Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket in any way.
CHAPTER 12
Tohru and Kyo made their way over to the dojo earlier than expected, so Kyo decided to show her a few moves.
"Remember 'right straight'?" He asked.
Tohru smiled, remembering the day she first met Kagura. That was the night she and Kyo bonded on the roof, talking about karate and the like. "Yes, I remember that one well."
Kyo smiled and said, "Okay, I'll hold my hand up. You try to aim right into the center. Don't try to throw your whole body into it, because you'll fall, you're not ready for stuff like that. Just keep your feet planted and firm on the ground. And bring your arm back and push forward."
Tohru's head was spinning. Throw your whole body? Planting? WHAT! She must have misunderstood Kyo's directions because she threw her punch with her whole body and lost balance, toppling over onto Kyo. He had seen it coming as soon as she set up her stance, and held his arms out to catch her. He must have been caught off guard by her scream and fell backward, Tohru on top of him. A little space was left between them and luckily, no cloud of orange surrounded the two. Their faces were so close that they could feel the heat emanating from the other. They lay there, each staring into the eyes of the other, wanting so dearly to do the inevitable. Kyo was the first to react, tearing his eyes away from Tohru.
"I-I'm sorry."
Tohru jumped up and held out a hand to help him up. He grabbed on and hoisted himself up. "No, I'm sorry! It was my fault. I didn't really understand what you were saying. I guess I should have asked what you meant." She laughed uneasily. Their hands were still intertwined. The both pulled away and laughed again.
"Hello Kyo-kun, Tohru-chan. Nice to see you hear today." Kazuma-san walked in, smiling at the scene in front of him. Will my son ever learn? He thought, smiling.
He and Kyo spent the next hour or so working on his form. Tohru watched anxiously from the sidelines, jumping every so often. How she hated fighting. After an hour and a half, Kyo and Kazuma bowed to each other and Kyo went to wash up. Kazuma beckoned Tohru over and patted the spot next to him.
"Sit, sit. There's something important I wish to talk to you about."
Tohru obediently sat down and waited for Kazuma to speak.
"I don't know if Kyo has told you, and I'm sure he hasn't, but..." he paused. "This is one of the hardest times for the cat of the zodiac." Tohru listened intently. "You see, when the cat of the zodiac reaches his or her eighteenth birthday, they must be shunned from society. In this case, since Kyo goes to school, he is allowed to stay "free" a few months extra, and will be going into... that room in about one week. Do you understand what this means?" Tohru shook her head and Kazuma looked solemn. "It means, that after one week, you will never see Kyo again. He will be locked in a cell and never be allowed to come out. Never."
Never. He'll never be able to come out. That can't be! Tohru started to cry. Nobody noticed Kyo standing in the doorway, quietly looking on upon the conversation.
"We all thought that you should know. We have all known for a great deal of time, it's just fair that you know too. Kyo did not intentionally not tell you to hurt you. He probably didn't want you to leave like the others. I wouldn't know though, he hasn't talked to me in quite a bit of time."
"Kazuma-san, how can I help him? Is there anything I can do to help him stay... free? Anything I can do!"
Kazuma looked at the deep longing in Tohru's sea-green eyes. "Be yourself. Break the curse. That's all. Nobody's ever done it. We don't even know if there is a cure. All we can do is hope and pray. And all you can do," he said, looking at her sternly, "is be yourself. None of this other stuff. We have enough dread in our family."
Tohru bowed, "Thank you for telling me Kazuma-san."
Kyo came back out a few minutes later and forced on a happy face, as did Tohru. They walked in an uneasy silence, neither knowing quite what to say to the other. When they got to the center of town, they decided to get an ice cream. They sat down at a booth first, it looked like both wanted to talk to each other.
Kyo hesitated -
"Why didn't you tell me?" But Tohru had been quicker.
"I didn't... I didn't want you to leave me."
Tohru looked stricken. "Leave you! Why would I ever leave you! I-I l-"
Oh, gosh. I almost said it! Tohru thought, clamping her hands over her mouth.
"You what?" Kyo asked, expectantly.
"I, um. I.. I would really miss your company. You mean a lot to me Kyo, I don't know what I would do without you."
Kyo took her hand from across the table and intertwined it within his own. He rubbed his thumb upon her silky hand and she blushed, as did he.
"You have no idea how much you mean to me Tohru." He said, voice quiet.
She was quiet for a minute. "I'm going to break the curse." She said determinedly.
"What?"
"I'm not letting you leave me. I'm breaking the curse. If I don't... then... then I'm coming in with you!"
"Tohru...you can't."
She looked hurt. "Do you not want me to?"
"Yes! N-no!" He didn't know which he wanted. "You can't throw away your life just for me. I'm not worth it."
"Yes you are Kyo. To me you are."
