Chapter 4 – Yuki

A/N: This is a longish chapter. I thought I owed it to you, seeing as how I took so long getting it up, and for that I am sorry. I did have writer's block for a while, and then I was just too busy to post. For those who have been waiting patiently (and even those who haven't), I present chapter 4.

A/N 2: A reminder that the school system in Japan is a year ahead of the North American school system (can't speak for Europe, though). So in grade 10, you're 16, and ninth grade is still middle school. (I think – correct me if I'm wrong). Also, Kokoro's conversation with Hiro is based on a real-life conversation I had with some smarty-pants who thought he knew everything, when I was just trying to be nice. Of course, I didn't come up with the comeback until about ten minutes after the conversation ended. Isn't that always the way?

Now I'll stop talking, and leave you to the enjoyment (or lack thereof) of chapter 4.

As Haru entered, Tohru bustled off into the kitchen to "get something for him". Yuki made the introductions.

"This is Sohma Hatsuharu. He's a year younger than you, I suppose – tenth grade. Haru, this is Tsukiakari Kokoro-san."

Haru bowed, me following a second after.

"Very pleased to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is mine." Haru looked at Yuki, who gave him a look that distinctly said: she doesn't know about the curse. Don't bring it up.

"Nice to see you again, Haa-kun," Shigure said.

"And you," Haru replied. "Ohisahiburi." (It's been a long time).

Tohru came back in with some things on a tray for Haru.

"Here you are, Hatsuharu-san," she said. "I hop you don't mind – I just warmed up some leftovers."

"They're delicious," Haru said as he tasted. "Now, as to why I'm here, Koro-san," he continued, "well, it was basically just to see you. I've never sensed someone so strongly before."

Shigure was looking thoughtful again.

"This sounds like something I went through with Aaya and Haa-san – my cousins." He didn't elaborate.

"Yeah, so who was it?" Kyo forced his hand.

Shigure's expression was unreadable.

"Akito."

"What!" All of us stared at him in shocked disbelief.

"But surely I'm not on the same level as Akito-san?" I asked.

"Hmm. We shall see." While everyone else turned to look at Shigure, Yuki continued to stare at me. I was instantly lost in those eyes; deep gray wells of sorrow and memory. He was confused by my correlations with Akito. He was reading me too – my love for life, kindness (perhaps) to equal Tohru's, but wisdom greater than hers. Could he sense that I knew more about him than he had told to anyone? His eyes changed. Gentleness suffused me in waves from those silver eyes.

He's falling for me, I thought irrationally. He's falling for me and I've already fallen for him… we can't even hug…

Haru's voice shook me out of my thoughts.

"Liking what you see?" He had been watching our silent exchange, face expressionless.

I could feel my own face turning a vibrant shade of red as I looked down quickly, afraid to meet anyone's eyes. Haru chuckled. I stole a glance at Yuki, and saw he was blushing faintly too as he looked at me.

Shigure sighed.

"Ah, l'amour, l'amour. Even Yuki is not safe from its warm embrace…"

Four pieces of pickled radish found their way onto Shigure's face. I looked at Yuki and grinned – I had only thrown two.

Kisa arrived soon after. Introductions were made, and we all sat down to lunch again. Kisa looked at me for a long, long time. "I sensed you," she said. "I've never done that about anyone before. You are special, Ane-san."

Before I could protest that there was no need for Kisa to call me Ane-san, there came another knock at the door. My heart stopped. Could it be that Hatori had come to take me to Akito after all?

But when it was Hiro who entered, my heart relaxed, though my mind remained sharp. I would need all my wit to get the sarcastic youth on my side.

By now, the rest of us had finished lunch and were on to tea. Asian tea had a distinctly different flavour than what I was used to, but I found it very delicious. I said as much to Tohru, who had just set a cup before Hiro. The boy took a sip, scowling.

"I think it's awful."

"Hiro!" Kyo yelled. "You ungrateful little –" I cut him off.

"Everyone's entitled to their own opinion."

Hiro turned on me, sensing a chance for a new victim.

"So you're saying that people who have opinions that are dangerous to society are entitled to them? That murderers and people who start genocides are entitled to their own opinions that people deserve to die? You would let them get away with it because "everyone is entitled to their own opinion"?"

"Hiro…" Yuki began, head in his hand.

"It's all right," I told him, and turned to Hiro again.

"Of course, you would be right," I said. "But society has double standards." Hiro blinked and looked up, caught off-guard.

"If we lived in a society were murder and genocide were not thought of as bad things, would those peoples' opinions be condoned?"

"We don't live in that society." Hiro said sullenly.

"Correct again. However, we have laws. Everyone knows those laws. If people have those opinions and follow though with them, then it is their choice to break the laws, knowing the consequences. In countries where genocide is part of culture, or a long tradition of hatred, the opinions that the other side must die… people are entitled to that. Just because laws say that we are not entitled to those opinions here, doesn't mean that people aren't in other parts of the word. And whether those people are right or wrong is also an opinion that each individual is entitled to have."

Everyone was staring at me by this point. Hiro opened his mouth and closed it several times.

"Whatever," he finally said, and returned to his tea – this time with no complaints.

There was silence for a few moments which was then broken by Shigure applauding.

"Well done! Well done, Koro-kun," he said. "At last we have found an intellect to match dear Hiro-chan."

Hiro growled and stood abruptly. He went to the door, Kisa following. Before exiting, he turned to me.

"A good discussion." He bowed. I returned the gesture. "And you. You made some valid points. Hajimemashite, Kisa-chan, Hiro-chan," I said.

"You too… Ane-san," Hiro said, and left.

"Um, excuse me," Tohru said, after long silence, "but did Hiro-chan just call Kari-kun Ane-san?"

"He just called her Ane-san," Yuki said, looking at me with respect and disbelief.

I looked down in embarrassment.

Late in the afternoon, Haru departed. We had played Dai-Hin-Min together for hours – everyone ended up winning one round.

"So all they really wanted was to see you, then, Kari-kun?" Tohru asked as I helped her with the dishes.

"It seems that way," I said.

"The Sohma family is very large," Tohru said. "If they all come to see you, it's going to take a lot of time!" she smiled. "It might be fun!"

I smiled as well – that was exactly what I wanted. "I'm sure it will be."

It was decided that I would sleep on a futon in Tohru's room. As night fell, however, I grew tired of walking around the house had having people stare at me like I was some kind of strange alien or something, so I retreated to the roof, wanting silence and solitude for a chance to think. Shigure's house was very loud. Kyo wasn't there – he was in his room training.

I thought about my parents – they would realise by now that I was missing. What would they do? How would they react? I thought about seeing a picture of myself on the Japanese news and shuddered.

A light step behind me made me look up. Yuki hesitated on the last rung of the ladder.

"I hope I'm not intruding?"

"Not at all," I told him, indicating a place beside me. He sat. I could feel his warmth, his nearness, like a living thing. If I snuggled nearer to him, would he transform?

"Kari-san…" he began. I put up a hand to halt him.

"As long as I'm living in your house for the night, call me by name."

He looked at me, taken aback. "You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, or I wouldn't have asked."

"No one's ever asked me to call them by their first name before." He looked down, struggling for a moment.

"A-all right… K-Kokoro." He blushed faintly. "At least let me call you -san." he begged. "I feel odd not using it."

"I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable," I said good-naturedly. "Try again."

"Kokoro-san." He smiled. I nodded. "There. Much better." Yuki turned to me.

"If I'm using your name, you should use mine."

"Thank-you… Yuki-san." We both grinned at each other.

"How long are you here for, Kokoro-san?" he asked. I looked down. I couldn't tell Yuki the truth, not when I was getting so close to him.

"I-I don't know…" Yuki looked at me reprovingly. "Please stop trying to hide it, Kokoro-san," he said compassionately. "You don't have anywhere to go." I looked up, startled.

"I don't know whether you really fought with your parents or not, but it's obvious to me that you will not be returning to them tomorrow." I looked down again and nodded. Yuki's words had brought home the reality that I would not be seeing my parents either today, or tomorrow, or the next day… for a very long time. I couldn't get home. The world of Fruits Basket, living in it, was wonderful, but I loved my parents very much. To my consternation, a tear trickled down my cheek to land on the back of my hand. I wiped it away hurriedly – I couldn't let Yuki see me crying – but Yuki had seen. Before my next tear could fall, Yuki caught it on his finger. I sniffed slightly, getting myself under control.

"I'm sorry," I said, but Yuki silenced me.

"Don't be," he said. "It's nice to know that people our age in this world still love their parents," he said. "It was very kind of you to protect Honda-san from the truth." His arm moved, probably involuntarily, to my shoulders before he pulled it back.

Go ahead, I thought. I know what will happen. But I couldn't say it.

"Kokoro-san?"

"Yes?"

"About… about Akito…"

"You don't want me to see him." He nodded.

"I suppose if I can see through you, then you can see through me, too," he said, with a small smile. "And you're right. I don't want you to see Akito."

"Why?" Here I was, having to play the innocent, ignorant outsider, when inwardly I knew that my question would cause Yuki pain. Another side of me was curious – would he tell me?

"Akito… is dangerous." Yuki said. "Hatori warned you to be careful of him, and I agree. He is prone to unpredictable mood swings. He could hurt you." I looked at him, startled. He put his hand on my leg, giving me goose bumps all over. "I don't know why I'm so worried about you… but I sense somehow that you understand me, which is odd… for an outsider."

"And you understand me." I smiled and put my hand on his arm. The urge to hug him was overpowering, but I suppressed it for the moment. "Thank-you for worrying about me, but I'm sure I'll be fine. I am nervous, but I'll be all right."

"Don't forget, I'll be there with you," Yuki said, "and probably Shigure, too. Honda-san and the baka neko won't be, though."

"You'll… you'll be coming with me?" I asked. The thought of Yuki going back to the main house for me was so… selfless. Even though he was terrified of Akito, he would face her to protect me.

"Of course!" Yuki's eyes widened. "You thought you had to go alone? No wonder you were nervous. We'll all go together and see what Akito wants. But we won't be going for a while yet."

"Yuki-san, you're so kind. I'm so happy, thank-you."

He looked at me, blushing faintly.

"I'm not that kind, really."

"But you are," I persisted earnestly. "I know you don't want to go back to the main house. I know you're afraid of Akito-san. But you'll go anyway… just for me. That's very kind of you." I had just blown my cover again, but it didn't matter to me. Yuki had to understand this.

"You… you know. You know about that." Yuki said, shocked. What else does this girl know about me? he wondered.

"Yes. I know a lot more than you think!" I said impatiently, trying to brush it off and failing miserably. "The point is: you are a kind person, Yuki-san. I believe it with all my heart." That last bit had been a little cheesy, I admit. But I had to get my point across. Yuki had to think of himself as a kind person, or I would go insane.

He blushed again, a little harder. "Thank-you. Thank-you, Kokoro-san. Now that those words are said, I realise how much I wanted to hear them – that someone else believes I'm kind. Someone who doesn't know… very much about me." He had been about to mention the Zodiac again. Yuki looked up at the sky.

"It's getting late," he said. "Look, the moon is rising."

"Yes," I said. "Uh, Yuki-san?"

"Nn?"

"I'm staying here tonight, but I'll be leaving tomorrow." I couldn't think of imposing on them when their house was already so full.

He took my hand. "Don't even think about it, Kokoro-san," he said. "You will be staying with us. No arguments." I opened my mouth to argue anyway when Yuki put his hand on my lips, silencing me.

"I'm not going to let you protest," he said. "You're staying here, and that's final."

"A-are you sure?" I asked. Yuki squeezed my hand. "Of course, Kokoro, or I wouldn't have said so." I stared. He had used my name! "Besides, I want to discover how much more about us you know." He grinned.

"Y-Yuki… you-"

"And you did, too. It doesn't feel so odd anymore, somehow. Welcome to Shigure's house, Kokoro."

"Thank-you. Thank-you so much, Yuki."

He seemed to hesitate, then kissed my cheek. I looked at him, surprised, and he drew back, also surprised by his own boldness.

"I'm sorry, Kari-san," he said, and got up to leave. I stood with him.

"I thought you were calling me Kokoro." I kissed him back. "Don't be sorry."