((AN: Wow, thanks for all the reviews, everyone! You make me so happy!
*sob* So someone thought that last line was a little sappy, huh? Er, well,
I'll work on being a little better, but in shonen-ai, it tends to get
really fluffy! Anyhoo, I'll try to improve everything! Thanks again for all
the pointers, and I hope you like the next chapter. ^-^))
CHAPTER 2
The school break seemed to arrive faster than usual, and everyone took advantage of it. Shigure went away to one of his "writer's conferences," which Kyou was beginning to suspect were just excuses to visit a hot spring, and Tohru insisted on having an "end-of-the-school-term" dinner. They went to the store after class, picking out favorite ingredients, and carried it all home for Tohru to work her culinary magic.
"So!" she said as they sat down to dinner, a big smile on her face and a glass of juice in her upraised hand. "We're sophomores now! We should toast!"
Kyou looked at her, blinking. "Should we?"
"Yes! Umm... to us! For being sophomores! May we do our best in the new school year!" She thrust the cup out over the table, beaming. "Kanpai!"
"Kanpai," Kyou and Yuki repeated, clinking their glasses against hers. The juice was perfect for a hot evening, a smooth blend of mango and pineapple, and Kyou finished the whole glass before setting it back down, exhaling happily. Both Yuki and Tohru were staring at him, and he glared at Tohru, purposely ignoring the rat. "What? Can't a guy be thirsty?"
She looked startled, then laughed. "Hai, Kyou-kun. Gambatte, ne?" She lifted the pitcher of juice from the tray beside her on the floor, holding a towel to the bottom to catch the condensation that rolled off of it. "It is rather warm. But that just reminds me – did you know that tomorrow there's a festival? For springtime! Or maybe just because school is out. But I was thinking..."
And she chattered away, a social butterfly, filling in the silence that would've taken up the table if she hadn't been there. Kyou let her absorb his attention as if she was the most fascinating person in the world, giving conversation as good as he got. He knew Yuki was watching, he could sense it, but he didn't look once in the rat's direction. Even though Yuki sat at the same table, he wasn't part of the conversation, and Kyou took a vicious joy in making sure he stayed out of it. Instead, that side of the table grew more still, and more sullen, until finally the rat got the point and stood up.
Tohru broke off in the middle of the sentence, surprised. "Yuki-kun? Are you finished already?"
Yuki nodded curtly, stacking his dishes. "Gochisouama. Thank you."
"But are you sure? It doesn't look like you ate very much –"
"I'm fine, Honda-san." Kyou didn't bother to look up, but he heard the change in Yuki's voice. Neither of them liked being rude to Tohru. They both hated each other, but if there was one thing they agreed on, it was that Tohru was someone to be treated kindly. "I just have a headache. I'm going to lie down for a while."
Tohru looked a little disappointed, but more worried. "Oh... I'm sorry, Yuki- kun. I hope you feel better."
"Thank you. Oyasumi."
"Oyasumi."
Kyou was watching Tohru's face, his back to the rat as Yuki left the room. Her eyes lingered on the stairs even after Yuki had gone, thoughtful, then flicked back to Kyou as if she just noticed his watching her. "Ah! Sumimasen. I didn't mean to –"
"He'll be fine," Kyou said quickly, unknowingly echoing what Yuki had said earlier that week.
"Hai..." She glanced down at the table, smiling faintly. "It looks like my dinner was a success, if I judge by your plate, Kyou-kun."
Kyou's plate was as clean as if he'd vacuumed it. He colored slightly. "Eating all of it means it was good! That should make you happy!"
Tohru giggled. "I am happy. I'd better clean up, though."
"I'll help." Kyou got up from the table and collected the plates while Tohru went into the kitchen to run the dishwater. He brought the dishes into the kitchen and set them on the counter, grabbing a dishtowel.
"Kyou-kun," Tohru said as she lowered the plates into the soapy water, "can I ask you a question?"
"I guess. Sure."
"You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."
He looked at her, suspicious, but shrugged. "So ask."
She washed for a second, then handed him a plate. "You and Yuki-kun... sometimes I think..." She laughed, shaking her head. "Never mind."
"No, what?" He dried the plate, putting it aside. "What do you think?"
"It's silly."
"Just tell me, already!"
She smiled, putting a wet hand up. "Okay! Ano... you and Yuki-kun... you used to be close, didn't you?"
Kyou was glad he'd put the plate down, otherwise he would've dropped it. He looked away, leaning against the counter and studiously drying his hands. "What do you mean? We're not close."
"No, not now. But you used to be."
"Why would you think something dumb like that?"
She looked down into the mountain of suds, swishing more plates clean and stacking them in the other half of the sink. "Because of the way you look at each other. Most of the time it's just angry, but sometimes... you look sad. Did something happen between you two?"
Kyou was silent, and Tohru's cheeks suddenly turned pink. "A-ano, not that it's any of my business. Sumimasen, Kyou-kun, I shouldn't have –"
"It was a while ago." The dishtowel was stretched taut in Kyou's hands, and he was slowly twisting it. He couldn't look at her. Something about Tohru was so genuine, so trustworthy; he loved that about her. After living with so many lies, her honesty was like a breath of fresh air. He respected her for that, and he couldn't repay her by denying what she'd said. "We... used to be friends."
"Oh, Kyou-kun..." Tohru hastily wiped her hands on her apron and grasped Kyou's, her fingers still warm from the water. "Maybe you can still be friends. Have you tried to talk to Yuki lately?"
Kyou laughed humorlessly, shaking his head. "Forget it. We don't talk anymore, and anyway, it's better this way."
She pressed his hands between hers. "But maybe if you tried," she said earnestly, "it might help. Maybe he doesn't know what to do, either."
"He knows," Kyou said shortly. With a rueful smile, he pulled his hands from Tohru's and turned back to the sink, picking up the clean plates and running the towel over them. "It happened because he was afraid. It's his fault. He was scared."
"Scared of what?" she asked gently.
Kyou didn't answer. He loved Tohru like a sister, but he wasn't ready to tell her everything. When he'd dried the last dish in the stack, he held out a hand for more, and she shook her head. "I can finish here. Thank you for the help. Why don't you go take a bath? I'll go after you, when I'm done."
She was smiling, but he knew she wanted to think about what he'd said. Had it been wrong to tell her that? He didn't know. A bath sounded good, though.
He hung the towel up and went upstairs, wondering what Tohru had planned. It wouldn't be like her to just sit back and watch them fight, not when she knew their history. She would try to bring them together again, and that was sad because it would never work. Kyou couldn't trust Yuki like that, and Yuki would never back down. He was too scared of Akito.
Annoyed, he turned toward his room, then stopped suddenly, ears twitching. He'd heard something strange. Frowning, he moved slowly down the hall, listening hard. It wasn't Tohru – she was still downstairs, and he could hear the water running. No... this noise was coming from Yuki's room.
He crept closer to the door, tilting his head towards it. He put a hand out and touched the door, his frown deepening. Without understanding why he did it, he slid the door open and peeked inside.
A soft spill of moonlight bathed the room and its occupant in a silvery glow, illuminating the edges of the furniture and casting corners into shadow. Yuki's hair looked white, shining against the dark blue of his sheets. For a second, Kyou thought Yuki was awake, but something about the way he spoke and the way his body moved told Kyou the smaller boy was dreaming. His face was half-buried in the pillow he hugged to himself, and the light shone off his tear-streaked cheeks.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed into the pillow. "I'm sorry, Kyou. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Kyou staggered back as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He stood there, clutching the doorframe with white knuckles, so shocked at seeing something so intensely personal that he couldn't move. All this time. All this time, he'd thought Yuki hated him. He'd thought he'd been the only one hurt, that Yuki didn't care. He didn't know Yuki was suffering. How could he? "I didn't know," he whispered, and saying the words out loud was like magic. He let go of the doorframe and stepped into the room, going to Yuki's side.
He knelt beside the bed and touched his cousin gently, one hand on Yuki's thin shoulder, the other pushing wet hair back from his face. "Shh... it's all right, Yuki," he said softly. "Go back to sleep."
"I didn't want to," Yuki said brokenly, and Kyou had to fight not to take the rat into his arms.
"I know," he murmured, his heart in his throat. "It's okay. Shh."
He stayed beside his cousin, stroking the baby-fine hair and whispering soothing words until Yuki slowly relaxed. The tears slowed, then stopped, and the death-grip on the pillow eventually loosened. He waited until Yuki's breathing was deep and even, then stood carefully. He released the small shoulder, touched the head one final time, and turned to go.
"Kyou," Yuki breathed behind him, and the cat froze. He looked over his shoulder, afraid, but the minutes passed, and there was no other noise. Then Yuki spoke again, a sleepy sussuration so soft that half of it would have been lost if anyone but Kyou had been listening. "I love you."
A terrible wave of sadness washed over him, and Kyou smiled into the darkness. "I love you, too," he said, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
CHAPTER 2
The school break seemed to arrive faster than usual, and everyone took advantage of it. Shigure went away to one of his "writer's conferences," which Kyou was beginning to suspect were just excuses to visit a hot spring, and Tohru insisted on having an "end-of-the-school-term" dinner. They went to the store after class, picking out favorite ingredients, and carried it all home for Tohru to work her culinary magic.
"So!" she said as they sat down to dinner, a big smile on her face and a glass of juice in her upraised hand. "We're sophomores now! We should toast!"
Kyou looked at her, blinking. "Should we?"
"Yes! Umm... to us! For being sophomores! May we do our best in the new school year!" She thrust the cup out over the table, beaming. "Kanpai!"
"Kanpai," Kyou and Yuki repeated, clinking their glasses against hers. The juice was perfect for a hot evening, a smooth blend of mango and pineapple, and Kyou finished the whole glass before setting it back down, exhaling happily. Both Yuki and Tohru were staring at him, and he glared at Tohru, purposely ignoring the rat. "What? Can't a guy be thirsty?"
She looked startled, then laughed. "Hai, Kyou-kun. Gambatte, ne?" She lifted the pitcher of juice from the tray beside her on the floor, holding a towel to the bottom to catch the condensation that rolled off of it. "It is rather warm. But that just reminds me – did you know that tomorrow there's a festival? For springtime! Or maybe just because school is out. But I was thinking..."
And she chattered away, a social butterfly, filling in the silence that would've taken up the table if she hadn't been there. Kyou let her absorb his attention as if she was the most fascinating person in the world, giving conversation as good as he got. He knew Yuki was watching, he could sense it, but he didn't look once in the rat's direction. Even though Yuki sat at the same table, he wasn't part of the conversation, and Kyou took a vicious joy in making sure he stayed out of it. Instead, that side of the table grew more still, and more sullen, until finally the rat got the point and stood up.
Tohru broke off in the middle of the sentence, surprised. "Yuki-kun? Are you finished already?"
Yuki nodded curtly, stacking his dishes. "Gochisouama. Thank you."
"But are you sure? It doesn't look like you ate very much –"
"I'm fine, Honda-san." Kyou didn't bother to look up, but he heard the change in Yuki's voice. Neither of them liked being rude to Tohru. They both hated each other, but if there was one thing they agreed on, it was that Tohru was someone to be treated kindly. "I just have a headache. I'm going to lie down for a while."
Tohru looked a little disappointed, but more worried. "Oh... I'm sorry, Yuki- kun. I hope you feel better."
"Thank you. Oyasumi."
"Oyasumi."
Kyou was watching Tohru's face, his back to the rat as Yuki left the room. Her eyes lingered on the stairs even after Yuki had gone, thoughtful, then flicked back to Kyou as if she just noticed his watching her. "Ah! Sumimasen. I didn't mean to –"
"He'll be fine," Kyou said quickly, unknowingly echoing what Yuki had said earlier that week.
"Hai..." She glanced down at the table, smiling faintly. "It looks like my dinner was a success, if I judge by your plate, Kyou-kun."
Kyou's plate was as clean as if he'd vacuumed it. He colored slightly. "Eating all of it means it was good! That should make you happy!"
Tohru giggled. "I am happy. I'd better clean up, though."
"I'll help." Kyou got up from the table and collected the plates while Tohru went into the kitchen to run the dishwater. He brought the dishes into the kitchen and set them on the counter, grabbing a dishtowel.
"Kyou-kun," Tohru said as she lowered the plates into the soapy water, "can I ask you a question?"
"I guess. Sure."
"You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."
He looked at her, suspicious, but shrugged. "So ask."
She washed for a second, then handed him a plate. "You and Yuki-kun... sometimes I think..." She laughed, shaking her head. "Never mind."
"No, what?" He dried the plate, putting it aside. "What do you think?"
"It's silly."
"Just tell me, already!"
She smiled, putting a wet hand up. "Okay! Ano... you and Yuki-kun... you used to be close, didn't you?"
Kyou was glad he'd put the plate down, otherwise he would've dropped it. He looked away, leaning against the counter and studiously drying his hands. "What do you mean? We're not close."
"No, not now. But you used to be."
"Why would you think something dumb like that?"
She looked down into the mountain of suds, swishing more plates clean and stacking them in the other half of the sink. "Because of the way you look at each other. Most of the time it's just angry, but sometimes... you look sad. Did something happen between you two?"
Kyou was silent, and Tohru's cheeks suddenly turned pink. "A-ano, not that it's any of my business. Sumimasen, Kyou-kun, I shouldn't have –"
"It was a while ago." The dishtowel was stretched taut in Kyou's hands, and he was slowly twisting it. He couldn't look at her. Something about Tohru was so genuine, so trustworthy; he loved that about her. After living with so many lies, her honesty was like a breath of fresh air. He respected her for that, and he couldn't repay her by denying what she'd said. "We... used to be friends."
"Oh, Kyou-kun..." Tohru hastily wiped her hands on her apron and grasped Kyou's, her fingers still warm from the water. "Maybe you can still be friends. Have you tried to talk to Yuki lately?"
Kyou laughed humorlessly, shaking his head. "Forget it. We don't talk anymore, and anyway, it's better this way."
She pressed his hands between hers. "But maybe if you tried," she said earnestly, "it might help. Maybe he doesn't know what to do, either."
"He knows," Kyou said shortly. With a rueful smile, he pulled his hands from Tohru's and turned back to the sink, picking up the clean plates and running the towel over them. "It happened because he was afraid. It's his fault. He was scared."
"Scared of what?" she asked gently.
Kyou didn't answer. He loved Tohru like a sister, but he wasn't ready to tell her everything. When he'd dried the last dish in the stack, he held out a hand for more, and she shook her head. "I can finish here. Thank you for the help. Why don't you go take a bath? I'll go after you, when I'm done."
She was smiling, but he knew she wanted to think about what he'd said. Had it been wrong to tell her that? He didn't know. A bath sounded good, though.
He hung the towel up and went upstairs, wondering what Tohru had planned. It wouldn't be like her to just sit back and watch them fight, not when she knew their history. She would try to bring them together again, and that was sad because it would never work. Kyou couldn't trust Yuki like that, and Yuki would never back down. He was too scared of Akito.
Annoyed, he turned toward his room, then stopped suddenly, ears twitching. He'd heard something strange. Frowning, he moved slowly down the hall, listening hard. It wasn't Tohru – she was still downstairs, and he could hear the water running. No... this noise was coming from Yuki's room.
He crept closer to the door, tilting his head towards it. He put a hand out and touched the door, his frown deepening. Without understanding why he did it, he slid the door open and peeked inside.
A soft spill of moonlight bathed the room and its occupant in a silvery glow, illuminating the edges of the furniture and casting corners into shadow. Yuki's hair looked white, shining against the dark blue of his sheets. For a second, Kyou thought Yuki was awake, but something about the way he spoke and the way his body moved told Kyou the smaller boy was dreaming. His face was half-buried in the pillow he hugged to himself, and the light shone off his tear-streaked cheeks.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed into the pillow. "I'm sorry, Kyou. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Kyou staggered back as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He stood there, clutching the doorframe with white knuckles, so shocked at seeing something so intensely personal that he couldn't move. All this time. All this time, he'd thought Yuki hated him. He'd thought he'd been the only one hurt, that Yuki didn't care. He didn't know Yuki was suffering. How could he? "I didn't know," he whispered, and saying the words out loud was like magic. He let go of the doorframe and stepped into the room, going to Yuki's side.
He knelt beside the bed and touched his cousin gently, one hand on Yuki's thin shoulder, the other pushing wet hair back from his face. "Shh... it's all right, Yuki," he said softly. "Go back to sleep."
"I didn't want to," Yuki said brokenly, and Kyou had to fight not to take the rat into his arms.
"I know," he murmured, his heart in his throat. "It's okay. Shh."
He stayed beside his cousin, stroking the baby-fine hair and whispering soothing words until Yuki slowly relaxed. The tears slowed, then stopped, and the death-grip on the pillow eventually loosened. He waited until Yuki's breathing was deep and even, then stood carefully. He released the small shoulder, touched the head one final time, and turned to go.
"Kyou," Yuki breathed behind him, and the cat froze. He looked over his shoulder, afraid, but the minutes passed, and there was no other noise. Then Yuki spoke again, a sleepy sussuration so soft that half of it would have been lost if anyone but Kyou had been listening. "I love you."
A terrible wave of sadness washed over him, and Kyou smiled into the darkness. "I love you, too," he said, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.