A/N: Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers and readers who are so patient! To make up for last time's embarrassingly short chapter, I decided to make this one extra long! Thanks again!

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The door banged closed and Shigure looked up. He trilled, "Welcome home everyone!"

Yuki and Kyo glanced at him in distaste and walked into the kitchen to find something to eat, mumbling something like, "Stupid dog," under their breaths. Only Tohru cheerfully replied, "Hello Shigure!"

Shigure sniffled in gratitude and then immediately became serious, "Yuki, Kyo, stop grubbing out for a second and come into the living room. Tohru, no stay, you should hear this too."

The boys trooped in and sat down.

Shigure cleared his throat importantly, "Ahem…ahem."

Kyo yelled, "Get on with it, you stupid dog."

Pretending not to notice the last comment, Shigure continued, "So, as I'm sure you've all been breathlessly awaiting, the answer from Akito has arrived."

He paused and looked around to make sure everyone's attention was focused on him.

Shigure smiled in satisfaction. Kyo was looking the other way, seemingly absorbed in the plant in the corner, and Yuki was watching him with an unreadable expression. Both were obviously anxious to hear the news. Meanwhile, Tohru made no pretenses of indifference and was clutching her hands in anticipation.

"Well, Akito said…"

Tohru leaned forward in excitement.

"…she can stay, as long as she doesn't leak our secret."

Tohru jumped up and in her exhilaration, she pounced on Shigure and hugged him.

POOF!

"Oh…I'm so sorry, Shigure, I forgot…and I…"

The dog merely licked her cheek in reply.

Both boys leapt towards the dog and pulled him off. They then proceeded to pummel him.

"You PERVERT!"

"Don't ever, ever, do that again!"

"Now, apologize to Miss Honda."

Cowering on the ground, Shigure managed to whimper out, "I'm sorry, Tohru…" before…

POOF!

Tohru squeaked in surprise and quickly turned so that Shigure could pull his clothes back on. She waved her hands frantically, "Oh…don't worry about it Shigure, I didn't mind! Er…um…thank you for your concern, Yuki and Kyo."

Yuki sighed, "You are too kind, Miss Honda. You shouldn't be, certain people (glares at Shigure) will take advantage of that."

Tohru looked up at the clock, "Oh no! It's so late, I have to get dinner ready!"

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Half an hour later, steaming bowls of fish, miso soup, and leeks were placed neatly on the table.

Yuki looked up in surprise, "Miss Honda, you didn't tell us that you were an expert cook."

Tohru blushed, "Well…to tell you the truth, I've never actually cooked before. I hope it isn't too bad."

Kyo groaned when he saw the leeks and had to stifle a gag. Shigure laughed silently when he noticed that Kyo made no complaints, despite his hatred for leeks.

Tohru announced, "Well, dinner is served. Eat up everyone!"

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After many comments from Shigure about how much better this cuisine was compared to Yuki's burned rice, burned fish, burned everything, dinner was finished and the dishes were washed by Tohru.

Tohru then studied for a while before flicking off the light and settling down to sleep. She still felt guilty about taking Yuki's bed, but he had insisted, and she had been too tired to protest.

However, once she lay down, she found that she could not get to sleep. Thoughts drifted through her head…

Everyone is so kind, to let me stay with them and compliment me on my cooking, even though I know it wasn't very good.

These people…I didn't even know them a week ago, but they treat me like I'm one of them….like I'm part of their family. I've never had a family.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of music.

Some say love; it is a river,

that drowns the tender reed.

She got up from her bed. The music sounded like it was coming from outside.

Some say love; it is a razor,

that leaves your soul to bleed.

She approached the window.

Some say love; it is a hunger,

an endless aching need.

Her heart stopped for a moment as she saw the moonlight reflecting off of silvery hair and slender frame.

I say love; it is a flower,

and you its only seed.

"Yuki," she whispered.

It's the heart, afraid of breaking,

That never learns to dance.

He raised his arms high above his head and then he began to dance.

It's the dream, afraid of waking,

That never takes a chance.

Tohru knew she shouldn't watch because it seemed like such a precious, private moment, but she couldn't help herself. Her breath caught in her throat as the lyrics seemed to flow into his body and he gracefully moved across the wet grass.

It's the one who won't be taken,

Who cannot seem to give.

Without realizing it, Tohru's cheeks were wet with tears. The words touched her heart and left it with a sense of regret and longing.

And the soul, afraid of dyin',

That never learns to live.

His dance ended, and although Tohru didn't know it, his bowed head also hid tears.

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The next morning went much more smoothly than the previous one, but Kyo had been detained after class forseveral loudoutbursts during Mr. Ota's lecture. Yuki offered to walk Tohru home.

As they walked, Tohru commented on what a lovely day it was.

Yuki, walking alongside her, agreed politely while inwardly noticing that it was indeed a lovely day. The gentle breeze ruffled her hair and her faint blush reminded him of cherry blossoms.

Get a grip, Yuki, he told himself.

Meanwhile, Tohru inwardly wrestled with herself.

Should I confess that I saw him last night? But what if he thinks I'm a nosy busybody who spies on people in the middle of the night? But I don't feel right, not telling him about this…besides, he looked so sad…

"Um, Yuki?"

Yuki turned toward her, "Yes, Miss Honda?"

His smile made her blush and she had to remind herself what she was about to say.

"Last night, I…I…sawyoudancingoutsideinthemiddleofthenightI'msorryIdidn'tmeantospyonyoubutIcouldn'thelpwatching."

Yuki blinked in surprise and then what she said dawned on him.

At first, he was embarrassed at being caught in such a vulnerable position, then angry that she had not minded her own business, and finally resigned, reminding himself that it was not her fault that she had heard.

"Yuki? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to intrude on your private business. I mean, my mom always told me that people deserve to have their own time and their own place where they can be themselves and not worry about other people barging in. I guess I've barged in on your private space, haven't I?"

She looked down miserably and Yuki did not know what to say to comfort her.

"Miss Honda…it…wasn't your fault. In fact, I should apologize for interrupting your sleep. It's just that, sometimes, like you said, I need some of my own time to just think, and dancing has always been…"

He blushed, "You probably think I'm very strange, huh?"

"Oh, not at all! Everyone has their own way to relax, and besides…I thought your dancing was…beautiful. You just looked a little sad, though, Yuki. I don't mean to pry, but is there anything you need to talk about? I mean, I know we haven't known each other for very long, and I'm not very good at giving advice, but I'm willing to just listen if…"

Yuki's mind was racing.

Why is it that I feel so compelled to tell her? She couldn't possibly understand what it's like to be me…and yet…she looks so sincere. She's not like those girls who pretend to care but only so that they can snap your picture or brag about talking to you…she's different.

Without even expecting it, the words began tumbling out of his mouth.

"Ever since I was little, I've loved two things, martial arts and dancing. To me, they were like two sides of the same coin. They both required discipline and strength and self-control. The only thing was, martial arts is always used to defeat your opponent, whereas dancing…you work with your partner so that you can each be stronger and better together. When I was little, I was allowed to do both, but as I grew older, Akito decided that I shouldn't dance anymore. He said it was because the risk was too high that my partner and I would accidentally get too close and I would transform. He said for the sake of the family, I shouldn't be selfish and indulge myself in these childish practices."

He laughed bitterly, "While what he said may have been partly true, the real reason he made that decision was because he saw that it was what I truly loved and it made me happy. Whenever I danced, I was free, free from the Sohma's…free from him. And of course, he couldn't allow that, especially after he found out that I had been accepted to a foreign dance school. I was on the brink of escaping all of this, and then he ordered that I stop dancing."

He abruptly stopped, and then made an effort to smile, "So here I am…taking law courses at a local community college where Akito can keep an eye on me, of course."

Tohru was silent, but when she turned to him, her eyes were filled with tears, "Yuki, that must have been…so terrible…to give up the one thing you love. I'm sorry…I truly am."

Yuki was stunned by the simplicity of her words. He had expected the usual torrent of words from her. Yet somehow, those few words touched him in a way he couldn't even describe. For years, he had kept this subject buried under, dismissing it as just another of those, "that's the way it is" things. But her words reminded him of how great his loss really was, and how much he really did resent Akito's decision.

How can this girl understand more about me than even I do?

She was apologizing again, "I'm sorry, Yuki, for bringing this up. I've reminded you of something that's made you sad. I really didn't mean to bring up something that you didn't want to think about…oh, why can't I do anything right?"

Yuki looked at her. She didn't even realize how much she had just helped him. Surprising himself, he hesitantly took her hand, "Come on, I want to show you something."

She paused before giving him a smile, "Ok, let's go."

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A/N: Yay, done with another chappie. Thanks again to all of you nice people out there who made me feel so much better after that weird incident. Unfortunately, I can't update for at least two weeks, but I will as soon as I can, OK? So please just be patient with me! I'll try my best!

By the way, in case any of you didn't recognize the song, it's by Bette Midler…Miller? something like that, and it's called "The Rose."

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As promised, these replies include the last two chapters since I didn't do it last time.

Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko: Mr. Ota…haha, well most likely he won't be very important, although he might come up in the later chapters. Anyways, about that stupid creepy creep, I'm over that now, and so I'm going to concentrate on this story and updating as soon as possible! Yup…I guess we'll just be weird together!

Stacey: Haha…well I was way too scared to even think about doing that. Plus the fact that I don't have Caller ID. Yeah, so anyways, thanks for the review! I hope you keep reading!

3xThreat: Thanks a bunch! I'll try my best to get the updates up ASAP!

Ixilight: Sorry…Mr. Ota is just a character I made up out of the figments of my imagination. He probably won't play a major part in the story though, so it doesn't matter much. He will show up for a short period of time in the later chapters, but you'll have to wait and see what part he plays! Lol…yes, that guy was a total creep, but I'm over it now, so thanks!

kitsunedemon: Lol…yes that is a good point. Haha, yeah I would be scared to get in the car with Yuki too, but it would also kind of be exciting...kind of like riding on the back of a motorcycle. I thought about giving Yuki a motorcycle, but then I thought…uh…too weird, so I just went with the speed demon thing. Yes, I got tired of the evil teacher too, because there's only so many evil things a teacher can do, so I decided to go replace her with Mr. Ota, who's also kinda creepy in his own smiley way. Oh yeah, and about your last review, I'm sorry to say that I'm a little confused…Tohru has a secret? This is so embarrassing…I don't even remember that, and it's my own story. Haha, could you remind me of what you're talking about?

Kyo's Favorite Kitty: Haha, yes, I agree…I also hope I don't die. Breathe a sigh of relief because Akito said yes for his own malicious meanie-butt reasons, but he still said yes. Thanks for the lovely compliment on the characters. Hope you keep reading and that you liked this I'm glad you like the story and I'm sorry I haven't been able to get the dancing in there until now. It's just I wanted to wait until they knew each other better…haha don't worry, there will be more dancing to come!

yoshiru: Tohru is very clumsy…but that's what makes her so lovable! She wouldn't be the same if she didn't trip, babble, or do all of those other silly things that make her who she is. Um…I'm not sure what you really mean by your question about how many people wrote this story…as far as I know, I'm the only one writing this. Haha, anyways, thanks for reviewing, and I really like cats too. But I'm still a die-hard Yukiru fan!

Chaka the Chopstick Ninja: Haha, your reviews are always entertaining. You take karate? That's awesome! And thanks for your random tidbit on freaky phone calls…it was…interesting, lol. I do feel sorry for Kyo, but too bad for him, Tohru is Yuki's!

inu-yuki lover100: Hmm…well as to whether Akito is going to be a bad guy in this…the answer is…I don't know. Haha, I'm not sure yet, but for now, he is going to be the manipulative meanie person he is on the outside. As to whether or not I portray him as a desperate soul crying out for help in the later chapters…hmm, maybe. I do feel bad for him in some ways, but if everyone is friendly and nice, there won't be a story, now will there?

Sorry if I forgot anyone! If I did forget you, please just email me and yell at me for being a dum-dum.