An even shorter while later, still that same day.

Tohru sat on the porch, her fingers fiddling nervously with her skirt. Sure, in the back of her mind she was worried about Kyou - the fact he'd just up and disappeared - but mostly her thoughts were focused on Yuki, and the conversation the two had yesterday after Kyou-kun ran off, Hisu-chan in pursuit.

"...Honda-san, you're a really nice friend..." Yuki began, trying to give her his attention and not avert his gaze elsewhere, absently messing with the ends of his hair. "...but, I don't...I mean, I'm not really interested...in you...that way..." he cleared his throat and suddenly found the ground much more fascinating.

Tohru could only stare as she tried to process this new information, feeling the sting of unshed tears in her eyes. "...I-I see...I'm sorry..."

Chancing another glance at her, he says, "I do hope it'll go back to the way it was...and we can still be friends..."

Just remembering the conversation brought the familiar sting to her eyes, not just the part where he turned her down, but the part when he explained why...

She clutched her skirt tightly in balled fists. She felt so stupid! How could she not have noticed? Sure, Yuki did a good job of hiding his feelings, and the fact that the two Sohmas fought alot really seemed to portray the opposite, but she still felt she should have seen this coming!

"...I am really very sorry, Honda-san..." he reached for her hand in an attempt at consolation, "...but the truth is...I'm in love with-"

"Tohru!"

Tohru blinked rapidly back into reality at hearing her name. She glanced up to see Kyou, sweat-drenched and panting, obviously from a good deal of running. "Kyou..."

The redhead was slightly taken aback, Tohru had not addressed him with an honorific. He brushed it off, however, and asked hesitantly, "...where's Yuki?"

The young girl paused - froze more like it - at the unexpected question. He feels the same way...? Despite having nearly two days to get over the situation, she still felt a pang in her heart; to know she was all alone now... Well, maybe not all alone...

"Kyou!"

The company of Tohru and Kyou turned to see Yuki come up the path carrying Hisu on his back. As soon as they were close enough, Hisu pushed off of Yuki's back and he let her drop, and she tottled over to Kyou. "Meanie! You got here before I did!"

He ignored her and deliberately made his was over to Yuki. The two girls observed in silence, breaths held in anxious anticipation.

"Yuki..." It was then he became very aware that he was being watched. "...uh..." He frowned. It was obvious Yuki was waiting for him to speak first, and he didn't want to have this conversation in front of the girls...

Kyou's frown deepened before grasping Yuki's shirt sleeve and pulling him back down the path and away from the others. Yuki made a startled noise but complied. Tohru wanted to go after them as well, but Hisu held firmly onto her wrist and, once again supporting her all-knowing smirk, said, "Let them be alone."

Kyou walked a bit down the path and even into the woods a little, still pulling Yuki along. When he finally did stop and let go, without turning to face him, he spoke, "...is it true?"

"...what?"

"Hisu- she told me that you..." he trailed off, hoping the rat would understand his meaning. Apparently he did, as he bowed his head and mumbled a low, "...yeah."

"Why?"

Yuki glanced up to look at the back of Kyou's head. Why? He'd never thought of why. As the saying goes, the heart wants what it wants. No one ever really knows why. "...I don't know."

"Damnit, Yuki!" Kyou whirled around, anger covering other mixed emotions in his eyes. "You-! You had to go and do something like this, didn't you! You couldn't leave it as just us being enemies and beating the crap out of each other, you had to go and put feelings into it, saying you love me, when all I ever wanted to feel for you was hate!"

"Wait...what are you saying?" Yuki swallowed a lump that was gathering in his throat. He could feel it coming, the impending rejection. He just wished it was all over with and he could crawl into a little hole and die.

"I'm saying-!" he stopped his burst of rage and flicked his gaze to the ground, "...that I don't know anymore."

"Kyou...?" The amethyst-eyed boy moved closer. Was this really happening? Was Kyou really not absolutely disgusted?

Kyou took notice of Yuki's advance and, though his mind roared against it, he did not move away. "...why..." he muttered almost inaudible, not really a question. He went silent and still did not flinch or show a hint that he wanted away, even as Yuki put his arms around him and held him close. This was the only time he'd be able to hold him like this, Yuki told himself, so he might as well take advantage of it.

A long few moments passed before the nezumi finally pulled away first and took a step back. Kyou had not moved at all in those moments and he still refused to look Yuki in the eye. So when all else fails, find something to grab his attention! "We can't stay here all day in awkward silence, and we can't just leave here as it is. So tell me, what is it you really feel?"

"I told you I don't know!" Still Kyou didn't look at him. Yuki himself found this very frustrating. So he decided to try a different angle. "You don't know? I understand not knowing if you really love me, but not knowing if you hate me? I would think that's a little easier to interpret."

He lifted his head a little, "So then maybe I don't exactly hate you!" He slammed his back into a tree to vent his own frustration. "Would you get off my case? I thought you'd be happy about this."

Yuki paused, musing over this. "I am...a little bit. But the reassurance that you don't exactly hate me isn't enough. I'd hate to push you away, but I need an answer, Kyou."

His fiery gaze snapped back up, "Would you accept this as an answer?"

Yuki's eyes shot wide at the 'answer' he was definitely not expecting. Kyou pulled him forward and roughly captured his lips. He broke it pretty fast, taking a step back and flicking his eyes to the ground again.

Yuki put a finger to his lips, reflecting on the feel of them pressed against Kyou's. It made him feel happy inside, but what was unnerving was how Kyou was still acting about it. He'd kissed him of his own free will, but he gave off the feeling it was somehow forced, or that he was ashamed of his actions.

Well he'd show him not to be ashamed of anything! The paler boy grabbed his cousin by the shoulders and kissed him again, gentler this time but with the same force. And they just stood there like that, as if time itself froze, and who knows how long they would've been there if it weren't for...

FLASH!

"What in the-"

"Hehe!" Hisu grinned devilishly and held up a disposable camera. She waved it around tauntingly as the boys stared and turned a ghostly white. Oh dear...

"Just because I told Tohru not to watch doesn't mean I can't."

Angry glares.

"Oh come on, I need something else for all that trouble I went through with you guys."

Pissed-off homicidal glares.

Hisu: -edges away- Heheh...um...guys? -sweatdrop-

At once Kyou and Yuki lunge at her and Hisu runs away screaming. As she continued to run, the other two closing in in hot pursuit, she started to laugh insanely. OH YES, EVERYONE LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER! Oh, except Tohru, but who cares about her, right?

aeaeae

A/N: I'M DONE! FINALLY! ...okay you can bombard me with tomatoes now. And sorry for the ever-present blatant Tohru-bashing, but I hate het worse than yuri (cant fathom why) and this is a yaoi-ish story so what ya gonna do? Never really liked the dumb ditzy type characters anyway.

I WANT NO TOHRU-RELATED FLAMES! All other flames acceptable.