The sky was blue, the sun was warm and Kyou was willingly holding his hand out in public. They had gone to the park and he had bought his kitty-cat an ice-cream. Kyou was a chatter box and forgot to eat his ice-cream until it was dripping down his knuckles. Haru, not one to let a good chance to escape, liked the sweet treat from fingers. He gave a small startled sound with the vanilla and chocolate swirl was splattered against his cheek followed by a warm tongue lapping it up. Liking the game he played along until there were people staring at them, a few with flushed faces and one lady with a nose bleed.
To get clean they had stopped by an indoors water park where they bought some swimming suits (only because they did not bring their own) and played in the water. The ox had a lot of fun throwing Kyou into the water and enjoyed the way that the cat would flail and scramble around trying to get out of the water but at the same time trying to enjoy himself at the same time. They had ended up engaging in several games with people that involved Kyou being on Haru's shoulders or them being tied together for some race or an other. Finally when the sun started to set they parted from the place. About that time it was late enough to go see a movie in which they casually argued over what to see, mostly Kyou not wanting to be in some teeny-bopper filled theater, so they settled for a family film that little kids would like more than teenagers. Despite the film being made for children they still enjoyed the story line and Haru had a little to much fun with pop-corn.
They went to a dinner after that, some family place like Denny's and got a seat in the very back where no one cared to go.
Kyou pulled a carnal of pop-corn from his hair, "Remind me to ban you from pop-corn."
"Aa, but you have to admit it was fun."
A smirk covered the cat's face as he leaned across the table, "I don't have to admit to anything."
"That would be hurtful though, you should at least admit that you love me."
"Unofficially I do."
"Unofficially? Then what do you think of me 'officially'?"
"That's classified," but by the way Kyou placed his hand over Haru's and the shine in those red orbs, Haru knew the answer.
Haru closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of all that was and all that had happened today. He wanted to saver this moment as much as possible, and he did. He even laughed when he ate a piece of Kyou's steak and was called a cannibal. But he explained that it would be cannibalism if he was in his ox form and eating cow, and plus he likes the taste of beef; it was close to the tangy taste that lingered in Kyou's mouth all the time.
Once they got home there was a VERY pissed off Akito there to greet them. The rest of the house hold was not there and the head of the clan was by himself dressed in a casual clothing, obviously he had been out and about doing... whatever the hell Akito does when he's not at home.
"Haru," the soft voice of the frail man cut through the air like a sharp sword. "Could you wait outside for a bit?"
The ox looked to his kitten. He was about to say 'no' when the young man spoke up once again.
"I believe there is a certain black cat stuck upon the roof."
Kyou nodded to Haru who grunted and headed out, who the hell knows how long Hoodoo has been outside.
Once he was gone there air in the room was thick once more. Akito raised his hand in a motion for Kyou to sit across the table from him. Kyou swallowed and did as told, there was... something off about Akito. There was something about this situation that made his stomach flip and flop. He wanted to run out of the house and into the darkened woods that were familiar with their cold and solitude. He felt the need to want to reach over and take hold of his lover's hand but Haru was not there. There was only him and the doll faced man with eyes as slender and sharp as beasts of lore.
The clock ticked louder than usual as Akito watched him before finally breaking the silence.
"I heard... many things about you."
Kyou found it hard to get his voice to work, so thus another minute of uncomfortable silence ticked by once more before he said anything, "What have you heard?"
"That you have adopted an orphaned kitten, and you have finally visited your mother's grave."
"That's... all?"
Akito brought his hands up upon the table, lacing his fingers as his eyes looked at the pale flesh his hands had, "The rest I have more have seen than heard."
It felt like the room was getting smaller. Was he going to be taken away before his time? Was he going to be beaten? What was-
"I'm pleased."
"What?"
Akito looked at the cat, "Have you ever asked why I am always hard on everyone?"
Kyou nodded slowly.
"This world," Akito got up and slowly paced to the sliding door that lead to the porch. He slid it open before folding his arms behind his back, all the while speaking softly, "It's filled with people who are short sighted, they hate everyone that comes across their path and if their is an anomaly than they tend to strive to whatever heights possible to remove it. We, who are born with differences, have to be able to live through hardships every minute, but what is most important is to accept."
"I don't get what you mean."
Akito turned around, a smile on his face that was strained from how tired he was, "I'm saying that I'm proud of you Kyou."
Time froze. Did... did he just hear that?
Telling that the cat was just given a lot to deal with he just continued on, as if to explain, "You have been fighting all of your life, striving to please others and best anyone that came your way only to fail time and time again, but you would not give up and fight more. That was why I had planned on placing you into the holding cell for all the other cats in time. But unlike them you had finally learned to place your vendetta away. You had finally ochived what I wanted you to all these years."
Kyou was looking around the room like the empty room would piece all of this together. What had he done that all the other cats in history had not? They had loved, hell they even had children, they had tried their hardest and some had even just given up. So what had made him so special?
His eyes fell upon a picture in a small frame that was on the wall, it was of Shigure, Yuki, Tohru and himself. Then he understood and he voiced it as if he was unsure, "I forgave the rat."
Akito nodded, "Yes. And for that, you were able to finally heal that age old hatred between the rat and the cat."
"So that means?" Did it mean it? Did it really mean it?!
The head of the clan waved his hand for Kyou to come to him. Swallowing hard, the redhead hesitated and walked over. Thin arms wrapped around him and he felt a warmth like no other. It was tender, accepting, and so very kind. Frail fingers stroked through his hair as words he thought he would never hear was spoken aloud, "Welcome home little kitten."
And Kyou cried, he was accepted, he had finally been accepted into the zodiac. He understood then, that Akito was only mean to them because he was trying to prepare them for the cruel world that would shun them so harshly. He knew now that the only reason why he would have been locked away from everything and everyone was to shelter him from everyone else that hated the cat so very much. But now, now he was accepted, he was apart of the family and...
"Akito I won't be-"
"Sssh, no no," the young man placed a kiss upon Kyou's brow. "From here on out, you get to live your life the way you wish to. Just come and visit often."
Out side of the room, on the porch, stood Haru, tears of relief and happiness dripping silently on the black fur of the cat in his arms. Here he had planned on rescuing Kyou, but Kyou had saved himself with out even knowing it.
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Out side Akito's room stood a large group of people all prepped to tell Akito not to take Kyou away. But for some reason the young 'god' was not present.
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Two years later
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"Damn it!" Kyou hissed and tossed the shoji piece out the window, "How the hell am I supposed to win when you're an old pro at this?"
Haru chuckled, "When you're just learning it's kind of hard to beat someone who's been playing for a while."
"Shut it!"
"Sssh," Haru motioned to the woven basket that Kyou was rocking, "She just got to sleep."
They looked down to the baby in the basket where Hoodoo was currently flicking his tail over the kid's face. Kyou rolled his eyes, he knew Hoodoo was overly excited to have a sibling but he didn't imagine that the cat would take a liking as he did. It was actually extremely rare to find the cat not right next to the newborn.
The door to the room suddenly opened up, reveling a round Tohru with a tray of tea and snacks, "Kyou-kun, Hatsuharu-san, I brought you some-"
"Tohru," Kyou sighed getting up when the baby started to cry. He pulled the little bundle out of the basket and approached the lady who Haru was taking the tray from.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake her."
"That's not the problem," the redhead frowned. "You're still running around when you're about to pop, having another kid to start growing in ya only a few months after giving birth; you gotta take it easy."
"Oh! But I am," the woman smiled brightly. "Yuki takes very good care of me." She eyed the baby that Kyou held and he rolled his eyes.
"Just ask to hold Kyouko, it's okay."
"R-really? You sure?"
"Duh Tohru, you are her surrogate mother."
Haru ruffled the woman's hair as she held the baby she had birthed, "We did name her after your mother for a reason and we do visit quiet frequently because you ARE her mother."
Tohru stroked her baby's face, "I appreciate that. I really do."
Kyou kissed Tohru's temple and wrapped an arm around her shoulders giving a gentle squeeze, Haru shrugged and just hugged the whole lot of them whispering into their ears, "One big happy family."
THE END!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!