[Disclaimer] Still not mine.
[AN] Ack! I still wasn't done with the chapter, but I was already up to eight pages. No good! No good I tell you! It's ok actually. There was only one more scene, so I figured it would be ok to put with the next chapter. At least I think there was only going to be one more scene. I really don't know until I finish writing it. Hehehehehahahhhah. Yes, the author is kind of a tard I do promise though, this is the last chapter before the proposal scene that so many of you are waiting for. ;-) Oh yeah, I know there were a couple of grammatical errors in the previous chapter, but I don't feel like going back to change the two that I found. If anyone points out others that I've already missed, I might go back and fix it. ;-)
[AN2] Save an author, write a review! =D
Chapter XIV
After hearing Yuki's bedroom door close, Kyo tiptoed out of his room, not wanting to wake Robbie who'd just fallen asleep. He quietly walked downstairs and saw that the kitchen light was the only one on. He was walking in that direction, but paused when he heard the crying coming from the kitchen. 'Oh, what the hell did that stupid rat do now?'
Kyo closed the distance between the kitchen and himself. Peeking in before entering, the sight he saw filled his own heart with a deep sadness. He never liked to see Tohru cry, and she'd rarely done so since they'd moved to the states, at least as far as he'd seen. The scene before him was one of a crying Tohru hunched over one of the counters with her face in the crook of her elbow.
He quickly entered the kitchen, turned her so she was facing him, and pulled her into a loose embrace, carefully, so as not to transform himself. He said nothing as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, but softly stroked her hair trying to calm her some. They stood there in silence for a few minutes as her tears slowly began to subside. Once she seemed to be done crying for the moment, he pulled back a little to take a good look at her. The tell tale signs of her exertions were a wet spot on his shirt, her own red puffy eyes and intermittent sniffles. "Tohru, let's go up to the roof and watch the stars for a little while?" he half asked, half told her. She simply nodded and let him lead her to the ladder out back.
Seeing that she was still a little shaky, Kyo let her climb the ladder first so that he could steady her or catch her if she started to lose her grip on the rungs; they both made it safely to the rooftop. Once up there, they carefully made their way to the 'sitting' spot; it was a spot that was not quite as slanted as the rest of the roof, making it a little safer to be up there. After Kyo was seated, he let Tohru lie down with her head on his lap, so he could softly stroke her hair. He wanted to her to feel completely comfortable before he began to even try prying information out of her.
Continuing to stroke her hair even after she'd visibly calmed down quite a bit, he whispered, "Tohru, if you need someone to listen, you know you can talk to me."
Sniffle
"Mmm hmm," was all he heard, and that was barely so.
Sniffle
"Kyo?" She spoke so quietly that he almost missed hearing her.
"Yes, Tohru?" he replied with a voice just a notch louder than her own.
"Do you remember what I told you this morning?"
"Of course I do. You know I couldn't forget something like that."
"Well, I wasn't just saying that."
"I know you weren't, my dear."
"I really do love him. I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone."
Those words stung Kyo, but he didn't show his hurt. "I know you do. But why are you crying so much? He obviously feels the same as you."
"I know he does. I can't, regardless of how much I want to, return his feelings. I just can't."
Her last comment caused him a bit of concern. He didn't say anything for a moment as he speculated as to why.
"Kyo, if I tell you something very important, you have to promise to not get upset, and you can't say anything to Yuki or anyone back home either."
He stiffened at this comment. 'A secret so important that she hadn't even told him?'
"You know I can't promise to not get upset, but whatever you tell me will stay between just the two of us."
Tohru took a deep breath and paused before releasing the resulting sigh. "You know that Akito and I have been exchanging letters since the two of us moved here. I had to of course, not just because I wanted to make sure he was doing well, but because if it were not for him, I wouldn't be attending college at all, let alone living in this big house with my best friend in the entire world."
Kyo smiled at her softly as she spoke, listening intently to each word. He wanted to let her get everything out before he jumped to any conclusions, though when she made the best friend comment, he couldn't help his broadening smile.
After another deep breath, she continued with her story. "Of course, in my letters, I always let him know how I'm doing in school, and let him know about the things going on in my life. In one such letter, I mentioned that I wanted to become a teacher. The next letter I received from him included an offer that I felt I could not refuse, though it was something I had to think about for several months before giving him my final decision."
Kyo remained silent, still softly stroking her long, silky brown hair. He was letting her take her time, since it was obviously something that she had a hard time talking about. He felt her soft sigh before continuing her speech. During the time she remained quiet, he thought about what Akito would offer her that she couldn't pass up, and just what it was that he would want in return. Akito never did anything unless it would benefit himself in the long run.
"He offered me a position as the Sohma family sensei. Kyo, you know how much I love everyone in the Sohma family. Of course I'll be moving back to Japan. To become the family's private teacher would be a dream come true, Kyo. How could I possibly pass up the opportunity he presented me with? But..." she paused for a moment, know this would be the hardest part for him to take, "there was a condition attached to the offer."
He felt her body tense up a little before she began to speak again. He knew the condition had to be on the extreme side if she was so hesitant to tell him. 'What is it? Spit it out! You already have me on pins waiting to hear!' He wanted to scream at her to tell him, but he remained as calm as he could. She would tell him in her own time, despite how anxious he was to know.
"Kyo, I agreed to let Akito choose a husband for me within the Sohma family." She held a breath after speaking those words, waiting for him to flip out, go crazy, or scream at her for agreeing to such a thing. She'd felt him stiffen in response to her words, yet he made no other motion, seemingly remaining calm about her decision. Little did she know, he was screaming at her in his head.
After what seemed an eternity, he finally spoke. "Tohru, are you sure that is what you want?" he asked in the same soft, calming voice, but somehow that didn't stop that tears that started slowly pouring out of her eyes again.
"Kyo, I thought about it for five months before I gave Akito my decision. I just hadn't suspected that Yuki loved me like he does. You know he never said anything to me before he came here to visit. Kyo, what am I going to do? How am I going to tell him? As much as it breaks my heart and probably will his, he needs to know! I love him more than life, but I can't back out of my agreement with Akito. I don't want to! I want to be a part of this family forever. I love this whole family so much, Kyo!" With each word, the tears began falling more rapidly without hesitation.
Almost out of breath, she wrapped her arm around his waist and buried her face in his stomach, holding tight, crying like a newborn baby. Between breaths and sniffles she blurt out, "Kyo... what am... I... going... to do?!?"
Kyo said nothing; he held her tightly and continued to stroke her hair, letting her cry until she could cry no more. He now understood why she couldn't stop crying. He understood why talking to Yuki after they'd returned home had caused her so much pain. As much as he wanted to beat up Yuki for putting her through this, he knew Yuki had no idea and couldn't put the blame on him alone. More than anything, Kyo wanted to kill Akito for thinking about picking a husband for Tohru. She was an adult and could make those decisions well enough on her own. He also understood why Tohru would agree to Akito's terms as she had. He wished more than anything that he could say something to comfort her right now, but there was nothing. All he could do was to be there to hold her.
It was about five minutes before her crying subsided to sniffles, but she still clung tightly to Kyo, not wanting to let him go. She needed the comfort more than anything, and this comfort she couldn't obtain from Yuki. He just wouldn't understand. He would find out soon enough at the New Year's banquet.
After a few minutes longer, Kyo finally decided to start prodding her for a little more information. "Tohru..." he paused for a moment. She was still holding him as if he was her lifeline, but she gave a little nod to let him know she was listening. "Has Akito told you to whom you'll be married?" He waited patiently for her answer. All he received was a small shake of her head. "I see. Do you know when he'll be telling you?"
It was another moment before she nodded again in response to his last question. Keeping her arm around his waist, she pulled back a couple inches from his stomach and took a breath. Her eyes remained closed and her voice was weak and shaky, but she spoke none-the-less. "I will be allowed to attend this coming New Year's celebrations." She paused another moment before continuing. "The announcement will be made at the Zodiac banquet first." She said nothing else, wanting to gauge his reaction.
Kyo visibly stiffened at this new revelation. "It's going to be announced at the banquet? When is he planning on telling you who you'll be marrying?"
Tohru turned her face so she could look up at Kyo but left her arm in place. She took another deep breath before saying any more. Then with an almost inaudible voice, she finally spoke. "At the banquet."
Kyo's eyes grew wide in response and he stopped petting her hair while processing this new information in his head. Despite the fact that he'd been going home for New Year's every year since he and Tohru had moved to the states, he still wasn't allowed to sit in on the Zodiac banquet. And now, suddenly, after all these years, Akito is going to have someone who isn't even technically family, sit in on the banquet? Akito definitely had something up his sleeve, but what was it?
"Tohru... are you saying what I think you're saying? Akito is going to have you sit in on the banquet... something that even I, as the cat, have never sat in on?" The whole idea seemed, some how, incredulous, but it was something that Kyo could not put past Akito.
Tohru's only response was a quick nod of her head as she snuggled back into her former position. Her movement snapped Kyo back to the present and he quickly but softly began petting her hair again, though he was looking far off at nothing, thinking about what Akito could be planning.
After a while, Tohru's sniffling had pretty much ceased and she felt that couldn't cry another tear if she wanted to, though her eyes still felt warm and puffy from their earlier status. With a small yawn, she sat up from Kyo's lap and looked him in the eyes. "Kyo, could you stay with me tonight until I fall asleep. If I'm alone I think I'd just start crying again."
"Of course Tohru. There's nothing in this world that I wouldn't do for you."
After making it back down to the house interior, Tohru looked at a clock to see just how long they'd been up there. It had been over an hour though it had felt like a much shorter period of time. "I'm going to go change into my night clothes. Could you go ahead and make sure the house is locked up, Kyo?"
"Sure. I'll be up in a few minutes."
Minutes later, Tohru was tucked snuggly under her covers. Kyo was next to her on top of her covers, his arm lying over her waist, holding her opposite hand.
"Kyo... Thank you for listening to me tonight. And please... don't forget the promise you made."
With a soft smile, Kyo whispered back to her, "Don't worry Tohru. I'll never break my promise to you. And you are so very welcome."
He placed a soft kiss on the back of her head, and within a few minutes, she was asleep, seemingly peacefully so. He waited another ten minutes or so before moving, wanting to make sure she was fully asleep before moving off the bed, not wanting to wake her. Finally, satisfied she wouldn't wake, he cautiously pulled his hand out of hers then slowly slid off the bed, being careful not to disturb her.
[AN] For those are looking for the edited part, this is where it starts. Thank you to Eraya for making the suggestion to clear up some questions regarding the relationship that Kyo and Tohru have together.
Once he was free, he leaned over to place another soft kiss on the crown of her head, he exited her room, quietly as possible, shutting the door behind him, before returning to his own room with a sleeping Robbie on the bed. He crawled onto the futon on the floor and thought about all the things Tohru had told him tonight. He also contemplated a few other things that were left unsaid; things that had always been left unsaid.
Kyo's thoughts went back to the day that Tohru told everyone that she'd been accepted into an American University. She'd been so excited and everyone was excited for her, though secretly he was disappointed that she would be moving away from him. A week later, he was told that he would be going to the US with Tohru, where he would be allowed to run a karate dojo. They would move at the end of the summer after a 'proper' home was built for them to live in. Akito had had the audacity to call him to the main house to inform him of this decision.
At the time, Kyo was skeptical of Akito's reasoning for doing all this; during the three months of preparations, though, Kyo had dismissed the reasoning as Akito's way of getting rid of the girl that caused his 'pets' to turn against him, as well as the cat that he detested so much. None of the other Juunishi seemed to think this was part of a much grander scheme, so he let the thought go. Instead, he thought about all the exciting experiences he was going to have with his first true love, Tohru.
To say that the look on Yuki's face overjoyed Kyo, as he and Tohru were getting ready to board the plane for the first time, would be an understatement. He knew, long before Tohru, how Yuki felt about her. Yuki's feelings for the girl were not unlike Kyo's; he knew Yuki would have given just about anything to take his place on that plane. Kyo didn't care though. While they were a little more tolerable with each other, they still didn't really like each other at all, nor did they have much in common. Aside from their shared feelings for Tohru, they were both cursed Sohmas; all that didn't matter though.
After they'd arrived in the states, Kyo felt like he was in heaven. They had so much fun together exploring their new home and city. Since Tohru was starting school at the major university in the area, Kyo decided to take some college classes at the local community college until he got a couple students at the dojo, which, coincidentally, didn't take but a few months. Robbie had been the first and his friend followed shortly after. He still took a class here and there, but those didn't matter as long as he had the children to teach.
Tohru, just like back home in Japan, took care of all the household chores like the laundry, the shopping, and cooking. Kyo felt obligated to help, as much as he could, with the cleaning and other chores, despite her protests; she was working a part time job on top of her schoolwork and the housework, just like when she was in high school.
He'd adored her; she was the only one he ever wanted to be with, particularly in the capacity of sharing mutual space as they were. He wanted her to always be there to cook for him, despite the fact that he could cook; he always wanted to be there to take care of her when she was ill and vice versa. She was a godsend, his savior. She accepted him for who he was, not what he was, unlike the rest of his family. He loved her and wanted to protect her from all hurts, and that was all there was to it.
Then it dawned on him; she was like the sister he never had, much like Kazuma was the father he'd never truly had. She was his family. When she started talking about Yuki's visit earlier this year, it occurred to him. She talked about everyone with the same light... even himself. That didn't bother him in the slightest. What bothered him was that when she spoke of Yuki, her tone changed ever so slightly. He knew, even before she mentioned the fact to him earlier that day, that she loved him. Kyo realized that it probably would have upset him regardless of the man she feel in love with for the fact that he didn't want to let anyone hurt her.
Now, with everything Tohru had told him tonight on the roof, he was even more pissed off than he thought he could be. He wasn't mad at Yuki so much as the situation he put her in without realizing it. Kyo was at a loss of what to do. He couldn't think of anything to do to help Tohru get through this without getting hurt, and that hurt him more than he cared to admit.
He blinked back a tear before rolling onto his side. With a sigh, he reluctantly let his thoughts drift away from the current predicament Tohru was in, with the hopes to get as good a night's sleep as possible. He knew he should think about this with a clear mind if he had any hopes of coming up with a solution... if it was possible to find one at all. Once Kyo closed his eyes, sleep quickly washed over him.
The sun had risen and it was a beautiful day out. The temperature was a little on the warm side, but there was a nice breeze blowing through the open windows and shoji doors. Akito was relaxing in his sitting room, idly fingering the edge of the pink, flowery letter he'd received from Tohru the day after the phone call from her regarding Yuki's arrival in America. "She really is so naïve. Does she truly not realize why Yuki wanted to visit her so badly? Ha! What a twit!" Not for the first time, Akito was talking to his ever present, invisible audience.
'She really thinks she'll be able to keep the secret of her engagement from him. Perhaps she will, right up until the moment he asks her. I feel somewhat sorry for her. They will no doubt be at a nice restaurant. She will probably burst in to tears. That girl is an emotional roller coaster. I almost feel sorry for Yuki too, but he deserves it more than anyone in this family. He thinks he can get away from us and live a normal life? He's going to have the truth handed to him on a platter and in public to boot. I only wish I could be there to witness the mortified expression that will no doubt cross his face.'
Akito laughed out loud at the expression his mind imagined Yuki would have at that moment the truth came into the open. Had anyone that didn't already know him heard the almost maniacal laughter slipping under the doorway, they'd have thought Akito a lunatic. While that seemed to be closer to the truth on some days than others, he was not truly crazy.Dear Tohru-kun,
I was pleased to receive your latest letter. As always, I hope you are doing well. I'm sure you're visit with Yuki has gone better than you expected. I know that he was excited about going to visit you as well. Personally, I haven't been feeling so well lately, and have a cough that doesn't seem to want to go away. I'm sure its just dust in the air. The servants around here haven't been doing a very good job cleaning as of late. I should probably let them all go, but you know I can't hire just anyone to work here.
I hope when you come to visit, that you make one of your home cooked meals for me. I did enjoy the few that I did have before you left. I'm sure Kureno wouldn't complain about one of your meals either. Oh, I suppose I forgot to tell you, when you come to visit this New Year's, you will be staying here at the main house. I do not want anyone to know you are here until after the celebrations have begun. It will be a surprise for them all.
Also, please don't burden yourself with too many clothes. I will be providing some more traditional clothing for you for the banquet and celebration. I will have Kureno take care of your flight arrangements. You will have to fly out after Kyo. We don't want him to know you're there either, now do we?
I'm sure you will want to visit your friends Uotani-san and Hanajima-san when you come to visit. Arrangements will be made for you to visit with them here at the main house before the New Year. After the three days of celebrations, you will be more than welcome to go out and visit with them and your other friends. I don't want you to feel as though you're being locked away for your entire visit.
You're plane tickets will not be mailed directly to you. Again, we do not want Kyo to suspect anything. You should receive them in the next month or so. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me directly again. I did enjoy hearing your sweet voice on the phone; it cheered me right up. I hope your next school semester goes well, and I do hope to hear from you again soon.
Take care,
Akito Sohma
