Chapter 8(i)

Kyou returned home with a click of keys, exhausted from today's events. "Tohru?" He called. He expected the running of footsteps, the familiar lavender scent, the smell of prepared food in the kitchen, the smile on her face but there was none. His heart jumped. "Toh…ru?" He called again. The house had a kind of silence so deafening that it reminded him of his past where he spent his life caged up.

He went to the kitchen, then searched the toilets and finally their bedroom. No Tohru. Oh shit. He grabbed his blue jacket and rushed out of the house. Pressing the numbers on his cell phone, he dialed for Yuki, it rang a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello? Souma residence,"

"Yeah, um, is Yuki in?" Kyou asked.

"…Kyou?" The feminine voice rang. With that, he asked with a hopeful heart if Tohru was with him, but when Yuki said no, his heart raced. "Gad, where the hell can she be?!" Suddenly, something struck in his head.

Uo. I bet she knows. And Saki too. He sat down on a bench and bit his lip. He did not have their contact anymore. He had never been this worried before. Perhaps that's because Tohru had never been missing in his life before. Somehow, the thought of it made Kyou's heart ache. He decided to call the Main House, perhaps Akito know something about it, which he doubt he would know. He asked whether Tohru had made a phonecall to their residence and indeed, she had.

All of Kyou's senses perked up and he asked for her.

"I don't know, she asked for a number," The secretary on the other line said. "…number? What number? Could you give it to me?" Kyou asked, almost demanding than requesting. "The number is 1200 – 32411000045," He immediately took it down and dialed for the number.

After a couple of rings, a masculine voice picked up the phone, "Yo," He knew instantly from the voice that it was Uo. "Uo," Kyou started. There was silence over the phone. "Ah… what's the matter?" Uo asked nonchalantly. Kyou stood up and paced about, "Um… I was just… wondering if Tohru is with you guys or whether she had called you," There was a long pause.

"No, she didn't,"

"But the people at the Main House said she asked for your residence's number," Kyou said in denial. "…" There was another long and irritating pause. Finally, Uo sighed. Tohru had been to their house and she had been crying non-stop over Kyou. She had finally been able to catch up on her sleep when Saki took her to their room. Saki had been in their room for almost an hour now, perhaps feeling a bit nostalgic upon seeing Tohru.

"She's been here,"

"Here?! Where?!" Kyou asked.

"What happened between you guys?! She came here crying and didn't speak a word about what happened and now you're calling us and searching all over for her, obviously frantic… Seeing her this depressed reminds me of the time she lost her mother," Uo said and gave another long sigh. Kyou's words got caught somewhere in his throat and refused to come out. That itty bitty feeling deep in his gut like someone's punching him and he was willing to take the blows because he had done something wrong. The silence almost made Uo think that Kyou had hung up on her, "Kyou?" Uo probed.

He cleared his throat, "There has been a… misunderstanding between the both of us," He stopped in his tracks, "Would you tell me, please, where you guys live so I can pick her up and settle our problem from there…" He bit his lips, desperate for Uo to say yes, "…please?" He begged. Uo sat back in her sofa.

"… If I hear that you've been ill-treating Tohru, I'll beat the hell out of you, you got that?! Go home and console her, if she comes here again without a smile on her face, you'll be getting it, personally, from me," Uo said and gave Kyou her address. If Uo and Saki is unable to comfort Tohru, there would only be one person who could and that would be Kyou.

Kyou swallowed hard, "Thank you so much… this… this means a lot to me, thank you," He said and rushed to his car and drove off.

At that very moment, he realized how much Tohru meant to him. He realized how important she is to him and the ache of not having her by his side. He had taken her for granted, too often that he had ignored and disregarded her feelings and had only cared about taking care of his feelings. At that moment, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. Keep in control… Kyou's heart throbbed fast, guilt and utter regret filled his heart and it began to swell from his insides. It made him sick.

He wasn't going to lose Tohru. He can't. Not when he realized that the only woman he would spend his entire life – and perhaps the following lifetimes he would have - is Tohru.

He accelerated, urgent to get to her fast and upon reaching Uo's house, he summed up what he wanted to say to her. Forcing a smile, he knocked on the door and Uo answered.

"She's right inside taking a nap, it had been too exhausting for her because she had been crying the whole afternoon," Uo said. Kyou heaved a sigh of relief, "Then… I'll just… carry her home," Kyou said. Uo nodded. Even though she was a woman, she was an inch taller than Kyou and she was very slim.

He opened the door to face a familiar figure, she turned to look at Kyou with her icy purple eyes, "Kyou," She called. Kyou stood at the door, and when Saki turned her head to indicate the sleeping Tohru, Kyou made his move to scoop her off.

He paused in his tracks when Saki started speaking, "Tohru has had a hard time getting over the death of her loved one, even though she may look like she's happy all the time… inside her, it aches till it could ache no more. Do you… understand what I am trying to say?" Saki spoke eerily, "I seldom see her cry this much, but whatever happened between the two of you… it had hurt her a lot."

When he began walking, she ended, "She loves you, Kyou," It was hard enough to keep the tears from falling as he walked out the door. Gently, he placed her at the front passenger seat. He proceeded to sit in the driver's seat. Starting up the car, he paused and looked over at Tohru. Without a word, he hugged Tohru as tears of guilt flowed down his face. She had seen him and Chika together… He did not know what she saw or heard but whatever she had, had hurt her really badly and it's all because of him.

He hugged her tighter while she slept soundly.

Oh Tohru…

Author's Note:

I'm SO sorry for the lack of quick updates! I've been so busy preparing my tests... so today, I wrote a rather long chapter ...I received a lot of nice comments from all of you and I just like to say that I appreciate every one of them! THANK YOU!!

hugs hugs

At this rate, the whole story might end pretty fast! ;

I may start the next story: Inside Her Mind

In this story, you'll be dragged into the minds of Saki Hanajima. I just adore her. She's so troubled... somehow. =] Well, thanks for all ya wonderful support!