Ahh… here we are. Chapter ten. We've come a long way, haven't we? Thank you all so much for the continued support.
Sorry to the Kyo/Tohru fans, really. As I've said, this fic is more centered toward Yuki/Haru because there's a serious lack of those. But there will be some Kyo/Tohru to come, I promise, especially considering the events in this chapter.
Disclaimer: … I OWN EVERYTHING!! Except for Fruits Basket, of course.
Tohru was washing off some fruit in the morning when Shigure walked in, holding his head.
"Uuugh… Tohru-kun, could you get me an ice pack or something?"
Tohru turned. "You look terrible."
"Thank you."
"Ah! N-no I meant—"
"Just get me the ice pack…"
Tohru, although flustered, went to the freezer and reached inside. She pulled out an ice pack and handed it to Shigure. "Did Ayame-san sleep here last night after Hatori-san took everyone home?"
"Yes, he did. He's still asleep," Shigure replied, putting the ice pack to the side of his head. "Haa-san is heading back soon."
Tohru blinked. "Why's that?"
"To pick up everyone's favorite snake."
Tohru giggled softly and went back to washing off the fruits. Shigure turned to see a half-awake Yuki.
"Ah, good morning Yuki-kun."
Yuki looked up at him, his eyes hazy. "Where did the… potatoes go?"
Shigure held back laughter and answered, "They've run off."
"Which way did they go?" asked Yuki tiredly.
"They ran behind the refrigerator."
Yuki walked over to the appliance as Tohru watched in awe. He knelt down and seemed to fall asleep again as he did, for he rested his head on the door of the refrigerator and stayed still for a moment.
When Shigure started to laugh loudly, Yuki woke up and looked around. "Why am I…?"
"You were looking for potatoes," Tohru answered him truthfully, smiling as she giggled. He stood up and glared at the doorway as a flash of gray kimono named Shigure disappeared down the hall. He gazed at Tohru, rubbing the back of his head.
"Good morning…"
"Good morning, Souma-kun. Breakfast will be ready in a bit—"
She stopped and faltered as she heard yelling in the other room. Yuki sighed.
"Stupid cat…"
The two of them headed into the living room to see Kyo yelling at Haru, the younger of the two on the couch, trying to read. Kyo was standing over him.
"I need to write a report you idiot! Get off the couch!!"
"You can write the report somewhere else. I'm reading."
"You're taking up the whole couch you stupid cow! No one else can even sit down! Put your feet on the floor and sit like a normal person!"
"No."
Kyo noticed Yuki and pointed at him. "Hey you damn rat, tell your fucking boyfriend to move it!"
Yuki sighed. "Go find a different place to sit, stupid cat."
"WHAT?! Why should I have to go somewhere else?! He's the one being selfish!" Kyo shouted. Tohru reached out.
"Ah, Hatsuharu-san, would you mind just sitting up, please?" she asked, her eyebrows curved in worry. She didn't want Haru turning black but she also didn't want Kyo to get mad. Haru looked at her blankly.
"But Tohru, I was here first…"
"That makes no difference!" yelled Kyo.
"Stop the yelling!" came a voice. Shigure slid the door to his study open and waved his ice pack menacingly at them. "I have a hangover! It hurts! Shut up!"
Kyo silenced himself though inwardly growled. Yuki shook his head, not amused by either of their behavior. Tohru wasn't sure what to do. Haru went back to reading. For a moment it was silent. And then Ayame came downstairs and ruined the silence.
"Gooood morniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"
"AAYA! SHUT UP!"
"Ohhhh Gure-san! Does your head hurt? Mine, amazingly, doesn't!"
"Aaaaaaaaargh…"
/-/
Around lunchtime, Hatori had a private conversation between Ayame, Shigure, and himself. The four teenagers were in the dining room, eating when the three adults came in, stone faced. Ayame's eyes were on Tohru and he sat next to her.
"Is lunch good, Tohru-kun?"
She could only reply with a thoughtful nod because she had just taken a bite and couldn't very well speak with a mouth full. Yuki looked at Hatori.
"You have something to tell us, right? What's going on?"
"Akito-san… it's about his condition," the doctor replied. Haru's chopsticks froze in midair as he heard the name of the one person he loathed for both what he had done to Yuki and Haru himself. Kyo scoffed.
"What's up with him?"
"He hasn't been taking the medicine I prescribed him," Hatori answered. "And because of that, his condition has worsened."
Tohru's eyes widened. "Will he be okay?"
"He has less time to live now. If he keeps this up, he'll die sometime during November," Hatori said, running his hand through his hair. It dropped down and through those bangs, he looked at Tohru's face. "As for now, if he starts taking his medication again, he has until the end of this year."
"That would be ironic," Kyo muttered. "Dying before the banquet."
"What of the… next head?" asked Yuki, his voice shaking. Don't say it… Hatori hesitated and Tohru gasped as she felt Ayame's hand on her back. She stared forward blankly as she figured it out.
"He… he's choosing me to be the…?" her voice trailed off in disbelief. She didn't even blink. Kyo punched the floor, glaring at Hatori.
"Tell me it isn't true, you bastard!" he yelled. Hatori looked away to Shigure. Kyo reiterated his question louder, only his voice was somehow weaker. Yuki stared at his half eaten meal, unsure of what to do.
"Akito-san has made it official," said Hatori dryly. "He's decided to make Tohru be the mother of the next head of the house."
Shigure scratched the side of his head as Kyo lashed out, punching the floor again and leaving the room in a rush. He slid the door shut so hard that it bounced off the door frame and glided back a bit. Yuki's eyes followed him out and then trailed to Tohru. "Honda-san…"
No one had noticed Haru's previous silence until he finally spoke. With his gaze to the floor, he said, "Akito … he only cares about hurting people. What kind of pleasure can you get from seeing someone else's pain?" He raised his eyes to Hatori. "Is there nothing else we can do?"
"Not unless Akito changes his mind," replied Hatori. Tohru was silent but Ayame, under his hand, could feel that she was shaking. He never thought himself good at comforting people, but he did what he could and rubbed her back lightly.
/-/
Kyo spent the rest of the day up on the roof where no one dared to bother him. Yuki holed himself up in his room—the same goes for Tohru—and Haru spent his time outside, gazing up to the clouds with his headphones blasting music loudly. The three adults stayed in the dining room, talking about the misfortune, wondering about what Tohru was going to do.
"It's obvious," said Ayame bitterly, "that Akito's trying once again to get her away from the Souma family. He's still giving her a way out—she could escape this by having Tori-san erase her memories. It figures that this is still his goal."
"And these kids are all shaken up…" said Shigure, gesturing with his hands. "It's understandable. Yuki-kun and Haa-kun are both afraid of Akito-san… and Kyo-kun just hates him. Tohru-kun is probably…"
Ayame looked up. "Haa-chan is afraid of Akito-san? Why?"
Hatori swallowed some tea before answering, "He was almost killed by him."
"That's terrible! What happened?!"
"He was being beat up and yelled at for 'taking Yuki away' and 'dirtying him.' He would have been strangled to death had it not been for Akito's sudden coughs. He started to get really sick then. If he hadn't gotten so worked up, he'd have been fine."
"I think that's called karma," said Ayame, braiding his hair. Shigure noticed that Hatori left out the part that he was going to let Haru die but didn't bother asking him about it. He knew exactly what he would say. When will your snow ever melt, Haa-san?
"What are we going to do, though? We can't let him do this to Tohru-kun," said Ayame. It was then when Yuki came into the room, looking down at Hatori.
"Hatori… I have an idea."
Shigure stood as he noticed something beside Yuki. A suitcase. Ayame saw it, too. "Ah, brother? Where are you going?"
"To the main house to make a deal with Akito," Yuki replied. Hatori looked at the youth.
"Have you been eavesdropping?"
"I've heard you talking since Ayame mentioned Akito's true goal. …Hatori… why didn't you help Haru that time?"
Shigure gazed away. Apparently Yuki didn't know Hatori as well as he did. Ayame blinked.
"'That time?'"
"When Haru was being strangled to death, you did nothing. Why?" asked Yuki fiercely. Hatori replied without a hint of kindness, "Because Akito had planned to kill him that day anyway."
"So you knowingly sent him to his grave?!"
"He didn't die."
"But… he was going to?"
"Akito's orders."
Yuki felt rage boiling up inside of him. Haru had told him that Hatori had been outside Akito's room, listening to him die and did nothing. Yuki had always looked up to Hatori and the fact that he almost let Haru…
"… Listen… I want to make a deal with Akito. I'm going to protect Honda-san like she protects us."
"What are you planning?" asked Shigure.
"I want to persuade him to choose some other girl to be the next mother. I figure if I stay with him until he dies and… do whatever he wants like I used to… he'll choose someone else."
"That's your deal? Yeah right," Shigure snapped. "Akito-san will never go for it."
"Yes he will. It's me, his pet that ran away."
Shigure looked at him long and hard, debating within himself. Eventually, he sighed and glanced away. Yuki stared at Hatori.
"Take me back to the main house with you tonight. I'm all packed."
"Don't you want to say goodbye?" asked Ayame. He was still baffled by everything he had just learned.
"… No," Yuki said, his eyes trailing to the side, not resting on anything in particular. They narrowed. "I'd rather just leave."
Shigure shook his head, loudly saying, "No way! You're not making me tell Kyo-kun, Tohru-kun, and Haa-kun. I've had enough to deal with. You can tell them yourself."
And without another word, the novelist angrily walked out of the room. His anger was understandable—he still had a hangover and he was also dreadfully worried about Yuki and what his actions would do to him and the others in the long run.
"Fine, I will tell them myself," Yuki sighed, getting up. Ayame stood and reached for his brother. His eyes were shaking.
"Wait! Yuki," he said softly. "Please don't do this. We'll find another way—we promise."
Yuki gave him a faint smile and replied, "There isn't another way."
As he left, Ayame let his hands drop to his sides. He sadly went to his knees and said, "I really can't do anything… I'm useless as both a person and an older brother…"
Hatori said nothing.
/-/
Yuki decided that it would be best to tell Kyo first as he would probably get the least amount of reactions from his feline rival. How wrong he was. He knew that this would be hard to tell everyone his decision. Kyo turned as he heard the ladder clack meaning that someone was coming up.
"Don't look so disappointed," Yuki said in response to Kyo's face.
"What the hell do you want?" Kyo sneered, angry about the disturbance. Yuki settled down near—never next to—Kyo, bringing his knees up to his chest. Kyo watched him out of the corner of his eye. He's acting weird…
"I have something… I have a way to save Honda-san," Yuki told him, his eyes on the city. Kyo's face brightened.
"Really? What is it?"
"A trade of sorts. Me for Honda-san."
Kyo didn't understand right away. Yuki hadn't expected him to.
"… Wha?"
"Akito sees me as a runaway slave and will do just about anything to get me back," Yuki explained. "I figure that I can offer myself to him in exchange for keeping Honda-san safe."
"Slave? Offer yourself?"
Yuki stammered a bit. It was always hard to tell anyone about his disturbing relationship with Akito, especially to Kyo because he never wanted to look weak in front of him.
"C-Consider it a sacrifice. I'll stay with Akito as long as he lives if he agrees to choose another girl to be the next mother of th—"
He stopped as Kyo leaned over to him, eyes narrowed. Four more inches forward and their noses would be touching.
"Stupid," Kyo said before swinging at him. The hit connected and Yuki held his nose, surprised by both the attack and the fact that there was no blood. He gave Kyo his best dirty look and went to punch him back when he saw water—tears—swelling up in Kyo's eyes.
"You fucking idiot," Kyo said calmly yet firm. "Why? Why is it that you're the only one who can save her?! Why am I so fucking useless?! Is this because I'm the cat?! … You're scared to death of Akito, right? Isn't he going to… this guy is an asshole! He's hurt Tohru, nearly killed Haru, hurt Hatori's eye, and done… I-don't-know-what to you! He's… he's cruel. I've only dealt with him myself a few times… if it wasn't for my master…" He thought of Kazuma for a moment before continuing, "It's not fair… for you to go and hurt yourself more. Isn't there something I can do to save her? I love her… so… much… and all I can do is mope up here on the roof."
Yuki was silent. Kyo wiped at his eyes—the tears hadn't fallen and he wasn't about to let them. Damn rat…
"… Akito made me feel numb," Yuki eased out at last. "I couldn't feel anything for a while—not even pain. I was just… numb. But I realized that and decided to change it; I had to get away from him and the numb feeling and I did. Shigure helped a lot—he's so light-hearted, I couldn't help but feeling a bit better.
"It wasn't until Honda-san entered our lives did I actually feel anything again. She healed my wounds from Akito and showed me things that I had never seen before. I soon started to feel again. I could smile again. I love her, too. In a different way, of course, but I still do. I love the way she gives me strength and the way she always smiles even though she may be hurt. I wish I could be more like her."
"We all do," said Kyo softly. "That's why she's so precious to all of us. We all love her in our own ways…"
There was a warmth in the air despite how cold it was.
"I want to protect that smile of hers," Yuki replied. "I never want her to stop smiling."
So much for not letting the tears fall. Kyo never cried loudly—not since he was a child—and it wasn't going to change then either. He looked only at the city, keeping his face hidden from Yuki.
"Kyo," Yuki called quietly. "I need you to protect her here. Be with her closely here. If I get back and she or Shigure or Haru tells me that she was sad once while I was away, I'll really let you have it, stupid cat. I'm protecting her from one end and it's your duty to protect her from the other."
Kyo agreed without words.
"Oh, and keep Haru at bay," Yuki smiled. Kyo turned his head, sensing the lighthearted tone of Yuki's voice.
"No way! That stupid cow better not go PMSing everywhere!"
As always, there was an understanding between them. And with that, Yuki left to go tell Tohru, which he and Kyo both knew was going to be very, very hard.
/-/
Yuki stepped outside of Tohru's door as he heard a voice inside. Obviously, it was Tohru's.
"Mother… please…"
He listened in, pressing his slim body against the door quietly.
"I guess… there's no way to avoid it. Akito-san is choosing me to give birth to the next person who is to be the head of the Souma household. So, mom… I want you to give me the strength I need to be able to do this for them all… I want to be a great mother like you were to me. … I wonder how it happens… does Akito-san say a spell or something?"
Yuki smiled. That's just like her to only be worried about being a good mother. He knocked on the door. "Honda-san?"
She made an embarrassed noise ("Uwaaaa!!") and there was the sound of her shuffling to the desk to, Yuki guessed, put her mother's portrait back on the desk. She came to the door and slid it open.
"Yes?" she asked. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying, though that was the most apparent fact of the century.
"I need to talk to you," he calmly told her. She backed up and gestured for him to come in as well. He slid the door shut after coming in, looking to Tohru's big eyes. She faltered under his gaze.
"W-what is it?"
"I'm pretty sure you won't have to worry about being a mother just yet," Yuki said. Her face brightened just like Kyo's. Yuki wondered if Haru was going to do the same thing when he told him.
"Really? Did Akito-san choose someone else?"
"Not yet. I'm going to persuade him to."
"How?"
He tried to give her his best smile as he answered, "I'm going to stay with him until he dies in exchange for your safety."
Tohru stared at him for a moment, silent. She knew exactly what this meant, what he was going to put himself through for her.
"S-Souma-kun… aren't you afraid of Akito-san?"
"Yes, but I can't be afraid of him forever. By now, he has four months to live and then I will have nothing more to fear. I want to keep you safe, Honda-san. That's the only thing I'm worried about."
"No, Souma-kun, don't go and do that, please…"
"Honda-san, I want to do this. I already told Shigure, Hatori, my brother, and Kyo. I want to protect your smile."
Tohru started to cry again and sank to the floor. Yuki knelt beside her, rubbing her back thoughtfully. She was shaking her head almost angrily.
"Souma-kun, I will feel… awful if anything were to happen to you while you are with him. I'll never forgive myself! All of it will be my fault! I don't… I don't want to lose anyone else!!"
He was worried that she would go into hysterics, so he firmly enlightened her, "That would defeat the purpose. My aim is to keep you safe and smiling. You need to stay happy—Kyo is protecting you here while I am protecting you there. You have to make sure he does his job to keep you happy, okay?"
Tohru didn't reply at first. She continued to cry into her hand, shaking.
"Everyone always does so much for me… I'm really not worth all of the trouble. I don't mind giving birth in order to keep you all alive. It can be my way of saying thanks to you."
"Would you be able to, though? You would be expected to give birth by the end of next year. That means you would have to miss some—no, a lot of school. Next year is our senior year. Do you really want to jeopardize your final year of high school with a pregnancy? And what will your friends think? Uotani-san will instantly blame Kyo and Hanajima-san will most likely kill him. How would you explain it to them? Explaining would mean telling them about the curse.
"And even if you could do any of these things, would you want to give birth to a child born to die? Your child will be put through hell. He will suffer constantly and probably blame and hate you. Will you be able to put yourself through that? Will you be able to put your child through that? Akito's mother killed herself to avoid the pain. … Akito's goal is most likely to tear you apart, to drive you insane. He probably still wants to chase you away from this family or take you down with him—go the same route as his mother."
It was a lot to take in so Tohru was silent for quite some time. She had stopped crying—it was as if she no longer had any tears to shed. Yuki awaited her response.
"I… I wouldn't be able to do that…" she said in a very hushed voice. "I wouldn't want to give birth to a child that I couldn't love with all of my heart. I don't want to be forced to have a child…"
"Exactly," said Yuki, half-smiling. "I want to prevent you from having all of that pain. None of us want to see you sad or hurt ever. I'm going to make sure that you keep smiling."
He tilted her chin up.
"Now let's see one."
Tohru found encouragement from knowing that Yuki was so kind to her. She always knew that the Soumas cared about her, but she was truly awed by how much. Yuki would spend time with the person who frightens him the most in order to save her. She couldn't help but feel loved.
Her lips quivered with the newly found encouragement and broadened into a smile. Yuki did the same.
"Good," he stood up and helped Tohru to her feet. "Take care of Haru while I'm gone."
"Right!"
They were oblivious to the footsteps hurrying through the hall and down the stairs.
/-/
One to go… thought Yuki sadly as he descended the staircase. Haru… He walked passed the dining room and was surprised to see that the door was open and that no one was in the room at all. He raised his eyebrow as he discovered that his suitcase was also missing. He headed in the direction of the front entrance to the house and as he opened the door, he found his brother, Hatori, and Shigure near Hatori's car, placing the suitcase into the trunk—or rather, there was a forth person putting the luggage into the back… Haru?! Yuki ran outside and was greeted by Ayame while Haru said nothing.
"Yuki, we put your things in the car already," Ayame informed him. Yuki nodded in acknowledgement and looked to Haru, saying his name.
"Hatsuharu saw the suitcase after you left to tell Kyo," Hatori explained. "We had to tell him."
"I listened in on what you told Tohru," Haru said as he shut the trunk and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "It makes sense. We all want to protect her as much as you do."
"Th-the kettle is on!" Ayame chimed suddenly. "Gure-san, Tori-san, let's go in and check on it!"
Grabbing Hatori's hand, Ayame bounced merrily inside. Shigure followed solemnly behind them. Yuki leaned against the car next to Haru and for a moment, they each exchanged no words.
"… Are you mad at me?" Yuki wanted to know. The question had been burning inside him like a disease.
"You have a good reason for wanting to do it," Haru replied. "I'm not going to stop you."
"You're not?" He had honestly expected him to.
"I told you—I overheard you and Tohru talking. At first, I was going to tell you to stay, but now I can see that this needs to be done. Once again, you have lifted the blindfold from my eyes."
Yuki looked at him lovingly as Haru continued, "It's not fair for Tohru to take on our burden. She is pure and we should try our best to keep it that way. I'd like to protect her smile, too, you know. I'll protect her smile by allowing you to do this."
He paused for a moment, scratching his neck. His hand dropped back down to his side and he said, "However, I need to know about your smile. After spending Akito's dying days with him, will you be able to smile once you get home? What happens if you can never smile again? … Tohru worked hard in order to make you smile like you do now. I wouldn't want her hard work to go to waste."
His head tilted up to the sky.
"I would… I wouldn't be able to smile if you couldn't. I don't think Tohru could either."
Yuki nodded thoughtfully, closing his eyes. He paused before opening them again, saying, "I understand. I'll do my best to protect my own smile—and therefore yours."
"… I want to give you something… you know, to touch or to hold onto when you feel scared, lonely, or if you miss me," Haru told him, reaching and pulling the longest of his necklaces off. Yuki stared at it as Haru placed it into his hand.
"But Haru, I can't take this. It's your favorite necklace."
"Yes, it's my favorite," Haru smiled. "All the more reason for you to have it. … Oh, no point in putting it in your hand—let's put it on…"
So he did. Haru rand his hand down the fine string, smiling. His fingers touched the charm and ran lightly over it. He pulled suddenly, forcing Yuki forward into his arms and hugged him tightly. Yuki hugged him back just as close, fighting back tears by closing his eyes. He sniffed and breathed in Haru's scent. I won't smell this for four months… His hands pressed against Haru's back. I won't touch this for four months… Haru's body was warm next to Yuki's. I won't feel this for four months… He opened his eyes and tilted back, staring at Haru's saddened face. I won't… Haru kissed him, sliding his eyes shut.
I won't have him for four months…
/-/
As promised, Hatori took Yuki with him back to the main house once Yuki's goodbyes were done. Ayame went with them with the excuse of having to go back to the shop, but in truth he simply wanted to be with his little brother. Yuki was silent and only held onto Haru's necklace during the entire car ride.
Keep smiling. ::bows and runs away::