Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Black & White Heart ❯ Red Rose ( Chapter 22 )

Chapter 22: Red Rose

Whatever it was, it had been a nice feeling. Whatever the dream had been, he liked the feeling it gave him as he was slowly drawn back into the conscious world. He hadn't felt this feeling before, he felt, contented, sleepily happy as he lay there underneath the covers of his bed, snugly warm. As the light from the outside world gradually made its way under his eyelids, there was another feeling that found its way to the surface.

Yuki had never felt so sick in his entire life.

And what a headache!!

Opening his eyes into direct sunlight was the not the brightest, ok, well actually it was painfully bright, but not the cleverest idea on the planet. Yuki buried his head into his pillow to try to stop his head from spinning, as one hand fumbled with the set of draws by the bed to find a clock. Grabbing hold of it and peaking at it through one eye, he found it was 11.15 in the morning. Placing the clock back down on the polished wood, Yuki's arm flopped back down useless over the side of the bed as he lay there on his front, telling himself to get up but his body not complying. That nice, comfy, warm and happy feeling he had woken up with had now completely disappeared. His head felt like it was going to explode, the rest of his body just seemed to be drained from energy, everything seemed to ache, and had now just realised he was incredibly thirsty, and hungry. Ever so slowly crawling out of bed, Yuki sat up on the edge and held his head in his hands, shielding his eyes from the winter morning sun disturbing his clouded mind. Gradually making his way over to the wardrobe, he pulled out a white towel dressing gown that came with the room for its guests, and wandered over to the door of the room, still holding his aching head in one hand, and sliding back the door with the other. On the table in the middle of the room it would seem an untouched breakfast was waiting. Untouched? Yuki looked back to the bedroom, to his own empty bed, and apparently, to Haru's empty bed too. Not only was it empty, but it looked as though it hadn't been slept in at all, with the sheets still neatly folded as they were the night before.

Argh, the night before.

Half kneeling and half collapsing down on the floor in front of the table, Yuki reached for the jug of water that came with the breakfast and poured out a glass, drinking the whole thing in one breath. He had never done that before, he had never got drunk like that, or drunk full stop. That wasn't like him, not like him at all, why on earth did he do that?!

…..why did he do that?

--"I know….what you want." --

Yuki blinked. Was that…what was that? Closing his eyes, he attempted to think back to whatever he did last night, having remembered nothing expect looking across at Haru in the Hotspring and, well, that was about it. But what happened after that? Shutting his eyes even tighter, he remembered trying to move his way through the water over to Haru, and then….and then……..

….where is Haru?

Opening his eyes from his deep concentration, Yuki turned his head to look over his shoulder back to his room when-

Smooch!

A suddenly bright red Yuki pulled back sharply in surprise from a serenely smiling Haru who had just planted a good morning kiss on his lips.

"Haru what a-" Yuki started leaning back away from him, when suddenly he was pouncing on, bundled up in a hug lying on the floor as Haru's arms snaked around his body and he held him close, resting his head just under Yuki's chin on the towel gown covering his chest, snuggling against him. Yuki meanwhile, threw a number of muffled and nervous shouts of "Haru" at the loving Zodiac, before Haru's hands started roaming under Yuki's dressing gown. Yuki had a big enough headache without having to deal with this type of Haru so early in the morning, so moved his arms up to push Haru away from him when Haru grabbed his wrists, pinned them to the floor, and kissed him again.

"Maarouu." Yuki exclaimed angrily, suddenly finding his usual early morning strength back and shoving Haru right off him, "Stop it!" Yuki demanded, managing to sit up before he was once again pounced on, knocking a little against the table, and back down on the floor. This time Haru wrapped his arms around Yuki's chest keeping his arms at his side, and lay down right on top of him, and while Yuki struggled, Haru whispered.

"I love you."

And Yuki stopped struggling.

He lay there for a minute, Haru against him quite contently, before Yuki sighed. At the back of his mind he vaguely wondered how many times Haru had said that to him, and now a new thought of how many times he had done nothing but push him away, just like he was currently trying to do, although to no avail with the way Haru was clinging to him. It seemed at first Haru had been in his Black mode, but his Black wouldn't have stopped what he was after, and now, with doing nothing but holding him, Haru seemed to be back to White again, quite happily where he was. I love you. Yuki didn't understand why this time that Haru had said that, and not any other time, that he felt his heart practically stop in his chest. If it had happened before, Yuki would have said he was an idiot and probably jump kicked him out the way and into his senses, but neither one of those things crossed his mind this time.

And that made him worry.

"Haru," Yuki began quietly, "What are you doing?" he said exhaustibly.

"I'm hugging the person I love most in the world." was the calm, simple and apparently obvious reply.

"I can see that. But….what are you doing?" Yuki didn't even know what he was asking.

There was a short pause before Haru pushed himself up a little from the floor on his elbows and looked directly into Yuki's rather hesitant looking eyes. Haru studied the confused face for a moment before smiling gently,

"You don't remember…last night…do you?"

Yuki eyes widened, "Last night?"

Haru smiled at him sweetly once again, "Well," he stated, jumping up from Yuki indicating the conversation had apparently ended, "I'm not very hungry this morning, so I'm just gonna go for a little walk or something."

"H-Haru-" Yuki began hurriedly, sitting up on the floor, but Haru had already walked walk out their room, closing the door behind him. Yuki glanced over at the food on the table, and although having been starving just a moment ago, had now lost his appetite.

Remember...........

......

...... < p>...... Remember what!?

------

"Eheheheee…..hmmm, hehe, oooohh…"

Shigure, who had been up for hours, was currently browsing through a clothes rack in the laundry room of the Hotspring resort looking through the hung up maids uniforms.

"Oh my word, this one could definitely use a little touch up, it just wouldn't flatter the wearer."

As was Ayame.

Both had wandered into the laundry room looking for some kind of clothing to wear so it looked like they worked here, so as long as Yuki or Haru never actually saw their faces, it wouldn't be quite as bad if they saw them walking around if they blended in with the staff. But it would seem both of them had got distracted by the girl's uniforms, and both for different reasons.

"Hheheee."

------

How many corridors does this place have? Haru pondered, as he walked through yet another door, which he hoped 7th time lucky would be the reception area.

"Oh. Can I help you?" a nervous high pitched voice sounded. Haru noticed a woman in a woolen cream shawl crouching by a pile of clothes in the room he had just walked into. She was facing away from him sorting through other shawls in a basket.

"Yeeeah. Could you tell me where the Main Entrance is I…seem to have got a bit lost."

The woman proceeded to give Haru directions, and saying thanks, headed off on his way.

The room was silent for a moment before there was a rustle of clothes at the back of the room, "That was close Shigure." Said Ayame, coming out from behind the rack of clothes he had quickly hid behind when Haru had walked in, as Shigure pulled the shawl off his back, "It was lucky you had put that on."

Shigure grinned, "I should have known Haru would wander into places he shouldn't. Aw didn't he look cute! All dazed, I wonder if last night worked after all. At least we know this disguise works."

"Yes but do we really have to walk around in those dreadful shawls, they're all so old and musty." Ayame said, disgusted at the unfashionable grey and cream coloured shawls they had found, and they were so long, they almost looked like cloaks.

"Now now Aya, this is for Yuki remember, sacrifices have to be made!"

Ayame sighed and brushed a stray piece of hair out of his eyes, "Yes I suppose you're right."

"Well, ready to get the day started?" Shigure grinned, holding out a faded blue one he had found.

"Eurrgh," Ayame complained, taking the tattered looking thing with an image of loathing, but for his brother, he would sacrifice his fashion style;

But only for one or two days!

-----

Having taking some tablets to quell the battleground of a headache, Yuki now sat, alone, confused, and cold. Not that he realised he was cold, he was more, terrified, that he couldn't remember what he did last night, or more importantly… what they may have done.

-"You don't remember…last night…do you?"-

The look in Haru's eyes suggested that something a little more unusual may have happened that night, it was a look that said whatever had happened, Haru certainly had liked it. So now Yuki sat on a bench that faced out over the forest, with the hot spring to his right, trying to will his brain to remember what he did that made Haru go Black on him this morning and start slipping out how much he loved him again. Did he feel any different? Mentally? ….physically? Yuki shook his head to himself. No way in hell would he ever do something like that, drunk or not, there would be no way! He didn't care that you loose your senses when your drunk, that you don't realise you may say things that you don't wish others to hear, but 'that', there would be some part of him that would say no, it just would!

At least…it better have had.

Why did alcohol do these kinds of things? How can an entire part of your memory just disappear? Maybe he did pass out, and that's why he couldn't remember anything. But why would Haru be happy about that? Unless he…

Yuki's eyes widened, than mentally hit himself. How could he even think that Haru would…no, just empty that train of thought and pretend it never appeared. Yuki felt a stupid childish blush creep up as he thought how panicky Haru must have been if Yuki just suddenly passed out on the floor. And yet, knowing that he would be that panicky, was kind of a nice feeling. He could just see him carrying him to his bed and not leaving until he woke up, or something like that. Looking up from staring aimlessly at the snowy ground, Yuki watched a Robin at the edges of the forest, hopping its way across the green grass that had been sheltered from the snow by the thick branches of the furs trees above it. Something startled it and it flew away across the hotspring. Yuki watched it as it fluttered away when it flew over a half empty wine glass sitting on a rock by the spring.

-"I like hugging you."-

Yuki's eyes widened. Did he say that to Haru? A small blush began to once again appear as a very blurry memory of him practically groping Haru in the corridor outside their room flashed across his mind, and worse, he was naked with nothing but a towel!

Oh my god…

WHAT THE HELL DID I DO!?

-----

"KYO MY LOVE!!"

"Oh god please go away." said an exasperated Kyo.

He could deal with Kagura for a few hours, but for the whole weekend, it was going to drive him nuts. Last night he had to resort to moving a wardrobe in front of his room door to prevent her from trying to sleep in the same room, and now she was off on one of her "I love you so much why can't you understand" hyperactive speeches, and Kyo sat there staring at the wall looking much liked a cornered Kitty than a fighting lion like he usually was.

-----

"Oh of course Master Ayame, I think it's so honorable how you are helping your brother, if only all people could be as sweet and kind as you," said Ritsu's mother, using a handkerchief to wipe away the tears at the edges of her eyes.

"Well you know, haha," he said, liking the praise he was receiving, "Anything for my little brother."

"So kind." She continued, as Ayame walked away wearing the shawl and a headscarf to cover the colour of his hair.

With his usual flowing clothes underneath anyway, he did actually look like a maid girl as he pushed a small trolley down the corridor that held Yuki's and Haru's lunch, and, a special little something on the side. Those two wouldn't recognise him at all, he would make his brother finally happy or he wouldn't let him leave until he was!!

"Hhahahahahahahahahaa!"

-----

Ayame didn't knock, but tried the door to see if it was open, which it was. Peering round the corner, he saw the room empty, and through the open patio doors at the other end, could just make out Yuki sitting with his back to him on the other side of the hotspring. Pushing his trolley through, he quietly arranged the food out on the table, and brought out the special little something. It was a single, long-stemmed red rose, which Ayame placed next to Yuki's plate.

-----

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

How many times Kyo had screamed that at Kagura he had lost count. He now found himself running around the house getting away from her as she sprinted after him screaming at him to do as he was told and to let her scrub his back in the bath.

Which was not going to happen.

Running through the nearest door and sliding it shut, Kyo held it tight as Kagura continued to tug at the other end. But Kyo would not let go, and after a few minutes (actually more like 15), Kagura finally subsided, and had returned to her sweet and innocent personality.

"I know, lets have lunch first then, then I can look after you even better afterwards." She beamed, skipping off down the corridor.

Kyo let go of the door cautiously and stepped back, flopping down on the bed in exhaustion. Living with Kagura was hard work, and it hadn't even been a full 24 hours yet! Letting himself stare up at the ceiling for a moment, he suddenly realised the room he had retreated into was Yuki's, and quickly sat up. If he was going to hide from Kagura it wasn't going to be in this room! Placing his hand at the edge of the bed to get up, the felt something hard digging into his palm. Something was sticking out from underneath Yuki's pillow.

-----

Realising he was thinking way too much into what may have happened last night, Yuki returned to his room to get away from the cold and also the various scenarios his brain was coming up with. Walking in and closing the patio door behind him, he saw that lunch had been served and was all laid out neatly. Haru had still not returned from wherever he had gone, and so Yuki sat down at his place and went to pick up the chopsticks only to find a rose laying there instead. Blinking and picking it up, there was a small card attached to it which had a simple row of marks:

I ♥ Y

-----

Curious, Kyo took the item from underneath the pillow, looked at it with a raised eyebrow…

Before bursting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

To Be Continued…