Disclaimers: I own no part of Fruits basket OR the Matrix.
Author's Note: AHH! Sugoi! 10 reviews already! 0_0 meep! You guys are wearing me out! ^_^ kidding. I'm really happy to write! You peoples reviews give me energy! *pump pump* hehe. Thanks to To-orima Nokurai, DojoMistressBra, chibichibi28kyoulover, Mistress of Darkness, Maeven, capheine and BaKaBaBi! You guys r the reason I write! Lol!
Overview of this chapter. More KxT. . . ~_^ Kyou's training starts! Kyou has his first real convo with Kagura! lol and that's about it. Sorry it's a bit shorter than before. Real action doesn't start till prolly next chapter. . . I finished most explanations here! Thanks for putting up with me.. enjoy! *^^*
* * * * * * * * *
Eternity passed and Kyou finally felt firm ground beneath his features once again. Wobbly and unstable, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, due to fear and ambiguity. However, being the cat, curiosity overwhelmed him and brought him to tear his eyelids apart. Through his crimson red eyes, Kyou witnessed a familiar place, a familiar town, a familiar home.
HIS home.
Kyou had landed, inside his apartment, amongst his old familiar disks, familiar papers, and familiar messes. Unbelievable, he thought, nothing's changed.
Then, the thought struck him. What if . . . What if Yuki was a dream? What if the Matrix was a dream? What if . . . he gulped. . . What if Tohru was a dream?
Kyou felt his hair. It was smooth. The same as before. He felt his mahogany chair. It brought back old memories, the way it used to before the whole Matrix crisis. Kyou felt confusion swell inside him. Was it real? Was it true? Or was it exactly the opposite?
"We have to hurry," came the voice of Yuki behind him, "we have two hours before the agents detect us."
Kyou spun around, Yuki's grey hair brusing against his skin. "Yuki!" Kyou gasped. "I thought. . . all of this was a dream."
Yuki gave out a half hearted laugh. "Don't ever doubt us, Kyou. All that has happened to you so far is real. Except for the events in the Matrix." Yuki spun around. "Let's go."
Kyou witnessed the change of clothes that had been brought about through the trip. He was dressed in black cargo pants, a black sleeveless top that revealed a part of his chest, and fashioned himself with black wristbands. He also noticed that in his right hand, he was holding a black pair of shades. "Weird," Kyou muttered, embarrassed by his new clothes.
Kyou followed Yuki outside. It was a warm spring day. The grey headed boy stayed strictly on the main road, his navy trench coat billowing in the wind. Kyou tried hard to keep up with Yuki's fast jog-like strides, but soon lost breath and had to take a break. However, Yuki continued marching. Kyou wanted to yell at him, but he was afraid that if he talked, something bad might happen, so he kept his mouth shut. His crimson pupils fixated on the mouse, Kyou continued to march, their paces eventually leading them to the front of a dojo.
"Here we are."
The two charged into the dojo, and to his surprise, no one was there. He figured that this must be the work of the computers in the real world. Yuki strode proudly into one of the rooms, and stripped off his coat. Unlike Kyou, Yuki was wearing a white sleeveless, and navy cargo pants (Yuki in cargo!). "I've seen you do some martial arts." Yuki chimed.
Kyou smirked. So martial arts was a part of their so called "training". Other than hacking into computers, Martial arts was one of Kyou's rare talents. "Yeah, I've been practicing." He proudly said.
Yuki instantaneously made a fighting stance, and put on a smirk himself. "Show me what you've got, cat."
Kyou, a little taken aback, could not avoid Yuki's heavy blow and fell against the wall, body slumped. He felt his cheeks burn as anger took over. "Why you-"
With great agility, Kyou ran up to the white figure and lashed out with his left leg. It seemed like a great blow but Kyou was extremely surprised when he realized that Yuki had caught his foot. Yuki yawned, then twisted his wrist, twisting Kyou's ankle along the way. He spun Kyou around, and as the boy nearly thudded against the ground, Yuki snatched his right arm, making him stand, face to face with him. Smiling, Yuki threw a punch at Kyou's stomach, making Kyou double over. Wham. Kyou couldn't stand the overwhelming pressure. He lay, sprawled on the floor, as Yuki continued pummeling at Kyou with words. "Is that all you've got? For someone who's been training for over six years, you're worthless! Worthless! You wouldn't be able to get a cat off of your back if that's all you can do! Come on, Kyou, I know you're made up of more! Give it to me! Or are you scared, baka neko!?"
Rage took control of the boy like nothing else. Baka neko? I'll show him who's the real fool!
Kyou did a front roll past Yuki's legs, and back kicked into Yuki's fragile back. KABLAM! It was Yuki's turn to double over, but it didn't last long. He sent a fierce punch at Kyou's face, the orange head retaliating with one aimed at Yuki's shoulder. POW! WHAM! Kyou had the upper hand at this stage of the game, while he vigorously attacked Yuki's stomach with both fists. Yuki flipped over in mid air, landing a swift kick on Kyou's forehead. Kyou fell back, and tried to get up with a hiss but Yuki was onto him. He picked up the youth by his collar, and with one rapid toss, Kyou's mark was imprinted on the dojo wall, as the boy fell onto the wooden floor, perspiring, bleeding, blue and black from bruises.
Yuki panted. What moves! He thought. Kyou is surely the One. I've never seen anyone possess that much strength and power, the first time they fought in the Matrix. He smoothed his hand over his chin. And the damage he caused. . . how amazing.
He walked over to the defeated Kyou, reaching out to him. "What wonderful skills, Kyou. I have absolutely no doubts in my mind that you are, the One."
Kyou stared into the lavender eyes. Even though the pain over all his bones was close to unbearable, he took Yuki's hand and straightened himself. "Wonderful, my ass. A girl like you managed to beat me."
Yuki snickered. "Consider the fact that I have much more experience in handling myself within the Matrix. You can do so much more, Kyou, if you believed."
Kyou, even though he was puzzled by this statement, did not question it any further. He wanted rest. He wanted to go back. "How much time do we have left?"
Yuki looked into his watch. "Four minutes."
Kyou gaped at him, wide eyed. "Four? How are we going to make it back in four minutes?"
Yuki foraged a cellphone in one of his deep pockets. "Haru, get us an exit, now."
"Roger," answered the voice from the phone, and a ringing sounded. "Let's go," stated Yuki, and hurriedly rushed out the room. Kyou followed, picking up Yuki's trenchcoat that he had left behind.
The ringing sound had been emitting from the phone on the dojo's front desk. Yuki explained to Kyou what they were about to do. "As soon as you put the receiver to your ear, your body will be transferred back into the real world. You will wake up in your chair, machines tied. Do not move until they are removed."
The instructions seemed simple enough. "Okay," Kyou replied, and gaped in horror and amazement as Yuki's body disappeared from sight. The receiver drooped lazily from its spiral cord, and unsure of what to do, Kyou stood there. Then it occurred to him. He had to place the receiver back! He did this and a ring followed shortly after. Fear stirred within him. He picked up the phone, and was about to answer "hello?" when he felt his body launching upwards. Instead of down, this time, he was going up. . . up . . . up . . . he couldn't see anything. . . everything was dark. . .
Kyou panted and woke up dazed in his chair. Yuki was staring at him from the main computers. "Don't move," he cautioned, and removed the machines. Kyou felt relieved, and let relief take over his tense body. He felt the aches, just milder versions, in areas which he had been hit in. Gruffily, he stood up from his chair. "Yuki, can I get some sleep?"
Yuki stared at him. "You want to sleep?" then he gave a short nod. "Alright. I'm coming to wake you up in about an hour. Go get some rest then."
Thankfully, Kyou marched straight to the white room, the only room he knew in the building. He jerked the door open, and almost slammed it shut, but the sight of something in the bed surprised and dazzled him at the same time that Kyou lost all sense.
Tohru was sleeping in the bed. This finding made Kyou flush, and he was just about to step out of the small room when a small, sweet song made its way upto Kyou's ears. "Kyou-kun. . ."
Dammit, he thought, did I wake her up? She's probably furious at me.
Kyou edged his way over to the side of the bed, and knelt beside Tohru. Her eyes were still closed, and her delicate hands clasped the blanket. I guess she's just dreaming, wondered Kyou, dreaming about me. . . This new thought caused a whole new wave of colour wash over Kyou's face. "Kyou-kun . . ." she whispered again, this time barely audible.
Kyou just stared. Wow, she's so beautiful, he thought, his eyes tracing the delicate contours of her face. Her skin was so magnificently pale, radiating a heavenly glow. It looked so soft - he could almost feel it under his damp fingertips, the soft texture, like a feather. . . Her honey brown hair lay in spreads over the white pillow. It looked so luxious, so rich . . . Every strand shined in its own glory, illuminating the room with glorious light. His eyes then wandered off to her lips. They were rosy pink, and they looked so soft . . . suddenly, Kyou was overwhelmed by the desire to taste them, to capture her lips under his . . .
He withdrew such thoughts and shook his head. What is wrong with me? He cursed, Why am I so into this girl? I've only known her for a day and a bit. . . Confused but glad to be by her side, watching over her, Kyou continuously stared at her. She looked so sweet while she was sleeping. . . she was so cute . . .
Kyou couldn't stop his hand from reaching out to the angel sleeping next to him. His rough tan hand inched its way towards her milky white skin. He could feel her soft breathing on his palm, as he almost brushed his hand down her cheek. . .
"Kyou-kun. . ."
Tohru's eyes had opened. Kyou withdrew in shame. He turned from crimson to scarlet, blushing furiously. "I. . . I . . ." he stammered.
She caught his hand in hers, her touch making Kyou burn up. "I'm glad you're back . . . I . . . was worried . . ."
Worried? About him? Kyou couldn't think why such a beautiful girl would worry about someone like him.
"When I heard you were out training with Yuki-kun. . . I fainted . . ."
"Fainted?" Kyou questioned, "Why?"
Tohru started to blush, "I thought you would be hurt. . . and I didn't want that."
Kyou's face reached its limits - it was on the verge of exploding. He couldn't take it anymore. . . the way she cared . . . god it was so pleasant, but too much for him. Kyou was an orphan - no one had cared . . . but this girl . . .
He removed his hand and stood up, bursting, "Crazy! How could you be so careless? Fainting just because of some stupid news! Really, you should be more composed!" he yelled, angrily.
Tohru's deep blue eyes widened in shock, engulfing Kyou in them once again. It was quick to fill with tears, and Kyou felt as if someone had just stabbed him with a knife from the back. "I'm sorry Kyou-kun . . . I'm sorry . . ."
"H-hey. . . it's okay. . ." Kyou was frustrated. How could he be such an idiot!? He leaned down once again, and wiped away Tohru's tears. God, her skin felt so soft. "I'm really sorry . . . I didn't mean it . . . I was just. . ." colour filled Kyou's face again, "worried about you too . . ."
"Eh?" Tohru looked up inquiringly at him. "Me?"
"yeah," Kyou quickly finished. "Well, I've gotta get going . . . take some rest . . ."
With that, Kyou left Tohru smiling in the white room. He regretted leaving, he wanted to be by her side, to protect the weak girl. Faint? For me? Kyou blushed furiously, trying to shake her words away. "I thought you might get hurt, Kyou-kun . . .and I didn't want that." She cared. She cared so much. Kyou couldn't help himself but smile at the fact that someone cared. He glanced back at the door, and smiled. Tohru cared.
And he cared for her.
* * * * * * * * *
Kyou sat on a chair, facing the glass window. His thoughts hadn't left Tohru during the whole day. He had worked with Momiji, had spoken to Yuki, questioning him about things, yet not once had his thoughts lifted off of the girl. Why? He tried to think, why am I like this? What's this feeling?
His thoughts were pierced by the familiar clingy voice. "Kyou-kun~"
He tilted his head and saw Kagura parading towards him. "Oi. . . hey. . ." he said.
"Hello, Kyou-kun!" she smiled, and eased some of his uncertainty away. She was certainly familiar, he had seen her before . . . but where? "So Kyou- kun, how was today? Was training fun?"
Kyou just nodded. He had to grasp it - he couldn't yet do it though. He remembered a park . . . and swings . . . then an instant flash of a child with brown eyes . . .
Kagura interrupted his thoughts. "Ne, Kyou-kun, what are you thinking about?"
Kyou looked towards the girl. He could just ask her. "Kagura. . . I know we've met before . . . was it in a park?"
Kagura smiled weakly. "yes. . . I still remember. . . it was in a park."
Kyou wanted her to tell him more. Somehow, his connection with her seemed more than just a meeting. "So . . . what happened?"
"You fell off a swing and scraped your knee . . ." Kagura began dreamily. "I saw you crying . . . I had been in the Matrix at that time, playing. I was brought into the real world ever since I was little . . . my father had been part of the original team. Even though now they're both gone . . ."
Kyou waited for her to continue. "I blew on your wound and it healed instantly. You were so dazed - after all, you were 10 years old. You asked me if I could do anything else. I led you around the park - I blew life into a bird, I made the swing swing on its own, and many others. It was done easily, since I knew how to do things within the Matrix already. You were so happy . . . you stopped crying . . . and that's all that mattered. . ."
Kagura smiled at her memories. "And you asked me . . . how I did it . . . I mentioned the Matrix to you. I knew that I wasn't supposed to say anything about it within the Matrix, but we all knew that you were the One, so I thought that slipping the information to you a little while before you were supposed to know would be alright. That's when you got too curious. So many questions in such a young mind . . . That was when I felt scared . . . for you. The shock would have been too much for you at that point in time. I . . . liked you a lot Kyou . . . so I left you with your questions and I left to the nearest exit. You were crying . . . and I cried too . . ."
Kyou then caught it. Kagura had been the girl that had started him on the search of the Matrix. How could he forget such a vital person? He smiled into the depressed eyes of the girl . Kagura looked up, surprised. "Thank you, Kagura . . . you were the one that started me on the Matrix. How could I have ever forgotten . . ."
Kagura returned his heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Kyou . . ."
They continued to stare at each other for a long time. Kyou felt something bond between him and the brown eyed girl. She felt like an older sister to him, something he never had. He felt as if she had been protecting him all his life . . . he felt sudden warmth come over him.
The moment was ruined as Haru stepped into the picture. "Kagura-chan, could you excuse us? I want to talk to Kyou for a moment."
Kagura obeyed, giving Kyou a friendly smile. "Well, Ja-ne, Kyou-kun! I'll see you at dinner," she cooed.
He saw the girl hop skipping away. He felt so welcomed into the world, first with the heavenly Tohru, now with the friendly Kagura. He felt totally opposite when he stared into Haru's eyes. It was not droopy and passive anymore, but filled with angst, hatred, and malice. Kyou almost choked on his words, seeing the burning aura emit from haru. "So, uh . . . what did you need me for . . .?"
Haru's evil chuckle planted itself deep into Kyou's bones. "Let's fight, baka neko."
* * * * * * * * *
So sorry! This chapter was so long and corny! I wanted to put more emphasis on the training part, but I realized I'm not very good at describing fights. I'll try harder next time~
Some questions to answer:
Chibichibi28kyoulover: yes, I'm planning to make tohru kik some butt, cuz she's really cool! *^^* but I'm not sure how, as she is very innocent, passive and a little slow. But please feel free to help me out! (
DojoMistressBra: Thanks tons for your continuous reviews! I hope I don't lose your great support! ( I've started reading some of your fics! Sorry I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet, but I swear I'll get around to it really really soon! Arigatou! ^_^
Sorry the secret with Kagura and Kyou turned out weird and stupid -.-;; I ran out of ideas~ Gomen~ Sorry I made Haru evil~ but I needed a basis for an interesting plot next chapter. Again, thanks to everyone that reviewed! Please continue *^^* I will be updating soon~ Thanks a lot everyone~ Sayonara~ ^.^
Author's Note: AHH! Sugoi! 10 reviews already! 0_0 meep! You guys are wearing me out! ^_^ kidding. I'm really happy to write! You peoples reviews give me energy! *pump pump* hehe. Thanks to To-orima Nokurai, DojoMistressBra, chibichibi28kyoulover, Mistress of Darkness, Maeven, capheine and BaKaBaBi! You guys r the reason I write! Lol!
Overview of this chapter. More KxT. . . ~_^ Kyou's training starts! Kyou has his first real convo with Kagura! lol and that's about it. Sorry it's a bit shorter than before. Real action doesn't start till prolly next chapter. . . I finished most explanations here! Thanks for putting up with me.. enjoy! *^^*
* * * * * * * * *
Eternity passed and Kyou finally felt firm ground beneath his features once again. Wobbly and unstable, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, due to fear and ambiguity. However, being the cat, curiosity overwhelmed him and brought him to tear his eyelids apart. Through his crimson red eyes, Kyou witnessed a familiar place, a familiar town, a familiar home.
HIS home.
Kyou had landed, inside his apartment, amongst his old familiar disks, familiar papers, and familiar messes. Unbelievable, he thought, nothing's changed.
Then, the thought struck him. What if . . . What if Yuki was a dream? What if the Matrix was a dream? What if . . . he gulped. . . What if Tohru was a dream?
Kyou felt his hair. It was smooth. The same as before. He felt his mahogany chair. It brought back old memories, the way it used to before the whole Matrix crisis. Kyou felt confusion swell inside him. Was it real? Was it true? Or was it exactly the opposite?
"We have to hurry," came the voice of Yuki behind him, "we have two hours before the agents detect us."
Kyou spun around, Yuki's grey hair brusing against his skin. "Yuki!" Kyou gasped. "I thought. . . all of this was a dream."
Yuki gave out a half hearted laugh. "Don't ever doubt us, Kyou. All that has happened to you so far is real. Except for the events in the Matrix." Yuki spun around. "Let's go."
Kyou witnessed the change of clothes that had been brought about through the trip. He was dressed in black cargo pants, a black sleeveless top that revealed a part of his chest, and fashioned himself with black wristbands. He also noticed that in his right hand, he was holding a black pair of shades. "Weird," Kyou muttered, embarrassed by his new clothes.
Kyou followed Yuki outside. It was a warm spring day. The grey headed boy stayed strictly on the main road, his navy trench coat billowing in the wind. Kyou tried hard to keep up with Yuki's fast jog-like strides, but soon lost breath and had to take a break. However, Yuki continued marching. Kyou wanted to yell at him, but he was afraid that if he talked, something bad might happen, so he kept his mouth shut. His crimson pupils fixated on the mouse, Kyou continued to march, their paces eventually leading them to the front of a dojo.
"Here we are."
The two charged into the dojo, and to his surprise, no one was there. He figured that this must be the work of the computers in the real world. Yuki strode proudly into one of the rooms, and stripped off his coat. Unlike Kyou, Yuki was wearing a white sleeveless, and navy cargo pants (Yuki in cargo!). "I've seen you do some martial arts." Yuki chimed.
Kyou smirked. So martial arts was a part of their so called "training". Other than hacking into computers, Martial arts was one of Kyou's rare talents. "Yeah, I've been practicing." He proudly said.
Yuki instantaneously made a fighting stance, and put on a smirk himself. "Show me what you've got, cat."
Kyou, a little taken aback, could not avoid Yuki's heavy blow and fell against the wall, body slumped. He felt his cheeks burn as anger took over. "Why you-"
With great agility, Kyou ran up to the white figure and lashed out with his left leg. It seemed like a great blow but Kyou was extremely surprised when he realized that Yuki had caught his foot. Yuki yawned, then twisted his wrist, twisting Kyou's ankle along the way. He spun Kyou around, and as the boy nearly thudded against the ground, Yuki snatched his right arm, making him stand, face to face with him. Smiling, Yuki threw a punch at Kyou's stomach, making Kyou double over. Wham. Kyou couldn't stand the overwhelming pressure. He lay, sprawled on the floor, as Yuki continued pummeling at Kyou with words. "Is that all you've got? For someone who's been training for over six years, you're worthless! Worthless! You wouldn't be able to get a cat off of your back if that's all you can do! Come on, Kyou, I know you're made up of more! Give it to me! Or are you scared, baka neko!?"
Rage took control of the boy like nothing else. Baka neko? I'll show him who's the real fool!
Kyou did a front roll past Yuki's legs, and back kicked into Yuki's fragile back. KABLAM! It was Yuki's turn to double over, but it didn't last long. He sent a fierce punch at Kyou's face, the orange head retaliating with one aimed at Yuki's shoulder. POW! WHAM! Kyou had the upper hand at this stage of the game, while he vigorously attacked Yuki's stomach with both fists. Yuki flipped over in mid air, landing a swift kick on Kyou's forehead. Kyou fell back, and tried to get up with a hiss but Yuki was onto him. He picked up the youth by his collar, and with one rapid toss, Kyou's mark was imprinted on the dojo wall, as the boy fell onto the wooden floor, perspiring, bleeding, blue and black from bruises.
Yuki panted. What moves! He thought. Kyou is surely the One. I've never seen anyone possess that much strength and power, the first time they fought in the Matrix. He smoothed his hand over his chin. And the damage he caused. . . how amazing.
He walked over to the defeated Kyou, reaching out to him. "What wonderful skills, Kyou. I have absolutely no doubts in my mind that you are, the One."
Kyou stared into the lavender eyes. Even though the pain over all his bones was close to unbearable, he took Yuki's hand and straightened himself. "Wonderful, my ass. A girl like you managed to beat me."
Yuki snickered. "Consider the fact that I have much more experience in handling myself within the Matrix. You can do so much more, Kyou, if you believed."
Kyou, even though he was puzzled by this statement, did not question it any further. He wanted rest. He wanted to go back. "How much time do we have left?"
Yuki looked into his watch. "Four minutes."
Kyou gaped at him, wide eyed. "Four? How are we going to make it back in four minutes?"
Yuki foraged a cellphone in one of his deep pockets. "Haru, get us an exit, now."
"Roger," answered the voice from the phone, and a ringing sounded. "Let's go," stated Yuki, and hurriedly rushed out the room. Kyou followed, picking up Yuki's trenchcoat that he had left behind.
The ringing sound had been emitting from the phone on the dojo's front desk. Yuki explained to Kyou what they were about to do. "As soon as you put the receiver to your ear, your body will be transferred back into the real world. You will wake up in your chair, machines tied. Do not move until they are removed."
The instructions seemed simple enough. "Okay," Kyou replied, and gaped in horror and amazement as Yuki's body disappeared from sight. The receiver drooped lazily from its spiral cord, and unsure of what to do, Kyou stood there. Then it occurred to him. He had to place the receiver back! He did this and a ring followed shortly after. Fear stirred within him. He picked up the phone, and was about to answer "hello?" when he felt his body launching upwards. Instead of down, this time, he was going up. . . up . . . up . . . he couldn't see anything. . . everything was dark. . .
Kyou panted and woke up dazed in his chair. Yuki was staring at him from the main computers. "Don't move," he cautioned, and removed the machines. Kyou felt relieved, and let relief take over his tense body. He felt the aches, just milder versions, in areas which he had been hit in. Gruffily, he stood up from his chair. "Yuki, can I get some sleep?"
Yuki stared at him. "You want to sleep?" then he gave a short nod. "Alright. I'm coming to wake you up in about an hour. Go get some rest then."
Thankfully, Kyou marched straight to the white room, the only room he knew in the building. He jerked the door open, and almost slammed it shut, but the sight of something in the bed surprised and dazzled him at the same time that Kyou lost all sense.
Tohru was sleeping in the bed. This finding made Kyou flush, and he was just about to step out of the small room when a small, sweet song made its way upto Kyou's ears. "Kyou-kun. . ."
Dammit, he thought, did I wake her up? She's probably furious at me.
Kyou edged his way over to the side of the bed, and knelt beside Tohru. Her eyes were still closed, and her delicate hands clasped the blanket. I guess she's just dreaming, wondered Kyou, dreaming about me. . . This new thought caused a whole new wave of colour wash over Kyou's face. "Kyou-kun . . ." she whispered again, this time barely audible.
Kyou just stared. Wow, she's so beautiful, he thought, his eyes tracing the delicate contours of her face. Her skin was so magnificently pale, radiating a heavenly glow. It looked so soft - he could almost feel it under his damp fingertips, the soft texture, like a feather. . . Her honey brown hair lay in spreads over the white pillow. It looked so luxious, so rich . . . Every strand shined in its own glory, illuminating the room with glorious light. His eyes then wandered off to her lips. They were rosy pink, and they looked so soft . . . suddenly, Kyou was overwhelmed by the desire to taste them, to capture her lips under his . . .
He withdrew such thoughts and shook his head. What is wrong with me? He cursed, Why am I so into this girl? I've only known her for a day and a bit. . . Confused but glad to be by her side, watching over her, Kyou continuously stared at her. She looked so sweet while she was sleeping. . . she was so cute . . .
Kyou couldn't stop his hand from reaching out to the angel sleeping next to him. His rough tan hand inched its way towards her milky white skin. He could feel her soft breathing on his palm, as he almost brushed his hand down her cheek. . .
"Kyou-kun. . ."
Tohru's eyes had opened. Kyou withdrew in shame. He turned from crimson to scarlet, blushing furiously. "I. . . I . . ." he stammered.
She caught his hand in hers, her touch making Kyou burn up. "I'm glad you're back . . . I . . . was worried . . ."
Worried? About him? Kyou couldn't think why such a beautiful girl would worry about someone like him.
"When I heard you were out training with Yuki-kun. . . I fainted . . ."
"Fainted?" Kyou questioned, "Why?"
Tohru started to blush, "I thought you would be hurt. . . and I didn't want that."
Kyou's face reached its limits - it was on the verge of exploding. He couldn't take it anymore. . . the way she cared . . . god it was so pleasant, but too much for him. Kyou was an orphan - no one had cared . . . but this girl . . .
He removed his hand and stood up, bursting, "Crazy! How could you be so careless? Fainting just because of some stupid news! Really, you should be more composed!" he yelled, angrily.
Tohru's deep blue eyes widened in shock, engulfing Kyou in them once again. It was quick to fill with tears, and Kyou felt as if someone had just stabbed him with a knife from the back. "I'm sorry Kyou-kun . . . I'm sorry . . ."
"H-hey. . . it's okay. . ." Kyou was frustrated. How could he be such an idiot!? He leaned down once again, and wiped away Tohru's tears. God, her skin felt so soft. "I'm really sorry . . . I didn't mean it . . . I was just. . ." colour filled Kyou's face again, "worried about you too . . ."
"Eh?" Tohru looked up inquiringly at him. "Me?"
"yeah," Kyou quickly finished. "Well, I've gotta get going . . . take some rest . . ."
With that, Kyou left Tohru smiling in the white room. He regretted leaving, he wanted to be by her side, to protect the weak girl. Faint? For me? Kyou blushed furiously, trying to shake her words away. "I thought you might get hurt, Kyou-kun . . .and I didn't want that." She cared. She cared so much. Kyou couldn't help himself but smile at the fact that someone cared. He glanced back at the door, and smiled. Tohru cared.
And he cared for her.
* * * * * * * * *
Kyou sat on a chair, facing the glass window. His thoughts hadn't left Tohru during the whole day. He had worked with Momiji, had spoken to Yuki, questioning him about things, yet not once had his thoughts lifted off of the girl. Why? He tried to think, why am I like this? What's this feeling?
His thoughts were pierced by the familiar clingy voice. "Kyou-kun~"
He tilted his head and saw Kagura parading towards him. "Oi. . . hey. . ." he said.
"Hello, Kyou-kun!" she smiled, and eased some of his uncertainty away. She was certainly familiar, he had seen her before . . . but where? "So Kyou- kun, how was today? Was training fun?"
Kyou just nodded. He had to grasp it - he couldn't yet do it though. He remembered a park . . . and swings . . . then an instant flash of a child with brown eyes . . .
Kagura interrupted his thoughts. "Ne, Kyou-kun, what are you thinking about?"
Kyou looked towards the girl. He could just ask her. "Kagura. . . I know we've met before . . . was it in a park?"
Kagura smiled weakly. "yes. . . I still remember. . . it was in a park."
Kyou wanted her to tell him more. Somehow, his connection with her seemed more than just a meeting. "So . . . what happened?"
"You fell off a swing and scraped your knee . . ." Kagura began dreamily. "I saw you crying . . . I had been in the Matrix at that time, playing. I was brought into the real world ever since I was little . . . my father had been part of the original team. Even though now they're both gone . . ."
Kyou waited for her to continue. "I blew on your wound and it healed instantly. You were so dazed - after all, you were 10 years old. You asked me if I could do anything else. I led you around the park - I blew life into a bird, I made the swing swing on its own, and many others. It was done easily, since I knew how to do things within the Matrix already. You were so happy . . . you stopped crying . . . and that's all that mattered. . ."
Kagura smiled at her memories. "And you asked me . . . how I did it . . . I mentioned the Matrix to you. I knew that I wasn't supposed to say anything about it within the Matrix, but we all knew that you were the One, so I thought that slipping the information to you a little while before you were supposed to know would be alright. That's when you got too curious. So many questions in such a young mind . . . That was when I felt scared . . . for you. The shock would have been too much for you at that point in time. I . . . liked you a lot Kyou . . . so I left you with your questions and I left to the nearest exit. You were crying . . . and I cried too . . ."
Kyou then caught it. Kagura had been the girl that had started him on the search of the Matrix. How could he forget such a vital person? He smiled into the depressed eyes of the girl . Kagura looked up, surprised. "Thank you, Kagura . . . you were the one that started me on the Matrix. How could I have ever forgotten . . ."
Kagura returned his heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Kyou . . ."
They continued to stare at each other for a long time. Kyou felt something bond between him and the brown eyed girl. She felt like an older sister to him, something he never had. He felt as if she had been protecting him all his life . . . he felt sudden warmth come over him.
The moment was ruined as Haru stepped into the picture. "Kagura-chan, could you excuse us? I want to talk to Kyou for a moment."
Kagura obeyed, giving Kyou a friendly smile. "Well, Ja-ne, Kyou-kun! I'll see you at dinner," she cooed.
He saw the girl hop skipping away. He felt so welcomed into the world, first with the heavenly Tohru, now with the friendly Kagura. He felt totally opposite when he stared into Haru's eyes. It was not droopy and passive anymore, but filled with angst, hatred, and malice. Kyou almost choked on his words, seeing the burning aura emit from haru. "So, uh . . . what did you need me for . . .?"
Haru's evil chuckle planted itself deep into Kyou's bones. "Let's fight, baka neko."
* * * * * * * * *
So sorry! This chapter was so long and corny! I wanted to put more emphasis on the training part, but I realized I'm not very good at describing fights. I'll try harder next time~
Some questions to answer:
Chibichibi28kyoulover: yes, I'm planning to make tohru kik some butt, cuz she's really cool! *^^* but I'm not sure how, as she is very innocent, passive and a little slow. But please feel free to help me out! (
DojoMistressBra: Thanks tons for your continuous reviews! I hope I don't lose your great support! ( I've started reading some of your fics! Sorry I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet, but I swear I'll get around to it really really soon! Arigatou! ^_^
Sorry the secret with Kagura and Kyou turned out weird and stupid -.-;; I ran out of ideas~ Gomen~ Sorry I made Haru evil~ but I needed a basis for an interesting plot next chapter. Again, thanks to everyone that reviewed! Please continue *^^* I will be updating soon~ Thanks a lot everyone~ Sayonara~ ^.^
