XO'MagickMoon'OX
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There was something warm…and soft…pressed against my lips…and it was moving… It took all of two seconds for Kyo's kiss to register with me. I opened my eyes and gazed blearily up at him.
Pulling back, he whispered, "Rise and shine."
My typically sluggish senses were stimulated as I pulled him back down for another kiss. He complied and laid down on top of me, kissing me tenderly and deeply. I groaned with satisfaction, finding a warm contentment with his presence. Parting again, he said breathlessly, "Time for school."
I growled, holding him captive with my arms around his neck. "I don't want to go," I whined in a very uncharacteristic manner. "I can't do anything with you at school."
He smirked. "Why not?"
I gaped at him. "What do you mean, 'why not'?"
"Last time I checked, 'why not' only had one meaning."
"Kyo! If we get caught…"
"We just won't let anyone see us."
"Easier said than done," I deadpanned. "We were lucky the last time; the only ones who caught us were Honda-san and her friends."
He gave me a soft kiss, smiling and saying, "Then we'll just have to wait until we get home."
I grinned. "Or, we could just not leave home in the first place."
Kyo feigned a gasp. "Is the Yuki Sohma actually considering shirking his academic duties?"
I scowled halfheartedly. "Are you actually considering shirking your duties as my lover?"
He kissed me again. "Never." I whimpered as he rose, straightening out his uniform and saying, "Come on, we're gonna be late for school."
I rolled over onto my stomach, burying my face in my pillow and wishing that I didn't have to get up. I felt something grip my shoulder and pry me from my mattress, and I clumsily stumbled out of bed. With much effort, I made it to the shower, resisting the urge to invite Kyo to join me (knowing that he would refuse) and was ready for school twenty minutes later.
Honda-san greeted me warmly, ever a familiar sight. Soon, we were out the door, taking the beaten path to school. Kyo laced his fingers in mine, and I smiled. But as we entered the school vicinity, I felt his hand slip tentatively out of mine, and my smile faltered. I could feel the icy air of his façade—an air I hadn't sensed around him for the past two days—appear. My heart sank a little, but I knew that, around our peers, we couldn't seem any different from our characteristic demeanors.
I idly wondered how I would make it through the day.
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"Yuki," sensei addressed me. "Pernicious."
"Noun," I replied. "Tending to cause death or serious injury."
"Very good. Synonym?"
Akito Sohma. "Malign."
"Correct." She turned to quiz the next student, and I busied myself with studying the graffiti on my desktop.
The names "Ryou" and "Mitsuko" were etched into the surface with a lopsided heart drawn around them. I felt my stomach sink. Why was it that other couples could advertise their relationships so openly while Kyo and I had to hide ours?
The words "gay incest" came to mind.
On top of that, we were rivals in the public eye. But I think that the former was more an issue than the latter. Letting slip the fact that we were lovers wouldn't sit well with too many people. Most tended to hold the image of incest and homosexuality in contempt, doubly so for a combination of the two, love be damned.
And then there was the third issue: Akito. If the news of my and Kyo's relationship—Heaven forbid—reached him, we would be in for it. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to Kyo because of me. I thought back to what had happened to Kana after Akito had nearly blinded Hatori's left eye. And then there was Kisa and Hiro. Hiro had almost completely dissociated himself from Kisa in order to keep her safe. And what about Rin? Why was Akito so bent on destroying our happiness?
Okay, so I knew why, but that didn't make matters better. The stupid Sohma curse was all to blame for this, for Akito's bitterness, for the repercussions of that bitterness that affected the rest of us, and even for our secrecy and own individual resentment. Every member of the Zodiac, one way or another, felt at least an inkling of contempt for life. Even Momiji had to have some resentment. Which led me to wonder, if it weren't for the curse, would I have been any different from the way I am now? Well, before Kyo, of course. Before I fell in love with Kyo, I was cold and had a general dislike for everyone around me (save Honda-san).
My parents must have had a very twisted sense of humor to name me something that means "snow".
Maybe it was all my name's fault that I ended up the way I did. If my name had meant "joy" or "warmth" or something that starkly contrasted anything dark or cold, would I have been any different?
Gah, what was I thinking? My train of thought had taken a very ridiculous turn somewhere. I blamed the graffiti on my desk.
And then, something skidded across the graffiti and into my line of vision: a small square of folded up paper. I looked around and saw Kyo watching me. Taking the paper, I opened it up and read the words "What's wrong?" written in Kyo's sloppy scrawl. I gave a small smile. Taking my pen, I replied, "Nothing. Just thinking," and tossed it back to him when sensei turned her back on us. He opened up the note and read my response. Turning to me, he mouthed, "If you say so," and went back to listening to the lecture on…something. I should really start to pay attention.
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As we were dismissed for lunch, I rose from my seat and immediately someone grabbed my arm. I caught a glimpse of blonde hair before I was pulled from the classroom and dragged to a nearby bathroom. Taking a look around and gathering my frazzled senses, I came to a startling realization.
"This is the girls' bathroom!" I rounded on my captor, who I recognized as Uotani-san.
She turned to the girls who were staring at us incredulously, and one looked about ready to say something (probably about a boy being in the wrong bathroom) when Uotani-san bellowed, "All right, everyone OUT!"
There was a flush from one of the stalls before a girl darted out, following the rest of the occupants as they obliged Uotani-san. No one wanted to upset her, what with her reputation and all.
Once we were alone, she turned to me and grinned deviously. I audibly swallowed. "C-Can I help you, Uotani-san?"
"No, but I can help you." She gripped my shoulders and turned me to face a nearby mirror, after which she took a lock of my hair and held it aside. My eyes widened. "I guess Kyo's a little aggressive, eh?"
There was the faded remnants of a red bruise on my neck, visible against my pale skin. I blushed deeply.
"You might want to cover that up," Uotani-san said. "You're lucky no one else seemed to notice; your hair was pretty much covering it, but when you bent down to pick up your pencil sometime during fourth period, I spotted it."
Oh God. This was not good. Though no one else had said anything, what if someone had seen? I covered my face with my hands, sinking down against the wall. "What am I supposed to do?" I asked.
I glanced up as Uotani-san began to look around, spotting something that one of the girls had left behind in their haste. It was a bottle of something—make-up, I presumed. She stepped over to a stall and ripped off a bit of toilet paper, wadding it up and approaching me again, bottle in hand. She knelt down in front of me. "This looks to be about the right shade," she said.
I didn't really understand what she was talking about, but I supposed she meant that the shade of the make-up matched my skin. This must have been one of those days when Fate, who was typically my enemy, decided to smile down on me. I caught the brief inkling of what it felt like to be blessed.
Uotani-san uncapped the bottle and tipped it against the toilet paper, then reached up with it and brushed my hair aside, dabbing it over the bruise. Once she'd finished her work, she stood up and helped me to my feet. I checked myself in the mirror, relieved the find that the mark was no longer very visible. No one would notice it was even there.
I smiled appreciatively, bowing in front of Uotani-san. "Thank you."
"No problem." She recapped the make-up and set it on the edge of the sink, tossing the toilet paper into the trash can. "Just make sure you cover yourself next time." Then, as an afterthought, she asked, "What about Kyo? Does he have any hickeys needing covering?"
I blushed a little again and shook my head. "I don't think so."
"All right. Come on, Tohru and Hana are probably looking for me."
My stomach growled then at the thought of going to lunch. But, as we headed out, I heard something that made my heart freeze in my chest: the sound of a stall latch clicking. Had someone else been in the bathroom during our exchange?
My heart thawed and began working overtime as I picked up my pace, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from the bathroom as possible.
Fate was a fickle mistress.
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Hehehe, any guesses as to who the person is? (Susannah already knows :D) The next chapter (which I've already started) is looking pretty long; hopefully the rest of the chapters from here on out will gain in length.
R-E-V-I-E-W.
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