Chapter 35: Repentance and Reward

The hallway outside of the room was silent.

Akane leaned against one of the walls beside the door as she comforted a silently depressed Izuna. Michiko was holding Izuna's hand, unsure of what else she could do. Daisuke was inside with Dr. Chikarai - Haruhi's mother - and the unconscious Tohru herself. And Kaoru, he was sitting alone on one of the benches with his head hung and his dark-brown spikes masking his face.

After what seemed like ages, Daisuke and Chikarai stepped out of the room and all faces turned to them with expectant eyes.

Dr. Chikarai took off her glasses and sighed. "We… we don't know if she'll wake up."

Everyone breathed in sharply. That hadn't been the news they expected to hear.

"Tohru-chan is… well, this isn't my perspective as a doctor, but more as a human being; Tohru-chan is probably trying to overcome something mentally, and won't be able to recover until she does."

"So…" Michiko began quietly. "S-she's going to be okay…?"

Chikarai looked over to Daisuke, who sighed as well. "Tohru's strong… I'm sure she'll wake up." He smiled, "So, when she does, we'll need her beads back on her."

"It's getting late…" Akane remarked. "I'll bring everyone back to the estate, and we can retrieve the beads and come back tomorrow…"

"Good thinking…" Daisuke agreed. "I'm no use around here, so I might as well come with you… She will be alright, won't she, Chika-chan?"

Chikarai smiled. "We'll do everything in our power to make sure of it, Dai-kun."

Akane turned to the distraught horse. "K-Kaoru…? We're going back home."

"No…" he muttered, standing from his place. "I'm staying here."

Akane nodded, fully understanding. "Right, of course you are…"

"T-then I wanna stay here with new-Tohru-chan too!" Michiko exclaimed.

Kaoru shook his head. "You have to go back Mii-chan, I'm sure your parents are worried about you…" Kaoru tried to smile as he messed up Michiko's hair with his hand. "Besides, it's not like there's anyone worrying about me, so it doesn't matter if I stay…" Kaoru brought his little cousin's head in as he whispered in her ear, "And I'm Tohru's knight, aren't I?"

Michiko pulled away and nodded at him. "You're right, Kao-nii…"

Akane patted him on the shoulder. "Take care Kao-chan…"

"And call us as soon as Tohru nee-chan wakes up!" Izuna added as the three girls and Daisuke made their way down the hallway.

"Will do…" Kaoru gave a thumbs-up as he and Chikarai waved them off until they were out the door.

Kaoru sighed when they were gone and turned to Chikarai. "May I… see her, Oba-san?"

Chikarai smiled. "Yes, of course…" she opened the door and Kaoru stepped through it.

Upon arriving at the estate, Michiko bolted off somewhere, and Izuna and Akane met up with the three boys. They sat together in the main meeting room, where Tohru had first walked into.

"How're the girls?" Izuna pushed in; she didn't really feel like talking about Tohru at the moment.

"Miya-chan's with Tarumi-chan…"

"And my mother is taking care of Kana and Haruhi…" Ryusuke added. "Hitomi Oba-chan and Kamina-kun are there was well. But, more importantly…"

"Is Neko-chan okay?" Sarutoubi tilted his head; though everyone was already aware of his inner-self, it was almost a relief for Izuna to see him act more like his 'outer self'. That personality seemed to fit him better; although the young wolf did fine a new-grown respect for her older cousin.

"Where is she…?" Torahku prodded.

Akane and Izuna were silent, not knowing how to explain the situation at all.

"Akane…" Ryusuke began. "How bad is it…?"

Akane bit her lip and Izuna turned away as her female cousin tried to explain. "S-she's with Chikarai Oba-san right now… We aren't sure if she'll wake up."

"But she's a human again, right?" Torahku wondered.

"Y-yeah…" Izuna's quiet voice answered. "B-but… if we don't get her beads with her when she wakes up… s-she'll…"

As if perfectly on cue, Michiko burst into the room, causing the five teens to look up at her in shock as the rabbit uttered the most unexpected words.

"T-they're gone, every single one of them…!"

Akane was afraid to ask. "W-what's gone…?"

"T-Tohru-chan's beads…!"

"W-what…?" Izuna gasped.

"I-I went down to Kamicchi's room to get them. But, when I got there, they were, like, gone!"

"Do you think Hitomi Oba-san or Kamina-kun got them?" Akane asked quickly.

Ryusuke solemnly shook his head. "No… I walked them to my mother's dojo and they didn't have the beads with them."

"Who else could've done it?" Sarutoubi wondered.

In all the commotion, Izuna was strangely calm as she stood silently.

"Izuna-chan, what is it?" Torahku asked, causing everyone to look at the wolf of the zodiac.

Ryusuke was the first to understand. "Kyonosuke…"

Izuna looked straight into Ryusuke's eyes at the mention of his name. Ryusuke nodded, reaching into his pocket and placing a thin piece of paper into Izuna's hand.

"W-what's this…?"

"Initially, my trump card…" Ryusuke answered. "But, it's possible that it might not be needed, if it's you, Izuna."

Izuna nodded slowly before walked out of the room. "T-thanks Nii-sama…"

As she walked, placing the piece of Tanabata paper in her pocket, this was her first time to really think things through.

Why would Kyon do such a thing? She only had to wonder.

She could still see the images of Kyonosuke reaching to Tohru's neck and tearing the necklace off of her. Izuna could hear her own screaming, as well as Tohru's and Kaoru's when the transformation began.

"I need to find Kyonosuke…" she told herself as she walked the halls determinedly.

She thought back to the times when she would walk down this very hallway in search of Kyonosuke; though the circumstances then were very different from now.

Oh, she thought, that's right… Whenever she needed Kyonosuke to come, he would always run when she called for him.

She almost smiled; he's more of a dog than I am sometimes…

She wondered if that trick would still work. "K… Kyon…? Kyonosuke…!"

"I… Izuna…?"

She heard it; she definitely heard it. The sound of Kyonosuke's voice came from the room straight down the hall Izuna was currently at. She started to run, not fully knowing why, but running nonetheless. She ran straight to the room where she and Kyonosuke used to play in.

"Kyonosuke…!" Izuna yelled. Her pace slowed to a walk as she stepped into the room and saw the boar of the zodiac sitting on one of the wooden ledges that protruded into the side garden.

The boy looked up for a moment before returning his gaze at the garden "I-it really was you…"

"Kyonosuke…" Izuna sighed as she sat, hesitantly at first, alongside him.

"Come to yell at me…?" he shrugged, "… or tell me that I'm an idiot for trusting Katsuya?" Izuna opened her mouth to speak but Kyonosuke scoffed, much more caught up with his own speculation to notice Izuna trying to get a word in.

"Whatever you're gonna tell me, it's probably true… I should've trusted Kaoru-nii more, followed his advice instead. I know that he cares about me a whole lot more than Katsuya does. And now, Tohru-nee is probably in life-threatening conditions and my idiocy and naivety are to blame."

He dipped his head, in usual Kyonosuke-fashion, glancing slightly at Izuna before gazing back at the ground. "And, what's worse, I hurt what I was trying so hard to protect…"

Izuna tilted her head as Kyonosuke muttered. "…you…"

Her mouth dropped slightly, in a way that Akane would have scolded her about keeping her mouth closed in a ladylike manner.

"I…" Kyonosuke sighed, "I know you didn't mind the curse, and that you'd only tell Kamina-kun that you hate it to make him feel better. But, I saw it, heard it… deep down you hated the curse. Emulating Akane-nee like you do and being the older sister of Kamina-kun, you'd probably be leaning to the side of hating the curse. Because of this, I-I was afraid to tell you… the truth… I loved the curse…"

Izuna's mouth dropped even lower.

"Yeah Izuna, I thought completely different from most of the family… before. The curse brought us together, the curse made you smile; the curse brought you closer to Kamina-kun. I always thought that the curse was really what was making you happy. But I know… I'm wrong, completely wrong."

"K-Kyonosuke…"

"Geez… I'm a total idiot! Ryusuke-nii was right after all!"

"K-Kyonosuke…!" she tried again, a little louder.

"I'm a naïve, stupid idiot who can't think for himself!" the deaf-to-Izuna's-calls boar went on. "You came here to tell me I'm an idiot, didn't you? I completely agree with you Izuna. I agree with you and Ryusuke-nii… Hell, I bet even Katsuya thinks I'm an idiot too, and I wouldn't blame him for it."

"Hey…!" Izuna yelled as she grabbed Kyonosuke by his shirt collar and crashed her lips onto his.

"I-Izunmmmph…!" Kyonosuke struggled for a moment in shock before melting into the kiss, which was, surprisingly, their first real one.

Izuna was the first to pull away as she stared hard at Kyonosuke's shocked face. "Shut up okay…! I didn't fall in love with an idiot, you hear me? S-so just… shut up Kyon!"

"I… Izuna…" He immediately noticed the lack of his real name, and the return of his nickname.

"Kyon…" A smile began to bubble up on the wolf's face as tears welled up in her eyes. "Why would I yell at you if you've already figured everything out?"

"H-huh…?"

"I only came here to ask whether or not you know where Tohru nee-chan's beads went…" she tried to say nonchalantly, the embarrassment of her actions finally getting to her.

"I honestly don't know where they are…" Kyonosuke smirked, cupping her cheek and wiping the remainder of her tears from her eyes with his thumb. "But, besides that… lying doesn't suit you Izuna…" Kyonosuke kissed her forehead, much like she had done when they were younger.

Izuna's face burned and Kyonosuke only smiled wider as Izuna stammered, "S-shut up… you idiot…" She leaned her head against Kyonosuke's shoulder and took hold of his hand.

"I told you so…" Kyonosuke smiled.

The smile made its way to Izuna's face as the two sat together and stared out at the side garden; and, for the first time in long while, the two were completely at peace.

Looks like I didn't need your trump card after all, Nii-sama… Izuna thoughts drifted to the piece of paper that still held its place in her pocket and would probably never be used for its initial purpose.

The tiny piece of Tanabata wish paper that read:

I wish Kyon would realize who cares about him the most: Kao-nii, Ryusuke Nii-sama… and me…
-Izuna

Well, I am soooo sorry for the slow update on this chapter - I had two tests to study for and a project due tomorrow… but this just sounds like me making excuses. I'm really relieved that I got this chapter out this weekend and I still hope people are reading this story; despite my updating problems. Other than that, this had a little less drama and a whole lot more fluff, but the lingering questions still lie with "What happened to Tohru's beads?"; "Will Tohru ever wake up to realize that Kaoru is actually Kozue?"; "And, if Tohru wakes up, will her beads be with her, or would we have to go through all of this again?" I'm not good with 'surprising' kiss scenes, as you can clearly see in this chapter, so I'm apologizing for that too. Looking forward to more of those great reviews and any comments on how I'm doing and thoughts about the story! Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter!