(There is a poll on my profile page about this fic, please vote on whether or not you think Kurai will have his happy ending or not. It will alter my decisions on this fic. Thank you all and here is the next instalment, enjoy~!

Chapter Eight: My Light In The Dark

Kyo's Pov

~That damned fox-boy, why did he have to go and kiss Tohru like that? What makes it worse was that she actually let him! I don't get it, what does he have that I don't? Is it the fact he doesn't transform when she hugs him? Meh, why the hell should I even be caring about this, after all, I am the frikkin' cat. Why did I ever assume Tohru to actually return my feelings? Am I stupid? It is obvious that she likes that damned fox, the red-headed freak. Maybe I should go to Akito and tell him everything, about his meeting with her? That would get him out of the picture for good then. I would do that if I knew it would not upset her but she would cry non stop and we would never hear the end of his stupid name. I really dunno what to do right now and it's making me angry. At least he has gone now and she has gone inside the house, maybe I should go back too. No, not just yet, I am still too riled up yet and it will only cause me to shout at her. Man, I am so stupid. I need to talk to her about his, to find out what she actually feels for that filthy rodent. Right now I hate him more than that damned rat. I never thought I would say that but right now foxy boy is on my hit list and I will make him pay for his actions, even if it is the last thing I do~


Her heart still remained on cloud nine as she entered the house. Kurai had kissed her and it was such a sudden shock to her system. She almost felt her legs tremble as his lips gently connected with hers. It was something she never expected, she never believed that a boy cursed with a fox spirit could harbour emotions of that level. It was a pleasant surprise and she could not erase the smile that scarred her lips. She walked into the kitchen to see both Shigure and Yuki looking worried, Yuki more so than Shigure. Had she been out that long?

"Ms. Honda where have you been?" Yuki asked, his eyes portrayed the anxiety that was contained within his body. She giggled to relieve some of the tension, how could she say she had been with Kurai all this time?

"I ran into Uo and Hana on the way home and we got talking, I guess I forgot about the time" Yuki looked across to Shigure who merely shrugged. The good thing about this was she was safe and sound, even though Yuki had already written her off. He forced a smile;

"Next time please call us or something. We were all worried-" She bowed down quickly, she did not intend to worry them to this degree. Talking about the real reason for her lateness would only conjure up a bad presence within the house and so she pushed it to the back of her mind for now.

"I will be more careful next time-" She answered.

"Well I am glad this is all settled-" Shigure blissfully sang, receiving an evil glance from Yuki. He hated it when Shigure did that, when he was so happy just after a scene of worrying and apprehension.

"Don't you think you should carry on with your novel? Your editor will be spitting feathers if you don't" Yuki commented, hoping to get the rambling dog out of the room. It worked and he chuckled as he escaped the room. This left both Yuki and Tohru in the kitchen alone. She nervously looked downwards, she hated lying to them but it was necessary. They all abhorred Kurai to the extent of wanting him dead or locked away and she did not want that. Yuki looked on at Tohru, his dark mysterious eyes not revealing any of his inner emotions. It was odd that Kyo had not returned yet, after all, he did go out to find Tohru.

"Have you seen Kyo at all?" Yuki asked, trying not to sound to worried about the cat's disappearance. Tohru shook her head as she raised her eyes to him. Kyo was missing? Since when?

"No I haven't, why do you ask Yuki?" He sighed, placing a hand to his forehead.

"That stupid cat went out to find you. He must of run off somewhere again-" For that moment she froze, Kyo went out to look for her? Did he see her with Kurai? She shook off that thought and tried to remain calm, Kyo would of obviously made a scene if he did, he was a hot-headed boy.

"I haven't seen him" Tohru repeated, watching Yuki turn his back to her and start to wash his hands. It would soon be time for lunch and it was Tohru's job to make the meals. She decided to take her mind off things and she had better make a move so she walked over to the cupboard. As she rummaged through to find the ingredients Yuki dried his hands on a towel.

"It is of no concern to me. I just thought you meant a lot to him, seems like he is a coward after all-" He commented. Tohru pulled out a packet of rice and placed it on the counter.

"He probably got caught up somewhere-" she defended him, opening the packet with her hands. Yuki weakly shook his head, Kyo never got caught up, he was always a coward and if things got too much he would always run away. He decided against debating the issue and left the kitchen, leaving Tohru alone to cook the lunch.


In the forest Kyo walked, idly minding his own business. He contemplated if he should search for Kurai and warn him off Tohru without her being aware of the fact. Would that help matters? He shook his head as he angrily strode onwards, not knowing exactly where he was headed to. He needed time alone, time to think. She was making her own project about Kurai? That did not seem to register deep inside his brain cells, why would she even do that? He did not deserve the salvation she was offering, he deserved to be punished. In rage he punched another tree as he continued to walk.

He walked past a mass of large trees, all towering over his body, coloured in deep greens and browns. Kyo did not detect the presence lurking nearby. He did not sense two hazel eyes looking at him, nor did he pick up on the distinct aroma that emitted from his pours. As Kyo walked onwards, away from the house Kurai poked his head from behind the tree, his eyes narrowed. He knew that Kyo had been watching him, he knew he was angry and he knew that this would not make things easy. Would confronting him make the issue worse? He remained motionless, watching the orange haired boy walk onwards, his destination unknown. As he watched him Kurai felt a sadness, Kyo was just the same as he was yet he hated him just as much as the others. His hatred was not only due to his fox spirit but also due to the fact Tohru sympathized with him to a larger degree, that she was prepared to do anything to save him from the pits of hell itself. Kyo was still classed as an outsider and Tohru had completely ignored him now.


A few hours later~

After lunch was done and dusted Tohru retired to her room, she took off her uniform and had already got into her pyjamas. She decided to start planning out what she would do for her project, and now she actually had the idea she needed to create a script and storyboard. It was difficult due to Kurai's absence. He was the only one who could help her. She placed some leftovers from lunch on a plate on her bedside table, and turned on her lamp. She sat comfortably on her bed with all her project papers. Her azure eyes scanned over their form. It stated it needed to be personal to her and she wondered. How could she make this personal? It was not about her life, it was about Kurai's. Her brow furrowed in thought as she grabbed a pen and tapped it against her chin in thought. Her eyes kept wondering to her open window, hoping that Kurai would appear and help her in her quest. He did not and it was 7:30pm now. Had he left once more? She sighed and tried to think, how could she make this personal? Her mind whirled with thoughts, of how happy she felt when he hugged her, how his smell was so distinctive and alluring and how she felt like she was on ecstasy when he kissed her. That was it, she had the idea. Quickly she scribbled down on the paper the ideas she had;

Title: The Mysteries Of A Fox-Child

Summary: A girl finds a boy lost in a forest, only to discover he is cursed with a fox spirit. In her search in helping him find salvation she ends up falling in love with him.

She paused, it seemed like a plausible idea, at least now it was personal. She smiled to herself, the ideas were flowing smoothly now. Suddenly a knock at her door alarmed her, she called out;

"Yes?"

"What are you doing in there Ms. Honda?" Yuki asked from behind her door. She breathed a sigh of relief, at least it was only Yuki. She believed honesty was the best policy right now.

"I am working on my individual project" There was a pause;

"Oh that is good Ms. Honda, I am going out to look for Kyo. He is still not home and Shigure insists I find him" She smiled to herself, that meant everyone would be out, apart from Shigure but he never came into her room, he always remained in his study.

"Okay no problem Yuki" She beckoned to him, listening intently to another word from the collected rat.

"I'll see you in the morning Ms. Honda, sleep well" He issued before leaving the door. She could hear his faint footsteps escaping down the stairs. Her azure eyes looked down at her page once more. At least she had made a start. She tapped the pen against her chin once again, thinking. What else could she write about? Then she started busily scribbling down the ideas;

Characters:

Fox-boy= Kurai

The girl= Me

Extras= Uo and Hana

The Evil one=

She paused, who would play the one who hurt Kurai? Everyone she knew already hated him and so it would be difficult. Maybe Yuki would comply? He seemed easier to talk to right now. Kyo was out of the question, it was apparent he wanted no part in this or in her life. He had took off out of an act of cowardice, not giving anyone a second thought. She sighed and placed her pen down, this was going nowhere right now. She needed Kurai to help her, he knew more about his life than she did. If he was here then the ideas would flow onwards better.


Just beyond her window she heard a scratching noise, this alerted her immediately. She shot up off her bed and walked over to her window. As she looked down at the soft grass beneath her she was startled by a figure leaping up onto the window ledge. She stumbled backwards, her eyes wide in shock. It was Kurai, he was here. She could not help but smile when the realisation hit her. At least now she would be able to continue with her project. He jumped off the ledge and brushed off his clothes. He could see her apparent happiness and found himself smiling too;

"See? I told you I would see you again" He said in a cheeky manner.

"I am pleased to see you-" She answered, pointing with her hand over to the table "-I got you some food from dinner, I made extra for you" His hazel eyes looked across to the plate, which was covered with rice balls and salmon. The rice balls were packed with fruit and he could not help but be overjoyed. He walked over to the plate and picked it up.

"You shouldn't of gone to so much trouble-" He mused as he looked at the appetising food on the plate. He settled down on the bed as she looked at him. She shook her head madly, waving her arms about frantically;

"Oh no it was no trouble at all! I wanted to make you some food, after all, you are only living off scraps and that is not good for you" He inspected the food and picked up one of the rice balls. As he began to eat it Tohru kept an eye on his face, watching for any change in his expression. He smiled after eating one;

"This is really good!" He commented, already reaching for another. Tohru felt herself begin to blush at his compliment, even though the others always complimented her culinary skills it was odd to hear it from an outsider. She walked over and settled her small figure beside the hungry boy, who quickly ate the food she had prepared. She could not help but feel content at watching him eat something substantial, knowing that it was not the scraps he was accustomed to eating. As he devoured the last rice ball his eyes scanned the mess of papers beside him. He picked one up and looked at it. He read what she had put so far and weakly smiled;

"Ah, so that is your idea" He mused, as he gave her a cheeky look. She felt her cheeks begin to burn once more. She was definitely blushing and she quickly covered her face with her hands;

"I…I.. I am s-sorry! Just… the t-tutor told us to m-make…it personal!" Kurai could not help but chuckle at her embarrassment. He got up and placed the empty plate on the table before sitting beside her once more. She was still hiding her face. Gently he placed a hand on her shoulder;

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed about it. I haven't complained about it have I?" She slowly removed her hands from her face and looked into his hazel eyes. It was true, he had not said anything about it. She quickly nodded, looking away instantly. This was starting to become more and more nerve racking as time lingered on.


Meanwhile out in the forest Yuki continued his long search for Kyo. He had looked almost everywhere and was starting to doubt that he was even here. Perhaps he had gone back to his Master? Yuki released a long sigh until his dark eyes perceived something. He looked to one of the trees, it had been hit, some of the bark had been indented. Kyo had been here and by the looks of it he was not a happy kitten. Yuki walked the way the indention pointed, hoping to find the elusive, sulking orange top. At least then things would be a lot more clearer. As he carefully stepped over a tree root that had risen out of the ground he peered behind it to see a mass of orange hair. It was Kyo, he was sure of it. He found himself walking towards him. Kyo was sitting down, not paying attention to his surroundings.

"Hey you stupid cat, what are you doing sulking out here?" Came Yuki's cold voice which made him turn around. Once his eyes came into contact with Yuki's dark orbs he turned around again. He huffed;

"It's nothing to do with you-" Slowly Yuki settled his figure beside the angry cat and resting his arms on his knees. He sighed as he looked up at the darkening sky;

"Kyo you can't just runaway when things get tough. You have got to be more mature about this-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kyo cursed, his fists shaking in anger. Yuki looked on, he knew Kyo was not angry at him directly, he was lashing out due to another reason and he would find it out. He said in a calm voice;

"Kyo please just listen to me. I am not here to fight or argue for once, I am here for you to tell me what is wrong. Why are you out here on your own? Why didn't you find Ms. Honda?" Kyo paused, his fists still trembling as he smashed them into the dirt. Yuki could see that Kyo's eyes were red, he had been crying. Something had definitely happened out here. It took a while until he choked out some words;

"I am so stupid-" He grabbed his head in his hands as his whole body trembled violently. Yuki merely watched on, this was unlike the hot-headed boy, normally nothing would affect him to this degree.

"What has happened?" Yuki asked, careful in case Kyo lashed out at him. He did not, he weakly returned;

"I saw Tohru-" His grip on his head tightened as the realisation of what he saw sunk deep within, the way she smiled when she spoke to that cursed boy, how serene she appeared when he kissed her. Why wasn't it him?

"Yes, and? What happened?" Yuki pursued, his eyes never leaving Kyo's fragile countenance. He closed his eyes as he longed for this pain to cease. He never would of imagine this pain to get possible. It seemed as if now Tohru was not concerned about him at all and she was consumed by the fox. He mumbled quietly;

"I saw her with Kurai, she seems so happy with him-"

"What?" Yuki retorted in shock, not quite believing what he had just been told. Kyo weakly nodded and this made Yuki think, maybe that was the reason for her happiness? She was so full of joy when she entered the house, and she had lied to him, claiming she was with Uo and Hana when she was not.

"Are you sure it was Kurai?" Yuki asked, hoping Kyo was wrong. He nodded his head;

"It was definitely him, that mass of red hair, those narrow hazel eyes, black clothes? It was him alright" Yuki's face transformed into a look of horror, even after everything she had still chosen to see him, to see the one who could rip their family into pieces.

"But why would Ms. Honda lie to me and claim she was with Uo and Hana? Why would she feel the need to lie to me?" He questioned, wanting answers. He knew Kyo was in the same boat as he was right now but only Kyo had took this badly and his anger was bursting at the seams. Yuki looked downwards at the dirt, this was bad. Kyo loosened his grip on his head as he raised his head up to look at the darkening sky. He looked as if he had his whole world cruelly snatched from him right now.

"She knows everyone hates Kurai that is why. She thinks that by lying about it will make us oblivious. She is such an idiot-" Kyo cursed. Yuki thought, that was true, they did all hate him but it still did not give her an excuse to lie, to be dishonest. He sighed, he knew that they had to tell Shigure about this even if they did not want to.

"Tell me-" Kyo started up again, a whine heard in his voice. "-What does Kurai have that is so special that I don't?" He turned to look at Yuki who was taken back by his comment. He merely shrugged, how could he answer that? He was not Tohru.

"It would be better if you asked Ms. Honda that and not me. I have no idea" Kyo sighed and looked away once more as the sky started to darken and the stars began to shine through the ominous veil. It would only be a matter of time before this all got out of hand, before Akito would be made aware of this sickening dilemma and then it would all be sorted, once and for all.


Back in her bedroom Kurai and Tohru worked hard on her project. He retold his agonising tale of events and she wrote them all down in note form. He told everything, even the times when he was small, up until his father had abandoned him and classed him as a monster of society. She logged all of it, it would all play a major role in her project. As her eyes scanned over the rest of her notes she smiled. At least now she did not have to worry about school work tomorrow and she could rest up and enjoy the weekend.

"Thank you for helping me Kurai" She said, placing her pen and papers on her book shelf, ready for Monday morning. He smiled.

"It's no problem, I am glad I could help" Slowly she settled beside the mysterious boy once more and started to instantly get nervous, there were so many questions she wanted to ask, she desired to know why he had kissed her earlier and how she felt herself unable to resist. It was a weird sensation but she did not detest it, she just wanted answers. Nervously she tapped her fingers together as she mustered the courage to ask.

"Kurai, I want to ask you something-" She started, swallowing hard as she knew he would be watching her.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked, innocence sounding in his voice. She felt her hands stat to clam up with sweat, what was wrong with her? Then she managed to say it;

"Why did you kiss me earlier?" A silence commenced for a moment as he looked away, perhaps shy or perhaps in regret. He felt the need to apologize to her for his actions even though he was unaware if she was actually complaining about it or not.

"I am sorry if it upset you, I did not mean to-"

"No, no I am not upset by it!" She blurted out, frantically waving her hands about, feeling her face start to flush up red once more. "-it's just… I am curious to know why you did" He weakly smiled, she was so innocent and naïve at times. It was an odd thing for her to randomly come out with, maybe it was playing on her mind? He turned to look at her;

"Well, I guess… the moment felt right" Once more she felt the heat rise to her cheeks, this was intense. She was here, alone in her room, with the guy who had kissed her previously. The situation was becoming uneasy. She quickly looked away from his entrapping gaze and mumbled shyly;

"I…I… guess.. that is… okay" He watched her actions, it was as if she had never even been kissed before, that she had never shared this quality time with a boy before. It made him feel overjoyed for a few moments. Slowly he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest, snuggling against her. He knew that right now she would be embarrassed but it did not matter. He held her against him, enjoying her scent, enjoying how she did not make any attempts to move away, how she was so at ease with him. He felt her small hands gently hold onto his top as she nuzzled her head against his warm chest. A small sigh was released from her lips;

"So you're not freaked out by it?" Kurai questioned, gently rubbing her arm with his fingertips. She shook her head into his chest;

"No… I am not freaked out. I was just… shocked I guess-" He smiled as he pulled her in tighter. He was glad that she had accepted him, that she was not frightened of him or hated him. For the first time in his cursed life his heart was acting on it's own, it was beating faster and faster deep inside his chest. He wondered what this feeing was, he wondered if it was natural.

Slowly she moved up into a sitting position as he released her from his arm. He found his own eyes looking into hers, his heart starting up those dangerous palpations once more. It was unknown to how long they remained transfixed in this scene but he could not advert his gaze from her angelic countenance, from her beautiful azure eyes, her perfectly shaped nose, her enticing lips. She nervously bit into her bottom lip as she began to speak once more;

"Kurai I am s-sorry! This is a-awkward isn't it? I mean… it's all m-my-"

"Shhh-" He whispered, placing a finger to her lips, quelling any more words to be spoken. Her heart thundered rapidly against her ribcage as she was shushed by the mysterious boy. She looked into those hazel eyes, how beautiful they were. She could not find any strength to speak right now. She just remained attentive to his actions. She watched as he slowly removed his finger from her lips and gave her small smile;

"You do not need to say anything. It is okay, and it is not awkward. Don't think that anything is your fault okay?" She weakly nodded, her face still red due to this scene. He slowly looked around, if he was meant to sleep here how could he? She only had a small bed and he would not be able to fit in there.

"Oh, I know I am changing the subject here but… where I am meant to sleep tonight?" He enquired, looking around restlessly. Tohru snapped out of her daze, it was true, there was no room in her bed it seemed.

"I don't know-" She answered in a small voice. Kurai thought, how could he sleep in that bed? Then, it clicked, he had an idea. Slowly he moved away from Tohru and smiled;

"I have just the idea, I'll transform!"

"Oh but you can't do that!" She said, shaking her head wildly, the thought of sharing a bed with an animal seemed wrong on so many levels. Kurai seemed confused, what was the issue?

"Why?" He asked.

"Because the idea of sharing a bed with an animal seems wrong" She answered defiantly, sticking to her idea. Well that went out of the window. Kurai thought again, there was no way he could fit in the bed with her. As he scratched his head in a boyish manner she was the first one to speak;

"W-what is w-wrong… with y-you… sharing the b-bed with m-me?"

"Because both of us will not fit in there-" He answered, his eyes looking at the bed. They would not fit in there unless they cuddled up together throughout the night. Tohru stood up and walked over to her side of the bed and slipped under the covers. She shuffled a little to determine whether or not there would be enough room. She sat up and smiled;

"I am sure there will be, test and see for yourself"

She mentally kicked herself, was this even right? Sharing her bed with the one who everyone hated? Even if this was an innocent act it did not seem innocent to her. Kurai raised a perplexed eyebrow at her and then complied. He walked over to the other side and settled down, pulling the covers over him. He shuffled, it was a bit cramped but it would suffice. He sat up also, giving her a warm smile;

"I guess you are right"

She smiled back. At least that was solved. She was surprised as he carefully slid his black top over his shoulders and head, revealing his enticing muscular chest. As he placed it gently on the floor beside the bed she blushed and turned away.

"I can't sleep in clothes-" He murmured. She nodded, feeling her cheeks burn violently. She did not want to look away however, but the enticing thoughts that crowded her mind tortured her deeply and it was only decent to allow him to change in privacy. She could not even believe this was happening right now, that those thoughts were even entering her mind. She was not like that, she was a nice girl, a genuine girl. Upon hearing the zipping noise of jeans being undone made her perspire, her hands clammed up as she bit into her lip. Fictitious images flashed across her mind making her heart convulse rapidly and she swallowed hard whilst trying to block out those kinds of thoughts. It was wrong of her to even think of those kinds of actions.

"A-are you done yet?" She stuttered on her words, trying not to sound too nervous however it was obvious that she was. A warm hand was gently placed on her left shoulder making her turn around. He smiled and said,

"Yes, thank you" Kurai was different, he seemed more at ease than ever before. Tohru thought about him, and then felt herself moving forward, without thinking she gently kissed his soft cheek. His heart began to feel unusual, beating irregularly. This scene was becoming somewhat intense. He looked deep into her azure eyes; he knew that she adored him just by the look in her eyes, the sheer devotion that was beheld in them. This made him feel happy, happy that some-one was accepting him for him, at last.

Without hesitating he pulled her close to him, allowing his tentative lips to gently touch hers. He was incredibly nervous for some reason but he enjoyed it nonetheless, it felt right, to be here with her, with the girl who had the key to his freedom. Tohru closed her eyes, being with him in this way was just so magical, so un-real. It felt right even when she knew it was wrong. She knew that there were consequences to her actions but right now that did not matter. Her heart violently shook deep within as realisation was seeping into her veins. She liked him a lot more than just a friend right now.

Slowly he pulled away, his face still close to hers, looking into her eyes. Tohru could not quite believe what had just happened. It was so amazing and unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She turned off the lamp as they both settled down into the bed's embrace. She cuddled him tightly as they snuggled and ended up muttering something that would alter the axis, that would change everything;

"Kurai… I think… I love you-"


(Awwww fluff how I love you! Please review and let me know how this is going. Do you think Kyo and Yuki will tell Akito? Will Kurai return her feelings? Will everything be okay in the end?)