Enjoy Chapter five. Try to hold it together near the end.

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Kyo's Pov

Within a few seconds of closing my eyes it seems, I feel someone disturbing the water. Letting a sigh slip between my lips, I open my eyes. To my surprise, once my vision clears, I find I'm no longer in the bathtub, I'm back in my bedroom I had while living with Shigure, and in the same futon to boot.

Nothing appears to have been moved or thrown out, but this isn't as big of a surprise to me. The morning I left this room for the last time, I had no intention of running away, so I didn't pack a bag beforehand. I just ran.

I look back at the ceiling, feeling my head supported by the soft pillow. Something moves, I turn and look, only to find Shigure lightly tucking me in. He appears to be messing with my sheets and blanket, pulling them tight slightly. Looking up for a second, he notices I'm awake and smiles, his eyes a bit brighter.

"Well, looks like you've finally awoken from your cat nap Kyo." His eyebrows gather together, a slightly pained expression on his face. "Did I wake you? If I did, I'm sorry." He then sits down, putting his hands in his lap. "Though I'm a bit surprised if I did, you were sleeping well."

"Kind of did…" I yawn. "So, I fell asleep, what happened?"

"When Tohru called everyone down for dinner, we all got concerned when you didn't come since you're normally the first one down, so I went to check up on you. When I saw you asleep in the tub, I thought it best to take you to your room." My brow raises.

"How'd you get me here?"

"How'd you think? I carried you up here." Feeling my chest tighten, my body freezes. A blush creeps up on my face and ears as I slowly look under the covers, to find that I'm wearing a pair of clean long pants. I feel around the top part of me, finding out I'm also wearing a shirt. I let out a few heavy breaths. Shigure laughs slightly. "Relax, I dressed you after I got you in here, and I mean it isn't like we haven't seen each other naked before," I smirk.

"You've got a point there." A lump forms in the back of my throat. "What about…"

"To answer your question," he cuts me off. "No, Tohru didn't see you, I had you covered in the bathrobe. Apart from that, her back was turned, so there wasn't any way she could see anything you didn't want her too."

I look away for a second, being able to breathe easily. The corner of my eye catches something, I turn back. My eyes lock on a gold band on Shigure's left hand. My eyebrows raise, that wasn't there when I left.

"What have you been up to?" I shift my head up slightly. "Who'd you ask?" His gaze lowers towards the ring, all humor in his face gone.

"Oh. It's, uh…" His eyes flicker from the ring to me a few times, wrinkling his nose slightly. "It's Akito, I'm marrying Akito."

"Oh," is my only reply as his words register. Even though I wasn't ready for the answer, I still can't believe he'd pull that. "Congrats. Wow, this feels a bit embarrassing." Shigure's brow cocks.

"Why, what about this is embarrassing to you?"

"When you, Hatori, and Ayame would talk about your sexuality, I always assumed they were joking around, but it seems they weren't."

"Trust me Kyo, they were," he assures, "I'm as straight as an arrow."

"Then how does that work with you marrying Akito?" My question causes his head to tilt to the side.

"Wait, you actually think that… Oh." Something seems to click, his eyes brightening a little. He rubs the back of his neck. "Well, this is about to go from embarrassing to awkward. Then again I'm not surprised you're the last to know since you were already in your room when it got revealed." He pauses and looks at me, giving me full eye contact. "Kyo, Akito's actually a girl."

I'm at a loss for words.

"What?"

'it's true, she's kept her gender a secret up until recently. You were the only one she didn't tell."

"Why would she want to keep her gender a secret? It doesn't matter to me if she's female or not."

"Because Ren wanted it kept secret." He places his fingers against his temple, letting out a heavy sigh. "It'll be easier to explain if I start from the beginning." The man pauses for another moment and begins. "When Ren found out she was to have a daughter, she feared her husband would be stolen away from her. Because of this, she demanded the newborn be raised male, threatening to abort the child if otherwise."

"Hence the name Akito," I chime in. Shigure nods.

"Yes. The only ones who knew the truth were me, Hatori, Ayame, and Kureno."

"Hold on, how could you four possibly know?" Shigure's eye contact breaks, a blush spreading from his face and neck.

"This is where things get a bit weird, so try and keep an open mind." I nod. He takes in a breath. "On the night Akito was conceived, all four of us had dreams about her. To put it short, I basically fell in love with her while she was in the womb. On the day she was born, we were allowed into the room to welcome her. I don't know how else to describe it to you Kyo. It was magical" Shigure's face becomes ashen. "She was closer with Kureno than with me, Although I did comfort her while she was crying. Due to Kureno's closer bond with Akito, I grew to hate him, but it all came to a head the night when... "

"When what?"

"We both made mistakes. When Kureno was about sixteen, Akito slept with him, though I didn't know why at the time." His gaze lowers shamefully, like a kid who's knowingly done something wrong, "In retaliation, I slept with Ren." I cringe again. "Yeah, you could say that drove a bit of a wedge between us. She started keeping Kureno under lock and key and I moved out of the main house."

"What happened with Kureno to make Akito want to guard him so closely?"

"Well, Kyo…" He trails off, looking as if he's choking on his next words. "The circumstances are not important. The point is, over time, we grew back together. Of course, it did help a bit when Yuki came to live with me." Shigure lifts his chin, exposing his neck slightly. "Then about a month, month and a half ago, when we were alone, I brought out a ring and popped the question," he smiles a bit. "After Akito had said yes, she admitted to me that despite all I had done, I was the one she was most afraid to lose."

'Well, the first part of your tale has confirmed one thing I've always known," I turn my head away, staring back up towards the ceiling. "Our family's screwed up." Shigure throws his head back, laughing loud and long without holding anything back, I wait for him to stop before continuing. "Regardless, congratulations." He bows slightly.

"Thank you."

I think back earlier tonight. That must've been the reason Akito was hiding his, her left hand from me, she was worried I might see the ring and make the connection. I look at Shigure from the corner of my eye without moving my head much at all.

"When's the wedding?"

"Next week."

That must be it, what's really been going on. All the meetings with Akito were to discuss the details of the upcoming wedding. Of course, that doesn't explain why I've been let out of the cat's room. Maybe she wants me there since it might look out of place if I don't attend and she's given me a week to look presentable.

Then again, would it even matter to anyone if the cat didn't show up?

No. I mentally shake my head. No, this has to be Shigure's doing, that's got to be it. He wants me out for some reason, so Akito granted it. Whatever reasoning it is, I'm grateful. No matter how dreadful it might turn out in the end, I'll be sure to enjoy this small second chance of freedom. I turn my head back to face him.

"Shigure."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for getting me out of the Cat's Room for a few days. Whatever you have planned for me, just know I'm grateful to you." His eyebrow arches again.

"Firstly, I don't have anything planned for you. Secondly, this isn't a temporary arrangement. Hatori and Kazuma discussed this as you came in, you're never going back to that room," he says this with such seriousness, I can't help but believe what he says. It's as if a balloon deflates from inside me. "thirdly, though I'm flattered you're grateful to me, I'm not the one who gave you your freedom, Yuki did." My stomach flips.

"That's not, it can't be…"

"It's true," replies Shigure. "The boy's been hounding Akito for your release for weeks, not long after you were locked up. Then about two weeks ago while going through the Sohma family archive, he stumbled across something that had been long forgotten, just because it's never happened before. Last night, however, it became a reality, and thus you were able to get out."

"But why, why me?" I ask. "Why would he fight so hard to get me out? I'm the cat, he's the rat, we're enemies."

"That I don't know," there's a quick flicker in his eye, "Though I may have an idea." My stomach drops and I get a sour taste in my mouth, this time for real.

"Is the Rat done eating. I want to get this over with and thank him before I get on with my life."

"Yes, he is," Shigure replies, "But Yuki thought it best if he'd wait to talk to you in the morning, he'll explain everything then." My eyebrows raise and draw together, wanting to find out for myself.

"What did the rat find, Shigure?" I ask again, "What's going on with the cursed Soma's?"

"I'm not the one to tell you Kyo, but…" He puts a hand up to his ear. "Hey, something tells me Tohru's about to come upstairs to bring your dinner up to you." Just as the words leave his mouth, I hear them too. Small footsteps, light, and airy coming up the stairs. My eyes gleam slightly, lungs becoming breathless.

"She is? I would've thought she would've never wanted to talk to me again after what I did."

"No." He shakes his head, starting to get up from the floor. "Not our Tohru, she was actually the one most affected when you ran off. Did you notice there were still four plates at the table? I should let you know, that isn't a one-time occurrence.' Shigure starts to walk away, leaving my head swirling.

''Shigure," my mouth blurts out before I can stop it. He gets to the door and stops. "Why did you and Tohru sneak me that hot bowl of food?" He opens the door and turns his head back to face me.

"To keep her from going insane."

Shigure walks out, leaving the door slightly ajar. Shortly after, I hear his footsteps stop along with a few muttered words.

"He's all yours, good luck." 'Shigure's footsteps start up again, getting lower while the light footsteps get louder as she approaches. My chest tightens again.

I can't believe after all this time I'm going to finally get to reunite with Tohru, I'll be able to see her delightful smile in person instead of just in my dreams and thoughts. Excitement quickly turns to nervousness, my body suddenly tensing. What if, despite what Shigure said, she's still upset with me for running from her? From inside my chest, my heart rate quickens against my ribcage. What if she blames me for her mother's death and doesn't want to be together?

I hear the steps stop outside my room. Taking a breath in, all the emotions and thoughts stop at once, only listening to my heartbeat through my ears. After a few seconds, the door slowly opens. I avert my gaze.

"Kyo?"

Her sweet voice chimes around the room along with the mouthwatering scent of whatever she has for me to eat. Slowly, I lift my head to look across the room at her. She looks just as she did the last time I saw her, except her hair's back to normal. Her eyes are slightly red and blinking rapidly. In her hands, she holds a small bowl with a spoon.

For a moment, she stands just inside my doorway. Tohru's face shifts to one of determination, her jaw set, and gaze alert. She walks into the room, her eyes not leaving me. Using my pillow, I prop myself up, my heart still beating rapidly in my chest. She sits down beside my futon, I try to reach for the bowl, arms feeling as though they're made from lead. Tohru shakes her head.

"No, I'll do it." I cross my arms over my chest, my chest becoming even tighter.

"You know I don't…"

"I know you don't like being fussed over," she says in her kindhearted way. Her brows then furrow, eyes giving me strong contact. "But you were also the one who told me, it was okay for me to be selfish every once in a while, all I'd have to do is ask," she responded with the direct tone she used when discussing colds. "Well I'm trying to be selfish for once, why won't you let me."

She's got me there; I did tell her that once. I remember because that was the first time I grabbed her hand and led her home. Come to think of it, she isn't trying to do this out of pity, she's trying to do this because she wants to, but still… Tohru's chuckle snaps me out of my thoughts, I look at her.

"By the looks of it, your body's not wanting to move much from the futon anyway." She smiles, and my chest releases, sending a flood of heat through my body.

Because I've been without a bed for three months, it seems part of my upper half and most of my lower half has become glued to the soft mattress, mostly my back and shoulders. I let out a slow sigh.

"Alright," I reply, "but I get to hold the bowl. "

She situates herself, sliding the bowl over to me. I take it gingerly, the heat from the contents warming my hands. Looking down I discover it's filled with a goldish brown liquid. Tohru fills the spoon and brings it close to my face. Without meaning to, I wrinkle my nose. Tohru halts her advance.

"Oh no, don't worry, there aren't any chives in this," she informs me like she could read my mind. "This is mainly vegetable broth, but I also boiled down some chicken to give it a little extra flavor."

My lips part and Tohru slides the spoon in, the taste of the broth exploding inside my mouth. I swallow as she takes the spoon away, feeling the warmth run down my throat. I let out a slight moan, finally feeling the pains of hunger subside from my stomach slightly.

"This is nice of you," I admit.

"Well, you made rice porridge for me once when I was sick…"

"And you brought me hot food while I was in the Cat's Room, you're two for one." My insides suddenly ball up, my throat becoming thick. My eyebrows raise and she looks at me, her eyes set, leaning back slightly. "I'm sorry about what happened with your mom." She shakes her head in disapproval but I continue, "I should've just pushed her out of the street and risked the transformation, but I…"

I don't notice the tear, only feeling it run down my face. Tohru being Tohru lightly places her hand to my face, wiping it away.

"Kyo…"

"And I'm sorry I ran from you. It's just, bad things always seem to happen to me when I let people in and when your confession came, I was so overcome with my emotions, I dealt with it the only way I knew how," I feel my abdomen start to quiver, eyes going blurry. "I never meant to hurt you or master," I start to sob slightly, unable to stop it. "I just did what I thought was best…"

"Shh," her actions calm me a bit. "We'll talk about this later, as for what happened with mom, that's water under the bridge. All is forgiven," the grin on her face gets slightly wider. "As for right now, I think it's time for you to have another bite.

I oblige, taking in another spoon of broth and feel my body relax once again, this time from the emotional release.

A/N Thank you all for reading the fifth chapter of Locked up But Not Locked Away, hoped you liked it. Yay Kyo and Tohru have finally reunited. Writing this chapter was a bit nervewracking, trying to keep both of them in character. Something to note about this Chapter. If Tohru sounds a bit OOC, it's because since Kyo ran off she's been fighting a little battle herself and is going through a bit of a transformation of her own.

What Kind of transformation do you think Tohru's going through?

What do you think is happening to the cursed Sohma's? (Last chance to answer)

What do you think is going to happen next?

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