It took a few moments before Ayame and Shigure could speak again. Shigure was the first to walk over and stare at Tohru.
"I don't believe it" Shigure smiled, "It's like a miracle" he embraced Tohru tightly and then pulled away, "It really is like a miracle" he smiled even more very excited.
"Oh goody" Ayame grinned, "Now it's my turn."
"I think," Yuki interrupted him standing in front of Tohru, "That we have demonstrated this enough."
"Aw. But brother."
"So does this mean the curse has been broken?" Shigure replied.
"Not exactly" Kyo said with his hands in his pockets and a shake of his head, "We're still cursed but apparently Tohru is the only one who doesn't get affected by it anymore."
"How do you mean?" Ayame asked.
"Kyo and I walked into town today" Tohru explained, "And he bumped into another woman and he still transformed."
"So" Shigure frowned, "Tohru is the only one immune to this. I think we need to talk to" but he was interrupted.
Hatori walked into the building and saw the entire group surrounding Tohru. He stared a bit confused and with his eyebrows slightly raised.
"What is going on?"
After a few minutes' explanation and demonstration by Ayame, Hatori slumped onto the couch in deep thought.
"Well Hari what do you think?" Shigure asked.
"I've never seen anything like it before. It's unreal. No time in the history of the Zodiac has this ever occurred. I am quite certain about one thing though, Akito has to know."
"You have to tell Akito Hatori?" Yuki replied as several around him began to protest.
"Calm down" Hatori said in a firm tone, "You know we have to. He is the head of the family. And this is big news. Shigure, Ayame you should come with me."
"Of course" Shigure nodded as well as Ayame, "It would be best if we had more than one person there to prove it. Don't you kids worry about a thing" he grinned slightly at them all because he saw their worried expressions, "It won't be so bad. Come along Aya."
"Indeed" Ayame replied, "No worries" he laughed a little then departed with Hatori and Ayame.
Kisa worried as usual walked over and slipped her hand into Tohru's.
"Sissy."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing bad is going to happen is it?"
"No Kisa. I don't think so" she shook her head.
"Yea" Haru replied, "Hatori and Shigure will take care of everything" he patted her on the top of her head, "Don't worry Kisa."
"Miss Honda?" Yuki looked at her as her face lowered a bit.
Everyone turned to her in concern as she raised her head a little and smiled.
"Oh I'm all right" she grinned, "I think I'm just a little tired is all. I think maybe I'm gonna go to bed now" she moved past them and towards the stairs.
"But it's only eight o'clock" Hiro thought looking at the clock over the mantle.
"Tohru do you need any of us to come with you?" Kagura asked.
"Oh no no. I'll be all right" she said on the stairs, "Good night everyone!"
"Goodnight!" they all echoed back.
Kyo watched as she walked up the stairs and leaned into the wall with his arms crossed. He sighed heavily and shook his head as Yuki and everyone sat back down and pondered the evening's events.
(Next Scene)
Akito sat stunned and very rigid as Shigure and Hatori finished their story. They looked at each other as he continued to be silent. He stood up his eyes a bit wide and walked over to the window.
"Are you certain?" he finally said.
"Yes" Shigure nodded his head, "And they explained it. There is no other explanation Akito, except, Tohru is no longer affected. She is immune to the curse."
"Immune? Hatori can't you explain this?"
"I'm sorry Akito. I can't" Hatori shook his head, "This has never happened before."
"I see. Leave me all of you. I need to be alone."
They all nodded and departed the room. Kureno was the only one left behind. As he stood up to leave Akito turned to him.
"You don't have to go Kureno" he replied, "I'd rather you stayed."
"Of course" Kureno said, "If that is what you want Akito. I will stay."
"Yes" Akito nodded, "Please stay. Don't leave me."
Kureno was a bit confused by those words but knelt back down as Akito came to sit down once more. He smiled a bit at Kureno and then placed his head in his lap.
(Next Scene)
The next morning Tohru woke up very slowly. She gazed around the room and noticed that the girls were no longer in bed. She sat up abruptly.
"I must have overslept!" she shouted in a panic.
"Good morning Sissy" Kisa replied with a smile as she opened the door.
"Kisa? Where is everyone?"
"They're downstairs" Kisa walked over and sat on her bed.
"Well why didn't they wake me up?"
"They thought that you would need some sleep. I mean yesterday was pretty confusing. No one has eaten breakfast yet, we're all waiting for you. Rin and Kagura are making it."
"Really?"
"Mhm" Kisa stood back up and walked over to the door, "Come on down when you're ready" she closed the door quietly behind her.
"Huh? Imagine that?" Tohru thought as she pulled off the covers and began to get dressed.
(Next Scene)
She walked downstairs and noticed everyone setting the table and helping out in the kitchen. Hatsuharu and Yuki smiled as she entered in.
"Good morning Miss Honda" Yuki replied.
"Yes good morning Tohru" Haru added.
"Good morning you guys. This looks wonderful."
"Yea well we figured you're always helping us in this area" Momiji spoke up as he came out with some dishes, "So this morning we thought that we would help you."
"Thank you. Can I help with anything?"
"Um actually Miss Honda" Yuki said, "We're just about done here, but you could do something for us" he looked at Hatsuharu.
"Uh yea" Haru replied, "You see Kyo is still out on the beach. I was wondering if you could go get him for us."
"Oh sure. I can go do that" she walked over to the door and out while Yuki and Haru grinned at each other.
"What are the two of you smiling about?" Momiji asked curiously as they walked over to the window closest to the beach to watch, "Hey what's going on?"
"It's nothing Momiji" Haru replied, "Go finish up."
"Huh? Hmm" he frowned certain he was being left out of something.
"I hope this works," Hatsuharu said to Yuki.
"Yea" Yuki nodded.
"Hope what works? You guys!" Momiji whined.
(Next Scene)
Tohru spotted Kyo as she walked across the sand. He was staring at the ocean with a far off look in his eye and she almost didn't want to say anything because he looked so peaceful.
"Kyo!" she called.
Kyo spun around and smiled slightly as she made her way over.
"Kyo. Breakfast is almost ready. The guys sent me out to get you."
"Did they? Did you sleep all right?"
"Oh. Mhm" she nodded, "You?"
"Uh yea okay I guess. You had me worried though."
"I did?"
"You seemed so upset last night."
"Oh" she grinned, "I wasn't upset. Just a bit overwhelmed is all. Everything was happening so fast, I didn't know how to take it."
"I can understand that."
"I'm sorry if I worried you."
"No it's okay" he shook his head.
"Well breakfast is just about done" she smiled, "So whenever you're ready to come in. You know?" she began to walk back to the house.
Kyo looked down at the sand for a few moments and then ran after her grabbing her hand.
"Tohru wait" he replied.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"There's. Just don't go yet, I. I have to tell you something."
"All right."
(Next Scene)
"Does it like he's going for it?" Haru replied staring out the window at Kyo's latest reaction.
"What's going on you guys?" Momiji complained.
"I don't know" Yuki said ignoring Momiji completely, "He pulled her back so I guess that is a good sign."
"Who did?"
"Shh!" Hatsuharu and Yuki put their fingers to their lips which made Momiji frown even more and cross his arms.
"You guys are hiding something from me. And that's not fair."
"Be quiet Momiji" Haru said impatiently.
(Next Scene)
Kyo held onto Tohru's hand for a few moments trying to speak. Tohru looked up at him in concern.
"Kyo is there something wrong?"
"Huh? No why, why would there be anything wrong?"
"You just haven't said anything in the past two minutes."
"Oh um you're right" he replied and then thought, "What is the matter with me? Why can't I just say it?" he cleared his throat, "Tohru um" he stuttered, "Do you remember when we were at my mom's grave and I told you that I made a promise to your mother?"
"Yes" she nodded, "I remember that."
Kyo turned his back and continued to speak.
"Well at the time I told you that I couldn't remember what I promised. But it came back to me, later that same afternoon."
"What did you promise her?"
"She asked me that" he stopped and then turned back around, "that if I ever met you that I would look after you for her, when she couldn't. At the time of course I said yes. I was just a little kid. I had no idea we'd ever meet each other. So I promised I would."
"Mhm. Mom was always so concerned about me" she smiled, "I don't always act the most responsible in some ways. Is that all that was bothering you?"
"Well it wasn't bothering me, I mean no. No that's not what I was trying to say."
"Okay. Please go on."
"After we talked and then I went back to my mother's grave I made another promise on it."
"Another promise?"
"Uh huh. I promised that I would keep the promise I made to your mother. I swore on my mother's grave that I would keep it."
Tohru's eyes went a little wide and then she turned away from him.
"Oh you didn't have to do that."
"But I wanted to" he said gently, "I wanted to make that promise, the truth is. The truth is" he replied and then thought, "Come on dumb ass say it."
"Yes the truth is?" she said looking at him.
"The truth is I. Uh" he grumbled and turned away, "I don't know I" he scratched the back of his head, "I don't know how to say it."
"Look if this is too hard for you, I understand."
"No!" he shouted, "It's not too hard! I mean it is but it's not. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout" he recovered when he saw the stunned look on her face, " The fact of the matter is, I wanted to make that promise, because. Because" he said very low but she could still hear him, "Because" he then sighed, "I care about you."
Tohru stared at the back of his head as his shoulders became much more relaxed. She placed her hands over her mouth as he went on.
"I care about you all right. A lot. I mean a whole lot. The truth is. Tohru I am. I am. I am in love with you."
"What?" she let her hands drop and her eyes began to fill up with tears, "What did you say?"
He turned and looked at her directly in the eye.
"I'm in love with you okay. I've said it. I Kyo Sohma am in love. And it's with you. Tohru Honda."
Tohru began to cry. She cried very hard as she turned around. Kyo held up his hand confused at her reaction.
"Wha? What's wrong? Tohru. I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry. I'll take it back."
"No no. You don't understand."
"Huh?"
"I too have a confession to make. Do you remember, the dance months ago?"
"Yea sure."
"And you asked me whether the song I was singing was meant for somebody and I told you no."
"Yes."
"Well it was" she turned around and looked him directly in the eye.
Kyo's eyes became wide as she looked away once more.
"When I sang that song, the lyrics were so true to me. I felt that way about someone. Someone I thought I could never be with. For lots of reasons, but I can't deny it anymore either. When you said that you loved me, you meant it right Kyo?"
"Yes" he nodded.
"Then I have to tell you that ever since I followed you in the storm my feelings for you were different. I no longer thought of you as just a friend but something else. And it hurt to think that it could never be possible. That you would ever go for a simple girl like me. I mean I'm clumsy and not too good of a student and I'm very plain."
"No you're not" he shook his head, "You're anything but plain. Tohru you were the first person to ever accept me outside the family, as I am. Even though I'm a monster you still wanted to be with me. That was really the day I realized how much I cared about you."
"Mhm. I know what you mean. Because the truth is Kyo, that song was yours. I sang it to you. The words that came out of my mouth were meant only for your ears. I wanted you to hear them. I know it was the cowardly way for someone to say that they love you, but at the time I didn't think of it that way. And now I can say it for real. I love you so much Kyo. So much it has hurt the past few months not to tell you."
"Tohru" he replied slowly, "You really mean that? You're not just saying that because of my goofy confession are you?"
"No" she giggled a little, "I mean it. To think all this time, we both felt the same."
"We really are stupid aren't we?" he smiled as they moved in closer to embrace.
She laughed.
"Yes we are" she replied as she allowed him to wrap her arms around her.
(Next Scene)
"YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" Hatsuharu was jumping up and down, "He did it!"
"Calm down Haru" Yuki laughed.
"All right what is going on?" Momiji begged, "Come on tell me?"
"Ah" Haru said flopping on the couch, "He finally told her the truth."
"Who told her the truth? What's going on?"
"All right Momiji" Yuki said with a smile, "We'll tell you. As long as you can keep the secret?"
"Okay I promise I will."
Yuki whispered in his ear and Momiji became all excited.
"Really? Tohru and Kyo?" Momiji replied, "That's wonderful news."
"Yep" Haru nodded, "It's the best news I've heard all week."
(Next Scene)
"Kyo?"
"Yea" Kyo replied.
"What does this mean now? I mean are we boyfriend and girlfriend for real?"
"Um. I don't know" they pulled away for a moment to look each other, "I mean I don't Ithink I want the rest of the family to know yet."
"Right. It's too soon."
"Especially Akito."
"What do you think will happen?"
"I don't know. But I'm not worried. I think for now we should take it slow. I mean we just told each other how we felt. There's no law saying we have to rush into anything."
"Right" she smiled, "We can just live in the moment right now" she hugged him.
"That was exactly what I was thinking" he smiled as he embraced her tight.
(Next Scene)
Up on a hill overlooking the beach Kagura watched as they held onto each other and smiled with tears welling up in her eyes. The wind blew around her hair as she watched them.
"Congratulations Kyo" she thought happily, "Tohru. For finding each other" she walked away from the hill and headed back to the house quite content and happy for them both.
(Till Next Time)
Authors Note: Okay you Kyoru fans! I finally brought them together! I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, being a Kyoru fan myself! See you later for the next one!
Next Chapter: Yuki's Save
Akito sees for himself the miracle of non-transformation and almost discovers about Kyo and Tohru!