nausea he wondered if she had screamed. Stop. Stop thinking about that.
He looked away to rummage through the pile of things he had dropped on the floor beside him. He tossed Uo's clothes, shoes, and pipe off to the side to join her dirty shirt and pulled out a large swath of gauzy fabric. Another of the things he had learned from his master was how to heal minor injuries. Though this was far from minor, he still had a good grasp on what to do. The fabric was folded mechanically by his cold fingers and pressed to her warm stomach after he sprinkled on some powdery antibiotic. Then another folded piece of fabric, and another, and another until the blood didn't seep through anymore. She was quiet the whole time, and merely held her breath when he asked her to sit up to wrap the tape around her abdomen to keep the whole thing in place. Ten minutes total was all the time it took.
"Try not to get this wet for a day or two. And I still think you should see a real doctor." For some reason his hand remained pressed just above the padding, where her skin was still bare. She was warm, not feverish; a very good sign. He could feel her breathing steadily. And her skin was just so soft… His face flushed as he noticed the turn his thoughts had taken, but he forced his fingers to remain in place so as not to startle her.
"Can…I sleep now?" Her eyelids fluttered as the remainder of her energy disappeared.
He slowly lifted his hand away. "Yeah. Yeah, you can sleep now."
"Good…"
Kyo jumped slightly as he heard the front door open and close.
"Kyo! Have you eaten?" It was Tohru and Yuki. Great. Now what was he going to do with the Yankee? He looked down at her. She seemed to already be asleep.
He tripped over to the hall, trying not to be too loud. "Yeah," he called down in answer to Tohru's question.
"Oh, that's good. Did you enjoy what I had left?"
"Yeah," he said again, glancing nervously behind him. Arisa was still, eyes closed, breathing deeply. She would have been pretty, if her face weren't all bruised up. She's pretty anyway, and you know it. "I'll…I'll be down in a second. I wanna go up and sleep on the roof tonight."
"Hey…"
He swirled around, bristling at her sudden voice. He had thought she was sleep! "What, Yankee?" he hissed. "You want everyone to know you're here? Be quiet!"
She gazed steadily at him, not put off by his vehemence. "Thank you. For helping me, you know. I'll wait until you guys leave for school tomorrow and I'll go to my doctor, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." He crossed his arms as he stood in the doorway, trying to keep cool and not do something stupid. "Just because I patched you up doesn't make us friends or anything. You're still a stupid Yankee."
"And you're still my idiot Orangey."
He turned in a huff and left, snapping off the light and sliding the door closed behind him. He could hear Tohru and the rat laughing downstairs as they ate what was left of the food from dinner. But for some reason he didn't feel jealous today like he usually did. Then he stopped short, finally realizing what Arisa had said. 'My idiot Orangey.'