Hey, guys, I just want to give quick thanks to my wonderful reviewers (and Keelan I totally felt the same about Yuki and Rin. Also Hiro and Kisa have the be the cutest couple in Fb). You guys seriously make me smile, and I don't say thank you enough. Of course, every fav, follow, and just plain view means a lot as well, but I really love hearing you thoughts.
Anyway, now that that's out of the way lets get to this chapter (which is slightly longer than the others).
Disclaimer: I only own Suzu~~
"Kureno?" Suzu asked as Tohru shuffled about her room before bed.
Tohru paused in her nightly ritual to face Suzu, who had been reading beneath the covers. "Yes. Do you know much about him?"
Using her finger as a bookmark, Suzu tapped her book against her legs in thought. She knew of Kureno, his name, his curse, the typical Sohma stuff really. "I've never talked with him, never even seem him, actually."
Tohru frowned at the news. "Nobody seems to know much about him."
"He's a bit before our time, maybe one of the older Sohma's would know, but I also don't think they'd tell you anything," Suzu replied with a shrug. "Why are you asking anyway?"
Tohru paused at this, as though collecting her thoughts. "No reason…I was just thinking about the curse, is all."
It was easy to see she was hiding something, but Suzu didn't pry. They were allowed their secrets, after all. She watched Tohru finish getting ready, a thoughtful look on the brunette's face. Placing her book off to the side, her and Tohru laid side by side in the large bed, the lights off and the house quiet.
"Hey, Suzu," Tohru asked after a time. Neither turned to the other as Suzu hummed, letting Tohru know she was awake. "Most of the zodiac members live in the main residence, right?"
Suzu did shift at that, watching as Tohru, eyes open, looked up towards the ceiling. "Yes," she answered simply, her own gaze turning upwards. She had a feeling that Tohru would be heading out tomorrow, and as Suzu lied awake, she wondered if she should join Tohru. It was always terrifying being in the main house, but Tohru would need help inside. To Suzu's knowledge, Tohru had only been there once with Hatori. Kureno was also off limits to most members, Akito's orders, so Tohru would have to stay hidden if she wanted to get to him.
Hearing the even breaths beside her, Suzu spent the night wondering if she'd have the courage to help the girl who obviously needed help. Suzu didn't know Tohru's reasons, but they seemed important to the girl. There was nothing in the quest for Suzu, but helping Tohru seemed like the right thing to do; besides, the brunette was helping Suzu break the curse, or trying to figure out how, anyway.
Suzu always liked to think she was doing what was best, doing the right thing, and wouldn't helping Tohru be just that?
Mind made up, she drifted off, anxious of the day to come.
"She what?!" Suzu asked, voice much more shrill than expected.
Kyo winced at the words, obviously not understanding why Suzu was so upset. "Tohru already left a little while ago. Why?"
Taking in a deep breath, Suzu relaxed at the news. She could still catch up if she hurried. Pulling on her coat, she made her way to the door. "I was supposed to go with her. She must have forgotten," and Suzu didn't need to see Kyo's face to know he didn't believe her. However, she didn't offer a better excuse before sliding on her shoes and leaving.
Walking towards the Sohma residence, Suzu let out a huff. There was no one to be angry at but herself; she'd been the one to oversleep, and Tohru had no idea Suzu was planning on coming along.
Suzu hadn't even been sure really, feeling her nerves spike up as soon as she'd opened her eyes. However, this was the right thing to do. Tohru never seemed to know when to ask for help, something becoming much clearer the longer Suzu stuck around. Suzu and Tohru held a lot of similarities; however, this had to be one of their differences. Tohru was much too stubborn, and Suzu couldn't help but be reminded of Rin. Both felt the need to take on tasks by themselves, though they had loving support. Suzu couldn't help but be driven a bit crazy by their reluctance, though maybe she was actually quite envious. Rin and Tohru both had those loved ones, and Suzu was forced to keep people at a distance because it was the right thing to do.
It was always about doing the right thing...
Coming upon the property, Suzu paused by the corner. Looking towards the main gate, she let out another huff. She'd hoped to see Tohru there, trying to get in, but the path was empty. Suzu twisted at that, ready to head a different way. If she remembered correctly, Kyo had told her about an old hole in the wall. If she could find that, she'd be able to sneak in. When she found the opening, she crouched and pushed her way through. It was a bit of a tight fit, she was much bigger than before, after all, but she was able to get through without injury to herself or her coat.
Brushing off some dirt and running a hand through her hair, she began to creep towards Kureno's location. She didn't know exactly where his place was, but it was towards the back, she knew that much, at least. However, just because she knew Kureno's location, didn't mean Tohru would be there. The girl could be absolutely anywhere.
Suzu paused at the thought, taking a moment to lean against the perimeter wall with a groan. This sucked. Maybe she should have just stayed home after Tohru left. There was no way she'd be able to find the brunette if she was inside.
"Suzu."
Jumping at the voice, Suzu pushed herself from the wall and looked up to see Momiji coming closer. She tensed at the sight of him, not able to hold his gaze long. Suzu knew where Momiji lived, and she wasn't very close to it, not close enough for him to see her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, a sufficient distance away from her. No doubt from fear, she couldn't help but muse.
Crossing her arms, she wondered if Momiji would be able to help. Clearly the blonde cared for Tohru, but she didn't want him getting worried unnecessarily. However, she didn't have much choice but to ask for his help. "Looking for Tohru."
He brightened at Tohru's name, and Suzu took that as a good sign. "You came with her?"
"I-Well, I was supposed to, but I overslept," she said with a shrug, light grimace on her face. "Have you seen her?"
Momiji stepped closer at this, and Suzu pushed herself against the wall, trying to maintain their distance. "She was looking for Kureno. I'm worried about her though."
Now Suzu understood why Momiji was away from his house and walking along the outer perimeter of the property. "You're following after her."
He looked at her sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't want her to get in trouble."
With a nod, Suzu forced herself away from the wall. It felt…odd, talking to Momiji this long, but she focused on the task at hand. "Lead the way."
Suzu couldn't help her gaze from shifting to him as they crept along. It was annoying, the warmth spreading through her, annoying because she didn't know if it was her own fondness towards Momiji or the fox's feelings towards the rabbit. The fox had always like the rabbit best, meaning it had terrorized the rabbit most, though it had never intended to hurt the rabbit. It wasn't difficult to see how the Sohma's were affected by the spirit they were paired with, but Suzu always felt as though the fox influenced her more. Perhaps that was because she'd never taken the time to build up her own sense of self. She had never seen the point in building a life, a personality when it was all just going to be taken away.
Was Suzu fond of Momiji, or was it all just the fox pushing its feelings forward?
There was no way to know unless the curse was broken, which meant she'd probably never know.
"Suzu," Momiji began, snapping her from her thoughts. "You said you overslept, but Tohru would never leave you behind if you were supposed to come with her…."
She raised a brow at his deduction skills, not because of its difficulty but because he took the time to think over what she'd said. He hadn't just taken her words at face value, though perhaps that was because he didn't want Suzu to hurt Tohru. Ignoring the sting in her heart, she said, "I knew Tohru would be dropping by. I figured I could tag along since she'd just refuse my company if I offered to help beforehand."
With a nod, Momiji looked forward once again, and Suzu let out a quiet, relieved sigh.
"We're here," Momiji said after a moment, and Suzu kept close to the building as Momiji peeked around the side. "I see her," he said, and Suzu watched him go from hiding along the edge to standing out in the open.
Trusting that Momiji knew what he was doing, Suzu approached the edge as well. Peeking around, her gaze met Kureno's, who looked surprised to see her. She could see Tohru just on the edge of her vision, making her way towards them, but Suzu couldn't take her eyes off Kureno. There was something…something off about him.
Usually when Suzu looked at any of the zodiac members, even Kyo, the fox felt a rush of love and self-loathing, but looking at Kureno hadn't provided such feelings.
Getting jostled, she looked away from him, or where he'd been standing, at least. Momiji and Tohru were looking at her in concern, and Suzu was quick to wave aside their worry. "Lost in thought…."
Momiji accepted the answer a lot quicker than Tohru, and soon they were all taking off towards Momiji's place again.
"What are you doing here, Suzu-san?" Tohru asked as they got closer and the risk of being seen diminished.
Suzu shrugged as she walked. "I had a feeling after last night that you'd come here."
"She was worried about you," Momiji added, looking at them with a playful smirk.
Suzu rolled her eyes but didn't deny the words. The Sohma residence was a dangerous place, especially for outsiders. Being worried was definitely justified.
"Thank you so much, Suzu-san," Tohru, gushed, hands clasped together as they walked, and Suzu couldn't help but roll her eyes again.
"I didn't do anything," she muttered, but that only egged Tohru on, causing the brunette to express her gratitude even more.
Thankfully, the group came upon Momiji's house, and Suzu stayed back as the two made their way inside. "Are you coming in?" Tohru asked, Momiji giving her a questioning look as well.
Suzu simply sat herself outside with a tired sigh. "I'll just wait here," she decided, not wanting to intrude on anything between them. Momiji seemed fond of Tohru; she didn't want to sour his experience by getting in the way.
Watching them head in, she leaned back on her hands. Besides, her mind was still going over seeing Kureno again.
She'd seen him at the villa, but emotions had definitely been high at the time. It was odd that the fox hadn't caused any emotion to flare up when they'd seen each other just now, but maybe that was just because the fox cared little about the rooster. They hadn't been necessarily close in the old tale. It was strange though…. If only she'd have met him before, face-to-face, perhaps then she'd have had an experience to compare this meeting to. There was no way to know if something was off, or if the fox would have reacted the same way whenever met with Kureno and the rooster.
Leaning forward, elbows balanced on her knees, she rubbed her forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache, way too much excitement for one day, and way too many thoughts running through her head.
However, even with the ache, she couldn't help but be glad she came. Tohru looked so thankful, though Suzu hadn't done much to help. She knew for certain that coming had been the right thing to do. It had caused her some pain, sure, but the right thing seemed to have a tendency to do that in her life.