Disclaimer-Still own nothing
Shout-outs:
Aiffe: 1) Yes, Fruits Basket does have some great fanfiction. 2) Towards the end, I actually thought I was cutting it too short! Well, it's my first FB since my new account, and my second FB overall, so I'm trying. 3) About Kureno—and thanks for telling me his name, by the way, I was curious—I've only read up to volume 9 (which was loaned to me, so it's not mine to use) in which Uo is all smitten with him and he was giving off the "I like her but we can't be together" vibe. I knew he was somehow involved with Akito, but I thought that it was Akito's usual routine of being possessive/manipulative/obsessive that he (I have to call him a he, I see Akito and think "man") pulls with the other characters. I'm not even going to attempt anything with Rin because I saw approximately two scenes with her.
silvercats: Ayame and Yuki's parents are horrible people. I don't remember everything from the mangas past volume six, but I do remember certain scenes of them beating him or pretty much telling him he was a waste of carbon (not in those exact words, though).
Haru's Black And White: Love your new name! How's it going for you?
Aiffe, purplepeopleeater, silvercats, animefreak, Nezumigirl, and Freedra Kyes: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews!
Author's Notes: No one even attempted finding the two quotes, so here they are: Ayame said, "Carpe carpum!" which is said by Katrina in the book Empress of the World. Gen said, "Who's fighting with you? Who even cares about you?" which is said by Walter in the play A Raisin in the Sun. And there was actually a third quote I forgot to mention. "Four in Four" comes from an old episode of Gilmore Girls.
Second Author's Note VERY IMPORTANT: Since I am not including Rin and Kureno, the Rooster and Horse are random Sohma. The Horse died a few years ago of old age. The Rooster is still alive, but I don't know if I'll include him/her.
Six and Two
Six. Six was an important number to Uo.
Six months since the baby was born.
Six months since the father had skipped town.
Six weeks since her wedding band officially became a regular piece of jewelry.
And six minutes since she had let Orange-head into her house once it began to rain.
"You still don't like the rain?" Uo said, glancing at Kyo. Said orange-haired man was sitting stiffly on her couch, looking anywhere but at her, poised like a cat ready to take off.
"Does it look like I like it?" Kyo answered rudely.
"Don't be snarky. Tamiko isn't awake yet, I can beat the snot out of you without worrying about her."
"Tamiko's your kid, right?"
"Who else, Orange-head, my imaginary friend?" Uo replied, going to the kitchen.
"Now who's snarky, Yankee?" Kyo replied, getting up and following her.
Uo was digging around in the fridge when Kyo arrived in the adjacent dining room. She straightened up, a container tucked into the crook of her arm, and shut the door with her foot.
"Tamiko will be up soon, and she'll be hungry," Uo explained, seeing Kyo eyeing the container. "Since you're here, I don't want to breastfeed."
"Don't mess with feeding your kid just 'cause I'm here," Kyo muttered.
"It doesn't matter, she's used to the formula, anyway. The baby-sitter gives it to her when I have to work."
"Where do you work?" Kyo asked, as Uo turned to put the container on the counter.
"Two jobs. One's the convenience store I worked at in high school. The other is a halfway house for kids trying to leave their gangs and give up drugs and things like that."
"Seems like your thing," Kyo said, thinking back to when Uo had relayed her story of leaving her gang.
"Pay sucks for both of 'em, but it's enough for the bills and Tamiko's things," Uo said, shrugging. "You, Orange-head?"
"In college. I'm probably going to take over my dad's dojo."
"Cool." Uo had met Kazuma once on a coinciding visit to Shigure's house, and had liked him well enough. Kazuma seemed amused when Uo and Kyo had started fighting over eating onions, which had made both of them angry enough to start fighting again, this time over miso.
"So, you heard about Tohru and the Prince?"
"Why do you still call him that?" Kyo snarled, avoiding Uo's question.
"Same reason I call you Orange-head, Orange-head. Nostalgia. And side-step much? I take it you have heard."
"Yeah, the lovebirds flit around everywhere together," Kyo grumbled. "Besides, that ring of hers is pretty hard to miss. Stare at it too long and you'll go blind."
"Yeah, the Prince went all out for her. That's sweet."
"The rat's loaded," Kyo snapped. "If that's the ring, hate to see the wedding."
"Well, probably not rich enough for Four in Four," Uo said absently. "Though I can see Tohru with four kids."
"Of course not for Four in Four," Kyo muttered peevishly. "You can barely afford one."
"Yes, well, I am a single parent and not all that rich to begin with, so maybe they'll do better than me."
Kyo snorted loudly and plopped gracelessly into the single chair at the table. It looked like the furniture in Kazuma's house: unostentatious and built for a small family. It was the kind of furniture single parents or newlyweds…
"Though if that good-for-nothing ex of mine would cough up some dough for Tamiko I wouldn't have to work two jobs," Uo said, distracting Kyo from his thoughts. She turned around. "That's my chair, you know."
"I figured, you're the only adult living here."
"Yeah. I sold most of our excess furniture but I took personal pleasure in burning his chair. Tamiko did, too."
An electronic wailing suddenly filled the room. Uo's complete demeanor changed. A slightly panicked look came over her face as she dashed from the room. Kyo watched her with a curious look on his face, and then he stood tentatively and walked through the living room to one end of the hallway.
From the other end he heard Uo whisper sweet, maternal nothings to soothe Tamiko. The sincerity in her voice surprised him. Tohru was definite mother material, and even Hana seemed like she could entertain at least one child, but Uo was too reckless, too carefree to be motherly. She did not belong in the role of homemaker.
But then, even those who appeared to be mothers did not belong in the role. His own mother certainly did not fill the requirements of raising a child. If a mother is afraid of her own child, she is not capable of being a mother.
Uo appeared from the room, cradling the baby. Tamiko was not as plump as she might be, but she looked relatively healthy. She was calming down as Uo bounced her gently up and down.
"Are you hungry, Tamiko-chan? Mommy will get you some milk to fill your tummy." She bent her head to kiss Tamiko's forehead, and then looked up to see Kyo staring at her. "Look, Tamiko-chan, this is Orange-head. Can you say "Orange-head"? No? Well, how about "Dummy"?"
"Thanks, Yankee."
"Uh-uh-uh, it's "Uo" now," Uo said. "Or even "Arisa", I don't care." She bounced Tamiko again. "My Tamiko-chan is never going to do drugs or rob stores or set fires or anything dumb like her mommy did. And she's never gonna know that her mommy did that until she's much, much older." She looked up at Kyo again. "Well, move outta the way, Orange-head. I gotta warm up that milk if I'm gonna give it to her."
Kyo stepped sideways and allowed Uo and Tamiko to step forward. He followed them into the kitchen and sat down at the chair just in time for Uo to say, "Oh, great."
"What?"
"Her high-chair collapsed yesterday. Just peachy. You'll have to hold her."
"What!" Kyo bristled.
"Well, I'm not holding her over the stove!" Uo shouted. "What's your problem with holding her? She's not gonna bite you."
"I said "no", Yankee!"
"I told you, Orange-head, it's "Uo", and you'll hold her or I'll strangle you with the mop like I did in high school!"
Roughly, abruptly, Uo shoved Tamiko into Kyo's chest. Instinctually he wrapped his arms around the baby's tiny body to prevent her imminent drop to the ground.
Uo straightened up and put her arms akimbo. "Oh, stop acting like it's the end of the world," she snapped, seeing Kyo's eyes squint shut and his lips press together. "She's a baby, not a time bomb."
Six seconds passed.
Another six seconds passed. Uo turned and went to the stove. She took a saucepan from the peg on the wall and set it down, and poured in some formula from the container.
Another six seconds passed. Kyo's eyes slowly peeled themselves open. Tamiko's fist was clenched firmly around his shirtsleeve, and a pair of large blue eyes stared him in the face. His grip on her gradually lessened into a loose hold around a small body sitting in his lap. He stared at her, struck dumb, his mouth hanging open.
Tamiko's mouth opened, and a loud strip of laughter flew from her throat.
"Aww, looks like Tamiko-chan likes the Orange-head. Never knew you were so domestic. How cute." She lifted the saucepan and retrieved a bottle from the counter. Carefully, she began pouring the formula into the bottle.
"Yank—Uo," Kyo caught himself quickly. "I never found out…Who's…who's Tamiko's father?"
"That's the wench of it," Uo said, squeezing the bottle so two drips of formula fell on the heel of her palm. She licked it away before turning to face him. "Her lousy good-for-nothing dad was a Sohma. Sohma Seijuro." Uo turned and faced Kyo. "Funny to think you're distantly related to Tamiko-chan, except Tamiko-chan isn't a Sohma, she's a loud-and-proud Uotani. Why so curious, Orange-head?"
"Because…because."
"Glad to see your quick wit is the same as ever." Uo crossed the kitchen and reclaimed Tamiko from Kyo's arms. "So, Tohru never told you who her dad is?"
"I only heard that you were getting married."
"Oh yeah, it was very hush-hush in his family. Y'know, if they figured I wasn't good enough to be a Sohma they coulda just not let him marry me."
"The Sohma family blows," Kyo said belligerently. "Don't let anything they do get to you, they have a special talent for trampling over people."
"So concerned, Orange-head! I'm flattered." She settled Tamiko into position and Tamiko seized the bottle with her mouth.
"Whatever," Kyo said, rolling his eyes. "I hate my family, anyway, so it's not a big deal."
"Right about now I'm hating your family, too." Uo moved Tamiko into a better arrangement in her arms. "Well, I half-hate Seijuro. He's a worthless scumbag but he gave me my daughter. Even though he wouldn't touch her when she was born. He skipped town that same night."
'No freakin' wonder,' Kyo thought. 'Figured that if Tamiko transformed he'd have to blow the Sohma secret. And Akito was still alive back then.'
"What're you staring at?" Uo asked.
"I was thinking, Yankee."
"You think? I learn something new everyday." Uo pulled the bottle back to let Tamiko breathe, and then gave it to her again. "What were you doing out, anyway?"
"Going to a funeral."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"I'm not. Guy deserved to die."
"Really? Who was it?"
"Sohma Akito."
"Oh, I know that man. He hated the idea of Seijuro and I getting married. Threw a bunch of fits whenever the thought came up. That Hatori guy never let me go to the Main House 'cause of it."
"Yeah, that's understandable."
"How so?"
"Akito pulled the SS on a DD with Hatori's fiancée a couple years ago. Threw a vase at Hatori's head. That's why he's blind in one eye. The chick, Kana, had a nervous breakdown and she had…to leave." He caught himself from letting slip that she had had to get her memories erased to cure her depression.
"Yeah, well, now I kinda wish he'd've thrown a vase at Seijuro's head. Would make me feel better right about now."
"Well, too late. He died five days ago; I heard it the day after."
"I take it Tohru's at the funeral?"
"Yeah, with that rat ever at her side."
"Unrequited love, thy name is Kyo."
"Shut up, Yankee."
Uo grinned. "Sure you didn't accidentally-on-purpose break down your own car?"
"I said to shut up, Yankee!" Kyo jumped up from his chair, the hair on the back of his neck bristling as his eyes narrowed.
Uo transferred Tamiko to the crook of her left arm. Her eyes glared into a raging fire. "Touch me while I'm holding Tamiko, you stupid cat, and I swear I'll murder you and won't bother to make it look like an accident."
Kyo cringed, taken aback. "What'd you call me?"
"What, "stupid cat"? The Prince called you that all the time. And I got tired of calling you Orange-head."
"Oh." Kyo relaxed slightly and sat down. "Sorry, Yankee," he mumbled.
"What was that?"
"I said, "sorry", okay? I didn't mean to make you think I was threatening you and the kid."
"Oh, I heard that. I just thought I told you to stop calling me "Yankee"."
"Then stop calling me "Orange-head"."
"All right, fine, Kyo. Call me "Uo"."
"Fine, Uo."
Kyo watched as Uo positioned Tamiko back into her original stance and removed the bottle again to allow Tamiko to breathe.
"You're good with the kid," he said sincerely.
"Really? Thanks. My own mom ditched me when I was a kid so I'm trying to do better than she did."
"My mom ditched me, too."
"Really?"
"Well…not ditched like yours. At least yours was honest about not wanting to be there. Mine acted all motherly and nice and then she killed herself because she couldn't deal with me."
"Oh…I'm sorry." Uo blinked, taken slightly aback. "What about your dad? That Kazuma guy?"
"First off, don't be sorry about my mom; wasn't your fault. It was hers."
"Harsh."
"Shoe fits. And Kazuma adopted me after mom died."
"What about your real dad?"
"Hates my guts." Sohma fathers, Kyo noted, had a way of siding with Sohma mothers and not Sohma children. His dad hated him; Momiji's dad had his own son erased from his wife's memories. Although in Uo's case, the Sohma father had a way of siding with himself.
"Well, that trumps my dad being an alcoholic," Uo said, walking over towards Kyo. "So, you won this round of Who-Had-The-Most-Tragic-Childhood."
"Not sure I wanna win that."
"Well, no one does." Uo pulled the bottle from Tamiko's mouth, set it on the table, and began burping Tamiko over her shoulder. "Y'know, Tohru's mom, Kyoko, was more a mom to me than both my parents put together. I got nearly beat to death by my gang when I tried to leave them, and she came and beat up three of them just to rescue me." Tamiko belched, and Uo settled her back into her arms. "Y'know, Kyoko woulda liked you. She'd muss with your hair, like so." She shifted Tamiko into one of her arms, and with her free hand began ruffling Kyo's hair.
"Stop it, Uo," Kyo said, swatting at her hands.
"She'd do it until you were good and angry," Uo continued.
"Which doesn't take long!"
"And then she'd laugh at you, and break your spine with one of those bear hugs of her. Like so."
"No, don—!"
Uo's free arm snaked around Kyo neck and pressed him into her chest.
Six seconds passed.
POP!
Two. Two was an important number to Hatsuharu, if only for the fact that he had two personalities.
And the two textbooks that felt like they weighed two tons in his arms. Seriously, Yuki had felt lighter than they did right now.
"You desire help?"
Hatsuharu jumped and turned around. Standing behind him, her arms free from everything but a small bag, was Hanajima Saki.
"Oh, hi, Saki."
"I'd prefer it if you called me "Hana"," Hana said. "Only Shigure and my family call me by my first name."
"Okay, Hana. Then I'm Haru."
Hana glanced at his text books. "You did not answer my question. Do you desire help?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice," Haru said, raising his arms so the top book slid easily into Hana's waiting hands.
"This book," Hana stated blandly, looking at the text in her arms. "I took that class last year. Why did you decide to take it?"
"Oh, Psyche," Haru said, glancing at the title. "Trying to figure out why I'm a schizophrenic."
"I knew I sensed two different personality denpa from you," Hana stated matter-of-factly.
"Really? When?"
"In High School, you were in frequent run-ins with Takei Mokoto. I could sense your violent side in constant conflict with your peaceful side. The former usually dominated the latter."
"Yeah, I've been trying to work through that. I put Takei in a hospital for two weeks once. Had a time of it trying not to get convicted."
"I remember that. Tohru went spare about it."
Haru chuckled. "Good ol' Tohru. Y'know, I was the second person who knew Yuki was going to propose to her. Yuki was the first, of course."
"Are you close with Yuki?"
"Yep. I was his first friend. Funny thing he should tell me, though."
"Why is that?"
"Since I've been very up-front with the fact that he was my first love."
"Really."
Haru glanced over at her. "That your reaction? Most people see me fawn over Yuki and flip out."
"Why should I? It's not my place to judge."
Haru began toying with a lock of his bangs. "And it's not even like I only like guys. I like girls, too."
"So do I."
Haru stopped, Hana continued. He had not expected those words to pass from Hana's mouth.
"'Scuse me?"
"Perhaps it was just because she was the first person besides my brother to pray for my happiness, but since Middle School I have loved Tohru."
"Whoa, wait," Haru said, jogging to catch up with her. "Do you like girls, or do you like Tohru?"
"That, I have not quite figured out."
"Aren't you a Psychic? Can't you figure it out?"
"The mind is a layered thing—at least, in most cases," Hana said, thinking of the Prince Yuki Fan Club. She had heard in passing that the Fan Club now worshipped images of Yuki since the real thing had graduated. "It is very easy to confuse yourself, or to tell yourself that it does not matter."
"So, are you upset that Tohru is getting married to Yuki?"
"A very wise person told me long ago that to truly love someone is to put their feelings before your own."
"That's an awful roundabout way to answer a question."
"An even worse way is to answer with a question, which I refrained from doing."
"Why, what were you going to ask me?"
"Are you upset that Tohru is getting married to Yuki?"
Haru breathed sharply from his nose. "Honestly? Yeah. But not because I love Yuki. I mean, I was a kid; those romances don't last forever. It's just that them being together reminds me I'm not with anyone."
"Have you ever had a steady romance?"
"Two, I think. Didn't work out." Haru failed to mention that the girls he trusted with the zodiac secret had promptly needed to have their memories erased. Not even because Akito had ordered it. Simply because they could not handle the fact that their boyfriend turned into a cow when hugged. "How about you?"
"Never. I think I frightened people."
Haru laughed. "Yeah, I think so too. Everyone in my grade talked about you." He stretched his back and crossed his arms behind his head. "Isn't this weird. You and I barely talked in High School and here we are spilling our guts to each other like this."
"When the soul wants to talk, it talks to whomever listens," Hana said sagely.
"Well, we should do this more often." Haru stretched again and brought his arm down, this time looking at his watch. "Oh, shoot. I have to go."
"Where are you headed?"
"I have to go to a funeral."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"Well, it's not really my loss. I wasn't close with the guy, and he was a real a—hole from what I heard. But he was the head of my family, so it's only right I go."
"I suppose. Shall I see you tomorrow, then?"
"My first class ends at two in the afternoon. You?"
"The same."
"Meet me out in the courtyard. Maybe our souls will feel like talking again."
"I look forward to it."