Arg. Sorry this took so long. I won't give you my whole sob story, but in short, it is this: Senior year sucks for writing fanfiction... So. Much. Homework. But... I'm doing my best... -dies-

This is for ChipsAhoyPup! Thank you for your nice reviews; I hope I did alright!

Please enjoy!!

--

It was a pleasant, peaceful morning at the Sohma household- A rare occurrence. Kyo Sohma had just finished his morning run and was currently reveling in the warm spring air. For the first time that week it had stopped raining and the sky was perfectly cloudless. The sun was shining, there was a soft breeze, and-

"What the hell?" A dark shadow had fallen over Kyo, blocking both the sun and the wind. He turned around to discover the cause and sighed at the sight that met him.

"Oh, it's just you. Whaddaya want?" He stared up at Shigure Sohma expectantly.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Kyon-"

"Don't call me that."

"I would think you would be nicer to someone who is about to do you a great service."

Kyo stifled a yawn. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Shigure's antics, so after a short (less than a second) calculation of the likelihood of Shigure's 'service' being anything useful, he began to walk away.

"Wait, wait! You really, really don't want to miss out on this!" Kyo stopped, rolled his eyes, and turned back around. As annoying as Shigure could be, Kyo always had a difficult time saying no to him.

"Fine. I'm gonna regret this, but what?" He crossed his arms, feigned disinterest, and tried to repress a grin at the way Shigure's face lit up at his words.

"I am going to let you..." Kyo flinched as Shigure waved a few papers in his face. "Read my latest book!"

A sense of great anti-climax washed over Kyo. "Um..."

"It's children's book!" Shigure beamed as Kyo took what he assumed was a manuscript.

"Why do you want me to read it?"

"Because I highly value your opinion and insight."

Well, that can't be it...Kyo thought as he walked inside to find a comfortable place to read.

--

Kyo stared down at the manuscript sitting on the kitchen table in front of him and debated opening past the title page. There was no title just the words: "A Masterpiece by Shigure Sohma" written in big, bold letters.

Either Shigure really did value Kyo's opinion and insight (which, admittedly, would be nice), or (much more likely) this was all a plot to scar Kyo for life.

"Well, are you going to read it?" Kyo started at Shigure's voice and looked up to see him sitting across the table from him and staring intently.

"Is this all?" The manuscript consisted of about two pages, excluding the cover page.

"Well, it will look longer with a bigger font." Kyo accepted this as an answer and looked back down at the table. He couldn't quite concentrate, though.

"Are you just gonna sit there and watch me?"

"Does that bother you?"

It really didn't. Shigure was always all over the place and jumping from one thing to the next, so it was nice that his attention was focused on just Kyo for a little while. And just the fact that Shigure would voluntarily sit with him could mean that he maybe-

Gah, I told myself I was going to stop thinking about crap like that, Kyo berated himself silently. Even if he was interested or something, it's not like it could be a serious relationship or anything, because he'd just move onto the next thing as soon as something else caught his eye... Not like I caught his eye or anything.

This was no good. Kyo was thinking faster and faster and getting more and more worked up. Heat was rising to his cheeks and Shigure was still sitting right across from him and staring.

God dammit.

So Kyo just made a noncommittal grunt and opened up the manuscript.

Once upon a time... The story predictably began... There lived a handsome, generous, and genial dog.

After the first sentence, Kyo stopped. "So this is a bit of an autobiography?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"Just keep reading."

In fact, he was so handsome, generous, and genial that no other animal on earth could resist his charm. This dog had everything he wanted in life: friends, fortune, and all the love money could buy.

"I'm not sure this last part is appropriate for children."

"I plan on having it illustrated when it's published."

"Fantastic."

For many years the dog lived in luxury, carefree and content...

The story went on in a similar manner for about half a page. Kyo skimmed it until praises of the dog stopped.

The dog, however, was missing something from his life. It was a fact he was always aware of, but he was never able to figure out what exactly he needed. Until he met a certain cat.

This cat was the opposite of the dog in every way. The dog was always happy and cheerful, but the dog had never seen a smile pass over the cat's face. While the dog was always surrounded by other animals, the cat was always alone. The dog had everything, whereas the cat had nothing.

Kyo frowned. He wasn't aware that he was going to make a guest appearance.

When the dog first saw the cat, he was nothing but curious about him. 'How could someone be so unhappy when there are so many good things in the world?' he wondered. The dog did not know everything of the cat's dark past, and only thought that something was wrong with him. The dog tried valiantly to ask the cat why he was always by himself, but the dog, not knowing how to approach a situation delicately, always scared the cat with teasing.

"Cat," the Dog would say, "why are you always alone? What's wrong with you?"

The Dog always thought he was being very helpful and kind and hoped the cat would open up to him, but he did not realize he was being rude and invasive, and was scaring the cat away.

"I don't want to talk to you!" The cat would often yell. "Why are you asking me personal questions? It's none of your business!"

The cat would always run away, and the dog would chase him. He wanted to know what made the cat so upset, because the dog felt an unfamiliar sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach when he caused the cat to yell, and he didn't know why.

He gave up on chasing the cat for a little while and asked the other animals about him.

"I think he acts the way he does because of something tragic in his past," the dog's friend, the snake, told him.

"Why do you care so much?" The dragon asked him. "What reason do you have for tormenting him so?"

The dog could not answer. At first, he chased the car because it was fun, but as he thought, he realized that he had the urge to be around the cat all the time and to be close to him, even if it meant being verbally abused. He didn't know why, but he knew he hated that the cat hated him, and wanted to understand him.

"Ah," the wise dragon said, "that's love. Love doesn't need a reason."

The dog asked how he could fix things, but the dragon did not have a solution. "Do whatever you think is right."

So one day the dog waited for the cat. When the cat noticed him, the cat stopped. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"I want to make things right," the dog said, being honest and defenseless for the first time in his life. "I'm sorry for being rude and uncaring, but I want your forgiveness. I love you and want you to love me back. This is the only way I know how to tell you."

The cat-

The story suddenly ended. Kyo looked frantically on the back of the second piece of paper, but it was blank. His heart was thumping erratically in his chest. The dog was obviously Shigure, and the cat was surely Kyo, but was this really how Shigure felt? He really loved Kyo.

"What do you think?" Shigure's face was anxious.

Kyo took a breath. "Well," he began, "the language isn't really right for a children's book. And you didn't really end it. But-"

"Kyo, you imbecile!" Shigure yelled, cutting Kyo off. "What do you mean, 'the language isn't really right?!' Are you so dense that you can't see this story is a metaphor for you and me?! I don't want it published!!" He threw his hands up dramatically and Kyo stood up, rolled the manuscript up, and hit Shigure over the head with it.

"Will you let me finish?" He took a deep another deep breath. "As I was saying, you didn't really end it, but I think in the end the cat forgives the dog... And admits he loves the dog, too."

Shigure's hands dropped down to the table. "Wait. Wait just a minute. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Hey, I'm just telling you how I thought the story ends." Kyo grinned as he began to walk out of the room and heard Shigure jump up from his place at the table to chase him.

--

Thank you for your patience! Next up is a YukixMachi!