Disclaimer- I do not own Fruits Basket, Natsuki Takaya does. Enjoy

Chapter 3. This Familiar Feeling

Haru was the first one to break out of his reverie.

And he was livid.

"What the hell happened to him?" Haru hissed as he immediately turned to Hatori and filled the gap between himself and the doctor.

"It was an accident." The words were soft but roared with waves of guiltiness.

"An accident?" Haru swung a finger in Kyo's direction, causing Kyo to flinch under the seeming accusation. "You call erasing his memories an accident, you damn dragon? How the hell did you manage that?"

When Hatori did not respond, Haru grabbed the collar of his coat and slammed him in the nearest wall. Hatori was oddly docile and did not refute his younger cousin in anyway.

There was a gasp from one of the observers but Haru didn't pay it any heed.

"Accident? I don't think so. Did that damn Akito tell you to do it? Why do you always listen to him? First Yuki's friends and now Kyo!" Haru raised his fist shakily and aimed for a kill. But before Haru could land a blow, he was being hauled away from the back.

Yuki secured his hold as Haru screeched and kicked.

"Let go, rat!"

"Now is not the time for you to be Black, Haru!" Yuki tried to reason as he felt his grip slip. "Calm down!"

"It's not like our family isn't fucked up enough," Haru sneered at Hatori who still standing at the wall Haru had crushed him against. "No, you had to go wipe all of Kyo's memories, too!"

Haru gave a fierce buck and before Yuki knew it, Haru has escaped his hold and lunged for Hatori.

"Haru, stop!" Yuki tried to scramble for Haru but he missed.

Haru had only gotten a few feet before he found himself stunned out of his Black side with a bucket of ice cold water.

"Calm yourself, Hatsuharu. You will not be Black in my house." Shigure stated with sobriety that Yuki hardly ever saw - it was slightly frightening. Shigure dropped the dripping bucket and watched it roll close to the couch. Kyo stared at it questioningly but remained silent.

Haru blinked before looking down at his splashed front before raising his hand to his temple. He could feel the water running down the length of his arm and drip steadily down onto the carpet.

"I'm sorry." He started to rub his head. He had a headache. "What happened? I feel so tired."

Shigure sighed, relieved that Haru was white again. "Go change before you get sick, Haru."

"Yes, sensei." Haru filed out the room and headed up the stairs. Quietly, Yuki followed his cousin up the stairs to aid him in his search for clothes. Once he was sure that they were out of hearing distance, Shigure spoke up.

"Hari, are you alright?" Shigure took a few steps forward and placed a tentative hand on the dragon's shoulder.

Hatori nodded.

"So, you erased my memories?" It was small - so different from what they were used to hearing. Small, but not accusing, just questioning.

The two adults jumped at the sudden voice.

"Yes, I did." Hatori took a few steps toward Kyo and was glad when Kyo did not visibly recoil from him. Hatori could tell there was wariness in him, though. He could hear Shigure following him a few steps behind.

"Why?" Two crimson eyes peered at them curiously. Kyo sat up straighter but kept his legs folded against his chest almost as if he was afraid that they were going to touch him.

"It was an accident, Kyo. I didn't see you standing there and you got hit by the light." Very slowly, Hatori kneeled against the couch; hoping that Kyo would feel slightly more comfortable with them if he wasn't towering over him.

Kyo nodded his head. "How?"

"What?" Hatori felt startled at the sudden question.

"How did you do it?"

"I have this ability to suppress people's memories." Hatori looked down at his palms. "I use my hands..." Hatori trailed off, not knowing how to explain his power that he himself did not understand sometimes.

Kyo remained silent but after a while spoke up once again. "That's frightening."

Hatori felt ashamed because he knew what Kyo said was true. He never did like this 'gift' of his. It had always caused so much pain not only to his family but also to himself.

"Kyo," It was Shigure. "That's not really a nice thing to say."

There was a moment of silence before Kyo breached it again.

"But it's you and I guess I'll accept it." Hatori looked up at Kyo, surprised. "Maybe it's not that frightening. Maybe even a bit interesting."

Kyo offered Hatori a small grin. To say the least, Hatori was surprised at Kyo's sincere words.

But it seems that one thing hasn't changed about Kyo: he still couldn't outright apologize.

"So, your power is suppressing memories, then that boy, the one with the purple hair, can turn into animals? That's his power?"

Shigure chuckled and comfortably sat on the arm of the couch. Shigure settled down without any awkwardness or cautiousness unlike Hatori. Kyo gave Shigure a weary gaze but did not shrink away from him - something that Shigure was very pleased about.

"That's Yuki." Shigure supplied cheerfully. "And no. He just turns into a rat." Seeing an opportunity, Shigure quickly added, "Actually, we all turn into certain animals of the zodiac."

Kyo craned his head back to stare at Shigure in disbelief. "Really?"

Hatori cleared his throat. "Shigure, I don't think he's ready -"

"Really, really." Shigure nodded giddily and waved Hatori's worries aside. "You can, too."

"I can, too..." Kyo murmured quietly to himself and then Kyo had an epiphany. When Kyo turned back to Shigure, his eyes had a softness in them that Shigure didn't see often. Kyo opened his mouth but no words came out.

"Kyo?" Shigure prodded gently before shifting closer to the cat.

"I …uh, what are we to each other?"

He's quite observant. Shigure smiled.

"Family. We're family, Kyo."

Family.

He liked the sound of that.

Kyo tensed up again as the sound of feet descended the stairs. Obviously, the violent show displayed in front of him a few moments ago didn't sit too well with him.

Haru came down wearing Kyo's hoodie and sweat pants - not that the cat would notice though.

After they had left upstairs, Yuki had relayed to him what he did in his black-haze. Kyo's first impression on Haru probably wasn't too good now and Haru wanted to change that.

"Hi, Kyo." Haru gave Kyo a small smile of reassurance. Kyo didn't reply, instead he continued to stare at the cow. It kind of creeped Haru out.

"All right then," Shigure quickly clapped his hands to gather everybody's attention. "Let's introduce ourselves! I'll go first! Kyo, I'm your older cousin, Shigure!"

Kyo nodded. "Shigure-nii."

Yuki blanched at Kyo's words.

Shigure, on the other hand, was quite satisfied with the sudden turn of events in names and was quite quick to encourage it, as well.

"That's right, Kyo-chan!" Shigure patted Kyo on the back and this time Kyo didn't pull away from his touch. "I'm your Shigure-nii!"

"You go to be kidding me." Yuki stated exasperatedly. For some reason, Yuki felt that Kyo was being taken advantage of and by Shigure no less.

Shigure just giggled and continued to name everybody else out in the room.

"Okay, so you got it, right Kyo?"

Kyo nodded.

"Good! Okay, who are they?"

"Yuki and Haru."

"Very good! Who's that?"

"Hatori-nii."

"Now, who am I, Kyo-chan?"

"Shigure-nii."

"And?" Shigure pushed.

"My favorite cousin."

"And?"

"World's best novelist."

"And?"

Kyo paused. He couldn't remember what else Shigure had told him.

"I don't remember." Kyo admitted sulkily. He felt like he had let his Shigure-nii down by not remembering everything he had said.

Shigure laughed before flicking Kyo's nose gently. This Kyo was far more sensitive than the other one and that was a fact. "That's because I didn't tell you the last one."

"Oh."

"This is stupid." Haru grumbled quietly to Yuki who wholeheartedly agreed.

"Say it with me, Kyo." Shigure leaned in, totally enjoying the moment. "I'm not only your favorite cousin, world's best novelist, but the world's best Sex God, too."

"Sex God?" Kyo suddenly felt his cheeks grow hot at such perverse words. His supposedly favorite cousin was an alleged Sex God. God, how the hell did he do to earn that kind of title?

"Shigure!" Hatori reprimanded.

"Oh, Hari, I'm just teasing him." Shigure then leaned in and whispered into Kyo's ear. "I'm not teasing you, Kyo. It's true. Just don't tell Hari - he gets jealous often. He wishes that he was the Sex God."

"Shigure, we need to talk."

"We're talking right now, Hari."

"In private, Shigure. Now." Hatori stated coldly before standing up and heading to the writer's office.

"I better go before your Hatori-nii yells at me again." Shigure turned his attention back to Yuki and Haru. "Keep an eye on him."

Shigure swiftly stood up but only got a few steps before he felt his wrist being clung to. He had never seen Kyo look so vulnerable and young before and, for a second, Shigure had forgotten what he was about to do.

"Don't. Where are you going?" Kyo didn't know why, but he didn't want Shigure leaving. He felt apprehensive. But beside from the apprehensiveness, there was something else, as well. He wasn't sure what the feeling was...was it abandonment? It felt familiar and he didn't like it.

It was an ugly feeling.

An unwanted feeling.

Haru and Yuki watched silently from the floor, surprised by Kyo's unusual clinginess.

"Kyo..." Shigure's voice was surprisingly tender.

When Kyo looked up to meet those eyes, he saw it was filmed with a slight mist but most of all there was understanding in it. What did Shigure understand that he didn't?

Shigure pried Kyo's fingers off his wrist gently, and Kyo let him.

Dejection. That's what Kyo felt when Shigure pulled him off.

But instead of dropping his hand back to his sides like he was expecting, Shigure held Kyo's hand and made him point his index finger out.

Dejection was gone and now there was a slight rekindle of happiness.

"I'm going to talk to Hatori-nii in my office, Kyo." His voice was still soft and it reminded Kyo of somebody. Shigure guided Kyo's index finger to a door down the narrow corridor. "I'll be in that room, okay? Not far, at all. I'll be close."

"Shigure!" Hatori yelled from the office. "Get in here now!"

Shigure chuckled and returned his voice back to its normal dandy cords. "See? You can hear Hari, right? So, if Yuki and Haru are mean to you, you know where to go and tell me, right?"

Kyo nodded silently.

"Good." He gave Kyo's hand a little squeeze before letting go. Kyo watched Shigure slip into the room before quickly poking his head out and waving at Kyo. "Don't eavesdrop, Kyo-chan. That's not nice either."

Shigure shut the door. There were brief incoherent shouts before it got quiet and turned into hushed whispers.

"Kyo?" It was Haru but Kyo did not turn to his voice. He continued to stare at the door.

The feeling from earlier had slightly ebbed away.

He wasn't being abandoned, at least, not by his Shigure-nii. But, for some reason, he felt his eyes slightly misting over.

Why was this feeling so familiar?

Did somebody abandon him before?

A/N: Okay, I was really debating on whether or not I should post this. Because I didn't like it and it just seemed rush, but I need to push through this stage and hopefully they'll get into character soon.

Sorry if everybody just seems super OOC. I just couldn't get it right and I got super ticked. (I think I'll edit this chapter.)

So, Kyo's doesn't really know exactly what the curse is yet. Some of you might think that his quick acceptance that they have 'powers' to be very unrealistic (because I do, too. Haha.) but Hatori will explain why that is next chapter.

I would like to thank those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. You don't know how happy each and every review makes me.

Happy MLK day, guys!

What do you think? You like? You hate? Want to vomit?

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Reviews before this posted chapter: 14

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1/19/2014