Yes, thank you for all of the suggestions for the bell chime. If you're still confused as to what exactly a bell chime is, go here for the best picture I could find: http:img. photobucket. com / albums / v446 / SakuraBubbles / newgreenchime.jpg. Without the weird spacing, a'course, and with the double slashes that won't let me do. I found it whilst searching on Google. Anyway, I made one too a long time ago.
I made the top bell part out of clay and yeah, hardened it. And then that piece there at the bottom is made out of metal or paper... mine was out of copper. And I painted the bell part orange and then drew Pokéballs all over because I'm so cool.
And there's a tiny clinky... thing that baps the inside of the bell when the wind tosses the chime. And stuff.
Anyway, this is too long, but… yeah enjoy this and stuff. Oh hey Hella Good by No Doubt just started playing on my playlist. Ain't that swell?
"Are you sure you'll be all right by yourselves?" asked Shigure to the trio of teenagers. Ayame was bubbling at Hatori's side behind Shigure, daydreaming (and describing his daydreams in detailed prattle) about the weekend ahead. Kyo gave Shigure a look.
"Of course we'll be all right. It won't be any different with you gone—you don't do anything around the house. If anything, it'll be quieter around here."
Shigure pouted, whining about how Kyo was so mean to him, which caused Kyo to yell at him for acting like a little brat. Shigure sighed overdramatically.
"I just can't win with you Kyo-kun—"
"BRAT!"
"—but Haa-kun," Shigure turned to said ox boy, "make sure that Kyo-kun doesn't do anything untoward Tohru-kun while I'm away."
Tohru freaked out and looked acted like she were going to explode and Kyo yelled at Shigure even louder as if to cover up for his face turning crimson. Haru said nothing in return.
"Also, Haa-kun, how are you planning on getting to the studio this weekend?" asked Shigure after being able to ignore Kyo. Haru thought a moment.
"Kohiko said she's coming to get me so it's no trouble. If anything, I could always walk there."
"'Walk there,' he says…" Kyo remarked. "This coming from the guy who got lost upstairs and wound up locked in Tohru's closet."
"That was an accident and it was dark out! Shut up!"
Suddenly, Ayame beamed. "They'll be fine, Gure-san! Come! Let us be off!"
"One more thing," Hatori started, his eyes on Haru. "You are not allowed to call the main house for anything. You know what will happen if you do."
Haru trailed his eyes to Tohru. We've come this far. I'm not going to screw it up now.
"No worries. I'll be so busy with the modeling and schoolwork, I won't have time for phone calls. Yuki probably won't even cross my mind at all."
The last part was a lie but he added it to further ensure Hatori that he was trustworthy. He also soon put in the fact that he would never want to mess up what they've all worked so hard toward. Although she tried to hide it, Tohru looked relieved.
"Good then," replied Hatori as he turned, slipping his feet into his shoes. Ayame abruptly smiled widely to Haru.
"Haa-chan, I get a lot of people coming into the store looking for you. It's amazing how many more customers I get nowadays, too! I really should thank you!"
After finishing his sentence, he started a random conversation with Tohru. Haru sighed, faltering. Then thank me already…
"Considering the type of store that moron runs," started Kyo, looking to Haru, "I think you should be scared."
Ayame brought himself back into the conversation and inquired of the ox boy, "Do you get hounded at school?"
Haru didn't answer and looked down to hide his eyes with his bangs. Tohru smiled knowingly—there was now a Prince Haru fan club to rival the Yuki fan club—and then said her goodbyes and farewells to the men as they left the house. She gazed happily at Kyo and Haru.
"What do you want to eat for lunch?"
"Don't we need to go shopping?" asked Kyo. Tohru blinked and raised a fist in the air.
"That's right! I made a list!" she cried, zooming into the kitchen. Kyo grinned.
"Doofus."
"I think I'm gonna go up in my room and read," said Haru, looking at the stairs. Kyo raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall.
"You don't wanna come shopping?"
"Naaah… plus, shouldn't you be spending a lot of one-on-one time with her? It's nearly your third month anniversary, right? Wasn't your first date something like the second of August?"
Kyo blushed and made a face. "H-how did you…?"
"You have it marked on your calendar; I saw it while gathering the laundry," Haru answered and absently stroked at his bangs. Kyo stammered, "W-well, I just didn't wanna forget, y'know? That's not until this Thursday anyway!"
"Got anything to do in mind?"
Kyo looked to the side at nothing in particular. "We haven't decided on anything yet…"
"Postpone it until Friday night. I'll get Shigure out of the house somehow so that you two can have a nice private candlelight dinner or something after… seeing a movie maybe?"
"And you?"
"Photo shoot."
Kyo verbalized his understanding, thinking over Haru's proposition. It was then when Tohru returned, a piece of paper in her dainty hand.
"I had to add a few things, but we should be all set."
"Shall we then?" asked Kyo, holding out her jacket so that she could wriggle her arms into the sleeves. As she did the said action with Kyo's help, she gazed over to Haru. "Hatsuharu-san, aren't you coming?"
He shook his head. "I'm gonna be reading some stuff upstairs. Call up to me when you get home and I'll help put the groceries away."
"I can handle it," said Kyo. "Plus, your headphones will be too loud. You won't be able to hear us."
A sly grin crossed Haru's face. "I won't be able to hear you two? Didn't Shigure say something about not doing anything untoward Tohru?"
"Shut UP! Gah!! I'm gonna kill you!" yelled Kyo, rushing after the ox boy despite Tohru's protests ("Kyo! You have your shoes on!"). Eventually, after some coaxing from said rice ball, Kyo was able to let it go and the two departed, leaving Haru home alone. He crawled onto, but not into, the bed once he was in his room and reached under his pillow to grasp "Yuki-chan" in his hand.
"Not too much longer now, right Yuki?" He dropped his head upon the pillow, holding the stuffed animal close. "Hatori said that Akito doesn't have much longer to live… soon, I can hold you in my arms again."
What Haru didn't know was that at that very same moment, Yuki was gazing out of his window back at the main house. It was the exact window from where he had sat by when Haru confessed his naïve hatred from him. That wasn't his only encounter with him by that window; however, it was the most momentous event. But Yuki, as he ran his thumb over Haru's necklace, looked back on some of the other times fondly.
"Why are you always here?" Haru had asked, his big eyes questing. Yuki turned his head to address him with a smile.
"My parents keep me here because I'm sick," he had replied. Haru blinked.
"Sick? Is it contagious?"
"I don't think so."
"Oh good," Haru had sounded so relieved. "That means I can keep visiting you!"
"I thought you said you hated me."
"No, no, I don't."
He came often after practicing his martial arts with Kyo and one day, Yuki had asked him why he continued to see him.
"…Why do you continue to come here?"
Haru had given him a big smile, basking in his naïve way. "Because I love you!"
This had, at first, boggled Yuki. No one had ever really liked him, let alone love him. As the rat, he was a very special child, but that didn't mean he was well liked. Being quarantined from everyone else and also being under Akito's strict control did indeed put a damper on making friends. He had stared at Haru, confused.
"L-love? I don't really know what that is."
"You know when you love someone because your heart hurts every time you see them or think about them."
"Your heart hurts? Isn't that bad?"
"It's a good kind of hurting, the kind of hurt you crave for."
"Oh… well, then, I love you, too."
Yuki ran his hand along the circular window frame as he remembered. How ironic…
Sadly enough, Yuki's confession was forgotten when Haru was taken away from him. Apparently, some of the adults spotted the boy where he should not have been and was forbidden from going to Yuki's section of the main house. Yuki went into a mental downward spiral after not seeing Haru and also thanks to Akito's suddenly more frequent demands.
Yuki had been under the impression that both he and Haru were being punished for loving each other so from then on, Yuki promised himself not to fall in love again, which explained his cold behavior towards Haru afterward. He had forgotten his confession entirely and continued to keep Haru (and by that time, everyone) away.
Yuki put his hand to his heart, sliding his eyes shut. It's so strange… I pushed you away and forgot what I had told you back then. It must have been hard for you, knowing that I had indeed told you my feelings.
And yet he never gave up.
I'll make it up to you, I promise. When I get back, I'll show you just how much I love you.
/-/
"It actually looks very nice in the fall, Haa-san," Shigure commented as he pulled his luggage out of the trunk. He noticed that Ayame had already merrily skipped inside of the villa, he pulled out Ayame's suitcase as well. Hatori gazed at the trees with a distant look on his face.
"Yes… it will be nice to relax for an entire weekend. I just hope that Akito doesn't put too much strain on himself or Yuki."
"Uuugh! Don't worry about Akki, Tori-san!" yelled Ayame from the door to the house. Shigure stared at him. Only he would give him a nickname…
"I forbid you to talk about, think about, anything about Akki all weekend!" Ayame continued loudly. "As for my brother, only 'about' him a little bit."
Hatori rolled his eyes and headed inside with his small suitcase. Ayame was rushing through the house with a dust cloth, singing about wanting the place to look beautiful for his "Tori-Tori-Tori-san." Shigure smiled at Hatori's grave face.
"I suppose this isn't a good time to tell you that Aaya wants us all to share the same bed?"
Hatori sighed. "I had a feeling that was going to happen anyway."
"Oh good! I'll go put our stuff away!" Shigure cheered as he bounced off with their bags.
/-/
A loud bang coming from downstairs broke Haru out of his slumber with a start. "Yuki-chan" was flung from his hand and onto the floor. He quickly went to pick it up, staring at it.
"What the—"
There was another sound coming from below and Haru rushed out into the hall. A burglar?
He slowly descended the stairs, reminding himself that it very well might be Tohru and Kyo returning. Once he got to entrance hallway, he noticed two things. The first was that the door had been shoved open and the second was that a different pair of shoes lined up haphazardly next to the others. Well, if it's a burglar, they're at least kind…
Haru peeked around, looking for said intruder, first looking into the kitchen. When he saw that no one was there, he backed up, his destination now the dining room.
"Oof!"
He had backed up right into someone and he turned around quickly, ready to sock the person right in the nose. But he stopped and blinked.
"Kagura?"
"Hiiiii Haru-chan!" she smiled and wrapped her arms around him happily. "How've you been?"
"I-I'm all right… what are you doing here?"
"I came to visit Kyo-kun and Tohru-chan of course!" she answered, backing away to gaze at him sweetly. "No one answered when I first knocked… and then no one even answered when I broke in! Where were you?"
"Upstairs, asleep. Kyo and Tohru are out grocery shopping," Haru informed her. She nodded and followed him into the kitchen as he offered her a glass of milk. She happily accepted.
"Ah, thank you. Yu-chan is doing well, you know. He told me to tell you that he was able to buy one of the magazines that you were in."
A blush spread across his face and he said, "Aaah… it's so embarrassi—" Haru halted. "… Wait… he's allowed to talk to you?"
"Huh? Well, of course he is. After all, I'm the—"
"We're home!" called Tohru sweetly from the entrance hall. Haru called back his greeting to her and she replied, "Oh, Hatsuharu-san, I didn't think you'd hear me—where are you?"
"In the kitchen," Haru smiled to Kagura because the girl was trying to contain her excitement, shaking slightly. She softly whispered that she wanted to surprise the two. When they heard Tohru heading to the kitchen, Kagura readied herself to pounce on the rice ball. Tohru smiled to Haru as she came in and the next thing she knew, she was getting squeezed by Kagura.
"Tohru-chaaaaaaaaaan!"
"Ahhh! Kagura-san!"
"Kagura?" came Kyo's voice. He entered the kitchen and stared at the two girls. "Whoa! What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit Tohru-chan, of course!" cheered Kagura, hugging Kyo, but not as tightly as she used to. She released him and looked at him dearly. "And to see how you were holding up."
Kyo found himself smiling and decided that he was more fond of the boar when she wasn't in love with him. "Things are pretty good, I guess. And you?"
"I'm all right! Say, Kyo-kun, would you allow me to steal your girlfriend for… an hour or so? I'll bring her right back!"
"Uh… sure," said Kyo blinking. Tohru fretted a bit.
"But what about lunch? And the groceries?"
"I can put the groceries away," said Haru, taking the bags out of the girl's hands. "And Kyo can make lunch. He's a big boy now."
"Yaaaaay!!" cheered Kagura as she tugged Tohru out of the kitchen forcefully. Tohru made a few noises of surprise and alarm as Kagura handled her right out the door. A gust of wind swept a few leaves by the open door and Kyo stared after them with his arm half extended as if to grab Tohru back. Haru started putting the groceries away, ignoring the fact that Kyo stood there for half a minute, mouth wide open and still reaching.
"A while back," spoke Haru, "I thought Kagura would distance herself from Tohru."
Kyo shook his head and turned toward the pantry, depositing some of the groceries inside. "Kagura's not like that. One, she seemed fond of Tohru from the beginning and two I don't think she could distance herself from someone so close and important to me. It's against her nature."
Haru nodded and Kyo looked over to him. "It was the same with you for that damn rat, right? Before you two became something, you were like Kagura… you could never feel hatred toward the person he chose over you, right?"
"… Right… I feel happy realizing that I am the person he chose…"
Kyo watched him for a moment and vaguely wondered just how Kagura felt. He would never bring himself to ask… but he figured that he would always wonder. He would have been torn apart if Kagura ended up hating Tohru... He shook his head and continued with the groceries.
/-/
"HAHAHA!"
"You really have nothing to laugh about, Aaya. We're lost."
Ayame shook his head. "Never! We merely don't know the way back to the house! I know exactly where we are, just not the house!"
Shigure sighed. "You sound like Haa-kun…" He suddenly decided to take this at a different approach. "Oh well… it's not like I mind getting lost with you, Aaya…"
"Gure-san, you know just how to keep me warm!" Ayame cooed to him, hugging his arm tightly. "Although, I would have liked it better if Tori-san had come with us."
"Mmhmm… but Haa-san is very tired, right?"
"Of course he is! He has to deal with Akki and then my poor young brother."
The two stayed silent, just walking quietly in the forest, Ayame still hanging off of Shigure's arm. Ayame had three layers of clothing on, the first being a long sleeved white turtleneck, the second a dashing royal blue vest, and the third a long blue overcoat which he wore as though he were a noble king. His pants were also white and made out of a thick material to keep him warm. Shigure's body heat also helped, but Ayame couldn't help but shiver.
"We need to find the house…" Ayame said quietly. Shigure stopped and tilted his head to the side.
"Well… we shouldn't be too far now… do you have another coat to wear?"
"Yes, I packed another away."
"I'm pretty sure that we're either really close to the house or to the lake—… oh, sorry, Aaya…"
The apology was given because they had indeed been closer to the lake rather than the house. Ayame sighed, detaching himself from the novelist.
"Gure-san, as a dog, I thought you had a better sense of direction!"
"He's no dog, he's a mutt," said a voice. The two men looked over in surprise to see Hatori standing by the lake. It seemed as though he had been there for a bit. Ayame bounced over to him and while he did not bounce, Shigure followed.
"Tori-san! I didn't know that you were here!" cheered Ayame. Hatori shrugged.
"I decided to go for a walk and my feet led me here."
"Ah—your sea horse instincts led you to the water," said Shigure teasingly. Hatori's eyes widened rather spookily and he would have threatened him, but Ayame spoke up.
"Tori-san, why didn't you want to walk with us?"
Hatori calmed, putting his hand to his eyes, his thumb rubbing his temple softly. "Because I didn't know myself that I was going to walk. It just sort of happened."
Ayame let out a disappointed noise and grasped Hatori's hand in his, suggesting that they go down to the lake's shore. The three men headed down, one a lot less enthusiastic than the others.
"Oooh! How marvelous!" cheered Ayame as he ran out on the long dock. Shigure called after him, "Don't fall in, Aaya; you know you can't swim!"
"I'll be fine!"
Hatori sighed. "If either of you fall in, I'm not jumping in to get you. I have a very nice shirt on and—"
"Yes, it is rather nice, Haa-san," said Shigure in a low voice, passing his finger over one of the buttons of the fresh white shirt as he walked by. Hatori looked down to see that the button Shigure has touched was undone and quickly did it back up. At Hatori's glare, Shigure grinned.
"I'm quick with my hands, Haa-san…"
"Shigure—"
"Gure-san! Tori-san! Come heeeere!" Ayame beckoned sweetly from the long dock. Hatori was not surprised to see him at the far end, waving gaily. Shigure was already swiftly walking down the dock, reaching halfway when he turned, looking at Hatori. "You coming, Haa-san?"
Hatori looked at him impassively, wondering why he kept saying his name over and over and with that tone… He sighed, determining he'd never understand his long time friend and walked over the sandy shore to the dock. Despite Shigure and Ayame's teasing, he wasn't around water very much. He was good at swimming but didn't do it often. He never had time for it anyway, what with Akito's ever-dwindling health and having to deal with covering Yuki's bruises. He winced thinking about it, although he only had himself to blame.
"Where is it this time?" he had once asked of the boy. Yuki had shaken his head and removed his shirt, exposing a bruise near his collar bone and another below his beating heart. Upon inspection, Hatori had discovered a cracked rib. Yuki had sighed and put his face into his hands.
"As long as you bandage it up so no one can see…"
He didn't want Haru or Tohru seeing his wounds. He felt ashamed and didn't want their pity.
Hatori's eyes narrowed despite his mind's protest. And although he himself could never figure out what Shigure was thinking, it was just the opposite with Shigure to him. His dark eyes rested on Hatori's face.
"You're not thinking about Yuki-kun, are you?"
Ayame opened his mouth to boast his opinion on this but Hatori spoke quickly and firmly before he had a chance.
"I'll make it up to them. Yuki and Hatsuharu, that is."
"You're regretting what you've done?" asked Shigure. There is always regret… thought Hatori as he pulled out his lighter. Ayame sighed as Hatori also got out his cigarettes.
"My goodness… Tori-san, must you pollute the air with that horrid habit?"
"Yes," was the only response he got besides the flicking of a newly born flame, living long enough to start burning the butt of the cigarette and then dying out.
"How will you do that?" Shigure inquired further of Hatori's statement. "Haa-kun may never forgive you for what you've done but won't show it unless he goes… well, Black. He has too much respect for his elders—he's wise beyond his years and always has been, will be. Yuki-kun also respects you, but you've tested and broken that respect and trust, and he probably will never forgive you for it. Yuki-kun has a very biting anger, don't you think? I almost hope that's what brings Akito-san down… brings his end."
Ayame had heard enough, he decided. He stomped his foot down on the plank below him hard.
"I will NOT tolerate anymore talk of Akki—"
But apparently, the dock would NOT tolerate the strain of Ayame's weight amplified by the stomp and with a loud crack, the plank split. Ayame fell backwards into the water with a yelp, sending water and wood everywhere. Shigure burst out laughing, peering over the edge.
"Aaya! Grab my hand!" he yelled, extending his arm. However, when Ayame gripped his savior's hand, he pulled him down as well, sending them both spiraling in the water. The weight of all of Ayame's clothing was keeping him down and Shigure found he could not combat it—especially considering the fact that he had always cut swim class at school and therefore only knew how to doggy paddle. Hatori grimaced and dove in swiftly, wrapping and arm around Ayame's waist and swimming with the other, leaving Shigure to his own devices. Shigure paddled slowly behind them.
When they reached the shore, Hatori deposited the silver haired nuisance and leaned over on his side, glaring at the water. Shigure shook his head to get water out of his hair, much like a dog would, and looked to Ayame.
"Aaya, you bastard! You could have killed us!"
"I apologize, Gure-san, Tori-san. I did not anticipate being brought under—"
He was interrupted with a soaking wet shirt slopping him in the head, bringing him down to the sand. Shigure smiled to the now shirtless Hatori as the doctor said, "You owe me a new shirt, Ayame."
Hatori caught sight of Shigure's smile as the novelist said, "If you're cold, Haa-san, I can keep you warm—"
Before Shigure could finish, on the other hand, was socked in the head by a small soggy box.
"And you owe me a new pack of cigarettes."
/-/
"Aaah, it's such a warm day out, isn't it?" asked Kagura, smiling as the sun pleasantly beat down on their faces. It was nearly evening and the girls were headed back to the house after a nice lunch together, talking about many things. One of the subjects happened to be the fact that Kagura had a new man in her life, something that both girls were very cheerful about.
Kagura had told her that she had met her boyfriend, Takeshi, at a fair that her women's college was holding. He had been friends with someone dating her best friend there and so they had met and danced and ended up talking all through the rest of the fair. She had discovered that his name was Souma Takeshi, and she revealed to him her own family name as well. She couldn't help but ask him if he knew about the zodiac curse and came to find out his grandfather had been the previous ram.
The girls continued talking about him on the way home.
"I told him all about Kyo-kun the night I met him," Kagura said, "and didn't even notice how sad he had gotten in my blind love for Kyo-kun. He asked if he could see me again and I wasn't about to turn down a new friend… so we saw each other for dinner a few times following that. Little did I know that he saw these dinners as dates while I saw them merely as friendly get-togethers… that is until he kissed me one night—four nights before you found out about Kyo-kun and his true form.
"I told him that I was engaged to Kyo-kun and only to him and he suddenly grew angry. 'He doesn't appreciate you! He never bothers seeing you! Stop wasting your time with him and be with me!' he said… over and over. I was so stupid… I was biased and saw this as mere jealousy and ignored him for the next couple of days. On the fourth day, I decided to visit Kyo-kun myself to find out what he thought about me… when I got there, it was easy to see how much he loved you."
Tohru looked at her blankly. "Easy?"
Kagura went on, "I had no idea that Kazuma-san was going to do what he did. It was all a coincidence that I was there in the first place. From the sidelines, I watched what happened. … You know the rest."
Tohru nodded. "And Takeshi-san?"
"I returned to him in full swing, deciding to give him a chance. I found that I loved him with a different love than what I felt for Kyo-kun, probably because Takeshi-kun returned the feelings and they weren't forced."
"Forced?" Tohru inquired innocently.
"Well, yes, my feelings for Kyo-kun were a bit forced because I had selected him to father my child. I mean, I loved him for many reasons besides that, but being the chosen for the mother of the core was the majority of it—"
"Mother of the core?" asked Tohru, stopping in her tracks. Kagura continued walking forward, turning so that she could face Tohru and walk backwards. She gripped Tohru's hands and pulled her along.
"I take it you were never informed… though, I guess that's to be expected. I have always been the chosen mother of the core. I was a bit surprised when I heard that Akito had made the decision of making you the mother instead… it devastated me. I went to the main house to try to persuade Akito to let you off and discovered what Yuki was doing. Using his sacrifice as something to back up my argument with Akito, I was able to get him to change his mind. Gained me a black eye though."
"But…" Tohru wasn't sure what shocked her more: the fact that Kagura had always been the next mother or that she had argued against Akito for her safety. In a way, Tohru felt as though she was taking everything away from Kagura—first Kyo and then her freedom to have a normal baby rather than a cursed one. She expressed this verbally to Kagura.
"Tohru-chan! You're not taking anything away from me!" Kagura exclaimed, squeezing on Tohru's hands. "My freedom has not been lost—I'm allowed to have a child with the man I love even if that child will be burdened with the core of the curse. I will cherish him and love him with all my might and I'll never bring him up to be like Akito-san, I'll be with him as he suffers from the curse and so will Takeshi-kun.
"As for Kyo-kun, it was inevitable. He… really didn't love me as… intensely as I did and in time and with Takeshi-kun… with his knowing words, I would have finally realized it, whether you were there or not. Kyo-kun would have eventually fallen for a different girl and I would have to deal with this anyway. Even if he never fell for anyone else, I would have noticed that he never loved me.
"Tohru-chan, listen to me. I have been prepared to do this since before I could remember. By no stretch of the imagination are you responsible for doing something as great as this for this family. There are only three girls in the zodiac this generation and there's no way that Kisa-chan could do it… and the other girl isn't at all dependable for that."
Tohru could only listen since she hadn't met that member yet. Kagura continued on.
"I am the first of the zodiac girls and also the only one capable of doing this task. I'm old enough to take responsibility and give birth."
"But you're only a few years older than I am!" protested Tohru.
"Yeah? And? What does it matter? Does that make you more fit to give birth to a cursed child? I've braced myself for this my entire life. You are not responsible for this family. Thank you for caring enough to worry about me."
She let go of Tohru's hands and turned around, gesturing ahead. Tohru saw that they had made it back to the house as they were talking. The boar smiled back to her and turned around to give her a big hug.
"I'm leaving now. Today has a lot of fun."
"… Does Kyo know?" asked Tohru as Kagura pulled away. She shook her head.
"No… he's never known. Only Akito-san, Ha'ri, and I know. Oh, well, you and Takeshi-kun as well. Ah, ah, and Yu-chan, too."
"Why Hatori-san?"
"He's the one who places the curse on the baby. It comes along with his memory erasing power from being the dragon."
"Oh… I didn't know that."
Kagura giggled. "Of course you didn't. Well! I hope that you and Kyo-kun remain happily together, okay? If Kyo-kun hurts you, I'll make him hurt ten thousand times more, okay?"
"… R… Right… good luck to you and Takeshi-san, too."
After another wave and verbal goodbye, Kagura turned and left. Tohru headed into the house, her feet shuffling a little.
"I'm home…"
"Oh, Tohru," came Haru's greeting. He poked his head out from the kitchen. "Welcome back. Kyo is upstai—hey, what's wrong?"
Tohru scooted out of her shoes and stepped into the walkway, removing her coat. "Kagura-san… is the one chosen to become the next mother of the head of the house, the core…"
Haru stared, mouth agape. He recalled his earlier conversation with Kagura. "… Wait… he's allowed to talk to you?"
"Huh? Well, of course he is. After all, I'm the—" She was going to tell him that she was allowed to talk to Yuki because she was to be the next mother. It made sense then, Haru realized. He softened his face, looking almost bashful in front of Tohru.
"I'll… go get Kyo for you…"
"No, Hatsuharu-san, that's all right. I'm going to go up myself and tell him."
"… Okay."
But as she passed him and got one foot upon a stair, her knees gave out and she fell down, hitting her chin on one of the higher stairs. Haru rushed to her side, helping her sit up and walking with her to the kitchen to grab a towel to dab at her chin in case it bruised or anything. Her chin wasn't as red as her cheeks, however, which were burning crimson.
"Aaah… I'm so clumsy…"
"You… aren't fooling me."
Tohru stared at him as he pulled his hand away, looking at her intensely. She then looked away and gave a small chuckle and Haru assumed (correctly) that it was to cover for a sob.
"Everyone around me is getting hurt for my sake… suffering for my sake. And all I can ever do is cry! I'm so weak, Hatsuharu-san! I can't even hold myself up! I don't know how long I can do this!"
"Tohru, look at me," Haru ordered. She hesitated before she actually was able to look him in the eye. He continued, "You are much stronger than you think you are. The entire Souma family knows this—it's why Akito fears you so much. You are our strength, you are what helps us face our fears. We are cursed… and yet you are our strength. Nothing about you is weak at all, Tohru. If you were truly weak, do you think that people would put themselves through such strife simply for your safety?"
She didn't answer, but Haru knew that he got his point across. He quickly ran an open hand over her head and through her hair. "Go talk to Kyo. There are things that can be said that will mean much more to you if he says them."
Tohru nodded slowly and headed out of the kitchen. Haru watched her go before tossing the damp towel into the sink, sliding against the cabinet door to the floor to sit. He hung his head and tangled his own fingers into his mixed hair.
"She doesn't even know how special she is…" he said quietly, not caring that he was talking to himself. "I owe her so much… if she hadn't broken Yuki out of his shell, I wouldn't be where I am right now… thank you, Tohru. I owe you everything."
/-/
Ayame tipsily passed over the sake cup to Shigure, grinning like a fool. "Gureeeee-san, you should really learn how to hold yourrr liquorrr…"
Hatori sighed and rolled his eyes, sipping almost delicately from his cup. He refused to share with either of the two bumbling idiots in front of him, but he wasn't one to pass up a good bottle of sake. He let out a grunt when Shigure leaned into him, offering to do something Hatori would rather not repeat. He had to admit, he was feeling the intoxication of the drink, but he'd never get as bad as those two.
"Ohh, Tori-Tori-san," started Ayame, looking over with dazed eyes. "Did you know that Kana just gave birth?"
He hadn't. "… Of course I did. It's in the records."
"Oh… is there a picture? Is she cute?"
"Yes, very."
"Uh-huh…what'd they name her?"
"… I don't know."
"Well, of course you wouldn't know. They gave birth to a boy, after all."
Hatori looked away and sipped more of his sake. "I got confused with a different birth in the family."
"Right," Shigure eyed him. "You had no idea she gave birth, did you?"
Hatori forced him out of his arms rather roughly. "Shut the hell up." Ayame suspected that he was starting to get tipsy from the sake as he continued with a slight slur, "I don't care about Kana… she's married and I don't care. I don't care about Kana."
Ayame prattled on. "It's a fat baby, apparently. Nine pounds—"
"That's enough!" snapped Hatori, thrusting his cup angrily in Ayame's direction as if to threaten him. "I just said that I don't care."
"Hmph! Stop being so moody, Tori-san!" Ayame whined. Shigure passed a look to his silver haired friend.
"Aaya, would you mind running into the kitchen to grab me some rice balls? There should be some in the fridge… just heat them up for me, okay?"
Ayame sighed but obliged, shuffling into the kitchen. Hatori ignored Shigure, sitting back to rest on the palms of his hands, looking up.
"Why… does he always bring her up? Is he trying to get me worked up?"
"As horrible as it sounds, I think he may be just doing that," Shigure spoke, resting his chin in his hand. He was facing Hatori rather nonchalantly, although his eyes looked almost hungry.
"That's stupid," said Hatori, rolling his head onto his shoulders. He brought one hand to his brow. "Ugh… I hate drinking…"
Shigure scooted back to sit next to him and reached over to pet the back of Hatori's head. Hatori was too angry/drunk/sad to care.
"… What happens… if I have to erase Hatsuharu's memories… or Yuki's? One of them is going to be hurt and it will be my fault for not stopping Akito in the first place for when…"
Shigure pulled him closer. "Heh, I thought for sure that you of all people, Haa-san, would understand that tormenting yourself over the past does nothing but delay the future. Why don't you help them out by releasing Yuki-kun? You're letting up a little by letting them talk over the phone, but… Haa-san, you even warned Haa-kun not to call the main house."
"I'm only looking out for Tohru. Akito found out that they were talking on the phone… Yuki paid for it with—actually, I'm sure he'd rather I didn't tell you about it. And I paid for it with…" He shook his head. "Watching."
Shigure rubbed his back affectionately. "Well, I understand that you don't want to see anymore suffering. It is awful that—"
He stopped because he felt Hatori slide a hand up his chest to his shoulder, fixing himself to look at Shigure as he lay in his arms. When Shigure tried to continue, Hatori leaned upward and caught Shigure's mouth in a soft kiss. Despite his initial surprise, Shigure was able to return the kiss after a moment before regretfully pulling away.
"Haa-san…"
He shivered and couldn't help but smirk a bit as he felt Hatori kissing his neck. He determined two things: he liked it when Hatori was drunk and also that his plan to get Ayame out of the room was delightfully fruitful. After all, there were no rice balls in the refrigerator, but he knew that Ayame would search until dawn if someone let him.
Shigure moved slightly, putting his hands to the side of Hatori's face so he could kiss him again, forcing his mouth open with his tongue friskily. He grew wickedly surprised when he felt Hatori kiss him back, not as fiercely, but definitely with some feeling to it. Hatori's hands rubbed down Shigure's arms as he moved his head down to get back at Shigure's neck. Shigure tilted his head to the side to give the other man more access, but Hatori stopped suddenly, breathing softly against him.
"… Shigure."
Shigure looked down to see Hatori gazing up at him with his mouth gaping. "… I think I'm going to be sick." ((way to go Ha'ri))
Shigure instantly helped him get up, walking him to the bathroom, passing the kitchen to yell for Ayame to bring water. Shigure coaxed Hatori as he coughed up what little food he had in him and then brought the cup to his lips. Ayame was freaking out to the side of Shigure, hastily taking the cup back and filling it with tap water, almost spilling it all over Shigure's head.
"Ayame," spoke Hatori, looking up. It seemed as though he had regained his composure. Ayame stared at the doctor as he continued, "Actually, both of you. I want to clean up a bit. Make me something to eat… please."
Shigure nodded and led Ayame out of the bathroom. Upon entering the kitchen, Ayame bitterly asked, "Why don't we get the rice balls out of the fridge to give to Tori-san?"
Shigure couldn't help but sigh. "Sorry, Aaya, I must've forgotten that we ate them all."
"Hmph. Right."
Shigure knew that the slight anger would pass soon and continued to gather some food for Hatori. He hoped Ayame hadn't seen them kissing. However, as he slid his eyes over to the snake, he determined that he actually didn't care either way.
Hatori stared at the face in the mirror, wet with the water he just splashed it with. He shook his head to get any possible water out of his bangs and padded his face with a towel. He decided to sit on the floor and stare into the towel idly until one of the others came in for him.
He didn't know why he kissed Shigure like that and didn't know why he wasn't regretting it either.
Oh! Did I forget to warn you about that? Well, don't I just suck. Two chapters, maybe three, remain, folks. HOPEFULLY chapter 14 will be completed in time. ::bows and runs away::