Author's Note: OMGYAY! The last chapter of my ultimate rewrite adventure. Now, I can make progress! Huzzah! Oh, happy day! Okay, where was I? Oh, right. The story...I can do that. Much love. Fruits Basket is property of Takaya-san, not me. As far as the story, reverse that.

Chapter 6 - Love Cannot be Locked Away

Did he just say what I think he said? thought Tohru as Kyo kissed her once more, his hands still gently holding her face. Her ribbon was still twisting around his finger in the soft night breezes.

I love you. The words spun like a whirlwind through her mind, and her world reeled out of control in turn. She fervently kissed him back, resting her hands on his muscular chest (she was impressed to know that he still worked out, even after being locked away) and feeling his heart echo her own in a fierce tattoo under her hand. In the back recesses of her mind, a small voice reminded her to be careful of the Sohma curse, since it would do no one any favors for him to transform into a cat at that moment.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, Kyo broke the kiss. Tohru found herself disappointed. He took a small step back and looked at her.

He had always wanted to see her this way, set aglow in the moonlight. There are other ways I would like to see her, he thought, but he immediately shoved the ideas away. No. He will not allow his hormones to get the better of him. Not this night, it was too important. He stared into her eyes, and the stars appeared to be suspended therein. "You are so beautiful," he whispered.

Tohru looked down shyly and stared at her shoes. "No, I'm not," she said. Her tone was as though she was stating facts in class. Very matter-of-fact.

Although he didn't say it aloud, Kyo understood what she said. She was not stunning like a famous actress or pop star, by some standards she was downright plain, but there was something about her that made him feel uncomfortable in his own skin (in the best way possible). He tenderly lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "Yes, Tohru, you are. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

Tears glistened in her eyes for a moment, but she blinked them away. Only Kyo had ever called her beautiful. Shigure and Yuki did occasionally, but she was usually dressed up for a party or other such event at the time. Kyo would just tell her so for no reason except that he felt that she needed to know. He grasped his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Walk with me."

Together, they walked through the courtyard, and Kyo was surprised to notice that he was horrified. After three years, he was able to leave his prison, if even for a short time. It had to be too good to be true. He was afraid that Akito was suddenly going to show up and Tohru would be punished, or maybe he would just wake up. He was not sure which was worse. When he was a child, he remember playing in the courtyard (usually alone, which really didn't bother him) or just walking around. Later, he left the Main House altogether and set off on his own to train and learn who he was. He missed that freedom, and now, because of the angel holding his hand, he was experiencing it again.

It felt so new to him, so foreign. They walked beneath the branches of a sakura tree in full bloom, and Kyo reached out and touched one the branches, recalling how he had watched this tree bloom and rain pink flowers three times already. He could almost feel the life within it, and nearly envied it. Here it was, free to be itself, and Kyo could only watch. Letting go of Tohru's hand, he reached out and plucked a late blossom from a low branch and twirled it in his fingers.

Tohru watched him as he started to wander about the courtyard. He reminded her of a child as he touched everything and held on to that little sakura blossom like some kind of lifeline. Love for him swelled within her until she felt like she was going to explode. Suddenly, Kyo spun on his heel to face her, and in three of his long strides he was in front of her. Placing one hand behind her neck, he kissed her. It was almost desperate, as though he was afraid everything would disappear if he did not kiss her at that very moment in time. Tohru tasted salt from tears. Were they her? His? Did it matter? No. She returned the kiss with equal fervor, relying solely on instinct. She never dated at college, none of the guys there paid her any attention. She was practically invisible. Rarely, someone would show interest in her. Then, he would learn of her close ties to the Sohma family, and he would not pursue anything. She once overheard a group of guys talking as she passed.

I bet every last one of them guard her. Imagine if something happened!

I never want to cross paths with any of them!

I'm not afraid to say it, man, those Sohmas scare the shit out of me!

Kyo's hands drifted to her waist, breaking her from her reverie. His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt and caressed her skin there. Everywhere he touched felt like it had been branded, and heat flowed through her entire body, pooling in the pit of her stomach. She let her instincts take over as she touched him. His face, his neck, his arms, everywhere she could manage.

"I love you, Kyo."

…the sakura blossom floated to the ground between them, completely forgotten.

When Tohru opened her eyes, the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky pink. Yawning, she propped herself on her elbows and gathered her bearings. As her mind cleared, a blush flooded her cheeks as everything from the night before came rushing back. Rubbing a hand over her face, as though trying to push the mental cobwebs away, she sighed. They had taken many risks the previous night, but there was one risk neither were ready to take. It was big enough that she not only let Kyo out of his cell, she risked a lot just to stay with him the rest of the night. There was no way they were going to risk that.

What surprised her (and made her blush darken), was that he had shown restraint first in that arena. She let her instincts take over completely, and she was ready to follow through, but Kyo had stopped her, bringing her back to reality. We can't. Not now. She was thankful for it, since his words hit them both like a bucket of cold water. They had both regained their composure (as well as a few discarded articles of clothing, including a certain orange hair ribbon), and Tohru collected a pair of blankets she had brought along with her. These were spread across the ground, and they watched the stars twinkling at them as they drifted off to sleep, Tohru curled carefully in the crook of Kyo's arm to make sure she did not accidentally cause him to transform during the night.

As the remaining cobwebs cleared from her mind, she realized that she was alone on the blanket. Startled, she sat up and searched in the dim morning light for a sign of him. She found him sitting not too far away, watching her. She stretched again. "Hi. How long have you been awake?"

He stood and approached the blanket. "An hour? Maybe two. I liked watching you sleep." He sat beside her, and she was not disappointed to see that he had never retrieved his shirt from the previous night. It was currently draped over a rock a couple of yards away. Kyo without a shirt on? Tohru had to admit, she couldn't complain.

She leaned over and placed a kiss on his shoulder. "I hope you don't like it too much. Why would you just want to watch me sleep?"

"Oh, I like watching you when you're awake, too," he said, pulling her close and kissing her with more passion than what was probably appropriate at that time of morning (but, what do I know? Tohru thought). She blushed. He chuckled, and it was nice to hear him laugh. "Thank you," he said. When she looked puzzled, he added, "For coming here. For letting me out. For everything."

"Oh." Tohru's voice wavered with characteristic nervousness. "It's nothing, really. I am just happy I could do it all without turning you into a cat at all."

Kyo's smile grew mischievous. "You're right. You didn't." And, with that, he pounced on her, and she cried out in surprise.

Tohru continued to laugh as she held an orange cat.