Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A ship in the fog ❯ Down the haul ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2 - Down the haul

 

 

“What are you drawing?” asked a small Yuki bending over a little Kyo's shoulder.

 

“It's a castle! Can't you see?” the redhead frowned and turned around to look at Yuki's paper. “And you?”

 

“I…” Amethyst eyes went wide as the small boy's body went stiff. Kyo's frown deepened at this sight and he turned his head in a snap to see what had caused his cousin to freak out.

 

There he was, standing in the doorway, with his face white as alabaster and his dark eyes empty for a second's fraction. Then they were filled with ice. Both their moms were standing beside the door, waiting.

 

“I take this one,” the master said, looking at Yuki, who started shaking. The purple haired boy's mother bowed her head and hurried towards the kid. She snatched the paper from his hand and pulled him by the arm through the door.

 

“I don't want him,” he added, pointing at Kyo. The redhead's mother nodded and looked at the little boy with distaste and anger.

 

Kyo's big eyes filled up with unshed tears. He concentrated on Yuki's drawing on the floor. Suddenly, he felt a presence at his side, and then harsh fingers dug into the tender flesh of his chin, pulling it up. Black eyes locked onto his as he heard the syrupy voice say, “I don't want you. Nobody wants you.” With a wicked smile, the teenager pushed him onto the floor and exited the room without a look back.

 

Kyo got up on his shaky little legs, the paper in his small hand. He looked down at the portrait of himself his friend had made, tears finally spilling from his eyes.

 

As the scene blurred away, crimson eyes cracked open and saw the blond boy at the side of his bed. He'd had that dream again, like each night since Yuki had come on board. He pushed the memories deep inside and rubbed his eyes. It took him some time before he felt the boy shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes again in a flick, ready to roar.

 

“Wake up, Kyo. Please wake up!”

 

“Momiji, what the hell…!” shouted the redhead, now fully awake.

 

“Shhhh! Come, I need to show you something,” the sea-boy urged with a low voice.

 

“God, this is the middle of the night. Wait until the morning, stupid!” Kyo was about to go back to sleep when the blond boy pulled him by the wrist.

 

“It can't wait, Kyo, I've already wasted a lot of time finding you. We need to go. Now.” Concern was written all over his tiny face.

 

Kyo noticed then that he was still in the doctor's bedroom. Sighing, he got up and followed Momiji out of the room and into the hallway. The long corridor was lighted by a few lanterns, and everything was silent except for the ship's cracking and the light sound of their feet on the carpet. The sea-boy went down the cabin's floor and through the kitchen, then down again. The flickering light of Momiji's lantern was reflecting on the haul's merchandise when Kyo stopped and grabbed the younger's shoulder, causing him to turn around.

 

“Enough. Just tell me what's going on, damnit!” He was tired, his hands were still hurting like hell and there was no way he was about to waste his precious sleeping time down here for no good reason.

 

“Look,” the sea-boy replied, pointing ahead. Screwing up his eyes, Kyo saw a glimmer behind the water barrels.

 

The redhead moved slowly between the huge things towards the faint light, his heart racing. He had a gut feeling that this was not going to be good.

 

He actually smelled the boy a couple of seconds before he saw him. The smell was one of sickness and something like… despair? Kyo stopped right away and locked his eyes onto the black and white hairs coming out of a disgusting pile of blankets. Even though he had been loud enough, the heap hadn't moved.

 

“Momiji,” he asked the sea-boy, who had followed him, with a lowered voice, “Who's this?”

 

“I found him when the cook sent me to fetch her some things down here for tomorrow's breakfast,” the blondinet answered him. “His name is Haru. I didn't know what to do, so I told him I was going to get you once I had brought back the jam and all to Kagura. I don't know if he heard me though.”

 

Kyo crouched near the two toned boy and put one of his bandaged hands on the top blanket.

 

“Oi, are you awake?”

 

When he got no answer, he shook the old blanket a little harder. “Hatsuharu, please wake up!” begged Momiji, now sitting at his side. Still no answer. “What should we do, Kyo? I know we should tell Shigure there is a stowaway in the haul. But if we do, he'll have no choice but to tell the master, which will be bad for Haru. But if we don't, and the master finds out we knew about him, which he certainly will, it'll be bad for us.”

 

 

The redhead growled. Right when he had seen that tiny light he'd known that it had meant trouble. - Damnit! That man has hated me since my youth. If I help this guy hide and he finds out, I'm as good as dead. - He started to remove the blanket on the boy's head to take a look at him and see if, at least, he was still breathing.

 

He was.

 

Kyo looked down at the delicate features and the fair skin. A fine layer of sweat made his face shine in the candlelight. He pushed back the white bangs to put his hand on Haru's burning forehead. He couldn't help but think of how soft the other's hairs were and that he looked kind of cute in his sleep. -Gaahg, what the hell am I thinking! He is a guy! I am a guy! Besides, I like Tohru. She is the one I like. She…

 

Suddenly, the two toned head made a small move and Kyo withdrew his hand quickly, a faint blush spreading on his cheeks. Slowly, the gray eyes opened themselves and tried to focus on the two boys at his side, going over the blondinet and locking onto the redhead. Time was suspended as each boy took in the other.

 

Haru's brain was kind of slow. - Momiji's back … So those peculiar eyes … Must be Kyo's … I've never seen that color before... Nice… It looks nice on him … How much time have I been out this time? - A couple of hours, a couple of days? He couldn't tell. Tired, he felt so tired. He tried to sit up but couldn't get his body to move.

 

“Hey,” was all he could say. It was enough for his dry lips to rip and some blood to appear.

 

“Momiji,” ordered the redhead, “go get fresh water and food.” As soon as he saw those soft eyes Kyo just knew he couldn't tell on Haru.

 

“Do you think he can eat in his condition?” wondered the sea-boy, secretly relieved. He would have felt terrible giving out on the two toned boy.

 

“Do I look like Hatori?” Kyo snapped back. After a second thought, he mumbled, “And we can't ask him either, he'll tell Shigure. You can try to find something to bring his fever down though.”

 

Momiji chuckled and jumped to his feet. “I'll be back in a minute,” he told Haru with a wide smile as he took his lantern and disappeared behind the barrels. He was happy. Even if Kyo was hot tempered and even rude sometimes, he had a good heart and had helped him out quite a few times when no one else would. And the blondinet knew how his companion's hopes towards Hiro and Kisa's governess had been crushed as soon as Yuki had set foot on the ship's footbridge. “This time I'll help him out the best I can!” he thought, remembering the tender smile and the faint hue on Kyo's face when Haru had opened his eyes.

 

A moment later, the blond boy was back with everything. “Here you go! I'm sorry, I can't stay. I'm on deck cleaning duty this morning and the sun is about to rise,” he said, putting the things down. Kyo nodded absent-mindedly and Momiji hurried back up.

 

In order to make the ill boy drink some water and the medicine Momiji had brought, Kyo needed to wake him up again for he had passed out as soon as his companion had left them the first time. Hesitating, he was about to shake Haru when he saw the gray eyes already fixed upon him. “Hey, you need to take this and drink a little. Then I'll have to go too and you can go back to sleep.” He hated how uncaring his voice sounded, but he was embarrassed; he didn't know how to act. Pouring a glass of fresh water, he tried to make the other boy drink, but to no avail. Water went everywhere and Haru choked, the pink on his cheeks turning a deep red. - Damnit! I'm drowning him! - Kyo rushed and lifted up Haru's head and chest and watched worriedly as the two toned boy coughed his lungs out. After some time, which Kyo found way too long, Haru's breath was back under control, though still a bit short.

 

The redhead considered his options. With a deep blush he seated himself behind the sick one. With Haru's burning body leaning against his chest, his tanned arm wrapped around him, and the black and white head nested in his shoulder, he succeeded in making him drink the medicine and a few sips of water.

 

Once it was clear that Haru couldn't take in any more without throwing up, he put the boy down carefully and brought up the blankets that had fallen off his shoulder. He would have liked to stay a little longer, but he knew his absence wouldn't go unnoticed. He drew the food and water closer to the fortune bed and was about to leave when Haru's snow-white hand grabbed his wrist. Except for the only word he had spoken earlier, the two toned boy had kept his mouth shut. Kyo saw in the fevering gray eyes what the sick boy wanted to say and stopped him. “Don't worry, go back to sleep. I'll be back tonight. If you feel better, then you'll tell me what brought you here.” Kyo felt a small pressure on his hand and guessed the words on Haru's lips more than he heard him say “Thank you.”

 

 

 

To be continued…