Well... this is sort of just a chapter to fill you in on what happened to Kyo's dad and all that. It's a bit brief, but bare with me here. and thank yous to everyone that supported and reviewed me. I HEART YOU ALL.

COMPLETE

Chapter NINE - Past PART TWO

Present day

Kyo's chin was resting on the cool wooden surface of his table and he was staring down at his blank piece of paper that was supposed to have a written paragraph on what your biggest regret was. He slammed his pencil down onto the table, frustrated from all the thoughts and memories that rushed into his head when the word 'regret' came to mind.

-------------------------

Eleven years ago

"Kyo-kun! Get out here!"

A ten year old Kyo rolled out of his bed, tumbling onto the wooden floor, where he hoped that if maybe he stayed there long enough, the voice would leave him alone. No such luck, the voice came right back,

"Get up now! C'mon son!"

Kyo slowly cracked open one of his eyes, immediately shutting them again because of the flash of light that seeped through his eyelids. A firm hand shook Kyo's shoulders vigourously, finally getting him to open both eyes fully, muttering unmentionable words under his breath. When his vision cleared, he saw his grinning father standing above him with his arms on his hip, looking as energetic as ever. Kyo sighed while bowing his head down with a grimace on his face,

"Training time?"

"You got it kiddo."

Kyo groaned while he got to his feet, shuffling after his father, following him out to the backyard where their training sessions were always held. It was where he would practice his kicks and punches with his father there to guide him all the way. Kyo yearned to be stronger, and was impatient with the training, but he continued to do it, so that one day he would make his father proud. After about an hour or so flew past them, Kyo's father ceased the session, facing Kyo with sincerity and putting his fists together,

"Let's spar,"

said his father with his eyes lighting up. Kyo smirked at his father's challenge and gained a small spark in his deep crimson eyes. He set his legs apart and balled his hands into fists, ready for the chance to prove to his father that he was strong. Kyo yelled out with fiery,

"I'm ready!"

Kyo stared into his father's eyes, steadily, anticipating his move, but he couldn't wait any longer after a moment, so he hastily lunged forward towards his father who easily fended him off, with one hand. He looked like he was barely moving a muscle, making Kyo angrier knowing that his father wasn't even trying.

"You're not even trying! Give me all you got!"

The father shrugged and acqueisced by catching Kyo by the leg, throwing him into the muddy dirt on the ground where Kyo made a face at his scratched up knee and aches in his body that now sprang up. The gray haired man hovered over his son and held out a generous hand to him saying with kindness,

"That was good Kyo."

Kyo clenched his teeth together, swallowing the huge lump that had formed in the middle of his throat. He could feel the scalding tears wanting to run out from the bottom of his eyes, but he didn't let them. He just bit his lower lip and willed them to go back in,

Men don't cry!

He looked down at the grass and concentrated on an ant that had just crawled up from the depths of the weeds, he couldn't look into his father's eyes because if he did, he didn't know if he could trust himself to not cry. He ignored the hand that was held out to him and continued to stare down at the ground, silently. The father let his hand lower back to his side as he squatted down to the ground so that their eyes were on the same level. He chuckled and told Kyo firmly,

"You know, I have a strong feeling that you're going to grow up to be a fine young man. A strong one, that can take on your old man one day."

Kyo felt a smile lift his lips up at the sound of his father's words of reassurance, feeling his pride rise up from the ground as he exclaimed happily,

"Really?"

His father ruffled up Kyo's bright orange hair and answered back with sincerity,

"Count on it. Now let's train some more."

Kyo nodded and this time he didn't hesitate to slap his hand into his father's hand, letting himself be pulled back up to his feet. He vowed on that day to become just like his father when he grew up.

------------------------------------

Four years later

One day while Kyo was walking home from school a bunch of bullies confronted the boy with bright orange hair.

"Hey, Sohma! Ready to get your money stolen?"

The obnoxious group of boys burst out into fits of bellowing laughter, thinking they were so superior. Kyo gritted his teeth together, and had the biggest desire to punch them all out, but then he controlled himself because his father had once told him that violence was not how things were solved. It was unhonorable. He squeezed his fists together and then said between gritted teeth, "Just get the hell away from me."

"Ooooh, what are you gonna do? Show us your little baby kicks that you learned from daddy or something? C'mon, show us all you got wussy boy. We'll even give you a free shot."

They laughed mockingly at him, making Kyo plant a surprise solid fist straight into the nasty kid's presently smashed up face. The other boys gaped at this violent action, lunging forward at Kyo to protect their "leader," but Kyo was too angry to stop this fight now, his adrenaline was pumping at an insane amount. In seconds he had beaten each and every guy that was there, to the ground. Kyo smirked while stepping over the unconscious heap of boys that lay on the ground like a small mountain, heading back home with a great feeling of satisfaction.

That next morning Kyo went outside to the backyard to train with his father, but instead of his father standing by the cherry blossom tree, like he always did, he was standing by the back door, with his arms crossed over his chest, a dissappointed frown on his face.

"I heard what happened after school yesterday."

Kyo looked down at his shoes in shame and kicked at the dirt, nonchalantly answering,

"Oh yea, that. It was just some stupid kids that made me mad, that's all."

"So you injured them all?"

Kyo's eyes blazed with anger as he looked up at his father, letting his inner teen angst take over,

"Look! It's nothing alright? All I did was put some kids back into place, so what's so bad about that? Isn't that what this damn training if for?! To be strong?!"

His father sternly lectured,

"Haven't you learned a thing? Fighting is not for yourself... it is for protecting the people you love... defending, not just going out there to show off what you've got!"

"You know what? I don't need this. I'm outta here, and you know what? I don't need your stupid training either, cuz I hate it!! And I don't need you to tell me what to do!"

His father was taken aback from his bitter words, letting his head bow down,

"As you wish. We don't have to train anymore."

Kyo just stormed away, too angry to let his regrets catch up to him. He just kept walking. Away from the garden. Away from the house. Away from his father. Away from reality.

-------------------

Later that night

Kyo pushed the rusted key into the keyhole of his house after taking a long cool walk. After clearing his mind up, he seriously began to regret the last words that he had deliberately thrown at his father's face. He had to set things straight right now. He opened up the creaking door, his eyes adjusting to a new scene. Darkness. Kyo frowned and shut the door behind him, wondering what was going on. He flicked on the light switch, cautiously, and surveyed the area, seeing that the house was eerily empty. His eyebrows knitted together as he slowly walked into the kitchen to see if anyone was in there. He scanned the room with his eyes very frantically, seeing that nothing was misplaced or anything, but there was a yellow piece of paper taped to the fridge door that caught his eye. He went up to it and ripped it off of the fridge, his eyes widening at the scrawls of writing that that were written with a soft lead pencil:

Your father has collapsed, and we've rushed him to the hospital.

Please hurry.

-Mom

His eyes fell on the last words of the paper and the paper fluttered out of his hands in an instant as he ran out of the front door.

--------------------------------------

At the hospital

Kyo finally reached the room where his father lay in a hospital bed, panting and breathing heavily. He looked up at his mother with a red face and asked breathlessly,

"Wh-What happened?"

His mother brushed a tear from her eye and then led Kyo out of the hospital door, giving him the bad news,

"Your father... he... has cancer."

--------------------------------------

Present day

My Biggest Regret

by Sohma Kyo

I always took things for granted, my house, my money, my belongings, my education, even my own father. It's strange how I never really started to truly see the value of things until I'd lost it for good. Then the regret and guilt hit me like a bag of cement on the head. That's how it felt when I lost my father a year back... and the way I treated him before he left just pounded me into the gravel. He was always there for me when I needed a hand. He taught me how to be strong. He was the one that molded me into the man that I have become today; but now that he is no longer here on this Earth, I can't thank him for all the things that he has done for me. What makes matters worse is the fact that my last words to him went something like, "I don't need you to tell me what to do." I know that my father has forgiven me, because he's that sort of person...but I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for the way that I acted towards him before 'it' happened. That is my biggest regret.

Yea... i guess this chapter was a bit rushed with school going on and all, but I'll try my best to work harder on the other ones. :D

REVIEWS PLEASE. THANKS :D