A/N: Okay guys…here is another one.Nice and critical comments are all welcome. Leave your e-mail if you want me to respond!
Thank You Everyone Who Commented!
Pebbled Sky: Thanks for waiting patiently! I do try to pay attention to details so thank you for noticing. I really appreciate the review!
Sayuri: A newcomer! And an excited one at that! Haha! Thank you for all of your kind remarks and for giving me something to think about with possible pairings. Additionally, thanks for reading my Kare Kano fic. You are such a sweetie. I promise some kind of happily ever after, although there be quite a bit of sadness before that point. But, don't you worry. (wink)
The girl who flamed: Ah! A Kyoru fan! I'm so torn! Well, I will see what I can do…hehe. Thanks for the review!
AnimeBunny: I, too, have a special liking for the doctor. He is so gentle and we can't help but want him to find happiness after experiencing such sorrow. Kana will reappear…I hope you find some contentment there… (smiles)
Her Spell: Wow! Thank you for all of your comments. They were wonderful. I know my fic isn't exactly what most might be looking for. I like to end things happily…but in good time. I try to be as realistic as possible. I am VERY undeserving of your praise, but appreciate it still! I hope you will keep reading!
Kawwai-kitsune: I especially had your Kyo/Yuki preference in mind when I was going over this chapter. (shrugs) Ya never know! As always, you are so kind! Thanks!
Disclaimer: The only thing original about this story is the events…all other credit goes to Natsuki Takaya.
The Plum on Her Back
Chapter 7: Echoes of a Promise – Taking One's Place as a True Member
The house was quiet except for an incessant clicking of keys. Shigure sat back for a second, stretching mildly. He'd been at it since Yuki and Kyo had dashed from the house that morning. The zodiac dog smiled. They were Tohru's fearless and valiant knights. The amused look was replaced with concern. The question had perplexed him for a while. Which one would she choose in the end? And for the one she did not choose—how would he handle it? Tohru could identify with the cat in her ability to find compassion for those that feared rejection. That was Kyo, terrified of being refused. And Yuki. What about Yuki? Was it brotherly love the rat had for this girl? Shigure doubted that. He was just better at hiding it. Even if Yuki was not aware of it yet, the dog knew he was in love with Tohru. Shigure recognized the enamored look that coated his gaze so often these days—he remembered it well.
Shigure pushed the keyboard out of range and stood up. He required some tea. Where was Tohru when you needed her? It seemed much longer than a day since she had been taken to Sohma House. He worried about her, even longed for her flighty conversation, as strange as it sounded. It's a shame she will fall for the rat or the cat some day, he thought jokingly. But the smile faded. The dog wasn't so bad, was he? He had made mistakes in his past, but he was determined not to repeat them. The one he called their "flower" would be fine; after all, she always was in the end.
The sound of the shoji opening and closing was heard from Shigure's room. That would be Yuki or Kyo. Judging by the deafening clump of feet traveling up the stairs, definitely Kyo. Puzzling, thought Shigure. Is he not visiting with Kazuma today? No doubt this will be an adventurous night of brooding on the roof for the cat.
Yes, that one was a tough egg to crack. But Tohru had done it without much effort. Only one sodden night of gallant excursions through the woods, he smirked. Shigure wondered—would Kyo be able to handle the girl rejecting his love if she could not return it? Yuki would find something to take the pain of it away. But Kyo—he was a train wreck when it came to these things.
Funny how it all works out, the novelist sat back down, forgetting the tea. Where, exactly, did he fit into the equation? Was he the guardian in all of this? The alleged adult? The voice of reason? Shigure chuckled. If those boneheads hadn't gone and fallen in love with the girl, he knew he would have just as easily done it instead. She was irresistible, after all. Compassion of immeasurable depths—a writer's most reliable tool. He titled a picture on his desk upward to escape the glare of the setting sun. In it, Shigure and Tohru were the only ones to smile. Kyo frowned of course, and Yuki mysteriously revealed no emotion. Setting the picture back into place, the dog focused his attention, again, on the computer screen. "Ahhhh, the sweet rush of inspiration."
-
Yuki leaned his hand against the porch of Shigure's house. The last thing he wanted to do was go inside. He felt like a complete failure. The rat heard scuffling sounds above him, which meant Kyo was in his usual spot. Yuki turned around to face the sky. He supposed, no—he knew Tohru was in good hands. Hatori could be trusted. He would protect Tohru from the lash of Akito's hatred. Still, his inability to be the one to deliver her from Sohma House played upon his insecurities. Then it occurred to him—Yuki hadn't been able to fully make that a reality for himself either, had he?
Another sound from the roof signaled Kyo's departure. To Yuki's surprise, the cat appeared in front of him. "You just let her go back, didn't you?" He accused.
"It's not like I had much of a choice." He was in no mood for bantering.
"You could have refused to let him take her. You should have stood up to him, for once."
Yuki tensed. What did he know? "And what about you, stupid? Why didn't you stop it from happening last night? Why are you so much talk today?"
"Because Akito couldn't give a rat's ass about me!" Yuki cringed at Kyo's choice of phrase. "You know all you had to do was bat them sissy boy eyes of yours, and he would have changed his mind."
Yuki's hand shot upward to strike him, but unexpectedly came to a halt. He blocked that? The prince was astonished. He fought to control his features so that his cousin would not reap satisfaction from the evidence of his shock.
Kyo couldn't believe it. His speed had improved. Master Kazuma would be so proud. The cat felt it, more and more every day, his skills exceeding his expectations. All he had to do was focus. Really focus. And when he did—it was Tohru that became his focal point.
Yuki caught the elated expression that emerged on his opponent's face. The cat had finally bested him. "Well—I see something finally came out of fighting bears in the mountains!"
"Aw! I told you that never happened!" A propelled fist moved with his anger, But Yuki only had to move slightly to send the stubborn cat askew.
"I guess it's time then," said the rat, cracking his knuckles with a simple flick of his hands. A trace of his asthma could be heard as he spoke. "You were born wanting this fight, and now it is your chance, Kyo. You better not screw it up!" His long limbs pitched forward, first his fist, then his right leg. When the fist was blocked, the right leg situated itself so that it could leverage his left leg into action. Kyo, not expecting this, flew full force into the heel of his cousin's foot. This sent him reeling backwards until his body hit the ground, yards away from the attack.
Yuki chuckled, coldly, as he towered over him. "Still relying on that brute strength of yours, huh Kyo? Haven't you realized that it only slows you down? Instead of making proper use of this ability, it becomes your disadvantage."
Kyo wiped the side of his cheek, where a sliver of blood had flown from the colliding of his face with stone and dirt. He flipped upward, using his shoulders to swing his body into a standing position. "You shut up!"
"Aren't you going to insult me by referring to me as a rodent?" Yuki asked sarcastically. "It might make you feel better—help you justify the humiliation that has become your life so that you can excuse yourself, yet again, from all of your failures."
While Yuki spoke, Kyo looked for a weak point in the guard his body ably upheld, even in his sleep. His left hand rested in mid air, high enough to stop a blow to his chest or face. The other one remained moderately low, resting on his waste so that it could be used either to attack or as a blocking mechanism. His posture was relaxed as always, but the zodiac cat knew better than to let that nonchalant appearance fool him.
Here goes nothing, Kyo gulped. He spun quickly, in order to advance his body into motion. He could not rely on strength, but at the speed he had awakened only recently. The rat caught the movement and guessed the cat would use his arms again. But as Kyo spun, he ducked low, his right leg successfully sweeping the ground, connecting with Yuki's legs so that he fell. The cat heard his enemy hit the ground, and could not hold back the heaviness that he carried in the force of his hand. With a clenched fist, he brought it down quickly to strike Yuki in his face.
The prince rolled, but was stopped by Kyo's other leg, where he could do nothing but suffer the force of the unexpected fist, which plummeted with remarkable speed at his jaw. The punch ricocheted his head with the ground painfully, and then he felt the weight of his cousin crush his body. Kyo had collapsed with the effort of his victory.
They lay there for several moments longer—neither quite able to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Shigure watched the spectacle with curiosity. Well now, this is a strange turn of events, he thought. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or had he just seen Kyo defeat his most loathed adversary. It was about time the cat caught the mouse at his own game. Yuki's bruised ego and face would make an effortless target for Shigure's jesting—endless entertainment really. And Kyo—the dog wondered what superior quality would shape his confidence now that his life's ambition had, instantaneously, become a reality.
A moment later, Kyo felt the rat shoving him off. He had won. It was over. He had finally overpowered his zodiac curse.
Yuki glared at him fiercely. "Don't you think for a second that this is over you mangy cat," he threatened.
Kyo, who watched his cousin's anxious expression, calmly said "You're just like him, you know."
Surprise filled the purple eyes. "What are you babbling about you stu—"
"Akito. You are just like him." Kyo took a couple steps back as insight flooded his awareness. The rat trembled. "That's right. You use people's insecurities and twist them around in their face. You exploit their weaknesses so that you can hurt them." He watched as the usually self-assured prince cowered in fear, his eyes glossed over as his pupils' dilated. "That's right! You're everything you've ever hated!"
"Kyo!" the voice was not Yukis'.
Kyo spun around, searching for the person who called him.
Shigure watched from the door. "Too far, Kyo—too far." There was a saddened and disappointed air that had deflated the dog's normally lighthearted poise. He leaned, with effort, on the pole supporting the porch, fixing his eyes on the cat. "That's enough."
Kyo shoved his hands into his pockets sulkily—though, not with the same force as the words he had just spoken. He turned away from both of them, and slowly strode into the woods.
Shigure turned to the other cousin. "Yuki—I uh—what was said—"
"He's right," came the muffled response.
"No, Yuki. He's angry." Shigure stepped forward, taking the boy by his arm. "Why don't we get you to bed for the night?" Yuki allowed himself to be led away from the shadow that was his greatest fear.
-
Tohru fidgeted nervously under Akito's sinister eyes. She saw the dark liquid in her teacup rippling, an indication that her hands were shaking due to his watchful glare. When he cleared his throat, she tried to look up expectantly, but it was obvious that her trembling did not go unnoticed. Akito slipped on his toxic smile. "I have been looking forward to this chat for a while now. Haven't you...Tohru Honda?"
The onigiri smiled nervously with closed eyes. Why did he say her name that way? Did he really dislike her so much as to pronounce it with such apparent distaste? "Yes, A—Akito. I am honored that you have given me a chance to speak with you. And I—I look forward to having more of that time in the future. As I said—um—before. I want to know you…Akito."
And there it was again. That heavy pressure on his chest. Akito's body tightened when he heard her words so that he was forced to clench his teeth. She couldn't be serious. The Sohma's had spent their entire lives trying to run from him. Why would she, of all people, care to know him? She didn't care. She was just trying to do the right thing.
He jumped at the sound of her teacup being placed on the table. "Are you alright?" she asked. Akito was shocked to see a flustered look on her face. She almost looked—well…concerned. "If you need to lie down, I understand." She stood as if to go to him.
Akito backed away. What was wrong with this girl? Tohru hesitated. His body language gave off a physical guard to ward her from helping him. She waited, silently, for him to speak. Akito put his tea on the table as well. In an attempt to regain his composure, he fixed his robes, securing them around his waste. "I am fine."
Tohru nodded, and took her seat again. She didn't know how to approach conversation with Akito. It would only anger him to ask questions about his life. Her head turned to the opened shoji. Tohru's eyes sloped dreamily. "Oh. It's such a beautiful day." It took all of her self-restraint not to run to the door and peer out. But she didn't want to make Akito too nervous by her actions. She turned back toward him. He watched her suspiciously.
"What is your favorite time of day, Akito?" she chanced.
His forehead creased, but not with thought. "What kind of a question is that? Who cares about what time of day one prefers?"
Tohru balked as if she had been scolded. "Oh—uh—I'm sorry. I mean—I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought—oh—I guess I didn't think. I mean—"
Akito awkwardly beheld the flabbergasted girl, not with annoyance, but with curiosity. What was she doing? She was stuttering, but why? "Silence!" He roared.
Tohru stopped talking.
Akito was on edge. If it would make her shut up and cease that twisting knot in the pit of his stomach, then he would talk—even if it was all nonsense. "I guess, if you must know," his eyebrow lifted disapprovingly, "my favorite time of day is morning. I'm rather fond of waking up to a dew covered earth, when the sun has barely risen and the world is still blanketed with the moisture of the cloud's humidity." As he spoke, he looked toward the outside. When he realized he had stepped down from his guard, he snapped back quickly. "Why?" the question came out harshly.
She smiled kindly. "I would have to wholly agree with you, Akito. The day is its freshest at that time of morning. It's so untouched that it is pure."
Akito didn't comment. What was the point of this talk? He cleared his throat, ending the subject. "Tell me about Shigure's house. What has it been like to live with three men? Have they been treating you well?" Not that he really cared.
The girl lit up—her entire body, even her voice. "Oh! Yuki and everyone—they have been so kind to me! I could not have asked for a more welcoming home."
Akito cringed at the word home. It would seem that he had let this girl become too comfortable in that environment. What a nuisance. "You mention 'Yuki and everyone,'" he noted. "Do you have more special feelings for Yuki than Shigure or Kyo?"
Tohru was taken aback for a moment. Upon her recovery, she aimed to choose her reply carefully. "I care about all of them…e—equally. They have been a family when I had none."
"So—you don't have feelings that extend beyond friendship for either Yuki or Kyo?" came the blunt inquiry.
Tohru blushed. What? How could he ask her that? And what should she say? "Oh! Uh—I um—"
Just then the door to the room opened. Hatori appeared, making a strong presence as usual. "Tohru, I have need for you in my office." He glanced at Akito. "If you don't mind, Akito, can I take her from you for a bit?"
Surprisingly, Akito leaned back until he lay on the ground, his hand cupped behind his head. "Suit yourself," was his response. Tohru stood at his permission. "We will continue this discussion at a later date." He announced. "But Tohru, think about the question I presented to you. I am most eager to hear your response."
She nodded, although she was not certain if he saw it. She was aware of the fact that Akito's request was law, and it was obvious by the unmistakable command in his tone. Wordlessly, she followed Hatori from the room.
When the door slid closed and he was alone with his thoughts, there came the slightest curve at the corner of his lips. Yes, I will take care of you in due time, he thought darkly. Continue smiling for as long as you are able, Miss Tohru Honda…because the home that you speak so fondly of now will soon become an insufferable memory that you will long to forget. His wicked laugh clung to the air, catching the attention of an elegant canarie sitting perched on his windowsill. It stopped cleaning it's feathers just long enough to peer at him curiously.
-
Kyo sidestepped a fallen branch along the path. Stupid rat! He thought. He was so…so…stupid! But was that what he really felt, deep down? Kyo hadn't noticed it so much over the past couple of months, but a change had occurred inside him. And it had not come about as a result of his recent victory. It had been happening for some time. Kyo frowned at the thought. Did he feel guilty for saying those things back there? Could he possibly, even a little bit, care for Yuki? Had he been so focused on winning that he misinterpreted his feelings when it came to his cousin? That just could not be possible. "I hate him," he said aloud, although, not with much conviction.
Kyo had been out of line—even for himself. What he had said to Yuki—it must have been the last words that rat would have ever want to hear about the quality of his character. Should he apologize? No! No, he would never stoop so low for his selfish cousin. He didn't deserve that after all the horrible things he had put Kyo through. Still, the cat had to wonder—Yuki never actually did anything but retaliate when Kyo provoked him. He was seldom the aggressor in their heated matches, unless he was brooding over something Kyo had done, intentionally, to make him mad.
"That bastard!" How could Kyo feel sorry for him after everything that had happened? Why? An image of Tohru Honda appeared in his mind. The girl had influenced him, no doubt, but had she done it so much that he could feel this human when it came to matters of his resentment? "Yuki—I'm sorry," the cat said pitiably to the darkness. His eyes watered uncontrollably and he silently reprimanded his act of weakness.
"It's okay," the darkness answered.
Wait a minute. Kyo whirled around. "Who's there?"
Yuki stepped from the shadows. "It's okay," he repeated. "You had beaten me in combat, and that feeling of power spilled over into words. Sometimes it feels like the only natural thing to do."
Kyo blanched. He was forgiving him? No! This had to be a trick. That rat did not have a single compassionate bone for him in his sissy-girl body. But what about that day? Weeks ago—on that day. Yuki had grasped his leg, refusing to let him run from Tohru and his humiliation at the girl seeing him in his original form. He had held him so firmly.
"Is that all we do—is run away? Is that all we do! Well I, for one, am tired of running! I don't want to do it anymore!"
Kyo, now, forced his amber eyes to meet his cousin. Why did he do it? In that unyielding grasp, Yuki had helped set him free. Sure it was Tohru that had supplied him the words, but Yuki had given him the courage to hear those words. The rat, his hated blood-cousin, enemy for life, had shown him kindness. Instead of letting Tohru deaden her heart to that ugly form, Yuki had forced her to speak.
"Miss Honda, tell him! Tell him the truth! Tell him what you think right now!"
And she had spoken at his command. He swayed her to speak her sentiments to Kyo when he could have swayed her heart away from him forever. But he hadn't. The rat had done what was right. Would he, himself, have been able to do the same thing for Yuki? It must have been so hard to listen to that small, practically invisible, conscience telling him to help Kyo. Especially after everything the cat had done in an attempt to destroy his happiness—the span of their whole lives.
Yuki waited patiently for Kyo to speak. It always did take him considerably longer than it would a normal person to verbalize words of politeness. He was so set on operating with hatred. The rat's conscience had gotten the better of him again. Shigure had begun leading him into the house, and something had come over him. Yuki had heard the tiny voice from weeks ago—speaking to him once more.
"Yuki? Why didn't you go after him? Do you—do you still hate Kyo that much?"
The memory of Kagura's words had haunted him. If Kyo knew that it was because of her thatYuki was here now, would he still look at him with such guiltily pensive eyes?
"I uh—I meant it. I was wrong, Yuki. I shouldn't have said something like that. Because—" the cat struggled to form words, "because—it wasn't true."
"No. You were right. I am like that sometimes." Yuki's eyes fell to the path beneath their feet. "I'm not proud of it, but it's—"
"Are you going to accept my apology or not!" Kyo erupted. His face blushed, and he realized his mistake. He fumbled to remedy it. "I mean—uh—no, that's not true at all. What you're saying, that is." Kyo paused. "The truth is, we all do it—all of the Sohmas. Shigure exposes our emotions. Hatori draws out all the possibilities we might not have thought of. You and I," Kyo was speaking with immense effort, "we both attack each other's insecurities. I guess it was just the environment we were brought up in. But Akito—he's different. Akito destroys by turning our own fears against us. Yuki...you don't do that."
The rat turned relieved eyes to his cousin. "Are you sure?"
Kyo nodded certainly. "I was just so—so angry at the things you were saying to me. It felt like all the things I was uncertain about had been ripped out of me." Again, the guilty flush. I guess I just…I guess I just wanted to punish you the same way."
Yuki nodded gratefully. A moment later, a taunting smirk replaced the serene facial expression. "This doesn't mean we are friends, I hope you know."
The cat glared back, shocked. "Huh?" And then his quick temper evolved. "What kinda nonsense are ya jabbin'about now, rat boy! What makes you think I would ever wanna be your friend?" He huffed.
"I've always hated him. My entire life. He's the cat, and I'm the rat. We were born hating each other. That's the way it's always been. And that's the way it'll always be."
"I wonder—who decided it had to be that way?"
Yuki chuckled softly, his lips forming into a smile. "Just checking," and with his pointer finger, he tapped Kyo in the place between his chest and his shoulder blade. It appeared to be a minor tap, but it sent the cat air bound, until he landed several yards away from him.
When Kyo was able to gain enough sense of what had happened, he looked up lividly toward his cousin.
But Yuki already had his back to him as he walked in the other direction. "See you back at the house, Kyo-Kyo."
Kyo wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or angry. Had Yuki just smiled at him? It was the smile that had thrown him more off his guard than the pressure point tap. The cat scowled. Man, he really was a talented martial artist. But Kyo had beaten him. So was that talent finally true for him as well?
A/N: How did you guys feel about the Kyo/Yuki scene(s)? I hope it wasn't too waffy, although I tend to get carried away sometimes. Sorry about that! However, I do think it is important for character growth that their relationship not remain at a standstill. They are both already so well developed, but if one of them thinks he is going to be good enough for Tohru—he better overpower that vengeful spirit and show her a measurable amount of maturity. Hmmm…which one will it be, I wonder? (Insert Akito's wicked laugh)
Speaking of the head of the household, what do you think his next move will be?
And I had to start some foreshadowing for Shigure's sake. If anyone thinks I am oocing his character by making him more serious, it is only because of what is to come. Sorry!
Well—here's a shift back in plot. Enter the unveiling of Momiji's curse…yet again! What will Kaede do? See ya next time in Chapter 8: Momo's Secret
PLEASE R/R!