Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, I never have owned Fruits Basket, and I probably never will own Fruits Basket, though that remains to be seen. I am merely a dedicated fan, in love with the world, story, characters coughYUKIcough and possibilities therein, so anything you recognize from the anime doesn't belong to me. So don't sue me. I'm a poor college student, so I have no money, anyway.
Enjoy, and please leave a review when you're done! Arigato!
Chapter Three: Tohru's Family OR My, What Interesting Friends You've Made…
"You've… met before?" Tohru asked.
"Oh, yes!" Kikyo exclaimed. She was so happy to see Carrot-Top again; it had been almost three years. "We met up in Hokkaido."
"What were you doing in Hokkaido?" Yuki asked.
Kikyo was surprised. Yuki's voice was usually so mellow and smooth. Speaking to Kyou it had gained an edge of hostility that rang in Kikyo's ears.
Kyou's oddly red eyes turned on Yuki like bloodied broken glass. "That's none of your damn business, Rat."
Yuki's gorgeous violet eyes were equally cold, his lips purse slightly in displeasure making them pale. "It is my business because I'm asking you, what were you doing in Hokkaido?"
Kyou growled like a cornered feline. "I ain't sayin nothin! Now get outta my way, damn Rat!" Kyou darted for the door.
Yuki stepped smoothly in front of him and pulled back a fist at waist level, rocketing it forward to impact sharply with Kyou's ribs. Kyou grunted and slipped to one side, twisting and bringing an elbow back into Yuki's shoulder. Yuki grimaced and brought his knee up into Kyou's stomach.
Tohru was wringing her hands. "Oh, don't fight! Please, don't fight!" She moaned, clutching her hands together so hard her knuckles were white. "Please stop!"
And, shockingly, Yuki shoved Kyou to the ground, and the fight ended there. It had only lasted for a few heartbeats, but both boys were breathing harder than they had been before. Yuki rubbed his shoulder absently for a moment, stuck in a glaring match with Kyou, then picked up the bag of groceries and moved out of the entryway.
Kikyo watched him go with a tiny frown on her face. When he ducked out of sight she turned to Kyou who was now pulling on his shoes disconsolately, talking under his breath and saying things Kikyo was sure were somewhat less then complimentary.
She squatted down next to him as Tohru went after Yuki. "What was that all about?" she asked softly.
Kyou stiffened for a moment, not responding.
Kikyo placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and massaged it gently for a moment.
Finally Kyou relaxed, leaning into Kikyo's massaging hand. She shifted it to the other shoulder and brought her other hand up to take its place, giving him a gentle back rub. He sighed. "Do you remember how I used to complain about my one cousin that pissed me off so much?"
"Mmm-hmm." Kikyo affirmed. "Oh, that's Yuki, is it?"
Kyou snorted. "Yeah, that's Yuki alright. Bastard."
Kikyo massaged his shoulders gently for a few more moments then sat back on her heels. "Well, let me have a look at your ribs. How hard did he hit you?"
Kyou shifted to lean against the wall and pulled his shirt up to his armpits. Kikyo frowned; low on the left hand side of his ribcage was a dark red mark that was quickly turning purple. She probed it with gentle fingers, noting when and how Kyou winced. "Mmm, you'll have a lovely bruise." Kikyo reached for her scrip and rummaged around inside for a moment before pulling out a small clay jar. She undid the stopper and stuck two fingers inside, pulling them out tipped in pungent smelling grey-brown greasy goop. "This should help a bit with the pain, and make it heal faster." She told him as she smeared the nasty smelling stuff on his skin and rubbed it in.
"Does everything you use smell bad?" He demanded, but held still for the treatment. He was probably remembering the one flu medicine she'd made him drink back in Hokkaido.
Kikyo smiled as she put the jar of unguent away. "It's part of the treatment. If it looks gross, smells bad, and tastes nasty, you're more inclined to try and avoid doing anything that'll make it necessary. Keep that in mind the next time you get it in your head to fight."
Kyou smiled grimly. "I'll remember that."
Kikyo nodded and rose to her feet, moving off down the hall in search of the kitchen.
"Hey!" Kyou called. Kikyo stopped and looked back at him where he was standing in the door. "Thanks, Red."
From his position at the end of the hall leading form the entryway into the kitchen, Yuki was watching Kikyo give Kyou a backrub. He ground his teeth, unaware of the dark expression on his face.
"Is something the matter?" Tohru asked quietly. Yuki glanced over his shoulder at her. She stood at the counter and was unpacking and putting away the things they'd bought at the grocery store, glancing at him with concern written all over her face.
Yuki shrugged, forcing his shoulders to relax. "It's nothing, Miss Honda. Kyou hit me harder than I'd thought, that's all."
"Will you be alright? You should have Kikyo look at it. That is what she does." Tohru moved past him as he stepped back into the kitchen again, smoothly shifting to one side in mid-step to keep him from transforming, and put some ingredients away in their proper cupboard. "She is very good at healing."
Yuki stuck his head out into the hallway again to see Kikyo bent over Kyou, running her long, slender fingers over his ribs while he held his shirt up for her. They were smiling at each other warmly. It was odd to see Kyou smile so freely; he usually only smiled at Tohru, although he had been loosening up.
Yuki realized he was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were cracking and his fingernails were biting into the soft flesh of his palms.
Kikyo stood and turned, and Yuki quickly ducked back into the kitchen before she saw he'd been watching. He moved to lean against the counter next to Tohru where she was efficiently chopping onions and celery.
Kikyo stepped into the kitchen and looked around, admiring the décor before walking over to the table and setting her little medicine bag down. "Well, Yuki, let me see your shoulder."
Yuki glanced at Tohru who nodded encouragingly, before moving to Kikyo's side. She turned and suddenly he found himself sitting in a chair while she unbuttoned his shirt. Her fingers slid the pale blue material aside and left his right shoulder exposed to scrutiny. He found himself blushing, but staring at her face and hands as though watching something he'd never seen before.
Her hands were cool and dry against his skin, but somehow left trails of burning sensitivity everywhere she touched. Her magnificently green eyes were shaded by the longest eyelashes Yuki had ever seen, and her mouth was set in the slightest smile, a mere curving at the corners of her lips. Her bangs lie softly against the sides of her face and fell into her eyes, and Yuki found himself wanting to tuck them back behind her ears for her.
She pushed and prodded with the fingers of one hand while manipulating the movement of his arm at the elbow with the other. A tiny frown touched her eyebrows and she turned to pull something out of her bag. She uncapped the tiny jar and with her fingers scooped out some foul looking pinkish-orange goo.
"I know it smells gross, but it will keep your shoulder from getting stiff and help prevent bruising." She spoke softly as she began to massage it into his skin. She was right it did smell foul; like a stables that hadn't been cleaned in a month.
But Yuki didn't really mind the smell. He shivered when her breath touched his neck.
'What is the matter with you, Yuki?!' He thought to himself angrily. 'What are you thinking? She's just doing her job! She's only helping you because that stupid Cat got a hit in.'
When she was done Yuki stood and pulled his shirt back onto his shoulder and buttoned it up. "Thank you, Honda-san."
Kikyo frowned slightly, sad because of his frosty tone. She probably thought the color in his cheeks was from anger. "It was no trouble, really."
"Well, what have we here?"
'Great, the damn Dog just had to show up now.' Yuki thought darkly.
"What a lovely young woman." Shigure was standing in the door of the kitchen, thumbs behind the belt of his yukata and leaning against the door frame with a roguish, lop-sided grin on his face as he gazed Kikyo up and down. "And do my eyes deceive me, or is she truly a sorceress as her costume suggests?"
"Shigure…" Yuki growled in warning, but his older cousin ignored him.
"You must be very powerful to have seduced sweet, innocent Yuki so—" He cut off as Yuki shoved him back out the door and into the hall.
"Oh, Shigure!" Tohru exclaimed, worry touching her features.
Kikyo had a look on her face that was half concerned, half amused. "Is he alright?" She asked Yuki.
"Not for long." Yuki growled. Kikyo chuckled at his tone.
Shigure came back into the kitchen straightening his robe and rubbing the back of his head. And no sooner had his hand left his head than Kikyo's hands replaced it, feeling for an injury. Yuki's hands clenched into fists again.
"You're okay. Not even a bump." Kikyo assured him as she withdrew her hands.
"Thank you for your kindness." Shigure smiled at her. "To live in this house with Yuki and Kyou is to have to endure repeated injury. It's very nice that you give your expert care without so much as a thought for what you want in return. You're simply an angel. By the way, since Yuki is being so rude, I am Shigure Sohma, his older and much less violent cousin." He reached out for her hand and bowed over it, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. "Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Kikyo's cheeks were bright red, and her eyes sparkled. "I'm Kikyo Honda. Tohru's cousin."
"Ah, another lovely young flower to grace our home. You must stay for dinner, of course."
"Well, yes, I was going to help Tohru prepare sashimi." Kikyo told him, gently prying her hand from his grip and blushing all the while. Once she was free she turned to Tohru. "I hate to bother you, but do you think I could borrow some of your clothes?"
"Ah, of course." Tohru laid aside her kitchen knife and apron and Kikyo followed her into the hall.
Yuki watched them leave before turning to glare at Shigure. "Without even trying, I can think of several evil things to do to you."
"Evil?" Shigure exclaimed in mock-innocence. "Why, Yuki, I have no idea what you mean. I was merely extending the hand of friendship to dear Tohru's lovely cousin. Would you have me be rude?"
"I would have you beaten with pointy sticks, but no one listens to me." Yuki turned on his heal and stalked out of the kitchen.
Shigure looked at the ceiling in what he thought was the direction of Tohru's room, smiling and laughing to himself.
"Well, Tohru, there is one thing I can say." Kikyo said as she pulled on one of Tohru's short pleated skirts. It was pale yellow with a tiny pattern of white daisies and only came about halfway down her thighs. "You certainly have made interesting friends."
Tohru blushed as she folded Kikyo's hippari and placed it neatly on top of the hakama. "They've been so very kind to me. The least I can do is put up with a few little eccentricities."
Kikyo laughed lightly and pulled one of Tohru's white peasant blouses over her head. "I didn't mean that to be mean, I just meant that they're very interesting people."
"Yes, the Sohmas are a unique and special family." Tohru agreed. "Sit down and I'll brush your hair."
Kikyo sat down on the edge of the bed and Tohru climbed on behind her with a brush in hand. Tohru undid her cousin's hair and let it fall loose down her back in a dark red cascade to the dark pink comforter, then began brushing it gently.
After a few minutes, Kikyo cleared her throat. "Um, is the whole Sohma family good looking?"
Tohru's brush slowed for a moment. "You know, I don't think I have ever met a Sohma who wasn't extremely good looking. I never thought about it before, I suppose."
"It's just that Yuki…" Kikyo didn't finish her sentence. Her cheeks went warm and her heart fluttered in her chest.
She could hear the blush in Tohru's voice without even looking at her. "Yes, he is very handsome."
"Handsome is an understatement." Kikyo laughed. "He's positively gorgeous. I'm impressed at your self-restraint. I think I might have thrown him up against the nearest wall and had my way with him very quickly, were I you."
Tohru laughed uncomfortably.
Suddenly Kikyo understood. "Unless, of course, you'd rather have Carrot-Top."
Now Tohru really laughed uncomfortably.
Kikyo turned around to look at Tohru's blushing face. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, Tohru. I was just wondering what was going on in your life. I nice boy like Kyou would be wonderful for you. I think you've needed a relationship for a long time."
Tohru shifted and looked down at the brush in her lap. "There… is no relationship."
"Oh?"
"Kyou's just my friend." Tohru shrugged. "Sometimes, when he looks at me a certain way, I think there might be something more, but there never is."
Kikyo smiled and pulled Tohru into a comforting hug. "I'm sure there is. Somewhere, deep inside, Kyou has changed from who he used to be. He's a much warmer person now than he was when I first met him. I think that might be your influence."
Tohru leaned back, laughing embarrassedly. "Heh, no, I – I'm sure it's nothing to do with me."
Kikyo looked into Tohru's eyes. After a moment she smiled again and stood, smoothing her skirt over her hips. "We should head back downstairs and keep working on dinner." She grabbed her black ribbon off the edge of Tohru's bed and pulled the front of her hair back into a ponytail, leaving the rest long. It fell to her waist in a straight, dark red sheet, curling under slightly at the end.
Tohru hopped off the bed and followed her out the door.
AN: I'm not sure how long it will be before I can post on any of my stories again. I'm working at a camp this summer, so I won't have constant access to the internet. I'll only be able to update when I'm home, which will only be every few weekends or so. BUT, you can rest assured that I will continue writing, by hand if necessary, to continue moving the plot along. So check back every once in a while, and you may find progress!