✔Fighting Hearts |Fruits Basket| Kyo Sohma

43- Parents

    I watched Tohru carefully as she tended to the little ones who fell asleep on the floor after the excitement of the day.  Kyo stood beside me, a look of annoyance gracing his face.  “The kids are so carefree.”  He sighed, falling backwards onto the ottoman.  

  “They must be tired from all that playing.”  Tohru laughed as I sat down on the floor at Kyo’s feet.

  “Hey.”  Kyo said sharply.  “Did Hiro say something weird to you?”

  I let out a deep breath, thankful I wasn’t the only one that noticed her odd behaviour and Hiro’s comment earlier.  “He didn’t say anything mean to you right?”  I asked gently.

  “Huh?”

  “This is what makes me worry.”  Kyo groaned, resting an arm on my head.  “Didn’t I say that it throws me off?”

  “Uh, but what if I end up hurting you all more?”  She asked cautiously.

  “What?”  I frowned.  “Hurt us how?”

  “Spit it out.”  Kyo snapped and I smacking him on the chest in annoyance when she freaked out.  He started to attack me back and I thought we’d end up in a cat fight when Tohru spoke again, surprising both of us.

  “May I ask about your parents?”  She asked softly.  “Both of yours?”

  “Huh?  I thought I already told you?”  Kyo asked, his grip getting ever so slightly tighter on my shoulder as he sat up.  “I’m estranged from my biological father.  I haven’t seen him in years.  My mom kill-”  He stopped and I reached up and took his hand softly in my own.  “Was killed in an accident.  It happened a long time ago, when I was four or five years old.”

  “That’s when he moved in with us.”  I said gently.  “My dad raised both of us on his own, with a little help from Kunimitsu.  I already told you about my mom, although she is still living in the estate somewhere I don’t really remember much about her and she remembers nothing at all about me.”

  “Ah, I see.  I get it now.  Idiotic.”  Kyo gestured.  “Why are you worrying about this after all this time?  Your mom has nothing to do with our parents.  Actually, I’m more annoyed that you’re trying to be considerate about it.”

  “Oh.”  I said softly.  “Oh Tohru-”

  “Huh!  Eh-”

  “Did you do watermelon splitting with your mom before?”  Kyo asked, leaning forward.

  “Uh- um, yes.”  She said quieter than a mouse.  “When I was very young.  I had a hard time hitting the watermelon and mom broke a flower pot.”  She smiled.  “But they got mad at us, so we tried again inside.  And this time, mom destroyed dad.  In the end, we split the watermelon and ate it.  It was f-”

  Kyo laughed beside me, a true genuine laugh that I hadn’t heard in a while.  “Did you have fun?”

  “Yes!  It was fun!”  She exclaimed, going on to tell us more about her mom and the things she did as a child.  She seemed much happier now that she didn’t have to worry about holding back on talking about her mom, and Kyo also seemed much more at ease than he’d been all day.  I had a feeling their happiness wouldn’t last, but I would give everything I had for both of them to be as happy as they were right now forever.

                        *****

  I hung up the last of the laundry on the balcony railing as I looked out at the water.  The sun was setting just above it, making the sky a pretty hue of orange, red and pink.  The clouds were a soft white and the sun glowed a beautiful golden hue.