The keybosard is sat it again@! It'as wqresaking hsavoc on my writing@!

That's a sample of the keyboard dilemma I'm facing right now…Q, S, Z, A, X, W, 2, 1, @ and ! are messing up and I can't do anything but to try to Auto-correct them. This will explain why this chapter took so long to come out…aside from the fact that I'm still busy with my Shaman King fansite and the E+T Day site.  

Gomen for keeping you guys waiting!

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"Any guy can fall in love with you. You're funny, witty, intelligent, and  a lot of fun to be with," He suddenly felt thirsty. As he was reciting the traits that he had secretly adored about her, he felt his heartbeat quickening. "Y-You're sweet, kind, patient, and pretty. You are lovable, Uo."

Kyo stood up from his lying position on the hours roof, muttering. What made him say those things? Where did those words come out from?

At first, he just wanted to comfort her. All he wanted to do was to make her feel better about herself.

He shook his head vehemently. What the hell was happening to him?

He climbed down from the roof and was about to go into his room when he passed by Shigure and Hatori who were drinking beer in the living room.

"Hey, Neko-chan!" greeted Shigure upon seeing him. "Still up? You have work tomorrow."

"Yeah," he said hollowly. "I was just…thinking…about…"

"What is the cat thinking about?" asked Shigure, resting his chin on his hand.

"No one in particular," he said shrugging.

"In short, you're just wasting time," said Hatori sharply. "You better use your time more productively." He took something out from his envelope and handed them to Kyo. "Go over these, and I want you to double check the figures."

"How cute," gushed Shigure. "Little Kyo is learning his sums again."

"Shut up," grumbled the neko. For the first time in his life, he was grateful that Hatori was there to boss him around. He needed to do something to get his mind off Uotani Arisa. He started to go to his room when Shigure called him again.

"I just want to tell you that the novel is going along great," said the novelist. "In my plot, the handsome young master is falling for his driver already."

He was promptly pummeled to near death by the neko as the tatsu watched, sipping his drink calmly as if there was nothing exciting happening in front of him.

"Kyo-kun?"

Kyo looked up from the bunch of figures that Hatori was making him go over again for the fourth time. "Tohru?" His face lit up. She was the most welcome diversion that he really needed right now. It was getting tiresome to pretend that he was engrossed with the decimals before him when what was really in his mind was his driver.

"Come in and sit down," he said, pulling the seat next to him. He noticed that the sun was already up, meaning he didn't even sleep at all!

"Kyo-kun, I need to talk to you about…about Uo-chan," she said slowly.

He immediately perked up. "What is it?"

Tohru bit her lip. Uo begged her not to tell anyone about the dead cat sent to her, but the onigiri was starting to get really worried. She knew that Kyo was the best person to tell her problems.

She began to narrate what Uo narrated to her over the phone awhile ago. Kyo turned grim.

Uo was looking at her boss sideways in the car mirror. He was strangely quiet, and all the while, she could feel his steady gaze on her. Irritated, she turned to him. "What the hell is your problem, you moronic mutant cat?"

"Nothing. What about you?" he asked, eyes still trained on her.

"Huh?"

"Do you have a problem that you may want to tell me?" he asked testily.

She narrowed her eyes. "You are my problem. You are acting so weird, and when you act like that, I feel that something weird will happen today."

To her surprise, he ignored her crack. "I want you to know that you can trust me," he said seriously. "You can tell me anything."

"Including how fascinating you look like with your hair all messed up, and how your tie totally uncoordinates with your coat?" she asked sarcastically. "Plus how lovely you look with those big, purple eyebags?"

His eyes narrowed. "Save for that." He then turned his attention back to the tinted car window. "Is he still bothering you?"

"By any chance, Tohru did not tell you about our phone conversation last night, did she?" asked Uo, sighing.

"Don't get angry at her. She was just worried about you, a woman living alone who gets grave threats from obsessed powerful rich suitors." Kyo glanced at her sideways. "I should be mad at you because you didn't tell me about that."

"It's none of your business," she said. "You don't have to involve yourself in my own hang-ups in life."

"From now on, I'm making it my business too," he said firmly. "As your employer, I am responsible for your welfare."

She whistled. "Wow, are you sure you're that mutant cat? You sure don't sound like him."

"Don't make it a laughing matter. It cannot be taken lightly," he said, irritated. "That DOM means business. He wants you at all cost!"

"He may desire me, but he can't touch me," she said confidently.

"Are you blind? He knows where you are! You're vulnerable!" he snapped.

She turned her eyes back at the road. "There you go again, sounding so chauvinistic. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" She stepped on the gas clutch. "I'm a big girl now. I can handle myself, thank you very much."

"I know you are," he said slowly. "And I know you can. However, I….Tohru's really worried about you."

"I don't need protection. I am the last person to need that. I'm not helpless!" she reasoned.

"It's not merely principles that we're talking about," he said, his temper starting to flare up. "You are in danger. A crazy man like him can do anything and everything to hurt you! Are you still going to put your ultra-feminist principles above your safety? Just admit that you need a man too! That you can't live on your own!"

Her eyes flared. "I thought you had learned already and understood my convictions. I was wrong!"

"That's because your convictions are senseless!" he yelled back.

"Senseless?" She stopped the car, not caring whether she would cause a heavy traffic behind them. "Tell you what, Sohma Kyo. I can't work with people who do not understand the things I believe in."

Silence.

"So what are you saying?" he asked coldly.

"That I'm resigning," she replied, her voice frosty too.

Heavy, tense silence hung in the air. None of them spoke, and their eyes were just piercing each other.

They were like that for what seemed like an eternity, and would continue to do so had not the cars behind them tooted their horns. Uo bit her lip. She got carried away by her anger again. She was about to apologize when he broke the silence.

"Fine! Do what you want!" he yelled, crossing his arms in front of his chest, scowling. "Hah! It's so easy to get another driver to serve me! With the salary that I'm paying, it would be so quick for me to replace you, an insubordinate and cocky person like you!"

 Her eyes widened, then she took off her seatbelt.

"What are you doing?" he asked, forehead creasing.

"Resigning," she said simply. She went out of the car, leaving the shouting Kyo amidst the traffic.

"What happened to you and Arisa-san?" asked Yuki when he entered Kyo's office. "If Hatori had not happened to be in the same road and had not rescued you, the drivers there could have killed you!"

"Hah! That stupid witch!" he yelled. "She resigned!"

"Resigned?" The nezumi's forehead creased.

"That's right." Kyo rolled his eyes. "I was just expressing my concern over her safety because she was being stalked, and guess what? She blew up and told me that she didn't need my help! That she didn't need any man to protect her!"

"Well, Arisa-san has always been very proud of her gender," said Yuki slowly.

Kyo paused, but pretended to ignore it. "Then she told me that she's quitting! She ran off, leaving me in the middle of the road, even if she knows that I do not know how to drive the car!"

Yuki wasn't fooled. "You must have said something to hurt her. She won't take off just like that, you know."

"Between her and your own cousin – you own flesh and blood, whom would you believe in?" he asked suddenly.

Without hesitation, he replied, "Her."

"So it's true," said Tohru sadly as she entered Kyo's office half an hour later. Yuki had just told her about what happened.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the documents before him.

"Kyo-kun…you shouldn't have lose your temper," she said quietly.

"It is she who resigned. I didn't fire her," he reasoned.

"B-But…what would happen to her now?" she asked, mostly to herself. "Who would protect her now from that stalker? Kyo-kun was the person that I had most expected to take care of her."

"I offered to help her, but she doesn't need any," he said irritated. "Let's stop talking about this, ok?"

"I'm worried about Uo-chan," she said softly.

He was too, his heart insisted. He tried to shake the thought off his mind. "She chose her path already. She doesn't need me. She can live all by herself, without the help of any man."

"She didn't mean it like that," insisted Tohru. "She just probably misunderstood your concern."

Concern? I had never been concerned about anyone but myself and Tohru. Why should I be concerned about her?

"Kyo-kun, please apologize to her…even for my sake. I want to see you together in my birthday," she pleaded.

"Tohru, please. Don't use guilt in forcing me to do something that I don't want to do."

"S-So there is no hope?" she asked, sighing.

"Unless it's she who apologizes," he said, "You will not see us together."

Her eyes widened. "Y-You mean, if she says sorry, y-you'll…" She didn't finish anymore what she was saying. She ran out of the office.

He finally looked up. He wished with all his heart that she would apologize, just so he would be licensed to talk to her again.

For in his heart of hearts, he missed her already.

That afternoon. Kyo went to the parking lot, his eyes searching for the familiar black Benz parked by a tree.

When he found it, he excitedly hurried towards it.

Only to find it locked. There was no sign of his driver inside, only a note from Hatori that he would drive him and Kagura off within an hour.

He leaned on the car window weakly. What was he expecting from a stubborn woman like Uotani Arisa? He remembered a quote he heard from a certain series that Tohru used to watch avidly.

"If sorry is of any worth, what is the function of the police?" he asked himself. Apology is non-existent in the vocabulary of Xanthippe.

"You're staring off to space again."

Kyo blinked when he saw Kagura looking at him, frowning. "N-No…I was just sleepy…"

She didn't look convinced. "Is something bothering you?"

"Of course none!" he said vehemently. "Why should Uo bother me?"

Kagura sighed.

He looked away. "Sorry."

"When you said that," she remarked, "I felt worse."

Kyo tucked his hands into his pocket. "I was just thinking…when we fought…I felt like I lost my best friend."

Silence.

"Maybe you should apologize," said Kagura finally.

"Me? Apologize?" laughed Kyo. "Why should I?"

"Because you look so miserable without her," she said.

"W-Why are you saying that?" he asked in disbelief. "You two are not exactly the best of friends."

"What do you expect? You are my fiancé, and she is closer to you than I am." Kagura smiled softly. "But in the end, Hatori helped me realize that true love is not…possession. If setting you free is the only way to make you feel how much I care for you, then I'll do it."

Kyo blinked.

"Don't look at me like that," she said. "I hate seeing you like this. I want to see you back in that lively Kyo who does verbal jousts with his driver everyday. That is the Kyo that I had wanted to see ever since your mother died."

"Kagura…"

"If she is the only one who can do such a miracle on you, then I will gladly step aside." She leaned towards him and kissed his cheek. "Go."

He nodded gratefully, then looked down. "How do I start saying sorry to her?"

"You'll think of something!" she said encouragingly.

Uo was awakened by the urgent knocking on her door. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she walked towards the door, expecting Tohru. Awhile ago, Tohru came into her unit after asking some people in Kyo's office about her residence. The onigiri tried to ask her to apologize to the neko, but she remained firm on her resolve – she would not say sorry. In the end, it was her friend who gave up.

She opened the door, and was stunned to see Kyo standing outside her room, looking at her with a tentative smile.

"Hi?" he greeted, his eyes running up and down her body. He averted his eyes. "I disturbed your sleep…"

She looked down at her gauzy negligee, then felt her face heat up. She dashed for her dressing robe and slipped it around her shoulders.

"May I come in?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded. "This unit is yours."

"Yours," he corrected.

"You didn't just come here to argue with me about my unit, did you?" she asked.

"I…I…" Kyo clenched his fists. "I want you to report tomorrow. I…I need you back."

Uo's eyes widened.

"Y-You…you'll come back, right?" he asked hopefully.

She looked at him, then shrugged. "Double my salary."

His eyes lit up, and he stood up. "OK."

"Just kidding," she said. "I just want you to be more considerate with your words, that's all. If you have a problem with my ultra-feminism, say so tactfully. I'm afraid that my temper is not any better than yours." She smiled. "And in return, I'll try to always bear in mind that you may look like a full grown man, but you still are stuck in your childhood stubbornness and immaturity."

"Har har di har har," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, tomorrow at 7 am, Boss!"

He nodded. "Good night then. Lock all your doors, and in case something happens, you have the cell-"

Surprisingly, she didn't find his sudden precautions annoying. She kinda liked his verbal demonstration of concern. He must have eaten gelatin for lunch. He suddenly softened like one!

Before he shut the door, he bowed. "SorryforthewordsIsaiditwon'thappenagain."

"Huh?" She wasn't sure of what he said, because his voice sounded like a grumble, but she thought she caught the word 'sorry'.

"Good night."

Kyo could feel himself smiling goofily, and he couldn't explain why. All he knew was that he felt great, and he knew that he was going to see his driver back on duty the next morning.

I must be nuts, he thought as he hummed the way home.

tsuzuku