Kyo was devouring his just-hunted meal hungrily when he suddenly remembered that tomorrow was suppose to be the day that he and Kagura were going to announce the day of their wedding.
Somehow, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He winced as he remembered the nasty words he told Kagura yesterday.
"Maybe I was just being too harsh. I shouldn't have let my anger go out of control," he said regretfully. "Even she does not deserve that, even if she was being a pain in my ass."
Kagura's shocked face came back to his mind again. He vehemently shook his head.
"I love my freedom. I need this freedom," he told himself, trying to sound convincing. "And I'm happy."
His heart laughed bitterly.
Of course he was lying through his teeth. In one way or another, he had learn to care for his cousin. And knowing that it was he who hurt her terribly after all those times that he told her that no one would dare hurt her while he was around…it was doubly painful.
"My beloved Kyo, my moon, my stars, my sun…they all revolve around you," said Kagura one breezy morning as they were strolling around the town.
As usual, he was embarrassed by her frank declaration of love. "I know," he said in his usual exasperated way, but deep inside it made him feel good. All his life he was treated like an outsider in the family only because the cat wasn't part of the Juunishi. It was only Kagura and Kazuma-sensei who loved him wholly.
Especially Kagura.
"I know that someday we'll get married," she continued. "How many children do you want?"
His face flamed. "Children? You're crazy! We're just fifteen!"
She sighed dreamily. "But all my life, all I've been dreaming of is to serve a husband like you and mother our beautiful kids."
He paused. "You're a decent singer. Why don't you just be one and leave our kingdom? Travel around the world. Why do you have to tie yourself to me?"
She smiled. "My moon, my stars, my sun…they are yours, Kyo. Most especially my heart. Always and forever yours. Perhaps you will not love me the way I want you to, but I can't stay away from you. I do love-"
Kyo looked away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
She laughed. "You're blushing!"
His eyes widened. "I-I'm not!" He turned his back on her.
He then heard his cousin's delighted cry. He turned and saw Kagura climbing up a tree, trying to reach the white flower. "Kagura!" he yelped.
"T-This is…your favorite flower," she said, looking down at him. "Right?" She reached for another branch. "Let's give this to your mother's grave."
"Kagura!" He climbed up the tree too. However, the tree couldn't accommodate both of their weight, so the branch Kagura was holding on broke. She fell down.
But Kyo quickly jumped down too and hugged her. Before they both hit the ground, he was able to change their position, with him below to absorb the impact of the fall.
Crash!
Kagura opened her eyes and found the wincing Kyo looking at her.
"You are an idiot! Why did you climb that tree when you don't know how to climb one?" he yelled.
She looked frightened. "But I just want to make you happy. I know you like white flowers and-"
"Now look what you did!" he barked. He tried to sit up, but he quickly grasped his shoulder in pain.
"Kyo!" Her eyes welled up with tears. "You shouldn't have followed me!"
"What?! Knowing what a helpless dumbass you are, what happened to me could have happened to you!" he said. "And I won't be able to live with myself if something bad happened to you." His eyes widened when he realized what he just said.
Kagura was shocked, to put it mildly.
"Stop looking at me like that!" he shouted.
"Kyo!" She embraced him tightly.
Her touch. Her warmth. Kyo smiled silently. Kagura could be so warm and nice when she wasn't her usual destructive self.
"Oh Kyo, I love you so much!" she cried over and over.
But no, he couldn't find the guts to tell her how much she meant to him. So what else should he do?
He mocked a frown. "My arm! Don't break my arm!" he yelped.
Kagura looked out at the midnight skies, wondering where could Kyo be right now.
"I wonder if he's cold. It's awfully chilly tonight," she said to herself.
Even after Tohru's pep talk, she still couldn't find the will in her heart not to care about Kyo. After all, it was only he whom she devoted her whole life to. It was only he whom her whole life revolved around to.
She shook her head. "Starting tomorrow, I'll stop thinking of him. I'll stop missing him."
Tohru-chan is right. Many men would move heaven and hell just to go on a date with me. Kyo is not the only guy in the kingdom.
Demo…
He's the only guy I love…
Tohru was bringing Shigure a tray of snacks when she overheard a conversation. She was about to leave the tray outside the door when she heard Yuki's voice. She paused.
The novelist stood up. "Anyway, Yuki, you have a plan on your ball tomorrow night."
Yuki nodded. "I want her to pretend to be a princess so I can choose her in the ball."
"Huh? Really?"
"I told you, Shigure, I don't want to get married to any of those women."
"So you're using Tohru-kun to escape, huh?"
Silence.
"Or do you love her?" pressed the writer.
"She means nothing to me," said Yuki.
Another silence.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
He just used me. And after all the explanations I gave on love and marriage.
She walked away.
He is the Ice Prince, alright. He does not know love, and never will.
"Just like Hatori. You're a complete liar," said Shigure. This made the young prince' defense crumble. His eyes softened.
"I love her, Shigure," Yuki confessed. "But I keep losing my guts whenever I want to tell her that."
Shigure didn't even looked surprised .
"So, aren't you going to say anything?" the Ice Prince asked, waiting for his cousin to laugh hysterically or howl or do something Shigure-like.
But the elder Sohma didn't. Instead, he frowned concernedly. "It wouldn't be easy for you, Yuki. Breaking away from the customs of our clan would take extraordinary will and sacrifice."
"What do you mean?"
Shigure looked away. "Once upon a time, Hatori once loved a maid too, but their story ended tragically. Akito objected, so no marriage took place."
"Hatori?" Yuki couldn't believe it. The cold Sohma actually loved in the past?
"And the reason why he wanted to send Tohru-kun away was to protect her. Akito would surely discover about you and Tohru one of these days, so in order to keep her away from harm, he dismissed her. Unfortunately, Akito learned of the incident – I don't know how- so he talked to her, I think."
Yuki was stunned.
Shigure sighed. "Apparently, Tohru didn't tell Hana what Akito told her."
The prince nodded. "I see." He stood up. "Thanks Shigure."
"Anytime."
Yuki opened the door and found a tray of food outside.
Tohru came here? But why didn't she knock?
Okaasan, I was a fool. I thought…Yuki would have known by now the sanctity of marriage. And now he's planning to use me just to escape something.
But I do love him, Okaasan, so tomorrow night I will pretend that I still know nothing.
.