The clam and the onigiri
By: kisu
A/n: just got back from a tennis…we finally got our uniforms with my logo that I designed!! wears sweats proudly Woohoo!! Also, note that the last chapter was not the last chapter! So no one panic! =D I said I would update every week but u gotta take advantage of cleared writer's block! Right now I have artist's block and my portfolio is due in three weeks!! AGH! Life sux!
Chapter 8: Hatsuharu"Momiji."
"Haru?" His cousin stopped in mid-skip and turned to look questionably at him.
"That day when Tohru got attacked-" Hatsuharu began.
"Hai?" Momiji now had his full attention on him.
"Akito didn't act like himself. In fact, it was amazing that he acted like he had-"
"A heart?" Momiji finished for him. Hatsuharu looked at him in surprise. "It's easy! Akito likes Tohru!"
"Eh?" Hatsuharu stared at Momiji. "If we get Tohru to like him back—"
"Demo, Yuki and Kyo—" Momiji frowned.
"Yeah." Hatsuharu sighed. "I don't want to hurt Yuki." Momiji glanced at him in amusement and pulled a lollipop from his pocket. He unwrapped it slowly before placing the sweet treat in his mouth.
"Yuki has to admit his love soon or Akito will take Tohru away." Momiji said. "But it's better for Akito, right?" Momiji asked. "Yuki already has friends and a loving family but Akito has no one."
"No one?" Hatsuharu glanced down at his cousin. "Akito has the power and the Souma family. No one? Hatori waits on him 24 hours a day."
"Honto ne? Are you sure, Haru?" Momiji replied. "Akito may have everyone to serve him but no one has showed him any love. Everyone is afraid of him."
"Why wouldn't we be? He is violent and temperamental." Hatsuharu pointed out. "Not exactly a people's person." Momiji laughed.
"When I was younger, one New Year's, I heard the elders talking. Akito was chosen at a very young age to be clan head and he was taken away from his parents. He was generally a weak child and he was spoiled." Momiji told him. "The children were kept away from him because they were afraid of bad influences and he had no one to play with. Then I heard the elders talk about a girl that had followed Yuki home."
"Oh. The whole house was a buzzed about her." Hatsuharu nodded, knowingly. "She had her memory quickly erased by Jiro-jiisan."
"Yes and Akito had seen her. He had talked to her and she had asked him to be his friend." Momiji continued. "When he found out that the girl had her memory erased, he was furious. He ignored all reasoning and attacked Yuki for leading her to the house. Soon he began to withdraw into himself and vowed to make all the lives of the Soumas miserable. Then when the elders past away, he had merciless rule over the Soumas."
"So that's the story." Hatsuharu murmured.
"Mm." Momiji smiled, sadly. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Look it's Yuki. YUKI!" Hatsuharu looked over his shoulder and sure enough the boy was walking down the path. Yuki spotted them and gave them a warm smile.
'He never gave that smile before Tohru entered our life.' Hatsuharu thought as he watched his first love advance toward them.
Yuki paused as a cherry blossom fell from a tree and drifted into his line of vision. With quick slender fingers, he reached up and caught the flower. He glanced at it briefly before letting it drift from his fingers and onto the ground.
"YUKI!"
Yuki felt a smile cross his lips as he looked up. He could recognize Momiji's bubbly voice anywhere. His warm smile fell slightly as he noticed Hatsuharu next to him. Cautiously he approached them and Hatusharu immediately made a beeline toward him. "Yuki." The cow greeted him and gripped his shirt in his hands.
"Haru." Yuki replied, warily. "Momiji, what are you doing here?" The rabbit looked up at him with wide blue eyes.
"We were watching the cherry blossoms!" Momiji beamed. "Aren't they pretty?"
"Beautiful." Yuki's amethyst eyes roamed over the blooming trees and Hatsuharu observed him. The cow sighed and Yuki turned his glance back at his younger cousin. "What's wrong, Haru?"
"You smile so gently, Yuki." Hatsuharu said. "All to the thanks of Tohru."
"Eh?" Yuki blinked.
"I'm going to get some ice cream for us!" Momiji called as he ran toward the ice cream vendor. The two stared after the retreating boy and silence fell over them.
"You have changed, Yuki." Hatsuharu spoke up. "You seem so content and happy."
"I am." Yuki replied as the same soft smile crossed his face. He looked up into the sky and inhaled deeply. "Tohru-san has made me realize that people will accept me for who I am, no matter if I am cursed or not."
"Yuki, I need a favor from you." Hatsuharu said. Yuki nodded and turned his face back to him. "I want you to stop spending time with Tohru." Hatsuharu held his breath and an uncomfortable silence settled unto them. Yuki's happy demeanor had slipped back to his blank mask of icy courtesy. He braced himself as Yuki finally met his eyes with his own.
"Why." He stated.
"I want Tohru to spend more time with Akito." Hatsuharu said, slowly. Yuki's amethyst eyes narrowed and filled with fury. "Since everyone has experienced the happiness that Tohru brings to them. Maybe, Tohru could help Akito."
"It is bad enough that Tohru goes to the main house almost everyday of the week. Rain or shine." Yuki seethed. "I do not want her to spend more time with Akito. He could harm her!"
"Harm her?" Hatsuharu chuckled, dryly. "It doesn't seem that way when he rescued her."
"No." Yuki declared. He clenched his hand into a fist. "There is no way I'm going to let that bastard near her more than necessary."
Hatsuharu regarded his cousin with a thoughtful expression. Yuki was enraged and that wasn't a good thing. However, the mouse was known to lash out when his life or something precious to him was threatened.
"Yuki." Hatsuharu said, slowly.
"What?" Yuki snapped.
"You love her, don't you?" Hatsuharu realized. "You love Tohru." Yuki stared at him for a good moment before turning his head away.
"Don't joke." He said, distantly.
"Do you think I am?" The cow inquired.
"…no." Came the reply.
"Yuki…" Hatsuharu murmured. They stood with their eyes focused on everything else but the other. Lost in their on thoughts they didn't notice when Momiji returned.
"I got you some ice cream!" He said as he gave Yuki his strawberry ice cream cone. He had gotten chocolate for Hatsuharu. "What are you guys talking about?"
"…"
"Wow, that seems interesting!"
"…"
"Honto ne?"
"…"
"By the way, I saw Tohru over by the ice cream man!"
"What?" Yuki and Hatsuharu exclaimed in unison.
"She picked out the strawberry ice cream for you, Yuki." Momiji smiled.
"What is she doing here, alone?" Yuki asked with slight concern.
"Oh, she's not alone." Momiji piped up.
"Who is she with?" Yuki asked.
"Akito."
TBC……=D