Chapter 7; because I said so

I came out here to tell you, it rains in heaven all day long.

Next Tuesday, I'll be gone for ten days, and I will not be updating under that ten day period. I'm not sure if I'll post another chapter before that, so I wanted to tell you, so you can review a lot. (I will be checking for reviews a couple of times, I'm sure!)

Thank you! Now that I know what OOC and IC means, I can get more offended when you tell me how very OOC everyone is+Wink+

After lying in the hospital for 3 and a half days without anything to eat, Tohru made her way home to the Sohma's with a very bitter aura surrounding her. Well, it was bitter for being Tohru. If it was any other person, they would've walked home while cursing that damned hospital and giving it the finger.

Tohru, however, just thought about how very hungry she was, and how happy she was she was now able to go home and eat again. The bitterness in her aura was actually pretty non existent, when you think about it.

Of course, she didn't walk all the way home. Not even Shigure would let her do that, even if he for some reason would've found it amusing. No, he had Haru swing by and pick her up with his light blue Volvo, which he adored and called Suzy.

With him in the car were Yuki, Momiji, Kyo and Taeko, so it was pretty cramped in the small Volvo with seats for 5 people. And with Tohru they were… six. Why hadn't they thought about that?

It all ended up with Taeko sitting in Kyo's knee. There, it's all figured out. Easy, wasn't it?

Hahaha, the author laughed, as she realized she was able to type again. Then she continued on with the story.

Tohru was rather uncomfortable where she was sitting between Momiji and the door. It was not that she didn't like Momiji; she loved him in that sisterly kind of way. It was just that the years hadn't really treated him kindly, and he had developed a love for fast food. Damn that America! Damn it!

The silence in the car was suffocating. Well, no, it wasn't because Momiji, Haru and Taeko were ranting about something that didn't really have anything with the storyline to do. But Tohru, whose mind was still occupied by the dream, didn't listen to them. She had been seeing things.

Like the man who looked exactly like her nurse, and was wearing a white, simple dress, and lets not forget the doctors look-a-like, whose dress was much more glamorous than the nurse had been.

"Tohru? Do you hear me? Tohru?" Haru's voice said from somewhere in front of her and interrupted her thoughts. He was looking at her through the mirror with concerned eyes.

Tohru shook her head, trying to clear her mind before she answered. "Huh? I'm sorry, Haru, I wasn't listening!"

He smiled Haru like-y and looked back at the road. "It wasn't important."

When they arrived at Shigure's house, Yuki and Tohru stepped out of the car, obviously, and headed towards the house. Tae and Kyo had Tae's soccer match to attend to, and Haru was driving them there before taking Momiji to his bar to get him a girl, as Momiji was still a virgin, and that's just plain pathetic for a 30 year old.

In the car, Haru was giving Momiji tips about how to pick up girls, and Momiji was furiously taking notes.

This happened while a certain tadpole and her overprotective cat for brother were still in the car.

"No, think of it like riding a horse." Haru explained matter-of-factly. "The faster you go, the faster you'll "arrive"." He winked as in saying: You know what I mean, slyly.

"I see…" Momiji said in awe while writing it down.

"SHUT UP!" Kyo yelled, but like the previous 5 times he'd yelled that, nobody listened.

"But how do I know what she wants?" Momiji asked and looked at Haru, who was a guy, mind you.

Haru shrugged. "I don't know! Whenever I'm with a girl, they like it. At least they say they do." He looked at Momiji, ignoring the outrageous Kyo calling them obscene things. "Though not a single girl has ever called back. A mystery…"

"THAT'S NOT A GOD DAMNED MYSTERY! YOU WERE A ONE-NIGHT STAND!" Kyo hollered and finally caught Haru's attention.

"I guess." He said dully, and he didn't seem bothered by it at all. "Maybe you should ask a girl about that?"

They pulled up in front of the soccer pitch, and Kyo and Tadp… Tae jumped out to meet up with Keiko and her lady-friend Inoue Dai. Inoue Dai was also the coach of the soccer team, and she was very… manly.

In fact, Kyo wasn't even sure if she was a woman. He had met her once before, and that time she had short dyed blond hair. Her body was very muscular, and you could see she'd been working out for a very long time.

"Kyo-kun! Tae-chan! Over here!" Keiko could be heard from the distant. She was waving at them furiously, and Kyo could see Tae roll her eyes.

Next to Keiko stood the same dyed blond woman with crossed arms and a huge smile in her face. Her body was, if possible, even more buff and well trained than it'd been last time they'd met. The only thing different was the fact that her hair was slightly longer now. It was long enough to be up in a pony tail but some bangs were still in her eyes.

"It's good to see you again, Tae-kun! Give 'em hell out there!" Dai said and patted Tae on the head. Tae smiled and nodded before she rushed past them to the dressing rooms.

Left were Kyo with his mother and her manly, soccer coach friend.

"You've grown quite a lot since last time, Kyo!" Dai grinned and gave him a friendly man-to-soccer coach hug, that wasn't really a hug, just a bump with the shoulders.

And that was good, because if Dai had given Kyo a real hug, he would be a cat by now which, as comical as it sounds, would be horrible and embarrassing.

Keiko, Dai and Kyo walked over to the side of the soccer pitch, where they sat down and made themselves comfortable.

Dai, who was sitting cross-legged, smirked. "So, Keiko-san, Kyo-kun, how have you been?" She asked, leaning down on her arms.

"Oh, we've been okay, right Kyo?" Keiko replied, smiling at her old friend. Dai and Keiko were best friends since collage.

Kyo nodded a yes, because he didn't really have anything better to say.

"Though a very good friend to us was recently in the hospital." Keiko continued, smile fainting. "She got out today. Is she alright, Kyo-kun?"

Kyo looked at her and while nodding he said "Yes, she's fine. But she seemed distracted."

"Why was she in the hospital?" Dai asked curiously.

Kyo shifted and looked away, feeling guilty for what happened. "She accidentally slit her wrist." He said tonelessly, trying not to show the guilt he felt.

But, as the great mother she was, Keiko noticed something was wrong, and was about to stroke Kyo's hair, when Taeko and two of her team mates came along.

When they saw Kyo, Keiko and Dai, one of the girls raised her hand. "Yo! Coach! We're all done!"

She was pretty tall and had short, red hair. Kyo had met her before, and he had nothing against her. She wasn't very polite, though.

"Oh, hey Keiko-san and Kyo-kun!" She added as soon as she noticed them.

"Hello, Akira-san!" Keiko smiled and, when Kyo didn't do anything to acknowledge her, hit Kyo in the side, causing him to raise his hand. He would never admit it, but that box hurt. A lot.

"Yo." He muttered and looked at her. She smirked and winked playfully.

"Oh, you know each other? Have you met Midori-kun too?" Dai asked and looked at Keiko.

"Yes, Akira-san comes home to us on a regular basis. But I've never met Midori-san before." Keiko stood up and reached for Midori's hand with a friendly smile. "I'm Sohma Keiko, Taeko's mum." She said. Midori took her hand timidly, and shook it. Then she looked at Kyo.

And she continued looking.

When Kyo noticed it, he took it as a challenge, and stared back, without blinking. He didn't realize Midori was blushing or sweating, or was stammering words. He was just staring because he was so damned competitive he didn't even realize the poor girl was developing a huge crush on him.

Midori quickly looked away, and suddenly a big-breasted 12 year old came up behind her.

"Oh, who's this?" She asked suggestively and winked at the carrot top.

Taeko blinked a couple of times, feeling the rage building up inside her. That bitch was talking about her brother.

Kyo looked at her and snorted. "Who the hell are you?" He had absolutely no interest in 12 year olds what so ever. He liked older women better. Like a certain 31 year old with innocent brown eyes and beautiful silky brown hair.

Unconsciously, Kyo smiled a soft smile that only Taeko noticed, but it scared the hell out of her.

"Who I am?" The girl, who had yet to get a name, asked. "I am the dream you'll never have."

At least she is trying; Kyo thought and rolled his eyes. She would probably be a first class bitch sometime, but right now she was just pathetic.

"Thank god." He muttered and looked away

"What?" The girl started, but was interrupted because Dai called for her, and the rest of the team to come. The match was about to begin.

"Yuri! Come on!"

Yuri growled and ran off.

"You know," Kyoko said and plopped up next to him. "Her guardian is bugging the hell out of me."

"She is bugging the hell out of me."

It was a good thing Keiko wasn't around, because she'd think Kyo was crazy, talking to himself and all. Keiko decided she was hungry, while the girls were flocking around the oh, so popular Kyo. How pathetic wasn't it to be popular amongst 12 year olds rather than girls his own age.

Keiko snickered to herself as she decided to sit down and eat her hot dog with the other parents.

She was just about to take a big bite of her hot dog when she bumped into something firm and dropped it.

"Oh no!" She bent down and was about to pick it up, when another, bigger hand took it, and her hand in the progress. It was one of those sappy love moments when the woman drops something, and the man, (intending to help her) and the woman tries to pick it up at the same time and end up holding hands.

Keiko looked up at the man and, well, let's just say it was love at first sight, shall we?

He was very handsome and a friendly smile was plastered on his face. Brown bangs fell in his blue eyes. He was a foreigner, she could tell, and he could not be more fascinating and exiting (to her). His hair was curly, she noted.

He laughed and winked at her before he let go of her hand. "I'm sorry; I'll buy you a new one!" He said and rubbed the back of his neck.

Keiko blushed, and as soon as she noticed she blushed, she blushed even harder, from embarrassment. She was a grown woman, not some high school student with a secret crush. Why was she acting so… weird?

"Ehehe… That's not necessary, um… I'll just dust it off and it'll be as good as new." She stammered nervously. She didn't want him to think she was some spoiled brat.

He laughed again. "Don't be stupid err…?"

"Keiko!"

"Don't be stupid, Keiko-san! Of course I'll treat you a new one! It was my fault, after all!"

He gets wrinkles when he laughs… Kyoko thought dreamily and sighed an unnoticeable sigh. NO! NO HE DOESN'T! SHUT UP BRAIN!

Keiko gave in and let the man, who by the way was called Owen, buy her a new hot dog.

"So," He started, munching on his very own hot dog. "Which one is yours?"

Keiko looked at him, confused. "What? What do you mean?" She asked.

"Who's your kid?"

"Oh," Keiko was feeling extremely stupid. "That one over there." She pointed at Taeko, who was marking a girl in the opposing team. "Number four. What about you?"

Surprisingly enough, Owen pointed at a certain red headed girl. "Number seven!"

"Akira-san? You're Hughes-san?" Keiko said, surprised. Then she rose from where she was sitting and bowed down. "I'm sorry about your wife."

Owen Hughes was from Ireland, hence the name. His wife, Hughes Kohana, had passed away only a few months ago. She as a very beautiful woman, Keiko had heard.

He smiled at her gesture. "That's okay. And you're Sohma-san? Taeko's mother?"

Kyoko sat down again. "Yes, and that over there," She pointed at Kyo, who was looking like he was talking to himself. "He's my son, Kyo."

"Where did he buy that hair dye?"

Keiko smirked. "It's natural."

Now let's zap back to Kyo and Kyoko, shall we?

Kyo sat cross legged, leaning on his arm bows. Kyoko was floating beside him. They were both watching the game.

Faintly, Kyo could hear Dai shout instructions to the team, but he didn't care. Soccer wasn't really something that meant something to him. His mum was talking with some guy he didn't recognize.

Suddenly he felt a drop of water on his chin. Frowning, he looked up and got more drops in his eyes. Blinking them away, he sat up straight and tried hard not to throw a fit right then and there.

Instead he stood up and walked over to Keiko.

"Mum," He started, but stopped himself when he realized she wouldn't be listening to whatever he had to say.

Why? She was leaning against that man, under an umbrella. Her eyes had a spark he didn't recognize. He'd never seen it before. Wait… yes he had. Tohru used to have that sparkle in her eyes. And Uotani had it when she married Kureno.

What was it?

He picked up an umbrella lying around for some reason and unfolded it, not wanting to disturb his happy looking mother. Instead, he walked away a bit, so he could talk to Kyoko without being considered insane.

"What's up with her?" He asked with a sigh, feeling very tired. Kyoko plopped up again, smiling as he asked something only a woman would know.

"Well," She started matter-of-factly. "She seems to be in love."

Kyo looked at her, surprised. "How can she be "in love"? She just met this guy!" He stated, every word dripping with disbelieve.

Kyoko shrugged and closed her eyes with a happy little smile. "Maybe they clicked?"

"Yeah right…" Kyo muttered and looked out over the field again. Taeko didn't seem to do anything other that following a girl around. How was that fun?

"Hmm…" Kyoko said, thinking. "I'm sorry, Kyo, I've got to go! I'll be back tonight!" She winked before she disappeared with a low poof.

Suddenly a song popped up in Kyo's head. Maybe it was because he'd watched Shrek one too many times, but honestly, Shrek was a mighty cool dude. All ugly and asocial and all!

Anyways, first he just whistled the tune, but soon he was singing it quietly to himself.

"I'm all alone, there's no one here, beside meeee…" He started, though he was feeling extremely silly, standing there in the rain, singing about friends to himself. "But you've got to have friends…"

He didn't really know the rest of the song, so he just sang whatever he pleased, and he found he quite liked it.

Taeko's team won that match and, though Kyo didn't really care (or even watched properly) he was happy she was happy.

Vixen: I guess I made a big and obvious mistake. So sue me! It slipped my mind that Kagura isn't overly aggressive when it comes to her love for Kyo anymore. But it was fun, right? Kyo just turned 15, remember? That means Kyoko is also 15. Kei and Kagura are 33, not 46. Why the hell did you think that? Anyways, the fic isn't over soon, it's just leaning towards the end. I still have a few things I want to put in before I end it.

Blood thirst: You find it amusing? I see… Yes, you've reviewed this story! And I'm happy you like it, even if it's because I make them suffer…

Oh, silly me. Silly you! I'm surprised nobody noticed how I said Yun was Shigure's guardian in the last chapter. And a knife isn't damp, it's dull! Silly me, indeed!

"Ultra-special information about random things" TWO!

First of all I want everyone to know that Kyo can see all guardians who decide to pop up, but he is so used to it by now, that he doesn't really care.

Tohru can also see them, but she still sees them as a mental instability. That's bad, I guess, but she'll just have to live with that.

Guardians do not follow their human around all the time.

Um, and yeah, that's about it. If you are wondering about something, be sure to tell me so I can explain it in "Ultra-special information about random thing" THREE!

I mean, that's why I put it up here.