Friends?
"Hurry up, get out before he wakes up!"
"Kyo-kun?" Tohru squeaked in the darkness.
Kyo smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
"You remember!" Kyo exclaimed ready to put his around Tohru.
"Not so fast, save it for later. We need to get out of here…" Yuki said coolly.
"Thank you so much, Kyo-kun" Tohru said wearily.
She then fell to the floor.
"Blood loss, " a voice behind the trio said.
Fear struck Yuki and Kyo.
"Don't worry, it's just me," the voice said, "You guys can turn around"
It was Hatori.
"Now that's a nasty head wound there…good job Kyo" Hatori said, examining Akito.
"Er…thanks?"
The doctor picked up the two bodies lying on the ground and slumped them over his shoulder as if they were a sack of potatoes.
"Wait, don't you want any help?" Yuki asked
"Knowing you two, you'll fight over who carries Honda. It's better this way and time is of the essence."
"Where are we going?"
"Back to my room. I need to look after them, you know. I am a doctor and if anyone dies, it'll look bad on my record. Now we wouldn't want that, would we?
They arrived at Hatori's room. There was only one bed there.
"I'm sorry boys, but that one's going to Akito. Set up a futon where I can put Honda."
The two boys obeyed.
Hatori put the patients down.
"Is she going to be all right?" Kyo asked
"Yes, she'll recover soon. She just needs some patching up and she should be fine tomorrow."
"And Akito? What will he do-"
"Don't worry about Akito. I will drug his tea tomorrow and he'll sleep for quite a while…"
"Thank you so much, Hatori" Kyo said, bowing towards the doctor.
"You two can go home. I'll personally escort Honda-san back to Shigure's house tomorrow. Akito's anger will have hopefully died down by then…and don't ask if you can stay because I'm definitely not going to let you two…Yuki, you're flu and bronchitis will worsen if you stay because I know you won't get any sleep…and Kyo, it would be unfair if you got to stay and Yuki did not."
"Alright…just look after her…" said Yuki.
"I'll be at Shigure's place at nine."
The two waled out of the Sohma estate and headed towards Shigure's house. The streets were empty; after all it was midnight.
"Thanks" Yuki said quietly
"Hm?"
"Thanks for saving us"
"Oh…"
"Why'd you do it?"
"Because… you said…you know…" he mumbled, looking the other way.
Yuki had never thought Kyo would do something like that…
"And because Tohru was there…yeah, that was why…" Kyo continued.
"Whatever…as long as the excuse maintains your 'tough guy' attitude, right?"
Kyo was silent. This was unexpected…Yuki expected him to lash out as he usually did.
"Well, thanks for saying those things to Akito, in a strange way, it actually made me feel better…but only a little better" he added quickly.
They walked up a slope. They were careful because the ground was slippery because of the snow. Kyo stopped and looked at the ground.
"Y-You like Tohru, right?" he asked
"Well, she's a very nice person and-"
"I don't want to hear any of that! I want an answer! Yes or no?"
After a long silence, Yuki responded.
"Well, yes"
A breeze blew past causing their hair to sway in and shimmer in the moonlight.
"But I know that you do too…" Yuki added, "I don't deserve to be with her, after all the pain I've caused her…"
"No, I don't deserve her…I-I…"
Kyo was struggling with his words. Yuki looked at him, bemused.
"Hm?"
"I…I was there, in the car. I used the chloroform…"
"It was you?"
"Yes, it was I…" Kyo said and closed his eyes as if he were expecting some form of punishment, "Do whatever you want to me, I deserve it"
Nothing happened. No punches, no kicks, no pinches, no insults…
"Tell me why you did it"
"A while ago, I made a pact with Akito. He said that if I could defeat you in any way, I could become a member of the Jyuunishi. But I could never defeat you…Then he talked to me on the day Tohru's memories were erased"
"What did he say?"
"I'm getting there…anyway, he told to help him capture you two…he told me that he'd make me a member of the Jyuunishi. I believed him. But then I realised that he lied to me when I heard him talking to you. Anger boiled up in me and I just had to do something…"
"I understand. I would've done the same, if I were in your situation."
"No, but you're the 'prince'. The perfect, all-knowing prince who is never selfish or angry." Kyo retorted sarcastically.
Yuki pulled something out of his pocket and stuffed it in Kyo's mouth.
"Emergency leek…I keep in here just in case you get annoying…"
"You know, I'm surprised," Yuki continued as Kyo was spitting the leek out, "I'm surprised we haven't started fighting…and-"
"Don't say it…it'll sound so clichéd…"
"Too bad, I'm going to say it. And it's all because of her…"
"You should tell her that you like her…" Kyo said, blushing "I thought about it for a while and I realised that I only like her as a friend…"
They had finally reached Shigure's house.
"Yuuuuuki!" a deep voice from inside of the house called out.
'Oh, no" Yuki thought, 'It's him!'
A bathrobe clad Ayame ran outside followed by a smiling Shigure.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…what have these boys been doing out so late at night?" Ayame teased, flicking his hair."
"Aya, isn't it obvious that they have been experiencing their first act of love? Look-"
Yuki and Kyo simultaneously hit Shigure's head causing him to fall. Ayame caught him.
"Ayame, Yuki and Kyo are meanies…ARGH! I've got a blood nose!" Shigure whined putting his hand on his forehead.
"Don't worry, Gure! I will nurse you back to health even if it takes all night!" Ayame said diligently with a sparkly pink background behind him.
With that, Ayame lifted Shigure up and ran upstairs.
"And he's relat-" Kyo started
"I don't know that man…" snapped Yuki as they both walked upstairs into their rooms.