As Tohru Sohma loses her battle with terminal cancer, Yuki temporarily moves in with Kyo to offer support. Tohru is Kyo's life, and Yuki fears what might become of his cousin after Tohru is gone. (Takes place 5 years after the end of the manga.)
**P...
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Painting while making sure the neighbors didn't tear down the bathroom walls trying to install handrails was a Herculean task. Yuki cringed every time he heard a loud crash and "Forgive me."
Spattered in light blue paint, Yuki examined his work. Tohru and Kyo's moderately sized master bedroom had successfully gone from a sunny yellow to a summer sky blue. For never having painted anything aside from a popsicle castle in 2nd grade, he'd done pretty well, though he was very glad all of the furniture had been removed from the room or covered. He was also glad for the plastic sheets over the wooden floor. Liberal amounts of blue paint beneath areas Yuki hadn't been able to get quite right until going over them a few times pooled on the plastic. The sliding screen window-doors were open to let in fresh air, and Yuki inhaled the salty scent of the water nearby. Birds chirped and the wind whipped lightly through the short trees and bushes in the backyard.
Yuki watched Kyo and one of his students putting light red rocks around the dark dirt of Tohru's garden. Short sticks were staked into the ground, marking the places where tomatoes and carrots would grow. After a nap, Yuki would go out and take a look at what could be done there, and see if the soil was good enough for strawberries. Tohru would like that. She'd liked it when he'd planted strawberries for her before.
But would she be there to see actual fruit when it came time?
Yuki shook his head and studied his paint dirtied hands. No, he wouldn't think like that. Tohru and Kyo did enough of that for him. They chatted about funeral plans and wills and things Kyo would have to do on his own in the future so casually. Yuki's second day of visiting Tohru in the hospital had gone much better than the first. He didn't run from the room, but Kyo and Tohru discussing cremation or burial, and what charity to give Tohru's clothes to, and how they would have to start interviewing for a part-time shift manager for The Rice Ball since Tohru wouldn't be there to supervise anymore made Yuki ill. They made jokes and held hands like teenagers, stealing kisses and sharing long looks. They could have been planning a surprise party: Surprise, it's a funeral! Yuki stepped through the doors to stand on the small wooden that wrapped around the back of the house. "How's the gardening coming?" he called.
"I'd feel better if it was you out here in the dirt and me in there painting," Kyo grumbled. "How did that happen again?"
"Because," Yuki began with a smirk, "you happened to choose a type of paint that you are allergic to."
Kyo scowled. A few drops of Summer Sky Blue on Kyo's skin made it break out in itching hives, which he hadn't known until he'd bought it and had commenced work on the bedroom earlier that morning. "Stupid paint."
"Well, it's quite pretty. Tohru will love it," Yuki said. He walked to the garden. "I'm going to take a quick nap, then I'll be out to work in the garden."
