Disclaimer: No, I don't own the Furuba characters. To some extent, I own the character that is 'Yuki Honda', but it's a very small extent.
Author's Note:First off – brownie points to TwilightAmythest! The names Myojuan and Chou come from Fushigi Yuugi! Actually, all the names I've been using do. Chichiri's real name is Ri Houjun (Ri-sensei), Hotohori is Seishuku Saihitei (Seishuku-sensei) Mistukake is Myojuan, and Nuriko is Chou Ryuuen. Looks like I have to find a different anime to exploit!
Also… I love making up insults for Uo-chan and Yuki to throw at each other. n-n;
Honda Yuki
Hanajima, as Uotani had, became steadily more friendly towards them – though she had a different way of showing it. She was still as withdrawn and soft-spoken as ever, but what words she did use held a new warmth and familiarity. She began spending time with the three every day after school.
Yuki winced as he remembered The Incident at lunch, just yesterday. Gossip had been running rampant about Hanajima's apparent powers, and the havoc that had caused her to transfer. A boy in their grade – Yuki knew his name, but could never remember it – had finally plucked up the courage to confront them.
"Hey, Hanajima, I heard that you were a delinquent at your old school. You almost killed a boy! You're a freak!" he had sneered coldly.
Hanajima had stiffened, then stood and walked swiftly away. Tohru ran after her, Uotani and Yuki on her heels.
Hanajima was halfway to the school gates when they finally managed to catch her.
"Hana-chan, stop!"
"I must'nt!" Hanajima had said, more loudly than Yuki had ever heard her speak. "He's right, I am a freak – it's true that someone nearly died, and it was my fault – You should stay away from me. I'm dangerous!" Her eyes had flashed with fear, and her hands had been held out to hold them at bay. Yuki was shocked by the tears that had sparkled in her eyes.
But Tohru had run forward and embraced her. "It wasn't your fault. We don't care if you have powers. We don't care," the girl had murmured, her own tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Yeah, that's garbage! We've been hanging out with you for months, and not a one of us is hurt! Whoever he was, if you lost control that bad, he deserved it!" Uotani had oh-so-sensitively added.
"What she means," Yuki translated, "is that you should make your own decisions. You shouldn't let a mistake in the past decide your whole future for you, and we know that you would never, ever hurt someone on purpose."
"Unless they really deserved it," Uotani added.
Yuki elbowed her but continued, "And I don't think that you should live your life at a distance. We're such good friends now – are you really willing to give that up and be alone your entire life? That's no sort of existence. Everyone needs to someone they can rely on."
Tohru, he remembered with a grin, had looked shocked that he could be so profound.
Hanajima had been visibly shaking. She broke down. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks. She threw her arms around Torhu, saying, "You're right. I don't want to be alone! I want to be your friend!"
"Aww!" cooed Uotani. "I'm feeling sappy now – let's do a group hug!" She slung her arms around Tohru and Hanajima, and tried to drag Yuki in, as well. Yuki shied away – even after so much time, he still avoided hugs without any good reason.
"We love you, Hana-chan," Tohru had whispered. "And we aren't ever going to let you leave."
"YO, pretty boy! Stop daydreaming!" Something collided hard with his shoulder and, flailing his arms wildly, Yuki slid off his chair and crashed ungracefully to the ground.
There were soft snickers.
"That hurt, Yankee!" scowled Yuki. "I wasn't daydreaming!"
"No? Could have fooled me. You were sitting there with that blank, day-dreamy smile on your face."
Yuki decided that he would not honor her with a reply. Instead, with as much dignity as he could muster (there was more suppressed laughter), he picked himself up and sat down again. Tohru was biting her knuckled to keep from laughing, her cheeks flushed from the effort, and even Hanajima was smiling.
"I was not daydreaming," he proclaimed again, for the benefit of posterity, and crossed his arms stubbornly.
"If it pleases you," Hanajima murmured soothingly, touching Uotani's arm just as the blonde looked ready to make another comment.
Of course, since The Incident yesterday, rumors had been circulating more quickly than Yuki could have imagined. They, of course, kept to themselves what had truly happened – but some of the versions Yuki had heard made him shudder. They were all making valiant efforts to ignore the gossip, knowing that it would die down. Eventually. Maybe... Hopefully.
"So, who wants to have a party at our place tonight?" Yuki suggested. "Kaa-chan suggested it. She said she hadn't seen you, Uo-chan, in a while, and she hasn't met Hana-chan at all."
"Hey, that's a good idea!" Uotani perked up. "It's been way too long since we all got together! I'm in!" The three of them looked expectantly at Hanajima.
"I do not believe that my coming shall be a problem," she mused. Tohru squealed and hugged her tightly.
"Tohru, don't choke her!" Yuki cried in alarm when, after only a few seconds, Hanajima's face began to take on a faint bluish tinge.
Tohru retreated, spewing apologies.
"So, this is Hana-chan, ne?" Kyoko asked, inspecting their new friend. The former Butterfly put her hands on her hips and grinned. "It's great to finally meet you!" She hugged Hanajima (the girl stiffened, but did not protest. She was getting slowly used to hugs) and added to Torhu, "There's rice in the rice cooker, and spices in the cabinet if you want to make onigiri."
"That's a good idea! Onigiri are a good party food!"
Tohru had vanished into the kitchen while they were busy blinking.
"I'll help," Yuki called, and tried to follow her. Tohru blocked the door, already wearing an apron.
"Onii-chan," she scolded. "You know you're not allowed to cook."
"But I really think I can do it this time! I just have to try harder!"
Tohru remained firm in her resolve, no matter how Yuki wheedled her. He eventually gave up. Upon returning to the living room, he found Uotani and Kyoko hiding their laugher behind their hands. Hanajima just looked confused.
"And what," Yuki asked with great dignity, "is so funny?"
"Sorry, Yuki," chortled Kyoko. "Tohru is right – no cooking for you."
"I'm not that bad!"
"Says the boy who burnt a salad!"
Blushing with embarrassment, Yuki collapsed onto the couch. "It still tasted fine," he mumbled in a last-ditch effort to preserve his pride.
"And I suppose you spent that night vomiting into the toilet because it tasted so good?"
Yuki gave up; there was no way he'd be able to win now.
"I need some male friends," he grumbled instead.
It wouldn't have been out of place for Uotani and Kyoko to slap hands. Kyoko took the back seat while Uotani took her turn to insult him.
"That's impossible, pretty boy. You're so effeminate already that no self-respecting boy would ever befriend you."
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You used some pretty big words there, Yankee. Be careful. Your brain is probably so tired now that it'll give out if you push it anymore."
"You're talking from experience again, aren't you?"
"Alright, you two," reprimanded Kyoko.
"Who, us?" Uotani and Yuki chimed immediately, turning wide and innocent eyes on Kyoko.
Kyoko tried to look stern, but it was only a few second before her resolve broke. Tohru was lured from the kitchen by laughter; even Hanajima was smiling.
When they had calmed down a bit, Kyoko looked to Hanajima.
"I'm sorry, Hana-chan," she said solemnly. "You've chosen a bunch of weirdos for friends."
"Well, then, I guess I fit right in."
This, of course, set them all off again.
While the family bantered and laughed together, a boy in a different part of the city sat somberly in his room. Hatsuharu had tried to keep Yuki his secret. He had tried to forget; he honestly had. But it had been two weeks, and he just hadn't been able to keep it to himself. The chance meeting had been burned into his mind, and had been eating away at him. What could he have done, but tell someone?
He had told Kyo. Kyo was always a safe choice. He had secrets of his own, and didn't fear Akito as much as the others. Even if he had been afraid, Kyo seldom had contact with the Jyuunishi God. There was no chance that Kyo would give him away – not even if it was Yuki.
Unfortunately, though it seems quiet and dead, the Sohma Estate is far from the safest place to hold confidential conversations. Hastuharu wasn't sure just who had told Akito what they were discussing, but both the Neko and the Ushi had been brought before the God within an hour. The confrontation had been an angry one, and Hatsuharu winced as he remembered the bruises that Kyo, in particular, had sustained. He touched his own cheek. It smarted under his fingertips.
But Hatsuharu smiled, as well. Even with Akito's threats and beatings, he hadn't given Yuki away. Kyo hadn't said even a word – hadn't made a sound, not even when Akito threw him to the ground. And Haru had just kept saying quietly, "You misheard. Yuki is dead." Over and over.
But Yuki wasn't dead. And now Kyo knew it, too.
Author's Notes: Eat that, Turek. I didn't just see the word posterity! I used it! Nyah. -sticks tongue out- (Turek, my government teacher, insisted that the word posterity was a word that we would never, ever see anywhere besides the Declaration of Independence.)