"I really would like to see you in something besides black…"
I can't believe I'm doing this for a GUY… Hanajima sighed. A guy nine years older than me!
She blushed a little, and then sighed again. She stood at the door of Shigure Sohma's house. She rang the doorbell before she lost her courage.
Tohru Honda opened the door. "H-Hanajima-san! What brings you here?"
"I um… I need to borrow some clothes…" Hanajima said quietly.
"Oh! I'm afraid I don't really have many clothes that are black!"
"N… No. I want something besides black. Red, purple, or maybe even…" She twitched a bit. "…B-blue…"
"AH! What's the occasion?" Tohru excitedly led Hanajima to her room.
"I… um… have a date…" Hanajima's cheeks turned pink as she looked down at the floor embarrassedly.
"AH?" Tohru almost fell over with shock.
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Kyo watched Tohru take Hanajima upstairs. What the hell is SHE up to? Kyo shrugged. Who cares about that freak anyway? I have business to take care of.
"Oi! Yuki! You busy today?" Kyo asked hesitantly.
"Huh? No… What do you want?" Yuki looked up from his book.
"Well… I was thinking if you wanted to go to the mall with me. DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, I'M NOT ASKING YOU OUT! I just want to buy a freaking birthday gift for Tohru!" Kyo started pacing around the room blushing.
Yuki sort of just stared at Kyo in an astonished way. After Tohru was mentioned, though, Yuki smiled. "Okay. We'll get a gift for your girlfriend." He added, just to see his reaction.
"Fine… WAIT WHAT?" Kyo looked at Yuki and turned the deepest shade of red Yuki had ever seen. "WHAT MAKES YOU SAY—I MEAN HOW COULD YOU—I MEAN WE'RE NOT—TOHRU AND I…!"
Yuki chuckled a bit as Kyo stumbled around the room frantically. "Come on, stupid cat, let's go before Tohru comes downstairs."
"WHATEVER YOU DAMN RAT!" Kyo followed him, still blushing. He stopped for a minute. He realized that Yuki had called him "stupid cat" with less of a loathing tone than before. No, it won't happen! Kyo shook his head and kept walking. I hate Yuki, and Yuki hates me. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it will always stay.
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Kazuma stood in front of the mall. He had discarded his usual traditional wear and donned a regular shirt and pants. I'm early… He was a bit nervous. The truth was, he had never really been on a date with anyone.
He spotted Hanajima walking up to him. He blushed when he saw her. Her hair was out and flowing around her. She wore a simple blue dress, and she actually looked like a normal teenage girl.
Hanajima was equally surprised when she saw Kazuma not wearing a kimono. They stood blushing awkwardly for a few seconds until Kazuma finally said. "Um, shall we go then?"
"Y-Yeah…"
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Meanwhile, Yuki and Kyo were barely two steps away from them, mixed in the crowd. They were standing in front of a shop arguing over which of the three sundresses displayed on the window would suit Tohru better.
"Obviously the yellow one. It suits Tohru perfectly. It goes right with her sunny attitude." Yuki paused to smile in a brotherly way.
"No way! The lilac one would look WAY better on her! She has way too many yellow dresses anyway!" Kyo pointed to the other dress.
Yuki thought for a moment. "You're right. The lilac one would look better on her…"
Kyo stared at Yuki for a while. It wasn't like him to give in so easily. It was like something had changed in him.
"Ah, wait a second. What about this one?" Yuki pointed to the third dress. "Pink would be best on Tohru, don't you think?"
Kyo was too absorbed in his imagination of Tohru in that dress to be shocked that Yuki was asking his opinion. He blushed a little.
"Having perverted thoughts, are we?" Yuki said disdainfully.
"N-NO WAY!" Kyo lied. "I was just thinking about what Hanajima said before. Kyoko was red and Katsuya was white, so together they would be pink—Tohru." A silence hung between them for a second. "Yes… the pink one would be… perfect."
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"Ah yes, that was a pleasant movie, was it not?" Hanajima smiled in her creepy way.
"Yeah… Bloody Murder II… how pleasant." Kazuma shuddered a bit. God that girl could watch horror films. She didn't even flinch through the whole thing. "Um, are you hungry?"
"Y-yes…" suddenly Hanajima went back to being shy.
She's bipolar… "How about dinner, then?" Kazuma took her hand.
Hanajima flushed really pink as she felt his hand encircle hers. "Sure…"
They sat together eating chatting quietly about the movie for a little while, when Kazuma noticed that Hanajima's nails were still black.
"Why… Why do you always wear black, Saki-chan?" They were at familiar terms at this point.
Hanajima was quiet for a few seconds. "Such a sudden question…"
"Y-You don't have to answer. I mean, it's perfectly fine if it's just because you like the color black. If there is a reason and you don't want to tell me it's okay…" Kazuma's flustered rant faded.
"No… it's okay. It's to… atone for my sins…" Hanajima spoke softly.
"Sins…?"
"When I was younger, a boy called me a witch and forced me to do disgusting things. I wished he would die, and just like that, he almost died." There was a pause. "It was before I could control my waves. I guess I've learned not to think about or to dwell on it. She really did help me, Tohru did. But still… It was my fault that that boy ended up in the hospital. I still cannot forget my sins…" Hanajima's hair was covering her eyes, so Kazuma couldn't read her expression. "But Tohru, and Arisa and you… all of you… are still… so kind to me!" She looked up into Kazuma's eyes and he saw tears running down her face.
"Saki-chan!" Kazuma leaned over to wipe her tears as she cried. "It's okay… Everybody makes mistakes, right? It was an accident, right? You don't have to punish yourself for it all the time… It's okay now…" He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes.
"K-Kazuma-kun…" She slowly lifted her head far enough to place her lips on his. He was surprised at first, but he couldn't say he minded, so he kissed her back.
Tears of forgiveness slipped down Hanajima's face.
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"Damn, I'm so hungry I could collapse." Kyo and Yuki stumbled tiredly to the food court with shopping bags dangling from each of their hands.
"Same. I think this is good enough…" Yuki sighed contentedly as he looked at the four bags they were carrying. "Well, lets eat… Kyo?" He looked back up at Kyo. He wasn't paying attention, though. He seemed to be gaping in horror and disgust at something behind Yuki.
Yuki turned around to see a girl and a man. At first, he didn't recognize the girl. Who would recognize Hanajima when she was wearing a powder-blue dress? That is no doubt one of Tohru's dresses. What he saw next shocked him slightly and he understood what motivated Kyo's reaction. Hanajima was leaning over the table locking lips with none other than… Kazuma.
At first Yuki just stared with his mouth as wide as Kyo's, but once the shock had washed over him, Yuki did something Kyo had never seen him do before. He started laughing. He dropped the bags and collapsed in the chair laughing harder than ever.
Kyo snapped out of his horror to stare at Yuki. After a while he rolled his eyes, aggravated. "You think this is FUNNY, you damn rat? YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? I THINK MY LIFE IS JUST ABOUT OVER!"
Watching Kyo fume made Yuki laugh even harder.
"DAMN IT! SHISH—" Before Kyo could storm over to the happy couple and tear them apart, Yuki grabbed his arm.
"Don't… ruin… their moment, stupid cat." Yuki managed to gasp between his fits of laughter. After a moment, he recovered and managed to keep at just an amused smile. "No, seriously, Kyo. Let it go. Things happen. Now be a good kitty and eat your lunch."
"Hmph." Kyo sat down and reluctantly picked at his food.
"Stop moping, idiot, and just be happy for him." Now it was Yuki's turn to roll his eyes.
"It… It's not that. I just realized there was something I had forgotten… I'll be right back." Kyo got up and ran off into the crowd.
"Kyo! HEY!" Yuki yelled after him, but he couldn't hear him.
I know I shouldn't… I don't deserve her… But still… Is it so wrong to be in love? Is it so wrong to want the one you love to love you back?
Kyo found what he was looking for. A necklace: A crystal heart on a silver chain. I want to give her my heart, for she has already captured mine. He thought as he bought it.
Yuki saw Kyo returning a few minutes later with a small plastic bag hanging from his fingers. As soon as Kyo had set the bag down on the table Yuki lunged for it. "Jewelry, huh? Is it for your girlfriend?" Yuki chuckled. He had expected Kyo to get flustered again, but instead he looked up to see Kyo looking down at the table.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" He asked quietly.
"If you mean Tohru or anyone like that, no. And if you mean Akito, your secret's safe with me." Yuki smiled and tilted his head as he put the box back into the bag. "But it is awfully sweet of you. Who knew the stupid Kyo had it in him to be romantic?"
Kyo blushed. "Shut up… damn Yuki…"
How was it so simple for that hate between them to diminish so quickly? They couldn't say they were best friends, but at this point, they couldn't say they hated each other either. How could this have happened? There was no more "damn rat" and "stupid cat", but instead it was "damn Yuki" and "stupid Kyo". The cat and rat—no, Yuki and Kyo didn't feel enmity towards each other anymore. It must be the work of that girl. It must be Tohru's gift to them.
The curse... It's fading... My grip is slipping...