Chap. 4 My Hero

There goes my hero, watch him as he goes. There goes my hero, he's ordinary.

An additional of 7 years passed, and Kyo was turning 15 in a week. Of course HE didn't care much about it; he'd already been 15 once, and that time around it wasn't anything differentfrom being 14, only he got to go see movies he couldn't see as a 14 year old. Keiko, however, was overwhelmed by his 15-year-ness, and wanted to have a party for him. She was so proud of her oldest son.

"Would you like to have a party for your friends, Kyo?" She asked one morning, 2 weeks before his actual birthday.

Kyo shrugged. "Not really. 15 aren't really special."

"Well, you're getting a part anyway! For family and Honda-san of course!"

"Yeah, yeah! I doubt anyone would come to a birthday party for the cat. But have fun trying, and don't get upset when nobody shows up!"

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic, Kyo! Of course they will come! Everybody loves you!"

"Stop lying! You're my mum! Mum's aren't supposed to lie to their kids!"

Taeko, who was sitting next to Kyo, nodded and agreed with her big brother.

"Kyo-nii's right, mum! You shouldn't lie to us!"

"How do you know I was lying?" Keiko raised her eyebrows at her two kids.

"I suppose I guessed." Shrugged her 12 year old daughter and looked at Kyo. "What about you?"

"Oh, come on! Nobody loves the cat!" He stood from where he as sitting and rushed to his room. Not because he was upset, you can't upset Kyo that easily, no it was because Kyo figured that was the easiest way to get out of a conversation.

He looked through his collection of music, looking for a particular CD by the Foo Fighters. He had never been that interested in music in his previous life, but Keiko had influenced him with her music taste, which she played on the big stereo downstairs non stop, and he was quite fond of his new found interest. He even played the guitar now, though that was because Keiko had forced him, saying she would cut off his hair if he didn't. He agreed to take a couple of lessons, and was stuck after only two. Who knew playing an instrument was so fun?

Of course, he was still doing martial arts; he picked it up as soon as he could.

When he found the CD he wanted, he popped it into his own, personal little CD player, and put it on, well not max, but somewhere in the middle. He picked up his guitar and played along the best he could. His favourite song, for some reason, on this CD was My Hero. He didn't know why, but somehow it appealed to him. And while he was sitting there, playing, he thought of something. He turned down the guitar (it was electrical) and pushed pause on the player. He ran down to the rest of his family, who were now talking about school and boys.

"Oh, hi Kyo! I thought you ere crying your eyes of up there! I'm glad you have finally decided not to be a wuss." Keiko mocked him with a grin.

"Yes! I was sad when I learned my big brother was a wuss." Taeko however, was dead serious. Kyo looked them as if they were crazy, before he said dryly

"I'm not a wuss, family! I just had the urge to not be in that conversation anymore."

"Big words from a big boy, Kyo-chan." Keiko said, grinning wider at Kyo's scowl when she said it.

"Don't call me Kyo-chan!" He yelled angrily, but he calmed himself again, to do what he was going to do from the start. "But I wanted to ask you something, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind!" Said Taeko with a smile.

"I don't mind either, Kyo-chan!"

"I want to know who your hero is! AND DON'T CALL ME KYO CHAN!"

"Okay, okay! Calm down, big boy!" Keiko said and raised an eyebrow. Since when do Kyo care about that? "My dad was my hero. He was always there for me and helped me when I really needed it. God bless his soul."

"What about you Taeko?" Kyo asked and looked at her, as did Keiko.

"Umm... let's see…" She said thoughtfully, and after a few seconds of thinking she had her answer. "It's you, Kyo-nii. You're always protecting me, and that's what heroes do, right?"

"… Right…" Kyo stammered, completely shocked by her words. He had no idea his little sister looked up to him that much.

Aftertwo weeks of cleaning like a mad woman, Keiko lined Kyo and Taeko up next to the door in their best clothes, with neatly brushed hair. Taeko had a blue dress with purple flowers on it. She didn't really like it, and squirmed uncomfortably. Her light brown hair was braided with a purple ribbonin the end. She looked reallynice for a frowning, underdeveloped 12 year old.

Kyo was wearing a black shirt and a pair of nice jeans. Keiko wanted him to wear something more… formal, but Kyo had stubbornly refused, so he ended up in regular yet good looking clothes. His hair was… well he had pretty short hair and couldn't really make much of it, but it was neat, at least. He looked just like… himself.

Keiko had a long, white shirt kind-of-thingy, and black pirate pants. Her hair was hanging loosely form a bun in the neck. She looked… Keiko-like, if that is even possible.

With only five minutes to go, Keiko allowed herself to calm down a bit. Her muscles slowly began to relax and she sank together with slumping shoulders. She felt good, calm, relaxed and content all in one. That was the best feeling ever, in her mind. She stood like that for a bit until Kyo accidentally moved an inch and caused a leaf from a nearby plant to slowly and gently fall to the ground because of the "wind".

"NOOOOOOO!" Keiko yelled and in slow motion she started running towards the plant, only a few feet away from her. She threw herself on the ground with stretched arms, while holding on to the 'OOOOOOOO' for as long as she could. Kyo and Taeko just looked at her oddly. She caught the leaf with her right hand, and was about to stand up and show off it proudly to her kids when she… FELL BACKWARDS AND KNOCKED THE WHOLE PLANT OVER!

Keiko quickly got up and ran towards the scrub where she had the vacuum cleaner and pulled it out. She furiously started cleaning the floor, and yelled for Kyo to put the plant in the bathroom, where it wouldn't get in the way. He quickly did as she told him, and was soon in the bathroom. He could hear her yell something to Taeko, too, but he didn't really listen; he as too busy being relieved he wasn't out there with his cleaning monster for a mother. He felt slightly bad for his little sister, but he brushed that feeling off him, as she was almost the same way.

He heard a faint pling that told him their guests were here. He knew Keiko was probably panicking even MORE than she was before, and he walked out from the bathroom just in time to see her push the vacuum cleaner into a cupboard and hurriedly rush to the door. She opened it and looked out to see… Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, Momiji and Tohru!

"Hello Shigure-san, Hatori-san, Ayame-san… OH, you know the drill!" Keiko said light heartedly and opened the door to let them in.

"We sure do, Keiko-kun!" Shigure grinned. "So where's the food?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kyo yelled from WAAAY over there, leaning against the wall.

"Ohhh, grumpy, aren't we?" Shigure mocked, and Kyo wondered why everybody kept mocking him. He didn't know how much more he could take of this mocking-ness everybody was spilling all over him. Kyo's thought were interrupted by a yellow rabbit… in man form.

"Kyooooo-kun!" The rabbit sang, even though he was already 30, and old. The golden haired German-Japanese was wearing, once again, girly, pink and fluffy things, and on his head was a pink sailor hat. "Here's your present!" Momiji handed Kyo a present the size of a shoebox with a bright smile and horseshoe eyes.

"He will never change…" Kyo muttered under his breath, forgetting that the rabbit, even though old, still had excellent hearing.

"What was that?"

"Err, umm… NOTHING! GET OFF MY BACK!"

Momiji shook his head and smiled again. "You're so much like him!"

Kyo, who knew exactly who "he" was, wanted to scream that he WAS "him" and THAT'S why he was so much like him! He wished everyone would stop comparing him to himself. It was really frustrating having to deal with their mysterious little "games". Wouldn't they get over his death soon?

He ripped open the present and looked at what was inside. It was a…

"Chicken? A real life chicken?" Kyo looked at the small ball of feathers he had received.

"Oh, how cute! What will you call him?" Tohru came up from behind him and scared his ass off.

Kyo looked at the ball again, and only one name came to his mind.

"Cocorico." He said firmly. The others looked at him, but then shrugged. It was, after all, quite a good name for a chicken.

"Now, Kyo-kun, here's my present!" Tohru said and handed him a packet. He ripped it open and inside was… A ZELDA GAME! OH MY GOD! THAT'S GREAT!

Kyo was very happy for her present, but he didn't SHOW it with more than a smile.

"Thank you, Onee-chan!" He grinned at her.

"But I'm not done yet!"

"What?"

Tohru leaned forward and kissed Kyo sweetly on the cheek, making him blush crimson red.

"Oh, looks like birthday boy has a crush on Tohru-kun!" Shigure said and laughed, but was soon attacked by an angry chicken and his master! Yes, Cocorico was already loyal to Kyo, and would attack ANYONE for him.

The party was a success. Yuki, came by later on, and Hiro and Kisa too. Yuki seemed a bit annoyed, and didn't talk to anyone other than Tohru. He didn't even bring Kyo a present, which pissed him off. Little did he know Yuki missed Kyo's fighting and ranting so much, he was pissed off every time he saw the new Kyo. The fact that Kyo was in every inch so much like the old Kyo, pissed him off so badly, he just wanted to beat everyone and everything up.

That night, when everybody had left, except for Tohru who was sleeping there, Kyo climbed up to the roof to see no other than Tohru herself sitting there in the moonlight with only her pyjamas on. Kyo felt himself blush, and was happy it was dark up there.

"Tohru? What are you doing here?"

"What? Kyo-kun? Oh… Kyo. Hi!" Kyo couldn't help but notice Tohru seemed a little bit disappointed it was only him. "I was only… looking at the sky… remembering."

"Remembering what?"

"… Nothing special."

Kyo sat down next to her, and they watched the sky together.

"Tohru… can I ask you something?"

"Hmm… what?"

It was weird, Tohru seemed to have gotten more dreamy and serious than she used to be so many years ago. It bugged him. He wanted her to be the same ol' goofy Tohru without a problem in the world. He wanted to see that dumb smile she always wore around the house. Why was it gone?

"Who is your hero?"

Tohru looked at him and smiled. "You are so much like him… It's not even funny." She laughed sadly. "Too bad he died…"

She is referring to me, isn't she? Kyo thought.

Tohru looked out over the sky. It was a cloud free, dark blue sky, and it was starting to get a little chilly.

"He was always protecting me… "She continued with a sigh. "Kyo-kun…"

"Huh? What?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't going to say anything."

"Don't call my name if you've got nothing to say."

"Ah, Sorry, sorry! I am deeply sorry! I will never… wait, what did you say?"

"I said 'don't call my name if you've got noting to say'."

"Oh… Déjà vu…"

"What?" Kyo had a faint memory of saying that before, a very long time ago, but he wasn't sure to who, or even when.

"Oh, nothing. What was it you asked again?"

"I asked you who your hero is."

"That's easy! Kyo-kun was my hero! He was always there for me. How I loved him…"

Kyo blushed, and once again he was happy it was dark outside. Of course he knew it was the old him she was referring to, but he didn't mention it. He just kept quiet and watched the stars with her.

This was pretty short, but I wasn't planning for anything else to happen in this chapter. Sorry it took so long to update, I had a lot of homework! Anyways, review and make my day!

Vixen: Well, to me a long chapter is like chap. 2 in this fic. I suppose I lied when I said it was starting to get a bit long. It just looked long to me when I was writing it. The lengths of my chapters depend on how much I was planning to put in them. Like, if I was planning for Tohru, Shigure, Kyo and Yuki to eat dinner ONLY it would be VERY short. But If I plan more eventful tings, the chapters will be longer. I can't wait 'til I get to read one of your fics!