Side Note - I need to get these up quicker, eh? Anyways, just as a reminded, anything in mini quotations, like this '………' are thoughts. Just in case you're just tuning in.

Disclaimer - Past instances in which I professed to like you were fraudulent.

Make Me

Chapter Four

"Just us.."

This was one of the many things that confused Kyou when he thought he had enough to occupy his racing mind. Why is it that this girl- this girl who had not shown him any evidence that she could be interested in him ('Unless I'm that dense.' Kyou quickly ignored the thought.)- was asking him on a date? That's what this was after all, wasn't it? He looked her over for some sign that she was just acting like her normal, caring self, but it didn't seem like that to him.

Tohru caught him staring and made an attempt to laugh off her nerves, "You don't have to, it just seems like a fun thing to do, but.. Uhmm.. Well, it's not that big a deal; forget it."

Despite her last two words, she still looked up at Kyou expectantly, waiting for an answer or any sort of response. Kyou, however, just stared past her dumbly, not able to look her in the eyes. He knew he should say something, or at least acknowledge that a question was asked of him, but instead he let the silence pass over them for longer than was remotely comfortable. Still, Tohru watched him as if no time had passed at all.

'What are you doing, you idiot? This is the perfect opportunity!' Kyou told himself. What better way to get his mind off the people he shouldn't be thinking of than with thoughts of someone he should? Maybe he could really like Tohru and just hadn't given her a chance yet- that was a possibility, wasn't it? Or it was at least an idea he could try out. 'Okay,' he thought, 'if it's all decided then…'

He turned slightly and met Tohru's gaze, slightly surprised that she was still watching him with as much energy that she was at the start. "Okay," the sound of his voice startled him for a moment and he wasn't sure if it was more because of what he was saying, or because he was saying anything at all after going so long without, "Why not?"

Tohru smiled brightly and nodded once in agreement, "Okay!" She finished packing up the first aid kit and stood up, still beaming down at Kyou. "I'll get your breakfast and be right back, okay?" She nearly skipped out the room and shut the door carefully behind her.

Kyou studied the door for a moment, waiting for his mind to fully comprehend what just took place. "Okay."

***

"You know," Yuki turned his gaze from the cabinet to Shigure who watched him, awaiting his verdict, "lying will get you no where in life."

Shigure looked amused which sent a wave of frustration through Yuki. He ignored Yuki's icy glare and scratched his chin theatrically, "It's worked for me so far, but why bring it up?"

Yuki sighed and brought his arm up sharply to point to the cupboard, "There is no mouse in there. Don't play stupid." 'Even if you do it so well,' he added mentally.

Shigure cocked his head to one side in a gesture of confusion. "Tohru is the one that said she saw a mouse. I'm just an innocent victim.."

Yuki opened his mouth to protest but was caught off by the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor, followed by Tohru entering the kitchen with a cheerfully sickening smile plastered onto her face. He watched her as she crossed the kitchen to the cupboard where the supposed mouse was setting up shop and retrieved a stack of plates and set them on the counter. Wasn't she scared half to death after seeing the rodent that she had to leave the kitchen prematurely? Yuki found his urge to throw the broken plate- that was still in piece on the floor- at her smiling, bubbly face grow as she started to hum some unknown tune and put breakfast on each person's plate.

"Tohru," Shigure leaned into the counter beside her, "we didn't get the mouse just yet," he informed her and winced slightly in expectation of another high-pitched yelp that he was certain Tohru would provide at the thought of putting her hand near such a creature.

Tohru's face never relaxed from its gleeful state as she moved to the opposite cabinet to retrieve cups. "Mouse?" She sang. 'Bitch,' Yuki thought as his suspicions were confirmed. Yuki saw her smile falter slightly as she realised she had been caught, but instead of the explanation that Yuki wanted, she said, "I'm sure you scared it off," and poured three cups of orange juice and one coffee. She then grabbed a plate and a glass and made her way back up the stairs.

Yuki shook his head in disbelief as she disappeared into the second floor. It confused him. Not what had happened, and not that she hadn't mentioned anything, but because he never thought he would ever be in a situation when he could feel so much dislike for this girl. She was always like a sweet, caring, cheerful friend, but now all he saw her as was a rival. It didn't seem right.

'Don't be mad at Tohru,' his mind hissed, 'what chance did you have with him anyways? He's doesn't even swing that way.' He put his hands into his pocket and glanced over to the plates that Tohru had left on the counter. It was perfect. He found himself, seconds later, glaring at the food in disgust. 'How could she ever do anything wrong?'

***

Night. Sleep. Night is the time when you sleep- such a simple concept that Yuki couldn't grasp that night, much like the one before it. The memory of what he had heard thru the door that morning replayed over in his head until he was certain he had carefully analyzed each detail to death. And still, his mind wouldn't shut up. 'What if you're wrong?' it said, 'how would you know?' He wouldn't. Tohru hadn't mentioned it the entire day and he couldn't tell if she was bubbly because of a newfound mutual love, or because she was hiding the fact that she didn't. After so long of having lived with her, he barely understood her behaviour. He decided that he didn't want to face Kyou either way and asked Shigure if he could help Kyou instead so he could go to bed earlier. And still, he couldn't sleep.

Yuki turned to face his door and saw how no light was radiating from beneath it. 'Everyone must be asleep,' he thought. 'Everyone's asleep.' He sat up in bed and listened for a moment for any sound that could mean otherwise. He heard nothing. 'Everyone's asleep.'

He quietly got out of bed and opened the door to see only more closed doors down the hall- all with no light of sounds coming from within. He thought for a moment and couldn't tell if it was the lack of sleep or annoyances of the day that made him so blindly foolish, but he ignored it and made his way to Kyou's door- making sure each step was as light as it could possibly be.

He reached the boy's door and placed his hand on the knob when, finally, his mind clued it. 'What is this, exactly? Why aren't you in bed? You should be in bed, you know. You know that, right?' Yuki opened Kyou's door and slowly stepped in and hovered over his bed where he lay silently. 'Sorry for misdirecting you, Yuki. When I said "go to bed" I thought it was clear that I meant your bed. Are you being stupid?'

"Probably," Yuki whispered and knelt down beside the sleeping figure. Today seemed to be the day where anything that could confuse him, would- sort of a Murphy's Law made especially for him. He had felt for Kyou for a long time, but being there at such a time made everything feel different. It felt out of focus. It felt as if he would cry.

'It's because you've lost your mind!' His mind informed him, 'now, you can go weep for the loss of your soul in your room; away from people that take even more of it away. He's just making you mad and you'll be even more so in the morning when you have your senses back. Just go to your bed and sto-' Yuki ignored the voice and brought his lips closer to Kyou's. He hesitated for only a moment before realising how impossible it would be to go back after coming so far. He closed the space between them and kissed his lips lightly- being careful not to wake him. "Good night," he whispered as he stood back and obeyed his mind's orders to get into bed as if he could ever sleep.

'Why do I bother? You're an idiot..'

***

Kyou opened his eyes slowly as he heard the door of his room close and stared up at his ceiling as if whatever answer to whatever question it was that was troubling him would appear there. That was fine, wasn't it? It was fine to let Yuki kiss him, wasn't it?

"No it's wasn't! I was supposed to be avoiding him," he hissed to himself. 'This is why you're not supposed to pretend to be asleep just so that you don't have to talk to him,' he thought. He rolled over and stared at the wall as if it was any better help than the ceiling. It was and he smiled, 'or maybe this is exactly why you do it.'

Kyou sighed- as if he could sleep now either way.

End Chapter 4

Side Note - I know, I know. So sue me or threaten my mortality. *bows*