AN- The story will be taking a turn, and this chapter starts it. So please read.
And to all of my reviewers... some of them, I cant even touch on how undescribable they made me feel-- As a writer, and as a person. I owe you wonderous people more then anyone, -bows- thank you so much.

Oh, yes and... I just wanna say something while I can:
The views, thoughts and opinions (etc.) expressed in these chapters are not necessarily a reflection of mine, but rather of the characters I am trying to portray.

Chapter Fifty Five

(Yuki's POV)

"Yo."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Haru approaching with Tohru smiling at his side. The bright sun sparkled against the white of his hair, and slicked over the black, while his over-accessorized jewellery sent blinding glints of light when caught in the sun.

"Hello, Haru, are you staying for dinner?" I asked as I felt the gliding of fingers across my knee.

"Yes, I have been invited." Haru confirmed while Tohru blushed a smile at him, "Am I intruding, Yuki?"

"No, not at all—I'll help you with dinner, Honda-San." I offered, but Haru held up a hand.

"I have already presented my services to Tohru." Haru said while he and Tohru walked past me and up to the entrance of the house, "Think of it as compensation."

"Alright." I said in a light voice.

Tohru led Haru into the house—but he hung back a moment, looking back in my direction, "Kyo, don't get heat stroke."

"Shut up." Kyo mumbled, and Haru was gone.

I was sitting out in the open clearing in front of our house, a book rested in my lap, the sun warm on the back of my neck, and my favourite cat lying down next to me, his eyes closed, no doubt basking in the sun's warmth.

I flipped the page over and let my eyes skim across the beginning sentence—but a familiar distracting, and subtle sensation crept along my skin as Kyo absently let his fingers drift over my clothed knee again… And the words on the page were only ink, of which my mind made no comprehension.

I let my eyes wander over to Kyo… his head was laid next to my thigh, and the back of his hand rested lazily at my knee.

The corners of my lips gave a tug before I turned my attention reluctantly back to my book. It was, although, only a prop. I didn't know which character was the blonde, and if either of the two were orphans or if that was the dog they shared in the story. I let my eyes drift down to the bottom of the page… and the bold number 105 was scrolled bellow the paragraphs of laced words. I was already nearly halfway through, and I still couldn't pay attention to the small, but important details. In fact, I barely knew the plot line.

I was too distracted with my own.

Kyo and I basked in the sun for another warm hour or so until Haru lounged his way outside to fetch us for dinner—and I listened to Kyo grumbled as we slid into the shade of the house.

In near custom, now, Kyo and I sat on one side of the table, Tohru and Haru sitting across from us—The contrast between Tohru's excited, lively aura and Haru's indifferent ease was terribly noticeable—and Shigure stroked his ego with his evident pride of sitting at the head of the table.

Shigure coaxed Tohru into a conversation easily, and her bubbly voice filled the air pleasantly as she talked about her day. Kyo pinned his remarks in every so often when Tohru gave details about the behaviour only she could accomplish in certain situations, and Haru's voiced mused through the air to join in.

I brushed my fingers through my hair as I felt my hunger finally subside, absently listening to the sound of Kyo and Haru conversing, while Shigure smiled a reply to Tohru.

I laid my chopsticks down on my plate after a moment of pushing the remaining food around.

"Yuki-San…"

I looked up to see Tohru smiling tentatively at me, "How was your day?"

"It was very pleasant, thank you." I said lightly, and she laced her fingers on her lap, and her eyes became shy and timid.

"Did you have a good time at the Onsen?" She asked, and my answering smile was effortless.

"Yes, I did, thank you very much." I responded, "Is there anything I can offer you in return?"

"Oh, no, no!" Tohru held her hands out in protest, "P-please, it was my pleasure! My pleasure! I'm just so happy that you had enjoyed yourself! I really am!"

"Calm down." Kyo said indifferently, "If he wants to get you sumthin', let him get you sumthin'."

"Of course, Kyo will pitch in." I said to Tohru while giving Kyo an expectant look.

"Of course." Haru repeated.

"Of course." Shigure joined.

"H-hey I'll do what I wanna!" Kyo reacted to the sudden gang-up.

"I think you're gratitude should be displayed, Kyo." Haru said in thought of Tohru, "Or did you not enjoy the trip?"

"Tah? Of course I enjoyed—" Kyo's mouth was open, but the words didn't come out and his cheeks tinted a pink as Haru and Shigure grinned at him.

"Of course?" They repeated in unison.

"DAMMIT, SHUT UP!" Kyo roared, and I winced at the acceleration of his voice out of habit, I was used to him shouting.

"I wasn't implying anything." Haru said as he reached over and pinched a piece of food from Tohru's plate in between his chopsticks before popping it into his mouth.

"I never said you were!" Kyo snapped.

"But you're defensiveness is quite suspicious."

"You're suspicious!" Kyo shot, "And eat from your own damn plate!"

"Oh, such a lively bunch!" Shigure cooed pleasantly as I rolled my eyes and mumbled, 'animals' under my breath.

I ignored Kyo as he shot a remark at Shigure, who giggled, and turned my attention to Tohru, "Did anything interesting happen since we've been gone, Honda-San?" I asked as I felt Haru's voice create a flustered energy around Kyo.

"Oh no, nothing too much!" She conversed easily with me, "School's coming up soon—so I suppose that we need to get ready for that at some point…"

"Yes, we should definitely get onto that." I agreed, frowning, "Summer's going by pretty fast, isn't it?"

"Surprising, isn't it?" Haru abandoned his argument with Kyo to converse with me.

"Actually, it is." I agreed, "It feels like it just begun a few days ago."

"You're usually pretty in touch with the date." Haru mused in thought, and I would have blushed if I weren't so used to how attentive he was to me already.

"I usually am." I granted, "I guess I'm not in much touch with the time anymore."

"Did you get that from Kyo?"

"You sayin' sumthin', ox?" Kyo defended.

"Maybe he's right," I tilted my head to the side, assessing Kyo as his eyes captured mine and I gazed thoughtfully back into his, "Maybe you're rubbing off on me…"

The blush was instant in Kyo's eyes, and equally vivid as his cheeks coloured—

"Oh, save it for the bedroom." Shigure scoffed, and I grinned as Kyo's face turned hot red—

"SAVE WHAT, YA DAMN PERVERT?" Kyo barked in defence.

"I guess they didn't get it all out at the Onsen." Shigure sighed, "Once more, Kyo manages to avoid the obvious points of plot and setting."

"EH?"

"Alright, enough of the immaturity, Shigure." I pushed myself up from the floor and collected my dishes, sending a concerned Tohru a smile, "Thank you very much for dinner, Honda-San."

She smiled, "Yes, yes! I'm very glad you enjoyed it!"

I evaded the room as Shigure leaned back and patted his stomach, "Ah yes! A beautiful meal from a beautiful flower!"

I wandered to the sink as Tohru replied, "Eh? EH? No! It couldn't have been all that good! I mean—thank you! But there's no way—I tried my best, but it wasn't that amazing!"

Haru's voice interrupted Tohru's frantic spewing, "Yes. A very beautiful meal."

I turned on the tap just as Kyo was making a grossed-out noise by the two males, and I stuck the plug in the drain of the sink before placing my dishes into the rising water.

There was more squabbling from the dining room, but I zoned it out as I turned off the running water and squeezed the soap bottle into the waiting sink. When the water was foaming with bubbles, I picked up a washcloth and began to clean my dishes.

I was rinsing the last of my dishes when Kyo was beside me, dropping more plates into the foamy sink and shoving a drawer open to pull out a larger dishtowel.

"It's so damn noisy around them." He complained, moving on my other side and picking up my clean, wet dishes and rubbing them dry, "Why the hell does he come here anyway."

"Don't be so sensitive," I said gently, "Haru's good company, I like having him around."

"I don't have to like what you do." Kyo retorted, still being finicky and I sighed, letting it pass.

"Kyoo-kun," Shigure creeped into the kitchen, "May you never host any guest in your socially dysfunctional existence!"

"Like I'd ever have reason to." Kyo said bitterly—and I caught an edge to his voice, an implied reason behind the words, but I brushed it aside when Shigure was dropping more dishes into the sink in front of me.

"Yuki-kun, you don't have to do that." Shigure said as I dipped my hands into the warm water of the sink to lift another dirty plate from the bottom, "Kyo-chan can do it by himself!"

"HEY!"

"Honda-San and Haru made dinner, so I don't think it would be very proper to disregard the dishes." I said, sliding my eyes to Shigure, "Isn't it a bit out of character for you to concern yourself with something like this?"

Shigure blinked at me, then let out a laugh, flapping his hand, "Yuki-Kun! I am the very caring and compassionate adult that runs this house—thus I am your true Father-Figure!"

I blinked at him in bafflement as he lifted a finger knowingly, "I must not let you down, Yuki-Chan!"

"FATHER-FIGURE, MY ASS!" I dodged out of the way as Kyo sent a wet bowl hurtling at Shigure, who yelped in shock before clumsily catching the dish with difficulty before it hit his face.

"Kyo-chan!" The authority in Shigure's voice was firm—and admittedly, useless, "There will be no throwing of wet dishes in this house! Go to your room, at once! And may Yuki punish you however he see's fit!"

My hand shot into the sink and I hurtled my own dish at Shigure, "Stop that!"

He sickens me! Honest to god, he sickens me! How can anyone be so vulgar? It's inhumane!

"May I join the battle?" Haru's monotone voice had me glancing over to him, hands slinking into his pockets, and an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, yes, the bacteria is winning, get to work, soldier." Shigure pushed Haru over to the sink beside me.

"Just leave." Kyo said insistently, and Shigure leaned against the counter beside him in reluctance as Haru's hands slipped into the water, and let out an 'aaah' at the warm temperature while I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No, no, I still have business here." Shigure said as he watched Kyo dry the dishes.

There was an odd silence drifting through the silence that was filled only by the disturbance of water as Haru scrubbed the dishes clean and I rinsed them clean of soap, Kyo rubbing the dishes dry, and the slight tensing air emitting from Kyo out of his frustration as Shigure watched leisurely.

"Well, what the hell is it?!" Kyo barked, and Shigure grinned approvingly at the attention.

"Well, since you're so interested—" (Kyo snarled at this,) "I need to have a letter sent, a request of mine for a delivery."

Kyo and I waited for the explanation of relation it had to his presence—but none came and I let out an audible sigh, "Yes?"

"Yes, yes," Shigure continued, "And I have come across quite the obstacle—it must be…" Shigure waited, building up the suspense… "HAND-DELIVERED!"

"HEY!" Kyo shouted in reaction to Shigure yelling in his ear, and Haru went on completely ignorant to the situation.

"Yes, yes, it's quite a drastic problem, how shall I overcome this…" Shigure contemplated dramatically.

"Just go deliver it now, then." I said, handing Kyo another dripping plate, the warm water slithering down my wrist, "Kyo and I can take care of the house fine, Shigure."

"Oh, no, no, I must not go." Shigure disagreed, "I need to work on my manuscript! Would you really pull me away from my work? Tsk, tsk, Yuki-Chan."

"Shigure…" I felt my patience twitch.

"So Kyo!" The cat flinched away from Shigure with a look of distaste, "You have been appointed!"

"Appointed?" Kyo repeated in a dull voice.

"Chosen, selected, allotted, given the above hand, the say-go, the messenger, delivery mule—"

"I know what it means!" Kyo barked in defence, and I could tell Haru and I were both disagreeing with him in our heads, "If you wanna damn 'delivery mule' send him!" Kyo pointed an accusing finger at Haru who let out a 'moo', earning him an incredulous look from all three of us.

"Oh no, Haru needs to go home and get his sleep." Shigure protest, as he slipped out a thin white envelope from his kimono, the messy scribble of ink across the pale texture, "So Kyo-Kun! You must put your young strong legs to use!"

"Don't talk about my legs!"

"You must go now!" Shigure said urgently, flapping the envelope against his face—Kyo spluttered, dropped the dish he was drying, and made to snatch at the envelope with a scowl on his face, but Shigure held it high above his head now.

"I'm not doing one damn thing for you!" Kyo shot, and Shigure tapped him on the head with the envelope, causing Kyo to roar in frustration before he made to snatch at the sealed piece of paper before Shigure stopped Kyo's charge with his hand on Kyo's head.

"Oh, such enthusiasm!" Shigure commented, and pressed the envelope onto Kyo's face, who finally snatched it into his hands, "Off you go on, Kyo-Chan!"

"Hey, I'm not doing it!" Kyo protested firmly, and Haru nudged me with a wet dish when I had stopped my absent rinsing of dishes. I took it from his soapy hands as Tohru entered the scene.

"Kyo-chan, don't be lazy!" Shigure said in a positive voice and Kyo scowled.

"You can't make me go!" He said in stubborn reluctance, and I sighed, seeing how the conversation had met a dead-end.

I put the rinsed plate on the counter and coiled my wet fingers around Kyo's elbow, tugging in slight reassurance, "Come on, I'll go with you."

"Ah-ah-aah," Shigure ticked a finger at my suggestion, and an odd look evaded his eyes, a slight smirk, "I need you here for something else, Yuki-kun."

I looked at him with curiosity and Kyo growled, "What makes you think I don't have things to do?"

Shigure grinned, "Like what? Sharing your poetry with Yuki?"

I couldn't stop it—the involuntary laugh made it out of my throat before I could shove my hand over my mouth in attempt to keep it in.

"GIMME THAT!" Kyo swiped at Shigure, snatching the envelope and stalked with an impressive blush and evident infuriation, "I'M GETTIN' OUTA HERE!"

Shigure and I followed Kyo as he shoved the door violently opened and marched (Literally, marched, there was no other word to describe it) down the path.

"Ta-ta, Kyo-Sensei!" Shigure waved eagerly, his words mockery, as I leaned against the doorframe with a grin.

"You really shouldn't do that, Shigure." I said after Kyo immediately disappeared through the trail.

"Ah, he's too much fun!" Shigure flapped his hand, "Besides, by the time he gets back, he'll have lost all his temper."

"You know, if you tried to not instigate him once in a while, I'm sure there wouldn't be a need to send him on wild goose chases to calm him down."

"Wild goose chases, you say?" Shigure said conversationally, trying to be innocent.

"I saw the address on your letter," I crossed my arms and looked accusingly at him, "Even I don't know where that is exactly. He's going to be wandering out there for ages."

"That's the plan!" Shigure said proudly and I sighed, leaving him in the doorway and walking back into the kitchen, where Haru and Tohru were finishing up the dishes.

I helped them while Shigure creeped about, doing absolutely nothing. It wasn't long before all the dishes were put away, and Tohru had escorted Haru to the door to say goodbye after I had voiced my own farewell.

It was then that Shigure asked for me.

"Come with me, Yuki." Shigure waved his hand insistently, glancing behind him to make sure I was following behind. He led the way to his office, and I closed the door behind us.

Shigure made his way through the piles of abandoned novels blanketing the floor, and slunk into his leather chair, assessing me with curious eyes.

I folded my arms across my chest leisurely and leaned against the door, waiting for him to continue.

Shigure looked at me with interest. "I think you know what this is about."

In the gaze of his knowing eyes—I tensed.

(Kyo's POV)

I covered my hand over my mouth, which stretched wide as I let out a long yawn, walking out of the darkened path and into the clearing of the house. I don't know how long I've been walking, but I've been trying to find out where the hell I was supposed to go, and the address on the letter was definitely not helping.

Dammit, I would even have made use out of one of Tohru's maps--and I was in a much too fowl mood to ask for directions from that damn old pervert.

I raised my eyes up to the sky, to the glow of the moon—but I couldn't see it. I couldn't see the moon through the fogging clouds, the growing clomps of fluff.

The sky had become a canvas again, and it was filled, fogged. Every cloud that started out as a floating piece of fluff, a distant reminder, steadily grew more ominous, more opaque over time, until it finally foamed the moon from my sight. The building clouds obscured the stars, the wishes, from my sight.

"You took your time."

I snapped my attention back in front of me and saw Yuki sitting on the porch in front of the entrance, not quite registering his calm and almost serene voice. He looked as if he had been waiting for me for a while, his eyes swarming with impatience, and his body more tense then usual.

However, as I claimed the remaining steps to him, the impatience didn't fade—as if he was still waiting for something, but my mind was too worn to acknowledge it completely.

"Man, you wont believe what I went through tonight." I sighed in exasperation, sliding a hand into my pocket, "It took me hours to get there, then I couldn't even find my way out of that damn place."

I ran a hand through my hair and blew out a breath of relief, happy to be back home finally—and I looked down at Yuki to see him gazing off into the distance, an odd look in his eyes.

Yuki opened his mouth to say something and I rested my hand on the back of my neck, waiting—but he closed it.

"'sup?" I asked, sinking down onto the hard wood floor beside him. He glanced at me as I laid back onto the firm floor, and waited, stretching my arms over my head as I opened my mouth and let another yawn stretch through my lungs and out my throat.

I slid my eyes shut for a second—feeling the fog of sleep drift welcomingly into my consciousness… and I pried my eyes open, reluctant to fall asleep here, and looked over to Yuki—who was still gazing off in the distance. I reached over and tugged at his shirt, "Hn?" I insisted as he glanced back at me.

Yuki's eyes assessed mine—which were no doubt glazed over with sleep, and a small grin tugged at his lips, "Nothing." He pushed himself up and away from my grasp before tugging at my hair, "Come on, you look tired, I'm keeping you up."

My body was reluctant, while my mind was eager to lift myself from the hardwood floor to head for my warm bed, Yuki quietly allowing me to tow him with me.

(Yuki's POV)

I didn't know whether to tell him or not.

I know it would be the… the right thing to do, but he's always acting like an over-protective brother, or an over-powering father, or an overly territorial lover.

He was the latter, though, for fact.

While I had sat on the porch with Kyo slumping down next to me—I was going through the arguments in my head. The pro's and con's of telling him, of informing him about what I was doing behind his back… and the longer I thought about it, the more clearer it became. The outcome was inevitable, and my thoughts unanimous: If I told Kyo, he'd do something stupid.

So here I am.

Untrustworthy, dishonest, and deceiving.

Lying next to my lover trying, with difficulty, for the first time, to get to sleep.

It wasn't that his bed was not warm enough anymore, or that his silent breathing wasn't a lullaby as reassuring as my own heartbeat—it was that I felt guilty in this pleasure.

I felt like… dirt.

There was only one way to do this—I had to try to keep him as ignorant to my affairs as possible. Kyo was capable of doing a lot of things, and losing his cool, composure, and temper were on his top list of most-practiced skills.

I looked over to his digital alarm clock, the blurring red lights shining ominously through the darkness of his room. It was late, or more technically, very early morning. The moon hazed against the closed curtains, and the steady sound of Kyo's silent breathing echoed in the air—but tonight, it gave me no comfort.

As calm as I tried to be, the unease settled deeper into my organs.

I couldn't shake it.

I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair, closing my eyes and concentrating. I took the unease, the anxiety, and I shoved it away from me, bottling it up tight.

I would not think of it.

Not when I'm with Kyo.

Not until I have to.

I looked over to him, his orange hair mused in his face, and the sheets rising and falling in an easy pattern over his body. He looked so deep in his sleep, so tired—and unbearably innocent.

I remembered the cage I still had locked up inside of me, of that strange feeling I got the morning after Kyo and I shared our most intimate night. I had pushed it aside—while it still rattled at the chains at different moments around Kyo, I still had it secured.

So what's in the cage? What have I locked up? Pushed away?

Why was I scared of it?

I contemplated opening it up, letting it spill through me, let me feel it—but I shied away. Pushed it back into the black of my mind.

I wasn't ready to deal with that yet.

If I tried to, in the wake before the storm… things could get messy.

Things could break.

(Kyo's POV)

I woke up today.

And I knew something was wrong.

Out of place.

I pushed my sheets off of my body and slid into a sitting position, running my hand through my hair as I took in the emptiness of my bed.

So what was that rat doing now?

I stumbled out of my bed, griping my desk to keep myself upright as I rested my forehead in my hand—my vision went blurry and I felt a buzzing creep underneath my skin, and my legs became weak…

When I overcame my head-rush, I straightened up and shook my head clear of any after effect, before pushing myself forward and across my room. I opened my door before closing it behind me and heading for the bathroom, where I turned on the cold water. I cupped my hands underneath the cold temperature before splashing my face with the watered chill. I grabbed the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my torso, using it as a towel and drying off my face.

I wandered back down the hall, descended the stairs, and walked across the kitchen to the fridge, which I tugged open in my morning hunt for milk.

After filling a glass and taking my first sip, I wandered into the dining room—and was greeted by a lazing middle-aged man.

"Good morning, Kyo-Kun, I see you slept in," Shigure commented with a sly edge to his voice, as if he had been wishfully anticipating this.

"You had me running through town all yesterday, the hell do you expect?" I sank down at the table and took another swig of my milk as Shigure created a silent hum in his voice. I put down my milk, "So where's Tohru and Yuki?"

"She had an early shift." Shigure said, trying to seem uninterested as he assessed a dent in the table, "Yuki walked her—oh, and she left you some breakfast." Shigure pushed a bowl of food that was steaming in front of him across the table to me. I took it eagerly.

"So, Kyo…" Shigure started with a seemingly uninterested tone, "How are you and Yuki doing?"

I looked up at him in question, my mouth full of food. I swallowed, frowning, "Fine." I said, my suspicion and curiosity evident in my voice at his question.

Shigure turned the crinkling page of the large newspaper, and the wrinkled sound filled the silence before he answered, "Tight as brother's, are you?"

I scowled, "Don't make it sound like incest!"

Shigure blinked—then smirked, "Oh ho ho! So you two are at the point where incest would be questionable, hmm?"

"Ahk?" I grimaced, "The hell, that's not what I meant!"

...though, yeah, technically that is what it was.

Yuki and I were one big pile of Incest.

Shigure assessed me with interested eyes—and then amusement was toiling dangerously in his eyes, "You two are close, aren't you?" He slid a finger underneath his chin and watched me carefully, "I wonder… how close…" His lips gave a tug at the corners, "What would you say, Kyo?"

I stared at him—then my eyes narrowed, "The hell are you asking for? Are you planning something?"

I saw a dark glint in his knowing eyes, and a faint smirk curve his lips—and then he was leaning back and letting out an amused laugh, "Why, dear Kyo, what would I be planning?"

"Huh?" I wrinkled my nose at him, "Stop trying to confused me, you're being creepy."

"Oh, I see." Shigure said in a quiet voice as I took another drink of my milk, "He hasn't told you, has he…"

I swallowed, "Who hasn't told me what?"

Shigure looked like he was looking at something interesting on my face, "That's just like him."

"Are you talking to yourself again?" I said, my voice sharp in agitation and Shigure stroked his chin with a finger before he continued, "Quite interesting…"

"DAMMIT, STOP LOOKING AT ME WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO YOURSELF!" I pounded my fist on the table, my glass and bowl rattling from the impact.

"Kyo-Kuuun don't break my furniture!" Shigure said in a despairing voice while I snarled at him.

"THEN DON'T MAKE ME!"

"You're so violent, Kyon-Chan," Shigure said in distress, then his eyes flicked past me and widened for a moment, "Oh! Yuki-kun!"

I looked automatically over my shoulder and saw Yuki staring at us nervously, just entering the scene, "Shigure…"

"Yuki-kun, tell Kyo-chan not to break anymore of my tables!" Shigure complained and I rounded on him:

"DAMMIT, DO I LOOK LIKE HIS PET?"

"Don't give him reason." Yuki said in a suggesting voice that held some sort of implication that I didn't catch, and I looked back at him—he caught my glance for a second before turning away from me and heading into the kitchen, "Lunch is in the fridge." He informed over his shoulder before I heard him head up the stairs.

I frowned—but brushed it off, "I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Alright." Shigure said with an odd voice.

It didn't take long for me to clean my dishes and get out into the fresh air, away from Shigure's creepy stares and weird voice. He made me feel abnormally uneasy; usually I would just be disgruntled by his nature, but today… I felt edgy by it. Unsettled.

Or maybe it was Yuki who had settled that feeling. His nervous composure, when he first came in he looked anxious—anxious at Shigure, as if he thought Shigure had said something to me…

I frowned and kicked at the dirt, shoving my hands into my pockets.

Dammit, Yuki. Why does he have to make me feel so cynical at times? I was probably still worn from my frantic running-about yesterday evening, even though Yuki had left me to sleep in until near noon.

I wandered about for a while longer, my mind drifting to Yuki—but those five seconds were the only time I had seen him today, he was probably thinking about something Tohru said or… anything stupid that rat always gets all thoughtful about.

Why couldn't I have mind-reading abilities? It was nearly impossible being around Yuki when he gave off that uneasy air, and I couldn't get a clue what he was thinking.

I shook my head, and brushed Yuki out of my mind before I started thinking up stupid answers for something that probably wasn't even going on, and I let my thoughts wander to something else…

I've been going to the Dojo a lot of late, but Shishou was never there. That had bothered me for a while. Last I heard of him, he was taking a trip somewhere else on request—I was, with shameless evidence, disappointed that he was going to be gone the whole summer, maybe even the full year. I wanted to spend it at the Dojo, with him—but then Yuki started to make my life very confusing and difficult, and stole almost every thought in my head for himself.

I wasn't disappointed now that Shishou wasn't here—it would be difficult for me to balance both Shishou and Yuki right now, seeing as Yuki's still such an obsessive part of my life at the moment… and I was still a bit… okay, a bit shy over the fact that Yuki and I have gotten close, and Shishou would no doubt send me those… those glances when he'd think that I wouldn't be looking. I don't think I could take his silent teasing at this stage—but Shishou wouldn't call it teasing.

He's say something stupid, like how he was just a Father dotting on his Son's first intimate relationship—and he'd be careful not to mention how it was with the rat, but I could just imagine how ecstatic that would make him, knowing that I had finally over-come my dominating hate for Yuki.

Dammit, Shishou… as much as I would hate to admit my affections for Yuki to him, there was a lot of places throughout the past few months where I would have really appreciated to talk to Shishou, get his advice. I was still so in need, so dependent on his guidance. I wonder if I'll ever be able to outgrow that.

I leaned against a tree and rested the back of my head against the bark, gazing up at the warmth of the summer. I had a feeling that I would really need his guidance soon.

But it was, after all, just a feeling.

My walk was over when I watched the sun begin to lower from the height of the sky, and I entered back into the house, my stomach hungry once more for lunch. Shigure, Yuki, and I heated up the meal that Tohru left in the fridge, like usual, and sat down at the dinner table.

but, not like usual, Shigure was pretty earnest on capturing me in conversation—and I kept glancing at Yuki, and his silence. He kept his eyes averted from mine, and only opened his mouth to eat.

I didn't like this—he was lost in that damn head of his again, and nothing ever came good of getting lost in your head, I knew that. You'd twist things around, mulling them over in your head—and Yuki was definitely twisting. He had that look in his eyes that I used to be so familiar with. Used to be, but wasn't anymore.

Shigure kept hurtling questions and comments at me, so much that I only had moments in between to shove food in my mouth before I felt the intense need to bark something back at him—and my barking at Shigure wasn't unusual, but I had become more agitated and frustrated at him, and usually Yuki would step in and say something by now.

But Yuki had been completely quiet.

If he thought he could fool me with that performance, then I was definitely insulted.

"Did you meet Tenya?" Shigure sent another question my way, and I felt the hair at the back of my bristle in complete agitation at the repetition, "She's quite a doll, very lovely, just left High School! I would have gone with you to deliver the letter, Kyo, just to meet her once more! Alas, not meant to be, not meant to be."

I ignored him. That was it, I just ignored him, and I glared at Yuki.

There was no way he didn't feel my stare, I was not being subtle, or inconspicuous—in fact, I even heard the slight nervous edge to Shigure's voice as I glared daggers at Yuki.

I snapped, "Alright, that's it!" I shoved myself onto my knees and loomed over the table, "What the hell is going on?!"
Yuki didn't look up at me, even after that, and it was Shigure who answered, "Kyo-Kun, odd outbursts like that are frowned upon in most normal households."

"You shut up!" I barked at Shigure, keeping my eyes on Yuki as he rested his fingers on his brow in exasperation and attempt of ignoring me. That pissed me off more. I reached out and grabbed a hold of his wrist, yanking his hand away from his face—and he finally met my gaze.

"The hell's wrong with you?" I said in a sharp voice.

"Excuse me?" He asked in a calm voice.

"I said—the hell is with you?" Shigure was silent now.

Yuki sighed, "Don't be delusional, cat." He said in a tranquil voice, slipping his wrist from my grip.

I rested my forearms on the table, putting pressure on them to try and ease off my agitation, "I'm gonna find out!" I threatened, and Yuki let out a silent sigh.

"When you're done with your assumptions—" He took his dishes into his hands, "—How about you pick up Honda-San. Haru is busy tonight." Yuki stood up, and without another glance at me, he walked out of the dining room, closing the door behind him.

I stared after him in complete distraught.

"Oh my… how distant of him." Shigure mused, echoing my thoughts, after a moment.

"What's up with him?" I looked back at Shigure and he was scrutinizing my expression with interested eyes—and he kept on staring.

After a moment I started cringing away and narrowing my eyes at his gaze—and I was about to assume that he was daydreaming until he spoke up, "Well, you know Yuki-Kun, always worrying about things."

No… no, he wasn't always worrying about things. He used to be like that, having that odd look in his eyes, as if he were thinking about something he didn't want to, or couldn't understand. Yuki hasn't had that look for a while… and I remember faintly, coming home after Shigure's errand yesterday, seeing that same distant look on his face.

My thoughts kept on telling me that I was just being paranoid in my agitation—but my gut, my instincts, were definitely uneasy.

And I never was one to trust my thoughts above my instincts.

"Should you go talk to him?" Shigure said—and although his words could have been suggesting, his voice was instigating, like he wanted to stir things up.

"Nuh." My voice was frustrated, "No point, if he doesn't wanna tell me, he'll knock my face in before I get anything out of him."

"Oh I see." Shigure mused, "Is that a fact."

"It isn't my business anyways." I tried to brush it aside.

"What if it is?" It wasn't his words, as much as his voice that caught my attention—knowing.
Did he have to mess with me like that?

"Still wouldn't matter." I grumbled, frustrated at my incapability against his stubbornness.

Shigure assessed me for the millionth time today—eyes thoughtful and curious, lips curved in interest and amusement.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What…?"

"I'm interested…" He mused thoughtfully, "This should be very interesting…"

I growled and shoved myself up from the floor, "Could you try being normal for one second? Ya old dog!' I stormed out of the kitchen and made for the kitchen sink, where I disposed my dishes and cleaned them ruthlessly.

I was still scrubbing the soapy dishcloth against my dish when all of a sudden, every ounce of anger drained from my system.

I furrowed my brow in concentration and let my hands sink into the warm, foaming water.

He was… acting weird.

It was normal for Shigure, for one, to act all sceptical and implying… but Yuki was being distant…

This wasn't like, 'what should I do with my future…' distant, this was Yuki distant. Yuki-distant was bad, but it was only today—maybe he'd get over it tomorrow. He always got all sensitive over little stuff...

He probably didn't get a lot of sleep.

There's nothing I should worry about.

It was Yuki... and even if there was something wrong, he wouldn't bother telling me.

He had too much pride for that.

(Yuki's POV)

I let out a breath as I tried to relax my tense muscles—but even the leather seats could give me no comfort.

Suffocating, I placed my hand on the armrest bolted against the car door and pressed onto a reluctant button. I watched as the glass beside me slowly slid into the car, and the fresh summer breeze flooded swiftly into the confines of the vehicle.

My seatbelt was tight against my chest, around my waist. I felt like it was curling around my lungs instead of my body, restrained me from breathing instead of protecting me.

"Does Kyo know."

Hatori's voice was so dull, so passive, that if I hadn't caught the words I would not have thought it was a question, but instead a bored remark about the heat.

"No." I said, my voice detached.

I didn't understand why my body was reacting like this.

I had been expecting this situation for a while now, so I should be quite prepared for what is to come for me. I had to pay for my decisions.

"Don't do anything to instigate the situation." Hatori cautioned.

I nodded stiffly.

"This doesn't have to turn out bad, Yuki."

I closed my eyes.

"Don't do anything rash."

I felt a dead smirk tug at my lips, "Save that for Kyo, Hatori."

Hatori was silent for a moment, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Of course it will." My voice was bitter, but accepting.

"Not if you would at least listen to me, Yuki."

"I'm not leaving him over that."

"Then, I can not help you." Hatori's voice was professional.

There was silence in the car, where I concentrated on the warm summer breeze that flowed in from the open window, weaving through my hair and kissing lightly against my cheek. Somehow, though, the summer air… was unbearably cold.

"He just wants to talk, Yuki."

I was about to retort, when I realised how much I needed to cling to those words, to believe them.

My words would crush those ones; mine would strangle those reassuring words. I needed to hold onto something right now, or things might turn out badly.

There was no reason to sink into that endless void I was only starting to pull myself out of.

There was no reason.

Until the gates opened.

Hatori drove into the Sohma Estate, and my heart rate accelerated with dizzy panic, my lungs throbbed painfully, my throat clenched, and my tongue swelled into the back of my throat.

Something tugged at a dark swell inside of me.

Something tugged at the delicate strings of my heart.

Something tugged at the fragile coils of my mind.

Something dark.

Something waiting.

Tugging ruthlessly.

Was I being a coward…

Or was I being brave…

I could not tell, sitting here, frozen in my seat, nails digging numbly into my palm, the summer warmth shivering desperately into my lungs.

I couldn't find the reason…

No... surely, facing your fears in place of someone you cared for...

surely, that was a brave thing...

...surely...

...surely, not telling Kyo would have been for the best.

Hatori cut the engine.

-End-

-

AN- And we have come to Akito-San. The next chapter should be very interesting to write.
These chapters are getting pretty long, huh?