Chapter 19: The One I Really Love

"Tohru?"

She blinked and looked at Kyo, whose wig she was arranging into his head. "W-What? Am I doing it wrong?"

He sighed. "You've been more absent-minded than usual lately."

She looked down. It's true. Ever since that rainy day that Akito kissed her, she was never ever the same again. She couldn't find the will to smile as brightly as she used to do, because her lips bear the mark of that fateful day.

A kiss of pure hatred. A kiss of pure spite. This was not how she imagined her first kiss to be! She dreamt of sharing that magical kiss with someone she loves.

"I'm worried about you," said Kyo suddenly, face flushed.

"Kyo-kun?"

He looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Ah, Kyo-kun, do not bother yourself with my problems."

"But I want to know what makes you sad, troubled…or even happy. I care about those things!" he burst out. "Because I care about you, Tohru!"

She gasped. "Kyo…kun…"

He looked away. "There, I've said it. I love you, Tohru. I don't know why the hell I did, but now I can't fight it off anymore."

For the first time since days, she smiled. "I love you too, Kyo-kun," she said softly, meeting his eyes. "I love Shigure-san too, and Ayame-san."

His face fell. "I see."

"EEEEEH!!!! Prince Yuki!!!!" the female-dominated crowd cheered.

She and Kyo looked up and saw Yuki, dressed in the prince costume Ayame made for him, being flocked by his fangirls.

"But you love him more, don't you?" he whispered.

She smiled sadly. It was impossibly crazy, but deep in her heart, she does. Owning his heart would make her the happiest girl in the world.

But I can't.

He is owned by the masses.

He is a property of Akito-san.

Plus…

…he couldn't fall in love with someone as ordinary as me.

Who am I?

Just another girl who foolishly fell in love with someone that was too good for me.

Just then, Shigure entered the backstage. "The play is starting in two minutes. Get ready!"

She clasped Kyo's hand. "Goodluck! Break a leg!"

He pinched her nose fondly. "NO matter what, this play is for you, Tohru."

She beamed. "Thanks!"

Why didn't I fall for Kyo-kun instead?

It would have been a lot easier, since he feels the same way for me.

Too bad I can't dictate my heartbeat.

Shigure stepped in front of the audience dressed as "a respectable hermit" as Haru calls his elder cousin's get-up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, plus the people of third and fourth sex, what you shall witness is a modern, upbeat version of a fairy tale classic. Entitled "Snow White and the Twelve Juunishi Beasts", this is a twisted version of Snow White's cursed dwarves."

Kyo, hiding behind the curtain, scowled. "He just had to emphasize the Juunishi dwarves, neh?"

"Ssh!" His fellow actors hushed.

"Now, without further ado, let us start the story." Shigure drew the curtain to the corner.

"Once upon a time, back when there were no burger chains or Chinese take-outs yet, there lived an emperor who was known for his might and power. He had conquered a lot of kingdoms in ancient China, which I had already told you that was so ancient that there was not even a vending machine there, and ruled these vending machine-less kingdoms with an iron hand."

Haru appeared in the scene, dressed in an authentic Chinese emperor outfit that Ayame bought for the play. He was followed by some servants that bow towards their master nervously.

"I want ice cream!" he ordered.

"But Your Majesty, Marco Polo is not going to visit China until several hundreds of years later!" protested his servants weakly.

"Then give me pizza instead!"

"Hawaiian, Your Majesty?"

Shigure interrupted the scene. "However, he was aging, and he wanted a son that would continue what he has started. So he sought the help of the fertility goddess, Vi'ag'rha , and she didn't fail him. She bore him a child, but unfortunately, due to wrong positions in bed, the child became a girl."

( Yuki was burning in fury at the backstage. "That perverted Shigure!")

The novelist continued his solemn narration. "The emperor was disgusted! He ordered the child to be left in the wilderness to die, but the child's mother took pity on the poor soul, so she ordered the social outcasts, the Juunishi animals, to take care of her child. In return, she shall have their paychecks sent to them through mail, and that does not include the daily allowance of the child's diapers, milk and clothes. The wise leader of the clan, the dragon named Ri'To'Ha, agreed. Very, very shrewd, indeed."

Hatori, seated in the audience, scowled. "Damn that dog! Remind me to add muriatic acid to his daily vitamins next time."

A dragon mascot appeared, followed by several animal mascots. "This child is a blessing! Now, what shall we call her?"

The cat raised its hand. "Milky!"

"Shut up! We don't need your opinion!" snapped the rat.

"But she's got milky complexion," agreed the dog. "As white as snow."

"Snow White!!!" chorused the animals.

"That's tacky!" complained the sheep.

"Who cares! As long as we know what to call her," said the cow.

Shigure appeared in the scene once again. "The animals took turns in babysitting their princess. The rat, especially, became very fond of the baby. Soon that baby grew up into a lovely young lady. Only in the cocoon of womanhood, but already a heartbreaker!"

"One lazy afternoon, Snow white and the Juunishi animals were playing hide and seek when she suddenly got lost in the woods. Don't ask me how. She's that stupid, er, naïve."

Kyo trudged into the stage as the audience doubled over with laughter.

"Where am I?" he asked. "Am I lost?" He raised his hand as if calling. "Ki'Yu, Ri'To'Ha? Re'Gu'Shi? Ki'Yo? Where are you guys?"

Shigure walked back to stage followed by mascots of wild animals. "Suddenly, wild animals surrounded the little princess."

Kyo dramatically collapsed on the floor, trembling. "Please…don't hurt me!"

The animals approached him menacingly.

"Oh, please, no!" cried Kyo.

I ran out of lines to say! When is that goddam mouse going to charge?

Damn it, I HATE HIM!!!

"As if hearing her prayers, a young man charged into the scene!" boomed Shigure.

Yuki arrived, dressed in his prince costume, but his eyes were masked by a white cloth, holes cut out to see marginally, but not enough for them to be seen. He took out his sword, and did the choreographed fight scene.

Soon, the mascots fled. Only Yuki and Kyo remained.

"It's ok. It's safe," said Yuki, putting his sword back in place.

Kyo steamed, forgetting that he was in front of the audience. "What took you so long, you doofus?" he snapped.

The audience gasped.

Oops.

Shigure saved the scene. "The princess was so damn mad! She nearly ruined her one-thousand-yen gown because she was rescued late! But when the prince smiled, she instantly melted into the Prince' arms."

Kyo, glaring at his cousin, hugged him. "I'm sorry about my temper," he improvised. "When will I see you again?"

Yuki caressed his cheek. "Take care, Princess. When you need me, I'll be there."

With that, Yuki left the stage, as his fangirls complained of his lack of exposure.

Shigure drew the curtains to a close. "The second act will follow after a short 10-minute recess."

Kyo and Yuki wanted to choke Shigure, but Tohru wanly reminded them that the 10-minute break is enough only for changing costumes.

Kyo withdrew first. "Damn, I'm thirsty!"

Haru quietly handed him a glass of milk. "Here." The neko took one big gulp.

"What took you so long to appear in the scene anyway, Yuki?" Shigure asked.

Yuki groaned. "My hat got stuck on the doorway as I was about to charge."

Soon, it was curtains up for the second act.

Shigure walked into the scene again. "It's been 5 years after that fateful rescue. Princess Snow White is now a fully bloomed rose of 17. Although reluctant to see her off, she must be given chance to interact with other people aside from animals that talk."

The animal mascots appeared once again. Kyo, wearing a different princess gown and a longer wig, was waving at her friends sadly.

"Are you sure you'll be ok alone?" asked the tiger.

Kyo nodded bravely. "The spirit of the woods shall guide me."

"Take care, Snow White," said the rat softly.

Kyo hugged the animal. "Thank you, Ki'Yu. I'll come visit you guys again when I have the time."

"I hate the thought that you shall marry soon," admitted the rat.

Kyo pretended to look puzzled.

"Never mind," said the mouse mascot.

"Bai bai!" chorused the animals as Kyo proceeded to walk.

Shigure appeared. "Soon, she was absorbed in the palace as a maid. Her beauty was not unnoticed. Even the emperor himself was bewitched by her beauty!"

Haru appeared with his servants, and they passed by the sweeping Snow White.

"I'm bewitched by her beauty," said Haru dryly.

"We can see that," agreed Shigure sarcastically. "So, he ordered her to marry him, not knowing that this was the daughter he had thrown away!"

The scene changed into a throneroom. Kyo was kneeling before the emperor respectfully.

"I want you to be my wife," said Haru simply.

Kyo looked up. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you are not my type."

Haru gasped.

"Besides, someone else has caught my heart before," explained the princess.

"I shall hear none of these foolishness!" bellowed the emperor. "So you dare defy me, fair maiden?" He seized Kyo roughly.

"Hey, hands off!" screamed Kyo. And just like what happened in the rehearsal, he threw the emperor ala-judo on the throne. The royal seat was destroyed due to the impact.

Someone in the audience commented loudly. "Wow, Snow White is sure strong!"

Shigure groaned. He messed up the play yet again. And it's up to me to save it yet again.

But before he could speak, the emperor had recovered already and was bent on revenge! "Why, you bitch!" Black Haru proceeded to tear Snow White's tresses.

"Let go! Let go!" cried Kyo. "It hurts, you crazy asshole!"

"Um, did I mention that this play carries a Parental Guidance rating for violence and profanity?" said Shigure meekly.

The play is doomed!

He quickly pulled the curtains to a close. "Third act will continue in just a minute, folks!"

Everyone looked at their copy of the play. "What third act?" they chorused.

"Great, Kyo! Now what are we going to do with the play?" barked Mayu-sensei.

"Improvise," said Shigure. "Let's pick up from what happened, ok?"

"So what do we do?" asked the teacher curiously.

"This," Shigure ushered everyone in a circle and whispered to them the back-up plot.

The curtains raised.

Shigure walked in the scene. "We shall start where we stop - in the violent and bloody fight between the emperor who never tasted defeat or rejection until now, and the Princess Snow White who was fighting desperately for her virginity."

Kyo suddenly fainted. Smoke appeared in the stage, and suddenly Vi'Ag'Rha appeared!

"Huh? You're still alive, you horny old woman!" exclaimed the emperor.

"Yes! I possessed my daughter's body, hoping to kill you because of your evil ways, but it seems that she's too weak, so I decided to leave her body already," said the Chinese goddess. "Now, let's rumble, one-on-one!"

"Fine with me!" said Haru. He started to take off his heavy emperor costume, revealing his smooth flesh. The fangirls started to scream like crazy.

"Oh yeah?" said the goddess challengingly. She started to take her clothes off, to the male audience' delight, but Shigure was quick to shut the curtains close.

All the audience could hear was the sound of punches, kicks and screams, then a thud on the floor.

"The battle is done," said Shigure solemnly. He peeked inside the curtain, then faced the audience. "Both of them are too tired to continue the battle, so-"

Kyo appeared from the curtain. "Where am I?"

Suddenly people slid the curtains away, revealing a crowd of people mobbing around something…or somebody. Who knows?

"What happened to the emperor?" yelled the people. Upon seeing Snow White and Shigure, they glared at them.

"Don't look at me," said Shigure quickly. "I'm just an innocent hermit narrating the events here."

The people began to pull Snow White.

"I didn't do it! Really, I didn't!"

But her screams were not heard.

"Kill her! Kill her!" screamed the mob.

"But how?" one voice asked.

Just then, a peddler appeared. "Poisonous apples! Poisonous apples for sale! We also have poisonous bananas for sale!"

The mob cheered. "We'll poison her!"

Kyo was dragged into the center of the stage and fed the poisonous apple. He suddenly shut his eyes and landed on the floor, sleeping.

"She's dead! Hurray! We have avenged the emperor!"

"Hurray!"

The people started to walk away just as the stage curtains closed.

Shigure smiled at the audience. "And now, for the final scene…"

"Kyo-kun, wake up!" said Tohru, alarmed. "It's your final moment now! You can't go to sleep!"

"You mean you actually poisoned the apple? For real?" said Mayu-sensei incredulously.

"I thought you would like to make things more realistic, sensei," said the propsman, scratching his head. "It's just a tranquilizer anyway. He'll wake up after a few hours."

"We can't wait that long! We need a princess now!" screamed the director.

Haru pointed at Tohru. "Why don't she take Kyo's role? She practiced the script with him, didn't she?"

"Ah, but…!"

Yuki smiled. "She will be perfect."

She blushed before nodding. "Alright."

Soon, Tohru found herself lying on a coffin surrounded by artificial flowers, surrounded by animal mascots.

Shigure began the narration once again. "OK, so it's the parting scene. The Juunishi heard of Snow White's tragic death, so they took Snow White's body that was mercilessly left on the streets for two days already. They cleaned her body and added formalin, which miraculously made her prettier than usual."

"Why did they do such a thing to you?" moaned the dragon. "Why?"

The cat clasped the princess' hand. "Why?"

The boar cried "Why?"

Shigure clicked his tongue. "Everyone had questions, but what can they do? She's dead. Zilch. Zero breath. Flatline."

"But miracles of miracles," continued the narrator. "Vi' Ag' Rah materialized in the scene!"

Smoke filled the stage again, and the Chinese goddess appeared, looking like she had recovered from her battle with the emperor. "I've gotten rid of that damn emperor already, so Snow White, my child, can assume the throne. She can come back to life through a kiss of her one true love."

The rat approached the princess, and smoke filled the stage again.

"This play is a hazard to health," commented Hatori. "This is the fifth release of carbon monoxide in the stage."

The smoke cleared, and Yuki appeared again, dressed like a prince.

"Huh?" his fellow Juunishi mascots chorused.

The goddess smiled. "Let me explain. You see, I've been watching over you guys for quite sometime, and I've noticed that only the rat, Ki'Yu, was taking good care of my daughter, so I allowed him the privilege to turn into human when he wants to."

"That's unfair!" complained the mascots.

"Hah! As if using the money for baby supplies in purchasing Home TV Shopping gizmos is fair too!" retorted the Chinese goddess. She turned to Yuki. "Go ahead, and bring her back to life with your kiss."

"But what if she doesn't wake up?" asked Yuki uncertainly.

"That would be impossible, since you are the only one Snow White loved. It's default, since you were the first guy she laid her eyes on," said the goddess. "If she does not wake up, you've got a bad case of halitosis."

Shigure continued narrating. "So, the prince knelt down before the princess and kissed her back to life."

Yuki looked at Tohru uncertainly, before leaning down to kiss her.

Tohru shut her eyes and prepared herself for the pain she felt when Akito kissed her.

But she felt none. In fact, as his lips touched hers delicately, she felt overwhelming joy in her heart. She could feel her heart spin dizzily, but she didn't care.

This is the magic of the real first kiss given by a person I truly love!

His lips left hers, and she opened her eyes. She sat up as Yuki assisted her.

The audience clapped wildly as Yuki and Tohru stood up finally.

Shigure walked to the center of the stage. "So, with that, the Princess Snow White returned to her father's palace with her mother and assumed her father's reign. She and the Prince Ki'Yu were married and…"

"…they lived happily ever after!" finished the audience before they stood up to give the actors a standing ovation.

The play has ended. Everyone was being congratulated, especially Yuki, whose fangirls were around him again. Smiling, Tohru took off her wig. Despite the minor setbacks, everything turned out fine.

Okaasan, I'll never ever forget this wonderful day. The day Yuki kissed me.

She walked out of the dressing room to fetch everyone a tray of refreshments when she bumped into somebody. She looked up to apologize but froze.

It was Hatori.

"Honda Tohru. Just the person I was looking for." With that, he covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

Everything turned black.

tsuzuku

final chapter to be out soon! Syao thanks you for reading Kimi o Kanjiru Suru!!!