Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A Caged Heart ❯ Troubled ( Chapter 16 )

Author's Note:

 

We both know that Fruits Basket isn't mine, so let's just continue with the story, shall we?

 

Troubled:

 

“You… knew?” Kyo's mouth dropped open in complete shock. But it didn't last long. “You knew this whole time?? All this damn time???”

 

“Well, um…” Tohru twiddled with her hair, uncomfortable and at loss of what to say. Things were supposed be getting easier…

 

“And you didn't say anything?? I've been going through all this crap and you never told me that you knew??? Hell, you've known for days!!!” Kyo laughed an odd laugh. It was strained and frustrated. It was pissed off. “I went through all this trouble - I even fought Yuki - and you never said a damn word!!! Not a single word!!! And you knew!!! You knew this whole time and never even made a single, little effort to tell me??”

 

“W-well - Kyo…it's…um…” She struggled to find words, but it was hard when she didn't understand why he was so mad.

 

“Oh god, do you know what an idiot this makes me??? Damn it, Tohru!!!”

 

Unable to handle the sudden turn of events, Kyo stormed off rather speedily with a frustrated roar. Turns out he hadn't lost all of his energy after all.

 

Tohru blinked. What just happened?

 

“You can't just let him go off like that, you know.”

 

Tohru spun around.

 

There was Shigure, standing not too far away. He looked rather knowingly at that moment, as if he too had known all along.

 

Tohru didn't bother asking how long he had been standing there.

 

“Where'd he go?”

 

“Woods, probably.”

 

“But… I don't understand…”

 

Shigure sighed.

 

“He's a troubled young man - more than you'll ever know. He's just confused.”

 

“But… why? What…”

 

“Just go after him, Tohru.”

 

Tohru opened her mouth, about to ask another question. Then it closed, and she changed. The bewildered look on her face vanished, and she smiled determinedly.

 

“Mm-hm.” She nodded. And off she went.

 

A faint, sad smile appeared on Shigure's face.

 

“More than you'll ever know…” He whispered.

 

He retreated back to the house.

 

His job was done.

 

*************************************

 

Kyo was running. He didn't quite know why, he didn't quite know where, but he was scared and he was running.

 

He dodged tree after tree, leapt over stone after stone - just running, running, running away.

 

He remembered what happened the last time he ran, and the last time he stopped running.

 

So he stopped, and thought for a minute, going over all the recent events.

 

He had fought with Yuki and beaten him.

 

He had fallen unconscious, then regained consciousness.

 

He had given Yuki a black eye and had lived to mock him about it.

 

He had tried to tell Tohru about is feelings, and instead she had told him that she already knew.

 

He had run away.

 

She never said she didn't feel the same way.

 

“What the hell am I doing???”

 

*************************************

 

Tohru stood at the edge of the woods. She knew she was being silly, but you had to admit - it was pretty creepy!

 

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her back foot and carefully placed it in front of the other.

 

She could hear her heart pounding.

 

Doing her best to ignore it, she quickly took a few more steps forward.

 

“Okay - well, I'm in the woods now!” Her cheery voice sounded feeble and frightened in the silence. That was probably because it was. “Nothing's happened yet, so it must be safe! I must keep going! Nothing to be afraid of - nothing at all…”

 

She looked around, as if expecting a madman to leap from the treetops. Seeing nothing but shadows, she suppressed a squeal and scampered over roots and rocks, keeping a lookout for any glimpse of orange hair.

 

She ran on and on, just barely managing not to trip over various plants. She regretted not bringing a sweater.

 

Then she realised her biggest mistake.

 

“Oh no…”

 

She had no idea where she was going, and no idea where she was.

 

Except that she was lost.