Cupid
By: Sakoko-chan
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya
This has been subtly revised, though nothing major. I noticed a few spelling errors and misplaced words that I had to fix.
- - - - - -
Cupid
Kyo walked out of the class room, sighing in relief. He had stayed up all night studying for that stupid exam, and now it was finally over.
"Hey Kyon! Do you think you did good?"
Kyo didn't even have to look beside him to know that the person speaking was Yakaru. He and a few other guys always seemed to want to hang around him, for whatever weird reason they had. Though Kyo could get annoyed easily by them, he didn't always mind the company.
"How should I know? It's not like I really care about how good I got. As long as I pass, I'm fine."
Yakaru pouted at Kyo, but smiled quickly.
"Your so funny Kyon!" Yakaru poked Kyo's head teasingly.
"HEY!"
Yakaru laughed. Kyo looked at his watched.
"Your going to be late for class." He said.
Yakaru's eyes widened slightly.
"CRAP!"
He took off down the hallway, only stopping when a teacher came by, then quickly running off again.
Kyo sighed once more, this time from relief that Yakaru was gone.
The neko walked over to his locker and opened it. He had a spare this period, so he didn't have to worry about rushing to class. Instead, he thought he would head to the library to read or something. Stuffing his books into his locker, Kyo slammed the door shut and walked down the hallway. In usual Kyo fashion, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and acted as though he would rather be any where else then where he was at the moment. Which he did.
"Hey, Kyo-kun!"
Kyo turned to see Tohru walking quickly behind him, her usual smile on her face. Just seeing her made Kyo smile, even if it was just a little bit.
"Kyo-kun guess what!? My teacher said that I could have this class off because I've been working so hard and I'm farther ahead then the rest of the class!"
Kyo gave her a small smile.
"Good for you."
Tohru blushed.
"U-um...th-thank you." She said very quietly, her enthusiasm suddenly gone and her eyes glued to the floor.
Wh-why do I feel so happy when Kyo-kun congratulates me?
Kyo started walking down the hallway, motioning for Tohru to follow him as he made his way to the library.
Tohru glanced up at Kyo, then looked back down as she plucked up the courage to ask him something.
"Um...Kyo-kun?"
Kyo looked back at her and continued walking.
"Hmm?"
"Um...I-I was wondering if..."
Tohru squeezed her eyes shut, then said,
"IwaswonderingifwecouldgetsomeicecreamtogetherifthatwasokaywithKyo-kun!"
"Er...didn't catch that Tohru, you were talking at hyper speed."
Tohru looked up to see Kyo looking at her with a small smile on his face. Tohru's blush quickly came back.
"U-um...I uh...I mean...since Kyo-kun and I both don't have class, h-how about Kyo-kun and I go get ice cream?" Tohru asked.
The girl looked at Kyo hopefully.
Kyo raised his eyebrows.
"You want...to go for ice cream...with me?" He asked slowly.
Tohru nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes!"
Kyo seemed to think it over for a second. Then answered,
"Uh, sure. I guess. If that's what you want."
Tohru smiled in relief.
"Ah! Thank you Kyo-kun!" Tohru began to bow, but was stopped by Kyo's hand. She looked up to see Kyo looking at her in annoyance.
"You don't have to bow, you know."
Tohru stood straight and looked down at her feet again, embarrassed that she had made Kyo upset with her.
"Y-yes."
An awkward silence passed between the two for a moment. Finally Kyo spoke up.
"Well come one, then, lets go if we're gonna go. We don't have all day."
Kyo turned around and began walking towards the exit. Tohru followed quickly behind.
"Sohma-san! Could you come here please?"
Kyo and Tohru stopped walking and glanced at the teacher standing in a class room doorway. He looked at Kyo, annoyance on his face.
Kyo gave a small glance to Tohru, then walked into the classroom.
"I'll be right back." He said.
Tohru nodded.
"Okay."
- - -
"Sohma-san I regret to inform you that you failed this afternoon's test."
Kyo stared at the teacher, acting as though he hadn't heard right.
"What? But I studied all night-!"
"I'm sorry Sohma-san but study or not a fail is a fail. Now this Sunday, since a few others failed as well, I'll be having a make up test at three o'clock. Can I expect you to be there?"
Kyo glared at the teacher. His breath of relief at having finished the test disappearing as he learned that he had to practically take it all over again.
"Sohma-san?"
"Yeah, yeah I'll be there."
"Good. Now since you seem to be free right now I'm going to have you study in the study room down the hall."
Kyo rolled his eyes in irritation. The "study" room was more like a "detention" room for all those kids who blew off studying all the time and so the teachers wanted to punish them some how for being delinquents.
"But I studied all night last night! "
"Well obviously you didn't study enough! From this moment on I'll be having all your free time for the next few days dedicated to studying for this make up test!"
Kyo glared at his teacher.
"Well I cant right now, believe it or not I'm actually busy!"
"Doing what?" The teacher began to grow angry at Kyo's persistency to make up excuses.
"Are you going with Honda-san on a date? Because personally I don't see how that can happen!"
Kyo stood still, stunned by the sudden change of topic from studying to Tohru.
The teacher continued,
"Your brash, loud, and ignorant of every other human being! And your most certainly undeserving of Honda-san's affection!"
Kyo narrowed his eyes.
"That's right Sohma-san. I've seen how you look at her when your together. Any fool can see it! And there's no way that she would want to go out with you!"
"This has nothing to do with Tohru you-." Kyo started, but was stopped when the teacher continued talking.
"I don't understand how you could coin Honda-san into going out with you but your certainly not doing it during school hours!"
Kyo clenched his fists and they began to shake. His glare at his teacher intensified tremendously. How DARE he say those things to him! He was about to yell when the teacher said,
"Your dismissed. Go get your books and head to the library at once."
Kyo was about to retaliate, but a soft hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Kyo-kun?" Said a small voice.
Kyo turned around to see Tohru. Concern was written all over her face as she looked up at him. After a moment the teacher spoke.
"Everything is fine Honda-san. Sohma-san was just leaving to get his books to study. It seems he didn't do so well on this afternoon's test. Not well at all." A sly smile crept onto the teachers face.
Kyo's blood began to boil, but before he could say anything his feet took him angrily outside, Tohru staring after him with confused eyes.
"You shouldn't worry about him Honda-san." Said the teacher after a moment. "He'll be fine. He just has some issues that he has to deal with alone."
Tohru looked back at him to see the teacher smiling softly at her. His eyes looked down at her intensely. Almost longingly.
"If I were you Honda-san I would stay away from that boy. He's very ill mannered and hates everyone around him. Including you."
Tohru's eyes widened in fear as well as confusion as the teacher began to advance on her.
"He's not good for you at all. In fact, he's the worst boy there is for any girl! But... me, on the other hand..."
The teacher continued to walk forward, an absurd look in his eyes. Tohru backed up and stumbled, her legs suddenly becoming very shaky.
"I've... always wanted to get to know you better. I've always had. Yet you continue to frolic around with all those Sohma's! You even let them call you by first name! Don't you think that I...would love to call you by first name too? Tohru...chan."
Tohru watched in stunned horror as her teacher began to reach out to her. She wanted and willed her feet to move, but they just stood there. When the teachers hands grasped her shoulders, she screamed.
- - -
Kyo stomped angrily out of the classroom, his head engulfed with angered thoughts of his teacher.
"That stupid good for nothing... how DARE he say those things about me and Tohru! I should have punched that stupid face of his right then and there! That useless son of a..."
Kyo continued to fume.
Though ironically, most of his hatred towards the man was because what he said was what Kyo had secretly been thinking all along. Was he really worth Tohru's affection? Should he just forget about it now, knowing that she would never return his affection?
I shouldn't even be having these feelings for her. He thought bitterly after a while. I'm going to be locked up any way so there's no way that-.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Kyo's head swung around at the sound of Tohru's scream. Without a second thought he ran into the classroom.
What he saw made him want to puke in disgust.
There before him was his teacher, who had just minutes ago been telling him off for liking Tohru. Now he stood with one hand pinned to Tohru's shoulder against a wall, and the other slowly making its way to her chest. A crazed, sick look in his eyes only added to the disgusting mix.
Before the teacher had realized that Kyo was standing at the door, his face had been punched to the side with so much force that he could feel his teeth being knocked out. He stumbled back a few inches, then glared when he realized that it was Kyo who had punched him.
"You'll pay for that boy! How dare you hit a-!"
The teacher didn't get to finish the sentence as another punch came, this time to his stomach. Now instead of stumbling back a few inches, the teacher flew back a few meters. He crashed through the desks, causing them to squeal loudly as they were pushed aside. And as he slid back, his head banged on one of the desks, knocking him out.
Kyo bent over Tohru, who had fallen on the ground in a heap.
"Tohru! Tohru are you okay? He didn't do anything to you did he?"
Tohru squeezed her eyes shut as tears fell. She bit her lower lip and began to sob. She slowly shook her head no. Kyo breathed a sigh of relief and unconsciously laid his hands on her shoulders, wishing he could give her a hug in reassurance that everything would be okay. He suddenly realized that his hands on her shoulders may not be a good thing at the moment, considering what the teacher had just done before.
Kyo pulled his arms away and was about to lay them at his side when two soft hands stopped them. Tohru continued to squeeze her eyes shut as she held the boys arms. She then proceeded to lift them back up and put them on her shoulders once more. And as she did so, her head fell forward and rested on Kyo's chest, her hands moving forward to clench the boys shirt.
Surprise filled Kyo's face as the sobbing girl cried into his chest. After a moment his eyes softened as he realized that this was the closet that they would ever get without him transforming. Now normally Kyo would have pushed her back in fear of transforming, in fear of someone walking in and finding them like this. But two things held him back.
One, this girl had just gone through a traumatizing experience. And two, it was Tohru.
Kyo gave her shoulders a tight squeeze, then rested his head on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Tohru I'm here. Everything's going to be alright now, okay? I wont let anyone hurt you again... I promise."
And for the next few minutes, all that could be heard was the loud sobs coming from Tohru.
- - -
Thirty minutes passed and the two of them stayed in that same position. For twenty minutes Tohru had cried in Kyo's arms. After that she had quieted down and just kneeled there, breathing deep, heavy breaths. Kyo didn't care. All that was going through his mind right then was anger, relief, and the upmost empathy. Seeing Tohru cry like she had almost made him want to cry too.
When the bell rang the two of them looked up at each other. Kyo into Tohru's red, puffy tear filled face, and Tohru into Kyo's calm, though definitely worried, reassuring face. After a minute footsteps appeared and voices were heard. Kyo stood up and helped a shaky Tohru to her feet.
"That was hilarious! And then the guy decided he would-."
The voices stopped when the first two students walked in. Kyo and Tohru looked to see Yuki and Kakeru standing in the door way, both their faces filled with shock and surprise.
"Woah! What happened here?!" Asked Kakeru as he looked at the fallen teacher and the mis-happed desks.
Yuki, on the other hand, was looking at Tohru and Kyo.
"Miss Honda?" He asked as he ran over to the couple. "Miss Honda are you okay? What happened?!" He glanced at Kyo, anger growing on his face. "Did Kyo-."
"Kyo-kun... saved me..." Tohru said quietly, her arms still resting on Kyo's arms from when he helped her up. A small smile graced her red face.
Yuki stared at her, then at Kyo.
"What happened?" He finally asked.
But Yuki being Yuki wasn't totally clueless. When neither Kyo nor Tohru said anything, he decided to look around the classroom to see what happened. By this time others had entered and the room was abuzz with chatter. After a moment Yuki's eyes widened.
"Mi-Miss Honda! Did that teacher-?"
"Yeah, he did." Said Kyo, his smile gone and anger slowly returning to his face.
Yuki's eyes were wide. They then narrowed.
"Why of all the-."
"Yuki," said Kyo, stopping the boy in mid sentence. "I think the best thing for Tohru right now is to get her home."
Yuki stared at Kyo.
I think that's the first smart thing the cat's ever done. He thought to himself as he quickly followed Kyo and Tohru out the door.
- - -
The days past and Sunday came quickly. Tohru had skipped the last two days of school of that week. And through out that time Kyo had been by her side nearly 24/7. He went to school every day though, getting the fun job of answering everyone's questions. Of course being Kyo he yelled at most of them, save Uotani, Hanajima and the teachers, to whom all he had to tell what had happened.
At first Uo and Hana were more then angry at what the teacher had tried to do to Tohru. Uo was the first to come up with plans to personally hunt down and most disdainfully kill the now fired teacher. But it was Hana who rationally said that they should go visit Tohru for the next few days until she returned to school. She also mentioned that there would be many days for plan's of murder to be made, but only a few days to get a good start on healing.
Tohru didn't speak for the first day at home, not to Yuki, not to Shigure, not to anyone. Well, save Kyo that is. When Kyo stayed with her in her room alone she always seemed to be able to find her voice. They would speak about small, needless things like what had happened at school, the weather or such. Until Sunday that is.
"I thought I would be able to handle that sort of situation." Said Tohru that Sunday afternoon when she and Kyo were talking in her room.
She sat in her bed while Kyo sat at its foot.
"Hmm?" Said Kyo, surprised. This was the first time in four days had Tohru spoken about what had happened.
"I always thought...I mean, I had pictured all that I would do if someone tried to...to t-take advantage of me..."
Kyo looked at her sadly, but let her continue talking.
"But I...I never thought that...that it would...would be a t-teacher."
Tears welled up in Tohru's eyes as the memories she had tried to forget resurfaced.
"Wh-why Kyo-kun? Why did it have to be... be me?" She looked at Kyo, confusion and anger all over her face.
Kyo leaned back on his hands, looking impassively at the wall. Though of course he really wasn't impassive at all. After a moment he said,
"Sometimes...things happen to us that we really cant explain. That no one can explain. We just have to move on, getting all the help we can get from those around us. That man was sick and twisted. It wasn't your fault, Tohru."
Tohru stared at Kyo.
"I-I never said that I th-thought it was my f-fault." She said, hiccoughing as she spoke.
"No, but that's what you were thinking, isn't it?" Kyo gave a small smile.
Tohru smiled in return and she blushed.
"Y-yes. You really know me well Kyo-kun."
Silence engulfed the room for a moment as the two just sat there, thinking.
"Well you should get some rest, Tohru." Said Kyo as he stood up and headed for the door. When he placed his hand on the handle, he stopped.
"I know it might be hard, Tohru... but maybe," he stopped, then continued. "Maybe you could start talking to everyone else? I know their worried about you."
"Um, h-hai."
Kyo's hand just began to turn the door knob when Tohru suddenly called,
"Th-thank you! Kyo-kun...thank you for everything."
Kyo looked back at her in surprise. She was now looking down at her bed sheets, a dark blush on her face.
"Um, your welcome... I guess. But I didn't really do anything."
Tohru lifted her head to say that he did do something, but Kyo had already left the room.
Tohru sighed and fell back onto her pillows. She stared up at the ceiling, tears beginning to form in her eyes. But for once, it wasn't because of the teacher.
"Kyo-kun..." She said softly as she picked up and squeezed one of her pillows. "Kyo-kun why cant you let me get enough courage to say that...that I ...love you..." Tohru squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into her pillow.
Knock knock knock
Tohru's head snapped up, the fleeting thought of that it could be Kyo at the door entering her mind. But when the door opened the thought left.
"Tohru!!!" Yelled Uotani as she raced over to the bed.
Tohru quickly wiped her face and smiled.
"We brought you clothes Tohru, look!" Said Uo as Hanajima walked in with a large bag in her hands.
Tohru's eyes widened. She was about to shake her head no when she remembered what Kyo had asked her to do.
And maybe, you could start talking to everyone else? I know their worried about you
Tohru looked up at her friends and gave a small smile.
"You shouldn't have got me anything, I'm fine!"
Uo and Hana stared at her. After a moment of silence Uo said,
"You don't speak to us for four days and now when you do the first thing you say is that we shouldn't have bought you anything?"
Tohru's eyes widened. Was Uo and Hana mad at her now?
"Um, no, I'm sorry I-!"
"Kyaah!!" Yelled Uotani in happiness.
Tohru was stopped in mid sentence as she was engulfed in the arms of her two best friends.
- - -
Nearly a month had passed since then. After she started talking to everyone again, Tohru felt that she could go to school once more. She had expected everyone to start bombarding her with questions, but surprisingly they didn't.
(Thanks to Kyo, who had conveniently told everyone the day before that she was coming back and if they asked a single question about what happened their face would meet with his fist. Not the best way to deal with a problem, but it worked.)
- - -
The end of her first week back found Tohru walking through an empty hallway. She had a break this period, and she really didn't know what to do.
Maybe I could go to the library or-
Slam!
Tohru looked up to see Kyo standing at his locker door. When she saw him, she couldn't help but smile and giggle a little. Kyo was having one of those moments that he tried very hard to keep from others eyes. He was having a very klutzy moment.
"Gah...stupid...useless...things..." Said Kyo as he fumbled with his books.
They wobbled around in his arms for a moment, then they all came crashing down to the floor in a heap. Tohru watched as Kyo bent down to pick them up, mumbling small curses along the way. Then as the cat began to stand up he banged his head into his locker door, which had opened back up when he had tried to slam it close.
"Gah!" Kyo said as he dropped his books and clutched his head.
Now normally Tohru would have been very worried about Kyo, but it wasn't so often that she saw Kyo in such an klutzy circumstance. So instead of yelling out in worry, she laughed.
Kyo's head snapped up at the sudden noise. Tohru noted that he acted like a cat that had just been taken by surprise. Which, in a way, he was.
"T-Tohru!" Kyo stammered as he closed his locker door (this time more gently) and bent down to pick up his books.
"Ah! Hello Kyo-kun!" Tohru said with a smile as she walked over to the boy.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, my teacher said I could have this time off, since I've already finished all my work."
Kyo gave a small, awkward smile. Tohru blushed.
After a moment of silence Kyo just said,
"Well see you then."
And he began to walk away. Tohru was about to say "bye" when a thought occurred to her.
"U-um...Kyo-kun?" She said.
Kyo stopped walking and looked back.
"What?!"
Tohru gave a small "eep!" and looked down at her feet. Kyo immediately felt bad for making her scared.
"We-well...I was...was wondering, well...since we...since we didn't get to last time, I was wondering if...if..."
Kyo sighed in exasperation.
"Come on Tohru, I'm not gonna bite."
Tohru squeezed her eyes shut and said,
"IwaswonderingifyouandIcouldgogetsomeicecreamtogether!"
There. She said it. For the third time.
Kyo was about to ask her what she was saying when deja vu hit him. This scene seemed strangely familiar...
Kyo's eyes widened.
"You...you want to go for ice cream with me?"
I thought the first time was just a fluke of circumstances. Now she's asking me again?
Tohru nodded.
"Yes!"
Kyo stared at her, then gave a smile. This one slightly bigger then all the rest.
"Kay."
This time the two of them walked down the hallway together, and no one was there to stop them.
- - -
At the ice cream parlor not too far away from the school, Kyo ordered their ice cream.
"I'll get a strawberry and chocolate...please."
Kyo glanced at Tohru, who was looking at all the ice cream buckets with wide eyes.
"Wow! Kyo-kun look at all the ice cream! There's so many different kinds! I wonder which-."
"Here."
Tohru looked up to see Kyo handing a strawberry ice cream.
"But Kyo-kun, I didn't tell you which ice cream I wanted...did I?"
Kyo shook his head as the two went over to a bench to eat.
"No, but it's what you wanted, right?"
Tohru stared at Kyo. Before it was really amazing to see that Kyo knew her so well. Now it was getting a little freaky. But just a little.
Tohru smiled.
"You know-."
"Me so well Kyo-kun." Kyo finished for her.
The orange top smiled at the stunned looking Tohru.
"Really Kyo-kun!" Said Tohru in awe. "You should get a job as a mind reader or something! You'd be really good at... it." Tohru stumbled on the last part as the memory of Akito telling her that Kyo was going to be locked up entered her mind.
So for a while the two just sat there, absently licking their ice cream.
I wonder if Kyo-kun knows that he's going to be locked up...what a horrible thing to happen to someone...I wish...I wish it wasn't Kyo-kun. I...I'll really...I mean,
Tohru got a confused look on her face as she began to stumble over her own thoughts. What did she really want?
"Tohru your ice cream is-."
"Ah!"
Tohru snapped back to reality as she saw that the ice cream had begun dripping down her hand. She quickly reached for a napkin to clean it up, but when she put the napkin on her hand, she was surprised to find another that there was one already there.
She looked up to see Kyo blushing. A blush slowly crept onto the girls own face as she looked at Kyo. After a moment of silence Kyo regained his senses and took his hand away. Tohru looked at him for a moment more, then quickly wiped her hand clean. When she was done she looked back up to see that Kyo had now turned his attention back to his ice cream. She smiled a little when she saw that there was a bit of ice cream smeared on his cheek.
"Um...Kyo-kun?"
Kyo stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"What?"
"Y-you have some ice cream on your...your cheek."
Kyo blushed deeply and wiped his cheek, though it was the wrong one.
"Um, no Kyo-kun its right...right-."
"Where?"
"Here."
"Here?"
"Um, no, its right-."
"Well where it is?!"
"No! Um, Kyo-kun it's a bit further to your left-."
"Is it gone now?"
"Er, no Kyo-kun its right-."
Tohru placed her hand on Kyo's cheek.
"Here."
Kyo didn't say anything. He was too shocked at the fact that Tohru had done what she had done to say anything.
"Um..." Tohru blushed after finding herself in this awkward position.
She quickly wiped his cheek and brought her hand away. But as she did so, Kyo's hand came up and stopped hers. She looked up at Kyo, noticing that his face was very red and...determined? Tohru felt her own face heat up as she looked into Kyo's.
"Um, Tohru I want to...no I need to tell you something!" Kyo mentally slapped himself. How stupid could he start off with?
"T-Tohru I-."
Tohru felt her face inching closer to Kyo's.
"H-hai?"
"Tohru, I lo-."
BRRRIIIIINNNGGG!!!!
The sudden romantic moment ended right then and there when the blare of the school's bell sounded. It seemed to wake the both of them up too, as at the same time they both jumped back. Kyo quickly looked away, as though trying to act as though nothing had happened. He stood up and started walking away.
"Come on Tohru or we'll be late."
Tohru stared after him, then stood up and began to follow. What had just happened? Why did she feel like she wanted to...to kiss Kyo right then and there?
Tohru touched the place above her heart.
"Kyo-kun what are you doing to me?" She whispered.
A gust of wind suddenly blew through, waving Tohru's hair around. She pushed it back, her eyes still on Kyo when something suddenly came through her field of vision. She blinked, then looked around.
That was...weird. I thought for a second I saw something. No... it was probably just a leaf or piece of litter.
"Hurry up Tohru!"
And with that, Tohru was quickly brought out of her thoughts and snapped her head up.
"H-hai!" She stammered, and ran up to Kyo. The two walked side by side back into school together. Two very confused, but very much in love teenagers.
And in the bushes, to eyes appeared followed by a small, little mischievous cackle.
- - -
The End!
I've had many reviews from the first time I posted this story, to the second time I posted it, all asking who was in the bush at the very end of the scene. So all I can say is this - read the last sentence, then look at the title of the story. ;-)