Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Black & White Heart ❯ Never Stood A Chance ( Chapter 18 )

Chapter 18: Never Stood A Chance

As the pink smoke died down, and all that was left was a crumpled pink and purple dress on the floor, with a small, grey rat sitting on top of it, the corridor was suddenly a buzz with whispering. Tohru had the largest sweat drop imaginable at the back of her head as she stared at the rat on the floor, her eyes wavering with a panic she was trying to conceal.

"Hey! Hey what's going on I can't see!" came a familiar voice, as Haru turned around to see Momiji jumping up and down behind him.

Quick thinking time.

Haru grabbed Momiji's wrist and pulled him forward in between Kyo and Yuki, grabbing Tohru along with his other hand. It looks like Shigure's little way of covering up before may come in handy now.

"Thank you Yuki. And that's not all we have on show for our surprise lunch time entertainment system the school council has decided to start." Haru began to the crowd in the crossroads of corridors, "It's a surprise special effects show we are putting on as a taster for the plan we have for next term after the holidays." What they were going to do after the holidays after this was something that would have to be figured out later, "Now, let's continue. My beautiful assistant here will perform `the magic touch'."

Tohru blinked as Haru held out his hand for her. Not entirely sure what Haru was planning, but practically frozen with fear for the secret and confusion anyway, she took it. Immediately Haru flung her past him straight into Momiji, who in a puff of yellow smoke turned into the small bunny, who sat on the floor and looked up at Tohru with big brown eyes. The crowd was silent for a moment before an eruption of claps and cheers filled the corridors.

"WOW!"

"How do you do that?!"

"I never knew this school could afford special effects like this just for lunch time entertain-"

"And that's not it," Haru continued, interrupting this in quizzical girl before she could get people thinking, and flung a still stunned Tohru over to Kyo, who as expected in puff of orange smoke, `disappeared', and in his place lay an angry looking cat. More claps and cheers were passed around and the girls cooed with cuteness as they patted the bunny, attempted to pat the spitting cat, and held the tiny rat in their hands.

"That's it for now, we will leave you with an air of mystery." He winked at one girl who was staring at him in awe, who blushed and looked away.

Now, picking up the bunny and rat, and throwing a warning glare at the cat who had backed up against the wall hissing at all the girls trying to get near it, walked over and picked it up.

"Thank you once again, I hope you enjoyed-"

"Where'd they all go?"

Tohru and Haru froze as they attempted to walk down the corridor as innocently as possible. After a pause, Haru slowly turned around,

"That…is a secret."{1} he said mysteriously quietly, before grabbing Tohru's hand and racing off down the corridor before the three animals in his arms decided to change back.

-----

It was nearing the end of the day, last break before the final lessons began. Kane now stood staring at the books in his open locker with a strange feeling he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He was thinking of going home, no point in staying and doing nothing, at least, he thought that's what he was thinking about, but there was something else that was pushing through. He felt…guilty? For what, thinking of going home? He'd done this a dozen times, cutting class. But somehow, this feeling of guilt wasn't directed at that, it was something else.

"It was you…wasn't it?"

Kane looked to his left to see Haru standing at the other end of the row of lockers, looking at him through lowered eyelids. Kane quickly averted his eyes back to his locker, suddenly that feeling of guilt had found its place. It would seem Haru had definitely not forgotten the humiliation he had put Yuki through by wearing that dress.

"What is wrong with you?"

Kane still didn't look at him. He pretended to he couldn't hear him and busied himself by taking books out of his locker and putting them in his bag. He heard Haru's footsteps as he walked towards him, and Kane suddenly felt a wave of fear wash through him. He wanted to say something back, like he normally would have done, boasting, teasing, anything, but he just stayed quiet, staring into the grey metal at the back of his locker. He had nothing to say, because he had no excuses.

Perhaps I `have' gone too far this time?

He felt Haru stop about two footsteps away from him, and Kane felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise slightly in nervousness. He suddenly regretted walking into Ayame's store this morning.

"You're disgusting."

His voice was that furious calm again, the voice that would only seem to appear when something truly dear to Haru was offended, a voice only recently come to be heard.

Kane looked down towards his right, away from Haru's accusing eyes. He sighed. Once again, what he had done, was something he actually didn't want to do. He didn't want to act like this, he didn't want to be seen as the freak, the loner, and any other kind of outcast name people could think of, but even knowing that, he still did these things that made people hate him. It was almost as if he would do these weird things to say to people
"Hey! Look at me!! Look at me!!". Maybe it was all attention seeking, maybe he just wanted to be noticed than to just sit in the corner alone and lost in his own little world.

"There…" Kane began, still avoiding looking at Haru, "There is something I want to ask you."

"What?" Haru stated flatly.

"What do you really feel about Yuki?"

"I feel enough for him to beat the shit out of you if you so much as look at him ever again." Haru's voice was disturbingly calm when speaking, just like he had done to Yuki when he had compared him to Akito that day.

Kane smiled subtly; perhaps that teasing feeling hadn't quite gone away. "You shouldn't be so rude to your seniors you know."

Before he could say another word, Kane's locker was slammed shut right in front of him and he was spun back around and slammed hard against it, the back of his head hitting the metal harshly.

"Listen you sick bastard, as much as I would like to leave you in a bloody heap on the floor, for some weird reason Yuki is trying to be friends with you and all you do is put him through humiliation like this," he growled, shoving the pink and purple maids dress into Kane's chest, "and all the other fucked up `jokes' you think are funny."

"I'm sick?" Kane inquired with one eyebrow raised, confidence suddenly dominate for short space of time, "Who's related to who?"

Haru's eyes flashed with anger before he lowered his head slightly, smirking, before looking directly into Kane's eyes, "Hmph, you're not even worth the air you breathe."

Kane had the decency to look a little taken back.

"That's always the excuse with people like you isn't it? `Moral principles.' Do you really think I could care less about that? So what? Because unlike you, who is just obsessed with getting attention by trying to go after the most popular guy in school, unlike you…" Haru narrowed his eyes, making sure Kane got his point perfectly, "…I love Yuki, more than anyone else on this planet could possible even compare too."

Kane couldn't look anywhere but into Haru's blazing eyes, and apart from the severe anger that was directed at him, he saw a sincerity inside that made that guilt he was feeling earlier return in full throttle. He loved Yuki. He would have to admit it, Haru loved Yuki, and with someone as fiercely protective like this at Yuki's side, I guess I really don't have much of a chance after all.

Haru closed his eyes and looked away, taking a deep breath. It would seem for Yuki's sake he was really trying hard not to go full out Black against the boy he currently held a death grip on.

"Look," Haru started again, trying to calm his voice, "Do yourself a favour…just stay the hell away from me, and the hell away from Yuki."

Without looking at him, Haru let go of Kane's shoulders and turned to walk towards the end of the locker room and the door. Kane still stood backed up against the lockers, as he raised one arm to touch his shoulder where bruising was bound to form.

"And I mean it Murasaki," Kane turned his head against the locker to look at Haru, who had stopped near the door. He didn't turn to look at him, but the stern tone in Haru's voice showed he meant every word, "I don't care I get expelled, if you do anything to Yuki again…I swear you won't be able to walk for the next decade."

And with that headed out the door, leaving a silent chill to surround the older boy left alone.

------

It would seem that, due to the very surprising `special effects' show that no one could figure out how they did it, everyone seemed to have forgotten about Yuki in his dress, either to busy trying to figure out about the `show' or thinking it was all part of it anyway. Sure people had been pestering him none stop, but he wasn't going to tell them the truth now was he? Even Tohru had been kind enough not to ask any questions about that, Yuki himself trying not to think about what she thought of him now. So after having his first piece of good luck from the entire week, Yuki leant back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief as the end of school bell rang. Somehow he had managed to get though this entire week, just about at least. Now it was the weekend, where nothing could go wrong.

No embarrassments, no idiot pranks, just peace, quiet, and away from pestering school girls…and boy for that matter. Just two whole days of nothing but…

"Haru."

Yuki looked to his right to see Tohru looking at him. "I'm sorry?" he blinked, not sure of what he had heard, whether it was Tohru speaking or his mind making him hear things.

"Oh, I said I think something is bothering Haru."

"Oh?"

"Well I didn't say anything but when we were walking to class but…I saw him walk by in front of me and he looked pretty angry about something."

Yuki frowned, Haru had been all right all day, even handled that lunch time scene ver……But of course, Yuki suddenly realised that it would have been Haru who would not have forgotten about the dress incident beforehand, and it was somewhat obvious that Kane was behind it. Despite him wanting to inflict much pain on Kane for putting him through that, Yuki felt a little worried for him now. If Haru managed to corner Kane somewhere…it could get nasty.

Yuki rose from his seat, "I'll go and find him." and walked out the classroom.

-----

Kagura skipped happily along the sidewalk down town, the tail of her cat rucksack swinging along behind her. At her side she carried a brown duffle bag that was covered in badges of all the cats she could find. Her school had finished for the Christmas holidays today, so she only had a half day, which meant she had time to pack what she needed for the weekend and walk to Shigure's house. She brought one hand to her cheek and grinned widely, this is going to be the GREATEST weekend EVER!

-----

Kane slid down to the floor by his locker and sighed in relief, his confident feeling suddenly disappearing now Haru had left, I thought he was going to kill me!

"Kane?"

Kane looked up to see Yuki standing near him having walked through the door looking for Haru. Kane's eyes lightened up a little, but disappeared just as quickly. He didn't deserve to even be near Yuki anymore. He looked away to the floor, awaiting another angry person to start shouting at him and saying what a waste of space he was.

"Have you seen Haru?" Yuki said after pause, having thought about telling Kane about what he really felt about him, but wanting to see if Haru had already got to him first.

"Yeah I've seen him." He said, stepping up from the floor and opening his now slightly bent locker door.

Neither one elaborated on either sentence, so Yuki simply watched as Kane removed two books and placed them inside his bag, attempting to shut the locker door which bounded back open now it was bent.

"Why did you do that Kane?"

He had been waiting for that, "I don't know!" Kane said forcefully, avoiding Yuki's eyes, "I'm sorry okay, I don't know why I did it!" he found himself shouting as he tried to slam his locker shut again only for it to bounce back hard against the one next door. Yuki didn't flinch at his raised voice, he stayed where he was as a very pissed off Kane started to shine through, "I'm just fed up with people treating me like crap! Yeah I know when all I do is humiliate people I'm just being a hypocrite, but hey, I'm so sorry for not being ideal human being." He now stood faced away from Yuki, clutching the straps of his bag that rest on a side bench. Once again Yuki said nothing, just listened. "I…I really am sorry." Kane began, his voice now calm and guilt ridden, "I know that won't change anything now, you must hate me even more."

"I feel sorry for you, although I don't know which would be better." Yuki stated.

Kane felt so tired, right now he was an emotional mess. Another silent pause as two sides of Kane's personality fought against each other, before he finally gave in. "Haru…he really loves you." Yuki wasn't expecting him to say that and looked a little shocked. "I…I won't try anything any more. I can see how much he feels for you, I'm just being selfish and obnoxious, and I'm sorry." Kane sounded pretty upset, being hard to admit out loud what was obviously happening, "Haru…when he came in here…he was so protective of you, I didn't know what to say back." He turned back around to face Yuki, whose eye were wide and bright, "As weird as this is going to sound coming from me…don't let him get away." He tried an awkward smile, "You do always seem so happy around him."

"YUKI!"

The two boys turned towards the door where Haru's voice was coming from down the corridor.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." Kane smiled, before walking out the door before Haru could see him with Yuki.

Yuki looked back at Kane's locker, having given up and hung by its hinges half closed, as his mind drifted back to Haru. Even Kane had noticed the way he acted around him, was he really that obvious? And Haru being protective, did he really have someone so loving so close that he just ignored? Haru sure was persistent that was for sure.

"Yuki?"

Yuki turned back around to see Haru standing just inside the door, darting his eyes around probably to try and spot Kane. It was that defensiveness for Yuki that was showing again, and for one moment, Yuki actually felt like smiling. Walking towards him, Yuki slowly placed his arms around Haru's waist and held him against him, smiling softly into his hair.

Who knew why Yuki was hugging him, but Haru was sure as hell glad he was! This was the first time Yuki had willingly showed any kind of affection towards him without he himself pushing it. So as Haru hugged him back, sliding his arms under Yuki's and holding the only person he would ever want in this world, a sappy smile found his lips.

Kane never stood a chance in the first place.

To Be Continued…

{1} lol Ah, sorry, couldn't resist sticking Xello's infamous saying from The Slayers in there! ;)