Author notes: It gets a little limey. I hope you enjoy! Oh, I also revised the previous chapter a little, so please feel free to reread it. It's not a biggie...not now at least...but it may become important later on.
Chapter 5 Unencouraging interludes
?We?re home,? Tohru and Yuki called out in unison as they entered Shigure?s house.
?Welcome home,? Shigure sang in greeting. An always inquisitive eyebrow rose. ?Kyo still at soccer practice??
Tohru nodded in affirmation. ?I?ll get started on dinner right away.?
?No rush. Take advantage of the rare afternoons you have off from your other job. Dinner can wait. We?re used to eating late.?
Yuki turned to Tohru. ?He?s right for once, Miss Honda. You?ve been looking very exhausted lately. Why don?t you go upstairs and lie down??
?After all,? Shigure chimed in, ?we?d hate for our little flower to waste away to nothingness.?
Tohru laughed when Yuki rolled his dark eyes. As she walked up the stairs she called out over her shoulder, ?Thanks, Shigure, and you too, Yuki. I?ll lie down, but only for a minute. I?ve got too much to do to spend the rest of the day sleeping!?
When she got to her room, she changed her clothes and sat down to start on her homework. She yawned. The incident with Kyo in the school hallway had happened several days before and Tohru had difficulty sleeping ever since that fateful afternoon. She had no trouble falling asleep. That part was easy. To keep her mind of Kyo, she made a point to keep herself occupied every minute of every day so that, by the time she stumbled into bed at night, she was beyond exhaustion. She had no trouble falling asleep, but sleep itself had become almost torturous. It was because of the dreams.
Every night they were slightly altered somehow but essentially they were all the same. Each dream centered on her rejection of Kyo, her method of turning him away varying from instance to instance. He reacted differently every time. In one dream he screamed at her, in another he pleaded for her to take back her words, in another he laughed thankfully. It was hard to say which reaction was the worst. Each time she awoke, feeling more and more miserable.
If I close my eyes for just a minute, I?ll be fine. I won?t sleep, she reassured herself. I?ll just rest my eyes.
*****
Tohru sat up with a start. She hadn?t meant to fall asleep. Although she couldn?t quite remember them, her dreams were peaceful. She felt better than she had in days. A quick glance at her clock told her that she still had some time to get dinner started. Taking her time, she began to freshen up when she heard Kyo call out, ?I?m home.?
Recharged by sleep, Tohru was suddenly filled with new resolve. If she could only talk to Kyo, if she could only explain her actions to him, maybe he would stop avoiding her. If she could just get him to look at her, maybe he would stop spending so much time with Kiyone Kobayashi. If she could only touch him, maybe the ache in her heart would disappear. She straightened herself up as footsteps she recognized as Kyo?s thumped up the stairs. When she heard his door close, she made her way to her own, determined to do something before anxiety ate through this newfound determination.
The closer she got to his room, the more nervous she became. She had practically chewed a hole through her bottom lip and her skirt was wrinkled from being twisted by her clammy fingers. Her stomach queased, convoluting itself yet again into an ever more intricate knot. The length from her room to his had never seemed so?neverending before. Upon reaching his door, she hesitated for what must have been the hundredth time. Screwing her eyes shut, she inhaled in a shaky attempt to calm herself.
Why are you so scared? she chided herself. You want to talk to him, don?t you? Don?t you want to explain, to apologize? Don?t you want it to be the way it used to be? Don?t you want HIM?
Yes. Her heart throbbed a little more confidently now. I want it. I want all those things.
She lifted her hand, only slightly less wobbly know, to knock lightly against the door.
?Kyo?? she called out in something just above a whisper. Hesitantly, she pushed the door open. ?Kyo?? her voice was a little stronger, a little louder now. ?I?m sorry for disturbing you. Can we talk?? She made her way into the room.
?Pl?? the request died on her lips at the sight before her. There, just paces away from her, stood Kyo with Kiyone as wrapped around him as she could get without triggering the curse.
Some small part of Tohru?s brain (the teensy part of her that continued to function despite the shock shooting spheres of lightning all throughout her) marveled at how miraculous it was that Kyo hadn?t yet transformed. One of her legs was curled around Kyo?s waist; Tohru gaped as one of his hands massaged its way up a girl?s slim thigh.
?Mmm?Kyo?? Kiyone purred as her fingers wound tighter in Kyo?s hair. Her school blouse fell open to reveal a red bra so sheerly flimsy that Tohru wondered what purpose it served. Kyo captured Kiyone?s mouth in a savage kiss, causing Tohru to emit the smallest whimper of protest partly because of the kiss but mostly because his hand was dangerously close to the aforementioned scantily clad breast.
Somehow, over the heavy panting, Kiyone must have heard Tohru?s soft cry because she painstakingly tore her mouth from Kyo?s to shoot her rival a sultrily devious glance. She lowered her mouth to Kyo?s ear and Tohru could only continue to gape as the other girl?s kiss-swollen lips whispered, ?We have company.?
Despite her heart?s fervent begging, Tohru?s body refused to move as Kyo lifted his head from where it was buried in Kiyone?s neck to view the interloper. Upon meeting his heavy-lidded gaze, Tohru found that she was unable to suppress a shiver at the glazed desire in his eyes. He remained silent, obviously opting instead to let her speak first.
?Uhm?? she stammered, unable, as always, to speak under the weight of that particular gaze. She fumbled desperately for something to say, halfway positive that anything would be better than this stifling silence. ?I?was just about to get dinner started and uhm?I wanted to know if there was anything you wanted. You know, something special I could make,? she croaked, grimacing at the lameness of it all.
?Oh?? he turned towards Kiyone, who remained triumphantly pinned beneath him. ?Don?t bother making anything for me. I?ve got my favorite meal right here, don?t I, Kiyone chan??
In that moment, Tohru felt her heart cease beating. It wasn?t the ?Kiyone chan? that did it or even the ?that kind of hungry? remark. It wasn?t the huskiness of his voice or the way he barely acknowledged her presence. It wasn?t even the way that his hand snaked further up her chest.
It was in the look he gifted Kiyone with, a look she knew so well, she didn?t have to see it to know it was being shared. It was a look that combined lust with affection and adoration. It evoked emotions so powerful she could feel it pulsing against the walls of the room. As always, it left her breathless and wanting more. It was a look of complete trust and unspoken love. It was a look Kyo had given her on more than one cherished occasion, a look she was positive she would never see again.
A knife of pain embedded itself in her belly and she made no attempt to hide the pain from rolling onto her features. Kiyone?s gaze slid from Kyo?s back to Tohru, a snakelike smile on her lips. ?You don?t look so good.? And then, in a voice not at all her own but somehow familiar, ?Miss Honda, are you all right??
Tohru?s jaw dropped. Since when did Kiyone sound like Yuki?
*****
?Miss Honda, are you all right?? Yuki repeated again.
Tohru sat up with a gasp, her eyes shooting open. She blinked rapidly, staring around the room frantically, her brain still foggy with sleep.
She took in her surroundings. ?I?m in bed?? Tohru touched a finger to her cheek, only slightly surprised to discover the moisture there.
?Of course you are. I was walking by your room when I heard what sounded like crying. When you didn?t answer,? Yuki continued, ?I was worried. I?m sorry, I didn?t realize you were asleep.? He paused, examining her carefully. ?It must have been a terrible dream.?
Yes, she wanted to cry out. Because everything she had just witnessed was just that?a dream. A very real-feeling, horrible nightmare, but a dream nonetheless. Suddenly, everything was wonderful again.
?I?m fine now, thanks. It was just a dream. A bad one but, now that I?m awake, I feel a lot better.? She smiled at Yuki, taking his hand. ?Thanks for worrying about me.?
?Are you sure?? Yuki peered at her with troubled eyes.
Tohru?s smile deepened. ?Of course I?m sure. After that nap, I feel like a whole new person.?
With a sigh of relief, Yuki rested his forehead against hers. ?I?m so glad. I?ve been so worried about you. Miss Honda, I?? he paused, gazing meaningfully at her and in that millisecond, the air shifted just slightly enough to set off the faintest of alarm bells.
Tohru pulled away, carefully, afraid of offending him. ?Yuki?? she fumbled as the alarm bells tolled a little louder.
?Miss Honda,? he whispered, moving in ever so closer.
?Uhm?? she tried to move away, to get out of her bed. Her hand was still trapped in his, his presence on the bed no longer comforting but instead caging her in. The bells were clanging now, warning Tohru that things were about to go from bad to horrendous. Somehow, she wasn?t too surprised when she heard Kyo?s voice from the doorway.
?Well, well. Isn?t this a cozy picture??
*****
?Would you look at that?? Uo murmured with undisguised amazement. ?It never ceases to amaze me. Right, Tohru? Tohru??
Tohru jumped at Uo?s insistent physical and verbal prodding. ?Huh? What?? she queried, blinking owlishly in an attempt to shake off her inattention.
Uo sighed impatiently. ?I was just asking you what you think of the couple of the month there,? she gestured at a group of people sitting not too far away from them.
?Couple? Which couple??
?Catch up, will you, Tohru?? She gestured a little more violently. ?THAT couple. Kobayashi and carrot top.?
The nausea was almost instantaneous now. Unable to stop herself, Tohru found her attention being directed to the couple in question. She watched, reluctantly hypnotized, as Kiyone offered Kyo a rice ball. When Kyo reached for the rice ball, Kiyone playfully pulled it away with a shake of her head. She offered the rice ball to him again, higher this time, not too subtly suggesting that, if wanted anything, he would have to be hand fed.
Tohru just barely contained a snicker when Kyo rolled his eyes at the girl and moved to turn away. There was no way Kyo was going to do something like that with a girl he barely knew. Her happiness dance was stopped in mid whoop when she noticed Kiyone place a hand on Kyo?s. She snorted at the pleading look in Kiyone?s beguiling green eyes. To her dismay, Kyo huffed resignedly and took a bite out of the proffered rice ball. Tohru bit back tears as Kyo smiled down at a giggling Kiyone.
It had been like this for a little over a week now. For some reason, Uo had developed an almost unhealthy fascination with what she deemed the unlikely coupling of Kiyone Kobayashi and Kyo Sohma. Since the pair was now practically inseparable, the blonde had many chances to study them and wonder about the oddities of love.
Uo?s latest obsession was a source of suffering for Tohru. It killed her to see Kiyone snuggling up (as close as he would let her) to HER Kyo. But what could she do? It wasn?t as if she had told her friends of her secret once relationship with this particular Sohma. Would they even believe her if she did tell them? What kind of an uproar would it cause? Unwilling to imagine the new problems this revelation would create, Tohru decided to suffer in silence instead.
She would get over Kyo someday, right? Part of the problem was that his mere presence affected her deeply. Tohru reasoned that, maybe if she didn?t see him on a daily basis she could work him out of her system. She barely saw him at home anymore anyway?when he wasn?t at soccer practice, he was with Kiyone and he wasn?t with Kiyone, he was nowhere near Tohru. His avoidance of her was obvious and, most of the time, Tohru thought it was a good thing.
Unfortunately, the sight of Kiyone and Kyo was something that Uo was quite interested in. The ex-gang member took every opportunity to point out the couple and bullied her friends into observing the pair as she vocally wondered about their relationship.
?I don?t understand why you?re so interested in them,? Hana remarked. ?It?s not like they?re the only couple in the school. As a matter of fact, they are quite tame compared to some of the other couples around here sneaking into empty classrooms to steal a minute or two of privacy.?
Tohru blushed, and focused her attention on ironing out the wrinkles in her uniform. Somehow it always seemed as if Hana could read her mind. It was hard to tell if the girl actually knew her secrets or if she was just really good at guessing.
?I don?t know,? Uo responded thoughtfully. ?Maybe it?s because I never would have imagined carrot top with someone like that.?
Embarrassment temporarily forgotten, Tohru spoke up, ?Someone like what??
?A big game hunter.? Seeing the puzzled expressions on her friends? faces she explained, ?A hunter is someone who goes after a guy just for the sake of going after him.?
?What happens after she gets him?? Tohru wondered.
?It depends. Sometimes she drops him right away. Other times, she keeps him dangling for a while?until she finds new prey. But in the end, the victim ALWAYS gets chewed up and spit back out.?
?And a big game hunter?? Hana asked.
?Is someone who enjoys going after the unattainable--the extremely rich, good-looking, the guys who have tons of admirers but no girlfriend. The guy all the girls want.?
?Ah, I see.? Hana murmured. ?And the Sohma boys fit all those categories.? She too began to study the couple. Kyo was now reading a manga, totally captivated by the events unfolding on the pages before him. Kiyone was watching him with a tender look quite unlike that conniving lovesick cow one she was shooting him moments before. ?However??
The smile on Kiyone?s lips as she studied Kyo was no longer predatory but soft and dreamy. Tohru wondered if Kyo knew that Kiyone had taken his hand in hers and was absently playing with his fingers. She felt her stomach begin a slow sinking. She knew what Uo was going to say next and she dreaded hearing it because hearing it would make it true.
?However,? Uo continued, picking up where Hana left off despite Tohru?s silent pleas for her to remain silent, ?it doesn?t look like this big game hunter is going to be giving up her prey anytime soon.?
Tohru contemplated her friend?s words. Before she could stop herself, she looked over at where the pair and this time, Kyo?s eyes met hers. She endeavored to put every ounce of emotion into that brief moment, trying to tell Kyo with her eyes everything she felt.
The regret for not speaking up about them sooner, the loneliness from his evasion of her, the something that she wouldn?t yet name because she was afraid that naming it would make losing it that much harder, all of those things and more she put into that look. Once, she thought she saw a flicker of something, but it was gone in a blink. Kyo broke the connection and went back to his manga.
Tohru turned away, her eyes closed against the tears stinging to be released.
Although the look seemed to last forever for Tohru, in reality it could only have lasted a second or two?barely long enough for a sneeze.
Uo, still intent on studying the couple, did not notice it.
Hana, who was bored with the pair and instead dreaming up ways to torment the Prince Yuki fan club, did not notice it.
Kiyone noticed. The dreamy look hardened out of her eyes. She turned to Kyo. Anyone else would have thought that he was deeply engrossed in his manga. None of her friends noticed that he had been on page five for an abnormally long time.
But Kiyone did.
Neither Tohru, Uo, nor Hana noticed when Kyo?s hand slip out of Kiyone?s and back into his own lap.
But Kiyone definitely did.
