Chapter 4

Kyo was coming more worried by the minute. He held on to her arm tightly as they walked towards the park in the middle of town.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back, Tohru?" He said anxiously. "You look a little tipsy."

"I'm alright," she mumbled as they kept walking. "I know how much you like the park."

Kyo stopped walking, stopping Tohru with him. "If we're not going for you then we're definitely not going for me, Tohru."

She shook her head. "No..." she said quietly, her words slurring together. She looked so tired and frail. Kyo had to catch her as she fell away from him, threatening to crack her skull on the pavement. "I want to go..."

"I knew you weren't well enough to go," Kyo said. "Come on, we're going back."

He started to walk away before realizing that he was completely dragging her. He turned and held her close, tilting her head back so he could see her face. Her eyes were drooping.

"I can't feel my legs, Kyo," she whispered pitifully.

Kyo's heart clenched. Without another moment's hesitation Kyo lifted her bridal style.

It wasn't like in movies and stories where people just didn't seem to notice a boy walking through town with an unconscious-or nearly there-girl in his arms, or where there just seemed to be no one at all around. Several kind souls approached to make sure everything was alright. One couple even refused to allow him to leave their sight unless he explained exactly what had happened.

"She was molested two days ago, get out of my way!" He snarled, pushing past and speed-walking down the street, trying desperately not to jostle the poor girl in his arms.

"How rude," said the girl. "We were only trying to help."

"He obviously loves her, sweetheart," the male replied kindly. "He wants to get her to safety and we were making it difficult."

Kyo kept on. A car pulled up beside him and a kind, worried looking American man with a stubbly beard and a flannel shirt leaned out the window.

"Need a ride, buddy?" he called.

Kyo looked up the road. They still had half a mile. He hadn't even realized they'd walked so far.

Kyo nodded and the man stopped his truck. Kyo gently got inside and sat with Tohru in the middle seat, wrapped in his arm.

"Thanks, sir," Kyo said, eyes on Tohru. He gently swiped some hair from her drooping eyes. "I don't know if she would have made it."

The man glanced worriedly down at Tohru. "She gonna be alright?"

"I hope so," Kyo said. He stared down at Tohru sadly. Just this man's presence made him feel like spilling his guts about the girl in his lap. "I haven't told her nearly as many times as I wanted to that I love her to pieces."

The man grinned. "Love like that between teenagers is rare. You take care of that."

Kyo eyed the man. "You don't look any older than twenty."

"I'm nineteen. Ben Long, pleased to meet you."

Kyo took the man's hand. "Kyo Sohma. This is my girlfriend, Tohru Honda. We're almost there, just take this next right."

The man nodded and put on his blinker.

"May I ask what happened?" Ben asked tentatively.

Kyo looked away from him. "I doubt you'd want to know."

"I'm curious." He shrugged. "You don't have to say if you don't want to."

"She was raped a few days ago," he said under his breath, hoping maybe the guy wouldn't hear.

He did and looked pretty shocked.

"Wow, I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm learning to deal with everything, I guess, but I don't know if Tohru will be able to. She was so innocent. She probably thought the guy who knocked her into the alleyway just wanted to invite her to a tea party."

The guy shook his head. "That's too bad. Is this your stop?"

Kyo looked out the window. "Yes. Thank you, Ben, very much. Tohru would thank you if she could."

Ben nodded. "No problem, I would have been a monster not to help you. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime, Kyo. I just moved in down the road."

Kyo got out and Ben helped him with Tohru. "This is the house of a relative of mine's, but while Tohru is like this she's staying here, so maybe. Maybe I'll invite you to dinner when Tohru's feeling better. She's an excellent cook."

Ben grinned. "I'd like that. Hope she get's better soon, kid. And good luck-I saw that promise bracelet."

Kyo found himself blushing as he watched the man drive away down the street, but didn't have time to think on it when Tohru made a pathetic little noise at the back of her throat. Kyo rushed her into the house and Hatori immediately began examining her.

"She's tired and hungry and the blood she lost was making her dizzy," he finally concluded. "A walk was a bad idea. I think she's going to need to stay in bed and rest the rest of the day."

Kyo nodded.

"There is a problem, however," Hatori said. "Akito has taken sick as well. I have to head to Shigure's, where she's been staying, and check on her. If it's as bad as I think it is I'll have to be there for a little while. I'll still come by night and morning for Tohru's bandages and to sleep, but I'll be there most of the day-you know how Akito is."

Kyo nodded, still looking at Tohru, who was in her pajamas and deeply asleep.

"Do you think you could stay here and watch over her while I'm gone? Ayame's leaving tonight, and you'll have the house to yourself. You'll have to give her medicine and feed her. Can you handle that?"

Kyo didn't like the way Hatori said that, as if he wasn't competent enough to take care of his girlfriend. "Of course I can," he snapped.

Hatori nodded, his stoic expression never flinching, even an inch. "Just making sure you were listening."

"Of course I was," Kyo insisted.

"Then I'll be going," Hatori said. "I'll bring your things tonight, and the remainder of Tohru's birthday gifts. Don't forget dinner."

Kyo glared until Hatori left, and he stared at the door until he heard a click and Hatori was gone.

Then he looked back down at Tohru and sighed. Reluctantly he left Tohru's side to start her supper.

Yuki and Machi stopped by to see Tohru. They brought along her gift, also. Machi gave her a charm bracelet with two charms-a letter "T" and Kyo also spotted that strange anime creature Yuki's girlfriend loved so much. Yuki's gift to her was a little charm shaped like a basket of fruit. He said he'd seen it and it had reminded him of her. He said he recalled her once mentioning the game children played. He also got her a book he'd heard was popular, and a new ribbon for her hair.

The whole time they were giving her these gifts, poor Tohru was asleep.

They stayed for dinner. As they were forcing awkward conversation and biting back any form of yelling while Tohru was asleep in the other room over bowls of stew, Kyo heard a tiny voice calling out his name.

Kyo stood so fast his chair cluttered to the floor. He rushed to the room she had taken as her own for the remainder of her time in Hatori's home and fluttered around her. "Yes, Tohru?" he said breathlessly.

"I'm thirsty," she mumbled hoarsely. He nodded.

"Yuki, can you get Tohru a glass of water?" he yelled.

Yuki came immediately. He figured it was serious. He couldn't remember the last time he heard the cat call him by his name. He couldn't remember any time he'd heard Kyo say his name, actually.

Kyo held up Tohru's limp head as she drank her water.

"Yuki's here?" Tohru mumbled.

Kyo nodded towards the door, where Yuki was standing with Machi.

Tohru smiled. "Hi, guys."

"They brought your birthday presents," Kyo said as the two waved at her.

"Birthday?" Tohru said, surprised. "Is today my birthday?"

"No," said Kyo, biting at his lip. "It was a couple days ago."

"Oh," she said, leaning back into Kyo's arm. "Thank you, Yuki. Machi."

The two smiled and nodded. "Of course, Tohru," Yuki said. "We just hope you get better very soon."

Tohru nodded. "Thank you very much."

"We're sorry we can't stay any longer, but Machi and I have plans with Kakeru and his girlfriend. He proposed to her the other day."

"Tell them I say congratulations," Tohru said, her voice very small.

Yuki and Machi nodded, saying their goodbyes, and they left.

"Are you up for eating?" Kyo said when they were gone.

Tohru shook her head "no."

Kyo sighed. "That's too bad. Because I think I'm going to have to make you eat."

She shook her head again, more vigorously.

"Tohru, it's been almost three days since you last ate. You're eating or I'm getting Hatori to inject food into your system."

He left the room to get her plate and came back to find her sleeping.

He sighed and set the tray of stew and rice balls, and strawberries from Yuki's garden, all Tohru's favorites, on the bedside table. She was eating it the moment she woke up, no excuses. He loved her too much to let her die. (Written by DominoTyler)