Slowly doing up the buttons on the front of her blouse, Tohru Honda hummed a quite little tune under her breath. Due to the cold night previously, it had turned out to be a rather warm day, so Tohru had decided to put on her summer clothes even though it was nearly the end of September.

A new lease of life seemed to have entered her. She had slept very well last night with peaceful dreams in her wake. Kyo's hoodie lay on the desk chair in front of her, it still had his scent on it, she could smell it from where she was stood. His smell was so strong…

Along with new life, another feeling seemed to have taken over her heart recently too. A feeling towards a person she had known for well over a year now, a person she knew could protect her, a person she knew could… love her!

Sleeping with his top that he always seemed to wear made her feel so happy. She could not explain why she felt like this, it would probably sound like she was obsessed to any other person! But she knew that her mind was right in every way. Especially about the way she felt…

Her mind was full of happy thought when a heart churning crash came from the room next to her. Kyo's room.

She shot her head up, a small gasp escaping her lips. What on earth was that? Something was wrong, seriously wrong, she could feel it. Her whole body seemed to shake with fear at the thought of someone being in trouble. Of… Kyo being in trouble.

Tohru dashed out of her room and along the hall to Kyo's room. She didn't care that she was only in her blouse and nickers, the only thought in her mind was that Kyo could be in trouble.

His door was closed. She gently put her ear to the door and listened with all her might. A small whimpering voice from within the room met her ears.

"Tohru… I… I, need you…"

Her eyes widened as she realised whose voice it was. Kyo's… but… he… he didn't sound like the Kyo she knew and loved. His voice was… sad… broken… alone. Why was he like this? What was wrong! Panic shook through her system and went into overdrive.

The last words he spoke rang in her ears – "Tohru… I… I, need you…"

Forgetting her manners, she flung into the room her stomach leaping with every gasping breath she took.

Tohru froze at what she saw. Tears burnt in her eyes like out pokers as she looked on at the pitiful sight.

He was… just… sat there. Sprawled on the floor… head in hands… she had never seen him like this… ever! Piece of what looked like his lamp were shattered all around him. This must have been what I heard smashing…

But… he looks… so upset… she thought. He doesn't realise that I am even here…

She tried to speak but her voice seemed to be paralysed. After a few deep breaths Tohru managed to utter a single word.

"Kyo…"

The cat shot his head up in response. His eyes looked into hers. But… there was something about them.

They eyes were… scary. Nothing but cold, hard… darkness. They seemed almost… demonic. He looked as if he had been crying for… years, but his cheeks and eyes were totally dry. The already pale skin was now the colour of stone stretched over his jaw and cheekbones.

This sight looked so similar to the night when he was revealed to her in his true form… a monster. Once again, Tohru was, scared… she… was scared of the person… the only person… that…. she loved.

Tears welled up in her eyes, she wanted to help him… she… NEEDED TO HELP HIM!

"OH KYO!" She ran into the room, and flung herself on the floor next to him. Oh how she wanted to put her arms around him… but… he was the… cat. The curse… once again it stopped her from telling him how she really felt.

Tohru looked at Kyo's face, now drained of all its' colour. He was looking at the floor with a hazed expression swirling around his eyes. It looked like fog hanging over a graveyard. Each headstone giving the appearance of a hunched animal… ready to strike.

She shivered at this thought. "Please…" Tohru muttered desperate to get him back from the world of limbo safely into her arms. "Kyo… what happened… please… tell me…"

She didn't know how long they were sat there. But she waited for an answer no matter how long it took.

At last one came.

"Get… away… from… me" It was like he said it without even moving his lips.

Tohru didn't understand. Why didn't he want her to comfort him? "What…? Kyo… I… I don't understand…"

What doesn't she understand! Can't she just get it that she's going to get hurt if she loves me! I've got to make her hate me… like the last time.

But… last time, that didn't work. Why? Why does she still want to be around me? Why does she still want to…? LOVE ME?

Burning away in his heart was the essence of love, but smothered, unable to come out, by the stench of his monstrous being that he truly was…

A monster… how could she love… a monster? How could she love… him?

"Why…?" he looked at her with a hard expression peering into her eyes.

"I…" Tohru stammered at this question.

"Why do you…" but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Without even asking her, Tohru understood what he wanted to ask her. He had no idea how much she loved him. At first she was so afraid to admit it… but now it felt like she wanted to sing it to the whole world to hear.

"Kyo… I…"

"Don't say it! If you say it… you don't know what you'll be gettin' yourself into…!"

Kyo couldn't bear to hear her say those words. It would only crush her heart when he said that he couldn't love her in return.

But the question circling inside his head was... could he love her back?

"Look…" he could feel himself calming down from just being around her. That was the reason he felt this way about her. She could always soothe his heart… and his soul. "If… if you say… that… that…"

Tohru knew this was it… she knew that this was the time she should tell him everything she had always wanted to.

"If you…say, that…" he kept repeating the same line, unable to say it.

This was it. With one deep breath Tohru took the jump off the ledge on which she was precariously hanging.

Would Kyo catch her at the bottom? She would just have to wait and see.

"I… love you!"