CHAPTER 12: Confrontations

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"Tohru…I want you to be mine and no one else's…!" Kyo shouted out, with his hand on Tohru's shoulder. Tohru looked up at his eyes, which were shut tightly, as he shouted out what was on his mind in despair. She felt herself blush a deep shade of red, but she didn't care about that anymore. She couldn't do anything but stare at him, and wonder what it was that he meant.

"Well um… What I mean is that… I don't want that guy… Stephen… I dislike him. He can't have you…" Kyo said, opening his eyes to see the brown-eyed female, staring up at him innocently. She opened her mouth to speak.

"But um… Stephen is only my friend, Kyo-kun…" Tohru muttered, looking down at her feet.

"I… I know… What I meant is that… Well…" Kyo stuttered and was blushing, and the familiar tone of the elevator bell rang. They were at their floor. He turned around, to see his room's door. He brought a few strands of her hair to rub them on the side of his face. They felt like silk… He took himself away from Tohru and walked towards his room. Tohru was left there to blush.

"Good… Night. You can… Forget about what I said earlier…" Kyo finished, and opened the door to his room. Before entering, he looked back at the girl, with a truly solemn look in his eyes.

"I'm… So sorry, Tohru." He said, as he choked on her name, and shut the door swiftly. Tohru let herself sit in the elevator with shock apparent in her eyes. The elevator doors closed, as if shutting her off from someone whom she thought was her friend, Kyo-kun…

"I want you to be mine and no one else's…!" Kyo's words resonated in the small elevator, and they hurt Tohru, somehow. What was he saying? She just didn't want to understand the meaning of those words… Tohru knew she herself had always had feelings for Kyo-chan, but she had always thought that if she hid it well enough, they could always be friends. But was Kyo just telling her, a few moments ago in the elevator, that he also had feelings for her?

…Were they in love without realizing it?

Tohru's thoughts were interrupted as the elevator opened on the first floor, and Stephen stood tall before her.

"Something wrong, Honda-san?" Stephen asked, as he entered the elevator. Tohru stood up immediately and tried to blink the thoughts out of her head.

"Ahh, Stephen-san… No, nothing's wrong. So what were you doing up so late?" Tohru asked, in the best enthusiastic voice she could. Stephen smirked.

"Why, I was waiting for you of course!" He told her, as he leaned on the wall of the elevator next to him. Tohru blushed.

"I'm sorry Kyo-kun was…" Tohru began, and Stphen closed his eyes and shook his head.

"There's no need to apologize… Hey, I can see the trauma in your eyes right now… Something happened in the elevator before, right?" Stephen asked, trying to change the subject. Tohru looked down at the ground as she felt a few tears begin to sting her eyes.

"W… Well…"

"Let me guess; the kid told you he loved you?" Stephen asked slyly, creating a gentle pink to spread across the girl's cheeks.

"Ha, what an idiot… Anyway, let's forget about that guy…" Stephen replied, scooting nearer to Tohru as the elevator doors closed. Tohru had pressed the button to her floor, then looked into Stephen's eyes sternly.

"Kyo-kun… Is not an idiot." She replied, and let herself lean on the wall of the elevator. Stephen rolled his eyes.

"Right, he's no idiot, I'm sorry… Hey, what do you think of me, Honda-san?" Stephen asked, looked into her eyes. Tohru blushed once again.

"Well… We're friends… Ne?" Tohru replied, and Stephen approached the girl frontally. He let his fingertips rub one of her thighs and then he made their noses touch. Tohru blushed and began to stutter. Stephen had a much more serious look on his features.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Please…! S… Stop it!"

Hana's eyelids flashed open. She quickly got out of bed, and turned on the lights, awakening both Isuzu and Arisa. Hana fumbled for some shoes, while Arisa looked to Saki.

"Hana?" Uo asked, as Isuzu watched from afar, rubbing her eyes and wondering what was going on. Hanajima simply looked up at Arisa, and said a couple of words.

"We're needed." Arisa momentarily hopped out of the bed and also slipped on her sneakers. Rin decided it would be best if she tagged along, just in case they got in trouble. She slipped on her black Goth boots, and followed Saki as she flew out the door with Arisa running like a rowdy chick. Isuzu walked out calm and collected, but then when she heard a girl's whimpering and a boy's cussing, she sped up her pace. Hanajima was comforting Tohru, who was in a heap on the ground, while Arisa was hitting and screaming at a boy with a smug look on his face. Isuzu quickly ran over to Tohru.

"Tohru-kun! What happened? What did that idiot do to you?" She asked as she knelt in front of the shivering girl, who seemed so little and helpless to Rin now.

"Only… Kyo-kun… Can do that!..." The girl whimpered and moaned, and Rin's gaze turned to something much more serious. Hanajima took Tohru's small frame into her arms and cradled her. Saki looked up at Rin for a few moments with an angry gaze, then buried her face in Tohru's hair. Rin got up swiftly, her hair flowing behind her, and she went nearer to Uotani and the guy.

"What the hell did you do, I said! I swear if you don't tell me now, I'll kick your ass so hard, it'll go up your throat, you jerk!" Arisa demanded, pinning the boy to the wall with her strong arms.

"Ohh… Feisty. I do like that in a chick though… Wanna get comfy, you and me?" The boy suggested. Arisa groaned loudly and slapped the boy across the face. He grumbled and began to smirk. He then looked over at Isuzu, who was getting angrier by the minute.

"W-o-w… Now you, girl, are hot. What do you say you we meet downstairs for a little fun? I'm sure your punk ass boyfriend won't mind at all… As long as no one tells him, right? Ehehe…" The boy chuckled evilly, and Isuzu walked up to him. She glared at him.

"Go die, asshole." As she insulted him, she swiftly brought her knee up in his crotch, and he yelped in pain. Arisa let him drop to the ground, and he struggled, to move and he held his two hands between his legs. She then went to pick up Tohru and cradled the small girl in her arms. She looked back at Tohru's two strange friends, who nodded in return. Isuzu took the elevator alone down to the boys' room. While they were in the elevator, Tohru looked into Rin's eyes.

"Thank you… Rin…" The girl struggled to say. Rin replied with a nod, and a fierce look forward, seeing whom she had to protect at all costs. As she walked up to their room, she knocked loudly.

Momiji wondered who it was at the door… It was very late, after all. Kyo was awake though, and so Momiji went to the door with him. Kyo looked through the peephole, and Momiji piped up.

"Kyo-chaan, who's there?" Momiji asked enthused and bubbly. As soon as Kyo looked, He seemed shocked and swiftly opened the door. Momiji saw Rin standing there, with a near lifeless Tohru in her arms. Momiji ran up to Rin, worried.

"Tohru!" Momiji simply cried, as he jolted up to Tohru and touched her arm. Kyo also approached Tohru, and very tenderly touched her bangs. He looked into Isuzu's eyes sternly.

"Go upstairs. They need you." Isuzu said simply, and Kyo was off running to the elevator. Isuzu then walked into the room and placed Tohru on the bed. Momiji ran up to Tohru and sat next to her on his bed. He ran her silky soft hair through his fingers, and looked at her sadly. Isuzu sat on the other side of the bed.

"Tohru… What happened?" Momiji asked in a loving tone. Tohru then opened her brown eyes and looked up at Momiji. Momiji saw through her eyes that she looked so fragile at that moment, so broken, so aching…

"Oh Momiji…" Tohru pleaded, as tears began to leak out of her eyes. Momiji felt tears drip out of his eyes as well, and couldn't help but jump in for a hug to comfort Tohru. He turned almost just as soon into a fuzzy yellow bunny. Tohru cuddled him and he, in return, just let himself be ravished by her affection.

As soon as Kyo got upstairs, he saw Stephen lying on the ground, and had realized he had assumed correctly. Stephen looked up, and began to laugh in a fairly evil way.

"Ahh, so it's the idiot up to protect his girl, huh? How sad."

"You aren't looking too great yourself, damn you." Kyo replied, and walked closer to the boy. As he knelt down to pick him up he looked back at Tohru's two best friends. He smirked at them.

"If I was you, I wouldn't stick around too long… Tohru's downstairs… She probably needs you." They nodded after Kyo's speech. Stephen tried to get up with his arm.

"Ooh, the idiot is trying to impress the ladies… He's too goddamn cool, isn't he? Man…" The boy began to chuckle and Kyo pressed him down to the ground. As the two girls went on to the floor below, Kyo picked up the boy.

"I can't believe you would do that to Tohru… I hate guys like you, who will do anything to get around… Go burn in hell!" Kyo shouted, as he tried to hook the guy on the left. Stephen though, seemed to be capable of blocking the shot with a swift change in position.

"Well, well. Aren't you cute, trying to be a hero and everything. Hey buster, let me ask you something; since when exactly is that lady yours, hm? If you take too long to reveal how you truly feel, someone else may just whisk her away." Stephen said, dodging a few more of Kyo's shots.

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted, enraged. Stephen laughed.

"Hey hey, I'm not worried at all. I see you're pretty good at martial arts as well… Maybe we could have a real duel later, after you've calmed down? Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes. So as I was saying, I had my chance to get her, she is an attractive young lady after all… So maybe I screwed up a little, yeah, what can I say, I was in need tonight. Maybe I went a little too hard at it. But really, stealing her away after you had just admitted that you had feelings was about the most hilarious thing in the world! Man, what a loser you are…" Stephen said, still expertly blocking all of his opponent's shots.

"What the hell is your problem, man!" Kyo felt tears stinging in his eyes, but he blinked them away. He felt like he did as he was a child. Everything being torn away from him, him being insulted, him taking the blame…

"Ah yes… Anyway, it doesn't matter now if you still want that little bitch. I've made my mark on her, and she will never truly be yours… Too bad." Kyo then saw Tohru folding laundry at Shigure's house, and looking up at Kyo who had been watching her from the balcony. The way she perked up when he entered the house. This guy was willing to hurt his sweet, innocent, Tohru? What kind of monster… Would want to do that?

'And since when is Tohru… Mine?' Kyo thought to himself, which angered him even more. He swung his fists at the guy, who took according steps back.

"When you love someone… It can be difficult to protect them…" Kyo began, dodging the guy's every shot and trying to club him in the face with one of his fists.

"I'm… Beyond angry with you because of what you have done to her…" Kyo said, grunting as Stephen caught one of the orange haired male's fists.

"Yes, obviously…" Stephen replied smugly, as Kyo ripped his fist away from the other guy.

"But I don't care if some idiot such as yourself beat me to her! I wasn't in it just to get busy… I love Tohru for Tohru, and nothing will make me change my mind about that!" Kyo shouted, as he finally managed to hit Stephen straight on in the face. The American fell to the ground with a groan, and Kyo proceeded to pick him up by his shirt collar.

"My love will beat your play any old day, you ass." Kyo smirked as Stephen gulped what he thought would be his last breath of air.

"So what happened exactly?" Hatsuharu asked, as he glimpsed over at Tohru. She was crying hysterically, while a rabbit cuddled on her lap (sobbing as well) and Yuki gently held the girl's hand in his own. Isuzu sat near him on another chair in the room. Rin sighed and looked to the ground.

"I'm not totally sure… All I know is that it has something to do with that receptionist who greeted us the other evening… He harassed her on the elevator I guess, and somehow, that Hanajima instinctively knew about it… Next thing we knew, we were in the hallway comforting a hysterical Tohru and I was shoving my knee between that kid's legs…" She replied solemnly. Haru brought his knee up to his chin on the chair so he could rest upon it. He looked to Isuzu, then looked back at the ground.

"You're looking rather pretty in your nightgown…" Rin blushed deeply, which was something unusual for her to do. She looked in the opposite direction of Hatsuharu.

"… Now is not the time for that, Haru!" She whispered angrily, looking to Tohru sadly. Haru moved his chair next Rin's, so he could capture her hand in his own. He held it tightly, giving her strength. Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Haru and Yuki both rushed to it, to find a bloody nosed Kyo standing there.

"Kyo!" Yuki shouted out, seeing Kyo fall to his knees. Momiji also noticed a change in Tohru when the boy's name was pronounced. She immediately stopped crying, and quit petting Momiji. He looked up at her eyes, and instead of being the usual happy brown tone… They were gray.

'I want you to be mine and no one else's…!'

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Another chapter done in record time. I have been having a whole lot of free time on my hands though... That will end though as of today. My free time is gone because of d school... Sadly, I cannot just ignore schoolwork (as one of my reviewers said, Hehe) and I will still try to update regularly, but I cannot promise anything.

Thanks to all of you who came back to review my story, even after I was on hiatus for such a very long time. You've all been given a special note of thanks on my profile.

Please review if you get the chance, and until next chapter.