Chapter 4: The Ox

Here is chapter 4! I don't really understand the point of the chapter title seeing as the beginning only has anything to do with it. I think I did a fairly well job. Please tell me if you enjoyed this chapter. I changed my writing style a little, though it isn't all too noticeable. Just tell me what you think. R&R! Hope you enjoy .

Kyo's eyes open slowly—reluctantly—and he looks around the area that he was occupying. "Wha…" he shook his head as if to rid himself of a terrible headache. He wiped his brow to eradicate the existence of sweat as well as traces of dried up blood that had come from a minor cut at the very top of his forehead. He looks around and sits up, instinctively scratching at the back of his head only to find clumps of moss dropping from his normally clean, orange hair. Sitting on a log –which I may add, had absolutely no moss- was Haru. "What the hell…? Haru what are you doing here?"

The white and blacked haired ox looked at Kyo and tilted his head slightly, the scratched a little behind his ear. "I didn't get lost heading to sensei's house, if that's what you're getting at, cat boy?" he grunts and folds his arms across his chest. From the looks of his eyes, he'd been up for days.

That Haru…he is such a crappy liar… Kyo added to what he would have said if he hadn't kept his cool. Leaning forward to get to his feet, a sharp and stinging pain takes total control and he drops back to the logs that he was once lying around. "Ahh…god damn…stupid…" he mumbled then looks under his shirt to see how bad the injury had become after jumping out the second floor of a house then running right afterward. There was a bandage triple wrapped around his broken rib –which may have become multiple ribs after the stunts he pulled. The bandage was holding his ribs down so that they could realign themselves and heal. Kyo glanced calmly at Haru and shook his head, "Is you helping me a return gift for all those times I had to escort you to the bathroom?" even though he sounded half way joking as he said this, he knew it got on Haru's nerves a little. But, Haru, being as considerate as was when he is white, understood it was merely Kyo's way of saying 'thanks, I appreciate it.' Kyo grinned and ran his hand across the bandages where the rib was once bulging outward. There was still a very noticeable lump there, but with time and relaxation, he'd heal just fine.

It was now time for Haru to ask the question he longed to know the answer to. "Yo…" he shot a half-glance at Kyo and then continued on after grabbing Kyo's undivided attention, "What happened to get you into this bad of a condition? I mean, I don't come around often so the news doesn't really reach me at the Sohma Estate. I don't think I've actually ever seen you this badly injured, ya know?" Haru spoke calmly, thought clearly interested in what was going on at Shigure's house. After a brief pause between both of them, Haru blinked and scratched the top of his head and swatted at a gnat. He refocused himself and stared at Kyo, "Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to kick your ass to get it out of you?" he questioned eagerly, his black side creeping out through the cracks in Haru's brain.

Kyo nodded then cracked his neck seeing as it was stiff from having been unconscious with his head rested on a few logs. "Okay…you know how you and Ayame… are kind of annoying when it comes to Tohru and your fantasies of her being with Yuki?" all Haru did in response was nod, he didn't even object or argue the fact that Kyo had just called him annoying, he just waited, interested in what Kyo would say next. Kyo sighed, "Well, Yuki told her how he felt about her…" he said through the grinding of his teeth then questioned why he was getting like this and continued on, " She… kinda… well…" Kyo began to scratch the back of his head, and tried his hardest to hide the large boastful grin that'd he'd be longing to use, "She rejected him…but…in Tohru-like way…" his voice trailed away as his ears had clung to sounds he heard deep within the forest. He wasn't, however, able to decipher what exactly they were. All Haru really did was nod again and then he pointed at the bandage that he had wrapped around Kyo's few demolished ribs. Kyo mumbled, "Oh…that…" he sighed again, sounding slightly agitated by the questions, "I was getting to that…" he began cracking his knuckles then continued on with his explanation, "After hearing her rejection, he went upstairs to be alone and think. Well… Tohru asked for me to go up their and get the rat from his hole –though those weren't her exact words- so…I went up to get him. When I got there…he had changed…a lot. He resembled my true form in a crap load of ways…it even scared me…and I don't get scared too easily!" the cat growled as he dodged any future insults as best as he could.

The ox nodded, understanding what was going on. "So…his emotions just plainly got the better of him as they did when you become your ugliness…" he rubbed his chin then got to his feet then folded his hand behind his head and walked a little. "In other words, it was because of the rejection that made him get like this. He couldn't control the harm that Tohru had accidentally done to him. Because this occurred, it unleashed what every jyunishi has locked inside them. Apparently, we all have a true form if –seeing as Yuki changed into his- we have another anger or sorrow within us." Haru shoved his hands into his pockets. He was wearing his regular tight black pants and a black sleeveless shirt that was covered by a large white overcoat that had a large white fuzzy wrapped around the collar. He ran his fingers under the fuzz trying to pull it away from his sweat-covered neck. Finally, he decided to just take the coat off all together, revealing a chain link-type of tattoo around his upper left arm.

"My guess…is that you were trying to get Yuki away from Tohru so that she'd remain safe, however, you're puny cat brain made you get badly injured in the process," he grinned and it was obvious that at this point, he was black. "So, so stupid…" Kyo groaned, his intentions not on aggravating and pissing Haru off any more then he already was, especially since he was injured at this point in time. "Hey Kyo! Where's Yuki now, eh? You think he may have gone to the Sohma Estate to torture Akito or something like that? Or maybe…he's not in a fit of rage anymore and lying somewhere in this very forest where I found you and took care of you…" Haru snorted at him and laughed, his hands at his hips now. "What if he isn't back to himself and he's back at Shigure's house abusing Tohru for not returning his love…" now he was just trying to get on Kyo's nerves because of his lust for fighting the cat.

Kyo, standing perfectly while ignoring the pain, looked at Haru. "Look here, okay, Haru, Tohru is fine. As spaced out as she can be most of the time, I'm sure she can tell danger from safety and get herself somewhere safe or something." He growled and shook his head. What he had said wasn't as reassuring as he had hoped, to be perfectly honest. "Ehh…I bet…right now the space cadet is panicking more over the condition over the house then going crazy for her own safety…" Kyo sighed gently and rubbed his forehead. It was all too sad how right he was.

Tohru flailed helplessly as she scurried up and down the devastated hallway. Holes were scattered all over the entire corridor. Whenever, Yuki had walked on the floor while in that massive form he left large indentions, where his feet and paws landed, especially when he tried crushing Kyo's entire body. She quickened her pace as she cleaned things up and threw the pieces of broken wood and glass in a recycling bin. Tohru couldn't quite do anything more without going to the store at some point this week, even though Shigure was suppose to be done with his book tour and be back home in two to three days. However, knowing Shigure he'd skip the rest of his appearances and come home to pretend to relax, or at least do something of that sort.

Instead of working on the damage any farther, she went out to the store to get some food so that the refrigerator would be full no matter how early or late Shigure got home from his little book tour thing. She would buy things that everyone liked of course, but that was beside the point. At this time, all that was truly on her mind was the safety of Kyo and Yuki. She couldn't bare the thought of anything ever happening to either of them…physically or mentally, it was something that she had assured herself a long time ago, that if anything ever happened to them she'd never go near the Sohma's again because she'd feel it was her fault.

The monster skidded to a stop and rammed into a tree. Clearly, Yuki was not used to controlling such an enormous body as the one he was contained in. He punched it as hard as he could and it snapped back and fell to the ground as if he were merely breaking a twig in his hands. He pressed is large paws down upon the broken tree and stared at the ant covered bark. What happened to me… why do I look like this? Am I cursed too, just like the cat or something! He huffed out a harsh growl when thinking about being cursed the same way Kyo is. It is supposed to only be Kyo… he's the cat! Not me, Yuki, the rat. It doesn't happen. It isn't supposed to happen. Someone tell me what made me change into this thing…this horrible monster… His mind raced faster then a speeding car. He remained unable to keep up with his own thoughts even as he thought them.

Yuki began to think of happy times instead of becoming even angrier. He had to remain calm if he had any chances at all of possibly ever returning to his real body. He needed to be able to show himself to Tohru while not looking like this. She's worried about me…. she thinks something terrible happened to me and it frightens her. Come on…happy. …things to think about… He couldn't think of anything…not until he remembered when he first really noticed Tohru.

She came waltzing towards a large house that had remained hidden from her eyes for the past few weeks. My house…

Never before had she actually noticed this house, yet she too lived in the forest, in a tent to be exact. I rested my eyes on her from the window and saw her peering closely at the little zodiac rocks Shigure had made. She…is beautiful, that is what my first thought was. And...it will remain the same for she is beautiful on the inside and outside.

Seconds later, Yuki transformed back into himself. He wrapped his arms around his chest in pain, breathing heavily. Yuki wasn't at all used to what he had gone through. Merely shifting shape like that had caused him to feel sore and broken all over. It was his uncontrollable emotions that had brought this upon him and he did not appreciate it at all. "I remember…someone telling me a very long time ago…that the cat was cursed double because he was too dumb to see through my, otherwise the rat's, tricks. What is my explanation, if that is his?" he mumbled to himself under his breath. Finally, he shook his head and began walking in the direction he thought the house would be located.

Woooo! I finished chapter 4 (6/10/06) Yay! I hope you all enjoyed it. Read & Review so I can know what you think of it. It'll give me an idea of how you think the story is going or what you think will happen. I like to hear what everyone thinks. I swear, I think reviews give me the energy to keep writing.