Tohru smoothed her apron as she swept the floor, broom forward, back and up, forward, back and up. The dust flew around her ankles, and she guessed this place hadn't been cleaned in a while, at least a month. She had stumbled upon this small door in the stairs by accident, and after a few tugs, the door had swung open for her, revealing a small, cozy room with faded comfortable furniture and a small fireplace. She had lit the fire, and now it flickered warmly against the light blue walls as she cleaned up. It looked like somebody had been in here recently, though she couldn't tell who.

Forward, back and up. She stopped, brushed her hair out of her face, and looked around. It was looking quite snug and pleasant, perfect for reading a book after dinner, on days when she didn't have to do laundry. She'd have to remember it, but right now it was time to cook dinner. Sighing, she set the broom against the baby blue wall and went out, closing the door carefully as she left.

A couple days later, Tohru had finished all her duties, and she was about to curl up in her room with her favorite manga when she remembered the room. Without further ado, she quickly rushed to the door under the stairs and yanked it open. It gave quite easily. She entered.

There was Kyo-kun, lying on the floor. And he was holding a kitchen knife to his wrist.

"…K-kyo…" she stammered, horrified. "Kyo, wh-what are you doing?"

He looked calmly up at her, his usually hotheaded demeanor gone in the peace of defeat. "I'm dying."

"Kyo!" she shrieked. "But… But why?"

"Because I'm a coward," he stated, almost matter-of-factly. "Because I'm a coward. I'll never be nearly as brave as you are, or Yuki, or even Gure-san. I'm weak, and I have nothing to live for."

Tohru's body was trembling as she watched Kyo drop the knife lower to his skin. "Yes you do! Of… of course you do!"

"What?" He said this almost indignantly, almost angrily, almost like the old Kyo, the real Kyo. "What do I have?"

"You have… Well, you have us! And we have you!" Tohru stomped as she yelled. "And…" Her voice was softer now. "And I don't want to lose you…"

Kyo half-grinned. "Yeah, right. You wouldn't notice the difference when I was gone, and even if you did, it would only be that you could cook leeks without feeling guilty." He spat the words.

"Kyo, no! I mean, I'd miss you! We'd all miss you. Even… Yuki…" She swallowed.

He snorted. "Yuki'd be glad! I'm making this easy for him! I'm doing to myself what he wanted to do to me for years! I'm an outcast, a troublemaker. You'd be better off without me." The knife touched his skin, and he winced slightly, but there was no cut. Yet.

"But… but…" Tohru was at a loss for words.

"Just go away, okay! Leave me here, be happy! Just leave."

"…Fine." Her voice was cold, so unlike Tohru. "Do what you like. I won't cry." She slammed the door.

Now it was dinnertime. If Yuki or Gure-san had noticed Kyo's absence, they said nothing. But they could sense Tohru's strange mood, and the dinner was a quiet one.

The kitchen door slammed open, and a rather pale Kyo walked in, sweating. He had a towel around his neck, and Tohru could tell he had been running. There was a sweatband around his wrist. He sat down, his expression stormy. Yuki and gure-san exchanged glances, but said nothing. Kyo began to fork food in his mouth.

Tohru glared at him across the table, folded her napkin, and left. The three boys could hear her door shut softly upstairs.

When Kyo came into her room later, she was crying into her pillow. He sighed, and sat down at the foot of her bed. She gave no acknowledgement that he was there. He spoke.

"I'm… I'm sorry."

She said nothing.

"I really am a coward. I'm too afraid to live, and I'm too afraid to die."

She turned and looked at the wall.

"So… uh, I'll do the laundry tomorrow, to apologize, okay? All next week, even." He scratched the back of his head.

She paused, and nodded slightly.

"And, uh, thanks." He stood, and left the room, leaving her to think.