A/N: Sorry if the ending to the flashback sucked. I was getting tired and I was just trying to finish the chapter so that you all could have something to read! I'm not sure how this chapter is gonna go so I'm just gonna start typing and hope something good comes out of my little mind -
Since this is my first fanfic, I never would've thought I'd get so much positive feedback. I'm so happy! Thank you guys so much!
KyosKitten: I'm glad you like my story so much! I look forward to your reviews -
FruitsBasketcase: I didn't realize that my story was so emotional. So I'll take your crying as a compliment! And, no, I'm not on any drugs -
Darkness Sweetheart2000: Your questions will be answered in this chapter, so keep reading!
CrazyInsaneAnimeFanGirl: I like your pen name. Anyway, I always try to end in spots that make ya wanna keep reading. Can't help it, Sorry!
Fwoggie: Aww, I'm sorry that I made you cry! But I'm glad my story moved you that way!
Kuro-kairi: Thank you! I will try to update as soon as possible so you can keep reading!
Baka-onna2003: Well.. I'm sorry to say... but Akito's dead (for the moment) so he won't get nicer, sorry!
Crazy-Fruits-Basket-Fan: I'm so happy you liked it!
Tohru's been up in her room a long time now. Kyo thought.
Everyone had been doing the chores Shigure had given them. Kyo was washing and drying the dishes. Maybe I should go check on her. He took off the white apron he was wearing, tossed it over the counter, and walked up the stairs.
He opened the door quietly and was shocked by the sight before him. Tohru was leaning her back against the foot of her bed with her head in her hands crying. Used tissues were scattered across the room. She was crying so hard, she hadn't even noticed him come in.
It's her birthday! Why in the world is she crying?!
"To-Tohru...?"
Tohru's head shot up and she saw Kyo looking at her in the doorway. She wiped her eyes trying to conceal the fact that she had been crying but she knew it was no use. Her face was probably as red as a tomato. Kyo walked over and squatted in front of her. He grabbed the tissue box and held it out to her.
"Thank you." She said as she grabbed a tissue from the box.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Tohru looked up at Kyo. She saw worry and concern in his eyes. He was so sweet. He probably noticed how long she had been up there and came to check on her. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him right then as she stared into his eyes...but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"It's alright, Tohru, you can tell me, I'll listen."
Tohru couldn't hold it in. She burst into tears again.
"I'm sorry, (sniffle) I don't mean to cry. But I (sniffle) saw everyone here today and I was so happy. (sniffle) Then I remembered Akito and how his death was all my fault. And (sniffle) I just had to get out of there." Tohru looked up at Kyo with tears running down her face. And she hugged him tightly. He didn't change into a cat. She knew he wouldn't. After Akito died, for some reason the curse seemed to be lifted. Tohru had asked Momiji about it and he told her that the curse would be broken until a new God of the Zodiac was born. No one can tell when that is so she cherished the hug she and Kyo were sharing right now, not sure if they'd ever have another one.
Kyo embraced Tohru just as tightly as she was hugging him. He tried not to remember that day. Yet, it was that same day, that he had realized that he was in love with Tohru. He had been so nervous around her that night on the roof and he didn't know why. But when she was in Akito's room with Hana and Uo and he was outside standing on top of the gates, he was scared. Not for them, but for her. He had been pacing on the roof thinking about her and that she could've been having her memories erased at that very moment. All the memories they had shared together. Kyo had never worried that much in his life. And when he saw her walk out of that building, he knew. There was no way he could live the rest of his life without her.
The two stood there hugging for quite awhile. Tohru had stopped crying and she broke the embrace.
"Thank you, Kyo. I needed that more than you could know." She smiled.
Kyo got an idea. She needed away to get away from it all, to forget about Akito. It was her birthday after all and she should be happy.
"Why don't we all go dancing tonight, Tohru." Kyo said. "You need away to release all those feelings built up inside you."
Tohru looked up at him. Dancing, hmm. That does sound like a good idea. She smiled.
"I'd love that Kyo."
They walked downstairs together.
"Tohru!" She heard Momiji yell her name as she entered the dining room.
"Tohru!" Momiji blinked. "Were you crying Tohru? Aww, were you upset huh?"
Kyo was getting angry. "I swear everytime you open your mouth, it annoys the hell outta me."
"Oww, Kyo's hurting me!"
Shigure also noticed Tohru's puffy red face. "Tohru is everything alright?"
"Yea, she's fine." Kyo answered for her. She was glad he did because she didn't really want to answer. "I told her that we were going to take her to the dance club tonight, you know since she's old enough and all. It'll be fun for her."
"Yea," Tohru interrupted. "I can't wait!" She smiled.
Tohru was in her room, picking out an outfit to wear for tonight. She wanted to look good. Well really, she just wanted Kyo to think she looked good.
Maybe I'll tell him tonight. He's been so nice to me today. I want him to know how I feel. That I was born to be with him. And maybe, just maybe, he'll say the same thing back to me.
She smiled as she thought about her and Kyo. She couldn't control herself around him. He always found a way to make her smile. He was never mean to her and he would never purposely hurt her. A hint of red touched Tohru's cheeks as she thought about him. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach, and he wasn't even in the room!
Good Lord. I can't even stop thinking about him for 5 seconds to pick out clothes!
She couldn't make up her mind about what she was going to wear. Tohru reached back into her closet and pulled out a red strapless dress that went down to the knee.
Well, Kyo's favorite color is red. So this is perfect!
Tohru slipped into the dress and zipped it up in the back. She added a silver necklace to the mix to spice it up a bit. Her finger ran along the shiny object as she looked at herself in the mirror and she thought about her mother.
Mom, I know I wasn't supposed to wear this until my wedding. But I might not have a groom if I don't wear it tonight. I wish you could meet Kyo. After meeting him, I never would've pictured myself falling in love.
Tohru smiled as she fixed her hair.
Should I wear it down, or up? Oh god, I don't know what to do.
She had never spent this long getting ready for anything! Not even prom! Tohru smiled as she remembered that night. Kyo had asked her dance for the first time. A slow dance too! She had danced with him almost the whole night. Tohru was glad to be thinking about happier things. She was determined to have as much fun tonight as she could. Hopefully, she could bring herself to tell Kyo how she felt.
Maybe I'll just pull the front up. Yeah, that should work. That way it'll be up and down.
She pulled the front of her hair up into a messy bun with loose hairs hanging out of it. Then she took her curling iron and curled the bottom of it slightly. She brushed her bangs to the side so that the majority of them hung over only one eye. Then, she took some pieces from the back and placed them strategically over one shoulder.
Ok, I think I'm ready.
Tohru started to have doubts about her hair. I look too nice and plain this way! So, she took it out of its bun and shook it. She wanted to be a little wilder tonight to express how she was feeling inside. It was still curled slightly at the bottom, but it looked more natural this way. She ran her fingers through it quickly to give it more of a messy look. Tohru put on some eyeliner and lip gloss and walked out. She didn't want to spend the whole night on her look.
Everyone was downstairs waiting. They were all snazzed up a little bit, ready to go dancing.
What is Tohru doing? They all thought.
Shigure looked at his watch with a slightly frustrated look on his face.
"Tohru?" He shouted.
"I'm coming!" She didn't realize that they were all waiting on her. Instead of taking a slow walk down the stairs like she had always seen on T.V., she rushed down and ended up tripping on the last step.
Kyo, who was leaning against the wall closest to the step, turned around and saw Tohru lunging at him. She rammed into him and wrapped her arms around his waist to keep herself from falling anymore.
Crap. I knew I shouldn't have worn heels.
She looked up realizing the position she was in and met Kyo's stare. They both started to blush.
"Are you alright Tohru?" Momiji asked loudly. Tohru and Kyo snapped out of their trance.
"Oh.. oh yes, I'm fine. Thank you Momiji"
Then came a knock at the door. Tohru smiled. She had called Uo and Hana and invited them to the club. A picture of Akito flashed in front of her face as she opened the door. She closed her eyes and willed it away. Not today, Akito.
She greeted her friends with a hug. Uo was wearing black leather pants with a dark blue halter top and Hana was wearing a little black dress.
"Wow Hana," Tohru started, "you pulled you hair up. It looks good!"
"You don't look too bad yourself Tohru." Uo cut in.
Shigure pushed everyone out of the house as the charter bus pulled up to take them away to the club.
They occupied every seat on the bus. Tohru sat inbetween Hana and Uo on one side. They were talking and laughing the whole way.
Kyo sat across from Tohru. Damn, she looks good tonight. The messy hair thing looked even better now than it did this morning. And she was wearing a red dress. Red was his favorite color. She didn't look as innocent as she usually did. He had never seen her wear anything like that before. He wouldn't have even guessed that she owned something like that. The necklace she was wearing made her radiate even more. Yet, when she smiled, the innocence she had came with it, making her even more attractive.
Maybe I'll tell her tonight. I don't know how much longer I can go on with these feelings kept inside me. She needs to know that I would do anything for her. She needs to know that she's the reason I wake up every morning. That she makes me feel so comfortable when she's around.
His thoughts were broken by a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Tohru staring back at him and he blushed furiously.
"Come on, we're here!" Tohru said as she smiled. She took his hand and led him off of the bus.
The club was crowded when they entered. Tohru was excited. She hadn't been dancing since the prom and she couldn't wait to get on the floor.
They all sat in a corner that was reserved for them with three couches. Most of them sat down. Hana and Uo went to go dance since there wasn't enough room for everyone. A waitress came around to give them drinks every couple of minutes or so.
Tohru decided to go join her friends since she got tired of watching them have all of the fun.
Kyo watched Tohru dancing. I'm glad she's having so much fun. I can't stand watching her cry like I did today. I just wanted to sweep her up into my arms and tell her that everything was going to be ok. But I didn't want her to know how I felt about her then. Kyo's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Shigure's voice.
"It was a good idea to bring her here, Kyo."
Kyo looked up.
"Huh? Oh...yea. She needed to have fun. And I figured this was probably a good way for her to do it."
Shigure hadn't forgotten about Tohru's face when her and Kyo had walked down the stairs earlier that day. I wonder... maybe that had something to do with Akito. Shigure took a sip of his drink and set it down on the table.
"Well, I'm tired of watching these youngsters have all of the fun! I'm gettin' out there!" Shigure smiled as he jumped up and headed to the floor.
"Kyo?"
He looked up and saw Kagura's face staring back at his. His stomach lurched. Oh god. I forgot about her.
"Come on, Kyo, let's dance!" She dragged him (literally) out onto the floor and began dancing.
Tohru noticed Kyo being dragged onto the floor by Kagura and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealously rock through her. Oh no. I can't tell Kyo how I feel. I can't do that to Kagura. She's my friend.
"You alright, Tohru?" Tohru turned her head back around and saw Uo looking at her with a concerned face.
"Yea, I'm fine." Tohru started. "Actually, I think I'm going to sit back down, I'm getting a bit of a headache."
"You want us to come with you Tohru?" Hana asked.
"No, that's alright. I'll be fine." She said with a smile. "You guys have fun."
Kyo watched Tohru walk off the dance floor and sit down on the couch by herself. She shouldn't be alone on her birthday. Here he was dancing with someone he didn't really like when he could be sitting with the girl he loved, talking to her. That's where he wanted to be.
"Umm.. Kagura. I'm gonna go get a drink or something. I'll be back in a bit Ok?"
"O.k.! I'll be waiting, love!"
Kyo walked away and let out a sigh of relief. I can't stand that girl. She's crazy. He walked over to where Tohru was sitting. He sat down on the couch across from her. She looked up at him and smiled.
"So are you having fun, Tohru?" He asked.
"Yea, thanks so much for bringing me here, Kyo. How bout you? I saw you out there dancing with Kagura." She said with a bit of an annoyed voice but he didn't notice.
"Uhh... yea I guess. I haven't been dancing since prom. It felt good to be out there again."
Great. He was having fun with Kagura. I had hoped he would ask me to dance. Maybe he doesn't feel the same way about me. But, I still have to tell him! Or I'll regret it forever.
"Kyo, can we go somewhere a little quieter, maybe, where we can talk a bit?" She asked.
Kyo looked at her curiously, wondering what it was she wanted to talk about. He agreed.
"Yea, There's a private room upstairs. Let's go."
"O.k., I'll meet you there in a minute. I want to tell Hana and Uo where I'll be so they don't get worried." Tohru smiled as she got up and walked towards Hana and Uo on the dance floor.
Kyo got up and headed upstairs. Kagura looked up and saw him walking up the steps. There you are silly. She ran up the steps behind him.
Kyo walked into the room and sat down on one of the couches there. He decided that he was going to tell Tohru how he felt about her when she walked in. She has to know. He convinced himself as he was trying to figure out how to tell her when Kagura walked in.
"Kyo! Silly! You forgot to tell me to meet you up here. I know you wouldn't come up here by yourself! Now we can spend some time together."
"Umm.. Kagura, I don't really want to talk right now." He didn't want to tell her that Tohru was coming because even though he didn't like her, he didn't want to see her get upset. "I'd really like to be alone right now."
"Aww, Kyo. You're no fun! I want to stay up her with you. I love you Kyo... I'll comfort you don't worry." With that said, she walked over to him and planted a kiss on his lips.
Tohru walked up the stairs talking to herself. She was getting butterflies in her stomach. There's no backing out. I have to tell him. You can do this Tohru. She walked towards the door and when she got there she froze. Through the little window she saw Kyo and Kagura kissing. Tears started to run down her face as she ran towards the bathroom.
When she got there, she locked herself in a stall and let out all of her tears. She slammed her back against the door and slid down it slowly, crying. I should've known something was going on between them. I'm such an idiot. She was crying hysterically now. Oh god, I need to get out of this place. Tohru got up, opened the stall door, and walked out of the bathroom. She hurried down the stairs and was headed towards the door when she noticed the bar off to the side. A drink, yes, that's exactly what I need right now. I need to forget about Kyo, and Akito, and everything that's gone wrong today.
She sat down on a barstool and asked the bartender for a shot.
"A shot of what, miss?"
"Anything. Something strong please."
The bartender gave her a questioning look but obeyed and handed her a glass. Tohru downed it within seconds. She winced at first. That was the first alcoholic drink that she'd ever had. She needed more.
"Another please." She downed the second one just as quickly, maybe even quicker.
Tohru looked back at the dance floor and saw Hana and Uo and Shigure and everyone having so much fun.
"Another." She continued to ask for more shots until about the 6th one when she started to get dizzy. Oh man, my head is killing me. She thought as she slapped her hand to her forehead. Tohru got up and looked around her. Everything was blurry. She saw Kyo walking towards her and she started to run. Bad Idea. She wobbled in the direction that she was going. Man, I can't see anything anymore. She started walking again and accidentally bumped into someone and fell down. Everything went black.
Kyo saw Tohru fall. Oh god. She's drunk. He ran towards her and picked her up to see if she was alright. She didn't show any signs of movement. Man, she's passed out. I've got to get her home.
He saw Shigure sitting on the couches by the dance floor and walked over to him carrying Tohru in his arms.
"Shigure, Tohru's wasted. I'm going to take her home. Ok?"
Shigure saw Tohru and couldn't help smiling. "She had a little too much fun tonight, huh?"
Grr. Damn dog. "You guys stay here. She'd want you to have fun. We'll take the subway home. See you guys later O.k?"
Shigure was still smiling and he just nodded as he took another drink.
Kyo walked into Shigure's house still carrying Tohru. Man, I was wondering why she never came upstairs. Someone must've spiked her drink! He started to get angry.
I should probably take her to the bathroom and get her cleaned up a bit, I guess. He carried her upstairs and walked into the bathroom. He sat her down on the toilet seat. Turning on the sink, he grabbed a towel and ran it under the water.
"...unhhh..." He heard Tohru moan again. She had made that noise all the way home.
"It's ok Tohru. I'm gonna clean you up a bit, then its bedtime for you."
Kyo took the wet towel and wiped her face with it. She really was beautiful. He had really wanted to tell her that he loved her. I guess that will have to wait for another day. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered Kagura kissing him.
"Kagura! What the heck are you doing!"
"I'm comforting you silly! That's what lovers do!"
"Kagura! I don't love you O.K! I'm sorry! I..I'm in love with someone else..."
Kagura had looked at him with a hurt expression on her face. Then she realized what was going on.
"It's Tohru, isn't it?" She looked at him as tears ran down her face.
"Kagura... I.."
She shook her head. "Don't say it Kyo. I won't be able to bear it, hearing you say you're in love with someone else."
Why hadn't she seen it before? They were always flirting with eachother. She didn't want to be angry with Tohru. But she couldn't help feeling jealous and mad. She stormed out of the room.
Kyo looked at Tohru's pale face. I'm sorry Kagura. But, I love Tohru and no one else. There could never be anyone else.
"...unnhh..."
"Come on, Tohru," He said as he lifted her up again, "Let's get you to bed."
Kyo carried her to her room and set her down on her bed. He walked towards the door when he heard Tohru's voice.
"...Kyo...? Is that you?"
He turned around and walked back over to the bed.
"I'm here Tohru."
"Why Kyo?"
He looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Why did you... why did you have to be in love with someone else?"
"What are you talking about, Tohru?"
Tohru started to laugh. "I'm such an idiot, Kyo, to think that you might've loved me."
"Tohru, what's going on? What are you talking about?"
"I was going to tell you, in that room, that I was in love with you." She started to laugh again. "I'm so stupid."
Kyo froze. She was going to tell me that she loved me... She loves me! He started to grin, but it faded quickly.
"But then... Then I saw you kissing Kagura... and I needed to get away." She started laughing again, louder this time. "You were kissing Kagura. Hah! Isn't that funny Kyo?"
Kyo just stared at her. He was speechless.
"Isn't that funny. Hah! I mean, I was going to tell you that I loved you! Hah! That's so funny! Come on Kyo, why aren't you laughing?!"
Kyo got up and back away. Oh no. She thinks that I'm in love with Kagura. I... I've gotta get out of this room. I can't hear anymore. He covered his ears with his hands and ran out of the room. It could've been perfect. Why did this have to happen. He ran into the woods.
Back in the room, Tohru was still laughing. But, the laugh began to decrease in volume, and Tohru passed out again.
A/N: Well that's what came out when I started typing. I hope everyone likes it! Read and Review please! Oh and I have no idea what's going to happen next so I have to think on it. I will try and start writing again tomorrow but don't expect a new chapter tomorrow. But then again, there might be one. Who knows?