- Created By xXemochick123Xx
new one
Warmth". And after "Like Strawberries" of course.
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Show, Don't Tell.
A Fruits Basket Ficlet from Oddzilla Productions.
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"Honda-san? What's wrong?"
Tohru looked over to the living room table, where Yuki was sitting and
watching her with some worry. Of course he'd be worried--she'd just
scuttled in and shut the door quickly behind her, leaning on it heavily.
With her face no doubt very red now, judging by how warm her cheeks were
feeling.
"Oh, it's nothing, Yuki-kun, really!" But he was already rising to his
feet and striding over, to touch her cheeks lightly with his fingers.
Which just made them burn all the more, because that was rather similar to
what she saw....
"Honda-san! Are you sick? You're unnaturally hot."
She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself. After a few moments, it
worked. "I'm all right, Yuki-kun. I was just...surprised by what I saw."
She glanced over her shoulder, but of course, there was only the door
there.
"Oh? What did you see?" Yuki dropped his hand from her face now.
She took a moment to overcome her disappointment at that to giggle
nervously, hand over her mouth. "I...I'm not sure I should say,
Yuki-kun...."
He frowned. "Shouldn't say? What do you mean?"
She giggled again, then sighed, and walked to the table, Yuki following
closely behind. "Well, you know...oh, no, I really shouldn't say." She
eyed Yuki over her shoulder, smiling, realizing that she was being a bit
of a tease. A chance to be a little bit naughty. Something about Yuki made
her want to do this every now and then.
"Honda-san," he said, allowing a little bit of annoyance to tinge his
voice. The twinkle in his eyes, though, let her know that he wasn't really
angry. He understood the game too, let her indulge in it every so often.
She hopped forward, putting a little more distance between the two of
them. "No, no, it's not my place to tell you what Uo-chan is...eep!" She
covered her mouth again at the slip.
"Uotani-san, hmm?" She heard him take a step forward, felt his breath
tickling her ear as he came to stand right behind her once more. "What is
Uotani-san up to, then?"
She spun on her heel and stepped to the side, hands clasped behind her
back. "Mmm...." She looked thoughtful. "I suppose...it does involve
Kyou-kun, so...."
He matched her movement, and now stood in front of her. "That stupid cat?"
Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow with interest. "Were they fighting again?"
"They were just arguing a little bit at first, but...." She felt herself
flush again. "Ohh, I shouldn't, I shouldn't...."
The other eyebrow went up. "Now you're definitely making me very curious,
Honda-san. What on Earth would make you so flustered?"
Tohru giggled once more. But to tell the truth, this really wasn't
something that she should tell him. After all, she wasn't the type to
gossip, especially not about one of her best friends and one of her
trusted housemates. Even if she was talking to a second of her three
trusted housemates. She sighed. And then, she blinked as something
occurred to her. Maybe this was just cheating, a sneaky way around the
frowned-upon practice of talking about people behind their backs,
but--this should be all right. It wasn't being done in malice, and they
all knew each other, after all. And besides....
"Honda-san?"
"Umm...." She felt herself grow even hotter, if that was possible. She was
sure she'd catch fire at this point, but somehow, she didn't. "I can...I
shouldn't tell you, but I can show you. Show you what they did."
For a moment, he looked confused, but then smiled. "All right. Go ahead,
then."
She took a deep breath. "Well, I saw them walking toward the house on the
path through the woods. They were arguing at first--I wasn't very close,
so I couldn't hear what they were arguing about. Uo-chan was waving her
arms around." She flailed about, to demonstrate, and Yuki chuckled. "Then
she turned away from him, and crossed her arms. Like this." And she did
so.
"All right. What happened next?"
"Well, Kyou-kun was quiet for a while, and so was Uo-chan...and then he
put his hand on her shoulder."
"Like this?"
"No, the other hand, but the same shoulder."
He laughed again, and she felt his right hand now settle on her left
shoulder. "All right."
"Uo-chan didn't move for a while, but then she turned around, back to him,
slowly. I think they were both smiling."
His eyes were dancing with amusement as she looked at him again. "And his
hand stayed on her shoulder?"
"Yes! And then...and then...."
"Hmm?"
Tohru steeled herself, forced herself to meet his gaze and hold it. She
remembered what happened just a few weeks ago in the secret base, after
planting the fruit trees, or more accurately, what almost happened. And
the faint disappointment after it hadn't happened.
"Honda-san?" His voice had dropped to a murmur, and the look in his eyes
was soft, questioning.
"And then," she continued, voice just barely a whisper, "and then, the
important part, the part I really shouldn't talk about, and then, Uo-chan
did...this."
Tohru raised a hand to touch Yuki's cheek, stepped close, rose up on the
tips of her toes--something that Uo-chan actually hadn't done, because she
was about the same height as Kyou-kun--and pressed her lips to his.
There was a faint grunt of surprise, and she felt her shoulders gripped by
his hands firmly, but not to be pushed away...just held. Something else
that hadn't happened, she thought dreamily, as her eyes closed. Kyou-kun
had put his hands on Uo-chan's hips instead, at this point. But that
wasn't very important, not right now. What was important was the way Yuki
was leaning into the kiss and how his lips were very warm and soft and how
weak her knees felt and how everything in existence was sort of melting
into a swirly gooey puddle.
She gasped when they finally pulled apart and wobbled slightly. Yuki
looked a litte unsteady and flushed too.
"So that was, that was...what was that about, again, Honda-san?"
"Umm...that was what...it was...oh...what Uo-chan and Kyou-kun were doing.
Just now."
"Mmm. I hadn't known they were that close now."
"I knew they had gotten closer...after they both got sick that time...but
not like...."
She trailed off, unable to look away from him. He didn't say anything,
just bent his head down and moved forward. She tilted her face up to--
"I told you not to do that, Yankee!"
Tohru spun away to look at the front door as it slammed open, and she felt
Yuki stumble back away from her at the same time. "Ah, ah--Kyou-kun! And
Uo-chan! What are you two doing here?"
The cat and the blonde cut their argument off and peered inside
suspiciously. "I live here," Kyou said.
"And I said I was going to visit this afternoon, Tohru. Remember?"
"Yes, a pity about the first part," Yuki murmured behind Tohru. She felt
his hands settle on her shoulders again.
"What was that?" Kyou said, a dangerous edge in his voice.
"Ah! I'll get some snacks. Uo-chan, Kyou-kun, make yourselves comfortable
at the table. I'll be right there."
"I'll help," said Yuki smoothly, and moved toward the kitchen. Tohru
nervously watched Kyou and Uotani as they went to sit down, continuing
their heated discussion from earlier. It seemed like they didn't suspect
anything, and she let out a sigh of relief, before stepping backward to
join Yuki.
He was already pulling some rice crackers and candies from the cupboard,
so she went to the hot-water dispenser to brew the tea. As the pot filled,
she felt Yuki come up behind her and reach over to grab one of the
multi-sectioned plates that they used for laying out snacks.
"Honda-san?" he said, idly, setting the plate down on the counter next to
her and pouring the crackers into one section.
"Yes, Yuki-kun?" she said, putting the lid back on the pot to let the tea
steep. She sounded a lot calmer than she felt.
"Could you show me what Uotani-san and Kyou were doing again? Just to be
clear about it."
Uo-chan and Kyou-kun wouldn't mind waiting on the snacks until the tea was
ready also, Tohru decided, as she blushed and leaned toward Yuki.
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An exercise to break a case of writer's block, during a time when I really
wanted to write something but my current projects just weren't getting
written. A bit of fluff and trying out Tohru's perspective. I also figured
it was about time to make it up to Tohru and Yuki and let them get their
kiss, since it's been well over a year since "Like Strawberries".
I still refuse to use abbreviated relationship tags in my story summaries,
but I have to share the term "Kyotani" with everyone, 'cos it's cute and
one that I hadn't yet actually seen until a friend of mine mentioned it to
me the other day. Hwei.
sequel to the other ones
That Brief Warmth.
A Fruits Basket Ficlet from Oddzilla Productions.
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She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was growing impatient. Curiosity
tended to do that to a person. Still, she knew that people had secrets, so
she let him keep his, at least for now. It just had to be an odd secret,
if he wouldn't allow himself to be hugged, but could still kiss.
The kisses were nice, though. He was pretty good at it, had been so from
the start. And it made her feel good in a giggly, silly way that she was
the only girl he'd ever kissed. She was kind of sorry that he wasn't the
only boy she'd ever kissed, but hey.
He was sitting in their spot again with his back to her, on that hill
behind the athletic field, just as his note said he'd be, though he had
skipped classes that morning. She walked up to his side, also looking out
over the field.
"You're blocking my sun."
"I know."
Arisa supplied her half of their usual greeting and turned to him,
smiling...and then stared in horror.
"Dear gods, Kyou, what the hell happened to your face?"
He squinted up at her through two black eyes, also sporting a couple
bandages on his cheek, and grunted. "Kagura."
She looked at him blankly for a few moments, and then her lips formed an
'o' of realization. "And you...told her? About us?"
Kyou nodded, moving a bit stiffly. Probably sore elsewhere on his body. "I
think she took it well."
She'd heard stories. A lot of them. Seen one scar on his arm from years
ago. Heard more stories. Seen the amusement in Yuki's eyes, the worry in
Tohru's expression, and the abject dread in Kyou's face. And heard yet
more stories. And they were, apparently, quite true.
"Oh. Huh. Damn." She sat down, shaking her head, and gently touched her
hand to his undamaged cheek, to steady him and inspect the injuries
closely. He scowled as much as he was able to, but did not otherwise
resist. "She really did a number on you. And this is her taking it well?"
He grunted again, and she sighed, leaning back.
"She...she's upset."
"I imagine she would be."
"And I feel like crap."
"Beyond the way she beat the hell out of you?"
He scowled again, and she couldn't help but chuckle softly at the look of
wounded pride that was added to the decorations on his face. The ego was
strong in this one. Her smile dropped quickly, though, and she reached out
to rest her hand on one of his, on the grass.
"You're feeling guilty?"
He nodded. "Yeah," he whispered, just barely audible.
For a moment, Arisa's world wobbled as a faint stirring of jealousy bit
her mind. Of course he'd feel bad about...making her feel bad. Even if he
didn't love Kagura like that, they'd been childhood friends, had grown up
together. It couldn't be helped that he cared about her, probably would
care about her for the rest of his life in a way that she, Uotani Arisa,
might never experience from him. Not quite.
"She also wants to meet you sometime, Arisa."
The wobbling got worse, but in a completely different manner. "Huh? She
does?"
He nooded, looked at her...and laughed. Well, briefly, at least; he
stopped very quickly and looked rather pained, holding his free hand to
his ribs. "Ugh...."
"Why'd you laugh like that?"
"The look on your face...I don't think I've ever seen you scared like that
before."
"I...huh? Sca...no, I wasn't scared! I mean...well...."
"You were worried she wanted to bounce you like she did to me."
"I was not!"
"You're lying."
"I'm...not." Arisa looked away, because she was, and he knew it.
He laughed again, though more softly and carefully. "Don't worry. She
isn't going to hurt you. She promised."
"She promised."
"After I regained consciousness."
"...ah."
They sat in silence for a bit, staring out over the green field.
"When?"
"Not for a little while, I think."
"Oh. Okay."
More silence. But it was comfortable, at least.
"You do care about her," she said, quietly. And much to her surprise, he
didn't protest, like all the other times she'd teased him about Kagura.
"You've known each other too long."
"Does...does that...do you feel...."
And he was uncharacteristically astute today. She looked down at their
clasped hands, and sighed. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me."
"Um. Well."
"It's all right, Kyon-Kyon. It's my problem, not yours. I understand...I
mean, you two...yeah. You know. It can't be helped, and I don't blame
you."
He squirmed a little, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah."
She then smiled at him. "But I'm glad you were honest with her too. She'd
have to find out sooner or later, and it's better that it came from you."
"I owed it to her. Not just to tell her, but...to tell her face to face,
too."
"Even if it meant your face getting beat in?"
He grumbled again, but nodded.
"Well, at least she didn't damage your lips."
"Huh?"
She kissed him lightly when he looked at her, puzzled. "That would have
hurt if she did."
He grinned a bit lopsidedly and kissed her back. "Yeah. You're right."
She leaned forward to kiss him again, and, as these things would tend to
happen, her hand slipped slightly on the grass and her elbow buckled,
making her--
"Gah!"
--almost fall right on top of him, except that he'd shifted his hands to
block her torso from actually landing on him, even as he fell onto his
back.
Shifted his hands...right...there.
A thoughtful look crossed her face, even as he sighed in relief. "That was
a close one," he muttered.
"Getting fresh with me, Kyon-Kyon?"
"Huh?
That was, of course, the moment he squeezed lightly with his hands, as if
in reflex.
"You going to keep doing that, Carrothead?"
It was amusing, really, the look of horror that spread across his face as
it finally dawned on him. His hands clenched again, probably really in
reflex this time. And this time, she grunted slightly. "I suppose you are.
Not that I really mind, I guess, since you are my boyfriend, but still,
you could be a little more romantic about it. You don't just grab and
squeeze, you need to, you know, caress a bit, that kind of thing."
It now seemed like he'd forgotten how to breathe. She rolled her eyes.
"Goddamn, you're spineless sometimes. It's okay, I'm not going to smack
you." She grinned, and levered herself off him and out of his, ah, grip.
And he still was just lying there, pale as a sheet. But he was breathing
again.
Pale? Didn't boys usually blush after something like that? And Kyou did
blush, still did occasionally after a really, really good kiss.
"Kyou? What's wrong?"
He closed his eyes, pressed a hand over them (heedless of the bruising
there), and took a deep breath. Some color returned to his cheeks, and he
let out a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry, Arisa. I'm sorry."
She was confused. "You lost me there, Kyou. Though I can guess this isn't
simply about you grabbing my chest just now."
He did not move his hand from his eyes. "No. No, it's not." His voice
barely more than a whisper.
She bit her lip as the impatience reared up in her heart again. What was
his secret? Why couldn't she hold him, like she really wanted to do? Like
she wanted him to hold her sometimes?
"Kyou," she said, startling herself. She hadn't meant to say anything at
all just yet.
"Yes, Arisa?"
Thoughts tumbled around in her head, and she finally answered, "No, it's
nothing."
He lay there a while longer, while she watched him, unsure what was going
to happen next. Finally, he took his hand from his eyes and stared up at
the sky.
"Screw it. Screw Akito. I can't hide this any longer." He sat up abruptly
and looked at her. "Arisa?"
"Wha, what?"
And he lunged forward and engulfed her in his arms.
He felt warm and strong and safe for just a moment, for just a single
moment, something that even the best kisses couldn't exactly give her.
There was a pop, a cloud of smoke, and the feeling was gone, but she could
remember it and knew she hadn't imagined it.
Now on her lap, there was an orange-furred cat, one that appeared a little
bit beat-up. Kyou wasn't anywhere in si....
"Holy...."
The cat, who she just knew was Kyou, looked away and spoke in his voice.
"Yeah. This is what happens when a girl hugs me. Or I hug a girl. It's why
I couldn't let you before."
Arisa felt her eyes starting to glaze, and she shook her head quickly to
keep it clear. "How the...I mean, this is...oh man."
Kyou sighed and crawled off her lap, looking faintly miserable (even as a
cat). "The short story is, there's a curse on the Souma family. I've got
the curse of the cat. The other time it gets triggered is when we become
physically weak or emotionally flustered. Which is why I got so scared
just now." He looked embarrassed. "When I...touched your...I got kinda--"
"Flustered, yeah. I guessed." She closed her eyes, opened them again. No,
the cat was still there, and no Kyou. No human-shaped Kyou, anyway. "This
is really weird."
"I know."
"Uh, how do you change back?"
"It happens naturally, after a while. Um. When I do, I'm gonna be...." He
lashed his tail, flicking it over his clothes, lying next to them on the
grass.
"Buck naked?"
"Uh. Yeah."
She looked thoughtful again. "Well, you did just feel me up...."
"It was an accident!"
Arisa laughed. "I know, I know, I'm just jok--"
There was another popping sound, and she managed to get a nice little
eyeful before he managed to snatch up his shirt and cover his lower body
with it. This time, he was blushing, and not at all pale.
She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, even as he glared at her, picked up
his pants, disappeared behind a nearby tree, and emerged dressed a couple
minutes later.
"Oh, man, Kyou...and you are quite a man, I might add--"
"Arisa!"
"What? I'm sorry! It was an accident too, you just happened to change
before I could turn around."
"Not like you were trying to look away after I changed!"
"What can I say? You're not bad-looking at all. And I do mean 'all'."
The glare he gave sent her back into laughter.
"Dammit." He looked away, sulking. She calmed down quickly.
"Well, if it helps, I really do think you look pretty good." She grinned
at him, and though he still looked irritated, perhaps he was just a bit
less so. She leaned on his shoulder, taking his hand in hers, gently
rubbing her thumb over his palm. "Thank you for telling me, Kyou," she
said softly.
"I couldn't...I didn't want to hide it. But there's rules, in the Souma
family."
"Does Tohru know? I mean, with her living in the same house with you
three--"
"She does know. And the clan leader decided to bend the rules just for
her. I don't know why...no one knows what goes on in Akito's mind, but
there you go."
"What are the rules?"
He frowned, then said, "Any outsider who finds out is supposed to have his
or her mind erased. Not everything, but knowledge of the curse
and...usually all knowledge of the Soumas, as well."
She stared forward sightlessly. Erase memories? But that was no stranger
than a boy who hugged a girl and got turned into a cat. Her hand clenched
around his; his grip tightened in response.
"I'm not going to let that happen. No one knows that you know now except
us two. If we have to, we can keep it a secret. And if it gets to Akito
anyway, I...I'll figure something out. I'm not going to let you forget
me."
She sat up, taking her head from his shoulder, but not releasing his hand.
This was...a lot to take in, really.
"Arisa, are you okay?"
Good question.
"I...well, uh, I think I will be, but--right now, um. I...." She sighed
again.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault. Right? I mean, you didn't go and
personally piss off some god somewhere and get cursed, did you?"
"No! It happened a long time ago and gets passed down to random members of
the family!"
"Okay, because you seem like the kind of guy who just might do that."
"Hey!"
She smiled at him, and he just snorted. Bring things a little back closer
to normal. She reached up to turn his face toward her again, and picked up
where they'd been interrupted by a near-fall a little while ago by kissing
him long and hard.
After they finished catching their breath a short while later, Arisa said,
"It'll be tough, a little bit, knowing that you really can't hold me, I
mean, actually physically incapable of it, but...we'll manage. I think.
Somehow."
"I...yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before. But like I said...screw
the rule."
"You sure this is all right, though?"
"You said it yourself. We'll manage somehow."
"Yeah."
Silence returned, and it was only a tiny bit uncomfortable.
"So...is anyone else cursed like that?"
"I...shouldn't tell you. It'll be easier to keep a secret if you don't
know about the rest of it."
"Does Yuki turn into a mouse?"
"...damn."
"So that's why you two call each other those names."
"Grumble."
"All right, I won't ask any more. You're probably right about knowing less
being safer."
"Yeah."
"So, you want to touch me again?"
"...what?!"
She grinned as she reached for his hands. This was a much better way to
pass the time than ruminating over old secrets and unpleasant
possibilities. Though she hoped he wouldn't turn into a cat too often
while she taught him how to do this properly.
End.
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Takes place not too long after "On Names...". It was requested, and so, it
was done.
There's definitely more. But I think I should get back to Tohru and Yuki.
I've left them unattended to, after all, for such a long while now. Or
maybe I'll experiment with Hana and Haru....
chapter 4
On Names, the Flu, and Other Things
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a
ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.
Chapter 4
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There are few things more glorious than being healthy after you've been
deathly ill.
Kyou hadn't been deathly ill, but he decided that horribly sick was close
enough to it. As it was, he had a newfound appreciation for sun and breeze
and green, green grass beneath a pale blue cloudless sky. It was almost
enough to make him poetic, but not quite.
Instead of the school rooftop, he had chosen the hill behind the athletic
field for lunch. He wasn't sure why he'd decided to do this, but then, he
was often doing certain things for no particular reason. Usually this was
bad, but sometimes, it was good.
Like right now. As he enjoyed the warmth of a fine spring day, having
finally returned to school after a short absence as well as a weekend.
Five days out of school was kind of nice, actually, even with all the
catching up he had to do now.
Presently, a shadow fell over him.
"You're blocking my sun."
"I know. But I wanted to get your attention."
Arisa moved out of the way and sat down next to him, stretching out her
long legs. "This is a good spot," she commented, leaning her head back and
closing her eyes.
"That's why I'm here." He now lay back, folding his hands beneath his head
as a makeshift pillow, glancing at her briefly. This was one of the times
she was very pretty, with the light wind stirring her golden hair around
her face.
His pulse quickened, but he forced it to calm. Not now. No nervousness
here. Enjoy it.
Enjoy being with her.
He liked this new understanding he had with Arisa. They'd taken care of
each other when the other was weak. Only briefly, really, but they did,
and a thing like that usually means something to the people involved.
"So why'd you have to come and bother me, stupid Yankee?"
"Because I felt bored, stupid Carrothead."
Some things were best left unchanged, though.
"Where are Tohru and Hana?"
"Hana's getting some tutoring from a sempai. Tohru's with the Prince."
Kyou snorted. That bastard was always monopolizing Tohru lately. Though he
didn't feel so envious about that today, for some reason.
"Close your eyes and open your mouth."
He stared at her. "Huh?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to stick a clod of
dirt in your mouth. I'm not a grade schooler."
"But you still want me to do something like close my eyes and open my
mouth."
There was a brief silence.
"...all right, I'll do it." And he did, wondering what she was going to
give him.
It was sweet. Juicy. Many little pips that broke easily as he chewed.
"Tohru and Yuki gave me a bunch of 'em. Good, aren't they?"
Kyou opened his eyes, nodded, and swallowed. "Yeah. I wonder where they
got them."
She shrugged. "I don't question free strawberries." She popped a deep red
fruit in her mouth, withdrew another, and held it toward Kyou. He took it,
regarded it thoughtfully, then tossed it up into the air, catching it in
his mouth. She chuckled and set the plastic bowl down between the two of
them.
"Already ate lunch?" Kyou thought about the yet-unopened bentou at his
side.
"Not that hungry. These'll tide me over." She ate another strawberry.
"Guess I can save this for later too." And he ate one as well.
There was contemplative, companionable silence for a while.
"Stop hogging them all."
But it shouldn't have been expected to last.
"Hey, Tohru gave them to me."
"You offered."
"Then give me half your bentou later."
"Tohru gave that to me."
They glared at each other.
They reached for the bowl at the same time.
Their hands collided over the last remaining strawberry. And it was a
large one.
Kyou enjoyed that brief moment of contact, even if their fingers were a
little wet with juice. But that wasn't the point, presently. He eyed her
warily, and she returned the look.
"One left," Arisa said flatly.
"Just one."
And the tension suddenly disappeared. "Well, we can split it. This one's
huge."
He nodded, then frowned. "But how? You got a plastic knife or something on
you?"
"No."
There was a loud click, and his eyes widened.
"What? Don't look so surprised. Former gangster, scary Yankee, a big
switchblade should be part of the image."
"Uh...."
"Oh, stop that. And no, I haven't actually ever used a knife on anyone.
Well, yet."
Kyou bit back his initial response and just shook his head. "Damn. You're
tough enough not to need something like that, I thought."
Arisa shrugged, and held one of the halves out toward him, which he took.
He ate the whole thing at once; she regarded hers thoughtfully and took a
bite, while absently wiping the blade on her skirt. "Well, my usual weapon
was a piece of pipe, actually. But yeah, half the time I didn't even use
that." Then she ate the remainder of the strawberry. It was interesting,
watching a bit of juice trickle down from the corner of her lip, which she
quickly licked up with a flick of her tongue.
His pulse sped up again. And again, he forced it to calm. It was just a
bit harder this time, though.
Then he smiled. "Hey, can I see that knife?"
She blinked, then tossed the closed blade over to him. He studied it,
gingerly pressed the switch, and started slightly as it unfolded. She
sniggered, but he didn't mind. After all....
He got up, looked around, and walked to a nearby tree. He started
scratching something into it, careful not to damage the knife. He heard
her footsteps coming up behind him, and moved carefully to block her view
"What are you...."
"You'll see."
He continued for a while, then stepped aside, closing the blade. There was
an instant of silence, and then he heard her suck in her breath. "Why
you--how'd you--"
Kyou laughed and danced away, careful to keep the knife out of her reach.
"I asked Tohru yesterday."
"You bastard! The hell?! Dammit, that's why I didn't want to be called
Arisa!" She lunged for him, but he easily dodged her.
"Well, the first character, that's common enough. The 'A' of 'Asia'. The
second and third though, I dunno. Jasmine and gossamer for 'ri' and 'sa'?
I don't know if they fit you...."
"No, they don't! That's why I don't want anyone to know--argh! Give me
back that knife so you can be my first stab victim!"
He kept on laughing and dodging and-- "Wow, that's a pretty good punch!"
And also blocking a couple of blows.
And suddenly, she stopped. It took him a couple of moments to realize
this, and his laughter died as he saw her standing rather still, head
bowed, hair covering her face.
Uh oh.
"Um...Arisa?"
She didn't say anything. There was, however, something that sounded like a
sniff.
Very, very uh oh.
He approached her slowly. "Did I...um...damn...." He came closer, but she
still didn't move. He held the knife toward her. "...here you...go?"
One of her hands reached up to her face, and made a swiping motion behind
the curtain of her hair.
Kyou suddenly felt extremely small. "Aw...Arisa, I'm sor--"
There was a blur, and the knife disappeared from his hand. There was also
a hard poke in his stomach, making him grunt in surprise and mild pain.
And Arisa was grinning at him, tossing the switchblade up and down. "What,
you really thought I'd start crying over something like that? I thought
you'd know me better than that, Carrothead."
He stared at her mindlessly for a while, then groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Feh.
You had me worried for a while just now."
She snorted. "You're getting soft," she commented, wandering back toward
the tree.
He followed, not too closely behind. "Huh. Maybe I am." Despite himself,
he smiled a little bit.
She flicked out the blade, looked at her name thoughtfully, then shrugged
and started carving below it. She did not try to hide it from him as she
worked, and he soon saw that she was now scratching the character of his
name in the bark.
He frowned. Wait a minute.
"No, you missed a stroke. Yeah, right there. That's better."
He nodded, now satisfied. Though something else was niggling at the back
of his mind.
Arisa took a step back, looking at their handiwork, and smiled, pleased.
"Well, then."
He only barely dodged the arm that she almost slung around his shoulders.
"Don't--I mean...." Hell. This was going to be difficult.
"What? We aren't sick anymore. I was just...."
He took a deep breath. "It's...complicated. I can't say why. But...you
can't...you can't do that."
"Huh?" She looked completely confused.
"Please...don't ask why. I can't tell you. I...sorry, but please. Just
trust me. You...can't hug me."
The expression on her face grew darker, and he really didn't like that.
"Don't get me wrong, I mean, uh, I think I'd like it if you did, but it
just doesn't...uh...."
The expression on her face had just changed again. "What'd you say?"
"...what did I say?" He paused, ran the words over in his head.
His pulse started racing again. And he might not be able to stop it this
time.
She laughed, that rich, full laugh of hers. "I think I heard you." She
subsided into chuckling, and walked around him, as if studying him
closely. He fidgeted, unsure of how things were supposed to go at this
point.
"Okay. I won't ask. But...." And she stepped up to his side, took one of
his hands.
Heart rate still increasing. He swallowed nervously. She was standing
really near, though keeping her arms clear of his torso.
"Can I do this?" she murmured, lifting her other hand up to touch his
face, and tilted her head, moving even closer.
He went completely rigid. Okay, now he knew what was happening. She was
going to....
Pinch his nose shut.
"GNF!" He flailed wildly, jerked his head back. He stumbled and almost
fell, but for the grip she had on his hand, allowing him to maintain his
balance.
There was that laugh again. "Dammit, why'd you--"
"You were getting all uptight and stiff as a board. Now shut up."
He did, because it was hard to talk through her lips.
It was a fine spring day, a clear blue sky with the sun shining down on
green, green grass, and none of that mattered to Kyou at all because this
time his entire world had been reduced to--
Especially when she...oh....
Tasted like strawberries, yes.
After a while, he said, "Uh...yeah...you can do that...."
"Want...want me to do that again?"
"...okay?"
There was another long silence.
"Let me guess, your first kiss?"
"Mmmyeah."
"You're not bad for a beginner." Arisa looked a little flushed too.
He smiled, a little shakily.
It was really a pity that the bell rang then, announcing the end of
lunchtime. They let out simultaneous curses and rushed to gather up their
items: Kyou and his bentou, Arisa and the plastic bowl. As they started to
move back toward the school, Kyou glanced at the tree with their names on
it. He frowned once more.
"Hey, wait a minute."
"What is it? We gotta hurry!"
"You wrote my name beneath yours! What's that supposed to mean?"
"...oh, gods, no, not your damn male ego right now. Come on, we're going
to be late!"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. He managed to match her speed
easily, and--
"Wait a minute--WE'VE GOT OUR NAMES CARVED ONTO A TREE TOGETHER!"
"Wow, you're observant, Kyon-Kyon. Care to tell me what happens if we get
to class after the bell rings again?"
They ran.
End.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay. Er. Now I'm done.
Why yes, that was a reference to another fic of mine....
Tsk, I got Kyou and Arisa to kiss before Yuki and Tohru. Shame on me.
Well, I'll get back to them eventually. And these are indeed in the same
overall continuity, if you were wondering.
This chapter actually was derived from another concept I had for a fic
featuring these two. Was going to be rather angstier, set after they'd
started...well, after they'd reached the understanding. Was going to do
with Kyou realizing that he'd have to face Kagura, and Uo-chan talking the
whole thing over with him. If/when I continue this saga, he is going to
have to deal with Kagura, indeed. Will have to be more serious.
As for Arisa's name in the canon, I believe it is only written in hiragana
and may not have any kanji for it at all, a trend that's appeared in
recent years. So I just made it up.
And that does it for this fic. I'm pretty sure there'll be more someday.
chapter 3
On Names, the Flu, and Other Things
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a
ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.
Chapter 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyou realized one thing: he hated that Yankee.
He really hated her. He wanted to kill her. He'd go and find her, and
strangle her, or beat her into a pulp, or something violent. He wouldn't
usually hurt girls, but hell, she was barely a girl, more like a gorilla.
He--
He sneezed.
"DAMN YOU, ARISA! You gave me your flu! Nnnnnrgh."
Kyou flopped back down on his bed heavily. He'd started feeling strange
the day after walking her to the nurse and then home along with everyone
else, and now, here he was. A wreck. Bedridden for two days, on orders
from Hatori--not that he'd have the energy to defy the family doctor
anyway. Maybe three days if he didn't get better by tomorrow.
And he'd had to put up with Shigure the whole time. It was enough to make
him wish for death--his own and Arisa's.
At least, when she was home, Tohru was wonderful. Making sure he was
comfortable, changing the moist cloths regularly, and keeping the crazy
dog away as well. And while his appetite was mostly dead, her hot
nourishing soups were absolutely great. Though he did have to draw the
line at leeks, no matter how good they supposedly were for sick people.
Too bad she was only there for a couple hours out of the day, between
school and her part-time job.
It was also getting a little bit boring. Spending several hours straight
cooped up in his room with no one around--Shigure didn't count, and
fortunately was being chased around by his editor today--was really
starting to get to him. He was actually starting to miss school and the
people he'd be around while there. Tohru, of course. Yuki...well, maybe
not. Hana...hm. Scary, but occasionally made for good company and a card
game. Momiji and Haru--they were tolerable, as long as Momiji wasn't
acting stupid and Haru did not turn to the Dark Side.
And. Er. Well. Arisa, too, when it came down to that. Except that he
wanted to murder her at the moment of course. He'd reach out for her neck,
her long, slender neck, with its smooth skin, leading up to the
surprisingly delicate line of her jaw, one that you could easily trace
your finger along to the point of her chin, set just below her mouth, her
full pink lips that could be so very harsh or so very gentle depending on
what she wanted to be, and above that her nose, a well-shaped nose, not
that he paid much attention to noses anyway especially when just above her
nose were her deep blue eyes that alternately burned like ice or enveloped
you like a pool of deep ocean water...all in all, a face that was--
NO! It was the fever talking again, the fever making him delirious! Her
neck, that was his focus, her long, slender neck, with its smooth skin,
leading down to her toned shoulders, evidence of her quietly impressive
strength, a part of her well-built frame, of course she wasn't a girl, she
was a young woman, her very well-built frame indeed, just the right shape
and....
Kyou whimpered, pulling the sheets over his face. He was going mad. That
was it. He couldn't stand her before, and she drove him out of his mind,
and now...well, she was still driving him out of his mind, only she didn't
have to be in his presence to do that.
Then came the sound of salvation: the front door opening and muted voices
from downstairs. Tohru, Angel of the Soumas, was back from school. Yuki
probably was as well, but you learned to take the good with the bad. He'd
now be distracted from strange and unusual thoughts by her comforting,
peaceful presence.
Sure enough, there were footsteps coming up the stairs, and now
approaching his room. Kyou smiled and sat up slightly. The door opened,
and...the smile disappeared.
"What do you want, Mouse?"
Infuriating, that look on his face. Smugness asking for a punch; Kyou
added to his mental tally of how many nosebreakers he owed Yuki, currently
running in the high hundreds. "Just wanted to tell you that Tohru's
pulling an early shift today, so she won't be home until much later."
Kyou's heart sank. The thing that had given him hope through
misery--vanished, snuffed like a flame. At least until tonight. But he
didn't know if he'd last that long.
"But you've got a visitor in the meantime."
...eh?
"You look awful, Carrothead. Are you sure you washed your hands properly?"
......eh?
Arisa strode past Yuki into the room, her long legs carrying her quickly
within. She took a quick, appraising look at the contents, and appeared...
disappointed? "You know, your place is pretty bare. Wouldn't be able to
tell that anyone actually lived here. Well? Aren't you going to welcome
me? At least offer a greeting or something."
"What the hell are you doorrgh--"
She stood back and waited for his coughing fit to pass.
"Damn, you are pretty sick. Man, I'm sorry."
He glared up at her. "All your fault," he rasped. Though he was slightly
surprised at just how concerned she looked at the moment.
But then she laughed. "I guess you aren't that badly off, though, if you
can still say stuff like that." She glanced around again, grabbed a nearby
chair, and plopped down on it at his bedside.
"How the hell are you already recovered like that? You were half-dead a
couple of days ago."
She shrugged, a rather interesting motion. "I dunno. I've always gotten
over illnesses pretty quickly, even if they hit me hard at first. Guess
I'm lucky that way. Though I still have a little bit of the cough." She
cleared her throat, as if to demonstrate. "But otherwise...."
Kyou sank further into his bed. "I hate you."
Arisa raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I already said I'm sorry for giving
you my flu. Sorry for recovering so quickly? That better?" He just
grumbled, and she chuckled again. "Anyway, Tohru told me how you were
doing, so I decided to drop by and see how you were. And I don't have to
worry about getting sick from you, since I already got over this virus."
She sat back and grinned.
He struggled internally for a short while. Then, with great reluctance, he
managed, "...thanks."
She tsked. "Such little gratitude. And I'd brought you some medicines,
too." Said items were pulled out from her bag and placed on his
nightstand. "Some things my doctor recommended. He knows his stuff, too.
Worked pretty well for me."
Kyou looked at the powder packets and pill bottles a bit dubiously. Then,
he said again, "...thanks."
She rolled her eyes. "What is it with you? Tohru told me you needed some
company, that you were getting bored. So here I am. Or should I go?"
"No! No. Um...stay. Please." He sighed, sat up, and tried to clear his
head, such as it was. "Sorry. I...I do appreciate you coming. It helps."
Now she smiled, the same smile he'd seen only a few times before. "All
right, that's better. So! Wanna play some cards?" She flourished a deck.
He blinked. "Um...what should we play?"
She pursed her lips, another interesting thing, and considered. "Can't
play Dai Hin Min with just the two of us...we can get the Prince and
Writer-boy in here to...okay, that look tells me you don't want them
around. Well...you know poker? No? Blackjack? Erm...need more people for
Hearts and Spades too..."
As she spoke, Kyou watched her with fascination. She was doing some tricks
with the cards--not the "pick a card, any card" type, but getting them to,
well, dance. Her hands moved fluidly, flipping them back and forth through
the air, making them fly. She was pretty adept at manipulating the cards,
and without even paying attention.
"...they that intriguing?" The cards suddenly stopped.
"Huh?" He looked up.
She eyed him closely. "I said, are they that intriguing?"
"Um, uh--"
He was cut off by a card bouncing off his nose.
"Hey!"
She flicked another card out with deadly accuracy, as if it were a
throwing star, and caromed it off his nose again.
"Stop--that--"
She didn't, of course, and so he rose to the challenge, grabbing the cards
that were now lying on his blanket and sending them back at her. His first
throws weren't too good, missing her completely, but he was a fast
learner. Soon, a full-scale war was in progress, with the two of them
laughing and dodging as best they could while still seated.
Until Kyou's laughing turned into coughing, as might be expected. The
card-throwing subsided while he hacked up half a lung and then wheezed for
breath. When it ended, he slumped back down on his pillow. "Urgh."
Arisa sighed and reached for one of the packets she'd laid out on the
nightstand. "Here, let me get you something hot to drink. This should take
the edge off the cough." She stood, then looked at the bowl of water and
moist hand towels next to it. "And I'll change this water while I'm at
it." With that, she vanished out the door along with those items.
He listened carefully to her footsteps going back down the stairs, off
toward the kitchen. This...was nice. Very nice. She wasn't as gentle as
Tohru, but she was helping, and she really seemed to care. And that was
the important part, in the end.
His thoughts were interrupted by the lights in his room suddenly going on.
He blinked and squinted a little bit at Arisa, who was balancing a
steaming mug and the bowl of water and towels carefully.
"Hadn't realized it was getting that dark."
"You haven't been here that long...."
"No, but it's looking like a storm outside. Hope it's not too bad; I
didn't bring an umbrella. Here you go."
"Could borrow one from us." He accepted the mug from her and sniffed
cautiously at the steam rising from it. A bit lemony. He sipped and
grimaced.
"Yeah, it doesn't taste that great, but you get used to it." She now put
the bowl back down where it had been and dropped a towel into it. "Tohru's
been taking care of you this whole time?"
He sipped some more of the medicine and grunted. "When she's been around,
yeah." He paused, and frowned. "How'd you get by when you were sick? You
live alone, don't you?"
"Hana came over after school to help out a little bit." She looked at him
strangely for a moment, then shrugged. "I managed. Slept most of the time
anyway." She chuckled. "I remember the last time I got sick, and Tohru was
the one who came by to take care of me. You're a lucky guy to be under her
care now."
Kyou stared at the mug in his hands. After a few moments of silence, he
nodded and said, "Yeah. The...the three of us, we're really lucky to have
her with us now. Shigure and Yuki, they...well, I didn't come to live here
until about the same time that Tohru did, so.... But I guess they must
have had it a lot harder before she arrived."
"That Tohru, she's really something."
"Thank you, Arisa."
"Huh?"
He frowned, wondering why he said that. But in truth, he did know why.
"For taking care of Tohru before we ever met her. Especially when her
mother died. I mean...I can't blame you for not taking her in, it was her
choice to hide that from you and go live in a tent near this house. And if
she didn't do that, well--" Kyou shook his head. Tohru not being in their
lives now was something he didn't want to contemplate. "You and Hana
protected her before, the way that...that we try to protect her now. Maybe
she'd be the same person she is now if she'd never met you. But I know she
did meet you, and I know she's a wonderful person, so I guess...." His
thoughts ran out, and he struggled. "You know. Well. Thanks." He drank
what remained in the mug to try to hide his sudden discomfort at saying so
much, perhaps too much.
Then he realized that she hadn't said anything. No response. He glanced
over nervously.
She was staring at him blankly, hands resting on her lap. Her mouth was
opened slightly, as if arrested in mid-word, or probably more accurately,
pre-word. Great. He had said too much after all, hadn't he? His fingers
clenched around the mug, but he was now also at a loss for words himself.
Or action.
Then she stood up suddenly, and he jerked his head to look at her.
"A...Arisa?"
She took a step forward from the chair, bringing herself right up to his
side. He felt paralyzed, pinned down by her gaze. There was a slight
wrinkle on her brow, as if she were slightly perplexed. Then she reached
out and brushed his hair away from his face, making his eyes go wide, and
bent over and placed her lips against his forehead.
Now he truly knew paralysis, as time seemed to stop.
When she finally withdrew, Kyou found his voice after several attempts.
"What...why...what was that for?" He sounded hoarse, which annoyed him.
She smiled at him faintly, touched her lips, touched her own forehead.
"Well, I could say I was checking your temperature. The lips are a more
sensitive part of the body, after all. You're still running a temperature,
I do believe."
He gaped at her, and she laughed, even as she reached over and wrung out
the towel in the bowl, then folded it.
"Or maybe it was for another reason. Here, lie down."
He did as ordered, and she leaned forward to place the moist towel on his
forehead, right where she'd--well, where she'd kissed him. "So...I guess
it was the fever talking just now?"
"No, I don't think you're that feverish, Kyon-Kyon," she answered. "I
think you really are that sweet sometimes."
You're cute sometimes.... "That's--that's...the other reason?"
"It just might be." Those blue eyes sparkled as she grinned.
"Oh." He felt stunned. And really tired.
"Rest," she said, gently; apparently it showed. "I'll stay here with you a
while; don't have anything else to do today. You get better soon, okay?
Tohru said you seemed bored here, but it's a little boring for us at
school with you not there."
"All right," he murmured. "And...."
"What is it?"
"You don't seem to care when I call you 'Arisa' now."
"No. I guess I don't. You don't seem to protest 'Kyon-Kyon' much anymore,
either."
"Drop dead, Yankee."
"Yes, yes, of course."
He smiled, and slowly drifted off to sleep, to the sound of rain hammering
on the roof. And his dreams, while still interesting, were rather
innocent.
Mostly, anyway.
End chapter 3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Erm. I still am not quite done, I think. There'll be a short epilogue. Or
so I think. When I finish the next part, that's when I'll know for sure,
eheh.
Yes, I know I'm taking things slow. I'm vaguely frustrated myself, but
I've always been a believer in love not being an easy, fast thing; if
you've read my other fics, that much is rather obvious. While things can
move fast believably (one of my favorite Uo-Kyou stories moves much more
quickly indeed; check out Firsts, in my Favorite Stories section), I
prefer to take my time and develop them gradually.
chapter 2
On Names, the Flu, and Other Things
A small FB fic from Oddzilla Productions that was only going to be a
ficlet, but life is like that sometimes.
Chapter 2
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyou ate lunch on the rooftop of the school, and did not join Tohru and
Hana during the break to visit Arisa; he didn't feel like exposing himself
to her germ-ridden presence more than he'd already done--getting sick was
the last thing he wanted to do right now.
It had nothing to do with the hand thing, definitely not. Or when they'd
ended up face to face really close.
Actually, he'd spent the lunch hour on the rooftop staring at the bentou
that Tohru had so thoughtfully prepared for him without much appetite at
all. Maybe he had gotten sick after all or something.
After fighting off the impulse to hurl the bentou into a nearby trash can
out of unnamed frustration, he packed it up carefully to eat at some later
time, and marched back down to class. There was still a little time left,
but he'd gotten his fill of fresh air and sunshine already. He only
peripherally noticed the other people moving nervously out of his way as
he walked along.
"Kyou-kun!"
As he opened the door to re-enter the classroom, he stopped and looked
down the hall toward Tohru, Hana, and as luck would have it, Prince Rat
Bastard as well.
He was faced with a dilemma: to ask or not to ask? That was the ques--
"How's she doing?" he heard himself say.
Stupid mouth overruling the brain. He really needed to stop doing that.
Now he'd look all worried about that Yankee.
Tohru, bless her, just smiled. "Uo-chan's better now. She slept a little
and had some hot soup. Kuroda-sensei said that it's the flu."
"That's good. She going home?" That's good? Ahhh, damn.
"No," Hanajima answered softly. "The nurse felt it best that Uo-chan
stayed a little longer and rest up before trying to get home, preferably
with friends to help her just in case. She was rather weak earlier--but
you knew that already."
They'd caught up to him and were now inside the classroom, dispersing to
their seats. Most of the other students were still out, though a few were
also filtering in presently.
"Uo-chan wondered why you weren't there, though."
That got him. "She...she did? Uh...why?"
"Oh! Well--she didn't say, did she? She just asked where you were,
and...."
While Tohru was cheerily prattling along, Kyou felt himself turn red yet
again. And he noticed the oppressive silence from Hanajima, the kind that
only she could generate, even when there was noise from other sources
present.
And Yuki was smirking at him. Damn, how he wanted to wipe that smile off
that face....
"Maybe...I guess I'll go see her after school ends," Kyou finally said,
being careful to add a clear level of grudging reluctance to his voice.
Tohru beamed happily. Yuki smirked more. And Hana....
Smiled.
Ohgod.
"I am sure she will appreciate that, Kyou-kun," Hana said softly. "She
denied any gratitude for your assistance in getting her to the
infirmary...."
Against all expectation, Kyou felt disappointed as well as annoyed. And
still fearful, of course; one doesn't receive a smile like that from Hana
without some cause for concern. But he merely raised an eyebrow and
snorted.
"But I think she was lying."
"Huh." Well, if it was the psychic saying this, then perhaps so.
"I...uh...right." He crossed his arms and turned to look out the window,
willing the heat in his face to go away. Which it did, after a little
while.
He swore if he heard Yuki laugh or snicker or even breathe funny, he'd
punch him.
The rest of the school day passed in a bit of a haze for Kyou; he paid
less than his usual amount of attention to the remaining lessons, which
was to say not very much at all. Instead, he thought about Tohru's bentou,
and how to avoid Kagura, and how to beat up Yuki the next time they
fought, and how to beat up Haru the next time they fought, and Arisa, and
the need to get some more milk soon, and how that piece of chalk smacking
into his forehead stung a little. The chalk happened at least three times
in the course of that afternoon. It was a miracle he wasn't thrown out
again.
Eventually, it all drew to a close.
"Kyou-kun, Hana-chan and I have classroom cleaning duties today. Could you
go to Uo-chan first, please? We shouldn't be too long."
He couldn't say no to her. "All right." And then he paused. "You're not
coming, are you?"
There was that smirk again. "I need to speak with some of the teachers
about some of the class activities. You're on your own, Idiot Cat."
"Damn Mouse."
A short yet indeterminable time later, he knocked on the nurse's door, and
was admitted.
"Ah, Souma-san, please come in. She's resting right now, but I'll go wake
her--"
"No, don't, Kuroda-sensei. I'm here a little early. Gonna wait for Tohru
and Hana to come."
"Oh. Of course. Well...." The nurse glanced around. "Go ahead and wait in
here, then. She's our only patient right now, so it's not a problem.
There's a chair right there," she continued, indicating the one he stood
next to in the office area of the infirmary, "or you can sit with her if
you'd like. Just be careful not to do anything that might make you catch
it."
Kyou looked at the nearby chair. He'd take that one, yes.
"I'll go sit with her."
Stupid mouth!
Kuroda-sensei nodded and gestured to the curtained area where the beds
were. He squared his shoulders and walked there, peeking around the
curtains to find the right bed.
She looked so peaceful it made his breath catch, if only for a moment.
With great care, he set his bag down and sat in the chair next to her, and
observed: Her cheeks were still flushed, though not as much as before. Her
hair was spilled across the pillow like a swath of gold paint. Her brow
was unmarred by a scowl, her lips relaxed and not sneering. Her hands were
folded over her stomach on top of the blanket, which left her shoulders
and upper torso partially uncovered. That made him frown; it would be
better if she were covered more completely. But moving her arms to pull
the blanket up higher would probably wake her.
And he wouldn't be able to see her chest rise and fall so nicely as she
breathed.
Kyou paused, carefully edited that thought out of existence, then settled
back and looked at the clock, wondering how long it would take for Tohru
and Hana to come. He knew it was going to be difficult waiting by himself
here for Arisa, but this was harder than he had expected. He wanted to
look at her, yet was starting to be afraid to do so.
When she groaned, however, he had no choice. "Hey. You awake?"
Her eyes fluttered open, and she squinted over at him. "Kyon-Kyon?
Wha...." She yawned widely. "What are you doing here?"
"Just...waiting for you. Tohru and Hana are cleaning up the classroom
right now. They'll be here soon."
"Mmmm. And the Prince?"
He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in distaste. "Going over some stuff
with the teachers. He'll probably be coming too."
She pulled the covers up around her shoulders, wrapping them tightly
around herself, and rolled onto her side, facing him directly. All traces
of sleep seemed to have disappeared from her face already. "How thoughtful
of you to come here early."
He stared at her. Her voice...not soft and gentle, as it was when he left
her here earlier, but not lacking in sincerity, either. It was strange.
"Tohru...Tohru asked me to," he muttered.
"Well, you could have said no."
He looked away at the clock again. "Not really. Not when she asks."
"And if I asked?"
He kept staring at the clock, trying to keep himself calm. Her voice was
teasing, but teasing the way she would tease Tohru, or Hana. Not in a
mocking way, but.... His mind struggled for the word.
"Yeah...I suppose I'd come. If. Um. You asked."
Affectionate. Yes. In her rough, Yankee manner, it was affectionate.
"So why didn't you come at lunchtime with the others?"
He sighed, and turned to look at her, feeling a little tired for some
reason. "I don't know. Just had things to think about." He shrugged,
trying not to let his unease show.
"Carrothead? Thinking?" Arisa laughed. Ah, that was more like her usual
self. He bristled a little, but not that much. And then she wiggled an arm
at him, in lieu of a wave as she still had the blanket clasped tightly
around herself. "Well, you're here now. Thanks."
Kyou looked at her suspiciously. Was it just his imagination, or had she
dipped her head down a little when she said that? And let her hair fall in
front of her face? She had thanked him, there was no doubt about that. He
felt triumphant--and a little warm inside.
Don't worry. Accept it. It's safe. It's all right.
He relaxed. "Eh. No big deal. I didn't mind." A lie in part, as he did
mind earlier. But not really anymore.
She yawned again, then sat up in bed, keeping the blanket around her
shoulders but sliding her legs out over the edge of the mattress. Her
skirt had ridden up some, exposing her calves and a bit of her thigh,
though not too much. "Better get up, or I'll fall asleep again."
He looked up from her legs, hoping she hadn't noticed that. "How are you
feeling now?"
"A lot better. Guess you were right, maybe I should have stayed home
today."
He shrugged again. "Well, as long as you don't keel over...."
"Yeah."
"You hungry?" He remembered Tohru's bentou suddenly, now sitting in his
bag.
"No. Had some soup earlier. Besides, not much appetite with this flu. Did
you wash your hands?"
"...of course I did."
She chuckled, then sighed. "I'll be glad to get home and sleep in my own
bed, in my pajamas. This uniform's kinda uncomfortable." She threw off the
blanket finally and smoothed her clothing out some, and this time, she
didn't miss it. "And what are you looking at now?" she said, echoing her
question from earlier that day.
Oops. "Nothing."
"Oh, am I still nothing?"
Challenging, yet amused. Kyou's brain locked up for a few moments, unable
to figure out how to respond. "Aaagh, forget it," he said, peevishly.
Damn.
And another laugh. "You're cute sometimes, you know that, Kyou?"
It took every single ounce of training that he'd done over the years to
maintain his balance and not fall off his seat. What she just said hadn't
been much, wasn't really important, but for some reason, the feeling of
peace from earlier had fled now, and he was trying to get a grip on
himself.
It must have been taking him quite a long while to do that, because he
then heard her say, "Um...I'm sorry, if I...I didn't mean to...."
He slowly looked up at her. She had turned away, but it seemed like she
was looking at him out of the corner of her eye, apparently puzzled and
maybe a tiny bit upset. He couldn't blame her--he should have just taken
it in stride. Don't worry. Accept it. It's safe.
"It's all right." She nodded, and visibly relaxed. "Just...caught me off
guard there. Anyway. You're pretty sometimes too, so we're even."
And she smiled.
There was a knock on the door outside. "Sensei?"
"That's Tohru," she said, jumping out of bed. And Kyou was at her side
immediately, having predicted what was going to happen.
"Dammit, Arisa, be more careful," he muttered, catching her by the arm.
"Don't you ever learn?"
"Urgh. Occasionally I do. Hand me my bag."
"I'll carry it."
"Uo-chan! How are you feeling now?"
As Tohru and Hana piled in, Kyou stood back a little to give them some
space, and hefted the backpack. Yuki was lurking just outside, no doubt.
This was going to be a long walk to Arisa's apartment.
But he would't mind it so much, he imagined. He'd let himself enjoy the
view this time.
End chapter 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I...suppose I'll have one more chapter. I think.
I don't mind Kyou and Kagura, but I just feel that there's so much more
potential chemistry between Kyou and Uotani. If you've read this far, I
imagine you agree at least somewhat.
