"Hey, Haru!"
Haru turned round, blinking sleepily.
"Hi Kyo," he answered. "I, uh, heard about you and Yuki."
Kyo blushed. Was Haru going to go Black on him? After all, he'd stolen Yuki, well, for a short while, but it was the principle of the situation that mattered. But Haru was looking calm as usual.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "I mean, with Akito and all…"
He looked at Kyo's arm and gestured in its general direction.
"I'm fine. Well, kinda… But Haru, you're not mad, are you?"
Haru looked confused.
"What with the whole him being your first love thing I thought you might be pissed at me."
Haru smiled.
"No, I'm over that. Actually, I'm kind of involved with someone…"
"Who? Anyone I know?" Kyo asked eagerly, like a hyperactive child.
And speaking of hyperactive children…
"Haaaaaaaruuuuuuuuuu!" Momiji yelled, hopping on his back and kissing him on the cheek.
Kyo looked shocked.
"Actually, Kyo, you do know him," said Haru, seemingly ignoring the pile of fifteen-year-old rabbit on his back.
"Know who?" asked Momiji. "Tell me! Tell me pleeeease!"
"Someone special," answered Haru, looking fondly at the candy addict.
"Um, well, I was wondering if you two could help me," said Kyo, trying to take in that the two were a couple, if an unlikely one.
They looked interested. Momiji slipped off Haru's back and settled for leaning on his arm and looking intently at Kyo.
"You guys live inside, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I need to get in."
They both knew what he meant.
"We'll help in any way we can."
"Come on Kyo, hurry up!"
Michi looked up. Wasn't Kyo the orange-haired cat? He wasn't supposed to be allowed inside!
"Hotaru! Kyo is outside, with Hatsuharu!"
Hotaru looked out the window. Sure enough, there was Haru, being closely followed by a short redhead with a cast on his arm.
"I thought Kyo was sixteen? He looks about eight!"
"Well, Hatsuharu is really tall, remember? Come on, we have to make sure they don't get in."
"But they're already in!" whined Hotaru. Why had they been picked to keep an eye out for Kyo?
"Then we have to get them out again, stupid!"
"Walk a little faster, make like you're trying to be stealthy!" muttered Haru to his cousin, who nodded resolutely and began to act more like he was creeping.
"Stop right there!" exclaimed Michi, standing in front of the two Sohma cousins, arms folded decisively, with a smug look on her face. This was bound to earn her serious brownie points with her parents!
Haru tried to look shocked and as if his plans were foiled. But the redhead was staring at the ground, making choking sounds.
"I'm afraid I'll have to tell the adults about what you were doing, you two," continued Michi, keeping up her self-important demeanour.
"What is it that you think we are doing?" said Haru.
"Helping Kyo get in to the main house, of course," she answered.
But then the redhead looked up brightly, giggling.
"Kyo? Where? He's not meant to be inside, is he?" exclaimed an orange-haired Momiji.
Michi's jaw had to be scraped off the ground.
"We were just going to Shigure's house to see Kyo, as a matter of fact," said Haru, holding back laughter. "Could we go out now?"
Haru gestured behind Michi and Hotaru, showing that they had been headed outside all the time.
"Fine," said Hotaru, pissed at being dragged away from a perfectly good TV show. "Come on Michi."
And so, Michi was dragged away in shock (but quickly recovered), Hotaru caught the second half of her TV show, and Haru and Momiji went on their fourth date, to the park.
So almost everyone in the Sohma compound was happy.
Almost everyone.
Kyo sprinted through the Sohma compound in the direction of the house where Akito lived with catlike stealth, despite the weight of his cast throwing off his balance. He had overheard Hatori telling Shigure where Yuki was being kept.
He had been moving faster then he had thought, and got there sooner than he had thought. He slumped against a tree, wincing as it made contact with his arm, to catch his breath for a moment. He turned toward the building, and at the circular window, and his heart fluttered when he saw Yuki, sitting, reading, and looking unhurt in any way.
"Yuki!" he whispered loudly.
Yuki looked up, surprised, and a little confused, but when he saw Kyo, he didn't show any excitement, or any worry that he might be caught. He just folded over the corner of the page of his book, closed it, and walked cautiously over to the window.
"Yuki, it's me! What's with you? Are you okay? Did Akito hurt you?" Kyo asked quietly, but urgently.
Yuki looked confused, but nothing more.
"I'm sorry. Akito said I'm not supposed to talk to people I don't know," he said apologetically.
Kyo realised what must have happened.
He stumbled backwards a few steps, staring fearfully at Yuki.
Don't let it be true, please don't let it be true…
"But… Yuki, you… you know me Yuki!" he yelled desperately.
But Yuki just tilted his head to one side and smiled sadly at Kyo.
"I'm sorry. But I can't go against Akito," he said, turning to go back to his book.
Kyo shook his head. He was frantic.
It can't be true. It's not him. It's not him. It's not Yuki.
"You're not Yuki. You can't be. The real Yuki would know me. You're not him!"
Kyo was yelling at the top of his voice, completely terrified that this was all real.
Yuki looked afraid too, but in a different way. Kyo saw in his eyes that he was terrified of the 'stranger' with a broken arm screaming at him from outside his window.
Kyo was shaking with the unfairness of it. He stared at his feet, trembling with anger and hate and sadness.
"I… I'll leave now. I'm sorry," whispered Kyo. He turned his back to the house and ran off towards the gates.
It's not fair. I hate Akito. I hate Akito. I hate Akito.
He ran all the way home, tears streaming from his eyes.
Yuki stared after the red haired teenager. What had he meant?
'You're not Yuki. You can't be. The real Yuki would know me. You're not him!'
Had he been mistaken for someone else? Or was the boy drunk? But how did he know his name?
Yuki sighed. It was late. He'd think about it in the morning.
Ah, melodrama. How I love you.
Anyway, so you know, the original characters (Hotaru and Michi) were random kids who were forced to keep an eye out for Kyo. They were random and will not appear again, unless the need arises.
Also, sorry! Hatori and Shigure didn't appear at all in this chapter! Ack! And I had promised more focus on them this chapter and everything! Sorry!
Also, I'm thinking of changing the title. So, people who are following the story, write down my pen-name (which I will not be changing anytime soon)!
Thanks for caring!
Thinking of you,
Sammy