The closer they got to the wedding, the more Yuki's dreams turned into nightmares. What used to be dreams full of joy, affection, and even lust were now dreams of loss and heartache.

In one, he was kissing her passionately, only to have her be ripped from his arms by an unknown force. She stood beside Kyo moments later. They would begin undressing each other. He tried to scream, cry, cover his eyes, or turn away, but he couldn't. He was paralyzed, watching them take each other on the front lawn of Shigures home.

He hated that dream the most. He always felt so dirty, so lonely after having it.

He had been talking to his girlfriend, Machi, less often, giving the excuse of wedding planning so she wouldn't be worried. In reality, he had very little to do with the planning. Every now and then he would be asked to make a phone call, but he didn't do much.

About two weeks from the event, Kyo and Tohru asked to stay the night at Shigures house. They claimed that it was because of the late night meeting Tohru had with Hatori.

Yuki found it suspicious, wondering why Hatori would need to meet at Shigures instead of at their home. Still, he never asked. In all honesty, he enjoyed being able to see Tohru.

After their meeting, Tohru returned from Kyo's bedroom alone, coming downstairs to make herself some tea.

"Decaf?" Yuki wondered aloud, entering the kitchen behind her and peering over her shoulder. She jumped, startled by his question more than his presence.

"Oh, uh, yea! I just decided to cut back on caffeine, you know, for health reasons..." She trailed off, making Yuki raise a brow. He noted her nervousness, wondering if it had anything to do with her finding out about the kiss.

"Do I make you nervous?" He asked quietly, his voice reflecting the sadness he felt. Tohru turned to face him, wide eyed.

"What? Why would you make me nervous?" She asked, perplexed.

He stepped closer to her, placing her small hands in his own. He became overwhelmed, the last month of dreams and thoughts clouding his mind and heart, threatening to pour out of him. He tugged on her hands, wrapping her in his warm embrace with unfamiliar force, as if she would slip away if he let go.

"Yuki..." Tohru breathed into his shoulder.

He seemed upset, but she didn't know why. Was it something she said? She wrapped her arms around his trembling torso, gently pressing her fingertips into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Tohru." He spoke, sounding on the verge of tears. She relaxed her shoulders, smiling at his use of her first name.

"Yuki, you have nothing to apologize for." She insisted. He shook his head, burying it into the nape of her neck.

"But I do. So, so much. And I can't even tell you, because I'm selfish. I'm afraid you will want to run from me. I'm afraid you will hate me." He confessed, screwing his eyes shut in hopes that it would keep the tears in. She moved her right hand up, stroking his feathery hair to bring him comfort.

"I could never hate you." She assured him.

A weird sense of deja vu washed over her after she spoke those words, mixing with the sweet scent of Yuki's hair to give her a sort of reminiscence. She couldn't help but smile.

He seemed to recognize the phrase as well, tensing before his whole body relaxed in her arms. He lifted his head, leaning his forehead against hers. He could steal a kiss if he wanted to, but he knew he could never do that again. He was done taking advantage of her, so instead he asked, "when did it happen? When did you choose him over me? When.. did you fall in love?"

With that, his eyes met hers. Her hand moved to his chest, clutching at his shirt. In her eyes he saw love and pity. But not like the love he felt for her. No, her love was pure and selfless.

"I.. I didn't know how you felt. It wasn't a choice for me.. I only ever knew Kyo and I.."

Of course. How could he be so selfish as to expect her to love him back, when he never even bothered telling her how he felt? He knew early on how she felt about Kyo. If he were being honest with himself, he had chosen to back down after realizing that Kyo's feelings mimicked hers. Which gave him even more reason to bury this stupid crush.

He began to laugh, his warm breath tickling Tohru's lips which were mere inches away from his. His laugh turned from melodious to madness, as he moved to rest his forehead on her shoulder, his body trembling against hers.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" Kyo asked, startling them into silence. They glanced over in unison, seeing Kyo standing in the doorway with Shigure smirking behind him.

With one final sigh, Yuki kissed Tohru on the forehead and pushed off of her. Surprisingly, Kyo showed more confusion than anger at his kiss. It was almost as if everyone could feel that it was goodbye. Not for good, obviously. They were soon to be family, after all. But a secret goodbye. One from the heart.

Yuki gave Tohru a gentle smile before walking past his two cousins and ascending the stairs.

"Well, I think I'm going to call it a night. It is past midnight, you know. I don't know why your check up couldn't wait until tomorrow since you two were so busy with wedding appointments today. Oh well, you know Hatori and his scheduling." Shigure sighed before walking up to Tohru, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead, and wishing them both goodnight. Once he was gone, Kyo pouted.

"What is it with those two and putting their dirty mouths on you all of a sudden?" He grumbled under his breath. She giggled, moving to embrace him in the doorway.

"So what did Yuki want, anyway?" He asked, resting his hands on her hips. She looked away hesitantly, unsure if their conversation was supposed to be private. "I won't get mad." He reassured her, pushing a loose strand of her hair from her face. She softened, melting into his embrace.

"He.. he asked me when I chose you. And he said that he did something bad, but he couldn't tell me because he was afraid I would hate him."

"Why the hell would he bring that up?" Kyo growled, making Tohru jump.

"Wait, bring what up? Do you know what he was talking about, Kyo?" Her big eyes pierced his. She was worried about him, that much he could tell. Still, he swore never to tell her what actually happened. He didn't even know the whole thing, himself. Only that Yuki kissed her back.

Damn Yuki.

He didn't notice his clenched fists until Tohru began to massage them in her small and delicate hands. He rested his head on her shoulder, releasing his frustration in the process.

"Yes, I know. But-"

"Don't worry, Kyo. I understand. I can tell that it's a sensitive subject for both of you. Though, there isn't anything that he could have done to make me hate him."

Kyo's eyes furrowed.

"Really? Nothing?"

This irritated Kyo. Would she really not care if she knew? What if he had gone further than a kiss? Doesn't she care? Or is her love for him that strong?

"Nope. Don't get me wrong, I would be upset by a few things. Mostly hurt, I imagine. But Yuki has always been special to me. It just seems silly to condemn him for something that he is clearly remorseful for."

"So, without even knowing what he did.. you forgive him?"

"Of course I do."

Special to her? She clearly loved Yuki, in the type of unconditional way that only she could do. Kyo grew somber.

"Kyo? What's wrong?" She asked, gently stroking his cheek.

"If.. if he had told you how he felt... would you have chosen him?"

Tohru looked surprised by his question. Then, her brows furrowed in frustration as she brought both hands up to cup each of his cheeks.

"No. I've always loved you. It's only ever been you, Kyo. You.. you were the main reason I was so determined to break the curse. I love Yuki." Kyo flinched. "But I also love Shigure, and Ayame, and Momiji, and Kisa.. all of the Sohmas are so special to me. But my heart has and always will belonged to you." She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before meeting his eyes again.

Kyo blushed. He wasn't used to this kind of blunt affection. Her confession brought him more joy than he could handle, shown by his arms errupting into goosebumps. A resulting shiver flowed through him, making Tohru smile one of the most stunning smiles he had ever seen. He moved his hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head in his palm.

"I love you so much." He whispered, leaning down to deliever a tender kiss on her lips. "Damn it. I want to take you home.. I.. I need you.." he confessed, his other hand gently stroking the side of her waist. His eyes were hooded, the look of desire boaring into her.

She gulped, tangling both of her hands into his long orange hair.

"Your old room..?"