Title: At First Sight

Summary: She bumped into him by accident and when their eyes connected he fell in love. Years later he wishes to tell her everything about him, but he cannot go against Akito's judgement. Will Akito allow them to be together, or force them apart by blanking her memories?

Pairing: Yuki/Kagome

Anime: Fruits Basket/Inuyasha

His almost silvery-gray hair swished around, one side slightly longer than the other while he smiled down at the girl at his side. Honda Tohru, a girl he'd come to deeply care for, almost love, until he found that she'd fallen for that damn cat, Kyo. She wanted to be friends, and he would allow that as long as she never turned against him, and stayed his friend. Besides, Tohru was the only girl who actually knew of his curse, that he transformed into the rat of the zodiac whenever hugged by a member of opposite sex outside of the family Sohma.

It was almost disappointing to know that he'd never be able to truly fall in love with another woman. He'd never be able to hug her; he might have to ignore her after making love in order to make her think he was too tired to do anything more; he'd have to be constantly watching in order to make sure that she never hugged him from behind, and to top it off, he'd have to make sure that he didn't hurt the woman. If he fell in love… he'd end up hurting himself more than his possible future wife, since her mind would be blanked and she'd move on like everyone else, while he stood in the background watching her be happy with someone that wasn't him.

The books in his hand swung to and fro with his arm. His eyes, almost a purplish-gray, moved toward the right when he realized his fan club was following close behind him. They were clasping their hands together when they noticed that he was looking toward them. It had gotten more than annoying to know that they wouldn't give up their unhealthy obsession with him, but that was their problem, not his own. Whatever they wished to do with their lives was not his concern, especially when he could hear their soft whispering when it came to his name behind his back every time he turned.

It was disturbing. Knowing that no matter what he did, when he turned, or if he tried to get away, one of his obsessed fans would be trying to capture his heart. None of them would ever be able to get it; none of them were like Tohru, after all. Only another Tohru would be able to hold onto his heart completely, but there couldn't possibly be more than one. That was just a ridiculous dream that always came to mind whenever the subject popped into his mind. Especially whenever he thought of his last year within high school, being a senior and all.

Tohru blinked, looking up when she heard Yuki sigh. Her lips formed a frown, knowing from years of being around the boy that he was troubled. She also knew that Sohma Yuki would probably wish for her to say something in order to help him get through it, but since the time he'd found out she'd fallen for Kyo, well, he'd seemed to grow distant from her. He was still her friend, though, and she needed to act like one. "Sohma-sama? Is something troubling you?"

Good 'ld Tohru, always knowing whenever he needed her kind words and wisdom, passed on from her deceased mother. However, Yuki, his heart heavy and mind distant, merely shook his head, saying, "No, Honda-san, nothing is troubling me."

Tohru frowned deeper, "Are you sure? You know you can always talk to me about it, right?"

"Yes," Yuki smiled, nodding so that she'd know her meant it. "This is merely something that only concerns myself, though, Honda-san. I wish to think upon it before deciding if I want others to know about it." He turned his head, listening to the girl give a small sigh through her nose, before continuing to walk forward. However, he knew Tohru far too well, and knew she was far from done.

"Oh, I see," Tohru, nervously pulling at the strap of her book bag, said. "Um. Well, if you ever want to talk about it then, please, don't hesitate to ask. My mother always said that it was bad to keep things bottled up inside. They make you—"

Crash! Thu-mp!

Tohru gasped, seeing that Yuki was looking down at the girl on the floor. Obviously she hadn't managed to hug him, and she sighed in relief at that, but she watched as the girl scrambled to pick up the books that had been dropped onto the floor upon the collision. Yuki seemed surprised, when she said, "Sohma-sama, are you alright?" Her eyes were wide, worried, yet, hesitant to ask him from the way he'd been acting toward her lately.

The girls from the Prince Yuki Fan Club gasped, all of them rushing forward when they realized their Prince could have been hurt. However, they sighed in relief when they realized he didn't have a scratch on him, before moving to glare at the girl on the ground from the background. Among them was the new leader of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, the one who would get first dibs on him once he decided to begin dating, and she crossed her arms, watching as the girl finally picked up the books in two piles, hers and his.

Yuki was surprised, more so that he hadn't been hugged than anything else, before looking down in order to watch the girl frantically pick up the books he'd dropped, along with her own. Once she began to rise he realized how rude he must have seemed, before leaning down in order to give her a hand. Her black head of hair was all he could see, but his fingers wrapped around his books while she whispered that she was so sorry and it wouldn't happen again. It was when her head raised that he was stilled, his soul feeling like it was sucked into the blue depths that stared up at him in surprise.

Love's deadly claws had once more sunk deep within his heart, turning his blood cold, and causing his heart to pound. Love's poisonous grasp tightened until he felt like he couldn't draw breath, couldn't move, except to search her eyes for the same reaction, finding that she was blushing, her eyes wide. Love was a dangerous, deadly, poisonous, game that drew one in until they couldn't do anything but surrender to its call. Love was the only game that you could win by losing, and the only way out was in.

Love was dangerous and had struck them both.

"Oh," she gasped. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I guess I can be so clumsy sometimes. I must apologize, um… er…" She looked nervously around, the blush becoming darker as she tried to look anywhere but his face. "I… I, ah…"

Yuki nearly dropped his books again, quickly grabbing her arm when he realized she looked ready to run. His fingers gripped her upper arm, almost burning upon the contact, before he managed to say, "It is quite alright" in an even voice. However, his voice nearly cracked as he continued, looking down at her well-curved frame, "I do not believe I have ever seen you. Are you new here?"

She smiled in happiness, watching the exchange between the two. She noticed that a fuming girl was beginning to storm toward them, one that slightly reminded her of Uo-chan whenever she got angry. However, her eyes watched the scene with glittering happiness, knowing from the reaction of Yuki that the boy had suddenly been struck with feelings he wouldn't understand completely. It made her sad to know that, but happy to know that Yuki had found someone else to possibly share his life with.

The girl nodded, "Yes. My family just moved here. I almost went to a better educational school, but Sango-chan and I didn't wish to only see each other on the weekends and I decided to come here with her." Yuki heard this, but he was mainly watching how she quickly lifted her books, before bringing a hand up to twirl a strand of hair between her fingertips. Everything else seemed to fade away, while they were isolated together within an area that no one else would ever be able to get to.

If he had believed in such things, he would have probably thought that some type of child with white wings, a bow and quiver of arrows, and a dipper was floating somewhere above them, giggling at his accomplishment. He didn't believe in those things, though, just like he barely believed in the old fairytale that surrounded the animals of the zodiac. His logic just wouldn't allow him to, but at that moment he almost wish he could, because it would have probably allowed him to say something before that other girl showed up.

Tohru sighed, reaching her hand out, "I'm Honda Tohru. This is Sohma Yuki, and you are?"

The girl smiled, gripping her hand within the other girls. "I am Higurashi—"

"Kagome!" came another voice, drawing Kagome's eyes away from Tohru. "Are you alright? I saw you fall." The new girl's eyes turned toward Yuki, glaring. "If he hurt you in anyway I swear I'll pound him into the ground for you, Kagome-chan. No boy that looks like a girl is going to be able to beat me."

"Oh, Sango-chan!" Kagome smiled. She turned to the others, never knowing a few other pairs of eyes were glaring at her from the distance. "Sorry about that. I'm Higurashi Kagome, and this is my adoptive sister, Higurashi Sango."

Yuki bowed his head, slightly disappointed that his gaze had been ripped from her and placed upon the new girl's. Smiling a little, he said, "I am Sohma Yuki. It is a pleasure to meet you, Higurashi-san; Kagome-san." He noticed that Sango's hand reached out to grab him by the front of the shirt uniform, only for Kagome's hand to rest upon her sister's shoulder, stopping her hand short.

"Its alright, Sango-chan." Kagome smiled brightly, almost more so than Tohru could ever muster. "I'm alright, see? Nothing but maybe a few bumps and small bruises. I'll be fine, I promise; there's nothing to get violent over."

Sango suddenly hugged her to her chest. "Sweet, sweet, innocent, Kagome! The world will surely rip you apart and spit you out!"

Kagome pushed again, giggling, "Come on, Sango-chan. There's no reason to get dramatic, either." She saw the boy, Yuki, smile, before giving a brighter one, seeing a little envy and want behind his own. She heard the girl Tohru laugh, before another voice came into the picture, one that called for the other girl next to Yuki.

"There you are, Tohru-chan. We were getting worried when you weren't to class on time. Did something happen that I need to know about, 'cause you know I'll protect you from other idiots Yuki fans?"

Tohru turned. Her smile turned brighter, "Oh, Uo-chan, Hana-chan!"

Uo sighed, "Who else would it be?"

Hanajima nodded, "Arisa is quite right. I could sense your frightened vibes from our classroom. Are you all right, Tohru-chan? We would not wish for something evil to befall upon you."

Tohru nodded, "Yes, I'm quite alright. Thank you, though. It was not I, but Sohma-sama here that had his books knocked from his hands on accident. It was really nothing to get worried over, I just didn't like the fact that either of them might have been hurt."

"Them?" Uo asked.

Tohru nodded, "Higurashi-sama, and Sohma-sama."

Hanajima paused, "Higurashi…?"

"Yes, that's right," Tohru, frowning, said. "Is there something wrong, Hana-chan?"

Kagome gasped, "Saki!" Her eyes twinkled, "I'd heard you were going to move away, but I never expected that I'd ever see you again. I was so worried after you stopped visiting the shrine in order to play cards. I'd thought something terrible might have happened to you."

Hanajima seemed to distant herself, "Kagome." She took a step backwards, her past coming to surface as she looked into the face of a girl she'd been friends with at her old school. A girl she'd never thought she'd see again. One of the only ones that hadn't called her a 'witch', a 'freak', or tried to do things to her, along with thinking she'd purposely hurt that poor boy. Cursed him, they'd said.

Yuki watched with interest, before smiling once more. Without much notice of any of the others he moved away from them, his eyes twinkling as his mind craved an image of the young woman within his thoughts. No one seemed to notice that he'd gone, except for his ever-watching fan club, and he was slightly glad, because he had time to register his thoughts. Understand that he was truly in love, and it wasn't with Tohru.

Kagome's eyes twinkled as she walked beside her adoptive sister, the smile on her lips brightening as she remembered Hanajima Saki, though her reaction hadn't been the best. She'd missed her, truly she had, but she guessed that her new friends, Uotani Arisa and Honda Tohru, would be able to help her through everything she'd been through, or went through from then on. Saki might not need her anymore, but she wasn't exactly worried about that as her mind showed the face of that handsome Sohma Yuki, her eyes shining brighter with each passing moment.

She knew what love was like; she'd experienced it once with a boy named Urameshi Yusuke, but the boy hadn't loved her truly in returned, only as a friend. He'd fallen for another girl named Keiko, and had begun dating her, leaving poor Kagome in the dark. However, Yusuke still held a piece of her heart, but it was wonderful to know that she would be able to love again. Perhaps if things didn't work out with Yuki, if things got that far, then she'd be able to find love again in another man, one that truly loved her for herself.

"We're being followed, Kagome-chan," Sango whispered, glancing to the side a little. She noticed that about three girls' were following them, one who looked like she had evil intentions. Apparently they weren't going to be very liked within this new school.

Kagome blinked in surprise, "Really?" She looked over to the side, before nodding, "I see."

Another girl blocked their path almost instantly, her face shoved into Kagome's. However, Sango pushed her away, her eyes hard and murderous as the other girl stepped back. "Now, now," the girl said. "There's no need for violence within this school, is there?"

"What is it you want?" Sango asked.

The girl straightened, listening to the cheer they'd created long ago for their Prince. "I came to tell Higurashi-san to stay away from Sohma Yuki-sama," she replied. "We're apart of the Prince Yuki Fan Club and we get first dibs on him. No one is going to take that away from us, especially not someone who knocked his books from his hand in the middle of the hall. Prince Yuki might be kind and generous, but we're not. We don't share with anyone outside of the Club."

Sango huffed, "Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Sango cracked her knuckles, her eyes hardening even further as the girl suddenly backed away, along with the rest of their group. She heard something about being a Yankee, though she certainly was not, as she said, "You leave my sister alone, you understand? I don't care about your stupid club and I don't care if you think you have the right to get first dibs on another living person. If Kagome-chan wishes to go after Sohma Yuki's affections, then you'll move out of the way for her."

"Now see here, Yankee—"

Sango gripped the front of her uniform. "I am not a Yankee. Never have been and never will be. However, I've known a few girls' who were. Perhaps you'd like to meet them someday. Hm, perhaps you'd like to meet them now. They might be able to change your mind about this whole 'stay away' thing."

The girl seemed frightened beyond belief. Kagome took pity on her, placing a hand on Sango's shoulder, saying, "Its alright, Sango-chan. After all, Sohma-san should have the right to decide whom he dates. If he decides to go after these girls' then I'll simply turn away."

Sango nodded, "But if he doesn't…" She smirked, tossing the other girl to the ground, before watching her scramble to her feet and rush down the hall. She crossed her arms, almost wishing she was a Yankee, or she knew any. Well, she'd heard a couple of things about that Uotani girl, but she doubted she was a Yankee anymore. Hell, she must have been one hell of an opponent if she survived a Yankee beating when she decided to quit, though.

Kagome smiled at her, and Sango smiled back. They didn't know that from that moment on Sohma Yuki and Higurashi Kagome would become good friends. Even until years later, when both of them began working for different establishments. They'd remain friends, though, until the fateful days when…

"I have heard that Yuki-kun has become friendly with a woman his age. I came to see if this was true, Shigure, nothing more." A hand reached out from a kimono, while the person merely leaned back, knowing and hating the fact that that blasted cat was still on the loose, now married to the woman, Honda Tohru, that he'd foolishly allowed to remember their family secret.

Shigure smiled, reaching up to rub at his chin. "Yes, I'm afraid that's true, Akito. Yuki-kun has been spending quite some time with a woman lately. I'm beginning to believe that he's finally fallen in love, though we all know how that will probably end; him being cursed and all."

Akito tilted his head as a small bird landed upon his fingers. "Have you met this woman, Shigure?"

Unsure if he should be loyal to Yuki, or tell Akito what he knew, Shigure frowned. He knew what would happen should he lie to Akito, though, and he nodded, saying, "Yes." He watched as the bird flew from Akito's fingertips, before turning his eyes toward him, locking him within his gaze.

"I see," Akito replied. "Tell me, Shigure, what is this woman like?"

"She is…" Shigure stopped for a moment. He grinned, "She is much like Tohru… only brighter."

"Brighter?" Akito asked.

"Yes," Shigure nodded. "Much brighter in soul and body."

"Hm…"

He stood outside the main house, wishing for another time that he could simply run away from it all. Away from his family, away from his curse, and away from that damn Akito. He'd tried so many times before, but each time he'd chickened out, unsure if he'd be able to convince Akito that Kagome wouldn't give away their family secret if they told it to her; she would simply smile when he told her, instead of being frightened like everyone else. He knew her far too well.

Hell, even Tohru, over the phone, had told him to simply try if he truly loved her. He hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. He did love her, though. He was such a coward, hiding and running from Akito in order to make sure the older Sohma didn't find out about the woman he had loved since his senior year in high school. That had been three years ago, but Kagome never complained whenever he avoided her embraces. No, she simply smiled as if she knew more than he believed, but he doubted that she did.

Kagome had always managed to surprise him, though.

He gulped, memories focusing in his mind, mainly the first time she'd ever surprised him. When she'd beat Kyo to a pulp because of a comment he'd made on her skirt—she'd tripped, causing it to rip until it was at mid-thigh; extremely short, which had nearly caused him to drool at the sight. She'd pounded Kyo much harder than he ever had, almost like Kagura, but without the love behind it. Afterward she'd blushed, and glanced away when he'd laughed, almost like she was ashamed that she'd done something like that at all. If it hadn't been for Tohru's quick thinking, Kagome would have hugged Kyo to her chest pleading with him to forgive her… which would have caused that damn cat to transform like the idiot he was. It was still a lovely memory, though, and he was glad it was his own.

There'd been another time when she'd nearly pounded Shigure because of his perverted mouth. However, though he'd seen her pound Kyo at least two times by then because of things he'd said to her, she'd turned away from Shigure and asked him to never say such a thing again. It had surprised him, especially when Shigure had smiled and agreed to never say it to her again, which caused Kagome to smile brighter than he'd ever seen. She'd told him afterward that Shigure was her elder, and one day he would learn that he shouldn't hit on younger girls', but until he did, she'd be glad that she'd gotten him to promise not to hit on her.

Sighing, Yuki ran his hand through his hair, wondering for a moment if what he was doing was the right thing. What if he told Kagome and simply never told Akito that he had? True, Akito would think that he was keeping something from him, but it would be easier if he ever asked Kagome to marry him. Like he so wanted to do, he had the ring and everything. The only problem: he needed to ask Akito's permission to marry anyone, since he was the head of the Sohma Family.

He was not sure what Akito's reaction would be to the fact that he'd fallen in love with a woman, though. Perhaps Akito would forbid him from ever seeing her again, and he'd have to do it, or run away from the Sohma Family forever. He was afraid to do either; never seeing Kagome again would break his heart and his spirit, and running away from the only family he'd ever known would cause fear to rule his life. He needed to solve this problem, and Akito was the only way to do it.

Akito. Akito was still a mystery to him. He didn't understand why Akito wanted to lock the entire family away from the rest of the world. He always said that he was protecting them from the outside world because they would criticize them, shun them, and hate them in the end. He'd never truly believed this, but from what he'd seen, every relationship where one half didn't know about the curse, well, they all ended with hurt feelings, blanking of memories, and broken hearts… possibly even one of them being harmed physically, as well as emotionally. He was positive Kagome wouldn't be that way, she wouldn't be frightened when he transformed into a rat, nor would she walk away from him because of it. No, he was positive she'd smile and hug him to her, possibly kiss his small nose if he was transformed.

Nodding to himself, Yuki decided that Akito was the only obstacle between Kagome and him. Hell, even Hatori had come to enjoy Kagome's company whenever they were both at Shigure's home. Ayame had loved her almost as soon as he'd seen her, especially when he'd gave him that look that said, I know what's going on. You can't hide anything from your elder brother, Yuki-kun! God, he hated that look. Almost every one of the Sohma Family members knew and liked Kagome… all except Akito. He was sure that Akito knew, yes, but he wasn't sure if Akito knew just how much he wanted to be with Kagome.

Akito needed to know.

He had to know.

Yuki gritted his teeth together, suddenly taking a stiff step forward. He couldn't live without Kagome. He couldn't. Surely Akito would see that, and then everything would be all right.

He stood in shock, his hands in fists as Hatori placed a hand onto his shoulder. He almost shoved the hand off, remembering Akito's hard words, cold and dark. He'd almost thought the worst, especially when Hatori had walked into the room. However, Akito's harsh words still echoed into his brain, causing him to wonder for a moment what had come over the other man. Surely what Akito had said had been said simply because he'd pleaded with him… but perhaps Akito wished for him to be happy. Perhaps Akito hadn't lied.

He'd still need to watch his back, though.

"It will be alright, Yuki," Hatori said.

"How do you know?" Yuki asked, knowing that Kagome would show up soon. He'd called her after all, telling her that it was urgent and that he needed to speak with her. Her voice had sounded worried and she'd told him she'd arrive at Shigure's as soon as she could. He was positive she'd be there soon, then…

Shigure, who was leaning against the doorway, shook his head. "Don't act so dense, Yuki-kun." He sighed, "And here I thought you had more brains that Kyo-kun. Perhaps I was wrong!"

"Shut up," Yuki snapped, watching the elder Sohma's face turn into a frown.

Hatori squeezed his shoulder, "You should be happy, Yuki. Shigure is right." He gave the younger Sohma an almost disappointed look, before saying, "Akito has approved of your choice, after all. You'll get to spend the rest of your life with Kagome if she promises not to tell anyone of our secret and doesn't show any emotion other than happiness or confusion at the knowledge of our curse."

"What if she doesn't, though?" Yuki shuddered. "Akito will have her memories erased and I'll end up watching her from a distance while she goes on with her life, never knowing that we knew each other at all."

"You're doubting sweet Kagome," Shigure asked, shock clear in his voice. He laughed then, rubbing at his chin from habit, "I can see that you've got it bad, Yuki-kun. Worrying that sweet, sweet Kagome will reject you, simply because you house the rat from the zodiac in your soul. I'm sure that Kagome will merely smile and say that she doesn't care. I have, after all, had more experience with women than you." He stopped when Yuki turned to glare at him, obviously upset with his choice of words.

Once more Hatori gripped Yuki's shoulder. However, he said nothing, memories coming to the front of his mind, some that he wished to forget with his entire being. He couldn't, though, especially when he knew the woman he loved was all right married to another man. What would be like for Yuki to watch the woman he truly loved go off in life as if they'd never met? Would he become much like himself, or would he simply retreat into himself and never allow love's evil grasp to strike to him? It would be interesting to know, but he wished the younger Sohma luck when it came to his relationship.

There was a soft pounding of shoes against the wooden flooring on the deck. It sounded like the person was also trying to take their shoes off at the same time, which caused two of the men to smile. However, the sliding door soon slid open with force, a woman rushing through the door in haste. She suddenly flung herself so that she was kneeling beside Yuki, quickly pulling up his hair and watching as he blinked at her in surprise. "Oh, Sohma-san, I got here as fast as I could! Is everything alright, you sounded so frightened over the phone?"

Yuki opened his mouth, only to find that nothing would come out, nothing at all. He gulped, his eyes widening as Kagome's face came closer to his own. He was a grown man, but he still couldn't help the fact that Kagome caused him to act like a lovesick teenager. Life was so cruel.

"Everything is fine, Kagome-san," Shigure smiled. "We merely wished for your company!"

Kagome sighed in happiness, "Is that all? Why did you sound so nervous and frightened over the phone then, Sohma-san?"

"Kag-Kagome," Yuki gasped. He usually never used her name without the usual 'san' on the end. Kagome seemed to notice this change instantly, her eyes brightening as she gazed up at him, which made him more nervous. Seeing the change in her eyes was so wonderful, yet he forced out, "Kagome, I need to tell you something."

Her face fell, "Yes, Sohma-san?"

"Kagome, I—" Yuki stopped, watching as Kagome's eyes filled with tears. He wondered for a moment what was wrong with her, before her realized how his voice must have sounded. His own face turned to sadness, realizing that she probably thought he was going to dump her in front of his family members as humiliation.

"Yes?"

Hatori nearly rolled his eyes, "We're cursed." Kagome turned her attention to him, tilted her head to the side, and Hatori was happy to see only confusion filling her bright eyes. "We're cursed with the animal spirits of the zodiac. We transform whenever someone of the opposite sex outside the Sohma Family hugs us."

Yuki tensed, watching Kagome's reaction to this knowledge. His gut twisted in fear of the worst, especially as she turned her attention back to him. Her eyelashes batted at him in obvious confusion. He wasn't prepared for when she suddenly smiled wickedly, and lunged at him. His eyes widened, as the feeling of transforming washed over his entire body.

Kagome heard the popping sound, and looked down to find that Yuki's shirt was hanging within her hands. She frowned, gasped, and looked down to find a little rat squirming out of Yuki's pants. Her lips turned upward into a smile as she scooped the rat into her hands, "Sohma-san?"

There was laughing behind her, and she turned to find Shigure leaning over while Hatori shook his head at him. Her eyes turned back to the small rat, feeling its paw touch her fingers. Its eyes blinked up at her, glittering with something that she almost thought she could name, before it disappeared. Her fingers lightly ran over the thin fur, and she nearly jumped when it began to talk.

"Yes," Yuki said.

"You can talk?" Kagome gasped in surprise, a smile brightening her face.

Yuki squeaked, "Yes. All of the Sohma Family members can talk once they transform, Kagome." He stopped for a moment, before watching as she smiled gently at him, "Is… is something wrong, Kagome?" He'd never seen her smile like that.

"No," Kagome said, tilting her head to the side. "You're just so cute!"

Yuki sweat dropped, before nodding, "I believe I've heard that before."

He felt Kagome lift him higher into the air, before rubbing her cheek against his small one. He accepted this with happiness, feeling his heart to ache at the fact that she was accepting him this way. She didn't hate him. Tears formed in Yuki's eyes, thought he had always doubted that as a rat he could cry. "Kagome?"

"Yes, Sohma-san?" Kagome muttered.

"There's something in my pocket that I wish to give you." Yuki turned his face away, hoping that she wouldn't turn him down. Hoping beyond hope that she would accept the fact that he loved her more than anyone or anything. He knew Kagome, though. He knew that she'd smile, she'd say 'yes', she'd hug him and say it over and over again.

Within moments Kagome had pulled the case from his pocket, and gazed at it in wonder. She gently laid Yuki onto her leg, before opening the box. Her fingers trembled when she finally opened it completely, her eyes glistening with tears as she turned her attention to the small rat on her knee.

"Kagome—Um, will you… m-marry me!" Yuki yelped all at once, hoping that Kagome caught it. This wasn't how he'd expected it to go. He'd wanted to kneel down on one knee and open the box gently, whispering if she'd become his wife. No, he got to yelp out his question like he was too frightened to ask. He'd have to live with it now; he didn't get a second chance.

Pulling him up to eye level once more, Kagome whispered, "You—you want to…?" She saw him nod, before gasping, "Oh, Yuki!"

In the three years that he'd known her, Yuki had never heard her use his name, instead of the usual "Sohma-san" that she always used. She was only holding him in one hand, while her other had come up to cover her mouth in happiness like she always did whenever he gave her something. She was crying now, her hand falling away to show him her smile as she suddenly nodded furiously, like she was afraid he'd change his mind at any moment.

Once again Kagome rubbed her cheek against Yuki's, "Oh, Yuki. I love you. I've loved you since I first met you."

The words almost shocked him, but Yuki merely replied, "I love you as well, Kagome. I always will."

Shigure smiled, watching as Kagome held Yuki gently within her hands, rubbing their faces together. He laughed when quite suddenly Yuki transformed back into his human body, naked as the day he was born. Kagome didn't seem to notice as Yuki's lips fell upon her own, but as soon as they pulled away from each other, Kagome glanced down and blushed. She turned away from him, Yuki obviously thinking she was refusing him while he continued to laugh.

"Um, Yuki," Kagome said.

"Y-yes, Kagome?"

"Could you… um… put your clothes on?"

--Fin