Disclaimer: Still not mine. And I doubt I'd own it in the chapters to come. *sob*
Warnings: None in this chapter. Oh, but the crappy writing still applies. ^_^
Notes: I actually had a second part written already when I posted the first one but due to a bit of debate between me and…me, I decided to change it. So…yeah. Hope you like this! ^_^
Arigatou to Caer, Sarri-chan, Rei, koneko, Aine Dayus, Harlequin Light, Foxfire, Yuriko-chan, chibichibi-neko, and Shinigami for reviewing! And cookies for nintendoagekid for adding me to her faves list! Duuuuuuuude, I'm a fave! ^___^
June 14: Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude. Took me long enough! Ff.net spazzed out for the last few days that I couldn't upload the damned thing…
Learning to Breathe
Uno
It was a typical morning in the Sohma household. Sounds of plates being laid down as the table was prepared and the frequent turning of paper could be heard. Outside, the birds were chirping, leaves of the trees swayed to the beat set by the wind, the newspaper boy delivering the morning paper…
"DAMMIT!"
Yep. It was the typical morning.
Tohru Honda looked up from where she was setting the table, eyes wide. She turned to the other occupant of the room and was slightly disturbed that Shigure just turned his newspaper to another page, as if hearing nothing. Slowly, as if a rat tiptoeing around a sleeping cat, she went to where the noise came from and sighed in relief when she saw the aforementioned cat standing in front of the open fridge door, looking unhurt.
Although, he had this look about him. Almost as if he was…angry? "K-Kyou-kun?"
Sohma Kyou turned, scowling. "What?!"
"U-uhm…problem?"
"Nothing." Kyou growled, slamming the fridge door shut. He stalked out of the kitchen. As he passed by Tohru, she heard him mumbling something about a ruined morning because of the absence of milk. Finally realizing what the scream and stalking was all about, she turned around about to apologize when she hit something hard. Before she can even realize what it was, there was a puff of orange smoke in front of her and a very ticked cat almost buried in clothes. "S-sumimasen! I-I-I…waah!"
Shigure took a peek from behind his newspaper to see what the ruckus was all about. An orange cat was standing in front of a stuttering girl, trying its best to keep its temper below boiling point. If it wasn't such a usual sight, he'd be laughing his ass off by now.
"It's okay. Stop crying, will ya?!"
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Tohru smiled. "H-hai. Gomen ne…I used your milk for theACK!!!"
Quickly pulling on his clothes, Kyou sighed. They really have to do something about Tohru's guilt reflexes. It will be the death of her yet. Then again, if Ritsu and his mother are still alive up to now, then Tohru would definitely have a better expectancy than them. He guessed around 70. When he pulled on his last garment, he tapped the shivering girl on the shoulder and stood up, walking over to Shigure. "Oi."
The resident adult of the house looked up. "Nani, Kyou-kun? You want to ask for advice on how to dodge people's 'attacks'?" he said, chuckling.
"What's going on?" said a new voice.
Kyou turned sharply to him. "None of your business, k'so nezumi." Then to Shigure. "Oi, give me money, I'm going out to buy milk."
"It's my business seeing as you woke me up, baka neko."
"You wanna get it on, you stupid mouse?!"
"Boys, boys. Be a little discreet, will you? We're in the presence of a girl. Save the lovey-dovey banter for the room, okay?"
In a few seconds, he was reduced to a pile of twitching kimono as both Yuki and Kyou k.o.'d him while Tohru blushed.
~*~
Kyou scowled. He was hungry. And tired from dealing with both Shigure and Yuki so early in the morning. But he simply can't start a day without milk so he asked Shigure for money and went out to buy some.
He sighed, remembering the exchange of "I'll do it" "no, I'll do it" he had with Tohru before he went out the door and the girl finally admitted defeat and had breakfast.
The bell on the door of the convenience store clanged (or did it cling?) when he came in. Going for the stack of baskets on the other side of the door, he did his damnest to avoid contact with anyone, much less the opposite sex.
Checking the list he had in his hands, which Tohru gave him earlier, he went straight for the dairy section.
Just as he was about to grab a box of his preferred milk, a sight from outside the window caught his eyes. A mop of white hair was against the clear glass of the window as the owner was sitting on the sidewalk, leaning heavily. He was wearing a black coat with white fur on the collar. Kyou knew that if he ever searched anywhere in the world, there'd only be one person who'd be caught dead wearing that atrocity. But what he really wanted to know now was why he was sprawled on the sidewalk when he has a perfectly nice bed in the Main House. Of course, that meant having the same breathing space as Akito, but what the heck.
Grocery completely forgotten, Kyou retreated to the door and hastily dropped the basket on the floor. He turned a corner and saw that Haru was indeed, sprawled on the sidewalk. Growling to himself, he walked over to the sleeping boy. Sleeping?! Why the heck is he sleeping here? Maybe got lost again. Huh.
"Oi," he said, kicking the unconscious figure slightly. "Oi, Haru."
"Nngrfss."
Oh, for crying out… "Haru! Wake the fuck up! What are you doing here?"
Liquid gray eyes opened and stared blankly at the space in front of it. As if trying to register the voice and the light kicking, Sohma Hatsuharu wrinkled his eyebrows. Slowly, he lifted his head and gazed at his older cousin. "Kyou."
Kyou sighed. "Yes, Haru. That's my name. What are you doing here?"
Haru frowned, trying to remember what happened. He was out with some friends the night before and…and then he woke up here. Today. He shook his head. "I…I don't know."
Were he not worried that he might smash the glass window into pieces, Kyou would've been banging his head on it by now. "Well. Do you plan on going home at all?" he asked, holding out a hand for the other boy.
Haru shrugged and reach out. "I suppose."
Growling, Kyou unconsciously checked the other boy for injuries or the like. Knowing Haru, he might've turned Black the night before and got himself a good beating. "C'mon, I'm taking you home."
"Home?"
"Yes, home." The orange-haired boy hissed. "You know, architectural structure. Walls, doors, windows. Ring any bells?"
Blank look. "That's a house."
Hands curled into fists. "Whatever it is, I'm taking you there. Let's go."
~*~
"Hatsuharu-san! What happened to you?"
"I found him lying on the sidewalk, dazed to the world." Kyou said as he closed the door. "I'm going to my room."
Tohru called out to him as she slightly pushed Haru to the common room. "Anou, Kyou-kun? Where are the groceries?"
"DAMMIT!"
AN: I need a beta. Badly. As you can see. *beautiful eyes* Anyone wanna offer? I'll give you hugs! Lotsanlots of 'em! ^_^ Oh, and congrats to those who figured out who the running person was. And I felt so smart thinking that no one would know who it was, too. Oh well, guess I underestimated all your mad Furuba skillz. *giggle*