Parto Ichi: Benkyou Shite!
Tohru hurried down the halls of her school with her bag swinging over her shoulder. A tall girl with blonde hair followed her persistently, calling out her name as she weaved her way through the school crowds. This only made Tohru run faster with laughter. When Uo finally caught up to Tohru, she was leaning against her locker with a slight flush on her face.
"Tohru. What was that for?" Uo asked her, tugging on a section of her hair affectionately.
But Tohru hadn't heard her just yet, because her sparkling eyes were fixated on the whooping and walloping students ahead of her. Uo blinked and followed her gaze, which lead up to the University score board. Her friend smiled and put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. It was her goal after all, to graduate from high school like her mother intended. Hanajima's head could be seen bobbing through the crowds after sometime, and she paused to stand by the other side of Tohru. Her face was flushed and her excessive panting suggested that she couldn't get enough breath.
"Hana.You only walked here." Uo said with a smile.
Hanajima nodded with a stoic expression, eyeing the scoreboard at the top of the school. Her arm circled around Tohru's waist and she smiled. The three of them were best friends, watching their sempai's excited cheers. Some of them were probably going to Tokyo University, and others abroad to America. Tohru could only imagine their excitement. These students worked so hard to get this far. And I'm only trying to graduate. Maybe with Yuki kun's help, I'll be able to get into a good school like this. But no, I don't have THAT kind of money. Perhaps if I keep saving. Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the "Princess" girls shouldered Tohru away from her friends. As expected, the rice ball apologized profusely at the rough contact. Her friends however, each grabbed one of the girl's bratty ponytails and dragged her away from Tohru. Cries of 'She's a witch!' and 'The devil!' could be heard echoing down the hall when they returned to her side.
"Ah, Uo Chan, Hana Chan.. Wouldn't it be great if we all went to a wonderful university like these students are? I'd be so happy to make mother's dream for me come true. Even if she only wanted me to finish high school, I wonder if she wanted to go to college too." Tohru pursed her lips in thought, the hype of the day infecting her.
Uo patted her head and nodded.
"Kyoko would have definitely wanted you to be successful Tohru."
"Hai, Tohru Chan." Hanajima added.
"Maa." Tohru sighed, putting her hands behind her head.
She didn't have enough time to study like these people had; the red marks on her papers were swirling around her head, threatening to make her dizzy. She wanted to ask for help from Yuki or Kyou, but it seemed that they were pretty busy with their own studying, though they'd asked if she would like assistance. No, she wanted to get there independently, without always leaning on those two for support. She lifted up a fist for emphasis and pumped it up and down a couple of times. Yes, she had to be strong and fight through school like a wild.. wild..
"Animal." Hanajima murmured, turning to the side and pointing.
Tohru froze with a ridiculous expression on her face, then followed her finger towards the locker rooms further down the way. A hot tempered Kyou was trying to pry a cat off his shirt, but it was clinging with all of it's claws. Uo laughed a bit, commenting on how cats always seemed to be following Kyou around. Hana only nodded in her mysterious way, before returning her attention back to Tohru.
"You're not working today, are you Tohru Chan?" She asked inquisitively.
Tohru shook her head with energy, flashing a bright smile in Hanajima's direction.
"Well then! Why don't why go out and get some food!" Uo commented loudly, lifting a fist into the air and then dragging Tohru by her hand.
Hanajima looked at her clock, seeing they had five minutes before the end of school. They were almost out the door before Tohru exclaimed erratically that she hadn't returned her library books, and to please wait patiently, she would hurry. Uo and Hana stood to the side of the door and smiled as Tohru ran off in a panic, furious at herself for holding everyone up. As she ran, she fumbled through her bag to see how many books she'd brought with her that day. She caught such titles as "Green Thumb" and another one called "The struggling Novelist" that made her smile. When she'd fingered through that book, she'd been surprised at the diligence required to be an author. Her face shown with pride. The people I live with are so talented and motivated! What ambition Shigure must have!
-Uchi- (House)
Shigure tapped his pencil on the desk, looking at his computer. His stomach growled.
"Tohru!" He wailed.
-Gakkou- (School)
Tohru ran around a corner, managing not to trip but knocking her bag against the side. It swung back and banged against her leg, but she only huffed and ran on. When she finally reached the library inside of the school, she slowed down to a walk and smiled with relief. It wasn't closed for the end of school yet! She pushed the door open and almost ran right into Yuki. He blinked, not expecting the girl to come tearing in, then smiled serenely and stepped out of the way for her to pass.
"Thank you Souma Kun!" She smiled happily and dropped her books off at the front desk.
Yuki waited for the energetic girl to come back to the door, then they walked out together. He gave her a few basic greetings, but was mostly hovering over a syllabus for the rest of their 2nd year. She couldn't help but be curious, peering around him to look at what his classes had planned. She felt a little lost. Yuki was much smarter than her, being gifted in the year of the mouse. Of course, he wouldn't say that to her, or to anyone else, but it was common knowledge that his grace in the academic arts was phenomenal beyond words. She sighed a bit, knowing that that was another reason why the feline and the mouse were not getting along. The stressful time of exams was coming up, according to Yuki's syllabus, and the last time finals had swept across the school, Kyou had been so wrapped up in catching up to Yuki's school record. Of course, Yuki had out staged him in every subject, though the cats 'cursed' scores were nothing to be ashamed of. Tohru'd love to have such persistence in school, but it was located elsewhere. In other places, like at work, cooking at home, and spending time with her friends. It was true she only did enough to get by. While everyone else slaved away. Suddenly she felt inadequate.
"Honda San?" Yuki asked, tilting his head at her with a small smile, "Is everything alright?"
"H-Hai!" She responded, embarrassed to be caught wandering off, "I was just looking at.. at.."
"My syllabus?" He inquired, holding up the stabled calendar sheets.
She nodded a few times while he flipped over the pages.
"Exams are coming up for the both of us. Would Honda San like to study with me?"
Tohru's mind did a flip-flop. She did want to study with him, but poor Yuki! He would spend all of his time explaining things to her instead of studying his own material for the exams. She didn't want to burden him. She didn't want to burden anyone. "No." She trailed off uncertainly, unsure as to how to back that refusal up.
Yuki looked disappointed, shuffling his papers back into a neat stack on a nearby desk. He tossed the longer portion of his hair back over his shoulder, and Tohru couldn't deny how beautiful he was at times.
"Perhaps Honda San.. Had other plans?" He smiled with acceptance.
"Iya! No! That's not why! I mean, I do want to study with you. But I don't want you to bother with me! I'm stupid!" The explanation flew out of her before she had time to cage it.
She clamped her hands over her mouth in an effort to call back the sudden outburst. Of course she didn't want him to bother with her, and she didn't want him to know that truly. After all, whenever she said something negative about herself, he would make more of an effort. She fleetingly checked her watch. It was 10 after the hour. Inwardly, she shrieked, imagining Uo and Hana there by the door, checking their own watches while others walked on by. Even as she looked around now, the entire hall was free of students. Poor Hana and Uo! Waiting for me.. She was about to excuse herself when Yuki reached forward and delicately brushed some of the hair away from her eyes. She felt heat rising in her cheeks at his soft touch.
"Honda San is not stupid. Not at all." He corrected her, putting his hand in his pocket, "Let's study together tonight, if Honda San wishes."
"Ah. Eh. Eto.!" She trailed off, wringing her hands nervously before taking a deep breath and nodding. "If I do not disturb Souma Kun's own studying, then hai!"
The doubt erased from his face like a magic marker, he smiled again with one of those flawless expressions of beauty, and waved goodbye. She bowed her head a few times, then took off down the hall yelling sorry ahead of herself.
Hanajima and Uo looked up from the floor to console the apologetic girl. After they smiled their thanks for her rush and pushed open the door for her, she felt a little better. Talking energetically, they walked down the school path that led to the open road. Uo suggested going to an American style deli, but Hana wanted to go to an authentic Japanese restaurant for sushi. The two argued over it, Hana quietly, and Uo more loudly. Tohru hold up the white flag, holding out a 5-yen piece in her hand. She reached into her bag and put a blue sticker on one side.
"Okay! I'm going to toss this up, and you two will say which side you want. The side facing up is the winner." She said happily, glad to have found a way to solve the problem.
Uo laughed then, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Tohru blinked a few times and poked her arm.
"Is that the Japanese take on 'Heads or Tails?'" Uo laughed, then turned serious. "Blue."
Hana nodded her consent. The brunette tossed the 5 yen piece into the air, watching it spin a few times.
"Ikimashou. (Let's go)" Hana said, turning to walk towards Yorokonde, the Japanese authentic store.
A second later, blue side facing down, the coin hit the earth. Uo grumbled and followed after her while Tohru hurried to pick up the coin and join them.
"I should have known a psychic would pick the right side." She muttered off to the side.
"Demo, Uo Chan, you were the one who chose." Hana replied calmly.
"That irrelevant!" She decided, throwing an arm up in the air, "I'll win next time."
"Perhaps."
Tohru could only giggle at her friend's small argument, silently thanking heaven for such great friends and such wonderful opportunities to learn more about them. Uo opened the door for the two of them, for which Tohru thanked her, and asked the waitress about the seating. There wasn't much of a line, so they got to sit right away. Grudgingly, Uo had to admit that it was a nice place, whether or not it fit her current mood. Tohru was busy looking around the store, the bright paintings of geisha and samurai were more than captivating. She folded her hands against the table, loving the ancient scene around her. She didn't know when her thoughts started drifting back to Yuki, but they always seemed to find him. She imagined him walking through the door to the small sushi bar, cloaked in grace and elegance, using his soft-spoken voice to order Spider Roll, or Gyoza. Maybe he would even order rice balls, thinking about her cooking at home. She sighed inwardly, eyes growing a little hazy during her daydream. She tried not to think of him like this, but sometimes she couldn't help but notice the little things about him that made him so wonderful. Like the way she would look up and already catch him watching her from across the dinner table, or the desk in his room, or above growing strawberries in a tiny field. Her imagination took a quick turn, and she imagined approaching him at school while he leaned against a locker, wrapping her arms around him and.-PYON!- Her daydream crashed.
In the background she could hear Hana and Uo talking amongst themselves, not bothering to ask her what she wanted since she always picked the rice balls. She fingered the end of her unbroken chopsticks and bit her lower lip. Her dreams always tortured her when they strayed too far beyond her reach. She knew that she could never hug him. She could never feel the same warm from his fingers against her cheek envelope and comfort her. She wished she could, just for a moment, feel his arms around her. But why was she thinking of things like this. She was living in his household, a free loader, with him telling her he would help her study, and all she could think about was things like this. It wasn't that she only thought of him as beautiful. She knew that deep inside of him, there was an equally beautiful person shackled by his indecision and lack of self-assurance. She wondered how someone who had the entire student body captivated could be so insecure at times, but she knew that if she tried hard enough to bring out a happy, smiling Yuki that she had seen so few times, eventually she would succeed.
"Tohru, what do you want to drink?" Uo asked, nudging her side with her elbow.
Tohru's head snapped up to meet the smiling but exasperated face of the waitress before her. With a little help from her friends, she managed to get the point across that she would like hot green tea. The embarrassed girl covered her face with her hands. Uo laughed next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, commenting on the blush that was rising in her cheeks. Tohru put her hands down and laughed with her, knowing that it was from something else, not the encounter from the waitress. Hana was silent across the table, watching Tohru with an unmoving gaze. The waitress returned in a matter of minutes, putting a platter of Gyoza and Dragon Rolls in front of them. The three broke their chopsticks and said "Itadakimasu" in union.
As she chewed, Tohru mulled over the idea of simply explaining to Yuki that she did have other plans and couldn't study with him that night. Maybe she could go out and get some groceries instead of studying with him and holding him down with her slow mind. She nodded to herself, but then felt a small pain of guilt in her stomach. Yuki tried so hard with her, why should she push away his efforts? What if he took it the wrong way and thought that she was mad at him, or worse, didn't want to be around him at all? That thought made her stomach turn cold. She didn't want to upset Yuki at all. Not at all. She hated it whenever he was upset, and always did her best to change the morose expressions lining his delicate features. The times she hated the most were when Akito visited them in the Shigure house. They were rare, but when they occurred, it almost made her mad to share a dinner table with him and watch Yuki's hands folded in his lap as tight as possible, yet shaking by her side. She often wondered what exactly had happened between them, but she didn't know if it was right to ask, so she never had.
Yuki was never able to sleep at night after having dinner with him. He would sit in his room, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling with a look absent of fear, but only replaced by something similar to empathy, or shock. Still, part of her wondered how horrible it must be, to be born only to die, to be sick constantly, and so she tried to forgive him of the horrible things done to the Souma's. In the most secret place in her heart, however, she wanted him to disappear. She swallowed a piece of Gyoza and sipped her tea slowly. One time she had gulped it and nearly scalded her tongue. She smiled at the memory of her mother, cautioning her to be careful. I miss you. What would you do in my situation? Never give up, she told herself. That's what my mom would do. Ambition renewed, she entered Hana and Uo's conversation with a smile on her face.
??-??????????
Back at the Shigure home, Yuki was just walking in from a tiring and boring lecture from the student council. It wasn't directed at him, but at Haru, for throwing a boy in a shower naked and stealing his clothes. He really was troublesome when he was in 'Black' mode. But later, when Kyou told him, most scornfully, of what he had done, he only said 'Is that so?' before standing before Yuki and then abruptly taking him in his arms with apologies. After wrestling away from the other Juunishi, he merely told the both of them to watch what they did on the campus, because any trouble they caused reflected upon him as their cousin. He threw a couple more insults at the 'baka neko' than Haru, but he made sure that the cow also got the point.
He set his back down at the corner of the entryway and took off his shoes. Removing his test booklets and school work, he padded silently past the sleeping Shigure and retreated to his room, where he spread his school work and propped his head in his slight hands. His eyes skimmed the sheets in front of him before he closed the booklet and approached his bed. He sat down slowly, then turned and lay. It felt nice to be surrounded by the warm sheets, kept hot by a ventilator under his bed. It was installed a few months ago, when he was entering a relapse of his Bronchi. He sighed and set his head on his pillow, relishing in the fact that it was also warm. At least I won't get sick. Getting sick would be very unfortunate at this point. Sliding under his covers, he allowed his eyes to close after a tiring day, preparing for a long night up with Tohru. He wanted to make sure she understood everything, and it was best to start studying a week ahead of time then waiting the day before the test. If she was going to do well, she needed preparation, and he was going to help her. A small, fleeting smile touched his lips as his thoughts brushed against her image. She was so cute today. Nevermind that thought. She was always the perfect image of all adorable in his mind.
He tried to wrench his thoughts away from her, feeling the clenching pain in his chest already. The curse always did this to him. Was it the curse directly? He supposed not. It was his feelings for her that put this pain in his heart, but it was the curse that was the cause of all of it. The reason why he couldn't hug her. He wondered how it must feel, to hug a girl, to actually hug her. As he thought about it, he realized he never had. He'd bumped into girls, had someone bump into him, tripped and fell, but no one had ever hugged him purposely, and he had never purposely hugged a girl. He sighed inwardly. He had the chance to have a girl hug him, but he'd pushed her away, just like the last one before her. The only people who tried to show him love or kindness, and he could not return it. Tohru was there, but she had never tried to hug him either, only bumped into him, or some other misfortune. He wished that she would attempt it, but knowing the results, who would want to.? Who would want to approach someone they thought of as beautiful and intelligent, only then to have them transform into an ugly rat.
He turned around and faced the wall, angering himself with his own foolish thoughts. It didn't matter what Tohru or any other girl thought about him, there was no way to be with her, or anyone else he would ever care for. He was cursed with this changing human body, and he'd just have to learn to accept it. Again. Tohru's presence could sometimes make that acceptance hard to attain. He felt around inside of his pillowcase until his fingers brushed upon something smooth and glossy. He pulled it out carefully, and was greeted by a picture of her, Hana and Uo at school. Hana had her same blank look on her face, though maybe a slight smile was peeking in the corners of her lips. Uo had on a characteristic smirk as she propped her arm on top of Tohru's head, who was smiling at the camera shyly, a slight blush on her face. He had said that he needed the picture for a demonstration of strong friendship, that the council wanted to put some kind of book together for departing students. It was actually a custom taken from America. The student body had thought that a 'Year Book' would be a wonderful way to preserve the memories of the struggles of childhood. He cherished that picture, pathetic though it may be. He reached out and pulled his blue coat up to him, fumbling through it until he found his inside pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out another picture that Shigure had taken while they were down by the lake. It was a picture of three of them: Tohru, Kyou and himself. He held these two pictures up and smiled faintly. Contrary to the other picture, instead of the shy smile that she wore, there was a happy grin on her face instead. His hand was on her shoulder, and he was smiling normally. Kyou on the other hand had his arms folded, scowling, looking in the other direction. He was leaning against Tohru though, the only semblance of friendship between them. Kyou and Tohru were so casual around each other. The 'baka neko' was starting to get used to having a girl around as a constant presence. He blushed less and made less mistakes with his temper, but still, he had his moments. Yuki sighed to himself, putting both of the pictures now inside his pillowcase and slipping on his blue coat. He wanted to check on his garden, and then come back and help Tohru study the material he'd laid out. It had been raining lately, the last push of springtime showers, and he needed to make sure all was well in his strawberry section.
He put one arm in and then the other, straightened, and then walked into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth nonchalantly, smiling at the strawberry towel hanging by the bath, and gave himself a five second once over. Black pants, black shirt, dark blue coat. He blinked at himself, sometimes realizing he didn't even know his face in the mirror, and then walked out of the bathroom. He passed Kyou going down the stairs.
"Baka neko."
"Kuso nezumi."
Greetings greeted, he swung around the staircase and headed out the door, calling out his intentions to Shigure as he slid it shut. He looked up at the sky as he walked briskly down the path, noting how dark it was and wondering where Tohru could be. Perhaps she's working at her part time job. He shook his head. She'd told him that the next time she was working was Friday, tomorrow, and it wasn't like her to make a mistake with her work, and of course, she never lied. He eyed the sky again, dissatisfied with the darkening glower of the clouds. I hope she gets home alright. He'd never forget the day he met her in a tent, on his property, alone in the woods. Shigure had outright laughed, but he'd been concerned when she came down with a fever that day. Without realizing it, he realized he'd been chewing on his lip as he walked. He really shouldn't do that. He couldn't help being nervous though. He stepped through the part in the trees and investigated his field. A second later a rock had been thrown at the small yellow rabbit digging up his carrots. The rock hit it's back, right on target.
"Kuso Usagi!" He was about to pick it up and heave it back into the woods when a familiar wailing stopped him in his tracks.
"Waaaaaah! Yuki hit me! Yuki never hits me! Waaaaaaah!"
"Momiji?" He asked incredulously.
-PYON!- A yellow haired boy stood up stark naked and put his hands on his hips.
"Yukiiii! Why'd you do that? I was just getting carrots for Tohru kun! I wanted her to make them for me!" He wailed angrily.
Yuki looked around and located the boys clothes by a tree a short ways off. He snatched them up and delivered them to the small boy with a scattered amount of broken speech apologies. Momiji snatched them and scampered into them with lightning speed, then pressed his hands against his arms and whined about how cold it was. Yuki smiled a little and walked around the rabbit boy to patch in the dirt he'd been digging through. He exhaled, showing a sign of relief as he noticed that none of the roots had been damaged. The mouse stood up again and put a guiding hand on the back of Momiji's neck, perhaps holding him a bit more tightly than usual, as he lead him away from his fields and explained that they were off limits to small hands. Momiji put up little complaint now that his target was no longer in sight, and quickly amused himself with other things, like commenting on Yuki's choice of wardrobe. Momiji stopped and blinked a few times, looking at Yuki up and down.
"Yuki. All the girls at school like you, right? It's you they're talking about, right?" He tugged on his coat.
Yuki sighed, rising a hand to his forehead as if to ward off a headache, then nodded.
"Ne.Does Tohru like you as much as they do?" He asked innocently.
Yuki face faulted, losing the shot but catching the rebound.
"Eh.. Something like that doesn't matter Momiji!" He said in a slightly exasperated, but more embarrassed tone.
Momiji glared at the good prince, tapping his foot on the ground and displaying a most sour expression. Yuki swallowed, looking down at the younger boy in silent surprise. Eventually, Momiji smiled, showing pearly white, devious teeth. Yuki eyed him suspiciously, waiting for a comment.
"You talk about these things with Hatsu Kun, so I'm going to go ask him!" Momiji grinned, walking away with a strong pace and merry attitude.
Yuki irked, following him until he reached up to the back of the boys jacket and pulled back on the hood. Momiji stumbled back into Yuki, grumbling about how he was being rough today. Yuki tilted his chin up from behind and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Momiji's grumbling began anew, knowing that that was Yuki's way of warning him.
"Demo! Yuki kuuun." The boy pouted, managing to look adorable even to Yuki, who fought the affects of puppy dog eyes, "I'm just as old as him. Why do you tell him things and not me!?"
"I don't tell him things either. He just asks," Yuki explained.
Momiji turned around to face his older cousin, once again looking him up at down. Yuki blinked, lifting a hand and raking it back through his dark hair. Momiji nodded and clasped his hands behind his back, spreading his legs slightly, looking much like a short, Sweden, military officer. Yuki suppressed a laugh, waiting for the boy to speak.
"When did Hatsu Kun give that coat to you?" Momiji asked first.
"Two years ago."
"Really. How often do you wear it?" Now his eyebrow was lifting.
"Depends on the weather."
"Are you going to wear it for the rest of the night?" He leaned forward for this question, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Probably not! Why are you asking me all these questions Momiji?" Yuki tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer.
The rabbit only smiled, once again showing a mischievous side of him. Yuki sighed and started walking again. Momiji hurried to keep up with him, skipping to match the bigger cousin's stride. His hands were still clasped behind his back, and he was humming a song he created himself. Sometimes Yuki understood Kyou's need to hit the younger boy every once in a while, but until today, Yuki never had. Of course, it was an accident. Yuki was too distracted to recognize the familiar bunny.
"Yuki. You should wear it for the rest of the night." Momiji said rather quietly. "I see girls faces when you walk by wearing that, and I think Tohru might have the same reaction if she ever saw it. You look really good in that blue coat, especially when it's not unbuttoned, as it is now, and you can see the black shirt underneath. She'll like you in it."
Yuki stopped walking and stared after the blonde. His heart was beating a little erratically, having not expected the advice from Momiji on his fashion sense or figure. He resumed walking again with a little sigh, but there was a smile on his face. Sometimes he forgot that Momiji was only a year younger than him, and while he seemed to be rather childish, he was just as old as Hatsuharu, who was no innocent by any standards. Yuki folded his arms to block out the cold, letting Momiji continue to skip ahead to the house. He could see it looming up in the distance, and he quickened his pace. Was Tohru home yet? Checking his watch to see it was 20 after 9, he decided that she definitely must be home by now. It wasn't like her to go out without telling anyone where she was, especially when they had made plans to study that night previously. A small knot formed in his stomach and refused to go away. What if she wasn't home? Where was he going to find her? What if something happened to her? He walked a bit faster, trying to ignore the pinpricks of worry that raced up his spine and stabbing his stomach. Hopping up the stairs, he reached out and swung the slide door open to see everyone sitting down for dinner. Most importantly, he saw Tohru.
They all looked up from their dishes to see him return. Tohru blinked a few times, dropping her chopsticks on the floor. She bent over, stammering senselessly as she picked them up, then ran into the kitchen to clean them again. When she got up, Momiji was exposed to his line of sight. The younger boy winked at him, then went back to eating. Yuki looked down, a small blush creeping into his cheeks before he slid off his shoes. He approached his normal spot at the table, kneeling down on his knees before Tohru's beautiful dinner of fish, tempura and rice balls. He loved it when she made rice balls, because they reminded him so much of her. He clapped his hands together in a private, and late, "itadakimasu" before breaking his chopsticks and sinking them into Tohru's delicious meal. He felt bad eating while she wasn't there, but he had to catch up to the already half devoured fish on his company's plates. Tohru was such a good cook. If anything, she should do it for a living, maybe open her own restaurant. Tohru would also be good with kids though. She was so close with Kisa.
Tohru returned to the table, clicking her shiny chopsticks together. She looked up at him expectantly, as if waiting for something. He smiled at her.
"Oishii," He told her.
She smiled and started eating her meal. He was always the one to tell her how good her meals were; well, and Shigure. Of course, he was really making it out to be that the meals Tohru cooked were the only joy in his cold, dark, sad life. Yuki shook his head at the humor of it. Silence stretched over the table for a moment, until Tohru let out a surprised gasp. She put down her chopsticks and turned to face Momiji.
"I just realized! Momiji, do you know what day it is tomorrow?" She asked him in a sing song voice.
"Hai!" Momiji shouted brightly, "I know!!"
Kyou scowled from across the table, muttering under his breath about how high and whiny such an aged adolescence voice could be. Tohru waved her hand at him with a smile on her face, telling him to stop teasing while Momiji wriggled in his chair, eager to get a chance to explain. Yuki set down his chopsticks and propped his head on his hands with patience.
"Tomorrow is Juunishi celebration day at school!" Momiji cried out happily.
Yuki and Kyou both twitched, sitting up a bit straighter at the mention of a day dedicated in celebration to their curse. Momiji seemed happy enough about it though. All of a sudden, the event found a slate of recognition in Yuki's head. He nodded and sat back a bit.
"I remember that day last year. We all had to wear the ears of the Animal our attitude represents." Yuki nodded, wincing at the painful memory.
Tohru laughed, commenting on how she wished she had known Yuki at that time, so she could see him with 'kawaii' ears. Yuki studied the wood chips in the table before him, while Momiji reassured her that her waiting was over, and that tomorrow they would all be wearing animal ears. Suddenly, a loud, long sigh escaped Kyou.
"I don't want to walk around with ears!" He grumbled, growling in frustration.
"Maybe all the girls will think you look cute and try to hug you!" Momiji yelled enthusiastically.
"Heh.. Let them try. How will they do that if I'm not there?" He laughed, holding up his trump card.
"Baka neko." Yuki sighed, "You really are stupid. We have to be in school tomorrow for presentations. Without them, our grade will drop considerably. You can't afford that. Neither can I."
Instead of arguing, Kyou fell silent in defeat. He knew that he couldn't miss that presentation. It was prepared. All of them had completed it a few days beforehand, but still, to be around on this day. Was nerve wracking. Tohru looked between the two of them, both with somber faces, and swallowed. How was she going to lighten the mood? She reached out at nothing.
"I think I'll look silly, with puppy dog ears on." She said with a small giggle.
Shigure jumped up in a fit of showering stars.
"Have no fear, lovely Tohru! The Year of the Dog is proud and loyal!!"
"Sit down Shigure, and finish your meal!"
Shigure obliged now that his balloon had burst. Tohru smiled at his comment though, glad that someone had helped get them out of their melancholy silence. A few minutes later, dinner finished, Shigure cleared the dishes. Tohru was about to protest, but Shigure was firm in telling her that this night was for studying. At that, Tohru brightened, looking at Yuki with a nervous smile. He couldn't help but smile back. They both rose, bidding goodnight to Momiji, who was about to be picked up by Hatori, and Tohru wished luck to Kyou with his own studies while Yuki glared at him. Kyou smirked at Yuki, who simply shivered with disgust.
"Well then, come now Tohru." Yuki said with a pleased look.
They walked up the stairs, Yuki holding open his door for her to enter. She thanked him and stepped inside, looking around inquisitively. He wondered vaguely to himself why she was so curious, poking at things here and there. She turned around then, grinning at him, and asked what portion they were going to study tonight. He walked forward, picking up textbook that he'd left on his desk. He turned it so that she could read the headline, then extended it to her. She took it carefully, flipping upon the pages. Yuki had marked off anything that was important, and even highlighted some of the finer points of study. He watched with interest while her face changed colors from fair to red.
"Is something wrong Tohru? What is it?" He asked, leaning forward a bit with concern.
Her heard her sniff, then shield her face with her arm. He blinked, gently removing her arm from in front of her face. She was blushing, but no tears were in her eyes.
"I'm going to take up so much of your time Souma Kun.." She said sadly, "I don't understand any of this math. I'm such a baka."
He looked at her and smiled softly. She was always so concerned about everyone else, but he knew that this ran deep inside of her. She was very dedicated to the promise she'd made with her mom. She didn't want anything to stop her from getting in the way of her goal. But at the same time, she doesn't want to hold me back. He guided her over to a chair by his desk and let her sit down in it. He looked at the clock, seeing they had about two hours to study before midnight. Yoshi.
??-??????????
Tohru took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart as Yuki stood behind her, pointing out to different geometrical shapes, statistical figures, and old algebra equations. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, but she knew she'd have a hard time with it anyway. Math was her worst subject. She risked looking up at Yuki, seeing his confident smile. Tohru had to buckle down if she was going to learn this, and she didn't want to waste any of Yuki's time. Still, it was hard to concentrate when he was around at times. She laughed inwardly at her own foolishness, then began listening to Yuki's instructions.
"And these, these two sides have to be equal. You'll see something like this in Chemistry as well." He said in his calm, serene voice.
Tohru nodded, balancing the equation on a separate piece of paper. Yuki was always so neat and organized. No wonder he had the highest marks in all of his classes. Well, almost the highest apparently. He had once said there was one student ahead of him in English. Foreign languages were harder for Yuki than he had expected them to be. Tohru wondered if it was because of his insecurities. She imagined trying to work up the courage to speak to people he knew in a common tongue. How much harder it must be, when you don't want to make a mistake in another tongue. She smiled. Yuki was so brave. He continued explaining other equations to her while she made her own notes. An hour passed of his teaching, and her head was already spinning with equations. She frowned, looking down at the desk. She couldn't keep up with him. His mind worked so fast. She folded her arms on the table and buried her head in them most uncharacteristically. A few seconds passed, Yuki saying nothing, but then she felt his delicate fingers moving through her hair. Her heart leaped into her throat. She froze in place, not wanting to move a muscle, or even breathe, in case she'd scare him away from his own movements.
His hand paused when he got no reaction, as if resting there uncertain what to do next. She noticed, now that she was completely silent, that his breathing was coming out a little less smoothly than usual. In the back of her mind, the part that wasn't hazed over with joy, she wondered if he was coming down with something in the last stretch of rainy weather. She hoped not.
"Honda. San?" Yuki said uncertainly, "Are you alright?"
She lifted her head reluctantly, catching his concerned gaze. He seemed concerned at least. But really, wasn't he annoyed with her? This was all so much trouble, and probably not for so good of a grade. She wished again that she was more responsible. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling of his hand on the back of her head. It seemed that as soon as she focused on it though, it was gone. She sighed, opening her eyes again. Yuki walked over to his bed and sat down, folding his hands in his lap.
"You can tell me what it is. I won't tell anyone else. That's the least I can do for you, ne?" Yuki said earnestly.
The least. He can do? Tohru dropped out of her chair, landing on her knees in front of him. He was about to stand up, surprised, and help her rise, but she'd reached out and put her hands over his as he sat. He let out a surprised stutter at her sudden action, unable to move his eyes off hers. "The least you can do? Souma kun, I am so horrible! You're up late, trying to help me study when you should be studying yourself, and I don't even understand half of what your saying. You're wasting your efforts on someone slow like myself! Now that I think about it, you haven't even sat down for an hour. I took your chair. More than that, now you're trying to comfort me." She rambled out, "You already do so much for me!"
Yuki was taken aback, eyes wide with shock at her outburst.
"Gomen ne.. Souma kun.." She said, letting her hands drop back into her lap.
"Iiya!" Yuki protested, sliding off the bed to sit in front of her, "I'm happy to help you Tohru. If you don't understand, we can go back over it at a more slower pace. It's my fault. Tohru is not Yuki. I'll go slower for you. I want you to do well." He pushed a piece of stray hair back over her ears.
Tohru put her hands in her lap, blushing as he put her hair back into place. When she dared to look up at him again, she saw the reassuring smile of Yuki, sliding past her own defenses to touch her soul. Without thinking, she reached forward and brushed the back of her hand against his pale cheek. You're so special, Souma kun. Everyone is right. You're so special. She felt his face heat under her hand and smiled inwardly. She withdrew her hand and took him in. Black pants, black shirt, dark blue jacket. She couldn't help but notice how well it contrasted with his pale features and his soft dark hair. She pressed her palm flat against his jacket with a 'hmmm' and felt the material. It was surprisingly soft. She was about to withdraw her hand when she noticed how fast his heart was racing underneath it. His cold?? And the red on his cheeks.. A fever? He does feel hot..
"Aa! Souma kun!" Yuki jumped and the sudden loudness of her voice, "Do you feel unwell?"
She pressed both hands against the sides of his neck, checking his temperature and then nodded to herself.
"You're very warm. Maybe we should call Hatori!" She exclaimed while he tried to regain his courage.
"No, that's not it.." He was able to mumble.
"I'll go get Shigure right now!" She said with a flurry of worry.
"That's not it!" He said in a louder voice, grabbing her hand again and pressing it against his heart.
Tohru's face lit, making the blush earlier seen on Yuki's face look like watered down Kool-Aid. She tried to calm down, feeling the irregular sensation of the Prince's heart beating furiously against her hand. He was taking deep breaths as well, she noticed.
"It's not a cold.." He told her quietly, but firmly.
She nodded, swallowing her nervousness and fear in one gulp. Yuki sighed, leaning his head back against the mattress of his bed, letting his hands slide off of hers. She leaned forward, slightly concerned, then moved to stand. She was coming around to his side when she slipped on one of his socks, falling towards him. At the last moment, she crossed her arms over her chest. She waited, eyes clenched shut, for the -PYON!- that would make her swell with regret, but it didn't come. The brunette opened her eyes slowly, meeting a startled Yuki kun underneath her.
"You're. l-learning." He stuttered, not sure whether to push her off or leave her there.
Either way, he was blushing just as furiously as Tohru was. He panicked. She panicked. In the process, they were only further entangling themselves. After a few efforts to slide out from under her, Yuki stopped moving. Noticing his inanimate body, she naturally became concerned. "Souma kun.?"
"Tohru. Once. Please." He forced the words out somehow, head turned to the side, looking at the ground.
"What does Souma kun.?"
At that moment, he reached out and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms firmly and securely around her. He relished that short instant of her warmth before.-PYON!- Pink smoke rose around a surprised Tohru, who immediately began her search for the small mouse. Once located, she picked him up in her hands and smiled down at him.
"I suppose I'll think of that as a punishment." Tohru said happily.
"Punishment.?" Yuki's voice rose out of the small animal.
"Yes. A hugging punishment, for being too kind when you should worry about yourself." She nodded and set him in his bed, drawing the covers over the mouse out of politeness before hopping out the door.
She waited for the -PYON!- before she exited the room, smiling at the confused Yuki, safely shielded under his sheets.
Tohru hurried down the halls of her school with her bag swinging over her shoulder. A tall girl with blonde hair followed her persistently, calling out her name as she weaved her way through the school crowds. This only made Tohru run faster with laughter. When Uo finally caught up to Tohru, she was leaning against her locker with a slight flush on her face.
"Tohru. What was that for?" Uo asked her, tugging on a section of her hair affectionately.
But Tohru hadn't heard her just yet, because her sparkling eyes were fixated on the whooping and walloping students ahead of her. Uo blinked and followed her gaze, which lead up to the University score board. Her friend smiled and put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. It was her goal after all, to graduate from high school like her mother intended. Hanajima's head could be seen bobbing through the crowds after sometime, and she paused to stand by the other side of Tohru. Her face was flushed and her excessive panting suggested that she couldn't get enough breath.
"Hana.You only walked here." Uo said with a smile.
Hanajima nodded with a stoic expression, eyeing the scoreboard at the top of the school. Her arm circled around Tohru's waist and she smiled. The three of them were best friends, watching their sempai's excited cheers. Some of them were probably going to Tokyo University, and others abroad to America. Tohru could only imagine their excitement. These students worked so hard to get this far. And I'm only trying to graduate. Maybe with Yuki kun's help, I'll be able to get into a good school like this. But no, I don't have THAT kind of money. Perhaps if I keep saving. Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the "Princess" girls shouldered Tohru away from her friends. As expected, the rice ball apologized profusely at the rough contact. Her friends however, each grabbed one of the girl's bratty ponytails and dragged her away from Tohru. Cries of 'She's a witch!' and 'The devil!' could be heard echoing down the hall when they returned to her side.
"Ah, Uo Chan, Hana Chan.. Wouldn't it be great if we all went to a wonderful university like these students are? I'd be so happy to make mother's dream for me come true. Even if she only wanted me to finish high school, I wonder if she wanted to go to college too." Tohru pursed her lips in thought, the hype of the day infecting her.
Uo patted her head and nodded.
"Kyoko would have definitely wanted you to be successful Tohru."
"Hai, Tohru Chan." Hanajima added.
"Maa." Tohru sighed, putting her hands behind her head.
She didn't have enough time to study like these people had; the red marks on her papers were swirling around her head, threatening to make her dizzy. She wanted to ask for help from Yuki or Kyou, but it seemed that they were pretty busy with their own studying, though they'd asked if she would like assistance. No, she wanted to get there independently, without always leaning on those two for support. She lifted up a fist for emphasis and pumped it up and down a couple of times. Yes, she had to be strong and fight through school like a wild.. wild..
"Animal." Hanajima murmured, turning to the side and pointing.
Tohru froze with a ridiculous expression on her face, then followed her finger towards the locker rooms further down the way. A hot tempered Kyou was trying to pry a cat off his shirt, but it was clinging with all of it's claws. Uo laughed a bit, commenting on how cats always seemed to be following Kyou around. Hana only nodded in her mysterious way, before returning her attention back to Tohru.
"You're not working today, are you Tohru Chan?" She asked inquisitively.
Tohru shook her head with energy, flashing a bright smile in Hanajima's direction.
"Well then! Why don't why go out and get some food!" Uo commented loudly, lifting a fist into the air and then dragging Tohru by her hand.
Hanajima looked at her clock, seeing they had five minutes before the end of school. They were almost out the door before Tohru exclaimed erratically that she hadn't returned her library books, and to please wait patiently, she would hurry. Uo and Hana stood to the side of the door and smiled as Tohru ran off in a panic, furious at herself for holding everyone up. As she ran, she fumbled through her bag to see how many books she'd brought with her that day. She caught such titles as "Green Thumb" and another one called "The struggling Novelist" that made her smile. When she'd fingered through that book, she'd been surprised at the diligence required to be an author. Her face shown with pride. The people I live with are so talented and motivated! What ambition Shigure must have!
-Uchi- (House)
Shigure tapped his pencil on the desk, looking at his computer. His stomach growled.
"Tohru!" He wailed.
-Gakkou- (School)
Tohru ran around a corner, managing not to trip but knocking her bag against the side. It swung back and banged against her leg, but she only huffed and ran on. When she finally reached the library inside of the school, she slowed down to a walk and smiled with relief. It wasn't closed for the end of school yet! She pushed the door open and almost ran right into Yuki. He blinked, not expecting the girl to come tearing in, then smiled serenely and stepped out of the way for her to pass.
"Thank you Souma Kun!" She smiled happily and dropped her books off at the front desk.
Yuki waited for the energetic girl to come back to the door, then they walked out together. He gave her a few basic greetings, but was mostly hovering over a syllabus for the rest of their 2nd year. She couldn't help but be curious, peering around him to look at what his classes had planned. She felt a little lost. Yuki was much smarter than her, being gifted in the year of the mouse. Of course, he wouldn't say that to her, or to anyone else, but it was common knowledge that his grace in the academic arts was phenomenal beyond words. She sighed a bit, knowing that that was another reason why the feline and the mouse were not getting along. The stressful time of exams was coming up, according to Yuki's syllabus, and the last time finals had swept across the school, Kyou had been so wrapped up in catching up to Yuki's school record. Of course, Yuki had out staged him in every subject, though the cats 'cursed' scores were nothing to be ashamed of. Tohru'd love to have such persistence in school, but it was located elsewhere. In other places, like at work, cooking at home, and spending time with her friends. It was true she only did enough to get by. While everyone else slaved away. Suddenly she felt inadequate.
"Honda San?" Yuki asked, tilting his head at her with a small smile, "Is everything alright?"
"H-Hai!" She responded, embarrassed to be caught wandering off, "I was just looking at.. at.."
"My syllabus?" He inquired, holding up the stabled calendar sheets.
She nodded a few times while he flipped over the pages.
"Exams are coming up for the both of us. Would Honda San like to study with me?"
Tohru's mind did a flip-flop. She did want to study with him, but poor Yuki! He would spend all of his time explaining things to her instead of studying his own material for the exams. She didn't want to burden him. She didn't want to burden anyone. "No." She trailed off uncertainly, unsure as to how to back that refusal up.
Yuki looked disappointed, shuffling his papers back into a neat stack on a nearby desk. He tossed the longer portion of his hair back over his shoulder, and Tohru couldn't deny how beautiful he was at times.
"Perhaps Honda San.. Had other plans?" He smiled with acceptance.
"Iya! No! That's not why! I mean, I do want to study with you. But I don't want you to bother with me! I'm stupid!" The explanation flew out of her before she had time to cage it.
She clamped her hands over her mouth in an effort to call back the sudden outburst. Of course she didn't want him to bother with her, and she didn't want him to know that truly. After all, whenever she said something negative about herself, he would make more of an effort. She fleetingly checked her watch. It was 10 after the hour. Inwardly, she shrieked, imagining Uo and Hana there by the door, checking their own watches while others walked on by. Even as she looked around now, the entire hall was free of students. Poor Hana and Uo! Waiting for me.. She was about to excuse herself when Yuki reached forward and delicately brushed some of the hair away from her eyes. She felt heat rising in her cheeks at his soft touch.
"Honda San is not stupid. Not at all." He corrected her, putting his hand in his pocket, "Let's study together tonight, if Honda San wishes."
"Ah. Eh. Eto.!" She trailed off, wringing her hands nervously before taking a deep breath and nodding. "If I do not disturb Souma Kun's own studying, then hai!"
The doubt erased from his face like a magic marker, he smiled again with one of those flawless expressions of beauty, and waved goodbye. She bowed her head a few times, then took off down the hall yelling sorry ahead of herself.
Hanajima and Uo looked up from the floor to console the apologetic girl. After they smiled their thanks for her rush and pushed open the door for her, she felt a little better. Talking energetically, they walked down the school path that led to the open road. Uo suggested going to an American style deli, but Hana wanted to go to an authentic Japanese restaurant for sushi. The two argued over it, Hana quietly, and Uo more loudly. Tohru hold up the white flag, holding out a 5-yen piece in her hand. She reached into her bag and put a blue sticker on one side.
"Okay! I'm going to toss this up, and you two will say which side you want. The side facing up is the winner." She said happily, glad to have found a way to solve the problem.
Uo laughed then, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Tohru blinked a few times and poked her arm.
"Is that the Japanese take on 'Heads or Tails?'" Uo laughed, then turned serious. "Blue."
Hana nodded her consent. The brunette tossed the 5 yen piece into the air, watching it spin a few times.
"Ikimashou. (Let's go)" Hana said, turning to walk towards Yorokonde, the Japanese authentic store.
A second later, blue side facing down, the coin hit the earth. Uo grumbled and followed after her while Tohru hurried to pick up the coin and join them.
"I should have known a psychic would pick the right side." She muttered off to the side.
"Demo, Uo Chan, you were the one who chose." Hana replied calmly.
"That irrelevant!" She decided, throwing an arm up in the air, "I'll win next time."
"Perhaps."
Tohru could only giggle at her friend's small argument, silently thanking heaven for such great friends and such wonderful opportunities to learn more about them. Uo opened the door for the two of them, for which Tohru thanked her, and asked the waitress about the seating. There wasn't much of a line, so they got to sit right away. Grudgingly, Uo had to admit that it was a nice place, whether or not it fit her current mood. Tohru was busy looking around the store, the bright paintings of geisha and samurai were more than captivating. She folded her hands against the table, loving the ancient scene around her. She didn't know when her thoughts started drifting back to Yuki, but they always seemed to find him. She imagined him walking through the door to the small sushi bar, cloaked in grace and elegance, using his soft-spoken voice to order Spider Roll, or Gyoza. Maybe he would even order rice balls, thinking about her cooking at home. She sighed inwardly, eyes growing a little hazy during her daydream. She tried not to think of him like this, but sometimes she couldn't help but notice the little things about him that made him so wonderful. Like the way she would look up and already catch him watching her from across the dinner table, or the desk in his room, or above growing strawberries in a tiny field. Her imagination took a quick turn, and she imagined approaching him at school while he leaned against a locker, wrapping her arms around him and.-PYON!- Her daydream crashed.
In the background she could hear Hana and Uo talking amongst themselves, not bothering to ask her what she wanted since she always picked the rice balls. She fingered the end of her unbroken chopsticks and bit her lower lip. Her dreams always tortured her when they strayed too far beyond her reach. She knew that she could never hug him. She could never feel the same warm from his fingers against her cheek envelope and comfort her. She wished she could, just for a moment, feel his arms around her. But why was she thinking of things like this. She was living in his household, a free loader, with him telling her he would help her study, and all she could think about was things like this. It wasn't that she only thought of him as beautiful. She knew that deep inside of him, there was an equally beautiful person shackled by his indecision and lack of self-assurance. She wondered how someone who had the entire student body captivated could be so insecure at times, but she knew that if she tried hard enough to bring out a happy, smiling Yuki that she had seen so few times, eventually she would succeed.
"Tohru, what do you want to drink?" Uo asked, nudging her side with her elbow.
Tohru's head snapped up to meet the smiling but exasperated face of the waitress before her. With a little help from her friends, she managed to get the point across that she would like hot green tea. The embarrassed girl covered her face with her hands. Uo laughed next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, commenting on the blush that was rising in her cheeks. Tohru put her hands down and laughed with her, knowing that it was from something else, not the encounter from the waitress. Hana was silent across the table, watching Tohru with an unmoving gaze. The waitress returned in a matter of minutes, putting a platter of Gyoza and Dragon Rolls in front of them. The three broke their chopsticks and said "Itadakimasu" in union.
As she chewed, Tohru mulled over the idea of simply explaining to Yuki that she did have other plans and couldn't study with him that night. Maybe she could go out and get some groceries instead of studying with him and holding him down with her slow mind. She nodded to herself, but then felt a small pain of guilt in her stomach. Yuki tried so hard with her, why should she push away his efforts? What if he took it the wrong way and thought that she was mad at him, or worse, didn't want to be around him at all? That thought made her stomach turn cold. She didn't want to upset Yuki at all. Not at all. She hated it whenever he was upset, and always did her best to change the morose expressions lining his delicate features. The times she hated the most were when Akito visited them in the Shigure house. They were rare, but when they occurred, it almost made her mad to share a dinner table with him and watch Yuki's hands folded in his lap as tight as possible, yet shaking by her side. She often wondered what exactly had happened between them, but she didn't know if it was right to ask, so she never had.
Yuki was never able to sleep at night after having dinner with him. He would sit in his room, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling with a look absent of fear, but only replaced by something similar to empathy, or shock. Still, part of her wondered how horrible it must be, to be born only to die, to be sick constantly, and so she tried to forgive him of the horrible things done to the Souma's. In the most secret place in her heart, however, she wanted him to disappear. She swallowed a piece of Gyoza and sipped her tea slowly. One time she had gulped it and nearly scalded her tongue. She smiled at the memory of her mother, cautioning her to be careful. I miss you. What would you do in my situation? Never give up, she told herself. That's what my mom would do. Ambition renewed, she entered Hana and Uo's conversation with a smile on her face.
??-??????????
Back at the Shigure home, Yuki was just walking in from a tiring and boring lecture from the student council. It wasn't directed at him, but at Haru, for throwing a boy in a shower naked and stealing his clothes. He really was troublesome when he was in 'Black' mode. But later, when Kyou told him, most scornfully, of what he had done, he only said 'Is that so?' before standing before Yuki and then abruptly taking him in his arms with apologies. After wrestling away from the other Juunishi, he merely told the both of them to watch what they did on the campus, because any trouble they caused reflected upon him as their cousin. He threw a couple more insults at the 'baka neko' than Haru, but he made sure that the cow also got the point.
He set his back down at the corner of the entryway and took off his shoes. Removing his test booklets and school work, he padded silently past the sleeping Shigure and retreated to his room, where he spread his school work and propped his head in his slight hands. His eyes skimmed the sheets in front of him before he closed the booklet and approached his bed. He sat down slowly, then turned and lay. It felt nice to be surrounded by the warm sheets, kept hot by a ventilator under his bed. It was installed a few months ago, when he was entering a relapse of his Bronchi. He sighed and set his head on his pillow, relishing in the fact that it was also warm. At least I won't get sick. Getting sick would be very unfortunate at this point. Sliding under his covers, he allowed his eyes to close after a tiring day, preparing for a long night up with Tohru. He wanted to make sure she understood everything, and it was best to start studying a week ahead of time then waiting the day before the test. If she was going to do well, she needed preparation, and he was going to help her. A small, fleeting smile touched his lips as his thoughts brushed against her image. She was so cute today. Nevermind that thought. She was always the perfect image of all adorable in his mind.
He tried to wrench his thoughts away from her, feeling the clenching pain in his chest already. The curse always did this to him. Was it the curse directly? He supposed not. It was his feelings for her that put this pain in his heart, but it was the curse that was the cause of all of it. The reason why he couldn't hug her. He wondered how it must feel, to hug a girl, to actually hug her. As he thought about it, he realized he never had. He'd bumped into girls, had someone bump into him, tripped and fell, but no one had ever hugged him purposely, and he had never purposely hugged a girl. He sighed inwardly. He had the chance to have a girl hug him, but he'd pushed her away, just like the last one before her. The only people who tried to show him love or kindness, and he could not return it. Tohru was there, but she had never tried to hug him either, only bumped into him, or some other misfortune. He wished that she would attempt it, but knowing the results, who would want to.? Who would want to approach someone they thought of as beautiful and intelligent, only then to have them transform into an ugly rat.
He turned around and faced the wall, angering himself with his own foolish thoughts. It didn't matter what Tohru or any other girl thought about him, there was no way to be with her, or anyone else he would ever care for. He was cursed with this changing human body, and he'd just have to learn to accept it. Again. Tohru's presence could sometimes make that acceptance hard to attain. He felt around inside of his pillowcase until his fingers brushed upon something smooth and glossy. He pulled it out carefully, and was greeted by a picture of her, Hana and Uo at school. Hana had her same blank look on her face, though maybe a slight smile was peeking in the corners of her lips. Uo had on a characteristic smirk as she propped her arm on top of Tohru's head, who was smiling at the camera shyly, a slight blush on her face. He had said that he needed the picture for a demonstration of strong friendship, that the council wanted to put some kind of book together for departing students. It was actually a custom taken from America. The student body had thought that a 'Year Book' would be a wonderful way to preserve the memories of the struggles of childhood. He cherished that picture, pathetic though it may be. He reached out and pulled his blue coat up to him, fumbling through it until he found his inside pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out another picture that Shigure had taken while they were down by the lake. It was a picture of three of them: Tohru, Kyou and himself. He held these two pictures up and smiled faintly. Contrary to the other picture, instead of the shy smile that she wore, there was a happy grin on her face instead. His hand was on her shoulder, and he was smiling normally. Kyou on the other hand had his arms folded, scowling, looking in the other direction. He was leaning against Tohru though, the only semblance of friendship between them. Kyou and Tohru were so casual around each other. The 'baka neko' was starting to get used to having a girl around as a constant presence. He blushed less and made less mistakes with his temper, but still, he had his moments. Yuki sighed to himself, putting both of the pictures now inside his pillowcase and slipping on his blue coat. He wanted to check on his garden, and then come back and help Tohru study the material he'd laid out. It had been raining lately, the last push of springtime showers, and he needed to make sure all was well in his strawberry section.
He put one arm in and then the other, straightened, and then walked into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth nonchalantly, smiling at the strawberry towel hanging by the bath, and gave himself a five second once over. Black pants, black shirt, dark blue coat. He blinked at himself, sometimes realizing he didn't even know his face in the mirror, and then walked out of the bathroom. He passed Kyou going down the stairs.
"Baka neko."
"Kuso nezumi."
Greetings greeted, he swung around the staircase and headed out the door, calling out his intentions to Shigure as he slid it shut. He looked up at the sky as he walked briskly down the path, noting how dark it was and wondering where Tohru could be. Perhaps she's working at her part time job. He shook his head. She'd told him that the next time she was working was Friday, tomorrow, and it wasn't like her to make a mistake with her work, and of course, she never lied. He eyed the sky again, dissatisfied with the darkening glower of the clouds. I hope she gets home alright. He'd never forget the day he met her in a tent, on his property, alone in the woods. Shigure had outright laughed, but he'd been concerned when she came down with a fever that day. Without realizing it, he realized he'd been chewing on his lip as he walked. He really shouldn't do that. He couldn't help being nervous though. He stepped through the part in the trees and investigated his field. A second later a rock had been thrown at the small yellow rabbit digging up his carrots. The rock hit it's back, right on target.
"Kuso Usagi!" He was about to pick it up and heave it back into the woods when a familiar wailing stopped him in his tracks.
"Waaaaaah! Yuki hit me! Yuki never hits me! Waaaaaaah!"
"Momiji?" He asked incredulously.
-PYON!- A yellow haired boy stood up stark naked and put his hands on his hips.
"Yukiiii! Why'd you do that? I was just getting carrots for Tohru kun! I wanted her to make them for me!" He wailed angrily.
Yuki looked around and located the boys clothes by a tree a short ways off. He snatched them up and delivered them to the small boy with a scattered amount of broken speech apologies. Momiji snatched them and scampered into them with lightning speed, then pressed his hands against his arms and whined about how cold it was. Yuki smiled a little and walked around the rabbit boy to patch in the dirt he'd been digging through. He exhaled, showing a sign of relief as he noticed that none of the roots had been damaged. The mouse stood up again and put a guiding hand on the back of Momiji's neck, perhaps holding him a bit more tightly than usual, as he lead him away from his fields and explained that they were off limits to small hands. Momiji put up little complaint now that his target was no longer in sight, and quickly amused himself with other things, like commenting on Yuki's choice of wardrobe. Momiji stopped and blinked a few times, looking at Yuki up and down.
"Yuki. All the girls at school like you, right? It's you they're talking about, right?" He tugged on his coat.
Yuki sighed, rising a hand to his forehead as if to ward off a headache, then nodded.
"Ne.Does Tohru like you as much as they do?" He asked innocently.
Yuki face faulted, losing the shot but catching the rebound.
"Eh.. Something like that doesn't matter Momiji!" He said in a slightly exasperated, but more embarrassed tone.
Momiji glared at the good prince, tapping his foot on the ground and displaying a most sour expression. Yuki swallowed, looking down at the younger boy in silent surprise. Eventually, Momiji smiled, showing pearly white, devious teeth. Yuki eyed him suspiciously, waiting for a comment.
"You talk about these things with Hatsu Kun, so I'm going to go ask him!" Momiji grinned, walking away with a strong pace and merry attitude.
Yuki irked, following him until he reached up to the back of the boys jacket and pulled back on the hood. Momiji stumbled back into Yuki, grumbling about how he was being rough today. Yuki tilted his chin up from behind and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Momiji's grumbling began anew, knowing that that was Yuki's way of warning him.
"Demo! Yuki kuuun." The boy pouted, managing to look adorable even to Yuki, who fought the affects of puppy dog eyes, "I'm just as old as him. Why do you tell him things and not me!?"
"I don't tell him things either. He just asks," Yuki explained.
Momiji turned around to face his older cousin, once again looking him up at down. Yuki blinked, lifting a hand and raking it back through his dark hair. Momiji nodded and clasped his hands behind his back, spreading his legs slightly, looking much like a short, Sweden, military officer. Yuki suppressed a laugh, waiting for the boy to speak.
"When did Hatsu Kun give that coat to you?" Momiji asked first.
"Two years ago."
"Really. How often do you wear it?" Now his eyebrow was lifting.
"Depends on the weather."
"Are you going to wear it for the rest of the night?" He leaned forward for this question, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Probably not! Why are you asking me all these questions Momiji?" Yuki tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer.
The rabbit only smiled, once again showing a mischievous side of him. Yuki sighed and started walking again. Momiji hurried to keep up with him, skipping to match the bigger cousin's stride. His hands were still clasped behind his back, and he was humming a song he created himself. Sometimes Yuki understood Kyou's need to hit the younger boy every once in a while, but until today, Yuki never had. Of course, it was an accident. Yuki was too distracted to recognize the familiar bunny.
"Yuki. You should wear it for the rest of the night." Momiji said rather quietly. "I see girls faces when you walk by wearing that, and I think Tohru might have the same reaction if she ever saw it. You look really good in that blue coat, especially when it's not unbuttoned, as it is now, and you can see the black shirt underneath. She'll like you in it."
Yuki stopped walking and stared after the blonde. His heart was beating a little erratically, having not expected the advice from Momiji on his fashion sense or figure. He resumed walking again with a little sigh, but there was a smile on his face. Sometimes he forgot that Momiji was only a year younger than him, and while he seemed to be rather childish, he was just as old as Hatsuharu, who was no innocent by any standards. Yuki folded his arms to block out the cold, letting Momiji continue to skip ahead to the house. He could see it looming up in the distance, and he quickened his pace. Was Tohru home yet? Checking his watch to see it was 20 after 9, he decided that she definitely must be home by now. It wasn't like her to go out without telling anyone where she was, especially when they had made plans to study that night previously. A small knot formed in his stomach and refused to go away. What if she wasn't home? Where was he going to find her? What if something happened to her? He walked a bit faster, trying to ignore the pinpricks of worry that raced up his spine and stabbing his stomach. Hopping up the stairs, he reached out and swung the slide door open to see everyone sitting down for dinner. Most importantly, he saw Tohru.
They all looked up from their dishes to see him return. Tohru blinked a few times, dropping her chopsticks on the floor. She bent over, stammering senselessly as she picked them up, then ran into the kitchen to clean them again. When she got up, Momiji was exposed to his line of sight. The younger boy winked at him, then went back to eating. Yuki looked down, a small blush creeping into his cheeks before he slid off his shoes. He approached his normal spot at the table, kneeling down on his knees before Tohru's beautiful dinner of fish, tempura and rice balls. He loved it when she made rice balls, because they reminded him so much of her. He clapped his hands together in a private, and late, "itadakimasu" before breaking his chopsticks and sinking them into Tohru's delicious meal. He felt bad eating while she wasn't there, but he had to catch up to the already half devoured fish on his company's plates. Tohru was such a good cook. If anything, she should do it for a living, maybe open her own restaurant. Tohru would also be good with kids though. She was so close with Kisa.
Tohru returned to the table, clicking her shiny chopsticks together. She looked up at him expectantly, as if waiting for something. He smiled at her.
"Oishii," He told her.
She smiled and started eating her meal. He was always the one to tell her how good her meals were; well, and Shigure. Of course, he was really making it out to be that the meals Tohru cooked were the only joy in his cold, dark, sad life. Yuki shook his head at the humor of it. Silence stretched over the table for a moment, until Tohru let out a surprised gasp. She put down her chopsticks and turned to face Momiji.
"I just realized! Momiji, do you know what day it is tomorrow?" She asked him in a sing song voice.
"Hai!" Momiji shouted brightly, "I know!!"
Kyou scowled from across the table, muttering under his breath about how high and whiny such an aged adolescence voice could be. Tohru waved her hand at him with a smile on her face, telling him to stop teasing while Momiji wriggled in his chair, eager to get a chance to explain. Yuki set down his chopsticks and propped his head on his hands with patience.
"Tomorrow is Juunishi celebration day at school!" Momiji cried out happily.
Yuki and Kyou both twitched, sitting up a bit straighter at the mention of a day dedicated in celebration to their curse. Momiji seemed happy enough about it though. All of a sudden, the event found a slate of recognition in Yuki's head. He nodded and sat back a bit.
"I remember that day last year. We all had to wear the ears of the Animal our attitude represents." Yuki nodded, wincing at the painful memory.
Tohru laughed, commenting on how she wished she had known Yuki at that time, so she could see him with 'kawaii' ears. Yuki studied the wood chips in the table before him, while Momiji reassured her that her waiting was over, and that tomorrow they would all be wearing animal ears. Suddenly, a loud, long sigh escaped Kyou.
"I don't want to walk around with ears!" He grumbled, growling in frustration.
"Maybe all the girls will think you look cute and try to hug you!" Momiji yelled enthusiastically.
"Heh.. Let them try. How will they do that if I'm not there?" He laughed, holding up his trump card.
"Baka neko." Yuki sighed, "You really are stupid. We have to be in school tomorrow for presentations. Without them, our grade will drop considerably. You can't afford that. Neither can I."
Instead of arguing, Kyou fell silent in defeat. He knew that he couldn't miss that presentation. It was prepared. All of them had completed it a few days beforehand, but still, to be around on this day. Was nerve wracking. Tohru looked between the two of them, both with somber faces, and swallowed. How was she going to lighten the mood? She reached out at nothing.
"I think I'll look silly, with puppy dog ears on." She said with a small giggle.
Shigure jumped up in a fit of showering stars.
"Have no fear, lovely Tohru! The Year of the Dog is proud and loyal!!"
"Sit down Shigure, and finish your meal!"
Shigure obliged now that his balloon had burst. Tohru smiled at his comment though, glad that someone had helped get them out of their melancholy silence. A few minutes later, dinner finished, Shigure cleared the dishes. Tohru was about to protest, but Shigure was firm in telling her that this night was for studying. At that, Tohru brightened, looking at Yuki with a nervous smile. He couldn't help but smile back. They both rose, bidding goodnight to Momiji, who was about to be picked up by Hatori, and Tohru wished luck to Kyou with his own studies while Yuki glared at him. Kyou smirked at Yuki, who simply shivered with disgust.
"Well then, come now Tohru." Yuki said with a pleased look.
They walked up the stairs, Yuki holding open his door for her to enter. She thanked him and stepped inside, looking around inquisitively. He wondered vaguely to himself why she was so curious, poking at things here and there. She turned around then, grinning at him, and asked what portion they were going to study tonight. He walked forward, picking up textbook that he'd left on his desk. He turned it so that she could read the headline, then extended it to her. She took it carefully, flipping upon the pages. Yuki had marked off anything that was important, and even highlighted some of the finer points of study. He watched with interest while her face changed colors from fair to red.
"Is something wrong Tohru? What is it?" He asked, leaning forward a bit with concern.
Her heard her sniff, then shield her face with her arm. He blinked, gently removing her arm from in front of her face. She was blushing, but no tears were in her eyes.
"I'm going to take up so much of your time Souma Kun.." She said sadly, "I don't understand any of this math. I'm such a baka."
He looked at her and smiled softly. She was always so concerned about everyone else, but he knew that this ran deep inside of her. She was very dedicated to the promise she'd made with her mom. She didn't want anything to stop her from getting in the way of her goal. But at the same time, she doesn't want to hold me back. He guided her over to a chair by his desk and let her sit down in it. He looked at the clock, seeing they had about two hours to study before midnight. Yoshi.
??-??????????
Tohru took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart as Yuki stood behind her, pointing out to different geometrical shapes, statistical figures, and old algebra equations. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, but she knew she'd have a hard time with it anyway. Math was her worst subject. She risked looking up at Yuki, seeing his confident smile. Tohru had to buckle down if she was going to learn this, and she didn't want to waste any of Yuki's time. Still, it was hard to concentrate when he was around at times. She laughed inwardly at her own foolishness, then began listening to Yuki's instructions.
"And these, these two sides have to be equal. You'll see something like this in Chemistry as well." He said in his calm, serene voice.
Tohru nodded, balancing the equation on a separate piece of paper. Yuki was always so neat and organized. No wonder he had the highest marks in all of his classes. Well, almost the highest apparently. He had once said there was one student ahead of him in English. Foreign languages were harder for Yuki than he had expected them to be. Tohru wondered if it was because of his insecurities. She imagined trying to work up the courage to speak to people he knew in a common tongue. How much harder it must be, when you don't want to make a mistake in another tongue. She smiled. Yuki was so brave. He continued explaining other equations to her while she made her own notes. An hour passed of his teaching, and her head was already spinning with equations. She frowned, looking down at the desk. She couldn't keep up with him. His mind worked so fast. She folded her arms on the table and buried her head in them most uncharacteristically. A few seconds passed, Yuki saying nothing, but then she felt his delicate fingers moving through her hair. Her heart leaped into her throat. She froze in place, not wanting to move a muscle, or even breathe, in case she'd scare him away from his own movements.
His hand paused when he got no reaction, as if resting there uncertain what to do next. She noticed, now that she was completely silent, that his breathing was coming out a little less smoothly than usual. In the back of her mind, the part that wasn't hazed over with joy, she wondered if he was coming down with something in the last stretch of rainy weather. She hoped not.
"Honda. San?" Yuki said uncertainly, "Are you alright?"
She lifted her head reluctantly, catching his concerned gaze. He seemed concerned at least. But really, wasn't he annoyed with her? This was all so much trouble, and probably not for so good of a grade. She wished again that she was more responsible. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling of his hand on the back of her head. It seemed that as soon as she focused on it though, it was gone. She sighed, opening her eyes again. Yuki walked over to his bed and sat down, folding his hands in his lap.
"You can tell me what it is. I won't tell anyone else. That's the least I can do for you, ne?" Yuki said earnestly.
The least. He can do? Tohru dropped out of her chair, landing on her knees in front of him. He was about to stand up, surprised, and help her rise, but she'd reached out and put her hands over his as he sat. He let out a surprised stutter at her sudden action, unable to move his eyes off hers. "The least you can do? Souma kun, I am so horrible! You're up late, trying to help me study when you should be studying yourself, and I don't even understand half of what your saying. You're wasting your efforts on someone slow like myself! Now that I think about it, you haven't even sat down for an hour. I took your chair. More than that, now you're trying to comfort me." She rambled out, "You already do so much for me!"
Yuki was taken aback, eyes wide with shock at her outburst.
"Gomen ne.. Souma kun.." She said, letting her hands drop back into her lap.
"Iiya!" Yuki protested, sliding off the bed to sit in front of her, "I'm happy to help you Tohru. If you don't understand, we can go back over it at a more slower pace. It's my fault. Tohru is not Yuki. I'll go slower for you. I want you to do well." He pushed a piece of stray hair back over her ears.
Tohru put her hands in her lap, blushing as he put her hair back into place. When she dared to look up at him again, she saw the reassuring smile of Yuki, sliding past her own defenses to touch her soul. Without thinking, she reached forward and brushed the back of her hand against his pale cheek. You're so special, Souma kun. Everyone is right. You're so special. She felt his face heat under her hand and smiled inwardly. She withdrew her hand and took him in. Black pants, black shirt, dark blue jacket. She couldn't help but notice how well it contrasted with his pale features and his soft dark hair. She pressed her palm flat against his jacket with a 'hmmm' and felt the material. It was surprisingly soft. She was about to withdraw her hand when she noticed how fast his heart was racing underneath it. His cold?? And the red on his cheeks.. A fever? He does feel hot..
"Aa! Souma kun!" Yuki jumped and the sudden loudness of her voice, "Do you feel unwell?"
She pressed both hands against the sides of his neck, checking his temperature and then nodded to herself.
"You're very warm. Maybe we should call Hatori!" She exclaimed while he tried to regain his courage.
"No, that's not it.." He was able to mumble.
"I'll go get Shigure right now!" She said with a flurry of worry.
"That's not it!" He said in a louder voice, grabbing her hand again and pressing it against his heart.
Tohru's face lit, making the blush earlier seen on Yuki's face look like watered down Kool-Aid. She tried to calm down, feeling the irregular sensation of the Prince's heart beating furiously against her hand. He was taking deep breaths as well, she noticed.
"It's not a cold.." He told her quietly, but firmly.
She nodded, swallowing her nervousness and fear in one gulp. Yuki sighed, leaning his head back against the mattress of his bed, letting his hands slide off of hers. She leaned forward, slightly concerned, then moved to stand. She was coming around to his side when she slipped on one of his socks, falling towards him. At the last moment, she crossed her arms over her chest. She waited, eyes clenched shut, for the -PYON!- that would make her swell with regret, but it didn't come. The brunette opened her eyes slowly, meeting a startled Yuki kun underneath her.
"You're. l-learning." He stuttered, not sure whether to push her off or leave her there.
Either way, he was blushing just as furiously as Tohru was. He panicked. She panicked. In the process, they were only further entangling themselves. After a few efforts to slide out from under her, Yuki stopped moving. Noticing his inanimate body, she naturally became concerned. "Souma kun.?"
"Tohru. Once. Please." He forced the words out somehow, head turned to the side, looking at the ground.
"What does Souma kun.?"
At that moment, he reached out and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms firmly and securely around her. He relished that short instant of her warmth before.-PYON!- Pink smoke rose around a surprised Tohru, who immediately began her search for the small mouse. Once located, she picked him up in her hands and smiled down at him.
"I suppose I'll think of that as a punishment." Tohru said happily.
"Punishment.?" Yuki's voice rose out of the small animal.
"Yes. A hugging punishment, for being too kind when you should worry about yourself." She nodded and set him in his bed, drawing the covers over the mouse out of politeness before hopping out the door.
She waited for the -PYON!- before she exited the room, smiling at the confused Yuki, safely shielded under his sheets.
