Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Ebony and Ivory ❯ Silent Treatment ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, but I try to keep Natsuki Takaya's characters as she would want them, even if my stories deviate a bit from her canon.

 

A/N: Sorry this one is kind of short. But the next scene's really long, so I saved it for the next chapter. I'll update soon, though! Please review!

 

A/N 2: Ever noticed that the way to make a cat come to you is to act like you're completely ignoring it?

 

 

CHAPTER 17: Silent Treatment

 

It was Saturday night, and Yuki had finally come down for dinner, though he wouldn't say anything except to Tohru and Shigure. Not that Kyo was trying to start a conversation or anything. It had been more than a week since their fight at the temple, and Kyo didn't want to think about it any more than he absolutely had to. Not even that much, actually.

 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Tohru went to answer it. “Oh… Hatsuharu-san?” she asked, sounding happy but confused.

 

“Yeah. Can I come in?”

 

“Of course!” Tohru replied. “I'm sorry—I was just so surprised to see you! How are you, Hatsuharu-san? Are you here to see Yuki-kun?”

 

“Actually, I'm here to see Kyo,” replied Haru's voice, making both Kyo and Yuki look toward the door in surprise. Yuki looked confused, and when Haru came in he looked a little worried.

 

“Haru… are you okay?” Yuki looked him over. It took Kyo about a second and a half to figure out why Yuki seemed concerned. Haru's tone was laced with Black, and his eyes were dark. Fortunately, he apparently hadn't lost control yet.

 

“I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to Kyo for a few minutes. Don't worry.” He gave Yuki a slight smile, and then grabbed Kyo by his shirt shoulder. “Come on,” he said.

 

Kyo hesitated, nervously. He was stronger than Black Haru, but Haru could still inflict a lot of damage if he was upset. “What… why…”

 

“Come,” Haru ordered, the Black sounding a bit stronger. Kyo stood up and let Haru lead him by the shirt sleeve out the back door.

 

“Ah… um… come back safely!” Tohru called, looking worried. Kyo didn't reply, and remained silent until Haru stopped, deep inside the forest, far out of sight and earshot from the house.

 

“Well, what the hell's going on that you had to drag me out here?” Kyo asked, trying to stay calm in hopes that it would calm his explosive cousin.

 

“That's what I want to know,” Haru said. His eyes were dark, and he looked like sending him into Black mode would be as easy as toppling a house of cards. “What did you do to Yuki?”

 

Kyo blinked in shock. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

 

“Don't play dumb!” Oh, he was definitely going to go Black. Kyo braced himself. “What did you do to him to make him upset?” Haru demanded.

 

“I didn't do anything!” Kyo protested. “Why do you think I have anything to do with it? He's just in a funk.”

 

“Then why was he happy on the first day of school until you said you hated him?” Haru was clearly controlling himself with a physical effort.

 

Kyo paused. Had it been that obvious? “Beats me.”

 

Haru glared at him.

 

“What? It's not like I've never yelled at him before! Would you calm down? I don't want to fight with you right now.” Especially not over this, he silently added, though he wasn't sure why.

 

“Why? Because you know I'm right?” Haru asked, glaring. But he seemed a little calmer. “He was happy the first half of the day. He was smiling like I've never seen him smile before, and he said he had good news to tell me. I've never seen him that happy. It was obvious that he chose to sit next to you, and he seemed thrilled that he was finally allowed to. And then you started going off on how you hated him… he looked like you'd ripped him apart. After school I asked him what it was he was going to tell me, but he shook his head, and said that apparently it was null and void.”

 

“He was going to tell you we were friends?!”

 

“I don't know. Were you?”

 

“I… of course not.”

 

“Well whatever he was going to tell me, he decided it wasn't true when you acted like that. I don't know. I haven't seen everything. But I do know that Yuki doesn't make friends easily. If he thinks of you as a friend, there's obviously been a lot going on… he's probably confided in you.”

 

“What the hell? He never talks about himself.”

 

“There are more ways to confide in someone than just talking,” Haru replied. He seemed a bit calmer. “Yuki isn't like you, Kyo. You can just hang out with people and not really care about the relationship all that much. But Yuki is different. He can't feel comfortable with someone until there's a relationship. And if you start treating Yuki like a friend, he'll start to think of you as a friend. He doesn't compartmentalize. He wants more than just to chat with you every now and then. He wants a real friendship.”

 

“I don't get it.”

 

“I know you guys were friends, or at least that's how he felt. And he put a lot more into this relationship than you think he did. And you're hurting him. Badly.”

 

Kyo blinked a few times. He'd thought this hurt routine was all affectation, because Yuki was annoyed. Haru must have missed the memo. “Why would he care? I'm just the cat. I mean, he'd get bored with me eventually anyway, so why should I take the teasing and everything? Why's it so important?”

 

“Kyo, Yuki has never seen you as the cat. And he does not want to be your friend only to drop you later.” His words were bitten off, and his eyes were dark again. “He likes you, Kyo. Don't you get it? He's liked you for a really long time. Your acceptance is as important to him as his is to you.”

 

“Wha… I don't care if he accepts me or not.”

 

“Don't lie.”

 

Kyo looked away. “That's impossible,” he whispered. “He's the rat. Everyone likes and accepts him, even Akito. Why do I matter? I'm the cat.”

 

“I told you, he doesn't care about that. And you've got it wrong, about Akito. Akito… was never kind to him.” Haru sighed. “Kyo, don't you understand that your smiles are worth as much to him as his challenges are to you? And that when you say you hate him, it hurts him just as much as when someone calls you an outcast? Worse, even, because he trusted you?”

 

Kyo stared. “Are you serious?” he asked at last. Haru had to be exaggerating. Kyo couldn't have hurt Yuki. Yuki was just being a prig. Right? He'd hardly gotten emotional about it during their last fight. But then… Yuki stifled his emotions and buried them under his mask.

 

“It's not like that with me,” Haru said quietly, interrupting Kyo's thoughts. “He likes me, but with you it's different. He's more at ease when he's with you, even when you're yelling at him. I don't know why that is exactly, but I know that if you were to be his friend, and really mean it… gosh, Kyo, do you have any idea what that…” He looked at Kyo, who was staring blankly. “No, you don't, do you?” He sighed. “Kyo, I would give anything to be the kind of friend to Yuki that you could easily be if you wanted to.”

 

“Haru, we can't be friends. I'm the cat and he's the rat. That would be like… copping out, or something.” Kyo felt Haru's eyes on him. “It was weird for me to start… not hating him… I mean… that's what's embarrassing, not…” Kyo fell silent.

 

“Do you like Yuki?” Haru asked.

 

Kyo sighed. “I don't know.” He's okay, but he's definitely high maintenance.

 

“Well figure it out. And if you do, prove it.” He stood up, and walked away.

 

“Why does it have to be all or nothing?” Kyo called after him.

 

Haru stopped and looked back. “Because Yuki grew up his whole life surrounded by people who acted like they liked him one minute, and hated him the next. He can't deal with it.”

 

Kyo thought. What people? Then he gasped. “What… you mean like…”

 

“Akito,” Haru finished icily. “You're acting like Akito.”

 

Kyo clenched his fists. “Damn you, Haru…”

 

“You know I'm right. Either be his friend all the time, or don't be his friend at all. Make your choice, and stick with it.” Haru walked away.

 

Kyo walked back to the house slowly, lost in thought. He slid open the kitchen door only to find Yuki looking right at him. He froze for a second and watched Yuki's face register relief. Had he been worried? “Where's Haru?” he asked.

 

“He… went home, I guess.”

 

Yuki paused, then looked away. “I'll be back, Shigure. I think I'm going to walk with him partway, just to make sure he gets home okay.”

 

“Come home safely!” Tohru called after him.

 

“Yuki, wait…” Kyo said, but Yuki didn't stop. “Yuki!” Nothing. “Damn it, Yuki!”

 

“Uh… um…” Tohru interjected, and Yuki turned and smiled at her.

 

“Don't worry about it, Honda-san. He's just being noisy. I'll see you later.” He slipped on his shoes and walked out the door. Kyo felt like he'd had the wind knocked out of him, and he collapsed on the ground and sank against the table with a moan.

 

“Kyo-kun?” Shigure sounded concerned. “Did something happen between you and Yuki-kun?”

 

Kyo didn't answer.

 

“Kyo-kun…” Tohru said worriedly.

 

“Everything's fine!” Kyo said firmly, and walked off to go sit on the roof.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>& gt;>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Kyo didn't talk to Yuki for a day or two after that. He watched as Yuki left and came back from another piano lesson, and found himself remembering the first time he'd gone. It had been obvious even then that Yuki didn't hate him. Apologizing and all that. So much had changed since then! Kyo found himself badly missing the music and watching Yuki play it. When he was honest with himself, what he missed most was the way Yuki played with him, writing songs on the spot as jokes, or playing while he talked, as though his songs were background music for the conversation. He wanted to see Yuki smile at him, to hear him laugh. And it was fun chatting with him, and sparring. Kyo missed Yuki.

 

Yuki, meanwhile, seemed to be dropping everything. Acting like nothing had happened. He was ignoring Kyo worse than ever. Not to mention avoiding him. Yuki still didn't come down for dinner as often, though he would eat afterwards. But Tohru was worried about him. Kyo didn't like to worry Tohru.

 

Kyo finally started to think that if all it would cost him was a little ridicule, maybe it was better for him to just treat Yuki a little bit better at school. Not exactly as a friend, but so that he wasn't saying he hated Yuki. Just to smooth things over a bit. Kyo went up to Yuki's room to announce his intention. He knocked.

 

“Come in.”

 

Kyo opened the door.

 

“Oh, it's you. Get out.”

 

“Yuki, can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

“No.”

 

“C'mon, Yuki, if you won't even give me a chance to talk…” He stopped. “I've sorted myself out.”

 

“That's nice.”

 

“Yuki, can we talk?”

 

“I said no.”

 

Kyo left the room, irritated. He had tried, hadn't he? But maybe he wasn't trying hard enough. The next day, he decided to try to talk to Yuki at school. Only problem was, the rat was nowhere to be found. Avoiding him. Kyo sighed, and walked around until he nearly bumped into Uotoni.

 

“Hey, have you seen Yuki?” he asked her on impulse.

 

She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sick or something? Just Yuki? Not `that damn Yuki' or `that idiot Yuki'?”

 

“Look, have you seen him?”

 

She laughed. “Why do you want him?”

 

“I want to talk to him.”

 

“About what?”

 

“None of your business.”

 

“I thought you hated him.”

 

“I d—” Kyo stopped. He had to say this sometime. “I don't, okay?”

 

“You don't?”

 

“No, I don't! You got a problem with that?”

 

“Well, I haven't seen him. Sorry.”

 

After all that. Kyo turned around. Suddenly he saw Yuki and started. Yuki was looking at him with surprise.

 

“Oh, there he is,” the Yankee said.

 

“I didn't notice,” Kyo said sarcastically, and walked over to Yuki. Yuki didn't run away. “Hey,” he said when he got there.

 

“Hi,” Yuki replied. Kyo briefly closed his eyes when he saw Yuki's face. Icy. Hard. Like nothing had ever happened. Like Yuki wanted to forget anything ever had.

 

Kyo's brain started to go on overload. Had Yuki heard what he said? Had he said something wrong? Had Yuki heard only part of it? Was Yuki mad at him? “Um…”

 

“It'll take more than once,” Yuki said.

 

So he had heard. “It was a start,” Kyo said softly. He looked up at Yuki. “Yuki, I want to make things right. Everything's been all weird, since…”

 

Yuki nodded quietly. “Okay.”

 

He sat with them at lunch, and smiled, and chatted with everyone except Kyo. Kyo didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. But he figured he got Yuki's message now. If Kyo would be civil to him, he would be civil to Kyo. But he wouldn't start treating Kyo like a friend until Kyo started treating him as a friend.

 

Kyo was getting tired of this. What did Yuki expect him to do? Follow him around at school, like Haru did, acting like a lovesick puppy? Kyo never said all that day that he hated Yuki. He actually denied it a second time, this time to Haru. Haru just looked at him, as though to say, “Yeah, so what else is new?”

 

Yuki just kept watching with an unreadable expression, saying nothing. But Kyo knew that look. It was the same as when Yuki was baiting him for a sparring match. Deep inside him, something gave a battle cry and met Yuki's challenge. “I am going to win this time, you damn rat,” he murmured.

 

There was a sudden silence, and Kyo realized he'd spoken out loud at the lunch table in school. Tohru looked a bit worried. Haru raised an eyebrow. Embarrassed, Kyo turned to Yuki, who was casually leaning his cheek against his hand, but was finally making eye-contact. “Good luck with that, you stupid cat,” he replied calmly, and took another bite of his food.