Mortality

Connections

A pink shadow crept along the bluish-black landscape slowly turning night to day and dark to light. A pink, almost red sun emerged from behind the trees that surrounded the small home; casting the seemingly quiet home in light though nothing at that moment could mask the malevolent vibes that were emanating from the Sohma house.

At the door of the residence a boy stood, looking out over the panorama that lay scattered before him. He slowly walked down the few steps and slipped on a pair of black shoes. Any bystanders who came across him would have thought he was admiring something on the ground for his attention had turned to scanning the ground for any traces of foot prints.

Slowly the bishounen walked about 20 feet away from the house and began circle it, looking, searching, hoping for any sign that might lead to where she had went. After nearly a half hour Yuki found himself kneeling in the very spot that he had began searching, and the look in his violet eyes said very plainly that he had found nothing.

The door slid open behind him; he didn’t even flinch as a shadow crept up behind him. There was no need for him to worry about who it might be behind him. After all Shigure was…indisposed and Kyou was the only other person who would have come from the house.

“Did you find anything?”

“What does it look like to you baka neko?”

“Why don’t you say that to my face ya damn rat!”

Yuki stood up and looked into the angry amber eyes of the cat that was seething inwardly. Kyou’s breathe caught in his throat as he looked into the large violet orbs of the nezumi before him; the sad beauty that was so apparent for the briefest of moments made Kyou want to comfort him. That was until he came back to his senses and realized who it was he was looking at.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Kyou yelled, trying to regain his composure.

Yuki just shook his head and proceeded to walk past Kyou and back into the house. It was eerie, the house, when they were all alone like this. When he knew that Tohru wasn’t going to come running in with that goofy smile on her face, and more than not fall flat on it. Or that Shigure wasn’t lurking around doing something undoubtedly perverted. The only thing that was the same was that stupid neko and he is the one Yuki wished more than anything would change.

Yuki quietly entered Tohru’s room. Even without her in it her room seemed to hold some form of light for him, some ray of hope that maybe things were going to be all right. Yuki doubted it though; he knew he was going to be going against everything that should mean so much to him. He knew that Akito was going to be angry and that he technically couldn’t disobey him, but as long as he don’t hear that he doesn’t want him to do it then he really isn’t disobeying what he doesn’t know.

The picture of Tohru’s mother was sitting on the little white dresser that Shigure had given to her next to her large pink bed. How could Shigure betray her like that? He treated her like she was a princess, well most of the time, and they he turns around and gives her to Akito. How can someone be so heartless?

Yuki left the room, the picture of her mother now safely tucked inside of his pocket. He found Kyou standing outside looking off into the distance; he appeared to be in great thought. Running an ivory hand through his silver hair Yuki sighed, causing Kyou to glance at him out of the corner of his eye, and he began to walk down along the path that would take him away from this home, away from the life that he had begun to love and away from the bad memories that now haunted his once sanctuary.

“Where the hell do you think you are going?” Kyou yelled as he caught up with Yuki on his right side.

“None of your business baka neko.”

Kyou stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the silver haired boy who continued to walk away from him.

“Don’t call me stupid nezumi! And don’t turn your back on me either!” Kyou lunged for Yuki, but as was usual, Yuki was too quick for him and Kyou quickly found himself on his back looking up at the blue sky. He hated it when he did that, but more than anything he hated the way that Yuki always treated him like he was inferior to him. Kyou sat up and looked at his cousin who had his eyes fixed intently upon Kyou’s.

“What the hell do you think you are doing? Where are you going?” Kyou repeated, trying to squash the anger that had began to erupt inside of him. He had a feeling that he knew what Yuki was going to do, but he wanted to hear him say it; he wanted to hear it from his mouth.

Yuki stuck his hands inside of his pockets and once again without answering Kyou he turned and began to walk away. Kyou’s anger erupted anew as he watched the back of the rat walking away. It looked like even the simple pleasure of hearing him say what he wanted wasn’t going to happen.

“You’re going to go find her aren’t you?” Kyou asked while he averted his eyes and looked down at the ground.

Yuki stopped in mid stride as Kyou’s words floated to him. So he did know what he was planning on doing. It didn’t matter though, no matter what he said he wasn’t going to stop him. He wasn’t going to leave her alone to suffer, not the way he had been left.

“Why does it matter to you? Why do you care what I do?”

Kyou’s ears perked up and his eyes shot to look at Yuki who was standing still, his back still to him. He didn’t exactly deny that he was going to look for her, but he didn’t say he was either. The second sentence stung him as an insult to his dignity.

“I could care less what the hell you did!” Kyou screamed at him as he shot to his feet his anger coming once more to the surface almost making his amber eyes appear to glow red. Yuki just stood there, saying nothing and doing nothing. Slowly the anger began to melt away as Kyou looked at the bishounen and the thought of Tohru slipped into his mind.

“I…I don’t care what you do or where you go, but…but I do care about her.” Kyou managed to say as his cheeks blushed and he looked to the ground. Never in a million years did he think he would be telling Yuki, the nezumi, how he felt, what was going on inside of him.

Yuki slowly turned to face Kyou though Kyou averted his eyes. He didn’t seem to want to face him, and all of a suddenly Yuki saw the fragileness of Kyou, the loneliness that being shunned by every member of the family had caused in him. Suddenly he felt sorry for the neko who had to endure so much. Why can’t he see how lucky he is to not be included in the family? Why would he want Akito’s attention on him? I would give anything…anything to switch places…

Kyou looked up and their eyes locked onto each other. Amber searching Violet, neither wanted to look away though both could hardly withstand the others scrutinizing gaze. It was a battle of wills, and like every other time since Kyou was little Yuki won. Though not before Kyou saw something within those violet orbs that made his stomach knot and made his heart skip a beat.

A blush crept into both of their cheeks as they turned simultaneously and began to walk along the path leaving Shigure’s house. Neither of them had to acknowledge what had passed between them or the fact that an understanding had just been breached. They both cared for Tohru and they would do anything they could to find her and help her. Even if that meant working together.

“So, where are you going?” Kyou finally managed to ask as the breeze blew through the air.

“I thought we might check to see if Uo-San or Hanajima-San have seen her. Of course without letting them know that she is missing. Those consequences would be more than I am willing to accept.”

Kyou nodded and shoved his hands inside his blue sweater. They would go see her two best friends and then if they didn’t find her there…well who knew what they would do. But they would find her, somehow, someway.

Somewhere in the back recesses of Yuki’s mind a warning bell was ringing loud and clear. For some reason he was happy, he was happy that they were going to find Tohru, but more than that he was happy to spend some time with Kyou. Of course this didn’t reach his actual subconscious at least not yet, it only appeared as a dull throbbing head ache.