Realism

by Hotaru-hime

Kagura POV. After being rejected by Kyo, Kagura becomes ill. She thinks that it's due to emotional distress. Then she finds out it's much more than that. How will Kyo react to her condition, even though he rejected her? KxK later on.

24. Part 24

1I would like to thank everyone for continuing to read and support this fanfic. I've taken all your reviews to heart and it makes me feel good knowing that my work is taken seriously by everyone. Well, I'll stop here; go on ahead and enjoy the final chapter of 'Realism'.

Part 24

There was a long silence that followed Akito's declaration. I didn't even know how to respond to it.

Was he seriously going to talk to Tohru and I? Or was he going to kill us?

Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing I was thinking. They were looking at Akito with a mixture of worry and defiance.

"Didn't any of you hear me?!" Akito barked. "All of you get out expect Honda and Kagura!!"

"We're not leaving them alone with you," snapped Kyo, his hold on me tightening slightly. "I have a vague idea as to what you want to do."

"I'm the head of this fucking family!!! And if I say I want to talk to someone, then I talk to them!! I'll have no more of your defiance!!!"

"We aren't leaving them alone with you," said Yuki, trying to shield Tohru behind him.

Tohru, however, stepped out from behind Yuki. "If that is what you want, Akito-san, then it shall be done."

"Tohru-san!!" exclaimed Yuki, staring at her horrified. Everyone else shared his reaction, including me.

"If Akito-san wants to talk to Kagura-chan and I seriously, then I can't refuse him," Tohru said firmly. "No problems can be solved by arguments and fighting. I'm fairly certain that some form of understanding can be brought to the surface if we talk."

I sighed softly, shaking my head. Tohru was facing the person who forced her memories to be erased, and she wanted to be sincere?

But I couldn't argue with her. Look at what fighting had gotten me in the past. Maybe talking would help things out.

Maybe.

"I agree with Tohru," I said. I got the same looks from everyone. "If Akito wants to talk, then we should talk. I don't want to fight anyone."

This was met with vocal protests. Nobody wanted to leave us alone with Akito. I understood how they felt; I wasn't exactly comfortable being in the same room with Akito with Tohru as my only ally. But Tohru did have a point; none of this could be solved by continually defying him.

"Please," Tohru said to Yuki, her eyes pleading. "We'll be all right. I'm sure once we have everything out in the open, we can come to some form of agreement."

Yuki scoffed. "We aren't leaving you two alone!"

I was trying to reason with Kyo as well. But since Kyo had slimmer patience than Yuki, it was harder for me.

"If he tries anything, I'll just beat him up," I hissed to him. "I did it before!!"

"He'll be expecting that!!" Kyo barked, though he kept his voice low too. "I don't want to think about what he'll do if you try it!!"

It took us twenty minutes to convince everyone to leave us with Akito. He made no attempts to stop or aide us; he just sat there watching us. But after the twenty minutes, Hatori conceded and told everyone to leave.

"If anything happens, we'll come right back," Yuki told Tohru as he was pushed towards the door.

"If he pulls anything, just tell me," Kyo told me. "I'll give him hell for it."

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

Finally, everyone left and Tohru and I were alone with Akito.

"Right," said Akito, rubbing his hands together. "Right to the point. I asked for you two because when it comes down to your punishments you'll both be receiving the worst ones. So I'm giving you the time to talk."

"You can't punish Tohru!!" I exclaimed, taking a seat next to her. "She's not a Sohma!!"

"Oh, and here I thought you all had accepted her as part of the family."

"That's–"

"Akito-san," Tohru interrupted quietly. "Never once had I ever intended any ill will towards you. At least, as much as I can remember from the memories I have recollected. I do remember our talk after Kyo-kun's transformation. I said that as long as we live we should live to live and not live to die. Do you remember?"

Akito was silent for a long moment before he said, "I remember."

"I meant it. We've all suffered so terribly all our lives–

Fury leapt into Akito's eyes. "How dare you compare your suffering to mine!!"

"My father died when I was little. My mother died recently and I love her very much. My family spent her funeral arguing over who would take me in. I lived in a tent by myself so I wouldn't bother others." tears welled up in her eyes. "I don't ever talk about the pain I've endured, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I understand your pains, Akito-san. But to think that we all live comfortably while you suffer is a poor misconception."

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!!" Akito roared, jumping to his feet. "What the fuck do you know about anything?!"

"If you'd listen to her, then you'd see she's making perfect sense!!" I cried, putting an arm in front of Tohru. "I know the pain too!!! Do you think that when I suffered from cancer that I always thought pleasant, fluffy thoughts?! No!!! 'If I sleep will I wake up?' 'What if the cancer spreads?' 'What if I wake up during surgery?' 'What if it's worse than Hatori had thought?' These feelings ran through my head every single day!!!! I was so afraid of what would happen I thought I would go crazy!!! Dying is scary, but my will to live kept me going!!!"

Akito said nothing to this. He turned away from us and walked to the back of the room. "Stupid, pathetic little girls. Trying to play the hero. Ah well..." He slid his hand under a cushion and pulled out a sheathed sword. "I do not reward defiance and stupidity."

I said at the sword, a chilling fear creeping over me. I wanted to scream for help; call for Kyo-kun or someone to come. But no sound came from my throat.

Tohru was silent beside me and my first thought was that she was as frightened as I was. But when I saw the expression on her face, my fear grew. Never had I'd seen such a complicated expression; I couldn't read it.

Akito turned to us, his grip on the sword so tight his knuckles were turning white. "You two are going to find out how truly frightening it is to cross me."

He unsheathed the blade. I yelped and drew back. Tohru however moved forward. I thought she was going to reason with Akito until I saw how terribly she was shaking. Her expression was now full of confusion and fear. She stared at the sword with the widest eyes I had ever seen.

"Akito-san," she breathed, her voice barely audible. "Please...put away the sword. No...Hatori-san, don't–"

I looked around the room, but Hatori wasn't there. Why was she talking to him when he wasn't there?

"Stop...don't hurt them. Yuki-kun, there's so much blood..."

I was completely baffled by Tohru's behavior. Akito seemed just as surprised at how she was acting.

"No, we can't...I don't want to trouble...Hatori-san can take them all away if it'll help everyone."

I realized that she wasn't speaking to us directly. She was reliving the awful memory of the night Hatori erased her memories. I remembered the bandage Hatori had on his chest from Akito's blow when Hatori tried to stop him.

"Tohru?" I asked worriedly, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Upon my simple touch Tohru threw back her head and let out a loud wail. It terrified me beyond words. Was this suppose to be a good thing or bad thing?

The wail only lasted a few seconds though it seemed longer. Then her eyes slid closed and she fell against me. I caught her unconscious body, shocked by what just happened. Her being unconscious now left me alone with an armed, very angry Akito.

Akito straightened and pointed the sword at us. "So the dumb air head seems to remember a few things. Not that it will do her any good, once I slice her face to pieces and have Hatori wipe her entire memory clean."

I lay Tohru on the floor and stood up. "That's enough, Akito. No more hatred."

"Who are you to–"

"I understand about your pains and your woes. Given the environment in which you lived, it's no wonder that you lashed out at us, the Juunishi. But Tohru was right. Right now we're alive. And because we're alive we should think only of living and not dying."

Akito pointed the sword dangerously at me. "This curse I call an existence isn't living!!!"

"And what about us? Cursed to be unable to hug someone of the opposite sex without turning into an animal? It's a painful thing to deal with, especially if you love someone so much but can't hug them. No one has the perfect life. We're living breathing examples."

"You–"

I boldly grabbed the blade pointed at me and pointed it to above my heart. "If killing one of us will help appease the pain you've felt, then by all means take mine. But I can't let you hurt anyone else. This isn't some game where our actions can be taken back; this is real life and we're family. All of us, Tohru included. And though we have differing opinions, we've always had your best interests in mind. Mostly Tohru."

Tohru gave a half-moan behind me, slowly coming back to awareness. I didn't let go of the blade, but I moved so Akito could see her. "Look at her, Akito. All she has ever done is think about the well-being of others. She loves and cares about everyone she meets. You too, Akito. Why else would she agree to speak with you?"

Akito stared at Tohru with an unreadable expression.

"We all feel the same way too. We all have different feelings for you, but we honestly care."

Akito snorted, poking me with the tip of the sword. "You all can't wait 'till I die."

"We do care, Akito. But enough is enough. There is only so much we can all take. All this hatred and pain...it has to end somehow. You may be sick, but you managed to live this long, haven't you? Who knows, you might be still alive twenty years from now. But to keep yourself in this darkness and to try to suck us into it isn't right. So if you need to vent, do it on me. But you leave Tohru and the others alone. My pain could never rival theirs, and they deserve to truly live."

Akito said nothing, but still stayed steady with the sword. I still had it boldly pointed at my chest. I didn't want to die, but I couldn't take any more of this. No more tip-toeing around Akito. No more fears of attacks or actions. That wasn't living.

But Kyo, Yuki, and everyone else had lives so much worse than mine. The cancer was terrible, but I had everyone's support and Mom's love. I didn't have as much right to complain as they did.

A hand came over mine and gently moved the blade away. Akito made no move to counter the action.

"No, Kagura-chan," said Tohru, having recovered. "No one should die because of this. We all deserve to live."

She turned to Akito. "Akito-san, I genuinely love all the Sohmas. Even after everything that's happened, my love hasn't faltered. I want all the Sohmas to live happily and peacefully, yourself included. I know that living must be so hard for you. But venting and believing in death isn't the way to do it. Instead, you should talk about your problems. And not just some of them; all of your problems should be told. It may reopen old wounds, but some wounds need to bleed. If you ever, ever need anything I'll always listen to you."

It was strange hearing this from Tohru, considering how she hid her feelings to not worry others. But as I watched her, I saw tears slide down her face though she was smiling. She opened her arms wide and approached Akito.

Akito raised the sword. "Don't you come near me!!"

But Tohru only pushed aside the sword and embraced Akito around the neck. Akito was too stunned to do anything and so was I.

"I know how hard it can be to shield yourself," said Tohru, her voice breaking. "How difficult it is to hide everything. Sometimes it hurts so much that its hard to breath and you feel like you're being suffocated. And sometimes it can be a good thing. But sometimes...opening yourself positively can be a blessing. No matter how much it hurts, in the end it can prove most useful. But believing in death, hurting everyone around you...that's not living. Living is seeing through your days with a positive feeling. Living is acknowledging your fears and your pains. Living is seeing the life that's in this world and not the death. You should try to live, Akito-san. You'll probably grow healthier and not be so angry all the time."

Akito was shaking, but I had no idea if it was from anger or grief. The sword was trembling violently in his arms and I had a sinking fear that he would drive it through Tohru's back. I even approached them hesitantly when he lifted the sword slightly. But my fears were driven away when he let go of the hilt, allowing the sword to fall to the floor.

Then he raised his arms, but not to return Tohru's embrace. He quickly shoved her away and I caught as the sudden motion nearly knocked her off her feet.

Akito turned away from us and walked to the other side of the room. When he spoke again, he wasn't looking at us.

"Do whatever you want."

Excitement and relief washed over me. Do whatever we want? Did that mean we all got off scot-free?

Tohru voiced her concerns. "Do you mean that we–"

"What the fuck do you think it means?! Besides, I'm not in any mood to punish anyone right now."

Tohru straightened and bowed deeply to Akito. "Thank you, Akito-san."

I bowed too. "Yes, thank you Akito."

"Just get the hell out of my house. I don't want to see either of you here again or else I'll punish Yuki and Kyo."

I grabbed Tohru's hand. "Let's go tell everyone!!"

Tohru nodded and looked at Akito. "Remember, I'm always available if you need to talk to anyone!!"

Akito said nothing to this. Tohru and I hurried out of the room.

I was truly relieved and happy. I was afraid that Kyo would have to go back into isolation. I knew if Akito attempted it I would really kill him. But I was glad we came to a compromise without bloodshed.

"We need to find everyone," said Tohru, pushing open the front door.

We didn't have to look long. Everyone was standing outside Akito's house, all wanting answers.

"It's okay!!" I told them. "He said we can do whatever we want!!"

Several of the Juunishi let out loud cheers. There were many 'POOF's as people hugged Tohru. I couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle. It wasn't the first time all of us were grouped together, but it was really nice to see everyone happy.

"Is everything really okay?" asked Kyo cautiously. "We heard Tohru scream a little while ago, but Hatori stopped us from going to see what happened."

I smiled at him. "Yes, everything's fine. And Tohru's fine too; she was just remembering a few things in there."

Kyo sighed in relief. "That's good."

I looked at Tohru, who was hugging Yuki in his Rat form tightly. "Are you all right with this?"

Kyo waved a hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm over it anyways; I don't really appreciate Yuki beating me all the time, but this time I'm kinda glad he won."

I pulled him into a tight hug. "Me too. And we all got our own happy ending too."

—

With Akito no longer interfering in the Juunishis' affairs, everyone seemed to have a much easier time. Well, we could all stop acting like we were under a microscope.

Isuzu wasn't convinced that Akito had backed off and was always on her guard at the Sohma House. I didn't like the idea of her never having a moment's rest and I voiced this to her two weeks after Akito backed off.

"It's no problem," said Isuzu, sipping her tea calmly. "I'll never trust anything that bastard says. I've never been on his good side and he'll never be on mine. Not that it matters."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"If you think I'm going to be sticking around here for the rest of my life, then you're crazy. I'm going back to Akita."

My chest tightened. While I was happy that Isuzu was going to be in control of her life, the thought of her being so far away was disheartening. Our relationship didn't start off on the right foot, but overtime we became almost like sisters.

"Are you sure?" I asked softly.

Isuzu ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry to spring it on you so suddenly, but yes I'm positively sure. It wasn't easy living, but I've grown fond of the city and it made me feel so free. There, I didn't feel like a Sohma or the Horse. I just felt like myself. How could I not want to go back?"

I nodded, understanding her perspective of this. After everything she went through in her life, she deserved as much happiness as she could get. And staying at the Sohma House would not make her happy.

"When will you go back?" I asked, resigned to her decision.

"Not for a while," she said sullenly. "I wanted to go back right away, but I want Haru to finish school. He wants to live with me again and I have to admit living with him made my freedom even better. So I'm holding out here until he graduates."

"Isuzu, Haru doesn't graduate for a few years."

"I know that. But I'm willing to hold out until then."

I smiled at that. "I'm glad to see how good your relationship is with him again."

Isuzu turned her head away. "Yeah yeah, don't go sentimental on me."

I laughed, feeling happy at her sincere embarrassment.

Both Yuki and Kyo loosened up a lot with the threat of Akito gone. As I was still in recovery I didn't see a lot of them, but Shigure always talked about how "floaty" they had become, though they were still prone to fights.

Then again, there was still the underlying fear of Kyo being thrown back into isolation. Akito said he no longer cared, but he didn't say Kyo's fate was overturned. I was willing to defend him, stitches or no stitches. But I certainly didn't want to face off against Akito in front of Kyo's school.

I tried not to focus on this as I finally put my full focus on my long recovery. This notion greatly pleased Hatori and Mom, who didn't want me to further prolong my recovery. Of course, I took breaks from time to time to go on dates with Kyo. He seemed to be completely over Tohru, and seemed happy when he saw her with Yuki.

I have to admit, my overall recovery didn't like such a long time to me. The two years seemed like a blur to me. I was having so much fun, I didn't know the time going by.

So when Hatori revealed that he would be taking my stitches out soon, I was shocked. I couldn't believe so much time had passed.

"The recovery faze is complete," said Hatori, shaking his head at me though he wore a small smile. "I've spoken with your mother and she knows too. I'm going to be taking out your stitches in a few days."

This news made me more than happy. "I'll be able to attend Kyo-kun, Yun-chan, and Tohru's graduation ceremony without stitches!!"

"I know. I think you'll be in top shape for it."

This made me remember the promise I made to Hatori. "What day are you available? I promised to treat you to something once my recovery was complete!!"

Hatori raised his hands. "I told you that it wasn't necessary Kagura–"

I grabbed his arm in a firm grip. "Please don't argue with me."

Hatori sighed, defeated. "I see your strength is returning to you too..."

—

On the day my stitches were to be removed, I was filled with a lot of elation. The thought of the end of my recovery being so close was wonderful. Kyo and the others showed up to offer support, but Hatori bluntly told them that only Mom was allowed to be with me at the hospital.

Wait, hospital? was my instant thought.

Then Hatori told me all the details of the removal of the stitches, and my elation shrank a little. I had thought he would remove them at his office. I never expected to find myself at the hospital again.

"This is standard procedure," said Hatori reassuringly. "Removing stitches like yours requires a lot of delicacy. And since we did the surgery through the back, you have to be put under mandatory 23-hour surveillance."

"Why?" I asked, slightly dismayed.

"In case your spinal cord has a bad reaction. Though the surgery site wasn't near your spinal cord, there's no guarantee that it won't be affected. Side effects happen within a 23-hour time frame, so we need to monitor patients during this time. Generally nurses do this for doctors, but I'll be doing it myself to avoid complications."

I never thought of the chance my spinal cord might be damaged. The last thing I needed was to be paralyzed because of my cancer operation. So I put up no further complaints as Hatori set to work removing my stitches.

Before he started Mom took hold my hand. Moments later I was glad she did when I heard a click and a sting of pain.

"Try not to move, Kagura," said Hatori, not hesitating in his task. "I know it hurts, but it'll be over with soon."

I'd felt worse pains before, but it was still very uncomfortable. Both the stinging, and the clicks Hatori made with whatever he was using. But Mom held onto my hand the whole time, though she was pale. Though she stared down at me and offered me encouraging smiles, her gaze kept wandering to my back.

Finally Hatori said, "The stitches are out. Now for the sterri strips."

I raised my head. "Sterri strips?"

"Just paper stitches. They'll fall off in a few days, but at the moment they're needed in your back."

I sagged against the table, feeling disappointed. I wasn't quite off the hook yet.

Though he said 'stitches' it didn't feel like he was sewing them in. More like applying them to my back.

Then he said, "We're done now."

Mom helped me sit up and Hatori came around to face me. "Congratulations on a successful recovery, Kagura."

"As successful as it would be," I said with some guilt.

"You made it through, and that's what counts. My only precaution is that you not touch the sterri strips. They'll fall out, but on their own. Don't force them off."

I nodded. Before Hatori could move, I caught him in a hug. "Thank you so much for everything, Hatori. At least let me spoil you with something tomorrow."

"All right, all right," said Hatori. He sound irritated, but his hands came up to return my embrace. "Just don't do anything too crazy for a while, okay?"

I didn't look forward to staying a night in the hospital, considering the amount of time I'd spent there before. But the time went by quicker than I had expected. In the blink of an eye I was getting ready to go home and meeting a relieve Hatori who told Mom and me with visible relief that there was no negative side effects to my spine.

"I'm guessing that everyone's waiting for us back at the Sohma House," said Hatori as he drove us home. "Don't do anything too reckless, okay?"

"Okay," I said, smiling.

Unfortunately for Hatori, I didn't quite keep my promise. Once we arrived home, we were greeted by all the Juunishi and Tohru. They were all happy to see that I was all right and that my recovery was over. I greeted them all sweetly, forcing myself to stay calm.

But when my eyes fell upon Kyo, a familiar feeling crept over me. I felt a familiar smile creep over me and I let out a prolonged cry.

"KYO-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

From the expression on Kyo's face, he knew what was coming. But he really didn't try to run away as I charged at him.

My mind drew a blank, much like it always did in this state. I heard soft conversations around me, but it was Hatori's voice that drew me back.

"I told her not to go crazy like this..."

I immediately stopped, staring at Hatori. "I'm so sorry!! I couldn't help myself!!"

"Does your back hurt?"

"No, not really..."

"Then there's no problem. But do try to restrain yourself until the sterri strips fall out."

"Speaking of restraints," said Shigure, pointing. "Shouldn't you be letting Kyo-kun go?"

I looked down to see Kyo sporting a black eye and in a headlock. My headlock.

"Oh no!!!! I'm so sorry Kyo-kun!!!!!!!!"

"gggggg-hgggggg," was Kyo's response.

"Well, at least you're back to your old self Kagura," said Hiro, snorting a little.

Later, I was still apologizing to Kyo who was nursing a bloody nose.

"I said forget it," said Kyo, giving me a look. "I expected this when your recovery ended."

That didn't really make me feel better. "I really am sorry. I'm so use to be careful with myself, it just happened unexpectedly."

"I've grown use to it, Kagura. You wouldn't be you without those rages. Just please keep them to a minimum?"

I hugged him, though as gently as I could. "I'll try."

—

Luck was on my side. I was able to keep control of my rampages to some extent (Kyo suffered for it twice more). I was able to treat Hatori to something, though not a fancy dinner at a restaurant. He was quite happy at the mini buffet I bought for him thought.

Not to mention my sterri stitches fell out naturally just in time for the graduation ceremony.

I dressed my best for the day and dug out an old friend; the cat bag I had always worn up to my rejection from Kyo.

"Hello there, little guy," I said softly, shaking it out. "I thought I'd never carry you around again. But now I have Kyo-kun, so I don't think he'll mind to see you again."

Since I had fully recovered, I intended to walk to Kyo's school. But to my own surprise, I was greeted by Isuzu and Shigure when I left my room, both dressed nicely.

"Shigure had the idea of going to the ceremony together with the remaining Juunishi," said Isuzu, trying not to smile.

"The rest?" I asked.

"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, and Tohru-kun went to school early," said Shigure. "To my understanding Momiji and Haru went to school with them. And Hatori said he'd be there, but a little late. So I thought we should all walk up together."

"That's a great idea!!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together. Then I looked at Isuzu. "But didn't you want to go with Haru?"

"It's not like it's his graduation. Besides, Yuki and that dumb girl have been acting lovey-dovey; it's too sappy for me."

"Ah, but young love is cute!!" said Shigure. "You two should know, after all."

I blushed at that. Isuzu gave Shigure a dirty look.

It wasn't too long afterwards that we were all heading to the school. Shigure wasn't kidding; practically all the Juunishi were all with us! We were having a good time walking too; Ayame kept going about these banners that said stuff like 'Hooray Kyokichi-kun' and 'I luv my Yuki' and 'Shine Princess Tohru-kun'. I didn't know if he had banners like that on him, but that definitely sounded like something he would do. Thought Kyo and Yuki wouldn't be too happy about it.

We reached the school to find it full of cheerful activity. There were a lot of parents there, each looking exceptionally pleased. We didn't hesitate to head into the auditorium; even if we were having fun it was necessary to avoid incidents.

Momiji waved us over to some seats near the students. They were good seats, and I could see everyone. Tohru said perched on the edge of her seat nervously. Close by a girl with braids was speaking to her calmly.

On another row I saw Kyo. He looked quite edgy, though he disguised it with annoyance. In another row a blonde-haired girl was throwing bits of paper at him. He tried to ignore it but then he turned around and yelled at her.

On the stage sat Yuki in one of the chairs. I had an idea that he was the elected speaker for the class, though he looked nervous. Ayame was literally glowing at seeing Yuki. Apparently his glee was so overwhelming that he couldn't stop himself from jumping up and screaming, "YUUUUKI!!!!!!!"

Heads turned at this. Yuki hid his face in his hand in embarrassment. Tohru seemed a little more relieved at Ayame's outburst. Kyo briefly glanced over at us and I took the opportunity to wave at him. Just as he raised a hand to wave at me, a spit ball caught him in the face.

Before he could act though, the principal came forward and delivered the opening speech. Though it seemed like he had given the speech a hundred times, he seemed enthusiastic about the graduation.

Then came Yuki's speech. He looked really out of place, but looked determined.

"There always comes a time in your life when you come to a crossroad," he said, his voice calm. "There's a path you want to venture down and a path others want you to venture down. Only you can decide your own fate. And as you decide which path to go on, think to yourself the decisions you've made in life.

"Whether you've made smart decisions or regretful decisions, the overall outcome is what affects you the most; molds you into the person you want to be. Think about the person you want to be; the person you want to be for the person whom you want to spend your life with."

His eyes wandered over in Tohru's direction. "Everyone has different goals. And we all will achieve them in various means. But we should never forget the people we've always been and will become. Most importantly, we should never forget about those who love us and want us to succeed. It is these people that we should strive for, and it is these people who will offer us the most support. And so, I wish you all the best of luck in your lives. Live well and love well. Thank you."

Yuki bowed to the audience. There was a thunderous applause, and many students cheered. Several gave him a standing ovation; Tohru was one of those who stood up and I could see her wiping tears from her eyes.

"Impressive," said Ayame, also standing. "Though he should've consulted me about his speech. Very heartfelt, but a little too short. I could've helped him; after all, I too was the elected speaker for my graduation."

"Hatori said your speech was slightly inappropriate and a half hour long," said Haru while clapping. "Yuki did fine."

It took a while for the crowd to calm down. I waited patiently for the commotion to quiet.

It was then that I realized Isuzu's attention was elsewhere.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Look behind us, back row," she said darkly.

I squinted amongst the happy faces to see to the back row. What I saw froze the blood in my veins.

Akito was seated there, with Hatori sitting on one side and Kureno on the other.

Why was he here? To see the graduation? Or was it about Kyo?

I glanced at Kyo, who hadn't noticed Akito. He seemed irritated by all the commotion Yuki was getting, but was also neutral. Was Akito here to take him?

Some teachers gave speeches, but I barely heard them. I found myself glancing over at Akito repeatedly. He didn't glance in my direction; his own gaze diverted from Yuki to Kyo over and over again. That made me feel very worried, overshadowing my excitement at the graduation.

It wasn't too long before they started handing out diplomas. I tried to ignore Akito and focus on the ceremony, but my worry was consuming me. I didn't want Akito to hurt Kyo. But with so many people around and the reality that I could change...it was frightening.

"Hanajima, Saki," called the principal. The girl with braids who had spoken to Tohru earlier went up to receive her diploma. The applause for her was tentative, though Tohru and the blonde girl were cheering. She accepted her diploma and sent a strange look at the audience. Several students jumped, as if expecting her to attack.

"Honda, Tohru," called the principal. We all waited as Tohru went up to receive her diploma. We all knew how much this meant to Tohru; she was so adamant about keeping her promise to her mother to graduate from high school and here she was, keeping her promise. As she headed to the principal, Yuki stood up from his seat and quickly shook her hand. I couldn't help but laugh at some of the stony expressions on some of the girls' faces; he hadn't done that for anyone else.

As she accepted her diploma, we all broke out in cheers. The noise volume we caused startled her, and she smiled shyly at us.

"Yay, Tohru!!!!" cried Momiji, jumping up and down.

"Nee-chan!!" called Kisa shyly, waving.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Hiro, not exactly pleased to see how much praise Kisa was giving Tohru.

"Let's hope she doesn't trip on stage," said Isuzu, turning her attention away from Akito for a moment. Sure enough, she stumbled a little as she left the stage.

I was a little surprised to see the same reaction in many of the students. It seemed like they were just as happy as us that Tohru graduate. She was wiping tears from her eyes as she went back to sit down.

It was a long wait through the students before it came to Kyo and Yuki's turn. This was having me jump in my seat. While I was excited about Tohru, seeing Kyo accept his diploma was filling me with adrenaline.

"Sohma, Kyo," called the principal. Several of the students were already starting to cheer as Kyo went up to receive his diploma. But it wasn't until it was in his hands did we react. I jumped to my feet and cheered, clapping enthusiastically for him. Several of the Juunishi followed my lead and cheered too. In fact, many students were doing the same thing.

"Great job, Kyon-Kyon!!" called one of the boys.

Kyo growled at him as he took his seat.

"Kyon-Kyon?" questioned Ayame as we sat back down. "Hmm..." he pulled out a pen and wrote something down. "I was thinking that Kyokichi-kun was becoming a hassle to say..."

"Either way he'll find it annoying," pointed out Shigure, who seemed pleased in his own merit.

Before the principal called for Yuki, I managed a glance at Akito again. I didn't like the expression he was wearing. It was like he was up to something, but was obviously hiding it.

"Sohma, Yuki," called the principal. The reaction was thunderous, just as much as there was for his speech. He looked very embarrassed by the response, but accepted his diploma gratefully.

We all cheered for Yuki as well, but Ayame upstaged us all. Just as Yuki accepted his diploma, he jumped up and started waving a banner that said, "Love is the beacon of guidance, Yuki!!!"

What did that have to do with graduation? Well, it seemed like the banner(s) he was talking about was just one banner.

If Yuki saw the banner, he tried his hardest to ignore it. But considering how big it was and how close we were to the stage, it was near impossible to miss it.

The graduation progressed normally through the students. I kept sneaking glances over at Akito to find he still had that strange expression on his face. What the hell was he planning?

"Uotani, Arisa," called the principal. I had been looking at Akito when they called this name and I saw Kureno visibly flinch. I quickly turned back around to see the same blonde haired girl who was annoying Kyo go up to accept her diploma. Tohru was cheering loudly for her and she flashed a peace sign at Tohru.

I glanced back at Kureno, who seemed to be struggling to keep a neutral expression and then looked back at the girl. What was going on there?

But I didn't have much time to think about it. It wasn't too long afterwards that the ceremony ended and the room filled with loud cheers.

"We should wait along the walls and not rush them," said Isuzu. "No telling what will happen if we–"

"YUKI!!!!!" cried Ayame, jumping through the crowd over to him. "Wonderful job!!"

"If he changes, it's not our fault," muttered Hiro. The rest of us pressed ourselves against the wall, waiting patiently for the crowd to thin out. About fifteen minutes later it thinned out enough for us to walk over to the graduates safely.

"Can't you ever go a day without embarrassing us?!?!" Kyo growled at Ayame.

"Oh, but it was such a nice banner," said Tohru tentatively. "He was just trying to give Yuki-kun advice."

"I'll never live this down," said Yuki, hiding his face.

"Ah, but love is the beacon of life!!!" said Ayame in a voice so loud it echoed over the activity in the auditorium. "A man who refuses to love is not a man at all!!! Love is the guidance of the soul!! Of course, you all are quite familiar with this–"

Both Kyo and Yuki punched him sky high.

I took my chance with Ayame gone. "Kyo-kun!!!"

Kyo seemed to brace himself as I launched myself at him, nearly tackling him with a powerful hug. I was getting better at controlling my emotions, but I couldn't help but feel excited for Kyo.

"T-Thanks, Kagura," he gurgled under my strong hug.

"Aw, does Kyon-Kyon have a girlfriend?" asked the blonde girl, snickering. "You don't let any other girls hug you!!"

I let go of him to introduce myself. "I'm Sohma Kagura, nice to meet you."

"Uotani Arisa," said the blonde girl. "But I'm mostly called Uo-chan."

"Hanajima Saki," said the girl with braids. "But Tohru calls me Hana-chan."

She suddenly perked up and gave me an intense look. "I sense something amiss about you. Were you taken with illness recently?"

I stared stunned at her. "Um, yes. How did you know?"

Before she could respond, there was a voice behind us. "Excellent job, Kyo."

I quickly turned around. "Shishou!! I didn't know you came!!"

Shishou smiled at me. "I'm glad to see you in good health, Kagura."

"Yeah, you too!!"

Shishou then directed his attention to Kyo. "Can I speak with you for a second?"

Kyo waved a hand. "Fine."

"Is he a Sohma too?" asked Uo. "Is he Kyon-Kyon's dad?"

"So what if he is?!" growled Kyo, storming off with Shishou. For a brief instant I saw a warm expression cross Shishou's face as he turned to go with Kyo.

"It's good he's here," said Tohru, smiling sweetly. "I didn't know he was here and I don't think any of us could see him earlier. Kyo-kun was a little disappointed."

"Akito's here," said Isuzu out of the blue.

Yuki and Tohru stiffened. Several of the other Juunishi reacted the same way, though I had expected they wouldn't have seen him. On such a happy occasion you don't go looking for someone you try not to cross.

"Who?" asked Uo, looking around.

"Over there," said Haru calmly, nudging toward the back. Akito, Kureno and Hatori were all still sitting there. Hatori was smoking a cigarette and Kureno was avoiding looking at us, but Akito was staring straight at us.

"Oh dear," said Tohru, looking slightly worried. She clutched her diploma to her chest.

Hana perked up again. "I sense a great sadness...from that girl..."

I glanced at her. Who was she talking about?

Uo said nothing, but wore a stunned expression. I had an idea of who she was looking at, but it didn't seem possible. I mean, Kureno didn't get out very much did he? It didn't seem possible that Uo and him would meet.

Yuki grabbed Tohru's arm. "We need to leave. Kagura, can you go get Kyo?"

"Leave?" asked Tohru. "What if Akito-san came here to congratulate us?"

"Doubtful," said Isuzu, glaring at Akito.

"If you leave, Akito will see you," said Hiro softly. "He's looking right at us."

"What will you do, Nee-chan?" asked Kisa.

Shigure sighed. "I'll go speak to Haa-san. All of you stay here until I get back."

We watched him go. An uncomfortable silence followed, until Tohru's friends broke it.

"What exactly is going on?" asked Uo, finally looking away from Kureno.

"Nothing you need to worry about," said Momiji sincerely.

"That girl is very sad indeed," said Hana.

"I'm going to go find Kyo-kun," I said, looking around. "He doesn't know Akito's here."

I left before anyone could say anything else. I knew that they were outside, so I left the auditorium. There were still a lot of people outside, but I made sure to be very careful as I wove through the crowd looking for Kyo and Shishou.

I found them in a secluded area. They were talking, though I couldn't hear the conversation. Kyo wore a very excited expression on his face and Shishou still had his warm expression. I was tempted to run over and strangle Kyo with a hug, but I pushed the feeling down. We were in a serious situation and I needed to be serious.

I did reach them in record time, though. "Kyo-kun, we have to go. Akito's here."

Kyo's excited face immediately turned sour. "What the hell does he want? He doesn't..." His voice trailed off.

"I don't know," I said sadly. "All I know is he came with Hatori and Kureno."

"I'm sure if you two leave, it will only anger Akito-sama," said Shishou, looking a little worried.

"Then what should we do?" I asked. "He showed up for a reason, didn't he? While it's a nice thought to think that he came just for the graduation, I know he has ulterior motives. He always does!!"

Shishou turned to Kyo. "What do you want to do, Kyo?"

Kyo's shoulders slumped. I knew he never wanted to go back into isolation. It wasn't clear why Akito came, but the way he was looking at Kyo during the ceremony...I didn't like it.

Kyo took my hand. "We're going back to the auditorium."

Ice shot through me. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm not about to run away from Akito," he hissed. "I'm not going to let that bastard one-up me. I'm not running away. Whatever he wants I'm going to see. No running."

I knew I couldn't argue with him. I didn't want him to go back to isolation, but he didn't want to run away. I couldn't just shrug off his feelings. "...All right. Let's go see what he wants."

We went back to the auditorium, his grip still on my hand. I didn't know if it was to show his nervousness or to keep from running away. Shishou came with us, and I felt a little better. He wouldn't cross Akito, but if Akito came to isolate Kyo, then he would stand up for him.

We entered back into the auditorium to find it near empty, though everyone was still there.

And Akito was talking to them.

Kyo froze on the threshold when he saw this. I was just as shocked. I hadn't been Akito to be up and talking to everyone when we got back.

Shishou eyed the both of us. "What now, Kyo? Are you going to go to Akito-sama or will you leave?"

Kyo quickly shook his head. "I said I wasn't going to run and I'm not!!"

He went right over to them, still gripping my hand tightly. I knew that he was a little afraid, but said nothing about it.

When we were about fifteen feet away Akito noticed us. He looked over at us and Kyo stopped in his tracks. Akito left the group and walked over to us. My free hand rose to grip Kyo's arm tightly. I didn't want anyone to fight, but if Akito was planning on putting Kyo away...there's no way I'd allow it.

Akito stopped right in front of Kyo, still wearing that strange expression I had seen him wear during the ceremony. His eyes fell first to where my hand gripped his arm and then to our conjoined hands. Then they returned to Kyo's face.

Then he turned around and walked towards the auditorium doors. "I'm going home now."

I blinked at that. Akito had said that he would imprison Kyo when he was done with school. But he's not doing anything like that. Did that mean he really meant it when he said he didn't care anymore?

"You're going to be all right," said Hatori. "Akito-san only came here to watch the ceremony. I wouldn't have brought him here if his reasons were along those lines."

I sagged against Kyo in relief. "Thank God. I was so afraid for a minute there..."

"Um, Kagura?" Kyo asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"You're breaking my arm."

I looked down to see that I was indeed gripping his arm tightly. "Oh, I'm so sorry!!!"

"I said I'm going home!!" called Akito.

Hatori glanced at Shigure. "I've got to take Akito home and make sure he's all right. I'll try and be by for the party later."

"Party?" said Kyo and Yuki together.

"Yuki-kun, Shigure-san was talking about it earlier," said Tohru gently. "Ayame-san and him are throwing us a graduation party!!"

Yuki and Kyo went very pale at that thought.

"We're leaving now," said Hatori, heading for the doors after Akito. "Let's go, Kureno."

Kureno had stayed off to the side throughout the whole situation. He'd been very close to Akito for a long time and not close to any of us, but I didn't think that was the only reason he strayed away from the group. He shot us a quick glance and followed Hatori out.

"Strange person," said Hana, watching him go. Uo also watched him go, her face sullen.

Ayame clapped his hands together. "Well, let's not waste anymore time!! Onwards to 'Gure-san's house for the party!! But don't you worry, 'Gure-san!! Though I have passion for parties, I save only my brightest passion for you!!"

"Aya, I'm so flattered by your loving words!!! Let us spend the night enjoying each other!!!"

"Dammit, don't do that in public!!!!" yelled Yuki, Kyo, Haru, and Hiro.

"I think it's kind of cute!!" quipped Momiji.

"Everything is cute to you," mumbled Isuzu, rubbing her head.

—

Needless to say, any party thrown by Shigure and Ayame was bound to be crazy. What we called 'Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo's Graduation Party' was later dubbed 'The Day Tohru was Introduced to Sake'. Yes, Shigure brought out some sake for all of us to try.

In spite of the craziness and all the delicious food, I didn't want to find myself drunk. Not only to avoid doing something stupid, but also to make sure I remembered this night clearly.

Then again, I didn't know just how strong the sake was. So by my second cup I found myself lightheaded.

"I'm done," I said, raising my hands.

"Aw, don't be like that Kagura-chan!!" said Shigure, inhaling his sake. "It's a party!!"

"No, I couldn't drink anymore."

Yuki and Kyo were tentatively sipping their sake. Isuzu only drank one cup and then stopped.

Tohru was inhaling the whole bottle. Apparently, no one bothered to tell her that sake was an alcoholic drink. If they did she probably wouldn't have drunken any.

"Way to go, Tohru-kun!!" cried Ayame, refilling her cup. "Drink up!!"

Before she could, Yuki clamped a hand over her cup. "Please no more, Tohru-san!!"

Tohru smiled at him, her cheeks flushed from the amount of alcohol she consumed. "Don't worry, Yuki-kun!! I feel all right!!"

"You two are just lucky Hatori's not here yet," said Haru from the other side of the room. "Or her friends. They wouldn't let her drink." Both Momiji and Kisa looked worried for Tohru while Hiro looked annoyed.

Ayame then suddenly jumped to his feet. "Oh, I just remembered!! I have a surprise for all the girls!!"

Tohru, Isuzu, Kisa, and I raised our heads.

Suddenly the door slid open. "Everything has been prepared!!"

I recognized Mine, Ayame's assistant at his shop who was wearing a Chinese dress.

It looked like Ayame was going to keep the promise he had made to me when I was sick.

"Up, girls!!" called Ayame, motioning to us. "We've made beautiful dresses just for you!!"

"No fucking way," said Isuzu, shaking her head.

Ayame grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, but you don't have any choice!! Let's go, let's go!!"

"Let me go!!" yelled Isuzu, but Ayame succeeded in pulling her from the room.

"Come, come," said Mine, motioning to Tohru, Kisa, and I.

"This sounds like fun!!" cried Tohru, hurrying for the door. Kisa and I followed her; I was shaking my head at her silliness.

We were led into another room where Ayame was fitting Isuzu into a pale yellow Promenade dress, though it had a curved neckline and not a choker. She didn't look pleased about it, but was passive about the whole thing.

"Rin-san, you look so beautiful!!" cried Tohru. Isuzu glared at her.

"It's true, though," I added. "I'm sure Haru will like it."

"I'm almost done here!!" said Ayame, lacing up Isuzu's dress from the back. "You get started on Kagura-chan!! We're saving Tohru-kun for last!!"

"Right!!" cried Mine, grabbing hold of my hand and hauling me over to one of the mirrors they had set up.

Fifteen minutes later, I was wearing a green and gold gothic dress. And it didn't seem like a cheap imitation; it had all the layers a dress like this would've had back in Europe's Renaissance. It was indeed one of the most beautiful dresses I'd ever seen. Mine had even tied my hair back with green and gold ribbons.

As I turned, Ayame was finishing on Kisa, who was wearing a baby blue frilly floral dress. He was tying her long strands of hair with matching ribbons.

"You're so adorable!!!" squealed Tohru, hugging Kisa tightly. "Hiro-chan will swoon over you!!"

Kisa turned dark red and I laughed a little. Tohru was usually clueless to these types of things, which gave more proof that she was probably drunk.

Then both Ayame and Mine moved onto Tohru. Her dress took the longest to fit her into, but it was easy to see what kind of dress they had chosen.

A wedding dress.

But the time they were done, it was hard to see Tohru under the frills and white lace. They had even given her a veil to wear.

"Right, we're set!!" said Ayame. "Let's show these maidens off to the boys!!"

"I'm not going back out there!!" yelled Isuzu, though her cries were in vain. Since her outfits consisted of black clothing, I'm sure the pale yellow wasn't to her liking.

Needless to say, there was a stunned silence when we were led back into the room. Everyone looked completely shocked to see us.

"We've brought the maidens back!!" announced Ayame. "Aren't they absolutely magnificent?"

Isuzu grumbled and went to sit in a corner.

As I took my seat back at the table, I was pleasantly surprised to see Kyo blushing and stuttering around me.

"Y-Y-You l-look nice," he said with a hand covering his face.

I smiled serenely at him. "Thank you, Kyo-kun."

Kisa shyly went back to where she had been sitting with Hiro and Momiji. Momiji was complaining because he didn't get to play dress up, while Hiro was stuttering as much as much as Kyo did.

Meanwhile, Tohru hadn't sat down yet. She was beside herself with happiness at her beautiful wedding gown. Yuki's expression said that he didn't know whether he should be happy or horrified.

"I'm so glad you made me this gown, Ayame-san!!" she sighed, twirling around. "It would be wonderful to walk down the aisle at my wedding wearing this..."

Yuki turned several shades of red. Tohru stopped twirling and quickly sat down in front of him.

"Yuki-kun," she said serenely with sparkles in her eyes, gripping his hand so tightly she was surely breaking his fingers. "I can wear this at my wedding...can't I?"

"Um, eh, ah, uh, um," said Yuki, turning even redder. "O-Of course you can, Tohru-san."

Suddenly, several poppers went off. Shigure and Ayame stood up, firing off more of them.

"You all heard it!!" cried Ayame. "Tohru-kun proposed to Yuki, and Yuki accepted!!!"

"Yay, Yuki-kun's getting married!!!" cried Shigure. "I never thought I'd see the day!!"

Yuki's mouth was gaping open widely. "Wait...I never–I didn't–"

"Aw, but don't you want to marry Tohru-kun?" asked Shigure.

"That's so cruel, Yuki!!" cried Ayame. "To accept a proposal and then decline it!!"

Tohru became teary-eyed. "Yuki-kun...you don't want to marry me?"

"He's stuck," muttered Kyo, shaking his head.

"Um, I, uh–"

"Don't you love me, Yuki-kun?"

"Y-You know I do, Tohru-san–"

"Then you will marry me?!"

"I, uh–"

"It's decided!!" cried Mine, bringing in a huge knapsack. "A wedding is on the way!!"

"Now this is a real celebration!!" cried Ayame. He dipped his arms into the bag and then quickly flung them out, causing some of the contents to fly into the air. I thought it was confetti until one of the objects hit my shoulder. I heard cries of pain and annoyance as the others were hit. I picked up the object that hit me to see a small velvet box. I opened it to see a diamond ring.

An engagement ring.

I looked around to see many other velvet boxes laying on the floor around me.

"Two hundred engagement rings!!!" cried Ayame, flinging more out. "True romance and happiness cannot be achieved unless everyone is happy!!"

"Why the fuck did you buy two hundred?!?!" cried Kyo as another ring hit him.

"For variety!! If Yuki bought Tohru-kun a ring, there's no guarantee that she'd like it!! Now she can choose which one she likes!!!"

"We cleaned out many stores!!" cried Mine, firing off another popper.

"I've never heard anything so stupid in my life!!!!!" yelled Kyo, and a box caught him in the face.

"And this deal isn't just for Tohru-kun!!! Everyone, look for yourselves!!"

Indeed, no one could help but look through the boxes. Some of the rings had tiny diamonds, other were so big it would weigh your hand down.

I noticed that while Isuzu was pointedly ignoring all this, Haru was calmly looking at the boxes. He plucked up a random one and looked at the ring. I didn't know what kind of ring it was, but it apparently satisfied him. He looked around as if to make sure that no one was looking at him and then stashed the ring into his pocket.

There's another wedding.

"You have to marry her, Yuki-kun!!" said Shigure, smiling evilly. "Or was it not you who's been sneaking into her room for the past few weeks?"

Yuki turned to stone. Tohru dropped the rings she had been examining, her eyes wide with fright. "Oh no...nobody's suppose to know about that!!!!!!"

"My oh my, you are naughty Yuki!!!" laughed Ayame. "I'm so glad you take after me!!!"

"I'll marry her!!!" yelled Yuki, though still in a stone state.

"Excellent!!!" cried Mine. She pulled out a blueprint. "Since this is going to be a western wedding, I suggest a little more ribbons on this side."

"True, true!!" said Ayame. "But let's have some more cherry blossoms hanging from here..."

Yuki looked even more horrified as it became clear that they had planned this whole thing. Tohru seemed a little more relieved and went back to searching.

Hiro curiously picked up a box only to have it smacked out of his hands by Ayame. "No you don't!! You're far too young to indulge like this!!"

"Aw, don't be like that Aya!!" said Shigure. "Hi-chan's a curious little boy!! Shouldn't all boys be curious?"

Ayame flicked some of his long hair aside. "Of course, how impudent of me. Here you go!!!"

He dropped about twenty boxes onto Hiro.

"These are such nice rings!!" said Momiji, looking through the boxes. "I'm very impressed Aya!!"

"Aw, don't be holding back on us!!" said Shigure. "You want to give yours to a pretty girl, don't you?"

"Well, not really," said Momiji sincerely. "I'm just looking through them."

"It'd be more believable if he gave it to a boy," I heard Isuzu mutter, though no one else did.

Ritsu was nervously sitting off to the side. He picked up a box with shaking fingers and opened it. "They are very pretty..."

"Looking to give one to a girl, Ri-chan?" asked Shigure.

Ritsu turned several shades of red. "Um, I, uh–"

He dropped the box to the floor. The ring popped out of the box upon impact, but was otherwise all right. Still...

"OH MY GOD!!!!!!! I'M SO STUPID, I CAN'T EVEN HOLD A RING!!!!!!"

"Yes, it's pretty stupid," said Shigure evilly.

"OH, I'M SUCH A FAILURE, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!!!!!!!"

"I'm getting a headache, shut him up!!" whined Hiro from under the pile of boxes. Shigure obligingly poked Ritsu in the side, sending him sprawling to the floor.

It calmed down a bit after that. As much as it could with a drunk Tohru fussing over the rings.

"This one looks nice. Oh, and this one too. And this one. Oh, what am I going to do, I can't choose..."

Yuki sat there with an expression resembling horror and disbelief.

"Join the party a little, Isuzu!!" I called to her.

"This dress is suffocating me, no thank you," said Isuzu. She tugged at the fabric and then stood up. "Haru!"

Haru looked up. "Yeah?"

She went over to him and grabbed his arm. "C'mon, we're going elsewhere."

"Elsewhere? Where?"

"Just shut up and come on."

In that instant he turned Black. I thought he was start a yelling fest since Isuzu was ordering him around. But instead he happily grabbed her arm and hurried from the room. I doubted he was going to beat her up.

"I just hope our marriage doesn't incite Akito's wrath," mumbled Yuki, still watching Tohru sort through the rings.

"What did Akito say to you guys before Kyo-kun and I got there?" I asked.

"Nothing really. He didn't directly address Tohru-san and I, giving me the inclination that he neither approves nor disapproves of our relationship. I'm not going to ask for his blessing, but I have a feeling Tohru-san will want to..."

"Here!!!" cried Tohru, holding up a beautiful ring. "Yuki-kun, put this on my finger!"

Yuki stiffly took the ring and put on her gloved left hand.

I could only imagine Tohru's reaction when she was sober.

I turned to address Kyo, only to find him gone.

"Did Kyo-kun leave?" I asked absently, looking around the room.

"He escaped?!" Ayame gasped in horror. "Bad Kyon-Kyon!!"

I stood up. "I'll go look for him."

"Right, and drag him back here!! This party is far from over!!"

I left the room and went into the hallway. I had an idea as to where Kyo had gone. But before I could start searching, I bumped into Hatori.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said, straightening. "What have they done so far?"

"Well, Yu-chan and Tohru are engaged."

"What?"

"And they managed to get Tohru to drink a lot of sake."

"WHAT?!?!" for one of the few times Hatori raised his voice, it sounded a little scary. He stormed into the room and I hurried away as Hatori started giving Shigure and Ayame a loud lecture about giving out alcohol.

Just think, said a small voice. There was a time two years ago when you thought you'd never be this active again.

Having kidney cancer or any other cancer at the age of eighteen is pretty frightening. But I managed to get through it thanks to the people I love.

I headed outside and searched around the side of the house. I found the ladder quickly enough and began climbing to the roof.

It was difficult; climbing in a medieval goth dress. I kept stepping on the layers in my bare feet and nearly fell. But I held on tightly and managed to get to the top. As I had expected, Kyo was lounging on the roof. "You're missing the party, Kyo-kun."

He jumped a little, but looked relieved to see me. "All that noise and chaos was driving me crazyI needed to get away from it."

"Me too," I said, crawling to his side. It was a nice evening; there was slightly warm breeze and the sky was clear. I could see the sun setting in the distance. "It's been a while since I've climbed up here. I think the last time was..."

I trailed off. The last time I had climbed up there was when I had still be sick and had wanted to see Kyo. He was in love with Tohru then, and was cold to me...

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" I asked, puzzled by the statement.

"For the way I treated you when you had cancer."

"It's all right–

"No, it's not. When I first saw how sick you were, I thought it was all my fault. I mean, I had just rejected you a few weeks before. Most people change their appearances when their hearts are broken, but...you were so skinny. It was like a tight hug would snap you in two.

"All I could think was 'she doing this to herself because of me'. I thought you weren't eating out of depression. But then...then we found out you had cancer. And it hit me that I had rejected you while the cancer was growing inside you. I didn't notice it then; only at that party. I was convinced that you became so sick so suddenly because of what I did. I didn't know what to do. So all I could do...what be mean."

I touched his arm. "I never once blamed you for my condition, Kyo-kun."

"I know. And when you showed up before you surgery...you looked worse. And it was thrown in my face, that I was treating you like shit. So all I could do was react that way. And then, when you laid that guilt trip on me...it only made it worse. I already blamed myself as it was, and the guilt trip only worsened my feelings."

"Kyo-kun, listen to me. I was hurt by your coldness, but you treated me so wonderfully while I recovered. Believe me, you've made up for it. We've been together for two years; two years is a long time for a relationship and we're still going strong. If I thought you caused my illness or you made it worse, do you think I'd be sitting here with you now?"

Kyo said nothing.

"Having kidney cancer will stay with me for the rest of my life. But I'm not going to remember the worse moments. I only treasure the precious, tender moments that I've had with everyone, mainly you. So I don't want you to dwell on them either."

Kyo's hand rose and it touched the small of my back just over where my cancerous kidney had once been. "I'm glad you're doing all right."

"Me too. I'm going to have to check with Hatori in a few months so he can examine the sight to make sure it's healed properly. I'll be scarred down there, but I'll take that over cancer."

Kyo nodded.

I lay down next to him, my head on his shoulder. "Do you remember when we were kids, how we'd stay out all night and just watch the stars like this?"

"The stars aren't out yet," said Kyo, circling his arm around me. "But yeah."

"Well, how about we go up to the mountains together and watch them all the time? We both have plenty of time on our hands before I have to go back to college and you do what you want to do."

"Stargazing in the mountains doesn't sound too exciting. But sure, why not?"

A thought came to me. "What did Shishou and you talk about today, Kyo-kun?"

"Well, since I'm not going back into isolation he wants me to take over his dojo."

"That's a great idea!!" I sat up with excitement. "What'd you say?"

Kyo gave me look. "What do you think I said?"

I hugged him tightly. "This is wonderful!! Yun-chan and Tohru are getting married and you're going to own Shishou's dojo!!!"

Kyo scoffed. "That Yuki's just a damn moron. He's been planning on proposing to her properly for a while, but he lets his idiot brother take all the glory. On top of that he lets Tohru go through a bunch of rings he didn't even buy, and that kind of takes the whole meaning out of it."

"Tohru's drunk. I'm fairly certain when she wakes up she'll think Yun-chan bought the ring for her and put it on her finger in her sleep."

"...He's still stupid. If I were to propose to a girl, I wouldn't let someone like that idiot dictate the circumstances. I'd abide my time and make sure no one meddles. Then I'd propose to her with no one as our witness except for...the stars."

A warm feeling passed over me. I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I guess we better go on that mountain trip soon, huh?"

Kyo didn't respond, but he managed a smile. A smile I was always fond of, one he use to show me when we were children...

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from inside the house and Yuki yelling.

"Looks like Yun-chan finally lost his temper," I said, getting up and heading for the ladder.

"About time," said Kyo, following me.

We climbed down the ladder and eyed the house.

"Should we offer Hatori some support?" I asked.

Kyo shook his head. "Nah, he can handle it. He's been handling it for years. How about we just go for a walk?"

"Sounds like a good idea."

He held out a hand to me, reminding me once again of our childhood and I accepted the hand. Together we walked away from the house and down the path.

If I was told over two years ago that my life would turn out this way, I probably wouldn't have believed it. At a time I was certain that Tohru would truly make Kyo happy, I thought the two of them would be together.

But here I was, two years post surgery, walking hand in hand with someone I've always loved. And Tohru...Tohru had Yuki, someone in dire need of love and acceptance. As did Kyo. But Tohru and I were capable women, so I think we could help them out.

It's amazing just how much has changed, I thought to myself. Yun-chan's with Tohru. Isuzu's back with Haru. And I'm with Kyo-kun.

"I love you," I said, smiling at him a little.

Kyo turned a little red. "Yeah I know. I love you too."

This broaden my smile and took the lead down the path, drawing him with me.

I truly do love him and I believe he loves me. There might a time where the cancer returns or something terrible might happen. But I know he'll be there with me. I've sought him out my entire life. Now that I have him, I'm going to hold onto him forever.

While some of the facts about surgery came from a nurse I know, it was these sources that I was able to get the information.For some reason I can't place links, so here's the names of the websites:

Cancer.gov - Types of Cancer

Common Kidney Cancer Symptoms

CancerGuide: Hereditary Kidney Cancer