This is the same chapter it's just been betad

Im back with another chapter! Woohoo aren't you lucky! Anyway, i change the title for one, because i didn't like it, so its the same fict, diffrent title. First i'd like to shout out a big THANK YOU to ghostymangarocker for reviewing every chaptet so far. I LOVE YOU! Next liza glomp thank so much for reading and leaving a review. And Jen-Tao07. Thank you, im glad you liked it!

Now on with the chapter. Rember, reviews mean so much, so please leave one. Their good for your health and mine.

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It was nearing Christmas and the weather was getting colder by the day. The first snowflakes had started to fall, making the landscape look as if it was sprinkled with icing sugar. The fine, powdery snow lay everywhere, not thick enough to cover everything, but enough to announce its arrival loudly. And also to make everything, and everyone, mind numbingly cold.

Yuki snuggled further into his covers, willing his teeth to stop chattering. The cold had woken him up, two hours early. Damn! It had no consideration! He had to go to school soon as well, and he needed his wits about him in that place. Now the cold that had been so inconsiderate in waking him, kept him awake and refused to let him go back to sleep.

It was safe to say Yuki was not happy, and his unhappiness was rapidly escalating into anger. Pity the poor idiot, (aka, Kyo), who would walk across Yuki's path when the boy finally dragged himself out of bed.

Little did the residents of the house know, all of them were actually awake. Shigure was currently writing an idea that had just struck him, and he just had had to write it down before he forgot. Yuki was tossing and turning, tryin to sleep. And Kyo? Kyo was actually trying to be quiet, for once, as he dressed.

Well, he was just too preoccupied to be loud and obnoxious. Now if this scene wasn't odd enough, there was the fact that he wasn't getting dressed into his school uniform. He was wearing a pair of black trousers and a black t-shirt. Not far off from his school uniform, but it wasn't his uniform.

After dressing Kyo sat on the bed, still lost in thought.

'Why am I doing this?' he asked himself angrily, standing up to get undressed. Changing his mind again, he sat down and sighed. There were too many emotions were tumbling around inside him, making it too much for the cat to take. He growled angrily and stalked around his room before finally heading for the door and down to the kitchen for breakfast.

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There was still an hour left, Yuki thought frantically, a glorious hour of sleep, if only he could get to sleep!

He rolled over again trying to get comfortable, trying to ignore the cold that was breathing over his feet. He curled his legs up and tucked his feet to him, but still he was cold and uncomfortable. Now, that damn cat was awake, trying to be quiet, which was more annoying than when he was being his usual loud self. Yuki sighed again and threw the covers off. It was no use, he may as well get dressed.

Angrily, Yuki threw on his school uniform. First he out his trousers on backwards, then he buttoned his shirt all wrong. He was just about ready to scream in fury when he finally managed to get dressed. Now all that was left was the tie. He glared at it. The tie always caused the biggest problems.

On his first try he managed to tie the tie around his fingers. Glaring, he tried again. Only this time, getting the tie in more of a mess. On various other tries he managed to tie the stupid tie around his head, hair and wrist. He was just about to give up, but decided to give it one last go.

Yuki finally managed to tie the evil-demon-tie-from-hell around his neck and not get it tied around anything else. He was glad Kyo couldn't see the trouble he had with a stupid tie, the cat would have never let him forget it.

To his surprise Yuki found Shigure already in the kitchen, reading the paper. Kyo was there as well, eating some toast. Yuki yawned and sat down. He really was to tired to walk further, he hope Shigure would take pity on him and get him his breakfast.

No such luck. Yuki watched as Kyo ate and Shigure read the paper. It was then he noticed what Kyo was wearing.

'Why isn't he wearing his uniform?'

Yuki searched his memory for any special holidays or reasons that they might be let off school. He could think of none. And although it was snowing, it was nowhere near bad enough be called a snow day. Yuki was stumped.

"Baka neko, we have school today, you know."

"I know," Kyo said calmly. Yuki frowned. Why wasn't Kyo attempting to bite his head off? It really was a strange day. "I'm not going." Kyo added, then stood up to deposit his plate in the sink.

Yuki frowned again.

"You can't just take a day off school when you feel like it."

Shigure watched over his paper, his face blank. He knew why Kyo wasn't going to school. At least he thought he did ...? He frowned, slightly confused.

Kyo was heading for the door, and Yuki followed him, buzzing in frustration. It was obvious to Shigure that the rat had had a bad night, and was taking his frustration out on Kyo. What was strange about the situation was the fact Kyo wasn't even trying to fight back. He didn't reply to anything Yuki said, and then merely walked to the door. He grabbed his coat, buttoning it tightly around himself. He put his shoes on and opened the door.

Yuki yelled as the cold hit him. He ran back to the kitchen, cursing the cat. Kyo ignored it all and set off for his destination.

"Aren't you even going to stop him? You are supposed to be our guardian." Yuki said the last word sceptically, Shigure wasn't the best choice for a guardian, but he was better than Akito, or Ayame.

Shigure ruffled his paper and turned the page.

"Nothing I can do. He's already phoned the school, and they allowed him to take the day off."

'Sure, Kyo lies to the school.' Yuki fumed. 'I really could do with a day off, but I'm not about to go aound lying to the school then wandering off for god-knows-where.'

Yuki ate his breakfast quickly, and soon it was time for him to leave. He didn't bother to say goodbye to Shigure as he left, he never did. Buttoning up his coat, Yuki changed his shoes, then threw his body out into the cold.

Small flakes of snow blew into his eyes and he had to blink quickly to get rid of them. Yuki was definitely in a bad mood as he walked towards the school, shivering.

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Kyo walked along the road, staring in front of him. The flower he had bought rested in the crook of his arm as he inwardly debated whether or not to go. He could still make it to school if he ran. He stopped, and considered it.

The flowers' scent wafted up to his sensitive nose and he stared at them, as if he only just noticed they were there. They weren't a very impressive bunch, although the colours were nice and bright.

Kyo hadn't had much spare cash, so the small bunch was all he could have afforded. He would not ask Shigure for any money either, as he would have to explain why he wanted the money. And talking about it would make what he was about to do real. At the moment, he still felt as if he was walking in a dream.

Kyo shook his head, realizing he was being stupid, but he continued to walk. He finally arrived at the small shrine and entered. The place was deserted, not even a shrine maiden around. Kyo shivered. It seemed colder here somehow.

Kyo walked along the line of graves before finally stopping.

"Ohayou, Okaa-san."

The small monument gave no reply, not that he expected it to. The inscription on the monument was simple. His mother's name, date of birth, and date of death were written on it in small, neat characters. Kyo stared at the grave, feeling uneasy.

The shrine belonged to the Sohma family. Kyo's mother had been cremated. A small chamber stood underneath the grave holding the ashes. There was a place for incense, flowers, and water. A bunch of wilting flowers sat on the grave, looking pathetic. Kyo took the flowers and set them aside, then put his bouquet in the small pot for flowers.

He had been thinking of his mother a lot lately. It bothered him. He hadn't visited her grave once before in all the time she lay here. A part of him had been too afraid, a part of him didn't care. Kyo also missed her, no matter how much he hated her for lying, for leaving him. He missed her so much it hurt. That was really why he never came to her grave.

He was always torn in two where his mother was concerned. The logical, nasty part of him hated her because he knew she had been afraid of him, she hadn't loved him. Couldn't love him no matter how hard she tried.

Nevertheless, the child in him knew his mother had loved him. She had kept him even when many people had tried to persuade her to give him over to Akito or worse, kill him. She had refused and kept her child, she had raised him.

But always with fear in her eyes.

The pain of loosing his mother was locked deep within his heart. It was crushed under layers of anger and hate, but not buried deep enough so that it couldn't be uncovered.

Kasuma had the ability to keep his pain buried, just by being there. Being around Shigure and Yuki had the opposite effect. Kyo shook his head. It wasn't their fault. They had said anything about his mother. Kyo didn't even know if they knew she was dead.

The child in him cried. Longed for a mother to love him. But that was part of the Sohma curse. You weren't allowed to know love, to feel it, to give it or receive it.

"Bakemono!"

A loud shrill voice echoed around him and he felt something hard collide with the side of his face. He stumbled and fell. Staring at his attacker, He couldn't even muster the strength to be angry.

The woman stood above him fuming, her fists clenched. He recognized her as a good friend of his mothers. She looked furious to see him there.

"How dare you, how dare you come here!" She picked up the flowers he had left and threw them at him.

"How dare you act like you care, when it's your fault she's dead. How dare you, bakemono!"

She kicked him hard in the face spitefully. Kyo fell backwards, sprawled on the floor. He tried to get up but she kicked him again in the ribs. Kyo could taste blood on his lips, slowly trickling from his nose. He found he didn't care. The woman was crying with rage now. She gave one last kick, which Kyo managed to avoid, before turning angrily away.

Kyo didn't fight back. He didn't even think of it. Too lost in thought. In memories he would rather forget.

Kyo didn't bother to stay. He knew it had been a bad idea. Many years ago today a small child had walked in to find his mother dead. Many years ago today, it seemed like a lifetime ago, Kyo had been all alone in the world.

The flowers lay where Kyo had been, scattered over the ground. A few petals had fallen off. The woman glared at them. "How dare that boy come to her grave. He hadn't even cried at her funeral. He truly is a monster, just like Akito always said."

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As Kyo's anger grew, the mask slowly slipped back into place. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. Sure -- he'd been thinking of his mother lately. That was no excuse for his weakness, however. He growled angrily at himself, his orange hair standing on end. He could still taste the blood on his lips but made no move to brush it away.

His nose had stopped bleeding anyway, and it wasn't broken. His rips ached a bit in protest, but the pain was ignorable. It was still very early -- he could go back and change, then go to school. But he really couldn't be bothered.

He needed time to think, needed time to beat himself up about being so weak. Needed time to get his old anger back and hide behind it once again.

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Shigure sat staring out of the window, waiting for Kyo. He couldn't help it, he was worried. It was the anniversary of the boy's mothers death. How could he not be worried?

Even he was meant to hate the cat, but he just couldn't bring himself too feel the way. Kyo brought a life and energy with him wherever he went. Everyone outside the family tended to like him and feel drawn to him. Shigure laughed, Akito was going to be so angry. Akito was more trouble then he was worth. Even Akito, however, had his own hidden demons that he hid, just like the rest of the members of the Zodiac.

It's seemed a tradition in the Sohma family. For every member of the zodiac to hide behind a mask. Hide their true feelings. It was all rather stupid in his opinion; thinga would be much better if everyone was more open.

It was Yuki's head of silver hair that he saw first. Shigure frowned. 'How long have I been sitting here?' he wondered. Looking at the clock, he saw it was the normal time Yuki and Kyo came back from school.

'Wow, I have been sitting here for ages.'

But Kyo still wasn't back, and he wasn't with Yuki. Shigure had expected Kyo either to come back to the house or go to school after visiting the grave. He had done neither, and now the small knot of worry in Shigure's chest tightened.

'Where the hell is that stupid cat?'

Yuki walked in, letting in the cold air that had been beating at the door all day. He took off his coat and threw his bag down. He took off his shoes and put on the house slippers, which now felt like ice blocks. He frowned when he saw another pair of slippers, still lying in the place their owner had left them that morning.

Kyo clearly wasn't back, his coat was missing as well. Not that it bothered him in the slightest, Yuki thought as he shook his head.

Yuki spotted Shigure sitting near the window, looking as if he was waiting for something.

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Kyo was cold - scratch that - he now had a good idea how a snowman felt. He was sure his butt was frozen to the rock he was sitting on. Stupid winter.

Kyo was sitting by a lake. The water flowing in the lake had slowed to a trickle, the sound was soothing to him. Kyo hated water, but he didn't mind sitting by the lake, as long as no one asked him to go in it. He shivered at the thought.

He should have gone back to school. He had now missed a full day and he hated having to catch up on homework. Especially when Yuki was the only one he could ask to help him.

Kyo could ask someone else, but that meant interacting with people. Kyo didn't really care for that much, they were usually fine to talk to for just a few moments, but after that Kyo began to get annoyed.

Kyo may attract people to him like some odd magnet, but he'd have much rather been left alone most of the time. That was the main reason he always retreated to the roof of any building he was in. But there was no roof here, just the rock that his butt was currently frozen to.

Damn stupid rock!

Kyo decided to test his theory and see if he really was stuck to the rock. He shifted slightly, having the brains not to stand up just in case he really was stuck.

Well, he tried to shift, but he only move from the waist up. He was firmly stuck to the rock. Kyo growled. This just wasn't his day.

Now, he had two choices. Wait until the ice thawed, which would probably be in spring, or risk standing up and tearing his pants. That would mean walking home with a huge hole in his pants, revealing his lovely boxers for all the world to see.

He could always opt for the second one at night, where there was less of a chance of being seen. He thought of the first option. He would most certainly be dead if he stayed here until spring. He was now so cold he didn't think he could get any colder, so death by freezing didn't seem too bad.

But Kyo was stubborn. He still had to beat Yuki. He had to show the family that he did belong. He had to show Akito that he wasn't a monster.

So reluctantly, slowly he stood up, waiting for the sound of ripping fabric.

He was on his feet before realization hit him. There had been no ripping. He even checked his pants, looking over his shoulder and running his hand over his back side.

The clothing was definatately in one piece. He let out a sigh of relief -- his pride had been saved.

Now that he was standing he realized just how cold he was. He had been sitting outside since morning and now it was past six in the afternoon. Even though the weather wasn't too cold, there was still the snow and ice. Kyo shivered, his stomach rumbling.

Kyo berated himself as he walked along the street. He really had been rather foolish today.

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Shigure almost jumped for joy when he saw Kyo near the house. He had, actually, been rather worried and had nearly called for a search party. Yuki was oblivious.

Kyo walked through the door and nearly crashed into Shigure.

Kyo then realise what a mess he looked, blood staining, lips, chin and neck, snow covering him like sugar icing on a cake. Shigure frowned.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Kyo said, his tone holding a firm finality; clearly he didn't want to talk about it. Shigure could never take a hint.

"You went to her grave, didn't you?"

Yuki who had been sitting in the living room, sat up a little straighter, listening covertly.

'Whose grave?' Yuki wondered to himself. He though of his mother with a pang. He rarely ever visited her grave, it just seemed wrong somehow.

"What of it!" Kyo sounded mad now, slowly returning to his loud self. Shigure frowned.

"Last time I checked, a grave doesn't punch you in the face or make you stay out for hours on end in this freezing weather."

'He's been outside all this time?' Yuki wondered, a faint trickle of worry floating through him.

Kyo was silent, then he whispered something Yuki couldn't hear. He sounded exhausted.

"Go get washed up then rest, Kyo," Shigure's voice sounded gentle, concerned. Yuki stifled a yell of surprise. Surely some alien body had taken over Shigure's mind -- he actually sounded like a normal adult.

'What is wrong with everyone today?' whispered the voice in Yuki's head. It was a strange day. Even the fangirls seemed zapped of energy.

"That's what I was trying to do before you got in the way, you dumb dog!" Kyo yelled as he stomped up the stairs.

"There's the Kyo we all know and love!" Shigure chirped, back to his normal self. Yuki knew had been too good to last. Kyo gave no reply other than to slam the bathroom door. Now considering the door was a paper door and therefore not very heavy, it was amazing how Kyo manage to make it sound like a cannon going off.

Yuki felt the house tremble slightly in protest and he shook his head.

'Baka neko.'

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Kyo washed the dried blood off his face and neck, staring at the pink water for a moment before tugging his shirt off. It too was stained with his blood. He winced slightly as a pain shot up his side. Looking at his ribs, Kyo saw a purple and black bruise on his left side. He glared at it.

Throwing his shirt in the laundry basket, Kyo went to his room to get a clean shirt.

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Yuki was still sitting on the sofa when Shigure came back into the room. The inu was grinning, Yuki realised then how tense Shigure been before.

"What was that about?" asked Yuki offhandedly, trying to sound as if he didn't really care.

Shigure grinned and tapped his nose. "That's a secret between me and Kyo," he smiled and returned to the paper he'd been trying to read all morning.

Yuki stared blankly at Shigure, then shook his head. He really didn't care what the stupid cat did. If he wanted to stay out all day and freeze to death it would be one less thing to worry about.

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Kyo had decided to take Shigure's advice and get some sleep, even though he didn't want to. His body screamed angrily to him at the mistreatment it had recieved during the day, wanting now to just shut down for a while.

It was warm in the house so Kyo wore only some flannel trousers. He was asleep within minutes, although the sun was shining weakly on his face as it tried to battle through the thick clouds.

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There was a knock at the door downstairs about an hour later. Yuki was still sitting in the same position, reading a book. Shigure jumped to his feet at the noise.

"Yay! Lunch!"

Yuki shook his head. Shigure always ate at odd times, and of course Yuki could only eat when Shigure ate. Unless he wanted to order his own takeout, and Yuki didn't want to spend his own money on food that he didn't like in the first place.

Shigure came back seconds later, carrying two bags crammed with food, warm and smelling strongly.

"Yuki, can you please go wake Kyo up? Tell him the food is here."

"Why do I have to do it?" Yuki yelled indignantly.

"Because I'm dishing up the food," Shigure grinned as he ran to the kitchen to get plates and chopsticks. Yuki glared at where Shigure had been standing for a few second before he stood and started to climb the stairs.

He reached Kyo's door and rapped his knuckles smartly on the door.

"Baka neko, wake up. The food is here!" Yuki waited for any sound of movement or reply. None came. Yuki growled and knocked the door again. Still no reply. Angrily, he opened the door to shout at Kyo. He saw the neko on the on the futon, sleeping peacefully. The covers were bunched around his feet, and Yuki could clearly see the bruise that shone on his side.

The tirade died on his lips instantly. Yuki frowned. The only ones who Kyo fought with were himself and Haru. Haru very rarely managed to hit Kyo and Yuki was the only one who could beat him. And Yuki knew that that bruise was not his doing.

Who could have done that to the cat? He gently traced his fingers over the marked skin and Kyo flinched in his sleep, away from the touch.

Yuki wondered who had hurt the cat and why. He could think of no one. Maybe someone had tried to mug him, caught the cat by surprise and hit him on his side?

On closer inspection, Yuki realized the bruise was foot-shaped. Yuki shook his head and pulled the covers back over Kyo, who had begun to shiver. He decided to let the cat sleep. It would be a much quieter meal without him there anyway.

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When Yuki came downstairs Kyo-less, Shigure raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Kyo?" he asked.

Yuki frowned. "He's sleeping. Just be thankful for some peace and quiet, finally."

Shigure smiled and began to eat, but not before he put Kyo's meal in the microwave to keep it warm.

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The next day Kyo was as loud and obnoxious as ever, acting as if nothing had happened.

Shigure was glad, Yuki was not.

The walk to school was uneventful. The two walked as they always did in a tense silence only broken by the odd insult.

A nagging sensation remained at the back of Yuki's mind. He wanted to know who had hurt Kyo, and where the cat had been the previous day.

"What happened...yesterday?" Yuki said before he could stop himself, curiosity getting the better of him. Kyo stooped walking, shocked that the rat had asked him a question. A normal question. And his tone wasn't angry or scornful -- it was curious.

"Why do you want to know, nezumi?" Kyo sounded cautious, as if afraid at any moment Yuki would say something horrible and they'd be back to fighting again.

Yuki stopped alongside Kyo, looking at him curiously.

"It dosen't matter," Kyo said, his tone holding a finality. He continued to walk.

"Who kicked you?" Yuki asked firmly, not to be deterred.

Kyo glared at Yuki as if he said something that had offended him. "What the hell is wrong with you today? Why all the questions? WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN!"

Kyo stormed off at this, walking quickly and trying to put as much distance between himself and Yuki as he could.

Yuki stood rooted to the spot. Why did he want to know anyway?

'Because I'm the only one who's allowed to beat him, and at least I don't leave any bruises...'

Yuki shook his head, trying to silence the voice. It laughed at him. He glared at nothing.

'WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN!'

Kyo's angry voice echoed through his head, and he told himself he was just curious. He didn't care -- not really.

'Keep telling yourself that,' The Voice taunted him.

Yuki just glared one final time and continued to walk.

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Kyo was in a really bad mood now. The day had already started badly, and now the damn rat was asking stupid questions.

'Why is he acting like he cares anyways? I don't need anyone to care about me, kuso nezumi!'

'Don't act like you didn't like it.'

Kyo ignored the stupid voice in his head. He really hated that voice, the one that just loved to annoy the hell out of him. He reached the school more quickly than he realized. He must have been walking very fast. He looked back and saw no sign of Yuki.

'Good, I don't need that kuso nezumi messing with my mind this early.'

The voice just laughed at him for no apparent reason and then fell silent, letting him prepare for another day at school.

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If youv'e read this and enjoyed it, please leave a review. If you read this and hated it leave a review anyway! I read all reviews, and i love all of them. Reviews are what keep me writing, so if you want to see this fict contiuing, please review!

Oh and just so you know, anyone who likes Tohru, she is there! She gose to their school and she will have a small part soon. Just in case the fact that Tohru isn't in this fict is makeing you mad. She will appear soon. Look out for her!

One last note, if you review you get a Kyo plushie! (holds up a bag of Kyo plushies) Only available if you leave a review. Next chapter you can get a Yuki plushie!

12 November: Update: For this special betad version of chapte 3 i will be adding preview of chapter 4 w00t! Arnt you lucky

"I hate it...this cures...Akito." the small rabbit spoke in only a whisper, but his voice was so hard and angry. Haru patted the smalled boy on the head. He and Momiji may be the same age, but the small rabbit always gave off an air of helplessness, as if he was constantly begging for the compasion of a parent.

"Don't worry kid, he'll be ok." Haru smiled reasuringly and Momiji sniffed.

"Why dose everyone hate him so?...just because Akito tells them to? Or is it something else...i don't understand."

Momiji sighed and lay down on the futon, curled up into a tight ball, like a hedgehog. Arms wrapped tightly around himself, as if he were trying to protect himself from some unseen enemy.

well thats it mmwwwwahhahahaah read , reaview and then eat a cookie! gives everyone cookies

See you in the next chapter