Review Thanks:
blackkyu: Yup! And you'll see more from Kyo's family in later chapters. Hope you don't mind what I do to Yuki in this one ;)
Guest: Sorry you're getting bored but it's all set up and bonding and stuff. It's going to be a bit before the curse breaking though…sorry I hope you keep reading until then.
AN: Here's the next Chapter and it's early, well a little early anyway. Enjoy!
Chapter 25
As Yuki walked with Kyo down the street the next morning he had to admit that he was still sort of in shock with the whole thing. He thought that he would be telling Kyo's one childhood friend that he had died not spending the weekend with his dead cousin. He still couldn't believe it. Yuki felt like poking him to make sure that he was actually there but he had a feeling that it wouldn't go over very well. He was happier than he cared to admit to find Kyo alive but he was equally upset to learn that Kyo believed that no one in their family cared about him and that he was missed. Maybe if he had just made an effort to get to know Kyo the first time things would have turned out different.
"Stop doing that," Kyo said breaking into his thoughts.
"Doing what?" Yuki asked. He hadn't even said anything.
"You're blaming yourself again," Kyo said with a sigh. "I told you to stop. What's done is done."
"It's not that easy," Yuki said with a humorless chuckle. "The way you died…it was horrible."
"Again not dead," Kyo said sounding frustrated. "But out of curiosity how did I supposedly die?"
"The fire," Yuki told.
"What fire?" Kyo asked looking confused.
"The fire that burned down the room you were in," Yuki said now confused himself.
"It was storming out when I left. There was no fire. Dying in a fire," Kyo shuddered, "not a pleasant way to go."
"No," Yuki said simply. "Akito showed us what was left of that room which wasn't much. Just a burnt out shell." He still had nightmares about Kyo being locked in that room and burning alive. He shuddered himself as he had one last night.
"I wonder if Hatori knows that I'm still alive. He's so close to Akito," Kyo said.
"No, I know for a fact that he believes you died," Yuki said. He could tell Kyo how he knew but he knew that his cousin wouldn't believe him. Hatori blamed himself even more than he did.
"Are we really going to spend all our time talking about 'my death'? I don't want to jinx myself or something," Kyo said the last part with a smile but Yuki could tell that his cousin really was getting frustrated with the topic.
"That fox of yours is still around," Yuki told him agreeing that a change of topic was in order. In truth he had gotten quiet attached to the little animal. It eased his conscious some to take care of something that Kyo had cared about.
"Yeah well," Kyo said with a mysterious smirk. "With you and Tohru still feeding him I'm not surprised."
"How did you know?" Yuki asked his cousin. All he got in response was that same mysterious smirk and a shrug. He wanted to ask more but it felt like someone was watching him. He turned around but didn't see anybody. Just the same rat from last night. He didn't like that rat. He knew rats and there was something different about that one.
"Something wrong?" Kyo asked him as he squinted off in the distance like he was trying to see something.
"No," Yuki said as he put the rat of his mind figuring he was just tired from his trip. "Kyo, can I ask you something about Natsume?"
"What?" Kyo asked an edge to his voice. Yuki licked his lips nervously.
"Does he know about…you know," Yuki asked. Kyo looked at him a moment looking like he wasn't sure if he wanted to answer or not.
"I wasn't in the best shape when I got here," Kyo said answering without really answering but Yuki took that as a yes.
"How did he react?" Yuki asked. Kyo got this silly little grin and shrugged. Yuki had a feeling that he wasn't going to get more of an answer than that. "Is that why you're so protective of him? You're worried our family will find out and go after him."
"Part of it," Kyo said the smile now gone, "but Natsume's life is also…complicated." Kyo gave him a confused look and titled his head to the side. "Why would you say I'm protective?"
"It's obvious," Yuki said with a chuckle. Kyo shook his head and sighed.
Not long after that they finally came to a house. It had a warm and inviting feel to it. Kyo walked right up to the door and opened it like he was comfortable there.
"Idiot needs to learn to lock the door," Kyo grumbled as he walked inside. "Come on in."
Yuki hesitated a moment before he followed his cousin inside. Very much like the outside the inside had a warm feel to it. Yuki wondered what it would be like to grow up in a nice, normal, home like this.
"Natsume we're here," Kyo called out as he took his shoes off.
"I'll be right down," someone answered followed by what sounded like a loud crash. Yuki winced at the sound; Kyo on the other hand looked frustrated. A moment later a boy came down the stairs wearing a hoodie that was too big for him. Yuki could tell that the boy was exhausted. He was way too pale and there were dark circles around his eyes.
"Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Kyo asked as his eyes softened. This piqued Yuki's interest. He had never seen his cousin look at anyone that way before. Ever.
"Some but…" Natsume started to say and then stopped when the oddest cat Yuki had ever seen walked into the room or more like it tried to walk as he kept falling over.
"Should have figured," Kyo grumbled as he glared at the cat. "You'd think he let you sleep after what you did yesterday."
"That's why everyone came over in the first place. To keep an eye on me," Natsume said with a yawn. Yuki watched their interaction with interest. He had a feeling that they were referring to what they had talked about last night on the phone. Feeling slightly like he was witnessing something that he shouldn't Yuki coughed to remind him that he was there.
"Oh right, you remember my cousin Yuki, from yesterday," Kyo said with a smirk.
"Yesterday!" Yuki repeated as he felt his face heat up. He didn't remember seeing Natsume yesterday. He just remembered being so in shock and surprised to literally run into his 'dead' cousin that nothing else mattered. How many people saw his little display?
"Are you feeling better?" Natsume asked him.
"I…ah," Yuki said unsure of what to say. Kyo told him that Natsume knew their secret but just how much did he know was the question. Did he know what their family did to Kyo?
"It was just a miss understanding," Kyo said with a roll of his eyes. "And we'll talk about it tomorrow. You look too tired to do anything constructive today. Have you eaten yet?" Natsume shook his head. "Then I'll make you something and then we'll get out of your hair."
"You don't have to…" Natsume tried to protest but Kyo cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"I don't want you passing out while trying to cook," Kyo said as he walked into the kitchen. "Now come and sit down before you fall over." Natsume let out a long sigh like he was use to this treatment as he followed Kyo into the kitchen and sat at the table without an argument. Yuki not sure what to do did the same.
He joined Natsume at the table and really looked at the boy for the first time. He hated to admit it but the first time he had met Natsume he hadn't paid that much attention to him. He was so upset at Kyo for inviting him over that's all he really thought about; someone else involved in their family mess. Natsume though did look like a nice, normal boy. Not overly tall, and slim, but there was something about his eyes. Something Yuki couldn't place. It was like they held some secret all their own.
"So…ah…Kyo's in a mood," Yuki said not sure what to say to the other boy. He had practiced so many times on the train how to tell him about Kyo's death and the lie about how he died but he didn't have to worry about that anymore.
"He's always like this," Natsume said as he looked at him curiously.
"Always?" Yuki asked.
"Hmm," Natsume hummed, "especially when the Fujiwaras are out of town."
"Can't imagine why that is," Kyo said. As the words left his mouth Natsume looked stricken and Kyo winced. "I didn't mean it that way so don't get that look. I'd worry anyway. I mean all you have here is that," Kyo pointed to the cat that had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor, "and I smell smoke so the blue haired witch is here or was hereeeee!" Kyo screeched making Yuki jump.
"Are you okay? Did you burn yourself?" Yuki asked concerned.
"I wish," Kyo said with a shudder.
"You wish you burned yourself?" Yuki asked really confused. He was so busy trying to figure out what was wrong with his cousin that he missed the glare Natsume was sending out.
"Don't even think about it," Natsume said. Now really confused Yuki was about to ask Natsume what was going on when a loud bang came from the hallway followed by the front door bursting open the slamming shut.
"Is someone here?" Yuki asked as he looked behind him.
"They better stay out of the kitchen if they are," Kyo grumbled. Yuki shook his head thinking that he was hearing things as no one came in and he saw no one leave.
"No one's here at the moment," Natsume confirmed. By this time Yuki gave up trying to figure out what they were talking about.
"It's done," Kyo announced as he put what he had been cooking on two plates but Yuki noticed that he had made enough for several people. "Now I want you to eat all of that and then go to bed."
"I'm fine Kyo," Natsume said as he began to pick at the food. The cat on the other hand was now awake and eating from the other plate. "I just over did it yesterday."
"And last night didn't help any," Kyo said as he glared down at the cat.
"Don't worry so much. I can take care of myself," Natsume said. "Now go and have fun with your cousin."
"Alright," Kyo said as he ruffled the other boy's hair gently. "We'll come over again tomorrow." Yuki couldn't help but notice the way Kyo treated the other boy. It was so caring and Natsume seemed use to it. This must be how Kyo always treated him.
"You like him a lot," Yuki commented when they had left the house.
"Of course I do he's my friend," Kyo said with a shrug.
"That's not the kind of like I meant," Yuki sighed. "I meant you like him." Kyo stopped walking and his shoulders dropped.
"Out of all the people that figured it out it had to be you and Tanuma," Kyo said as he kicked the ground.
"You haven't told him?" Yuki asked.
"No," Kyo said as he once again started walking looking dejected.
"Why not?" Yuki asked. "He knows about the curse and he's a boy so you don't have to worry about that unless..." Yuki looked down at Kyo's bracelet. The damn second form had caused his cousin no end of problems.
"It's not this," Kyo said as he held up his wrist and chuckled. "He knows about this." Yuki looked at his cousin in surprise. He used to be so nervous about it but there was something different now.
"Then why?" Yuki asked as it seemed Natsume accepted him fully. Kyo gave him a long hard look like he was deciding something. Then gave a small little nod.
"I guess I can tell you this much. Natsume had a horrible childhood as well. His parents died when he was just little and he was shuffled from family member to family member until he wasn't related to them at all. He was never really wanted so I think he has a hard time recognizing affection or accepting it. The last thing I want to do is upset him in anyway," Kyo explained; the whole time he was talking he kept his eyes focused on the ground.
"No wonder you're so protective of him," Yuki said wistfully. He had a feeling that Natsume was involved in Kyo's escape somehow and he knew that his cousin wouldn't tell him. "I'm jealous, you know. That you found someone that accepts you." Kyo shrugged looking slightly embarrassed. "It makes me wonder though, if a nice, normal, kid couldn't find acceptance what hope did any of us have."
"I think it's the adults that need to learn to accept. Kids don't get a choice in who they're born to or what problems they're born with," Kyo said as he once again held up his wrist with the bracelet.
"That's very profound," Yuki said amazed at the change in his cousin.
"I've had a lot of time to think," Kyo told him. Yuki was about to ask him more but once again he saw that same weird rat. It watched them a moment before it dashed off. That was the third time that he had seen it. "You're being twitchy. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah," Yuki said once again putting the animal out of his mind. "Can I see where you work?"
"If you want, there's really not much else to do here," Kyo said with a sigh. "This must be the longest…"
"The longest what?" Yuki asked after his cousin hadn't said anything for several minutes.
"The longest that we have ever gone without fighting," Kyo said.
"Yeah I noticed but after Natsume left we fought a lot less too and you never seemed to get into it like you use to," Yuki told him. He knew that something had been bothering his cousin then but he never asked. He regretted that for the longest time and he still did.
"I didn't really see the point. I figured that Akito would go back on the bet and I was just tired of it. It was almost a relief when he locked me up. I didn't have to worry about it anymore," Kyo told him. Yuki felt worse after hearing that. It made him feel even more guilty. Kyo was giving him one of his side long glances and he looked annoyed so Yuki pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. He wanted to get to know his cousin and like Kyo said not dwell on things that couldn't be changed.
Trying to put the past behind him helped Yuki to enjoy the rest of the day. They ran into a few of Natsume's friends; Kitamoto and Nishimura. Yuki couldn't help but notice how them and Kyo acted and realized those boys were also his friends. Kyo's friends had just left when Yuki again saw that strange rat.
"That's four," Yuki muttered to himself. Four times counting last night that he had seen that strange rat.
"Four what?" Kyo asked his face far too serious.
"It's nothing," Yuki told him. Kyo gave him a doubtful look but didn't say anything.
As they spent the day together, talking, getting to know each other Yuki tried to find out more about Natsume. His cousin though was good a deflecting questions. After the way they were brought up Yuki could recognize when someone was trying to hide something. And Kyo was definitely trying to hide something.
~XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX~
Kyo hated to admit but he was actually having a good time with his cousin. Even though Yuki kept staring at him and he seemed to have developed a twitch. The twitch was what was really bothering him. Yuki kept looking over his shoulder like he was looking for something. It had happened several times throughout the day. They had just finished eating dinner at a café that Kyo was fond of and were on their way back to his apartment when Yuki twitched yet again. Kyo was about to demand that he tell him what was going on when a strong breeze blew by; never a good sign. The breeze was gone in an instant and so was Yuki.
AN2: Don't kill me (quickly uses kitten as shield). You wouldn't hurt a little kitty now. Anyway end of that chapter. On a side note: If you know the Natsume anime you might be able to figure out who took Yuki ;) Please leave a review!