Notes:
I still only own Michiko, Kishi, Akira and the Yankees. :)
~Tali
Chapter 10 – A Little Misunderstanding
Haru and Michiko were sitting on her couch, watching a movie they had already seen and chatting about their week, when Michiko decided to give Haru the gift she had finally finished the other night.
"Have you wondered why you keep running into me when you're lost and irritated about it?" she asked.
"A little. Why?"
She reached out to finger the necklace he had let her wear a while ago, "Remember when you let me wear your necklace for the day?"
He nodded.
"Well, I asked to wear that specific one because you always play with it when you're agitated. I charmed it while I had it so that if you handled it and were irritated I would be called to you. I picked up something for you too. I hope you like it." she fetched a small box and handed it to him.
"What's the occasion?"
She smiled, "You."
He smiled back at her and opened it. Inside was a cell phone. He looked up at her questioningly.
"It's charmed so that it doesn't run on a battery. It was difficult to get it to work since magic and electronics are generally incompatible, but I was finally able to adapt a spell to make it work. It has GPS and I added all the places you go to the most. In case you're lost and I can't get to you right away."
He looked from her to the phone and back before smiling softly. "Thanks."
She smiled and gave him a kiss that quickly turned serious. When they broke apart she hummed in pleasure before smiling at him and cupping his cheek. "I love you."
He pulled her forward for a tender kiss, "I love you too."
"Do you want to walk around and add the places I missed?" she asked.
"Later." he replied as he tugged her close for another kiss.
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Michiko woke up and held still, trying to figure out what had pulled her from sleep. After a moment, she realized she could hear someone else breathing. She cautiously stretched a hand out under the blankets but didn't encounter anyone. She slit her eyes open and looked around the room. Still no one. She remembered that Hatori had come by to pick up Haru so he could keep an eye on his younger cousins. Haru been very firm when he refused her offer to keep him company while he was babysitting. Hatori hadn't said anything either way but she got the feeling he had been relieved she had stayed away.
She sat up cautiously and looked around the room for some hint of who was there and why. Her wand was in the drawer next to the bed so she couldn't get it out without attracting attention. As her gaze travelled down she caught sight of a strange shoe on the floor next to her bed. She leaned over and saw the shoe belonged to Kyou, who was curled up on the floor asleep. She tilted her head as she tried to figure out why on earth he was sleeping on the floor in her room and decided it would be simpler to just ask.
She reached down and scratched his head lightly until he stirred. "Little brother, what are you doing on my floor?"
He looked up at her and she could see tear tracks on his cheeks. She pushed the blankets back and reached back down to drag him onto the bed. He allowed her to manhandle him onto the edge of it, which really scared her. Kyou was not one to allow anyone to do that and he was usually very particular about being touched. He'd seemed fine when they finally got together to spar earlier that week. Both he and Yuki had expressed their relief that the Yankees were behind bars. Kyou had looked especially pleased and had told her about what happened while Yuki and Haru sparred in the other room. She was surprised at how disappointed he was that he didn't get to fight with anyone.
Once he was settled on the bed she sat Indian-style next to him and wrapped her arm around his in a tight hold. He stiffened but then relaxed, probably realizing she wasn't going to do anything that would make him transform. She wrapped her hands around his, "Kyou, what's going on?"
He answered in a low and pain-filled voice, "I had to see Akito today."
"What did he say to you?"
"The usual. I tried to ignore it, but after awhile it's just believable. Especially when you're sitting there all alone with nothing between you and him. It hurt so much more this time though because I've been happier. I have Tohru and you and haven't been so alone. But I can't help but worry that you two will see me for the monster I am and leave." he paused then continued in a barely audible voice, "I don't think I could survive if you did."
"We'll never leave you, Kyou. You are my little brother and you're stuck with me forever. I know Tohru cares about you a great deal and will be at your side if you allow it."
"But what if I'm not always here?"
Michiko knew to what he was referring. She released him and moved so she could kneel in front of him and look into his eyes. "Please trust that if you weren't here we would track you down and bring you home again. Speaking of, I got you something for your birthday. I know it's rather late, but I saw it and thought it was perfect for you." She went across the room and dug around her jewelry box before pulling out a fine chain with a round pendant that had a symbol for home engraved on it. She brought it over and held it up for him to examine.
"What would I do with a necklace that says 'home'?"
She put it around his neck before answering. "It's to remind you that you always have a home where you are encircled by those that love you. No matter what anyone else says. All you have to do is take it in your hands and think about your family and we will be with you immediately."
Kyou took this metaphorically, while she meant it quite literally. "I mean it, Kyou. Try it next time you're feeling we're too far away."
The pendant was charmed so that if he was holding it she would be alerted by a matching pendant she wore and she would immediately be able to Apparate to wherever he was through the link. The charm went both ways but unless you were magical there wasn't anything you could do about it. From what she could tell it would warm up if she was upset, but that was the only thing Kyou would notice. It was also charmed so that anyone with ill intent – in his eyes, not theirs – could not see it, so they would not try to remove it. The chain was unbreakable and only Kyou could remove it, so she didn't want anyone going to desperate measures to get it off of him. Not seeing it was best all around. It would also expand with the wearer so if he transformed it would accommodate the change in neck size. It was the best she could do to make sure Kyou didn't end up in the damn box. There was no wayshe was going to let that happen to her little brother!
"Thank you." he said quietly.
She sat next to him and gave him a one armed hug, "You are very welcome, little brother." She glanced at the clock. It was only about 1 a.m. Way too early to start the day. "You want some pajamas and you can crash here tonight?"
He looked at her oddly. "I'm not wearing the ushi's pajamas!"
She goggled at him for a moment before laughing. "He doesn't have any clothes over here. Jeez, we're not quite that far along in our relationship. I have some old sweats that would probably fit you. Hot pink, I think . . ." she trailed off at his horrified expression. "I'm only kidding. They're black, and would be more comfortable than what you're wearing. I have a t-shirt you can use too."
"Okay."
She could tell he was still upset by the fact that was the only argument he put up. She dug out the clothes and pointed him to the bathroom. She put the blankets back to rights and grabbed a couple extra pillows to put down the middle of the bed, and then waited for him to come back out of the bathroom.
When he did he went to go back to the floor but she cleared her throat and patted the bed next to her. "You are not sleeping on the floor. This bed is plenty big enough and there's now a pillow barrier so you don't have to worry."
He opened his mouth and then changed his mind and closed it, deciding he still wasn't up to winning an argument with her and the bed really did look more comfortable than the floor. He climbed under the covers facing away from her and felt her run a hand down the back of his head.
"There is a reason they say love cures all wounds. Remember that. Good night, Kyou-kun." He grunted in response and she smiled as she turned out the lights.
When they woke up Kyou was holding her hand on top of the pillow barrier. Guess he's still not feeling too secure with his place in the world, Michiko thought as she gave his hand a squeeze. He opened his eye a slit and saw their clasped hands. He nearly fell out of bed trying to back up and take his hand away.
Michiko raised an eyebrow, "Would you relax? For a neko you're awfully uptight." She shook her head and hopped out of bed, intent on a shower before the day started. She grinned evilly when she heard Kyou crash into the door on his way out when he heard the water turn on. Honestly. The bathroom door is shut and locked.
Twenty minutes later she was in the kitchen making tea and breakfast and he was waiting in the dining room. She poked her head out and looked at him, "Little brother, do you want to spar with me this morning?"
He looked up at her, "After breakfast?"
"Of course." She placed a glass of milk in front of him and got a rare smile in return.
They ate breakfast in companionable silence then headed for the dojo for some exercise. After warms ups they started sparring but his guard kept dropping and she kept scoring points. Finally she called a halt. Michiko reached out and laced her fingers with his, "Kyou-kun, are you still upset about yesterday?"
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." he growled.
"That's obviously not true. You were holding my hand when we woke up this morning and you're very distracted now. You know I love you, Kyou-kun, won't you talk to me?"
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Haru finally spotted the dojo and decided to see if anyone was available to spar with. Michiko hadn't answered the phone when he called so she must have gotten called into work. He stepped inside and heard voices from the back room.
As he drew near he saw the door was not quite closed and Michiko and Kyou were holding hands. He got a little closer and heard Michiko say that Kyou had been holding her hand when they woke up this morning and she loved him. Then everything went Black and he slammed into the room hard enough to startle the pair. Michiko released Kyou's hand, which in Haru's mind made her look all the guiltier of what he suspected.
She smiled at him tentatively, "Good morning, Haru-kun."
He glared darkly at her before walking over to Kyou and punching him in the face. That ticked Kyou off and started a vicious fight. Michiko was so surprised that at first she couldn't move. She watched as Haru pinned Kyou to the floor and started punching him repeatedly – as hard as he could.
That snapped her out of her shock and she moved towards them. She spared a thought for the punch she was certain she was going to receive and started trying to pull them apart. They rolled and Kyou gained his feet again. Michiko took the opportunity to step between them and got hit in the cheek hard enough to send her flying.
She looked up at them, a bit dazed, as they stared at her. Then, almost simultaneously, they turned back to each other and yelled, "You hit her!" and started pummeling each other again. What the hell is going on? she thought to herself.
"Please, stop! Why are you fighting like this?" she yelled. They ignored her and continued blaming each other for hitting her. Finally, she snapped. She stomped over to them and, with a little magical assistance that was unnoticed by both boys, shoved them both into the wall. Hard.
Once she had their attention she spoke, "It's MY fault for getting hit. I stepped between two fighting people and I expected that would happen. Now, what on earth has gotten into you, Haru-kun?"
He gave her a black look before standing up and looking down at her. "What's gotten into me? The question is what's gotten into you? Or should I say who?"
She stared at him for a moment trying to process what he was saying. "You think- Are you-" She shook her head. "What?"
"Don't insult my intelligence. The door wasn't closed all the way and I heard what you said to Kyou. Don't stand there and pretend you weren't holding his hand and declaring your love for him that day after you said the same thing to me!"
She stared with her mouth hanging open for a moment before snapping it shut. "You think that we . . .?"
"Are you going to try to tell me otherwise? I don't have to listen to this crap." he said and started to stomp out of the room.
Michiko ran after him and blocked the door. "Haru, please listen to me."
"Why would I listen to a whore like you?" he asked coldly.
Michiko felt like she had been slapped. She could feel tears gathering behind her eyes.
"You have no argument, I see."
"You really think that?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. I've seen you two sneaking around." He threw the cell phone she had given him on the floor. "Stay away from me." he tossed over his shoulder.
Michiko stared at his retreating back for a moment longer before crumpling into a heap.
Kyou was finally able to shake off his shock and went over to where she was rocking and crying. He had no idea what had just happened. Sneaking around? With Michiko? Gross. She's like a sister for crying out loud.
Sighing, he gathered the crying girl up and carried her home. Once he got her there, he wasn't sure what to do so he put her on the bed and tucked a blanket around her. He sat on the bed next to her and rubbed her back like she did with him when he was upset. Several hours later, she was still crying and he was at a loss of what to do.
Tohru was out with Hana and Uo so Kyou decided to call Shigure's and see if anyone had any suggestions. He dug out his phone and dialed the number.
After several rings he was about to hang up when Shigure answered the phone. "Hello?"
"I need help. Come over to Michiko's now and bring Yuki with you." Kyou demanded.
Shigure's voice was laced with concern, "What's wrong?"
"I'll explain when you get here. Hurry up." he clicked off and sat down on the bed next to Michiko again so he could rub her back while he waited for the other two to arrive. A little while later there was a knock on the door. Kyou got up and let the pair in.
"What's wrong with Michiko?" Yuki asked at once, feeling vaguely uneasy. It was like someone had dropped ice down his spine.
Kyou blushed, "It's stupid."
"What's stupid?" Shigure asked, also feeling uneasy and unusually subdued because of it.
"Haru thinks Michiko and I . . ." Kyou trailed off uncomfortably.
Yuki tilted his head curiously while Shigure's eyes got very wide. "You naughty-" was as far as he got before Kyou had him against the wall by the throat.
"Do NOT finish that thought." he growled. Shigure held his hands up in surrender and Kyou let him go.
"Why would he think that?" Yuki asked curiously.
Kyou rolled his eyes. "It's complicated. He saw and heard some things and he took them the wrong way. She's family. I don't think of her that way."
"So, why did you ask us to come over?" Yuki asked quietly.
Kyou indicated helplessly towards the bedroom, "She's crying. She has been for hours. I don't know what to do to help."
"I'll sit with her for a little while. Why don't you take a break?" Yuki offered. He thought it would be good to get some information from her before he went home as Haru would likely be looking for him soon.
He walked quietly into the bedroom and pulled a chair up to the bed. "Miss Sato?" he asked gently.
Her head lifted and tear-filled eyes opened to look at him. "Yuki-san?" she asked.
Only years of suppressing his emotions kept him from gaping at the bruise on her cheek. She should know better than to get between those two by now. He reached over and rested a hand on hers, something he had seen Tohru do often when someone was upset. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Welcome to my home, Yuki-san. I shouldn't. At least not to you. I know you and Haru are close and I don't want you to get stuck in the middle."
Yuki sat up straight as the odd uneasy feeling vanished. "Don't worry about that Sato-san. Won't you please talk to me?"
She sighed. "There isn't much to say. He thinks Kyou and I are . . . involved, I guess is the word for it, but that's silly. Kyou is part of my family. I care about him a great deal, but not the same way I care about Haru." Tears started falling again, "I guess Haru didn't care about me like I thought he did."
"Why do you say that?" Yuki asked.
"He called me a whore and didn't even give me a chance to explain anything. If he really cared, he'd at least let me explain before judging me."
Yuki's eyes got very wide, "He called you . . . that? But why?"
"He misunderstood something he heard me say to Kyou." she replied.
Yuki studied her for a moment, "You do realize that part of the problem is that neither of you are willing to clarify exactly what he misunderstood or why, don't you?"
"I would have, but he didn't even give me a chance, so what's the point now?" she snapped.
"I want to help both of you." he pointed out.
She sighed again. "I know. I'm sorry. I think I've just had enough of this day. I'm going to go to sleep. You guys don't need to worry about me, okay? I'll be fine. Go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a school day."
Yuki rested his hand on her forehead for a moment before walking out of the room thoughtfully. Kyou and Shigure looked up at him when he walked back into the living room. "She's going to sleep. She said she would be fine and that we can go home."
"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Kyou asked.
Yuki shrugged, "I don't know. I think she'll be okay. We can check on her again tomorrow if you like."
"I'll swing by before classes start." Kyou replied with a curt nod. He got up and walked with them towards the door.
"What about locking up?" Yuki asked.
Kyou pulled a key out of his pocket, "Taken care of." He locked the door and checked to make sure it was secure before turning back to the others.
He saw their surprised faces, "We gonna stand here all night?" He started walking. They followed but kept shooting glances his way. "What? She gave me a key a while ago in case I wanted to talk or needed some peace and quiet."
Shigure raised a brow at him, "Does Haru know you have that key? And does he have one too?"
"I don't know. I didn't ask." Kyou said defensively. "She gave it to me one day when I came over after having a bad morning. Told me I could use it anytime. This is only the second time I've used it."
"When was the first time?" Shigure asked.
"Last night." he said shortly.
"Why?"
Kyou growled, "Because I spent half the day with Akito and needed to talk to someone that doesn't care that I'm the Cat."
"Ah." was all the response they had to that.
An uneventful walk later and Yuki went directly up to his room, figuring Haru should be there by now. He opened the door and turned on the light. Sure enough, Haru was curled up on his bed with tear tracks down his cheeks as well. Yuki sighed. It was going to be a long night.
"Haru." he called quietly as he sat down on the bed next to his friend.
Haru opened his eyes and as soon as he realized it was Yuki he moved so he could curl against him. He reached out and took hold of Yuki's shirt in a death grip.
"Want to talk about it?" Yuki asked quietly.
"Not really. I've been tossed to the side by the girl I loved. Again."
"I don't think it's that bad. You two have just had your first fight is all. Every relationship has good spots and bad."
"She's sleeping with Kyou. I called her a whore. I don't think we're going to come back from that." he replied dully.
"I don't know. She's been crying since you parted ways. I would say that means she cares about you."
"Who's side are you one?" Haru snapped.
"Yours." Yuki replied without hesitation. "You've been happier since you started dating Michiko than I've ever seen you."
"Well, she doesn't care about me, just her precious Kyou. I've seen them sneaking around. Holding hands. They're so protective of each other." he growled. "I was so stupid. Ignoring it like that."
"Haru, haven't you noticed the way Kyou and Miss Honda look at each other when they think no one is looking? I truly believe there is nothing going on between Kyou and Michiko."
"They why did he spend the night with her last night?" Haru asked.
"Are you stupid or something?" came Kyou's yell from the doorway. He had heard Haru's voice in Yuki's room and opened the door. He stomped over to the bed and dragged Haru off of it by his collar. "You made her cry!" he yelled and punched Haru in the face.
Yuki sighed and tried to get anything breakable away from them while they continued to fight. Haru was not at his best and Yuki did not want them to do further damage to each other or his room so he pulled Kyou off of him and threw him though the door. "Enough. That is not helping."
Kyou looked at him in disgust before stomping into his room. Yuki looked over at Haru, who was just sitting where Kyou had left him, and gently pulled him to his feet. "Let's get you cleaned up." Haru reached out again and clamped onto Yuki's shirt.
He pulled him to the bathroom and started cleaning the many cuts that littered Haru's face. "You look a little worse for wear today. Do you want to stay the night?"
Haru nodded mutely and maintained his grip on Yuki's clothes. When Yuki finished bandaging Haru's hands he looked back up into his friend's face to see fresh tears falling. He ran a hand through the white and black hair and looked at him questioningly.
"She bandaged my hands after a fight too. She always fussed over every cut and bruise like it was life threatening. It made me feel good. To know that she cared about me that much. I was wrong."
"You weren't wrong. She does care about you." he argued gently.
He stepped out into the hall to lead Haru back to his room and was almost run over by Kyou, who was dragging Tohru down the hall at a run. Yuki frowned at them before shaking his head and leading Haru back to his room. He settled the two-tone haired boy into the bed and managed to pry his fingers off of his shirt long enough to swap it with a pajama shirt.
He allowed Haru to curl up against him and rubbed his back until they fell asleep. Yuki's last thought was to wonder where those two were going at such a late hour.