Here's chapter 9!

Curse of the Cat's Child

By: Momo the Fruit Angel

Okay! Let's go!

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine, nor are any of its characters -cries in background-! Oh well, I'll live! The characters that are mine are Kyru and any other children of Kyo and the gang.

Chapter 9: The Week Before: Part Four

Flashback Wednesday
(Still Wednesday, on roof)

"W-wait, Honda-kun! Really I didn't mean it that way!" Yuuichi pleaded.

"Well, now I don't care! I just want to fight you!" Kyru smiled and attacked Yuuichi. She started out with a punch aimed for his face. Yuuichi dodged and she started to throw faster punches, as if the first one was just a test. As Yuuichi dodged each one she got even more excited. "You're really good...that just makes me want to fight you more!"

"B-but I don't don't want to fight you, Honda-kun!"

"Oh well! Looks like you're gonna have to if you want to keep your head, that is!" Her eyes glowed dangerously. Yuuichi really started to panic now. But he had no time to stop; her attacks were relentless. If he sliped up even once he would be knocked off guard. He could tell by just watching the way she executed them that her kicks were pretty powerful. He would hate to be struck off guard by one.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Yuuichi pleaded.

"What?! You think that just because I'm a girl I can't stand my own against you!" She gritted her teeth. "That just makes me more angry!" Yuuichi didn't know what to do! Anything he said only made hihs perdicament worse. He had to think of a way to stop her without hurting her. When they were younger she was much stronger, but now that they were sixteen, he had height and upper body strength on his side. He knew very well that he could defeat her, but he just didn't want to hurt her. He had to make a decision before he made a mistake and was knocked out.

"Fine! If you want a fight here it comes." When she backed off to catch her breath he took his stance and prepared to fight for real! "Let's go." He launched himself forward toward her at a speed faster than Kyru's kicks and punches. If she's this strong, she should be able to hold her own against my attacks. Yuuichi thought. He threw a punch that came near milimeters to her face, than he spun downward launching his leg into a downward kick aimed at her feet. Kyru had been caught off gaurd by the closeness of Yuuichi's first punch and was too late to react to the kick aimed at her feet. When she looked down all she could see was her feet being knocked out from under her. She began to fall sideways, losing her footing.

Yuuichi had missed with his first punch on purpose, with the intent to catch Kyru off gaurd and knock her off her feet. His plan had worked if only Kyru wasn't so intent on not losing so easily. Putting her hand down, she caught herself and used the concrete roof as leverage when she pushed her leg upward toward his face, hitting Yuuichi in the chin. Yuuichi was the one who was truly caught off guard he felt the blow to his chin sending him up and backward toward the ground. Kyru had used the momentum from catching her own fall and transfered it into her kick. In doing so she trown her own body off balance and she fell back opposite Yuuichi.

They both hit the ground with a thud! Yuuichi lay on his back panting and Kyru lay opposite him on her side, panting equaly as hard. They were both sweating and neither wanted to get up, but they knew they had to. Yuuichi was the first to push himself off the ground, shakily standing up. He was amazed at how good she was. He'd never fought anyone who put their entire body and soul into a kick, like she did. His chin felt as if it was dislocated, but he wasn't sure. He could taste a coppery liquid driping from his mouth.

He looked down and could see Kyru struggling to push herself up. She must have hurt her arm when she fell on her side. I better help her up. Yuuichi thought. He walked over to Kyru, who had now sat up on her elbow, and held out his hand.

"Here. I'll help you up." Kyru looked up at him, then at his hand. She was reluctant to take it, but her arm hurt. "Your arm hurts, doesn't it?" After considering it she took his hand. Normally she wouldn't havr taken his hand because she hated to look weak and for people to think that she needed help. In short, she hated seeing pity in people's eyes when they tried to help her, but when she looked into Yuuichi's eyes she didn't see pity; she saw something else she couldn't quite identify yet, but maybe someday she would. She let him help her up, but avoided his eyes. She had let him catch her off guard and she had needed his help up. This made her feel a little ashamed that she didn't do better.

Yuuichi looked at Kyru and saw that she wouldn't make eye contact with him. He had a feeling that she was a little ashamed that she had been caught of gaurd.

"Wow, you know you're really good. In fact I think you're great!" Kyru looked up at him, somewhat surprised.

"Huh?! R-really?"

"Yes! You're great." Kyru blushed and felt her face burning. Yuuichi chuckled a little. Kyru looked away in embarassment.

"Y-you're just saying that to make me feel better, Sohma-kun." Yuuichi gently grabbed her chin and turned her face to him, turning his princely charm on. "No. I wouldn't lie to you like that. I think you're a great martial artist."

"Sohma-kun..."

"In fact, I think you're the best I've ever fought." With Yuuichi's grip on her chin so strong she couldn't look away or turn her head so she had no choice, but to look into his deep grey-violet eyes. She saw his sincerity and it made her lose all train of thought. "And didn't I tell you if I was going to stop calling you Honda-san, you were supposed to call me Yuuichi-kun?"

"Y-yes..."

"Well then, that's what I expect to hear." He smiled. Kyru looked at him and she couldn't describe what she was feeling. Her heart was pounding her chest, she was speechless, and he made her hot. Why hadn't she ever felt like this before? Why did she only feel like this around him? It wasn't like her and it felt strange and unfamiliar. She didn't know how to react, except with anger.

"You can't order me around like a child or something because I'm not! I'm just as old as you are and I will beat you someday! It'll be someday soon, too!" She slapped his hand away and jumped back, scowling at him. "Humph!"

Yuuichi only smiled.

"I believe that, too." Kyru was a little put off. He didn't react harshly to her anger or with retaliation; he just smiled. What could she do now... "So, you want to go inside? It's getting a little windy up here, don't you think?"

"Umm...Sure..."

"Okay, let's go then. I think we missed 3rd period and I don't want us to get behind because--" He was interupted by a small voice..."Excuse me? What'd you say? I didn't hear you?"

"I said...t-thank you...Y-yuuichi-kun..." Kyru looked away, trying to avoid embarassment by keeping a tough scowl. Yuuichi only looked puzzled.

"For what, Honda-kun?" He asked.

"For...making me feel better...I guess..." Yuuichi smiled lightly.

"Your welcome." For some reason when Yuuichi interacted with Kyru he felt as if he could do a little bit better and be a little bit stronger. He felt as if he could protect her...

After school

It was true. They had indeed missed 3rd period and they were late to both their 4th period classes. At least it had been the last class of the day. Now Kyru was leaving the school grounds walking in between Ari and Suki.

"So...spill it! What happened between you and the Untouchable Grey Prince, huh?" Ari questioned with one eye brow arched mischeviously. "Did you two have some...how shall I put it...fun????"

Kyru blused madly.

"No! We most certainly didn't do anything you're thinking!"

"Suuuure..." She said sarcasticly. "Well, what do you make of the situation, Suki?" Suki closed her eyes in thought.

"Hmmm...I do sense that her aura is calmer and seems to be pleased..." Kyru stopped dead in her tracks mouth and eyes wide. Ari had also stopped.

"Ha! I knew it! Something must have happened!" She hooted. "Suki's aura reports are never wrong!" Ari laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

"No! It was nothing like that!" Kyru protested, completely red all over. Kyru was having a classic Tohru freakout!

"HA HA! This is great! I would've loved to have been there!" All Kyru could do now was shake her head 'no' repeatedly. "Next time you decide to have a secret affair with the prince, tell us why don't ya! HAHAHAH!"

"NO NO NO NO NO!" All of a sudden Kyru felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and yelled at whoever had tapped her shoulder. "I DIDN'T HAVE AN AFFAIR!!!!!" Grey-violet eyes stared back at the desperate looking aquamarine ones in a puzzled fashion.

"Umm...Honda-kun, what do you mean affair????" It was none other than Yuuichi. The very topic of debate, himself.

"N-nothing! Don't worry about it! You just don't worry about it!" Kyru waved her arms wildly. "T-t-they s-said---"She pointed in the direction of Ari and Suki.

"Um, they're not there anymore..." Kyru turned around and saw that Yuuichi was indeed right. Suki and Ari were half way down the street when Ari turned back to them and yelled.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!!!! Kiss ,kiss, kiss! HAHAHAH!!" All the student s had turned towards Kyru and Yuuichi after hearing Ari all the way down the street. Note to self...Kill Ari-chan later...!!! Kyru grabbed Yuuichi's arm and dragged him somewhere where not so many people could watch them, especially evil, obsessed fan girls. Yuck!

When they got somewhere safe Yuuichi spoke.

"Were they just talking about k-kissing?" Kyru turned around fast and grabbed Yuuichi's face, bringing it close to hers.

"You...forget...what...you...heard. NOW. " She breathed heavily.

"R-right." Yuuichi blushed having her hld his face so close to hers. "Anyway...I sort of wanted to ask you something?"

Kyru finally realizing that she still held Yuuichi's face let go and backed away a little.

"Yeah? W-what is it?" All through 4th period Yuuichi had thought about her and what was so different about her. Why he seemed to care so much? He thought about things like how she acted, moved, and looked. Lots of things were different about her, but he wanted to know what drew him to her in the first place. He thought about what she had said when he was at her home that day... 'Sometimes...I feel weak, too, I guess.' When he thought about it he thought that maybe she didn't have an outlet for all those feelings of weakness.

If that was the case Yuuichi wanted to do something to make her feel better, to make her feel like everything was alright. He wanted to let her know that she was strong and that it was okay for her to be weak sometimes, but that she needed someone to accept her weakness. Someone who could be her outlet. And, maybe...it could be him...

"I wanted to say that...I really do think you're strong, Honda-kun..." Kyru looked at him. "It's okay if you're weak sometimes, too...because a person can't always be strong. I-it causes pain."

"Yuuichi-kun..."

"I wouldn't like it if you were in pain..."

"..." Her body was trembling...He was doing it again; he was making her feel like she was going insane. Like she had no control...She could feel all the weakness she'd stifled for years flowing into her body...her strength dissapearing. No...

"Does it hurt, Honda-kun..." With that last sentence Kyru felt her legs colapse under her, no longer able to support the weight of what he was saying to her. She fell into Yuuichi's arms. Her balled up fists clutched his shirt, her face buried in his chest.

"Why...why...why do you make me feel...this way...?" Her eyes were moist with unshed tears as Yuuichi watched the scence that played out before him speechlessly. "How is it...you know? What are you doing...to me?"

Her heart hurt like it was bleeding. In some aspects it was...it was bleeding weakness, fear, pain, lonliness... It seemed as if the list of emotions she was feeling at that moment could go on forever...

"Honda-kun...let me be your outlet..." She clung to his shirt silent tears wracking her body. Yuuichi embraced her, soaking up all her tears and broken feelings. At that moment he wanted to take away her pain forever... Never to let her go... He made a promise to himself then and there...

He remembered a time when he was weak and had no outlet, his weakness crushing him alive... Then she came into his life and with short orange pig tails, that little girl gave him strength. Now it was his turn to give that little girl, now a sixteen year old young woman, that same strength...

Kyru Honda...I will be your outlet...from now on...


DRAMA! OH, SO MUCH DRAMA!

HEART-WRENCHING, ISN'T IT?

LOTS OF KYRU/YUUICHI DRAMA GOING ON THERE!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY FAITHFUL REVIEWERS AND PLEASE STAY TUNED!!!

DON'T WORRY!

I WILL BE BACK WITH MORE DRAMA AND MAYBE ROMANCE!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE! LOVE, MOMO!

P.S. I UPDATE AS FREQUENTLY AS I CAN