Disclaimer: much as I wish, Furuba is not and will never be mine.

Yuki Sohma had retracted, almost completely, into the inner workings of his mind. He paid little to no attention whatsoever to anyone or anything. Indeed, he was like a living zombie, a living and breathing body, able to function on its own without leaving the safe shell of his confused thoughts.

"Sohma-kun?" The question was like a splash of cold water, awakening him to the outside world. He glanced up, startled, into the concerned blue eyes of a third-year girl. She was too close for comfort, her nose just barely touching his and he jumped back instinctively. She looked hurt but made no comment. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and said, "Sohma-kun, the bell rang for lunch two minutes ago. Didn't you hear it?" No, he hadn't heard it. Had been too lost in memories to hear something as insignificant as the signal for lunch. He stood, taking extra care to stay out of arm's reach of the third-year.

"Thank you for informing me, Takari-san." He lowered his head to the floor in a gesture of gratitude and hurried out the door before she could squeal and throw her arms around him. He could never be too careful.

But instead of heading to the crowded lunchroom, he ran outside and found a spot, hidden from any prying eyes that might be looking for him. He leaned his head against the scratchy brick wall and closed his eyes, not bothering to reign in his thoughts. The breeze that found him huddled behind potted plants was cool and brought with it, the light fragrance of some sort of flower. Slowly, he sunk into the murky subconscious of his mind, the deep, mysterious place that stored away his memories.

Flashback

"I'm gonna beat you today, kuso nezumi!" an angered Kyo Sohma shouted, fists clenched and orange eyes fiery and flashing.

"Shut up, baka neko," Yuki sighed, regarding the cat coolly and contemptibly. Kyo, enraged by the scorn in Yuki's purple eyes, had flown at the other boy. Yuki, of course, had taken him out with one blow. He looked down at him, a smirk curling up his soft lips. "So much for beating me." Then, he had crouched down so his nose was inches from Kyo's. "You will never be good enough to be welcomed into the Sohma family. You are an embarrassment." He watched as something flickered in Kyo's eyes and before he knew it, the cat Jyuunichi had pushed himself up and ran out into the rain. "Wait, you idiot, it's raining. You're gonna get sick!" Yuki ran out too, emotions racing with something akin to concern for the stupid, loudmouth. "Stop, Kyo. I didn't mean it. Just, let's go home already!" But he was ignored by his orange-haired counterpart and, groaning with frustration, continued to chase after him.

A little ways away from the house, they came to a street. Yuki stopped at the edge but Kyo ran recklessly into the middle. He never saw the headlights. He never heard the blaring honking. He never noticed the desperate screaming of the silver-haired boy.

The time right before the crash was distilled, as if it took hours to complete instead of a few moments. Years flew by in that agonizing time period as Yuki screamed to Kyo to get out of the damn road. A split-second before Kyo disappeared under the wheels of the truck, he turned his head slightly and Yuki lost his breath with the simmering anger, hatred, fear, and fury that spilt onto him. He reached out, screaming so loud his throat hurt but it seemed as if he couldn't make a sound. As if he had suddenly been struck mute and no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to convey anything through words. And then a screech, a sickening thud, and Kyo was thrown under the truck as it skidded to a halt.

There was so much blood. Yuki had abandoned all caution had thrown himself at the truck and knelt beside the body of the boy he had hated so passionately. There was so much blood and Kyo's breathing was so labored, there was absolutely no way he was going to make it to the hospital. Tears blurred his vision, or were that just the rain? He was shaking from the grief of it all or was that just because he was cold? He wanted to cry but he was too numb to do anything. And with a shuddery breath, the cat passed from the living world. His orange eyes closed for all eternity.

End Flashback

He opened his eyes and realized he was crying. Impatiently, he wiped his eyes, unwilling for Tohru to see his anguish. She was sad enough without him adding to her troubles. He watched the blue sky and was drifting once again into the shadows when a shrill sound pierced his skull and jerked him awake. He brushed himself off and entered the halls, arriving at his class a few minutes late.

Whispers were traded up and down the rows of students as they asked each other if anyone knew what was wrong with the Prince these days. They had noticed his inattention, seen the sadness that dominated those pretty purple eyes of his, could even feel the gloom that had settled upon him. He was purely untouchable, he had made himself notorious for pushing others away. He ignored their speculations and dropped a bit ungracefully into his seat.

"Sohma-kun? Are you okay?" the girl in front of him turned around and peered quizzically into his face. Why was everyone staring?

"Of course I'm okay. Thank you for asking." He smiled tremulously and bent his head. He was tired of their overenthusiastic attempts to become a part of his life. He had told them no, had kept them at a safe distance, had rejected a fair amount of girls and yet, they still kept coming. When would it never end? Would they take the hints he so subtly dropped? He just wanted to be left alone.

Back at the house, he locked the door to his room, didn't say a word, and just disappeared. Shigure stopped writing when the front door opened.

"Yuki-kun?" he called but received no answer. He slid open the door to his study and peered out the halls. But Yuki was no where to be found. Tohru, he knew, would be at work, so the only person it could have been was Yuki. He padded silently to the closed door and pressed his ear against the wood. Was that crying? He shrugged and decided it would be better not to disturb his introverted cousin.

In his room, Yuki sat on his bed, his head in his hands. He tried not to dwell on the overwhelming guilt that bubbled in his stomach, tried not to hear the little voice in his head that kept repeating 'It's all your fault." He tried not to think that if he hadn't been so cruel his cousin would still be alive. Like acid, it ate away at his insides, burning and gnawing at him. Everyone thought his feelings were "normal," that although he had hated Kyo, he was just in shock at having witnessed the whole thing. They didn't know that he had been the one to chase Kyo into the street. He wanted to forget, wanted some peace from his conscience, wanted to be left ALONE. His eyes caught a small object on his dresser; it was reflecting the sunlight that streamed unbidden through his windows. He picked it up and smiled wanly, his eyes reflected his true feelings however and remained both sad and angry, thinly veiled by a blank, unemotional mask. This is perfect.

A/N: I mainly used this chapter for background purposes. I wanted Yuki to feel guilty so… it's his fault or so he thinks. Next chapter is Kyo's POV. And just to clarify… I'm going to be switching between Yuki and Kyo's POV. The italicized chappies are Kyo's and the regular ones are Yuki's. With that said, please review!