Tooru and Fujitsima stood staring at each other dumbly. Kyou's eyes ping-ponged back and forth between them his mind racing. How the heck were they going to explain this? Before today he wouldn't have given another thought about telling someone that Tooru was in fact living with them. If it weren't for the curse he would have thought all the secrecy was just stupid and unnecessary. But with what he'd heard those boys saying today...
"Oh dear, oh dear," Fujitsima's father said mildly. "What a mess."
"If you only knew," thought Kyou.
"Here, miss," the pudgy man said picking up the bowl. "Why don't you go grab a wet cloth?" As she scampered off to do so he deftly used the bowl to scrape up the bulk of the mess. "There you go miss...?" he trailed off and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Ah! Sorry! Sorry!" Tooru bowed apologetically as she returned with the cloth, "I'm Honda Tooru, pleased to meet you."
"Tooru-kun," Shigure sing-songed as he stepped out of his study, "When is-" He stopped in surprise when he saw the crowd in the entryway. "Ara? We have guests?"
Fujitsima senior stepped around the bottleneck created by the gaping teenagers and held out a hand. "Hello there," he said pleasantly. "You must be Shigure-san?"
"Yes." Shigure's tone was polite, but his eyes darted curiously over the scene in the hallway. He took in Tooru's shock, Kyou's tense posture and the battered and bruised Maseo before looking back at the owlish man before him. Belatedly he took a hand out of his sleeve to shake, "And you are?"
"Fujitsima Kenji. This is my son, Maseo." Fujitsima senior clapped a hand on his son's back.
Shigure's eyebrows went up at the name. Kyou winced. Here it came, some inane babble about here was the person who was going to steal their "flower". Or maybe something stupid about how Tooru was their bride and Fujitsima couldn't have her or...
"Won't you come inside?" Shigure said pleasantly, gesturing to the living room.
They settled around the low table and Tooru dashed to the kitchen to get some tea. She set the tea down in front of them and took a calming breath before starting to pour. She felt as if her brain had stopped the moment Fujitsima's head had popped out from behind Kyou's back. Now she was just going through the motions. It felt like she was waiting for a storm.
Fujitsima and his father sat on one side of the table, while Kyou and Shigure sat across from them. Tooru sat by herself along the edge of the table. She bit her lip and put her hands in her lap. She desperately wanted to fiddle with her teacup but felt self-conscious. Fujitsima couldn't stop staring at her, looking away and reddening only when her reluctant eyes met his. His father was more surreptitious about his glances, but she could still feel his heavy-handed curiosity settling all around her.
Shigure read the pleading glance she wasn't even aware she sent to him and decided to break the deliciously tense tableau. He didn't know what exactly what was going on, but he could hazard a guess with the battered condition of Tooru's beau.
"So." Shigure said smiling, "Did Kyon-kichi cause trouble again?"
"Don't call me that!" The words burst out of Kyou out of surprised habit. He glanced at Fujitsima and his father and his face burned uncomfortably. His fist pounded on the table, "Why do you assume it's me?!"
"When someone shows a bruised and bloody face in front of me and you are involved I'm inclined to get a little suspicious." Shigure smiled genially and took a sip of his tea.
Fujitsima Senior coughed politely and set down his cup of tea. "I suppose you heard from the school then?"
"The school?" Shigure repeated his eyebrows shooting back up.
"They didn't call?" Fujitsima's father was obviously nonplussed by Shigure's casual and disarming behavior.
"Is *that* who was calling?" Shigure put his hand to the side of his face, "I thought it was my editor so I didn't answer."
"Ah. Well..." Fujitsima Senior coughed again and glanced at his son who was still staring soulfully at the girl sitting to the side. Things were becoming a bit clearer. "There was a little ruckus you see."
"It wasn't Kyou's fault!" Fujitsima burst. Everyone's eyes turned to him and his face flamed. "The teachers thought it was, but it wasn't." he explained lamely. His father put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, its something I'll have to bring up at the next PTA meeting. Your cousin here nearly got hung out to dry for being a hero." Fujitsima Senior took another sip of his tea and smiled at Tooru. "This is very good Miss." She blushed and he turned his attention back to Shigure, "Seems some of the other boys in class were talking a bit rough about a girl in class." He was careful not to let his gaze stray back to Tooru. "My boy took offense, but couldn't really back himself up, you see."
Fujitsima wilted under his father's casual disregard for his physical prowess. "I couldn't just let them say that stuff." He asserted under his breath, "It wasn't *right*."
"Mother always said that people shouldn't gossip!" Tooru agreed firmly. "I think it's awful that people would say bad things about one of our classmates!" She looked at Fujitsima admiringly. "It's so kind that you would stand up for a fellow student."
Only Tooru, Kyou reflected, could be so dense as to not realize that she was the girl that had been so maligned. He was getting pretty annoyed that the wimp was getting all the attention from her. After all, all Fujitsima had done was gotten beaten up.
"Yes, well..." Fujitsima Senior's spectacled eyes caught the interesting byplay between the children around the table. "It was lucky for Maseo that Kyou was around. It was two against one when your cousin came up." He smiled genially at Shigure, "If you thought Maseo looked bad you should see what the other two look like. That's when the teachers got involved. Unfortunately they thought Kyou here was the instigator..."
"Ah." Shigure nodded. With Kyou's spotted school record, it was to be expected.
"Well, I wanted to make sure that you understood that he was just helping out my boy. He really wasn't at fault at all." Fujitsima smiled. "I didn't want him to get in trouble just because he was watching out for a friend."
He's not my friend, Kyou thought sourly as Shigure and Fujitsima Senior discussed the state of public education.
"Kyou-kun is always watching out for other people." Tooru smiled warmly at him thinking of all the times he'd given her advice on how to protect herself. She hadn't understood a lot of it, he'd told her to not look stupid and not to look like an easy target. She tried to keep that in mind, but how did one not look stupid? What did an easy target look like? Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about it when she was with Kyou, because he said he'd watch out for her. She beamed at Kyou, happy that he now had a friend that he wanted to protect like she wanted to protect Uo-chan and Hana-chan.
Fujitsima let out a little hiss as he shifted in his seat and a piece of torn fabric that had been caught in one of his scratches pulled free.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Tooru jumped up, "Let me get the first aid kit!" She'd been sitting there so casually while Fujitsima sat there in pain.
"Oh, no...uh... that's OK!" Fujitsima tried to protest, but the girl was already gone.
Kyou and Fujitsima's eyes met briefly as they both returned their gaze back over the table after watching Tooru go. Kyou broke the connection quickly, not wanting to see the boy's obvious feelings reflected there. What must he be thinking now? First he goes and defends Tooru's honor, now he finds her living with Kyou and his cousins. Did he feel betrayed?
Did that mean he'd go away?
Kyou felt a sick lurch in his stomach. He must be the scum of the earth to actually feel hopeful at that thought. It certainly wasn't his place to want Fujitsima to leave. It wasn't fair to Tooru. It was like Shigure said; they didn't get these kinds of opportunities. It didn't mean the same should be true for Tooru.
Tooru returned with a familiar white box. Kyou had been at the receiving end of bandages and antiseptics from its depths at Tooru's hands before. Usually after yet another failed bout with Yuki, though those had become less frequent.
Tooru's wide eyes grew gentle and focused as she lightly tended to Fujitsima's wounds while Shigure and Fujitsima's father chatted about the failings of the school system. She clucked and chattered as she placed a bandage over this hurt, as she cleaned out that scratch. Fujitsima was mostly silent a permanent flush stamped on his features. His eyes would dart to her face, then down to her hands and then away to the safe depths of the first aid box. He couldn't keep his eyes from running through that cycle.
It wouldn't be fair to want Fujitsima to leave. But Kyou couldn't stop himself from wanting *just* that. Tooru was theirs! He clenched a fist.
"Does Kyou-kun's hand hurt?" He looked up to see Tooru hovering over him worriedly. "It still isn't completely healed from your accident." She didn't wait for a response, settling next to him with her box she took his hand in hers and unwrapped the bandage. "Ah...the cuts have reopened a bit." She pulled out fresh bandages and antiseptic and went to work re-bandaging his hands. She'd almost finished her task when Fujitsima spoke again.
"I...uh...was surprised to see Honda-san here." He didn't look at Tooru who'd frozen with the end of Kyou's bandage in one hand and his hand in her other. He kept his eyes focused on his hands clenched tightly on his knees.
"Eh?!" Tooru's eyes grew wide and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I mean... that is..." Fujitsima fiddled with an edge of one of his new bandages. "...I know that Honda-san is friends with Kyou-kun and Souma-kun... But I don't understand why Honda-san is here...now... when they aren't here."
"Ah... oh... that is..." Tooru fumbled and stammered.
"She works here." Shigure said.
"She studies here." Kyou said simultaneously. They looked at each other.
"She works here," he corrected.
"She studies here." Shigure nodded at the same time. There was a beat of silence, and Shigure spread his silliest grin across his face, "That is to say, she works here part time and then stays to study with Kyou and Yuki."
Fujitsima looked between the Souma's and Tooru, confusion still evident on his face. "Oh, uh-"
"She also lives here."
Yuki stood coolly in the doorway watching his words deaden the room to silence. He set his bag down by the door and stepped inside. "I'm home."
He sat at the table on the side opposite from Tooru's. She dropped Kyou's newly bandaged hand, jumped up and got him a teacup practically out of habit; the bomb of his words still making ripples around the room. Yuki assessed the room as Tooru poured his tea. He'd been stopped outside the student council meeting by one of the teachers and had been told about the incident earlier. He still was furious that someone had been talking badly of Tooru. The teachers hadn't mentioned her specifically, but who else would Fujitsima and Kyou both get so concerned over?
But beneath the fury, there was a sense of relief. He could use this.
Yuki had come to a decision. He couldn't hesitate any longer. Before he'd thought he had time to spare, time to move his way towards being the person that could best be by Honda's side. Fujitsima had shown him that time wasn't as generous as he thought. He had to move forward, he had to act.
He had to get rid of Fujitsima.
He didn't care how he did it. Damage could be repaired after the obstacle was gone. For now, perhaps this could be used to push out the interloper. He watched Fujitsima digest the information he'd delivered. He turned to the man by the boy's side.
"I'm sorry, we weren't properly introduced. I'm Souma Yuki, Fujitsima-kun's classmate."
The pudgy man's eyebrows went up. "Aren't you the young lad from the last PTA meeting? The one asking for funds for Maseo's class trip?"
"Ah, yes... that was part of my duties as class president." Yuki explained smoothly. "I also heard about what happened earlier today." He shot an unreadable icy look at Maseo who blushed. "I'm supposed to talk to you about reflecting on your actions today, seeing as we are classmates. Kyou can tell you that losing your temper and resorting to violence doesn't do you much good." He shot another unreadable look at his cousin. He really didn't understand Kyou's actions in this case. He could see the affect that Tooru had on the baka neko, he shouldn't be able to stand Fujitsima any more than he could. Yuki shook off the mystery as being unimportant, Kyou was an obstacle he'd have to overcome later. If he'd learned one thing, it was to take it one step at a time.
He turned his head in a calculated manner so that his hair fell back to unshield his impressive eyes. "Didn't you feel that you could come to me? If someone was speaking badly of one of our classmates, it would be my responsibility to try to put a stop to it."
"Y-yes..." Maseo flushed to his roots, obviously feeling foolish.
Satisfied that he'd accomplished his purpose of completely flustering Fujitsima, Yuki closed his eyes and turned his attention to Tooru. "I'm sorry Honda-san. I know we thought it would be best if people didn't know you were living here but it would be unfair to Fujitsima-san not to tell him the truth."
"Yes." Tooru blushed. Yuki winced internally; he hadn't meant to embarrass her. He would make it up to her later.
He turned to Fujitsima and his father, "Honda-san started living with us shortly after her Mother passed away last year."
"But... I thought you lived with your grandfather?" Fujitsima's brow crinkled.
"Ah... Yes... But last year it came to be that Grandfather's house was going to remodeled so Aunt and her family also could live there..." Tooru started to explain. "So Grandfather asked if I had somewhere I could stay during that time..."
"So we offered Honda-san a place to stay, temporarily." Yuki interrupted. There was no reason that the Fujitsima's had to know about the embarrassing events that led to Tooru living in a tent. "In return for some simple housework and cooking."
"But after the construction..." Maseo began.
"Well, with her aunt's family... things where a bit crowded." Yuki also saw no need to bring up that Tooru's family, save for her grandfather, were complete garbage. "And we had come to depend on her." He paused to smile warmly at Tooru, who blushed again for a completely different reason that before.
"So we decided to keep her!" Shigure said playfully, warming to Yuki's ruse.
Yuki shot an ice-filled look at Shigure, but it had never had the same impact on the dog as it did the rest of the family. "But her grandfather is still her legal guardian, and we were aware how it might look to others if it came to be known that Honda-san was living alone with three males." He looked at Fujitsima and his father and they both nodded.
They were both aware of what people might think because they were thinking it now. Just how deeply was Tooru involved with the Souma family? Was she *involved* with one of them? All of them? Hardly aware of it they had both turned to stare at Tooru. The girl's shoulders rose under their scrutiny.
There was a subtext running underneath the conversation that Tooru didn't understand. She knew she didn't feel comfortable with all those people staring at her though. She glanced at Fujitsima and blushed. She looked away and fiddled with her hands in her lap. The pressure built as the silence stretched until Tooru couldn't take it anymore, she felt the words bubbling up and tried to stop them. It was too late; the babble had begun.
"I'm very grateful to the Souma's. Grandfather said I didn't have to leave; that I was welcome there... and I'm sure Aunt wasn't really trying to be mean." She looked up wide-eyed between Fujitsima and his father. "I'm sure it was only that she was concerned for her family. They weren't used to another person being there..."
She trailed off not even sure what she was trying to say. She could feel a hot lump in the back of her throat and tears in the back of her eyes. This felt so awful. She'd forgotten really, that she was just a guest in the Souma house. She'd really gotten to feel like this was home. Having to remember that there was someplace she was supposed to be besides here hurt. It was like a piercing pain in her heart. Her hand came up to clench over her chest. Why did this hurt so much?
"Pffft." Kyou hissed. He leaned back on his bandaged hands; eyes closed. He couldn't bear to see Tooru so upset. "You should just forget them. They're just stupid."
"Honda-san is very important to us." Yuki assured her with a glance at Fujitsima and his father. He really hadn't wanted to drag out Tooru's dirty laundry in front of them. "We wouldn't have asked you to stay otherwise. I'm sure that your aunt would have seen the same things we did in Honda-san." Tooru looked up at him in surprise. It was an effort with all these other people in the room, but Yuki took pains to make sure she could see the emotion in his eyes as he continued. "We just didn't give her much of a chance before we stole you back."
"Mmm, Mmm!" Agreed Shigure, he shot a crafty look at Yuki. He could see that the boy had something in the works. The mouse could be devious when he wanted to. He looked back at Tooru who was glancing between the Souma's with such hope in her eyes. Before the mystery of Yuki could be solved, they had to reassure their little flower. It wouldn't do to loose her now. "Besides that, we couldn't do with out her. Yuki would kill us with his cooking, and Kyou would make the house fall down around our ears."
"And we'd all be buried under your garbage!" Kyou spat angrily. "You lazy bum!"
Fujitsima's father cleared his throat. "Well." He stood and bowed. Fujitsima scrambled to follow. "I can see that my son is lucky to have such generous and well meaning classmates." He turned to Tooru and inclined his head. "I was pleased to meet you Miss. My son has spoken highly of you at home." Maseo's face flamed in response to his father's words. Tooru glanced at him and her own cheeks lit. "I can see now that he didn't exaggerate." He smiled at Tooru again, but spoke again before she could protest. "We'd like to stay and chat some more, but we've delayed your dinner enough as it is. My wife will begin to worry soon too." He added before Tooru could add the inevitable invitation to dinner. He looked over at the Soumas, and then specifically at Kyou. "It was nice to meet you all. It's good to know my son has such good friends to stand by him."
"Dad!" Fujitsima protested twisting a piece of his shirt between his hands in embarrassment.
The others rose automatically as Fujitsima senior began to head towards the door. Tooru lead the way out, the Souma's trailing in a protective phalanx behind her. Fujitsima senior walked straight down the path towards his car, but Maseo hesitated on the bottom step. Coming to a decision he turned back and took hold of Tooru's hands tugging her slightly away from the Soumas.
"Honda-san." He began hesitantly, "I just wanted you to know that I understand." Once he'd begun the words came quickly. "I understand why its important to keep your...uh... living arrangements... secret. You don't have to worry, I won't tell anyone. I'm glad though, that I know now." He smiled, his cheeks burning. "I was a little worried. I saw how comfortable you are with Souma-kun and Kyou-kun, and I got a little jealous. But now I understand."
"Understand?" Tooru repeated. She wasn't sure if she understood.
"It's like they're family right? Like brothers!" Maseo nodded firmly, "That's how I'll think of them, like Honda-san's family." He squeezed her hands firmly one last time and then let go. "I still owe you dinner! Don't forget!" He waved and ran to catch up with his father.
Tooru turned back to the Soumas gathered on the doorstep. She glanced at Yuki and Kyou. Family? Yes they definitely felt like family to her. But... brothers?
Tooru felt a strange ping at the center of her as she looked at the two boys. No, this feeling wasn't like brothers. She didn't understand what it was just yet, but it definitely wasn't a sibling feeling.
"Tooru-kun." Shigure sing-songed, getting her attention again. "Since the curry was ruined, what are we going to do for dinner?"
"Ah dinner!" Tooru gulped. She'd almost forgotten!
***
"Oh dear, oh dear," Fujitsima's father said mildly. "What a mess."
"If you only knew," thought Kyou.
"Here, miss," the pudgy man said picking up the bowl. "Why don't you go grab a wet cloth?" As she scampered off to do so he deftly used the bowl to scrape up the bulk of the mess. "There you go miss...?" he trailed off and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Ah! Sorry! Sorry!" Tooru bowed apologetically as she returned with the cloth, "I'm Honda Tooru, pleased to meet you."
"Tooru-kun," Shigure sing-songed as he stepped out of his study, "When is-" He stopped in surprise when he saw the crowd in the entryway. "Ara? We have guests?"
Fujitsima senior stepped around the bottleneck created by the gaping teenagers and held out a hand. "Hello there," he said pleasantly. "You must be Shigure-san?"
"Yes." Shigure's tone was polite, but his eyes darted curiously over the scene in the hallway. He took in Tooru's shock, Kyou's tense posture and the battered and bruised Maseo before looking back at the owlish man before him. Belatedly he took a hand out of his sleeve to shake, "And you are?"
"Fujitsima Kenji. This is my son, Maseo." Fujitsima senior clapped a hand on his son's back.
Shigure's eyebrows went up at the name. Kyou winced. Here it came, some inane babble about here was the person who was going to steal their "flower". Or maybe something stupid about how Tooru was their bride and Fujitsima couldn't have her or...
"Won't you come inside?" Shigure said pleasantly, gesturing to the living room.
They settled around the low table and Tooru dashed to the kitchen to get some tea. She set the tea down in front of them and took a calming breath before starting to pour. She felt as if her brain had stopped the moment Fujitsima's head had popped out from behind Kyou's back. Now she was just going through the motions. It felt like she was waiting for a storm.
Fujitsima and his father sat on one side of the table, while Kyou and Shigure sat across from them. Tooru sat by herself along the edge of the table. She bit her lip and put her hands in her lap. She desperately wanted to fiddle with her teacup but felt self-conscious. Fujitsima couldn't stop staring at her, looking away and reddening only when her reluctant eyes met his. His father was more surreptitious about his glances, but she could still feel his heavy-handed curiosity settling all around her.
Shigure read the pleading glance she wasn't even aware she sent to him and decided to break the deliciously tense tableau. He didn't know what exactly what was going on, but he could hazard a guess with the battered condition of Tooru's beau.
"So." Shigure said smiling, "Did Kyon-kichi cause trouble again?"
"Don't call me that!" The words burst out of Kyou out of surprised habit. He glanced at Fujitsima and his father and his face burned uncomfortably. His fist pounded on the table, "Why do you assume it's me?!"
"When someone shows a bruised and bloody face in front of me and you are involved I'm inclined to get a little suspicious." Shigure smiled genially and took a sip of his tea.
Fujitsima Senior coughed politely and set down his cup of tea. "I suppose you heard from the school then?"
"The school?" Shigure repeated his eyebrows shooting back up.
"They didn't call?" Fujitsima's father was obviously nonplussed by Shigure's casual and disarming behavior.
"Is *that* who was calling?" Shigure put his hand to the side of his face, "I thought it was my editor so I didn't answer."
"Ah. Well..." Fujitsima Senior coughed again and glanced at his son who was still staring soulfully at the girl sitting to the side. Things were becoming a bit clearer. "There was a little ruckus you see."
"It wasn't Kyou's fault!" Fujitsima burst. Everyone's eyes turned to him and his face flamed. "The teachers thought it was, but it wasn't." he explained lamely. His father put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, its something I'll have to bring up at the next PTA meeting. Your cousin here nearly got hung out to dry for being a hero." Fujitsima Senior took another sip of his tea and smiled at Tooru. "This is very good Miss." She blushed and he turned his attention back to Shigure, "Seems some of the other boys in class were talking a bit rough about a girl in class." He was careful not to let his gaze stray back to Tooru. "My boy took offense, but couldn't really back himself up, you see."
Fujitsima wilted under his father's casual disregard for his physical prowess. "I couldn't just let them say that stuff." He asserted under his breath, "It wasn't *right*."
"Mother always said that people shouldn't gossip!" Tooru agreed firmly. "I think it's awful that people would say bad things about one of our classmates!" She looked at Fujitsima admiringly. "It's so kind that you would stand up for a fellow student."
Only Tooru, Kyou reflected, could be so dense as to not realize that she was the girl that had been so maligned. He was getting pretty annoyed that the wimp was getting all the attention from her. After all, all Fujitsima had done was gotten beaten up.
"Yes, well..." Fujitsima Senior's spectacled eyes caught the interesting byplay between the children around the table. "It was lucky for Maseo that Kyou was around. It was two against one when your cousin came up." He smiled genially at Shigure, "If you thought Maseo looked bad you should see what the other two look like. That's when the teachers got involved. Unfortunately they thought Kyou here was the instigator..."
"Ah." Shigure nodded. With Kyou's spotted school record, it was to be expected.
"Well, I wanted to make sure that you understood that he was just helping out my boy. He really wasn't at fault at all." Fujitsima smiled. "I didn't want him to get in trouble just because he was watching out for a friend."
He's not my friend, Kyou thought sourly as Shigure and Fujitsima Senior discussed the state of public education.
"Kyou-kun is always watching out for other people." Tooru smiled warmly at him thinking of all the times he'd given her advice on how to protect herself. She hadn't understood a lot of it, he'd told her to not look stupid and not to look like an easy target. She tried to keep that in mind, but how did one not look stupid? What did an easy target look like? Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about it when she was with Kyou, because he said he'd watch out for her. She beamed at Kyou, happy that he now had a friend that he wanted to protect like she wanted to protect Uo-chan and Hana-chan.
Fujitsima let out a little hiss as he shifted in his seat and a piece of torn fabric that had been caught in one of his scratches pulled free.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Tooru jumped up, "Let me get the first aid kit!" She'd been sitting there so casually while Fujitsima sat there in pain.
"Oh, no...uh... that's OK!" Fujitsima tried to protest, but the girl was already gone.
Kyou and Fujitsima's eyes met briefly as they both returned their gaze back over the table after watching Tooru go. Kyou broke the connection quickly, not wanting to see the boy's obvious feelings reflected there. What must he be thinking now? First he goes and defends Tooru's honor, now he finds her living with Kyou and his cousins. Did he feel betrayed?
Did that mean he'd go away?
Kyou felt a sick lurch in his stomach. He must be the scum of the earth to actually feel hopeful at that thought. It certainly wasn't his place to want Fujitsima to leave. It wasn't fair to Tooru. It was like Shigure said; they didn't get these kinds of opportunities. It didn't mean the same should be true for Tooru.
Tooru returned with a familiar white box. Kyou had been at the receiving end of bandages and antiseptics from its depths at Tooru's hands before. Usually after yet another failed bout with Yuki, though those had become less frequent.
Tooru's wide eyes grew gentle and focused as she lightly tended to Fujitsima's wounds while Shigure and Fujitsima's father chatted about the failings of the school system. She clucked and chattered as she placed a bandage over this hurt, as she cleaned out that scratch. Fujitsima was mostly silent a permanent flush stamped on his features. His eyes would dart to her face, then down to her hands and then away to the safe depths of the first aid box. He couldn't keep his eyes from running through that cycle.
It wouldn't be fair to want Fujitsima to leave. But Kyou couldn't stop himself from wanting *just* that. Tooru was theirs! He clenched a fist.
"Does Kyou-kun's hand hurt?" He looked up to see Tooru hovering over him worriedly. "It still isn't completely healed from your accident." She didn't wait for a response, settling next to him with her box she took his hand in hers and unwrapped the bandage. "Ah...the cuts have reopened a bit." She pulled out fresh bandages and antiseptic and went to work re-bandaging his hands. She'd almost finished her task when Fujitsima spoke again.
"I...uh...was surprised to see Honda-san here." He didn't look at Tooru who'd frozen with the end of Kyou's bandage in one hand and his hand in her other. He kept his eyes focused on his hands clenched tightly on his knees.
"Eh?!" Tooru's eyes grew wide and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I mean... that is..." Fujitsima fiddled with an edge of one of his new bandages. "...I know that Honda-san is friends with Kyou-kun and Souma-kun... But I don't understand why Honda-san is here...now... when they aren't here."
"Ah... oh... that is..." Tooru fumbled and stammered.
"She works here." Shigure said.
"She studies here." Kyou said simultaneously. They looked at each other.
"She works here," he corrected.
"She studies here." Shigure nodded at the same time. There was a beat of silence, and Shigure spread his silliest grin across his face, "That is to say, she works here part time and then stays to study with Kyou and Yuki."
Fujitsima looked between the Souma's and Tooru, confusion still evident on his face. "Oh, uh-"
"She also lives here."
Yuki stood coolly in the doorway watching his words deaden the room to silence. He set his bag down by the door and stepped inside. "I'm home."
He sat at the table on the side opposite from Tooru's. She dropped Kyou's newly bandaged hand, jumped up and got him a teacup practically out of habit; the bomb of his words still making ripples around the room. Yuki assessed the room as Tooru poured his tea. He'd been stopped outside the student council meeting by one of the teachers and had been told about the incident earlier. He still was furious that someone had been talking badly of Tooru. The teachers hadn't mentioned her specifically, but who else would Fujitsima and Kyou both get so concerned over?
But beneath the fury, there was a sense of relief. He could use this.
Yuki had come to a decision. He couldn't hesitate any longer. Before he'd thought he had time to spare, time to move his way towards being the person that could best be by Honda's side. Fujitsima had shown him that time wasn't as generous as he thought. He had to move forward, he had to act.
He had to get rid of Fujitsima.
He didn't care how he did it. Damage could be repaired after the obstacle was gone. For now, perhaps this could be used to push out the interloper. He watched Fujitsima digest the information he'd delivered. He turned to the man by the boy's side.
"I'm sorry, we weren't properly introduced. I'm Souma Yuki, Fujitsima-kun's classmate."
The pudgy man's eyebrows went up. "Aren't you the young lad from the last PTA meeting? The one asking for funds for Maseo's class trip?"
"Ah, yes... that was part of my duties as class president." Yuki explained smoothly. "I also heard about what happened earlier today." He shot an unreadable icy look at Maseo who blushed. "I'm supposed to talk to you about reflecting on your actions today, seeing as we are classmates. Kyou can tell you that losing your temper and resorting to violence doesn't do you much good." He shot another unreadable look at his cousin. He really didn't understand Kyou's actions in this case. He could see the affect that Tooru had on the baka neko, he shouldn't be able to stand Fujitsima any more than he could. Yuki shook off the mystery as being unimportant, Kyou was an obstacle he'd have to overcome later. If he'd learned one thing, it was to take it one step at a time.
He turned his head in a calculated manner so that his hair fell back to unshield his impressive eyes. "Didn't you feel that you could come to me? If someone was speaking badly of one of our classmates, it would be my responsibility to try to put a stop to it."
"Y-yes..." Maseo flushed to his roots, obviously feeling foolish.
Satisfied that he'd accomplished his purpose of completely flustering Fujitsima, Yuki closed his eyes and turned his attention to Tooru. "I'm sorry Honda-san. I know we thought it would be best if people didn't know you were living here but it would be unfair to Fujitsima-san not to tell him the truth."
"Yes." Tooru blushed. Yuki winced internally; he hadn't meant to embarrass her. He would make it up to her later.
He turned to Fujitsima and his father, "Honda-san started living with us shortly after her Mother passed away last year."
"But... I thought you lived with your grandfather?" Fujitsima's brow crinkled.
"Ah... Yes... But last year it came to be that Grandfather's house was going to remodeled so Aunt and her family also could live there..." Tooru started to explain. "So Grandfather asked if I had somewhere I could stay during that time..."
"So we offered Honda-san a place to stay, temporarily." Yuki interrupted. There was no reason that the Fujitsima's had to know about the embarrassing events that led to Tooru living in a tent. "In return for some simple housework and cooking."
"But after the construction..." Maseo began.
"Well, with her aunt's family... things where a bit crowded." Yuki also saw no need to bring up that Tooru's family, save for her grandfather, were complete garbage. "And we had come to depend on her." He paused to smile warmly at Tooru, who blushed again for a completely different reason that before.
"So we decided to keep her!" Shigure said playfully, warming to Yuki's ruse.
Yuki shot an ice-filled look at Shigure, but it had never had the same impact on the dog as it did the rest of the family. "But her grandfather is still her legal guardian, and we were aware how it might look to others if it came to be known that Honda-san was living alone with three males." He looked at Fujitsima and his father and they both nodded.
They were both aware of what people might think because they were thinking it now. Just how deeply was Tooru involved with the Souma family? Was she *involved* with one of them? All of them? Hardly aware of it they had both turned to stare at Tooru. The girl's shoulders rose under their scrutiny.
There was a subtext running underneath the conversation that Tooru didn't understand. She knew she didn't feel comfortable with all those people staring at her though. She glanced at Fujitsima and blushed. She looked away and fiddled with her hands in her lap. The pressure built as the silence stretched until Tooru couldn't take it anymore, she felt the words bubbling up and tried to stop them. It was too late; the babble had begun.
"I'm very grateful to the Souma's. Grandfather said I didn't have to leave; that I was welcome there... and I'm sure Aunt wasn't really trying to be mean." She looked up wide-eyed between Fujitsima and his father. "I'm sure it was only that she was concerned for her family. They weren't used to another person being there..."
She trailed off not even sure what she was trying to say. She could feel a hot lump in the back of her throat and tears in the back of her eyes. This felt so awful. She'd forgotten really, that she was just a guest in the Souma house. She'd really gotten to feel like this was home. Having to remember that there was someplace she was supposed to be besides here hurt. It was like a piercing pain in her heart. Her hand came up to clench over her chest. Why did this hurt so much?
"Pffft." Kyou hissed. He leaned back on his bandaged hands; eyes closed. He couldn't bear to see Tooru so upset. "You should just forget them. They're just stupid."
"Honda-san is very important to us." Yuki assured her with a glance at Fujitsima and his father. He really hadn't wanted to drag out Tooru's dirty laundry in front of them. "We wouldn't have asked you to stay otherwise. I'm sure that your aunt would have seen the same things we did in Honda-san." Tooru looked up at him in surprise. It was an effort with all these other people in the room, but Yuki took pains to make sure she could see the emotion in his eyes as he continued. "We just didn't give her much of a chance before we stole you back."
"Mmm, Mmm!" Agreed Shigure, he shot a crafty look at Yuki. He could see that the boy had something in the works. The mouse could be devious when he wanted to. He looked back at Tooru who was glancing between the Souma's with such hope in her eyes. Before the mystery of Yuki could be solved, they had to reassure their little flower. It wouldn't do to loose her now. "Besides that, we couldn't do with out her. Yuki would kill us with his cooking, and Kyou would make the house fall down around our ears."
"And we'd all be buried under your garbage!" Kyou spat angrily. "You lazy bum!"
Fujitsima's father cleared his throat. "Well." He stood and bowed. Fujitsima scrambled to follow. "I can see that my son is lucky to have such generous and well meaning classmates." He turned to Tooru and inclined his head. "I was pleased to meet you Miss. My son has spoken highly of you at home." Maseo's face flamed in response to his father's words. Tooru glanced at him and her own cheeks lit. "I can see now that he didn't exaggerate." He smiled at Tooru again, but spoke again before she could protest. "We'd like to stay and chat some more, but we've delayed your dinner enough as it is. My wife will begin to worry soon too." He added before Tooru could add the inevitable invitation to dinner. He looked over at the Soumas, and then specifically at Kyou. "It was nice to meet you all. It's good to know my son has such good friends to stand by him."
"Dad!" Fujitsima protested twisting a piece of his shirt between his hands in embarrassment.
The others rose automatically as Fujitsima senior began to head towards the door. Tooru lead the way out, the Souma's trailing in a protective phalanx behind her. Fujitsima senior walked straight down the path towards his car, but Maseo hesitated on the bottom step. Coming to a decision he turned back and took hold of Tooru's hands tugging her slightly away from the Soumas.
"Honda-san." He began hesitantly, "I just wanted you to know that I understand." Once he'd begun the words came quickly. "I understand why its important to keep your...uh... living arrangements... secret. You don't have to worry, I won't tell anyone. I'm glad though, that I know now." He smiled, his cheeks burning. "I was a little worried. I saw how comfortable you are with Souma-kun and Kyou-kun, and I got a little jealous. But now I understand."
"Understand?" Tooru repeated. She wasn't sure if she understood.
"It's like they're family right? Like brothers!" Maseo nodded firmly, "That's how I'll think of them, like Honda-san's family." He squeezed her hands firmly one last time and then let go. "I still owe you dinner! Don't forget!" He waved and ran to catch up with his father.
Tooru turned back to the Soumas gathered on the doorstep. She glanced at Yuki and Kyou. Family? Yes they definitely felt like family to her. But... brothers?
Tooru felt a strange ping at the center of her as she looked at the two boys. No, this feeling wasn't like brothers. She didn't understand what it was just yet, but it definitely wasn't a sibling feeling.
"Tooru-kun." Shigure sing-songed, getting her attention again. "Since the curry was ruined, what are we going to do for dinner?"
"Ah dinner!" Tooru gulped. She'd almost forgotten!
***
