AN: I am BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! –dodges all the vegetables and random crap
flying my way- WELL, I apologize over and over again about my uber
lateness. I'm really not good at keeping up with fanfiction -____- but I
promise I will not let you down! This story is about... er... 2/3 way into the
end? There's still plenty of plot twists and I still need to think of an
ending! But it will be finished before its 1 year anniversary, which is in
June. ^^ Again, I would like to thank EVERYONE that has supported me during
my lack of motivation periods. I thank all the reviewers (duh), flamers,
complainers, and insulters even! I do not count reviews that are urging me
to update, or commenting on how much of a copy this story is as flames. I
understand that it is very similar and that is why, starting this chapter,
things are warping! *woogly woogly!* Now that highschool's pretty much
settled into, my personal problems are all taken care of and my love for FB
has returned (hurray!) I can update much more frequently. I have introduced
a new character (it's not OC). Personally, I adore him ^^ But please tell
me if it was a good idea to make this change. If it's not, I'll re-do this
chapter and post it with number twelve around next week. I PROMISE YOU I
WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN LONGER. If I don't update within a week, please email
me and remind me. Tahaha.
Anyways, enough of a delay. Here is the newest chapter!!
RECAP: Tohru and Kyou confirm their love, yada yada. They have decided to run away together! (aww)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tohru was breathless as Kyou dragged her hand up the hill towards the bus station. The two laughed like carefree children. A night bus was arriving on the horizon. They rushed their tired footsteps, to run away, quickly, away from all of this, away from everything, to somewhere the two of them could stay together, forever.
The two clambered quickly onto the bus, dropping a couple of coins into the box. With a jolt of start from the bus, they continued to laugh as they reached the seats in the back. Grinning, they plopped down in the large space, in the empty bus. Kyou sighed contentedly, Tohru mirroring his move. Their eyes met once again. Shyly, they looked away, grinning and blushing like fools.
All the while, their hands remained intertwined, holding on, tightly.
Never, ever letting go.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kazuma stood stiffly. "What? Who and who? Go where?"
Yuki just couldn't face them. His once tidy white shirt was drenched in sweat, the buttons undone, the shirt hanging loosely around his skinny frame. His gray hair shielded his eyes from view as his breaths came out in hoarse pants. He managed to spit three words – "I don't know."
Miyako collapsed back onto the couch into Kagura's supportive arms. However her dead eyes continued to stare unfocused into the floor, disbelieving, unable to accept the truth. Tears continued to cascade down her worn face. Kazuma continued to mutter two names. "Kyou. . . Tohru. . ."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yuki climbed into his car, Kagura following suit. An inescapable silence stretched on as Yuki buckled himself in, Kagura mirroring his move. A noticeable tremor went through his hands as his pale hands grasped the car key, unable to hold it steady as he made a frail attempt to turn on the engine. Kagura sighed. "You want me to drive, Yun-chan?"
Yuki merely shook his head. His hand rested calmly by his side, until they shot upwards and slammed down against the steering wheel. Once. Twice. His palms began to redden as Kagura watched unemotionally.
"They'll be back." She whispered unconvincingly. "I'm sure of it. Kyou-kun and Tohru-chan. . . they'll be back. . ."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The bus continued to progress rapidly down the serene night road. Tohru's hand felt warm from the larger one grasping hers, and she glanced at the person sitting next to her. His hair fell around his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Suddenly a wave of doubt washed over her. She quickly turned away, taking her hand along with her – if Kyou hadn't blocked it of course.
"You're not going anywhere." He growled.
Tohru was unamused. "But, Kyou-kun," she cried, "What if this is wrong? We're hurting so many people just for our sake. Okaa-san, Ottou-san, Kagura- san and Yuki-kun. Is it really worth it all?"
Kyou pondered this, a flash of guilt panging him as well, yet he quickly recovered. "They don't matter to me anymore." He replied, squeezing Tohru's miniscule hand tightly. "I threw it all away."
Tohru was surprised at this new side of Kyou. He snuggled back into his original position, closing his eyes. "I was about to sleep, stupid onigiri," he snapped gently. "Now stop worrying and get some shut eye."
Somehow, the mere presence of a peaceful Kyou calmed Tohru's nerves, as she allowed herself to relax, basking in the isolation which she was enjoying right now, with the hot-headed kitten. She closed her eyes, drifting into an undisturbed slumber.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A messy mass of gray hair protruded from the doorway, shoes being carelessly thrown off as a worn out figure entered the unclean hotel room. Yuki tipped dangerously on his journey to the balcony, needing the fresh ocean air desperately. The wind greeted him with a wave of refreshment. He stared out into the open, obviously broken, listening to the calming wild. He looked at the ocean before him. That was where... that was where Tohru and Kyou united again, after being separated for so long. That's where he had lost her... completely...
But on the sand there was a small figure, slouched. Her brown, messy hair batted against her frame. A sudden chill went through Yuki's body. Bursting out his hotel door, he crashed through the sand in search of the girl which he had seen on the balcony. His barefeet were cut from the random glass shards protruding from the beach, but he just had to find her. It was her, he knew it, she could freeze in this weather.
But when he did land upon his treasure, he sighed, of half relief and half hurt, and another fifty percent of betrayal. He felt his emotions tangle when he realized the girl he had seen was not Tohru, but Kagura.
"They're not here..." he heard her whisper. He turned his dull eyes from her.
"I know."
Shaking sobs issued from her. "What do I do now? They're not here.. I can't find him... what do I do..."
Yuki just continued to shake his head, his uncertain whisper lost in the ocean wind.
"I don't know."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was morning when she woke up, the daylight bright enough to pierce something. It seemed to be quite early, but they happened to be on the east coast of Japan, so that explained the quick sunrise.
Tohru raised herself from her rather uncomfortable position on the bus, squished upto the window and legs asleep underneath her. Although she couldn't remember all that clearly about what had happened the previous night, she could collect three facts – her mother collapsing, tears from four different pairs of eyes, and crimson hair, running... and now she was here, with...
She looked to her right where Kyou was supposed to have been. Only empty space decided to say good morning, and smiling worriedly, she chanced a glance outside into the blinding sun. She was relieved to see her 'brother' outside, but her smile quickly turned into a straight line as she realized what he was doing. Dashing off the bus, she snatched the mobile phone off the ground and hurriedly collected its broken parts.
"What do you think you're doing!?" she reprimanded, trying desperately to piece the phone together. "Kyou-kun, this thing must have cost a fortune!"
"I don't need it," he grumbled, "It's only going to bother me, people calling and asking where we are."
Tohru looked up puzzled. "You could've turned it off, you know..."
At the new thought, Kyou blushed angrily. "Damn it..."
A new piercing ring sounded. Frustrated, Tohru quickly whipped out her beeper from her pocket. In red, it displayed "Yuki-kun". Unable to think of what to do, she quickly dropped it on the floor. Of course, the cheap equipment that had been carelessly bought at a garage sale did not survive the fall.
Kyou grinned. "Should've turned it off, eh?"
Tohru just smiled sheepishly. "So where do we stay now?"
A warm hand gripped hers. "I have a place I checked out while you were sleeping. ^_^"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I can't believe it, Kyou-kun! How did you get this room?"
The nostalgic scent of the countryside smeared in through the oak doors, sunlight quietly filtering in through the mildly dusty windows. Tohru's heels clicked amicably on the wooden floor, a slight shade of yellow from the sunny curtains lining the windowsill. Through the crack in the doorway, the autumn breeze sang a song of its own.
"It was cheap, it was nice, and it was roomy enough," Kyou grumbled, obviously trying to hide his grin.
Tohru turned to her companion. "It's so beautiful here! I can't believe it..."
Kyou sighed. He was content to see her so happy, only when hours ago she had been crying in her sleep, apologizing over and over again to them. It had really screwed with his mind.
"Let's go, Kyou-kun!"
But now, instead of dancing around the room like she was supposed to be, she was pulling him out of the house.
"Why, don't you like it?" he questioned with a slight frown.
Tohru shook her head. "I love it!" she chirped, "But I'll love it even more if we can decorate it."
Laughing, the pair rushed down the green-brown field, heading for the neverending blue.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The market up at Tokyo was nothing compared to what they had here. From fish to rice, necklaces to artificial flowers, everything seemed to be packed into the little square of a million tents. Two heads of brown and crimson bobbed up and down as they examined everything.
"First, we have to get all the necessities." Tohru commented logically, as she pulled her somewhat reluctant cat through the throng of consumers. "Cups, toothbrushes, spoons and bowls. Some ramen, rice..."
"Oi, isn't that a bit much?" Kyou commented, "I mean, we still need to buy clothes, hats, paint, wallpaper..."
The two gibbered and argued as if they had just gotten married and were setting up a living. Eventually they had bought everything they had needed – two identical cups, two identical pairs of cutlery, a tablecloth, two identical bowls, two identical toothbrushes (get the point?). All they needed now was something to change into.
"How is it?" Tohru questioned sheepishly as she tried on a pink sweater, poorly knitten but affordable.
Kyou personally thought she looked beautiful, although his opinion didn't count for much. -__- "it's good."
Tohru dashed around the men's area, rifling through the different tees. Eventually she pulled out a dark blue plaid button-up shirt. "Blue, Kyou- kun?"
He shrugged. Kitty had never been in favour of shopping.
She happily paid for it and strayed off to find something else, pulling out a pair of electric pink tights. "How about pink?"
Kyou had already run out of the shop in terror. Laughing, she quickly followed, grabbing his weary hand.
"NEVER try to dress me up in pink." Kyou spat.
"Why? I personally think you'd look great." She commented. "Gomen, Kyou- kun. I've never picked out clothes for guys before."
"Oh?" Kyou said, feeling a little bad. He stared at his new article of clothing in his hand. Quickly stripping his classic black t-shirt, he shrugged into his new clothes, leaving several buttons open to reveal his white undershirt. "I think it looks semi-acceptable."
Tohru smiled, placing her head on his shoulder, Kyou's hand automatically falling onto her shoulder. They continued their content walk through the various stores, happily embracing the piece of them that mattered most – each other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rin paced briskly down the hotel hallway, pausing from time to time to relieve her stress on her underlings. She hadn't seen Yuki the whole day, and she was getting nervous. What if he was still not over her? After what she did to him? No matter, she could remind him of the huge crime to his heart that Tohru had committed, and he would safely come to her. All these years of waiting, she could finally...
All evil thoughts fled from her mind as she saw a slouched figure by the front door. He was too familiar to ignore. He had come back. After all those years... of pain, hate, and longing... how dare he show up now, when everything was under her palm... no, she had left him behind long ago... he couldn't possibly remember her. He was supposed to hate her... he knew about the switch... he knew...
She started to shake uncontrollably as the tall figure drew closer and closer. Those gleaming eyes... that were usually calm (closer), his hands were clenched into fists (and closer), and he was smiling (and closer)... he never smiled...
She felt a sudden jab of icy pain on her wrist as she stood, transfixed into those two orbs, trembling in terror as his grip on her limb tightened.
The sunlight bounced off of his pale white hair. "Hello, Isuzu."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Come on, Kyou-kun!"
The dishes were all done, and their stomachs were full from lunch. But Kyou was not through yet – he still had to plaster the walls with the blue wallpaper that they had purchased earlier that day. "We can't leave it white," he had said, "if you're stuck in a totally white room for more than three hours, you'll lose all of your memory."
"What? Don't be silly, Kyou-kun," Tohru had responded.
"It's true, dammit!" He replied, frustrated and worried that Tohru would forget all about him. "That's what they do in those mental hospitals when you get too crazy. Haven't you seen a movie like that?"
And now Tohru was tired from all the waiting she had done. They still had so much to do, like take a walk through this beautiful land that had been hidden from the tall buildings in Tokyo. Or lounge around the lake that she had seen. They still had to admire the sunset, lean into the shades that the grand trees here had to offer. They still had to play a game of tic-tac- toe on the sand, they still had to look up into the clouds while lying down on the grass. But no, Kyou just had to prevent memory loss instead.
"Please, Kyou-kun?" Tohru decided to resort to nagging. "I want to go outside and do things..."
Kyou sighed, dusting his knees as he slowly stood up. "Fine, fine, stupid onigiri."
He put away the paper and ran over to the excited girl who was leaning by the doorway. He stared at his watch. "Well, it's four o'clock now, we'll walk around until it's around six, and we'll come back, alright?"
Tohru nodded. "Let's go!"
Before leaving, Kyou quickly looked inside the half-done room. "Well, atleast we'll only lose HALF of our memory..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rin couldn't reply back. It was a rare instance where she lost her composure... pity it had to be right then, when many hotel customers were watching the pair.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
That was an intended pun, she swore it!
"w-w-w-what do you th-think y-you're ddoing??" she stammered.
"Why, saying hello to my girlfriend, of COURSE."
Rin hurriedly pulled away from his grasp. "I-I'm not!"
He cocked his head dangerously. "Well, you WERE."
That comment brought back more memories than she would have liked. "S-stop! Go away!!"
He didn't. He only came closer.
"H-Haru!!"
"Why didn't you visit after that time? Weren't you even sad that I had to go to jail? I was only fourteen, Isuzu... or Rin, whatever you call yourself now..."
"No, not at all." She replied, slowly gaining her old fire. "I never cared for you, and I never will."
"But I did!" he shouted, scaring away a few crowds. "I thought we both did!"
"Well you were wrong!"
"Stop denying it!"
"Shut up!!"
He smiled.
"W-what are you doing here!? Why did you come back!?"
"What, you thought you'd seen the last of me?" He chuckled. "Why shouldn't I come back? It was all a misunderstanding after all."
Rin felt a sudden guilt wash over her. No... I can't be having feelings like this again...
"Well, now I'm free from those damn handcuffs. It's good to breathe air again."
"How long have you been out?"
"A year."
She gulped and took a step back. "So... you served nine years?"
"Sounds about right."
NOW was the time to feel guilty. But Rin would never admit that. "You deserved it."
He cackled maliciously. "You were never this much of a bitch."
He smoothed his hand over her cheek, which she quickly slapped away.
"Don't worry about it, Isuzu." He muttered. "I'm not here for your affection anymore. You've damaged me way too much for that."
He walked back to give Rin some airspace. "Now if you'll excuse me... I have a friend to meet."
He stalked off, his weird mixture of hair colour attracting more attention than needed. He straightened his leather vest and slammed through the front door. Attendants came to Rin's rescue, as she collapsed onto the floor. Her clipboard clunked hoarsely on the marble as a tidal wave of uniforms rushed to her aid.
A lone tear dropped from her empty, brown eyes. "Bastard..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Time passes by so quickly when you're lost. After wandering aimlessly around the grand oaks over and over again, basking in sunlight and playing "catch the shadow" for a while, Tohru and Kyou eventually found themselves in a bit of a sticky situation. They were stuck in the maze of happiness. Where nothing but happy things happen, when you're too happy to realize anything but the happiness itself. In other words, the two acted like love struck fools. They found anything amusing together, and although the unavoidable night came by and darkness set in, their hands still remained intertwined; the promise about returning at six o'clock was long forgotten. Away from light pollution, the stars twinkled merrily, the crickets chirped steadily, and the breeze was just cool enough to ease the young spirits of the night, just like a classic soap opera. ^^
They settled down on the grass, sighing in content. However, now that peace had come over the two, they couldn't ignore the fact forever.
"Kyou-kun," Tohru spoke quietly. "When do we go back?"
"Never." He replied, a little too quickly.
She turned her blue eyes, filled with sadness, but her smile telling different stories. "Can we... can we stay until tomorrow?"
Kyou's eyes searched hers questioningly.
"It's my birthday tomorrow... can we stay until then?"
Kyou smiled in realization. Happiness takes away your biological clock, too. "Duh."
Tohru smiled as Kyou gave her a light punch on the shoulder. The grass shook as the remains of the twilight faded away. No more words were said, as the two plunged into their own world, their eyes closing, carrying them off to slumber.
Kyou walked slowly back to their room. Tomorrow... tomorrow was Tohru's birthday. He shifted her weight on his back. It felt good to carry her. It felt like he had returned when there were no problems... when everything was okay.
"Kyou-kun..." she whispered, and he shifted his ear close so he could hear. "You're so warm..."
He grinned sheepishly and focused on his feet. Tohru... I'll make sure tomorrow is the happiest day of your life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, after six hours of working straight through the night, Kagura walked out of her chair and gave her arms a stretch. Stupid painting, she grumbled. I have enough problems other than my work...
She looked at her clock. 5 in the morning. Oh goody.
As soon as her mind was off from work, it began to grow dismal again. Kyou... he disappeared with Tohru... and they... they're gone somewhere where she doesn't know. But where...
A knock came on the door of her apartment. Puzzled at the timing, she ran over, with the sudden thought that it might be...
"Who is it?"
To her surprise, familiar eyes blinked at her.
"It's been a while."
"Oh my god... Oh my god..." Kagura chanted, as she saw the figure come in. Behind him, she saw him drag another figure, which made her chant all the more louder.
"Found a drowned rat in the corner. He was singing and I am so sorry, I have never seen anyone that tone deaf."
"Yun-chan!" she screamed, rushing to his aid. The stranger helped her move what was now a pathetic heap of gray hair onto a couch.
"Something bad must be going on in his life."
But Kagura had no time to worry about the drinker. She had the prisoner to settle things with.
"WHAT do you think you're doing at THIS HOUR in MY house!?" she screamed.
"Come on, Kagura... don't do this to me."
"WHAT have you been doing for the past nine years!? Do you realize how much we were WORRIED?"
"Yeah yeah whatever. You knew where I was though –"
"So WHAT? My gosh Hatsuharu, I think I've forgotten your FACE! How LONG has it been!? Why didn't you write you stupid moron! Do you know how much mom was worried??"
"Hey, not my fault you shipped out of the country a week after I was arrested."
"DON'T argue with me, young man," she scolded, turning into a rather very foul mood. "And DO something to your hair."
"Yes, mother."
She screamed in frustration and headed to the kitchen. Haru soon followed.
"Listen, aren't you even glad that you found your brother after what, a while?"
"No. You were never great company. Always drugs, smoking, yada yada..."
"Hey, I didn't start marijuana until I was locked up!"
"Same thing."
"Come on, Kagura, you're supposed to greet me with wide open arms."
She gave him the official sibling glare. "You seem chatty today. Normally you don't speak more than two words."
"Mmm."
"That's more like it."
"You looking for Kyou?"
Kagura stopped. Although she had momentarily forgotten about her latest problem, now the pain stabbed through her skull like a thousand pins. She couldn't help but let tears prick at her eyes. "How'd you know?"
"That poor sap there was muttering his name and 'I will kill you Kyou, don't take her away' all the while I carried him here. I figured something was wrong... from what I hear he ran away with his sister."
Kagura sighed. "She's... not his sister... not really..."
"Mmm."
She turned and sighed as the tears started to drop. She quickly turned on the tap to wash her dishes to cover them up. But she was actually happy he was here, although he was a walking bag of trouble. A man of few words, but yeah, a good punching bag at times. Right now a brother was a next best thing to her unrequited love.
"He's in Kyoto."
-Crash
-Shatter
"...What?"
"I saw him there. That's where I came up from."
Kagura covered her face with trembling hands. "Why... didn't you tell me this before?"
"I don't know. Slipped my mind?"
Running out of the kitchen as fast as she could, she quickly ran over to Yuki. "Yun-chan... Yun-chan... wake up... we found them..."
Purple eyes, glazed with hatred blinked at her. "I'll kill you..."
"Kill me later Yun-chan... we found them... Tohru-chan and Kyou-kun..."
He sat up instantaneously. "What?"
Haru smiled at the hustle in the living room. He knew how much his sister loved that guy, although he had never been good friends with him. But from the letters he had received from Kagura, he was all that mattered to her. Yes, he had been jealous at times. Kagura was sometimes his only support.
Except for HER...
Grunting, he left the apartment as Yuki started to get onto his feet.
"Good luck with the dishes," he said, as the door closed behind him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tohru paced nervously around the supermarket. She had no idea what she should cook for Kyou this morning. Fish? But fish in the morning was never good... she figured she would have to stick to ramen again...
Suddenly, the world became a haze. She couldn't see her fingers anymore... the wallet dropped like a rock from her hands and her skull started to beat against her forehead. A splitting pain in her stomach occurred as she crouched down, gathering her knees. But as quick as it had come, it disappeared. Panting, Tohru reached up to her head where the throb had previously taken place. It scared her, a lot... this had never happened before, although she became dizzy quite often out of nowhere...
Then she saw a patch of red on the dirt, and became aware of the sticky liquid running out of her nose.
"B-blood?" she cried, quickly turning her eyes to the sky.
As she was pacing nervously around the supermarket, desperately trying to stop the bloodflow, Kyou ran to her aid. He had obviously seen the crisis as he was slipping out of the bus station.
"Damn it, Tohru!" He said forcefully, thrusting his hanky to her nose. "Hold it there... I'll get some ice."
"No, it's okay, Kyou-kun," Tohru said, quickly clinging to him. "It's almost stopped anyway."
Kyou sighed, starting to march away in anger. Tohru was quick to follow.
"What's in your hand? Cake?" She questioned, staring at the big bag in his hand. "Did you go out to buy this, Kyou-kun?"
He didn't answer. He was obviously still angry at Tohru's condition.
"Gomen ne, Kyou-kun." She pleaded. "Well I'm all okay now, let's go and have fun, okay?"
Her hand slipped into his. Silently Kyou agreed. Briskly they started to head back to their room, hoping that they could make most of their last day together.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
N: Let's pretend that Kyoto and Tokyo are REALLY far away, and Osaka and Tokyo are relatively close. ^^;; I apologize for my lack of knowledge in Japanese geography.)
He was racing down the streets, Kagura fidgeting nervously beside him. It would take a while to get to Kyoto, especially in his mentally wrecked state, but he had to get there. He would bring her back, bring them both back... they had definitely crossed the line this time. Tohru's mother was in her room unconscious, and Kyou's family was in ruins. Rin had been depressed and unapproachable for the majority of the time, although he felt that the source of her mood swings was not this problem. But he couldn't care less. HE was angry, HE was hurt and he couldn't let them wreck him this way. He was Yuki, proud, icy and cold. How dare they ruin his defenses...
"Are we there yet, Yun-chan?" Kagura squeaked, obviously trying to control her nervousness. "What if they're not there... what if they don't come back..."
"I'll make them come back." Yuki spat venomously. "They will come back."
The speeding automobile swerved another turn as the lights of the afternoon started to fade away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
She was laughing again. It seemed that she did that a lot these days. It wasn't like he minded, but he was terrified. He knew that she wouldn't be laughing forever. As long as he existed... she wouldn't be able to smile truly. He was the source of her happiness, but at the same time intense grief and pain.
But then she took his hand, and she was still laughing. Didn't she realize that he loved her? And how much of a crime it was to love her? Didn't she realize that although she was his life support, without her, his life would be so much less complicated?
He didn't want his life to be simple. If having Tohru in his life meant the destruction of all in this world, he would still have it. He wanted to be selfish, he didn't want to consider anything else but her, and him, in this isolated period of time where they could be free from the bonds of responsibility. Loving Tohru was breathing air – it sustained him in more ways than one. He wanted to be with her forever, and he couldn't help but feel that possibly, she felt the same way.
Well, he was about to find out.
"The stars are out again!" She whispered, staring into the blanket of black up above. "Kyou-kun, I think I can see the Big Dipper!"
He mumbled something inaudible and Tohru brushed it off. She was happy to be here, sitting on the grass with Kyou. They had done nothing special, unless you consider spending every ounce of a second with each other special. In a sense it was – opportunities like this would never come again, and Tohru knew that. She knew it all too well to appreciate the time she was sharing now less than its value. She snuggled close to him. Although she couldn't embrace him like she wanted to, just feeling his presence next to her was enough, just the fact that she was breathing the same surroundings as him... made her feel comforted.
"Sorry I couldn't do anything special for your birthday," Kyou said, sounding a bit angry at himself. "I'm not much of a romantist."
Tohru laughed. "You just realized this, Kyou-kun?"
He coughed. "Oi, I'm better than that kuso nezumi, or any other guy you have in your life."
"Oh I don't know," Tohru replied. "Yuki-kun is a prince – he offered me everything in the world in the most gentle way possible. And this other guy that I met in highschool, I remember he showered me with flowers on my birthday, although I guess he didn't realize I was allergic to roses. Oh, of course, there was Shouji-kun..."
"Alright, alright!!" Kyou barked, frustrated at his jealousy. "What if I did something right now? Something that will make up for all the un- romantic things?"
"Then... Hmm, depends on what it is, Kitty."
After looking around the empty grass field, Kyou began to grow helpless. What is worthy of a present around here...? Stupid grass... damn you dirt, nature is so ungiving...
Then he looked up into the sky. That's it...!
Standing up, He pointed up into the heavens. "Oi, what if I got you a star for your birthday?"
Tohru just laughed.
Kyou jumped up. Once, twice. "Dammit, it's kind of hard..."
Tohru smiled at his attempts. "Give it up, Kyou-kun. You'll never be as romantic as normal men."
"Just give me a sec!" Kyou growled, crouching into a cat-like position. He sprang up high and Tohru was amazed at his jumping capabilities. His hand was drawn into a tight fist, and he shoved his hand into his coat as if protecting something. "Oi, I got it."
Tohru looked away, unable to hide her smile. She had never seen Kyou so boyish, but she had to admit, it was adorable. "Kyou-kun, you're making me laugh."
"No, no, I got it." He encouraged, causing her to face him. "Come on, onigiri, open it up."
Tohru finally gave into his antics. Curious, she slowly pried open his fingers.
Inside, there really was a star. A miniscule, silver ring, and in the middle... a star-shaped diamond. It was simple, it was kind of corny, but it really was the most beautiful one in the sky.
A tear fell into his palm, and Kyou looked up worriedly. "What's wrong?"
Tohru replied breathlessly. "It's... it's so beautiful, Kyou-kun..."
He smiled contentedly. Truthfully, he had been worried that his master plan wouldn't work. Afraid that she would push it off. But now was his chance. "Tohru..."
Her blue eyes stared into his. He grabbed the ring and her small hand. Delicately placing the silver onto her ring finger, he was pleased to see that it was a perfect fit.
"Tohru... will you... will you marry me?"
She was in a state of shock. Did he... did he just say...
All she could do was smile. Kyou's hand wrapped around her own. She looked up into his eyes. She was happy to see the crimson orbs, calm, brotherly, and full of love. She stood up slowly, and so did Kyou. She lunged into his arms happily, appreciating the few moments that the curse allowed the two lovers to have.
"Oh Kyou-kun, you're such a hopeless romantic," she whispered, tickling Kyou's cat ears.
"Damn it, onigiri, you're squeezing too tight!" Kyou reprimanded, while his tail wagged in happiness.
For the first time in a while, Tohru carried the orange furball back home, as he rested peacefully to her heartbeat. This really was the happiest day of her life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When he had finally reached the room, he was overcome by a sense of emptiness. No one was in.
He navigated through the small area quite quickly. A simple table with two sets of cutlery. A half-plastered wall. Two identical cups, two identical toothbrushes. A birthday cake on the table, the candles flickering carelessly. He felt his nails dig into his palm as his hand unconsciously rolled into fists.
Just as he was beginning to appreciate the silence in the room which calmed him a bit, his adrenaline started to circulate again as he heard voices. A gruff, masculine one, as opposed to a feminine giggle. He quickly turned to the doorway.
"Huh? Ne, the door's open, Kyou-kun."
"Dammit, you did this, didn't you, you klutz?"
"Hmm... I swear I closed it on the way out..."
But the source was inside. She gasped as soon as she saw him, and his eyes instantaneously hardened. Yuki stared emotionlessly at the pair walking in hand in hand (Kyou had transformed on the way). Tohru's loose hair shivered.
"Yun-chan, I think there's a gas station just down the road. If we could take –"
All attention turned to the doorway once again. There Kagura stood, unmoving, transfixed. Her eyes wandered down to Kyou's hands, clutching Tohru's. A stray tear fell from her eye, sliding past her cheek.
Yuki took a step towards them. Surprised, Tohru brought her hand to cover her mouth in a gasp.
A glint on her ring finger stopped the prince.
Kagura cried harder.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN: Yes yes, corny ending, but I didn't know where to stop it! -____-a well, that is it for chapter eleven! The Haru and Rin thing is a plot twist, something I came up with on my own for the side. I felt that Rin came off as toooo evil, and decided to justify her maliciousness. It will be a side story, not really affecting the main plot a lot, but Haru will play a big role in the main problem. –chuckle- it was hard, deciding which character to put in. I wanted Shigure, but figured he was too light for this story... maybe next time ^^
Well I hope you guys enjoyed it~ sorry for the long long wait (although I'm sure none of you care anymore -_-) feel free to flame me on my late updating skills –dodges millions of flaming balls- but I shall be very depressed if you flame me about my story T.T but constructive criticism is appreciated!
Click the review button plz!~
Anyways, enough of a delay. Here is the newest chapter!!
RECAP: Tohru and Kyou confirm their love, yada yada. They have decided to run away together! (aww)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tohru was breathless as Kyou dragged her hand up the hill towards the bus station. The two laughed like carefree children. A night bus was arriving on the horizon. They rushed their tired footsteps, to run away, quickly, away from all of this, away from everything, to somewhere the two of them could stay together, forever.
The two clambered quickly onto the bus, dropping a couple of coins into the box. With a jolt of start from the bus, they continued to laugh as they reached the seats in the back. Grinning, they plopped down in the large space, in the empty bus. Kyou sighed contentedly, Tohru mirroring his move. Their eyes met once again. Shyly, they looked away, grinning and blushing like fools.
All the while, their hands remained intertwined, holding on, tightly.
Never, ever letting go.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kazuma stood stiffly. "What? Who and who? Go where?"
Yuki just couldn't face them. His once tidy white shirt was drenched in sweat, the buttons undone, the shirt hanging loosely around his skinny frame. His gray hair shielded his eyes from view as his breaths came out in hoarse pants. He managed to spit three words – "I don't know."
Miyako collapsed back onto the couch into Kagura's supportive arms. However her dead eyes continued to stare unfocused into the floor, disbelieving, unable to accept the truth. Tears continued to cascade down her worn face. Kazuma continued to mutter two names. "Kyou. . . Tohru. . ."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yuki climbed into his car, Kagura following suit. An inescapable silence stretched on as Yuki buckled himself in, Kagura mirroring his move. A noticeable tremor went through his hands as his pale hands grasped the car key, unable to hold it steady as he made a frail attempt to turn on the engine. Kagura sighed. "You want me to drive, Yun-chan?"
Yuki merely shook his head. His hand rested calmly by his side, until they shot upwards and slammed down against the steering wheel. Once. Twice. His palms began to redden as Kagura watched unemotionally.
"They'll be back." She whispered unconvincingly. "I'm sure of it. Kyou-kun and Tohru-chan. . . they'll be back. . ."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The bus continued to progress rapidly down the serene night road. Tohru's hand felt warm from the larger one grasping hers, and she glanced at the person sitting next to her. His hair fell around his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Suddenly a wave of doubt washed over her. She quickly turned away, taking her hand along with her – if Kyou hadn't blocked it of course.
"You're not going anywhere." He growled.
Tohru was unamused. "But, Kyou-kun," she cried, "What if this is wrong? We're hurting so many people just for our sake. Okaa-san, Ottou-san, Kagura- san and Yuki-kun. Is it really worth it all?"
Kyou pondered this, a flash of guilt panging him as well, yet he quickly recovered. "They don't matter to me anymore." He replied, squeezing Tohru's miniscule hand tightly. "I threw it all away."
Tohru was surprised at this new side of Kyou. He snuggled back into his original position, closing his eyes. "I was about to sleep, stupid onigiri," he snapped gently. "Now stop worrying and get some shut eye."
Somehow, the mere presence of a peaceful Kyou calmed Tohru's nerves, as she allowed herself to relax, basking in the isolation which she was enjoying right now, with the hot-headed kitten. She closed her eyes, drifting into an undisturbed slumber.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A messy mass of gray hair protruded from the doorway, shoes being carelessly thrown off as a worn out figure entered the unclean hotel room. Yuki tipped dangerously on his journey to the balcony, needing the fresh ocean air desperately. The wind greeted him with a wave of refreshment. He stared out into the open, obviously broken, listening to the calming wild. He looked at the ocean before him. That was where... that was where Tohru and Kyou united again, after being separated for so long. That's where he had lost her... completely...
But on the sand there was a small figure, slouched. Her brown, messy hair batted against her frame. A sudden chill went through Yuki's body. Bursting out his hotel door, he crashed through the sand in search of the girl which he had seen on the balcony. His barefeet were cut from the random glass shards protruding from the beach, but he just had to find her. It was her, he knew it, she could freeze in this weather.
But when he did land upon his treasure, he sighed, of half relief and half hurt, and another fifty percent of betrayal. He felt his emotions tangle when he realized the girl he had seen was not Tohru, but Kagura.
"They're not here..." he heard her whisper. He turned his dull eyes from her.
"I know."
Shaking sobs issued from her. "What do I do now? They're not here.. I can't find him... what do I do..."
Yuki just continued to shake his head, his uncertain whisper lost in the ocean wind.
"I don't know."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was morning when she woke up, the daylight bright enough to pierce something. It seemed to be quite early, but they happened to be on the east coast of Japan, so that explained the quick sunrise.
Tohru raised herself from her rather uncomfortable position on the bus, squished upto the window and legs asleep underneath her. Although she couldn't remember all that clearly about what had happened the previous night, she could collect three facts – her mother collapsing, tears from four different pairs of eyes, and crimson hair, running... and now she was here, with...
She looked to her right where Kyou was supposed to have been. Only empty space decided to say good morning, and smiling worriedly, she chanced a glance outside into the blinding sun. She was relieved to see her 'brother' outside, but her smile quickly turned into a straight line as she realized what he was doing. Dashing off the bus, she snatched the mobile phone off the ground and hurriedly collected its broken parts.
"What do you think you're doing!?" she reprimanded, trying desperately to piece the phone together. "Kyou-kun, this thing must have cost a fortune!"
"I don't need it," he grumbled, "It's only going to bother me, people calling and asking where we are."
Tohru looked up puzzled. "You could've turned it off, you know..."
At the new thought, Kyou blushed angrily. "Damn it..."
A new piercing ring sounded. Frustrated, Tohru quickly whipped out her beeper from her pocket. In red, it displayed "Yuki-kun". Unable to think of what to do, she quickly dropped it on the floor. Of course, the cheap equipment that had been carelessly bought at a garage sale did not survive the fall.
Kyou grinned. "Should've turned it off, eh?"
Tohru just smiled sheepishly. "So where do we stay now?"
A warm hand gripped hers. "I have a place I checked out while you were sleeping. ^_^"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I can't believe it, Kyou-kun! How did you get this room?"
The nostalgic scent of the countryside smeared in through the oak doors, sunlight quietly filtering in through the mildly dusty windows. Tohru's heels clicked amicably on the wooden floor, a slight shade of yellow from the sunny curtains lining the windowsill. Through the crack in the doorway, the autumn breeze sang a song of its own.
"It was cheap, it was nice, and it was roomy enough," Kyou grumbled, obviously trying to hide his grin.
Tohru turned to her companion. "It's so beautiful here! I can't believe it..."
Kyou sighed. He was content to see her so happy, only when hours ago she had been crying in her sleep, apologizing over and over again to them. It had really screwed with his mind.
"Let's go, Kyou-kun!"
But now, instead of dancing around the room like she was supposed to be, she was pulling him out of the house.
"Why, don't you like it?" he questioned with a slight frown.
Tohru shook her head. "I love it!" she chirped, "But I'll love it even more if we can decorate it."
Laughing, the pair rushed down the green-brown field, heading for the neverending blue.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The market up at Tokyo was nothing compared to what they had here. From fish to rice, necklaces to artificial flowers, everything seemed to be packed into the little square of a million tents. Two heads of brown and crimson bobbed up and down as they examined everything.
"First, we have to get all the necessities." Tohru commented logically, as she pulled her somewhat reluctant cat through the throng of consumers. "Cups, toothbrushes, spoons and bowls. Some ramen, rice..."
"Oi, isn't that a bit much?" Kyou commented, "I mean, we still need to buy clothes, hats, paint, wallpaper..."
The two gibbered and argued as if they had just gotten married and were setting up a living. Eventually they had bought everything they had needed – two identical cups, two identical pairs of cutlery, a tablecloth, two identical bowls, two identical toothbrushes (get the point?). All they needed now was something to change into.
"How is it?" Tohru questioned sheepishly as she tried on a pink sweater, poorly knitten but affordable.
Kyou personally thought she looked beautiful, although his opinion didn't count for much. -__- "it's good."
Tohru dashed around the men's area, rifling through the different tees. Eventually she pulled out a dark blue plaid button-up shirt. "Blue, Kyou- kun?"
He shrugged. Kitty had never been in favour of shopping.
She happily paid for it and strayed off to find something else, pulling out a pair of electric pink tights. "How about pink?"
Kyou had already run out of the shop in terror. Laughing, she quickly followed, grabbing his weary hand.
"NEVER try to dress me up in pink." Kyou spat.
"Why? I personally think you'd look great." She commented. "Gomen, Kyou- kun. I've never picked out clothes for guys before."
"Oh?" Kyou said, feeling a little bad. He stared at his new article of clothing in his hand. Quickly stripping his classic black t-shirt, he shrugged into his new clothes, leaving several buttons open to reveal his white undershirt. "I think it looks semi-acceptable."
Tohru smiled, placing her head on his shoulder, Kyou's hand automatically falling onto her shoulder. They continued their content walk through the various stores, happily embracing the piece of them that mattered most – each other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rin paced briskly down the hotel hallway, pausing from time to time to relieve her stress on her underlings. She hadn't seen Yuki the whole day, and she was getting nervous. What if he was still not over her? After what she did to him? No matter, she could remind him of the huge crime to his heart that Tohru had committed, and he would safely come to her. All these years of waiting, she could finally...
All evil thoughts fled from her mind as she saw a slouched figure by the front door. He was too familiar to ignore. He had come back. After all those years... of pain, hate, and longing... how dare he show up now, when everything was under her palm... no, she had left him behind long ago... he couldn't possibly remember her. He was supposed to hate her... he knew about the switch... he knew...
She started to shake uncontrollably as the tall figure drew closer and closer. Those gleaming eyes... that were usually calm (closer), his hands were clenched into fists (and closer), and he was smiling (and closer)... he never smiled...
She felt a sudden jab of icy pain on her wrist as she stood, transfixed into those two orbs, trembling in terror as his grip on her limb tightened.
The sunlight bounced off of his pale white hair. "Hello, Isuzu."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Come on, Kyou-kun!"
The dishes were all done, and their stomachs were full from lunch. But Kyou was not through yet – he still had to plaster the walls with the blue wallpaper that they had purchased earlier that day. "We can't leave it white," he had said, "if you're stuck in a totally white room for more than three hours, you'll lose all of your memory."
"What? Don't be silly, Kyou-kun," Tohru had responded.
"It's true, dammit!" He replied, frustrated and worried that Tohru would forget all about him. "That's what they do in those mental hospitals when you get too crazy. Haven't you seen a movie like that?"
And now Tohru was tired from all the waiting she had done. They still had so much to do, like take a walk through this beautiful land that had been hidden from the tall buildings in Tokyo. Or lounge around the lake that she had seen. They still had to admire the sunset, lean into the shades that the grand trees here had to offer. They still had to play a game of tic-tac- toe on the sand, they still had to look up into the clouds while lying down on the grass. But no, Kyou just had to prevent memory loss instead.
"Please, Kyou-kun?" Tohru decided to resort to nagging. "I want to go outside and do things..."
Kyou sighed, dusting his knees as he slowly stood up. "Fine, fine, stupid onigiri."
He put away the paper and ran over to the excited girl who was leaning by the doorway. He stared at his watch. "Well, it's four o'clock now, we'll walk around until it's around six, and we'll come back, alright?"
Tohru nodded. "Let's go!"
Before leaving, Kyou quickly looked inside the half-done room. "Well, atleast we'll only lose HALF of our memory..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rin couldn't reply back. It was a rare instance where she lost her composure... pity it had to be right then, when many hotel customers were watching the pair.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
That was an intended pun, she swore it!
"w-w-w-what do you th-think y-you're ddoing??" she stammered.
"Why, saying hello to my girlfriend, of COURSE."
Rin hurriedly pulled away from his grasp. "I-I'm not!"
He cocked his head dangerously. "Well, you WERE."
That comment brought back more memories than she would have liked. "S-stop! Go away!!"
He didn't. He only came closer.
"H-Haru!!"
"Why didn't you visit after that time? Weren't you even sad that I had to go to jail? I was only fourteen, Isuzu... or Rin, whatever you call yourself now..."
"No, not at all." She replied, slowly gaining her old fire. "I never cared for you, and I never will."
"But I did!" he shouted, scaring away a few crowds. "I thought we both did!"
"Well you were wrong!"
"Stop denying it!"
"Shut up!!"
He smiled.
"W-what are you doing here!? Why did you come back!?"
"What, you thought you'd seen the last of me?" He chuckled. "Why shouldn't I come back? It was all a misunderstanding after all."
Rin felt a sudden guilt wash over her. No... I can't be having feelings like this again...
"Well, now I'm free from those damn handcuffs. It's good to breathe air again."
"How long have you been out?"
"A year."
She gulped and took a step back. "So... you served nine years?"
"Sounds about right."
NOW was the time to feel guilty. But Rin would never admit that. "You deserved it."
He cackled maliciously. "You were never this much of a bitch."
He smoothed his hand over her cheek, which she quickly slapped away.
"Don't worry about it, Isuzu." He muttered. "I'm not here for your affection anymore. You've damaged me way too much for that."
He walked back to give Rin some airspace. "Now if you'll excuse me... I have a friend to meet."
He stalked off, his weird mixture of hair colour attracting more attention than needed. He straightened his leather vest and slammed through the front door. Attendants came to Rin's rescue, as she collapsed onto the floor. Her clipboard clunked hoarsely on the marble as a tidal wave of uniforms rushed to her aid.
A lone tear dropped from her empty, brown eyes. "Bastard..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Time passes by so quickly when you're lost. After wandering aimlessly around the grand oaks over and over again, basking in sunlight and playing "catch the shadow" for a while, Tohru and Kyou eventually found themselves in a bit of a sticky situation. They were stuck in the maze of happiness. Where nothing but happy things happen, when you're too happy to realize anything but the happiness itself. In other words, the two acted like love struck fools. They found anything amusing together, and although the unavoidable night came by and darkness set in, their hands still remained intertwined; the promise about returning at six o'clock was long forgotten. Away from light pollution, the stars twinkled merrily, the crickets chirped steadily, and the breeze was just cool enough to ease the young spirits of the night, just like a classic soap opera. ^^
They settled down on the grass, sighing in content. However, now that peace had come over the two, they couldn't ignore the fact forever.
"Kyou-kun," Tohru spoke quietly. "When do we go back?"
"Never." He replied, a little too quickly.
She turned her blue eyes, filled with sadness, but her smile telling different stories. "Can we... can we stay until tomorrow?"
Kyou's eyes searched hers questioningly.
"It's my birthday tomorrow... can we stay until then?"
Kyou smiled in realization. Happiness takes away your biological clock, too. "Duh."
Tohru smiled as Kyou gave her a light punch on the shoulder. The grass shook as the remains of the twilight faded away. No more words were said, as the two plunged into their own world, their eyes closing, carrying them off to slumber.
Kyou walked slowly back to their room. Tomorrow... tomorrow was Tohru's birthday. He shifted her weight on his back. It felt good to carry her. It felt like he had returned when there were no problems... when everything was okay.
"Kyou-kun..." she whispered, and he shifted his ear close so he could hear. "You're so warm..."
He grinned sheepishly and focused on his feet. Tohru... I'll make sure tomorrow is the happiest day of your life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, after six hours of working straight through the night, Kagura walked out of her chair and gave her arms a stretch. Stupid painting, she grumbled. I have enough problems other than my work...
She looked at her clock. 5 in the morning. Oh goody.
As soon as her mind was off from work, it began to grow dismal again. Kyou... he disappeared with Tohru... and they... they're gone somewhere where she doesn't know. But where...
A knock came on the door of her apartment. Puzzled at the timing, she ran over, with the sudden thought that it might be...
"Who is it?"
To her surprise, familiar eyes blinked at her.
"It's been a while."
"Oh my god... Oh my god..." Kagura chanted, as she saw the figure come in. Behind him, she saw him drag another figure, which made her chant all the more louder.
"Found a drowned rat in the corner. He was singing and I am so sorry, I have never seen anyone that tone deaf."
"Yun-chan!" she screamed, rushing to his aid. The stranger helped her move what was now a pathetic heap of gray hair onto a couch.
"Something bad must be going on in his life."
But Kagura had no time to worry about the drinker. She had the prisoner to settle things with.
"WHAT do you think you're doing at THIS HOUR in MY house!?" she screamed.
"Come on, Kagura... don't do this to me."
"WHAT have you been doing for the past nine years!? Do you realize how much we were WORRIED?"
"Yeah yeah whatever. You knew where I was though –"
"So WHAT? My gosh Hatsuharu, I think I've forgotten your FACE! How LONG has it been!? Why didn't you write you stupid moron! Do you know how much mom was worried??"
"Hey, not my fault you shipped out of the country a week after I was arrested."
"DON'T argue with me, young man," she scolded, turning into a rather very foul mood. "And DO something to your hair."
"Yes, mother."
She screamed in frustration and headed to the kitchen. Haru soon followed.
"Listen, aren't you even glad that you found your brother after what, a while?"
"No. You were never great company. Always drugs, smoking, yada yada..."
"Hey, I didn't start marijuana until I was locked up!"
"Same thing."
"Come on, Kagura, you're supposed to greet me with wide open arms."
She gave him the official sibling glare. "You seem chatty today. Normally you don't speak more than two words."
"Mmm."
"That's more like it."
"You looking for Kyou?"
Kagura stopped. Although she had momentarily forgotten about her latest problem, now the pain stabbed through her skull like a thousand pins. She couldn't help but let tears prick at her eyes. "How'd you know?"
"That poor sap there was muttering his name and 'I will kill you Kyou, don't take her away' all the while I carried him here. I figured something was wrong... from what I hear he ran away with his sister."
Kagura sighed. "She's... not his sister... not really..."
"Mmm."
She turned and sighed as the tears started to drop. She quickly turned on the tap to wash her dishes to cover them up. But she was actually happy he was here, although he was a walking bag of trouble. A man of few words, but yeah, a good punching bag at times. Right now a brother was a next best thing to her unrequited love.
"He's in Kyoto."
-Crash
-Shatter
"...What?"
"I saw him there. That's where I came up from."
Kagura covered her face with trembling hands. "Why... didn't you tell me this before?"
"I don't know. Slipped my mind?"
Running out of the kitchen as fast as she could, she quickly ran over to Yuki. "Yun-chan... Yun-chan... wake up... we found them..."
Purple eyes, glazed with hatred blinked at her. "I'll kill you..."
"Kill me later Yun-chan... we found them... Tohru-chan and Kyou-kun..."
He sat up instantaneously. "What?"
Haru smiled at the hustle in the living room. He knew how much his sister loved that guy, although he had never been good friends with him. But from the letters he had received from Kagura, he was all that mattered to her. Yes, he had been jealous at times. Kagura was sometimes his only support.
Except for HER...
Grunting, he left the apartment as Yuki started to get onto his feet.
"Good luck with the dishes," he said, as the door closed behind him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tohru paced nervously around the supermarket. She had no idea what she should cook for Kyou this morning. Fish? But fish in the morning was never good... she figured she would have to stick to ramen again...
Suddenly, the world became a haze. She couldn't see her fingers anymore... the wallet dropped like a rock from her hands and her skull started to beat against her forehead. A splitting pain in her stomach occurred as she crouched down, gathering her knees. But as quick as it had come, it disappeared. Panting, Tohru reached up to her head where the throb had previously taken place. It scared her, a lot... this had never happened before, although she became dizzy quite often out of nowhere...
Then she saw a patch of red on the dirt, and became aware of the sticky liquid running out of her nose.
"B-blood?" she cried, quickly turning her eyes to the sky.
As she was pacing nervously around the supermarket, desperately trying to stop the bloodflow, Kyou ran to her aid. He had obviously seen the crisis as he was slipping out of the bus station.
"Damn it, Tohru!" He said forcefully, thrusting his hanky to her nose. "Hold it there... I'll get some ice."
"No, it's okay, Kyou-kun," Tohru said, quickly clinging to him. "It's almost stopped anyway."
Kyou sighed, starting to march away in anger. Tohru was quick to follow.
"What's in your hand? Cake?" She questioned, staring at the big bag in his hand. "Did you go out to buy this, Kyou-kun?"
He didn't answer. He was obviously still angry at Tohru's condition.
"Gomen ne, Kyou-kun." She pleaded. "Well I'm all okay now, let's go and have fun, okay?"
Her hand slipped into his. Silently Kyou agreed. Briskly they started to head back to their room, hoping that they could make most of their last day together.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
N: Let's pretend that Kyoto and Tokyo are REALLY far away, and Osaka and Tokyo are relatively close. ^^;; I apologize for my lack of knowledge in Japanese geography.)
He was racing down the streets, Kagura fidgeting nervously beside him. It would take a while to get to Kyoto, especially in his mentally wrecked state, but he had to get there. He would bring her back, bring them both back... they had definitely crossed the line this time. Tohru's mother was in her room unconscious, and Kyou's family was in ruins. Rin had been depressed and unapproachable for the majority of the time, although he felt that the source of her mood swings was not this problem. But he couldn't care less. HE was angry, HE was hurt and he couldn't let them wreck him this way. He was Yuki, proud, icy and cold. How dare they ruin his defenses...
"Are we there yet, Yun-chan?" Kagura squeaked, obviously trying to control her nervousness. "What if they're not there... what if they don't come back..."
"I'll make them come back." Yuki spat venomously. "They will come back."
The speeding automobile swerved another turn as the lights of the afternoon started to fade away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
She was laughing again. It seemed that she did that a lot these days. It wasn't like he minded, but he was terrified. He knew that she wouldn't be laughing forever. As long as he existed... she wouldn't be able to smile truly. He was the source of her happiness, but at the same time intense grief and pain.
But then she took his hand, and she was still laughing. Didn't she realize that he loved her? And how much of a crime it was to love her? Didn't she realize that although she was his life support, without her, his life would be so much less complicated?
He didn't want his life to be simple. If having Tohru in his life meant the destruction of all in this world, he would still have it. He wanted to be selfish, he didn't want to consider anything else but her, and him, in this isolated period of time where they could be free from the bonds of responsibility. Loving Tohru was breathing air – it sustained him in more ways than one. He wanted to be with her forever, and he couldn't help but feel that possibly, she felt the same way.
Well, he was about to find out.
"The stars are out again!" She whispered, staring into the blanket of black up above. "Kyou-kun, I think I can see the Big Dipper!"
He mumbled something inaudible and Tohru brushed it off. She was happy to be here, sitting on the grass with Kyou. They had done nothing special, unless you consider spending every ounce of a second with each other special. In a sense it was – opportunities like this would never come again, and Tohru knew that. She knew it all too well to appreciate the time she was sharing now less than its value. She snuggled close to him. Although she couldn't embrace him like she wanted to, just feeling his presence next to her was enough, just the fact that she was breathing the same surroundings as him... made her feel comforted.
"Sorry I couldn't do anything special for your birthday," Kyou said, sounding a bit angry at himself. "I'm not much of a romantist."
Tohru laughed. "You just realized this, Kyou-kun?"
He coughed. "Oi, I'm better than that kuso nezumi, or any other guy you have in your life."
"Oh I don't know," Tohru replied. "Yuki-kun is a prince – he offered me everything in the world in the most gentle way possible. And this other guy that I met in highschool, I remember he showered me with flowers on my birthday, although I guess he didn't realize I was allergic to roses. Oh, of course, there was Shouji-kun..."
"Alright, alright!!" Kyou barked, frustrated at his jealousy. "What if I did something right now? Something that will make up for all the un- romantic things?"
"Then... Hmm, depends on what it is, Kitty."
After looking around the empty grass field, Kyou began to grow helpless. What is worthy of a present around here...? Stupid grass... damn you dirt, nature is so ungiving...
Then he looked up into the sky. That's it...!
Standing up, He pointed up into the heavens. "Oi, what if I got you a star for your birthday?"
Tohru just laughed.
Kyou jumped up. Once, twice. "Dammit, it's kind of hard..."
Tohru smiled at his attempts. "Give it up, Kyou-kun. You'll never be as romantic as normal men."
"Just give me a sec!" Kyou growled, crouching into a cat-like position. He sprang up high and Tohru was amazed at his jumping capabilities. His hand was drawn into a tight fist, and he shoved his hand into his coat as if protecting something. "Oi, I got it."
Tohru looked away, unable to hide her smile. She had never seen Kyou so boyish, but she had to admit, it was adorable. "Kyou-kun, you're making me laugh."
"No, no, I got it." He encouraged, causing her to face him. "Come on, onigiri, open it up."
Tohru finally gave into his antics. Curious, she slowly pried open his fingers.
Inside, there really was a star. A miniscule, silver ring, and in the middle... a star-shaped diamond. It was simple, it was kind of corny, but it really was the most beautiful one in the sky.
A tear fell into his palm, and Kyou looked up worriedly. "What's wrong?"
Tohru replied breathlessly. "It's... it's so beautiful, Kyou-kun..."
He smiled contentedly. Truthfully, he had been worried that his master plan wouldn't work. Afraid that she would push it off. But now was his chance. "Tohru..."
Her blue eyes stared into his. He grabbed the ring and her small hand. Delicately placing the silver onto her ring finger, he was pleased to see that it was a perfect fit.
"Tohru... will you... will you marry me?"
She was in a state of shock. Did he... did he just say...
All she could do was smile. Kyou's hand wrapped around her own. She looked up into his eyes. She was happy to see the crimson orbs, calm, brotherly, and full of love. She stood up slowly, and so did Kyou. She lunged into his arms happily, appreciating the few moments that the curse allowed the two lovers to have.
"Oh Kyou-kun, you're such a hopeless romantic," she whispered, tickling Kyou's cat ears.
"Damn it, onigiri, you're squeezing too tight!" Kyou reprimanded, while his tail wagged in happiness.
For the first time in a while, Tohru carried the orange furball back home, as he rested peacefully to her heartbeat. This really was the happiest day of her life.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When he had finally reached the room, he was overcome by a sense of emptiness. No one was in.
He navigated through the small area quite quickly. A simple table with two sets of cutlery. A half-plastered wall. Two identical cups, two identical toothbrushes. A birthday cake on the table, the candles flickering carelessly. He felt his nails dig into his palm as his hand unconsciously rolled into fists.
Just as he was beginning to appreciate the silence in the room which calmed him a bit, his adrenaline started to circulate again as he heard voices. A gruff, masculine one, as opposed to a feminine giggle. He quickly turned to the doorway.
"Huh? Ne, the door's open, Kyou-kun."
"Dammit, you did this, didn't you, you klutz?"
"Hmm... I swear I closed it on the way out..."
But the source was inside. She gasped as soon as she saw him, and his eyes instantaneously hardened. Yuki stared emotionlessly at the pair walking in hand in hand (Kyou had transformed on the way). Tohru's loose hair shivered.
"Yun-chan, I think there's a gas station just down the road. If we could take –"
All attention turned to the doorway once again. There Kagura stood, unmoving, transfixed. Her eyes wandered down to Kyou's hands, clutching Tohru's. A stray tear fell from her eye, sliding past her cheek.
Yuki took a step towards them. Surprised, Tohru brought her hand to cover her mouth in a gasp.
A glint on her ring finger stopped the prince.
Kagura cried harder.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN: Yes yes, corny ending, but I didn't know where to stop it! -____-a well, that is it for chapter eleven! The Haru and Rin thing is a plot twist, something I came up with on my own for the side. I felt that Rin came off as toooo evil, and decided to justify her maliciousness. It will be a side story, not really affecting the main plot a lot, but Haru will play a big role in the main problem. –chuckle- it was hard, deciding which character to put in. I wanted Shigure, but figured he was too light for this story... maybe next time ^^
Well I hope you guys enjoyed it~ sorry for the long long wait (although I'm sure none of you care anymore -_-) feel free to flame me on my late updating skills –dodges millions of flaming balls- but I shall be very depressed if you flame me about my story T.T but constructive criticism is appreciated!
Click the review button plz!~