Author's Note: Hello again, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. It really means a lot to me. I'm surprised at how good I'm being with these updates, but I guess this story wants to be written...and I'm also procrastinating on something else I really SHOULD be doing, lol. That always works for good inspirations...as well as reviews ;).
Take care and please enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter 5
"I'm going to the place where love and good feeling don't ever cost a thing"—Daughtry.
Yuki thought the neighbors would never leave.
Ever since Yuki and Kyo had brought Tohru home from the hospital that morning, the doorbell had rung constantly, and if it wasn't the doorbell ringing, it was knuckles knocking. They came in two's and three's with dishes of food and colorful knitting projects, young and old, all with large, sad eyes and pity-filled smiles. Kyo was running out of places to store the food and Yuki was tired of smiling and taking knitted quilts and shawls away to stack in the second guest room—they would figure out what to do with them later.
"Thank you again for stopping by, Mrs. Hashino. Please give my regards to your husband." Tohru was all smiles as the last neighbor, an elderly woman in an atrocious house dress, left.
"Quick, lock the doors, bar the windows, no one else is coming in here tonight," Kyo groaned as he trudged back into the living room. He threw himself down on the sofa beside Tohru and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Tohru giggled. "Stop being silly, Kyo-chan, you love the neighbors."
"But I don't love their cooking. What are we going to do with all of it? Well, I know what I'm going to do with Kirei's muffins, but what are we going to do with the rest of it?"
Tohru pinched Kyo's thigh. "Kyo! Leave Kirei-chan alone. You know she tries!"
Yuki joined the couple on the couch, sitting on the other side of Tohru. "What are you going to do with Miss Kirei's muffins, Kyo?"
"Put them in the garden to scare away the rodents," Kyo said without missing a beat. "They're hard as rocks and taste like leek-flavored sandpaper."
"They're not that bad, Kyo." Tohru laughed and put her arms around his waist. She leaned her head into his chest and the delicate pink bow that held her headscarf in place began to unknot.
"I tried to feed one to Mr. Todo's Akita, and it growled and started barking at it. When I tossed it, the dog attacked and do you know that muffin didn't break apart?" Kyo rested his chin atop Tohru's head holding the scarf in place before it could slide off. Yuki held his breath. He'd never seen Tohru without a scarf.
"You're being silly," Tohru murmured, her voice muffled by the folds of Kyo's shirt.
"I'm not being silly. I'm being cautious," Kyo said. "Those muffins are not fit for human consumption."
Tohru brought her head back, so that she could stare up at Kyo, and the scarf fell away, revealing a sleek brown cap of hair, thinning in places, but Yuki was relieved to not see any bald scalp. As his stomach settled, Yuki realized how upset he would have been to see Tohru balding.
"I've decided to call Hana-chan first, in the morning; then I'll call Uo-chan. I think that you and Yuki-kun should go out. You could take him to the dojo."
"I thought you weren't going to call them until after the weekend. That's what we planned," Kyo said, sounding confused. "Are you okay?
"Yes, I'm fine, Kyo-chan. I just—I feel bad for not telling them after—well, after seeing Yuki-kun…and seeing how much better you look now that he's here. I haven't been very thoughtful of you. I'm sorry."
Kyo ran both hands through Tohru's hair, letting his fingers roam down to her cheeks; he held her face between his hands. "The only thing anyone is thinking of right now is you. Only call Hanajima and Uotani if you're ready to call them. Tomorrow, we can make a picnic lunch and go to the beach and…and I'll even get in the water… and we'll just have at. This weekend, we'll go sailing or go out on one of those glass bottom boats, and then on Monday, you call em', like we planned."
"But Baby, they'll be so hurt, so upset." Tohru's voice shook. "I shouldn't have kept it from them, from everyone. I don't want… to hear them cry."
Kyo crushed Tohru to his chest, and Yuki watched his face crumple over Tohru's head. "I'll call them. You won't have to deal with it."
"B—but y—you do everything. You d—don't have to do everything."
"But I want to," Kyo said, rubbing her small back. "I have to be able to fix something, Rice Ball. All I know is that Yankee better have learned some manners since the last time I talked to her. It's been 5 years since high school and she still calls me Orangey."
Tohru's chuckle was thick. She probably needed to blow her nose. "You are very orange."
"I am not!"
"Your hair is orange, and when you tan, you turn a little orange too."
"I do n-"
"Orange is cute," Tohru said. She sniffled juicily and pulled back from him, arms still around his waist. "I wouldn't have had anything to do with you, if I didn't think orange was cute."
"Oh, is that so, huh?" Kyo tickled Tohru mercilessly, until she squealed and hugged him tight.
Yuki sat still, observing them. They had cycles, ups and downs, tears and giggles. He'd done some research online about grief and dealing with death and dying. He hadn't expected to find anything to make it easier, but he recognized a few things he had read in Kyo and Tohru's behavior, Kyo's especially; the spouse who made extreme personal sacrifices.
Yuki cleared his throat. "Is anybody hungry? I can heat up one of the dishes in the kitchen."
Both Kyo and Tohru looked at him sharply.
"Um… th—that's all right, Yuki-kun. I'm not very hungry right now, but when I get hungry, I can handle the kitchen," Tohru said quickly.
Kyo nodded in agreement. "Stay outta that kitchen Rat. You're not burning down our house."
Yuki sighed, really not wanting to mention this in front of Tohru, but it might be the best way to get results. "Kyo, you haven't eaten a thing since this morning, and even then it was a piece of toast."
Kyo blinked and Tohru let out a little gasp. "Kyo! You told me you were eating better!"
"I am!" Tohru frowned at him. "I swear I am. I was just-busy today."
"Because you're trying to do everything!" Tohru got to her feet. She wore fuzzy pink house shoes that matched her fuzzy pink sweats. "I'm going to make you something to eat."
"You don't…."
"Do we have fresh fish?" Tohru was already heading for the kitchen.
Kyo shot Yuki a look.
Yuki shrugged. "You're not eating enough, Cat. I've been watching you, and those bags under your eyes say you're not sleeping enough either. Look, I'll be the one to call Hanajima and Uotani, I'll pick a date and schedule the vacation in Russia, and I'll get the reservations for sailing. The only thing I want to see you doing this week and next is baking cake and bread and making lemonade."
Kyo cocked his head at Yuki; then, threw a couch pillow at him. "I hope you get fat."
"Machi said she'd love me more if I gained some weight."
Kyo threw another pillow. "You're ridiculous. You know that?"
"Not as ridiculous as Ayame."
Kyo shuddered.
"I'll have to call him, too. He loves Tohru. We'll have Ayame and Shigure in the same space…."
"And they'll be sharing that space in a Bed and Breakfast," Kyo finished.
The sound of a dozen metal pans striking the floor had Yuki's heart in his throat and Kyo on his feet. Kyo rushed into the kitchen with Yuki hot on his heels. Tohru sat on the floor, surrounded by blue, yellow, and pink skillets and pans. She looked flushed and dazed.
"Tohru!" Kyo knelt beside her, stroking her hair while checking her over. "Are you hurt? What happened?"
"I just…got a little dizzy. I'm okay. Oh, Kyo-chan, what have I told you about stacking the pots like that?"
Kyo helped Tohru stand up, and readied himself to scoop her into his arms, but she gave him a light push away. "I'm fine now, Baby. If you want to help, get the fish out of the fridge and get out what I need to make the marinade you like."
Kyo watched Tohru pick a pink skillet off of the floor and take it to the sink to wash with a lost expression on his face. Yuki touched the small of his back, giving him a push toward the fridge. "Go ahead. I'll clean this up."
Kyo nodded slowly, still watching Tohru. He scrubbed a hand over his face and went to the fridge. "Fish…. Marinade stuff…. Rice Ball, I don't remember what went in the marinade. It tasted kinda fruity, though."
Tohru laughed over her shoulder. "Plums Kyo-chan, plums and pineapple, and…"
Yuki picked up the pots and pans as the couple talked each other through their mini-crisis. There was so much food in the fridge Yuki didn't know how Kyo would find the ingredients.
"Tohru, why don't you just heat up some leftovers?" Yuki asked gently. He put a few pans away as Tohru traveled to the stove.
Tohru moved to a cabinet and rooted through seasonings and oils. "Because Kyo is a finicky eater, and no one else knows just how to cook for him."
Touché. But… "Tohru, he'll eat what's in front of him, if you ask him to," Yuki said.
"Yuki-kun," Tohru said calmly, she turned around, her little hand so tight on the handle of the skillet her knuckles were white. "I haven't made a meal for my husband in nearly 2 months. I want to cook for him—while I still can cook for him. Do you understand?" She moved closer to him, and Yuki swallowed at how hollow her cheeks were and how her sweatshirt swallowed her up. She lowered her voice. "Today is a good day. I don't know how many good days there are going to be. Kyo and I decided that I'll be allowed to do what I want to do, and I want to take care of my husband before I have to give that job over to someone else. Are you all right with this, Yuki-kun? Because if you're not… well, maybe staying here the whole time might not be such a good idea. We don't expect everyone to agree with our decisions, but we want them to be respected."
A hand clenched Yuki's heart and wrenched it around in his chest. No, no he didn't agree that Tohru should be allowed to run herself or Kyo into the ground, but was she really asking him to leave if he didn't? Should he leave? He was going to get run into the ground as well just keeping up with them. He didn't know if he could handle it all—and, thinking of the arrival of Hanajima and Uotani actually made him better, lighter. He needed someone to talk to, others in on the secret who Tohru and Kyo could let in; he needed others to see this and tell him how to react, or if he was reacting properly. Tohru would be the one he wanted to help him through something like this, but Tohru was instead the person he wanted to help.
"Tohru…."
Tohru's large eyes studied him. "Kyo needs you, Yuki-kun. If you want to help me, please try to respect our decisions, for him. I think that you need to stay, and I really want you to stay, but that's only if you want to, if you can. It's a lot to ask."
"Not for family it isn't," Yuki said. He swallowed hard and turned away from her. "I'm going to rearrange the food in the fridge, so you can find stuff in there easier, but we really need to figure out what we're going to do with it all. It would be a shame to let it spoil. Maybe we could take it to the dojo, have a party for the students or something."
Yuki felt her proximity. She was right behind him. Her thin arms curled around his waist, the cool frying pan touched the skin of his bare arms. "Thank you, Yuki."
Yuki nodded, not able to speak. He knew his voice would break. His eyes threatened to fill. He touched one of her elbows, squeezing it for a moment; then moved away from her, heading to the fridge where Kyo was on his hands and knees rummaging through the bottom drawers.
A day at the beach involved a lot of eating for Yuki. He lounged on a beach towel under a large umbrella, hand constantly dipping into the picnic basket. Kyo and Tohru had outdone themselves. There were chicken and tuna salad sandwiches on toasted homemade baguettes, strawberry crème puffs, French vanilla cakes, fresh fruit and watercress salads, raspberry mango tea, and home-baked potato chips with ranch dressing. Machi might get her wish for Yuki to gain a few pounds; he doubted his metabolism would put up with all that food without teaching him a lesson. He'd had to loosen the drawstring on his swimming trunks.
Kyo and Tohru were wading in the surf. Tohru splashing Kyo as he tried to run from her; he still hated getting wet. Yuki's cell phone vibrated in the button-up side pocket of his trunks. He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. Machi, his insides twitched. He hadn't told her anything other than he had to go on a trip for a while and that she couldn't come for the weekend. He was an awful fiancé.
"Hello, Machi."
"Yuki Sohma, you give me 1 reason why I shouldn't kill you! You are not on a work trip. Your boss called me and asked if everything was all right. He said you were with a sick relative. What is going on?" Machi's normally soft voice was shrill.
His boss called Machi? Yuki vaguely remembered giving Mr. Kudoh her number in case of emergencies, but why wouldn't he call Yuki? It wasn't like he was screening his calls.
"Um…. It's complicated, but you're right I should have explained it to you better. I was waiting…" until Tohru and Kyo dropped the bomb on more than just a select few. "…for a better time."
"A better time for what?" Machi's voice had returned to its regular register. She sounded cool and rational, something Yuki loved her for. She could be very methodical in times of crisis. She saw logic in chaos and had never swooned over him or catered to him.
"Uh… well, I can't really say all that much, but I'm with Kyo and Tohru right now."
"Is everything all right?"
"No," Yuki said. He glanced out at his cousins who were now sitting and letting the surf wash over their legs. "It's not all right. Tohru's very ill, and Kyo needed some help."
"And you couldn't tell me this? I could have come with you. I'm sure there are some things that Tohru would like another woman around to help her with. I know how much she means to you."
"No… I mean, they haven't really told anyone, and don't want to yet. I didn't know how comfortable they would be if I told you, and I… don't want to trouble them by asking."
"So, you were just going to lie and not call me. It's been 4 days since I've heard from you. I was going to call your brother first, but thought I'd spare you that. I'm not that angry with you after all," Machi said. Yuki knew she was pacing. She always paced when she spoke on the phone. Yuki always worried that she'd trip over the clutter she kept on the floor, and hurt herself. Machi was so messy. It didn't match her persona at all, and amused Yuki to no end. They were both so precise and collected outwardly, but inside they were slobs who knew they'd have to hire a maid and a chef when they finally married and moved in together.
It always surprised people to learn that out of Yuki and Kyo, Kyo was the neat one. But they had once been a rat and a cat. Cats were known for being meticulously clean creatures, and rats were known for… well, it wasn't flattering.
Oh no. Yuki's eyes widened as Machi's last statement sunk in. What if she had called Ayame? Ayame would have gone to his apartment, found it empty, saw the travel notes Yuki had left on his counter and come to Maizuru immediately.
"Machi, this is important. You cannot tell anyone what I'm telling you. Tohru and Kyo are not ready for everyone to know yet, but you deserve to know why I left like I did and why I'm going to be here for a while, and… that I may not be able to see you as often."
"Yuki, you're scaring me. How sick is Tohru? Is it very serious?" Machi's voice was still calm, but a note of trepidation had entered it.
"Tohru's dying. She's got stage four cancer. It started in her breasts, but it's spread to all of her glands. She's decided to go off treatment and spend the last of her time at home. She and Kyo are going to let everyone know next week. They thought…they thought she was going to get better, so they kept quiet and weren't going to say anything until she was cured."
"Oh…Yuki, I'm so sorry." Machi was silent for a moment and Yuki shut his eyes. "How are they doing?"
"They're… dealing with it. They've made all sorts of plans, and they're having fun. We're at the beach now, and we're going sailing in an hour. Tomorrow, we're going shopping, because Tohru wants to redecorate the second guest room and get some more gardening tools, then we're going out to eat at a French restaurant."
"That sounds busy. Is Tohru up for all that?" Machi asked.
Yuki shook his head. "I hope so, because they don't plan on changing anything they've got scheduled."
"Have you said anything? What about Kyo? I'm sure he doesn't want her to get too tired."
"He's doing whatever she wants. He won't say anything, and I… I agreed to do the same. It's—the doctor says she has a month. While she feels good and able, she wants to do what she can."
"But what if she's making it so that she won't feel good and able later? She should rest, too."
"I know," Yuki said. "But, just talking to her, you feel like the clock is going much faster and that she has to do everything now. I'm hoping that when they let other people in, maybe someone else will be able to say something. I can't."
"Yuki…"
"I just want to be here, and if I talk too much, Tohru said that maybe I shouldn't stay."
"She said that? Tohru said that?"
Yuki nodded, knowing Machi knew his response. She always knew what he meant when he didn't say a word. Gods, he loved her. Pain ripped through him as he imagined what it would be like if Machi were dying. It was different—it was a different pain than what he felt for Tohru. He thought about telling Tohru how he'd probably be a heap of misery in Kyo's place and knew he'd been wrong. He wouldn't have been a heap, being a heap took strength. He would probably die right along with Machi.
He looked out at Kyo again, he and Tohru were cuddling.
"I have to stay."
Machi cleared her throat. "Well. I trust you to know what's best. Next week, after they tell everyone, do you want me to come out?"
Guilt flooded him. "Oh… Machi, I'm sorry. They only want family here."
"Oh." Silence again. "I understand."
And what hurt most was that Yuki knew she did. Machi always understood. "I'll call you and when I think everything's okay, I'll take the train to see you."
"No, I'll come to see you. You can meet me in town and we can have dates, and then you'll go back to your cousin's. It'll be perfectly fine. I'll be the boyfriend, which means I'll pay and expect sex at the end of the date."
Yuki choked, and then laughed. "Have I said I love you since this conversation started?"
"No."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. I will field phone calls from your boss and expect for you to call me and let me know when we can go on our first date. I will not bring you flowers, though."
"Good. I don't know where I'd put them," Yuki said. Machi laughed. They were quiet, Yuki staring out at the ocean and Machi probably digging through a pile of something or other looking for a notebook to write out plans.
Kyo was standing and bringing Tohru up with him. Tohru held something in her hands and waved it at Kyo. Kyo poked her forehead and stretched. He turned in Yuki's direction and waved him over.
"Machi, I have to go."
"I'll talk to you later, Yuki. You are a wonderful person, you know that?"
"Not always. Love you." He disconnected and slid his phone back into his pocket. He took a quick sip of tea from a sports cup and rose. He wore a t-shirt and sandals and donned a baseball cap. Being pale meant he burned easily. He sauntered out to meet Kyo and Tohru, getting his feet wet. Grains of damp sand nestled between his toes.
"Yo, you can't stuff your face forever. Rice Ball wants pictures."
Sailing and seafood on the boardwalk had Tohru drowsy and more than willing to ride piggyback on Kyo as they walked through little trinket stores looking at wrap dresses, beach towels and umbrellas. Yuki scowled as a few shop girls and boys tried to get him to try on a wrap dress. What was it with people wanting to dress him in drag?
"Miss Tohru and Mr. Kyo!" Two teenage girls pounced as soon as they exited the last store and stepped onto the sidewalk. Kyo stopped walking and let Tohru slide down from his back.
"Hello Sakura-chan, Mitsu-chan. You both look so cute!" Tohru smiled at the girls as they modeled their blue and pink yukatas and geta. Yuki guessed them to be about 16.
"We miss you so much at The Rice Ball. Mr. Kyo is always kicking us out because we don't buy anything!" Sakura, in the blue yukata, complained.
"He's so mean!" Mitsu, in pink, agreed.
"Oi, I'm not mean. You take up space that paying customers could be using and you're loud," Kyo said.
Mitsu scrunched up her nose at him. "We just like talking to you!"
"I don't know why," Kyo said. Yuki smirked at his cousin. He spoke to these girls like he'd spoken to girls back in high school, like they were minor annoyances to be swatted away with words.
"Kyo-chan, be nice. Miss Mitsu and Miss Sakura will buy something one day," Tohru said sweetly. "And even if they don't, they are still welcome."
Sakura hugged Tohru and stuck her tongue out at Kyo. "You see! Miss Tohru likes us there."
"She likes everyone there," Kyo said.
"Oh, Miss Tohru, when are you coming back?" Mitsu asked.
"Oh… well, I'll be in a few times next week…"
"No, I mean when are you coming back for good? We miss talking to you about boys and school."
Kyo's hand found Tohru's as her smile froze in place.
"Um…"
Yuki stepped in front of them, bowing slightly. "Hello, I'm Yuki Sohma, Kyo's cousin. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. It's nice to meet you, Miss Sakura, Miss Mitsu."
Sakura and Mitsu stared at him, their eyes huge; their mouths trembling.
"Oh!"
"Ooh!"
Yuki smiled at them, inwardly rolling his eyes at the blushes tinting their cheeks. It never failed with high school girls—and sometimes, boys.
"You're related to Mr. Kyo?"
"Mr. Kyo, are all the guys in your family hot?"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"What's your blood type?"
Yuki fielded their questions all the while keeping an eye on Kyo and Tohru, making sure they were recovering from the question the two girls had asked. So, not everyone who knew Tohru in town knew what was going on. Tohru leaned against Kyo, her head tilted back as she peered up at him. She wore a baseball cap with a blue bunny on the front and a blue one-piece bathing suit with a sarong that just touched her painted pink toenails. Kyo was looking back at her, a soft smile on his lips.
They were okay.
"I have a fiancé and we share the same blood type," Yuki said. "It was nice to meet you two, again. We really must be going."
"Aww… but we haven't seen Miss Tohru in forever!"
"What day will you be at The Rice Ball?"
"Uh… Wednesday," Yuki answered. Experimental Wednesday.
"You'll be there, too?"
"Yes," Yuki said quickly. He turned to Kyo and Tohru to find them still staring at each other. He touched both their shoulders. "Let's go," he mouthed.
"Aww… Miss Tohru and Mr. Kyo are so cute! I want my boyfriend to look into my eyes like that, too!"
They left Sakura and Mitsu squealing behind them.
"Well, they certainly are spirited," Yuki said, walking on the other side of Tohru. He took her hand. "Are you all right?"
Tohru curled her fingers around his. "We forgot about telling our customers."
"All my students pretty much know, and the staff at The Rice Ball, but I didn't think about the regular customers either," Kyo said. "How do we want to do this?"
Tohru's little shoulders slumped. "I don't know. I don't want to go in and tell people that. The Rice Ball's a happy place."
"Then you won't. We just won't say anything. We don't have to," Kyo said. "It-word will get around on its own. We won't worry about it."
"But Kyo, what about Sakura and Mitsu, and the Saongis? And what about…?"
"Shh, Rice Ball. If you really want a statement out there, I'll come up with it," Kyo said. "Maybe it can be something written. We can make a new treat for Wednesday and have it come with a note."
Tohru's hand tightened on Yuki's. "I guess that's all right. It's so impersonal, though."
"It's just a thought. We can think more about it later."
Tohru nodded, and rested her head against Kyo's shoulder. "Kyo-chan, I'm tired."
Kyo stopped walking and lifted Tohru into his arms, carrying her like a bride over a threshold. "It's time to go home, then."
"Mmm… home, to sleep in our bed. I missed our bed, Kyo."
"I missed you in our bed." Kyo's voice lowered to a purr.
"Is that so, huh?"
Kyo chuckled and Yuki slowed his step to match Kyo's. They'd parked the car near the beach; the walk wasn't far, but it couldn't be too comfortable while carrying a load. The night breeze skimming off the ocean was cool and the air was fresh and salty. The night sky was purplish black, but lacking stars due to a cloudy overcast.
"So…" Yuki spoke up. "What are you two making for breakfast in the morning?"
Kyo blinked at him; then looked forward shaking his head. "I told you he was using us for food, Tohru."
Tohru giggled and Yuki smiled.
It'd been a good day, and Yuki hoped Tohru had many more to come.
Daughty, Chris. "Home." Daughtry. RCA, 2006. CD.
Author's Note: So, what's the verdict? Liked it? Hated it? Didn't care either way? Well, any way you liked it, let me know. Please review!