{FIC} When you know 4/? TK tinges

[jade]

Disclaimer: I do not own the song or the FB characters. Kiyone, on the other hand, is my own monster. =)

Author notes: If you've come this far, wow! THANKS! I'm still hoping to edit this chapter a little more--cleaning it up and so forth. I hope you enjoy this semi rough draft.

Chapter 4 Doubts and denial

?Kyo,? Tohru protested even as goose bumps prickled up and down her spine. ?I have to finish making breakfast.? She elbowed him in the stomach halfheartedly, shivering when his soft chuckle tickled her ear.

?What?s stopping you?? he asked, his fingers tightening slightly at her waist.

?You are,? she smiled. She turned in his arms then, tilting her head up eagerly. As Kyo lowered his mouth to hers the rest of the world receded, submerging them in their own existence.

?Tohru! Breakfast smells even more delicious than usual! How much longer before we eat?? Shigure poked his head into the kitchen to find Kyo chugging away at a carton of milk while Tohru worked busily at the stove. If he noticed anything almost panicked about her motions, he kept oddly quiet. If he heard the nervousness in her voice when she responded that yes, breakfast would be ready soon, he made no comment. The sometimes canine Sohma instead nodded and remarked that he would go on ahead to the dining room. When the joint sigh of relief from the kitchen reached his ears, nobody saw the sly smile that slipped over his face.

*****

Tohru hummed softly to herself as she padded down the school hallway. Life, always wonderful and joyous, seemed better than ever these days.

Seven days ago, she shared her first of many heated kisses with Kyo. Seven days ago, the shift and dip of her world changed. Seven days ago, the boy she considered a precious friend somehow became even more so.

Because Tohru wished it, they hadn?t yet told anyone else about their newfound relationship. Something about the thrill of secrecy thrilled her. The furtiveness of their affair made every moment they stole together all the sweeter. These days she was filled with all kinds of enraptured expectation.

There was the knowledge that, later that night, she would be on the roof with Kyo exchanging quiet whispers and soft kisses, made her eager for sunset. The possibly that, sometime during the day he would surprise in a hallway to drag her into a closet or a deserted classroom to steal a kiss, made her round corners with aroused anticipation. The feeling that, at any given moment of time, she would say something that would make him smile that heartmelting smile, made her constantly rack her brain for something adorable to say.

And so, every time she knew she should talk with Kyo about what they were doing and where they were going, that nagging thought got pushed to the back of her mind.

?Honda.?

So lost was she in blissful thought, that she didn?t notice Kiyone Kobayashi until she had just walked past the other girl.

?Miss Kobayashi? Can I help you with something?? Tohru ignored the tiny gurgle of almost inexplicable hatred that seemed to arise at the sight of the dark haired girl leaning against a wall, her elbows just barely dangling out the open window.

Kiyone studied her, biding her time, allowing Tohru?s blatant uneasiness prickle the tension in the air. ?Stay away from Kyo.?

Tohru jumped, startled by her schoolmate?s straightforwardness. ?I?m sorry,? she responded with a nervous laugh, ?I think I misheard you.?

?Stay away from Kyo,? Kiyone repeated. The words dripped with undisguised animosity.

?That would be difficult,? Tohru replied with a shaky smile, ?seeing as we are not only classmates but live together as well.?

Kiyone?s exotic eyes narrowed. ?Do you think we?re all blind?? she hissed. ?Do you think that we don?t see what?s going on between you two??

The hateful feelings beginning to whirlpool within her were foreign to Tohru. Just who WAS this girl? What business was it of hers to say anything about her relationship with Kyo? Who was she to Kyo but a hunter seeking yet another trophy in her conquest of the male species? While her normally nonexistent temper threatened to rage at the other girl, her need to get along with all mankind prevailed.

?Excuse me, Miss Kobayashi,? Tohru forced herself to incline her head very slightly, ?I apologize for my directness. What goes on between Kyo and me is none of your business. Please do not attempt to instruct me further on this matter.? She made a show of glancing hurriedly at her watchless wrist, ?I?m late. I hope we can continue this conversation another time.?

She shuffled off, and was almost halfway down the hall when Kiyone called out to her.

?What?s going to happen, Honda, when the rest of the Sohmas buy a clue? What happens when they figure out what?s going on between you and Kyo??

?I don?t know what you mean,? came the quiet reply; but her heart began to quietly break at the implication that surfaced at Kiyone?s words.

?Don?t pretend you don?t know. Everyone knows the way Yuki and Kyo feel about you. ?They?re crazy about you, think you?re perfection with legs.

?Did you know,? she went on, moving toward Tohru with lethal elegance, ?that some people have even taken bets on which one you?ll pick??

Unable to disguise her wince, Tohru shrugged forcibly.

?Yuki?s winning, you know. Or at least, he was until fairly recently. Actually,? she tapping a contemplative finger against her chin, ?I would wager that Yuki thought he had a pretty good chance himself. How?s he going to feel when he finds out that he?s not the winner everyone has made him out to be?

?He doesn?t get along with Kyo very well either, does he? Tsk tsk, I?m sure he?s going to take it very hard, losing to his rival and all.

Tohru?s throat tightened. All her instincts told her to pay no attention to what this girl was saying; however, she found herself immobile. It was as if some sadistic part of her wanted to hear the rest of what Kiyone had to say.

?And what about that girl, the girl from the other day?? Kiyone was so close now, so close that Tohru could almost taste her expensive perfume. ?She seemed to have quite a?violent attachment to Kyo. I doubt she would like the fact that he?s making goo goo eyes at another girl very well.

?What?s going to happen to your happy family then, Honda?? She was in front of Tohru now, her stare glowing with studious intensity. ?What going to happen when you tell them that there?s something more to you and Kyo?? Her snort was, somehow, refined. ?They probably already know. That is, unless they?re in denial too.?

?Do you seriously think that they will just smile and move on?? Could you really live with their broken hearts in your hand?

?I want him.

?Stay away from Kyo.? With a precise turn, Kiyone Kobayashi sauntered away, leaving Tohru standing sullenly in the hallway with tears spilling onto the floor below.

*****

As much as it pained her to admit it, Kiyone?s words enabled Tohru to see the other changes that had taken place during the seven days she drifted in a blissful haze.

Partly out of habit, mostly because she couldn?t tell him no, she walked home with Kyo after school. As they neared Shigure?s house, they spotted Kagura waiting impatiently at the end of the path. For Tohru, time slowed as she took in Kagura?s reaction to their approach. Was the pained look because of the way she and Kyo were walking so closely their bodies brushed with each movement? Was the hurt in her eyes because of the way Kyo?s hand was resting lightly on her backpack? Were those angry tears because of Kyo?s annoyed, ?What the hell are YOU doing here?? Or were they sad tears due to the fact that Tohru?s lips were slightly swollen from Kyo kisses she hadn?t been able to resist?

Where once she felt jealousy, she now felt despair as Kagura tormented Kyo the rest of the afternoon with enthusiastically violent proclamations of love.

Her anxiety worsened at dinner.

Partly because she had to get up constantly during dinner, mostly because Kagura refused to budge, Tohru sat opposite Kyo and beside Yuki at the dinner table. She felt the pale Sohma?s body tense when, as she passed Kyo his food, her fingers lingered a millisecond longer than anyone else?s on his. She noticed the almost unfathomable grimace when Shigure pointed out that, once again, they were eating Kyo?s favorite meal. She stiffened at the venomous daggers he shot Kyo when the cat exuberantly volunteered to help her with the dishes.

Dinner was strained. The room was too heavy with the air of a topic nobody wanted to discuss. When the meal was over, everyone seemed to scramble from the room as if to escape awkwardness the dominated the night.

After graciously refusing Kyo?s attempt to assist her with the dishes (helped in part by a demanding Kagura), Tohru worried over these revelations. Was it worth it? Were the last seven days of sheer lightheartededness worth the Sohma family happiness? Granted, they weren?t a happy family to begin with, but was all this worth the tentative steps they were making towards family togetherness.

Disconcerted and unsettled, Tohru went to bed early. She told herself that she was exhausted, even as she lay awake all night trying to forget the fact that Kyo was waiting for her under the stars.

*****

Tohru rubbed at her eyes. Avoiding someone, she decided, was extremely exhausting. Still muddled by her conversation with Kiyone, she determined that the best way to keep from hurting Kagura and Yuki was by staying away from Kyo. She managed to dodge him that morning by waking up way early than usual in attempt to have breakfast ready before Kyo could make it to the kitchen. This was an amazing feat in itself, especially since the cat was always awake just after dawn to train. As it was, she had literally thrown the food onto the table and tore out the door, throwing excuses and apologies over her shoulder as she left.

She had stuck close to Hana and Uo the entire school day, successfully thwarting any of Kyo?s efforts to seek her out for alone time. Tohru dreaded the moment when school let out. She didn?t have to work until later the afternoon, leaving several hours free that she normally would have looked forward to sharing with the orange-haired Sohma. She searched frantically for her friends, hoping that she could talk them into spending some ?quality time? with her.

?Hana! Uo! Wait up!? Tohru rushed through the throng of students towards the two girls. ?I have some time off before I go to work. Do you want to hang out for a little bit??

Arisa Uotani cocked her blonde head. ?Sure!? Her brow furrowed and she shot Tohru a curious glance. ?But don?t you want to spend your free time with carrot top??

Tohru?s smile wobbled. Had they noticed too? She should have known that, as her best friends, they would have. ?Oh, no. Why would you say something like that?? in her panic, she began to ramble. ?I see Kyo all the time?at Shigure?s, in class, in the hallway, at lunchtime??

?Whoa, slow down, Tohru,? Uo laughed. ?It?s just that you?ve been spending so much time with him lately.?

?Uhm?we have?? Was it her imagination, or did the previously noisy crowd of students become a shade quieter?

?I have also noticed that a slight change,? Hana agreed in her usual, almost robotic manner. ?Lately, your electrical signals have undergone a slight alteration in his presence.?

?Uhm?they have?? Were there less people in the hallway now? Is that why it seemed as if everyone was watching them?

?Hmm?I don?t know anything about Hana?s electric waves, but there?s definitely been something different about you lately. Like you?re glowing, or something.? Uo grinned crookedly at Tohru. ?You don?t have a THING going with him, do you??

?No, no. You?re imagining things,? Tohru protested. Did anyone else notice how warm it had gotten in the hallway?

?Are you sure, Tohru?? Uo teased. ?Is Kyo your boyfriend??

?He?s not!? Tohru insisted. When Uo continued to tease, Tohru?s assertions grew in volume. They grew so loud that the remaining students stopped to watch the proceedings. Her sleepless night, her worry, her anguish tumbled and crashed inside her. What if someone heard? What if someone guessed? What if someone figured it out?

?Aw, come on, Tohru,? Uo prodded. ?Just admit already!?

Terror at the thought that her once peaceful existence was threatened set the blood rushing to Tohru?s hears, blurring her vision. She all but shouted her final declaration, ?Kyo Sohma is not my boyfriend! We?re just friends, that?s all! I don?t like him that way, I swear!?

She regretted the words the moment they somersaulted out of her mouth. Her eyes widened with shock, all the world seemed coated with a sickly honey glaze. All the after school buzz seemed to come screeching to a halt. In the silence, you could hear every molecule of air whooshing by.

?I?ve been looking all over for you!? Tohru blinked to see Kiyone standing at the end of the hallway. She was waving enthusiastically.

Tohru squinted, baffled. Is she waving at me? she wondered. There?s no way she could be that happy to see me. Dread began to bubble in her belly.

Kiyone went on, her voice brimming with undisguised joy and a hint of venom, ?Soccer practice is just about to start?Kyo.?

Tohru?s heart shattered and shook. She turned deliberately to see Kyo standing mere feet away from her. The look on his face was unreadable. It was ages before he moved.

?Yeah. Let?s go.? Hands in his pockets, he strode off, Kiyone smirking victoriously behind him.

[Roa_Aoife]

Awww... that's so sweet, and sad, and great now I'm gonna cry! Poor Kyo! Poor Tohru! Ah, hell, poor everyone!
Write more please!

[Airisu]

It is very good, tissues anyone

[rashaka]

Where's the rest? I need more.

Tohru's reactions are borderline OOC in terms of anger, but never quite too bad, and nevertheless I've been enjoying the fic immensely.

[ice princess]

Whoa, I haven't even read the other three chapters and I'm hooked. I agree that Tohru was borderline OOC, but it's your fic and I think you explained it very well. She *had* to be that way or else Kiyone's manipulative abilities would have no bearing on the story. I mean, come on, everyone's got to feel pressure at some point, right? This fic is going to prove very addictive, if I'm already hooked with this one chapter. Your writing style is very descriptive without being heavy-handed, which really draws the reader in, too, besides your nifty plot. I really like this fic and hope you continue soon!!!!

~ice princess

[jade]

wow! i'm so glad you like it. i am trying to show a slightly different tohru, one who...but wait, would that be giving it away?

thanks for reading, i hope you'll continue.