6
Chapter Six
Tohru woke when the sun peeked through the open window curtains and slid across the matted flooring onto hers and Kyo's futon. Rolling over, she was surprised to find the other still asleep in bed, curled into his pillow with the sheets bunched around his hips. Kyo's body temperature had always been slightly higher than normal, and though it normally made him sweat during the night with the amount of blankets Tohru slept with, it also kept her warm. When she felt her own arm and the coolness to her skin, she shifted a bit closer to him and pressed her face to his back, draping an arm around his waist.
"Mn…" Kyo mumbled, a hand moving down to brush over her fingers and curl around them, though he didn't stir more than that. He rested and sighed softly, drifting back into a deeper sleep. It had rained during the night, having woken Tohru from a rather deep sleep, and it still took it out of Kyo when the storms came through.
"Good morning," she whispered to him, and she closed her eyes again. She tangled her fingers with Kyo's and sighed softly, tenderly placing little feathery kisses against the tense muscles in his back. He didn't reply or move and she hadn't expected him to. Instead, she just snuggled closer to him for a little while before she sat up. Standing, she wandered around the futon and slipped into one of Kyo's button-ups from his bag. She grabbed a pair of her own underwear and stepped into them, then disappeared out of the room to make breakfast.
While she cooked, she hummed quietly to herself regardless that she had the radio playing from the windowsill above the sink. As the French toast was cooking, she gazed out the window and she decided to tend more to the garden she knew was nearby. She'd have to stop and buy some new seeds to plant, but that wasn't much of a problem. She figured Kyo was going to do some other things today, and if he wasn't, she'd be sure to keep him occupied, anyway.
When the French toast was done, she placed the two dishes on a tray and added two large glasses of orange juice to the mix. Cleaning the kitchen quickly—she tossed the dishes into the sink and made sure the stove was off—she turned and then disappeared up the stairs with breakfast in hand. Sliding the door open with her foot, she stepped back into their bedroom and smiled to see Kyo rolled over onto his back, a key sign that he was waking up.
"Kyo," she murmured softly, kneeling beside him and resting the tray on the floor. "Kyo," she said again, and she slid her hand over his hard, defined chest. "Time to wake up."
"M'wake," he replied, his eyes still closed, though he turned his head toward her and stretched a bit at the feel of her hand on him. "Where'd you go? You don't normally get up without me," he said, finally cracking his eyes open to gaze at her.
She leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss over his forehead before motioning toward the tray she'd prepared for them. "I made you breakfast," she explained, and when Kyo rolled over, she sat so that her hips were pressed against the curve of his own. "Yuki won't be arriving until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. I figured we could spend the day together unless you already have plans." She pointed out, cutting some of the toast on Kyo's plate and picking it up with her chopsticks, offering a piece to the older man beside her.
Kyo parted his lips and let Tohru feed him, humming quietly while sliding a hand up and down her side, teasing the soft skin just below the hem of his shirt she wore. "I don't have plans today; I met with Shishou yesterday, so I'm fine with doing whatever you want."
She smiled and took a bite herself, watching the way Kyo took his time to wake up. He'd always been like that, so cat-like, even after the curse had been broken. She played with his hair lightly, twisting it between her fingers and ghosting them through the orange locks. He purred for her, then, loving the way her hands felt in his hair. He accepted another piece of toast and looked toward her, waiting for her response.
"I'm going to the store today, to gather some new seeds for the garden. Will you help me plant them?" She smiled, and she looked at Kyo while sipping her orange juice.
Kyo nodded his head at her, and he propped himself up on his elbow, reaching for the second pair of chopsticks so he could pick and eat the food with Tohru. "You'll have to teach me what to do; I'm not really good at gardening." He liked the way that Tohru felt the need to press herself against him whenever she could, and he enjoyed the way that she always knew how to make him curious. Naturally curious as he was, it was not always an easy task. Tohru, though, was able to strike his interest in a matter of minutes.
"You can help me decide what to plant; nothing has been planted there since the house hasn't been used, so we can figure out what we should grow. And I won't insist on leeks." She said, and she took another bite of the French toast and gave him a cheeky smile.
He rolled his eyes at her and slid his chopsticks into his other hand, using the former to tiptoe his fingertips along her ribcage beneath her shirt, ghosting it along the side of her soft breast. "You're asking for it." He grinned, giving her a little wink when she shivered.
"Asking for what? You to throw me down and have your wicked way with me just because I brought up leeks? You might be mistaken, my love; I might be making out in that situation." She grinned, turning so that he instead received a handful of what he was teasing.
He laughed at her and gave her a little squeeze, setting his chopsticks down and grabbing her under her arms. Yanking her onto his chest, he proceeded to tickle her until tears of laughter slipped out of her eyes, and she nearly begged him in jest to cease. He laughed with her, and he slid his hands through her hair, kissing her softly. "How about we wait a while on going shopping for those seeds?" He breathed, kissing her lips softly, brushing the moisture off his eyelashes with his thumb.
She nodded her head at him, then, and nuzzled her nose against his throat. "That sounds wonderful to me," she breathed ever so happily.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Settled into the seat on the train toward his old home, Yuki crossed his ankles and relaxed against his bag. In his hand he held his most recent novel, having started it only that morning as exams had finished just that very day. Next to him, Machi dozed in and out of sleep quietly against his shoulder, and he smiled. Pressing a light kiss to the top of her head, he shifted again and found a way to make himself more comfortable.
Yuki knew they had at least another hour or so until they had to switch trains to their final destination. Machi had attended the same college he did, and though her major was different and she would graduate two semesters after he did, she was more than happy. They worked well together, fit like two pieces of a puzzle, and Machi understood him in a way no one else could. Well, except for Tohru, but Yuki suspected that Tohru was the exception to everyone's rule. She came into their lives so many years ago and turned everything upside down for the better. It made him happy to remember that thought, and when Machi stirred against his side, he reached across her lap to squeeze her hand.
"We've still got a way to go," he whispered to her, and he laced her fingers in his own. "Are you comfortable?"
"As best as I can be," she replied sleepily, yawning. She readjusted herself and then reached into her rather large bag beside her to draw from it a sweatshirt. Draping it over herself, she closed her eyes and rested her head against Yuki's shoulder, slipping back off to sleep in a matter of minutes.
Like Yuki, Machi had been studying day in and day out for exams. They were both thoroughly exhausted and worn to the bone, drained completely of anything academic. It was Yuki's one hate of schooling; the pressure, the stress, the drive to be better than he was. When he worked himself until he was malnourished and suffering from insomnia, he often thought it wasn't worth it. But in the end, when he looked at what he had accomplished and knew he was so close to his final degree in architecture, he knew that it was a means to an end.
Machi at his side was what made him the happiest, too. Though she was very quiet, he knew how to draw out her less reserved side. She would talk to him for hours about the thoughts she had, the dreams she wanted to fulfill, the way she had held feelings for Yuki for a while before they decided they were going to try. Now, they had been together for several years, and they were happier than ever. With school soon to be ending, Yuki was starting to put things together for a future with Machi. Of course, the first thing in mind was the house he grew up in with Shigure and Kyo and Tohru. He was excited to take Machi home, to where he grew. He wanted her to see it, to see what she thought, to know if it made her happy and would be a good home for them.
He had been smart with his finances, as well. Earning academic scholarships, he was able to make it through university with very minimum debt, and he knew he would be able to pay off his student loans relatively close to graduating. These thoughts were ones that made looking toward the future exciting for Yuki.
He shifted again, adjusting his bottom on the rather uncomfortable seat, and he opened his book. With several hours of travel left, he knew he'd be able to put a good dent in his book. Turning to the page he'd marked, he started to read the pages, but he was having trouble stopping his mind from slipping off into daydreams of what was to come.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Meanwhile, Tohru knelt in the cool grass with her gloved hands working diligently in the soil before her. Nearby, Kyo was organizing the many different packets of seeds they'd bought at the store just an hour beforehand. He was watching Tohru out of the corner of his eye, the way she stuck her tongue just barely out of her mouth while deep in concentration. It was cute, and he moved to sit beside her once he'd finished. He knew she didn't realize he was there, and he had to swallow his laugh as he reached out to pinch her tongue between his thumb and forefinger.
"Kyo!" She squeaked with a laugh, turning toward him and wiping her lip with the back of her hand. "What are you doing?"
He chuckled. "You were too cute; you were sticking your tongue out again," he explained, and he sat back in the grass. "I finished organizing the seeds. What else can I do to help? This looks like such a big job."
She nodded her head, pushing her hair out of her face and behind her ear, successfully smearing a little bit of dirt over the high arch of her cheekbone. "Well, I'm tilling the soil, but there are still a lot of weeds in the corners and between the rows. Can you start pulling them? Once we get them out and I finish with this, we'll be able to plant the seeds." She explained. "You can help me decide which plant should go where."
He followed her order, and he kicked off his shoes to go barefoot instead. With a smile, he gave her a little face and then started to pull the weeds from the roots the way he knew he was supposed to. She watched him for a few minutes before smiling and returning to what she was doing. It was so peaceful to do what they were doing, tending to the garden in the silence of the woods. The birds chirped, and she could hear the bubbling creek nearby that led to the large lake down the way.
It was serene, and she lost herself soon in the sounds of the forest as she worked with the ground. Soon, she and Kyo had the whole garden weeded and tilled, and she sat back to look at him. "We're a good team," she smiled, and he nodded his head. "Let's plant the seeds."
Kyo moved around the garden and gathered the seeds into his hands, one packet from each of the piles he'd created. He moved behind her and draped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest so he could watch over her shoulder as she picked through the packets. "Those," he mumbled softly, pointing to the cucumber packet. "They should be first."
She smiled and nodded her head in agreement, enjoying the way he held her as she pulled the packet open and then settled the seeds one by one into the ground. The first row was completed quickly, Kyo staying at her side and watching her until he felt comfortable enough to move dirt, place a seed, and cover it himself. He knew it was simple, but doing something he'd never done when the woman he loved was so good at it was rather daunting. He wanted her to know he could do it.
It was then, of course, that Kyo realized that no matter how old they were or how long they'd been together, he'd always want to make her happy. He'd always want to do his best just for her. She was everything that was important to him, and the way she smiled when he made her happy was something he lived for.
Seed by seed, together they replanted the garden near the house. Cucumbers, strawberries, blue berries, lettuce, all simple things. But Kyo was excited, and he turned to Tohru when they'd finished, brushing his thumb over her cheek and wiping the dirt from it. "We're a good team." He smiled.
She nodded her head, and she turned to gather their tools and extra packets of seeds. "We've always been a good team, silly, right from the start. It just took you a long time to figure it out." She said, and she moved closer to him as they wandered away from the garden and back toward the house.
He chuckled, draping his arm over her shoulders and carrying the tools for her like the gentleman he truly was. "Yeah, yeah, but at least I see it now." He said.
"Thank God," she grinned, elbowing his side and then smiling when they approached the house she loved so much. "It's so good to be back."
Kyo nodded and squeezed her arm, smiling. "Yeah, it is. Until, you know, that damn Yuki gets back."
"Kyo!"
-:-:-:-:-:-
So, I promise I'm still alive. I do have to apologize for not getting this up sooner. In fact, I just finished it like two minutes ago. Anyway, I'm freaking exhausted, guys. I got three weeks off from school (which is where this story started), and then we started the summer session. Holy crap, who the hell thought a ceramics class would drag on for like 10 weeks and have so much freaking work? Not to mention the history class we're in with its 15 quizzes and 19+ assignments and discussion posts. BULL.
I'm trying hard to get back into writing, btu I have so much on my plate right now it's insane. I'm working almost every day, I'm busting ass at home, I'm doing a shit-ton of homework and working on my projects to send to my friends in Japan (it's present time!). I'm just beaten down, man. I want so much to continue this fic, and thank you guys for being so supportive of me throughout it. I'll try to work hard to keep it going again, but I can't promise you'll have a quick update.
Also, forgive me for the complete POINTLESSNESS of this chapter. It's utterly ridiculous.
