Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket and frankly I don't want to. I could never afford the bills for their therapy.
Soul Beauty
Chapter 2
Hatsuharu was in a good mood. Or at least he had been when he left the main compound and set out on this ill-fated journey. He had intended to go visit Yuki and the others on such a beautiful Sunday morning but alas that had been over two days ago and he was pretty sure having visited there homestead before that they didn't live in such a dry area.
In fact he was ninty-eight percent sure that they didn't live here. He left two percent for the possibility that Shigure may have, on a lark terra formed his front yard.
But last time he checked it wasn't nearly this hot or dusty. Considering there had been no houses or even buildings in the last hour might be another cause for concern.
The sun's rays beat down on him. His mouth felt dry and rough like sandpaper. His body was exhausted but he kept plodding on at an even pace. It took all his energy and focus for him to force his feet to keep going, one step after another.
He had no water or food so he should have been a little more worried about his situation especially after a snake that was most likely poisonous bit him. But he was fairly certain he was just hallucinating this whole ordeal, after all everyone knows Kangaroos aren't indigenous to Japan.
When he had left the house he had intended to get away from his problems. He had hoped to find a nice quiet place to relax. If he had known where his feet were going to lead him he might have seriously considered having them removed.
In his search for a safe haven he had come across the worst possible place to hide. But ironically it was just the kind of place he had been looking for. Given that know one would ever think to look for him here and with good reason.
He let out an unbidden gasp of horror as the amber-eyed man leaned in close smiling earnestly.
"What the Hell! What are you doing here you bastard?"
"Why silly Kyo I own this fine establishment."
He shakily backed away from the white haired menace.
'Of all the places he had to come to. Why oh why this one. It must be divine punishment for his impure thoughts from earlier. God must surely be punishing him. Man he hated Karma'
"So what brings you here Kyo? I know! You're here to get something special for Tohru aren't you? I have just the cutest little thing for that innocent flower. I just finished it yesterday. It's in the back. The skirt is just divine it's pale pink with a little lace and a sprinkling of ruffles. And it has a strawberry design. Oh, I just shiver at the thought of it. It is a masterpiece after all." He said rapidly with a smile.
Kyo just shook his head hurriedly in denial.
Ayame looked at him with disappointment. Not one to let a minor setback get him down, Ayame's face lit right back up and he continued in his tirade.
"No not that. Oh I get it. You naughty kitty you. I would never have thought you would want to get that kind of thing for her. Have you really progressed so far in your relationship? I was so sure Yuki would have beaten you to her. Ah to be young again."
He paused to catch his breath. He then gave a sigh in contentment, reminiscing on his high school years before he hurriedly continued where he left off. Overriding all of Kyo's protests.
"Lets see I think red and black silk will work. Something sexy but not sluttish. So that rules out a thong. She will need gloves for sure. Maybe a spiked chocker. And…OH! I will need her exact measurements.
"Hey! What are you babbling about you idiot? " Kyo interrupted angrily.
"Lingerie". Ayame said with a smile while holding up a small pair of lacy red panties.
"What the hell are you talking about that for?" he asked in embarrassment.
"Well I thought it was obvious considering you're the one who came here, to me, for this sexy little number for Tohru." Ayame said condescendingly.
"No Way! Your not putting Tohru in any of your perverted outfits."
"Your right I'm not…
Kyo gave a relieved sigh, which he then choked on when he heard the next two words spew from the snake's perverted mouth so causally.
"You are."
Kyo blushing madly stammered out a retort.
"Yyyouu b bbastard there iss noo way I would bbbuuyy any oof thhiis trash for her."
"Well how rude! You dare to insult my masterpieces!" Ayame declared heatedly.
"My clothes are works of art. After all I should know I created them and I am a fashion genius." He said arrogantly.
"Look you maniac I didn't come in here to get Tohru a present." Kyo said, interrupting Ayame's rant once again.
"In fact coming here had nothing to do with her, nothing at all." He claimed nervously.
While making these false claims lurid images of Tohru danced in his head. They now featured her sauntering towards him, her silky mane swaying around her slim hips with each step. She is wearing little more than that cute smile and a bit of sheer black lace. The miniscule scraps of fabric lovingly cupped her young nubile body. How he wished he were that fabric.
Kyo's face took on a reddish tint and his eyes glazed.
A fanatical light appeared in Ayame's own eyes as Kyo stood there in a daze. The fiend flashed his pearly whites in a wide smile and he gave him a calculating look.
'If he didn't come to buy clothes for Tohru then there could only be one possible reason.'
The lust imbued cat noticing the perceptive looks Ayame was sending him had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
'Were his impure thoughts of Tohru that obvious? Could Ayame really see what he was thinking just by looking at him? He is a pervert like Shigure after all, and they both have moments of great insight. So it is quite possible that a guy like him could see when someone else is having similar depraved thoughts.
He felt great trepidation as the snake took on a smug air.
"I see why you came Kyo, oh yes I see very clearly now." He chuckled gleefully.
He pointed at Kyo while smiling, leaning in close, and invading the cat's personal space much to his discomfort.
"You are in love with me!"
"No I only think of her in a platoni…" Kyo was hurriedly trying to explain while waving his arms about frantically when what the snake said finally processed through his somewhat thick scull.
Kyo froze and stared at the man before him utterly shocked.
"Love you...?"
His arms were still frozen in midair when the disgust kicked in his face turned green around the edges.
"Wait what! Dammed Psycho, what gave you that sick idea?"
"I didn't realize you swung that way Kyo. My brother maybe but you? I'm sorry I should have realized your feelings for me sooner. I mean you left me so many clues." He said with some regret.
"But how could anyone blame you I am irresistible after all even to other men. The Gods themselves can't withstand my good looks and charm."
The cat just watched, horrified as Ayame continued on. So stunned was he that he could not even formulate a single protest.
"Its just so adorable that you came all this way, with such rosy cheeks, to proclaim your deep abiding love for me. You love me even though you and I are related by blood. You care for me even though I am the brother to your sworn enemy. You adore me even though I am far older than you, but not to old mind you. You lust after me even though we are both of the same gender. Oh it is a forbidden love but so beautiful and what is forbidden is that much sweeter. Furthermore, you wish to have hot sweaty se…"
"Gahh! Just shut up!" Kyo yelled after snapping out of his daze.
"…here on the floor of my shop. Where you will pull me into your strong arms holding me against your glistening chest and then you will ravish my ma…
Kyo stuck his fingers in his ears closed his eyes and started humming loudly.
Ayame just got louder where even Kyo's humming couldn't block out his voice.
"…ere I then fondle you gently while rubbing…"
That was the last straw Kyo couldn't handle another X-rated word spewing from the other man's mouth. In an uncontrollable rage his hands snapped out and encircled Ayame's neck squeezing tightly.
"Listen here you asshole I didn't come here to see you I don't love you I don't even remotely like you! I only care about one person and I came here because I needed to get away from her before I did something stupid. And for your information I am not gay!"
Kyo loosened his grip on Ayame's throat and let out a sigh of relief. Feeling the burden of the days events lesson at his angry confession
"See, now don't you feel better." Ayame said cheerfully.
Shigure clutched his stomach in agony. He couldn't remember a time he had ever felt this sick before. He groaned in pain. Maybe he should go to a hospital or at least call Hatori.
"Yuki are you sure you didn't make breakfast this morning." He cried plaintively.
"For the last time no I did not, I was asleep. And besides the food was fine."
"How can you say that? It hissed at me."
"Your food didn't hiss maybe you were hearing things."
"It bit me twice, look it even left teeth marks."
"You probably imagined it. How much sleep did you get last night. Were you up watching porno again?"
"I did not, three hours and it wasn't porno it was a romance with a fascinating plot. It was well acted and the ending had a unique twist"
Yuki just lifted an eyebrow.
"Fine it was a romance filled with gratuitous sex scenes." He admitted reluctantly.
"Anyways that's beside the point I'm suffering here. Call Hatori, Tohru's food is burning a hole through my stomach lining." He said piteously.
"If your not delusional as you claim which I don't believe then you must have caught something."
"I am not ill. I felt fine until I had some of that hissing biting foodish substance."
Yuki glared dangerously at Shigure when he opened his mouth to continue his complaints.
"Stop insulting Tohru's cooking it tasted fine if there was something wrong wouldn't I have noticed or at least got sick like you. After all I had three helpings of it."
The dog paused for a moment pondering Yuki's reasoning
"Well maybe you built up an immunity to it."
Shigure curled up in a ball as another wave of pain washed over him. He looked at Yuki pleadingly.
"It hurts, Yuki call Hatori to make it all better. Then go get me some ice cream."
Yuki just gave a sigh of disgust then left the room to make the call. The whiny dog was the doctor's responsibility now.
Left alone to his own devices Shigure quickly got bored. Which is to be expected when he had, no one to annoy or complain to.
It would be a lot more fun with Tohru around she would actually be worried about him unlike certain other residents of the household.
'I bet she would get me ice cream.'
Even Kyo's angry presence would have been welcome to the miserable dog.
That reminded him, now that he thought about it he hadn't seen the cat all morning and Kyo almost never passed up a meal made by Tohru's loving hands.
'Where had the teenager gone to.'
Something peculiar was going on. Tohru leaving with nary a word was odd enough, but for her food to be this terrible and for Kyo to have disappeared without at least destroying a door that was downright suspicious.
Appalled Tohru gazed at the charred circle with disbelief. Nothing living remained within its borders. The blackened area stretched out at least forty feet.
As she looked at it she felt a strange tingly buzzing sensation in her palms.
She slowly lifted her arms to examine her hands causing the tingling to increase and pleasant warmth to course through her body. As she looked at her hands and tried to comprehend what force could have caused this destruction she heard faint drumming, but she could not distinguish its whereabouts. The beat was fast and increasing in volume causing her head to throb.
She closed her eyes and covered her ears but she could not block out the sound. She tried to focus on anything other than the incessant pounding of drums. But it was so loud now she couldn't even hear herself think.
The drumming was deafening, it felt as if her head would explode any second leaving nothing behind but a gory mess. The tempo sped up reaching its crescendo, the pressure in her mind swelled to bursting and then suddenly, it was gone.
Her head felt empty.
She lazily opened her eyes. Yawned and stretched her limbs. She felt wonderful. She looked at her surroundings with new eyes. The world suddenly seemed to be bigger and brighter almost as if it had been reborn.
She started humming a catchy tune. She turned to head home with a chipper smile. She looked at the ground once more before she left the clearing.
"Honestly, people should be more careful around their campfires. That fire could have taken the whole forest."
Happy with her rationalization of the situation she continued on her merry way.
A/N: Someone in this fanfic will die. However, I never said it had to be someone from Fruits Basket. If you want to help me choose who gets to meet their maker leave a message.