3rd chapter, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even have a job right now; so suing would be a pointless endeavour. (haha, that was the original disclaimer. I actually have a job now!)

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A tired looking neko boy stared outside from the mouth of a cave, sulking like a little child.

"Damn rain," he muttered, scuffing his shoe on the rock floor. "I feel so tired…"

The rain pounded on, skittering down the sides and top of the cave, creating a sort of magical waterfall effect. Kyo smiled, despite his sour mood, and found himself thinking of Yuki.

/I bet Yuki would love this, he would think it was beautiful/

"Where did that come from..." he wondered, blinking and vowing to himself that he would stop thinking of the quiet nezumi.

/Things between us, well they would never work out anyways...right.../

"Right," he said out loud, trying to break the eerie silence of the caves, which was not so silent as much as just creepy looking.

/It's gotta be around tenish, and the rain still hasn't let up. I wonder if it will eventually flood the cave. On the bright side of that, it would kill me and I'd never have to deal with that damn Akito again/

At the thought of Akito, Kyo shivered and wrapped his arms around himself tightly. Thinking of him gave Kyo chills, the kind that penetrated you right to the bone, and froze your entire body. Rummaging through the contents of his sack, he realized that he didn't pack much.

"Why didn't I just steal that stupid rat's backpack? Or taken mine? I'm such an idiot!' He threw a punch at the stone wall. It stayed completely solid, not even moving slightly. Kyo felt a burning sensation on his knuckles, and looked down to see that his knuckles were scraped up and bleeding. The adrenaline rush it gave to him, though, was amazing. Somehow, he felt released from his troubles as he watched the blood seep down his hand and drip onto the floor. And as quickly as his jubilation had come, it vanished with his voice of reason.

/Stop this right now; you have to stop! This is the one thing that you promised yourself that you would never do!/

/It's not the same though, is it? I mean, it's not like I could die from it, it's only a bit of blood.../

But he had already made a decision. He ripped a part of his blanket off and bandaged his hand up, promising himself that if the rain didn't end up stopping soon that he would just train inside. Leaving him completely bored, and free to think.

/I wonder, have they noticed yet? Is Tohru worried for me? She always did worry a lot, that silly girl...Or maybe she's helping Yuki plan his party, laughing and giggling with him, gazing into his eyes, smiling at him...perhaps now that I am gone, they will admit to each other that they obviously are in love. Yuki's been acting strange, and Tohru seems to be spacier then usual. They're practically transparent. On the other hand, if they all think that I've died in the rain, and then maybe Akito won't bother to look for me and I'll have a chance...a chance to live out my dream. I can move anywhere I want, people won't look at me as if I'm dirty, they won't cower away in fear that I bring bad luck. No one will be able to lock me away forever. I can be...free./

A look of hope was clearly visible on Kyo's face. Now that he was gone from Shigure's, away from the main house and Akito, it seemed entirely possible that he could do that. Content for now, Kyo leaned up against the wall and continued to watch the downpour, proving that he could be just as patient as Yuki, if he wanted.

Soon though, Kyo discovered that it was quite amusing to sit on the ground and throw variously sized rocks through the sheet of rain and watch the shape they made in the water, before it closed up again. Not only did Kyo enjoy it immensely, it also helped him keeps his thoughts of Yuki at bay, which was always a good thing.

/It could never be, he'd never accept me, Akito wouldn't allow it, we wouldn't get away with it…/

/Could we?/

---

"Yu—Yuki?" Came a sleepy voice from the end of the hall. Yuki froze, slowly hiding his backpack in the shadows and turning to face Tohru.

"Yes, Miss. Honda," he said patiently, eyes darting around the darkened hallway.

"Uhh—" she stifled a yawn, "where are you going so late?

Yuki began to sweat, and said, "Oh, I was a bit thirsty Miss. Honda, and was about to go grab a glass of water. If you would like I can get you a glass as well..."

His plan worked perfectly. Tohru insisted she was fine, and retreated to her bedroom because she was so embarrassed. Yuki thanked someone up there that Tohru was not very perceptive when she was half asleep, or else she may have realized he was wearing a black v-neck sweater that clung to his body, and black pants that flowed loosely around his nice physique. He picked back up the backpack and flung it over his shoulder, slipping out of the front door, unnoticed.

Outside the rain pounded down on Yuki, making him shiver in the cold onslaught. Luckily he had remembered an umbrella, he propped that open and continued down the path, rainwater slowly filling up his shoes.

The wetness that filled his shoes was uncomfortable, but it went unnoticed by Yuki, who was preoccupied thinking of Kyo. It wasn't anything logical, but only flashes of him. Past conversations, memories that involved him, fights that were lost by him.

You Damn Rat! Why can't I ever beat you? I've gotten so much better…

Ha, Baka Neko, you'll never compare to me.

Yuki felt a stab of cold regret run through him. All those harsh words...had the young Neko merely been looking for comfort from him, for solace in the rat, who didn't just merely look though him, but saw him and acknowledged him? Not the best kind of acknowledgement, but it was probably enough to confirm to him that he was indeed alive, that he was a real person.

/I never realized…how much we depended on each other. I never noticed his silent pleas towards me. Or maybe I did, and I just ignored...but no, that's worse then never hearing them at all./

Yuki, can we—could I—I mean, do you—

Spit it out you sorry excuse for a cat.

…Never mind you moronic rat! I'm going to kick your ass!

Could that have been one of the times? What would he have requested, if those words of destruction had not been said? If Yuki had been silent as Kyo stuttered and stumbled over his words, trying to convey a message to Yuki. Friendship? Homework help? Maybe just to talk. Yuki understood that he might never find out, and with determination in his heart he plunged deep into the shadowy woods. He had forgotten a flashlight.

/Ha, not so prepared after all now…/

It didn't matter to him though, he continued, blindly stumbling through the brush, hoping that he would find the one person who he knew he would miss the most.

"I can't loose him. Please God, let me find him, please help me find him…"

Yuki had never been very religious. But it seemed to be the appropriate thing to do, pray to a God in a desperate attempt, one last shot, at attaining his goal. Yuki's strength was waning, his hopes were flagging down and fading away, there seemed to be no way to stop them from leaving. Despair. Yuki was in despair. There was no way he'd find Kyo in the weather now, even if he did, he may be dead. And if he didn't find Kyo and find shelter quick, then he would die out here in the woods, and his chance to save Kyo would be gone.

/Kyo…/

The dirt from beneath Yuki's feet crumbled beneath him, and the rat tried to quickly scramble away. But the rain had made the ground slick with wet mud, and Yuki pitched face first down a ravine. Tumbling down, his elbow scraped past a rock, tearing his sweater. The umbrella was lost, and the backpack went rolling down the hill ahead of him. Yuki reached out in an attempt to grab it, but he hit a jagged rock that sent him flying into the air, making a nice clean cut across his stomach, and crash landing at the bottom. He lay in the mud, letting the rain soak into him, and felt the dull pain receding to the back of his head. /Shock, he realized/I'm going into shock./

With pained efforts, he forced himself to move his arm, checking to see if it was broken. Although it hurt him, he could still move it fine. His fingers grazed across something grainy in texture, but still sort almost. The backpack.

/Maybe I still have a chance./ he thought, moving to sit up. A wave of nausea crashed over him, leaving him coughing and gasping for air. He steadfastly ignored it, standing up and grasping the bag in his free hand. The other one was painful to move, and he suspected he had fractured it.

"Now where to go? I can either find shelter for myself, or continue to look for Kyo," Yuki said, stating his slightly obvious choices. Evidently going home without Kyo was not on his to-do list.

So then smart guy, where do you go from here? Yuki turned around in a small circle, trying to pick a direction. North of him was a wall of a cave he was guessing, and he had come from the west. So that left him with a few other options.

"OW!" exclaimed Yuki. Something had just fallen on his head. He looked down and picked up a small pebble.

/A stone?/ he thought. He almost didn't believe it until another one dropped onto his head and landed in his palm. With his eyes as sharp as a rat, he could see the pebbles lying in his hands, as long as he held them close to his face. He turned to look up at the wall, which led to shelter.

/No! Keep going! Ignore the gut feeling, Kyo wouldn't be up there/

/Says who? Kyo's not stupid; he's probably hiding somewhere. Even if he's not up there, you may at least find a clue…/

Even though Yuki wondered why Kyo would choose to stay so close to the Sohma's by staying here, he followed his original gut instinct, and began climbing the slippery rocks. Thunder crashed close behind him, and a tree fell over with a shaky smashing sound, combined with the crackling of electricity. Yuki's grip on the rock lessened, and he felt himself sliding back down. He continued to fight his way upwards, and finally pulled himself over the ledge and to relative safety.

/Trust the cat to make himself difficult to find.../ to his own surprise, he felt more affectionate in that thought then he did bitter. Perplexed, he pressed his body against the side of the wall so he wouldn't fall off, and inched his way up the path that led towards a dark cave.

---

Kyo threw two small stones down as his last form of amusement, and then set to work lighting a fire. There was a remarkable amount of dry kindling in the cave, and since Kyo always carried a lighter it set on fire quickly. He sat near it, still facing the caves entrance.

/At least now I will be able to maybe keep a bit warm, and stay dry/ he thought, pulling his tattered blanket around his shoulders. To keep himself happily occupied, he set about his favourite pastime. He just sat there and thought, 'what if…'

Today he looked towards the sheet of water, pretty much impossible to see through, and thought, What if...Yuki walked through right now, soaking wet, and demanding that I return home so that he can ravish me

The thought of sweet, polite Yuki demanding to ravish anyone made Kyo laugh, it was just so implausible. Not to mention that no one would find him so high off the ground...Kyo closed his eyes, leaning his head back and enjoying the warmth and glow of the fire.

I'm going to beat you this time you damn rat!

Only in your dreams, you stupid cat.

That's what you think!

Shaking his head, Kyo pushed the memories out of his head. They didn't matter anymore, especially not right now. Later he would replay them all, again and again in his mind, searching for even the slightest sign of caring from Yuki. It would make him stronger, mentally. And maybe, when he was older, and he had gotten over him, he would return and challenge Yuki Sohma to a fight.

Thinking about eventually coming back and finding Yuki comforted Kyo, and he was once again peaceful.

:splash:

Kyo was startled by a sound of water rushing around something large and solid. He opened his eyes and looked towards the entrance, to see a soaking wet Yuki. His hair was a matted and stringy mess, droplets of water forming at the tips. Mud caked his black outfit, his hands, and there was some in his hair. Twigs, leaves, and grass stuck to him. He was bleeding in various places, and seemed very disoriented. Kyo's eyes widened so much that he thought they would pop out of his head, and he squeezed them shut and rubbed them. Was he hallucinating? But Yuki was still there when he opened his eyes, and he looked like shit.

"…K—Kyo…please, come home with me. It's…it's where you…" Yuki swayed on his feet, unable to balance himself anymore, "belong." He plummeted down towards the rock floor, hitting it with a dull thud.

/Yuki? What the f#!./

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So, that's it for now...I just realized that sometimes I have Kyo swear and then other times I bleep it out. Wow I'm slow, this is only my second time posting this XD Review please, it makes me happy, and I'll update this and the sequel faster!

--Darkdreams