(4/19/15) Hi friends! Wow, it's been a long time since this story's seen the light. Even so, I'm not going to give up on it, and I'm determined to finish it. As a note for readers that were following this story way back when, my writing's changed a bit since I started this, so I may go back and rewrite many of the chapters. The basic plot will always be the same, but I'll let you know if / when that happens. Thanks for sticking with me.

Yuki walked to school alone. He and Kyo never bothered to walk together since…

He didn't like to think about it. He still called everyday, but it was always the same. Hatori would say, "Sorry Yuki, I don't know anything. He won't let me inside. I'm sorry, but it's been a month. There's not much that can be done at this point." That's it. That's all he has to say after everything he had done.

Her friends never left him alone. Eventually, he had to make something up. He told them that she had to move away to stay with another relative. Why didn't she call? She didn't want to be a bother, of course. They believed that.

Naturally, they still wanted to locate her. Yuki claimed that he eventually found a letter that she wrote explaining that everything was okay, but she didn't leave an address. She could be anywhere in Japan. It'd be better for them to wait for her to reach out to them once she was settled. Surely she would, eventually.

They believed that too.

It made him sick.

Now he was standing at the sidewalk outside the school, lingering before the warning bell. In actuality, he was back where he started almost a full year ago. Before she came into his life, he walked to school alone. He was popular, but always isolated. He was content.

Now he was still walking alone, still popular with girls, still isolated, but never content. He couldn't be – not now that he knew what he's missing. The worst part was that it was all his fault.

He needed to see her again - just one more time, to apologize, to try to fix this. If he could just get her back, she would be safe. Then she could decide to leave him and live her life away from the Sohmas' influences. It would hurt immensely, but he would understand. At least she'd be okay, and Akito wouldn't be able to touch her. Unlike now…

He was trying not to mope. He really was. He knew that it was selfish – he was selfish to put Tohru at risk in the first place, and now he was being selfish thinking about what he's missing instead of trying to protect her.

He could call the police. Maybe if he anonymously claimed to know that a girl was being held hostage at the Sohma house, they'd find her there. He could rat Akito out.

They'd also find the secret though, wouldn't they? The whole family has managed to avoid being found out for generations. Shining any kind of public light on the Sohma's was the last thing they needed. Hatori could wipe memories, yes, but only one person at a time. If a bunch of police were to go to the compound and discover that they turn into animals, it would be near impossible to cover it up. The whole family would be in trouble. They'd probably all be taken away to be researched and analyzed. No one deserved that life.

No good then. Yuki couldn't involve outside people with this; that he knew for sure. The problem was, his individual efforts have been fruitless. Now all he was doing was waiting, but no good was coming of it.

He heard the harsh sound of the warning bell, and was snapped out of his thoughts. Everyone still outside was starting to file into the school, and he knew he needed to go as well. He took two steps toward the doors when he noticed a black car pull up in front of the school. Whoever was inside was cutting it close – classes started in three minutes.

Yuki turned his gaze back toward the doors and took another few steps.

"Okay, bye! Thank you so much!"

Yuki froze mid-step. He knew that voice. It was hers. But no, he couldn't trust himself. Sometimes when he was half-asleep he thought he could hear her saying something from another part of the house. His mind was just playing tricks on him again. He couldn't let himself get his hopes up like this.

Still though, he had to be sure. A heartbeat later, he turned his head slowly back toward the car.

A petite girl had just gotten out of the backseat of the car and was facing the still-open door. She had long brown hair, and her eyes were impossibly wide. Yuki's breath hitched in his throat. It was her. It was Tohru.

He was too far away from her. There was still a sizable crowd of people going into the building, and she couldn't see him.

All he could processes was that she had to notice him. She had to know that he was here, and that he still cared for her. He didn't know how she just showed up here, and he didn't care. He didn't stop to think. He just had to get to her.

Another heartbeat later, he was able to get his legs moving again. He took one step toward her, than another. His next step was a run. He'd be there in a few seconds; he was almost there, almost reunited. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

"Toh-" he started to call out to her, but was stopped short. Before he could reach her, before she could ever even see him, another figure snaked out of the car.

He should have expected this, but his elation at seeing her alive and well clouded his logic. He should have known Akito would be with her. He knew that Akito would never let her come back to Yuki quietly. Still though, seeing Akito with Tohru made him freeze in fear.

Akito terrorized Yuki when they were younger, and Yuki was still terrified of him, but this was too much. As much as he hated to admit it, Yuki knew that Akito still held the power to hurt him. But Tohru…Tohru was pure. She couldn't be tainted by anybody, least of all Akito.

Yuki took a steadying breath and stepped forward. She was within his reach now, and he wasn't going to lose her again when she was so close. Even if that meant standing up to Akito.

Another step, and he was ready. He could picture it so well: he would stand in between them, gently pushing Tohru behind his back, protecting her. Akito would be menacing; he would probably threaten them, maybe even strike Yuki, but he wouldn't touch Tohru. Eventually, he would leave, and Yuki would be able to turn around and pull Tohru into a tight hug. Her hair would rest underneath his chin, and he'd smell the sweet scent of strawberries. He'd hold her in his embrace, and she'd be safe.

Safe. The word alone made his heart pound. He stared at them as he walked another step closer. They were talking…amiably. Why did she seem so content there? There was no trace of fear in her eyes. Even Akito was smiling. What was his game?

Tohru let out a small giggle – god, how much Yuki had missed that sound, he couldn't express – and put her hand on Akito's arm. What was she doing? Yuki took another step toward them, his head spinning.

He stopped cold when he saw Akito lean in and press his lips to hers.

:O

I really can't express how motivating it is to get reviews. Please let me know what you think! It's finals time right now, but I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.