Chapter 17: A Fear Come True
Disclaimer: I do not own Furuba.
The words gently dripped out of Shigure's mouth as if it was something Yuki was longing to know. And, to be honest, it was. He was too curious to wait until that day to know the answer to a certain question. "Akito-san… she's…" he stops seeing a slight expression of joy and fright on Yuki's face at the same instant. "She's coming to graduation…." He says finally, watching Yuki's face drop to an angry one. "Look Yuki, we can't change her mind. It's her decision after all. We can't do anything about it…" his voice trails off, sounding more like he preferred Akito going to the graduation because of things he knew.
Growling at Shigure in sheer irritation, Yuki turns around slowly, glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. "You sound happy about it…." He mumbles.
Walking away from him gradually, approaching the stairs. Carefully, he walks up the steps, reaching the second level, and finally enters his bedroom. Dropping himself into a chair he stares at a calendar above his bed. The day after tomorrow would be their next school day. He realizes after a short period of thought, that he will be getting questioned many times about how Kyo got hurt so badly. No doubt Kyo would be asked just as much, possibly even more. He leans back in his chair and sighs. Gently, he looks up at the ceiling and gets pulled into a strong trance in his deep thoughts. How… will Kyo react when I tell him that Akito will be at their graduation? Will he worry more about being locked away or will he worry about what Ms. Honda is thinking, and how she feels? Is there… a way to have Kyo beat me… without me throwing the match? Hopefully, he'll be able to study more Martial Arts and stuff with Shishou… But… the vision of Ms. Honda being upset about Kyo leaving will… bring pain to me wont it. His head felt like it was spinning. Once again, he got to the thought that too much was happening at once and he wasn't sure if Kyo and Tohru were thinking the same.
Without realizing it, his eyes slammed shut as he lost himself thinking. No longer awake, Yuki began to dream of frightful things. He saw people being killed in front of him, which forced him awake five times in the middle of the night. After that long period of time sleeping, he awoke extremely early in the morning, which was actually not that early, but for him it was.
It was nearly seven in the morning and Kyo, Tohru, and an incredibly tired Katsuro were sitting at the kitchen table talking a little. Katsuro and Tohru both had equal expressions of sadness as they saw the bandages all over Kyo. There was one wrapped all around his stomach, there were long pieces of gauze on both of his arms, and a bandage around his forehead, pushing the front of his hair up a little. His bottom lip had a slight laceration on the left side, and Hatori stitched his right ear up in the middle of the night. By now, of course, his nose had stopped bleeding. Yuki watches all of them speak to each other, noticing that Kyo was attempting to assure them that he'd soon be in good health.
Finally, he walks into the kitchen and is greeted by a reasonably happy Tohru. "Good morning Yuki-kun!" She exclaims smiling at him a little. He nods slightly and sits down in an empty chair, opposite of Tohru and Katsuro. At the head of the table, farthest from Yuki, sat Kyo. There was a rather large bruise under his left eye and another one on the right side of his neck.
Glancing at Kyo a little, Yuki sighs knowing that Kyo has the right to know what is going on. Standing up once more, he stares at him now, and approaches him quickly. "Kyo… I have to talk to you…" he whispers quietly, trying to make sure the other two don't hear him, since, of course, he didn't want them worrying even more then they already were.
Almost glaring at him, Kyo decides to get up and follow Yuki to a room down the hall. He closes it instantly making Kyo becoming a little confused at what was going on. "What is it Yuki!" He exclaims in pure annoyance.
"Kyo…" Yuki pauses after saying his name. It was almost like he was afraid to go on because he knew that his reaction could possibly hurt either one of them. "Look, I know this may make you angry…" Suddenly he finds himself being cut off by Kyo.
"If… it's going to make me angry," Kyo began after stopping Yuki in the middle of a sentence, "Then why the hell are you trying to tell me anything!" His voice grew louder as he actually began to carefully become infuriated.
Sighing, Yuki ignores each of Kyo's words and continues on. "But, she is coming to graduation…" His voice was as calm and gentle as possible. Maybe it was a false belief, that if you seem comfortable and calm, you can make the other feel the same way. That, of course, was not the case in this current situation.
Kyo's face quickly got pale, as well as the rest of his body. The sight made you believe he had seen a ghost of some type. "She, meaning… Akito…?" He mutters feeling extremely uneasy. The sudden news was making him feel nauseous and it was becoming so bad that he felt as if it wouldn't ever go away. "But… I thought… after last night, she'd not want to come. Not want to see me… or something…" Kyo's horrified voice trails off as he hears someone gently walking down the hallway. He numbly turns around and stares at the door, examining the doorknob as it slowly turns. A knock sound softly rings throughout the room just before the door was to completely open up. An expression of fair relief ripped up and down his heart and in his lungs as well. "Katsuro…. go back inside with Tohru…" he says quietly, looking at the ground since he knew that his face was as pale as a white sheet.
He nods plainly. Kyo could tell when he glanced up at him a little that he was getting even more worried. Quickly he says, "Don't…. tell Tohru about anything you see different about me…okay?" His voice was a little demanding but he couldn't have the two of them worrying at the same time. It just didn't seem fair on any possible level. Watching Katsuro lightly nod and leave the room, Kyo turns back around to look at Yuki. "She's….really going to the graduation…huh…" he mumbles sounding a little sorrowful.
Yuki slowly nods the same way Katsuro had. "Yes Kyo, she's coming. I said that already." He whispers a little moving his feet a little, beginning to walk past him. Kyo tightly grabs his arm were the bend is. "What?" Yuki questions sounding exasperated.
"I'm going to beat you…." Kyo says quietly, not even looking at Yuki. He was just looking straight ahead at where Yuki was when they entered the room. "That way… I won't need to be locked up like you were." Pausing for a moment, he closes his eyes. "When I beat you Yuki, I'll get all the respect I deserve. And, I'll be apart of the Zodiac!" He got a little louder, but not too loud as to allow any one else in the house to hear. His hand drops from his arm and he glances at Yuki as he continues on out of the room. Slowly, he turns around as well and leaves the room, turning to go up the stairs instead of back into the kitchen.
Eventually, after carefully limping up the steps, he reaches his room and lays on his bed weakly. His head was up a little since he had so many pillows on the bed. Kyo stares at the door. The last thing he needed was for Akito to be coming to their graduation. Who knew what she was planning to do to possibly ruin the day. Other then locking him up that is. Sighing, Kyo began to feel as if he already knew his coming fate on the day of everyone's graduation. His life would be canceled out after that day. All he would be allowed to see was the four dark walls surrounding him and Akito. He'd rather die then be alone for all of his life, he didn't consider Akito a living person, she was just there, a person that enjoys tormenting people and stealing their lives just because she wants her family beside her at all times. I don't want to become like Kureno, Hatori, and Yuki. They're so quiet… and… act so nice sometimes. Well… Kureno's an exception… but... I don't know anymore. He thought about how the others that are around Akito twenty- four seven act. Each of them appeared uptight in their own personal ways. But, the most open of the three was almost definitely Yuki, and then Hatori. The only person Kureno actually spoke to these days was Akito, and only Akito.
He folds his hands behind his head, intertwining his fingers gently as he attempts to relax. But, no more then a minute passes until a knock is heard from just outside his door. "Eh…" Kyo groans a little and stares at the door, kicking a small pillow at it from the bed.
Tohru walks in after the pillow hits the door and stares at Kyo, trying to smile even though she thought it impolite to smile when someone is hurt. Nonetheless, it had actually made Kyo smile back. She unhurriedly advances towards him and pulls a chair up to his bed. Taking a seat in it, Tohru places her hand on the edge of the bed and leans towards him. "Are you… um… feeling better? N-Not that you have to be, I … I mean, I want you to feel better… but… that's being selfish isn't it? But you said it's good to complain and be selfish didn't you? A while ago! And… now I'm just going on and on aren't I? I'm getting annoying…" She catches her breath after saying so much to him.
Kyo couldn't help but laugh quietly. He pulls his hands out from behind his head and places his right hand on the hand that she placed on the edge of his bed. Her face quickly got red. She still hadn't gotten used to the fact that they both loved each other. "It's okay. You're not getting annoying." Kyo states gently, his hand closing on her hand a little. "And don't worry, wanting me to get better… isn't selfish." He smiles a little hearing what she said about what he had told her a while ago. "Y-You remember that…." Kyo whispers under his breath. "Only in your case," He began gently, "You can complain and be as selfish as you want. You're completely right. And I still believe that. Complain and be selfish. By all means." His voice was a little raspy since his throat was sort of sore from the large bruise on his neck. "Can you… stay in here tonight?" Kyo asks almost out of nowhere. It caught her by surprise and a nimble smile crosses her face. "Unless… you have plans I mean. You don't have to. But… I don't know… just forget I asked." He shakes his head as he speaks to her, placing his other hand over his face.
"I don't have any plans Kyo-kun." She says sweetly, lifting his hand up, holding it with both hands now. "I can… stay in here if you still want me to." Tohru says faintly so that Kyo could barely hear. Clearly she wasn't too sure about staying in there anymore since he had told her to forget about it.
"If… you want."
She bites her bottom lip gently and looks at Kyo once more, she seemed a bit uneasy. "Would it be okay… if Katsuro stayed in here tonight too?" Tohru asks bowing her head a little. He smiles and nods. From the corner of her a gentle gaze she sees this and stays seated, continuing to smile at him. "Should I stay in here now, too?" She questions softly. It was just curiosity, she was wondering if he only wanted her to stay in the room during the night or during the day as well.
"I can't tell you to stay in here," he chuckles happily, "Go down stairs and have fun with everyone else…." Kyo says to her, resting his head back down on the pillow hesitantly. She nods and gets to her feet releasing his hand gradually. Carefully she leans towards him and kisses his forehead. Her face got beet red, as well as Kyo's. She hurries out of his room and down the steps before either of them got the chance to open their mouth to say anything.
Tohru enters the kitchen where she finds Katsuro eating cereal peacefully. She carefully sits down beside him and pats him on the head gently. He finishes up and smiles at her happily, putting his completely empty bowl in the sink, and then goes back to the table and sits beside her. "Hiya Tohru-chan!" He had said this almost every time he saw her after she left a room. It was as though he wanted to keep track of her so that she wouldn't ever just leave him by himself. The feeling of losing her and his parents somehow in a possible accident of some sort would be even worse for him and just break his heart even more. She hugs him and smiles gently. "Can we go outside and play tag Tohru-chan?" Katsuro asks curiously.
She nods hesitantly, but didn't let it be known by Katsuro that she was afraid that Akito may come back to this area and possibly hurt her just as she hurt Kyo. "Okay, Katsuro-chan!" Tohru takes away her slightly worried expression and replaces it with a playful smile. He grabs her hand and they run out of the house to the front yard.
For many hours they played all sorts of games. Those games included: Tag, hide 'n seek, and playing with an extremely bouncy tennis ball that Tohru had a hard time keeping hold of. They laughed cheerfully whenever they messed up some how. Like, whenever Tohru missed him during tag, Katsuro would let out a light chuckle, and when Katsuro couldn't find Tohru during hide and seek, she too let out a gentle laugh. Of course though, the most laughing was during the time they were playing with the bouncy ball. Each time they missed a catch, they'd crack up laughing almost uncontrollably for no apparent reason.
Yuki sat at his bedroom window the entire time watching them play and joke around in the front yard. It brought a gentle, comforting smile to his sad face. All he could find himself thinking about was the fact that Akito would be coming to their graduation. Suddenly, a stupid idea that Kyo could use to help get him to not be locked up would be to not graduate. If he were to continuously fail in his year, then he wouldn't ever be allowed, let alone be able to, graduate from school. Then again, he knew what kind of loopholes Akito may put into affect. Was there even some kind of contract they signed? Or were they just going on their word? Everything began to make completely no sense. The more he contemplated on things, the more aggravated he got with himself and Akito.
One thing quickly shot at his mind. Why wasn't Kyo transforming instantly whenever Tohru hugged him? What was going on that allowed him to have a few minutes to actually hug her and not transform? Is Kyo even aware that he isn't transforming immediately? Now he got himself onto another important topic. Would he be able to figure it out? Was he about to end up helping Kyo find some sort of loop hole in his and Akito's deal?
Here…is chapter 17! I am still under a slight belief that the 18th chapter is going to be a big one. But… that will be determined when I begin typing it tomorrow morning before I go to school.