Author: merrow - G - English - Drama/Romance - Reviews: 38
Kyou was like a ghost in the house for the rest of the week. He rose early and came home late. If he took meals at all it wasn't with the rest of the household. Tooru wouldn't have been sure he was even still living in the house if the cartons of milk she left for him hadn't been drunk. Shigure had given her permission to go on the date with Fujitsima on Saturday. Yuki had been at the table when she'd asked, but she hadn't seen much of him since then as well. He was kept very busy with his council duties. She sighed; he'd been kept late almost every night. It seemed it was also an important time for the garden. When he was home he was almost always out at the secret base working to get it ready for the growing season. The house, she thought as she hung laundry on the balcony, seems very empty. She berated herself for being selfish. Kyou was working hard towards his goal. She should be admiring his dedication. Yuki was working hard for the whole class. She shouldn't begrudge him his time alone.
"It's silly of me to feel lonely," She thought to herself. It wasn't as if she didn't see them everyday in school. Only...even in school they never seemed to have much of an opportunity to talk. Uo-chan had said some cryptic things that she hadn't really understood. "Mother, Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun are always on time...why would they worry about being too late?" She didn't even know what they might be too late for. Tooru worried that they might be working themselves too hard. On the few times that she managed to catch them for a moment they seemed listless and distant. They hadn't been eating well either. Hana-chan had shrugged off her concerns, assuring her that their denpa were still strong as ever. Tooru sighed and went to start dinner. She shouldn't be feeling lonely. After all, she had Fujitsima to keep her company. It seemed whenever she was alone at school he turned up.
Tooru's face pinked as she began to peel the vegetables for dinner. He'd been so excited when she told him she had permission for their date.
"R-really? You can go!? That's great!" He'd smiled widely and slammed his books down on his desk. "It'll be great! I can't wait!"
"Ah?" One of the other boys in class looked up from his desk. "Maseo actually asked her?"
"About time! He's only been talking about it for weeks." Commented another rolling his eyes.
"Aw, c'mon guys." Fujitsima had turned a brilliant red, he scratched the bridge of his nose nervously. "Don't tease. Honda-san will think I'm a total nerd."
"You are a total nerd!"
Tooru watched him joke with his friends and had felt a little left out but strangely pleased. Fujitsima had been thinking about it for that long?
"A date?" Arisa stepped up behind Tooru.
"Yes!" Tooru beamed, "This Saturday, Fujitsima-san and I."
"Tooru-kun's first date!" Arisa crowed and hugged her. She glared at Fujitsima over the smaller girls head. "It better be a good date." She let her hair fall forward to cover an eye and looked menacingly through the other. "And remember that Tooru is a good girl, don't take her for granted!"
"Of course!" Fujitsima placed his hands firmly on the desk in front of him and leaned forward. "I'd never take Honda-san for granted!"
"Is that so? That's good." Fujitsima levitated at least a couple of inched into the air. He spun to see Hanajima standing behind him. He looked at her with round eyes. Her hair blew in and invisible breeze and a dark aura surrounded her. "If Tooru-kun was taken for granted...I might have to do...something." She blinked slowly, and surveyed Fujitsima's friends before turning back to focus on him. "Yes...something."
"Honda-san is so lucky!" Fujitsima grinned. "She has such cool friends."
"Maseo's so stupid." One friend said to the other, "He doesn't even realize when he's in danger."
"Mmm-hmmm." The other nodded emphatically. "But that's just his personality. He sees the world through rose-colored glasses."
Dismissing them with a roll of his eyes, Fujitsima leaned towards Tooru. "Can I get your phone number? I'll call you later so we can make plans for Saturday."
"Phone number?" Tooru repeated stupidly. The Soumas had a phone...but if Fujitsima called he'd know that she was living with them.
"Honda-san." Tooru turned with relief to Yuki. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure!" Tooru turned to Fujitsima, "Excuse me." She bowed and walked quickly over to Yuki.
"I wanted to ask you about the onigiri booth from last year..." Yuki escorted Tooru out into the hallway. He kept up his best prince mode until they were out Fujitsima's view. As soon as they were alone, he slumped against the wall and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Honda-san. I know it's an inconvenience, but I don't think it would be a good idea to let Fujitsima-san know that you are living with us."
"I understand." Tooru understood that there could be trouble if it was common knowledge that she was staying with the Soumas. It wasn't just Yuki's fan club that could cause trouble. The school officials might object to a young girl living in a completely male household of people she wasn't even related to. But then...what should she say to Fujitsima?
"We'll ask Shigure when we get home what to do." Somehow it was obvious to both of them that Shigure would be able to think of some devious way out of their predicament.
But in the end it was Arisa and not Shigure who managed Fujitsima. When the two re-entered the classroom they found Fujitsima and Arisa in deep conversation.
"But if her grandfather gave her permission for the date, why would he be upset if I called?"
The ex-gang girl shook her head, "Not upset, confused. Half the time he calls her by her mother's name, Kyoko. If you called up asking for Tooru he might hang up on you."
"Then I should ask for Kyoko then?" Fujitsima asked his brow wrinkling in confusion.
"No, no, whenever you mention Kyoko directly he gets really upset. He really cared for Kyoko-san. It's better not to mention her at all around him."
"Oh, well..." Fujitsima scratched his nose. "Then we'll just have to make plans here in school." He looked up to see Yuki and Tooru returning. "Do you want to eat lunch together today? We can make plans then, Uotani-san explained everything to me."
The rest of the week had progressed along a similar vein. Fujitsima had managed to be around whenever she started to feel lonely. It was nice having Fujitsima around, but Tooru wished that Kyou and Yuki had time to join in too. After that first day, he'd taken lunch with her and her friends. They'd tried playing cards but he was no good at Dai Hin Min. He just couldn't seem to get the bluffing down, but proved to be a surprisingly good rummy player. He was so excited about the date tomorrow. He could talk endlessly about their plans. First they would see an early movie then a walk in the park and maybe some window-shopping. He'd planned out a full day.
Tooru jumped as she heard the lid clang against the pot on the stove. Coming back to herself in a rush, she hurried to turn down the heat. She looked forward to their date tomorrow as well but she felt a little exhausted just thinking about it. Fujitsima had offered to come pick her up at her house, but she'd explained she had errands to do earlier so she would meet him in town. Tooru glanced at the line of cutely wrapped packages on the counter. The others had forbid her to buy chocolates this year. She felt warmed by their concern, but she couldn't let Valentine's day pass without some sort of acknowledgement. The others had all been so kind to her and she'd been such a burden. She hoped they didn't mind too much that she bent the rules and had handmade the chocolates instead. It had been a lot of fun choosing which shapes to make the chocolates into. In that way, she was lucky that hardly anyone was around the house. She'd had to worry a lot less about being found out. She just hoped she'd be able to deliver them all before her date with Fujitsima. She started when she heard the front door open. She quickly swept the packages into a bag and hid them under the counter.
"I'm home." Kyou called out, wishing he were anywhere else but there. But Shishou had insisted he return home early tonight, saying that he'd been working himself too hard. He sighed and took off his shoes. He had just barely started up the steps when a winded Tooru burst into the doorway.
"Welcome home Kyou-kun!" She beamed.
Kyou was struck breathless by the sight of her. She was positively glowing. He became aware that he was just standing there, staring like a fool. His mouth was even gaping open. "Ah. Uh...hi." He turned back to the stairway.
"Kyou-kun is home early today." Kyou turned to face her again. Was it his imagination? Tooru smiled at him frankly, and he dismissed his thought. She was just making conversation. She couldn't really be anxious to talk to him. "Are you hungry? Would you like a snack?" Kyou opened his mouth to refuse, but his stomach had a disagreement with his mind and growled loudly. Tooru laughed and motioned him to sit at the table. "I'll have something ready in a moment. I'm making dinner now so don't eat too much."
A few minutes later a bemused Kyou found himself sitting at the table with a plate of sliced apples and a tall glass of milk in front of him. He hadn't had much appetite lately, but the milk settled his stomach and made the apples seem appetizing. He took an experimental bite. It tasted good. He sighed and listened to the clatter Tooru made in the kitchen as she finished preparing dinner. He felt the muscles in his shoulders relax. He could almost pretend that nothing had changed. He sat back, his eyes drooping shut. He felt Tooru settle on the other side of the table and looked up. She had taken out some mending to finish up while the food cooked. She looked best like that, he thought, her hands busy with the sunlight slanting through the doorway to fall across her a little smile on her face.
Tooru seemed to feel his eyes on her and looked up the smile widening. "Kyou has been working hard lately."
"Mmm." Kyou made a non-committal noise, "No harder then usual." He refused to meet her eyes and looked out the window. He reached for another apple slice. In truth, he'd been working himself very hard. Every morning he'd get up early and run before school, then do an extended version of his work out. The minute class ended he'd run to the dojo. He threw himself into his practices, spending himself in endless kicks and punches against the practice bags and sparring with whoever was available. He would work and fight until he was exhausted and didn't have to worry about thinking any more. Shishou had first taken this without comment, but Kyou could feel his concern.
Kyou had been punching and kicking the bag for about an hour when the man had come up behind him. Aware of his presence but hoping that ignoring him would make him go away, Kyou kept at the bag. He alternated between kicks and punches, with each repetition of the set trying to increase his speed. He'd have to be fast...if he was ever to beat Yuki. That's what he had to focus on now. Beating Yuki. He couldn't think of anything else. He would do it; he would beat him. He had to. He had to beat Yuki. That was his goal; he couldn't afford to think of anything, or anyone, else. He wouldn't think of anyone else. No one, no one but Yuki. He hadn't even realized there were tears in his eyes till he began to have trouble seeing the battered bag before him.
"Kyou." Kyou spun around shoulders tense and defensive, his arms away from his body with fists clenched. "Kyou." Shishou had looked down at the young man with a kind look on his face. "What's wrong?" He reached out as if to put a comforting hand on Kyou's shoulder.
Kyou slapped it away. "Nothing! Nothing's wrong!" He bit out angrily. "I just have to work harder." He spun around and punched at the bag again.
The older man watched him for a moment then stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Kyou."
This time the angry youth came around with an attack. He kicked and punched at the older man, hardly noticing how easily the other managed to avoid his wild blows. He made a final desperate punch forward, which the older man caught in his hand. Kyou blinked stupidly at his fist in the older mans palm. This is usually where Shishou would knock him back on his ass. He looked up at the other's face, his breaths coming in hard gasps.
"Kyou...You're working too hard. Tooru-kun must be worried about you...you're here everyday."
Still leaning against his hand in Shishou's palm, Kyou blew out a long breath and glared out of the corner of his eye. "She's got other things to think about." Shishou made an interested noise. "A boy. In class...he asked her out on a date. Tomorrow." Kyou closed his eyes, dropped his arm and allowed himself to sink to the floor. Shishou folded his legs and sat beside him silently, willing to wait for him to continue. "So..." Kyou kept his eyes focused on the floor, "She's not going to be noticing where I am, what I'm doing." He glared at the other, "Not that I care! Don't get the wrong idea!"
"I won't." Shishou said blandly.
"I'm not thinking about her! I'm thinking about Yuki! About beating Yuki! That's it!"
"Is that so." Shishou replied noncommittally.
"THAT'S SO!" Kyou said with finality. He glared at the older man daring him to argue.
Shishou smiled at him gently and reached out a hand to ruffle his sweaty hair. "Get cleaned up and go home. It's almost dinnertime. Nothing will be gained if you work yourself to injury. Show me your hands."
Reluctantly Kyou held out his hands to his teacher. They weren't a pretty sight. The damage he'd done a few days ago hadn't been given any sort of chance to heal and very minimal looking after. His knuckles were raw and cracked. The edges of the scrapes, cuts and abrasions were puffy and oozing. The fingers were swollen with purplish bruises where they'd been cut into by Shigure's inexpert bandages and Kyou's deliberate abuse. A hard week of punching bags and working out had only made matters worse. Shishou shot a telling glance at Kyou who went red but kept his eyes defiant.
"Let's get this cleaned up first."
Kyou sighed and looked at his freshly bandaged fingers holding the apple slice in his hands. Shishou had barred him from the dojo until his hands were healed. What was he supposed to do now?
"Do they hurt?"
Kyou blinked at Tooru.
"Kyou-kun's hands, do they hurt?" Tooru looked anxiously at him. Kyou felt his heart rush into his throat.
"N-no, they just itch a little. They're fine." He'd blamed his abraded hands on a training accident, saying that he'd gotten too enthusiastic. She hadn't doubted him for a minute. She'd offered to help him care for his hands, but he'd brushed her off. Tooru continued to look at him sorrowfully. She shouldn't be looking at him like that. It made his stomach start to churn all over again. His mouth opened and began speaking before his brain caught up. "But Shishou says I can't come back to the dojo till they're healed."
Unexpectedly Tooru smiled. "It's selfish of me, but I'm glad. It's been quiet in the house without Kyou-kun." She knotted off the thread and snipped the excess, folded the shirt she's been repairing. Getting up she walked into the kitchen to make sure everything was progressing well with dinner.
Kyou looked after her in amazement. As an afterthought he bit into the browning apple in his hand. Taking in a deep breath and then slowly letting it out he let himself flop back flat against the floor. Perhaps it was ok not to think about it, just for a little while. It was ok not to think about anything.
"Is Kyou-kun going to run away tomorrow?" Kyou rolled his eyes too look at Tooru standing in the doorway. She was bent a little and had her head cocked to look at Kyou. "It's Valentines day tomorrow, Kagura-san might come."
"Ah. Un." He hadn't really thought about it.
"Just in case then...here...Kyou-kun's Valentine's gift." Tooru held out a little box wrapped up on paper with lucky cats waving on it.
The boy sat up quickly. "Oy! I thought we told you not to buy gifts!" But that didn't stop his hand from reaching for it.
Tooru kneeled by him and gave herself a little knock on the head. "Forgive me, I was a little disobedient. But I didn't buy it, I made it." She smiled at him, and then looked a little uncertain. "I hope it's ok."
Kyou looked at the package in his hands. Was it ok? She shouldn't be giving him Valentine's Day gifts...The silence stretched between them. Tooru moved a little restlessly and began to look even more hesitant. Kyou looked up at her once more before tentatively tearing through the paper. He looked at the thing in his hands in consternation. Carefully wrapped inside the paper was a Kingyo Senbei, rice cracker shaped like a goldfish.
Tooru misread his look and immediately began apologizing. "I'm sorry, I guess it isn't appropriate. But I remembered that Kyou-kun doesn't like sweet stuff, and I thought maybe that something manlier like this might be more suitable. But...I guess it was stupid of me." Tooru's face fell. To her own surprise she found tears pricking in the back of her eyes. She didn't know what she thought Kyou's reaction to the cracker was going to be. But she remembered him gulping down Kagura's chocolate last year and holding his hand out for hers...He didn't have to do it. But it had meant a lot to her that he did. This year she had wanted to present him with something he would enjoy. She'd failed again. She was so stupid. And she'd thought maybe...that the gift would make this awkward feeling go away. She was so...
"Stupid." Tooru looked up to find Kyou looking at her seriously. "You really are an idiot." But he smiled when he said it and had a gentle look on his face. "Why is a cracker manlier then a chocolate?"
"Isn't it?" Tooru asked starting to smile again.
"Of course not." Kyou closed his eyes and took a big bite out of it. "It is better than sweet stuff though."
"I'm glad Kyou-kun likes it!"
"It's not that much better mind you. Just a little bit better."
"Ok!"
"A teeny tiny bit better, don't get a big head about it."
"Yes!"
Kyou glanced out of the corner of his eye at Tooru and she smiled back at him happily agreeing with him as he criticized and picked apart her gift. The last rays of the sun dipped into the room and turned it hazy and golden as they continued their give and take.
