Kyo settled in at the low table in his room to begin writing his report. It was late and he hadn't even started it yet. He cracked open the book, scanning the first few pages. Japanese classics. He sighed. This was going to be a long night.
"Waited until the last minute, ne, stupid cat?"
Kyo jerked his head up to face the direction of the insult. Yuki was standing about a foot from his table, his arms folded, sneering down at him with that superior look. One good punch to the nose would wipe that look right off his face, Kyo thought. "What the hell are you doing in my room!" he demanded, readying himself for a fight.
Wordlessly, Yuki dropped a small stack of papers on Kyo's desk.
"… What the hell's that?" he asked.
"My report," Yuki replied in a bored tone. "… you can copy it… if you want to."
Kyo glowered at him. "What makes you think I need to copy your stupid report?"
Yuki shrugged, then turned to leave. Kyo blinked. He wasn't even going to fight?
"Hey! Stupid rat!" Kyo called after him.
Yuki spun around, glaring. "What?"
Kyo stared a minute. "… Thanks."
Yuki blinked, a bit surprised, then grunted in reply, exiting the room.
Kyo walked into the cafeteria at lunch time, scoping out a good place to sit. Where were the others? He spotted them at a table towards the back of the room. They'd all agreed to buy lunch today, as Hana insisted that Tohru was becoming overworked from making their obento's every morning. (obento: a boxed lunch. Usually comprised of rice, pickled vegetables and other small portions, like fried eggs and things.)
Kyo ordered Tempura Udon (Noodle soup dish with fried shrimp) and carried his tray to the back table. He sat his tray down and broke his chopsticks apart. The left side was bigger than the right… that figured. (A/N: in Osaka, it is said that when you break your chopsticks apart, if the left side breaks bigger, you will be smarter than your life partner. If the right side breaks bigger, they will be smarter than you. It is very lucky to get them to break exactly even. This is kind of a girly thing to do, so it's funny that Kyo would even think about it. .)
He glanced up, suddenly feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up as if someone were watching him.
"Tohru?"
She was staring at him, wide-eyed, looking extremely shocked and embarrassed. Kyo looked between the occupants of the table. Uo was laughing raucously, Hana was glaring venomously, nothing unusual there. Yuki was covering his face in that 'tension headache' sort of way and Haru was…. Haru was smirking. That didn't bode well.
"What?" he demanded, his hackles rising. "What the hell is that smile all about?" he demanded. "And why does Tohru look dumber than usual?" he'd said it before he could catch himself, but luckily, the insult went mostly unnoticed in the current level of confusion.
Haru's grin only widened.
"You better wipe that cocky grin off your face before I do!" he threatened. He was beginning to get the feeling he was the butt of some joke.
"Tohru asked me a question." Haru replied amusedly.
"She didn't ask you," Yuki finally contested, "She just asked and you were the only one crass enough to answer!"
Haru blinked, feigning offence at Yuki's reply. "I was only trying to help." He explained, unapologetically.
Kyo was now thoroughly confused. "What did she ask?" he demanded.
To this, Uo burst into another fit of laughter. "Oh God, this is rich!" she gulped, trying not to suffocate. "She… she asked what two men who are in love do differently than a man and a woman who are in love, and he told her!" she sniggered into her handkerchief.
Kyo's attention snapped back to Tohru. Oh dear lord… this was more embarrassing for him than any of them knew. "Stop it!" he snapped at her. "Stop thinking about it!" his face flushed a quick red.
"Then…" she stammered, "It's true then… what Hatsuharu said…"
Kyo's flush only deepened. "Dammit Haru! Why do you tell her things like that!"
Haru shrugged. "She asked."
"You know she didn't mean for you to tell her that!" he growled.
Haru grinned. "You're taking this all pretty personal, Kyo. Something you'd like to share with the rest of us?"
Kyo's eyes widened and both he and Tohru blushed even deeper. "Shut up! You stupid cow! I'll fight you right here!"
Haru laughed. "I don't feel like fighting. Besides, Kyo, you're a lover, not a fighter, right?"
"I'll kill you!" Kyo seethed, trying to leap over the table, but being restrained by Yuki.
"Knock it off!" he hissed in his cousin's ear. "He doesn't know, so don't be such a fool."
Kyo allowed himself to be pulled back. "Whadda you care?" he mumbled.
"Ayame's my brother," he mumbled in return, "I do care, so shut up."
Kyo sat in defeat, stuffing his mouth with noodles before he had the chance to fill it with his foot.
"Well, are we going home?" Kyo demanded after school.
"Oh, I… aren't you going to visit Ayame?" Tohru asked, then, "Not that you have to tell me anything! I mean, it's not that I want to know anything about that! Er… I mean, not that there's anything wrong with it, but… I."
He tapped her in the head with his fist. "I get it." He cut her off. "No. Aaya's busy today. He got a big order in this morning. He glanced around. Where's Yuki?"
She glanced up. "Oh… he had a student council meeting. He said he'll be home later."
"Ah." He replied, unconcerned. "Shall we go then?"
She nodded, continuing to look at her feet.
After about a quarter mile of silence, Kyo was getting fed up. "Quit it, alright? Just forget that stuff that Haru said!"
Tohru fidgeted with her bag. "Okay," she replied, making no effort to divert her thoughts.
Kyo sighed. "Fine, go ahead, ask whatever you want to."
She glanced up. "Oh! You don't have to! I mean, I just, I …. Do you… really do those things, Kyo-kun?"
He flushed crimson. "Sometimes," he finally replied.
She nodded. "So… when Ayame-san comes over and… you go to your room right after dinner and…"
"I said sometimes!" he growled.
"Ah…" she replied. "But… it doesn't sound very… I mean, I don't think it would be…"
"Well it is," he snapped. "Deal with it."
"Oh! Yes…" she trailed off, continuing to stare at her feet.
"I'm not a pervert!" he defended. "It really does… I mean, everybody thinks so."
"Everybody?" she asked with a squeak.
"Yah," he repeated. "Everybody."
A pause.
"Like Shigure," he continued, "and… and Hattori." (A/N: Kyo really doesn't know one way or the other about Hattori, he's just looking for common ground)
"Hattori?" she looked up, shocked.
He nodded. Good, at least she was looking at him again. "Yah. Hattori. Lot's of people. Haru… Yuki, maybe."
"Yuki!" her eyes went wide.
"Sure," he replied. "Why not?"
"I don't think Yuki would…"
He shrugged. "Who knows…"
"So…" she paused. "Is this something… about being a Sohma-?"
"No!" he cut her off. "Other guys do too!"
"Other boys?" she asked. "Like?"
"Well…" he thought a moment. "Like David Bowie, or Miyavi… or Kimura Takuya."
Her face paled. "Ki- Kimura Takuya?"
He stared at her for a moment. "Well… maybe not Kimura…" (A/N: Kimura Takuya is the lead singer of a band called SMAP and is considered by most Japanese girls to be the hottest thing since sliced bread, hence, Tohru was about to pass out thinking that Kimura Takuya might be into gay sex. Also, Miyavi is an alternative singer)
Tohru sighed in relief. "Not Kimura…" she repeated.
Kyo couldn't help but chuckle.
She glanced up to him.
He shook his head apologetically. "Does it really… bother you?" he asked. "That I might like something like that?"
She thought a moment, then shook her head. "It's just… it makes me feel like you're so much older than me… like you know so much more…"
To this he laughed outright. "Yah, sure!" he shook his head.
"I'm serious!" she protested. "I just… I don't want to lose my friend."
Kyo stopped in his tracks. That was… one of the nicest things that anybody had ever… "You won't." he assured her. "I'm not going anywhere. It won't change who I am."
She thought a minute. "Okay," she finally agreed. "So are you the Uke then?" (A/N: Uke means bottomsies, Semei means Topsies.)
Kyo blanched. "You can't ask me that!"
"Oh," she paused in thought. "But you said I could."
"Well… well I'm not going to answer!" he sputtered. "How much did Haru tell you!"
"We're home!" Kyo called, kicking his shoes off at the entrance to Shigure's house. "Hey, pervert! You here?" There was no reply. "Hm… maybe he's with Hattori…"
He turned around to face a very white looking Tohru. "Not like that!" he quickly explained.
She sighed again. This was going to give her a heart attack. Kyo just knew it. He pushed open the door to the dining room and came face to face with none other than…
"Akito?" his face paled, his muscles grew tense. What was Akito doing in their living room? He had never, never visited Shigure's house before! Shigure was sitting across from him at the low table, and Hattori beside him. Wordlessly, Kyo shoved Tohru back, glaring daggers at her, hoping she would get the message and go for a walk or something.
She took a step back, unsure, before turning and exiting the house without a sound.
Akito glanced up, catching site of Kyo. "Well, well…" he smiled, a smile that never reached his eyes. "Speak of the devil…" he toyed with the word cockily. "We were just discussing you."
Kyo stiffened, glancing quickly between Hattori and Shigure. They both seemed relatively relaxed, no cause for alarm… yet.
"Are you enjoying it, Kyo?" he asked quietly. "Your last two years of freedom?"
Kyo averted his eyes.
"It will be good, you know," he smirked, "to have you at the main house where we can… take better care of you. It will be better for you." He shifted, practically laying on Hattori. "Shigure says that you haven't been a bother… but I know he lies. He's too good to you… for what you are."
"Are you done with me?" Kyo asked huskily.
Akito narrowed his eyes before turning away, acknowledging him only with a wave of dismissal.
Kyo stepped out of the room, reaching to close the door behind him, but was momentarily stayed.
"Ayame visited me today…"
He froze.
"He came to see how I was. You don't come by nearly enough, Shigure."
He allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.
In the entrance, Kyo slipped his shoes back on, intending to go find Tohru and keep her as far from Akito as possible until he left.
"Not here? What do you mean he's not here?" Ayame asked in shock. "Where else would he be?"
"He went out with Hattori-san awhile ago." The older woman shrugged. "I thought maybe they were going to Shin-chan's house…"
Shigure's? Surely Akito would have no reason to go there! Aaya ran his fingers through his hair uncomfortably. "Well… thank you," he replied, a mask of light-heartedness. "I suppose I'll catch him some other time. Do tell him I stopped by, I'm sure he'll be sad to have missed me."
After saying his goodbyes and exiting the main grounds, Aaya sprinted towards his cousin's house. He knew he shouldn't overexert himself for fear of transforming in public, but some things were more important. What did Akito know? And more importantly, where was Kyo?
Passing the high school, Ayame decided to take a short-cut through the woods. How lost could he get? He and the rest of the trio had played there as children, after all...
Aaya sprinted along a narrow path worn by decades of Sohma children and past a tree he and Shigure had once become stuck in until Aaya had become cold enough to transform and slither down for help. Lost in his musings, Ayame didn't notice the form obstructing the path until it was too late…
"Eep!"
"Ooph!"
-POOF!-
"… Ayame-san?" Tohru reached down to pick up the little, white snake. "I thought… Kyo-kun said you had something to do today… but it is a pleasure to see you! And, Oh! I'm so sorry about this!" she made to gather his clothes from the dirt. "I'll wash them, I promise."
"Oh, it's no trouble, Tohru-kun." He flicked his tongue, tasting the air. Where was Kyo? He couldn't smell him at all… "Are you alone out here?" he asked worriedly.
"Yes," she replied. "Are you… heading to Shigure-san's house?" she asked politely.
"I was," he replied, "But where's Kyo?"
She bit her lip nervously. "He's… still at the house. Ayame-san… you shouldn't go there right now," she warned. "Akito-san is there."
Just as he'd feared.
Tohru could feel the snake's scaled body tense around her wrist. "Are you worried about him?" she asked, sympathetically.
"He'll be alright," he decided. He had to… what could Akito do at Shigure's house? "What about Yuki?" he asked, suddenly wrought with panic. "He isn't there, is he!"
She shook her head. "He had a student council meeting today. He won't be home until much later." She could feel the snake relax a bit. "Ayame-san…" she asked tentatively. "Aren't you afraid that he'll find out… about Kyo and yourself?
"That is precicely what I am afraid of," he admitted. "If Akito should see me, I'll tell him that I have come to visit with Yuki…" he seemed very troubled… well, as far as Tohru could tell. It was difficult to read a snake's emotions.
"You really… love him, don't you?" she asked.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" he replied dramatically. "Although, it would be difficult to conceal a love as great as mine."
Tohru smiled. "That's very romantic, Ayame-san. When did… I mean, when is it that you first realized?"
He thought a moment. "That is a complicated question, Tohru-kun." He took another moment to think. "You see, I loved Kyo before I even realized it, I think."