The Forgotten Zodiac (Fruits Basket Fan-Fiction)

The Forgotten Zodiac: Chapter 10

"Lyra," Yuki was standing before her once more. "You're as pale as a ghost!"

"J-just tired is all," she whispered defensively. She stepped ahead to take the lead on the trek back to her home. "I still have homework I have to work on, and Mom hasn't had diner yet," Lyra felt herself rambling, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Yuki looking on with interest.

"Would you like me to help? With your homework, of course," he added quickly. "I'm not great at cooking," Lyra stopped. Giving him a quick look over, she noticed that he was a bit thinner than the other boys she had seen at school.

"I'll manage, thanks," she continued walking. Yuki followed closely behind. "... Can you tell me about Kyo?" Lyra inquired, avoiding Yuki's curious gaze carefully.

"Hm? Kyo? What do you want to know?" Yuki questioned, taking a big step forward to catch up to Lyra.

"What's he like?"

"Well... you saw today," he placed a hand firmly on his hip. "He's a handful," they continued onward. The path ahead turned a pale gray as the sun fully hid behind the hillsides.

"Nothing else..?" Lyra questioned quietly, looking down at her feet as Yuki glanced over.

"There's plenty I could say about him," he remarked sourly. His hand releasedits hold on his waist, "but I don't think it's what you'd want to hear." Lyra kept her head down, trying her best to ignore the fact that Yuki was trying to make eye contact with her. "We'd better hurry up; it's going to be pitch-black soon."

"We're almost back," she comforted. The familiar outline of her apartment building in loomed in the distance. The rhythmic tapping of their feet on the cement below was calming, as the awkward conversation she had tried to initiate was still hanging heavily in the air.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that stupid cat," Yuki spoke suddenly as they reached her door. "He's not worth the time of day," Lyra nodded slightly, now very conscious of the bag in her hand.

"... Thank you for walking with me," Lyra held the plastic bag in her hand tightly, her knuckles turning a pale white color. Yuki simply nodded, watching carefully as Lyra opened her door, stood in the doorway for a brief moment, then shut it.

-

"Good morning," Kyo looked up from his desk. Lyra was standing beside his desk, arms crossed and staring at him expectantly.

"Morning," he muttered. Blinking at the exhaustion dragging at his eyelids, he placing his head back on the desk.

"Didn't sleep well?" Lyra asked, kneeling down next to Kyo's desk. Part of Kyo knew it was a rhetorical question, but it seemed she knew what buttons to press to get him talking.

"What does it look like?" Kyo snapped back, seeing Lyra stand unflinching at his tone. "I've been sitting up all night the past week watching for Kagura," he muttered. "So thanks for that," he added bitterly.

"Which one is Kagura?" Lyra whispered quietly, receiving a angrily cautious glare from Kyo.

"... The boar," he murmured after determining that no one was listening. "I'm surprised you couldn't tell," the bitterness had crept back into his tone. "She destroys everything she touches."

"What about Hatori? He's a zo-" Kyo's harsh glare stopped her in her tracks, the hazel orbs burning with anger. Before she could respond, the teacher entered the room, signaling for all to return to their seats to begin the lesson. "I'll ask later," Lyra whispered. Her feet took her back to her desk, a tiny smile of satisfaction forming when when she realized Kyo was trying to snap something at her.

"Today we'll be learning about proofs..." Lyra had plopped down at her desk, admiring her long, white strands of hair. There was a slight curl at the ends, but not enough to make too much of a difference on the rest of her hair.

Kyo seemed to be staring off into space as well, his face angled towards the teacher, but his eyes clearly looking out into the world. Lyra had not seen Yuki yet today, the absence of his blue-ish hair among the black and brown felt... wrong. Before she knew it, the bell was ringing, the feet of the other students rushing towards the doors.

"Hey, where's Yuki?" Lyra questioned as Kyo walked past, his gaze still off in the distance.

"Damn rat's got a cold," he responded. "He won't expect it today..."

"What?"

"Nothing," Kyo snapped. Lyra was certain that he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Is Shigure taking care of him?" Lyra saw Kyo wind up for the usual snappy response, but a loud sneeze interrupted him, his hand flying over his nose. "Sounds like you're getting sick, too!"

"Shut up, it's cold out and the damn door is still broken," Lyra stood, grabbing her pack and nudging Kyo aside. "Hey-"

"I'll help fix it, it was my fault Kagura was there, anyway," she added quickly.

"You don't-" Kyo began, stopping once he realizing Lyra was no longer listening. He grumbled angrily to himself, trying to ignore Lyra's unusually tart tone. He exited the classroom, echoing the teacher's goodbye quietly and quickly located Lyra's pure-white hair near the end of the hallway. "You know you don't have to help, right?"

"Might as well," she responded dismissively. "If you haven't fixed it by now, then you obviously need help." Kyo ignored the grin she tossed him, catching a glance of a familiar face in the crowd.

"Uh, go on without me," Lyra watched him walk towards a brown haired girl, her face lighting up at the sight of Kyo. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy in knowing she had never made someone that happy before.

Despite wanting to stay and figure out who the girl was, Lyra took Kyo's advice and went on without him, dodging schoolmates left and right until she arrived outside of the school. The massive black gates at the front of the school grounds were glimmering in the sun, the bright rays forcing Lyra to cover her eyes protectively.

"I need you to come with me," a shadow covered the sidewalk beneath her. Looking up, Lyra made eye contact with Hatori's emotionless black eye.

"I was just on my way to Kyo's..." she glanced behind Hatori, seeing another person in the back seat of Hatori's car.

"Now," he turned, leaving Lyra to follow. A black eyed man stared out at her through a slightly tinted window, a curious grin on his face. "Say hello to Akito," he advised under his breath, opening the passenger door for Lyra.

"Akito..?" The name sounded familiar, but Lyra couldn't quite place why it did. Shaking off her uncertainty, she climbed into the vehicle, hearing the door close behind her.