Toru clapped her tiny hands triumphantly before brushing a stray lock of chestnut that escaped her blue ribbons from her face. A good morning. She peered out the window as the eggs sizzled in the pan beneath her, letting the cool sunrise wash over her above the crowded forest. It was a perfect, beautiful day.
"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU SHITTY MOUSE?!"
Well, almost perfect. Toru turned around and gazed through the open door, amazed that their incessant fighting could still evoke feelings of surprise in her. It was common and familiar... which made her happier? Having such routine in her life, or grasping to the thin, baseless hope that one day Kyo and Yuki might put aside thier differences and become friends? She could hope for nothing more than for them to love her. Asking them to love each other was more than impossible. A happy, tired sigh escaped her. Familiarity.
"You heard me," Yuki recited his part calmly, reading the thin newspaper he grasped. He looked bored. His knuckles, however, were white. Toru quickly grabbed the perfectly shaped riceballs she had prepared, shuffling through the door and between the two with a bright grin as she held up the platter.
"Good morning! Would either of you like riceballs with your breakfast?" Kyo was frozen in his angered stance, just about to pounce for the kill, looking confused per usual. Their daily ritual. Her daily interference. But, this time, neither of them spoke. Silence shook the room, wracking Toru as she stood with the riceballs. Kyo's stance relaxed and he looked away, an unusual sweat glistening on his tan skin. Are they mad at ... me? It felt as though ice had settled on the room, and the mere second had multiplied into what felt like hours as Toru contemplated her guilt. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you both were so upset. Please forgive me." Swiftly, she set the riceballs on the table and ran back into the kitchen. The kitchen: her sanctuary. Recipe for perfection. It was the part of the house that she could maintain and control... anything she could do to make them happy. Them. Them... burning. Something was burning. Toru burst into tears when she realized the eggs were burning. She ran over, turning off the stove as a tear dripped into the pan and dissipated with a sharp sizzle. I am so stupid. How could I be so stupid? How could I let this food go to waste? How could I be stupid enough to disturb Yuki and Kyo and then burn their breakfast? "I'm so stupid..."
"Maybe," a deep voice chimed in from behind her. She spun around, another tear finding its way down her cheek before she could stop it.
"Kyo."
He stepped closer, his gaze cast downwards. Something was different. Closer. Very different. She looked up, her eyes questioning his yellowish cat-like hues. Before Toru could understand what was happening, a strong hand had brushed a stray tear from her pale cheek. "Kyo..." she repeated, confused at his gentle behavior. Suddenly he turned away, his fiery hair obscuring his eyes. Toru stood still in sweet silence, unsure of what to do before her eyes fell on a deep gash in Kyo's arm. Marred. Would leave a scar. "Kyo!" Toru cried for the third time, instinctively reaching out to brush the wound with her fingertips.
Kyo flinched. It was like soaking in lukewarm water. Healing. Still, he said nothing. Toru grabbed a towel from the rack, running it under lukewarm water. "What happened? Did Yuki do this to you?"
He flushed. Lukewarm, the unexpected feeling of a moist towel against his skin sent goosebumps tingling through him. "No." Her brow furled as she wiped the cut carefully, her left hand grabbing his as she held the towel with her right.
"No? Then how did you get this? And where is Yuki?"
Kyo felt her hand in his and shivered. The gentle morning breeze from the kitchen ruffled her hair. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, soaking in his warmth. The towel had fallen to the floor, and everything felt slow like honey. A small pattering of rain attacked the house as they stood there in the kitchen, smelling the wind, feeling and breathing and the small figure leaning helplessly.
"You buy extra milk for me."
Nothing happened. "You like milk, don't you?"
Kyo turned, Toru's cheek brushing against his skin as he moved back to her, leaning down so quickly her breath was stolen as he grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. Another tear coursed down her cheek as she kissed him, longing to pull him close to her. His hand slowly ran down her arm, sticky with emotion. The kiss lasted. Innocent, pure, first. So enmeshed in this moment, this fantasy of sharp desire and tears from a dream that could never come true, even in the sweet twilight afterglow instead of the angry raincloud that enveloped the house. As Kyo pulled away from her lips, it felt as though he was leaving himself behind. He paused, still heartsick with sensory overload, and put a sweaty hand to his forehead. A single tear fell from him, landing on Toru's shoulder as she stared up at him with her big, innocent blue eyes. It soaked into her white shirt, and he closed his eyes.
"I love you."
"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU SHITTY MOUSE?!"
Well, almost perfect. Toru turned around and gazed through the open door, amazed that their incessant fighting could still evoke feelings of surprise in her. It was common and familiar... which made her happier? Having such routine in her life, or grasping to the thin, baseless hope that one day Kyo and Yuki might put aside thier differences and become friends? She could hope for nothing more than for them to love her. Asking them to love each other was more than impossible. A happy, tired sigh escaped her. Familiarity.
"You heard me," Yuki recited his part calmly, reading the thin newspaper he grasped. He looked bored. His knuckles, however, were white. Toru quickly grabbed the perfectly shaped riceballs she had prepared, shuffling through the door and between the two with a bright grin as she held up the platter.
"Good morning! Would either of you like riceballs with your breakfast?" Kyo was frozen in his angered stance, just about to pounce for the kill, looking confused per usual. Their daily ritual. Her daily interference. But, this time, neither of them spoke. Silence shook the room, wracking Toru as she stood with the riceballs. Kyo's stance relaxed and he looked away, an unusual sweat glistening on his tan skin. Are they mad at ... me? It felt as though ice had settled on the room, and the mere second had multiplied into what felt like hours as Toru contemplated her guilt. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you both were so upset. Please forgive me." Swiftly, she set the riceballs on the table and ran back into the kitchen. The kitchen: her sanctuary. Recipe for perfection. It was the part of the house that she could maintain and control... anything she could do to make them happy. Them. Them... burning. Something was burning. Toru burst into tears when she realized the eggs were burning. She ran over, turning off the stove as a tear dripped into the pan and dissipated with a sharp sizzle. I am so stupid. How could I be so stupid? How could I let this food go to waste? How could I be stupid enough to disturb Yuki and Kyo and then burn their breakfast? "I'm so stupid..."
"Maybe," a deep voice chimed in from behind her. She spun around, another tear finding its way down her cheek before she could stop it.
"Kyo."
He stepped closer, his gaze cast downwards. Something was different. Closer. Very different. She looked up, her eyes questioning his yellowish cat-like hues. Before Toru could understand what was happening, a strong hand had brushed a stray tear from her pale cheek. "Kyo..." she repeated, confused at his gentle behavior. Suddenly he turned away, his fiery hair obscuring his eyes. Toru stood still in sweet silence, unsure of what to do before her eyes fell on a deep gash in Kyo's arm. Marred. Would leave a scar. "Kyo!" Toru cried for the third time, instinctively reaching out to brush the wound with her fingertips.
Kyo flinched. It was like soaking in lukewarm water. Healing. Still, he said nothing. Toru grabbed a towel from the rack, running it under lukewarm water. "What happened? Did Yuki do this to you?"
He flushed. Lukewarm, the unexpected feeling of a moist towel against his skin sent goosebumps tingling through him. "No." Her brow furled as she wiped the cut carefully, her left hand grabbing his as she held the towel with her right.
"No? Then how did you get this? And where is Yuki?"
Kyo felt her hand in his and shivered. The gentle morning breeze from the kitchen ruffled her hair. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, soaking in his warmth. The towel had fallen to the floor, and everything felt slow like honey. A small pattering of rain attacked the house as they stood there in the kitchen, smelling the wind, feeling and breathing and the small figure leaning helplessly.
"You buy extra milk for me."
Nothing happened. "You like milk, don't you?"
Kyo turned, Toru's cheek brushing against his skin as he moved back to her, leaning down so quickly her breath was stolen as he grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. Another tear coursed down her cheek as she kissed him, longing to pull him close to her. His hand slowly ran down her arm, sticky with emotion. The kiss lasted. Innocent, pure, first. So enmeshed in this moment, this fantasy of sharp desire and tears from a dream that could never come true, even in the sweet twilight afterglow instead of the angry raincloud that enveloped the house. As Kyo pulled away from her lips, it felt as though he was leaving himself behind. He paused, still heartsick with sensory overload, and put a sweaty hand to his forehead. A single tear fell from him, landing on Toru's shoulder as she stared up at him with her big, innocent blue eyes. It soaked into her white shirt, and he closed his eyes.
"I love you."