Author's Note: I love the reviews I'm getting! They're really encouraging. Sometimes writer's block sets in and it won't leave… Rest assured, I will finish this fic, however long it takes. Hopefully sooner rather than later, though, huh? Oh, one more thing I wanted to say even though it's not that big of a deal. As a reminder, this fic is set in the anime-verse, so if anything conflicts with the manga, I didn't mean for it to happen.

Title: Neko to Inoshishi

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Some spoilers, I guess. I'll try not to have too many specific ones, though.

Summary: Kyo falls for the one girl who has always wanted him, Kagura.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket… darn…

Setting: This story takes place after episode 26.

!!! = setting change

italics = emphasis

italics = thoughts

-Unanticipated Problems-

Kagura hummed her favorite song to herself as she began tidying up Kyo's room. She folded Kyo's clothes and stood up to put them in the dresser. As she opened the top drawer, Kyo opened his eyes. He glanced sleepily at the girl, and then went back to sleep.

Kagura finished her task and turned to look at poor, sick Kyo. She noticed that the towel she had placed on his head was askew. She walked the short distance to the bed and readjusted the towel. There. He should feel more comfortable now.

In one corner of the room was a chair. Kagura had set it up earlier so she could watch over Kyo as he slept. She probably would have been more comfortable in her bed, but she wasn't about to abandon Kyo in his time of need.

!!!

Kyo woke up in the middle of the night, feeling very thirsty. He turned his head to the side and spotted a glass of water on his nightstand. He reached for it as he sat up, but his fingers betrayed him, allowing the glass to fall to the floor.

He heard a small gasp come from the corner of his room. Light footsteps neared him. The sound of glass being cleared away mingled with the soothing voice that reached Kyo's ears.

"Don't get up, Kyo-kun. You need your rest. I'll take care of this."

Tohru? No, Kagura. It was always Kagura.

Kyo didn't hear the hushed "Ow!" that came next.

Kagura put her finger in her mouth. She had rushed to get the pieces cleaned up and had accidentally cut herself in the process. She'd have to ask Shigure where the bandages were.

Gathering the broken pieces in a towel, the girl stood and looked down at the orange-haired boy. She brushed his bangs away from his face. Oh, well. At least Kyo hadn't stepped on the broken glass. She walked out of the bedroom and emptied the shards in the trash. Then she headed for Shigure's room.

!!!

Shigure happened to be up, writing. He heard Kagura call out, "Shii-chan, are you awake?"

In reply, he said, "Come in."

Kagura slid the door open. "I'm sorry to bother you, but where are the bandages?"

"Eh? What happened?" he asked, searching in a drawer. "Ah, here they are."

Kagura came closer and showed him her finger. "I cut myself on a piece of broken glass." She waited patiently as Shigure tended to her small wound. When he finished, she gave him a smile. "Arigatou."

Shigure was unable to stop himself from smiling in return. Kagura had always been one of his favorite cousins. She had amazing energy, and, although her emotions often got the best of her, she was generally very friendly and kind.

Even though he wouldn't have quite as much amusement as usual if Kyo returned the girl's feelings, Shigure sometimes thought that his hot-tempered cousin would be better off falling in love with Kagura than falling for anyone else.

!!!

Kagura returned with a glass of milk. "Here, Kyo-kun," she said, attempting to prop up Kyo with one hand while holding the cold beverage in the other.

Still very feverish, Kyo slowly sat up and took the glass from her. He drank, swallowing the glass's contents as quickly as he could. When he finished, he collapsed back against his pillows, his eyes closed. He winced at phantom pain a couple of times.

Kagura removed the glass from his weak grip and looked down at him in concern. She knew how much Kyo hated being sick. Weakness was something that Kyo disliked intensely. Being shunned by the Sohma family was a terrible experience for him, and he wanted always to have the strength to overcome it. Kyo was in constant fear of being attacked, and he was considerably less equipped for emotional strikes than physical ones.

Don't worry, Kyo-kun. I won't hurt you where you'll feel the most pain. Kagura wished she didn't have to hurt him at all, but sometimes she just couldn't help using martial arts on him. If only he would return her love…

!!!

The next morning, Kagura reluctantly left Kyo's side to get ready for her visit to her mother. She went downstairs and stood with her back to the front door, the other three residents of the house standing before her.

"Are you sure Kyo-kun will be all right?" Kagura asked worriedly. "He needs a lot of care."

Tohru looked determined. "I'll do my best to take care of Kyo-kun in your absence!" she declared.

Shigure nodded. "Tohru-kun and I can handle it," he said cheerily.

"In other words, he'll be of no help at all."

Fake tears streamed from Shigure's eyes. "Yuki-kun is so cruel."

Kagura didn't like having to be away from Kyo while he was ill, but her mother was expecting her. She loved the woman who had raised her just as much as she loved Kyo, albeit in a different way. Besides, she was sure that Tohru would do well in her stead.

!!!

(AN: I'm not very clear on Kagura's family life, but here it is.)

"Are you happy?"

Kagura turned to her mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table. She carried two freshly poured cups of tea to the table and sat across from the woman.

"Happy?" Kagura echoed.

"Yes. Are you happy living in Shigure-kun's house?" Her mother sipped her tea.

Kagura nodded. "Shii-chan and Tohru-kun always make me feel welcome. And I'm happy to see Yun-chan softening."

"What about Kyo?"

"Kyo-kun's sick right now," answered Kagura. "I'm taking care of him."

Kagura's mother put down her cup and looked at her daughter. "You still like him?"

"I'll never give up on Kyo-kun. Never," Kagura said loudly, standing up and clasping her hands together. "He's the only one for me. I love him more than anything."

This earned her a smile. "I miss having you in the house."

"Ah?" Kagura blinked. She sat down. Dubiously, she said, "Okaa-san… I suppose I could move back if you really wanted me to..." She cleared her throat. Her voice sounded a little scratchy.

"No, it's all right. As long as you're happy."

The girl smiled. She nodded once and replied, "I need to be there for Kyo-kun. I like being able to see him every day instead of having to hold in my feelings between visits." She sighed dreamily. "He's the most wonderful and special person in the world to me." She looked into her teacup. "I worry about him sometimes, but I think he's okay now. Living with Shii-chan, Yun-chan, and Tohru-kun is good for him."

"You're always so concerned about him," Kagura's mother said, slightly amused.

"Of course I am! I'm going to be his future wife, aren't I?"

!!!

When Kagura got back to Shigure's house, she found Tohru leaving Kyo's room carrying a tray. She offered to help, and the two girls carried the dishes downstairs together.

Tohru took off the mask that Shigure had given her to ward off the contagion and put it aside. Then she began washing the dishes.

"Tohru-kun, how is Kyo-kun?" asked Kagura. She took the plate from Tohru and rinsed it.

"He still has a fever," answered Tohru, "but it's lower than it was before."

Her fears not completely dispelled, Kagura asked, "Will he be all right?"

Tohru began scrubbing at a bowl. "Shigure-san said that Kyo-kun would probably be able to go to school in two or three days." She smiled at the older girl. "I'm sure he'll get well soon."

"Honda-san?" a weak voice called from near the kitchen cabinet.

Tohru turned her head. "Yes, Yuki-kun?"

"Do we have any—?" Yuki promptly threw up on the kitchen floor.

"Yun-chan!"

"Yuki-kun!"

Shigure wandered in at the moment. "What are we having for dinner tonight?" He looked down, spotting Yuki sitting on the floor right next to— Shigure sighed. "I guess we'd better clean this up. Come on, Yuki-kun. I'll call Haa-san." He helped his young cousin to his feet and gently prodded the teen in the direction of his room.

Tohru moved to clean up the mess, but Kagura beat her to it.

"You finish the dishes, Tohru-kun. I'll clean this up."

"Hai!"

!!!

The next morning, the two teenage boys in the house woke up and went about their daily routines. Kyo felt a little woozy, but otherwise, not too bad. Yuki had a headache.

Kyo fell down half of the stairs, but he walked down normally the rest of the way. He headed for the kitchen. He poked his head into the refrigerator, but he couldn't find what he was searching for. "Are we out of milk?!" yelled Kyo. His voice was nowhere near its usual volume, but it was loud enough to resound through quite a few rooms.

Yuki winced. The throbbing in his head was increasing. "Be quiet, baka neko."

"Kyo-kun?" Kagura came down the stairs, looking around quickly. "There you are! You weren't in bed when I woke up to check on you." She rushed toward Kyo.

"Yuki-kun, Kagura-san, Kyo-kun." The trio turned toward the sound of Tohru's voice. "Why are you all up so early?"

"I'm sorry, Tohru-kun, did we disturb you?"

Tohru waved a hand. "No, this is the time that I usually wake up."

"Yun-chan, are you all right?" Concerned, Kagura took a few steps toward her princely cousin.

Yuki stopped her in her tracks, saying, "Don't worry. It was just this baka neko's yelling that gave me a headache."

"What did you say?" responded Kyo.

"You're noisy."

"Um…" Tohru attempted to squeeze past Kyo into the kitchen, but Kyo was too busy challenging Yuki.

"That's it!" Kyo readied himself for a fight. "Prepare yourself! Let's go!"

Yuki put a hand to his forehead. "No."

"What?! Come on, nezumi! Are you afraid of me?"

"Only of your loudness."

Kyo bristled with anger. "Stop talking and fight!"

"You're the one who keeps yelling so much," replied Yuki.

Kyo growled. The two readied themselves for battle as the girls looked on. "Kyo-kun, be careful!" cautioned Kagura. "Yun-chan might hurt you!"

Kyo didn't seem to appreciate the warning. "Kagura, I can handle this! Get ready to lose, kuso nezumi!" He took a step toward Yuki, his fist raised. Yuki took a step to meet him in the middle. However, exhaustion overcame the boys before they could connect. Fatigued, they both began falling to the floor.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru raced across the room to catch Yuki before he hit his head on the floor.

Kyo was barely aware of the fact that she had left his side. He just knew that someone was holding him up. Then there was an annoying, familiar voice—it sounded like Shigu—Shi—that man—who… wrote… things…

!!!

"What happened in here?"

The scene that met Shigure's eyes was not expected. Yuki and Kyo were being propped up by Tohru and Kagura, respectively. The boys seemed to have lost consciousness.

Shigure opted to help Tohru, since Kagura was probably the stronger of the two girls. Besides that, Yuki's body had always been weaker than Kyo's on account of his respiratory condition.

"Tohru-kun, let's get Yuki-kun to his room." Shigure and Tohru carried Yuki out of the room, leaving Kagura alone with the motionless Kyo.

"Kyo-kun." Kyo felt heavier than he usually did. Kagura slowly sank to her knees on the floor, letting him use her lap as a pillow. "Hmm… How should I—?" She didn't get a chance to finish asking herself the question, because she had a sudden urge to sneeze. She turned her head and sneezed about five times. Hmm. There must be dust in the air.

Shigure returned to the room, saying to Tohru, "I think Yuki-kun should just rest for now."

Kagura coughed once, then looked up at Shigure. "Shii-chan, can you help me carry Kyo-kun? I can't lift him…"

Shigure frowned. Kagura should have been able to lift Kyo… She tossed him around often enough as proof. "All right, come on." He slung one of Kyo's arms over his shoulder.

"How can I help?" asked Tohru, looking back and forth from Yuki's room to the stairwell, which Shigure and Kagura, with a limp-looking Kyo, had just begun to climb.

"Just make a delicious dinner like always, and we'll greatly appreciate it," Shigure called from the stairs.

Kagura stumbled on the last stair. She quickly glanced at Kyo, afraid that she had caused him to bump his head. No, he was fine. With Shigure's help, she placed Kyo on his bed and tucked him in. Kagura kissed Kyo on the forehead. "Get well soon, Kyo-kun."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: Man, the romance is awfully slow… Seems like it's going in reverse sometimes… It's going forward though, I swear. I think it's okay for now. A Kagura/Kyo romance doesn't just plop out of thin air, after all. Kyo's a difficult character to work with sometimes… He is cute, though, isn't he? I'd like to get some more reviews with this chapter—that is, if people are still reading this story. Wah, I'm a terrible updater… I'm getting better, though. I'm not taking, like, a whole year to post a new chapter anymore. Yay, I think.

BIG THANK YOU TO: Maeven, Runic Knight, Meta Lise, Sailor Panda, White Meteor, Lady of the Ink, rokusan, GoddessLD, Kaylariana, Lil-Sun-Rie, Daniel of Lorien, Promise Keeper, Sophie-chan, Novalee Sims, phatting-grl, and all the anonymous reviewers!