Chapter Five
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Tohru's breakfast display left Yuki and Shigure in equal states of awe. Each sauce, each bowl, was all arranged in a harmonic display that seemed to be patterned after the very essence of life itself. The colors, textures, and various scents of the food ensnared Yuki's senses madly. He simply stood for a moment and absorbed the steam that rose from a rice bowl topped with pork and warm croquettes.
To Yuki, the meal tasted even better than it had appeared. Even though it tasted somehow different from the usual fare, it was not unpleasant at all.
"This is very good," he said at last, between mouthfuls of rice.
"Saa, saa!" agreed Shigure, "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
Tohru tilted her head to the side, and as she smiled, her bowed hair fell across her shoulder. "Sohma-kun worked very hard in his garden this morning. He harvested some vegetables and I thought to use them fresh!"
Yuki nodded at her response, noting how Tohru neglected to add that she, also, had been helping. "Thank you, Honda-san."
"Hai hai, it really was nothing. Thank you for letting me use the plants from your secret base!"
That girl could never take a compliment for herself, could she?
"Mmm-hmm, right," Shigure cut in absently. He stretched his arms and let out a languid yawn. "Is Kyonkichi coming down for breakfast this morning? Or shall I eat this tender pork bowl for him?"
"Don't be a glutton," Yuki retorted, resting his chopsticks on the right side of his plate.
Tohru abruptly got to her feet, sputtering, "I'll take him some food upstairs right away! Kyou-kun will be wanting milk as well, I think."
"No, Honda-san, don't do that!" Yuki found himself holding out a hand as if to stop Tohru, along with his quiet voice. "I'll take it to him, for you."
After all, Tohru had to be exhausted from all the work this morning.
"Oh no, really, I couldn't..."
"Yuki-kun misses Kyoooon-Kyon!" Shigure exclaimed loudly, his eyes dancing with mirth, and his cheeks bulging with rice. Yuki's eyes widened and he quickly scowled.
"Shut up. I'm letting Honda-san rest."
Tohru blushed and opened her mouth as if to speak. Shigure swallowed and laughed.
"You can feed Kyon-Kichi all you like, Yuki-kun!" he sang, "Don't let me stop you from tending to him! Ha ha ha!"
"Ano..." Tohru mumbled helplessly.
Yuki narrowed his eyes and stood up from the table, looming over Shigure. "You're undignified."
This set the dog off into peals of helpless laughter, and the sound followed Yuki all the way upstairs.
Again, Yuki found himself outside of the cat's bedroom with a tray of food in hand. A wisp of rice steam shimmied to the ceiling as Yuki waited for the cat to open his door. The response was hastier than it had been yesterday. Yuki keenly heard the sound of the cat bumbling from his bed. A flash of envy struck the rat as he wanted to be sleeping, too. No one ever let him sleep this late in the morning.
"You can leave the tray on the ground, you know."
Yuki refocused his eyes and looked at the cat in the doorframe before him. Kyou stood, scowling, with hands in his pockets and a shirt that stuck damply to his chest. Two bags drooped from beneath his eyes, but not in the sagging way they had last night; his hair looked wet, as if he had just taken a shower, and it was realizing its' regular tangerine shine; his skin looked healthier and glowed. His eyes looked tired, but with a half-veiled alertness. He stood up straight, without having to lean on the doorframe for support. He was getting better, and it showed.
The prince hoped sincerely that it was due to the shungiku.
"Honda-san wanted to make sure you were awake," Yuki said, his tone betraying nothing. Kyou still rolled his eyes and took offense of the rat's comment.
"Of course I'm awake! That perverted dog made sure of it this morning when he threw a bucket of water on me!" snarled the cat, clutching his fists in a defensive pose. Yuki didn't miss the instinctive response, and immediately, he responded in part: with waves of relief that threatened to overcome him. Kyou was acting like himself again. Yes, Kyou was healing. He would be fully well by tomorrow, and then, everything would be back to normal.
Everything.
"Shigure also bought you a gift yesterday. He hopes it will make you feel better."
"What are you even talking about!" Kyou scowled, looking at the plastic bag that Yuki had already dropped onto the floor. "I wouldn't trust a gift from that pervert. Who knows what the hell he's scheming?
"It had better be something from Hatori or Shishou," Kyou added to himself.
"Close enough," replied Yuki, secretly amused at the cat's angry response. At least someone else in this house had the decency to act suspicious of Shigure's actions -- especially when it came to the outfit that Shigure had so kindly bought for the cat.
"You're quiet. What did you do," Kyou burst, suddenly, "What's going on?"
Yuki sighed. "Nothing. And even if there was something, I wouldn't tell you."
He waited for the cat's response: 'Damnit, stop doing that!' or 'What the hell's your problem?'. But nothing came for a moment, as Kyou regarded Yuki silently. His crimson eyes scanned the rat's features as if looking for a weakness; a flaw.
"Whatever," he said, finally ending his inspection. Then, taking the tray roughly from Yuki's hands, he slammed the door in his cousin's face.
Yuki hadn't expected anything less.
But somehow, it still hurt.
A/N: Hey! Thanks for the reviews, y'all. Some good news for you, this entire story is already finished on my computer. I will be posting a new chapter every day until it's done. Secondly, about Tohru's 'desu': in Japanese, she adds the word 'desu' at the end of half-sentences to add politeness. So, she will say "arigatou gozaimasu... desu"! It is not something that can be translated into english very well. But canon Yuki mentions that it's an endearing and somewhat obvious trait of hers -- like saying "hai!" all the time. I just couldn't leave it out...! Finally, we start the slash in next chapter! And please review, it really does help.