Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Furuba Love Stories ❯ Kyo and Kagura ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Chapter 7: Kagura and Kyo

Setting: Around age 30.

A frosty breeze stirred leaves across Kyo's path as he made his way up to the old dojo, a worn bag slung across his shoulder. It was a path he had walked countless times in the past, but it was almost unfamiliar to him after all these years.

After the curse had been broken, Kyo had moved in with his Master to help out and train. That had gone well for a few years, until his Master died of complications from cancer. Kyou left and never looked back. The Zodiac members, or former Zodiac members, had mostly moved away also, seemingly in a daze from the unexpected freedom. Tohru, whom Kyo had once loved, had gone off to college on a scholarship that Yuki had helped her find. Kyo had kept in touch with her, but the love he once held so dear had dissipated over time and distance.

Now Kyo found himself on the old path, going to see an old acquaintance. Kagura had called him out of the blue the week before to tell him that the Sohmas were selling the dojo, and she wanted him to have the chance to see it once again, since the place was so special to him. As luck would have it, Kagura had chosen to become a real estate agent and stay in the main house.

Kyo rubbed his clammy palms on his shirt as he neared the house. It was childish to act this nervous about seeing Kagura, but a small part of him was still an angry teenager wanting to turn tail and run from his childhood stalker. Shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind, he approached the door and knocked firmly.

"Kyo!" The door opened to expose the owner of the voice, smiling brightly in her hunter green business suit, chestnut hair gathered in a neat bun. "It's wonderful to see you!" She quickly wrapped her arms around him in an unexpected hug.

"K-Kagura? I barely recognized you." It was true. This happy, friendly, mature woman hardly resembled the Kagura of old. Kyo slowly hugged her back and was surprised to hear her laugh.

Pulling back to hold him at arm's length, Kagura shook her head. "How long has it bee, Kyo? Ten years?"

"About that."

Kagura grabbed his hand and led him into the dojo, talking glibly as she walked. "I see you on TV all the time. You've become quite a name in the martial arts circuit," she told him laughing, "but I suppose you know that already. I just thought you might like to see this old place before it got sold, and I'm sure there are some of your belongings still scattered around here."

Kyo paused when they got to the kitchen table, causing Kagura to turn and give him a questioning look. Kyo had eaten meals with his Master, his father, so many times there. Little memories like that had flooded his mind ever since her received that call from Kagura. Glancing at her, he sat down at his old spot at the table and unslung his bag, setting it before him. "How much?"

Following suit with a frown, Kagura shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. There's probably some old photographs and stuff. You would know better than I would. No one's been here since you left, except some cleaners, and they didn't move anything."

"No, I mean how much for the dojo?"

"Oh. Um, it's not really selling for that much. We could probably get more for it, but the new head of the family has sort of led the Sohmas to financial problems. No one really knows yet, but they had to give me some incentive for selling this place quickly."

Kyo unzipped his bag and displayed the contents to Kagura, at which her eyes popped. "Is this enough?"

"Eh, uh…um…I-I really don't know, but um, I'd say yes." Kyo smirked at her loss for words. He didn't think he'd ever seen her so shocked before. "You, um, want to buy the dojo?" she asked incredulously. "But what about your career?"

"I quit. I did tournaments long enough, and now I want to teach. That's always been my goal anyway."

"But…?" Kagura's looked to the tabletop as if it knew the answers to her questions.

"Hey," Kyo began, getting her attention back, "I sent the league my letter of resignation, which they'll probably get tomorrow. Then I gave notice to my apartment manager, closed all my bank accounts, told my agent, and came out here. I'll buy the dojo for however much it's listed at, and use the rest to fix up the place and live off of until I get some clientele. Don't look so freaked out, Kagura. A life of fame isn't for me. I want to live here quietly. I want to get by modestly, with students, and maybe even a family. I feel like I'm missing out when I'm on the road all the time, and I hardly have time to relax. I mean, I made all this money, even, and I still live in the same crummy apartment I got when I moved to Kyoto. I've never even bought anything exciting. What kind of a life is that? I can tell you it's not the life I want."

"Oh, Kyo!" Kagura lunged across the table and threw her arms around him. "I had no idea you were suffering so much! Why didn't you call me? Aren't we friends anymore?" she wailed.

Kyo was completely flabbergasted by this outburst. It was a reminder of the Kagura he remembered, the part of her that had always been there for him, from the first day they had met. Awkwardly, he patted her hair, trying to comfort her, as she was now in tears. "Don't cry over me. It's not like my life is terrible, just not what I want. I'm actually really happy now, because things are working out for me. And what kind of a guy calls his old girlfriend to complain that he doesn't have time to spend all his money?" Had he really just called her his 'old girlfriend'? He blushed as he realized that he had. He had certainly never referred to her as that before.

Kagura had a familiar gleam in her eye, Kyo saw, when she readjusted her position to look him in the face. "Kyo, my love, I thought you hated me! I still love you, too!" At that, she fiercely grabbed his neck and began devouring his mouth with hers. He wasn't even sure what was going on until she was madly absorbed in the kiss.

"Pyeh! What are you doing?" Kyo twisted out of her grasp and bounded to his feet. "Are you crazy? I didn't say I loved you! Kagura, if you're going to pull this crap on me now, I'm not moving back here!"

Instead of yelling like he had expected, Kagura slumped over and started crying unabashedly. Kyo wasn't sure how to react. "I'm sorry, Kyo, really. I swear I'm not like that anymore, it's just that seeing you again has brought back all those feelings. I know I was a horrible person to you, and you don't want to hear what I have to say for myself, but I need to say it anyway. Kyo, I never stopped loving you, even though I didn't see you for so long. I watched you on TV every time you competed, and I cheered, knowing it was silly because you couldn't hear me. I came to realize that the reasons I started loving you were wrong, and that I handled it so badly, and when I figured that out, I began to see all the things I genuinely loved about you. But it was too late." She paused for a second to dry her eyes with her sleeves. Kyo rummaged around in his bag and found the travel pack of tissues, which he handed to her, and then sat down at her side. "Thank you. When I heard your voice on the phone, I was so nervous, and then when I actually saw you today, I tried to act cool and mature, but my stomach had butterflies the size of wild boars in it." Kagura laughed sadly at her bad pun. "I guess when you called me an 'old girlfriend,' something happened in my heart and I took it to mean what it really didn't. Please don't give up your dreams on my expense. I'll leave you alone."

Kyo was silent for a few minutes, letting all of the things she had said sink in. "First of all, I was pretty nervous, too, so don't feel bad about that. And I thank you for being such a big fan, even if I couldn't hear you. Kagura, I don't hate you. A part of me reverted to adolescence when you did, also. I certainly don't want you to leave me alone. You're my oldest friend, and I already told you long ago that I don't care what the reasons were for you wanting to be around me back then. Honestly, I still don't have enough friends that I would throw away the most dedicated one." Finally a small smile was showing through the tears. "I feel pretty honored that you love me, I guess, too. So, um, what are the things that you genuinely love about me know?" He smiled at her when she smacked his arm playfully.

"What an ego boost this must be for you! Honestly, Kyo, I love many things about you. You aren't afraid to say what's on your mind, and you always have a way of apologizing without saying 'sorry' that means so much more. That's all I'm giving you before I make myself look like a real idiot." Laughing Kagura wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.

Kyo told her of what he had been doing the past years, and asked her what she had been up to. They talked for a long while, through several pots of tea that Kyo made. He still didn't trust her in a kitchen, even though she assured him she was better now. Grumbling bellies forced them to leave the house eventually. "I can't believe it's this late already," Kyo observed as he watched Kagura lock up the house. "Say, I've got a bag full of money, a new house, and a new life. What do you say we go find some dinner?"

Kagura dropped the keys on the ground and began mumbling in a flustered manner. "D-Dinner? Um, is this a date then, Kyo?"

"Sure," he told her, and picked up the keys before she could. "I suppose these are mine, now."

"You know, Kyo, you've changed a lot. I think it's done you some good," she said, as she walked down the path ahead of him.

"You've changed a lot, too, Kagura," he said too low for her to hear. He was starting to feel at home here again.

A/N: Um, yeah, another one without much action. Next time I guess. And I think I'll probably do repeats of some of the pairings, in different situations, because the possibilities are endless. So don't think this is the last of Kyo and Kagura, to any diehard fans. Please keep reading, reviewing, and suggesting! It's a true inspiration to write more.