Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ in with the old, out with the new ❯ chapter four ( Chapter 4 )

“That's it ya damn rat, I'm gonna kill you!” Kyou yelled from the top of the stairs.

“Good morning Kyou. I made you something special for breakfast.” Tohru called up to him cheerfully.

He came down the stairs grumbling and rubbing his head where a nasty lump was beginning to form. He sat down at the table near Shigure, the kitten he had affectionately named Koto sitting sleepily on his shoulder.

Tohru came in and put a bowl of fish on the floor for Koto then put a cup of warm milk on the table for Kyou. He sniffed at it then gave it a tentative taste. Finally, he drank down half in one gulp, struggling to savor the rest. Tohru smiled at the contented look Kyou had.

Yuki came down shortly afterward, still asleep on his feet as always. He took his seat at the table, yawned and put his head down on Kyou's shoulder. Tohru was a little afraid he would get angry again but instead of the customary wake up call the rat usually received, Kyou seemed not to notice. It was the first truly quiet breakfast that she had ever had with all of them together.

At school, things seemed almost as calm. After about three days, the boys began to get used to the new curse although Hatsuharu still kept his distance. While a kitten or rat or even a rabbit could be concealed if they were set off, it was a bit more difficult to hide a rouge heifer in a high school.

Kyou didn't argue much with Yuki the rest of the day either and even ate lunch in the courtyard with every one for once. He was more relaxed, eating his lunch slowly and sipping from the thermos of warm milk Tohru packed him. He looked far away for a minute so taking herself out of the current conversation among her friends, Tohru watched him a moment.

“A penny for your thoughts.” She said, leaning over him.

“Nah, not my thoughts. They're worth a whole nickel. I'll give you a Dime for yours though.” He looked over at her and winked. He loved the sound of her giggle. She always looked so happy when he looked at her.

Momiji snuck up behind her and jumped onto her shoulders, a little bunny sitting on his head.

“Kyou, stop hogging Tohru. You get to see her all day so flirt on your own time.” He giggled. Tohru's face lit up like a lantern light but Kyou, for once, did not.

“Listen runt, I'll give you two seconds to get lost or I'll teach you how to fly the hard way!” He threatened.

“WAAAH! Tohru, Kyou's picking on me again! Tell him that I get to spend time with you too!” He wailed. She looked pleadingly at Kyou, hoping he would let it go for once.

“Look, if you wanna spend lunch talking her ear off, that's your business. Just don't come crying to me when she gets bored and never wants to talk to you again.” He closed his eyes and lay back out in the grass.

“Kyou, that's not very nice. Don't worry Momiji. I love talking to you. Kyou is just being mean.” She smiled.

“Will your ears really fall off if I talk too much?” He asked innocently, his lip poked out and quivering.

“Of course not, dummy. He was kidding! Do you believe everything people tell you?” Haru grumbled. His black side had come out and he crumpled his lunch bag angrily.

“Sit down and shut up, Haru. If you make a seen, I'll take you strait home, beat your ass and leave you there for Hatori to pick up the pieces!” Kyou snapped back.

“Both of you be quiet or I'll call Hatori and have him pick you both up.” Yuki, the voice of reason as always.

“Alright. Anything for you, Yuki.” Haru drawled, scooting closer to the rat. Kyou rolled his eyes and tried to catch a nap before lunch was over.

After school, Yuki and Kyou waited near the front gate for Tohru. When she didn't come, Kyou went off to look for her. He found her talking to two boys in the class above them. She seemed to be hanging on their every word but the looks they were giving each other gave Kyou a bad feeling.

He stepped out from around the corner and walked towards them. Tohru was the first to see him. She waved him over and the boys gave him barely a sideward glance.

“Whats keeping you? We've been waiting by the gate for twenty minutes.” He ignored the boy's intirely.

“I was on my way but these nice boys were telling me about their study group. I always feel like I'm bothering you and Yuki when I ask for your help so I thought that maybe working in another study group might help.” She smiled; oblivious to the sneers they were giving them.

“I can help you just fine on my own.” He said as calmly as possible. He didn't miss a thing they said or did but he didn't want to frighten her.

“I know but-“

“No buts. Come on, we're going home.” He grabbed her hand and began to lead her to the door but the boys stepped in their way.

“The lady said she needed our help. Who do you think you are? Her boyfriend?” The brown haired boy on the left asked.

Kyou glared at them then, to Tohru's surprise, laced his fingers through hers.

“No. But I am her friend. She may not get what you're up to, but I am. Keep your hands off her and nobody gets hurt.” He kept her close to him.

“I think that's up to her.”

“What do we have here? A cat, a klutz and two Dodo's. Quite the managery you got here, cuz.” Black Haru was leaning against the doorjamb, eating an apple.

“Get lost, Haru. I can handle this.” Kyou said, never taking his eyes off the boys.

“There's nothing to handle. She said she wanted to come with us so she's coming with us. We'll have her home before curfew so why don't you den mothers take off?” The brown haired boy grabbed Tohru's other arm and it was all Kyou could do to contain himself.

“Listen, I'll say this once but I'll speak slowly so you can understand. Leave the girl alone.” Haru growled. He waited for his cousin to move her out of the line of fire then stepped between them.

The blonde boy tugged his friends sleeve but he didn't move. He had heard of the two boys' tempers and the last thing he wanted was to piss them off.

“Hey cuz, truce?” Haru asked holding out a hand.

“Truce. Ready set?” The two charged the others and the only thing Yuki heard from around the corner was Tohru's scream.

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Well, that was interesting. We'll see how things work out. Ah, the spark of young love. Ciao.