A/N: Hey guys! I apologize for taking a little while to update again, but I did say in the author's note that it might take me a while to get back into the swing of things… and it did! (sweatdrop) Anyway, I want to thank all of you who took the time to review. Thanks to you guys, I've decided to go ahead and pick up from where I've left off... so, before I bore you further, here's my waaay past overdue chapter! Hope you enjoy it. (crosses fingers)

Oh yeah, ONE QUICK THING: If you guys haven't looked at my profile, you should! I'm going to use that to let you guys know how the story is going.

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Finals week had finally come to an end, but since finals were out of Kyou's list of things to worry about, he now focused solely on panicking over the play later that night. They'd had a rehearsal the day before, right after the finals for that day had completed. This was to ensure that the students participating in the play would have enough time to study for the finals on the following day as well. Whoever had the idea to have the play at the end of finals week should have been shot, in Kyou's opinion. Or kicked, at the very least. He was certain that even Mr. Ayame Hamasaki would have agreed with him. Anyway, the rehearsal went okay. Kyou figured that his performance was mediocre at best - but completely horrible when compared to Tohru and everyone else's abilities. At that point, he could only hope that his nerves wouldn't get the best of him during the actual performance. Of course, knowing him, he'd probably forget half of his lines, go out of character, trip. There were hundreds of ways the play could go wrong, and all because of him. Akito and Haru would be there, no doubt, watching him and laughing the whole time. The thought of them pissed him off.

"AGHH DAMMIT!" Kyou shouted, slamming a fist into the ground.

Tohru had, at that moment, been wandering out of a nearby classroom and saw Kyou nearby, sitting back against a tree in the yard. His face was a tad red, and his fist was still pressing firmly into the grass surrounding him. Her cheerful disposition changed to a concerned one, and she approached him soundlessly.

"Kyou?" She asked with uncertainty. "What's wrong?"

His crimson eyes shifted upward and met with Tohru's concerned blue ones. His hard expression softened a little at the sight of her and he immediately removed his fist from the ground, shaking it loosely to rid it of dirt. "Ehh..." He began with a sigh, looking back down at his hand and brushing off the tiny specks of dirt that still clung to it. "It's nothin... I was just thinking is all."

"What were you thinking about?" Tohru asked curiously, lowering herself to sit in the grass across from him.

Although he wasn't planning on really answering, he wouldn't have had the chance to anyway. Uo and Hana had spotted the pair, and while Hana remained silent, Uo heartily waved at the two as they headed over. "Hey, Tohru, orange top! What're you two doing out here?" The blond called.

Tohru's attention was quickly diverted and she turned towards Uo and Hana, waving at them while grinning widely. "Hi! Did you guys just finish too?"

Hana slowly lowered herself to the ground, tucking her calves neatly beneath her thighs and resting her hands in her lap, while Uo gracelessly plopped to the ground, legs outstretched. "Yep!" The latter said, stretching her arms out. "And I couldn't be happier!"

"Uo has a good feeling about her results this semester." Hana commented matter-of-factly.

"There's that, and there's also the fact that winter break is here at last!"

Hana stared dully up at the sky. "But it doesn't really feel like winter is coming, does it?" She asked, noticing how the sky was still basically cloudless, and the air, while somewhat chilly, wasn't cold enough to be considered winter weather.

"Yeah, well, we still got a couple weeks to go before it's officially winter, anyway. It'll probably start cooling off by then."

Tohru smiled at them while Kyou, sitting there with a bored, placid expression on his face, really didn't care.

"Are you guys gonna see the play tonight?" Tohru asked.

Hana slowly nodded while Uo provided enough enthusiasm for herself and Hana. "HELL yeah! We'll be there in the front row, and if we can't get in the front row, well, I'LL show the people sitting there who's boss!"

Kyou rolled his eyes at this.

"Kyou? You don't look very happy." Tohru commented.

"WHY WOULD I look happy?! I'm sitting here trying NOT to worry about the damn play, and you guys are blabbering on about it!"

Uo cocked a brow at him and clicked her tongue. "Touchy."

Hana watched Kyou curiously. "He doesn't feel ready for the play tonight."

Kyou twitched. Hana's psychic abilities still creeped the hell out of him. Of course, what he didn't know was that it didn't take a psychic to figure out how worried he was about the play. Tohru could tell, but she knew that touching on the subject would only upset him. It was brought up already, though, and she also knew that anyone could benefit from encouraging words.

She touched him lightly on the arm, and with a genuine smile, said reassuringly, "You'll do a great job, Kyou! You've improved a lot over the past few weeks, you know."

His eyes widened a smidgen and he felt his face redden. Whether the blush was from Tohru's hand on his arm, the kind words she had said, or a mixture of the two, he didn't know, but he lowered his head and mumbled out the first thing that came to mind. "Don't lie. I know how pathetic my acting is."

She shook her head furiously. "No, no, no! I'm being completely truthful! You're doing great, just wonderfully!"

He shook his head too – she had to be exaggerating – but he didn't look up. He would die before he let them see his red face.

Uo tossed Hana a knowing glance, raising her eyebrows at the exchange between Kyou and Tohru. Hana's eyes betrayed no emotions, but her lips tugged upwards slightly to form a hint of a smile.

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No more than a half hour later, Kyou and Tohru had parted ways with Uo and Hana, who had claimed to have errands to run. Tohru, meanwhile, had somehow convinced Kyou to finally go with her to the hospital. He assumed that she was going there to visit Kenji as well, but he would soon learn that, while that was partially true, there was another person she wanted to visit.

He had never verbally admitted to Tohru how horrible he felt that he was partly to blame for Kenji's current condition. But she asked him a question as they walked to the hospital.

"Kyou?"

"Yeah?" He replied.

"I know this might be a touchy subject, and you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable, but… what happened with Kenji on that night?"

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. He knew he could trust Tohru, so he began the story.

Despite the pool stunt not being his idea – or an idea he wanted to go along with to begin with – he still did nothing to stop it, and he knew that that was just as good as pushing Kenji off the roof himself.

"Yeah, Kenji didn't jump. He was pushed. The reasoning behind it all was stupid, though." Kyou commented, scratching at the back of his neck before continuing. "Kenji was apparently more gutsy than most of the people at the school. Well, it was either that, or he was just plain stupid. Anyway, I bet even you know about Akito's bad rep." He said, looking at Tohru for the first time since they'd started walking. She nodded.

Akito had a bad reputation, consisting mainly of a history of violence. People found it hard to believe at first, because he wasn't what you'd call muscular… he was actually very scrawny, almost sickly looking. He had a temper, though – a very, very short one. Rub him the wrong way and he'd want to destroy you, to put it bluntly. People didn't mess with him. They chose instead to avoid him. Kenji, on the other hand… he was something else. He was the top student of their class, and very well known at the school. Akito, as ridiculous as it sounded, had commanded – not asked, commanded – Kenji to do a project for him, throwing in the typical threats, should Kenji disagree. Kenji had, to Akito's surprise, disagreed, and Akito told him to come to the school later that night. Kenji, never one to take the coward's way out, had shown up.

He was tackled by Haru, who was also responsible for tying his hands behind his back. Once he was on his feet, Kyou was instructed to blindfold him. When the deed was done, he was led up to the roof, and Akito was the one to push him in… right after delivering a harsh blow to Kenji's stomach, that is. This was definitely way past an over reaction.

"Kenji wasn't in the water for long, though, because for some crazy reason that I still don't know, the janitor and PE teacher had been on campus at the time." He sighed again and frowned. He didn't want to look at Tohru. She must've thought he was horrible, and he voiced that thought. "You must think I'm a horrible person. I don't blame you, though. Only a horrible person would let something as screwed as that happen."

"No! You're not a horrible person at all, Kyou! You know, we all make mistakes, and besides, I can understand how you'd feel. I'd be scared too if it was Akito I'd have to stand up to…"

He scoffed at that, but inwardly, he was thinking, 'Yeah, you'd be scared. But you'd have a hell of a lot more courage than I did. I know you would've stopped him from pushing Kenji.'

Tohru was wrong about another thing, though. He couldn't stop Akito from doing that horrible act not because he was scared of the guy. No, Akito knew a secret about Kyou that not even his mother knew. A secret that, if revealed, could change Kyou's life for the worse…

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They arrived at the hospital within a few moments, and once they were in the elevator, a rare awkward silence enshrouded them. Tohru could feel Kyou's anxiety growing as they came closer and closer to Kenji's floor. He didn't have that usual calm, almost apathetic look on his face (when not conversing, that is). Instead, his eyes kept wandering around and up to the lights above the elevator doors which indicated floor levels, and he would repeatedly shove his hands in his pockets, only to take them out again. Seeing him like this somehow always brought a smile to Tohru's face. He often seemed so confident and capable of handling himself, but it was times like this that reminded Tohru that he trusted her enough to let that side of him drop a little, whether he realized he was doing that or not.

The elevator finally dinged and its doors swiftly slid open. Kyou awkwardly followed Tohru out of the elevator and walked beside her all the way down the white halls. He was hardly aware of his surroundings and was, instead, busy fretting over what he could possibly say to someone who could quite easily have died from that stupid stunt that he was a part of. Until today, the thought of even approaching the hospital was out of the question. Kyou much preferred the idea of sticking his head in the ground and acting like everything was all right. But a part of him knew that, eventually, he would crack under the guilt. And then Tohru came along and had somehow convinced him to go and see Kenji. "You'll both feel a lot better after you talk, believe me," She had said.

He did believe her, and that was why he came along, but that didn't mean that he was going confidently. He wasn't feeling confident in the slightest bit.

But what was the worst that could happen, really?

The guy might hate him for the rest of his life, but Kyou felt that he deserved it. He didn't have a problem with people hating him. What bothered him was sucking up his pride and apologizing... apologizing and admitting he was in the wrong was always a great difficulty for him, even when he was feeling as guilty as he was today.

"We're here," Tohru announced, tearing Kyou away from his thoughts.

When Kyou nodded down at Tohru, he tried to regain that nonchalant expression on his face, but he assumed it didn't work when Tohru gave him that familiar reassuring smile and touch on the arm. He pursed his lips together and turned towards the door. Placing his hand on the door handle, he thought, 'Here goes nothing,' and pulled the door open.

To his surprise, Kenji wasn't the first person he saw. This was a shared room, with a measly curtain dividing the two areas of the room. In the first bed was a man who was sleeping soundly with a bandage wrapped around his head. Aside from that bandage, he looked relatively healthy. Kyou took what felt like his hundredth deep breath that day and circled the curtain in the room.

This time it was Kenji lying in the bed, his hand that wasn't in a sling lazily holding a TV remote and his longish brown hair was held down by the bandage that circled his forehead. His brown eyes slowly shifted away from the soft volumed TV to where Kyou was standing. The expression in his eyes changed slightly when he saw him, but his wrinkled brow could have either been conveying annoyance or confusion at the sight of Kyou, who couldn't tell which of these emotions it was. He had forgotten that Tohru was with him until she said quietly, "Take your time. I'll be in the room right across the hall."

One of Kyou's eyebrows raised slightly, showing his curiosity, and before he could ask her what room she was talking about, she was already leaving the room.

He turned back to Kenji, thinking, 'Looks like I'm on my own.'

After another deep breath, Kyou held up a hand and simply said, "Hey."

Kenji didn't respond for a moment. He instead watched Kyou during that moment of silence, trying to analyze just what his purpose was for coming here. Was it to laugh at him? Mock him? Or was there the possibility that he was... sorry? The first two possibilities seemed much more likely than the last, but hey, anything was possible.

Kyou mistook Kenji's silence for resentment, so he awkwardly continued talking. "Look, what they - no, what I did was screwed up." He stammered out, and looking down at the ground he said, "I came to tell you that... that I'm sorry, all right?" He looked up again and repeated. "I'm sorry. It was really stupid of me to go along with another one of Akito's plans. I know that. And I don't expect you to forgive me or anything. I don't deserve that. I just want you to know that I know what I did was messed up, and I'm sorry for it." At the end of that spiel, he let out a sigh - almost a 'whew' - of relief. Now that he'd finally gotten that out of his system, all he had to do was wait and see Kenji's response. He watched him, guarded almost, because he was certain that he would get some sort of hateful response from Kenji. He could handle it, though.

Kenji, meanwhile, was surprised by what Kyou had to say. But sure enough, and as he had decided earlier, anything was possible. "So," Kenji finally spoke up, wincing a little as he struggled a bit to shift to a more comfortable position, "you came all the way here to say that, huh? I must admit that I'm a little touched. I'll consider forgiving you, since your apology was so pathetic."

Kyou's defensive side suddenly sprung out, as it often did. It didn't help that Kenji looked so smug at the moment, either. "Were you even LISTENING?!" He shouted as he balled his hand into a fist. The sleeping man on the other side of the curtain (assuming he was still asleep) was clearly forgotten. "I just SAID that I wasn't looking for your forgiveness, and you know what? I don't even know why I bothered coming all the way here to apologize! You just think this is all a big joke, don't you?! Well, let me tell you, if you weren't in the hospital right now, I would-"

"Whoa, okay," Kenji cut in, holding his hands up in mock surrender, "it was a joke. Simmer down. You get riled up too easily."

Kyou folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Smug bastard." Although, he had to admit that he was pretty surprised that Kenji wasn't retaliating... like at all.

Kenji looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's Kyou, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah? So?"

"Just making sure. What made you want to come here?"

Kyou couldn't help staring at Kenji strangely. 'He changes subjects fast.' "Stupid! I just told you, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're sorry. I know. But I mean, especially considering who you hang out with, you were honestly one of the last people I would have expected to come for a visit. No offense or anything, but you and your two buddies don't seem like the sort who would feel any remorse for anything."

Kyou shrugged and looked out the window. "Yeah, well, I can't speak for them, but for me, there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. We crossed one when we pushed you."

"Hm."

"So... don't you feel at least a little resentment towards me and the guys?" Kyou asked.

Kenji shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah. I forgive and forget. No use holding onto grudges. It's not very healthy - in my book, anyway."

"Even when you wind up in the hospital?"

"Even when I wind up in the hospital." Kenji replied, nodding, and then he grinned. "And it's not so bad, you know. I get breakfast in bed, nurses coming in any time I need something... room service, I like to call it. I might consider staying here more often."

Kyou shook his head. 'Weirdo.'

Kenji's countenance suddenly changed. He looked at Kyou curiously with a question in his mind that he felt uncertain about asking aloud.

Kyou noticed. "What?"

"Huh?"

"You look like you wannna ask something."

"Oh, yeah." Kenji replied, nodding, and then he asked. "So, are we friends now or something?"

Kyou raised an eyebrow. "You'd be friends with someone who could have ended up accidentally killing you?"

"Forgive and forget," Kenji repeated.

Kyou stood there feeling baffled that here he was, being forgiven as easily as that. "Uh... yeah, sure..." He said, then waved and turned to leave the room. "See you around."

"See ya," Kenji called after him.

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Once Kyou closed the door behind him, he noticed Tohru exiting the room across the hall at the exact same time. Her drooped head and sad expression didn't escape his notice.

"Tohru? Hey... what's wrong?" Kyou asked in a concerned voice as he approached her.

Tohru gasped when she heard Kyou's voice and quickly wiped at her eyes. Looking up at him with a forced smile, she said, "Nothing's wrong! Everything's fine!"

Kyou frowned down at her. "You realize I don't believe you at all, right?"

Her head drooped again.

"Hey, come on, don't be sad," Kyou said quietly. He tried to get eye contact with her, but she wouldn't look up. He knew why, too - he could tell she was crying, and she didn't want him to see. He frowned again, never having professed to being an expert at cheering up crying girls. So, he did the only thing that came to mind - he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. He led the way to the elevators, and she walked alongside, limp under his arm. Once they were out of the elevator and hospital, Kyou said, "I'll walk you home."

Instead of protesting his offer like she normally would, she only nodded.

Kyou sighed and as they walked, he kept his arm around her, then finally asked somewhat awkwardly, "So... do you want to talk about it?"

Tohru finally spoke. "I don't want to burden you," she said softly.

Kyou removed his arm from around his shoulder and positioned himself to be standing right in front of her. "Now that's about the stupidest thing I've heard you say."

Her eyes slowly wandered up to meet his, and she looked confused. "What do you mean?" She asked softly.

"Didn't you say before that I was someone you could talk to? Well I'm here, aren't I? So talk! Tell me what's bothering you!"

She pursed her lips for a moment, hesitating. He was right. They had made an agreement that they could always confide in one another, but this... this was something that she preferred not to talk about. The main reason she didn't like talking about it was because it kept the situation fresh in her mind, and, truth be told, she preferred avoiding thinking about it. Thinking about it made her mind wander down to horrible scenarios that were too scary to dwell on.

"It's my mom," she finally said sullenly as she continued walking.

Kyou walked beside her and watched her as she spoke. 'Her mom? So that's who she was visiting...'

"She got into a really bad car accident a little more than a month ago and has been in a coma ever since. The doctors told me that they're not sure if she'll wake up from it or not." She swallowed before continuing. "And... I'm not sure if she'll wake up from it either..."

"Why not?"

"It's been over a month. That's never a good thing."

"So? That doesn't mean anything."

"It does, Kyou. I kept denying and denying that until recently, but it does mean something. I've been visiting her every day since she's been in the hospital, and at first it was easy thinking that she would wake up any moment! But now? Now it's almost like I have to force myself to go, because it's so hard seeing my mom in the state she's in." Her voice broke, and the tears filled her eyes again, despite her efforts to fend them off. "I was trying so hard to keep looking on the bright side, but it's almost impossible now! The odds don't look like they're in my favor."

Kyou shook his head. "You don't sound like the Tohru I know. You always have such high expectations for everyone else, but why not for you or your mom? Where did your optimism go?"

Tohru opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated first. Kyou was right, and she knew that. Where did her optimism go?

"Don't go giving up on her. Even if the coma has lasted a little more than a month, it doesn't matter! Anything's possible. And yeah, I realize that I don't know your mom, but if you were the one in the coma, I'm sure she wouldn't give up on you for a second!"

Hearing those words, Tohru slowly felt shame overtake her. Everything Kyou had said was so true. Her mom wouldn't have given up on her if the situation was the other way around. Not ever. "You're right... she wouldn't," She said in a small, broken voice. Then she sniffed and wiped at her eyes. She pursed her lips together, and they slowly curled into a small smile as she shook her head at her own silliness. Then she finally looked up and smiled at Kyou with tears in her eyes, but they were happy ones. "You're right, Kyou, and I feel so stupid now!" She said, chuckling lightly at herself, again wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "My mom would never give up on me, so how could I let her down by giving up on her so easily?" She sniffed and then exhaled slowly, feeling her resolve returning. "As long as she's still breathing, there's still hope, right, Kyou?"

Kyou nodded. "Hell yeah there is."

Having Kyou's support caused her to break into another smile.

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The remainder of the walk to Tohru's house was pleasant. "So how'd it go with Kenji?" Tohru asked after a while.

"Okay," Kyou answered. He felt a little odd talking about Kenji when Tohru was clearly undergoing a much more serious situation with her mom.

"What'd you think of him?"

"I don't know. He's weird, but seems like an okay guy, I guess. More easygoing than I would've expected from someone who would stick up to Akito."

Tohru smiled. "So how are you feeling now that everything's all sorted out between you two?" Then she paused and eyed him strangely. "You don't look as relieved as I expected you would..."

"Honestly, Kenji's the last thing on my mind right now."

"So what are you... oh! The play!"

Kyou only sighed. 'This is all damn Akito's fault. If he hadn't come up with that stupid idea, I wouldn't be so anxious right now.'

They were nearing Tohru's house by that point, and Tohru said, "You'll be fine!"

"Eh."

They stopped on her porch, and before going inside, Tohru said in a bright voice, "Seriously, Kyou, don't worry about the play! There's no reason to!"

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"Ohhh, I'm so WORRIED!" exclaimed Tohru as she paced backstage frantically, cupping her mouth with her hands as if that would steady her breathing, and she continued rambling and pacing at an almost inhuman speed. "What if I forget my lines? The lyrics? I'll probably trip over a dozen times, too, and oh-! I'll let everyone down, especially Mr. Hamasaki! It's too horrible to think about!"

The corner of Kyou's mouth curled upwards to form a small grin as he shook his head. Somehow, Tohru's being so worried caused all of his worries to fly out the window, so now, all he had to think about was trying to calm her down. He proceeded to firmply plant his hands on Tohru's shoulders, stopping her pacing. He lowered his head in attempt to level his a little more with hers, but he was considerably taller than her. They locked eyes, and he said with that grin still on his face, "Simmer down, will ya? You were the one telling me not to worry, and look at you now!"

She still looked worried, so Kyou spoke again. "If either of us has to mess up, it'll be me, got it? I'm the rookie here, right?"

She chewed her bottom lip. "But if I mess up, everyone will-"

Kyou shook his head. "If anyone gives you crap, they'll have to deal with me," he stated, releasing her shoulders from his grip as he stepped back, stood tall, and pointed at himself with his thumb.

She pursed her lips with that troubled look still on her face.

"Aw, come on, Tohru! You already mentioned the worst things that could happen! Forgetting a line? Who cares? Hamasaki might, but so what? It won't be the end of the world!"

"If I fall…?"

Kyou sighed. He had to think on that one too, but then his lips curled up again, so slightly that you almost couldn't tell that he was smiling. "If you fall, I'll fall right along with you." He meant it, too.

Tohru finally released a relieved sigh, and she grinned sheepishly at her orange haired friend. "Thanks, Kyou. I feel so silly now, since I was the one telling you earlier not to worry so much!"

Kyou playfully bonked her on the back of her head. "You should feel silly!"

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Meanwhile, as the two were ushered away for costume and makeup (yes, despite Kyou's relentless protests, he still had to wear some makeup), Uo and Hana had, as promised, shown up in all their glory in the center front row seats.

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited!" Uo said, stretching back and sliding down her seat a bit.

"Yes, it has been quite a while since we've seen Tohru in a play." Hana replied, nodding slowly.

"I'll be honest. As much as I'm here to show my support for Tohru, I think it'll be hilarious watching orange top on stage! It'd be one thing if he had a minor role, but I remember Tohru saying that he snagged the lead role!" She laughed heartily and then glanced over at Hana. "Say… do you have any idea what the play is about?"

"No. I don't."

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o-o-o

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A/N:How was it? Like it? Hate it? Should I completely trash this chapter? Let me know… I can handle it (I hope). Hahaha, no, but seriously, I will appreciate feedback. If you guys don't like where this is headed, give me a heads up.

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Review Responses:

SA'A: Thanks - I am so glad that you're enjoying the story! And K/T does rock!

RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl: Here's your update! Sorry for taking a while (sweatdrop) BUT. I'm very happy that you're enjoying the story!

Resuri: WOW. That is a huge compliment!! Thank you! And I'm glad you think the characters are in character. Although, I think Tohru might have been a bit OOC in this chapter with her sadness, but, I dunno. She's human, right? Hehe…

Nspierce1999: I'm glad you liked it! And unless I die, I do plan on finishing this story. (grin)

The Only Onigiri: Thank you so much! And here's your update! I hope you like this chapter as well.

AQUA-DropS: Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

SpotedLeaf: (gasp) Oh my, we can't have rabid raccoons on the loose. Here's your chapter! (hides)