AN: Before anything is said and to prevent confusion, this story (and pretty much all of my others lol) follows a combination of elements from both the anime and manga. As such, there will be references to events only in the manga, and some only in the anime.
I don't own FB, because if I did, YukiRu wouldn't just be a fan ship. c;
Yuki knew the moment he witnessed Kyo embrace Tohru after she 'saved' him from his true form... He had lost. It was over. Tohru always loved the cat from the Zodiac. Ever since that first fateful day she had stumbled upon their house, she had mentioned her adoration for the feline. And now that the same spirit accepted her, loved her... He doubted she would push him away.
Would things have been different if he had confessed to Tohru his own growing tenderness before the cat? He had been so afraid she would refuse his affection he had remained silent. He thought... Being turned down would be the most painful experience, moreso than his years of torment in that pitch black chamber. So he kept his endearment reigned in, denied it the ability to overcome him. As much as he wanted to hold Tohru close that day at Ayame's shop and honor her with a kiss while she was dressed in that undeniably adorable gown... He didn't. He would've transformed, but that wasn't his main reason for stopping himself.
And now Yuki realized the most painful thing wasn't being rejected. It was seeing the woman he loved... In the arms of his rival. His savagely wounded arm didn't present even half the pain the shards of his heart demonstrated. He remained silent, forcing a small smile on his face for Tohru's sake when she gazed up at him, but inside... The slivers of his shattered glass heart pierced his lungs. Breathing was tedious, nearly impossible. But he couldn't let it show, not in front of her. Worse yet... She cradled the cat to her chest like a baby the whole walk home. He couldn't bring himself to walk beside her, trailing a few paces behind as he stared at the ground and watched each foot move in front of the other. It was all he could do to keep his grief from taking over.
But... If this is what she wanted, if Kyo was who she chose, then that was that, and he'd accept it. As much as it pained him, as much as he wished it would be different, the most important thing to him was her happiness. He would settle for watching from afar and making sure the stupid cat didn't harm her, and if he even raised his tone with her, Yuki would intervene and put the foolish feline back into his place. He would be her self-appointed guard dog.
They didn't arrive back at the house until the sun had risen and shown through the dark clouds. Though the rain may have stopped, Yuki still felt the heavy burden of one over his head. He couldn't let Tohru see him in this disconsolate state, immediately setting his path upstairs to his own room. Upon reaching the floor, he nearly bumped into Kagura who had been on her way down.
"Ah, sumimasen-"
"Yun-chan! You're hurt!"
"Eh?" Yuki glanced down at his arm, the blood still flowing down in a thick unrelenting stream. "Ah, hai, I guess I had my mind on other things." He moved his hand over the three lacerations. "I'll just go wash it up and bandage it-"
"Let me help you. It won't be easy to do with one hand..." Before he could protest, the boar grabbed his uninjured arm and pulled him towards his room with gargantuan strength.
"A-ano, you don't have to-"
"Please, Yun-chan. I'm the one who sent you after Kyo. Now where's your-"
"Desk, top drawer." As Kagura looked for the first aid kit he kept handy in his room, Yuki sat down on the chair, his legs suddenly feeling much too weak to support his weight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kagura straighten, the white box held tentatively in her hands.
"Yuki-kun?"
"Hm?" A beat of silence followed as she turned to him, her gaze cast down to the floor.
"You...you love Tohru-san, don't you?"
The word 'hai' dangled at the tip of his tongue, narrowly escaping being muttered by the rat's quick thinking and keeping his mouth closed as he sorted out a response. Eventually he sighed, keeping his own eyes downcast. "I... I suppose I do care for her a lot. But it doesn't matter. She and Kyo seem to have warmed up to each other, and it would be selfish for me to act on anything I feel for her. She needs to be happy. That's all I want."
The girl was silent as she opened the supplies and dug around for alcohol and swabs. "Do you... Really feel that way, Yuki?"
"Hai." Sharp stinging near his left shoulder followed, but his heart was so consumed with desolation he couldn't even bring himself to flinch.
"You know, Yuki-kun... I think Tohru likes you a lot. Not Kyo. When we first met... Do you know which of the animals she shaped first to add to the door?"
This brought Yuki pause. He never gave the order of the animals any thought when he had first seen the designs the two girls had made. "No I don't."
"She made the rat first, before we even knew the other was making animals. She just did it without thinking, the same way I did with the cat. And I've seen the way she looks at you, and if you could only see the brightness in her eyes or the fond adoration in her tone whenever she speaks about you..." Kagura trailed off as she searched for and produced a roll of gauze. "Yuki-kun, I wouldn't give up just yet... I think Tohru only sees Kyo as a friend. She doesn't speak with that same level of affection when it comes to him."
Yuki remained silent as she wrapped his arm, only speaking when she turned away again. "What about you, Kagura? Are you still going to chase after Kyo?"
"Hai. I still love him more than anything. However I know when I'm not who he needs... Right now he needs someone outside of the curse to accept him... His mother never could, and I think that's why he feels no one that doesn't share our pain could ever care about him. When he is ready, I'm going to be there. I know Kyo better than anyone... He's just trying to protect himself, I'm sure of it."
"...You're brave, Kagura-san. To continue pursuing him so intently... He truly is lucky to have someone care like you."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that... But that's sweet of you to say."
The room fell silent, only the sound of Yuki's clock ticking keeping the air devoid of utter nothingness. After Kagura snipped the bandage and replaced the kit back into his drawer, Yuki pulled his shirt back onto his shoulder, deeply going over what she had said. If it was true that Tohru did have feelings for him... Should he say something? Did she really care for him the way he did her?
"Yun-chan?" He turned his amethyst gaze to Kagura's back. "Arigatou." And with that, the door slid closed.
The rat buttoned the top fasten of his shirt. He wouldn't give up. He would continue to go after Tohru... The onigiri was worth it. Even if he failed in the end, he'd rather take the chance than go through life without knowing for sure if he had done the right thing. "No, Kagura-san...thank you."
An hour passed, and Yuki found himself walking towards Tohru's room. Surely by now the cat was back in his own room and the moment was over. He took a deep breath as he stood outside the room. Finally, he mustered the courage to knock on the door. "Honda-san?... Can I talk to you about something?" He waited. No response came. "Honda-san?" Still not a sound to be heard after a few moments. Worry crept into his chest. Was she okay?... Was the cat's true form still bothering her? Did he scare her?...
Sliding the door open just a crack, he spotted her laying with her head on her desk, the photo of her mother in front of her. Yuki sighed, stepping inside the room. His inhibitions screamed that he shouldn't be in here, not without her permission... But he just couldn't help himself. Grabbing the pillow off of her bed, he heard a quick jolt of fabric behind him. He turned his head, the girl of his affections still sleeping but with a troubled look scrunching her face as though in the middle of a nightmare. Maybe the whole situation had been too much... Sauntering over to her, he placed the pillow on her desk, gently guiding her head up and nudging the soft item underneath. He laid her head down and smoothed her hair back away from her face. "It's all okay, Honda-san... I promise I'll protect you from anything that troubles you." His voice was barely above a whisper. An idea flitted into his brain. No, he couldn't... It would be too bold, and if she was to wake and catch him, and didn't return his feelings, it could be a disaster. But at the same time... She looked so troubled... And Tohru wasn't the kind to hold things against people... So following his instinct, he bent down and shyly pressed his lips to her temple. "You're safe, I promise." Immediately her face calmed, her beautiful serene features overruling the scrunched apprehensive ones. A small smile curved Yuki's mouth. He could get used to that... Being able to calm Tohru with the gentlest of kisses, being a source of comfort... But of course he couldn't get ahead of himself. He'd speak with her when she woke up... Perhaps they could take a walk to the secret base.
Yes, he decided as he walked out of her room. Their secret base would become his place of confession. It would either be the setting of the happiest day of his life, or the most heartbreaking rejection. Only time would tell.
AN: This was originally going to be a drabble, but I'm having fun with this and feel like I could make it spread out over a few chapters. I'm working on the next chapters for OB,S and CLHA at the moment, as well as quite a few drabbles, so my hands are pretty full c': regardless, I'll try to update this soon! Thanks for reading!