"Damnit!"
Kyou spoke to himself, hearing the school bell ring. He was still outside, rushing towards the entrance doors in his new shoes. The school doors flew open with one single push from his hands, sliding along the floor and nearly falling, but he had caught himself. He wished he could have sat to catch his breath, but there was no time for that! Without noticing, Kyou ran right past Yuki, opening the door to his class with heavy breaths escaping from his lips.

"Ah, Kyou Sohma."
The teacher spoke in a rather happy tone, watching Kyou enter, but the smile soon faded into something more annoyed.
"You're late."
And without letting the boy explain, Kyou was sent to the hallway to hold buckets of water within each hand.

Kyou let out an angered sigh and set out to do as he was told.

"Stupid cat. Late again as always."
Came a soft voice. It was Yuki, and he too was holding buckets of water within his hands.

"You're late too!"
Kyou yelled, pointing towards Yuki while holding onto the buckets, gritting his teeth and nearly growling.
"You damn rat."

Yuki simply shook his head, setting one of the buckets on the floor and taking the other to splash the water on Kyou.
"I'm not nearly as late as you are. I tried to be nice and offered to wake you up and bring you to school with me, but you just declined."

Kyou's eyes shot open, feeling the water being thrown at him. He was now dripping wet and heard the laughter of two freshman girls. Obviously laughing at him.
"Hey!"
He hissed, giving Yuki a glare, but his face soon softened, hearing the words that were about to come out of Yuki's lips.

"The school year is almost over.."
Yuki spoke in a hushed tone, giving Kyou a smile.

"Yeah.."
Kyou said bluntly, ringing the water out from his shirt then flicking his hands out to the sides to get the water droplets off.

That school day seemed to go by so fast for the two boys, but now they had to walk home in the rain. They took their time at their lockers, grabbing their things and filling their backpacks. They both left the school as the same time, and Kyou finally realized that it was raining. He smacked his forehead.
"I forgot my umbrella yet again.."

An umbrella soon hit Kyou in the chest, Yuki looking to him.
"Luckily I brought one for you. I swear. You'd forget your own head if it wasn't screwed on.. stupid cat."
He added in at the last minute, taking out an extra umbrella for himself.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."
Kyou rolled his eyes, and opened his umbrella. His first step out into the rain was into a small mud puddle. What were the chances.
"Agh! My new shoes!"
Kyou heard Yuki let out a small laugh and the two of them began to walk home together, Kyou now smiling faintly. He then thought to himself. Why would Yuki bring an extra umbrella? Had Kyou come across Yuki's thoughts that morning before school? He was surprised, but at the same time, he was happy.

"Welcome home!"
Shigure sung out loud as the two boys entered the home. He was in such a cheerful mood, and there wasn't a specific reason as to why.

The boy's both blinked, looking to Shigure. Kyou cocked one of his eyebrows, crossing his arms.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shigure put his hand at the back of his head.
"Nothing! Although me not having to make supper tonight may be a cause of my joyous behavior."
The man grinned, looking towards Yuki.

"B-But I did it yesterday!"
Yuki yelled, but even his yells weren't all that loud.

"Ah, but you forgot that it was my turn yesterday. Therefore, you took my turn in an offer of kindness and now it is your turn once more."
He spoke, a smile remaining on his lips.

Yuki glared towards Shigeru.
"You told me it was my turn yesterday."

Shigure laughed and stood himself up.
"And I lied."
He said quickly and casually left the room, calling towards Yuki.
"I'd get started if I were you!"

Kyou grinned, walking past Yuki.
"I don't mind helping you.."
He spoke under his breath. It was quiet, yet loud enough for Yuki to hear. After all, he wouldn't have offered if Yuki couldn't have heard him.

Yuki was quite surprised. Why was he offering? That wasn't like him.
"If.. you really want to.. I guess.."
He stuttered while his violet eyes looked up to Kyou's and soon shifted away. The two of them headed towards the kitchen, to whip something up. They emerged from the kitchen, placing the food down on the table.

"You're kidding."
Shigure said in a sigh, putting his elbow on the table and resting his cheek within his hand.
"Rice and wieners? How boring."

"You could have cooked something yourself."
Yuki spoke with a faint grin.

Kyou smiled as well, watching Shigure let out another sigh. It didn't take long for everyone to finish their dinner, and as usual there wasn't much to do afterwards.
"I'm heading to bed. G'night."
Kyou raised a hand and wandered up the stairs.

Yuki nodded.
"I'll do the same.."
He followed after Kyou and his foot was caught on one of the stairs and he tripped, falling forwards.

"My my."
Shigure spoke to himself, sitting in the empty room.
"It seems that I'm alone once again."

"Watch it ya damn rat!"
Kyou yelled to Yuki, them both laying upon the stairs, close to the top.

Yuki was laying on top of Kyou now, a soft blush appearing upon his cheeks.
"I didn't mean to.."
He started, but Kyou soon cut him off.

"Ah, don't worry about it."
He averted his eyes, his cheeks turning a soft pink.
"You can get off me now ya know."
He told Yuki. It was odd. He actually didn't mind if Yuki decided to stay where he was or not. But he didn't say that out loud of course. A small part of him regretted telling the boy to get off.

"Sorry.."
Yuki whispered softly, picking himself up and walking up the stairs. He offered Kyou a hand, looking away.

Kyou took the boy's hand and pulled himself up. For a moment, they both held onto each other's hand, wondering when the other would let go. He soon felt Yuki pull his hand back quickly, looking up at him with his red eyes.

"I'm sorry!"
He apologized quickly. What's wrong with you? He asked himself, quickly turning and heading for his room.

"Thanks."
Kyou said towards Yuki as the boy started to walk away. He smiled and headed off to his room.

Yuki blushed faintly, standing in front of the door, which lead to his room. He turned around quickly and responded,
"You're wel..come.."
Yuki began with a cheerful voice, but it ended up being quite soft and almost upset. When he turned around he had noticed that Kyou was already in his room. You idiot! He scolded himself in his head, entering his room.
"That stupid cat.."
He spoke to himself. He stripped down, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing them to the floor. He unbuckled his belt and let his pants fall to his ankles, soon slipping into his bed with only his boxers on.

Yuki tossed and turned in the middle of the night, his eyes shut tightly. He gripped onto the blanket that rested over him, letting out a few groans, a bit of sweat on his forehead.

Kyou was awake at that same moment. He couldn't sleep, too many things were on his mind. He could hear some noises coming fro Yuki's room and he was curious, even concerned. He stepped out of his bed, walking out his door and knocking a few times on Yuki's door. When he heard nothing he proceeded inside, spotting Yuki right away.
"Yuki?"
Kyou spoke in a loud whisper. He sat at the edge of his bed, giving Yuki's shoulder a shake.
"Yuki. Wake up!"

Yuki's eyes shot open, quickly darting towards Kyou, gripping onto the boy's bare arm. His breathing was heavy and he felt so hot. He was shocked to see Kyou in his room. But even more shocked to see how caring he was about be.

"Everything's alright.."
He whispered, feeling Yuki's grip on his arm. He brushed a few stray hairs out from Yuki's eyes, gazing down on him with his own red eyes.
"It was just a dream.. Nothing more."

"Stay.."
The word escaped from Yuki's mouth, surprised that it slipped out. How embarrassing, Kyou was going to think he was some sort of pervert.

"Normally I'd say no. But I suppose I could.. Just tonight.."
He smiled, laying himself down with Yuki and sharing the same blanket as Yuki.

He blushed softly. How could this have been happening? That whole day was so out of the ordinary. For the first time ever, Yuki felt feelings for Kyou. And Kyou seemed to be so kind.
"Thank you.."
Yuki smiled softly, resting his head back down on the pillow. He tried not to remember his nightmare, and simply thought of something else. From time to time he thought of Kyou.

Kyou's eyes looked over to Yuki.
"Man that kid sleeps fast.."
He spoke in almost a grin, rolling onto his side.
"Sure does look cute though.."
His eyes closed eventually, drifting off to sleep.

"Yuki! Kyou! Wakey wakey!"
Shigure yelled out happily from the bottom of the stairs, soon walking up.

Yuki's eyes shot open at the sound of his name.
"Oh no."
He looked over to Kyou, still asleep. I can't let him see me with that damn cat. He thought to himself, pushing Kyou off the one side of the bed so no one could see him. That is if he remained there, silent.

"What the-"
Kyou started, his face soon meeting with the floor, followed by a loud thud.

"What the hell was that for! Damn rat!"

"Shigure's coming, so be quiet!"
Yuki said rather harshly, grabbing Kyou's pillow and throwing it down at Kyou's face. His eyes quickly shot towards the door, watching it open ever so slowly. He quickly looked to Kyou then back to where Shigure was about to enter. Good. Shigure won't notice him.

"It's almost eleven so I figured I'd wake you and Kyou up. Such a lovely day shouldn't be wasted."

Shigure smiled, his arms crossed as he spoke, standing within the doorway.

"You're right! So, uhm, why don't you go work on that new book you're starting."
Yuki told him, wanting Shigure to leave as soon as possible.

"Oh right. I haven't actually started yet."
He laughed, putting his hand behind his head and leaving the room.

Kyou heard the door shut and Yuki's sigh. He stood up quickly making a mad dash for his room. He grabbed one of the shirts from his room, pulling it over his head and slipping his arms through the other holes. His room was right across from Yuki's and he simply looked over to the boy through the opening of the two doors.

Yuki smiled softly watching Kyou dash to his room. His cheeks turned a soft pink when he saw Kyou looking over to him. Why was Yuki watching Kyou dress himself? He looked away quickly, but then looked back, watching Kyou stand at his doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Let's go outside. We can talk about that dream of yours."
Kyou spoke kindly, gazing over to Kyou with soft eyes. He even surprised himself for being so kind. It was hard for him.

Yuki nodded.

"Just.. Give me a second.."

He spoke softly, taking one of the shirts from his closet and putting his arms through his, buttoning up each button slowly. He took a pair of black pants and stepped into each leg, doing up the button and fly. He looked up to Kyou, soon heading out the door and downstairs, knowing Kyou was close behind him. He wandered into the yard and sat himself down near a few sakura trees, speaking softly,

"It was about Tohru again."

Kyou sat next to him, a soft sigh coming from his lips.

"Mind telling it to me again?"

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In Yuki's dreams, Tohru was always running, always out of his reach.

"Miss Honda! Wait for me, please!"

He yelled, fearing for her safety. He continued to run, but he seemed to get tired quite easily. Why did his asthma have to kick in right then?

"Miss Honda! Don't leave me, I need you!"

He continued to yell, tears forming in his eyes. He had such strong feelings for Tohru, and after what had happened to her outside of Yuki's dream had left him heart broken.

"Let me help you! You don't have to leave us!"

"Bye, Yuki.."

Tohru spoke back to him and she suddenly disappeared into plain sight, Yuki's expression was filled with concern, sadness, and confusion.

But this time, unlike the other dreams, Kyou had showed up to comfort him. But Yuki left that part out.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuki finished explaining, looking to Kyou.

"I know you felt the same way about her, Kyou. But why am I the only one with these dreams? "
He sighed softly, looking out in front of himself.

"It must be guilt. There's no other reason. There must have been something I could have done to-"

"I do miss her."
Kyou spoke loudly, watching Yuki with an emotionless look on his face.

"She made me realize that I really wasn't alone in life. That just because I was left out of the zodiac family, didn't mean that I was left out with others. And now she's gone. I too wish there was something I could have done to help her, to save her. But there was nothing we could have done!"

Kyou's voice was loud once more, running his fingers through his bright orange hair.

"She was too sick. The doctors couldn't help her. Not even Hatori could do anything. But she's with her parents now. She'd want us to be happy. She would want us to take her lessons with us, Yuki.."

Yuki nodded. He finally understood it all better. Who knew that Kyou could be so sensitive? Yuki gave him a thankful smile, tears still streaming down his cheeks. What he was about to do next surprised them both, but more Kyou than Yuki. He had wrapped his arms tightly around Kyou's chest, tears staining on Kyou's red shirt.
"I miss her!"

Kyou's eyes widened, staring down at Yuki.

"Me too.."

He slowly placed his hand on top of Yuki's head, over his dark gray hair. Why was the rat being so kind to him? Was he sick? He took the thought out from his mind, his fingers flipping through the boy's lovely hair. It felt odd to be holding a boy within his arms, let alone anyone at all. But at the same time, it felt so right.

"I know how you feel.."
He spoke, still thinking. Kyou was only acting how he always wished to be treated. Thanks to Tohru, he learned that others happiness mattered most. Although he still caused arguments.

The more he thought about it, Yuki became more glad that she caused him and Kyou to come together. That meant one more friend for each of them. But he also wondered if the two of them would gain something more than friendship. There was no way. They were the cat and mouse. But still,

"I'm sorry.. For acting like this.."

Yuki released his arms from Kyou, lifting his head to look at him. His eyes widened softly, seeing Kyou's face right in front of his, which brought a shade of red to his cheeks.

Kyou blushed immensely. Whenever things like this happened, he could always feel the presence of Tohru. It was as if she was pushing them closer together. Kyou wasn't sure about anything anymore. They were both boys, and never thought of being with the same gender. Though it would have worked out wonderfully. They wouldn't have to change into their zodiac animal if they ever embraced each other. Could the cat and mouse ever truly be happy together? Why are you even thinking about this! Yuki looked so cute and Kyou simply couldn't help himself. Kyou leaned closer, his lips meeting with Yuki's. He began to kiss the boy with a great amount of passion. This was Kyou's first kiss ever given.

Yuki's eyes went wide. He was stunned, but he didn't reject it. He submitted into his kiss, letting it linger for a few more moments before allowing his tongue to slip inside Kyou's mouth, parting both of their lips with his eyes now closed. He slid his tongue along Kyou's, letting their tongues dance together.

Kyou's lips curved upwards only slightly, smiling faintly as they kissed. He eventually pulled away, breaking the kiss with regret. He didn't want it to end, but he didn't want to risk getting caught, and he was sure that Yuki felt the same.

"You damn rat.."

He said this with a warm smile, gazing down into Yuki's violet eyes while he brushed his hand gently against Yuki's flushed cheek.

"What's this?"
Shigure spoke to himself with interest, standing near one of the entrances to the yard. He had seen the boy's kiss and was rather intrigued.

"Akito would be interested to hear this.. But.."
Shigure kept his eyes on the two. He didn't want to ruin things for them, or cause any pain for Yuki. This was a rather tough decision indeed.

"To tell Akito, to not tell Akito.."
He spoke to himself, moving away from the entrance, wandering on the inside. Akito could find out that Shigure would have been lying to him if he didn't mention Kyou and Yuki's kiss. But that would cause pain for himself. Then again, Shigure was the loyal type after all.