Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters, except for Fury.

KYO'S POV

Three days since Akito had died and already the news had spread like wildfire through the Sohma household. Hatori, being the most responsible of the group, took charge saying Akito had died of natural causes and now he was temporary head of the Sohma household. Only those who had been in the room where Akito had died, knew what had really happened.

Since then Fury had been staying at Shigure's house to avoid being seen by the other Sohmas. Hatori had left telling her that they would discuss the "agreement" after the news of Akito's death had simmered down and the funeral rites had been completed. Right now, however, Kyo watched Fury from the roof as she practiced her unique fighting techniques that he had never seen before.

She reminds me of a ninja. With her dark tank-top and black pants that clung to her lithe form, she certainly did fit the image of a ninja, and a beautiful one at that. Kyo blinked and to his surprise found that Fury had disappeared. "Where did she go?"

"Right here." Fury's voice replied from right beside him. Kyo was so startled by her sudden presence that he almost fell off the roof.

"What the hell! Are you trying to kill me?" Kyo shouted full in her face.

For the first time since Kyo had met her, he heard her laughing normally and for a brief second she seemed like any normal girl her age. "It's not my fault your guard wasn't up." She said and shrugged innocently. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yeah right." Kyo mumbled angrily. "What do you want?"

"It's not what I want. It's what you want." Fury said evadinglywith a smirk on her face.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Kyo asked, his frustration building.

"I noticed you watching me practice and I thought that you might be interested in learning some real fighting techniques. No offense, but what you've already learned is mostly for regular fighters. If you want to really excel at fighting I could teach you some of my moves." Before Kyo could reply she added, "And I am in desperate need of a sparring partner."

Kyo wasn't about to pass up the offer of learning new and more effective fighting techniques. Maybe it'll give me the advantage I need to beat that damn rat! "Fine...I'll be your sparring partner." Kyo replied, pretending to be grudging.

"Great!" Fury replied ecstatic. For the first time Kyo could see that she loved to fight, which was perfect because he loved to fight too. "Let's go!"

As they jumped down from the roof, a similar black car pulled up to the house. Yuki, Shigure, Hatori, Hatsuharu, and Tohru stepped out of the car and Fury quickly grabbed Kyo's arm to pull them out of view.

"Do you know when we can spar without being disturbed?" Fury asked, her eyes scanning the area for any possibilities.

Where can we spar...? I know! "There's a clearing in the forest nearby and I'm pretty sure no one else knows where it is and if they do, I doubt they'd ever go there." Kyo replied and began to head in the direction of the woods. "Follow me."

For a while, the two walked in silence until Fury asked, "Why didn't you attend the funeral?"

For a moment Kyo was surprised by the question but immediately his features darkened. "I hated Akito." He struggled to keep his deep hatred for Akito under control and managed to hiss, "He treated me like an animal but worse. I was never allowed in the Sohma estate, except for New Years or to be a witness. He might be mean to all the others as well, but he treated me with such contempt that I could feel his hate… and his disgust."

For a second, Fury just looked at him as if understanding what he had gone through. "There's more to it than that." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Kyo sighed and said, "You're right. Once I turn a certain age he would have imprisoned me for the rest of my life. I would have to stay in one house or maybe even one room for the rest of my life! All because I'm the cat!" Kyo took a steadying breath and then said in acalmer voice,"I couldn't be happier that Akito is dead." When Kyo finished they both remained silent for the rest of the way until they reached the clearing, trapped in their own thoughts.

Fury began to stretch and flex her well-toned and slightly muscular body, and then said, "Let's get started."

"Wait... but what about you...?" Kyo asked not quite finishing his question. What the hell did I just do? Why was I so open with her? Kyo stopped; remembering the scars on her back and realized he had subconciously knew she would understand better than anyone else.

With a faraway look in her eyes, Fury said, "You'll find out soon enough. Maybe you'll discover what you're so curious about tonight." With a sudden change of mood she said, "Come on! The sun will set before we even get started!"

FURY'S POV

After teaching Kyo some of the more basic techniques and how to conserve energy, we had begun sparring in no time. He's a quick learner. I smiled as he tried to change trajectory in the air and catch me off guard, but since he had just learned how, he could only slightly shift his position and ended up smack in front of me. Laughing I jabbed him in the side, keeping both my strength and speed at a lower level that matched Kyo's. If I keep my power in control, I won't hurt him.

After another twenty minutes of non-stop sparring we stopped for a break. "Geez! I'm so damn hot!" Kyo said, his shirt saturated with sweat.

"That's what happens when you work out." I said with a smirk, I myself beginning to sweat, if only a bit.

Kyo merely snorted and pulled off his shirt, revealing his finely muscled body. He sure has some hell of a body. What the hell am I thinking? "Do you mind?" Kyo asked, referring to whether he should keep his shirt on or off.

"If I did mind, it wouldn't make much of a difference now would it? Considering the fact you already have your shirt off." I said bluntly with a light undertone of a tease.

'Sorry." Kyo mumbled, about to put his shirt back on.

I sighed in exasperation and said, "You know I don't care. So forget about that and let's resume our lesson shall we?" He nodded and I continued. "If you really want to hurt someone effectively you must learn the vital points of the body. If you just hit the arms or legs it won't get you very far."

As I began to point out the vital points, I couldn't help but to smile inwardly. I'm actually having fun! Is this what it feels like to have a friend? I'm kind of glad I met the Sohmas. When I had finished instructing him on the vital points I stepped away from him and with a smile said, "Attack!"

YUKI'S POV

"Yuki are you okay?" Tohru asked knocking timidly on his bedroom door.

Yuki got up from his bed and opened the door. "I'm fine Miss Honda. I've just been doingsome thinking is all."

"Would you like to talk about anything that might be troubling you? My mom told me that it's not good to keep things bottled up inside for too long." Tohru said nervously, as if she had intruded.

Yuki merely nodded and waved her in with a smile. Together they sat down by the foot of his bed and sat in silence for a couple of minutes. "Miss Honda... I've been thinking..." Yuki took a deep breath and started over. "I've been thinking about Akito. Although he died and he was my cousin, I feel no sorrow or remorse. It's almost like I'm glad he's not here anymore." He paused looking guilty. "Is that wrong?"

Tohru thought for a moment before replying. "My mom once told me that people view death differently. When my father died I didn't remember him, so I didn't really feel sorry about his death. My mom, however, when my father died she made the best of it. She said that now he was in a better place and his suffering was finally over. I guess you can say that Akito is in a better place. Even if you don't really feel sorry for his death, you still think about him and I believe that is enough. It shows that you cared about him."

For a moment they both remained silent. "I suppose you're right Miss Honda. I truly believe we misunderstood how hard it was for Akito to bear the burden of the core of the curse. I suppose I wouldn't know how to feel if I knew I was going to die soon and I was always sick." He paused. "Thank you, Miss Honda."

Yuki looked up and gave Tohru a smile, which she mirrored in turn. "Oh it was nothing! Really!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Yuki stood up and pulled it open surprised to see Hatori standing there. "Do you know where Fury is?" Hatori asked in his usual monotone.

"No. I haven't seen her all day. She's been gone since we arrived home." Yuki replied, with Tohru nodding in agreement behind him.

"I see… And Kyo?"

"We haven't seen him either."

"Please notify me if you see them. I'll be downstairs." With that Hatori strode down the stairs and out of sight. "I wonder where they are…" Tohru murmured with a hint of worry.

FURY'S POV

"Are you tired Kyo?" I asked as we walked home. If he's not, he's a lot more conditioned than I thought.

Kyo gave me a genuine smile and said, "I don't get worn out that easily." Right… And he's got a cramp and is dragging his feet because…?

"I'm sure you're not," I said sarcastically as Shigure's house came into view. We walked up to the back entrance, hoping to sneak in from the dining room, and opened the door. Instantly, I gave an inward groan and sighed.

HATORI'S POV

The door slid open and Kyo and Fury walked in. Both were drenched in sweat and looked as if they had just been through boot camp. Hatori could see Kyo's scowl as he saw Hatori and Shigure sitting at the table and, of course, Fury's face remained emotionless.

"I believe it's time we talk about our "agreement" Fury." Hatori said filling the awkward silence.

"Sure." Fury replied simply and shrugged. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to shower before talking about anything."

"Of course." Shigure replied. "You better take a shower too, Kyo. I don't need my house smelling like a sweaty cat."

"You bastard! Shigure, I'm gonna kill you!" Kyo said stomping forward and proceeding to bonk Shigure over the head, stopping Shigure's laughter.

"Kyo, that is enough. Now is not the time to set this house into uproar." Hatori said in a stern voice. "Please come back down when you're finished." He watched as Fury and Kyo walked up the stairs. "We have much to talk about." Hatori whispered those last words under his breath and let out a long sigh. "Much…"