Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FURUBA….
1Chapter 6
Hiro sat down, and lightly put Kisa down next to him before reaching for the remote, and flipping on the television, channel surfing for something interesting, since nothing else in the house was.
As soon as he had settled on something, Momiji walked in and sat next to him and Kisa, watching the brightly animated show on television. It was some sort of little kids anime that involved small creatures with high-pitched voices.
Yuki looked up from his place at the table at Shigure. "So, what are we planning on doing if Akito decides to drop by and have a chat?"
"We lie... and hide Kisa the best that we can. If he comes back again... we must try to make him change his mind on punishing her. That's all I really came up with..." he muttered and looked at the ground as if he was in deep thought.
Kisa awoke and crawled into Momiji's lap, tail twitching slightly.
Momiji straightened up a little, and looked down, surprised. He looked from Kisa to Hiro, and found the younger boy sitting rigidly in place. He had seen... Momiji thought as he sweat dropped.
He leaned down to talk to Kisa. "You're making Hii-kun jealous..." he laughed softly. "He's going to be angry at me for this... and to think I just got on his good side..."
"Don't count on it, rabbit," Hiro said bitterly, focusing on the television and trying hard not to be angry... or cry.
Momiji sweat dropped, and laughed nervously.
Kisa sneezed softly and trembled as she rolled off of Momiji's lap and buried herself in the blanket that Tohru had just put in-between Momiji and Hiro. Now underneath the blanket, more sneezes and coughs could be heard.
Momiji smiled and sweat dropped again, a little relieved that he wasn't the source of his youngest cousin's anger anymore.
Hiro didn't relax though; he just stared at the TV, scrutinizing every little detail.
Momiji sweat dropped even more. "I'll go get some tea..." he stood up, and started out of the room.
Kisa shifted her weight slightly and growled as she pawed around, looking for an opening in the blanket. Still shifting around, she accidentally rolled off of the couch with a loud squeak.
Hiro started quickly, looking around to find where the squeak had come from. He looked down on the ground to find a mass of blankets writhing about. He shook his head, and unraveled the blankets. "Are you alright?"
Kisa looked up at Hiro and her eyes caught where she had bitten him before. Looking at the wound again, she licked it softly. "S-Sorry.." she muttered as she coughed slightly.
Hiro turned slightly pink, and shook his head. "That's alright... I don't care..." He picked her and the blankets up, and put them on the couch.
Momiji, watching from the doorway, moved back to where no one could see him, and covered his mouth with his hand, laughing softly.
Kisa closed her eyes again and curled up into a small ball, with her tail wrapped around her as well. She laid there with her back pressed against Hiro's thigh and slept soundlessly.
Momiji walked back in quietly with two cups of tea after he was sure Kisa was asleep. He handed one silently to Hiro, and sat back in his original place, sipping the tea lightly. He looked over at the two others and smiled. "To think that something little like this" he motioned to how Hiro and Kisa were. "Started this whole mess..."
Hiro let the cup down from his lips, and looked away, off to the other side of the room. "And it was all my fault, too... Akito-san... said to stay away from..."
"Your fault?" Momiji answered with a laugh. "It's not your fault. I hate to say this... and I don't know how I can, but... it's all Akito-san's fault for being so sensitive about it!"
Hiro looked back at the television. "But we can't blame Akito... we can't do anything to him... so... it's my fault."
Momiji shook his head, and sighed.
"It's not your fault Hiro-kun..." Kisa mumbled as she looked up at him sleepily and rested her head on his thigh.
Momiji smiled triumphantly. "You see? The only person blaming YOU is YOU yourself, so stop it. No one's going to ever say it's your fault either, so don't keep thinking that..."
Hiro opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by Momiji's hand.
"Eh eh!" said the rabbit. "And I'm not going to let you contest that!"
Hiro went back to watching TV, trying to enjoy it as the mindless entertainment it was. The show had shifted to some sort of an angsty shoujo melo-drama.
Yuki looked pointedly at Shigure. "That's a brilliant plan, Shigure. How do you know Akito's not going to turn the entire place upside down and shake it? Knowing him, he would... then what? If Akito comes over, we need to have someplace to..."
"Hmmm... We cannot endanger anyone in this household... but I do not know..." he muttered.
"Well..." Yuki said thoughtfully, looking at the table as if he could find the answer written in the wood. "We better think of something soon... because I don't think Akito would wait very long, especially if Kureno can't convince him..."
Shigure nodded in silence.
Yuki placed his chin on his hand thoughtfully. "So many dilemmas... my head hurts just thinking about how much I've thought in the last few days..."
Shigure nodded and stifled a laugh, because this was no laughing matter.
Kisa growled softly in her sleep and opened her eyes restlessly, her fever going up and down continuously.
Momiji looked at Hiro. "Where did Hari-san leave the medicine?"
Hiro shrugged. "I think it's in the room..."
Momiji nodded and headed out after it.
Hiro moved the blanket so it covered her almost completely as Momiji returned.
"Well, the bottle says to take one cup every six to eight hours... but this little note from Hari-san says four to six hours... has it been that long yet?" Momiji asked, looking at Hiro.
Hiro looked around for a clock. "What time is it...?"
Miji looked at his watch. "It's about nine now..."
Hiro thought for a moment. "I don't remember the last time she had her medicine... but I don't think it was four hours ago..."
Kisa hissed and growled slightly and continued to have her eyes closed tightly. Digging her claws lightly in the couch, she growled again.
Yuki sighed in the other room. "Only thing I have is to get them out of the house when someone from the main house calls, and keep them there until Akito goes away. We might want to send Tohru off, as well if that happens. Because... well, Akito might try and blame it on her or... I hate to say it, she might accidentally blurt out that we've seen Kisa..."
Kisa hissed and growled slightly and continued to have her eyes closed tightly. Digging her claws lightly in the couch, she growled again.
Shigure sighed as well. "That would be the best... but where would we hide them?"
This time, Yuki shrugged. "I don't know. That's all I can say. I don't know."
Hiro looked down at Kisa and frowned lightly. "What's the matter?"
Kisa didn't want to say, but she gritted her teeth and tried to remain calm as her fever rose slightly.
Hiro raised an eyebrow, and placed his hand on top of her head. "Kisa..."
Kisa looked up at him and growled softly before her fever found a degrees to stop at for the moment, but that degree was still beyond normal.
Hiro wasn't about to let her off so easily. "Alright, so what is it?"
"Nothing..." she muttered. Somehow... every time she thought of Akito, it gave her a very large headache and her fever rose.
Momiji sat back, slightly amused, watching what he would easily call the strangest quarrel he'd ever seen.
"Kisa, if you'd tell me, I'd leave it alone..." Hiro lightly scratched the top of her head.
"Akito..." she finally muttered, and there was a loud banging on the door. It was Akito...
Momiji and Hiro both looked back towards the door confusedly. "I wonder who that is..." Momiji asked softly.
Yuki stiffened up and looked at Shigure. "Answer the door..." he padded silently up to the television room, and looked inside. "We have a visitor... it's Akito..."
Hiro and Momiji exchanged surprised glances, then worried ones. They both nodded, and stood up, Hiro grabbing Kisa with the blanket.
Yuki and the other three passed Shigure, and then Yuki looked into the kitchen for Tohru. "Tohru, we have to go now, come on..." He hurried for the back entrance, Momiji and Hiro following close behind, and finally snuck out, closing the door behind him.
Shigure walked over to the door, as soon as he knew that the others had left through the back door. "Ahhh... Akito-sama. Welcome." Shigure uttered with a smile as he opened the door. Akito came in wildly, knocking things over.
"WHERE IS SHE! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING HER?" she yelled as she looked at Shigure.
"Who is that Akito-sama?" Shigure asked.
"YOU KNOW WHO! KISA!" she yelled in anger.
Everyone could hear the yelling even from this distance, and almost everyone sweat dropped. Yuki led them farther away from the house and deeper into the forest.
"Where are we going, Yuki-kun?" Momiji asked quietly, almost as if he talked too loud Akito would be able to hear them.
Yuki looked back at the shrinking house, now comfortably hidden behind some trees. "To the secret base..." he said softly, hoping it would be far enough away that if Akito went for the forest, he wouldn't find them.
Momiji looked in his hand and sighed. At least he hadn't left the medicine, that would've been bad.
Akito continued to search for Kisa violently, sending things flying in every direction. Finally, she collapsed onto the couch where Kisa once was and sighed, Shigure and Kureno scurrying in after her.
"Akito-sama..." Shigure muttered as he looked at her in silence.
Kisa had dug her claws lightly into Hiro's shirt when she heard the yelling from the house.
They arrived at the garden, and Hiro sat down on a flat-ish looking rock near the back. "I'm kinda glad we turn into our animal forms when we're sick. Carrying her out of there in human form would've been dangerous and slow..."
Yuki nodded in agreement, and sat down near the side closest to the house. He called a few rats to him, and told them to go watch the house from the forest. They scurried off without much noise.
A small brown rabbit hopped up to Momiji and settled itself into his lap. He picked it up and cuddled it lightly. "I love having this ability to talk to these animals."
Yuki smiled. "Yeah."
Hiro snorted. "It'd be so much easier if we had a fully-grown tiger living somewhere in the forest. Then we could sick it on Akito."
Momiji shook his head. "You honestly think Kisa would do something like that?"
Hiro shook his head. "No, but I'd order a ram to go charging through the house if they were native to this region."
Momiji sighed, and put the rabbit back in his lap.
What seemed like several hours soon passed and Kisa's ears twitched at a snap of a twig. Standing up instantly, she growled and fell back over when she saw who it was. It was Shigure and Kyo. Kyo looked like he had been dragged there on purpose and was grumbling angrily about who knows what.
Shigure smiled softly. "Kyo was quite the hero..." Shigure told them in a cheerful tone.
The rabbit, smelling dog, scrambled out of Momiji's lap, and away into the underbrush. "What do you mean quite the hero?"
Yuki looked unapprovingly at Kyo, then turned the same look on Shigure. "What does that mean?"
Hiro laughed and stood up next to Kisa. "The cat? A hero? How so?"
Kyo continued to grumble. Shigure only laughed. "Well... as soon as he heard that Akito was there, he barged in full of rage. Somehow... he scared Akito off... Which is a bit odd. I'm still thinking of what happened..." Shigure uttered as he stroked his chin and looked at Kyo, who was also wondering what the hell had happened.
"Scared Akito off...? Kyo...?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow slightly and looking at the cat. He started to laugh softly, trying to cover it with his hand, and failing.
Momiji jumped up and down. "That's great Kyo!"
Hiro laughed with Yuki at Kyo. "Now why in the heck would Akito be afraid of the cat?"
Kyo growled and grumbled angrily.
"All I heard was, 'GET AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER! I DON'T WANT YOUR STENCH!'" Shigure muttered, making an odd impersonation of Akito.
Yuki finally managed to get rid of the laughter, and instead shrugged. "I guess whatever works, works..."
Momiji stretched, his legs stiff from sitting for so long, and smiled. "So... shall we head back now?"
Hiro nodded, and looked down at Kisa again. "Ready?"
Kisa growled softly and just laid there in the grass, the dew from the grass making her fur wet.
Yuki smiled gently, and looked away towards the way home.
Hiro shook his head lightly and picked her up, feeling the cold wetness of her fur and moving his arm so he could wipe it off. He grabbed the blanket and threw it at Momiji, who caught it effortlessly, then began to walk back, following Yuki.
Kisa growled softly and relaxed, not really wanting to go back. Tohru followed in silence, surprisingly enough, she hadn't said anything the entire time they were out there. Kyo grumbled again and took the lead back to the house.
Hiro walked in silence, watching the path in front of him, he had ended up towards the back, accompanied by Momiji, Yuki walking right in front of him and behind Kyo and Shigure.
They reached the house all right, and Hiro sighed. This was great... somehow Kyo had managed to chase Akito off... he would have to remember that some time.
Kisa curled up in Hiro's arms and licked him once again, ears twitching. Her fever was slowly going away.
Hiro turned bright red as he walked into the house, trying to hide his face from everyone else. Naturally, he couldn't get it past Momiji who covered his mouth and giggled softly.
Yuki looked around the house carefully, as if Akito would burst out of the closet and drop a cage on all of them. There was no Akito or Kureno awaiting them, though.
Kisa rested her head on Hiro's arm, her tail twitching. The house was a mess.
Hiro had to laugh; he couldn't help it. He set Kisa down as he collapsed to his knees, and laughed until he cried. "This is awesome... Akito must've been sooooo pissed..."
Momiji looked at Hiro disapprovingly, then around at the house. "Wow... Akito did a number on your house, Gure-san..."
Yuki sighed and sweat dropped. "What a mess..."
Shigure sighed and looked over at Tohru pleadingly. Tohru's eyes widened and she sweat dropped. "Of course Shigure-san..." she mumbled as she smiled.
Kisa sighed, ears drooping. "I'm sorry Shigure-san..." she muttered as she held her head down low.
Shigure smiled. "It's all right Kisa..." he informed her.
Hiro leaned back on his hands, a rare grin plastered on his face, as he laid one leg sideways, and kept the other drawn up. He laughed again, tears still in his eyes.
Momiji frowned for a moment. "Ohhh... I get it..."
Yuki just sighed, and attempted to help Tohru with the mess.
"Momiji-kun is slow..." Kisa muttered as she smiled lightly and sighed. It was like all stress on her had been relieved. With a somewhat loud popping noise and poof of smoke, Kisa was nowhere to be seen. She had ran back to her room while the smoke was still in the air.
Hiro, on the other side of Kisa from everyone else, could be seen with an eyebrow raised as all the smoke cleared. Then he smiled, closing his eyes as he figured out what it meant, he had forgotten for a second.
Momiji grinned happily, and jumped up and down. "Yay! She's feeling better!"
Yuki smiled as well, looking back from a dusty pile that may have at one time been some sort of vase.
Kisa walked out of her room sleepily with a new outfit on. They were Tohru's pajamas. Looking over at the others in her new, blue and yellow outfit, she yawned softly. "I want to help..." Kisa muttered to Yuki as she tugged lightly on the hem of his shirt.
Hiro had to resist the urge to run over to her, and pick her up in a bone-crunching hug when he saw her re-emerge. Instead his heart managed to skip a beat, and left his jaw slightly slack in disbelief.
Momiji, however, had no such self-control, and ran up to Kisa, hugging her tightly enough that it lifted her off the ground. "Welcome back, Kisa!"
Hiro stiffened slightly, but didn't try to approach her. He just stood up and dusted himself off. He would watch from the outside like he always did. It was different interacting with her in her two different forms. He could be as close to her in her tiger form as he wanted to, but when she was human...
Momiji finally set her down and grinned. Yuki smiled at her, and motioned to the mess that was the house. "Well, pick a place to start. In fact, I think everyone should help..." he looked pointedly at Hiro, who returned the look with a glare.
Kisa nodded and wandered over to what seemed to be the largest mess, which was the closet. Everything was taken out and spewed all over. Kisa kneeled on the ground and began to put clothes back on their hangers neatly and lay them out on the floor.
Hiro shook his head as Momiji skipped off to another part of the house, apparently the TV room. He heard the rabbit's voice call to him, and he followed it. But that meant he would get to pass Kisa, and as he did so, he lightly touched her shoulder.
When he arrived in the TV room, he found it in almost worse condition. It looked like someone had set a rabid wolf to the room. The couch was overturned, there was a cushion laying in the corner with the front of it torn open, and stuffing leaking pathetically out and strewn about the room. There was something in the television screen that Hiro couldn't quite place, but the TV was smoking slightly. He looked at the mess, and Momiji looking pathetically at the television.
"And there was something I wanted to watch later, too... oh well..." Momiji said, looking at Hiro. "Hey, help me flip the couch back over..."
Hiro nodded softly, and went to one side of the couch while Momiji went to the other.
Kisa soon began hanging up the jackets and scarves, until she saw a box with its contents strewn on the floor. Pursing her lips slightly, she closed her eyes and began to pack away the indecent pictures of mainly high school girls. Shigure-san.. She thought as she laughed silently and pushed the box into the back of the closet.
Tohru continued cleaning in silence and wandered into the kitchen, where several dishes were broken and all the cabinets were opened. Sweat dropping, she took out a broom and swept all the chunks of dishes into one pile, which was fairly huge.
It took Momiji and Hiro three tries to flip the couch over, neither of them being particularly strong. Hiro kicked the side of the couch, and frowned at it. "What the hell is this thing made of, lead?"
Momiji laughed, and looked at the torn patheticness of it. "This couch is unusable... we'll have to get Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun to move it!" Momiji said happily. Hiro looked pointedly at the cushion in the corner.
"I could've told you that..." Hiro looked back around the house. "Where are the other two cushions?"
Momiji shrugged. "I kinda don't wanna know..."
The two of them began to clean up the rest of the room, Hiro began to disassemble the TV, and pick up the glass, while Momiji made a run for the vacuum, he would get it first...
He saw Yuki cleaning up the remains of the vase with it. Momiji sighed, and tapped Yuki on the shoulder. "Can we have the vacuum next?"
Yuki nodded, and went back to work.
Kisa wandered into the Living Room and her eyes widened at the mess. Seeing Momiji and Hiro taking care of it, she left that room to them and walked over towards the Kitchen, with was an even bigger mess. "Oh... Kisa watch out!" Tohru yelled as there was a loud crunch and Kisa began hopping around on one foot, a piece of plate stuck in the other one.
Hiro, finished cleaning up the big mess, walked out into the main area, trusting that Momiji would be vacuuming the rest, when something hit him from the side, and knocked him over, him yelping as his hands shout out in front of him to ease his fall, and prevent him from ending up hitting his face. He cursed, his words muffled by the floor.
Yuki walked around the corner from another room, carrying the two missing couch cushions, both in the same condition as the first one. "What in the world is going on out here...?"
Kisa sat silently on the floor at Tohru gently took out the pieces of dish. Tohru replaced the pieces with band-aids and sweat dropped before she continued to clean up the kitchen again.
Kisa hobbled out to the living room and saw Hiro on the ground. "Hiro-kun?" she asked as she balanced against the wall, one foot hovering above the ground.