The sun was setting, orange on red, a perfect winter sky. Tohru sighed and smiled at the pleasant view she had from the porch. Four months had passed since she had broken the Souma family curse, and after that, everything seemed so ethereal. The house itself had a different aura, a different mood surrounding it entirely. Hanajima didn't mention anything about strange vibes coming from either Yuki or Kyo. The mood was lifted, and the Souma family was entirely grateful. Yuki had been more talkative than usual, for the past four months. Kyo had been less hot-headed and more pleasant to be around, and Shigure had ceased his endless chatter about high school girls. 'It's kind of scandalous, though,' Tohru thought to herself, 'Living in a house with all men, and not having any consequences if they touch me.' She giggled to herself. It was all right. Nothing strange had happened, and that was the way she liked it. Though she wouldn't mind if Yuki would embrace her now and again...

"Hey Tohru?" someone said, behind her, tearing her away from her thoughts.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning around. To her pleasant surprise, it was Yuki.

"Let's all go out to eat tonight," he said, "Shigure said he'd treat us."

"Oh! Oh! Really?!"

"Yeah. How about we head down to Yokohama for some Chinese food?"

"Yeah!" grinned Tohru, enthusiastically.

"Do you mind if we go right now? Kyo was supposed to ask you an hour ago but he forgot, so I'm doing it."

"Um...sure," she said, looking down self-consciously at her school uniform skirt.

"Don't worry, you look fine."

Tohru's heart soared.

The family got back late at night. They were full of spirit and food, and the warm house welcomed them even more. "Mmm, that was the best Pad Thai I've ever had," Shigure stated, plopping down on the floor and comically rubbing his belly.

"That wasn't Pad Thai," muttered Kyo.

"What was it?!" asked Shigure, alarmed, "Surely it wasn't some of that questionable Chinese food you always hear about on the news. Like...the General Tsung's chicken that really isn't chicken. Because the shop is right next to an animal hospital and it was that afternoon's casualty."

Everyone made a face.

"No, I don't think it was that kind of restaurant," Tohru said.

"I don't know..." stated Kyo, "When I looked up into the rafters, I saw a rat."

"Ewww!" cried Tohru, in horror and disgust.

"Maybe it was Yuki," joked Shigure, to the amusement of Kyo, 'Wait...where is Yuki?"

Kyo and Shigure looked around the room, but Yuki wasn't there.

"Don't you remember?" asked Tohru, "After dinner he said he had a party to go to, so he left."

"Yuki's certainly been a lot more popular with the ladies since you broke the curse, Tohru," stated Shigure, "Aren't you a little jealous? Don't you regret it a little bit?"

"I don't regret it at all! I helped everyone! And I'm certainly not...jealous," she cried, looking down. The room was silent, but neither Shigure nor Kyo seemed to notice the air of sadness that Tohru possessed.

"So what did I eat?" said Shigure.

"Egg Fu Yung." replied Kyo.

"Oh! That makes sense! I was wondering why it was so eggy-tasting."

"Didn't you even look at what you were ordering?"

"No, I never do. I like surprises."

"But what if you had ordered that General Tsung's chicken?"

"The one with the dead animal carcass in it, or something?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Well...I don't know. Isn't that what you had, Kyo?"

"No...Wait. Oh my God. I did have it."

Interrupting Shigure's incessant laughter and Kyo's horrified shrieks, Tohru said sadly, "I think I'll go to bed."

"Ok, good-night, Tohru!" cried Shigure, between laughs. Kyo was still shrieking.

"What do I do?!"

"You have to eat leeks."

"NO! NO LEEKS!"

"That's what it says in every medical book.'For indigestion, eat raw leeks.'"

"You've got to be kidding!"

The hallway was dark and a window was open at the end of it. The cold breeze blew the curtains out in a fan and Tohru walked slowly over to close it. Of course she wasn't jealous, she tried to convince herself. Yuki had always been popular with the girls. Now he actually had a chance for a social life outside of home. 'I should be happy for him,' thought Tohru, 'But why can't I be? Why I am being so selfish by wanting him all to myself?'

She crossed over to her room and sat down on the bed. It had a fluffy, yellow comforter. Shigure had bought it for her. But when she ran her hand over it, to smooth its surface, memories like shocks slapped her in the face. Yuki concerned, bending over her when she was sick. Yuki smiling, his eyes shining when she had said something particularly clever. Yuki looking worried when she discovered his secret vegetable garden. Yuki laughing behind his hand outside of the bath house. Yuki presenting her with a yellow, lacy ribbon on White Day.

She smashed her face into the comforter, her hands tightening into fists of the soft fabric. "Yuki!" was her muffled cry, as tears began to burn at the corners of her eyes. "All I ever wanted was you!"