From the veranda, I had the perfect view of the chaos unfolding in the Sohma garden. Morning sunlight filtered through the trees, painting a peaceful picture that absolutely did not match the two idiots trying to beat each other up at 7 AM.
Kyo moved first obviously charging at Yuki like a fired-up stray cat who'd just spotted a rival on his territory.
"STOP RUNNING YOUR MOUTH AND FIGHT ME PROPERLY!" he shouted, fists swinging.
Yuki stepped aside so gracefully you'd think this was ballet practice and not attempted murder. "You run on emotions instead of strategy. How do you plan to win like that?"
Oof. Right to the ego.
Kyo screeched-actually screeched before launching a kick that sent a gust of wind toward Yuki's face. I winced as Yuki ducked and swept Kyo's leg with a move that looked straight out of a martial arts stage play.
Kyo didn't just fall.
He flew.
SPLASH.
He plunged straight into the fountain with all the elegance of a brick.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, shoulders shaking. Misaki, be normal. Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't-
A tiny snort escaped.
Oops.
Kyo emerged from the water like a cursed sea creature, hair plastered to his forehead, teeth clenched so hard I thought they'd crack. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
Yuki dusted off his uniform sleeve calmly. "Please dry off first."
God, he's so cute when he's mad-
Wait. Did I just think that? Nope. Denied. Erased.
Kyo stomped back into the house, dripping and swearing under his breath. I hugged my knees to my chest, smiling. He was soaked, pissed, embarrassed… and somehow charming.
Tohru rushed over, bowing repeatedly. "K-Kyo-kun! A-Are you okay?? I'll get a towel!"
Kyo grumbled something I assumed translated to "leave me alone!" and disappeared upstairs like a soggy, explosive cat.
Yuki picked up his school bag and walked past me with a polite nod. "We'll be going now. Try not to provoke him while we're gone." His eyes narrowed faintly. "Especially you."
"I didn't and won't provoke him," I whispered to myself.
Tohru waved at me, smiling brightly. "Misaki-chan! We'll see you later!"
"Have fun at school," I replied, offering a soft wave back.
When they left, the house finally quieted. For a whole… 8 seconds.
THUD.
CRASH.
BANG BANG BANG-
The floor above shook violently. Kyo was definitely throwing hands with the ceiling.
A shadow fell over the low dining table. I turned to find Shigure staring right at me, chin resting on his palm, his eyes… sharper than usual.
I froze. "…Um. Yes? Do you… need something?"
"You," he said, leaning slightly forward. "Are very strange."
My eyebrows shot up. "…Excuse me?"
He tapped his finger against the table thoughtfully, studying me like I was some new species of bug he'd discovered. "Most people would panic. Screaming, fainting, asking 'Are they cursed?! Are you demons?!' Yet you didn't even flinch at the transformation. And when you were patting Kyo earlier…" His smile curled. "It looked like you've wanted to do that for a long time."
Blood rushed to my face so fast I got dizzy. "I-That's- NO I MEAN -"
Shut up shut up shut up, MISAKI STOP STUTTERING HE CAN SMELL FEAR LIKE A WOLF -
From upstairs came another roar.
"WHY IS THIS ROOF NOT GETTING TOGETHER?! WHO MADE THIS DUMB HOUSE?!"
I shot up from my seat like it was on fire. "O-oh - looks like Kyo's having a crisis, so I should go help him bye!"
I practically sprinted upstairs. Behind me, I swore I heard Shigure's soft chuckle.
"That was close," I muttered to myself, clutching the banister like I'd survived an interrogation.
Tohru's room door was open just enough for me to peek inside and there he was.
Kyo, standing on a chair, wrestling with a wooden panel as if it owed him money. Nails scattered everywhere, hammer abandoned, and the roof looked… worse than when he started.
He kicked the wall and yelled, "WHY WOULDN'T THIS STUPID THING FIT?!"
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
His head snapped around so fast I thought he'd snap his neck. "The hell are you laughing at, HUH?!"
"Oops." I pushed the door open and walked inside, still grinning. "Sorry. It just looked funny."
"Funny?! Watching my suffer is funny to you??"
"A little."
Kyo jumped off the chair, glaring at me like I was his sworn enemy. "You're seriously messed up."
I ignored the insult and inspected the wooden panel. "…Tohru's ceiling might actually collapse if you keep trying to 'fix' it like this."
"I can fix it!" he snapped defensively.
"No, you can't."
"Yes, I can!"
"Your skill level is below rock bottom."
His eye twitched. "TAKE THAT BACK!"
I placed my hand over his, gently lowering the hammer he was about to throw. "How about we put cardboard here temporarily? Then call an actual carpenter later. You're a martial artist, not a contractor, dumbass."
He blinked at the ceiling, thinking. "Yeah… that might - WAIT. WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DUMBASS?!"
"You," I said sweetly. "Obviously."
His jaw dropped. "You wanna fight, huh?! HUH?!"
I shrugged, poker-faced. "No thanks. I prefer living."
Kyo grumbled curses under his breath, but he helped me tape the cardboard anyway. We worked side by side well, more like we bickered while accidentally working efficiently.
"Move your hand!"
"It's your hand in the way!"
"You're so loud, my ears are dying."
"GOOD. MAYBE YOU'LL STOP TALKING."
Despite the constant nagging, there was a weird… comfort in it. Like this tiny argument-filled bubble where the world couldn't reach us.
When we finished, we sat on the floor, both exhaling.
"That was… something," I said, leaning back.
Kyo swiped sweat off his forehead. "Damn roof. But… it looks fine now."
"See?" I nudged his shoulder. "We make a pretty good team."
He stared at me for a moment, ears faintly red, then looked away. "…Whatever."
I smiled to myself. Whatever = Kyo language for "you're not completely annoying."
Downstairs, I felt Shigure's gaze before I saw him. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, eyes cold not the playful cold he usually had, but the Sohma cold.
Kyo didn't notice; he brushed past him to grab his sandals.
I followed, heart thumping slightly at Shigure's unreadable expression.
"We're going out," Kyo muttered.
Shigure's voice was soft, but laced with a chill. "Don't wander too far."
"We're not kids," Kyo snapped, stepping outside.
I waved awkwardly. "We'll be back!"
Shigure watched us leave with narrowed eyes… like something about us didn't sit right with him.
The afternoon sun filtered gently through the trees as Kyo and I walked along the quiet path leading away from Shigure's house. Fallen leaves crunched beneath our feet, the air cool but pleasant enough to keep us moving lazily with no real destination.
Kyo shoved his hands into his pockets, head tilted back as he exhaled. "Today was exhausting."
"You're telling me?" I stretched my arms high, groaning. "We patched the roof, argued at least five times, survived Shigure's creepy staring, and almost died under falling wood. That counts as cardio."
And for a moment… everything felt peaceful.
Warm.
It felt like… home.
woah i just thought the typical line of this series but it reall did felt like that