A/N: Cutting this short, for once. This is the last chapter! I know, I know, I'm crying too, haha. I hope you all enjoy it! It's probably the worst ending chapter ever, but I couldn't THINK of what to do!
You know the usual—I LOVE YOU ALL TO BEEHIVES AND BEYOND.
Disclaimer: Natsuki Takaya's. Well, except for this messed up fluffy plot.
What Can Come of Cooking
"Uh—two please."
"Sir, that's not enough yen."
"What? Yes it is! I counted it out myself!"
"No it's not. See, you've counted it out all wrong."
"No way in hell!"
"Can't you add up? Look, you don't even have…"
"Kyo. Kyo, stop yelling." Tohru poked up behind Kyo. He whirled around to see her.
"Oh. Hey Tohru. Sorry, but this guy just isn't taking my money," he growled, turning around to glare that chunky, bleary-eyed man behind the counter. Kyo's expression didn't seem to affect him.
"He doesn't have enough," the balding man answered. Tohru shook her head slightly as she dug around her wallet and produced the finishing amount of money.
"Here's your ice cream," the man said in a bored tone, handing them two cones of chocolate. Tohru smiled at him.
"Thanks!"
Kyo walked away swiftly. Tohru paused and then ran to caught up with him. Once she did, she giggled.
Kyo glared at her. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Just that whole thing! You got really angry at him for the wrong reasons." Tohru smiled at him. Kyo blushed.
"Well, he was being irritating about it. So damn calm and boring…"
Tohru didn't answer, falling in stride with him. Kyo slowed his steps so Tohru could stay with him, for which she was grateful.
"So…" She checked her watch. "It's been one whole hour since our journey started! Where are going to go now?"
Kyo bit his lower lip in thought. "Ice cream at six o'clock in the morning isn't healthy, you know," he informed her suddenly.
"Kyo, you're the one who wanted ice cream."
He shrugged. "I was just letting you know."
The two continued to walk, hand in hand, in companionable silence. Tohru glanced at all the signs around them on the busy main street. She looked over at Kyo.
"I haven't been in this part of Tokyo much."
Kyo shrugged. "I have a bit. It's nice to come down here once in a while."
Tohru nodded, slowly finishing off her ice cream. "So, what do you want to do next?" she asked perkily.
Kyo looked down at her. "Um..I don't know?" he asked, a wary look in his eyes.
"It's just that there's so much to do down here! Look at all these different stores and buildings and—OOH!" She pulled Kyo over to a poster she saw hanging, tacked onto one of the flimsy trees planted in the cement. Kyo grudgingly let himself be dragged over.
"What did you find?" he asked, straightening up to read the sign. Tohru pointed excitedly at it.
"Oh, Kyo, it's dancing lessons!"
Kyo's face paled.
"What?" he asked hoarsely.
"Dance lessons! Ballroom dancing! Here!" She bent in to read the smaller print. The paper had a small grand piano in the corner. Kyo eyed it angrily. "It says the building is just around the corner!" Tohru hopped back, looking up at Kyo and smiling. "Don't you think that sounds fun?"
Kyo grimaced. "Dancing? Ballroom dancing? Are you serious, Tohru?"
"I—well—it sounds fun…"
"Yea, to a girl! I mean, I don't—It's just—do you seriously think I'm the kind of guy to go out and start ballroom dancing?"
"It says the first lessons are free." Tohru's voice was quiet now. Kyo knew he was going to win the argument, but the feeling of pride didn't last long. The sad look in Tohru's eyes was enough to startle him into uncertainty. Dammit. Having a girlfriend had its complications.
"That is…well…" Kyo grimaced again. Her face looked so sad… "No! Tohru, I'm NOT going to dance in front of a bunch of strangers! I don't—" He sighed and leaned in closer. "I don't even know how to dance, all right?"
"That's what lessons are for!" Tohru cried.
Kyo chuckled. "I'm starting to rub off on you. I don't know if that's a good thing," he said, scratching his head idly. "Dancing is just so…stupid!"
"Kyooo…"
"No. Tohru, no. When I said let's go out and have fun, that didn't exactly include some stupid, stuffy, dancing lessons. All right?"
"Well…" Tohru looked sadly at the poster. Kyo tried to ignore her, and instead, looked at a crack in the sidewalk. "All right. You win, Kyo." Her tone made him grow all the more uncomfortable. Geez, he was softening up! What an old marshmallow he was turning into.
"Fine," he spat, before he could change his mind. "We can go."
Tohru's face immediately brightened. "Really?"
Tohru could have danced on air. Kyo was going to dance! With her! The truth was, she didn't know the first thing about dancing either, and she was bit scared to try it. After all, would Kyo laugh at her sad attempts of dancing, or would he be even worse and just get angry?
"But only if there's no one there we know! If there's someone there…" Kyo shuddered. "Who wants to be seen ballroom dancing?"
Tohru giggled. "All right."
"And only this time! I'm not ever coming again! Deal?" He pointed his finger at her accusingly. "This is your fault I'm turning so soft."
"You're not turning soft," Tohru said quietly grabbing his finger. "You're turning nice."
Kyo's stunned silence gave Tohru the chance to drag him around the corner, right into the dancing lessons without any more struggles.
"Good day, everyone. I'll be your teacher, Madame Tyaki."
Tohru and Kyo stood in a crowd of around ten other couples of all ages. Earlier on, Tohru had happily pointed out two younger children, a boy and a girl, with their hands clasped nervously together. Kyo had rolled his eyes.
"In this first free class, I will be teaching you the basics of ballroom dancing."
There were shifted movements and some hushed whispers, and then it died down again. The teacher had a strict face and a long, straight braid that made it seem very possible it would lash out and whip you if you did something wrong. She wore a black shirt and a grey skirt, with ankle socks and no shoes. It was a strange combination, but Tohru shrugged it off.
"The first step: the boys must ask the girls to dance. They stick out their arm, like so." Madame bent down and stuck out her arm like a waiter with a cloth. "Then they say something along the lines of, may I have this dance? It's really quite simple. Then the ladies will lay their hand on the man's arm and say yes, you may. And that's the first part."
Tohru turned to face Kyo and noticed his face was a deep red. "Kyo? Are you all right?" Tohru asked nervously. She felt her feet beginning to itch. Was that healthy?
"I'm fine," he told her gruffly. "This is just stupid, that's all." Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes briefly as if in prayer. Tohru could have giggled, except that she was sure her face was just as red as his.
"M…May I…May I have this—this dance?"
It was rough. It was stuttered. And it was cute. Tohru grinned widely and placed her hand politely on his arm.
"Yes you may," she replied, still grinning. Kyo made a sour face back, and Tohru almost burst out laughing. This was a little silly.
"All right, are you done? Good." Madame was back at the front. "Now, the man will place his left hand on her waist, and hold his right had up. The lady will take his right hand, and then stop."
Kyo's eyebrows snapped up. Tohru gulped. "Tohru, I can't…"
"I know," she said quietly. "Let's just…stay apart."
Kyo looked around nervously. "This is a bad idea. Can we just go?"
"Let's just try!" Tohru whispered back hurriedly. "Please?"
Kyo's brow furrowed. With a deep sigh, he took a hesitant step closer. He seemed to be calculating. Tohru shook her head very slightly. "Try to act natural," she muttered. He straightened up at her words and placed one hand on her waist. Tohru noticed how far away he was, and it made her heart sink for some strange reason. Then, he held his hand up for her. She took it, and realized both their hands were clammy with sweat. I guess we're both nervous, she thought unsteadily.
"No! No, no, no, no!" Madame's voice was right beside Tohru's left ear. She snapped her head up.
"What?" she asked, looking right into the face of their teacher. They were only inches apart. Tohru and Kyo's hands were still clasped, and now everyone was slowly turning to look at them.
"That's too far apart!" Madame snapped. "To dance properly, you must be closer." She walked over to shoved Kyo close to Tohru. He stood his ground, fighting against the hands that pushed at his back. His eyes were growing wild, and Tohru clung onto his hand tightly.
"Hey! Hey! Stop it!" Kyo shouted. "Get off me!" He whirled around to face the woman, breathing heavily. Tohru peeked her head above Kyo's shoulder. Now everyone was staring at them.
"Closer! Closer! Are you too afraid to hug your girlfriend?"
One of Kyo's eyes twitched. Tohru rested a hand on his shoulder. "Kyo," she began softly. "Don't get worked up. She doesn't know."
"I don't know what?" Madame snapped. Tohru immediately grew red. Kyo grew pale. "Know what, know what?" She continued to ask. Tohru realized she'd have to try to fix this.
"Um—um—my boyfriend! He has a…a…" The situation was steadily growing hopeless. "A…a…a…"
"A rash!" Kyo blurted out. Tohru nodded emphatically.
"Yes! Exactly! He has a very bad rash, and it's highly contagious. I don't want to catch it, because…well…I don't want a rash!" Tohru laughed nervously, her stomach flopping around inside of her.
Madame took a step back. "Contagious?" she asked nervously, touching her face self-consciously.
"Yes!" Tohru saw the effect it had. Everyone bristled. "Oh, but only if you hug him!"
"Only if you hug him?" Madame Tyaki asked flatly. Kyo nodded along with Tohru this time.
"You can ask my doctor if you want. Hatori Sohma?"
The teacher stiffened.
"So you've heard of him? Good. Now, can we get back to dancing?" Kyo asked. Madame glared at him for two more seconds, and then whirled around and walked back to the front.
"That…was close," Tohru whispered as they took the beginning positions.
"You're telling me," Kyo mumbled. "A rash? How stupid can I get?"
"I was going to say you had an itchy shirt," Tohru mumbled. "Yours was much better."
Kyo laughed. "Yea, well, it helps that Hatori is well-known, for some reason. He doesn't really help anyone else. I guess he might have been famous before he got old."
Tohru shrugged too. "We make a pretty good team though," she said lightly, as Madame went to go fix another couple's posture. "She's leaving us alone at least."
Kyo shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. "But I bet we're going to need all the help we can get once we actually have to start dancing."
Kyo's words were visibly true. Through the beginning stages, the couple was a mess. Kyo's steps were clumsy and grip too tight, and Tohru danced too quickly and seemed prone to trip on Kyo's feet and fall flat on her face numerous times.
Madame Tyaki never came over to help once after the whole rash incident.
So the two had to work their hardest to try and keep up with the rest. There were a few squabbles, numerous muttered curses from Kyo, but in the end they began to resemble what was a dance in time with the record playing.
"This…is…hard," Tohru murmured, trying to keep count of how many steps she took.
Kyo could only nod. "Yea, just a little."
Suddenly, the song slowed down. For the first time, the two knew what to do. They got together as close as they could and then began to sway in time.
"This is actually fun! You have to admit it," Tohru said softly, looking at the zipper on Kyo's sweater. His eyes were resting on her head when she answered.
"I guess it's okay."
"That means you like it," Tohru replied, smiling. Kyo snorted.
"Yea right!"
The two danced in silence for the rest of the song, until the record suddenly ended abruptly.
"All right! It's late! Everyone out! If you liked it, come back again!"
Tohru glanced at her watch. "It's late?" she asked, worried. "What is she talking about?" Tohru gasped. "Oh! It's already three o'clock! I have to get to work!"
Kyo smiled faintly. "Thank God that's over. All right then. Want me to take you to work?"
"Oh, I'll be all right!" Tohru said, flapping a hand at him as she walked over to get her shoes.
"Well, let me restate that, then: I'm taking you to work."
Tohru smiled shyly. "Well, if you're sure…"
"I'm sure," Kyo replied seriously.
Kyo flipped through his homework in the kitchen idly. He checked the clock on the wall. Seven o'clock. She should be home soon. Yuki had insisted on picking her up, and Shigure had ordered him to stay and do his homework; not to mention Kyo was just plain exhausted. He wouldn't have minded going to get Tohru, but he liked his silence, too.
He looked up from his book and glanced around the spotless kitchen. Spotless. So much had changed since Tohru came into their lives. He knew that once she came home she'd begin to cook supper at a rapid speed. He smiled as he looked over by the stove. Right there…that's where it had happened. That's where he had been taken over that strange, impulsive, feeling and kissed her. That's where it had all started.
Kyo continued to watch that spot, remembering that fateful night, when he heard the door creak open. "Kyo? Shigure-san? We're home!"
Yuki didn't bother to say anything. Kyo saw him disappear up the stairs and Tohru come trotting into the kitchen.
"Hello Kyo!" she greeted brightly.
"Hi," he replied back. "How was work?"
"It was good! Momiji helped me again."
Kyo snorted. "That brat?"
"Momiji's really nice, Kyo!" Tohru pouted.
Kyo changed the subject. "How's the stupid rat taking it?"
"He's actually much better," Tohru replied back happily as she began to rummage around in the pantry for food. "It's nearly normal again."
"He better realize he's not picking you up from work all the time," Kyo said sullenly. Tohru grinned warmly at him.
"I wouldn't want him to," she reassured.
Kyo watched her begin to cook in silence. He found himself mesmerized by the way she moved, her fast hands and solid grace that showed she knew what she was doing. As steam began to billow around her from the pots of boiling water on the stove, he noticed how beautiful she looked with the glow of the heat in her cheeks. Her smile was genuinely happy, and even her off-key humming sounded like the most thought out symphony.
He wasn't thinking. Okay, technically, he was. He knew perfectly well what he was thinking and knew perfectly well what he wanted to say.
Kyo just hadn't planned on actually saying it.
"I love you," he murmured sleepily.
Tohru froze.
Kyo froze.
Even the steam from the pots seemed to freeze. The only noise was the hiss of the water as it began to boil over one pot and out onto the oven. Tohru didn't even notice until the scalding hot water fell onto one of her feet.
"Ouch! Oh no!" she cried, ducking to mop it up with a rag. Kyo had glimpsed her beet red face, her shaking hands as they held onto a box of rice. He began to feel incredibly stupid. Ridiculous. Idiotic. He couldn't even look at her anymore. When Tohru stood up again, he glanced down at his hands, which were gripping each other tightly.
Oh no. Ohhh no. This wasn't good. Was he stupid? Now she was going to be so scared of him! He seemed to tune everything out as he tried to sort out his feelings. Did he feel like that?
…
Okay, he wasn't even going to bother asking that question. Of course he did! He just…hadn't wanted to tell Tohru, of all people! Dancing that afternoon had made him realize just…just how much he loved being with her. Yea, but telling her that?
That was a whole different story.
"Um—Um—Um…." Kyo started, looking up to see Tohru standing nervously in front of him. Her eyes were trained on his homework. He suddenly felt a brush creeping onto his cheeks.
"Tohru," he began, standing up suddenly. The action sent Tohru flinching like some cornered animal. "Look, I didn't mean to—"
"I'm glad!" she yelled, eyes squeezed shut. Kyo froze as he reached for her shoulder. He pulled it back.
"Glad?" he asked, hating how lost his voice had come out. Okay. So she was glad he didn't mean to tell her. Whatever.
"Yes!" she continued to yell with her eyes shut, hands clutched together nervously. "I'm glad you feel that way!"
Kyo felt his eyes widen. A blush took over his entire face. "You're…glad?"
Tohru opened one eye timidly, and then the other. Unexpectedly, she smiled so serenely it took Kyo by surprise. "I'm glad, Kyo, because I…I…" She grew even redder than Kyo. He watched her patiently.
"I feel the same way too!" she said. She continued to smile at him, taking two of his hand and placing it in her two fragile ones. "I—I love you too," she whispered, her voice so quiet Kyo had to strain to hear. When he finally did hear her words, he felt his heart surging with a joy he didn't understand.
A silence followed. "This would be a good time for a hug," Kyo concluded. "Except for that can't happen…"
Tohru shook her head, clutching his hand tighter. "I don't care about the hugging," she said happily. Kyo noticed tears running down her face.
"I made you cry?" he asked softly, instinctively lifting up one hand to brush the tears away.
"I'm crying because I'm happy," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Kyo smiled warmly down at her.
"I didn't scare you, did I?" he asked nervously.
Tohru shook her head fervently. "No! Never!" She looked up at him, a happiness running through her so strongly she couldn't understand. "I love you, Kyo," she said, fighting to keep her voice calm when she really felt like screaming with delight.
Kyo, instead of looking uncomfortable, looked strangely at ease. "I love you, Tohru."
The two smiled at each other. Water began to boil over the pots one after the other, but neither seemed to notice.
A lot can come of cooking.
FinA/N: Oh my goodness! What's this? An author's note at the END of the chapter? For shame. I know. But you know, it's the end of my fanfiction, and I just wanted to say that I LOVE YOU ALL! Seriously. You have made writing this fiction one of the best experiences I've had on this site. Thank you all sooo much! But don't worry! I'll hopefully write more Fruits Basket fiction as time passes. And other things. Heehee.
I hope you loved this story as much as I did! Thanks a bunches!
PS: KYORU FOREVER!
-Kristen (mentalsunflower)