Claws and Talons [Kyo Sohma]

Chapter 17 - What's Important Is...

"Yuki-kun, satchan doesn't talk." Shigure says

"huh?"

"She can't talk. She stopped talking altogether after entering middle school. According to Tori-nii, it's a psychological issue. It made her lock away her words. Things happened that made her stop talking and going to school. Then today, she ran away from home." Haru explains.

"What?!"

"That's why I was looking for her. I was surprised to find her as a tiger." He adds.

"Did she bump into someone of the opposite gender?"

"It seemed like she was just exhausted." He answers.

"That's good. It would have been a mess to try and find them." I say.

"So, what actually happened to cause this?" Yuki asks.

"You know."

"What? "

"Bullying." Haru answered. The next thing we knew, Kisa was on the table biting Haru's arm. Tohru screams. "That hurts. What, are you mad? Telling me not to shoot my mouth off? Yeah, right. You know how worried I've been. Your parents are looking all over for you right now." Haru tells her, she lets go of him and runs outside.

"W-What should we do?! Oh you're bleeding, Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru panics.

"We need to stop kisa-san's bleeding!" Shigure says.

"I'll go stop Kisa-san bleeding!" Tohru says, still panicking and runs off after Kisa.

"Calm down." Shigure mumbles to Tohru but she was already outside.

"You're too calm, sensei." Haru tells him

"Haa-kun, did you quietly turn dark?" Shigure asks.

"Uh uh, just grumpy from the pain."

"Haru come here, I'll bandage it." I tell him, motioning him to come closer.

"Do you know what to do with Kisa?" Shigure asks as I was bandaging his upper arm.

"You seem pretty worried. I didn't know you were close." Yuki mentions. Haru and Shigure look at each other and back at Yuki.

"Jealous?" they say simultaneously.

"No!" Yuki yells slamming his hands on the table.

"He's no fun."

"Nope."

"I just feel like I need to help her because she reminds me of you when you stopped talking for a while." Haru tells him.

"Haru, maybe you don't want to bring this up." I suggest.

"You curled up in a corner and went silent. That was the only way you could protect yourself. She's doing the same." Haru continues.

"Shut up!" Yuki shouts.

"Do you have to get so worked up?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Are you ashamed?" Shigure asks. That made Yuki hit the limits and he walked out of the room in the direction Kisa and Tohru went. At that time I had finished bandaging Haru's arm.

"You always like to rub salt into the wound. It's a bad habit of yours." Haru tells him.

"Shigure..." I pause. "That was pushing it too far."

"It's in my nature, I'm afraid." He smiles and I head upstairs.

---

That night we had finished eating and Tohru was doing the dishes with the help of Kisa. Tohru had gotten Kisa to warm up a bit and now she follows Tohru everywhere.