Recap:

I pat his chest once I've fix up his tie and take a step back to give him some space. "So… can I walk you to your next class?" He offered. I didn't realise how much time has passed until now. I completely missed out on my first class. "I was going to skip again but since you offered so nicely, sure why not."

Nothing is spoken between us and we walk towards my next class. But it wasn't an awkward silence, it was a comfortable one.

"Thank you." Yuki spoke after a moment. I smiled up at him. I knew what he meant by those words. He wasn't referring to the tie.

"I know."

I believe… I will trust Miss Hoshimi… for Yuki… and for Kyo… even for myself. This may be a great opportunity. One I will let unfold….

AMÉLIE'S P.O.V

I smile to myself upon seeing Shigure's house. I still found it quite weird to be walking home with Yuki. Heck! It's even weirder that I'm living with him and his cousin! The reality of it still hadn't hit me yet. I'm still in the habit of going back to where my tent used to be.

"I'm back." Yuki said out loud as we entered the house through the front sliding paper door. "Finally glad to be back home from school!" I exclaim exasperated. Expecting to see Shigure pop out of nowhere, my expectations weren't met when the house was silent.

"Shigure?" Yuki called, peaking his head into what I presumed as Shigure's mini office… from what I could tell it was anyway. Yuki turned to me. "I guess he must've gone out." He confirmed. Damn, I was looking forward to seeing him. I already viewed him as my family and friend. After all, he so generously let me live under his roof. What kind of stranger does that kind of thing?

I turn on my heel and walk up the stairs to my room. "I'm just gonna put away my school crap. I'll be right back." I exclaim. "Okay." I hear Yuki reply. As I walk closer to my bedroom door, I notice that it had already been opened. I slowly swing the door open and what I saw shocked me. It was the least thing I expected to see.

In the middle of the room, Kyo was standing on a short wooden ladder with his back facing me. I was even more shocked at what he was doing. H-he was fixing my roof? I couldn't help but let the smallest of smiles grace my lips. So perhaps he's not a total asshole after all. The idea of him fixing the roof for me was so sweet of him.

Kyo must've sensed my presence as he hoped down from the ladder and turned his body half way to look at me. I open my mouth to speak, but Kyo speaks over me. "Don't freak out. It's only temporary. You can call a professional to fix it properly later. This will at least keep the rain out till then." He grumbled.

I just stared at him. To be honest, I was speechless. Okay Amélie, say something nice in return. "It's kind of a botch job." I tease. So much for saying something nice. It came out before I could stop it. I guess I just wanted to make him angry on purpose because funnily enough, it amused me.

Kyo scowled at me and grit his teeth. "Yeah? Well I'd like to see you do a better job." He snapped. I burst out into laughter. Kyo's angry, pissed off face soon turned into one of confusion. I grip my stomach. That was the exact reaction I was hoping for.

"Kyo, I'm just pulling your leg." I tell him. "I really appreciate it. I'm not kidding, this was really sweet of you." I said truthfully. Kyo turned away from me. "Yeah whatever." I could tell he was embarrassed by my words. But what I said was true.

I just stood there awkwardly, my schoolbag still clutched in my hand. I placed it on the floor and lean it against the dresser. I was about to leave when he called out to me. "Hey!"

I quickly turn around to face him. "What's up?" I ask. His back was still facing me. "Listen… I'm not very good at controlling my temper. When I get angry, I… I don't know. Maybe I don't have enough training. I just, I can't stand losing to that damn Yuki. So about this morning, it wasn't…" It sounded like whatever he wanted to say, he was having a hard time spitting it out.

Is he trying to… apologise to me about this morning? So maybe he's only part asshole. I shouldn't let first impression tarnish my view on him. My eyes drift down to the duct tape roll he held in his hands. He was squeezing it so hard that his knuckles were turning white and his entire fist was shaking. I wonder if that hurts…

"…What I mean is…" He was starting to fumble over his words. He glanced at me from over his shoulder and I was caught in his gaze. It was the first time I really noticed how nice they looked. They were a deep red colour and they continued to gaze at me, I found myself trapped, unable to tear my own eyes away from them.

"… I'm sorr…."

"I'm home!" Shigure's sing-song voice rang throughout the house, cutting of Kyo's sentence. I resist the urge to face palm. Just when we were getting somewhere… Shigure couldn't of picked up better time to make his grand entrance.

"Yuki, Tohru! Are you here? And Kyo, I hope you're not doing something stupid and tearing up my house again." That was it. The moment was gone and Kyo reverted back to his pissed off self. "Just forget it!" He yelled, brushing past my angrily and bumping into my shoulder roughly in the process.

I stumbled backwards before I narrowed my eyes at him. "Hey! Don't take it out on me you jackass!" I shout, waving my fist at his back. I go to follow him when Shigure appears around the corner. Okay, he was still a jerk.

"He'll be back. It's not like he has anywhere else to go. But never mind him. Can you come in here for a minute?" He asked. My anger subsides and I look at Shigure in curiosity. "Uh, sure." I say as I follow him downstairs and into the living room.

I fiddled with my hands in my lap out of nerves. I was curious yet slightly nervous and scared. Were they going to erase my memory? "I had a little chat with Akito today and he's decided that as long as you keep the curse a secret, you can continue to stay here." Shigure stated.

I relaxed as soon as he finished speaking. Thank goodness! "Ah shit. I really did think I was going to get punished or something. I'm 100% glad that's not the case." I mused. Shigure rose his eyebrows. "Punishment? Why would we…?"

Okay, I guess 'punishment' went a bit too far. But hey, one could never be too careful when you met a family whose cursed and are capable of erasing people's memory. "Well in any case, I don't have to lose my memory, which in my opinion, is great news!" I pump my fist in the air.

Shigure stood up from his seat and left the room, leaving me by myself. I lean my chin on the palm of my hand which rested on the table. I wonder what would've happened if Akito refused to allow me to know their secret. How would I have been if I lost my memory? Would things still be the same or would I not be as close to them?

I came to the conclusion that… I've been asking myself too many questions lately… and most of them didn't even have answers! I guess things turned out for the best. I suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude bubble inside of me. After all, Shigure and Yuki have treated me extremely nicely. They've let me live under their roof so that I don't have to live in a tent no more when instead, they could've just left me to fend for myself or kick me out to go live somewhere else… but they didn't, and that was one of the things I was grateful for.

Rising to my feet, I search the house for Shigure. I should probably thank him first since this is his house. Walking around the back, I find him talking to Yuki in a semi hushed conversation. I rub my arm as I awkwardly stood there.

"Hey." I call out. Yuki and Shigure turn around in surprise, having not realised I was standing there. I scratch my cheek. "I just wanted to say thanks, for everything you guys have done. You didn't have to help me but you did and I can't thank you enough." I admit.

"I just hope I'm not a burden or anything." I add. Yuki ruffles my hair gently. "Ah…no. No, of course it isn't. In fact, it's nice to have you around Miss Hoshimi." He smiled at me. Shigure came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Feel free to make yourself at home, ok?"

As corny as I probably sounded right now, their words made me feel very happy. Heading upstairs, I go into my new room and shut the door behind me. Looking around the room, I see the bags with my things in it. It still baffled me on how Yuki managed to recover everything in mint condition.

I sit in the middle of the room and look up to the roof. Hey mum and dad. Looks like things might be finally turning around for me. I couldn't be with better people. Glancing down, I see the photograph of me and my parents resting against my guitar. I gingerly pick it up and put it atop of the dresser. I press my lips to the glass frame and smile sadly.

With a sigh, I skim through all the bags until I find the one with my clothes and stuff in it. I quickly undress out of my uniform and get dressed in a pair of denim overall shorts and a black short sleeved shirt. I promised that I would help out cleaning the house. It was one of the conditions regarding my staying here. I couldn't go back on my word. I'd unpack the rest of my things later.

My face paled. "This isn't a kitchen. This is a fucking dumpster! How'd you let it get like this?" I shout in shock. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me, BIG TIME! I hope I make it through alive… Yuki laughed nervously from beside me. "I'll help you. Just tell me what to do." He offered. He was such a gentleman but I find it hard to imagine Yuki, helping me clean up this mess.

"You'd better not." Shigure said, appearing behind us. I jump. Since when did Shigure become so stealthy. I didn't even hear him approach us! "The closest thing Yuki's seen to a mop is that haircut of his." He mocked. "I think he'd just get in the way."

I roll my eyes. "I appreciate the offer Yuki but a deal's a deal. I do the chores and you let me use the spare room. That's what we agreed on and I'm not one to go back on my word." I tell them seriously. They were both taken back by my words and how serious I sounded.

"Well I can see we're in good hands. I'm going o go find Kyo and I'll be out with him for a while. We should be back by lunch time though." He said before disappearing. "Yeah sure." I shout out.

"In that case, I guess I'll go out too." Yuki said. I shooed him off. "Go on then. I'll be done by the time you get back." I reassure.

I turn my attention back to the mess that was the Sohma's kitchen. The sight was enough to make me sick. "Oh who am I kidding. I need a whole fucking army to clean up all this crap!" I sigh to myself. I don't even know where to start! Grabbing a hair tie off of my wrist, I tie my hair back into a messy bun and crack my knuckles.

But if there's one thing I'm not, it's a quitter! I'm going to get through this alive and in one piece before everyone gets back!

I pant heavily as I take out the last bag of trash. I stand back with my hands on my hips as I admire my work. I found heaps on cooking stuff scattered everywhere that I'm pretty sure Shigure and Yuki never knew they had. Although, I did notice a pattern while cleaning up. There was a lot of take-out food trash.

But hey, I managed to survive! "Amazing!" I whip my head to the door as see Yuki standing there with an awed expression. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was walking into the wrong house." He breathed. His eyes scanned the kitchen, as if he couldn't believe the transformation of the kitchen. Hell, I couldn't believe it either.

"Since when did we have a rice cooker?" He exclaim, seemingly surprised that he even owned one. I chuckled and move to stand next to him. "I dug it out of the trash." I tell him. "But don't worry, I made sure to clean it thoroughly." I added quickly after seeing his face.

The rice cooker dinged. "Oh, lunch is done. I hope you brought back your appetite." I joke.

Yuki was nice enough to help me set up the table and bring out the food I prepared. As we sat down, I could tell he was curious as to what I had cooked. I chuckled sheepishly. "I'm still learning how to cook Japanese food so I thought I'd stick to what I know for now."

I did manage to cook a few Japanese dishes. They were the only Japanese dishes I knew how to make which included Onigiri, Curry Rice, Teriyaki and Okinawa soba with a few fish dishes here and there. I point to the dish with the steak pieces and yellow noodles. "That over there is Bœuf à la bourguignon, which is basically just beef with red wine, mushrooms, yellow noodles and pearl onions." I then gesture to another French dish that I made. "And that is a desert called Mille-feuille and it is just a vanilla slice with cream and powdered sugar." I explain.

Yuki seemed intrigued by the French cuisine I managed to whip up. "You made all of this? Where'd you even get the ingredients from. I shrug. "You'd be surprised the things I found while cleaning up that messy kitchen of yours." I laughed.

Yuki and I helped ourselves to the dishes. I was a bit nervous when he took a bite out of the Bœuf à la bourguignon… actually I was nervous about him eating any of the things I cooked for lunch. I've never really had to cook for anyone else so I had no idea how'd they react to my stylise of cooking.

He popped a piece of it in his mouth. "It's delicious!" He beamed. I perked up instantly. "Really? You don't think it tastes weird or bad?" I press. Yuki shook his head and continued eating. "It's perfect. The best lunch I've ever had." He complimented.

I blush and quickly dip my head down before he could see it. "T-thanks." I stutter as I ate what was on my own plate. It was so nice to actually eat a real meal. While living in my tent, I didn't exactly have a kitchen so most of the time I ate at the café I worked at or just ordered take out. It wasn't cheap, especially with my low income.

"That reminds me. I wonder where Shigure and that stupid cat ran off to." Yuki mused. I drop the chopsticks I was using. I totally forgot about them and suddenly felt rude for eating without them. "Do you think we should wait?" I ask.

Yuki shook his head disapprovingly. "Shame on them. It's rude to let a meal this good go cold." I blushed even more. What's wrong with me?! Why am I blushing more and more!? Actually, I've been blushing more ever since running in with the Sohma. Man, what are these people doing to me to make me blush so much?

Maybe because it's still so strange. I mean, here I am, having lunch with Yuki at his house. Even the idea of me living here still seems unreal. Speaking of Yuki… "Hey Yuki, you said you went out too right? Did you go out shopping or something?"

Yuki put down his bowl. "Oh no, I just went down to my secret base." He answered. My eyes widened and my jaw fell to the floor as I stood up abruptly. "What the hell!? You have a secret base?! What the hell do you do down there? Is it some sort of guarded metal fortress?" I gawked. I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Owning all this land, you have to do something with it.

Yuki chuckled. "I don't think it's what you're picturing. But I'll tell you what, next time I'll take you with me." I squealed in delight at his words as I sat back down. "Haha oh shit, do you mean it? Oh yeah! I get to go see your secret base! It must be something special then if you keep it a secret. I can't wait to see…"

My excitement deflated like a lead balloon when the sliding paper door violently swung open. I swear I almost shat myself. Yuki seemed unfazed from the sudden action, meanwhile my heart was pounding like no tomorrow. I clutched my chest and watched as Kyo stormed instead, followed by a suited up Shigure.

"Stop. Kyo just listen to me!" Shigure pleaded. Kyo blocked his ears. "Shut up! I don't wanna hear it! You think it's fun jerking me around like that?" He bellowed. Shigure folded his arms over his chest. "Now hold on a minute, it wasn't… okay, it was a little fun but that's not why I did it. It was for your own good. And don't forgot, it was Akito's decision, not mine!" Shigure retorted.

"Shut up, I don't give a damn about Akito!" He hissed. I wasn't sure if I should intervene, but I did cook food for Kyo too and it would be a waste of food (and my time) if it went cold. "Hey Kyo, if you're hungry-"

Kyo rounded on me with such fiery raw anger it kind of scared me. "Shut up!" He shouted harshly before slamming the living room door shut. I growl and stand up, about to follow him and give him a piece of my mind but decided it wasn't worth it. If he wanted to act like a little shit, he can act like one alone.

All I did was ask if he wanted lunch and he shouts at me and gives me a look that would kill me, if looks could do that. I wonder what got him so angry in the first place. I return back to my seat and finish my food.

"Kyo, don't take this out on Amélie. And used the front door next time. And take of your shoes!" He shouted but I doubted Kyo heard or was even listening to a word he said. "You're setting a fine example." Yuki muttered.

I turn back to look at Shigure. "Shigure, I must say, you look quite nice in a suit." I comment. His hair was even slicked back. Shigure sat at the head of the table. "Why thank you Amélie." He thanked. "You look like a butler." Yuki added. That quickly put a dampen on his mood. I could help but giggle to myself, earning a small smile from Yuki.

"AH, lunch is ready!" Shigure exclaimed, quickly changing the subject. "I would say for us to wait for Kyo but I think he needs to cool down from being an ass." I suggest. Shigure hummed in agreeance. "That'd probably be for the best. He's angry because I made him take an entrance exam."

I snort. "How you manage to 'make' him take one? And what was it for?" I question.

"Funny you should ask that. As of today, Kyo is officially the newest student at your school. Also, he's going to be living with us from now on too." Shigure stated.

Yuki and I did a double take and I almost spat out the food that was in my mouth. "Great, now I get to enjoy him shouting at me and telling me to shut up 24/7." I grumbled, stabbing my food with my chopsticks.

Shigure slowly shrank lower to the ground as Yuki glared at him menacingly. How ironic; the cat and rat have to live together from now on. I guess that means more fights and spats like the one from this morning. "Don't you take a single bite. Get out." I've never seen Yuki act like this. One could almost sense the dark aura that surrounded him.

Shigure chuckled nervously. "…Haha, well I had a feeling you'd be upset. You see, Kyo pulled a disappearing act on us. One day he just upped and left for fourth months. And do you know where he disappeared to?" He asked. I shook my head no. "He was up on a mountain top, training." He concluded.

To me, that sounded like something straight out of a Karate movie. "Do you know what kind of training he underwent?" I ask. I was curious to know more.

"Let me guess, he's been meditating under waterfalls and fighting bears." Yuki commented sarcastically.

"Ah, I'm not so sure about that part. But the point sis, Kyo just really wants to beat Yuki." He surmised. I snuck a glance at Yuki who wore an expression of hatred and disdain. "Stupid cat." He spat.

I draw my lips into a thin line. I began to wonder how deep Yuki and Kyo's hatred for each really ran.

Kyo has dedicated so much time trying to beat Yuki and from what I gather, Yuki hates his guts, likewise with Kyo. It really is like the old folk tale of the Zodiac. Ever since the rat tricked the cat, there been resentment on both behalves. I suppose that's probably the reason why Kyo and Yuki don't get along… that's kind of an understatement.

I would ask Kyo about it,, but he would probably just yell at me again and ignore me.

I sigh and eat the rest of my lunch without another word. What have I stumbled upon mum and dad….?