Irrasshaimase. Welcome to the revamped edition of What Lurks Behind My Hatred. You may have noticed the title change (well, hopefully you noticed, anyway). This story is undergoing major revisions, and I'm proud to say that some harsh criticism has inspired me to do much better. I have grown in unimaginable ways since I started - and, actually, finished - Hatred. Now that I have learned from my mistakes, I would like to correct them, and share a bit of it with you. I hope that this version pleases you more than the original - Hatred will always hold a special place in my heart, but I know I can do better than that.

This story is dedicated to fans of the original, who I hope will enjoy this piece just as much, if not more so, than Hatred. But it is especially dedicated to a very honest reviewer: Citalaseshin, thank you very much for your input. I'm so grateful for everything you said to me. At first, I was hurt; then, I realized that you were right. If you ever happen to stumble upon this story, I hope you have the patience to try it again. You never know; perhaps this time around, I will have written something worthwhile. :)

If you are so inclined, please leave me a review and tell me how I am doing so far. Constructive criticism is appreciated - I would love to know what else I can fix. :)

Thank you very much, and enjoy the ride.

-Kat-

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all related characters, concepts, etc. are property of Takaya Natsuki and Tokyopop. I just borrow the characters for my own twisted fantasies. Only the plotline of the ensuing fanfiction is mine. No copyright infringement is intended in the following story.

Kyo sat on the roof, deep in thought about the day's events. Once again, Yuki had completely kicked his ass into the following week - although, Kyo thought with a mental smirk, the rat's fighting patterns had grown much clearer, and after much studying, Kyo's ability to one-up his arch rival was steadily increasing. One day - soon - the rat boy would fall.

Hard.

Now that he was in one of his moods - borderline philosophical, one might say - he began to contemplate certain things in his life. There were thoughts of Tohru - oh, how he adored his darling Tohru. He would give up everything for the girl - no, he corrected himself, woman. His beloved Tohru was now a beautiful young woman, just as full of life as ever she had been. It was love.

But not -that- kind of love.

No, Kyo knew the truth - he loved Tohru with all his heart, but he was not in love with her. There was, after all, a very fine line, but Kyo had yet to cross it. She was too important to him; he could never lead her on like that; no matter how much he wanted to love her...he could not. No, Tohru was...like a sister. Perhaps he had been in love with her once, but no more.

It was a wonderful feeling to have a close friend like Tohru. She understood everything Kyo wanted to say, even when he didn't know how to say it. She also seemed to have the uncanny ability to discover truths his subconscious had tried desperately to hide away. Imagine his surprise when she asked him one day,

"Kyo, I don't know how to say this...are you gay?" Her trademark blush increasing tenfold, she shied away when Kyo brushed her off.

Then, thoughts began to occur to him - thoughts which he realized were not entirely unwanted.

How exactly would it feel to kiss a boy? Hug one? Hold hands, be in a relationship? ...have sex?! The more Kyo tried to ignore these thoughts, the more persitent they became, until he came out of the closet (rather violently) by screaming his sexuality in front of Tohru in a moment of frustration. She simply patted his arm and whispered, "I know," before carrying on with her laundry.

So, the neko was gay. This was interesting, yes, but his social life didn't seem to suffer for it (actually, more girls than ever before drooled at the sight of him). Yet there was a pressing issue at hand. Kyo shared the house with Tohru, Shigure, and a very, very attractive young man...

With a start, Kyo realized the dangerous territory his mind had wandered into, but it was too late - there was no turning back now. With a deep sigh, Kyo braced himself against the truth:

He lusted after Yuki.