Chapter 19 – Decision

The next morning, Shigure was no where to be found. He left a note on the door of his study saying that he had gone to an author convention trip oversea and will be back the day before the wedding. His editor came by that morning and was crying her eyes out as usually.

Once again, Tohru was disappointed as she, Kyo and Yuki walked to school. "Why did Shigure disappear like that?" She asked.

"I'll bet that he is hiding somewhere nearby and isn't at any damn convention!" Kyo exclaimed. He was also disappointed about Shigure leaving.

"It's obvious that he's hiding away from his editor. I don't know why she kept on working with him for so many years? How can anyone stay sane with him treating her like that? I wonder…" Yuki suddenly stopped walking. "Have you ever read his book?"

"No." They both answered.

"I wonder if they're any good."

"I'm sure that he must be a fine writer to make a living out of it. And if his editor loves his works and is able to stay with him for this long, then it must mean that he's a great writer."

"Yeah, that a good way to put it. I guess that I'll check them out on of these days."

"Yah, yah, whatever, we're going to be late… come on." Kyo took Tohru's hand and ran off with her leaving Yuki behind.

Yuki continued to walk at his normal pace and as he reached the front gate of the school he found a smile. There she was standing in her blue uniform and wearing her hair in a braid as usual. It looked like she was waiting for him. He came up to greet her and both walked to class together.

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The next few days of school went by quickly. All final examinations were already given before the senior went on the school trip. Grades were posted on the bulletin board by scores. Yuki and Hana, of course were in the top ten. Uo was not far behind. Then come Kyo and Tohru, though they were not the smartest, yet they did passed with flying colors.

Since exams were over, the last few days of school were mostly gathering sessions and helping out with the preparation for the senior graduation.

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The graduation day came and everyone gather together. Old and young, big and small, friend and foe, all came together to for this special occasion.

Yuki, as the student body president gave a speech to his fellow classmates. His friends below the podium were rooting for him, shouting his name and making happy noises.

After the ceremony, Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, Hana, Uo, Haru and Momiji all got together for a celebration at Shigure's place.

"A cheer for us all!" Uo announced holding up her sake. "High school is over!"

"Yes, but it's also sad in a way." Hana said.

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked, sitting by her side.

"It had given us so many memories, especially in the last two years."

"Yes, I agree. I must be the most fortunate girl on earth. I have the best two friends in the world: Uo and Hana. Then, in the past two years, I've got to meet the Sohma one after another. I'm so happy to know everyone." Tohru said cheerfully.

"Is Shigure not here?" Momiji asked. "There is so much food and usually he would be out here drooling over the food by now."

"Yeah, that jerk left five days ago!" Kyo smacked the table. "He left us a note and just disappeared to who knows where?"

"Then, is the wedding still on?" Haru asked.

Neither Kyo nor Tohru answered. They both let out a quiet sigh.

"Well, if it was to be cancelled then we would have known it by now, right?" Momiji pointed.

"The wedding is still on. The problem right now is the groom." Yuki responded.

"What are you saying? Kyo is the groom, right?" Uo asked.

"Hmm… no, right now it's Shigure. You see… I hadn't had a chance to tell him about Kyo and I." Tohru explained slowly.

"Tohru, you must tell him as soon as he gets home, okay?" Momiji said quickly, still with his feminine like voice. He hadn't changed much since Tohru first met him.

"Yes, you must." Hana said.

"I will…" She replied as she looked into her lover's eyes. "…definitely."

"Alright, then! Everything is good. Let's continue to party!" Uo once again raised her sake and this time, by accident, she spilled her toast on Hana's legs.

Yuki helped to clean the stain off her.

"Thank you." She blushed.

After the all the foods, drinks and games, Yuki walked Hana home. Uo was accompanied by Haru and Momiji. Kyo and Tohru were left alone at home. They were so exhausted; they snuggled in each other's arm and slept right in the living room.

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Tohru woke up the next day. It was early, she started day by giving Kyo a little chaste kiss on the lips without him noticing it. She went and got him a light blanket then started cleaning the trash from yesterday party. After all the cleaning was done, she prepared breakfast. Kyo and Yuki joined her at the table.

"Don't worry." Kyo said, observing her anxious face. "Whether he comes back or not, I'll never let you marry him."

"Kyo…" She smiled.

"Thank you for the delicious food." Yuki said as he picked up his plate and excused him from the table.

"Where are you going?" Kyo asked.

"I… um… have plans today." He replied.

"Are you seeing Hana?" Tohru asked.

"Yes, I am." He smiled.

On his way out through the front gate he saw Kagura walking toward him.

"Good morning." She greeted him.

"Good morning." He replied.

"Are you going out somewhere? Did I come at the bad time?" She asked.

"No. I mean… it's still early, so if you wanted to talk, then I could stay for a little longer." He replied. "Are you here to see Kyo?"

"Yes…" She replied softly. "I wanted to see how things are developing between him and Tohru."

"They're doing fine. They've got back together."

"Really? That's… good news."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"But, I do… it's just that, you know…" She dropped her head.

"I understand. You still love him."

She nodded.

"Kagura…" He lifted up her head and looked into her in the eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes and not too long ago, he found that she was very fine looking. "You've changed. You're becoming a lot more lady-like and you're beautiful."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are… and you'll be able to forget him. Give yourself some time; time will help ease your heartache." He smiled. "A pretty girl like you will not stay available for too long. I'm sure that there are many guys out there that would welcome you with open arms."

"You think so…?"

"I do."

She took a deep breath. "Thank you." She managed a smile, "I don't want to hold you up any longer. You look like you need to be somewhere important, so you should leave. You don't want to be late."

"Yes, that's right. I don't want to have her wait for me."

"Her?"

"Oh… I've forgot. I hadn't mentioned it to you yet. I'm going out with Ms. Hanajima. She is a classmate from school and also a very good friend of Tohru. We've been seeing each other."

"I see… I'm happy for you… you've found someone…"

He patted her on the shoulder to give her support. "And, so will you…"

"Someday…"

"I guess I'll see you again tomorrow. I'll introduce her to you then."

"Okay, tomorrow then." She waved goodbye and as she watched him disappeared into the distance; she stood there for a moment, "If Kyo and Tohru are back together, then… I should… I shouldn't be bothering them now. I'll give them my blessing at the wedding." She took in another deep breath and walked home.

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Back in the house, Tohru and Kyo had finished their breakfast. Tohru cleaned the table with Kyo's help. While she was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes, she spaced off and let the water run. It overfilled the sink and layered the kitchen floor.

"Tohru!" Kyo stopped the running faucet.

"O… I'm sorry." She woke up and realized what happened. She grabbed the kitchen towels and mop to clean up the mess right away.

"What's wrong? What's bothering you?" He asked.

"Shigure… he said that he'll be back today, but…"

"It's still early, maybe in the afternoon. Don't worry; the wedding is tomorrow, so he should be back before then."

"I know, but… I'm just too nervous. What if he doesn't come back?"

"Don't worry…" Kyo said as he helped her with the damped towels. "I know! Let's go out for the rest of the day, so that we could get our minds out of here. Come to think of it, we had never been on a date before have we?"

"No." She replied with a little redness on her cheeks.

"Then, we should. I'll put these towels in the laundry for you and we should get ready to go out… on our first date."

"Okay…" She replied shyly. "Where do you want to go?"

"No, where do you want to go?" He repeated her question. For him, he could careless where they're going; it didn't matter as long as he was with her, then he'll go just about anywhere.

"I only want to be with you. It doesn't matter where we go." She replied.

"I was just thinking the same."

They both smiled.

"Okay, then we'll start with walking and where ever our feet take us that is where we'll go." He suggested.

"That's sound good."

They both went upstairs to clean up and dressed. When they came back down, each of them was wearing a bright and somewhat shy smile.

The weather was warm and the sky was clear, both Tohru and Kyo dressed lightly. First, they found themselves walking through the town's central park admiring the trees, fountains and the playful children playing in the grass. They found a spot under a nice sturdy tree with lots of shade. Tohru sat beside her beloved, leaning her head against his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her. All they did was sitting, not much as a word was spoken, yet both hearts were at peace.

Later, they had lunch at an outdoor restaurant and then found themselves passing by a pet shop. Tohru, instantly dragged Kyo into the shop. "Ooohhh… look at them. They're so cute!"

He looked at a couple of white bunnies with red eyes. "What is so cute about them?"

She picked one up onto her arm and ran her fingers on its back. "They're so soft and cuddly." She held it by its arms and showed it to Kyo, but he frowned, so she put it back into its cage.

Then she pulled him over the little brown, fuzzy hamsters in the cages, "Aren't they adorable?"

He stared at the creatures, "They looked like that damn rat to me, but with yellow hair."

"Oh, Kyo… don't you like animals?"

"No, not really." He replied bluntly.

"What about cats? You like them… don't you?" She took his hand and followed the purring sounds to the back of the shop. "Here they are! Kittens! They're my favorite." She exclaimed as she pet the little animals.

"Why are they you're favorites?"

"Because…" She turned around and gave Kyo a big and tight hug. "First, it's because they are so cute. Second, because of the Chinese Zodiac; you know about all the stories about how the cat was tricked and never had a chance to join the other animals in the banquet. I've always pity the cat and wished that I could be there for him. And, the most important reason of all is you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you… they always remind me of you."

"Tohru…" He whispered.

"I've been very happy these last couple of days. I wish that I can always be with you like this… forever."

"Me, too…" He held her tighter. "…and you know what?"

"Hmm?"

"I do like cats…"

"I knew you do…" She whispered into his chest.

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They came home late that evening with bags of groceries to prepare some chicken curry. After a long day, Tohru and Kyo decided to have something easy and fast to make. Kyo helped her dunk the chicken and curry sauce together while she chopped the carrots and potatoes. It didn't take long for Tohru to cook and mixed all the ingredients together.

Dinner was ready and set and Yuki joined them at the table.

"Hmm… this looks good. I hadn't had curry for a while." Yuki said.

"Yes, me too, and Kyo suggested it. He even helped with the cooking." Tohru replied.

"He did, huh? Well, let's eat then."

"I'M HOME!" Shigure announced as he walked in wearing his formal suit. "Wow! Dinner! I'm so hungry!" He welcomed himself at the table.

"Look who decided to drop in." Kyo sneered.

"Hey, I live here too." Shigure replied.

"Then where have you been the past few days?" Kyo asked.

"Like, I said in my note; I had to attend an author convention oversea."

"Do you think that we would believe that?" Yuki asked.

"Why not? I would never lie."

"Yeah, right… like the time you said that Yuki and I were sick." Kyo mocked.

"That wasn't a lie. You guys were sick… love sick…" He teased.

"Hgh… there is no use to talk sense to him." Yuki sighed.

Shigure ignored his cousins and addressed Tohru. "I am so tired after my long trip. Tohru, darling… can you get me something to eat? Please… I'm SO hungry…" Shigure asked.

"Sure, here you go." She replied and gave him a serving.

"Hmm… curry, they're the best!"

While he enjoyed his food, Tohru thought that this was her chance to tell him about Kyo. "Shigure…"

"Yeah."

"I need to tell you something… it's about the wedding." She said timidly.

"Oh, yeah… that. I wanted to talk to you about this too." He replied. "I…" he hesitated "You see Aya and I…" Tohru was looking straight at him. "How should I say this? I cannot…"

"SHIGURE!" Ayame interrupted the conversation as he stormed inside the house. "I've brought the outfits for you and Tohru. You guys didn't come by to pick them up and tomorrow is the day, so I thought that I would bring them over." He found everyone in the dinning room. "There you are…" He said as he entered the room, yet his foot was caught between the bags of the clothing and the door frame; he dropped his weight, "Ahh…" right on top of Shigure.

"Aya!" Shigure caught him, but then one of his elbows was pushed back and sunk right into his dinner.

"I'm sorry!" Aya apologized as he pulled himself up and laughed nervously. "At least, the outfits are safe."

"Are both of you okay?" Tohru cried.

"Ohhhh… My shirt. My fooood…" Shigure cried.

"I'm sorry. I'll get you clean up." Aya pulled Shigure away from the table and got him into the bathroom.

"Agh! Not again! That two idiots!" Kyo growled.

"I agree, for some odd reason, they always managed to get in the way whenever Tohru tried to talk about the wedding."

"Yeah…" She murmured.

They continued with dinner. Shigure changed. He and Ayame had dinner later after the others were done. Ayame finished his first and walked his empty portion to Tohru in the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry about earlier." He said to her as he gave her his plate to wash. "I was so careless. I should have been more careful then Shigu would be able to tell you about us."

She was concentrating on the dishes and the running water kept her attention away. She didn't hear a thing that Ayame was saying to her. She was more concern about telling Shigure about Kyo.

"Tohru?" He patted her on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh… I'm sorry." She replied. "I didn't mean to space off like that."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing really… it's just I'm nervous about the wedding tomorrow." She continued with her dishes while trying to figure out how to approach Shigure later. It was getting late, and she must tell him tonight.

"So… Tohru?" Ayame was still with her in the kitchen. "Are you really going through it with Shigure tomorrow? Isn't there someone else that you like more than him?" He asked nervously.

"Well, I… I do like…" She was about to say Kyo.

"Tohru." Shigure came into the kitchen as well. "Thank you for the delicious dinner. Can you please help me with this?" He gave her his plate to wash. She smile and nodded. "Aya…" He continued. "It's getting late. Are you going home soon?"

"Can I say here for tonight?" Ayame pleaded with his hands together right underneath his chin. "I'll not cause any more trouble. I want to stay so that tomorrow…" His voice dropped. "…I can help you and Tohru with your outfit and the… wedding."

Of course, Shigure couldn't deny Ayame's sad face. "Sure, that's a great idea."

"And… can I… share room with you tonight? Even if it's the last time…" Ayame shamefully looked away.

"Aya… you can always share room with me. Now, let's go and get that extra futon." Shigure replied. The two men left the kitchen and headed for bed.

'That's odd.' Tohru thought about their conversation just now and she could have sworn that she heard Ayame's voice changed.

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Soon after dinner, everyone settled into their bedroom. Tohru lied in bed, twisting and turning and cannot shut her eyes. Then all of a sudden, her door swung open and Kyo walked in. "Tohru…"

"Kyo?" She stood up.

"We must go now." He took her hand.

"Go where?"

"To that jerk's room."

"Do you mean Shigure?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"But, he and Ayame are sleeping and I don't want to disturb them." For some reason, she felt like giving those two men some room together. She didn't know why, but her intuition let her to believe so.

"Why? What about us? If we don't say it tonight then, you'll marry that jerk, tomorrow?"

"No, I couldn't."

"Then, let's go. You haven't had any luck with him, so I decided to talk to him for you."

"Kyo…" She melted into his concerned eyes. "Okay."

He walked her downstairs to find the main bedroom.

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While Kyo and Tohru were upstairs, Shigure and Ayame were downstairs; neither man could sleep either.

"How was your trip?" Ayame asked lying in his lover's arms.

"It was interesting. I'd met a couple of new writers and I'd even got a recognition award a being creative writer with exceptional abilities or something like that."

"That's good and I'd dropped off those papers for you. Your editor was crying when she got them."

"Yeah? Thanks… I was in a rush that morning and I wished that I was here to see her crying face. She's just so cute to watch."

"Cuter than me?"

"Aya…" He turned his lover over onto his back, brushed off all the hair that was covering his lover's face and admired his lover's glowing face. "You're the only one for me…" He leaned forward to warm his lover's cold lips.

"Shiggy…" Ayame moaned in their kiss as Shigure eat inside his mouth.

Apparently, the extra futon that they got was not necessary. Shigure continued to kiss his gorgeous lover and played with his long silky bright hair. He ran his fingers from the root of the hair and followed its length to the tip as he touched his way down to Ayame's waist and pulled the slender body closer to his limp. His kissed ran off to the side of Ayame's neck leaving trail of tiny kisses along the way.

Ayame tilted his head to give Shigure more access. "Shig…" He breathed.

Shigure continued to suck the soft sensitive skin around the neck and trailed into the center where he found the hollow indent of his lover. He slid his hand into his lover's yukata and split it opened leaving the pale chest and every inches of the front body exposed. "You're beautiful." He whispered as he tongued his kiss around the nipples.

Ayame arched his back in response to his lover's touch. "Shig… please… tell me then…" He managed between breaths.

"What?" He muttered at the soft skin as he pulled off his own yukata and buried it underneath the blanket as he shoved it away to the side to give him more space.

"About tomor… Row – o." He groaned as Shigure crept lower and only inches away from between his legs.

Shigure crawled back up to give Ayame a smile of assurance. "Don't worry I'll talk to her later…"

"SHIGURE!" Suddenly, Kyo kicked the door opened and there he and Tohru stood like statues staring at the two naked men inside.

The reckless entrance startled the two men in the room as they quickly grabbed their yukatas and put them back on. Kyo had already stepped in front of Tohru using his body as a shield to cover her from seeing the awkward scene.

"I could explain this." Shigure said as he walked up to the intruders.

"Like hell you do!" Kyo growled.

"This is what I tried to explain earlier at dinner."

Tohru stepped out to confront Shigure. "I kinda had this strange feeling about you and Ayame, but I didn't expect to see…" She said shyly as her face reddens.

"Yeah," he scratched his head, "It's hard to believe, but we've been like this for quite some time now."

"Since high school…" Ayame made a point.

"That long… It had never appeared to me that you and Aya were together. Why didn't you tell us?" She asked.

"It's complicated." Shigure replied.

"Like what?" Kyo mocked.

"Like the Sohma's curse, like we're cousin, and like same sex marriage are not allow in Japan." Ayame replied.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us sooner, so that we didn't have to go all this pain and heartache?" Kyo exclaimed.

"You know what my intention was went I proposed to Tohru. I got you and her together, but then she lost her memories. Aya being an idiot as he is; he had to go and tell her that she and I were engaged and to be married. I cannot break her heart and said that I love someone else." Shigure replied.

"So, is that why you didn't tell me about Aya? Because you're afraid that I might get hurt…" Tohru asked.

"Like you really care?" Kyo snarled.

"Of course, I do! I love Tohru too, but not as a spouse more like a sibling and I want to make sure that her health and well being is not harm in anyway." Shigure argued.

"We really do…" Ayame said. "Shigure and I tried to help Tohru to get closer to you and to help her to remember you. I recalled Shigu said that he sent you with Tohru to visit her mom's grave, but instead of getting you guys together, it backfired and put a bigger distance between the two of you. Then, I suggested the barbeque and fireworks. After that night, it appeared that you opened up to each other a little more, but still…"

"But still, it wasn't enough effort." Shigure completed the sentence and continued as he addressed Tohru, "Time flew as the wedding day came closer and closer, and I decided that I should tell you about Aya right after your school trip, but circumstances prevented it. I tried it again tonight, but like you had seen, it wasn't a success either." He took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"We both are." Ayame added.

"No, it's okay… you don't have to apologize. You and Ayame were both concerned about me because you both love me and I love you… my two great brothers."

"Tohru!" Kyo exclaimed. "You can't just forgive them just like that!"

She turned around to look at Kyo, "It's okay; everything and everyone is happy now… just like Shigure promised. He has Aya, Yuki has Hana and I have you." She reached for his hand and squeezed her fingers firmly as she addressed the two older men, "Shigure. Ayame. Please don't worry anymore… I've made my decision. I choose… I chose Kyo." She smiled graciously.

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Back Stage Discussion:

Smile: Okay, the final chappie is coming up next, but it's a short one. I don't have much left to write for this story.

Shigure: Wow, it's finally coming to an end. I cannot believe it.

Ayame: Neither, do I.

Smile: Me, too.

Tohru: Please update soon. I want to know what happens next.

Kyo: Yeah! Or else I'll kill you!