Disclaimer: you know the drill. I wonder how many people actually read this? If you don't you smell like sauerkraut! Ha! Take that! And you'll never know... heheh...

A/N: Well, here we are. Another fascinating and confusing chapter! Yay! I promise I'll start answering questions soon! I just really like dragging things out, I guess... I originally planned for them to be in the afterlife for a total of two to three chapters... heh heh... sorry. Too bad! I like how things are going and I have a feeling you are going to hate me for it! . can't wait to write more!


Tohru had died when she was 48 years old. It was beyond a tragedy to all who knew her even in the slightest.

The next to leave the group was Shigure, two years later.

Shigure Sohma, dead at age 61.

After Tohru married, Shigure's house once again became a thriving bachelor's pad. After Yuki got married, though, things were lonely for one used to having company for so long now.

So one day when he was torturing Mit-chan, his editor, he made a choice.

I once said, "Catch me if you can..."

"Zen...Zenzeii? ...sniffle... what is this?"

You caught me... my Mit-chan...

He was making her play scavenger hunt for his latest manuscript, but had purposely made it too easy to find.

"What is this? It was lying out on the table... I don't believe it... you wouldn't!" she gasped and began to wail once more. "You're terrible! I ALWAYS go through Hell just to get this from you and now you leave it out in the open?!"

"Are you so sure that's what you think it is?" he stifled a giggle into his sleeve and minced out of the room to wait for her reaction. And to gather his thoughts. He was proposing to her, after all.

She'll never believe it... what if she really doesn't want to? ... then I'll tell her it was a joke. Simple as that. I haven't heard anything yet... surely she read the note? What if she left?

The door to his study slowly slid open to reveal a no longer crying Mit-chan. Her face was too hard for Shigure to read. For once, his normally transparent editor had the upper hand: she knew what she was going to say and Shigure didn't.

"Mit-chan...? So... you read the note...?" he tried to force a nervous smile, like maybe it WAS just a joke. He wanted her to react so he might gauge how she felt. If she didn't want him, he'd pretend it was a practical joke. Plain as that. But if he didn't know how she felt...

"Sensei...? Did... Were you... serious...?"

She doesn't want me.

"Uh... no! nope! Ha ha... got you! Heh... here's the real manuscript! Heh good one, right?"

He was trying to make himself laugh in hopes she'd buy it and leave him alone.

Damn it, Shigure... why did you do it?

This whole time Mit-chan had her head bowed, as if thinking or maybe trying not to laugh, it was difficult to tell. After his last statement, she slowly raised her head to reveal a sight Shigure never knew he'd never seen.

She was crying. Not the overdramatic wailing he was so accustomed to and fond of, but... real tears. The kind of tears one cries when your heart has been broken.

"...good-bye, Sen... Shigure."

And she turned and walked out of the room.

What... what does this mean?! So... she does...? What a fool I am! Damn! Please, wait for me... I'm sorry... I meant to tell you so many times...

He was letting her go. She was leaving him. No. No, he wouldn't let her!

"...wait. Mit-chan! Wait! I meant it! I meant it! I mean it! I... I love you! Mit-chan!!"

He had to run to try and catch her, but the front door was wide open and there was no Mit-chan in sight.

He had lost her.

Damn, damn, damn...

He went to his knees, gasping for breath and staring out to the empty forest ahead of his doorway.

"I'm so sorry, my Mit-chan... I guess I was never caught before you... because they were chasing me... I never knew... that I was the one who was chasing you... Damn it all!"

He was trying very hard not to weep right then.

"Really?" A voice quietly came from behind the door.

His head shot up from where it had been resting on his knees.

"Mi...Mit-chan?"

"Do you mean it? Do you? Please. Just answer me honestly for once. Do you ...love me?"

The moment of truth had finally come. She hadn't left yet. There was still time! He hadn't lost her yet!

"Yes."

He would've said more if it weren't for the fact that she was already kissing him.

They just held each other. At that moment, all Shigure could think was what would have happened if it wasn't for the pills Hatori had each member of the zodiac take daily to suppress the curses's effects.

Thank you, Tori-san! God knows what we would've done if you hadn't discovered that medicine... how can I ever thank him?

They were to be married in a few weeks when Mit-chan was in a car accident.

It was a drunk driver. She was killed instantly and felt no pain.

They held the funeral at Shigure's insistence on the day they were to be married.

Shigure never spoke of her after the funeral.

He also never wrote another novel. Instead, he decided to become involved with the youth of Japan. He wanted to do something positive to help. And so, at age 33, he chose to teach.

He taught literature at Tokyo University for almost ten years before he quit. He still wasn't satisfied. He wanted to make a difference.

So he decided that he wanted to encourage recreational sports.

Youth should have fun! And exercise, and learn teamwork... what the heck, why not?

That was when he began to coach girl's swimming. He went from school to school until he found where he felt he was truly needed the most. By the time he'd settled in and gotten the hang of coaching, he was 53 years old.

He led his team to win the national tournament for eight consecutive years until his death in a mudslide on his property at the age of 61.

His house was destroyed with him still inside.


As she was walking to meet her daughter again, Kyoko mentally went through what she was and wasn't allowed to tell her sweet child.

Okay. No mentioning how or why I died or her father. Can't tell her where Kyo and Haru are. Only to tell her she has to...

But why that? What good would that accomplish? ...sigh... its not my place to think. I'm just the messengers...

Tell her truth about The Book. Make sure she understands its importance.

What about Futsu? The boys are still alive... but why won't He let her even think about them, I wonder? Hmm... maybe he thinks she might be distracted and not want to finish her task...

Can't tell her about her grandchildren or them being the next to be cursed...

Hmm... I think that just about covers it...

Here already? My, how time flies when you're dead and just an errand girl for the Supreme Being...

She walked into the house forgetting how quiet she was being.

When she finally spotted Tohru, she was in obvious distress over trying to decide whether it was safe to hang up on the recorded voice from the main office.

Finally, she went ahead and hung up. She spoke to herself and Kyoko knew it, but she answered anyway.

"Okay... why did I have to call if she was already coming?"

"So I wouldn't scare you."

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Shh! Tohru-chan! Its me! Mom! Calm down, already. I didn't think I'd scare you that badly..."

"Mom! Its so good to see you!" Her daughter ran into her open arms, already crying.

Its nice to know some things will never change. Even if she doesn't see what my soul really looks like...

Ah! I can't tell her about him either...if she has no idea what I did, then she doesn't need to know how it affected Kazuma... or even that Kazuma really was...

"So! What's up? Not that you have to have a reason to visit, I mean! Assuming, that is, that you just came to visit... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to jump to conclusio—"

"Its fine, sweetheart. I came to talk to you about some things you need to understand..."

"Okay. Are you hungry? I made too much at breakfast, since I forgot Ayame-san doesn't like to eat breakfast..."

"I'm fine, dear."

"You're sure?"

"Yep."

"Because I could have something ready in a jiffy!"

"Tohru-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Let's go for another walk..."

"Oh! Okay!"

Smiling at each other, they held hands and walked leisurely into the woods around Shigure's house.


This is not good! How is this even possible!? Wait... he wouldn't ... would he?

"Shigure! Get out here! Where is it?! What did you do with it?"

"Yuki-kun? Whatever is the matter, dearest cousin of mine?"

"You know damn well what's the matter!"

One could almost see the steam rising from Yuki's head.

"Where is it?"

"I gave it to her." He replied so quickly, Yuki didn't realize he'd been given a straight answer.

"Just tell me whe— wait, you gave it to her?!"

The master novelist smiled and nodded his head simply.

"I'll kill you!"

And it certainly seemed he would've succeeded had it not been for the timely entrance of his elder brother, Ayame.

"Ack! Gure-san! Never fear! I shall rescue thee!!"

after a few moments more of struggle, Momiji happened to pass by and see the three tangled in their brawl.

"Oooh! I wanna play, too!" he smiled wickedly and after a running start, leapt onto the others screaming, "Dog Pile!!"

"Hey, oomph! I –ouch— resent that!"

"Sorry, Shigure-san!" Momiji called happily from on top of the heap. "What were you guys doing, anyway?"

"Its because he gave it to her!"

"Hmm? Yuki-kun? I didn't even see you there... ? wait. Gave who what?"

"Tohru... he gave her... the picture..."

"What picture?!" Shigure was more than a little surprised. He was wondering why his normally docile cousin was ready to kill over Shigure giving The Book to Tohru. It was his task, after all. They all knew it.

"Don't play dumb with me! That old picture of me in the dress! The one Hatori-san took when I was in high school!"

"...? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. ... I thought you burned that picture years ago?"

"...only the negatives. Tohru-san didn't want me to destroy it. She thought it was cute. I was going to give it to her today, but when I went to my drawer it wasn't there! I know it was you, Shigure! Don't deny it! I heard you 'shhs-ing' someone outside my room last night while I was in the bathroom! You took it! Give it back!"

And the struggle began anew. Momiji, though, was wise enough to jump off his perch before getting caught in the fight.

He pulled an old photograph of Yuki and Kyo lined up in front of a chain link fence with a sweet blush in the sky signifying dusk. They both had cheesy smiles on their faces—obviously posed. Or so you would think. Kyo was in his uniform while Yuki was wearing a pretty cream and peach dress with so many ruffles and so much lace, it was hard to tell that he wasn't a girl.

He smiled at the memory. The photo was from the first day he and Hatori had met Tohru Honda. Hatori had tricked they boys into saying something in unison so it looked like they were smiling when he took it. They had no idea he had a camera until after he took the photo.

He missed those days.

"Oh! Yuki! I meant to tell you, I was going through your stuff yesterday and I decided to keep this picture I found. Thanks!"

And with that he skipped off merrily humming to himself.

Yuki couldn't get up fast enough to catch him since he was on the bottom and Shigure and Ayame were laughing too hard to get off of him.


A/N: "the rock-etts?" Its mostly girls isn't it? Lol!

Anyway... hope you liked! The next chapter will be answering some questions, I promise! Oh! And if you want to discuss anything that's confusing you, it gets hard for me to remember what I have or haven't explained or planned to explain. So... write me! I've set up a special email account for this purpose, so don't feel shy!

Toodles!