𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦

look out for each other

"This isn't a shonen where a guy knocks out his opponents and takes them prisoner. That'd make that stupid cow a criminal," I say. "You can come home, Gure-nii is getting our stuff but... I don't like him at all at our school. You should steer him clear of trouble. And high school girls."

"Aren't those the same?"

"Yes. I will see you when you get here."

"Tomoya-san says to call him. And that he, er, likes seeing you be such uh... No, I'm not going to say that to her, Tomoya-san," There was some shuffling, assuming Nanami was pushing the boy away from herself. "Call him Kaito, he says. I'll see you later. Bye bye."

Gross, I think. I groan at his letter on the table, next to the telephone.

"You have to call that dumb idiot now, don't you? The one from school?" Kyo asks, standing from where he sat against the wall.

"Yes, he's incredibly persistent, which is annoying and he's obnoxiously good looking," I reply. I shuffle around the drawer for the receipt he gave with his number, picking it up before Kyo snatches it away. "I need to tell him off if he's going to bother my friends now too."

"If you're not interested, you shouldn't have to do anything! I'll leave him a message," he declares, taking the phone from my hand. He begins to dials the number, putting the phone to his ear and waiting. "Hello? This is for Tomoya Kaito."

"This is about to get messy..." Haru says, taking a quick exit down the stairs.

"I can say things for myself, ya know!" I try reaching for the phone but his height has advantage over me. "Knock it off, I'm capable of saying what I want!" I try jumping but he holds me down by the face to keep me from getting the phone.

Kyo takes a deep breath before getting on his regular fighting face, the one he used around Yuki as he yells into the phone, "I'm telling you to steer clear of my little, stupid chicken, got it?! Don't go hitting on girls you've paid no mind to just because they're in the newspaper, or something, or because she's a chicken afraid to say no--"

"I am not!" I bark.

"Or because she's an airhead and mean or anything like that! You can't exploit a bad situation like a fight to get a girl, that's not cool at all! You've gotta do it by being honest and talking face to face, like a real man!"

"Don't give him advice! I'm not an airhead!"

"I'm Sohma Kyo, if you cross her it's through me first, got it?!" Kyo concludes before slamming the phone down. I'm pale white, of course not have expected all that from him.

He zaps a look at me expecting thanks and I have an annoyed glare.

"You better be gratef---!"

"I can stand up for myself, ya know! I can say it directly to his face! You don't need to put yourself as defense before me, I've gotten strong enough like you to speak my mind if that isn't obvious enough, ya know?" I point my finger at his face, frustration boiling me up. "And why'd you give him advice? I don't wanna get involved with him! Don't be protective of me, if you just let me be an outright ass to him he'd leave me alone!"

I'm panting by the end of my rant, not even realizing I blurted all that out and covering my mouth and turning red.

"Well now you obviously speak your mind," a calm, white Haru says from the stairs. "Hey, Kyo, isn't it weird? She talks a lot and doesn't cry all the time. That's weird, right? It's like the first time hearing her voice so loud, so unlike 7 years ago! Do you think she secretly liked the guy?"

"How would I know those things?! I don't read into stupid stuff like that!" He snaps his head away from me.

"Sorry, I'm sorry for yelling..." I say, removing my hands while looking down while he ignores me.

"Oh, you're going to make her cry," Haru remarks.

I dish a kick at his unsuspecting manner. "Why would I cry? For what petty reason was I given to cry? Your impression of me is all wrong! You knew me when I was aged 8 last! I was a crybaby? I was afraid to talk? I couldn't fight when told what to do? I was weak? I was stupid? That's the wrong me! I'm Kuroi and I'm a the hot blooded top student of my year and I work super hard! Don't mess with me, ugly cow! Even if you hurt my feelings, you aren't going to get a peep out of me!"

Kyo holds me back from pouncing on Haru from the top of the stairs to reassert my dominance. "Tell me or Yuki if Toyoma bothers you again, we'll tell him off and save him your vicious attacks—or simply tell him you're not a girl. Even that dirty rat would do that in the least for you.."

"He wouldn't care a bit! He's all sickly anyways." I wave my hand dismissively. "I'll go check on him now, so you can run back to school if you want and finish your 'race'." I look down the stairs to see Haru cracking his neck. "Come see your precious Yuki before you turn black."

I let him head in first, giving myself the chance to hide in the kitchen briefly to chop vegetables and bring them upstairs to Yuki's room. Alongside him is Tohru and Haru as well, he immediately glares at me. I return the gesture, naturally.

"I told her about the story of how my first love was Yuki..." Haru says.

"You idiot," Yuki says. "What if Honda-san really believed you?"

I'm assuming they were talking about Haru's whole childhood of being looked down on, thinking he was dumber than Yuki and being laughed at. That eventually transcended into mutual respect, just by clearing up distress by talking to each other.

"No, no, it really was a moving story, Yuki-kun!" Tohru happily says, and the immediate chaos coral pink flushes Yuki's face. She watches deadpanned as he transforms into a mouse.

"So he really gets that embarrassed when you say his name..." I sigh.