A/N: Okay, I really have no idea the history between Kyo and Kagura. I guess. I assumed. I've only read up to volume 11, because Tokyopop publishes at approximately the speed of a snail. It'll probably show what really happened between them another time, later on, but for now, accept my lame excuse.
Disclaimer: Okay, if anyone'e still reading this they KNOW it doesn't belong to me. Only the plot, I guess. Heh.
YOU GUYS. That's all I can say. You make me so. Happy. Huzzah for happiness! This chapter's kind of boring, but don't worry! More will happen. It's ending soon though. SNIFF. BUT I STILL LOVE YOU ALL! Yay!
What Can Come of Cooking
Kagura continued to grab at Kyo any chance she had as Tohru stood a few feet away from the pair, utterly perplexed and completely nervous.
"Um—Uh—Um…"
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Kyo yelled, trying to push Kagura away from him. The minute he got her off, though, she flew back.
"Kyo-kun! How could you say such a thing?" Something glinted in Kagura's eyes. Tohru gave a yelp.
"Kagura-san! Um…um…shall I get a room for you?"
Kyo sent Tohru a murderous glare at the same time Kagura smiled warmly at her. "Would you really? Thank you so much!" Kagura's whole face lit up. "See, Kyo-kun? Someone realized how important our love is!"
"It's NOT our love!" Kyo spat at her, trying desperately to reach for the nearby pot. Tohru continued to stay frozen on the spot. "I don't have any feelings that even SLIGHTLY resemble love for you!"
Kagura went still. Tohru felt limp. At this moment, Kyo twisted out of her grip and grabbed the pot with a triumphant "Aha!"
It's a good thing he grabbed that pot, Tohru thought. He's going to need it to defend himself.
"H-How could you…say such a thing?" Kagura cried, tears welling up in her eyes. Kyo paused, eying her warily. "How can you be so mean, when you know I—I—" Before anyone could react, she reached out and grabbed Kyo's arm, wrenching him away from the cupboard and throwing him over her shoulder so he crashed into the wall behind her. "WHEN YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU?" she screamed, spinning around to face him. Kyo looked dizzy. He sat up shakily, hand still gripping the pot.
Before Tohru could intervene, Kagura pounced on him again, punching any surface she could see of Kyo. Tohru let out a gasp as Kyo's head continued to fling back and forth, back and forth.
"STOP! STOP RIGHT NOW, KAGURA-SAN!" Tohru's voice was louder and shriller than she had ever heard it. Before she knew what she was doing, she dove right beside the raging Kagura and grasped onto her arm. "STOP, OR YOU'LL HURT HIM EVEN MORE!" Tohru was close to tears. Kyo was bloodied up and his eyes were out of focus. His mind was clearly elsewhere. Tohru bit her bottom lip as Kagura stopped abruptly. She stared at Kyo.
"Oh no…Kyo-kun! What have I done to deserve this PAIN?" She grasped him and hugged him tightly. Tohru felt a flash of envy pass through her. Wait. Envy? She had never felt it before. Why was she suddenly envious now? Was it…yes. It was. As Tohru sat there on the sidelines, watching Kagura cuddle and hug Kyo, she realized that she wanted to be able to do that. Maybe not in such an annoying way, but at least be able to hug him.
"Get…off…" Kyo managed to moan from underneath Kagura, who was now cooing and stroking his hair. Tohru bit her bottom lip, standing up abruptly.
"Coming, Kagura-san?"
Kagura looked up at Tohru, surprised. Tohru grew crimson.
"I…don't know what sheets you'd like." Nice excuse.
"Oh, anything is fine! Kyo-kun, help me clean up this mess! Look at all the pots that fell out of the cupboards."
"Because you threw me into them, you crazy woman!" Kyo yelled, standing up and rubbing at his cheek. "I'm going to bed. AND DON'T BOTHER ME!" he yelled at Kagura. Before either girl could say anything, he stomped off down the hallway.
Kagura was silent, but then began picking up the fallen pots and pans and sliding them neatly back into the cupboards. Tohru watched her with interest.
"Kagura-san…how come you've come so late?"
"Oh, I was at the dojo too, remember? Kyo-kun and I decided to take lessons together."
Tohru bit back a snort of laughter. They hadn't really decided together…
"Anyway, I was walking back home and decided that Kyo-kun and I haven't talked for a while. You know, out of fighting and at the dojo. So I decided to pay a visit!" Kagura smiled at her, and then began putting the pots away again. Tohru smiled tentatively back; still a little nervous at the envy she had had earlier. She wasn't supposed to feel like that. She had known what she was getting herself into when she knew she couldn't embrace him…right?
"Oh, you don't have to clean that up!" Tohru said hurriedly, shooing Kagura off of the floor. "Come with me, I'll make you a bed!"
"Okay. Thanks, Tohru-kun."
"No problem!" Tohru smiled brightly at her and led the way down the hall. She came up to the linen closet and opened it up, grabbing a few sheets. She heard Kagura walking up to her from behind. Just as Tohru was closing the closet door, she paused. Something had been nagging her, ever since Kyo had stomped out of the kitchen…
"Kagura-san…"
"Hm?"
"How come—well, how come you…love Kyo? Um, Kyo-kun," she repaired quickly, her face turning pink. "I mean, he doesn't seem that…" She trailed off, looking over at Kagura. The young girl was looking out of the window, her eyes vacant. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Tohru cried suddenly, feeling ashamed. "We barely know each other well enough to—"
"It's because…when we were little." Kagura's voice was quiet, but commanding. Tohru's hand drifted off of the closet handle and grabbed onto the sheets in her arm as she listened to Kagura's story.
"We were never really close before. You know…I had heard stories about the cat. He's dangerous, he's evil…he's cursed." Tohru felt something rise in her throat at Kagura's words.
"I was brainwashed into that. I thought…I always thought, the cat was stupid. He didn't belong with us—with us real Zodiac.
"But then…one day, I was out in the garden. He was there. I didn't see him at first. I was playing with the other children. I don't know how old I was. Four? Five? But there he was, sitting behind the trees. He was…lonely." Kagura's eyes were closed as she retold the story.
"Everyone knew who he was but me. After all, I had never seen the cat. When I went up to him to ask if he wanted to play with us…I saw the beads." She let out a heavy sigh, and Tohru felt her eyes well up with tears. "I saw the beads, and I wanted to run. To scream. I thought I was cursed. I thought I was going to die. I thought…so many things," she added quietly, tracing an invisible pattern on the frosty window. "But all I could do was just stand there and stare at him. And then he totally freaked out. He yelled and screamed at me, thrashed in the trees. He said things like 'stop staring!' 'get away!' 'I'm sick of everyone doing this!' 'leave me alone if you hate me so much!' 'I hate you!' All sorts of mean, confused, evil things. But they didn't affect me. It didn't hurt. Because, in his eyes, I saw…tears. I saw tears. He was sad. He was lonely, helpless, afraid. And, forgetting all the stories that had been drilled into my mind, I wanted to help him. I wanted to be his friend."
Kagura sighed, leaning her forehead against the cold window. Tohru hurriedly wiped away tears. "I just grabbed his hand and forced him to come out. Everyone else ran, but I stayed with him. All we did was pass a ball back and forth. He was wary of me. I'm sure he hated me." Kagura smiled sadly. "I guess…I still want to help him. And he…still hates me."
Tohru let out a sob. Kagura looked up, startled.
"Tohru-kun? What did I do?"
Tohru wiped at her eyes hurriedly. "It's just…that's just…such a sad story!" She looked up at Kagura, smiling nervously. "You guys have all had it so rough, but there's always something there. You guys are…he doesn't hate you, Kagura-san! I'm sure he…I'm sure he loves you." As a sister, she added thoughtfully, but she didn't care. "Kagura-san, I—I—" She shoved the sheets into Kagura's hands. "I'll be right back!"
Without any warning, she raced down the hall and took a sharp right. Hammering on the door ahead of her, she heard a groan. "Whaaat?" it asked.
"Let me in!" Tohru said quietly.
"W-What?" the groggy voice asked.
"Kyo, I need to tell you something!"
There were noises. A crash. A yell. Some obscenities Tohru chose to ignore. Finally, the door opened, and there stood a disheveled Kyo, looking at her through half-closed lids.
"What?"
"Kyo, I—I—" Tohru felt tears falling from her eyes again. Kyo became visibly alarmed.
"Tohru?"
"I didn't know…I didn't know…" Tohru let out another sob, and before she knew what she was doing, threw her arms around Kyo. He let out a strangled muffle, but soon enough he was a cat, being strangled by Tohru's embrace.
"T-Tohru, what you talking about?"
"About the kids! When you were little! How they all ran away…how they were all scared…" Tohru squeezed him tighter. He coughed.
"Did Kagura tell you that?"
"She told me the story! It was beautiful!" Tohru set him on the ground before her, eyes glistening with tears. "Kyo, you have to tell her. Soon. She's just so…lost. And confused. She wants to help you. You have to tell her! Soon! Or else she'll think that she and you will still end up together soon…"
Kyo sighed heavily. The cat strutted back into his room, dragging his clothes with him. "I…guess I'll have to."
And then the door was closed in Tohru's face. But she didn't care. She had a lot to think about that night.
Kyo woke up early the next morning, like usual. Yawning, he stepped out of his bedroom to see the early dawn light. Shielding his eyes, he stepped away from the window. He hurried past and down the hall towards the kitchen. He'd grab a quick glass of milk, and then he could go work on his daily training…
"KYO-KUN!" A warm body jumped to him, wrapping itself around his left arm.
"Kagura!" he yelled, trying to shake her off of his arm. He had forgotten all about her. So much for his blissfully quiet morning.
The sudden thought of Kagura telling Tohru the story made him feel sick. His arm fell limp, and he continued to walk towards the kitchen, allowing Kagura to cling onto his arm.
He didn't want Tohru to feel sorry for him. That's not how a relationship worked. He had been hoping to keep that embarrassing moment in his childhood hidden. But it was too late now. He was going to get sympathetic expressions from Tohru all day now. How irritating…
"Kagura!" he barked suddenly. "Get off of me, all right?"
Surprisingly, she detached herself almost immediately. Kyo was momentarily shocked, staring at her. Her head was bent, and she was now standing behind him, arms crossed. Shaking his head, he stepped into the kitchen and headed for the fridge.
As he grabbed for the milk, he paused, head hidden behind the door of the fridge. Tohru's words haunted his mind.
"You have to tell her! Soon!"
His stomach was unpleasantly knotted. It was an uncomfortable feeling to have.
"Uh—Kagura?"
"Yes, dearest?" she asked, leaping up beside him instantaneously. Kyo jumped, heart racing. Why was he so jumpy, anyway?
It wasn't like he hated Kagura, or anything. He didn't. Really. He liked her—like a sister, like a friend. Even though she was annoying and clingy, he really didn't want to hurt her feelings. Something like this, especially, was going to devastate her.
"Er—that is…" He looked up from his feet. Kagura was watching him with her wide eyes, a small frown tugging at her lips. He hated to see her frown. He preferred her smiling.
"Nevermind," he sighed heavily. Tohru was going to kill him. At least she had had the guts to tell Yuki. But Kagura was a different matter. She couldn't keep a secret. And it's not like he wanted her to hate him forever.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice unusually caring and, well, quiet. Kyo looked up, trying his hardest to act carefree.
"What? Oh yea. Whatever. It doesn't matter." He waved a hand airily at her and turned around to head out to the backyard. Confrontation would have to wait.
A hand grasped his arm. He flinched, but the hand didn't let go. "Kyo-kun? What's wrong?"
Her voice. That tone…it was irritating. No, not that…scary. It was scary. It was too kind, too nice. She had to know, she had to know…
"NOTHING!" he yelled suddenly, wrenching his arm away from her hand. Where had that come from? "Just go. Away."
Too late, he realized his words had hurt her. She bit her bottom lip. "Well…okay. But—um—Kyo-kun, did you notice anything weird about Tohru-kun last night?"
Kyo paused. "Last night? Um…no. Why should I? I didn't see her after she left with you, you know. So stop assuming!"
Kagura looked at him quizzically. "…I'm not saying that."
Kyo felt his face flush. "Oh. Well. No. I mean, I didn't notice anything wrong." Except for the fact she was bawling her eyes out, he thought darkly.
Kagura didn't move, and he knew. He stopped at the door, sighing heavily and leaning his forehead against the wood. "What's wrong?" he asked drearily.
"Nothing!" Kagura said hurriedly, brightly. Too brightly. "Nothing! I was just…I mean I'm just…"
Kyo turned around, knowing the moment had come. Oh Lord, he thought desperately, give me strength to survive through Kagura. I'll need it.
"You…can…tell me. What's wrong. Or whatever," Kyo said awkwardly. Kagura looked up at him, a nervous expression on his face. "Because…" He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I have something to tell you too."
Kyo led Kagura outside, heart thumping.
From behind the kitchen door, Tohru breathed a sigh of relief.
"So…um…about that getting married thing."
Kagura looked up, startled. Kyo and Kagura sat side by side on the deck, Kagura clutching her hands tightly together on her lap. Kyo sat, splayed out, his eyes wandering anywhere but Kagura.
"W-What about it?"
The tremble in Kagura's words shouldn't have been there. He frowned slightly, turning his gaze to the sky.
"It—It's not going to happen." Kyo was expecting Kagura to laugh and say something like of course it will, are you crazy? But instead, he got no reply. Not even a slap, or a punch.
This silence from Kagura was the worst thing.
"Kagura?" he asked.
"How…how come?" she asked in a quiet voice. Kyo stood up abruptly.
"Wait, what?" he asked sharply.
"How come?" Kagura repeated, her eyes downcast and focusing on her fidgeting fingers. Kyo didn't reply at first, surprised at her reaction.
"How come you're not…yelling and punching and stuff?" Kyo asked stupidly. The glare Kagura sent him was enough to silence his questioning.
"Because—Because…" Kyo took a deep breath, focusing his mouth to say the right words. "Because I'm with someone else. All right? It's hard to marry you when I'm going to be with someone else." True, he didn't know exactly how long they'd be together, but still…
Kagura's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She looked up at Kyo, bottom lip trembling. He furrowed his brow. Wait. Where was the punching, the screaming, the part where he got thrown into a wall? The last thing he had expected was for her to…to cry.
But there it was happening, right in front of him. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her lips were trembling. Actually, her whole body was trembling. She let out a lonely hiccup. Kyo felt immensely guilty.
"W-Who is she?"
Oh no. "Uh…Tohru," he said quietly.
Kagura sniffed. "What? I couldn't hear you."
Kyo sighed heavily. "Tohru. All right? Tohru Honda. The girl who's worried sick about you and how you'll feel about this."
Kagura let out a ragged sob, causing Kyo to feel even guiltier. Before he could try to calm her down, she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
"I—I knew it would never happen! I kn-knew you didn't love me! Or even LIKE me!" Her voice was muffled, but Kyo got the gist of her words.
"That's not true!" he said defensively. "I like you!"
Kagura's answer was a sob. He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.
"Look, do you…do you have to cry?" he asked.
"I—I love you, Kyo-kun! Why don't you love me back?" Kagura had lifted her face from her hands, and Kyo looked away hurriedly. He hated seeing a girl cry. Her words made him all the more uncomfortable.
"I—I don't know." He responded lamely. "Maybe it's because you—you smothered me or something. I don't know! I just see you as a sister, or a friend. That's it."
Kagura hiccupped. "What does she have that I don't?"
Kyo opened his mouth to answer, but he realized he didn't have one. Closing it again, he thought. "You two are just so different. I don't know. But you're both fine, or whatever. I just never felt that way about you." He looked nervously at her. She was now looking at the door, her eyes somewhere else. He was terrible at explaining things like these.
"You're not—you don't…you know, you won't hate her, will you?" Kyo asked nervously. Kagura took a moment before she shook her head.
"I guess I always knew…" She sighed heavily. "I have to leave. I'll—I'll see you later, okay, Kyo-kun?" Before he could stop her she was off the deck and running through the trees. He stood up suddenly.
"Kagura! What the hell? You're going the opposite direction!"
"Kyo…let her go."
He whirled around to see Tohru in the doorway, shivering in the early morning chill. Her voice was unusually sad. "I feel…so badly," she whispered, her voice quivering. Kyo sighed heavily.
"Not another crying girl, please."
Tohru smiled nervously. "I'm not going to cry. She just…last night, she spoke of you so—lovingly. It made me almost jealous, I guess." Tohru frowned slightly. Once again, Kyo decided she looked much better when she smiled.
"Jealous? Of what?"
"Of your guys' relationship! I wish—I wish…"
"Oh, look, it doesn't matter we knew each other forever. Time doesn't make the relationship." Kyo waved a hand at her, standing up. "Let's go back inside, it's cold out here."
"But Kyo! Your training!"
Kyo paused, but then shrugged. "I think I can miss it one day, don't you?"
Tohru smiled at him. "Yes, I think so." Then she paused. "Do you think she'll be all right?"
"Kagura?" Kyo snorted, stepping into the house beside Tohru. "She's already taken it better than Yuki did. I'm sure she'll be fine."
Tohru nodded. "Me too."