Notes:
I still only own Michiko, Kishi, Akira and the Yankees. :)
~Tali
Chapter 13 - Explanations
Kyou had been thinking about the situation with Haru and Michiko. He knew they were close, but he wanted to know what Haru's intentions were now that they had made up. To make sure that the ushi wasn't biding his time until Isuzu changed her mind. He snagged him as he left Yuki's room and dragged him into his.
"Need to talk to you for a minute." he said seriously.
Haru looked at him with a vaguely puzzled frown, "Okay."
Kyou took a deep breath, "What are you intentions towards Michiko?"
"What?"
"You heard me, baka ushi. What are you intentions towards my sister?" he demanded.
"My intentions?" Haru repeated, completely taken aback by Kyou's question.
"You keep telling me you're not stupid, but you can't even answer a simple question."
"That's not a simple question." Haru argued.
"Yes, it is. Are you using her until Isuzu wants you back?" Kyou asked.
Haru gaped at him, "How did you know about Rin?"
"I have ears. Well?" he demanded.
"I haven't thought about Rin for months. I don't care if she never wants to see me again or decides she wants me back. I want Michiko and as long as she wants me too, I'm happy. What I felt for Rin pales in comparison to what Michiko and I have." Haru replied quietly.
Kyou cringed, "I'm not sure I needed to know that. What about the curse?" Kyou asked.
"What about it? I'm not going to let it get between us."
"So you are willing to tell her about it?"
He looked away, "She knows I transform into an ox."
Kyou looked at him in shock, "How?"
Haru shrugged, "How do you think? She hugged me."
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing. I don't want Akito trying to interfere with our relationship, and as soon as I tell her, he'll need to know."
"She just accepted it with no explanation?"
"She has secrets of her own so she understands."
Kyou looked at him appraisingly, "You're really serious about her, aren't you? Can I trust you to keep her best interests at heart?"
Haru returned the look steadily, "Yes. Are we done now?"
"No. I need to ask a favor of you." Kyou returned.
"What?" Haru asked in exasperation. He understood where Kyou was coming from and that was the only thing that kept him from decking him to end the conversation.
"When Akito puts me in that room, will you look after her for me? I know Yuki will watch out for Tohru, but I want to make sure someone keeps an eye on Mi as well." Kyou said softly.
Taken by surprise he frowned before replying, "She's going to be devastated." Haru studied the cat closely and noticed he had a necklace on. He reached out and touched the brushed metal around the engraving, "Where did you get that?"
"Mi gave it to me as a birthday present." he said with a small smile. He very rarely got gifts and they were precious to him.
"What's the significance of the pendant?" Haru probed.
Kyou looked uncomfortable, "Nothing."
"Your sister gave you a pendant that says 'home' and you're telling me there's no significance? Come on, Kyou. You've always been a terrible liar."
"It doesn't mean anything." Kyou argued.
Haru shrugged carelessly, "Then you won't mind my telling Shigure and Ayame that she gave you a gift. Maybe Kagura too?"
Kyou started to look worried, "You wouldn't."
"I would. Now what's the story with the necklace?"
"Why are you so sure there's a story?"
"She never gives gifts without a story. Where's my phone? I bet Kagura is at home right now." Haru pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
Kyou visibly wilted, "Okay, okay. I'll tell you if you want to know that bad! Jeez."
Haru raised his brows questioningly.
Kyou let out a breath, "It's to remind me that I always have a home where I'm surrounded by those that love me. She said I need to hold it and think about family and she'll be with me in an instant. I hope Akito lets me keep it. If he doesn't will you sneak it in to me?"
Haru narrowed his eyes at the possible magical implications of a gift like that. "I will. Are you done with the interrogation now, Kyou?" he asked with a shimmer of impatience. An idea had just occurred to him and he wanted to find out about it right away.
Kyou yelled, "I've never had a sister before, but I know it's my job to take care of her!"
Shigure, Tohru, and Yuki heard this statement and came up to see what he was yelling about.
"What sister?" Yuki asked.
"None of your business." he yelled back at the same time Tohru said, "Michiko."
Kyou looked at her, "How did you know that?"
"I see the way you two look after each other. It's the same as Hana and her brother. You protect her from anyone that might hurt her, you tease her, you're comfortable around her, you worry about her living alone with no one to take care of her. She always says you're family. She cheers you up, questions us relentlessly when you're upset or can't be found, she sometimes brings things over for me to add to your lunch. We talk about you all the time." Tohru realized what that last statement was and blushed furiously.
"You do? Why?" he demanded.
She blushed brighter, "We care about you."
Haru's and Yuki's eyebrows went up and they decided that was an excellent cue to leave. They grabbed Shigure on the way out and closed the door behind them.
"Bother them and I'll call your editor to tell her you haven't even started your book yet." Yuki threatened.
Shigure wilted at the threat and Haru chuckled. "Well done."
Meanwhile, Kyou was still staring at Tohru. "What did you mean, Tohru?" he asked in a very quiet voice.
She looked at the floor and tried to gather her courage. She and Uo and Hana had talked about this. She had also spoken with Michiko to get an older girl's perspective. Come on. Say it. Say anything. Do something!!
She was quiet for so long that Kyou had decided she wasn't going to answer when she stepped forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. She stepped back, blushing furiously and risked a peek at his face.
He was staring at her with the most hopeful expression she had ever seen on his face as he slowly reached out and settled his hands on her shoulders. She continued to look up at him as he slowly moved closer to her. She watched as he brought his lips to hers in a very gentle kiss. After the initial surprise she closed her eyes and just enjoyed it.
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Haru went straight to Michiko's apartment from Shigure's, unendingly grateful for the cell phone Michiko had given back to him. He followed her inside after she answered the door and gave her a quick kiss before leading her over to the couch.
"I want to ask you something." he said.
She sat down next to him, "Okay. Ask away."
"What's the deal with Kyou's necklace? Why did you tell him that he should hold it and think about family and they would be there?"
"He told you what I said?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes, after some prying."
She flushed guiltily and he read her expression well. She peeked through her lashes at him and saw he was going to sit there until she answered his question properly. She spoke in the barest whisper, "I know about the curse and what they are going to do to him."
Haru stared at her in shock. "How?" he managed to get out.
She waved a hand towards all the books in the apartment, "I make a living researching archaic spells knowing only about their effects. Once I figured out where to look it was easy."
"But what made you look?"
"Lots of things: the nicknames, the no hugging, the fact that everyone in your family walk around me so cautiously. You turned into an ox when I hugged you. No one hugs Tohru either. The way you all treat Kyou. The magic I can feel dancing across my skin whenever one of you is nearby. Most people wouldn't connect stuff like that, but it's my job and passion to look for oddities and trace them back to the source."
"How long have you known?"
"A few weeks. I figured it out while I was home waiting for my stitches to be removed."
He frowned, "You haven't told anyone?"
"Of course not. I asked you to keep my secret and I do the same for you."
"Does it scare you?"
"No. It's a spell. It has a really crummy effect, but in the end it's just magic. I wonder though . . ." she trailed off.
"What do you wonder?"
"If Akito wants you all under the spell or if he doesn't know how to break it?"
"It can be broken?" he asked in surprise.
"All spells can be broken if you know the proper counter."
"What is it?"
"Each of you has to fall completely and unconditionally in love and be loved the same way and then it will break. It will still maintain a certain amount of hold over you until the cat finds love, and then it will be completely broken." she explained.
He stared at her for several minutes in absolute silence. "Are you certain?" We can be free . . .
"Yes. Your lover must accept you completely as you are and vice versa then it will release you."
"Well that would explain why the cat is the most important. You know about his other form?"
"Yes, but I really don't think it's going to be a problem."
"Tohru really cares about him that much?"
"I'm certain of it."
He shook his head in wonder. "How do you know if it's broken?"
"It didn't say. I would imagine hugging a girl would give you a pretty big clue."
He snorted, "Wanna hug?"
She looked at him affectionately, "I doubt it would work right now."
He frowned at her, "Why not? I thought-"
"Haru," she cut him off gently, "I love you, but I don't know all of you yet so how can I love you completely?" She smiled and gave him a soft kiss, "I'm working on it, though, and I'd very much like that hug."
"And you won't let me know all of you yet." he said as he walked her over to a fairly open spot in the living room and slowly pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around him as he came closer and for a moment, he was in heaven.
When he was changed back and dressed she smiled and hugged him again. "Since I know, we can ditch the no hugging rule, right?"
He chuckled and pulled her close for another hug.
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Michiko apparated to the clearing outside of Shigure's house and quickly walked the rest of the way. It was raining heavily and she was quite soaked by the time she knocked on the door. Yuki opened it and she looked at him in concern.
"Is Kyou here? We were supposed to meet at the dojo an hour ago."
"He's not feeling very well, but might enjoy a visit from you." he replied as he opened the door and waved her in.
"Where is he?"
"I'll take you up." he replied as he closed the door. She followed him up the stairs and to the last door on the left. "Don't take anything he says personally. He's not in a very good mood."
"I never do." she responded with a smile and a quick touch to his arm to show her thanks. She tapped on the door and slid it open when she heard a grunt from inside. "Kyou-kun? Are you all right?" she asked as she stepped cautiously into the room.
She peeked around the dark room and spotted a lump on the bed. She left the door open and walked over to the bed. He was curled up and looked pathetic. He was in his usual black t-shirt and cargo pants with bare feet.
"Hey." she said as she stepped into his line of sight.
He looked over sluggishly before closing his eyes. She reached out tentatively and ran a hand over his head. "You look terrible, Kyou-kun. What's wrong? Maybe I can help."
"I hate the rain." he replied slowly.
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"It makes me tired."
"Why?"
"I don't know." he replied with the slightest trace of his usual irritability.
"Would you like some company or anything to eat or drink?" she asked solicitously.
He jerked a shoulder in a half-hearted response. She smiled gently as she climbed onto the bed and shoved him over to make room. Michiko shifted him around until they were sitting side by side and she had her hand buried in his soft orange hair. She started humming a gentle melody as she rubbed Kyou's head and back.
After several minutes Kyou spoke irritably, "Are you going to say anything?"
"No. I was going to let you rest for a while and see if you perked up."
"So, you're just going to sit there?"
"Do you want me to talk? If so, what would you like to talk about?"
"No. It's just weird."
She shrugged carelessly, "If you say so."
"What's with you and Hatori?" he asked finally. He's been wondering why Hatori's scent had been getting so strong at her apartment for the last few weeks.
"What do you mean?"
"He's over at your place all the time. Why?"
"We like to talk healing so he comes over once or twice a week for dinner."
"Talk healing? Are you going to become a doctor or something?"
"Not exactly. I'm head medic at my office and it's nice to trade notes with someone that does things a bit differently."
"Differently? How many different ways can you put in stitches? And why does your office need a medic anyway?"
"I don't use scientific medicine like Hatori. I use energy healing instead."
He worked up the energy to sneer at her, "You can't heal with energy."
She lifted a brow, "Oh no?"
"No."
She poked the bruise on his cheek and he winced. "Wanna bet?"
He growled lightly and tried to sluggishly bat her hand away. "No."
She smiled down at him and ran a fingertip over the bruise before poking it again. He winced reflexively then frowned when the expected pain did not register.
"Huh."
Michiko giggled, "That's probably the most low key response to that revelation I have ever received."
He shrugged a little, "I've seen weirder things than that."
"You'll have to tell me about them sometime."
"Maybe."
They settled into silence once more and Michiko continued to pet his head while channeling energy into him. There was a tap on the door and Hatsuharu poked his head in. He smiled happily as he entered the room. "I thought I might find you here."
"Sorry, am I late?" she asked quietly as she returned the grin.
"Yeah. I forgot to tell you that Kyou never goes out in the rain if he can help it."
"Well, we'll see if we can't change that one day." she replied before leaning over a giving Kyou a quick kiss on the cheek and hopping off the bed.
He flinched away and scrubbed his cheek with the back of his hand while giving her a disgusted look. "What'd you do that for?"
She grinned, "To make you move."
He glared at her before dropping his head back down to the pillow. "Whatever. Are you going home now?"
"Do you want more company?"
"No. Haru, you're walking her home, right?"
"Of course." Haru replied as he wrapped his arm around Michiko's waist and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Let's go, Mi-chan."
She smiled at Kyou, "I hope you feel better soon so we can spar."
He frowned at her, "Yeah. Any day it's not raining."
"All right. See you later."
"Bye, Mi." Kyou watched them leave thoughtfully. They really did seem well suited and it would be terrible if Haru was only hanging around with her until Isuzu changed her mind. Not that he cared. Okay, that was a total lie. He cared, a lot, and he'd kick Haru's ass if that's all he was doing. As he thought about it more he decided that maybe the ushi really did care about Michiko and wouldn't go back to Isuzu even if she wanted him. He shifted around until he was comfortable and stared moodily out the window for a while before a soft tap sounded on the doorframe. "What?"
"I-I was just wondering if Kyou-kun would like some company?" Tohru asked softly.
He rolled over and crimson eyes locked with blue, "No." he saw her start to back out and continued, "I wouldn't mind."
She smiled shyly before walking across the room and taking a seat next to him on the bed, "How are you feeling? I know you hate the rain."
He gave a half hearted shrug, "I'm tired."
"I should go and let you sleep. I'm sorry." she said in a rush.
Kyou reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could get very far, "Stay."
She immediately returned to her spot next to him, "Are you sure? I can go."
"I'm sure. Just sit next to me for a while, okay? You can space out if you want."
She settled next to him and blushed when his fingers twined with hers. "Can I go with you next time you spar with Michiko and Haru and Yuki?"
"Why?"
"You like sparring with them so much and I want to know more about what you like." she said with another blush. "Maybe you could teach me?"
He looked at her doubtfully, "I don't know. You could get hurt. And you wouldn't be able to space out either."
Tohru blinked at him, "What?"
He rolled his eyes, clearly she had been imagining herself as a master martial artist or something. Already off to a bad start. "We'll see. It's dangerous and you could get hurt."
"Michiko does it and she doesn't get hurt. Well, that one time, but all of you wouldn't fight with me at the same time, right? Oh, if you did I don't think I could do it."
He sighed, "We only fight one on one. And probably only she would be willing to spar with you since she's close to your size."
"Will you ask her? Or maybe I should. It would be strange for you to ask for me, wouldn't it?"
"We can ask her next time we see her." he offered.
She squeezed his hand, "Thank you. I want to share something with you that you like."
"You already are." Tohru looked at him blankly so he elaborated, "You're sitting here with me right now . . . and I like it."
He got a heart stopping smile for that and couldn't help but return it. Sitting with her while it rained wasn't so bad. In fact, he hoped she had the day off next time it rained too.
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Kyou walked into the dojo and reluctantly pulled Tohru in behind him. The others greeted them as they continued their stretches. He gave her hand a squeeze before joining them. "Sit over there and don't move."
"Are you here to watch, Tohru-chan?" Michiko asked with a smile.
"Yes. I know all of you enjoy sparring so much and I wanted to see how you did it." she replied as she took a seat near the wall. Michiko nodded and the four continued with their stretching before moving onto katas. Once warmed up, they paired off with Kyou against Michiko and Yuki against Haru. It seemed to be the least likely set up to end in bloodshed.
Kyou kept constant watch on Tohru and his sparring suffered for it. Finally, Michiko decked him and sent him tumbling to the floor. His gaze snapped to her and she shook her head as she gave him a hand up. "If you're going to spar, you need to pay attention. We're all sufficiently skilled to not harm her by accident."
He flushed and returned his attention to the fight. "Would you be willing to teach her how to spar?"
"Tohru?"
"Who else?"
Michiko considered the question while they passed through Haru and Yuki's match and caught them by surprise when they hit them on the way by. They shook their heads at the pair's matching grins and went back to the fight.
"I suppose I could. Will you be able to not hover while I do?"
"I don't hover."
"Of course not. Can you hold still and not interfere?"
He glanced over at the girl in question and she scored another point off him. "You're making this too easy. Shouldn't you be showing off for the lady fair or something?"
"I don't show off!"
"Of course not. I'm winning, you know."
He calculated the score in his head and realized she was right. Kyou growled a little and got back into it. Several minutes later he had mostly caught up.
"Very good."
"What?! I'm not five. I don't need to be told when I do good."
She smirked a little, "Well, you were having so much trouble I just wanted to make sure you knew you were doing better."
"Shut up."
"Spar properly."
The cat forced his mind away from the girl against the wall and concentrated on the match at hand. When Yuki and Haru came around they were able to block them and she grinned at him once they'd passed.
"So, will you?"
"I suppose I can try. Did you warn her against spacing out?"
"Yeah."
"I think you should warn her again."
He looked over to see Tohru clearly spaced out as she sat against the wall and sighed. "Yeah."
"You guys hungry?" Haru asked from across the room.
Nods all around so they quit and Michiko walked over to Tohru with Kyou hot on her heels. "Hi, Tohru-chan. Did you enjoy watching?"
"Yes. All of you fight so well. Will you teach me?"
Michiko smothered a giggle at Yuki and Haru's shocked looks. "Sure, but you have to promise to pay attention. No spacing out."
"I promise."