Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Reaching Out For Love ❯ Part Two: Advice ( Chapter 2 )

Reaching Out For Love   Authors: DuosAngel and Pairings: Haru/Yuki, Kyo/Tohru, hints of Shigure/Ayame Warnings: sap, yaoi, het, humor, romance, angst, POV, Akito bashing Disclaimer: Neither of us own Fruits Basket but desperately wish we did.     Part Two: Advice ***** ~Shigure~ I was certainly surprised when Tohru and Haru came to Aaya and me, looking as if their best friend had been shot. Of course, being the compassionate person I am I asked Ayame to go make us all tea and told the two teens to sit down. When I asked them what was wrong Haru choose to answer for them both.   “Kyo and Yuki rejected us.” He says, getting straight to the point. I can tell by the tone of his voice that I’m dealing with Black Haru.   “Oh dear.” I say quite shocked. “Now why would they go and do a thing like that?”   “Because Kyo hates me.” Tohru says, looking at the floor.   “That’s nonsense.” Aaya says coming back into the room with the tea. “Kyo’s madly in love with you.”   “Obviously not!” She’s says angrily. The poor dear must be quite heartbroken to talk like that to someone older than her. I can’t remember ever hearing her use that tone with, well, anyone.   “Tohru calm down.” I say placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Aaya-san is talking out of what he’s seen over the past year. Believe me, we’ve all seen how Kyo looks at you.”   “But-.”   “It’s true Tohru.” Haru says. “Kyo loves you.” Tohru looks at the ground again. I can tell that she doesn’t believe us.   “Listen, I’m sorry that you two got rejected but why did you come to us?” Aaya asks giving the teens their tea. I’m surprised that he’s acting this way; usually he loves helping people with their love lives. I guess he’s just upset that they interrupted our, uh, fun time.   “We came to you guys because we need your help making Kyo and Yuki realize what they’re missing.” Haru says. “They need to know just what it is that they gave up and only you two could help us.” I’m touched by his faith in Aaya and myself. Of course it’s rightfully placed. If we can’t help them then no one can.   “We’d be glad to help you.” Aaya says, suddenly happy again. Like I said, he loves helping people with their love lives. “Of course it won’t be easy. Those two are even more stubborn that Kagura when it comes to their feelings.”   “We don’t care.” Haru says, his voice silently begging us to help. “We just need them to love us.” Aaya and me share a look. Haru and gone white again. He must be as upset as Tohru. He hadn’t had mood swings like this since before he met Yuki.   “Well, I can help Tohru.” Aaya says. “I know what it’s like to deal with a man in denial.” He looks over at me and I can feel my cheeks heat up. He never misses a chance to bring that up. “As for you Haru, I’m not sure what to do about Yuki.”   “Leave that to me.” I say. “I’ve lived with him for quite some time and know how to deal with him. You take Tohru and work on a plan and Haru and I will stay here.” Aaya nods and pulls Tohru out of the room before she has a chance to protest. I can’t help but smile. She’s in good hands.   “So what are we going to do?” Haru asks.   “Not we, you.” I say. “You are going to fight Yuki and claim him as your own.” ***** ~Ayame~ Grabbing little Tohru’s hand, I drag her out of the room and into the kitchen. Then I take a tissue from my pocket and give it to her with one of my genuine smiles.   “Dry your tears! We are going to get that boy back and have him begging for more! You’ll see!”   “Umm…” She gives me a confused look. HOW CUTE! “…how am I going to do that? He already told me that he…well…”   “Oh tut tut! You give up too easily! What would our lives be like if everything was within our grasp? We would never learn of the pain and suffering of others, nor would we be able to appreciate what we have already.” I wisely say. Heh, go me!   She smiles back and nods her head enthusiastically. “I guess you’re right, Ayame-san. So do you have any suggestions?”   I grin from ear to ear. “Weeeeell, I have an idea.” Then, bending over so that I can whisper to her properly, I let loose my plan. “Tohru…we need something that will TOTALLY surprise the little kitty, something that he would never suspect…”   Her eyes are glued on me, waiting for the last bit of information that will possibly decide whether she will get a second chance or not.             &nb sp; “….you will seduce Kyo.”            &n bsp;  Tohru’s face goes completely white, and her voice seems lost at the moment. I simply grin. This is going to be so much FUN!   ***** ~Yuki~ After Haru ran away from me I went up to my room to lie down and hate myself. How could I have treated him like that? How could I have lied to him like that? He must hate me, just like he did before we met. Could I live with that?   I can’t stand to be near you!   God, did I really say that to him? To the one person who means the world to me. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this isn’t for the best. Haru has been in love with me for as long as I can remember. What if my rejecting him makes him do something irrational? What if he…   No! I can’t think like this. Haru would never do anything that stupid. I did the right thing. I did the right thing!   …Didn’t I?   Damnit. Only one person can tell me if I did the right thing. I need to call Hatori. He’s the only one who’s seen the side of Akito that I’ve seen. He’s the only one who understands. ***** ~Kyo~ “Damn damn damn…” I said, punching a tree and kneeling down in exhaustion as it toppled over. Why did she have to go and do that? Then I mentally scolded myself. It wasn’t her fault, it was mine. I’m the one who lied. I’m the one who wanted fro her to say that more than anything…I waited for so long to hear it…and then…I just…   Again I punched a tree, only this time my hand received the punishment. I looked at the blood trickling out of the fresh wound, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t feel the pain at all.   My son, I love you so much…   Memories of my childhood suddenly flooded into my mind. Those were painful moments I never wanted to relive. But why was it haunting me now of all times…?   Kyo-kun …what do you think of me as?   Shaking my head furiously, I sunk to the ground. “NO!!!!!”   Kyo…I…I…   I started feeling wetness on my face. I was crying. “Weak...why do I have to be so weak? I can’t be...” An image of Tohru flashed in my head. “I won’t be…”   It all seemed too painful. Why did life have to be this way? What does suffering accomplish? But I wouldn’t cry…because I had to be strong…because I wouldn’t lose this battle.   Kyo-kun…   “I’m so sorry, Tohru…”   ***** ~Haru~ I stared at Shigure for a good five minuets before I found my voice again. “Fight Yuki? Are you insane?”   “I’ve been told that I am but I’ve chosen not to believe it.” He says with that damn smirk he always has on his face. I couldn’t fight Yuki. He’d kick my ass. Shigure just laughs when I tell him this.   “Now how do you know that?” He asks. “You’ve never even tried.”   “I can’t even beat Kyo.” I say. “So how am I supposed to beat Yuki?”   “Easily.” Shigure says. “When Yuki and Kyo fight they use their undying hatred for each other as their strength. If he’s fighting you, Yuki won’t have that advantage.” I’m still a little skeptical, but I’ll go with Shigure’s plan. It’s the only one I have.   “What should I do?” I say with a sigh of defeat. Shigure’s face lights up in a bright smile, one that spells trouble in my book.   “It’s simple really.” He says leading me out of the room. “All you have to do is challenge Yuki to a fight and tell him that if you win, you get him. You’re always saying it anyways, so I’m sure you can say it now.”   “I’m Black Haru when I say that.” I say exasperated.   “Well then here’s your motivation. Yuki has trampled you’re heart and pretty much told you that you’re not good enough for him. Now doesn’t that make you angry?”   “No.” I say. “But given enough time, it will.” ***** ~Tohru~   "..." I couldn't pull my gaze off the floor. Ever since Ayame-san mentioned the whole seducing Kyo idea, I had trouble looking up. My feet were looking pretty interesting right now...   "Little Tohru, are you alright?" Ayame-san finally spoke. "You haven't looked up at me for a long while. Something bothering you?"   "No...I just...umm...well..."   "Ohhhh, you're just embarrassed, is that it? You probably have never dealt with this sort of thing before." He tried to stifle a chuckle.   Summoning the courage to look up, I nodded in reply. This was my first experience with ANY sort of thing like this. What was I suppose to do, anyways? What exactly is Ayame-san meaning when he says 'seduce'? When he first wanted to talk with me, I was a little worried...but now I'm REALLY worried. How do I know that Kyo-kun won't just turn me away like he did last time? And what about him turning into a cat if I get too close? There were so many questions flooding my mind.   Ayame-san apparently saw how uncertain I was, so he gave me a reassuring smile. Placing a kind hand on my head, he once again began to talk.   "Don't worry so much, it wrinkles up your pretty face! Besides, the art of seduction really isn't that hard to learn."   Suddenly, I caught a weird gleam in his eye. Before, when I mentioned being afraid...that was nothing...now I'm terrified.   He leaned in a little bit. "I could teach you, you know...I'm very good when it comes to that subject." He said in a way-too-friendly voice.   I was just barely keeping it together when I felt his hand slide down from my head to my lower back. I was about to have a heart attack.   Then without warning, a cup came flying at us, hitting Ayame-san in the face. He fell over onto the ground with a loud 'thud'.   "......?" I opened my eyes to find Hatori standing there. It was him who threw the cup, I suppose.   "TORI-CHAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!" moans Ayame-san.   "What are you doing?” He merely asks, face stoic as usual.   I watched as they stared at each other for a little while. I am so confused...   Ayame-san replies. "I was only teaching Tohru-kun about seduction! How is she suppose to pull my brilliant plan off without even knowing what it entitles?"   Hatori-san shook his head. "The only real mystery behind seduction is getting to know the target's weakness and using it against them. If you can do that, you'll have anyone eating out of your hands."   I nodded my head in understatement, even though the question wasn't really directed at me. I finally got it...I think. It did seem simple. All I had to do was find out Kyo-kun's weakness. Hmm...yeah...simple...   Hatori-san's face then went blank...even more so than usual. He gave Ayame-san an accusing glare. "Wait a minute..."   ***** ~Hatori~ Even with Ayame’s shop I never thought that he was as perverted as Shigure. I guess I was wrong. Although what idiot would leave Tohru alone with this fool is beyond me.   I shouldn’t have to deal with this. I only came over because Yuki called me earlier asking me for advice. When he told me what had happened between him and Haru, I knew I had to come over but I wasn’t expecting to have to save Tohru from Aaya. What in the hell was going on in this house anyways?   “Wait a minuet…” Why was Aaya trying to teach Tohru to seduce people? I know that he’d never force something like this on the girl so She must have approached him. But why?   “Something wrong Tori-chan?” Ayame asks innocently. Now I know something is wrong.   “Why are you teaching Tohru how to seduce people?”   “Oh that.” Aaya pulls Tohru so she’s standing in front of him and it’s obvious that she’s confused. “Kyo-kun finally crossed the line and broke Little Tohru’s heart, so now we’re going to show him just what it is he turned down.” So it would seem that Yuki’s not the only person who’s ruined someone’s life. Someone will have to talk to Kyo and it’s not going to be me.   “Where’s Shigure?” I ask.   “Oh he and Haru are planning a way to get back at Yuki for breaking Haru’s heart.” Aaya says while he digs through a bag he must have brought with him. “Kids these days, can’t they just admit their feelings to each and get on with their lives?” I roll my eyes and say goodbye. So much for getting Shigure to talk to Kyo. Oh well, Shigure would probley screw it up anyways. There’s only one other person who can do this. I just hope he’s up for it. ***** ~Kazuma~   I gazed up at the house before me. I had reached my destination. Walking up to the door, I thought back to what had given me cause to come in the first place.   Hatori-san had called me, giving me a brief synopsis on the situation at hand.   It’s Kyo…   I rapped lightly on the door and waited patiently.   Please talk with him, Kazuma-dono…   Why does that boy have to suffer in such a way? Why does he make himself suffer?        He needs your help, only you can get through to him…   Finally, the door is answered.   “Hello, Kazuma-dono.” Hatori bows slightly. It appears as though he’s on his way out. “I’m taking Momiji and Kagura home now, so I won’t be able to stay and visit. My apologies.”   “It’s quite alright.” I smile back. “I should probably talk with Kyo as soon as possible, anyways.” I don’t even have to ask where he is… I know all too well.   After saying our goodbyes, I continue on into the house. I ignore the laughter coming from the other room. No doubt it was Ayame or Shigure, up to one of their schemes again.   For now, though, I let it pass by me. Talking with Kyo came first.   Making my way to the back door, I step outside and stare up at the sky. It was beautiful out tonight, and Kyo was most definitely up on his favorite perch. The ladder was the only way to gain access to him now, so that’s what I do –I climb.   And there he was at the top of the roof, head resting on his arms in typical fashion, his eyes focused on the stars. He was clearly out of it; he didn’t even hear me approach.   “Kyo.” I speak out, startling him.   He sits up straight when he sees me. “Shi…Shishou?”   I move over to sit next to him and wait for him to voice what’s on his mind.   “Shishou! It’s good to see you! But…what are you doing here so late? Is something the matter?”   “I came to ask you, Kyo…I came to ask of the path you’ve chosen.”   “What?” He is confused. “I don’t understand…”   I decide to raise my voice a bit, so as to sound firmer in my approach. “I asked you about the path you have chosen.”   A realization hit Kyo apparently, for his face tightened and brow furrowed immensely. He must have been thinking of Tohru at the time.   “Why do you continue to hurt yourself like this? Do you really think so little of yourself?” I tried to keep my voice steady, though feeling a deep sadness on the inside.   After all he had been through he did not deserve this.   “Shishou…” he spoke, words drained. He was trying so hard to be strong. “Tohru…she…she…”   I put a hand on top of his orange head and grinned. “Tell me what’s wrong.”   He let it all out. “She was starting to ask if I liked her or not. But… but what was I suppose to do? I don’t understand…I thought she liked the damn rat boy…”   “She started to tell you?”   “Yes. I…I told her to stop before she could say anymore.”   Then Kyo did something I haven’t witnessed in the longest of times. He was always so careful around others…not ever wanting anyone to see him weak.   “I’m not worth it!” he cried. “You know what’s going to happen to me! If she starts to love me, then she’ll just get her heart broken when the time comes for me to…”   “Kyo…”   “I thought it was what I wanted…I wanted it for so long. Ever since she started living with us. But now, I don’t know. I don’t want her to ever have to cry over me. I’m not worth…”   “That’s enough, Kyo.” I didn’t want to listen to the rest. It made me sick to hear what he really thought of himself. “I don’t want to hear those words anymore. They aren’t true.”   He looked over at me, confused.   I continued before he could speak. “Besides…haven’t you already made her cry?”   Eyes widening, Kyo was taken aback. He tried to say something, but nothing came out.   “You are so worried about hurting her, about what may happen in the future, but what you do NOT realize is that love is not something that will come easy, no matter what the circumstance is. It never has and never will. There will always be good times and bad, but when it comes to life, sometimes you just have to take a chance. If we always played things safe, where would the world be? Where would you be?” I explained.   “…I don’t know what to do, Shishou. Where do I even begin? It’s…so new to me. I don’t know if I can open up and be that honest with her…I just don’t know…”   “Why don’t you start by being honest with yourself?” A smile once again played across my face. Through his confrontations with this girl, he was finally learning how to love.   In the past I have taught him the best I could. Fighting to protect himself, to protect the ones he loves…how to go out into the world, being proud of who he is even when others are not…and helping him to understand that there are people out their who will accept him, despite what lurks deep within his soul –all these things have I showed to Kyo. But through this one girl, he could learn things that I would never be able to teach…not in a million years. Being accepted by me is one thing, but being accepted by her…that is the best gift anyone could give. ***** ~Yuki~ Hatori wasn’t much help after all. When I asked him what to do about Haru he said that I should just do what my heart tells me. If I wanted to hear cheesy lines like that I would have asked Shigure or Ayame. I was so sure that Hatori could help me. But I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. Haru probably hates me now. Who could blame him? I can only hope that he finds someone who can make him happy.   I should go back outside to my garden. God only knows who might come up looking for me here. ***** ~Shigure~ Poor Haru, he has no idea how much Yuki loves him. It’s always been a dream of mine to get the two of them together. Especially after Yuki came to live with me. Not a day goes by with out Haru proclaiming his love for Yuki in some way and yet Yuki never took it seriously.   And now he went and broke Haru’s heart. Well, I’m not about to stand by and let my dream get destroyed. After all, my dreams are important. If Yuki thinks he can get away with this he has another thing coming. It will be easy for Haru to beat Yuki because Yuki won’t have the emotional strength to beat him. I guess it’s not a totally fair fight but it wasn’t fair for Yuki to lie to Haru either. Now they’ll be even. ***** ~Ayame~   “I’m BACK!” I shout as my packages fall to the ground.    No one answered. For a brief second, I began to wonder if Tohru had gone into hiding...    “Welcome back, Ayame-san.” She suddenly says from behind me. “Where did you go?”   This was the moment I had been waiting for. Quickly, I grab my bags from off the floor rummage through them. “Well, I had to take a quick stop by my shop. We can’t very well go through with this plan without the appropriate weapon.”   I could feel her eyes boring into me.   “Wha….what? WEAPON????” She is barely able to spit out. “What KIND of….weapon?”   Suddenly, I felt the distinctly smooth contrast of layers of cloth within the largest bag. AHA! So that’s where I put it!   “THIS WEAPON!” I pulled out the article of clothing. “This is what you will be wearing when the plan is put into action!”   Tohru’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. Hmm...maybe she was too overcome with the magnificence of it all to speak.   She cleared her throat. “…I’m going to wear…that?”   Following her gaze to the outfit dangling before her, I tried to locate the cause of her hesitancy. It was quite cute…and not revealing in any way…well…not THAT revealing.   “Come on, little Tohru.” I bent down to her eye level. “You can’t afford to be hesitant about this. You are the one who decided to place your trust in me…so stop worrying! Have I ever steered you wrong?” I gave her my big innocent eyes.   Her face eased and presented a smile. “Thanks, Ayame-san. I need to just trust you, I guess. I did come to you for help, after all. I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”   My hand found home atop her head once again. She was so willing to do this for Kyo and her –for their relationship- that even the thought of seducing him was no longer a problem.   “That’s very good, Tohru. I’ll take care of it, don’t you worry! And besides…”  My grin grew wider. “…shouldn’t we be getting back to those seduction lessons of yours?”