A/N: (pops cork off bottle ofsparkling grape juice, (hey, I'm still only sixteen!) and throws a handful of confetti into the air)
WHOOOHOOO! I've gotten a HUNDRED reviews already! You guys have no idea how happy this makes me! I really can't thank you enough! It's thanks to you that I'm working on another fanfic! – for those of you who don't already know, you can see my profile- I want to dedicate this chapter to everyone who has reviewed this story so far:
Leaviel, Wolf Tamer 101, sango92, Kimmy37, Cows-roc-my-world, crepes, the-everglow, Aria's star, KittySandKatie, CxHforever, SimpleOne, Shikon, mitah, ShadowWolves, meltingsnowflake, mangadreams, eastercat, PerplexedKiss, ebonyflame85, Edakumi, kyogotmilk, Mystic Water Bender3, Shugotenshi, Sakura, kingleby viviana, tully, FurubaFreak22, TrinityFire13, Guardian137, anime-punkass-luvr, Manachans, BoxGhost, gladdecease, ChildlikeEmpress, blueyedluv, Mr. Bunny-chan-san, mz animefreak, InuDani, Dr0owniingiinyo0u, ThunderStorm-8, -rocket-reader-, Addicted to Manga, kiana-angel91, shortfry803, Tijiya, Trumpet-Geek, and Infinitis.
(sniff) You guys are the best and I love you so much! Please continue to read and review! I so much enjoy reading the things you have to say.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, nor the characters in it. I merely manipulate them to do my dirty work.
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Chapter 8: Don't Get Fluffy
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Tohru felt something warm move next to her. She glanced up and saw Kyo-kun sitting next to her. Her first impulse was to instinctively move closer to his heat, and her second was to wrench back and scream at having him pop up by her so suddenly. Of course, she didn't give into either one, but she really wanted to.
His eyes were closed, and his head resting against the stone wall and his arms crossed over his chest. It looked like he was sleeping. She took the opportunity to let her eyes roam freely over him. His orange hair was tousled, as if he had run his fingers through it over and over again, but Tohru thought it rather suited him. His whole body was wrought with muscle, devoid of any excess flesh; every inch of him speaking volumes of his strength and athleticism. Kyo-kun was like a tawny lion, bronzed from head to foot. Out of the corner of her eyes, she even peeked at his impressive six-pack.
"The best way for you to get warmer is through body heat."
Tohru nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard him speak. "-Eh!"
"You need to warm up soon or you'll catch a cold ." He said.She looked up at him. His eyes were still closed and he hadn't moved an inch.
Tohru went red and darted her eyes away from him. Had he been awake the whole time she'd been watching him? How had he known…?
Watching…? Ha! Don't you mean examining him like he was a prime specimen of horse-flesh?
'I wasn't looking at him like that! I was merely…admiring him.'
Uh huh… Well…at least now you're not cold any more.
Tohru indeed felt her whole body flooded with heat- from extreme embarrassment, that is.
'I wish there was something I could do…'
You could always embrace him…
Tohru blanched at the idea. 'I couldn't do that!'
Why not? It would keep you both warm. It's also an excellent excuse to hold him…
'Because….because-...Well, what about him turning into a cat?'
What about it? Of course he's gonna turn into a cat…What did you think I meant? Ho Boy, you are quite the bold one today.
'No! No! No! I just thought-'
Look- If you have such a problem with hugging the guy, you could at the very least move closer to him. He's the one with no shirt on- don't you think Kyo-kun would appreciate it if you shared your warmth?
'Oh!' she cupped her hand to her mouth, 'I didn't think about that! And here I am, thinking about how I feel- yes, what about him?... I'm so selfish!'
"K…Kyo-kun? Are…you cold…?" she asked meekly.
He shrugged. "Not too much."
Not too much…Uh huh…
Translation: What the hell do you think? I'm freezing my ass off right now, of course!
Tohru had to be very careful, so as to not accidentally hug him. She was fairly sure that Kyo-kun would not appreciate being turned into a cat at the moment. Tohru slowly inched her way over. A little closer…
"EEEK!" she squealed when she felt his freezing flesh come in contact with hers.
Kyo-kun snapped upright, on his guard. "What's wrong?"
He looked so rancorous, Tohru was almost afraid to tell him. "I, uh….well…that is to say….um…You're cold." Tohru told him sheepishly.
Kyo-kun relaxed and rolled his eyes. "Geez, Tohru. You're such a wuss."
"B-But, Kyo-kun, you should have told me if you were cold!" Tohru cried anxiously.
He slightly shifted so he could face her and quirked a brow up. "Yeah…? And how would you have warmed me up?"
Tohru swallowed and licked her lips, which had abruptly gone dry. She looked up into the set of luminous dark-gold eyes that were bearing down on her own. She stared at him frozen, like a deer caught in headlights. Tohru felt like she was drowning in them, they were so deep and mysterious. Suddenly, she noticed that their faces were just inches apart, that she was close enough to feel his breath tickle her skin; that her heart was strangely racing, as if she had been running.
"I…….I…….,"Tohru struggled to find the voice that wouldn't come.
Kyo felt the atmosphere between them abruptly change. Somehow, when his words left his mouth, they sounded more sensuous out loud then he had meant them to be.
It was as if they both realized at the same time how close they were to each-other. Actually, he had no idea what she thought, but that was what he was thinking anyway. His eyes unconsciously dropped to her mouth and he watched her lick her lips with an unusually engrossed interest. He could smell the sweet, alluring scent from whatever shampoo she used wafting towards his nose. Kyo couldn't quite put his finger on what the fragrance was, but definitely liked it. He wanted to bury his face in her hair, and inhale the delicious perfume more thoroughly.
Kyo shook himself mentally. Had he suddenly gone insane?
Here they were, sitting in a cave because they were lost, in the middle of one of the worst thunderstorms there had been all year, both freezing to death, and all he could think about was what she smelled like? Perhaps he had caught a cold from all the rain, and was hallucinating, or something.
Still…their faces were only a couple of inches apart. It would be the perfect opportunity to……….
Stop It! He violently yelled at himself. Get your head out of the gutter, you pervert! He tore his face away from Tohru's and turned away to glue his eyes to the opposite stone wall. Was he going insane? Probably. Perhaps it would just be best if he didn't look at her for a while until he was able to get a grip.
"Kyo-kun…?" he heard Tohru say.
"Mmm?"
"…W-where you were trying to take me this afternoon….w-was that where you were on that night you found me outside…?" She asked him.
Kyo was taken aback by her sudden question, but still didn't look at her. "Where I was…? …Uh, well, yeah. I guess so."
"Oh…okay…"She said breathlessly.
Kyo leaned back and closed his eyes, once more trying to get a hold on the turbulent emotions he was feeling. The both sat in silence for awhile.
"…Kyo-kun?" Tohru broke the stillness.
"WHAT?" he exclaimed rather rudely- he couldn't help it! Didn't this girl understand that he was trying to rid his mind of her for her own protection? How the heck was he supposed to do that if he could hear her voice pop up every ten seconds?
Tohru thought for a second, and then gave up. "Ummm, I forgot…."
Kyo sighed in exasperation. He was too tired to even scold her for saying stupid things like that. The storm raging outside was gradually sapping away all of his energy. He felt like every muscle in his body was drained; that he wouldn't be able to stand up even if he tried. His eye-lids became heavy to hold up. Slowly, very slowly, he gave in, and let the waves of sleep carry him out to sea.
Kyo jerked awake when he felt something hit his shoulder. How long had he dozed off for? Five minutes? An hour? He looked outside and saw the rain still steadily poring down. He couldn't really tell what time of day it was, since it was dark outside to begin with. Kyo started to ask Tohru if she had a watch, when he noticed that her brown head was resting on his shoulder and one of her arms was hooked around his.
How had he missed that?
The position they were in was rather precarious- one wrong move and he'd be on all fours, washing his fur with his tongue. But, he decided, as long as she didn't move too much, it'd be okay. Besides- he couldn't bring himself to wake her up when she looked so damn peaceful in her sleep.
Kyo's whole body went stiff when he felt her shift her head so that her cheek was pressed against his bare skin. Tohru exhaled in her sleep and her warm breath touched his arm, sending shivers through his blood.
Kyo bit his lip- hard. Oh, God, this is torture…
He couldn't stop himself from bringing his free hand up to run his fingers through her hair. It felt like smooth silk…
Kyo sighed contentedly. Everything felt so right at that moment. He never wanted to move from this spot with her cuddled next to him. He closed his eyes again.
Perhaps the day wasn't a total loss after all…
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A/N: I'm so excited! I'm finally getting to add fluffiness to the story!I love fluff! fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff. Oh, yeah, and For any of ya'll who didn't notice I'm 'trying' to make every chapter name either a pun or a play on words or something...
(Please don't steal this story from me or I will, sadly, hunt you down and haunt you for the rest of your life.)
