"Rainy-day Friend"

by imanut

::Friendship is a wonderful treasure to posses. Treat your friend right, and you keep them forever. Leave your friend out in the cold and only do things with them when you have no one else, you'll lose them in a heartbeat.::

This is a one-shot of Kyou and Haru's past. Right now, I'm angry with one of my friends because she treats me like dirt. I'm sick of it, and need to let out some steam. For the last several years, I've become her rainy day friend. If you have someone that you treat the same way as she has me, fix it now! Anyway, on with the story...

-'I'm not stupid...I'm not...'-

"Kyou! Kyou!" A ten-year-old Hastuharu Sohma ran down the dirt path to visit his cousin's home. The gray-eyed boy raced up the steps and knocked on the door repeatedly.

"Haru! Hi!" cried a little orange-haired boy, red eyes brightening as he opened the door. "What are you doing here?" asked he eleven-year-old boy.

"To see you, silly kitten," smiled the cow.

"Let's go for a walk, dumb calf." Kyou the cat replied with a smile. "Shishou, Haru's here! He and I are gonna go on a walk!"

"Alright, Kyou. Just keep safe," replied Kazuma.

The two boys walked off into the surrounding forest. About two ears ago, they had cleared a path themselves. Everyday they had traveled down it. Once a week, they would re-clear it so you could see a nicely trimmed trail. And here they were, walking and talking about things young boys talk about.

The reason Haru came to visit his best friend and cousin was to tell him of what he had gained in the last five days: a new friend. He had been anxious to tell him since then, but he wanted to wait for the right moment. He just hoped that he didn't hurt his friend's feelings...

"Kyou, guess what? I've got a surprise!" Haru decided that now was that right time.

"What is it?" asked a happy Kyou. He was glad that he was spending time with Haru. He hadn't seen his cousin for five days!

"Six days ago when you took me home, I say someone. Guess who I saw?"

"Um...I dunno...Kagura?"

"Yuki, the rat."

"Did you go 'black?'"

"I did."

"What happened?"

"We talked. He helped me learn that it doesn't matter what other people think. People may call me stupid, but I know that that's not true. He became my friend!" smiled Haru.

Kyou's bright smile faltered, but still remained. "But, I thought that you hated Yuki."

"I did...until the talk," replied his friend. "You're not mad are you?"

Kyou looked at Haru with a forced smile, "Of course I'm not mad! You've made a friend and I'm glad for you! Why would I be mad?"

Haru didn't know the difference, being only ten, between a forced smile, and a real one. "So you aren't angry? YAY! I was so worried that you'd hate me because I was his friend," and with that, he hugged Kyou, his friend. He was happy beyond belief.

--- v.v---

It was the day before new year's and Kyou couldn't wait to see Haru. Now a days, he only saw the calf when he came once a week for martial arts. At the same time, he also saw Yuki. It wasn't really hate that he felt for the rat, but jelousy. He had everything: attention, praise, acceptence, and now his best and only friend. Sure they'd invite him to do things with them, but when he'd accept, he wound up getting ignored. It hurt his feelings, but he didn't want to say anything. If he did, it might make Haru feel bad. And he worried that it would offend the rat.

Finally, he saw Haru! He ran toward him and called out his name. The kitten noticed that Haru seemed to not have heard him. He called louder, but still now answer. He reached his friend and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi Haru!" smiled little Kyou.

"Er...hey uh...Kyou," he replied then walked off. Kyou looked on as his friend walked away. He watched as Haru joined Yuki. He saw the two of them laughing. He saw...that it broke his heart...his...heart...

Kyou dashed out of the main house, betrayal heavy on his soul. They had been friends for so long. Tears threatened to fall down his cheeks. What had happened? For so long...they had been friends for so long...!

Yuki...it was Yuki's fault! He stole his best friend from him! Everything was fine until Yuki had come along! For the first time in a long while, Kyou began to hate. It consumed him, barely allowing him to breathe. This hurt feeling inside him fed his hate. Yuki, he realized, was the reason for all of his misfortunes: his mother's death (because he wasn't the rat), his dad's hatred (because he wasn't the rat), the loss of his friend, all of WAS THE RAT'S FAULT!!!

---TT.TT---

Years had passed. Kyou and Haru were no longer close. Haru wold be seen fawning over Yuki, and Kyou was seen alone. Kyou was now sixteen-years-old. He lived with Shigure and Yuki. Tohru Honda had come into their lives, trying to be their friends. Kyou, however, was too afraid of being hurt to let her in.

He found himself traveling onto the path he had treaded upon so long ago. The path was now slightly overgrown from lack of care, for he hadn't been down it since that one new year's day. Memories of his youth flooded into his mind. He fell to his knees, and broke down crying. 'What if it was me? What if it was my fault Haru left our friendship for Yuki? Why? Instead of it being all Yuki's fault, could it be mine instead?'

Owari

Well, there it is. And that's how I often feel. I realize now that I really don't care what my friend thinks of me anymore. She acts as though she doesn't know me when we're with her friends, and it really ticks me off. Well, now I'm offically out of steno pad paper. As I said up at the top, this is a one-shot. But I will add a second page (chapter, whatever it is) to thank all the reviewers, but that is it!!!! Well, till next time!