Chapter Fourteen: The Reactions

"Four little fishies stranded on the beach . . . one dries up and she is dead . . . three little fishies stranded on the beach . . . one dries up and the rest is dead . . ." In the darkness of the room, the low humming voice trailed off into a dark, eerie chuckle.

* * *

Kisa rocked back and forth in the corner of the room, her arms tightly wrapped around her legs. Hiro, Momiji and Haru hovered over her anxiously. Uotani paced back and forth frantically. Hanajima stood calmly, absentmindedly rubbing her legs. Tohru just sat there, her green eyes glazed over.

Kyou burst into the room in his blue pants. "I don't know why but my tail wasn't stolen."

Shigure pressed a finger thoughtfully to his chin. "Perhaps, they got tired of your presence . . ." The dog was thrown across the room in a flash.

Tohru's soft voice penetrated through the noise of the room. "Will this be a repeat of one-chan's . . ." She couldn't continue. Her throat felt clogged and she couldn't breathe.

Yuki and Kyou immediately came to her side. Both of them reached out hesitantly. "Tohru . . ."

With a sob, she threw herself into Kyou's arms. He caressed her back gently and tried to soothed her, "Shhh . . . it's going to be okay. We don't know who took your dresses . . . it might not be that son of a -, I mean, Akito. It's going to be okay. I'm here . . ."

Yuki stood, his face frozen impassively. He silently retreated out of the room and walked down the hallways. Halfway through the dim pathways, he broke into a run, tearing down the stairs, heading for the only place of comfort he ever knew. He tore through the doors and dropped to his knees besides his garden. Heaving deep breaths, he clenched his fists by his sides. His long hair fell in a curtain around his face and billowed with each breath he took. He sighed, desperately trying to maintain his control. His eyes caught on his prized roses and the grief and rage immediately resurfaced again. With a snarl, he reached out and ripped out each blossom. Not caring that the thorns pierced his palms, he continued until each flower laid crumpled on the ground and his hands were all bloody.

He suddenly froze. Now that his rampage had finished, he felt like an idiot and a fool. "You knew it all along, baka. How could you ever compete with him? She's known him since forever . . . you were merely . . . a distraction . . . an infatuation. There weren't any real feelings for you . . . there couldn't be. He's won . . . and you've lost." His hands clutched the roses tightly and then went limp, allowing the satiny petals to drift off into the wind. With a sigh, he got up and brushed himself off. He started to turn around when a voice stopped him.

"Yuki."

He stiffened and nodded imperceptibly. "Akito."

The man drifted out from the shadows, his long robes wrapped around his thin frame. "Yuki, the wench has hurt you, hasn't she?"

Yuki became rigid again and his tone hardened. "Honda-san is a good friend. She would never hurt me intentionally. Any pain I feel . . . the blame lies with me. Now I have a question for you, did you or did you not take the girls' dresses?"

The shadows enveloped the man and it was impossible to see what he was thinking. Akito's lilting voice floated through the air again, "I have my own seamstresses and more clothes than I ever need. Why would I want to demean myself by stealing such unworthy clothes?"

"I don't know . . . you tell me," Yuki retorted.

Akito's voice lashed out. "So you already have your mind set against me, Yuki? Just like Hatori. I'm disappointed in you. I care only for my family and all of you dare treat me with such insolence and distrust . . ." His voice trembled with rage. "Even if I took the girls' dresses, it doesn't matter. I am king and my decisions are always final."

Yuki didn't respond. Akito's voice softened again. "Yuki, I know that girl has broken your heart . . . you don't have to take such audacity from her and that belligerent boy of hers. You are a prince . . . you can get revenge -"

"I am not you," Yuki snapped. "I accept fate. Emotions and matters of the heart are not to be ruled and tampered with. She has made her decision and I will accept it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see to my friends." Yuki walked off calmly.

Akito's eyes flashed and his fists clenched tightly. "Honda Tohru . . . you and your people just bring more and more disruptions to my kingdom . . . you will not go unpunished . . ."

* * *

Tohru gave a final sniffle and looked up from Kyou's shoulder. "Huh? When did everyone leave the room?"

He sighed, "Sometime between your third round of tears and your second round of chewing on your lip."

Her face reddened. "I'm sorry, Kyou-kun . . . I got your shirt all wet." She tried to wring out the damp cloth on his shoulder and he laughed.

"It's alright. I'm used to water," he grinned lopsidedly.

She smiled back and then went on to the third round of chewing on her lip. She felt immensely awkward sitting on the bed, staring at the kneeling boy in front of her. Her eyes darted everywhere but in front of her. He turned pink as he finally noticed how quiet the room was and how isolated they were by themselves in a bedchamber.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and began twisting her hands together. He smiled tenderly at the girl and finally placed his hands beside her legs on the bed, trapping her. He leaned close to her and she squeaked as he came eye to eye to her face. "Tohru," he murmured. "Are you done crying yet?"

She responded shyly, "Mm-hmm."

"Good," he pressed his lips gently to hers and she sighed softly. His lips curved in an arrogant grin before he nibbled on her bottom lip. Her lips parted slightly and his tongue swept in to taste her. Her eyes widened and then closed tightly as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around the boy. Her tongue touched his hesitantly and he took over from there, enticing her response. He growled softly when she attempted to mimic his actions; his arms tightened around her waist when she rubbed her tongue against his. Her light feathery touches along his neck drove him crazy and he deepened the kiss. She went limp in his arms, tilting backwards onto the bed, pulling the boy along with her. She moaned softly against his mouth as his lips slanted over hers. Kyou was fairly shaking by now . . . this is too much . . . this will kill him . . . this was heaven.

A shrill whistle sliced through the air and Tohru gasped. Kyou snarled in frustration and turned to look at the door. Shigure grinned lecherously at them. "I came here to offer comfort to my little flower . . . but I see that Kyou-kun has that all covered, ne?" He winked leeringly and drawled. "Yes, Kyou-kun has it covered from head to toe . . ." His eyes swept over the entwined couple on the bed. "I think I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone, ne??" The door slammed behind him.

Kyou groaned. So they weren't as isolated as he thought. He sighed and turned to look down at the girl and his breath hitched. Tohru looked utterly gorgeous pinned down underneath him. Her cheeks were rosy . . . but whether she was blushing from embarrassment or flushed from their, ahem, strenuous exercise, he didn't know. Either way, she looked particularly ravishing. Her long brown hair was swept around her like a shining blanket and his fingers were entangled in the mass. Her lips were swollen pink from his affection and her eyes were misted with bemusement. He grinned until he noticed that his body was draped all over the girl's in a compromising state . . . so this was what Shigure meant by "covered from head to toe." Kyou leaped away from the mermaid with a cheetah's speed and flushed hotly. He cleared his throat when Shigure opened the door again with a bang.

"On second thought, I believe I should offer my comforting presence again," Shigure said cheerfully. "Yes, Kyou, I've decided to take over your shift now . . . you may rest for an hour or two." He grinned enticingly at Tohru, rolling up his sleeves. "Well, sweetheart, shall we get started? I know several techniques we could -" He didn't get to finish before Kyou hauled him to the door and chucked him out. He scowled furiously and folded his arms. "Don't you even think about touching her. She's mine." He slammed the door and turned to Tohru.

She smiled embarrassedly at him and began to giggle. He ran his hand through his hair sheepishly and joined in. Within minutes, they were cracking up.

* * *

Shigure pouted as he walked down the steps, rubbing his backside. Ayame called up the stairs, "Gure, what's the matter?"

"Kyou-kun escorted me out of Tohru's room," he pursed his lips.

Ayame sighed and flicked his long silver hair off his shoulders. "Well, that's what you get, baby, for cheating on me."

The dog hanged his head and nodded, "You're right . . . I should know better. You're the only person for me."

A long silence elapsed between them. "So, you wanna go check the yankee and the denpa's room?"

They grinned at each other and gave each other thumbs' up. "YOSH!"

* * *

Kisa twisted her fingers together. She sat underneath the tree. She was worrying herself to death. "I'm never going to go home, am I? Never see Papa and Mama again . . . they'll be so worried. What should I do?"

Ritsu suddenly appeared and said glumly. "Gomen nasai."

"Ritsu-san, what's the matter?"

"Gomen nasai. If only I was guarding your dresses, then everything will be alright. I'VE FAILED YOU!! GOMEN NASAI!!!" Tears blazed down his cheeks.

She didn't know how to react. She patted the sobbing man on the back. "It's okay. It's not like I hate staying here -"

"GOMEN NASAI!! YOU PROBABLY HATE IT NOW WITH ME BOTHERING YOU!! GOMEN NASAIIIII!!!"

She shook her head furiously. "No! It's okay! I still like it here! Everyone is so friendly!"

Ritsu sniffled and opened his mouth to bellow again. She quickly cut him off. "Say, Ritsu-san, what do you like to do during your free time?"

"Eh?" He blinked tearfully down at her. "You're actually asking me about my interests? Well, I - I guess my favorite hobby of all time is observing people!"

"Observing people? As in . . . stalker type?"

He nodded. "Yes, like when I follow Ayame-san around! He's so cool and pretty and confident and I wish I could be like him . . . demo . . . GOMEN NASAI!!" He nearly blew her eardrum out with his sudden shout. "I MUST BE BORING YOU!! GOMEN NASAI!!" She nearly collapsed with his sudden change in moods. "Say, Kisa, do you want to look around the palace? I'll be happy to give you a tour!"

She hesitated when he reached out his hand to pull her up. He immediately turned teary again. "What's the matter? Oh, I know, you don't want to be with me! I'm sorry! I should have realized! GOMEN NASAI!! I KNOW I'M REALLY ANNOYING!! GOMEN NASAI!!"

"It's not that -" she was cut off by another voice.

"Will you shut your yapping already? I can hear you a mile away. Do you think just because God gave you the ability to talk, you can scream your thoughts out? Do you think anyone really care? Do you think Kisa would care? Now if you'll just kindly leave so I can spend some nice and quiet time with Kisa, I won't have to put up with your presence, make stupid small talk, and in turn, hurt your puny feelings . . . everybody's happy in the end, you understand?" Hiro snapped.

Ritsu nodded timidly.

"So what are you waiting for? Do I need to roll out the red carpet for you? Or do you prefer to go out with a bang? Should I order fireworks? Do you need escorts perhaps? Or a map? Oh, I do forget . . . you're not that dumb cow . . . though you're hardly any better? Oh, you're still here? Weren't you just leaving? You're still not walking away, you know. Fine, I guess I must make myself clear . . . SCRAM!"

Ritsu jumped and sprinted away.

Kisa shook her head disapprovingly at Hiro.

The boy stared back. "What? What did I do?"

* * *

Hanajima murmured, "Whoever stole our dresses definitely do not have good intentions. But what are their purposes for keeping us here? Cold blooded murder? I cannot imagine someone not liking us to the extent of murder."

"Whatever their intentions are, we have to keep Kisa and Tohru safe. They're as innocent as newborn babies. I won't let them get hurt," Uotani said, her eyes closed tightly.

Hanajima nodded solemnly. "By the way, where did you get that oblong object?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Uotani grinned, holding up her steel pipe. "I found it somewhere. It makes a good weapon and we do need extra protection now."

"Hmmm . . . you think it will get rid of small pests?"

The blonde girl's eyes gleamed. "Definitely."

"AHHH!!" Shigure and Ayame were quickly thrown out of the room with the help of the handy steel pipe.

"You little lechers . . . next time you sneak into our rooms, I'll break both your legs!" Uotani slammed the door.

Shigure pouted as he got off the floor painfully. "Ah, she's so much alike her brother."

Ayame grinned cheerfully, "Yea, hard on the outside . . . a softy inside. My sixth sense perceives that she wants us . . . badly."

The two men laughed loudly to each other. The door opened and Uotani stuck her head out. She fingered her weapon lovingly. "What did ya say?"

In a second, the hallways were cleared and Uotani smiled, satisfied.

~ ~ ~

Okay, this chapter was more like a filler . . . the action will happen later ^_^ Hope you liked it anyway . . . hmmm, since a lot of you seem to lean toward Kyouru . . . I guess I will be going along that path . . . that alright with you guys? That way, I can stick to more romance and less wishy- washy feelings on Tohru's part hehe.

And now, time to acknowledge my long neglected reviewers!! I want to thank each of you for taking the time to review and I hope you know that I love each and every one of your comments!!

Kacho: Thanks for reviewing!! Well, I finally told you guys who she's going with . . . hope you still like the story ^_^

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Chinoz: LoL, you were certainly blunt . . . poor Yuki, I didn't mean to make him sound so irritating . . . I'll try better hehe . . . keep reading and reviewing please!!

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=^-~=: Exactly my point. Why do they call it the birds and the bees? I have no idea who thought of that term? Anyone care to enlighten me? Keep reading!!

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GASP!! WHEEZE!! Finally done!! THANKS EVERYBODY!! I'm so tired now!! My head is officially blimpie size!! Please continue with your support!! I always look forward to it!!

~Maeven~