IT BLOSSOMS, hatori sohma [Fruits Basket]

Chapter Forty Eight

Tohru walked leisurely alongside Kyo, their destination being Kazuma's house. However, while Kyo continued on his route, Tohru changed her direction and headed toward the dojo instead.

"Tohru, over here." Kyo halted her progress, drawing her attention.

Tohru blinked a few times, her confusion evident on her face. "Huh...? Last time I visited, it was this road..." she said, her eyes glancing in the direction she had been heading.

"Yeah," Kyo explained, "it's the dojo where Ryu resides. Kazuma lives in a separate area, detached from the dojo."

"Ahh, I see," Tohru nodded in understanding, her smile never faltering as she promptly followed him.

"You'll be left behind if you don't keep up," Kyo muttered in his typical gruff manner.

"Sorry!" Tohru swiftly quickened her pace, closing the gap between them.

"Oh, Kyo," a familiar voice chimed in, dripping with disappointment and a hint of mischief, "that's not how you speak to someone. I'm so disappointed. I mean, she knows your true form - why are you still so guarded towards her?"

Kyo froze in his tracks, recognizing that voice all too well. He knew that tone of voice all too well, and it was something he had come to despise.

His head rose slowly as his gaze trailed upwards. His expression darkened as soon as he caught a glimpse of his sister's face – specifically, that ominous grin plastered on her lips.

"You..." he growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh, Ryu!" Tohru began, a smile on her face as she was about to walk towards the figure, only to be halted by Kyo's abrupt gesture. "Kyo?" she asked, her expression puzzled as she regarded him.

"That's not Ryu," Kyo responded, his words dripping with venom. His gaze remained fixed on the woman, unyielding and filled with intense hostility.

Tohru's confusion deepened as she fixated her gaze upon the woman standing a short distance away down the road. She was adamant her eyes weren't deceiving her, yet she still rubbed them just to be sure the summer heat wasn't playing tricks on her. Despite this, her uncertainty only intensified, as no matter what she did, the woman before them remained unmistakably Ryu.

Slowly but surely, Tohru could feel the answer to her question unfolding before her eyes. As the woman, who unmistakably resembled Ryu, drew closer, Tohru's own eyes widened in response. It didn't require any extensive inspection to confirm that the eyes peering back at her were decidedly not human-like. It wasn't the color that gave it away, but rather the shape of her pupils - slitted like those of a reptile.

"Ah, I see you've noticed it," Dragon's grin widened as she observed Tohru's reaction, "Kyo, it's a bit unkind to leave poor Tohru in the dark like this. She must be feeling quite confused. Poor thing"