Because of You

Summary: For years, he survived all of the abuse, torment and anguish. No one ever considered teaching him how to care for let alone love someone, but then she came along. She turned his world upside down and didn't even know she had done so. Now that he finally understands what it's like to love, he'll do everything in his power to preserve those feelings. May contain spoilers!

Author's Notes: This is a one shot story, which will deal primarily with Kyo's feelings about Tohru. Other issues that I deem necessary to tie in with Kyo's feelings will also be addressed. I am currently basing this one shot from the various interactions that occur between Tohru and Kyo in both the anime and the manga. Also, I feel it is important to note that what I have written here is sorely my very own interpretation of the relationship between Tohru and Kyo. Anything else mentioned in this story, is merely the way I have interpreted the anime and manga versions of Fruits Basket. Italics will denote character thoughts as well as flashbacks. There are no warnings for this story. Happy reading and Happy V-Day!

It was currently midnight but one particular Sohma found that he couldn't sleep. He'd spent the better part of the night tossing and turning. Finding that he wouldn't be getting any rest tonight, he threw off the covers, rose from his bed and decided to go and sit on the roof for a little bit.

Even though, he always had the best intentions in mind, he still managed to screw things up. Most of the time, however, it was either Shigure's doing or because he and Yuki were caught up in another one of their infamous arguments. Then this would cause him to get upset, say something he didn't mean and then regret it later. Now was one of those times.

Earlier at dinner, Shigure had been teasing him mercilessly about Kagura's impending visit because Valentine's Day was drawing closer and closer. Instead of telling Shigure off like he usually did, however, he ended up leaving the dining room in an obviously annoyed huff, but not before Tohru called out to him.

"Kyo-kun, what about your dinner?"

"Why do you care if I finish dinner or not!"

As he left the dining room, he failed to see the look of hurt on Tohru's face or Yuki glaring at him. He did, however, hear Shigure's exasperated sigh.

Finally arriving at his designated spot, he got comfortable and watched the stars for a bit. As he continued stargazing, his thoughts kept going back to what happened during dinner.

Hanging his head a little, he let out a quiet sigh.

I'd like to go an entire day without saying or doing something I'm only going to end up regretting. Especially where she's concerned…

Sighing yet again, Kyo still didn't understand why he couldn't be honest with her. He trusted her and had complete faith in her yet he was always hurting her. Whether it was through his actions or words, it was a guaranteed fact that he would say or do the opposite of what he meant. Oddly enough, if someone else were to do something like this to Tohru, he wouldn't hesitate to make their lives a living hell.

Absolutely nothing and no one got away with hurting Tohru.

Except for me…

He shook his head in an attempt to clear away all of the negativity swirling around in his mind but it was in vain. His thoughts ended up going right back to the source of the problem. Or perhaps Tohru wasn't the problem. Maybe she was the answer to all of his troubles. After all, life hadn't treated him very well nor had he been dealt a fair hand.

And to think, this all began with his parents.

Closing his eyes, he could do nothing as a wave of sorrow washed over him. Thoughts of his mother tended to stir a variety of emotions within him but the strongest feeling was always sadness.

For as long as he could remember, his mother had always made it a point to tell him how much she loved him, but deep down, Kyo knew that it wasn't real love. As he grew up, he was constantly aware of the fact that she was afraid of him. And it wasn't because he was rude, undisciplined or a selfish brat either. No. His mother feared him because he was cursed with the spirit of the cat.

Now that he was actually thought about his mother, Kyo couldn't recall a single time that she had actually looked happy to see him. She never took the time to play with him let alone give him the warmth, stability and love that he so desperately craved. Once she passed away, he stood by the belief that had she truly loved him, then perhaps he would have turned out to be a completely different person.

Then there was his father.

Moments ago, he was feeling extremely down but that quickly changed when his thoughts drifted towards his father. Just thinking about the man made his blood boil. Scowling angrily, Kyo began to remember how his father treated him.

His own father, the same man who played a part in creating him, wanted nothing to do with him. He spent a majority of his time acting as if Kyo was the most dreaded and horrible thing on the planet. Then to make matters worse, he hardly even spoke to him. Unless Kyo had done something wrong or caused his mother to cry then and only then would his father pay any attention to him.

His anger was nowhere near being appeased because now he was remembering how the children treated him too. The Sohma children, cursed and non-cursed alike, ruthlessly teased and picked on him. The worst one was Akito who made sure to remind Kyo every single day that he was the cat. And by being such, he would never amount to anything. That he would always be worthless and never accepted into the Sohma clan.

The other children even went as far as to avoid Kyo. Whether they did this because they thought it was funny or because they were trying to ostracize Kyo even further, he found that he liked being alone better anyway. At least this way, he could have a little peace and quiet. No constant reminders of him being a failure or him being the object of all the other kids pranks.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his anger began to dissipate as he took several deep breaths. Once he was finally calm, Kyo looked up at the stars once again.

If only I could have been normal…

As he continued to look up at the skies, his thoughts drifted towards Kagura. Shivers went down Kyo's spine when he thought about all of the chaos, havoc, destruction and damage she would leave in her wake. Then a sudden dread filled the pit of his stomach. Kagura would be coming to Shigure's home in less than twenty-four hours with the sole intent of dragging him out on a date and then declaring her love to him for the thousandth time.

He really wasn't looking forward to it.

Despite the fact that Kagura was one of the first people to befriend him, his feelings for her were that of companionship. To him, she was someone that he could never look at romantically. Those particular feelings were reserved for a certain someone who was probably fast asleep.

"Tohru." He whispered softly as images of her smiling face flashed in his mind.

But for all his efforts, Kyo didn't have the slightest clue how to tell Tohru that he loved her. Never before had he felt so strongly about another person. Sure, he loved his sensei and Kagura but not in the way that he loved Tohru. He wanted to hold her, kiss her and be her everything.

He wanted to protect her from the world. He wanted to be her light in darkened times. The one to chase away all of her fears, insecurities and doubts. If he could, he would have surely given her anything her heart desired. Yet he knew that he could never have her.

Being possessed by the spirit of the cat was one reason why his feelings for her would never be returned. And the other reason was because Akito would never allow him to be happy. To this day, he still couldn't understand how Akito could deny people happiness and then take pleasure in doing so. He'd taken away Hatori's one chance at happiness and now it looked like he was about to do the same thing with him and Tohru.

Hanging his head once again, Kyo couldn't help the thought that came to his mind.

It's because of her that I even know what it feels like to be loved.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Kyo quickly fought the urge to continue that train of thought. Try as he might though, he just couldn't get her out of his head. He was truly, deeply and madly in love with her. And there wasn't a single thing he could do about it.

Running a hand through his hair, he decided that he would have to wait patiently for the moment when he could tell her how he truly felt. Until then, all he could do was hold on to his budding feelings for Tohru.

After making sure he was thinking straight, he climbed down from the roof and went back to his room. Navigating through the darkened house had been a relatively easy task for him. After all, this was not the first time he had gone to the roof at such a late hour. As he quietly slipped into his room, he noticed that the clock on his nightstand read three in the morning.

Didn't realize it was so late.

As he crawled into bed, he had very little trouble going to sleep now that his thoughts were centered on Tohru.

The next time Kyo awoke, it was officially Valentine's Day. The entire day had actually gone without incidence until Kagura came to Shigure's house. He did indeed suffer at the hands of Kagura and was almost forced to go on a date with her, but a call from the main house had saved him. Apparently, Kagura's mother needed her to come home right away. So reluctantly, very reluctantly, Kagura had left but not before promising Kyo that she would return before the week was out.

That night as Shigure, Yuki and Tohru enjoyed dinner, there was the noticeable absence of a certain orange haired cat. Both Shigure and Yuki hadn't been overly concerned that Kyo hadn't bothered to show up. He'd often done this while living at the main house but Tohru didn't think it was fair for him to miss dinner. After dinner was over, Tohru made quick work of the dishes.

She wanted to find Kyo as soon as possible. As she placed the last dish in its rightful place, all sorts of thoughts ran through her mind.

What if he left Shigure-san's home for good? Or what if he got lost in the woods? What if he got hurt? Oh Kyo, are you okay?

Walking to the front door, she slipped on her shoes and then left. There was no telling what she was likely to come across while looking for Kyo but none of that mattered. Right now, his safety was the only thing that mattered to her.

The first place Tohru checked was the roof. Luck was not with her though because there was no indication that Kyo had been here. Next, she checked at Yuki's secret base and again, she came up empty handed. Not that she was really expecting him to be there but it didn't hurt to check.

As she left the secret base and ventured further into the woods, she found herself growing more and more anxious. It wasn't like Kyo to just disappear like this. Sure, he would get mad and run off but he always came back. This time though, Tohru found herself wondering if he really would come back.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks as memories of when Kyo transformed into his true form flashed in her mind. He was scared, confused and hurting. She had felt so powerless back then. Despite the fact that she was afraid and overwhelmed, she still went to him. Thinking back to that day, tears quickly began to gather in her eyes.

"Kyo…Kyo…" She mumbled as she slowly fell to the ground.

Where could you have gone Kyo?

As she continued crying, she was completely unaware of the sound of approaching footsteps. When a hand suddenly dropped on her shoulder, she gasped while moving away from the stranger. As she got up from the ground though, a voice that she had been longing to hear penetrated every fiber of her being.

"Tohru?"

The tears came faster as she tried to speak to him, but then she suddenly found that no words would come out of her mouth. So she simply stood there, gazing at him while she cried.

He looked down, his bangs covering his eyes. And for a moment, the two said nothing to one another.

Finally calming down a little, Tohru slowly approached him. She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch him. If only to make sure that this was truly Kyo but she refrained from doing so. As their eyes met, his heart began to beat faster as he slightly blushed.

Even after what I said to her the other night, she still cared enough to worry about me? But why Tohru? Don't you know that all I'll ever do is cause you misery and pain? So why do you continue to shower me with such kindness? Don't you know that a monster like me can never be happy?

Slowly, ever so slowly, he put his hand on her shoulder again and then moved it up to her cheek. He caressed her cheek softly, but deep down, he wanted so badly to embrace her. Knowing that he couldn't hug her, he closed his eyes and reluctantly removed his hand from her cheek.

"Tohru, I…that is…I want…" A blush slowly began to spread on his face.

Tohru smiled kindly as she waited for Kyo to finish his statement.

"It's just that… look I was angry... I didn't know what to do. I'm… sorry." He blurted out while blushing harder.

She looked at Kyo warmly as a smile spread across her face. She couldn't help giggling a bit as he turned away from her in embarrassment. She had ceased crying and now she felt relief, joy and happiness all at the same time.

She took a hold of one of his shirt's sleeve and gently tugged on it. Not being able to ignore her, he looked over his shoulder at her. The look on her face hadn't been what he was expecting.

She seemed to be radiating an aura of happiness. Turning around fully, he couldn't help the smirk that came to his face. Taking a step closer to her, he leaned down slowly and kissed her softly. After the kiss was broken, Tohru gasped in shock as she blushed. Kyo, however, smiled softly while staring at Tohru, who was still quite flustered over the kiss.

Maybe I wasn't able to tell you tonight, but someday I'll definitely be able to tell you that I love you Tohru.