Sorry guys! My husband and I caught the corona so we've not felt like doing much:) That thing is annoying as I'll get out, but it wasn't bad for us thankfully and our toddler didn't get it so that's a huge yay!

Chapter 33

Disclaimer: menstrual cycles discussed in a bit of detail, but nothing too gory:)

Kyomi woke up in pain. She groaned and curled up in the fetal position on her side, half asleep wondering why her lower abdomen ached so badly. Her eyes flew open realizing what it was and flew out of bed to the bathroom. She groaned as she realized she needed a change of underwear, pants and sheets. She quickly grabbed underwear before going back to the bathroom to take a quick shower and let the water massage her lower back. Her cramps always went to her lower back. She smiled slightly to herself reminiscing about being in labor with Luc. She hadn't been able to sit at all when the contractions hit because the pain shot through her lower back into her tailbone.

She let the hot water wash over her and let the water pressure massage her back. She heard the bedroom door open and a strangled sound come from the person who had entered.

"Kyomi?! Are you alright?" Shigure said from just outside the closed bathroom door. "What happened?" He said worriedly.

"My monthly visitor decided to make an appearance that I wasn't expecting is all. I'll wash your sheets in a bit Gure. Sorry about scaring you." She said.

"You sound tired, are you okay?" He asked a little concerned. He hadn't been around a woman who was on their period, at least that he had been aware of, so he wasn't exactly sure what to do.

Kyomi smiled at his consideration. "I'll be alright. The first day or two are the worst, but then it lightens up for me. Oh! Can you do me a big favor and call the school and tell them I need a sick day please? I'm gonna need it today." As much as the water was helping, she hadn't been in this much pain since Luc's birth and wanted to talk to Hatori just to be safe. She had always had painful cramps, but never this bad nor had she ever been this heavy. Suddenly her eyes bulged. She hadn't had a period since she had had one of her ovaries removed last summer. She really had to call Hatori now. He had warned her it might be bad and it seems like the doctor had been correct. She stayed in the shower until the heat of the water started to hurt then got out and dressed. She went into the kitchen to grab some ibuprofen when she heard Shigure hang up the phone.

"I called Hatori. He's coming over just to be safe." He saw Kyomi leaning against the counter in her journey to get her medicine and he decided to massage her lower back. Hatori had given him a few pointers as to how to help her handle the pain. She nearly melted to the floor when he started it felt so good.

"You can't ever stop doing that." she groaned through her arms where her head had landed. He continued his ministrations with one hand and grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen and tucked that in his pocket so he could grab a glass of juice.

"Come on, back to bed." He coaxed her and she finally lifted herself off the counter and followed him. She nearly pulled him over from grabbing his sleeve so tightly and laying her head against his shoulder.

"Has it ever hurt this much before my dear?" He asked her as he helped her lie back in bed. She shook her head as she curled back up in the fetal position. He got her medicine into her and some juice before he smoothed her hair out of her face and just started gently stroking her hair. The edges of her mouth tweaked a little at this and she visibly relaxed. She was asleep when Hatori got there.

"How is she?" The doctor asked as he came in. Thankfully the teens had left the door unlocked on their way out that morning. Luc had been slightly irritated that he hadn't been able to see his mother, but he had been able to see Shigure and had been assured his mother would see him when he got home from school. This along with a huge hug from his soon to be step father had pacified the boy and he skipped off to school with his uncle and the rest.

"I've never seen her this bad." Shigure commented. "Well, not at least since what happened last summer and had just gotten out of the hospital." He amended.

"Well, she hasn't had a cycle since then so it stands to reason the first one would be worse than usual. I told her at her it could either be worse or much lighter than normal. Unfortunately, my first assumption was correct." Hatori was almost talking to himself at the end as he started checking his long time friend. He tried to be as gentle as he could so he wouldn't wake her. Then he reached the point where he had to see how heavy she was menstruating. He glanced at his other long time friend.

"You need to step out for a moment." The doctor said.

"Why would I need to step out? This is my fiancé you are inspecting you know." Shigure retorted, mostly irritated that Hatori wasn't just getting on with the check up than actually insulted.

"I need to see how heavily she's bleeding…" Hatori deadpanned.

Shigure instantly paled and got up to leave. "Just let me know when the coast is clear…" he said as he closed the door behind him.

Hatori gently woke Kyomi up, telling her what he needed. She had to use the restroom anyway so she went and did so and then let him check the pad she was disposing off. Even she was a little disturbed since it hadn't been that long since she had showered and changed.

"Hmm, that it more than usual for you correct?" Hatori clarified.

"Umm yes, the cramps are way worse than usual too. If Shigure wouldn't have transformed, he probably would have carried me back to bed earlier. I'm just thankful the medicine kicked in so it's much more bearable now." She said settling back in bed in a comfy position. She was also glad she didn't feel the need to curl up as much even though there was still an ache.

"Alright, stay on top of your medicine. The worst only lasts about two days for you normally correct?" Kyomi nodded her affirmation. "In that case, if it's still this bad two days from now, call me and I'll see what we need to do. In the meantime, I'll leave some slightly stronger pain medicine for you and some home remedy and food ideas for you to help with the blood loss. There's things you can do that will help without needing a hospital."

"Sounds good Tori. Thank you for coming over." Kyomi mumbled from underneath her covers, already on her way to falling back asleep. Hatori patted her head affectionately before pulling the covers up over her shoulder. He got up and went back into the living room where Shigure was waiting for him.

"I'll write down some things for her and as long as this doesn't last longer than a few days, she should be fine." Hatori said writing his notes for the couple.

"A few days? I thought you would be taking her to the hospital!" Shigure said a little anxious. Hatori side eyed his friend.

"You know most women go through this every month, right? She knows what she needs. Just listen to her, she's better than most about asking for help when she needs it. She trusts you." Hatori said helping himself to a cup of tea.

"Of course! What's not to trust?" Shigure said haughtily, then sobered. "I just hate it when she isn't feeling herself." He admitted sipping his tea.

"All of us do. It means you care." Hatori said patting his friend on the head. Shigure glared at the doctor.

"Well of course I care. I asked her to marry me, didn't I?" The author said finishing his tea. The two friends sat and chatted for a little longer before Hatori had to head back.

…..

After the doctor left, Shigure snuck back into his bedroom as Kyomi napped. He sat at his desk and wrote for awhile before he heard her stir. He checked the time, mentally cursing at both it and himself. It had been nearly six hours since Hatori had left and about eight since her last pain medicine. He got up and refreshed her glass. He handed her the medicine before she was even fully awake. She rubbed her eyes and blinked at the pills in her hand for a second before taking them.

She thanked Shigure and slowly rolled out of bed, checking the sheets as she went. She made a quick run to the bathroom before curling back up under the blankets to finish waking up.

"How long have I been asleep Gure?" She asked yawning. She actually wasn't feeling too bad since she took the medicine Hatori had left.

"About six hours, I think. You do snore adorably." He teased from his desk, smirking at her over his shoulder and glasses.

She groaned as she sat up. "I guess I needed the sleep." She stopped and glared at Shigure. "I don't snore." He laughed and stood.

"I've been writing right here as you slept." He walked over to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead and poked her nose gently. "You definitely snore." He chuckled as she whacked him with a pillow.

"Hungry? Tohru left some breakfast leftovers for you." Kyomi's stomach growled and she grinned sheepishly.

"I guess I do need to eat something." They both went into the kitchen to grab some food for them both.

They were sitting in the living room as the teens trickled in from school. Luc sat next to his mother after giving her a big bear hug and showed her all the artwork he did at school that day and had her help him with the 'homework' he brought back. It was just a coloring page for the number and shape of the week and lyrics and motions for a song. The song was actually for the music class Kyomi taught so she was able to teach it to him easily. The teachers had passed out a new song for the kids to practice with their parents for Kyomi since she was out sick that day. Shigure was just sitting reading the paper, Kyomi's book she had been reading was forgotten as she worked and played with her son. Shigure would glance over his paper at them with a soft grin on his face occasionally.

When Tohru came in, she fussed over Kyomi for a second before the older woman assured her, she would be fine. Kyomi was indeed telling the truth; things had returned to pretty much her normal cycle after the scare that morning. Tohru went to cook dinner since it was her turn and was in the kitchen when Kyo came in and grabbed a drink. He mentioned that Rin would probably be moving in with his Master.

"Kyo, you don't have to worry! You are still number one in Master's eyes! I know it!" Tohru said animatedly. It just made Kyo do a spit take. Luc giggled at his uncle.

"Uncle Ko made a mess." Luc giggled. Kyomi barely contained her own giggles at her brother.

"Would you relax? I know that. I'm not worried at all. Besides, it will be good for him to have someone around the place with him. Less likely for him to get lonely." Kyo said honestly. Kyomi stiffened in her seat, grabbed her book, stood abruptly and went to sit on the porch. Luc barely paid her any attention since he was already back to his coloring. He had told his mother he was coloring it for Uncle Ko since their color of the week was orange. Luc had exclaimed, "it's Uncle Ko's hair!" Shigure watched Kyomi go over the top of his newspaper, knowing exactly what it was that bothered her.

Kyomi missed the rest of the conversation, but when Tohru called everyone to the table that night, Kyo didn't come down.

…

A few days later, Kyomi was walking to Kazuma's dojo to pick up Luc from his class. Kyo was home studying for a test so he hadn't been able to take Luc. Kyomi had left a little early so she was taking her time and enjoying her walk. She also got a little distracted and took the wrong turn so she came up on the dojo from the side. She was coming around the side of the building when she heard Shigure's voice. As she listened to him, her hand came up to cover her mouth. Tears pricked at her eyes. She wasn't sure who he was talking to, but she knew all of what he was saying. She had known it since she was young. She had hated the fact that her best friends had held these feelings deep in their hearts, but since she had found out that Kyo was her brother and then her relationship with Shigure had blossomed, she hated it even more. She didn't blame them. No, she knew exactly what to blame. Especially after her talk with Momiji after his curse broke, her belief that the curse was at the heart of it grew only stronger.

"Because that is the Cat's "Role". All of us are monsters. Miserable, Misshapen creatures. Don't tell me you think we're happy like this? That we enjoy being freaks? Do you know how many handicaps we have, how much pain we go through, just to survive within the framework of this world...? What it's like to not be able to hold the love of your life in your arms when she cries or is in pain? To look forward to living a life together and not even be sure you can do so? Or what it will do to her? Do you? To us, the existence of the Cat is our salvation. Without him, our lives would be completely unbearable. You see-that monster is the ugliest of us all. He's inferior to us all. So it's only natural for him to be discriminated against, disrespected, and locked up. The rest of us look at the way he's treated-and we signed with relief. "Thank God," We think. "At least I'm better off than that." You should ask the others sometimes. "Did you know he was going to be confined? Deep down, don't you feel superior to him?" They won't know what to say. The Cat was prepared as an outcast creature...for our sakes. And Kyo...knows that too-."

"Shigure!" Kyomi heard Tohru's voice, nearly in tears just like herself.

"Mad at me?" Shigure said, sounding slightly apologetic. Kyomi didn't heard Tohru's response before Shigure continued.

"The cat's burden will end too… sooner or later. It's not that I believe Kureno's story without question, but it does match what my gut tells me. The older of us believe the same, Kyomi too. However, you said eventually isn't good enough. Are you hoping to save him? Do you love hi…?" She didn't hear the rest of what Shigure said because she saw Tohru run away down the street.

She vaguely heard Rin ask if Tohru really loved Kyo as she pushed herself off the side of the building and came around the corner behind Shigure and Rin. Rin gasped when she saw me and hurried into the dojo. Shigure turned when he heard Rin and saw Kyomi standing there, staring at the ground deep in thought. He sighed and walked to face her. He raised a hand to brush the tears off her cheeks and she jumped a little at the contact. Her eyes flying up to meet his, only to fill with more tears.

"You heard it all?" Shigure asked her quietly. Kyomi nodded, eyes shifting away from his as she wiped them.

"Yeah, most of it I think anyway." She said quietly. She buried her cheek in his palm, cradling it in her own. "I have known all of that for years, but hearing you lay it out so callously isn't easy to hear." She said. Shigure sighed in understanding.

"I suppose I could have been more gentle in explaining it, but if she truly loves Kyo, then she needs to understand it all." Shigure said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I know you're right. Doesn't make it any easier to hear." Kyomi whispered and Shigure laid his forehead on the top of her head. They stood there for a few minutes before they heard Luc barreling through the dojo on his way to them.

Quote pulled from wiki/Shigure_Sohma/Quotes and is from the manga and added to for my own purposes:) also some conversation pulled from the anime.