I stared up at the dark sky, the end of another day. One more day closer. No, I told myself, don't think like that. Even if it was a day closer, today it was something else as well.

Today was my birthday.

It didn't really mean much to me, of course, I had never celebrated my birthday, after all, why would I? Come to think of it, I wasn't even sure if anyone even knew about it. Well, Shishou did, but he also knew I didn't like it mentioned. He treated me as normal today at the Dojo, but maybe he had forgotten anyway.

Shigure might have known, somehow, but he wouldn't have been bothered if he did. That damn dog seemed to know about everything.

Of course that damn rat wouldn't know about it. I hated him, and he hated me. It was that simple. But I hated him more.

Then my thoughts, as they so often did, turned to her. Tohru. If she knew… would she care? Even if she didn't I supposed, she'd treat me as she would anyone. With enough kindness and joy to light up a room. I smiled softly to myself. The simplest things could make her smile. And every time she smiled… I felt happier than I ever had. I was lucky, or unlucky, depending on which way you looked at it, that she smiled so often. Every time she smiled she made me love her more, and I hadn't thought that was possible. But she wrong-footed me, she disconcerted me and made me wonder… Could she, possibly, feel the same way?

No! I thought, she couldn't, she didn't. I nearly smiled to myself, but it would have been a smile lacking any happiness at all, that's not really a smile at all, as I heard a voice in my head say, who could love a monster?

One year closer to being locked away.

That was the only anniversary my birthday set.

Then I heard footsteps, I turned. I was on the roof, my favourite place in the entire house. It had always amused Shishou that I could climb up onto the roof of the Dojo; he said he had never thought it was possible. I seemed it amused her as well. "It seems whenever I can't find you, I just look to the highest place."

I saw her head start to emerge; I don't know why I was surprised. She was the only one who ever came up here apart from me.

"Kyo-Kun, it's getting cold." She came into full view as she climbed onto the roof and sat next to me. She was so close, our arms were almost touching.

"I know, I'll be down in a minute,"

"OK," she nodded, but showed no signs of moving. She hesitated.

"Kyo…"

I turned. "Er, well," she seemed to be about to say something, "Er, it said it was going to rain this evening!"

I frowned, that wasn't what she was about to say, I was sure. "Well, then, I'll definitely be down in a minute."

"Right."

I leant back, resting on my palms.

"Well, the thing is Kyo-Kun, I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't know whether you would want me to. But, er…" I stayed silently, she was doing the thing she always did when she was nervous: blathering on like an idiot. "See, well, Shishou told me, and I, er, thought well, everybody wants something on their birthday, and, so," Oh. "Er, happy birthday Kyo-Kun." As she said this she thrust a package at me, along with a card.

I stared, stunned, down at the carefully wrapped gift in my hands. It seemed somehow out of place, like I shouldn't really have it at all.

She was blushing now, and backing away, clearly trying to get down from the roof.

"You should really come down soon."

As I stared down at the package, I tried to think of what to say.

"Wait!" I called after her, and it came out a lot harsher than it was meant to. "I mean, wait," I repeated, as she stopped on the ladder. "Thank you."

She smiled prettily and bowed her head. "You're welcome."

Then she went inside. I lay back, still clutching the package that she had given me. It didn't really matter what it was. She had given it to me. She had given it to me.

She cared.

That had to count for something.

She cared.

AN: Please review, I would love to know what you thought, personally I'm not too sure about this, but please tell me your opinion :)