Summary: Kyo finally reveals his true feelings for Tohru and Tohru for Kyo, though Momiji seems to be getting in his way, but unfortunately to make matters worse Kyo must now share a room with Yuki.

Tough Love: Part 1

On an unimaginably beautiful summer's morning in July, Tohru got up extra early to get a head start on her chores. She had brushed and mopped the house, tip-toeing past every room, being sure not to wake anyone. She had just started to hang out the dirty laundry when Kyo appeared.

"Busy?" he asked

"ARGH!"

Kyo jumped slightly at Tohru's outburst

"Oh I'msorry, you just scared me" Tohru replied

"Urgh. I guess I shouldn't be so light-footed" said Kyo, trying to keep his temper down "I'm so-. . ."

"I know what you mean," said Tohru blushing slightly as she looked up at Kyo in the sunlight.

"So…" said Kyo, trying desperately to make conversation when…

"Kyo's got the hots this morning!" it was in fact…

"MOMIJI! EVERYTIME YOU OPEN YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Kyo screamed at Momiji, grabbing him

"Someone! Kyo's hurting me-e-e-e-e!" Momiji cried.

"EVERYTIME!" Kyo shouted, becoming more and more agitated

Tohru just looked away just slowly edging towards the house.

"Good morning, Miss Honda" said the pleasant voice of Yuki.

"Oh... Erm good morning" Tohru replied, bowing in her usual manner.

"Sorry if Kyo scared you" Yuki said, giving a disapproving look out the window

"Oh no not at all. He just startled me a little, that's all" Tohru said

Meanwhile in the kitchen…

"Oh, I'm so hungry," groaned Shigure, opening the fridge door, and seeing that nothing in there was ready to eat straight away "Tohru! Tohru! Can you please make us something to eat? We're all ever so hungry!"

"Oh yeah I totally forgot!" sighed Tohru, slapping her head slightly

"I'll help and I'm sure Kyo will as well, won't you Kyo?" asked Yuki, turning around and glaring

"What you think I'm gonna prance around that kitchen like a sissy girl and cook for you, ya damn rat!" shouted Kyo

"No, but I expect you to help Miss Honda. You don't wanna upset her now do you?" said Yuki, making Kyo go very red

"Yeah, alright. But don't expect me to do it all the time!" Kyo replied, staring anywhere but Tohru and Yuki's direction

"Oh no we wouldn't expect that" Yuki replied smiling

Over cooking the breakfast, Shigure helped out too, Momiji had spilt hot water everywhere so Kyo did his usual thing

"EVERYTIME! TRY NOT TO BE SO CLUMSY NEXT TIME!"

And Momiji doing his usual thing

"WAAHH! KYO'S picking on me!"

And Shigure managed to burn the rice (if that's even possible. But obviously in this story it is). But Tohru really didn't mind making over 10 different batches of breakfast (including leek to Kyo's anger "I HATE LEEKS!")

After-wards it was finally perfect and everyone sat down, as they had just started to get comfortable…

"Hello there! Don't mind if I join you do you?" drifted the voice of Ayame through the open window

Everyone froze, most of all Yuki

"W-w-what are you doing here?" asked Yuki

"Just thought I'd pop by," replied Ayame "I have to check up on my own brother after all!"

"Well now that you've popped by GO!" Yuki said getting pretty agitated

"Oh, I see Shigure hasn't told you the news yet has he?" Ayame asked, facing Shigure, giving a would-be anger look

"Er…. Just about to tell them now- hehe" Shigure seemed to mutter more than speak

"Well I guess we can both tell them can't we" said Ayame picking up Shigure's body, which seemed to have drifted into a coma

"Anyway, Shigure and I have great news! Go on Shigure tell them. HAHAHAHAHA!" Ayame said

"Aya…. A…. Aya… is…" Shigure muttered

"JUST TELL US!" Kyo shouted, and for once Yuki seemed to agree

"I, Ayame Sohma, am going to live here to do the whole 'bridge-the-gap' thing Tohru told me," Ayame said

Everyone froze stared at Tohru who seemed to be staring into space.

"Erm… Well I guess I can't take all the credit" she replied shyly, pointing slightly into nowhere

"CREDIT! CREDIT?! YOU DON'T GET CREDIT FOR BRINGING THAT-THAT THING IN HERE!" Kyo screamed

"Now, now" Ayame said, "It's not all that bad"

"Well where's he gonna sleep?" Yuki asked, angrily but not as angry as Kyo

"He's not staying in my room" shouted Kyo

"In your room Yuki" Ayame replied

Yuki froze

"I-I-I-I- in my room?" Yuki seemed to be out of breath as though he'd just ran a marathon

"Yes and a great room it is" Ayame replied "Lot's of space, well for me anyway. I'll go grab my things!"

"But, wait!" said Tohru, finally "Yuki's room is the smallest of them all, where's he going to stay?"

Aya had returned with a lot of bags, each one bigger than the next, and had a chibi-style face of himself on the front

"In your room Kyo" said Shigure still not looking up, rushing the last sentence

"Wow isn't that exciting!" shouted Momiji, almost jumping up

"EVERYTIME MOMIJI!" screamed Kyo "AND…" Kyo stopped mid sentence "WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY ROOM! YOU'RE A TRUE BASTARD YOU ARE SHIGURE. AYA, YOU'RE NOT WELCOME, GO BACK TO SOHMA HOUSE!!"

"But most of my things are already in the house!" Ayame said, giving a fake upset face "It'll take too long to take them home, so I'll just go and unpack properly, while you take in this wonderful news!"

"Er-er-er-er-er-er…" Kyo and Yuki seemed to chorus utterly bedazzled at the ordeal

"Tohru, I need to speak to you" Kyo said and dragged Tohru out without even asking her if she wanted to

"Er... Ok" said Tohru

"I... I... I..." Kyo stuttered

"You what?" Tohru asked, confusion on her face

"I... I..."

"He loves you" Ayame said

"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU! YOU BASTARD!" Kyo shouted

"It's obviously true you've been hanging round her for days" said Ayame, peering round the door

"I live with her! Of course I'm gonna SEE her! And how do you even KNOW that?!" shouted Kyo, a fist raised in Aya's face

"I have a fifth sense about these kinda things!" Aya said, a finger raised, almost as if he understood his last sentence

"Don't you mean sixth sense?" Tohru said, more confusion now on her face

"Oh I loved that film!" said Aya, changing the subject completely, not understanding that Tohru had corrected him

"Huh? Ok. . ." said Tohru, as Aya backed into the house ("Hey Shigure! Did like The Sixth Sense too?! You DID!")

Tohru turned to face Kyo, who was staring at the floor and blushing madly

"Er..." Kyo started "I do like you"

To Be Continued. . .

(A/N: Tune in for part 2, coming soon!!)