Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ The Butterfly Effect ❯ papa-bear ( Chapter 1 )

The butterfly effect

This has nothing to do with the movie, and everything to do with Tohru Honda. Of which I do not own anyone except Derekku, but he's also not really mine but more like a big brother of mine. Here's your story Derekku!

 

Hana looked over at Tohru for the third time in fifteen minutes. Her waves... her waves were very chaotic. Almost like when Kyoko-san died, but more erratic and uncertain than depressed.

 

There! Tohru's eyes flickered to the clock again as if she couldn't wait for the class to end so she could leave. Her bag was packed as if to leave and her toe was tapping against the leg of her chair (creating a constant ringing): a habit that she acquired from Kyoko without even noticing.

 

She looked again at the clock, this time her eyes were caught by Hana. “Outside” she mouthed and the other nodded. Uo watched the entire exchange and nodded quickly before going back to her hidden headphones.

 

After what seemed line an eternity, the bell rang and only an after-shadow of Tohru was left in her desk. The bell hadn't even finished ringing before she was out the door. A look from Hana and a smirk from Uo had Kyo being dragged out the door by his uniform collar.

 

“Yer commin' with me carrot-top!” Uo yelled impatiently. Bringing this freak along in something private that outsiders would easily take advantage of. “Where'd she run off to this time?” Uo asked, dragging Kyo (protesting the entire way) up to the roof.

 

“She is here,” Hana pointed, gliding over to the shivering girl.

 

“…Again. Not again. NO!” Tohru screeched, running toward the ladder in an attempt to jump. Uo tackled Tohru and pinned her to the ground. “Not another one! The hospital, those damn doctors won't do anything!” she didn't seem to notice that she was facedown in the gravel of the roof (or cussing, imagine Kyo's shock!).

 

“Are you just going to stand there looking stupid, or are you going to help me keep her here cat-lover?” Uo glared, pulling Tohru up into a sitting position so she could breathe better.

 

“The claws! His claws were clipped when the silver bullet fired!” Kyo's eyes widened as he clenched his fist, hiding his nails. Was she talking about him? “Ah!” she yelled, trying to scrape at her left shoulder.

 

“Idiot! Grab her hands!” she drew first blood before he reacted and attempted to grab her fists, getting scratched in the havoc.

 

“Tohru! Tohru-kun! Calm down it's…

 

“No!” Hana cut Kyo off and grabbed Tohru's face in both hands. It was wet from sweat and tears. “Whose claws? Who was shot?” this confused Kyo beyond belief: why aren't they stopping this? Why were they asking more from the distraught girl?

 

“Th-the claws? Wild animal…big…brown. It's sunny out. In town, red lights. Colors!” Tohru said in a daze, swaying dangerously. The two-minute bell rang and everyone jumped. Hana pressed Tohru to her chest in a hug as Uo hugged her other side.

 

“Shh, shh Tohru-chan. Listen to my heartbeat. In, out, in, out…you did fine.” Hana cooed, stroking the girl's moist hair.

 

“What'd I say?” Tohru mumbled, trying to wipe her tears off with Hana's proffered black lace handkerchief. “I did it again, didn't I?”

 

The girls nodded solemnly and looked anywhere but the girl leaning against the chain-link fence. Kyo looked between the three and threw his hands up in frustration. “What's it?” he yelled, leaning against the wall that held the door.

 

After one last sniffle, Tohru gave a small smile and opened the door. “Kyo-kun, I'll tell you later, but can you tell Myuko-sensei that I went to the restroom for me? I might need to wash my face after I talk to them,” Kyo rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway.

 

“If you take too long, they might send someone after you,” Kyo pushed the door open further and stomped town the stairs, “stupid girls. What's it with goin' to the bathroom in…” his question was cut off by the door shutting.

 

“So.” Uo started, turning back to the shorter girl, “your freakiness went extra freaky today. Just like…Kyoko… o-Oh!” Uo moaned, hoping that something bad wouldn't happen like last time.

 

“Yes, but what did I say?” Tohru asked, pulling her hand away from the base of her neck with some blood on it. She'd have to get that looked at later—probably by Hatori-san.

 

“Something about claws being cut with a `silver' bullet…”

 

“Okay, that would be a fighter being shot…” Tohru mumbled.

 

“And something about…colors. Lots of colors.” Uo finished, looking around as if the answer was right there.

 

“It's always been someone I've known… the boys!” Tohru panicked, nearly running to the door, but Uo caught her first.

 

“They are safe, for now.” Hana commented, looking off into the city, “you should wash up fist so the teacher won't get suspicious.” Tohru nodded and walked as calmly as she could to the bathroom. ^There were more than just colors…and in the city: Tokyo's Red Light District! But what would a Sohma be doing in the Red Light District? ^ Hana shrugged and followed her friends to the bathroom.

 

 

Swoosh the classroom door slid open and every head in the classroom automatically turned to whoever opened it. Tohru walked in, backed by Uo and Hana, with her head down and her cheeks a bright red.

 

“Would you mind telling the class why your are tardy Ms. Honda? Uotoni? Hanajima?” the teacher asked (actually, student teacher) with his hand grasping a pen to write out their inevitable detentions. Ever since he came, it had been a mission to prove all the `perfect' students were scheming monsters, Tohru, Yuki and all of their friends included.

 

“I…gomen, I…” Tohru stuttered, turning a brighter shade of red than thought possible.

 

“Bathroom problems,” Uo brushed off, steering Tohru to her seat, “we had to ask around for a couple-a yen.” Tohru the Tomato nodded in embarrassment, staring down at her desk. She wasn't embarrassed because of the `bathroom', but of the fact that she couldn't even come up with her own convincing lie. She could lie that she was still living with her grandfather, she could lie about her being fine about her mother's death; heck, she was lying practically every time that she smiled and said she was fine!

 

“Well, um… don't do it again!” Mr. Teacher exclaimed, clearly flustered at the entire situation.

 

Tohru's breather outside didn't help her nerves as she practically glared at the door, daring it to open. “Kyaa!” Tohru yelped, her knuckles turning white from gripping the sidebar of her desk. A hand grabbed her! It squeezed and let go as if it wasn't even there.

 

“Are you planning on going anywhere Ms. Honda?” the gentle voice of Myuko-sensei asked, leaning over as if to check the work on Tohru's blank worksheet. She didn't even have a pencil out; it was all in her backpack.

 

“I-I don't know,” Tohru stuttered, grabbing a pencil from her bag, “but… I have a bad feeling, that's all.” Myuko-sensei nodded to herself, standing up.

 

“Get some sleep, that might help…”

 

Swish! The door slammed open and Tohru jumped again. “Mi-Miss Honda Tohru here?” an out-of-breath student asked, gripping both sides of the frame before catching his breath. “A-a message for you.” Tohru nodded quickly and stood up, sending an encrypted look at her friends, they nodded in return.

 

“You'd better grab her stuff, orange-top, she ain't commin' back to get her stuff,” Uo said as calmly as she could, looking at the silhouettes of the two in the hallway.

 

“What? No!” came a feminine yell in the hallway, followed by a “Miss! You have to stay until school gets out!”

 

“Better yet, just make sure she doesn't get herself run over and have princey get her stuff,” Uo shoved Kyo out the door.

 

“Wha…?”

 

“Hana's too slow and I couldn't help her last time, and princey's at one of his meetings! So go!” she slammed the door in his face so that he had no choice but to give chase.

 

“Well…” the classroom was completely silent, “Ms. Uotani take your seat and… for the rest of you, turn to page 187 in your books…”

 

 

“Tohru, wait!” Kyo called, finally catching up to the frantic girl in the locker bay for street shoes. She did slow down long enough to jump into her shoes, but as she tried to stand up again, she tripped and her head hit the bench, opening up a relatively large cut over her eyebrow. ^ I'll need to call Hatori when this is done! ^Kyo thought distractedly, following the frantic girl the best he could without transforming. Luckily, there weren't many people out in the middle of the day.

 

Vaguely, Kyo noticed that Tohru was following the same path that an ambulance had driven past them on. The way was marked with blue signs with a white `H' emblazoned on them. “The hospital? Why's she going to the hospital?” Kyo asked himself, watching Tohru run into the hospital parking lot.

 

Tohru was nervous, nearly hysterical, and now she had a reason to be. When that student came in and the look in his eyes when he spoke it was like…

 

“Excuse me, Ma'am, but do you need a doctor?” the receptionist asked, eyeing the blood running down her brow to her chin.

 

“Later. What room is Derekku Hontoshi in?” Tohru asked, bouncing from one foot to the other.

 

“Yes, but please sign the guest list first,” she pushed a clipboard forward that Tohru messily signed, “he's in room 356, take the elevator…

 

“Thanks, I know where it is!” Tohru called, waving her way to the elevator.

 

“Do you want a doctor?” the receptionist called back, only to get an `ok' signal from the disappearing girl.

 

The automatic doors slid open a few minutes later to reveal a slightly out-of-breath redhead…orange-head… looking around. “Are you looking for something sir?” ^I bet he's with that girl ^ the receptionist asked, pushing the guest registry across the desk subtly.

 

“Did a girl come in her a little while ago? Long auburn hair, short skirt…”

 

“Yes, room 356. I was just about to send a doctor to look at her head. It's upstairs and to the le…”

 

Thanks!” Kyo ran to the stairs to take the more reliable way up.

 

“Kids these days!” the receptionist huffed, grabbing the registry to make corrections so `Tohru Honda' read `and guest'.

 

Both Tohru and Kyo reached the proper floor at about the same time, so while Tohru rushed ahead, Kyo lagged behind to give her some privacy… as well as catching his breath. Unexpectedly, Tohru didn't seem out of breath in the least.

 

Running her eyes along the room numbers, she stroked one plate solemnly before moving one. When Kyo passed, he glanced at the plate curiously: 270. He'd have to ask about that later.

 

“Papa-bear!” came a squeal from down the hall, followed by a small `Oomph!' Kyo chuckled as he came onto the sight of a relived Tohru hugging a graying man sitting up in the hospital bed. The two were what would seem to be complete opposites: whereas Tohru was young, skinny and oblivious to the world; this man `papa-bear' had seen life's miseries and had the proof in his eyes, but still managed to be jovial for the girl. He was at least four times Kyo and Tohru's size, but incredibly fit at the same time… for an old guy with a gut.

 

Kyo eyed the leather jacket that was slung over the back of the chair he invited himself to sit on. The back had a sky-blue infinity with a red butterfly on one side and a purplish-blue on the other.

 

“Boy!” Kyo snapped his head up at the gravelly voice emanating from the bed, “you mind explainin' wha' yer doin' here?” Kyo couldn't help but shudder under the man's gaze.

 

“Um…”

 

“Kyo! You followed me?” Tohru tilted her head, tear mixing with her drying blood. “Oh!” Tohru looked between the man on the bed and the teenager in the only chair in the room, “introductions! Papa-bear, this is Kyo Sohma: one of the guys that took me in. Kyo-kun, this is Derekku, my… foster-father, you could say?” she asked nervously, looking over at the man, who gave a smile and nod.

 

“Is he good t'ya?” Derekku asked, leaning back on the bed.

 

“M-hmm! Yes, they're all very nice to me!” Tohru nodded enthusiastically. He smiled softly and dabbed one of his napkins in his glass of ice water to start stanching some of the blood.

 

“But are they takin' care of ya, lettin' ya have yer freedom?” he worked up her cheek, washing off what he could while having her hold the other napkin over her cut, “close yer eye.”

 

“I do housework for my bed, but otherwise I do what I want,” Tohru explained, “but by the time I'm done, I don't really have much free time… but I like doing the work!” her head bobbed feverishly, starting up the blood-flow again.

 

“Yer too skinny! If ya don't stop movin' `round, yer goin' ta bleed ta death.” Tohru's face went comically straight and she sat down on the edge of Derekku's bed (but there wasn't really that much room!).

 

“She hasn't bled that much from the cut, but she will need stitches,” came a nearly monotonic voice from the door.

 

“Hatori-san!”

 

“Didn't know you worked here.”

 

“Hey doc.”

 

Hatori came in and set his bag down on the side table. “I was getting paperwork and medicine when I was paged to come up here.” Hatori said, pulling out some gauze and peroxide to clean the cut with. Looking at the retraction of the skin, he grimaced internally, knowing that it would undoubtedly mar her face with a scar. “What happened this time?” he asked, rubbing some numbing medicine around the cut, even though the ice water had already numbed it plenty.

 

“I…I tripped—owe! —when I was changing shoes. I—owe! —didn't really think about—owe!—it until the lady—ah!—at the front desk—owe!—said something—owe!” that last one came out as more of a moan as she tried to close her eye again.

 

“Tha's my girl! Jus' like her mutter! Nutin' can phase her!” Derekku beamed proudly, patting his hand on her slim shoulder.

 

“Ah! …Forgot about that.” Tohru put her hand on top of his and moved if off her scratches.

 

“I'll look at that in a second,” Hatori glanced at her shoulder before tying off the final stitch and putting a white bandage over it. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, wondering how many poundings he would get from the Sohma adolescents for saying this: “take off your shirt so I can look at your shoulder.” Not to mention he would never be allowed to forget about it from the other Mabudachi members.

 

Tohru smiled softly at the red faces of Kyo and her foster-father. ^Good thing Shigure… or Ayame… isn't here! ^ Tohru thought as she undid her sailor knot. “Oh, it's not like you haven't seen me in a swimsuit before!” Tohru smiled sweetly, pulling off her shirt to reveal a black bra.

 

“…Uh…scratches… what scratched you so badly?” Hatori asked, trying not to notice how well the black fabric accented her features as he cleaned her wounds. ^Shigure's never going to let me forget this one! ^

 

“…You wouldn't believe me if I told you…” Tohru trailed off, her eyes momentarily losing some of their Inner Light. “`There are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of…' do you believe in clairvoyance?” Tohru voiced, making her sound like a mix of Hana and Hatori's tones. Hatori didn't give any sign of `yes,' but Tohru continued anyway.

 

“When pain dissipates, it—spiritually—has to go somewhere, right? I tend to pick up other's pain even if they're not even in close range…especially pain from people I care for.” Hatori opened his mouth to speak, but Tohru put a finger to his lips, “the only reason I can't feel Akito too well is because he uses it as a blanket. His pain is his security, I understand that.”

 

Tohru looked over to her foster-father, “you were shot in the shoulder and passed out from it, didn't you?” A sad note took over her voice, “I told you to be careful, Momma told you to be careful, and you got shot!” The guilt in his face was all it took to cool Tohru down as she looked at the sky out the window.

 

“Something like Kyo's landings… or Ayame's nearly-broken nose (how'd she know about that?)… are only twinges of pain, but this is what a bullet does.” Tohru sighed and closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears, “Momma died of a fractured skull, do you know how much pain she was in? I was tearing out pieces of my hair before I could be pinned… the world, life, hurts, no matter what anybody says; and I'm the biggest hypocrite of them all!”

 

Tohru smiled, but it wasn't her normal smile. It was something… strange. It was the smile that shouldn't be on an innocent child that Tohru was. Scratch that. She was a person that knew the pains of the world, more than many could even dream of. Revelation came to the two Sohma that day, the mystery of Tohru was broken to that day. It was true, no normal person could understand them, and Tohru was not normal in the least.

 

Nothing else was said for the remainder of Hatori's brief visit.

 

 

“I-I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?” Kyo asked after an uncomfortably long silence. Tohru barely looked in from the window, but Derekku jokingly asked for `anythin' but this blasted plastic food!' with a small nod, Kyo left to hunt down the elusive good cafeteria. No telling how long it was since Tohru and her `papa-bear' were able to talk…

 

Spotting a public phone, Kyo shrugged and called Shigure to tell him why they weren't home from school yet. The phone rung twice before being picked up. “My little flower! Where is my little housewife?” a bash was heard before Yuki's cool voice was heard with Shigure whining in the background.

 

“Sohma residence, Yuki speaking.”

 

“Rat, its Kyo. Tohru's visiting a relative…”

 

 

Back in the room, Derekku sat up and hugged the girl from behind, “my little Caterpillar, I missed ya,” he whispered softly, taking in the strawberry scent of her hair.

 

Tohru turned to allow Derekku to see her tears before burying her face into his neck. “I was s-so scared!” she hiccuped and let loose her torrent of emotions, “I-I don't know what I'd do if you left me too!” she gasped, barely audible.

 

He hummed a few moments and tightened his grasp before talking: “every little Caterpillar, no matter how cute, needs ta grow up and become a Butterfly—a beautiful one at tha'—eventually. Have ya grown your wings yet, or have ya let the past keep them from growin'?” unlike when the Sohma spoke riddles, she actually understood what he meant.

 

“I don't know anymore… I know that I can do things for myself, but Momma told me never to forget the past…”

 

“She's righ'… but it crippled her also. She kept her wound so fresh, that she couldn' fly anymore. It had nothing to do with ya, but it was too much for her sometimes…” they both faded into silence for a few moments.

 

After Tohru's tears dried somewhat, she sat up a little. “Ya wer righ' when you said that I was shot,” Derekku said soberly, “ I was tryin' ta hunt down a killer in the Red Ligh' District, but one of his buddies walked up on me and shot me from behind. I don't know how long I was out, but I think I know what'll happen next.”

 

“The guy who shot you was a really lousy shot,” Tohru tried to joke and they both smiled at their dumb luck.

 

“When yer mutter died, she left behind a debt of `an undercover agent'—target is what she called it. They'll contact ya by this weekend, I can tell, to replace your mutter's job as a decoy. Jus' promise me ya won't get killed on yer first outin', K?”

 

Tohru nodded as her eyes traveled to his bandage, which was soaked with tears and a little blood. “How'd they manage to shoot you anyway?” Tohru asked, poking the center of the red gently.

 

“Heh, I'm not immortal, ya know tha'!” Derekku guffawed, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood. “In my line of work, I'm surprised I'm not dead yet! O-oh, don't cry please, ya know it's true! Plus, it's not the first taste a lead that I've had! All this blubber sure helps me with the blades, but this stuff slows me down. There's always someone stronga, fasta, betta than you are; but tha's jus' part of life. If it doesn't kill ya first, this type o stuff jus makes ya stronger.”

 

A knock came upon the door before it opened to let Kyo in. “I brought Takiyaki (octopus meatballs on a stick) and tea,” he said, holding up the proffered items to put on the table. “ I called Shigure also, he said that he would send out for dinner tonight so you don't have to worry. And when Derekku gets out, he can visit the house to see how you're living.”

 

“Well, as soon as we finish eatin', we can head out to where ever ya live, eh Caterpillar?” Tohru blushed prettily before dishing the Takiyaki between three napkins, giving the boys considerably more than herself.

 

“Caterpillar?” Kyo didn't have to say anymore to get Tohru to sigh softly.

 

“It's a long story, not for right now though,” Tohru mumbled with Derekku nodding in agreement with a hidden smile. This would be the perfect way to find out about the men that she was living with, and embarrass her to kingdom come.

 

“And let me guess, you won't tell me about `papa-bear' either, right?” They both nodded and dug in. The sooner they ate, the sooner they could leave!

 

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“I'm sorry that you can't meet Sohma-kun…Yuki, but he's our class president and has a student counsel meeting today. Tadima!” Tohru called her `I'm home' into the house, getting an enthusiastic reply from Shigure.

 

“My little housewife, you have returned! Then you do love me!” Shigure dodged Kyo's punch, but Yuki's kick sent him sprawling to the floor.

 

“…Yuki, righ'?” Derekku asked blankly, staring at the silver-haired teen's handiwork, erm… footwork. Yuki nodded quickly before turning to Tohru.

 

“Your schoolwork is on your desk, but I have to get back to school Honda-kun. I'll be back before dark.”

 

“Okay, I'll just save some of the takeout for when you get back,” Tohru said, waving Yuki off with her normal smile. It convinced everyone but Kyo, who'd finally seen through her seemingly solid mask in the hospital.

 

“A polite pretty-boy, a perver'…” Derekku pushed Shigure with his foot, “and Kyo…I like the carrot-top, ya can trust him. I don' know `bout da others dough.” Tohru smiled back at Derekku's wink and led him to the living room.

 

“I like it here… it's never dull at least!” Tohru looked over at Kyo, who rolled his eyes and made his exit up to the roof.

 

“Tohru-kun,” Shigure whined, “you never told me about your family before!” he sat down opposite them at the Kotsu. Tohru looked away, embarrassed, and sighed softly.

 

“Dere's jus' as much ya don' know about me as I don' know about ya,” Derekku commented, leaning back careful of his injury.

 

“This is Derekku Hontoshi, he took in my mom after she was thrown out of her family. Shigure,” she gestured from Derekku to Shigure, “is the one that took me in after they found me camping in the woods. Shortly after my tent was squished during a landslide.” Tohru blushed in slight embarrassment.

 

“I thou' ya were livin' with yer granpops? Wha happened there?” Derekku asked, startled that she was living in a tent.

 

“My dad's sister and her family moved in, so he needed to do some extensions on the house so that they had room. They told me to go somewhere else until the construction was finished, but I didn't want to burden Hana or Uo, so I camped in the woods. I just didn't know that anyone lived out here though! Tea?” Tohru stood up and left so she could get her color back to normal.

 

“Tha' construction's done, so wha's she still here for?” Derekku looked after Tohru retreat.

 

“The boys were fond of her… she's captured the entire family's heart, my dear flower!” Shigure, as usual, couldn't help but act dramatically. “From what they told me, they saw that they weren't treating her right and so they brought her back. They were treating her like a slave over there and even though she didn't say anything, she was miserable,” Shigure was leaning forward with a serious note on his face.

 

“Tha's the one thing she's good at, asi' from cookin', `er emotions. There's so much crap in `er life tha' she shoul' be miserable, or at leas' par' o' da stree' gangs with the background she's got. How she can smile so much, I don' know… maybe it's jus' good actin' skills. I'd give anythin' ta see da real Tohru again, ta see `er withou' her head in the clouds. Don't get me wrong, she's a smar' girl, but when she smiles dere's just somethin' missin'.” Derekku looked at the ashtray on the table and gave a small smile. It had a snake and dragon circling a crudely drawn dog in the middle. “It's like if she were convincin' herself that by immersin' `erself in other's problems, she could shrug off `er own.”

 

Tohru came in during her foster-father's small speech and froze, how did he do it? How could he know so much in so little time? What she didn't know was that Kyo had come back inside and heard it also.

 

CRASH “AAh!” the teacup smashed in front of her feet and splattered the frond of her bare legs. Shigure turned in his chair and looked, seeing the angry welts already forming. “I-I'm fine,” Tohru stuttered, kneeling down to pick up the glass pieces.

 

“No, yer not.” Derekku said, picking up some of the pieces that Tohru missed.

 

Tohru was momentarily silent.

 

“Worse has happened.” She said cryptically, throwing away the pieces in the trash.

 

Derekku hummed a bit before spotting a familiar redhead in the hall “Kyo! Don' be such a stranga, come and join the party!” he gestured to the table and Kyo nodded shyly.

 

“Now, ya had a question earlier, so I'll answer with one of me own: wha' is a buttafly before it's a buttafly?” a dull thump was heard as Tohru attempted to bury her embarrassment in her arms.

 

“A caterpillar?” Kyo asked back, unsure where this was going.

 

“Mh-huh, I rememba tha' this little caterpillar loves cats, always finding `em and bringing `em home.”

 

“No-o-o!” Tohru moaned, her blush extending to her hair and ears.

 

“An' Kyoko said no every single time, `ya know that we can' afford `im, we can barely keep each od'er!' heh, bu' Tohru has a stubborn streak about a mile wide. One day she found this orange furball… oh, abou' Kyo's color… and hid him away in `er room. By the time I foun' ou', I' jus' looked like I' was beggin' for mercy! Ya see: Tohru had a really good grip for a girlie. I think it's-

 

“His” Tohru corrected silently.

 

“Sorry. `is ribs were probably bruised by the time she le' go. As soon as I got Tohru here distracted, that ca' bolted! I' was out the door in an instan', never lookin' back. Never saw `im again, have ya?” Derekku asked jokingly, nudging Tohru in the side.

 

“I… I see him now and again on the street. I think he was adopted though, so I shouldn't have taken him in the first place.” Tohru said with a small smile, looking directly at Kyo in a `we'll talk later' type of way. Shigure looked between the two teenagers and drew his own conclusion, smiling.

 

“Yes, I see an orange tom wondering around here sometimes. Don't you put some food out for him?”

 

“I feed him when he comes in to eat, but he doesn't seem to like leeks too much though.” By now Kyo was red also.

 

Derekku looked between the kids and grinned at Shigure, stretching. “Yep, I think i's about time to hi' the hey, so I'd better get goin'. Don' be `fraid to call Catapillar, I missed yer voice and I've been mighty lonely getting' shot a'!” he waved and headed out the front door and down the trail to the road.

 

“Hahaha! Poor kitty!” Shigure couldn't hold it in any longer as he mockingly stroked Kyo's hair. He quickly got a knuckle sandwich in reply. Kyo couldn't even get over his embarrassment enough to speak.

 

“I'm really sorry about that Kyo… really, I didn't know who-what you were and I thought you were another stray. Were you hurt?” Tohru honestly asked, slumping in her chair slightly.

 

“And you said that you had gotten into a fight!” Shigure continued to laugh, holding his sides.

 

“It's not funny!”

 

Ring, ring!

 

The phone rang and Tohru stood up like she was on fire.

 

“I'll get it!” she said a bit loudly, clearly showing her frayed nerves. “Moshi-moshi? Tohru Honda speaking!”

 

There was a momentary silence before a clearly masculine voice replied on the other end, “yes, can I speak to a Kyoko Honda please?” In the other room, Shigure gestured to go into his office, where he had, conveniently, a phone with a silent pick-up: perfect for spying on his little flower's phone calls.

 

“I'm sorry, but this is her daughter. Maybe you-

 

“No, this is for the butterfly's ears only, it's Detective Itochu.” The voice was clearly getting irritated at the `child's game' that Tohru was playing.

 

“I'm sorry, but Kyoko's been dead during duty. I will take her call.” Shigure was surprised at the stern tone that her voice had taken.

 

A sigh came in though the line, “fine, Daughter of the Butterfly…”

 

Yawn that was enough of a first chapter for me. I only own Detective Itochu and Derekku (though he completely denies anything!). I just wish I owned that orange dream-sickle of a tom, Kyo!