Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Divine Intervention ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket will be mine some day! Muahahaha! (Unfortunately it's not right now so I still have to write these depressing disclaimers T_T)

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Chapter 10:

"Tohru-kun!" Shigure chirped, head poking around the doorway into the kitchen. "You have visitors!"

"Eh? Oh, right!" She hadn't expected Rin, Kagura, and Hatsuharu to arrive so soon. Hurriedly, she flew about the room to finish pouring the tea and setting it on the serving tray with the onigiri. "Lunch is ready!" she exclaimed, bringing the tray into the dining room to greet her guests. "Good afternoon!"

"Tohru-kun!" yelled Kagura, taking the platter from Tohru only to hand it to Haru and throw her arms around her friend.

"Hello, Kagura-san! How are you?" Tohru asked, laughing as she returned Kagura's embrace. "Hello, Isuzu-san," she added when the girl joined their hug with a strained smile. Rin still had a bit of a problem being affectionate in front of others.

"Me, too." Haru smirked and moved to hug them all. "Who can resist hugging three cute girls at the same time?"

"Ugh. Haru-chan, you're such a lecher!" Kagura emphasized her words by pushing Hatsuharu hard enough that he fell on the floor.

"Kagura," he said blandly, "do you really have to do that all the time?"

"What are you talking about?" she laughed.

Rin looked at Haru and shook her head warningly. She could see where this conversation was leading: Kagura getting out of hand and Haru turning Black. That was never a good combination.

Haru assented to his girlfriend and got up off the floor. "Nevermind," he answered. "So, where are Yuki and Kyou?" he addressed Tohru.

She opened her mouth to answer, but Kyou entered the room and spoke for her. "Why? Are you looking for a fight?" Kyou would have enjoyed that after the week he'd been having.

"Not now, Kyou. I was wondering because lunch is ready." Haru sat down at the table and looked challengingly at Kyou. "Are you planning on joining us?"

Growling, Kyou sat in his usual spot and started twirling his chopsticks around. He had no desire to hang around with them all day. Kagura and Rin were bad enough, but watching Yuki and Tohru flirt during meals was awful, and Haru was likely to turn into a Black bastard and really start irritating him.

"Honda-san, did you say that lunch was ready? Oh, Kagura, Rin, I didn't know that you had gotten here already."

Kyou jerked at Yuki's voice. The damn Rat was always so damn polite it made him want to break something. 'Honda-san, did you blah blah blah blah blah,' he mocked in his head, eyeing the Rat with scorn. Quickly, he stuffed his mouth full of onigiri and washed it down with tea. "I'm done!" he shouted, storming out of the house towards the roof. Watching them all was too much for him today.

"What's wrong with him?" Rin asked thoughtfully.

"He's the baka neko. That's just the way he his," Yuki answered with repugnance in his tone. "Honda-san, don't look so upset. He doesn't deserve for you to worry about him."

Tohru sat down next to Yuki, but didn't say anything. She knew in her heart that Kyou was angry with her for something, but she had no idea what. Every time she tried to talk to him that week, he had given her a different excuse to leave. It was like when she first moved to the house. She knew that he hated her, and she had no idea why.

"Tohru-kun?" Kagura asked quietly, placing her hand on Tohru's arm. "Don't worry. I'll talk to him," she assured, and left the house to follow Kyou to the roof.

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"Kyou-kun? Will you talk to me?" she urged his hunched over form as she surmounted the ladder.

"No! Leave me alone, Kagura. This doesn't have anything to do with you," he said harshly.

Moving closer to him, she inquired, "Does it have anything to do with Tohru-kun?"

"No. Why would it? And don't sit down!"

"Kyou, you can be a real grouch sometimes!" Kagura lectured, hands on hips. "If it's not Tohru, is it Yun-chan? You really need to get over that."

"Of course it's the kuso nezumi," he lied. Well, it was half true. "I can't get over it! My future rests in his hands. Do you know how it feels to have your worst enemy in charge of your life?"

"No, and neither do you. Yuki isn't responsible for your future. You are! You just have to learn to control your temper if you want to beat him and avoid being locked up," she continued.

"Shut up! You can go away now, because I'm done talking to you, Kagura! I'm sick of your sympathy!" he shouted, standing to look her in the face.

Kagura's eyes gleamed with her infamous rage. "Fine! Why do I even bother helping a pathetic outcast like you?" she screamed and ran from the roof.

Kyou resumed his seat when she left. He was pushing everyone away and he couldn't help it. Knowing didn't make it any easier.

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"What was all the yelling about?" Shigure asked once Kyou had left the room. He was holding his manuscript in one hand and his reading glasses in the other.

"Kyou," Haru said simply.

"Ah! Okay, you kids have fun. If you need me I'll be slaving away on my latest novel for that tyrant Mii. My work is never done," he whined as he walked back to his office.

"Is he always that dramatic?" Rin questioned of no one in particular. She was staring as if in a trance after Shigure. He knew the key, the key to breaking the curse, but he was adept at acting the fool. Rin knew better, though. She knew that he acted that way to get into Akito's favor. Many times she had tried to coax information out of him, but he shut up like a clam the more she pried. She would have to bide her time and work on her own until the right opportunity arose. Rin could be very patient if it meant breaking the curse. Without turning her head she risked a glance at Haru. It was all for him, and he had no idea that she was up to anything.

"Yes," Yuki said in an annoyed voice. "If it wasn't for Honda-san, I think that I would go crazy living here." Yuki looked down on Tohru warmly, instantly drawing pinkness out on her cheeks.

Rin smiled sadly at Yuki and Tohru. It was painful for her to witness them being so happy together, since she knew their love was as doomed as hers until the curse was broken, if not more so. Haru squeezed her hand three times under the table, signifying "I love you." He always seemed to know what she was thinking. She returned the gestured, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind and trying her best to be happy in the moment.

"That boy is out of control!" Kagura punctuated her statement by slamming the door home on its runners. "There is no getting through to him when he's in a temper like that!"

Haru smirked at Kagura coldly. "That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it?"

"How is that hypocritical? I'm not unreasonable like he is, and I don't take my anger out on other people." Kagura bit off each word.

"Mmm," Yuki answered ponderously. "I have some studying to do. I'll be in my room if you need me, Honda-san. Nice seeing you, Rin. Haru, I'll see you tomorrow." Yuki nodded and walked out of the room.

Kagura yelled to him in a bit of a temper. "What about me, Yun-chan?"

"Goodbye, Kagura," he called back tonelessly.

"I'm going to go talk with Kyou. I have more tact than you, Kagura-nee, and I won't try to kill him if he makes me angry," Haru added with mirth as he rose from the table.

"Hmph! Now who's the hypocrite? Do you have any idea what you're like when you're Black?" Kagura didn't mean for him to answer her rhetorical question. This was an ancient argument that they had had a million times since Rin moved in with her and she had been forced to see the Cow all the time. "We don't want you here, anyway. It's girl talk time!"

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Haru ignored Kagura's ridiculous behavior and left the house. From the grunting coming from the back yard, Haru deducted that Kyou had come down off the roof to practice martial arts. "Kyou," he announced to the Cat, who was furiously kicking the air, "I know why you're so upset."

"The hell you do. Didn't Kagura tell you what I said to her?" Kyou wiped sweat from his brow and frowned at Hatsuharu.

"Somewhat, but I know that you didn't tell her the reason you ran out, and why you've been avoiding everyone at school. Tohru and Yuki, it's tearing you up inside."

"Are you looking for a fight?" Kyou demanded dangerously, pulling Haru close by the collar. "Because it sure sounds like it."

Leaning back from Kyou's grip, Haru glared at him. "Don't piss me off, Kyou. I didn't come here to fight you. I came here to talk to you."

"I'm not talking to you, or Kagura, or Tohru, or anybody! Why won't you people let me be?" he shouted, flinging his hand away from Haru and turning his back on his cousin, arms crossed. The next thing he knew he was lying prostrate with Hatsuharu's foot on his back. "What the hell?!?"

"We aren't 'you people,' we're your family! You're always pushing everyone away when you're really mad at yourself. Tohru hasn't done anything to deserve how you're treating her! Get up!!! Now we are fighting!" Haru waited for him to rise before planting his fist hard into Kyou's ribs.

With a roar, Kyou fought back. Now that he had brought out Black Haru he didn't have a choice. Limbs flew and fists landed. They finally quit, worn out, at a draw. "You really did get better," panted Kyou, taking a seat on the edge of the porch.

"Yeah, so did you." By his calmness, he was White Haru again. "Are you ready to talk now, Kyou?" he asked serenely as he sat next to Kyou.

"Fine, we'll talk. I know you're not stupid. I can't help it if I'm angry. I know that you understand what it's like to lose the person you care about more than anything," he said in subdued anger, massaging the sore muscles in his arm. He was surprised that no one in the house had heard the fight and come to see what was going on.

Haru straightened his leather wristband and answered slowly. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. I do know what you're going through. It may be hard to accept Tohru liking Yuki now, but acting as you have been isn't doing any good. Either you be nice to Tohru and keep her as a friend, or you drive her away and lose everything. Kyou, when you get locked away you'll regret it if you were cruel to her in your last few months together."

"Don't say that! I'm not going to get locked away," he said firmly. "I'm going to beat that damn Rat once and for all and earn my place in this family!"

Haru sighed. "Okay, disregard that. But think about what I said about Tohru. I know that she's important enough to you that you aren't going to reject her for showing more interest in Yuki than yourself."

Kyou took a minute to answer. He knew in his heart that Haru was right, but it was hard to come to terms with. A picture of Tohru's laughing face flashed into his head and made up his mind. The thought that he would never see her laugh like that again was too much. If he did lose to Yuki, which he didn't even want to consider, he would spend the rest of his life in misery if he knew that he had wasted his last moments with her on jealousy. "I won't. I'm not. Haru, I'm not going to do that anymore. For once in your idiotic existence, you're right."

Haru's eyebrows raised at the last part, but he was willing to accept Kyou's answer. "You up for another round?"

Kyou ignored him and gave him a suspicious look. "Haru, you aren't going to tell anyone about this! If you do, I'll kill you!"

"Let's fight for it. You win, I won't tell anyone except Rin. You lose, I tell Yuki," he suggested with a grin.

"You wouldn't!"

"That's the deal. Yes or no?" Haru shrugged

"Fine! But you can't turn Black!!!" Kyou raised his fists threateningly.

"You know I can't control that. Let's go." Kyou started the fight before Haru's last words were out of his mouth. There was no way he could let the Cow get away with this one.

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"Would you like some more tea?" Tohru asked cheerfully once Haru had left. She wasn't exactly happy on the inside, but she didn't want to burden her guests with her problems.

"I'm fine, Tohru-kun." Rin smiled at Tohru. "And I wouldn't worry too much about Kyou. Haru will take care of him."

"What's going on, anyway, Tohru-kun?" Kagura inquired. "Is Kyou-kun being mean to you?"

Tohru placed her head in her hands at the feeling of tears springing to her eyes. "I don't know what I did to make him so angry with me."

Kagura embraced her friend, who she looked at as a little sister. Tohru was too innocent not to love. "Aw, it's not you, Tohru-kun. He's just mad about Yuki. He's got some serious things to think about coming up, and he's just being angry with everyone."

"You mean being locked away?" Tohru asked, sobbing. She had almost forgotten about Kyou's imprisonment in her attempt to put the incident with Akito in the back of her mind. She felt so awful about being insensitive to his plight.

"You know about that?!?" Kagura's eyes were huge with wonder. "But how did you??"

"That's not important, Kagura," Rin interrupted. "Tohru-kun, Haru knows Kyou very well. They've been training since childhood together. I'm sure he'll talk some sense into him. I don't think we should talk about this anymore. What do you say, Kagura?" Kagura nodded, so Rin continued. "Haru tells me that you and Yuki have gotten closer suddenly."

"Really?" asked Kagura giddily. "I didn't hear that! What happened?"

Mortified, Tohru blushed. "Oh, nothing much." She didn't feel right telling about Yuki's childhood secrets, knowing that he had told her about that in confidence. "We've just been talking a lot lately. Yuki-kun has always been very kind to me."

Kagura jumped up and down in her place. "Well, something must have happened! Did he kiss you yet?" she asked quietly but delightedly.

"Eh!?!" Tohru went from pink to red in seconds. "K-kiss? Uh, um, no, nothing like that!"

"Okay," Kagura laughed. "I won't embarrass you. I bet Yun-chan is a good kisser, though! He's always been concerned with how other people feel. I bet he would be a tender and caring kisser! Tohru-kun, you have to tell me all about it when-"

"Kagura!" Rin said sharply. "Stop it! You're humiliating the poor girl. Let's talk about something else." Rin would have like to find out what it was that Akito had said to Tohru on New Years, but this wasn't the right time. If this was any indication of how Tohru acted when asked about uncomfortable things, a conversation about Akito would probably make her keel right over.

Instead, they talked about more superficial topics, like school and new fashions. Kagura did most of the talking, and mostly to Tohru, who listened and nodded as if in a daze. The subject seemed to turn to Yuki, though, with Kagura in charge, so Tohru was permanently flushed. Kagura gave her all sorts of instructions on what Yuki liked and disliked, and things that Tohru should say to him. Rin cringed inside at the thought of Tohru going through with most of the suggestions, but she kept relatively quiet. Besides, she didn't think that Tohru would have the guts to wear or say even a fraction of the things that Kagura recommended. Rin heard muted sounds of fighting from outside, but only because she knew what to listen for. Kagura's voice was way too loud to hear the noises except that she had expected them. Haru knew that he was going to talk to Kyou today. That was the main reason for him coming, and he knew that the two of them would end up in fisticuffs.

Eventually, they walked back into the house, bruised and out of breath.

"Kyou-kun! Hatsuharu-kun! Are you all right?" Tohru rose frantically to hover in front of them.

"We're fine, Honda-san," Hatsuharu answered. "We were just practicing. Kyou won." He sounded a bit disappointed at that.

"Kagura," Kyou began, "I'm sorry." Kagura continued to look at her cup of tea on the table. She was going to ignore him until her temper wore off, he decided. He would deal with her later when she wasn't so aggravated. "Tohru?" he said, turning to the girl in front of him, who was looking at him with her big, naïve eyes.

"Yes, Kyou-kun?"

"Sorry," he said rapidly. Tohru radiated happiness when she smiled at him. It was a little contagious and he found himself smiling back. "I have to go take a shower," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I'll see you guys later." He literally ran from the room in embarrassment. He would never live that down.

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"Tohru-kun, did the other kiddies leave?" Shigure asked in feigned sadness. Finally, his house was back in order.

"Yes, Shigure-san. They left a few minutes ago." Tohru lifted the tray up off the table and offered it to him. "You didn't get any lunch, Shigure-san! Would you like some riceballs?"

Leering, Shigure picked a mako onigiri up and popped it in his mouth. "Mmm, delicious!" he exclaimed when he was done swallowing. "Is everything okay now, Tohru-kun?" He added emphasis to his words by giving her a serious expression. He knew very well what had been going on between his three housemates.

"I think it is, Shigure-san," Tohru said, for once returning his serious look. He was partially surprised that she had picked up on his meaning. Even so, he was glad to hear that Tohru was happy. There wasn't much happiness left to be had, and Tohru of all people deserved as much as she could get before the end. Times were going to get worse very soon. Shigure didn't let on to any of this, though. His smile remained plastered on his face as he discussed his new novel with Tohru. Poor, sweet Tohru-kun.

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A/N: Well, I hope you liked chapter 10. We've got a ways to go, and much more action to come! There's a big climax coming soon, so be on the look-out! I hope my faithful readers are willing to hang in there for my big dramatic finish (it'll be a while!). Keep reading and reviewing. It really makes my day!

Thanks to:

Zapenstap: I think it should be called the "Hot Haru Club" too ^_~, but I figure that Minami's little sister is probably as annoying as she is, so she wouldn't be that original. Thanks for all the compliments. You know I trust your opinions most!

C.B.: I am evil! Hehehe. You'll have to read and find out!

Merei-chan: I don't think those dumb girls can handle Kyou's manliness! They only like the pretty boy Sohmas, although Haru is decidedly sexy.

kireina: We'll be seeing some more mean Akito shortly!

PikaChan: I love writing Shigure and Aya together. Expect more of them as comic relief.

Lady Kara: I've often thought of how Yuki and Kyou should combine to form one person. Kyuki? Yukyou? Haha. Where's your story? I've been waiting patiently, but you got me all excited to read it!

Chibi Charlie-chan: Well, I updated soon! The story is still getting warmed up, if you can believe that. The plot will take a dramatic twist and get much better (IMHO) soon!

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Advertisement: Read my other fic! It's got lots of fun fluffiness for fans of all pairings! Sound interesting? It's called "Furuba Love Stories" and so far you can read about Rin x Haru, Tohru x Yuki. Tohru x Kyou, and Kisa x Hiro. Uo x Kureno coming soon!