Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Mouse Trap ❯ III ( Chapter 3 )

Mouse Trap

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III of ?

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It was nearing midnight, but Tohru found she just couldn't get to sleep. She was too worried about the babies.

Were they alright? Or had they somehow managed to fall out of the cage? What if they'd gotten wheatgrass in their little mouths and choked? Were they still breathing? Were they feeling hungry, or alone? Or cold? Or maybe too hot? They were so small and helpless.

Tohru sighed worriedly and sat up in her bed.

Was this what it was like for her mother? Had she been constantly concerned that her baby daughter was in some kind of distress? Maybe this was what being a parent was all about.

The thought of taking care of the baby rats had been exciting, at first - it wasn't that she'd taken the responsibility lightly, it wasn't a game to her, oh, no, not at all - but this sense of complete responsibility was downright terrifying!

Feeling a little panicked, her heart beating hard in her chest, Tohru slipped quickly out of bed, and opened her door, making her way downstairs as quickly - and quietly - as she could. She was just turning the corner into the main room from the hallway when she saw a shadow leaning over the rats cage. The unexpected sight made her quiver with fear for a moment before she realized it was Kyou, and she almost fell over in relief.

“Oh, you couldn't sleep either, huh?” Tohru asked in a soft voice, smiling as she stepped into the room. “I'm sorry, I hope I didn't startle you.”

The cat didn't jump at all, nor did he turn from his silent vigil over the cage. Finally, he reached up to idly scratch his left shoulder through his plain white t-shirt. “Yeah, right, who d'you think you're talkin' to? You sounded like an elephant walkin' down those stairs. The people in Antartica probably heard you comin'.”

Unoffended, Tohru gave a light laugh as she approched. “I'm sorry,” she said in apology. “I didn't mean to make noise, but I just couldn't get to sleep - I wanted to make sure the babies were alright - I kept thinking of all these horrible things - “

“- that might happen to 'em?” Kyou unexpectedly finished for her. “Yeah, me too,” he confessed grudgingly. “It's okay, I came to check on 'em, too,” he admitted. Rolling his eyes as if in disgust with himself, he ran a hand through his rumpled ginger hair, scrubbing roughly. “But they're fine, y'know. Still sleeping, lazy rats.”

“Oh? Still?” Tohru stepped forward in disbelief and peered through the cage at the sleeping bundle. “Huh. I guess babies do need a lot of sleep to grow.”

“So does a certain girl I know,” Kyou retorted. “Quit worrying about the rodents and go to bed. I'm not tired, so I'll hang out and watch 'em for a while - so don't worry, okay?” He looked at her a little anxiously, before blinking abruptly and scowling. “Not that I care if you do. Don't...don't go getting the wrong idea - “

“Huh?” Tohru frowned in confusion.

“Never mind,” the cat exhaled harshly. “Just go to bed already.”

“Um, Kyou-kun?”

“Yeah...?”

“...”

“Well, what is it?!”

“ Uh, sorry - ! It's just, I don't think I'll be able to sleep away from them just yet! Do you think...maybe I could stay here with you and watch them for a while?”

Kyou's fierce eyes widened suddenly in the dim light before he quickly turned away. “Fine. If you don't trust me - “

“Oh, no!” Tohru was horrified that she'd led him to believe such a thing! “Kyou-kun, no, it's not that at all! Please don't think that, I was just concerned, is all, I'm being selfish, I just wanted to stay because being near them makes me feel better, I do trust you, I swear! I'd trust you with my life, Kyou-kun!”

Kyou turned around to look at her, gaping slightly before he ducked his head. “I...whatever,” he said, sounding too dejected for Tohru's comfort. He nodded towards the kotatsu. “Just go sit down and be quiet - you don't wanna' wake the babies up, do ya?”

“Oh, no - !” Clamping her lips shut, Tohru tip-toed to the low table and sat on one of the cushions.

Kyou shook his head at her exaggerated motions and stood over the cage for a few more moments before surprising her by coming over and sitting down across the wide table from her.

Tohru watched him for a while, curious about his behavior, and he looked at her, solemnly, his crimson eyes catching the moonlight oddly and reflecting it back at her in an unsettlingly animalistic way. It was like watching a flashlight bounce off a mirror. She would have been scared if she hadn't known it was him.

After several long minutes, Tohru yawned, swaying a little.

Kyou sighed, and said bluntly, “I'm bored.” He had one knee raised up, and was plucking aimlessly at the fabric of his black sweatpants.

Tohru snapped to attention, her long hair sliding over her pink pajama-clad shoulders. “Um, we could play a card game if you want, I suppose. That's pretty quiet.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kyou said, sounding utterly disinterested. But he didn't complain when she got up to retrieve the cards.

Halfway through a game of Revolution, Tohru paused and gave him a great big, happy smile. She felt so content...and safe.

“This is great, isn't it, Kyou-kun? Just like a sleep-over?”

Kyou gave her a funny look. “Yep, except I'm not a girl.”

Tohru laughed cheerily, smiling so big that her eyes were practically squinting shut. “Well, that's lucky for you, then! At least you don't have to worry about being the first to fall asleep, and then finding your bra in the freezer in the morning!”

Kyou dropped all of his cards. His little orange cat ears appeared out-of-nowhere and stuck up on his head, and he put both hands flat on the table as he leaned forward and gave her a beady-eyed stare. “I don't hafta' what?!”

Tohru giggled. “Oh, its Uo-chan - ever since we became friends, and started having sleepovers, she does that! It's just a joke, really! I'm always the one to fall asleep first, so - “ she shrugged. “Mom actually did it to her the first time, that's where she got the idea - “

“Your MOM?” Kyou nearly shouted, looking shocked and outraged at the idea.

“Uh-huh,” Tohru said, unaffected. It was obviously a fond memory for her. “Mom was always doing funny stuff like that!”

“Funny...? Are you stupid?”

Tohru looked at him. “Huh?”

Kyou was shaking his head again, a flush highlighting his cheeks. “Nevermind. Are ya' gonna' sit there all night, or what? It's your turn.”

“O-Oops! Okay!”

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And so, that was how they were found, feeding the baby rats early the next morning, by none other than Ayame, Shigure, and a staggering, sleepy Yuki.

“Oh, my poor, dear little brother! It seems Kyonkichi has beaten you to the chase! My heart weeps for your loss, my most favored sibling of all!” the snake declared with a spectacular toss of his long, almost labrynthine braid of hair. “But don't worry - I still burn with my love for you!”

“He's your only sibling, you moron,” Kyou growled sluggishly as he stood up. His backbone made an unhappy crackling noise as he gave an almost impossible cat-like stretch, and a drowsy, raw-eyed Tohru looked at him with a concerned wince - which the others did not fail to catch.

Yuki was still half-asleep, but he was looking a little hurt - and a bit angry. “Why didn't you wake me? I would have been more than happy to help out - Gina is my responsibility, after all,” he said with a pointed glance at the baby cradled in Kyou's hand.

“Get off my case! It's not my fault you were too lazy to get up and check on 'em yourself! Or maybe you just didn't care if they went hungry or not!” Sensing a fight coming on, he carefully put the rat back in its nest in the cage, a gentle movement that was totally at odds with his rising temper, and which, again, was not lost on the others present.

There was a flash of guilt in the rat's eyes before he turned to Tohru and apologized.

“Oh, it's okay, Yuki-san! I know how soundly you sleep! Really, I didn't even expect Kyou-kun to be up at all!”

“Yeah, it's just that some of us have too many things to think about. Guess it must be nice to sleep so good - not a worry in the world, huh, Rat?” Kyou taunted.

“Oh? And what is it, exactly, that you 'think' about, Cat? Nothing too straining, I suppose, considering your brain is the approximate size of a flea,” Yuki uttered flatly.

Kyou snapped, his fists already up as he leaned toward the other boy, his red face clashing with his orange hair. “Oh, it's on, Rodent-Boy!”

Yuki stepped forward, only to run right into his older brother's back, which was covered in the usual resplendent silk fabric, bright indigo-blue this time with an intricate embroidery of peacock-flowers in shimmery gold, through-out.

With a sigh, Yuki backed off, closing his eyes in self-defense. While he had to admit, his brothers style was beautiful and elegant, the color was too much for him to handle up-close this early in the morning.

“I'm sorry, Kyonkichi, but I'm afraid I cannot allow the two of you to fight while I am in residence - the violence causes my delicate stomach such upset, you'll never know! On top of that, I had such a difficult time waking myself this morning - such it is, for those sleeping the sleep of the Just, I say - the heat is so oppressive, it was weighing me down, and what the humidity has done to my hair, oh, I don't think I could withstand another debacle - ”

“Outta' my way, Snake!”

“No.” Ayame leaned down, looking deep into the cat's eyes, so deep Kyou blushed and stepped back - at which point Ayame smiled so much that his eyes nearly closed, and he reached up and affectionately flicked Kyou's nose with his pointer finger.

Poink!

The noise was loud in the suddenly silent room. Kyou blinked, lips lowering over his bared fangs - and he huffed, the tension draining off of him, but only until he recalled what the snake had been saying.

“Oh, hells no, you better not be tellin' me you're stayin' over again!”

Ayame pouted. “Why? What's wrong with my little visits, Lucky-Kyou?”

“Yes, Aaya-chan is so much fun to be around!” Shigure mock-sobbed in defense.

“Stop callin' me that!” Kyou growled - if he had had fur just then, it would have been rippling and standing up all over his body in outrage. He looked at Shigure in accusation. “Are you kidding?! The last time he was here, it took me two hours to clean all of the hair out of the shower and sink drains! He may as well have stuffed 'em full of rope!”

Ayame looked aghast as he lifted the back of one hand to his forehead. “Oh, how cruel of you to remind me of my molting season, Kyonkichi! Dear, dear...I had been trying to forget that awful weekend - how humiliating! I looked absolutely dreadful! Just dreadful!”

“Oh, Aaya, you could never look dreadful!” Shigure claimed passionately.

“I thought snakes shed their skin, not their hair,” Yuki said in a low monotone in the bakground. Noone seemed to notice.

“Well, if ya' knew you were 'molting', what the hell did ya' come over here, for?” Kyou demanded.

“I just couldn't give up an opportunity to be close to my Yuki, now could I? I get to see him so rarely, after all - you really shouldn't be so selfish, Lucky-Kyou, but then I guess you can afford to be since you get to sleep next to him and Shigure, and Tohru, night after night!”

“Yeah, in seperate rooms!” Kyou bellowed, a red vein popping out on his forehead.

“You make it sound so dirty, Aaya,” Shigure almost giggled, nudging his cousin with an elbow.

“Yes, I know,” Ayame declared mischieviously, bringing up one elegant hand to 'hide' his chortle of laughter. “Forgive me!”

“Well, you better not think you're gonna' sleep in my room, again!”

Ayame tilted his head and gave the cat his most engaging look, the one that was usually reserved for Shigure. The room all but sparkled in his presence. “Oh, but dear Kyonkichi, I slept so well lying next to you! It was so restful! Yes, yes, truly, you were the sweetest armful I've had in an eternity - !”

Kyou and Yuki's mouths dropped open, and Tohru had delicate pink creeping into her cheeks. The only sound that could be heard was from the cicadas chirping outside.

“Oh, u-um,” the girl finally stuttered, hands fluttering around her heated face.

“Oh, don't look like that, Gure-san! It was completely innocent - no need to be jealous,” Ayame crooned.

“Oh, Aaya!” Shiure sang, dark eyes glistening with gratitude and worship.

“Gure-san...”

“Hell, I'm gonna' throw-up.” Kyou announced.

Ayame only smiled, and then he suddenly sighed, placing a slender hand over his abdomen. “Forgive me! My stomach is growling! How embarassing! I knew I should have bought some fresh-baked jelly-buns on the way over - I feel like I'm going to transform from sheer starvation! I really should dine, post haste!” His stunning gold eyes shifted oh-so innocently to Tohru, who, despite her sleep-deprived state, immediately snapped to attention

“Oh, my,” Shigure murmured.

“AAH! Ayame-san is feeling weak! I'll go and start breakfast!” she fussed. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder with a sweet smile that had everyone entranced for a long moment. “I'm so excited you came, Ayame-san!” With that, she cheerily disappeared through the doors.

“Maybe you should make *Mochi,” Kyou muttered darkly after her departing form, slanting a narrow-eyed look Ayame's way as Tohru left the room.

“How mean, Kyou! You know I choked on that at New Years - !”

“I do know, that's why I suggested it!” Kyou snapped loudly.

“ - cruel, cruel, Kyonkichi's so cold!” Ayame accused.

His cousin's flamboyant voice was enough to make his head ache. Kyou groaned. “Whatever, I'm goin' to get dressed.” He started to leave, but paused long enough to send a warning glare at the snake. “And stay outta' my room, snake! Damn, your 'visits' are a pain in the ass!”

“He really has no idea, does he Gure-san?” Ayame whispered naughtily behind his hand.

“Aaya, please, not in front of the children!” Shigure gasped, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Yuki stared at them blankly. “Now I'm going to throw-up.”

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TBC

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A/N: Hi! Shaynie, here! Thanks SO much for the comments! (I feel so grateful...) LOL. Seriously, many thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Don't worry, Ayame will be in the next chapter again, and we'll get to see his reaction to Tohru and Yuki's 'babies', LOL. Don't forget, for those of you collecting the Fruits Basket manga, Volume 14 is coming out in August! I'm so excited (but the new volumes are SO hard to find)! ^_^

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*Mochi - A sticky new years rice cake.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, or any characters from it. Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya, Hakusensha, Inc., and TOKYOPOP.