Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Divine Intervention ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.

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Chapter 8:

Tohru walked in silence with Yuki and Kyou on the way to school. She had been worried since the day before about Uo and Hana leaving at lunch to visit Kureno. They had never come back to class and she hadn't heard a word from either of them about anything. Tohru wanted to run the rest of the way to school to see if they were there, but that would arouse Yuki and Kyou's suspicions, and she hadn't wanted to tell them about what had transpired. Neither knew about Arisa's encounters with Kureno or her discovery that he was a Sohma. Both the boys had just assumed that Arisa and Saki had skipped class again, a behavior that wasn?t uncommon for the girls. Tohru had to take comfort in Momiji's assurance that everything had been taken care of.

"Is anything bothering you, Honda-san?" Yuki asked her with a concerned expression.

"Eh, Yuki-kun? I'm just thinking about finals. Yes, they're are going to be hard!" Tohru's voice faltered, as she wasn't very good at lying.

The Rat smiled at her warmly. "I'm sure we can find time to work on any subject you're having trouble with, Honda-san."

"Thank you, Yuki-kun. You are too kind to me," Tohru added, but her usual enthusiasm in apologizing wasn't there at all. The high school was just around the next corner and the thought of getting there was distracting her from any conversation.

Kyou smirked at Yuki's back. Tohru was totally ignoring the kuso nezumi, and he looked pretty upset about it. 'Way to go, Tohru!' he thought. He was surprised out of his gloating, though, when Tohru suddenly bolted for the front of the school, where Hana and Uo stood waiting for them. "What the hell got into her?" he mused out loud. He couldn't help but smile at the way Tohru's arms flailed about when she ran.

"She's probably trying to get away from you, baka neko!" Yuki knew that Kyou hadn't done anything to make Tohru run from him, at least not this morning, but he was sullen from her weirdness towards himself. In the distance, he could see Tohru hugging her friends and walking off into the schoolyard with them. He figured that she wanted to talk to them about something private and made his way to the classroom.

Kyou wanted to give Yuki a nasty retort, but his heart wasn't in it. He didn't like it when Tohru acted strange, because it usually meant something was wrong and she was pretending it wasn't. Besides, the kuso nezumi wasn't mad enough right now to fight at school. Grumbling about "the prissy boy," he followed Yuki to class.

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"Hana-chan, Uo-chan, I'm so happy to see you!" Tohru exclaimed, mauling her friends with massive hugs. "I was so worried!"

Uo laughed at Tohru and hugged her back tightly. "We're fine, Tohru. Everything went well." Uo didn't mean that completely, as she felt that she would never be with Kureno again, but there was no need to stress Tohru out more. Glancing at Hana, Uo saw that her eyebrows were raised questioningly, so Arisa silently shushed her with a look. Saki at least knew that the night before hadn't gone as planned.

"Yes, the night was not a total failure." Hana's thoughts weren't on Uo and Kureno but rather her own encounter with the captivating Akito.

Tohru smiled, relieved. "Onegai, tell me what happened. Did you talk to Kureno-san?" Tohru let herself be led away from the school entrance by Uo, who didn't want anyone to overhear.

"I found him and we talked," Arisa answered once they were a short way into the grass field. "We decided that the time wasn't right for us now. I got a good kiss in, though." Tohru was simply too innocent in Uo's eyes to know about her love making.

Tohru's eyes became dazzled and glazed over in her daydreaming. "Oh, Uo-chan, that's so romantic. What was it like? Are you sure you're okay?"

Uo just couldn't answer Tohru's question about Kureno. She felt like she might go crazy if she let herself think about the night in too many details?like the way Kureno whispered her name or how he caressed her bare skin or the inconceivable ecstasy she had felt?. No, the experience was just too fresh in her mind, both the joy of being with him and the anguish of having her heart ripped away. "I'm fine, Tohru, don't worry about it," she finally got out in a tight voice.

"Okay," laughed Tohru. "Hana-chan, did you have a good time, too?"

"Hmm. A good time?" Saki's eyes were fixed in concentration. "I suppose you could call it that. I was wondering, Tohru-kun, have you ever met a person at the Sohma house named Akito?"

Tohru felt poleaxed. Scattered thoughts swum in her mind, trying to become coherent. If Akito had spoken to her friends, or found out that they knew her, or if he thought they knew of the curse, or if he had done something to them and then had their memories erased?. The list of possibilities went on infinitely in her mind. Even indirectly and maybe unknowingly, Akito still had the ability to strike fear into the very core of her being. "W-Why?" she stammered.

"I see that you do know him. He has enchanting vibes, but there's something strange about them." Corners of her mouth turned up in a mysterious smile, Saki looked upwards thoughtfully. "He invited me to visit with him again, an offer I'm afraid I can't refuse."

Those words were even more frightful to Tohru than she could fathom. She clasped her hands together pleadingly. "Hana, no, please, you shouldn't do that. Please, promise me you'll stay away from him," she said, almost sobbing.

"I will stay away as long as I don't suspect any wrongdoing towards you, Tohru-kun." Tohru's words had served only to interest Hana further.

"Thank you, Hana-chan!" Tohru sighed, relieved. She wouldn't give Hana any reason to worry because she wasn't planning on having any more interaction with Akito for as long as possible. "We better go or we'll be late." Grabbing a hand of each of her friends, Tohru walked with them to class.

Saki moved wordlessly towards the school building. Akito obviously scared her friend, of which she wasn't surprised, considering his demeanor, but nothing would keep her from making sure he didn't do anything to hurt her precious Tohru. A task to be completed on her own, when the time was right. In addition, Akito's deep seeded hatred made the other Sohmas's trivial in comparison. So much spite was intertwined in his electrical signal that he seemed inhuman. Yes, inhuman described it perfectly.

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"You're in a much better mood than you were this morning," Kyou stated, looking at Tohru askance. They were walking with Yuki back to Shigure's house after school.

Tohru smiled at Kyou warmly. "Mmm hmm. I was very happy to see my friends today!"

"It's not like you don't see them everyday, anyway. Geez, the way you hung out with them all day a person would think you hadn't seen them in a year," Kyou snorted. Tohru had been oblivious to his existence during school, just sitting there, laughing with her friends, ignoring everyone else. Not that he was jealous or anything. Why would he be jealous? 'Aw hell, it just pisses me off!!!' he screamed in his mind. His face was bright red with bottled up anger.

"Um, Kyou-kun? Are you feeling okay? You look like you have a fever," Tohru reached up to feel his forehead, but Kyou pulled away.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone!" Kyou yelled back. He instantly regretted directing his anger towards her when he saw the hurt look in her eyes. He wasn't about to apologize with the kuso nezumi around, though.

"Don't talk to Honda-san that way, you stupid Cat." Yuki gave Kyou a thoroughly disgusted glare. They stood there for a few seconds, staring each other down, until Yuki turned to Tohru with a concerned expression. "Honda-san, you shouldn't take offense to him. His temper isn't disciplined enough for him to be around normal people."

"That's it! This time I'm really going to murder you, Ratboy!" Throwing his arms up in a martial arts pose, Kyou glowed with the challenge. "Or are you too much of a sissy to fight me?"

Angry and amused, Yuki mirrored Kyou's stance. "That's funny, baka neko. It seems to me that every time we fight you're the one who ends up on the ground." At that they began to land punches, or at least Yuki did, while continually taunting each other. Tohru made out shouts of "girly boy" and "idiot" among the thuds of kicks and blows. Finally, Kyou lay on the ground, out of breath, and Yuki stood over him. Kyou had taken most of the damage, but Yuki did have a bloody nose. "Looks like you're beginning to learn how to fight," Yuki said.

The rest of the way home was silent. Yuki had really hurt the Cat this time, as he was limping a little. 'Probably that well-placed kick to his hamstring,' Yuki thought. 'He should keep his defenses up better.' Tohru looked out of her mind with worry, but since she felt guilty for the fight starting in the first place, she didn't speak to either of them. Yuki could almost feel the panic emanating from her.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Kyou asked, breaking the silence. He was scowling at Shigure's porch, where he saw a tall, longhaired figure compulsively searching the area around the house and glancing at his watch repeatedly.

Yuki also scowled at the sight of the man, another person to put a damper on his mood. Tohru, conversely, giddily ran to the man, happily shouting, "Ri-chan-san! I was hoping you would visit soon!"

Tohru's voice made Ritsu start, and he frenziedly jumped to his feet and bowed over and over. "Honda-san, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything! I should have called to check and see if it was all right to visit today! Please forgive me!"

Laughing, Tohru bowed back to the Monkey. "No, I'm excited that you came to visit, and so soon after New Years!"

"It's too soon! I knew I should have waited longer! I'm so rude! I should grovel at your feet for forgiveness! I'm such a worthless person!" he wailed.

Tohru had let Ritsu get carried away, and now he was completely frantic. "Please, Ri-chan-san, I'm very happy to see you. Come inside. It's too cold out here." Tohru unlocked the door and let everyone in. "I hope you didn't sit out here too long! Shigure-san must be out."

"Only about an hour. I hope Shigure-san won't be mad at me for loitering outside his house!" Ritsu had calmed down a bit since the first time Tohru had met him, but was still the same panicky person.

Once inside, Yuki and Kyou escaped upstairs, using the excuse of homework. Neither one of them wanted to deal with Ritsu's exhausting personality, and in truth they were tired from the fight. Tohru and Ritsu sat down and talked over a hot cup of tea. Ritsu wouldn't admit it, but Tohru could see that he was shivering from sitting out in the frigid air.

"How is your shoulder, Honda-san?" asked Ritsu once his teeth had stopped chattering.

Tohru smiled. "Oh, it's fine now. Everyone was fussing over me so much, but it wasn't ever that bad."

"I'm very happy to hear that. Did you have a nice time at school?" Ritsu was much tamer now that he was sitting alone with Tohru, not inadvertently causing any ruckuses.

"Yes, school is going great! I'm grateful to see my friends again. How about you? Have you been well since New Years?"

Ritsu blushed slightly and looked at the cup of tea in his hand, his smile turning sheepish and blissful. "Actually, I've been spoiled. A useless person like me doesn?t deserve to be this happy, but I can't help but feel a bit selfish."

Tohru was confused. "What do you mean, Ri-chan-san?"

"I think I met a girl that likes me." Ritsu, with this information in the open, began talking in his rapid-fire way. "She's perfect! I met her at a shopping mall last week. We both grabbed the same blouse at the same time, so I apologized to her and told her that she could have it, but then she did the same until we the shop owner kicked us out for disturbing the other patrons, so I asked her if I could buy her lunch to make up for my pathetic existence. One thing led to another and we exchanged phone numbers and have been talking every night. Honda-san, I think I might be in love," he concluded.

About to burst out of her skin with excitement, Tohru set down her cup and clapped her hands. "That's wonderful! What is she like?"

"She's very smart and funny. I don't know why she would like somebody like me, but we do have some things in common! Her parents ran a restaurant, just like my parents in the hot springs, and we both love books. In fact, she's an editor for famous authors!"

The Monkey was much different than he had been last time Tohru saw him, actually. He seemed to be able to accept some happiness for himself, whereas before he would have denied himself all of the joys of life. His self-confidence was far below that of others, but better nonetheless. "You deserve to find a person to share your happiness with," she told him truthfully. "What's her name?"

"Mit-san."

Tohru's eyes were popping right out of her head. "Mit-san?!? What a coincidence! That's Shigure-san's editor!" Shigure was going to die laughing if he ever found out.

And that he had. When he came home not ten seconds later, he walked into the dining room only to be faced with Tohru and his cousin. Tohru's expression was frozen in dumbfounded surprise; Ritsu had laid his head on the table in shame, long hair spilling around him. Shigure immediately collapsed on the floor in hysterics. "Ri-chan! I didn't know you were here!" He let himself laugh for another minute or so. "I just came back from a meeting with Mit-chan and I heard you two were an item!" That last was hardly discernible as he convulsed with laughter once again.

"Please, Shigure-san! Say that you'll forgive me! I had no idea that Mit-san was your editor! I will burn in hell for eternity for ever speaking to her!" Now Ritsu was sobbing uncontrollably into the tabletop.

His reaction only made Shigure more amused. "'Burn in hell'? It sounds like she is rubbing off on you already! Honestly, though, Ri-chan, I'm very happy for you, and myself. Mit-chan was so relaxed today that I almost didn't know her!" He covered his mouth with his hand to muffle the still-escaping sniggering.

Ritsu sniffled and looked at his cousin. "Then you're not mad at me?"

"Mad at you? Nonsense! This is the best thing that could have happened to me! Mii was so enraptured with telling me about her 'new boyfriend' that she forgot to ask me for more pages. Life is so good!" Shigure emphasized his delight with a triumphant dance around the room.

Ritsu stayed for dinner and visited briefly with Kyou and Yuki. Neither one of them was very talkative, but they both reacted with a shocked "What!?!" when he told them he was seeing Mii. Tohru had to work after dinner, so Ritsu escorted her there on his way home. He felt much better at Tohru's kind words and support for him. He decided that he would call Mit-san when he got home and tell her about what had happened.

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"Goodnight, Tohru-kun!"

"Have a safe trip home!"

"You, too!" Tohru called to her older co-workers as she left the office building. "Yuki-kun! I didn't expect you to pick me up!" she said as she saw the poised boy standing outside.

"You were working later than usual, Honda-san, and I worry about you walking home alone." Yuki smiled at Tohru and handed her the orange scarf and hat that she had left at home. "Here, I brought these for you."

Tohru flushed with embarrassment. "Oops. I guess I forgot to take them with me. Thank you!" She wrapped the scarf around her neck several times and pulled the hat onto her head.

Yuki sighed inwardly at the cute way her hat sat lopsidedly and the way her wispy hair was entangled in the scarf. She looked so vulnerable like that. "There's another reason I wanted to pick you up, Honda-san," Yuki began timidly as they strolled down the street. "There's something that I almost told you once, at the beachhouse, that I would like to finish explaining."

This day was a long time in the making. He had been putting it off longer and longer, not knowing exactly how to start the conversation. All afternoon Yuki had sat in his room, brooding over his feelings for Tohru. He knew that she was precious to him, though the thought of someone being able to take away the sting of the curse seemed impossible. Tohru had that ability, the ability to brighten his day and soften his mood, to make everything cheery. He just had to get it over with, or he thought he might burst from holding it in. "Honda-san, do you remember when you were young, when you were lost?"

Tohru met Yuki's gaze questioningly. "Yes, Yuki-kun, and the boy with the red cap helped me find my way home. But how do you know about it?"

The ball was already rolling, and there was no going back. Yuki sucked in a deep breath. "Honda-san, that boy was me."

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A/N: Haha. I'm so mean. I'm just going to leave it like that until I have time to write a new chapter. Please read and review! The more I get the faster I'll write! How's that for incentive?

Thanks to the people who have been reviewing. You're much loved!