Aurora here! As I said, here's the new version of And then there were three! This has been a plan of mine for a long time and I'm glad I can FINALLY get this started! I've just been so inspired for this story. It could have been so much better I feel.

I really hope fans of this story, old and new, read, enjoy, and review!

Maybe three isn't a Crowd

Chapter 1

Familiar Faces

Thunder roared, followed by lightning, which lit up the darkening sky. It made Tohru jump back a bit from the window. Powerful thuds of rain hit the glass, giving off an aggressive and lonely melody. She wasn't worried about the plans she had that day. Not even about the fact that she hadn't acted out those plans. No, what she was worried about, was the miserable cat downstairs and the dinner that wasn't cooking.

"Miss Honda?" a gentle voice questioned from a bit away. Tohru's eyes flicked down the dimly lit hallway and stayed locked on violet orbs, glowing with curiosity.

"Oh, Yuki-kun," Tohru exclaimed with a small smile, "good afternoon! How was your meeting?"

Yuki gave a small smile of his own, even though he knew by that far-off look in the brunette's eyes that she was upset about something. "Fine, thank you. Is there something troubling you?"

Tohru smiled nervously and pushed her index fingers against one another. She didn't want to bother Yuki with her worries, but a part of it was about his well-being. So she sucked it up and said, "Well, it's raining, so I delayed my grocery shopping. I thought all this down pour would have stopped by now..."

"It's alright, Miss Honda," Yuki said, stepping toward her as lightening shown through the sky. The flash caused both the teens to glance out the window. "I'll walk you tomorrow."

"Thank you. I just hope we have enough rice for tonight." Tohru fiddled her fingers back and forth a bit frantically. Yuki smiled, a glint of humor in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to get so worried over something so small. Then again, maybe he did. She was such a worry wart.

Yuki opened his mouth to speak at the exact moment a loud crash sounded from the front room. Instead of returning to their conversation, they headed swiftly down stairs, finding Kyo bent across the kotatsu on his stomach. He looked as if all the life had jumped right out of him.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru gasped, waving her arms around in uncertainty as she sped toward him.

Kyo groaned, making no attempt at standing or even getting himself comfortable on the hard wood. Yuki stared blankly with his arms crossed in slight agitation at the cat's actions. If he were tired, he should have just gone upstairs and went to sleep all day instead of being stubborn and trying to go through with his normal routine. He even went so far as to go and lay on the roof, trying to prove the rat wrong, so he was probably sick now.

An absolute idiot, Yuki thought with a small shake of his head. Why couldn't Kyo listen? Even if the advice was coming in a slightly offensive way from his nemesis, shouldn't he be able to tell what's reasonable?

"I don't think we have anymore medicine," Shigure admitted with a sigh, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen. Tohru and Yuki hadn't even noticed him there.

The dog looked over at Yuki and said, "You probably shouldn't have instigated him, Yuki."

"How was I to know that he'd do such a foolish thing?" Yuki asked, agitated at his cousin's accusations. It wasn't his fault Kyo was such an idiot and he didn't appreciate being told it was.

Ignoring Yuki, Shigure shoved himself off the wall and walked toward Kyo, poking the boys shoulder.

"Don't touch me, yah... yah damn... mutt..." Kyo swatted lightly before his hand fell. The rain picked up, assaulting the windows and dampening the cat's mood a bit more. His bones ached like he was a hundred years old and his head was pounding, forcing the blissful sleep he wanted to elude him. He felt like dying would be a much better solution at the moment. Oh, how he loathed spring.

The three other occupants of the house stared at him a bit before Shigure insisted while staring at Tohru, "Yuki should go out to the store and get some medicine, since he's the reason he's sick."

"It's not my fault he decided to rest on the roof," Yuki huffed, not liking that his idiot cousin was talking about him like he wasn't there.

"But Yuki," Shigure said, "If you don't go, then poor sweet Tohru-kun will be forced to make the trip in your place!"

"Eh, it's fine! I can go," Tohru insisted, putting her hands up. That was all Yuki needed to agree.

After making sure Tohru wouldn't follow him, he dressed himself properly to face the harsh weather and, without further delay, left out the door, Tohru hollering "Be safe!" behind him.

O.O.O.O

When Yuki exited the pharmacy, a bag of medicines (and some rice) in hand, he noticed how dreary the street looked with no one on it. He must have taken a long time, because the sky was now such a dark blue it looked black. The only source of light coming from the shock of yellow streetlights here and there. Even though it was so dark, Yuki felt pretty safe. Who would be outside in the freezing rain?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the screeching of shoes rubbing against pavement and wood slamming against wood. He turned sharply and squinted into the night at a bench with a groaning boy laying on it. From a distance, he looked like a grown man, but as Yuki cautiously got closer, he could see that it was a boy about his age. The boy looked to be taller than him with light orange hair and seemingly tanned skin.

"Excuse me?" Yuki questioned loudly in an attempt to be heard over the rain.

"Huh?" The boy asked lazily, looking up with tired teal eyes. Yuki could have sworn he'd seen this face before, but couldn't quite place a name to it.

"Are you alright?" The boy gently laid the side of his face in the bench and mumbled something Yuki couldn't understand. It sounded like a name. Thinking he was trying to say his name, Yuki asked, "What's your name again?"

The boy attempted to talk. Yuki leaned in close. "T... Takashi..."

"Let me help you up," Yuki said, grabbing the boys arm and, with difficulty, lifting him up. After a bit of adjusting, Takashi had an arm around his shoulders, while Yuki held the umbrella he brought with him and the bag of medicine in one hand and Takashi's skateboard in the other.

"Is there someplace I could take you?" Yuki asked. He wasn't really sure why, but he felt he had history with this boy. The face and name 'Takashi' sounded so familiar that he almost felt as if he'd ask to go to-

"Shigure..."

O.O.O.O

Tohru sat nervously next to Kyo, trying to calmly await Yuki's return, but he was taking so long that she expected the worse.

"Tohru-chan, if you're that worried, why don't you try calling him?" Shigure suggested without a care in the world. Wherever the rat was, he knew he'd be alright.

Tohru didn't seem to be paying attention for a second, so Shigure was going to say it again, but suddenly she blurted out, "No, no, no, what am I thinking?! I'd just be a bother if he really is alright... but what if he isn't..."

Clenching the bottom of her red skirt, she bit at her lip, her other hand on the side of the table. Just as she was about to rush to the home phone to give him a call, the door banged open. It earned a squeak from her and Shigure rose, walking over to investigate.

"Yuki, you're back! You gave our dear Tohru-chan quite the... fright..." Shigure stared at the boy Yuki was now stationing between him and the wall. The violet-eyed teen kicked his shoes off as best as he could, dropped the umbrella and skateboard, handed Shigure the bag, and helped Takashi to sit against the wall.

"And who might you be?" Shigure questioned as Yuki sat down opposite Takashi, regaining his breath. That boy was a lot heavier than he had originally thought.

"Takashi," Yuki answered for him, almost back to normal. "He was on his way here... and he crashed into a bench."

"Did he now?" Shigure asked, staring at the boy. Very suddenly, it clicked in his mind who exactly the boy was. It wasn't all that hard to remember. He hit his fist into his palm, a dumb smile on his face. "Of course! Takashi-kun!"

Yuki stared as his older cousin put a hand on his chin. "What exactly are you doing here?"

He got no response. The boy couldn't quite get a hold of himself. First he was ripped away from the only place he had ever known, then he lost Ichiru in the midst of his fatigue.

Ichiru, Takashi thought with a groan, his hand traveling to his head. He had already lost one brother, he wouldn't lose another. With that in mind, he slowly began to rise to his feet.

"Uh, Takashi-kun? Should you be walking around in the state you're in?" Shigure questioned. Yuki rose to go and fetch Tohru. When he came back with the brunette, as if on cue, Takashi collapsed to his knees, hand on the door knob. A large bolt of lightning singed the leaves of a nearby tree, followed by menacing thunder.

"Oh no," Tohru squeaked, hurrying to the boys side. "Are you hurt? You must be! Shigure-san, if you're not too busy, could you get me a towel and one of your yukatas?"

"Of course." Shigure hurried off, leaving Yuki to help Tohru drag Takashi away from the door.

When he got into the kitchen, he headed to the sink and reached for the towel used to dry the dishes. Since the storm came so unexpectedly, everything they had out on the line to dry became soaked through-including all the towels in the house.

This will do, Shigure told himself. He began to turn away, but stopped when he thought he saw something move outside the window. When he got a little closer, he could see a shock of red lit up by the light emitting from the window. It blew wildly in the wind, some strands snagging on the bark it was leaning against.

Wait, strands? Shigure wondered, is it... hair?

He walked back to the three by the front door and grabbed Yuki's dripping umbrella. Upon opening the door, he opened it, flicking water all over the place. With that, he disappeared into the storm, curiosity leading the way.

"Where is he going?" Yuki asked himself. And he didn't even bring what-

"Uh, Yuki-kun!"

There's the first chapter! Second will be up shortly! Please review and tell me what you thought!

Thank you!

~Aurora~ xD