Kiss Kiss
By Lady of the Ink
Pairing: Kyou and Kagura Sohma
Fandom: Fruits Basket
Theme: #18- Say Ah
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, but you knew that . . .I hope. But I do own this story and all the twists that it takes.
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Kiss Four
The Next Best Thing
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Kagura stood in the middle of the small office feeling slightly ill at ease. Although she had agreed immediately when Hatori had mentioned needing some help, now that she was there she was unsure of where to start. His regular assistant had been out sick for nearly a week already due to a nasty bug that had been making its way through the family. That same problem had resulted in giving Hatori a much heavier caseload than usual and caused a backlog of filing and other paperwork.
Looking at the stacks of folders and jotted notes piled on the desk, she squared her shoulders and gave a nod of determination. Her method of choice for tackling projects was to jump right in with everything that she had and this time was no different. With that in mind, she took a seat in the desk chair and reached for the largest stack.
The next two hours passed quickly as Kagura worked diligently. Her organizing was interspersed with various other duties like answering the phone, scheduling appointments, and helping with the simpler duties for some of the patients. She soon became an old hand at taking temperatures, handing out lollipops, and listing the tried and true remedies of bed rest and lots of liquids.
She was just contemplating taking a break for lunch when a loud voice caught her attention. Laying aside the appointment book after marking her page with a pen, Kagura rose to her feet. She crossed the room quickly and poked her head into the waiting area that adjoined it. What she saw made her freeze in place.
An obviously irritated Kyou stood by the door, trying his best to go through it. His attempt was being thwarted by the ever calm Yuki, who had one hand gripping Kyou's shirt. The enraged orange haired boy was yelling about revenge and sleeping with one eye open. There was more to his tirade but Kagura couldn't make out his exact words through his coughing fits and hoarse voice.
Just as she was debating what to do, Hatori made a timely entrance. It took only one look from him for Kyou to go from shouting terror to sulking child.
The quiet that came from the end of his outburst was enough to let Kagura hear Yuki's explanation. Apparently Kyou had been running a fever for a few days but refused to do anything about it. It had finally gotten to the point where Tohru was worrying herself into a frenzy, which was incentive enough for Yuki to take action. He had taken it upon himself to drag the highly unwilling Kyou to see Hatori "because they all got enough whining from Shigure and didn't need Kyou joining in to make it worse."
Hatori nodded in understanding before leading the now subdued Kyou off to one of the exam rooms. Kagura watched Yuki take a seat in the corner before ducking back into the office. She leaned against the wall, feeling torn. There was a huge part of her that wanted nothing more than to run to Kyou to see if he was all right and to nurse him through his illness. But there was also a part of her that remembered the bittersweet words that he had spoken not so long ago that caused her to hesitate.
In the end, the second part of her won out. As she forced herself to resume her seat behind the desk, she also worked to convince herself that it was for the best. If she'd gone barging in there, he would have gotten upset, which couldn't be good for his health. He might also have run without getting the treatment that he obviously needed. If he'd remained, it might have lead to him saying something that she wasn't ready to hear again.
Kagura tried to get back the momentum that she'd had before Kyou's arrival but she knew from the start that it was a lost cause. Only a part of her attention was on the files in front of her; the rest was occupied with what was going on down the hall. When half an hour had passed and she'd accomplished almost nothing, she finally gave up. She slumped back in her chair, accepting that it was useless to try and get any more work done until after he left.
Idly spinning in the chair, she tried to find something to occupy her attention. In the middle of the third rotation her stomach growled, reminding her of her earlier thoughts of lunch. She eyed the door before disregarding the idea of going out. Passing Yuki would mean a stop to explain and it was also close enough to the exam rooms that she was unsure if she could resist the added temptation.
A memory hit her and she reached into the pocket of her skirt. When she withdrew it, it was filled with a dozen or so items that she quickly dropped onto the desk. The lollipops were ones that she had been handing out to the younger patients all morning. She didn't think it would be a problem if she snagged one to tide her stomach over until she was able to slip out for more filling fare.
Leaning over the desk, she quickly sorted out the pile. "Lemon . . .lemon . . .orange . . .cherry . . .grape . . .ah! Strawberry!" Triumphantly holding her favorite flavor aloft, she returned the others to her pocket.
She'd no sooner removed the wrapper and popped the lollipop into her mouth than Hatori appeared in the doorway. "My 1:30 appointment is here and I'm running a little behind. I need you to finish up with Kyou and see him out."
Kagura stared at him silently for a full ten seconds before she gathered herself enough to speak. "I'm not sure that that's such a good idea. We're not exactly . . .on the best terms right now. I might upset him . . ."
"It won't be a problem. Since he hasn't be taking care of himself, his illness is a little worse than the others. I gave him some medicine and he's not in the mood to argue with anyone at the moment." She could have sworn she saw a shadow of humor on his face before he grabbed a chart and headed back through the door.
Shaking off the oddness of seeing that expression on Hatori, Kagura braced herself as best she could. She left the office with a businesslike attitude firmly in place, mentally preparing herself to meet Yuki. But as it turned out, she shouldn't have bothered.
Ayame stood on the far side of the room, having backed Yuki into a corner there. Only his younger brother's hand braced against the center of his chest held him at bay. Even that didn't seem to dim his enthusiasm; his booming laugh filled the room.
The slight pause that his unexpected presence caused was enough for Ayame to catch sight of her. His golden eyes widened as a smile stretched his lips. "Ah! Such a lovely surprise, seeing you here!"
Kagura's nervousness over seeing Kyou momentarily faded as she returned the smile, unable to remain immune to his bright chatter. "Hi Ayame. What brings you by? I hope you're not sick."
"No, no. I heard that my darling younger brother Yuki was here and so I rushed right over. There's nothing so good for the health as the loving attention of an older brother, especially one as exceptional as I. Ha HA!"
A muscle beneath Yuki's eye twitched before he determinedly turned his attention to Kagura. "May I ask why you're here?"
"Hatori's assistant is out sick so I'm filling in."
Yuki nodded his understanding; Ayame's reaction was more vocal. "You should have told me! I have the perfect outfit at the shop. Of course," he added, slowly looking her up and down with a critical eye, "it would have to be taken in . . ."
"That's okay, Ayame." Kagura spoke loudly enough to be heard over his mumbles about measurements and accessories. "I really have to get back to work now." She turned to Yuki with a shake of her head when she saw that Ayame hadn't listened to a word she'd said to him. "I'm going to finish up with Kyou now so you can take him home." She didn't miss the quick flare of relief in his eyes and knew he was looking forward to making his escape. As much as the relationship between the brothers had improved, undiluted Ayame was a lot for anyone to have to handle.
Kagura started down the hall to hide her smile. At the door to the exam room where Kyou was waiting she paused and took a deep breath. The comfort she had gotten from Hatori's words fled and her uneasiness returned full force. What would happen when she stepped inside? Would he yell? Try to run? Ignore her all together?
Kagura felt like a giant rubber band that tightened with every scenario until she knew she would snap. She hated the uncertainty that was eating at her and she knew of only one way to end it. Without giving herself time to think, she reached out to push the door open.
As though drawn there magnetically, her eyes moved to Kyou the moment that she stepped over the threshold. He sat on the exam table with his back to the wall and his head bowed. With his hair covering the top half of his face, she couldn't tell if he saw her or not. For all that she knew he might even be asleep. She quickly decided that she would do all the other tasks before approaching him just in case he became unreasonable.
Hatori had left Kyou's chart on the counter by the door. Kagura picked it up and skimmed over the notes that he had made. She was relieved to see that there was nothing seriously wrong, just the same flu that everyone else seemed to be suffering from. With the careful attention the Tohru was sure to pay him, Kyou would likely make a full recovery in about a week. All that remained was to write out the simple instructions and send him on his way.
Kagura had the list ready less than two minutes later and she knew that it was time to speak to Kyou. He hadn't moved since her entrance into the room and she assumed that he was dozing from the medicine. That assumption was proved correct when she stepped quietly to his side and called his name with no response. Without giving herself time to think about it, she reached out to gently grasp and shake his shoulder. The survival instinct learned from having woken him before urged her to quickly move out of reach just in case he woke up flailing.
Her speedy movements turned out not to be necessary. Kyou made a quiet moaning noise before his eyelashes fluttered. His eyelids lifted in almost slow motion to reveal unfocused crimson eyes.
Kagura waited patiently for him to wake more fully. Seeing the red flush that rode his cheeks had caused a twinge in her chest. She knew how Kyou hated being weak and just how much illnesses grated on him. As rough as the flu that he had could be (as she'd been a first hand witness to all day) she was sure he'd be having a hard time with it.
Although not nearly as rough a time as the people trying to take care of him would have, she knew.
When he blinked hard as he looked at her and a frown pulled at his lips she knew he was aware enough to recognize her. She smiled tentatively and explained again why she was there. "Hatori's with another patient so I just need to give you these and you can go." She offered the instructions to him while mentioning the most important ones out loud. "Make sure that you get plenty of fluids and that you rest as much as you need to, no matter how eager you are to be up and about. Call or come back if your temperature goes up and . . .that's it."
She expected him to be in a hurry to leave. There was a small chance that he might have a question or comment but the most likely scenario had him out the door in under a minute. He never hesitated to get away from her or the doctor's office and so the two together should have had him moving fast enough to leave a trail of smoke behind.
That was why Kagura was stunned motionless when Kyou merely gave her a heavy lidded stare. His attention seemed to be focused on her mouth, leaving her feeling unnerved. She unconsciously brought a hand up to shield her face and that was when she remembered the lollipop sticking out from between her lips. Face flaming at the thought of what she must have looked like with it bobbing as she talked, she pulled it out and wrapped it in a tissue before shoving it into her pocket as quickly as she could.
Any hopes that Kyou would let it go were dashed the moment she caught the growing smirk on his face. She fought the urge to groan and struggled to maintain an air of nonchalance.
"So where's mine?"
The out of the blue question left her staring at him openmouthed for a moment before her brain absorbed what he'd said. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the words. "Your . . .what? Lollipop?" she asked incredulously.
"Don't all the good patients get one? And I've been good."
There was a tone in his voice that she'd never heard from him before - something dark, rough and smooth at the same time. It wasn't as gruff as a growl; the closest comparison she could think of was, well, a purr.
Feeling more out of sorts with every moment that passed, Kagura suddenly remembered Hatori's out of character amusement when he'd mentioned giving Kyou medication. Was this an effect of whatever he'd been given?
Thinking back on the loopy feeling that she herself had often had when she'd taken certain medicines in the past, she thought that it was the most likely the case. Kyou probably had no idea what he was saying and so she couldn't take anything he might come up with too seriously. She'd just have to humor him until they were finished and she could send him on his way.
Smiling in a way that she hoped was reassuring without giving away the twinge of amusement that she couldn't suppress, Kagura nodded. "Yes, you have been good," she said, deliberately matching her reply to his words and not the tone that had given them another meaning altogether. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the lollipops housed there. With a twist of her hand she fanned them out and offered them to him. "Here you go; take your pick."
Kyou's eyes moved over the treats, studying each one carefully before his gaze returned to her face. "No strawberry?"
Kagura grimaced. "Sorry. I think I had the last one. But there's cherry and grape . . ."
His lower lip thrust out in a pout. "But I wanted strawberry."
It was all that Kagura could do to tamp down the "Aww!" that sprang up at the sight of him. She'd thought she'd seen him at his most adorable on the few occasions that she'd come upon him sleeping. She'd been wrong. Having him pouting in front of her, no matter what the cause, was definitely raising his cuteness bar.
He interrupted her thoughts with a heavy sigh as he scooted to the edge of the exam table. He was now close enough that his knees brushed the bottom of her skirt. "I guess I'll have to settle for the next best thing, then."
Kagura moved to offer him the candy again but his outstretched hand went right past them. It came to rest on the back of her neck as he gently but firmly pulled her head down. Before she had time to do anything but gasp in surprise, his lips locked onto hers.
Kagura was stunned by his sudden action. She couldn't do anything but remain in a state of frozen shock as she felt his tongue sweep over her lips, presumably searching out the traces of strawberry that might linger there. The lollipops fell unnoticed from her hand to the carpeted floor.
Kyou pulled away slowly, looking at her with hooded eyes. He licked his lips. "I guess that'll have to do." Without another word he slipped off the table, picked up the papers she'd given him, and walked out the door with a stride that only weaved slightly.
The moment that he vanished through the doorway Kagura allowed her weak knees to fold and she sank to the floor. One hand drifted to cover her mouth while the other got flattened against the ground for extra support. Her mind was blank but for a single thought.
If this was what it got her, she'd have to seriously consider playing doctor more often.
