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ashtheshortstack · 3 years

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beautiful disaster - ch 2

Rating: M Ship: Kyoru Chapter 2/5: “I want to please you.”

Tags: Fluff, Smut, Learning intimacy, Virgin Dorks, Post-Curse, Manga/Anime Spoilers

Tohru was floating the rest of the evening. There were so many times she had to hide her smile while cooking dinner. Never before had she experienced something like that. Something so… she didn’t even have a word for it. Nice? Pleasurable? Her body had been so warm and tingly from Kyo’s touching and exploration.

Of course, Tohru knew how sex worked. She was a bit dense, she could admit, but she wasn’t stupid. She’d read books. And Kyoko had explained to her once her period started what it meant to be a woman. The birds and the bees talk had confused her to no end at first, but she eventually understood. Her mother had found her innocence through the conversation to be humorous, laughing behind her palm as she explained how babies were created to her teen.

Granted, Tohru hadn’t really thought she’d fall in love. Her mother had always been her top priority… the most important person in her life. The one she loved the most. Tohru could never have imagined abandoning her to be with someone else. Even after Kyoko passed, all she could focus on was achieving the goals she and her mother had set for her. Tohru wanted to work. Wanted to earn her way in the world. That’s what they had agreed upon.

But Kyo changed all of that. Kyo opened her world up to so many more things. Of course, she had planned to find a job when they moved. It would be a little different from the original plan, but not too much. Having Kyo by her side made it better. Made her feel whole.

Tohru felt her cheeks heat as she thought of their encounter again. She tried to focus on stirring the stew, but her mind kept wandering elsewhere. Into uncharted territory. She never knew just being touched could set her skin ablaze. Could overwhelm her and make her heart pound. The pleasurable feelings that had coursed through her were unexplainable. Would Kyo feel like that if she gave him the same treatment? She wanted to. Kyo deserved to feel those things too. He deserved everything…

“Honda? Are you feeling well?”

Tohru yelped when Yuki’s voice suddenly yanked her from her thoughts. “I-I’m fine!”

“Are you sure? Your face is flushed.”

Panicked, she touched her cheeks. “I-Is it? It must be from the hot stew! Can you watch it for a moment Yuki-kun? I-I’ll be right back!” she sprinted out of the kitchen quickly before slamming the bathroom door behind her.

She quickly splashed cold water on her face. Breathe. Breathe.

There was a knock.

“Tohru? You okay?” came Kyo’s voice from the other side.

Swallowing, she nodded. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. J-Just needed some cold water.”

When she opened the door, Kyo was there with a concerned look etched on his features. “I-If earlier was too much for you we don’t have to--”

“No!”

Blinking, his cheeks flushed as he stared at her stunned. “What?”

“I want to. I want to do that again.”

Kyo swallowed thickly before giving her a tiny nod. “Okay,” he murmured and leaned in to give her a small peck on the forehead. They stayed like that for a moment, Tohru leaving her forehead resting against his chin. The affection he showed her was always comforting.

The sound of Yuki clearing his throat sent them flying apart.

“S-Sorry!” she screeched before zipping past both of the boys and back to the stove.

She needed to calm down. She had to calm down.

If Yuki suspected anything, he didn’t act like it at dinner. Thankfully. Tohru was grateful he wouldn’t call her out on the public displays of affection. The last thing she wanted was to make Yuki uncomfortable in any way.

When she finally retreated to her room for the evening, she quickly changed into her pajamas and slipped into the covers of her bed. She snuggled into the warmth, letting the memories from earlier in the day sweep through her thoughts. Tohru rolled onto her back, touching her lips with a small smile, remembering how tender and heated the kisses were that she and Kyo shared. She wanted that again.

Suddenly, she was very excited for their alone time after school tomorrow.

Kyo seemed jittery the following day. She understood… Tohru felt a buzz floating through her as well. The feeling of being with him was addicting. She had already wanted to touch him all the time. Always be close to him, lean on him, hold his hand. But after the day prior, there was so much more of that desire.

She didn’t know the new feeling was noticeable until Ou-chan pointed it out.

“Hey, Tohru. You alright? You seem even spacier than usual today.”

Blinking, Tohru looked up from her desk. “Oh! Um. I’m fine!”

Ou-chan gave her a look, cocking a brow. “This doesn’t have to do with the fact you and Carrots were home alone yesterday, does it?”

“Oh my, well this is news,” Hana-chan mused.

Tohru gave a frantic wave of her hands. “N-No! It’s not!”

“Hey,” Ou-chan bent down in front of her desk. “There’s nothing wrong with it, alright? I just wanted to know what was up. You can talk to us about it, you know. There’s no judgement here. I just want to help you out.”

“Are… Are you sure?”

Hana-chan took her hands. “Of course, Tohru. We want to help you through your first relationship before you leave us.”

“And if Carrots does anything we don’t like… we can rough him up a bit,” Ou-chan grinned with a crack of her knuckle.

“O-Oh, um, please don’t,” Tohru murmured as she felt her cheeks heat.

Ou-chan chuckled and patted her on the head. “Ah, don’t worry. We won’t hurt him too badly.”

Tohru knew Ou-chan was teasing… but part of her thought she might have been serious. She hoped her best friends didn’t actually beat up her boyfriend for anything.

“So,” Hana-chan said as she took a seat. “What’s been going on?”

Feeling the flush on her cheeks, Tohru glanced away as she tapped her lip. “I-It wasn’t much. We--We didn’t, um…” she trailed off. How on earth was she supposed to talk about this?

Ou-chan smirked. “Things were just a little handsy?”

Tohru bristled at that. “Uh! Maybe!”

“Did you touch him?” Hana-chan asked, stoic as ever. How could she ask such a thing so easily?

Shaking her head, she fiddled with her thumbs. “Um, no, actually. Yuki-kun got home so I needed to start on dinner so we… yeah.”

Ou-chan smiled. “Did he make you feel good?”

“Yes,” she squeaked.

Ou-chan stood, stretching a bit. “Then that’s all I needed to know,” she stated before taking her seat.

Tohru felt her brain frazzle from the interrogation she just received. Kyo was busy chatting it up with his fellow classmates, so she silently prayed he hadn’t caught any wind of the conversation between her and her best friends. That would be so embarrassing! Maybe, that’s what he meant yesterday about girl talk. Would Kyo be uncomfortable if she told Ou-chan and Hana-chan what they did? Maybe she should ask him?

As she and Kyo walked hand in hand back home, anticipation bubbled through her. She was so nervous. She didn’t know what to do. What they had done before was rather spontaneous. Would it be different now that they were expecting something to happen between them?

“Hey,” Kyo’s voice distracted her from her worries as she looked up at him. Clearing his throat, she could see the light flush on his cheeks. “Ya don’t need to worry about us-- doin ’ anything if you don’t want to. Yesterday was really, uh, a surprise for both of us, I guess. I don’t want you thinking that just because we both want to do that again doesn’t mean we have to, ya know?”

Tohru had never seen him talk quite so fast. Or so rambly either. She appreciated his worry. And it always amazed her how Kyo could read her like a book. How he always knew what she was thinking, what she was feeling or planning.

“I-I know. But I’m okay. I want to.”

“Really? You sure?”

“Yes.”

His cheeks flushed at her admission. Tohru watched him as he swallowed hard, just as nervous and jittery as she was. Clearly, neither of them had a clue as to what they were doing. Or what they would do when they got home. But Tohru couldn’t help the bubbling excitement of anticipation inside her stomach. Her heart fluttered, chest tight. She wanted this. Wanted to be with him more than anything. Yesterday, she’d given Kyo her word that she’d take care of him. That it’d be his turn. And Tohru had every intention of seeing that promise through.

They were on her bed that day. Probably the better option considering that her bed was much bigger than his futon. Kyo hovered over her, his lips melding with hers. Kissing Kyo lit a new fire inside her she hadn’t even known existed. Tohru didn’t know how to want someone. How to desire another person like she did Kyo. There was a pounding heartbeat in her ears that throbbed throughout her veins. The only thoughts her brain could form were about him. How nice he smelled, how soft his lips were, how gentle his hand was on her hip.

Kyo flattened his body against hers, and Tohru nearly swooned. The feeling of him pressed against her still took so much getting used to. For so long, she was unable to touch him like this. To feel his chest pressed against hers. And now she only wanted it more. The thought was selfish and greedy. She knew she wanted Kyo to herself too much. She hoped that no one would be upset with her for hogging his attention all of the time.

Tohru shifted beneath him, her thigh brushing against the growing bulge in his pants. Kyo groaned against her lips, a sound she had learned was a pleasant one. She repeated the motion and earned a small hiss from him as he pulled away from her lips. An apology was at the tip of her tongue, but when she opened her eyes and saw him panting with half-lidded eyes, the words swept away from her. There was a fire in his amber eyes, pupils blown so wide they almost resembled the cat-like slits he used to have sometimes.

His hot breath fanned her face, his cheeks rosy from their heated kisses. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “I want to please you.”

Kyo scoffed lightly. “You can’t say things like that.”

“It’s the truth.”

Shifting, he gave her another kiss, soft and chaste that time rather than urgent and hurried as their lip-locking had been previously. Kyo cleared his throat. “I-I, uh, should probably take off--” he trailed off.

Tohru glanced down a moment and realized suddenly that neither of them had changed out of their school uniforms. What if they wrinkled them!? Her evening would be spent ironing out clothes for sure. Yuki-kun and Shigure-san would be awfully suspicious.

“Hey.”

Her eyes locked with his after he spoke.

“Quit thinking so hard. I’m gonna take them off in case things get, uh, messy.”

Tohru nodded, unable to speak. Her throat was tight as she watched Kyo lean back and undo the buttons of his pants. She’d felt him through his pants the day previous… but seeing the increased size of his bulge when it was no longer confined in his uniform made her heart leap into her throat. She’d never… seen male anatomy before. Not in person anyway. What was she supposed to do?

Tohru already felt herself panicking even though his manhood was still covered by his underwear. It looked a little funny, if she was honest. He was still wearing his uniform shirt. Swallowing, she gathered as much courage as she could and gripped the material of his shirt.

“Can you… take this off too?”

Kyo’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Y-You don’t have to! I-I just thought it may make things easier.”

She was so stupid! Of course, he wouldn’t want to move things so quickly. He’d already taken off one article of clothing, and yet there she was asking for more.

Kyo gave her a once over… before leaning back on his haunches and slipping both his uniform and undershirt over his head. He tossed them aside onto the pile on the floor with his trousers. There was a light flush kissing his cheeks as he crawled back over her.

“Better?” he asked, his voice a bit hoarse.

Tohru nodded hesitantly. “Y-Yes.”

There was a gentle gaze in his eyes as he looked over her. With a slight smile, he leaned back in and caught her lips with his own. The kisses were soft at first. Gentle and caring just as he always was. But they once again escalated. Tohru cupped his face as his lips slanted against her own. She really wanted to touch him. Maybe, that was needy of her… but she wanted to so badly.

Her hands drifted lower, along his shoulders first. They were so built and strong and smooth under her touch. Her fingertips ghosted his skin as she traveled downward along his chest. His skin jumped beneath her fingers, but Tohru found that only to spare her on further. When she reached his abs, she admired the taut muscles that were so firm yet so soft. She’d never felt someone else’s skin like this. Never touched someone so intimately. But Kyo’s tender kisses never ceased, so he didn’t seem to have a problem with her exploring.

When she reached the v of his hips, she felt the light dusting of hair along his navel as she brushed his knuckle across it. Gingerly, she dared herself to move forward and keep her promise as she dipped a finger beneath the waistband of his boxers. Kyo’s lips stilled against hers, and Tohru momentarily thought maybe she’d done something wrong, but instead he buried his face in her nape taking a few solid breaths as she touched him.

Tohru continued her journey downward. She brushed past the coarse hairs along his public bone before reaching his length. Cautiously, she took hold of him.

“ Shit, Tohru,” he gasped against her.

“S-Sorr--” her grip began to loosen.

“ Don’t apologize,” Kyo grunted.

Tohru was unsure what to do. She was touching him, but what next? Timidly, she moved her hand along him in slow strokes. His skin was so hot and hard but softer than she imagined. Kyo groaned again before pressing a kiss to her neck, a sensation she hadn’t been expecting at all. The feeling caused her to gasp, squeezing him a little too tightly. He yelped, and Tohru quickly retreated.

She sat up quickly, nearly knocking Kyo off the bed. “Sorry! I’m sorry! I-I don’t know what I’m doing and--”

“Oi, stop it,” Kyo retorted quickly. Sighing, he sat up and pushed himself away from her. “Let’s try this another way. Like yesterday?”

Tohru nodded hesitantly, watching as Kyo shifted and fell onto the bed beside her.

“I’ll lay on my back and you can reach me easier, aight?”

“Okay,” she murmured.

Tohru laid her head on his chest, his skin warm beneath her cheek. Reaching downward, she decided to be just a bit daring and make this easier on both of them movement wise. She tugged his boxers down slightly, revealing his length to the room as it bobbed slightly. Tohru nearly squealed at the sight of it. So strange… Nothing like she thought it’d really look like in person.

“Oi, don’t stare at it,” Kyo squeaked.

Tohru quickly looked up at him seeing his face completely red. “Ah! Sorry.”

“N’ stop apologizin’,” he muttered.

Tohru wanted to do this for him. So she took him gently into her grasp, rubbing the skin gently so as to not hurt him. She heard him sigh above her, and suddenly his hand clasped over her own.

“Like this,” he said and used her hand to stroke himself up and down.

Tohru’s eyes widened at the motion. That wasn’t exactly what she thought was required of her, although, she didn’t know what she expected. He squeezed her fingers around him, causing her to tighten her grip just slightly.

“Yeah,” he breathed, “like that.”

She continued the movements, stroking him from base to tip, following his motions. He released her hand and she continued on without his guidance. She realized that different speeds garnered different reactions. The little soft groans and moans he let out only fueled her desire to pleasure him. As she increased the speed of her movements with a flick of her wrist, she noticed him breathing harder. He panted and whined, making all sorts of sounds she never would have expected to come from the man she loved. Kyo gripped the sheets, teeth clenching. Tohru swallowed at the sight, somehow it only made heat pool in her own gut.

“ Fuck, Tohru.”

Tohru nearly yelped when he came as it took her by surprise, taking her out of her own arousal.. He spilled on his chest and some oozed over her fingers. She tried not to be grossed out. It only made her curious, if anything.

Kyo huffed a breath, sitting up on his elbows. “Sorry, shoulda warned you about that,” he blurted.

“No, no! It’s okay. Wait here, let me get you a towel!”

Tohru quickly left the room, careful not to touch anything with her soiled hand. She washed her hands before grabbing a cloth and soaking it with warm water. When she returned, Kyo hadn’t moved just as she instructed. His amber eyes watched her as she cleaned his essence from his skin. She’d have to wash that cloth carefully. The last thing she wanted was for their housemates to know of their slowly budding intimacy.

When Tohru returned after placing the cloth with the dirty laundry, Kyo had righted his clothes and had apparently gone and grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his room. He lounged on her bed, making Tohru smile as she reentered the room.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” she replied as she slipped onto the mattress beside him.

“You okay? Not scarred for life or anything?”

Tohru giggled at that. “No.”

Kyo pursed his lips for a moment, cheeks pinking a little. “You, uh, need me to touch you too?”

Tohru’s face went hot. “No, no! This was about you, Kyo.”

Snorting, he shook his head. “This isn’t about taking turns, Tohru, it’s about the feelings, right?”

“I guess you’re right… b-but I should get started on dinner soon. But I…” she trailed off, glancing away shyly. “I really liked this. I want to continue, if you don’t mind.”

Kyo smiled slightly. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

#kyoru #kyo x tohru #kyoru fanfic #kyoru fic #kyoru smut #fruits basket #fruits basket fic #fruits basket trash #kitty rice ball #ash writes #beautiful disaster

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lys-lilac · 3 years

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Yuki Sohma: An In-depth Character Analysis

I remember getting this anime as a recommendation in summer almost 2 years ago. Right, when the reboot season 1 started. I was so engrossed in this that I can’t tell you. The theme of the series always made me keep at the edge of my seat. And yeah, as the title suggests, I got to admire him the most-

I know, many of you might think that I fell in love with his beauty after seeing him in the anime for the first time, but unfortunately, it’s a big no. I love the characters who care about others so much. And he is the perfect example.

Now, the point is, what makes him steal the top rank for me while most of the fandom is basically about Kyo and Tohru? Let me put down the points. But before that, grab your earphones or headphones, and play this song as you read about the things he has been through.

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1. His selfless attitude

His kind nature shines throughout the series. We see in the beginning that it was he who discovers Tohru living in a tent. He welcomes her to stay in Shigure’s home, even after knowing that their curse is being put at risk and takes care of her fever. After she sleeps, he ventures out in the night to dig up her belongings. Even though he mentions that he had selfishly taken her just to rebel against the family curse, still this is replaced by his benevolent and sweet nature towards Tohru. As a result, their relationship is beautiful.

He also has helped her countless times, whether it’s taking her back from her relatives, or lending her hand to carry the grocery bags. These all moments define how pure their bond is and how both trust and care each other.

2. His willingness to sacrifice everything

This point actually reminds of Kasumi Toshiki from Romance MD: Always on Call. Even though he appears plain on the surface, he can go to any extent just for the sake of her happiness. One instance of this can be from season 2 episode 22. Kyo and Tohru seem to be in the hallway, with Tohru trying to grab the script from his hands. Just then, Yuki says whether they would give him way to go upstairs. It is obvious that Yuki would have seen the whole thing, but for her sake, he doesn’t interrupt. The line he says here is-

“You are precious. I look up to you. I cherish you because you provided for me what I desperately longed for.”

Now what did he yearn for? It was Tohru’s love and affection for him, which he didn’t get from anyone else, not even his mother when he was a child.

3. The heart-fluttering sweet moments and his character development

Ah! Thanks to the production for such sweet moments of Yuki and Tohru. Even if the ship is not canon, they will still remain my favorite.

In my opinion, this story actually portrays Yuki’s development in character more than any other thing. This is amazing. The boy, who was unable to let go of his dark past, the truth that he was after was covered with a lid, all are slowly untangled with Tohru’s compassionate nature towards Yuki. Unlike the fan club who adored him only for his looks, she sees him in a different, more friendly light, which mellows him up. What’s more, the once timid boy builds up so much courage within himself that he doesn’t get afraid of Akito anymore and confronts her face to face. The warmth he searched for, finally reaches him just like a soft feather, landing on his palm, giving a soft and soothing touch of happiness.

Let’s look at this background here. Yuki is surrounded by chinese bellflowers, which symbolize honesty, unchanging love and obedience. In his hand lays a white rose, which means, devotion, and innocence. The color white itself and his name are a symbol of peace and silence. This actually is an imagery for his character, and it resembles it truly.

Yuki had no intentions of getting on bad terms with Kyo. But it’s seen in episode 20, that Kyo shouts at him outside the banquet saying it was all his fault. Although he was small, but those words were like a heavy blow to him. What’s more, even when he comes back crying hoping for his mom to console him, she slaps him and warns him not to disappear again. (Noo... T^T)

(Kyo shouts this to him outside the hall.)

There is some fault with Kyo as well for this point. All Yuki wanted was to become friends with him. He yearned for the parental love and friendship which Kyo had since his childhood. But, the latter has the misunderstanding that Yuki had everything.

Yuki says this when he remembers that Kyo didn’t take the hat from his hand when he gives him. This makes him cry so hard, cause he was just a little child going through these painful things, all at once.

“There was something I wanted. Parents who would embrace me. A home I wanted to return to.”

(Yuki cries after being ignored by Kyo.)

Even though Kyo’s behavior initially compelled him to be like that, even though he knew that there is a lot Kyo was internally suffering from, but in episode 22, he just couldn’t take it anymore. Instead of debating, he stays silent and shows his most vulnerable and hurt face to Kyo, because he didn’t want things to end up like that between them. He didn’t want the person he admired to lash out at him every time, when he was at no fault at all, and still is the prey of Kyo’s anger and apathy. This only leaves Kyo speechless, making him break the window out of frustration. This part pains me a lot, because Kyo had at least someone he can throw out his anger and put the blame. But Yuki didn’t even had that.

There is again this pretty imagery here. Yuki, when looking at Kyo, is bathed with the sunlight. This symbolizes the change he has gone through and accepted it, which is really stunning to notice.

[The rest are in paragraph form from here]

Now that I have talked much about his positive points, let’s explore a hot topic which is often a reason of disagreement between Yuki’s fans and Kyo’s fans.

What are Yuki’s actual feelings towards Tohru?

I know that almost all the fandom here will say these feelings which he talks about is what a mother would give to his child. And this point strengthens a lot more as it was confirmed by the author. If that’s the case, then let me state my thoughts on this, which are opposite to the author’s.

Let’s again move back to episode 22 of season 2. In the first half, Yuki talks to Kakeru about his first meet with Tohru when he was a child. At that time, he was tortured so much by Akito, both physically and mentally, that he thinks that there is no purpose of his life, and he is not needed by anyone at all. With this thought in mind, he disguises himself with a baseball hat and runs away from the Sohma estate. After some time, he discovers Tohru’s mother, Kyoko, crying because she was missing. He suddenly remembers to have seen her earlier, crying in the street, and helps her to reach her mother. At last, he places the hat on her head and disappears. It is later seen that he has converted to his rat form, and cries on realizing that at least at that point, he was needed by Tohru, and his thoughts were proved wrong.

He mentions that he almost forgot to ask her name at that time. And when he again was hitting the bottom, Tohru approaches him in the high school, slowly building courage and giving love to him. He also discovers later that the girl, whom he once his hat was none other than Tohru. With things unravelling, their bond becomes stronger.

But, although he mentions that he had only motherly affection towards her and couldn’t see her in a romantic light, I still doubt the line itself.

“But she appeared before the hopeless me once again. To be with me, close to me. She even listened to what someone like me had to say. Time after time, she accepted me time and again. She’s beloved to me. Like how the sky feels so close, yet so far.”

This line, although somehow shows that Yuki is saved by Tohru every time he is in need of it, but it feels weird to say that he only thinks of her as a mother here. I mean, one can also feel like this if he/she is helped by a good friend, or a dear one. And Yuki also mentions that she is beloved to him. But, what about the last line? Doesn’t it sound like, he can’t reach her even if she was close to reach? Because this is the exact meaning. If we analyze word by word, then this makes sense, as Yuki had already realized by that time that Kyo and Tohru had mutual feelings towards each other. In fact, he says it himself that it dawned on him in the last episode of season 1 when Tohru chases after Kyo into the forest, the latter being converted to his monster form. And how could he not? This guy is mature enough to figure out anything. Then this would have been nothing.

One instance of this realization could be the beach arc episode 7 , where he says-

“I probably actually knew, in the back of my mind. What would happen if I opened the lid. What I must do. Thanks for always being willing to lend an ear. Thanks for always accepting my weaknesses.... You probably don’t know that you are the one who’s always saving me. You always shared your kindness, warmth, and joy with me. That’s why, I won’t lose. I will keep going forward, and keep believing.”

Tohru asks the exact thing which was going on my mind listening to that voice acting. Why did he look so sad there? And Yuki replies that she is just like the sky, very dear to him. Doesn’t it sound exactly like a confession to a person about what she did for you till now? Yuki already had realized that, and this is just a proof. He sounds sad, and he also compares her to the sky. The metaphor which comes to mind is that he is basically symbolizing that her vast expanse of kindness is just like the sky, which is so close, yet so far. Even if he wanted, he can’t keep her all to himself. That’s why he just says that she is dear to him. The way it is portrayed here, is just like saying goodbye before parting ways. Huh... I didn’t continue the season afterwards because of this scene. T~T

(Why, why did he cry after saying that she was dear to him....? Isn’t it right in front of your eyes? *sobs*)

And, if he only sees her as a mother, then what does this mean-

“I was so confused, not to mention incredibly embarrassed. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it, so I didn’t. I shut it away immediately. I stuffed those feelings down, teased and flirted like a normal guy with the girl he likes. But still, it felt wrong.”

It’s clear here. He had somehow developed romantic feelings for her, earlier. But when he realized it was not what he meant, and saw the gradual progression of Tohru and Kyo liking each other, he changes his mind, thinking that he might have been wrong the whole time. That the feelings he harbored for her weren’t correct. But when he thinks of her as a mother, he feels embarrassed. And it’s no different. Why wouldn’t anyone feel like that if it’s someone of your age? This implies that their relationship wasn’t a romantic one, but not a motherly one either.

Kakeru asks the same thing next. He says that maybe he has twisted his thoughts and feelings just after knowing that he had lost her to Kyo. But Yuki denies it saying-

“It’s not true why I feel like this. But, he properly sees her as a woman. He loves her. You can see it in his eyes. Her too. The way she looks at him... But I... I don’t want that! That isn’t what I want! I’d feel... so lonely. I am not willing to give up. I don’t know when to give up.”

(Such a pure boy... Just cried after saying that... )

Definitely as said above. He is obviously jealous of Kyo here. Not in a romantic way, but because he didn’t want Tohru’s kindness and hope she gave him to recede away. Even if it was like a good friend, he wanted to stay by her side. He is mature enough to see the bonds that she and he shared. And he is not the type to fret over getting rejected or anything like that. Moreover, you can already get a hint from the line that he approved of Kyo and Tohru. This always impresses me. The bond that these two have is so beautiful and unspoken, that it transcends romance itself.

Although this is probably half of my reasonings, I will stop here. Although I covered the most important ones here, but I wanted to discuss many other scenes too. Let’s keep it for next time!

#fruits basket #furaba #yuki sohma #sohma yuki #character analysis #kyo sohma #tohru honda #akito sohma #kakeru manabe #lys's thoughts #analysis and thoughts #i ship the pure and beautiful relationship they have #T-T #coffee with lys

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papers4me · 4 years

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Fruits Basket SE02 (ep,9). part 1

You know it’s real when kyo is given monologue right from the beginning! It rarely happens that he’s allowed any!, but when he does, it hits like a wild wave changing everything. The story is never the same after each time he’s given inner-talk. Forever changing the dynamics, the secrets & the relationships. e.g. true form ep.

Kyo’s love confession:

The sweetest, most tender love confession from the character that started the show fighting & screaming! The one that hated himself the most! now loves his name, only cuz she said it! “a special ring to it”. the guy who couldn’t look at her face, will repeat stupid things over “if it made you smile”. “Since when did I started” falling in love with you? the show goes on to show us various moment from as early as ep,4 & throughout seasons & scenes! he doesn’t know! We, the viewers, also don’t know when he started loving her!! we kinda gradually~ normally~ unknowingly~ fell in love with them together. The show opened this heavy ep filled with first-hand experience & steps on how Akito destroyed his victim... ouch! well-played, furuba! well-played.

The location: An empty room, no furniture, small, suffocating. The abuser sits far, then slowly walks towards the prey until there’s no space. But not before causing physical pain to reassure dominance over the victim.

STEP 1: (The BET).

Kyo in his attempts to fight his destiny has met up with Akito prior to the beginning of the story, to defy him. Akito cleverly traps kyo into a bet manipulating his desire to break away from his fate. you said, YOU can fight your destiny? ok. I’ll let you. If you win against yuki, I’ll let you be free. easy, right? kyo this is your chance to prove yourself to yourself! just practice & win a stupid match. EASY! except it isn’t. The rat is superior to the cat. Your trials are in vain. you’ll NEVER rise up to anything except a failure. Try for three years! so generous of Akito! 36 months! you only need to win once! But you WON’T EVER! planting a toxic seed that eats away the victim’s self-esteem, hope & desire. Give him the chance to believe in himself then CRUSH IT. Once kyo fails, he’ll never believe in himself again. The bet is now cancelled before the third year even begins! one year & a half of failure is enough. You LOST. The Directing was phenomenal! The scene is shot in shades of sickening green, with underwater feel, like kyo is drowning deep in Akito’s abuse. Akito was shown from kyo’s perspective. Distorted, scary & demonic. like a monster..

STEP 2: (the past)

Taunting kyo with selective words that hit exactly were it hurts the most, using affirmative sentences in calm authoritative tone, alluding to facts.“cuz you’re a monster, ur mom is dead” “it was ur fault” “u killed ur mom”. Akito painted kyo’s mom in martyr light. giving birth to a monster, admirably protecting & raising him. Her reward? DEATH due to immense pressure from being WITH him. Extra step: painting kyo as the unforgivable & unappreciative son “ her son didn’t even mourn her” cuz kyo didn’t cry in front of others in her funeral. all these words carved his psyche like daggers extracting buried memories of his dad doing like Akito. YOU caused ur mom grief. the memory is now crystal clear. His mom walking slowly with open arms towards death. Giving kyo her back knowing he’s there. choosing to abandon & leave him. cuz it is HIM that is too much to bear. it is HIM that she’s escaping from.

STEP 3: (the present)

“you should’ve died”, “if you didn’t exist EVERYONE would be happy” This everyone in particular destroyed kyo way more than Akito ever planned for. Everyone includes the present. Everyone includes ppl who aren’t sohma-related. Everyone includes a happy mother & daughter. Everyone includes kyoko & tohru. It is NOW that kyo crashes, falls, loses & bends. Kyoko is the nail in his coffin. Akito lets go of kyo’s hand. Mission accomplished.

-Miscalculation in Akito’s plan: (tohru)

Akito unwittingly ruins her plan by mentioning tohru. her triumphant smile disappears & her authoritative powerful voice turns into childish screams to silence kyo, pathetically covering her ears. This drastic shift in power resulted only by mentioning tohru. Realizing that tohru was used as tool for whatever reason gave kyo strength to stand up & defend her. how dare you call her a monster? how dare you call her an angel? NO. she is but a human. A kind soul. That stayed WITH me regardless of all my ugliness inside & outside. WHY? who does that? Who gives & never takes? the foolish traveler.

The foolish traveler’s role in liberating & confiding kyo:

In momiji’s story, the foolish traveler gives the monster her life & dies. Tohru gave kyo her presence. She did NOT heal him or fade the ugliness away. NO. She didn’t treat his trauma. NO. she doesn’t even know abt his mom’s suicide!! she ONLY gave him her presence. She stayed with the monster. WHY? cuz she is a foolish person filled with kindness not wanting anything in return. But what happened to the the foolish traveler at the end of momiji’s story? she died. again DEATH surrounds kyo. If this foolish traveler stays with him death awaits her. History has proven kyo’s company lethal. the cat has cursed his most beloved ppl into death & harm. his dad, mom, kyoko. This story made kyo realize his romantic love to tohru & tragically made him understand the possible sad ending.

Akito’s Rebound:

Akito sizes the chance, strikes back & regains power. Like a hungry monster smelling fear! “ do u think u have the right to fall in love with someone?” “do u think you’re allowed?” Kyoko, reinforcing Akito’s words.”I won’t forgive you”. you, the monster knows love?? “who’s the real villain” you, the killer! “who’s the one who involved her the most” You, the most cursed! “it’s best if you are gone”.” I KNOW!” ,kyo said.

The fighter gives up:

“it was me”. every negative thought kyo has is reinforced by a past experience from someone in his life. Akito blackmails kyo into accepting his confinement in exchange of NOT harming tohru. It is becuz kyo finally loved someone enough to want to EXIST in this word that he finally stops fighting. He fought for years for himself. Now, he’ll give up for another person. Tohru’s love liberated him from hating himself enough to die or take his hatred on someone else, but, her love also imprisoned him into thinking he’ll never be worthy for her. His first thought upon seeing her is “ I want to be with u forever” but once again “ kyoko shows up reminding him” i wont forgive you” How can kyo wish to be with her? his entire trauma is against it. does he has the guts to rip tohru’s smile once he confess abt the past? What does he expect tohru to say once she knows? How would tohru react? he’ll scar her forever more than she’s already scarred. Those scars that she hides oh so well from others will become tragically apparent once he confess. So, No, kyo. Spare her the pain. who are you anyway? a mere monster that everyone will be happy if you disappeared” “why didn’t my mom kill me?” “she should’ve killed me” If she did.. then tohru would’ve been happy with her mom. “Why am I still alive?”

Kyo’s precious flower:

love is against logic. Logic says stay away from tohru & spare her ur unworthy existence. Love says look for her! love makes you run to her! love makes you want to see her first thing after getting out of the that room. love says cherish her, be around, stay with her. Love says she needs you! yes, the unworthy monster has been loved before! way before tohru!. Kazuma flashes in his mind & brings hope, Kyoko, flashes with a kind smile, teasing him, I see different hair styles, maybe repeatedly meeting kyo, love reminded kyo of the friend-kyoko! who recognized his loneliness, patted his head, reached out to him, she told him abt the tiny flower, showed him her most precious treasure. These ppl treated him as a human! NOT a monster, kazuma, kyoko & tohru, love opened his eyes to see the light amidst the darkness, the warmth of the sunset after the depth of suffocation. He won’t give up on life. NO, he wants to LIVE, to LOVE & to give back! he now knows that his existence isn’t completely worthless! he was there for tohru. he has already given her back time after time since they’ve met, he knows that! he made her smile, he saw her! the real her! tiny, foolish & oh so precious! By the time he reached her he was able to genuinely smile from his heart! yes, he can smile cuz she’s with him now. He doesn’t care anymore abt the disgusting sohma & their curse. He only cares abt her. he won’t trample his precious flower, “ i once hoped to be always together, far away” to “ make you my own” But NO. he can’t hurt her with the painful memories, he’ll treat her with utmost respect, care & love until its time to say goodbye. quietly exiting from her life. As long as she’s not harmed. As long as her smile stays, so, he’ll stay with her together,” until we’re separated far apart”

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #emotional paper #SE02 #kyo sohma #Tohru Honda #amazing ep!#long post

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shedreamsofstars · 4 years

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our union is a secret i’m hoping, dreaming, lying to keep - chapter four

you’ve all heard of ‘pretending to be married when you’re not’, now get ready for ‘actually married but pretending you’re not’

When Tohru and Kyo accidentally find themselves married, they must keep their new union a secret from their friends and family. That’s easier said than done when you’re both newlywed dorks who just want to spend some quality time with one another whilst said friends and family are always one step away from discovering the truth.

Start from the beginning | Previous chapter | Next chapter

"Kyo-kun! Kyo-kun, wake up!"

The orange haired boy groaned sleepily as someone shook his shoulders gently, a familiar panicked voice filling his ears. He opened his eyes lazily, his hazy vision catching vividly on the first thing he saw.

Tohru.

He smiled instinctively, reaching up to cup her cold cheek with his hand. "Tohru?" he asked, noticing the panic in her eyes as he sat up quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry to wake you like this but … you have work soon but your alarm didn't go off," she said apologetically, leaning into his touch as he let his fingers stroke her cheek.

"Oh, that," he said with a tired yawn, letting himself fall back onto his elbows. It still felt strange for him to sleep in a bed – it was somehow always too soft for his liking – but he had no plans to make Tohru sleep on a futon.

She wouldn't complain, but he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. And he didn't have the strength or the heart to keep away from her, so he gladly put up with the extra comfort. Even if it did make him a groggy mess every morning.

"I guess in all the excitement of yesterday, I must have forgotten to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I called Sensei at the dojo and explained to him what had happened. He allowed me to take the week off work, and I swore him to secrecy, so we don't need to worry about anyone else finding out or anything."

"You really took the week off?" Tohru squeaked, a note of happiness slipping into her tone.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Since we're newlyweds and all, I guess I wanted to spend this time with you. It's not a proper honeymoon but at least we'll be together."

Despite the ridiculousness of their situation, the timing really couldn't have been more perfect. Tohru hadn't received a job offer yet, and he had accrued some holiday from his past two months at the dojo. So for the next week at least, he and Tohru would be able to spend some quality time together.

"That's wonderful Kyo-kun!" Tohru said excitedly, her voice rising several octaves with every word. He smiled without reserve, getting the exact reaction out of his wife as he had hoped for as she fell into him.

Her arms wrapped around his middle in a tight hug as she squealed words he had no hope of ever deciphering. He gazed at her in quiet contentment as she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him, her eyes bright with excitement.

"So," he said softly, running a hand through her hair. "What do you want to do this week?"

"I just want to spend all my time with you," she said, the smile on her face refusing to budge.

"That's reassuring since we'll be spending the rest of our lives together but … maybe you could be a little more specific? Besides, I plan to spend so much time with you that you'll be sick of my face by the end of it."

Tohru sat up straight, her face scrunching adorably. "I could never be sick of you. And you have the most wonderful face." Kyo scrunched up his own face to match hers and Tohru giggled. "It's even more wonderful when you do that."

"So, about where you want to go?" he prompted again.

"Well …" Tohru hummed, considering their options carefully. Kyo knew the exact moment she figured out what she wanted. Her eyes lit up with a smile before it found its way to her lips and she let out an unexpected gasp. "Oh, I know the perfect place! We should go to-"

The rest of her sentence was lost to him as he pulled her down and kissed the words away before she could voice them. Her lips were as soft and welcoming as a lazy summer's day and he pulled away from her before he lost himself in the daydream of her; but not before stealing several light pecks for good measure.

"Hey, you didn't let me finish," Tohru said quietly, her voice still a little distracted from their kiss.

"I know that face," he replied, flicking her nose gently. "You want to go to the beach, don't you?"

"I do, but … how did you know that?"

"It doesn't matter," he replied, refusing to give up all his secrets. "But if that's what you want, then that's where we'll go. I'll call Hatori and see if we can get one of the Sohma houses."

"Really!?"

"Yes, really," he chuckled. "Uh, hey. Where are you going?" he asked as she slid out of his reach and hopped off the bed, taking all the warmth with her.

"To start packing," Tohru called over her shoulder. "We're going to the beach Kyo-kun! This is going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah, it is," Kyo replied, letting his gaze linger on her for a moment.

A few hours and a train journey filled with Tohru's bubbly babbling later, the pair found themselves walking along the beachfront hand-in-hand. They'd already dropped their bags off at the house to settle in and were now enjoying the rest of their day in peace.

"You're smiling an awful lot," Kyo pointed out as yet another passer-by eyed them endearingly. Kyo couldn't even bring himself to care that people were staring at them. He was too enchanted by the girl beside him to be bothered by anything else.

"Oh," she said in surprise. "I guess I keep doing it without realising."

Kyo watched on in amusement as she tried to keep a straight face for a moment. As expected, she was spectacularly terrible at it, the edges of a smile lingering on her mouth as she tried and failed to fight it off.

Her smile was daylight incarnate; it couldn't be stopped by anything, not even her own sheer willpower.

"Hey Tohru," Kyo said, attempting to conceal his own grin. "I didn't point it out to be mean or so that you'd stop. You never have to stop yourself from smiling."

"Oh good," she said with an exhaustive sigh. "That was really hard. I kept trying to make it go away, and I even tried thinking of things to make me sad, but it didn't work. I kept seeing you out of the corner of my eye and the smile kept coming back."

Kyo rolled his eyes lovingly, knocking her gently with his shoulder. "I'm glad we're not seeing anyone we know anytime soon," he mused. "They'd take one look at your goofy grin and know something was up."

"Yeah," she agreed, her dreamy smile back in place as she pressed herself closer to Kyo. "They definitely would."

"Should we go and build that sandcastle you wanted?" he asked, noticing that the tide had gone out a little, leaving several glittering shells in its wake.

"Absolutely!" she said, pulling him towards the sand without hesitation with all the girlish delight one would expect from a child.

Despite their efforts, Kyo and Tohru's sandcastle didn't look much better than the one they had made the last time they were out here. As Kyo gazed back at it from the water's edge, it still looked more like a sand igloo than a palace of any sort. Hopefully the shells they were collecting would spruce up its appearance a little bit.

Kyo started with a hiss as the cold surf rushed over his feet, his toes sinking into the wet sand uncomfortably. He hadn't intended to come this close to the water in their search, but Tohru was adamant that the best shells were always the ones freshly washed up, and so he had followed her closer and closer to the sea.

His wife was currently standing knee deep in the salty water, crouching occasionally to sift through the water in search of shells whilst he stood nearby, a bucket of their spoils clutched in his hand.

"Look at this one, Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted, and Kyo shielded his eyes from the low sun as she held her hand up towards the sky. Despite his good eyesight, all he could make out was a dark shadow clutched in her palm as she bounded over to him.

"Wait, where are you going?" he shouted after her as she completely bypassed him and the bucket in his hands, rushing straight towards the sandcastle instead.

"You have to see it on top!"

He followed after her, dropping the bucket of shells in the sand beside their castle before doing the same with himself. He watched silently as Tohru positioned the shell she'd found on the very tip of their sandcastle, looking intensely proud of herself as she turned to him with a soft 'ta-da!'.

The white shell she'd found sat at the very tip of the sand pile, spiralling towards the sky with speckles in various shades of orange decorating its exterior. "It's looks great," he commented. "Really draws the attention away from … all the rest of it," he added with a chuckle, the girl squeaking in protest before attempting to tackle him with one of her infamous hugs.

He dodged her with a practiced ease, and she missed him completely, toppling to the soft sand in a fit of giggles. "You're not getting any better at that you know, I can see you coming from a mile off," he pointed out as she crawled over to him and reached for some shells in the bucket.

"I'll just have to practice harder," she replied, her eyes reflecting the sun behind him. "Then I'll be able to hug you whenever I want!"

"You can already do that, you know. You don't need to learn how to be stealthy to do it." She didn't respond, and it wasn't until he noticed her busying herself with placing the remaining shells that he realised it was because she was flustered. Maybe now was a good time to tell her, he wondered.

He moved to kneel beside her, letting his hand drift over hers deliberately as he readjusted one of the shells. He saw her watching him from the side of his eye, but he took a lesson from her and occupied his attention by adding to the ring of shells at the base of the castle. "I never told you Tohru, but …"

He stopped, shaking his head as the words he wanted to say refused to find purchase in his mouth. Tohru was watching him curiously, her hand curled tightly by her chest. She didn't normally do that unless she was nervous, and Kyo knew he had to say something to stop her from panicking, even if it wasn't what he'd originally intended.

"I could teach you to be stealthier," he declared after a moment, finally letting himself meet her eyes. "

"That would be nice," she replied softly, but her smile slipped a little as she spoke. She knew him too well to not notice he'd changed the topic, but he was grateful that she didn't push him on it. Maybe he could try and tell her what he really wanted to later, they were going to be here for a few more days after all.

Even still, he didn't like that she'd be dwelling on his unsaid words for the rest of the night. He needed something to distract and lift her spirits, and he knew just the thing. As she reached for another shell, Kyo grabbed the bucket and stood up.

"We've still got loads left Kyo-kun, we don't need any more shells yet," Tohru said, watching him curiously as he shook the bucket in her direction. The contents rattled against each other enticingly but as she went to reach for one again, he lifted it clean out of her reach.

"Uh-uh. You don't get this back until I know for sure just how terribly you can throw a punch. I can't teach you to be stealthy without knowing," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Huh," she said, her eyes wide with alarm.

"Come on. You can either punch me, or you can try and take the bucket back yourself," he said, grinning as Tohru hesitantly got to her feet. With every step she took towards him, Kyo lifted the bucket higher into the air.

He knew that she was too short to ever be able reach it, but he also knew she was too stubborn not to try anyway.

"So which is it?" he asked as she stood in front of him, her hands cradled in front of her. He watched as her brows slipped into a determined frown. She jumped for the bucket, her fingers catching nothing but empty air as her feet landed on the sand again.

She tried a couple more times, and Kyo enjoyed himself entirely too much every time she muttered under her breath when he lowered the bucket only to raise it out of reach as she jumped for it.

"Okay, you win Kyo-kun. I'm never going to be able to reach it," she said breathlessly, collapsing against him and clinging onto his shirt.

He raised a single eyebrow. "Does that mean you're going to punch me?"

She shook her head vehemently as she turned out towards the ocean. "What if I actually hurt you?"

"You're so puny, do you really think you'll be able to?" he said, his tone softening as he finally relented and handed her the bucket of seashells. He'd expected her to return to her sandcastle project, but instead, Tohru placed the bucket on the floor and reached for his hands.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry Kyo-kun!"

"Huh. You're sorry for not punching me?" he asked, suddenly confused by where Tohru's thoughts had drifted.

"No, not that. The days almost over and we haven't done a single thing of your choice yet," she said sadly.

"Oh, is that all," he replied with a soft chuckle. "I'm having fun just being with you, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Are you sure?" she asked, the worry still evident on her face. Kyo sighed and cupped her face in his hands, resting his forehead against hers.

"Yes," he reassured her. "Yes, I'm sure."

"You know, we still have a little time before the sun goes down. Is there anything you'd like to do?" she asked, her voice so quiet that Kyo wondered whether she was whispering. He glanced out at the ocean behind him, the sky a kaleidoscope of oranges and pinks as the sun began to set over the dark waves.

"Actually, there's one thing I'd like to do," he said, letting out a quiet breath before turning back to an expectant Tohru.

"Anything."

Kyo dropped to the sand and tugged Tohru down with him, guiding her into the space between his legs so they faced the sea and the sunset beyond.

"This," he said softly, holding her close and resting his chin against her shoulder. "I just want to do this." A content smile settled onto his lips as Tohru entangled their fingers and the pair settled into a comfortable quiet as the world drifted into darkness around them.

... xxx ...

thanks so much for reading! i know there was no sohma interference in this one but i just really wanted kyo and tohru to have a cute moment at the beach before a certain someone showed up to rain on their parade lol. i hope it wasn’t too boring for you

if you fancy talking kyoru and fruits basket with other fans, join us in the kyoru discord server, we’d love to see you there! (link below)

#kyoru #kyoru fanfiction #fruits basket #fruits basket fanfiction #our union is a secret i'm hoping dreaming lying to keep

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universestreasures · 3 years

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@thcsevoices Sent: ‘Look into my eyes’ and my muse will bold what they see (Accepting!)

(Kyo @ Tohru, Forgotten Regality)

#💎 Cursed Or Not The Riceball Still Treasures You (Thcsevoices: Kyo)#💎 Riceball Treasure (Tohru Honda)#💎 Riceball Answers (Tohru Asks)#💎 Riceball's Fantasy Adventure (Tohru Forgotten Regality AU)#(AHHH IM HAPPY YOU SENT ME THIS FOR OUR AU L BECAUSE OMG TOHRUS CONFLICTED #(SHE SEES KYO HAS SHE SEES HIM EBFORE BUT ITS HARD TO NOT MIX IN THE PAIN SHE CAN SENSE HE'S IN AND THE STRUGGLES OF BEING PRINCE AND ALL #(OF THE ANGST #(BUT HER POSTIIVE LIGHT FILLED VIEW OF KYO STILL SHINES THROUGH MOST #(HE WAS HER HOPE AFTER HER MOM DIED ;;;;

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ninjaaa-go · 5 years

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It was too early in the morning when Tohru heard it. It was the kind of early where it isn’t even really morning, but you can’t call it night either since midnight is hours behind you. The kind where sun seems like a distant memory and the moon and stars are so bright against the staunch black sky that they make their own kind of twilight without the need for any dusk or dawn creeping in. The kind that reminds you that the world is so much emptier when you’re the only one awake. Too empty.

Only, straining to hear through the heavy silence nearly blocking out the noise, Tohru realized she wasn’t the only one awake. It took her a few moments to piece together that a soft noise from down the hall had woken her, and another few to sort out what that noise actually was. And when she finally did, worry knotted in her chest, hurt squeezing her heart tight. She recognized those sounds, knew them by heart far more easily than she would have liked to admit.

Someone was crying, and from the lurching, stilted sound of it, they were trying their very hardest to hide it.

Concern rattling around in her chest with every beat of her heart, Tohru sat up. Gingerly, she slipped out of bed and stood, keeping quiet. After all she didn’t want to wake anyone else. Short, cautious steps carried her across the room and she slid the door open with the upmost care. It rattled in its frame just slightly, though it sounded far too loud in her ears, breaking the calm quiet. When everything seemed clear, that she hadn’t alerted anyone, Tohru tiptoed down the hall. Following her ears all the way, heading the direction the sorry whimpers and strained breaths were coming from, she came to a stop at the door at the end of the hall. Kyo’s room.

A few bubbles of nervousness rose up in Tohru’s chest. But the concern lodged deep in her heart was much stronger. So she steeled herself and brought a hand up to gently knock against the doorframe, knuckles hardly brushing the surface. But the tiny, dull thud of a sound was enough to catch Kyo’s attention. Or at least, it was if the way all the noise from the other side of the door completely stopped was any indication. And Tohru wasn’t sure how long that stretched on. Her listening for something that wasn’t there anymore, standing in the middle of the hall in her pajamas in the small, dreary hours of the morning. Kyo refusing to take so much as an audible breath to let her know he was still there. For all she knew, he could have climbed out the window the second he heard her knock.

But he hadn’t, and Tohru was sure if it, so she knocked one more time. And when he didn’t answer, she knitted her fingers together and shuffled just a little closer. “Kyo, it’s Tohru,” she whispered, as quiet and ginger as she could manage. That drew an immediate reaction.

Tohru could hear the rustle of blankets then the dull patter of footsteps before the door quickly slid open. And on the other side, Kyo was gazing down at her, all glassy, puffy eyes and messy hair. Something in his expression was wrought with desperation, and he hurriedly looked her up and down, hands clenching tight on the doorframe until his knuckles went white. Every muscle was drawn tight and he looked almost panicky. And though he wasn’t crying anymore, his breath was still coming shallow and lurching. Tohru could hear it, falling past his lips more ragged than it should have, and she could see it in the hurried rise and fall of his chest too.

Then, Kyo unclenched one trembling hand from the doorframe, reaching out slowly and deliberately. All the while, fear and dread pooled in his eyes, glimmering in the dark. And when his fingers finally brushed against the fabric over her shoulder, trailing down to touch the skin at her collar bone, something between relief and exhaustion seemed to hit him all at once. And Tohru’s heart ached in her chest at just how tentative he was, like he was horrified if he reached out, she might disappear like a ghost from beneath his hand. Or worse, that he would break her, that she would shatter to pieces.

For a moment, the warmth of his fingertips lingered against her collarbone, and with every beat, some of the fear that darkened his eyes, drew heavy shadows across his face, ebbed away. Unsure of what to do, but knowing whole heartedly that she wanted to make Kyo feel better, Tohru just him let be for a moment, watching attentively while the warm colors in his eyes swirled with emotions she couldn’t recognize. Then, she gingerly took his wrist in her hand, pulling him back slightly. All of a sudden, Kyo jerked back like he was afraid he had burned her, gaze downcast.

Red tinged Kyo’s cheeks, crawling up over the bridge of his nose too, but Tohru only caught a flash of it before he sharply turned his attention to the ground. Sleep mused locks of hair fell to cover most of his face from view, engulfing the rest in shadow. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-“ he started, curling the hand that he had touched her with into a tight fist. The guilt and shame in his voice were almost overwhelming, and Tohru briefly wondered how one sweet person could feel so badly about themself.

“Shh,” Tohru hushed gently, interrupting his apology.

Seeing he had clearly misunderstood her intentions, Tohru stepped forward to take his wrist in both hands. And this time, he let her, gaze picking up off the floor. Instead of pushing him away like he thought she was trying to do, Tohru pressed his palm flat against her chest, right above her heart. She could feel it beating steadily beneath his hand, if not a bit fast, and from the way he met her gaze, red rimmed eyes hopeful and relived all at once, she knew he felt it too. And despite the hurt she felt for him, pulsing somewhere deep inside, Tohru brought the brightest smile she could onto her face. And she found, with Kyo looking back at her with so much genuine care, that she didn’t even have to force it.

“See, I’m here with you. I’m not going anywhere,” Tohru assured.

Kyo looked at her like she was sunshine after the rain, like he thought she was a light he may never see again. And even if she didn’t think she deserved that kind of praise, Tohru was glad he looked a little more assured and that the lingering panic and guilt had left his eyes. Then, he gave a brusque nod, some of the blush from before lingering in a dusting of pink across his nose.

Eventually, Kyo let his hand fall back to his side. And to Tohru’s surprise, she found she missed the warmth of him there, right over her heart. It felt safe, somehow, and more comfortable than she would have thought. But she didn’t say anything about it. It seemed better to hold back, let Kyo take his time, give him the chance to invite her in close or push her away. As long as he knew she was there for him.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Kyo finally said, somewhere between ashamed and exhausted and lost. Though, Tohru couldn’t tell if it was from a place of guilt at having distrusted her sleep, or if it was merely that he didn’t want anyone to hear him crying. Probably some of both, if she knew Kyo like she thought she did.

Not having the heart to tell him he did, in fact, wake her up, Tohru just smiled a little. Though, it felt a little sadder than before, like she couldn’t muster the same light. “It’s alright, I was already awake anyway,” Tohru replied, even if it wasn’t quite the truth. But it was close enough to it, and it was something she could say without that ache in her chest that swelled up whenever she hurt someone else.

Though, it still seemed safer to shift to another topic. “Was it a bad dream?” Tohru asked gingerly, knitting her fingers together and hoping that she wasn’t prying too much.

For a moment, Kyo just sighed, but the exhale sounded forced and strained, like he choked a little on the breath when it came out. It tore at Tohru’s heart and she wanted desperately to take his hands in hers and hold them tight, to wrap him in a hug, to whisper soothing reassurances. But she held herself still and watched with watery eyes as Kyo skirted his gaze past her, glancing warily down the hall.

Stepping back from the door, making space, Kyo gave a sharp tilt of his head, inviting Tohru inside. For just a split second, something in her chest felt jittery with nerves. But it was gone as quick as it came and Tohru stepped inside, every footfall sounding too loud in the silence. Kyo slid the door shut behind her. Somehow, though they’d been standing closer in the hall, being in Kyo’s room felt more intimate. Even though he had invited her in, and his room was simple and sparse and held nothing even resembling treasured memories or personal sentiments, Tohru felt a little like she was intruding. An apology lingered on the back of her tongue, but Kyo didn’t look like he wanted to hear her polite formalities right then, so she kept it too herself.

“I-“ Kyo started, a little shakily, before he cut himself off, pressed a fist to his chest and curled the other in the thin blanket on his bed. He swallowed, clenched his jaw, then tried again. “It was a nightmare,” he admitted, the words coming forced and raspy, raking a hand back through his hair. “About you,” he added in a hoarse whisper.

There were thin streams of pale, dusty moonlight filtering in through the window. And now that she could see a little better, Tohru could make out the haunted shadows under Kyo’s eyes, the almost ashen tint to his skin. Taking a few steps closer, she reached an outstretched hand towards him, aching with the need to touch him, soothe him, take his pain away. Especially if she, even in a dream, was the one causing him grief. But she froze when he pulled in a sharp breath, let it out as a strangled whimper.

And in that instant, everything inside Tohru hurt. Even down to her bones, a crushing longing settled in to stay. It carved out a space deep in her chest, lodged itself in her heart so every beat throbbed painfully, tightly. She wanted nothing more than to stumble over and bury her face in his chest, breathe him in, and wrap him in the warmest hug. Kyo seemed like he needed one. And Tohru knew she certainly did too. But, she couldn’t. All because some curse decided that Kyo, along with the rest of the Somas, didn’t deserve to be shown love and affection and comfort like everyone else. So Tohru stood rooted in her spot, aching. And though she bit her lip and tried her best to blink them back, tears pooled in her eyes, hiding everything, even Kyo, behind a blur. A few tears slipped past, left streaks down her cheeks, and dripped off her chin.

Then, there was a warm hand on the back of her head, gently guiding her face into the crook of Kyo’s neck. And when she pulled in a surprised breath, Tohru just melted. He smelled like summer air and soap, and it felt so much like the home Tohru never realized she’d been craving all this time. And though they had to be careful, keep their distance, Tohru nuzzled her nose deeper into the junction of his neck and shoulder, her hands coming to weakly cling at the front of his shirt. Kyo’s cheek gently fell to rest against her hair, his eyes heavy and tired. Though, he didn’t dare step any closer, didn’t dare let their chests touch.

“You aren’t supposed to be the one crying,” Kyo grumbled quietly, but there was no blame or malice in his voice. Instead, it just came out clogged with emotion, thick and syrupy. And Tohru had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying all over again at the sound of it.

“I can’t help it,” Tohru replied weakly, her voice muffled in Kyo’s shoulder. His skin was wet by then, and she sincerely hoped it was tears and not snot or spit. But if Kyo was bothered by it, he didn’t show it. He just started gingerly running a hand through her hair, tentative and unsure. “I don’t want you to cry. I just want you to feel better,” she sniffled, twisting her fingers a little tighter into his shirt. “But I don’t know what to do. I can’t even hug you,” Tohru hiccuped.

The hand in her hair stilled for a beat. She swore she heard Kyo’s breath hitch, felt the tension that ran through him. “You’re doing enough,” he said, heartfelt and genuine and raw. And only because it was in the early hours of the morning, where even twilight couldn’t see them, he pressed a fleeting kiss to the top of her head. “You’re doing plenty, Tohru,” he assured, voice breaking just slightly.

Slowly, in processing, a hazy warmth suffused out through Tohru’s chest, spreading all the way down to her toes. It felt like belonging, like home, like love, and she never knew how much she needed it. Though, no matter how sweet, how well meaning, how deserved it may have been, that didn’t stop the nervous flutter in her stomach, or the rosy blush rising to her cheeks. Because Kyo was a little different from the rest. And even if she couldn’t put a label on why, it didn’t change the fact that he was the only one who could stir up those flowery, pastel feelings from beneath the surface.

While time spun on around them, dripping slow like honey, Tohru eventually found it in herself to nod against his shoulder, to accept that her best effort was enough. And when she did, Kyo relaxed too, his tension ebbing away and giving way to tired contentment. For a long moment, she just stood and soaked up the feeling, breathing Kyo in and settling her heart. But, as much as she wished it could go on longer, it was late and they were both exhausted. So, she took a step back from Kyo, resolving to give him a little space. Though, the butterflies still swarming in her stomach had her weak at the knees, and without Kyo’s touch, grounding her, supporting her, she swayed for just a beat before her legs gave out beneath her.

Kyo was crouched by her side in an instant, concern burning bright in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, gingerly reaching out to her.

Her head still feeling a little warm and fuzzy, Tohru took his hand to assure him, fingers laced together. “I’m just a little overwhelmed,” she replied sheepishly, pink dusting across her cheeks.

Relief colored Kyo’s expression, though there was still something uneasy lingering underneath. And after a few beats of contemplative silence, something in his demeanor shifted as he came to a decision. Taking her by surprise, Kyo swept Tohru up into his arms, and she was so thankful that it didn’t turn him into a cat, or she would have ended up falling back to the hard flooring. Before she could even really register what was happening, she was sitting on top of Kyo’s blanket, set gently on his futon.

“Kyo?” Tohru questioned, stunned and a little nervous. Even if it was cliche and a little silly, she’d never been in a boy’s bed before, and even sitting on top of the blanket had her heart beating faster.

“You can stay here for the night, if you want,” he replied quietly, a blush burning over his nose and across the tips of his ears. “I don’t want to just dump my problems on you and leave you all alone,” he clarified, gaze downcast to avoid Tohru’s eyes. Though, after a moment, he brought his gaze up to meet hers, strong and sure despite the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. “I don’t want you to be all by yourself unless you’re okay. If anything happened to you because of me...” he started, trailing off when his voice started to waver. Something darker drifted over his expression, a bit of fear slipping into his eyes, and Tohru couldn’t help but think that maybe he didn’t want to be left alone either.

A genuine smile on her lips, soft and content, Tohru caught Kyo’s gaze. “Thank you,” she said gently, taking one of Kyo’s hands between her own. Hardly a moment later, a yawn bubbled up past her lips. At that, something in Kyo’s expression softened, anything guarded or defensive falling away.

“We should get some sleep,” he replied gently, rubbing at the back of his neck with his free hand.

Nodding in agreement, Tohru reluctantly let go of Kyo’s hand and slid over to make room for him, carefully tucking her legs under the covers without disturbing them too much. After a beat of hesitation, the dusting of pink still clear across his cheeks, Kyo slipped in next to her, careful to keep an appropriate distance. It didn’t take too long for them to get settled, the rustle of blankets giving way to even, quiet breaths.

Though, as the minutes ticked by in silence, Tohru found herself too restless to sleep, too aware of Kyo lying just a little ways behind her. There was just something, a little hollow and longing, that stuck in her chest, keeping her up. Trying not to make too much noise, she rolled over to face him, only to find him watching her, eyes warm and kind. There was worry masked in the rich hue, though, and it bled out into the rest of his expression, creasing the skin between his brows, turning his lips down at the corners ever so slightly.

Tohru’s heart ached a little, seeing that. She’d hoped she had soothed his fears and made him feel better, but it hurt to see there was still something he was worrying over. Even right there with him, it felt like she wasn’t doing enough. Even though he assured her that wasn’t the case, Tohru couldn’t help but want to make everything okay again, and it bothered her that she couldn’t. “Kyo?” she asked gingerly.

He met Tohru’s gaze, the thin lines of worry still written across his face. Pulling a breath in, letting it out, he tried to soften his expression. ”I don’t want you to leave.” The words were hardly more than a whisper, hoarse and desperate. And from the weight of it, Tohru got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about tonight, staying by his side to ward off nightmares. It was something bigger than that, more important, but she didn’t dare ask what.

“I promise, I won’t,” Tohru replied, keeping her voice just as hushed and gentle. Her eyes started to water a little, moisture gathering at the corners, and she did her best to blink it away, but never let her gaze shy away from Kyo.

Kyo managed a nod, fears easing some. Reaching out, Tohru gently swept the stray hair away from his eyes, letting her fingertips linger on his temple. Slowly, contentedly, his eyes drifted closed, and Tohru let her hand trail down to rest high on his chest instead. She felt each breath he took in the gentle rise and fall of his chest. And it was hardly any time before she noticed them slowing and evening, Kyo falling into an exhausted, hopefully dreamless sleep. And if he had another nightmare, Tohru would be there to protect him. Even if she couldn’t hug him, she could smooth his hair, kiss his forehead, and whisper reassurances until he was okay again. And, at least for now, that was enough for her.

Tohru never quite realized how nice it could be waking up next to someone in the morning. Or more precisely, cuddled up with someone. At some point overnight, Tohru had ended up lying sprawled out on her back, and Kyo was curled into her side, his head resting on her stomach and one arm draped across her hips. The mellow morning sunlight filtered in through the window, casting a warm glow across his face. It felt so peaceful and almost achingly familiar, like this was the way things were meant to be.

And, he was purring. The realization made Tohru feel warm and fuzzy down to her toes, the contented, soothed sound rumbling deep in his chest. Even if he might hiss on occasion, particularly in his cat form, Tohru had never heard him make any sound that even resembled a purr. It was sweet; she liked it.

Burying her fingers in his soft tresses, Tohru gently ruffled his hair. A little messy from sleep, Tohru thought it looked cute all tussled. Stirring just a little, Kyo leaned into her touch, still purring happily. Tohru had to stifle a giggle, trying not to wake him, but he just looked so sweet and harmless lying like that. It was a huge difference from when he was awake, a little aggressive and rough around the edges. She knew it came from a good place, though.

When she shifted a little to get more comfortable, still toying with Kyo’s hair, Tohru pulled in a deep breath and held it for a beat. Too tired and frazzled last night, she hadn’t even noticed it, but now she realized just how much everything smelled like Kyo. The scent was so full of sunshine and outdoors and boy, and it clung to everything, from the pillow to the blankets to the sleeping Kyo himself. And as embarrassing as it was, Tohru just wanted to bury her head in the bedding and breathe it all in. Every breath of it made her head feel warm and fuzzy.

She didn’t get the chance, though, when Kyo stirred and stretched, cracking open an eye. And it only took another beat for him to hurriedly separate himself from Tohru, sliding over as far as the futon would allow.

“Good morning,” Tohru giggled, watching Kyo clutch at his heart, a blush burning all the way down his neck. Though, after a few moments, he settled back down and returned her greeting, albeit a little grumpily.

They didn’t have school that morning, luckily, and neither was in a hurry to get up for the day. Normally, Tohru was a bit of an early riser, wanting to get up with plenty of time to prepare breakfast, but there was something so nice about sleeping in from time to time. And lounging around with Kyo didn’t seem so bad.

“You know, you were purring in your sleep,” Tohru said quietly, her fingers itching with the urge to reach back out and card through his hair again. Some longing part of her, too, wanted to feel that gentle rumble in his chest again. It was comforting.

As soon as the words left her lips, Kyo went bright red. He sheepishly tucked his head beneath the covers up to his eyes, trying to hide the blush.

“Kyo?” Tohru asked, tilting her head to one side, confused by the reaction. She thought it was sweet, and it really set her heart at ease to know he was happy and not dreaming of anything bad.

“I don’t normally do that,” Kyo admitted, embarrassed, the words muffled through the blanket. If possible, he seemed like he was blushing an even deeper red. “Only when-“

Cut off by the rattle of his door sliding open, Kyo froze where he was, absolute dread coming over his face.

“Hey, have you seen Tohru yet today...” Yuki asked from the door, trailing off as soon as he spotted the girl he was looking for curled up on the opposite side of Kyo’s futon. And in that instant, rage boiled beneath his calm exterior, white hot.

Before Tohru could blink, Yuki was across the room, hauling Kyo up by the collar and yanking him away from her. He had Kyo pinned to the wall in no time, glaring daggers at him. Though, Tohru couldn’t tell if it was out of shock or guilt or something else, but Kyo didn’t even try to fight back. He just coughed and gasped a little, Yuki’s knuckles digging hard into his throat.

“What did you do to her?” Yuki seethed, shadow playing across his face.

A little horrified, Tohru scrambled to her feet and hurried to Yuki’s side. Though she doubted he would ever seriously hurt Kyo, her pulse still jumped, heart lodged in her throat. “He didn’t do anything to me, I promise,” Tohru insisted, a little frantic.

Even her assurances didn’t seemed to do much to quell his anger, though he did spare a sideways glance at her, the anger and hate melting to concern. “Are you sure?” he asked worriedly, brows knitted together.

Tohru nodded emphatically. “Of course! I came over here all on my own, because I wanted to, and we just fell asleep. That’s all,” Tohru explained. She only hoped it would be enough to convince Yuki, because her nerves were a mess, watching the color drain out of Kyo’s face.

Thankfully, that seemed to cool his head some, and he let Kyo go with a huff. Bent over with his hands on his knees, Kyo coughed and tried to get some air back in his lungs, angry red marks already clear on his throat. “What the hell?” he choked out as soon as he had the breath to. “Do you seriously think I’d lay a finger on her if she didn’t want me to?” The question hung in the air, and as soon as the words were out, everyone stilled at the implications of it.

The butterflies were back swarming in Tohru’s stomach again, and a blush dusted across her cheeks. Questions whirled around her mind at a dizzying speed. What if she did want him to, then what would he do? Did she want him to? Did she want him? What was she even thinking?

Though, even through the whirlwind of her own emotions, she caught the singular expression on Yuki’s face. Defeat.

“Ah, is that so?” he said quietly, everything about him still and solemn. “Then I guess you’re welcome to do what you please,” he added. There was something just a little biting buried in the words, behind the calm. His jaw clicked shut and he didn’t say another word.

Then, nearly as quickly as he had came, Yuki was gone, careful to shut the door behind him. It was just her and Kyo and the lingering silence left behind. He straightened up a little, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“I feel like I need to apologize to him,” Tohru finally said, breaking the quiet. She wasn’t even quite sure why, as she didn’t think she’d done anything to upset Yuki, but she still felt bad.

“Don’t,” Kyo replied firmly, affectionately ruffling her hair, “you were fine.” Then, something more serious worked into his expression. “Let me handle the rat,” he said with likely unearned confidence. But it still made Tohru smile, and her heart felt a little lighter.

“I’ll leave it to you,” she replied, the hint of a laugh in her voice.

Kyo just grinned back, eyes crinkling around the corners. “Good.” And the soft sunlight, filtering in through the window, caught all around him, like a halo of light. Tohru really thought that happiness suited him, just then. His was a smile that she wanted to protect, with all her heart.

#fruits basket #tohru honda #kyo x tohru #kyo sohma #fanfic

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another-miracle · 5 years

Text

between redemption and living, a Kyoru fic

AO3

1. redemption

It takes two steps to reach out to her.

The autumn wind blows against them, tossing the sheets surrounding them through the air. Her voice trembles through the cloth, and Kyo listens with a breaking heart as she recounts the childish actions she took upon her mother’s death. She chokes on her words, as if them escaping her is a sin, and Kyo scarcely can take it any longer.

His fingers find purchase on her shoulders through the sheet, grasping them gently. She lets out a soft gasp that has his blood thrumming through his veins. He swallows past the lump in his throat.

“I’m sure your mother understood without a doubt,” he murmurs into the blanket. His head leans against what he only assumes to be hers, and he feels her stiffen in his arms.

“D-do you think so?”

He grips her tighter. Not worth comforting.

“Definitely. Believe me.”

And then, “Say as much as you want. I won’t be disillusioned.”

She falls heavily on his shoulder and grips the blanket between them in her hands. Kyo closes his eyes.

This must be a redemption of some sort, he thinks, a kindness the world has bestowed upon him. The guilt tormenting his heart for years eases some, and for a breath, he thinks she may forgive him.

But as quickly as it arrives, the feeling disappears in a puff of smoke.

Desperation claws at his throat. Talons in his hair pull and swing him against the nearest wall. He chokes out an apology to a sin he did not commit, trembling on the floor, and cowers away from the man who holds the meaning to his existence.

Putrid. Disgusting. Monster. A mantra, every day.

The door to his cage slides shut. Footsteps resound outside before fading away. Kyo sits up and cradles his arm against his body. Dazedly he wonders how many days like these it will take for his debt to be repaid.

It is on days like these he remembers Kyoko, blood seeping out of her mouth, eyes dead, speaking words that will sear his soul for years to come. It is on days like these Kyo relaxes into the security that he is only getting what he deserves.

I’m sorry, he speaks to no one. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep your promise.

It must be hysteria that clouds his mind, however, because from one breath to the next, Kyo releases the words he has been dreading to offer for more than three years.

I’ll take care of her better next time.

It’s like she does not want me to forget, his mind shouts angrily as he eyes the slight girl leaving the room with that damned rat. At the corner of his eye, Kyo sees Shigure scratch his head and look at the roof. With a sigh, the man walks out of the room without so much of a glance at Kyo.

The nonchalance of the action pierces through Kyo, reminding him of his place among the zodiacs. Even worse, it reminds him of the child he is being - the lack of growth he has shown since then.

Her voice continues to echo in him. Remember our promise, it mocks. Don’t forget.

A scoff leaves his mouth as he makes his way downstairs, ready to banish the girl from his life within the shortest goddamned notice.

If this is how Kyoko is going to play, he sure as hell wants out of the game.

Her fingers brush against his ears. In the quiet of dawn, it is only the two of them that exist in a field of dew-stained grass. He is perched on her knees, paws draped over her thighs. She calls out his name once, her voice soft in the early morning.

Sunlight peeks past his eyelids, but he is nary a care as she picks him up along with his discarded clothes and cradles him to her chest. Belatedly, he zeroes in on the memory of her lonesome form he’d seen through the window of her childhood home, and marvels at how she has somehow navigated her way here; where remption lays, where loneliness ends, where together begins.

Kyo doesn’t believe in miracles. Still doesn’t.

But hell if the girl; whose hands cup against a body he loathes, whose entire being trembled as it held onto him, whose words brought him out of darkness into a new dawn; isn’t going to help him try.

It is easy to forget when they sit together like this. They talk about the mundane - you don’t know how to swim? - and tease at the other’s expense - you haven’t learnt how to breathe? They laugh and the warmth in Kyo’s chest swells.

It is simple, so simple, to be with her. With every word, she reminds him of the life worth living, hinting at a future beautiful and ideal. Kyo cherishes what he can get, hope still balancing on the pinpoint of a deal made seemingly eons ago that he may someday emerge victorious in.

Shishou returns soon after, a fond smile on his face that Kyo is minutely embarrassed by while Tohru stands at the side with a smile reminiscent of when Shishou bested him before calling him ‘son’. Kyo gathers all these smiles, goes home and burnishes them. He uses them as fuel to stoke a fire to spur him towards living-

-however futile it may be.

“-till death,” Akito tells him.

Vaguely, he wonders if this is what Yuki went through in his childhood. At the thought, his stomach churns, bile rising up his throat. Misery seeks company, but not like this. The thought of a child - barring one he has resented his whole life- going through the same torment as this is absolutely insane.

Renewed hate for Akito ignites in Kyo, but with no outlet, it stews and simmers, and eventually dies. There is no room for hate. There is no room for anyone either. Only Akito. His worth is Akito.

Picking apart his memories, he begins to forget. What was the walk back to Shigure’s house like? Were there flowers that grew on the sidewalk? He would’ve picked them for her. He should have.

How did Tohru call his name? What was the exact cadence of her voice? Does she remember him? Does she wish to see him? Does she miss him?

Closing his eyes, he lets himself indulge in a memory of her.

They sit on the roof of Shigure’s house under a blanket of stars, her warmth next to him. She turns to him, distant city lights casting shadows on her face. Her eyes crinkle and Kyo reaches up to poke at the dimples indenting her cheeks. She giggles in response and Kyo laughs along, brushing her fringe from her forehead and leaning in-

The door slides open with a loud bang.

Choking on reality, Kyo gasps for breath, trying- and failing to return. His fingers search for the comforting roughness of roof tiles, but all that greets him is the scratch of cold tatami against his nails.

He looks up, vision blurry, as a kimono-clad figure walks through the door.

“Hello, monster,” Akito calls. “How is my favourite creature today?”

The walk home is potent with silence, their footsteps the only sounds amidst bouts of shuffling, catching-up, turning around to check on the other. Kyo glances at Tohru for the umpteenth time, only to immediately swing back around after finding that her face is entirely flushed. His own cheeks heat in response.

In the heat of the moment, he didn’t think- couldn’t think of how she might have felt when he leaned his head on her shoulder. All he knew was that she was waiting for him while he was being an idiot. And Yuki was right; he made her worry.

Now as they awkwardly attempt to have a very normal walk back to Shigure’s house, Kyo can’t help but groan at the audacity he had to do something like that to a poor innocent girl like Tohru. Is he a pervert? God. What was he thinking?

Suddenly, a soft giggle sounds from behind him. Kyo’s hand falls from his head-when did it get there? -and turns to look at Tohru. A little clenched fist balances over her lips where an amused smile plays at. Tohru glances up at him, cheeks still flushed, before her gaze shyly retreats again.

Kyo feels his lips purse into an annoyed pout.

“What’s so funny,” he grumbles under his breath.

Tohru giggles again. “Nothing, Kyo-kun. You just look so distressed over what is probably a small matter.” She smiles sweetly at him, hand falling to grasp the straps of her bag.

“Back in classroom,” her eyes avert away for a moment, “I-I didn’t mind. It was sweet of you to think of me.”

Kyo slams a hand against the wall, fingernails trying to find purchase on the concrete. Goddammit, it should be illegal to be that cute. Fuck.

His head hangs away from Tohru, missing the probably flustered look on her face, judging by the little shouts of surprise coming from her. Kyo clenches his eyes, before braving a look at her.

Fuck, still cute. Dammit.

With a huff, his hand leaves the wall to bonk her on the head. His ears are burning. She looks up at him in surprise, eyes wide and questioning.

“It’s nothing,” he says.

Then quieter, “Thanks for waiting for me.”

“I’ll just need to wait for you,” she whispers.

Kyo almost misses it over the sound of the television. He turns in his seat and is greeted by the sight of Tohru crying into a washcloth, tears streaming down her face and onto the tabletop.

“H-hey,” Kyo starts, quickly lumbering over to her side of the table. He begins to take her hands from her face, but she abruptly pulls away. Helplessly, he chokes out a soft, “Don’t cry.”

At this, she seems to sob even more, her knees coming up to bury her face in. Kyo watches her break down, words of comfort drying up in his throat.

He…doesn’t know what to say. He told her a few months before graduation - about the cat’s fate, the bet with Akito - and to his surprise and horror, she told him she already knew. Akito had informed her about everything during his visit to the summer vacation home, fabricating stories of an endless banquet and the zodiacs never leaving his side. It was cruel and strange and absolutely foreign. She didn’t want to believe it then.

But with tomorrow looming, it no longer matters what Tohru thinks. Kyo lost the bet and from tomorrow onwards, he will take up new residence in the Sohma estate, a corner reserved only for him - in the Cat’s room.

Once before, in the days leading up to his mother’s funeral, his father brought him there.

“This is where you will live to pay for your sins,” he said, dragging Kyo towards the door. “All I need is the head’s approval, and I will be rid of you forever, you filthy scum.”

Now, ten years on, Kyo lives in one of the warmest households he’s been in, where he lets time pass wastefully, only to have it snatched away by a fate he knows is a long time coming.

Kyo sighs. “It was only a matter of time,” he tells her. “There’s no use crying over something that can’t be changed.”

He feels her grip onto his beads, her fingers slipping under before reaching for his pulse.

“It wasn’t wasted,” she says with finality, determination glinting in her eyes. “Your time outside wasn’t wasted.”

The next day, they send him off at the fringes of the Sohma estate. Tohru holds his hand until the last moment and tangles their fingers tight together. Selfishly, he grips back, closes his eyes and imagines a future that will never be, holds onto hope.

He squeezes once, twice- breathes, then lets go.

10.

He wonders what it will be like to have something like that DVD. Of course, it’ll be nice to have something to record all the quiet moments, all the happy times. But if it plays back things like that, she might not survive the fall.

And he’s afraid- that she won’t let go, that she’ll wait on him forever. Replaying the memories over and over, he’s scared that she won’t let herself forget. It’s one thing for him to be subject to this fate, but a person as bright, as innocent and pure as her, should not be saddled with a burden such as he. The curse was never meant to extend beyond the family, yet he selfishly allowed it to be so.

In a way, there isn’t much he can do at this point. What she said during the play- that awkward interruption, paired with a devastated grimace- he heard it loud and clear. Kyo lies sedately on the floor, arm under his head. This is absolutely not what he wanted. He was supposed to leave from the beginning, a mere sojourner passing through her earth. He didn’t intend for this to happen. He didn’t intend to leave things behind.

He didn’t intend for her to fall in love as well.

11.

It comes like a seabreeze from a distant shore, a memory from a long, long time ago.

Tears fall from his eyes without his consent. They dribble down his cheek, dripping off his unshaven chin. Kyo sits up and looks around.

In an instant, nothing makes sense. Nothing about where he is, why he is here, who he is, makes sense. Why are there walls confining him? What was his purpose here? What held him back from leaving?

Why did he not go to where she was?

Suddenly, the door to the room slides open. Kyo bristles and readies himself, an instinct ingrained in his body. But strangely, he no longer feels fear.

Shigure steps into the room, yukata-clad as Kyo has always remembered him to be, and faces him. He smiles briefly, eyes lacking the pity Kyo is used to seeing from him.

“Hey,” Shigure says.

Stunned, Kyo gives a confused wave.

Shigure laughs. It comes out slightly choked, with a tinge of hysteria. He comes up to Kyo and clamps his hand over Kyo’s shoulder. Shaking him, the tears fall as well.

Kyo looks up at him, cheeks still wet.

It’s over.

12.

Kyo stands in front of the mirror and gazes at his reflection. He doesn’t know how long he’s been in the Cat’s room, but the beard growing out of the sides of his face betrays the amount of time he’s been alone. Picking up the razor balanced precariously on the edge of the sink, he slowly begins to shave. His fingers stutter in their grip, and Kyo almost cuts himself.

“Do you need help?” Hatori asks, an eye peeking out through the fall of his hair. Absently, Kyo stares at the man a little longer, noticing the lack of pity he has grown accustomed to in his voice.

“N-no.” Kyo looks down and washes the razor for the umpteenth time. “I’m good.”

It’s difficult- witnessing all these changes firsthand. There is so much to say, yet there is nothing to say at all. It seems like they have all come to an agreement without voicing anything, and everyone around him has accepted it, including himself.

Hatori passes him a face towel and Kyo takes it, murmuring a soft noise of gratitude. He wipes his face, before staring at the mirror once more. There is something unrecognizable in his reflection. It’s him, yet it isn’t.

In an instant, Kyo’s gaze is drawn to the beads encircling his left wrist. He slips his fingers under them for a moment, thumb and forefinger playing with one of them. Slowly, finger by finger, he grasps the beads- string and all- in a fist, and pulls.

They drop to the floor like marbles, bouncing once, then rolling away.

And Kyo is already crouched on the ground, sobbing. He curls himself up next to the bathtub, burying his head in his knees. A part of him is waiting for the inevitable, and yet a part of him knows that it will never come and haunt him again.

He’s…free.

Hatori comes down to crouch next to him, and in a rare act of comfort from the man, wraps his arm around Kyo’s head and begins patting his hair. After existing so long without the warmth of another, Kyo clutches onto Hatori’s shirt and cries. In that moment, he grieves for what both of them have lost, and grieves for what both of them have gained. Kyo is lost, and found. Confused, yet so, so secure. He is empty, therefore he is full.

After about ten minutes of full-on sobbing into the shirt of a man whom he has barely spoken more than a few sentences to in his life, Kyo awkwardly removes himself from Hatori’s chest. To his embarrassment, all Hatori does is give him a small smile, cheeks slightly damp, and pats his head once more. Shyly, he scratches the back of his head before moving to stand, Hatori following suit. As he looks around the bathroom, Kyo finds himself at a loss. He has so many questions, but they get lodged in his throat when he attempts to ask.

Hatori must see the look in his eyes because he clasps his shoulder and says, “Ask Honda-kun. She’ll tell you everything.”

13. living

Kyo can’t wait.

No, of course he can. It’s been years.

It’s been years, that’s why he can’t wait, dammit.

He can’t do this. This is too much. What if she’s forgotten? What if she no longer wants anything to do with him? He did leave her once before- what if she decides she can’t take another person leaving and being left behind again?

And what about him? Does he still want to see her? Does he still want her? What about her did he like? What did he use to do with her? What was their life like when they lived together? What if-

A smack sounds across the back of his head. Kyo’s hands immediately go up to cradle his head, only to be met with the annoyed glare of one Yuki Sohma.

“Get it together, you stupid cat,” Yuki bites out. “She’ll be here soon.”

A snarl almost makes it past his throat, but Kyo remembers that…they don’t need to do this anymore.

For a moment, Kyo is baffled by the rivalry manufactured so intently between them. He’s layered hate upon hate on this man before him without even realizing how foreign the idea was in the first place. The anger fizzles out in his chest, and all that’s left is guilt. Guilt of tormenting Yuki since the first time they met, right until the moment before he left. Guilt of pushing the blame onto Yuki every time something upset his seemingly miserable life. Yuki had it hard as well, he knows. He just refused to acknowledge it.

“I’m…sorry,” Kyo tells him, looking up with furrowed brows. The words taste unfamiliar on his tongue. Yuki narrows his eyes at him, before taking a seat adjacent to him in the kotatsu.

He sighs.

“We’ve been terrible to each other, haven’t we?” Yuki starts.

Kyo places his hand back on the table in front of him, finger spreading out before clenching once more. “Yeah, we have.”

“What were we even mad at each other about anyway?”

“I don’t know. I think we were just always being pitched against each other. It pissed me off.”

“Yeah, well. You were being quite an idiot about it too.”

“Hey-“

“Don’t worry,” Yuki puts up his hands in surrender. “I was a pretty big dick to you too.”

Then softer, “I’m sorry.”

At the words, Kyo finds himself being released from a crime he has spent so long believing he had done. He thinks back on what Kyoko said, about not having a designated person to hate and blame, and finally sees the beauty that she was trying to convey. All he needed was an outlet for all the hurt he experienced in his life, and when he realized that there was hope, that there was redemption somewhere, it began to dig him deeper and deeper into a cycle of rehearsed loathing, fashioned it into something so grotesque, Kyo couldn’t recognize it in himself anymore. He couldn’t even recognize himself anymore.

All the wasted years, Kyo briefly laments. But it brings comfort that the bridge between Yuki and him has not been completely burned. Kyo knows who to thank for that.

The front door suddenly slams open and footsteps sound through the hall into the kitchen. In a flurry of brown hair and pink dress, she appears before him, panting heavily and looking straight into his eyes.

His eyes widen. “Tohru-“

Her arms are around him before he has the chance to say anything else. She squeezes him tight, burying her face into his neck. The ends of her hair tickle his jawline, and Kyo feels a dampness against his skin. She shakes in her hold, shifting her face back and forth into the cloth at his shoulder.

Kyo continues to stare in shock at the wall in front of him. The door to the room slides shut quietly, and he realizes that Yuki has left the room.

Slowly, his hand reaches up to the back of her head before sliding down the length of her hair. He repeats the action over and over, his fingers tangling in the soft strands. He combs through her hair, his other hand coming up to rest against her waist. She sobs harder and harder, her words incomprehensible.

“K-kyo-kun,” Tohru whimpers. She clenches a fist in the back his shirt and tightens her grip.

Immediately, something in his chest cracks. Kyo buries his fingers in earnest in her hair, clutching her tightly against him. His arms band around her frame and the tears that were held at bay fall from the corner of his eyes down his nose. He turns his neck and places his lips at her pulse, each beat thrumming through him, signalling to him that she’s here and she’s real.

How many times had he imagined this moment? The smell of her hair, the softness of her skin? No matter how much he polishes every memory of her till they shine, it can never compare to how she feels in his arms right now. The senses that have shut down so long ago from repeated rejection from others in his life, the loss of hope that someone, someday, will hold him like this, like they never want to let go, explode to life and Kyo takes in whatever he can greedily, selfishly, and as much as he wants. He steeps in the luxury of a hug from a girl he cares about most, and soaks in every detail, every sensation he has missed out on in the past few years stolen from his life.

They hold each other a while longer, before slowly separating to look into the other’s eyes. Tohru lifts a hand to Kyo’s cheek, and he leans into it, nosing her palm and brushing his lips across her wrist. She runs a finger repeatedly under his eyes, catching the tears there. Kyo does the same to her, cradling her face gently while brushing her fringe away. They lean their foreheads against each other, broken smiles playing at their lips.

“Kyo-kun,” Tohru calls him.

“Yeah,” he replies, voice cracking.

“I missed you.”

“I-“ inhale, “I missed you too.”

“Kyo-kun,” she calls again.

“Y-yeah.”

She laughs and places a kiss on his forehead. He closes his eyes and grips her tighter. In the deepest corners of his heart, there is a smidge of doubt, an inkling of fear, that rejection will come sooner or later. But when Kyo opens his eyes and sees Tohru smiling through her tears, he is strong, and brave, and fearless, and ready to love and to love and to love. Then, she tells him the words that overwrite the pain he’s gone through, that cancel out the unforgiveness he bears within himself, that make him feel stronger than he has ever been before.

“Kyo-kun, look,” she places a hand on his left wrist, leave a kiss there, and smiles.

“You’re free.”

———————————————

Inspired by a line in @sariedust ‘s fic, If Only:

"This would be a memory he’d polish over and over during the years.”

Do check it out (:

#fruits basket #fruits basket spoilers #kyoru #kyo x tohru #kyo sohma #tohru honda #yixin’s fic

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night-shadowblood-writes · 4 years

Text

Victim of Tradition

With Christmas around the corner you could see the excitement rolling off of everyone. Christmas jingles playing in every store parents running around trying to get last minute gifts and you trying to get out of the cold spot a café 'Oh thank goodness!'

Running into the café blowing hot air into your hands 'How could you forget your gloves ?' you sigh as you look up to see how long the line was before seeing if there were any seats available.

Thankfully only two other people stood in line and with a sigh of relief you stood patiently looking up at the menu 'Should I play it safe or try something new?' you bite your lip.

"(y/n)!" You hear and turn to see Mina and the girls walk in. "Hey guys what's up?" You smile turning to them. "Not much just Tohru and I doing some last minute shopping." Mina said "I can't believe you got all your shopping done early ribbit" Tohru said.

"well I knew I didn't want to run around crazy like someone I know~" I teased the two girls. To which they pout and the rest of us girls giggle before turning to order.

After getting our drinks we sat and chatted "I only need my Secret Santa then I'm done with shopping." "Oooh who'd you get is it one of us?" Mina leaned in close. Chuckling "No I got Shinsou but I have no idea what to get the guy."

"Haven't you been crushing on the guy since first year?" Kyoka asked Momo Tohru Ochaco Mina and Tsu look at you expectantly. "Well yeah" it's true I had a crush on Shinsou since our first year of U.A and it grew when he doing their hero course and now we are in our third year and he hasn't really acknowledged my feelings I mean it's not like I hid them.

I sigh, "But even so I still don't know what to get him and the Christmas party is in four days ugh." I groan and sink into a pity slouch. The girls all try to pitch ideas but by the time we all had to head back to the dorm I still had nothing.

After saying goodnight I lay in bed wondering what Shinsou would like before drifting off into sleep.

The next day I venture out into the shopping district and look to see if anything catches my eye and I see things others would love but nothing for Shinsou. "Why is it so hard I swear.." before walking into a random shop and just walking around. Before I caught eye of it it was perfect! I run up to the display with light shining in my (e/c) eyes

A giant smile etch on my face it was the latest model too built for on and off track riding, the color was black with indigo design, the height was perfect, the seat looked comfortable, had lights for night time use and it was in price range!

I was so tempted to do a happy dance right in this store before running to get an employee. I just remembered Shinsou liked to bike but his recently was an old model bought from neighbor in a garage sale and it had seen better days from what he's told her.

After paying the price and them adding an additional water bottle and holder because she pulled a winning raffle ticket she was on her way texting Mina to make sure he wasn't around to see.

After securing her gift she couldn't wait for the party. Everything was beautiful and fancy looking but that's what you get when you let Momo in charge of decor.

"Momo you outdid yourself this place is beautiful! Like a total Christmas wonderland!" You praise her the girls nodding along no matter how long you've guys known each other Momo always seems to surprise you guys.

Every one was dressed festive even Bakugou was wearing a sweater that had the Grinch on it I'm sure someone probably forced him into. The outfit occupying your body was a cute long sleeve Santa dress with red and white striped tights and a santa hat.

Talking with Shouto about the different types of traditions family's do, "So people have to kiss under a plant?" "Mistletoe Shou-chan and no you don't have to it's just some tradition someone created to kiss the person they love. The trick is you can kiss their cheek or forehead this especially works if you don't wanna hurt their feelings by just ditching them there or embarrassing them if people are watching."

Shouto is my best guy friend after his whole im-not-here-to-make-friends phase. He knows me better than even my girlfriends."I see thank you (n/n)-chan." Do you know how long it took to get him to call me this beside (l/n)-san!?! Almost a whole year and a half!!

"No problem" I smile and look around and caught eye of indigo hair talking to green. Shinsou and Midoriya were in a heated discussion with wild hand movement and one of Midoriya's notebooks. 'Huh must be a new move he's been working on..'

"Alright everyone it's now time for the secret Santa gift exchange! Be sure to wait patiently for your gift and we shall proceed in an orderly manner!!" Iida's crazy hand movement looked hilarious as always but especially more so as he was dressed as the resident Santa Claus

Aizawa stood up "We will call out a name and your secret Santa will present you with your gift go ahead but remember lights out before 1am. And no funny business got that" he said hair floating n eyes flashing red before heading to his room.

'Scary!' almost everyone thought. Names were called and everyone was excited for their gift except anyone who had mineta as a secret santa which was made sure he didn't get any girls names.

"Shinsou's secret santa please step forward" I gulp before stepping forward catching Shinsou's attention. His eyes widened when he saw the bike he'd been eyeing and saving up for all year. He got up quite excitedly and walked to it.

"How this bike is.." he trailed off looking at the bike then you. Offering him a shy smile "It was within my budget I set so I got it. I know you've been meaning to get a knew one so here ya go."

He stared at you for a bit before he smiled "Thank you (y/n)-chan" it filled you with a warmth and almost took your breath away. "No problem" you breath out. "Now (l/n)'s secret Santa" Iida called.

Shinsou brought out a small box and handed it to you. Opening it you saw a gold chain with one tiny little diamond it's ".. beautiful" you breath out staring at the gift. He smiled and took it out motioning you to turn around which you did as he lowered it on your neck it stopped a little passed your collar bone and as he flipped it in place you felt something soft on the nape of your neck.

With a hitched breath you turn to him faces inches from each other indigo eyes staring deeply into (e/c). Lips a few centimeters away. Before either of you could pull away Shouto walks over holding a little piece of plant that usually takes place above doorways.

"Shou-chan!" You feel your face burn up too afraid to see what Shinsou's reaction was. Shouto sly as a fox Todoroki held mistletoe above you and your crush. "It's tradition (n/n)-chan" was all he said a slight smirk on his usually stoic face.

Before you could say another thing Shinsou was already turning your head and planting a sweet kiss on your lips. When shock passed you melted into the kiss happily.

Seeing as his work was done Todoroki looks for his next victim of tradition spotting a blushing Midoriya and Uraraka nearby.

With a smile you two pull away "so what does this mean for us a tradition or..?" You hesitantly ask Shinsou smiled "Be mine?" You smile widely and throw your arms around him "Yes!" It was a great Christmas.

Hi this is Night this is my first time writing here on Tumblr I hope you like it

#shinsou x reader #shinsou hitoshi #shinsou x fem reader #christmas #secret santa

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mythicamagic · 5 years

Note

Number 49 for the kiss thingy, with your favorite furuba ship

49: Short and sweet kiss after meeting up for a date.

Blame @frost-guardian for this, we talk about them a lot and its sucked me in. I'm sorry its Hatohru *cries* I'm trash.

Hatori checked his watch for the umpteenth time. She wasn't late or anything, he just needed to check. It was the only thing that gave him away, since his countenance remained outwardly calm.

Usually he picked her up for their dates, but she'd insisted on meeting him out in the city tonight. That suited him fine. He'd been spared Shigure's inane comments, for now. He returned his hands to the safety of his pockets, standing silent and watchful on the street, lingering near the trees of the park. The cold December air bit at his cheeks. He hoped she'd remembered a scarf this time. He'd brought a spare anyway.

"Hatori!" A voice called through the crowd.

Hatori stiffened, turning his head to see her approaching. Arisa and Hana waved her off, ever the protective sentinels. Arisa gave him the usual grin that hinted at breaking his kneecaps if he hurt Tohru. Hatori tried to silently assure her that he'd break his own, thank you.

"I'm sorry, I hope you weren't waiting too long," Tohru fussed, hurrying closer, breath visible in the air.

"You're early, it's fine," he muttered. Good, scarf was in use.

Her bright, brown eyes glittered as she stopped before him, hands gently latching onto his coat. One of his own slid from his coat pocket, settling on the base of her spine. They'd been dating for a long time. Far longer than they'd admitted to anyone else. But she still smiled at him like he was worthy of it.

She got that expectant look again like she wanted something, so Hatori leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. A mere brush. A chaste thing, because they were both highly private and this thing between them, unexplainable- needed to be handled gently and nurtured.

Their breaths intermingled. Tohru's lashes fluttered open, before she gave a brilliant grin, grasping his hand.

Pink, blue, green, red and yellow suddenly illuminated her hair and face. Christmas lights had turned on, wrapped around the branches of the trees.

"Look, Hatori," she breathed. "I wanted to show you. Aren't they wonderful?"

Hatori was looking. Though probably not where she wanted. Tohru's upturned face and infectious joy seeped into his chest. Warmth pooled there, spreading to the ends of his toes.

"Yes," he agreed softly.

#hatohru #sohma hatori #tohru honda #Hatori x Tohru #fruits basket #Asks

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kitsune-kirei · 5 years

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Neverending Survey: Kirei Meztli

RULES: Repost, do not reblog. Tag 10 blogs! (Or as many as you’d like)

Tagged by: @lightofthecrystal, @elegie-de-sang, @ataki-yuuto, and @lillies-n-lilacs, thank you for tagging me, It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these!

Tagging: @gaillaffxiv, @infiniteleftdoesffxiv, @sparrow-ffxiv, @fensa-valehart, @mai-takeda, @seina-kurokiba, @gaggle-of-dorks-ffxiv, @jorandalkitor, @thesinsofgreed

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Kirei Meztli ( @kitsune-kirei )

NICKNAME: Kitsune, Kitsu, Rei, The Firefox.

AGE: Unknown, looks in her 20′s or 30′s.

BIRTHDAY: Unknown.

ETHNIC GROUP: Half Hyur, Half Doman .

NATIONALITY: Ul’dahian, Doman.

LANGUAGE/S: Hingan, Eorzean.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Quoiromantic (thank you for this term Spurrow)

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Complicated as fuck.

HOME TOWN / AREA: Yanxia, deep within the bamboo forests.

CURRENT HOME: A hidden cave in the Mists. The location is unknown, except to those Kirei has become dedicated to.

PROFESSION: Flower arranger/seller, deliverer, information broker, exorcist, spy.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Curly, wavy, and messy, fire orange in color, recently cut to cheek length.

EYES: Peculiar lavender eyes.

FACE: Almost doll-like and delicate in appearance, sometimes covered in dirt.

LIPS: A bit pouty, rarely wears lip-paint.

COMPLEXION: Olive, dewy.

BLEMISHES: A mole on the left side of her chin.

SCARS: Small, barely noticeable scars mar her entire body.

TATTOOS: None, sometimes Kirei will mess with Henna.

HEIGHT: 5′6, pretty tall for a Miqo’te.

BUILD: Skinny, lanky, tall.

FEATURES: Foxlike ears and a foxlike tail.

ALLERGIES: None.

USUAL FACE LOOK: Neutral, melancholic, bright, friendly, ever present smile.

USUAL CLOTHING: Practical clothing on the skin-showing side.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Losing sense of taste, hands and feet being cut off, feeling trapped.

ASPIRATION/S: To liberate every single slave under the Echion slave branch, to understand what it means to be human.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Empathetic, helpful, friendly, dedicated worker, passionate, self sacrificing, able to look at the bigger picture, peacekeeper.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Self sacrificing, self pitying, generous to the point of poverty, feral, half truths, holds too many secrets.

TEMPERAMENT: Phlegmatic- individuals tend to be relaxed, peaceful, quiet, and easy-going. They are sympathetic and care about others, yet they try to hide their emotions. Melancholic- individuals tend to be analytical and detail-oriented, and they are deep thinkers and feelers.

SOUL TYPE/S: The Shaman- This type of soul is wise and old. They can give great advice as well as truly connect with people around them. Others often feel better in their presence.

ANIMALS: Fox, Deer, Otter.

VICE HABIT/S: Smoking, drugs every so often, having strong urges to dig holes in the ground out of nowhere, toxic relationships, succumbs to feral instincts every now and then.

FAITH: Loose faith in Kami/ Shinto.

GHOSTS?: Yes, Kirei can communicate to spirits and sense ones nearby.

AFTERLIFE?: Yes.

REINCARNATION?: Yes. Kirei has brief episodes where she gets feelings from her last lifetime, and rarely, will share a familiar feeling among people she had been acquainted with in her past life.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Neutral.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Taught to read and write, self studying.

FAMILY.

FATHER: R’ihan Meztli - Estranged, Keeper of the Moon. Kirei traveled with her father in Thanalan for a while before he ultimately sold her to a slaver. Spent his life work searching for a powerful Kami in the east.

MOTHER: Leiote Sekai - Deceased, Doman Hyur. Leiote was a Geiko in Hingashi, and was well known for her ethereal presence, beauty, and kindness. She was ultimately charmed by the outsider R’ihan Meztli, and they both moved back to her home village in Yanxia to start a family.

SIBLINGS: Kaeyu Meztli - Half sibling, half Keeper half Seeker. Kaeyu and Kirei don’t know the other exists. Kaeyu has a reputation for being rather rambunctious and a trouble maker.

EXTENDED FAMILY: Kirei has family on her mother’s and father’s side, but she doesn’t know anything about them, or there whereabouts.

NAME MEANING/S: Kirei (きれい)- The Hingan word for ‘pretty’, or ‘beautiful’. It has been heavily implied to Kirei by others, that she was named after her mother’s beauty and kindness in hopes that she would inherit these traits.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: None.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: A Hingan child’s book called ‘The Tale of Mohatsu-Otome’, otherwise known as the Eastern version of Rapunzel.

DEITY: None.

HOLIDAY: Moonfire Faire.

MONTH: Fall seasons.

SEASON: Autumn.

PLACE: The astral plane, various hidden nooks and crannies throughout Eorzea, Doman bath houses, hot springs.

WEATHER: Sunny with a chill in the air, warm desert days, rainy.

SOUND / S: Ethereal singing, the singing of lesser nature spirits within the woods, wind chimes, ocean waves, water, the rustle of leaves in the wind.

SCENT / S: Incense, tobacco, fresh unpicked flowers, old tomes, herbs, fresh baked bread, tea.

TASTE / S: Peaches, apples, fresh sweet cream.

FEEL / S: Soft and bristly fur, warmth, fresh snow, crunchy leaves, fine sand, hot rocks, pebbles.

ANIMAL / S: Goobbue, Tortoises, smaller creatures.

NUMBER: 3, 6, 9, 33.

COLORS: Rich purple, pink, light/bright blue, green.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Dancing, healing, cooking, making shitty looking but durable furniture, sewing, manipulation, twin daggers, aether control.

BAD AT: Lying, drawing, staying clean, writing.

TURN ONS: Charming cockiness, depth, intensity, shoulders, meaningful words, white eyes, dark eyes, smirks, someone who can figure her out, making her laugh, a nice voice.

TURN OFFS: Simple minds, tunnel vision, someone who doesn’t listen to her words, racism, un-needed/careless violence and aggression, calling her a ‘cat’, unflattering colors, self absorbed.

HOBBIES: Flower frolicking, cooking, traveling, swimming, making junk, people watching.

TROPES: Girl next door, Hippie, Undere/Yandere

QUOTES:

“I want to understand... The weight of a human life.”

“We need to keep moving forward. We have our eyes in the front for a reason after all, there is no point in looking back to the past.”

“I take a hold of my fate with my own two hands. I will not leave things to chance.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?

A1 : I’m not sure about the title, but it would definitely have to be an animated film. And It would probably be about Kirei’s backstory and about her parents. There’s a lot of details about her past that I don’t get to touch on too much in RP.

Q2 : What would their soundtrack/score sound like?

A2 : Something that would invoke a lot of emotion if possible. Ghibli/Disney-esque would be awesomeeee.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?

A3 : Long story short, something happened to me while visiting Japan that gave me inspiration to write Kirei. Close friends know the entire story, but its a bit long and wild. I’ll just say it involves a Fox shrine I ran into!

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?

A4 : Besides the thing that happened in Japan, I wanted a character where I was able to express my interest in things like shamanism and the spirit world. I also was really attracted to the idea of writing a character that was still kind to others even though she has no reason to be, due to the rough life she lived.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : I’m a really open person who likes to approach people to start conversations, but Kirei is the opposite of that. It makes it a bit harder to approach in RP since I wrote her to be a wallflower. She’s also much more reserved than I am, so if there’s a wild scene happening in RP that I would like to get in on, I really can’t on Kirei since she’s not one to participate in things unless asked.

Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse?

A6 : Probably too much in hindsight rofl. Kirei is the first RP character I ever wrote, so I gave her a lot of commonalities from myself so it would be easier to write her and learn how to RP.

Q7 : How does your muse feel about you?

A7 : She would probably tell me that I’m trying my best, but she thinks that with most!

Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?

A8 : A whole other side of Kirei comes out if she interacts with manipulative/cunning characters, and I really enjoy writing that darker side of her that appears.

Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?

A9: A big inspiration for the core of Kirei is Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket (if you couldn’t tell but all the fruits basket stuff I reblog). I just loved how she was written, and how she stayed kind despite her hard life, and I loved her layers and how she viewed others. Tohru gave me a lot if inspiration to be kind to others growing up, Kirei is really just a homage to her.

Q10: How long did this take you to complete ?

A10: TOO LONG, I worked on it on and off throughout the week.

Thanks for reading if you stuck around this long!

#ffxiv #ffxiv rp #ff14 #ff14 rp #kirei meztli

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lvlsup · 2 years

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@expboost said: ❛ aw, did you miss me? ❜ | momiji @ tohru ...

Midday sunlight streams in through the window in tandem with Tohru’s chuckle, filling the apartment with light & warmth. How quickly the month had flown in! she swore she could still feel the tears on her cheeks from the morning herself & Kyo (somewhat begrudgingly) had seen him off at the airport headed for Germany. “ Welcome back, Momiji! I hope you had a safe flight — ”

Two suitcases trail behind him, one pulled by either hand & a rucksack mimicking a bunny hangs from his shoulder. “ Uh... Are these all souvenirs for the other Sohmas...? ” she asks wide eyed, gesturing to the many cases swarming him. A thought crosses her mind.

‹ he probably came here directly from the airport, he must be so tired... ›

As though a switch had been tripped Tohru Honda, #1 hostess springs into action, gesturing for Momiji to take a seat. “ I’ll make you some tea, and then we can go visit everyone, if you don’t mind me tagging along? ”

#♡ fandom ›› fruits basket #♡ muse ›› tohru

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papers4me · 4 years

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Fruits Basket SE02, Ep15

The anticipated” teacher conference”. While this ep is focused on yuki successfully overcoming his frightening “mother’s ghost”, I think it does a brilliant job amplifying the real “mother ghost” in the story.

A Mother’s Ghost:

Tohru is haunted by her mom’s ghost. Everything must stay as her mom wished:continue high school/find job. No selfish desires for herself. Nothing personal to pursue. past plans were made for two: a mother & daughter. Now she’s all alone. Future Status: In stagnation.

Kyo is haunted by two ghosts (his mom & kyoko). Literally two ghosts of two dead mothers. both deaths are supposedly caused by him. "you aren’t forgiven/won’t forgive you” are uttered by so many adults now, his father, Akito, the sohma’s & kyoko herself. Now he believes it, too. He must mend his mistakes by making sure the only two ppl he loves are safe. from him. Accuse a child of hideous things for too long, soon it becomes his reality. Future Status: Nonexistent.

Yuki is haunted by his mom’s ghost. tho his is alive & denying him affection, love & care. The old yuki would’ve got asthma attack & fainted. The new yuki is different. He isn’t alone. far more ppl have reached out to him. Tohru, Haru, kakeru & Aya. He had discovered warmth. The ghost isn’t scary as it used to be. It’s actually small & panicky. He’s stronger. Future status: hopeful & bright.

Real Mother vs Unknowing Mother Figure:

Yuki continues his plot line of moving forward & altho I suspected that he’ll receive help to overcome setbacks, I totally forgot abt Aya! XD. I thought tohru might’ve had a more active role in defending him as usual. But I’m glad she didn’t have any physical part in the conference scene cuz it helps the theme of yuki moving away from tohru & learning to lean on others until he can stand tall. Also, the writer excellently accelerated yuki’s growth using Ayame cuz (a) it helps strengthen their brotherly bond. (b) Yuki accepted his brother completely, thanked & defended him in front of his scary mom, adding to (c) Aya’s subplot of being rewarded for his many attempts to atone for neglecting yuki. (d) Teaching yuki that his scary mom can be rendered helpless in front of a confident person. (e) Yuki taking all that in & using it to stand up for himself by the end of the scene & articulate that His future is HIS. (f) yuki discovering that he doesn't need tohru’s help as much as before. (g) yuki realizing what he sought in tohru (motherly emotional nurture). Finally (h) tohru letting go of yuki!! She saw he doesn't need her as much anymore. While tohru obviously doesn’t look for a child/baby in yuki, she most genuinely cared for him as a friend but she also indulged in his issues to escape hers. the more the sohma’s get strong & don’t require much of her help, the more she’ll be forced to face her mom’s ghost..What will you do tohru if tomorrow the curse broke?.if all you have left is you & your mom’s picture..

Eating somen & its double meaning. a.k.a ( brilliant writing)!!!:

SE02, Ep.2, was the introduction to future planning. Kyo, troubled by his future, decided to eat comfort food & cooked somen. Tohru, troubled by her furure, couldn’t seep, joined in & cooked/eaten with him. Later Shigure & yuki joined. That day tohru felt so much better. Why? cuz she ate somen with friends? NO. Cuz she opened her heart & cried for herself. kyo made her,unwillingly, peek into her fears. Had she not talked & broke into tears, shigure wouldn’t have suggested the laundry analogy & enjoying the already cooked food together. The somen would’ve become just a normal late dinner in shigure’s house. The difference is kyo pushed tohru to acknowledge her tears. She resisted first “don’t kyo, don’t force me to look deeper”. Her tears turned into excitements by the end of the night, they all shared teasing & jokes.

Tohru wants that relieved feeling again. Except she wants it without opening her heart. She refuses to peek inside & cry over herself & her fears. She associated the feeling of relief with “eating somen with friends” NOT “facing your fears & opening up, accepting help”. She knows everybody is worried abt their future. so they must go home together & share somen. How did that work out? Laughing & teasing happened. but what abt the feeling of relief ? kyo is still worried abt hurting tohru, painfully gazing at her (not relieved), tohru still wears the happy mask, pretending all is fine (not relieved). Yuki calling his mom in dark corridor & fearing her (not relieved) Brilliant writing indeed! The only one who changed positively afterwards is yuki cuz he opened his lid in next scene, peeked inside & faced it by accepting help.

Tohru’s tight shit lid:

I had previously compared kyo’s feelings/ trauma with fire that spreads fast, burn him & hurt others. His trauma is tied strongly with death (kyoko) & suicide(his mom physically & him metaphorically thro confinement). How can you put out the fire without killing it? His trauma must be dealt/healed in a way that doesn’t kill the fire. Keep the light & warmth in it by igniting kyo’s desire to live. (I can’t figure out how & it’s driving me crazy!!!). Yuki’s feelings/trauma is a kin to a flowing river, calm in the surface but can flood dangerously & destroy. How can you fix it without rendering the river into a lifeless pond? by insuring it runs/flows regularly & reaches its destination!! Always changing & moving forward (already happening).

but what abt tohru? tohru’s feelings/trauma is a kin to a tiny flower. tender & fragile, it needs warmth, light & water to grow. This flower isn’t particularly prettier than the others nor rare. But it’s precious & provides joy. One might not notice that this flower is sick from the inside until it withers & dies silently.

Tohru’s closed box has more than her mom now. It has kyo. But why is kyo, who is a source of comfort to tohtu, is now paired with her mom’s saddest flashback?? Why can’t tohru accept loving kyo? altho tohru didn’t say it, we saw her shaken reaction to kyo’s confinement the day Akito told her & how she sought kazuma. Tohru might not have realized that kyo is her most loved one yet, but we as viewers don’t doubt it as the writer has amazingly led us thro their most normal & gradual relationship. Still it doesn’t explain why is kyo put away in tohru’s box along with kyoko’s haunting flashback & falling deep into the dark ocean of tohru’s darkest hidden thoughts?. Tohru hides pain.. why is loving kyo a pain to tohru?? why is she refusing to face her growing attachment to him?? she’s tragically lonely but she refuses to acknowledge her feelings of belonging to kyo?? could it be cuz she’s denying herself selfish desires? she doesn’t see herself worthy for him? tohru has often looked down on herself. Could it be thoru is scared of loving kyo? scared of being abandoned?? scared of changing herself? Weird!!!!!!I need More tohru!!!!

Side Notes:

Tohru’s story keeps getting more complicated emotionally in ways I haven't anticipated & I love it!! altho I don’t really get the part of fearing to love kyo?? it’s a bit weird since tohru has a loving nature. but hope to learn why soon.

kyo asks hana if she can read his heart with her waves. Also kyo openly stares fondly at tohru right in front of hana & co. boy is so preciously lovesick! XD.

Shigure is right. tohru isn’t his responsibility. Him providing support for her is already enough from a non-relative. I love his brash honesty.

Shigure/Mayu scene is the best comedy. I love their dynamics.

Kazuma’s “Its fine if you take as long as the others” is such inspiring line. It spoke to my heart! finding your future isn’t a competition!! It reinforces furuba’s brilliant message of everybody having their own pace. just cuz yuki is moving fast & healthy towards his future, doesn’t mean the others are less worthy for fearing a future or not finding the way to begin with. Everybody moves in different speed cuz they’re different ppl with different character traits, trauma. Also, foreshadowing!. Kyo’s lid will be opened last. Bring it on kyoko!

Is Aya the first sohma to get his happy ending/full redemption/achieved goal? YUP! fitting for Mr. Most-Confident!

Yuki’s conference scene is one of the well-directed, gives me hopes for tohru’s future dark story, but also it could mean the director is saving their craziest dramatic animation/adventures/experiments for her.. yikes!!!! plz NO.

Kyoko being a dotting mom, role model, gang member, cool friend & a chilling haunting ghost is brilliant story-telling!

tohru literally drawn in the sky after yuki saying ” you’re like the sky” is too much. lol.. but I’ll let it pass, it’s minor.

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #excited paper #SE02

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recentanimenews · 7 years

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FEATURE: Why It Works: Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid and the Power of Adorable Daughters

Hey all, and welcome back to Why It Works. I’ve been very much enjoying this season’s Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, even though I wasn’t necessarily expecting to at the start. The first episode was goofy and propulsive enough, but it lacked something to really make me care about the story. Comedies don’t necessarily need to make you care, but for comedies like Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, which embraces heavy slice of life instincts and wants you to like its characters, finding an emotional center is very important. The subsequent episodes have done an excellent job of making me care about Kobayashi and Tohru on their own terms, but the second episode in particular introduced an ingredient that pretty much sold me immediately: Tohru’s dragon friend Kanna.

Kanna initially arrives with hopes of dragging Tohru back to fantasy-land, but she soon ends up joining the family. The show doesn’t really beat around the bush with its family unit shenanigans; it’s basically established from the start that she’s the daughter of the family, and acts as such. Demanding time to play, expressing honest curiosity at all the marvels of the human world, and taking frequent naps are all characteristic of what Kanna brings to the table.

Kanna may actually be a dragon, but the show’s ability to sell her as a believable daughter for the two other leads contributes greatly to its emotional success. Much of what makes Kanna an important addition is incidental, like how she’ll busy herself with silly games whenever the adults are doing something that bores her. Incidental details of character acting and strong animation contribute greatly to her sense of presence, and the contrast between her goofy appearance and draconic nature results in some natural comedy as well. Kanna is a charming and believable child in a cozy family environment, interacting differently with each of her “moms” but coming across as inquisitive, needy, and generally full of life at all times.

In short, Kanna is great. But Kanna’s greatness is reflective of what’s become one of my favorite subgenres in recent anime: the regularly rewarding What Am I Going To Do With This Child genre. And so today I figured I’d take a look back for anyone who’s enjoying Kanna’s antics, and highlight some of the other greats in this inherently charming field.

First off, the generally accepted critical darling of the genre remains Usagi Drop. Sticking together the thirty-year-old single man Daikichi and his six-year-old, uh, aunt (it’s complicated) Rin, Usagi Drop presents a story of mutual discovery and the many perils of parenting. Rin is a charming kid, but a great deal of Usagi Drop’s strength comes down to its very grounded approach to the genre. Forced to learn everything about child-rearing all at once, Daikichi stumbles through a series of mundane problems that lend life to both him and his adopted daughter. From its soft color palette and graceful linework to its tender character writing, Usagi Drop is a gem.

Secondly, my own favorite entry in the genre remains the reliable Nichijou. Nichijou is unavailable streaming at the moment, but fortunately Funimation recently picked up its license, so it’ll be available in just a few days. Brought to you by the same studio behind Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Nichijou is a madcap comedy that actually includes a lot more than a parent-child narrative, but the relationship between child genius Professor Shinonome and her robot parental figure Nano is the show’s emotional heart. Featuring much of the same believable childishness and terrific character acting that makes Kanna so endearing, it’s full of sequences that embody the odd mysteries of childhood, and the honest warmth of a found family.

Moving back to the father-daughter territory, last year’s sweetness & lightning introduced us to Kouhei and his daughter Tsumugi. Resigned to feeding his daughter on packaged meals ever since the death of his wife, Kouhei finds an unexpected way to connect with her when his student Kotori makes them a home-cooked meal. sweetness & lightning proceeds as a series of episodic recipes, as a new meal cooked by the three of them ends up shedding light on either his anxieties or Tsumugi’s own troubles. This show’s greatest trick is likely the degree of respect it lends Tsumugi’s feelings, as well as the ways it occasionally gestures towards the lingering sadness of her mother’s absence. But in general, the title says it all: energetic and fluffy, sweetness & lightning is a generally lovely time.

Finally, my last pick for the genre would be 2014’s Barakamon. Barakamon centers on a young, talented calligrapher named Handa, who suffers something of a mental break in response to criticism of his art. Sent off to the country to cool his head, he runs into the impetuous young girl Naru, and so begins a series of lackadaisical adventures. Like Sweetness & Lightning, Barakamon is lifted by the fact that its central child character is voiced by an actual child actress, whose naturalistic voice acting is itself buoyed by some beautiful character acting. Naru’s energy is infectious, and Barakamon also manages to fit in a number of reflections on the artist life through Handa’s trials. It’s a rewarding and often thoughtful production.

So that’s it for my list of cartoon daughters that I would die for. If you’re enjoying Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, I’d definitely encourage you to give some of the others a look, and also to pick up Nichijou once it arrives. These charming children deserve our love!

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Nick Creamer has been writing about cartoons for too many years now, and is always ready to cry about Madoka. You can find more of his work at his blog Wrong Every Time, or follow him on Twitter.

By: [email protected]

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