Disclaimer: I. D. O. F. (I don't own Furuba)

Vampires

By: Twilight Kitsune

Chapter the Sixth: "Forget me"

Kyou raced through the streets in the early, pre-dawn hours. He had maybe and hour or two at best before he had to find shelter, and it looked like he would be spending the night in the sewers. As he approached the hotel, he looked for an open window of some sort, and found his chance on in a 3rd story window near where Tohru and Kagura were staying. Not caring if anyone saw him, he leapt up to the window and slid through the hall. As he made it to room 408 he found the door cracked open, and as he pulled it the rest of the way open he saw Miji again feeding on Tohru in a completely ransacked room. At least she'd put up a good fight; it might just have saved her life.

"Kyou…help…" she muttered as she saw him in the door, and Kyou made his way in. Catching him off guard, Kyou grabbed Miji by the hair, and threw him out the window, and turned to the stunned Tohru. Ignoring his overwhelming hunger Kyou picked Tohru up and carried her into the kitchen, keeping her awake as best he could. He dug some orange juice out of the fridge and forced her to drink it. If there was one thing he learned at the blood drives he'd gone to, it was that Tohru's body would need energy to make new blood. Hoping she would be all right, Kyou flipped the couch back over and laid Tohru on it. He dug around for a blanket and covered her up as she fell asleep. With nothing else to do, for he couldn't leave Tohru unattended, Kyou began to put the apartment back together. He was righting the table when Kagura came home.

"Oh my God!!!" she said as she dropped whatever it was she had been holding. "Tohru!" She ran forward and knelt by the couch, frantically examining Tohru for injuries. The wound on her neck had been reopened, and she was extremely pale. "Tohru!" Kagura yelled again as she shook the young girl. "Wake up!"

"Let her sleep." said a voice amoung the shadows of the kitchen. Kagura turned and squinted into the shadows.

"Kyou?" she asked, a note of fear in her voice.

"She needs the rest, let her sleep." he replied, stepping out of the shadows so Kagura could see his face.

"Kyou…" she said, in shock that he was there. "What happened?"

"He came back to finish her off." Kyou muttered, walking forward to check Tohru's pulse again. It was slightly stronger. Good.

"What's going on? Where have you been? Who is this 'he'? Why are you here? How did you…" she started. Kyou cut her off.

"I have to go." he said as he headed out the door.

"No!" said Kagura, blocking the door with her body. "Not until you tell me what's going on." Kyou looked to the window shades; they were turning orange. Very soon he would be trapped in the hotel, with no other place to go until nightfall. Before he could open his mouth to argue, three familiar figures rounded the corner. On instinct two words came from Kyou's mouth and were countered just as soon as they were uttered.

"Kuso nezumi."

"Baka neko."

Before long, the little quintet found themselves sitting around the table with tea, staring into nothingness with a heavy silence hanging over them. Kyou was idly pondering the similarities between tea and his usual meal. Both were warming to the throat, and equally relaxing, though one was definitely more filling. Still, he liked the tea; it kept its warmth much longer than blood, and could be taken in without suspicion. A sound drew Kyou from his thoughts; a sound that no one else seemed to have heard. Rising from his seat, Kyou went over to check on Tohru, who was beginning to stir. He heard the others follow him, but his attention was focused more on the waking figure before him. He watched Tohru's azure eyes open slowly, and blink in the light of the room. She looked around, slowly, and realized where she was. Then she tried to sit.

"Relax." commanded Kyou as he pushed her back down. "Don't try to move around." Tohru, obviously overwhelmed, looked at all the intent faces above her and almost broke into tears; it was all too much for her. Kagura stepped forward,

"Everyone give her some air." she said as she knelt by Tohru. Momiji and Haru went back into the kitchen, and Yuki stepped back out of the way, but where he could still keep an eye on Tohru. Kyou instinctively sunk into the shadows where he could watch without being seen. Kagura brushed a stray strand of hair from Tohru's pale face, "Do you need something?" she asked.

"Something to eat?" Tohru asked quietly, her voice weak and quivering.

"Onigiri?" asked Kagura, smiling bit and looking for the world like a caring mother over a bedridden child. Tohru nodded and sunk a bit deeper into the couch. Kagura pulled the blankets up and looked around for another. She found Kyou holding one out to her, and gratefully covered Tohru up. Momiji and Haru were already making Onigiri in the kitchen, per hearing Tohru's request, and Kagura could think of nothing better to do than sit where she was. Yuki stepped forward carefully, and made his way over to Tohru.

"Are you alright Miss Honda?" he asked as he got to where she could see him. Tohru smiled and looked at the handsome "Prince" of her high school.

"I'm fine Yuki, just tired." she answered, with a weak smile. Yuki nodded, the concerned look on his face dimming a bit as he stepped to the side to make room for Momiji who handed Kagura a plate of plain Onigiri.

"Sorry they're not flavored." Momiji said, "We couldn't find anything to flavor them with."

"That's alright, thank you Momiji." Said Tohru as Kagura handed her one of the rice balls. Tohru greatly accepted the food, and polished off the entire plate with a hunger she didn't know was possible, before shyly asking for more. Kyou smiled from the shadows where he stood, forgotten. She would be all right now that she was awake and eating.

Tohru, after eating several plates of Onigiri, had fallen into peaceful sleep. Color was starting to come back into her cheeks, and she seemed to be gaining strength. Everyone kept a watchful eye on the sleeping girl as they dug out a deck of cards and played Rich Man, Poor Man. Everyone assumed Kyou who stalked in the shadows waiting for nightfall, had left. No one heard the quiet wakings of the vampire who was convinced every noise was a sign that Miji had come for Tohru. His many attempts to rest had all been interrupted, either by his paranoia, or his stomach, which was also voicing its complaints. After hours of torturous sleeping and waking, Kyou gave up and headed for the kitchen to get some tea. On his way through the living room, he heard Tohru wake and knelt by her side again.

"Kyou?" she asked, her voice a bit stronger than before.

"Yes?" he answered, kneeling beside her.

"What was that thing? The one that kept hurting me." Kyou, seeing that her mind was still in a fog from loss of blood answered in the simplest way he knew.

"It was a monster." Kyou replied, "A monster that wants to kill you, and catch me." Tohru stared up at the ceiling in thought, her fingers twiddling under the blankets.

"Was it what took you away?"

"Yes."

Kyou looked toward the kitchen and all the people in it. He couldn't put all of them in danger, not even the kuso nezumi. It was nearly dark out, and the thought that had been nagging at the back of his mind all day finally answered itself.

"Tohru, " he said, softly and slowly so she could understand, and maybe remember as she came out of the delirium she seemed to be in, "I have to leave."

"Why?" she asked, her eyelids drooping despite her best efforts.

"I don't want to put you in danger." He said, his heart and body rejecting everything he was saying with their entirety. "I need you to leave, and go back to Shigure's house. Forget me Tohru. Live a happy life away from my curse, and never look back. Just forget that I ever existed."

"No!" Tohru cried, drawing the attention of the others. "Don't leave me Kyou!"

By the time everyone had come from the kitchen, Kyou had disappeared. Tohru was given fluids, some food, and some medicine for her fever. Everyone assumed her cries for Kyou were delirium, so they sat nearby, concerned. No one heard her final cry of "Don't leave me!" as sleep took her from her misery.

Replies to the Reviewers:

ABO: Thanks!

Luffy V'shile: Okay. That explains the name. I'm more of a fan of Zoro myself, not a lover of Zoro, just a fan. Luffy is cool too though. Sorry I didn't update that soon…. I just got preoccupied with school. That's over for now though so I might be able to write more.

gost girl: I will. Thanks!

Amethyst: Thank you! I'll try to update soon. I already have part of the next chapter and some semblance of a plot.

a: Yep, I am continuing the story. Just in case you didn't guess that. I just have this tendency of not posting for a while. Just look at one any of my other stories for example.

AN: And that's chapter the sixth, one of the sappiest chapters I've ever written. Yep… I really don't know what to say next… Oh, and any medical stuff in this story, unless otherwise mentioned, is not actually researched. I'm kinda lazy that way. I'll try to get that info if I do it again though. See ya next chapter! Oh, and the next chapter gets kinda technical so be warned. Ja ne!

T.K.