so, here is the new chapter. the next one is going to be a songfic, i think. i'm going to start writing it now. anyways, enjoy, and let me know what you think.

i don't own FB, and i dont make any money from this....unfortunately.

As soon as Kyo had left the room, my brother entered. I sighed, knowing what was coming. He shouted my name running towards me I was hugged tightly and gasped, trying to keep my anger with him inside.

"Hello, Ayame" it was a murmur, I had resorted myself to what was inevitable.

He paused, smiling at me broadly and I knew full well what was coming next.

"Brother! You didn't shout! I'm loved!!"

"No, you're not. I'm just tired" I sat back down in my chair, picking up my book and resuming my reading, or at least trying to.

Everybody knows the sensation you get when someone is watching you, staring at you intently, it's an irritation you can't ignore. I looked up from my book:

"What?"

He sat down on a chair beside me and he was suddenly calm.

"Nothing Yuki, just, are you ok?" he spoke in a soft tone, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. As much as I hated him, I had to admit that Ayame was beautiful.

"I'm fine." Anger was slowly overcoming me. My patience with Ayame had always been thin.

"There's something different about you Yuki" he never took his eyes away from mine. I didn't say anything; I just looked down at the table, prompting him to continue talking.

"You seem, more comfortable somehow. Something has made you happy-" It was spoken awkwardly. I bought my eyes up to meet his and he finished:

"I think"

I didn't know what to say. In many ways I had nothing to say. There was an awful feeling rising within me, it was sickness, fright and shame.

"I haven't changed Ayame, I'm the same as I've always been" I got up from my seat and walked towards the doorway, but before I could leave, he stopped me:

"Yuki-" I turned to face him. "I'm very happy for you"

My knees almost gave out from under me. He knew. It had to be Ayame who had seen us, he knew about me and Kyo.

I couldn't talk, so I had no answer for him again. I just left, shakily making my way up to my room. If Ayame knew, Shigure would too, and Hatori. Hatori might have told Momiji, Momiji told Haru and Haru told Tohru. My head fuzzed. On my way upstairs I passed Shigure and I felt sick immediately. Still I felt it necessary to talk to him.

"Ayame is in the kitchen" it was stoic, cold and it chilled me to the bone, yet Shigure seemed unfazed.

"Ah! Ayame my darling!!! I have missed you!"

I was almost sick, but I knew I was in no place to criticise. I just wanted to get to the relative safety of my room. As I reached to top of the stairs I looked to the right and saw the door to Kyo's room. It felt so strange knowing he was in there, behind a piece of wood that kept us separated. I wondered what he was doing. I wondered if he was thinking of me, and I hoped if he was, he was thinking positive thoughts.

I closed my door behind, leaning against it, I sighed although I felt like screaming. And went to sit on the edge of my bed. I had work to do yet it seemed out of my capabilities to do it. I was worn out, the stress and worry over who had seen us had taken its toll on me and I was near to breaking point.

People had always held me in a higher esteem than I deserved to be. They thought me perfect and completely in control of myself and of my life. But recently life had been running away from me. Ever since I realized I loved Kyo.

I smiled to myself as I thought of him. The beautiful cat whom I had hated for so long, and who I loved so intensely now, it was like I had loved him forever. I reclined onto my pillows lifting my arm over my head, and whilst doing so I smelled oranges, it was only a scent, but it was so symbolic of the cat that I almost felt like he was there. Of course there would be no substitute for him actually being there, this would be impossible, but it didn't stop me from wishing.

Thinking about him, as I laid there still shaken from my experience with Ayame I felt lightly soothed. Ayame was a difficult person at the best of times his ambiguity, which we had all inherited along with the Sohma curse, was challenging at the best of times.

I could have asked him why he was happy for me, but I was too scared to find out. I didn't want to face up to a truth which may or may not have been true.

God! The conversations he and Shigure would have about us! I wouldn't be surprised if we found ourselves the subjects of smutty novels. The thought alone was enough to make me bury my head in the pillows.

A loud tap at the door made me jump and caused my heart to thump again. Before I could answer my door flung open and Shigure appeared dressed in a suit.

"Yukiiiii! Me and Aya are going out-" he stopped in the doorway, "oh! Yuki! What have I caught you doing!? My my!" I glared at him and he stopped. Turning to leave he finished with:

"Oh..Yuki! Let Kyo know I've gone out-" he turned to look at me, "I'm sure you'll see him at some point"

It felt like I'd been hit over the head with a brick.

"Ok" I whimpered, my eyes wide.

As soon as the door closed down stairs I heard Kyo's door open his footfalls were heavy along the hall.

"What the hell was that about!?" he started shouting before he appeared around my door.

As soon as he saw my sprawled over my bed he stopped in his tracks.

"It was Ayame" I felt empty, even with him stood so close.

"What do you mean?"

"He was acting really weird in the kitchen, and I think he told Shigure"

"That's why he said that?" he was calm suddenly.

"Said what?"

"When he was leaving he said he was sure you would see me."

"Oh...yes...he did"

"How can you be so calm about this!?" his temper had flared again.

"I'm not Kyo, I'm just, so tired"

His tensed shoulders relaxed and he looked at me sympathetically.

"Can I lay with you?"

I looked up at him, seeing something in his expression that gave me butterflies in my stomach. I nodded. He closed the door behind him and pushed my desk chair under the handle. It looked like he was planning on staying for a while.

I shifted over towards the wall, making room for him. He walked over to me self-consciously looking at me as he brushed his hair from his face. He was beyond sitting and waiting for me to invite him to lie down, instead he just did it, he was still cautious though, in case I stopped him. Part of me wanted to shout at him that I never would. We both laid facing the ceiling in a comfortable silence. Kyo began to fidget a bit, moving his arm over to mine, he took up my hand and held it, squeezing lightly. I blushed immediately, any kind of physical contact with him made my heart beat faster and my stomach twist.

"Are you ok Yuki?" he spoke quietly, softly.

"Yes, I think so. I'm just worried."

"Me too" as he said it he clenched my hand tighter and finished:

"We'll be ok Yuki, we'll be fine"

His use of the word 'we' to describe us made my heart flutter. I curled into him, turning onto my side and dropping his hand, I wrapped my arm around his stomach. I place my head on his chest and I heard his quickening heart beat. It struck me then, something that shocked me and I didn't know why. Kyo was human. Through and though. He wasn't the cat, he was a person, a boy, or man, depending on how you looked at it, he was real. It hurt me to think of all of the things people in our family had said and done to him. He had been so mistreated. To think of how he must have been wounded every time he was told he was disgusting, how ugly he was. No matter what he transformed into, in his human state, he was beautiful.

His heart slowed to a steady rhythm and his breathing became slower but heavier. I looked up at him, he was sleeping.