"He isn't answering his phone! Shigure, what do we do?"

"Calm down, Tohru. I'm sure he's fine. I'll call Hatori." Shigure quickly dialed his cousin, who promptly answered his phone as he always did.

"Hatori Sohma."

"Hey, Hatori! I'm with Tohru here-"

"You're what?" Hatori growled.

"Ah, dont worry, I'm behaving. Anyway-"

"Didn't I tell you not to come to Hokkaido?"

"Yes, but listen to me. Has Kyo been by yet?"

"Of course. He left twenty minutes ago. So explain to me why-"

Shigure shut his phone, giving Tohru a look of apologetic concern. "I'll go find him." He declared, slipping on his coat and shoes. Tohru bounded to the door, beginning to don her own clothes. "No, Tohru. Kyo would kill me if I let you come with me. Please, just stay."

"But-"

"If you want to help, just stay here and wait. He could return any minute, and he might need help when he does."

Defeated, Tohru held her coat to her chest. Shigure nodded in thanks, twisting the door handle. The wild wind outside caused it to fly open, a flurry of snow to piling in the entryway. Tohru shivered at the sudden temperature drop as fear grew inside of her, a tempest of thoughts of where Kyo could be. Shigure shielded his eyes with one hand, using the other to grab the doorknob.

"I will find him, Tohru. He's okay."

Then, silence. Nothing but the snow melting on the brick entryway floor and the faint sound of howling wind through the walls.

"Kyo." She whispered, almost as a prayer. She knew he was strong. He knew more about outdoor survival than anyone she'd ever met, and he never went down without a fight. Still, she never expected the storm to be so bad. The forest was dense, but not enough to shade them from the overwhelming quantities of snow that threatened to blanket the world in white. She moved back to the fireplace, running her fingers through the hair that cascaded down her chest and praying that Kyo would return safely to her.

Meanwhile, the storm was merciless. Shigure called desperately into the wood. The sky almost resembled night time, the flurries blocking most of the suns rays. Why wouldn't Kyo be back by now? An uneasy feeling surfaced in his gut.

If he were still a dog, perhaps he would be able to track Kyo by scent. Unfortunately, his powers disappeared along with the curse.

Keeping the warm glow of the cabin at his back, Shigure traveled towards where he knew Hatori was staying. By this point, his ankles were damp with the melting snow. He was not dressed for an expedition. Shivers racked his body, his lips beginning to pale after only a few minutes of the frigid voyage.

Within minutes, he spotted a dash of orange amongst the white. He focused on that spark of color, dragging his feet through the heavy and newfallen snow.

Kneeling, he took in Kyo's appearance. His face was pale, and his lips were blue. His lashes had accumulated a thin frost, but he appeared to be breathing. Using what little energy he had left, Shigure lifted Kyo, pulling one of his arms around his neck and using his arm to support him by the waist.

His legs began to feel numb as he ascended the last hundred feet to the cabin door. Breathing became painful, each breath creating prickly pins in his throat and chest. How Kyo was still alive after being out there for so long was nothing short of a miracle.

Eventually, he made his way to the door, only having the energy to lean his head against it, nearly dropping Kyo in the process. Tohru was quick to answer, a gasp escaping her lips as the two men poured into the entryway.

Quickly, she pulled them further inside, shutting out the cold before covering them both with the duvet from the bedroom. She watched as the color began to return to their faces, their breathing becoming more ragged and strained. She tried Kyo, but to no success, so she decided to focus on Shigure, shaking his shoulders and calling to him. He groaned in response, opening his eyes for a brief moment before darting to sit.

"Kyo!" He shouted, looking frantically around the room. Shigures dark hair was matted to his ears and face, his wet clothes causing him to shake.

"I called Hatori, Kyo won't wake up." She managed to choke out through her sobs. Shigure stood, seeming to calm down as he took in the situation.

"Tohru, can you get me a robe, please? And a warm blanket? I cant stay in these clothes or I'll freeze." She nodded, ignoring the fact that the trembling Shigure was stripping off each layer of his clothing.

Upon her return, she averted her eyes while Shigure donned the robe.

"Please, help me with Kyo's."

"You want to take off his clothes?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes, he's going to die if we don't get him warm, and I dont think he would want me doing it."

She nodded, rushing to Kyo's side and ripping away every wet piece of fabric that clung to his body. Lifting his head, she noticed a mix of blood and melting ice fall onto her hands. Stifling her panic, she proceeded to drape the warm blanket over his naked and stiff body. With a nod, Shigure lifted him, carrying him to the couch as the front door swung open.

"If I hadn't come, you two would have been dead. Honestly." Hatori complained, wasting no time rushing to Kyo's side. "What the hell happened?" He snapped at Shigure, who was still shivering by the fire.

"He was under a tree. He's bleeding from his head. He had to have been out there for over twenty minutes."

Hatori mumbled a curse before carefully turning Kyo to see the damage. There appeared to be a small gash on the top back of his head, undoubtedly the reason for his unconsciousness. He did his best to push Kyo's long hair to the side so he could apply a small and temporary bandage to the wound.

"Tohru, I think they could use some tea." He stated, not bothering to look away from his task. Tohru wiped her tears, quickly exiting to the kitchen.

"Is he okay?" Shigure asked, his voice still hoarse from the cold.

"Its hard to say without proper tests. I have already notified the nearby hospital, but they suspect it could be over an hour before help arrives due to the storm. I suspect a branch fell and hit him on the head, judging by the needles in his hair. Hes lucky you found him when you did. He wouldn't have lasted much longer." Hatori paused, furrowing his brows. "You saved his life."

Shigure sucked in a harsh breath, his eyes widening at Hatori's words. He didn't respond, because he had nothing to say. He was no hero. He just did what he had to in order to keep his promise to Tohru. He brought Kyo home.

Tohru reentered, seemingly much more put together than when she left. She handed Shigure a cup as he sat on the brick base of the fireplace. The tea burned on it's way down, but the added honey also seemed to soothe his throat. He winced at the sensation.

Tohru offered another cup to Hatori, who was currently massaging Kyo's freezing limbs back to life. He nodded a thanks, when Kyo's half frozen lids began to flutter.

"Kyo!" They all shouted, the other two rushing to his side.

His eyes slowly opened, trying his best to focus on the figures before him. He opened his mouth, a shaky breath escaping, but nothing more.

"Kyo, are you okay?" Tohru asked desperately.

With one final look at his love, Kyo's lids began to feel impossibly heavy, as he once again drifted back into the darkness.