Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Black & White Heart ❯ A Sign Of Something Good ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: A Sign Of Something Good

"Is it safe?"

"Yes it's safe."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure?"

"Where's Haru?"

"In here with me."

"Where's the Rat?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah I wanna know if he's coming back anytime soon."

"I don't know."

"Is Tohru there?"

"She's in the Kitchen making dinner, now will you stop talking from the staircase and come into the room Kyo?"

Kyo slowly rose from his perch on the stair case and jumped down to the bottom, turning to look at Shigure who was studying some plans spread out on the table.

"Please can't it be put closer to Yuki's room?" Haru was saying, pointing at a place on the plans.

"Yes it could, if you think gravity wouldn't mind you suspended in the air. There's nothing to support it. The top floor doesn't quite cover the Kitchen so your room will have to be there."

"But it's over the other side of the corridor upstairs from Yuki."

"Well I guess that means you'll just have to walk a bit further then." Said Shigure, leaning back slightly and crossing his arms, a sudden rather sickeningly familiar smile on his lips, "After all, making you wait longer simply boosts your se-"

"DON'T even say it!" screamed Kyo, "This place is just getting way too perverted for my liking."

It was mid afternoon when the Manager from B&B - Bricks & Buildings had come to the house to run over with Shigure the plans for the new room. And no matter how much Haru begged them to have his room next to (or preferable in) Yuki's room, there was no where to build it but above the Kitchen where there was currently no second floor. He had left around 5.30 with the plans all set. The workers would be coming around early Monday morning and Haru's life at Shigure's house would officially begin.

After lunch Yuki had disappeared off to his Secret Base telling only Tohru, Kyo had hibernated in his room until this strange behaviour had subsided, while Tohru just busied herself with housework, a tiny little smile planted secretly on her lips. She had decided that she was going to help Haru as much as she could to win Yuki over, because no matter how hard Yuki was trying; she could see how he looked at him, especially lately. It's so cute! she thought to herself, a silly grin spreading across her face as she stirred the stew she was making.

"MmmmMmm, something smells delicious." Said Shigure walking through the kitchen, glancing around the room quickly to make sure there were no boiling kettles zooming towards him.

"Yup, it's my beef stew. Kyo said he'd like it for dinner today so I went out to buy the ingredients." Tohru smiled, adding a little dash of salt to the pot.

"Oh I see, so you make requests now do you?"

Tohru twitched slightly in embarrassment, "W-w-well, he just mentioned it, and, well, everyone seemed to like it last time so I thought it would be alright to make it, I mean if you don't wa-"

"Tohru, Tohru." Shigure sighed, "I was only going to ask if we could have stewed leeks tomorrow."

"Do that and I'll stew your next novel." Said Kyo, not even looking at Shigure as he walked over to the fridge.

"Do you need any help for anything Tohru?" Came a voice from the lounge, as Haru poked his head around the corner.

"Oh no thank you, I'm fine."

Haru nodded, "I'm going for a walk then before dinner."

"Okay!" Tohru smiled, waving goodbye to him with one hand as she stirred with the other.

-----

Haru strolled along the vague footpath through the woods. It was quite dark now, the sun hadn't set quite set but the trees blocked out what little light there was. Suddenly, something dashed out from underneath where was about to place his foot. It was a little grey rat that ran off into the bushes. Soon after another one appeared from his right and ran across to the path after the other one.

"Hmm?"

Haru turned and moved off the path through the trees. A minute later he found himself staring at a small piece of land filled with planted vegetables. The two rats he had been following scuttled under a raised tree root. Turning to look around the large tree trunk, Haru's expression changed from curiosity to panic, as he quickly knelt on the ground.

-----

Shigure, stomach full and a placid grin on his face, walked up the stairs towards his room. Yuki and Haru had still not returned and it took a lot of persuading to convince Tohru they would be alright and to serve dinner. Besides, Kyo was in a bad enough mood with all the weird things that had happened today, so a hungry Kyo would have been even worse. Shigure had had an inspirational moment after dinner and so was now just going to his room to pick up the notes he wrote at 2am this morning, then head down to his office to get typing.

But it was walking past Yuki's closed bedroom door when he stopped.

"Stop it Haru that hurts."

Curiosity getting the better of him, he tiptoed right up to the door and listened.

"Sorry. Maybe if I try a different angle."

"OUCH! Now that really hurts!"

Shigure's eyes widened at an alarming rate, What the….?

"Okay, pass that tube……..there. This should make it feel a little better."

A small sigh escaped Yuki's lips, "Yes, that's better."

Shigure jumped back from the door.

"Maybe if you put your leg up here it would be easier."

There was a moment's pause, "Are you nearly done?" Yuki asked.

"I think so, let me rub it just a little longer."

Shigure BURST through the door, his half alarmed half strangely excited face now staring at Haru who was…

"Hello Shigure."

…Bandaging what looked to be a very painfully swollen foot belonging to Yuki. Shigure didn't realised it but he was breathing rather heavily and now just blinked stupidly at Yuki, resting his leg up on the bed while Haru rubbed some de-inflammation cream on his ankle.

"Err…" Shigure panted, "Wha…what were….what were you…you were just…"

Yuki looked at him questionably, "Shigure what are doing?"

"Umm…" Shigure stared at them, before suddenly standing up straight and putting his arm behind his head, "Me? Hhahaha, err, I was just…err…." He stared at the two boys waiting for him answer, "…bye!"

He ran out of the door not shutting it behind him.

Haru stared at the now Shigure-less space, "What was that?"

"I don't think I want to know." Yuki scowled at that same empty space.

-----

"We didn't hear you come in." said Tohru, thoroughly relieved that they had both returned safely. Well, sort of safely.

"I'm surprised you didn't. I could barely walk up the stairs." Said Yuki, setting down his empty bowl from Tohru's heated up stew.

"Oh it was probably when Kyo was making a fuss over when we were going to eat. He does make quite a racket." Said Shigure, still feeling stupidly uneasy about earlier, especially when Yuki kept glancing at him and glaring.

"Will you shut up!?" said Kyo.

"It was lucky I found you." Said Haru, now placing down his own bowl, "Your foot had got pretty stuck under there."

"It must have been so painful when you tripped and pulled your ankle like that." Said Tohru, fussing at Yuki's side.

Yuki smiled at her, "I'm okay Miss Honda, really you don't have to worry so much."

Tohru just smiled sadly. She couldn't help worrying about all of them.

"Yes, perhaps I should call Hatori to take a look at it." Said Shigure, getting up and heading for the phone.

"You don't have to call him about every slight accident," said Yuki, "Besides, Haru was kind enough to help me." Yuki closed his eyes, "Wouldn't you say he did a good job, Shigure?"

Shigure froze in his tracks, a silly embarrassed grin appearing on his face as he turned around to see Yuki's knowing eyes upon him.

"Eh, eheh, yes, I suppose he did."

-----

"Yes…...well I don't know if Yuki's said anything yet……..believe me if he does you'll be the first to know……..well I'm hoping so, I'm all ready for that if it happens eheh……wait, someone's coming, ta ta Aya."

Shigure, as quickly and innocently as possible, put the phone back down on the receiver and turned to face a pajama clad Yuki walking off the last step of the stairs. Yuki didn't move when he saw the obviously put on innocent face of his supposed elder,

"Now what are you up too?"

Shigure sighed deliberately, "Must you young ones always accuse me of being up to something? So unfair. Perhaps I am just standing here enjoying the rare silence of this house, watching the stars in the night sky glitter through the window, letting my mind drift to tim-Yuki? Oh you've gone."

Yuki walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Yawning slightly, he walked back into the living room to see something he hadn't noticed before. There was a pillow and a pile of blankets lying on the floor. Looking over to the porch, he saw Haru sitting cross-legged resting his elbow on one knee, head resting in his hand, staring at something he held in his other hand. Yuki placed the glass quietly on the table and walked up behind Haru, opening the partly open doors a little more so he could walk through. The second the doors moved however, whatever Haru was looking at he shoved into his pocket and spun around to see who it was who had disturbed him.

"Yuki?"

Yuki shut the doors behind him and looked down at Haru, "Where you planning on staying down here tonight?" he asked, as he sat down next to him.

Haru looked away out into the forest, "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't think I trust myself to stay in the same room with you tonight. Not with what I've done today."

Yuki watched him carefully. It's true that Haru had been acting a little more, 'lovingly', than usual the past two days, but it wouldn't be right for him to stay down here when Yuki had agreed for him to share his bedroom until his room was completed.

"You already apologised for that Haru. It's alright, I don't mind you sharing my room."

Haru turned to look at him, guilty grey's meeting caring deep purple's. The wind was the only sound as it ruffled the trees, as Haru's mind told him to ask Yuki a question, but a question that might change something between them.

"Y-"

"Haru can I ask you something?"

Haru blinked, "Sure."

Suddenly the atmosphere between them seemed to change. Yuki looked away from Haru's eyes at the ground, a slight pinkness rising on his cheeks. "How you've been acting today, and yesterday," Yuki paused for a moment, unsure on how to phrase this and suddenly wishing he hadn't though of asking it in the first place, "Well, you're always saying and telling people that you love me, I guess I'm just wondering how serious you really are?" The second the words left his mouth Yuki instantly regretted it and before Haru even had a chance to answer (he was still staring at Yuki in shock), Yuki got up off the ground and slid back the door, "Never mind, I'll just g-"

Haru's hand found Yuki's preventing him from walking away. Standing up from the floor, Haru stood right in front of him, a now very earnest look on his face.

"How serious I am is up to you." He said quietly, still holding Yuki's hand, "If you're willing to give me a chance, than yes, I am very serious. If not, than I guess every time I say to someone or straight to you that I love you, that love will always just be a family thing."

Yuki couldn't believe he was actually hearing this from Haru. He'd known all along because it was obvious, but to hear him actually say it face to face, he didn't know how to feel.

"It can be whatever you want it to be," Haru continued, "But just to let you know…" Haru paused, looking away for a brief moment then straight back at Yuki, "This is the way I would like it to be."

Haru leaned forward; Yuki having only a moment to widen his eyes, as Haru ever so gently pressed his lips to his. It was a simple kiss, Haru didn't try anything, simply stood still, eyes closed, lips softly moving against Yuki's unresponsive ones. Yuki's eyes stayed wide open. His heart was beating a mile a minute; he didn't know what to do! His arms stayed by his side, LEAVE! His mind was screaming at him, but his legs refused to obey. A too short moment later, why was it too short? Yuki felt Haru take a step back. Yuki just stood there looking at the person who had given him his first kiss, his entire body still frozen from not knowing what to do. From the strangely confused expression on Yuki's face, Haru just smiled,

"I'll stay down here this evening, but we both better go back inside, it's cold out here."

Haru led the motionless Yuki by the hand he was still holding back into the house, closing the doors behind him. Perhaps it was the sudden wave of warmth from the house, but as soon as Haru closed the door, Yuki blinked and took his hand away Haru's, his breathing strangely slow, the already appeared blush burning redder, before turning and walking in a daze out to the stairs. Haru watched him go, absentmindingly biting his lower lip in memory before he was overcome with a very un-Haru like feeling and grinned triumphantly, jumping onto his homemade bed and under the covers, sighing in success.

If that wasn't a sign of something good, then heck, he'd kiss Shigure!

Haru's smile sudden faded, Hmm, it sure as hell better he a good sign then.

To Be Continued…