Darkest Rain
By Nix Winter
Disclaimers: I don't known Fruits Basket
Warnings: Spoilers for the end of the anime, het and yaoi leanings.
"Where is Yuki kun?" Tohru asked Kyo.
"How should I know? He and Shigure left earlier." Kyo squatted on the porch, watching the sun set.
Neither of them mentioned the cats lingering on either side the porch.
Akito had been by Shigure's house twice in the last week. Kyo's fingers clawed at the edge of the porch, his shoulders tight. He had left school early, after Shigure came to get Yuki. It didn't happen often. So rare, but sometimes Kyo could see a look of fear in Yuki's eyes, a look of lonely vulnerability.
Before, always before, Kyo had been glad when he saw it, glad that the Rat was distressed. This time, this time it had been different. It was all Tohru's fault. It was her doing that he didn't hate Yuki anymore.
Rain dotted the dark ground beyond the porch, forewarning maybe.
Tohru stood in the door, her school bag in her hands. "It's okay, you know."
"What's okay?" He looked over his shoulder. "What's okay?"
Dark hair spilled over Tohru's shoulder and her smile was impossibly cheerful. "It's okay that you're concerned about Yuki. It's nice. You don't have to fight just because someone else decided it."
Other things had changed since Tohru and Yuki had followed him into the forest. It had been both of them, holding him. Without either of them, he would have died that night. So many thinks had been changed Tohru had carried him home and he'd woken to find Yuki sitting near him.
Akito had been responsible for that night, no matter what Master said. And okay. It had worked out good. "Okay, so I'm worried. I think he went to the main house."
The smile faded from Tohru's face like sugar in dark rain. "They'll be home soon."
It wasn't like either of them were scared to go to the main house. It wasn't like either of them were afraid of Akito. Their eyes locked, searching each other's souls for some reassurance. Kyo turned back, rocking on the balls of his feet. Living hurt so much. His life hadn't been over before it began. His life was still forming. He loved. He loved too much.
"Kyo? Is it the rain? Come inside," Tohru begged softly.
It had been a night just like this one where she'd followed him, where Yuki had followed him. "I'm alright," he said, head hanging. The problem was he was afraid that Yuki wasn't. He was afraid that he shouldn't care, but he did.
She padded softly across the porch, sat down, stocking feet catching raindrops. "I meant that it's okay if you don't hate Yuki. You and he have choices, you know?"
"Don't tell me what I feel," Kyo said, voice slow, heart darkening with the rain.
"Oh, no! I'm not. I'm sorry. It's just, just things have changed, and I thought," she said, "I just thought."
He reached out, fingers inching across the deck, soggy blue sweatshirt pooling around his wrist. Tohru reached out too, fingers touching Kyo's. "If you're worried, I can go to the main house."
"No." Kyo said, "I'll go. I mean, if you're worried about Yuki, or something."
"I am worried. A little," she said softly. "Things don't have to be like they've always been, Kyo kun. Things can be different."
He believed her. He could feel his true form within him, feel it's rage, and yet, felt it a part of him. "I'm going to go find him."
"Thank you, Kyo," Tohru said, and the way she said her words made it sound like permission, like love that would accept him always.
He believed the world could be just how he wanted it to be when he looked into her eyes.
He believed that he could go find the rat, just for her sake. Under his thoughts, hiding in his heart, he believed he could find the rat and this time they'd be friends.
At the Soma House, Yuki saw stars. Hitori and Shigure were locked out. It was a special room. "I made this room for you, Yuki chan. I made it just for you. Just for us," Akito purred.
Yuki wiped his mouth, smearing blood over the back of his hand. Wearing only his pants, he circled away from Akito and the quarter staff the head of the family held. "I'll fight you. I'm not a child anymore."
"We'll see about that," Akito purred. "We'll see how you feel when I've beaten you properly. Don't you remember, Yuki chan? Don't you remember spending days in this room? I'm going to remind you."
Fists doubled, Yuki dodged as the staff swung. Eventually the door would be opened. Eventually he'd escape. "I'm not going to fight you, Akito."
"Good," came the reply silken and poisonous as the staff shot forward and took Yuki hard in the leg, sending him down to one knee. "I don't like prey that fight back!"
Kyo ran, covering the ground between Shigure's house and the main house as quickly as he could. He didn't know why he felt like the world hung on a string, and he didn't have time to think about it. Without a car, it would take him some time to get there.