"Oh, My"! Tohru exclaimed from the other room, and then burst into a bevy of giggles. "What the hell is so damn funny?", Kyo asked the other two males of the house who were also in the kitchen. He gestured towards the source of the giggling- Shigure's study. "Honda-san must be on the computer again", Yuki answered; trying to sound unruffled even though he was simmering under his cool exterior. Shigure, of course, sensed Yuki's frustration, and couldn't resist playing with him. "Yes, Tohru-kun does spend a lot of time on the chat line these days. It seems her interest goes beyond a simple class assignment, doesn't it?" He smirked and Yuki shot him a death glare. "But then, why not?", he continued not taking the hint. "A beautiful young lady like her is bound to attract…" "Are you through yet"? Yuki interrupted Shigure. He knew the dog just loved to hear himself talk, but Yuki was in no mood to put up with his antics. "Now Yuki", Shigure pressed his luck even further, "there's no need to be jealous. If you want Tohru-kun's attention maybe you should IM her. While you're at it, tell her it's time to get dinner. I'm starving", Shigure whined and clutched his stomach dramatically. Yuki was about to wipe the floor with him when Tohru emerged from the study. "Oh, I'm so sorry Shigure! I lost track of the time"! She made a beeline for the sink where the ingredients for dinner were already laid out. "No need to fret Tohru-kun", Shigure soothed, "Your meals are worth waiting for. Besides, every good little housewife deserves a break now and then". As he said this, Shigure stole his arm around Tohru's waist and leaned into her. "She's not your wife!", Yuki and Kyo yelled in unison. They each grabbed hold of one of Shigure's arms and dragged him out of the kitchen. "Farewell my love!", he called after Tohru. "Call me as soon as dinner is ready" and he blew her a kiss as the boys deposited him unceremoniously into his study. "What a moron", Kyo said in disgust. He went to the living room and turned on the TV. Tohru, who was used to Shigure's overtures by now, was unfazed by the incident, and had started the dinner preparations without skipping a beat. "Can I help you Miss Honda?", Yuki offered. He wanted an excuse to be near her. It was the highlight of his day to spend what time he could with Tohru, but he was also hoping for an opening where he could ask about her online conversation. He had to know…. "Yes, Yuki, thank you" she said with genuine gratitude. "Could you set the table please?" Tohru said this over the rhythm of chopping vegetables. The oil in the wok hissed as the fresh vegetables hit the pan. A pungent, spicy scent followed Yuki to the dining room where he began placing the rice bowls and chop sticks on the table. "I have to know if she was chatting with him again" Yuki thought angrily. He returned to the kitchen for some napkins. "So, uh, you're enjoying your class assignment?" Yuki asked her, trying to seem casual. "Hm? Oh yes! Well, actually the assignment is over now as of yesterday" Tohru smiled, "but I guess I'm still enjoying using the computer. Thank you so much for teaching me, Yuki". She smiled at him, and then turned back to her work. "No problem" Yuki lied through clenched teeth. The assignment was over? "It was him. It had to be him" he thought. "How could I have been so stupid? I didn't even see this coming" he seethed, and then stopped himself for the hundredth time. He had to stop being so possessive. Tohru was, after all, her own person, and she had the right to choose whose company she wanted to keep. "But I don't want to share her with anyone! Especially someone like…that guy!" Yuki continued to rage in his head as he took the simmering tea pot to the table.
A few weeks prior Tohru had come home from school and had made a special request of Shigure at dinner. "I wonder, may I use the computer in your office for a school assignment?" The request had seemed innocuous enough. "Of course Tohru, "What's mine is yours, darling" he flashed a sparkling smile at her. "Any time you want it, too" Shigure continued, with a suggestive undertone in his voice. Yuki and Kyo both glared at him and half rose out of their seats. "But why not use the computers at school?" Shigure continued as if he hadn't suggested anything lewd at all. "Well, I kind of have to be able to use it in the evening at certain times. You see, it's an assignment for my home economics class. We are going to exchange ideas, tips, recipes and such by using discussion boards and live chats". Tohru continued, "Our class is being paired with another class in order to get to know more students in the school. The live chats will be in the evenings, and if I stay at school for that I won't be able to cook or do my other chores for a few weeks". Shigure was quick to allow it. There was no way he would miss out on Tohru's cooking for even a single night if he could help it. "If you need any pointers on computer use, or anything else at all, just let me know" Shigure winked at her with a half smile on his leering face. He did love to tease Yuki and Kyo that way. Yuki knew that, but he still wasn't too keen on the idea of Tohru being in Shigure's study alone for long periods of time. It was also his bedroom after all, and Yuki didn't trust the dog all that much. So he had volunteered to help Tohru learn how to navigate the web, post on the discussion boards, and participate in live chats. He also made a point of being around when she worked on her assignments for the same reason, although he told himself it was in case she needed help.
It all seemed harmless enough at first- a bunch of first and second year girls sharing gossip and ideas. Tohru could probably use the recreation. But then about three days into the assignment, Tohru was found giggling and blushing at the computer. Yuki sensed something different right away and was on alert, as if he had antennae that were attuned to Tohru and her changing moods, or perhaps attuned to any male that threatened to horn in on what he considered his territory. "You seemed to really enjoy your computer time tonight" Yuki had said, hoping he didn't seem like he was fishing. Some kind of alarm had gone off in his system, and he felt just a tinge of jealousy, like a warning, swimming around in the pool of his emotions. "Oh, yes!" Tohru gushed. "I met a new student in the chat room tonight named T-Bone". "T-Bone?", Yuki thought. "What kind of name is that for a girl?" "He's very funny!" She giggled again. "HE?", Yuki wondered silently. His alarm had proved accurate after all. What was a guy doing in a home economics class? "Are there other boys in your class?" Yuki asked as calmly as he could. He tried to keep the green-eyed monster in him at bay. "Oh, no, T-Bone isn't in my class. He's in the other class we are partnered with" Tohru offered simply. "I don't think there are any other boys in the classes though" she wrinkled up her forehead as she tried to recall. "Of course" thought Yuki wryly. "Only one guy in all the classes and he has to find Tohru- just my luck". After dinner was long over, Yuki found his mind wandering back to the subject of T-Bone, the singular male home economics student. "What kind of guy calls himself T-Bone?" Yuki thought. He conjured up a mental picture of a spiky haired gangster type dressed all in black, open shirted, with lots of silver chains around his neck, and spiked bands on his wrists. "He might even have a tattoo of a skull on his arm or a rose with thorns dripping blood. Or maybe he would be conceited enough to have "T-Bone" tattooed across his hairy chest" Yuki's imagination was running wild now as he pictured of the reprobate. And what kind of guy wanted to be in a class that was all girls? "Wait a minute" Yuki came to a realization. That had to be it! T-bone was in the class because of the girls. Sure! If he could infiltrate their classes, he would have them all to himself right? What better way to prey on them. Yuki wasn't going to let this happen to Tohru. No way was she going to be swept away by some gangster guy who obviously had evil designs on her! Not if he could help it.
Kyo wasn't exactly thrilled with the whole T-Bone episode either. He hadn't really noticed at first, but had picked up the gist of what was happening through conversations between Yuki and Shigure. He did feel a little jealous as well, but unlike Yuki, he had decided that as long as Tohru never actually met up with the guy none of them had anything to worry about. Tohru was the kind of person who tended to befriend any sort of human being regardless of their idiosyncrasies. Hannajima and Uotani were prime examples of this. Because of this Kyo was sure T-Bone was probably no exception. Still, all Tohru was doing was chatting online. It was a harmless pastime at best- for now. Yuki had too vivid an imagination though, developed over long hours of sitting in pitch darkness, to just ignore the situation. He decided to find out exactly who this T-Bone character was. He told himself it was for Tohru's protection, but in the back of his mind he was plagued a little by guilt.
It was Wednesday; another busy school day was coming to a close. Yuki had turned up nothing in his search for T-Bone. He had tried accessing the school records from the student council computer, but that had availed nothing. That was when he decided T-Bone must be an alias of some sort. "Damn!" he thought. "How could I be so stupid?" "He doesn't even use his real name" Yuki surmised. This thought made his opponent seem all the more shifty to Yuki. "He must really be a criminal, maybe even a sex offender!" Yuki's imagination was running away with him again, but he managed to put a halt to it. "Get a grip, Yuki" he chided himself, and decided to work on another plan to expose his rival.
