Summary; Disclaimer: See First Chapter
Warning: Some sexual content in here - nothing explicit, but more than usual for this story.
I'd like to mention that SasukeBlade isTori - her cameo - the other person is just someone I made up. Also, I'd like to thank kiwadoi seiitsu forher plot ideas so long ago - I'm using bits and pieces -and thank Fan 101 for the review that pushed me to update, when I got that huge review with ideas and everything! That made me go "Wow, people really want me to update!" I've had tendinitis in both arms badly for a while, and that and personal issues kept me from writing at all for a long time...but I'm very sorry for not updating in so long. As an apology, this is extra-long. And no one kill me at the end!
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
"So, are you two going out today?" Momiji asked cheerfully the next morning, as the group sat around the breakfast table. Kisa and Hiro had left that morning, while Kyo had returned to the dojo in order to continue his lessons with Kazuma. The Rabbit earned black looks from both Haru and Jenna, before the Ox punched the table before getting to his feet and stalking from the room, while Jenna clutched her silverware tightly.
"Well, Hatsuharu is hardly acting like a gentleman, if you ask me!" Ayame announced. "Especially with his one and only love right here, t–!" The Snake froze when Jenna silently rose and also left the room – although she was quieter than Haru, she was obviously no less angry.
"You should stop teasing them, you two," Hatori admonished them calmly.
"Whatever are you talking about, Hari?"the Snakeasked blankly, but only received a dubious glance from the Dragon.
"Something must have happened last night – they haven't talked to each other at all," Tohru worried.
"And they've hardly said a word to us, either," Yuki added calmly, taking another bite of his food. "It's obvious that Haru's gone Black again – I wonder what they fought about?"
"I'm not sure it was a fight, exactly," Hatori told them, but decided not to say anything further as they gazed eagerly at him, waiting for him to spill the beans.
"Damn Rabbit," Haru muttered, hands shoved in his pockets as he stupidly wandered the streets in a haze of anger. Not watching where he was going, he bumped into someone and knocked them to the ground. Most of him decided to keep going, but he happened to glance down and appeared surprised.
"Um…is something wrong?" the young woman asked, her gray-green eyes looking at him curiously as she brushed her hair, dirty blonde, to her shoulders.
"Sorry – you reminded me of someone for a sec," the Ox said grudgingly, reluctantly helping her to her feet.
"You look like you have woman problems," she grinned apologetically. "Sorry, my name's Tori. I'm visiting here."
"Really?" he asked, curious in spite of being Black. Well, actually, the Black side of him might have had something to do with it, in fact. "So'm I."
"Oh, nice to meet you!" she smiled, and he blinked.
"Oh, I'm Hatsuharu," he introduced himself, and looked over as he shook her hand to see a young man approaching them quickly.
"Tori, there you are!" the man sighed, appearing out of breath. "I told you it was too easy to get lost in here, didn't I?"
"Yeah, yeah," she waved dismissively at the young man and turned back to Haru. "This is my fiancé, Jacob. This is Hatsuharu," she added, and Jacob grinned gratefully at Hatsuharu.
"However you stopped her, thanks for it," he began, but jumped in surprise when Haru suddenly glared at him and strode away angrily. "What'd I say?" he asked, and Tori shrugged.
"So much for relieving your frustrations there."
"Shut up!"
"You know you wanted that girl, Haru," his Black side admonished him. "After all, you can't get any from Jenna, can you? And she was pretty cute, too…"
"I said shut the fuck up!" Haru yelled mentally, becoming tired of the urges his Black side was more prone to give in to. The Ox couldn't deny he wasn't happy about the situation with Jenna, and the feeling of confusion and abandonment was something he wasn't happy about either. "I shoulda never gotten involved with her," he mumbled half-heartedly, and snapped out of his daze when he felt a hand on his arm.
"Hello, Hatsuharu."
"This is stupid," Jenna admonished herself. "What am I going to do even if I find him? He must hate me," she lamented, angry at herself for how she had reacted.
"But…I didn't know what to say," she admitted, sighing a little. "No one's ever told me they loved me before…I should have expected it from Haru eventually, but...why do things have to get so damn complicated?" she wondered, looking around the streets in hopes of seeing the familiar face smiling back at her, a sight she had become accustomed to over the past months.
"Are you all right, Jenna?" a voice asked sympathetically, and she looked up to see a frowning Momiji looking down at her. "You and Hatsuharu have been acting funny since last night. Did something happen?"
"Well…" she hesitated, and Momiji suddenly grinned cheerfully.
"Come on, let's go get something to eat," he suggested, taking her arm lightly.
"But we just ate breakfast," she objected, but he shrugged.
"So? We can talk there, if you want to talk," he told her. "Besides, maybe we'll find Haru. That's what you're doing, right – looking for him?"
"Yeah," she admitted, and he nodded.
"So let's go!" he prodded, saddened to see Jenna looking so depressed and Haru so…well, so Black.
"All right," she agreed, following the Rabbit down the street, a smile slowly appearing on her face as the young man kept up a lively conversation.
"Feel better?" Momiji asked, once they had finished their coffee and talked some.
"Actually, yeah, I do," she grinned, and he grinned back cheerfully.
"Good! I actually need to get back – I promised Yuki I'd help with some cleaning for Tohru – want to come too?" he invited her, but she shook her head.
"No thanks. I'd just like to hang around here. I'll be back by dinner, don't worry," she promised, and he nodded as he rose to his feet.
"All right, I'll tell the others that. Good luck," he said, flashing another smile before leaving the café. Jenna waved after him before returning to her empty mug, the cheerful mood Momiji had brought with him quickly disappearing, lost in her own troubles.
"Yeah, good luck to me," she sighed, before catching a glimpse of black-and-white hair. "Haru?" she gasped, and rushed out of the building in hopes of catching up to the Ox. To her embarrassment, it was an old man with white streaks in his hair, and she apologized profusely while she blushed red.
"That was dumb," she told herself, trying to think of where to go next. She noticed there was a park nearby, which brought back pleasant memories of the time she had spent together with Haru in the city. "I guess I'll try there," she shrugged, beginning to walk once more. "I wonder if I loved him then?" a voice wondered, causing her to frown a little.
"This is wrong!" the voice yelled at him, but was quickly overridden by his Black side.
"Hell, why not? She's certainly hot enough, and you already know she's a good fuck – might as well go for it," his Black side urged, pushing Haru even further into the hole he was digging for himself. The Ox had been shocked as hell to see Rin standing beside him, smiling up at him seductively. He normally would have moved on without another thought, but his frustrations, coupled with his Black side's lust, made the young man lose his self-control. He had allowed himself to be led to a thick group of trees in the park, which was practically deserted, and found himself frantically kissing Rin as she braced herself against a tree.
"Mmm…Haru…" she moaned, as one hand slipped up her skirt while the other fondled her breasts roughly. The Horse rocked against him eagerly, pleased that the Ox had given in to her so easily. She had decided to follow him to the beach-house in an attempt to seduce him back to her, and was amazed he had put up no resistance to her suggestions when she had run into him. Of course, Rin knew he was Black, and also knew that Haru was more susceptible to give into his baser needs when in that state of mind.
"Fuck!" he hissed, as her hand clutched him through his pants, knowing she felt the large bulge even while he gave her pleasure with five digits. "Come on, whore, show me what you got," he ordered through their kisses, and she smiled coyly as she spotted something behind them. Hearing a stifled cry, something snapped in Haru whirled around to see who was interrupting them – and his eyes widened in shock when he saw a defeated Jenna before them, horror evident in her eyes. As her eyes met Haru's, she spun around and raced away, faster than he had thought she could run.
"I know you still want me," Rin said huskily, trying to regain control of the situation.
"Fuck off," he said numbly, stumbling away from in shock. The Horse shrieked something at him before leaving, but it didn't penetrate the Ox's hazed-over mind. Despair filled his mind when he realized what had just happened, and could've killed something on the spot as the rage took over him.
"Jenna?" Tohru called in alarm, as the young woman approached the house at breakneck speed, almost barreling Tohru over as she shoved by her roughly, one hand shielding her face from Tohru and Yuki.
"What was that?" Momiji asked, popping his head out from the other side of the screen that he was fixing.
"She was crying," Tohru realized, "She looked heartbroken!"
"I guess she found Haru," Yuki commented dryly, but felt great sympathy for the distraught young woman he had just seen – it was as if there was another person inside Jenna's body, once completely different in every aspect.
"I'll go see if she's all right," Tohru decided, unhappy at the thought of Jenna alone and crying in their room.
"We'll keep working, don't worry," the Rabbit offered, privately deciding he'd have to kick Haru's ass if the Ox ever showed his face again.
"Jenna?" Tohru said quietly, knocking gently on the door. When there was no answer, she became a bit alarmed, but didn't rush in. "Jenna? I'm coming in now," she told her, opening the door. She found the young woman face-down on the bed, a pillow over her head and body shaking violently with sobs. "Oh, Jenna…" Tohru sighed, not having any idea what could have caused such a violent reaction in the easy-going Jenna, and sat on the edge of the bed beside her.
"Go away," Jenna mumbled, her voice obscured by the pillow.
"I'm sorry for whatever happened, Jenna," Tohru replied, rubbing her back lightly like her mother used to do for her.
"I…hate him," she said, her words suddenly full of venom.
"Haru?" Tohru guessed, but Jenna only broke into a fresh round of hysterical crying, much to Tohru's dismay. The brunette remained silent, but continued to offer what comfort she could to Jenna, only standing up when the young woman had cried herself to sleep. Quietly closing the door behind her, Tohru retreated downstairs, only to be met by several curious pairs of eyes.
"How is she?" Hatori asked in concern, but Tohru shook her head.
"She's asleep now," she told them, sitting down with a sigh. "Has Haru come by?"
"No – Momiji and Yuki went to look for him," Ayame said, appearing more serious than he normally was. "Did she say anything?"
"Not a thing, but when I asked about Haru she became even more hysterical," the girl admitted. "But what do you think Haru could have done that affected her so badly? I thought they were getting along so well lately…"
"Well, they weren't acting so friendly this morning," Hatori said cryptically, folding his arms across his chest in annoyance. "They're both adults, so I would normally say not to get involved, but this is getting ridiculous. Jenna's going to make herself sick, and if Hatsuharu gets any more Black than he already is, he's going to destroy something we'll all regret later. It shouldn't take those two long to find him, though – and when Jenna wakes up I'll give her something to calm her down."
"What a vacation this turned out to be," Ayame sighed, much to the agreement of everyone present.
"How are we supposed to find Haru, anyway?" Momiji wondered out-loud, as he and his cousin wandered the streets. "You know he's completely lost."
"Just follow the trails of destruction," Yuki replied dryly, pointing to a beat-up looking street sign.
"Oh boy…" the Rabbit sighed, not looking forward to having to subdue the Ox. "I think we found him," he added, pointing down the street where the bipolar young man was stalking further away, looking as if he was prepared to snap at the least bit provocation
"Let's go," Yuki said firmly, striding toward the Ox in an effort to catch up to him before he started a fight in the middle of the street.
"What do you two want?" the Ox snarled as they approached him, and his cousins paused in surprise. They had seen him go ballistic before, and heavily Black, but this quiet rage was something new for the two young men, and they were unsure what to do about it.
"Hatori figured you were lost, so we came to find you," Yuki told him calmly, preparing to knock him out cold if necessary.
"I'm not going," Haru informed them coldly, turning his back to them. "Get lost."
"You bastard!" Momiji burst out angrily, and Haru's back stiffened dangerously. "Jenna came home hysterical, and you're just going to wander around until you grow some balls and apologize for whatever you did?"
"Who says it was my fault?" Haru shouted, spinning around and glaring at the two in front of him.
"I can hardly imagine it being her fault, judging by your reactions," the Rat said dryly. "What on earth did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," he growled, ashamed of what had happened but in no mood to cooperate. "So fuck off, the both of you."
"Or what? You'll start a brawl in the middle of the street?" Momiji replied coolly, but Yuki caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye that made him groan mentally.
"Haru, you stay right here," Yuki ordered warningly, and Momiji stared in shock as the Rat rushed off in the opposite direction, leaving the Rabbit almost defenseless against the murderous-looking Ox.
"Rin!" Yuki yelled, and managed to grab her arm before she raced off out of his grasp. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, holding her tightly to prevent escape.
"None of your damn business," she spat, but the Rat only narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"You've caused a lot of trouble for Haru in the past, and for Jenna lately," he told her, his voice deceptively calm. "You've done enough destruction over the years, and I've had enough! Now, what did you do? You know Haru's gone Black – and you're the only one able to manipulate him in that stage."
"I didn't do anything," she purred, and he caught a hint of disappointment in her tone as well.
"Rin…" he growled, tightening his grip even further.
"Let go!" she ordered, becoming a little frightened of the cousin she had never respected. "Yuki!"
"Not until you tell me what's going on," he said. "I'm sure Akito's involved in this, too. Now tell me!"
"Akito doesn't want Jenna to take Haru from him," Rin admitted, realizing there was no escape for her this time. "So he sent me here to try to break up their little vacation together."
"And?" Yuki said roughly, when he realized she wasn't continuing.
"I found Haru wandering like he usually does when he's Black, muttering something about being frustrated," the Horse told him, a smile gracing her deceptively-pretty features briefly. "So I just decided to help him a little, that's all."
"And you planned it so Jenna would find you," Yuki realized, the full impact of what had happened hitting him all at once. "You've always been a bitch, Rin, but I didn't expect something like this from you. I guess you're no better than Akito's puppet now, aren't you?"
"You're one to talk," she hissed, but Yuki suddenly released her and pushed her away from him.
"Get away before I do something I'll regret," he breathed. "And if I ever see you again, I'll have Hatori erase your memories. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to once I tell him what you've do–"
"Better go check on Momiji," she smirked, as Yuki was cut off by shouts behind them. He turned around reflexively, and the Horse was gone in seconds.
"Damn it," he swore, and rushed off to where he had left Momiji with the Ox. "Momiji!" he called, skidding to a halt beside his cousin, who was sitting on the pavement looking stunned. "What happened?" Yuki demanded, helping the Rabbit to his feet.
"I guess Haru got tired of standing around," Momiji told him wryly, rubbing around his neck. "He actually tried to choke me! But I kneed him and he dropped me before taking off."
"Are you all right?" the Rat checked, seeing some bruises forming around the Rabbit's throat.
"Yeah, pretty much. Nothing Hatori can't patch up," he laughed nervously, sounding a little breathless. "Let's be going back and tell them. Where'd you go off to, anyway?"
"I'll tell you when we get back," Yuki said shortly, completely fed up with his insane family. "Come on."
"I should have suspected," Hatori sighed deeply, once the Rat had informed the rest of the family at the beach house what had happened. "Damn it…I'm not sure how this is going to fix itself, or if that's even possible."
"Has Jenna gotten up?" Momiji asked, but Ayame gestured with a nod toward the door behind them. Jenna was standing in the doorway looking more put-together than when they had left, but a horrified look was on her face as she approached them slowly.
"Did Haru…did he actually do this?" she asked quietly, her hand shaking a little as she reached up to touch the bruises on Momiji's neck. She snapped her hand back when he flinched slightly, but a strange look came over her face when he nodded.
"It's not that bad," Momiji shrugged, sitting down as Jenna took a step back, as if in deep thought suddenly.
"Are you feeling all right?" Tohru asked in sudden concern, but Jenna appeared not to hear the question.
"Jenna?" Ayame reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in fright. "Sorry," he apologized, but she shook her head.
"I'm sorry for causing all this trouble," she told them quickly, stringing her words together as if she was afraid they wouldn't come out unless she forced them together. "I really am – I never wanted anything like this to happen. Please forgive me."
"Jenna!" Momiji yelled, as she whirled around and raced out the door. They heard the front door slam shut, and the Rabbit sat back down in amazement. "She's sorry?" he repeated. "It's not even her damn fault!"
"Should we go after her?" Yuki asked, but Hatori shook his head.
"I have an idea where she's going – let's stay out of this a bit longer. Too much involvement will only make it all worse."
Please don't hurt me for that! It'll all pan out in the end, I promise. And if Momiji seems a little OOC - he probably is, but I also think of it that he's an adult, not the little kid we all know. Anyway, please review!
