Tohru was fine after that last day in the hospital and Kyo wouldn't leave her side. Even after she told him she was fine for the millionth time he would not stop worrying about her. Kyo watched her from the corner of his eyes when they walked home from hospital. The only thing that was worse was Shigure.
"Tohruuuuuu! Welcome home, my darling!" Shigure kissed the top of Tohru's head and shut the door in Kyo's face.
"What the hell was that for!" Kyo yanked open the door and rubbed the red spot on his forehead. "Can't I walk into the house without being smacked around for once!" Tohru turned to him and smoothed his hair back to see his injury. "No, It's…I'm okay." Kyo blushed at her being so close.
"Hey Tohru! He likes you! He likes you! He likes you! He-" Shigure was cut short because Kyo started throwing books at him. Being a novelist his precious books could not be harmed so he leaped around trying to catch them before they hit the floor. By the time Kyo went upstairs Shigure was lost under a mountain of romance novels
If Shigure knew that they kissed he'd go on a field day, recite poetry all day, and toss rose petals or something. Kyo was deep in thought in his usual spot on the roof when the ladder creaked to warn him of an approaching person. He leaned over to see who was there when Tohru's head popped up. Wearing a wide smile she lifted herself over the edge and sat next to him.
"What do you want for dinner?" Tohru asked, her breath a silvery cloud dissipating in the cold air around them. She pulled her jacket close and was marveled at Kyo T-shirt.
"Anything but leeks." Kyo put his hands behind his head and shut his eyes. He seemed not to notice the frigid temperature around him, but he did notice how warm he felt when Tohru laid her head on his chest. Kyo longed to put his arm around her and hold her and only one thing stopped him, the curse.
Tohru heard his heart beat speed up and she thought about her own which was going a mile a minute. Kyo normally smelled like soap and tea, but now he was gathering the aroma of Tohru's jasmine body spray. When he went downstairs he would have to change. Shigure would smell it and get nasty thoughts in that nasty head of his.
"I have to make dinner." Tohru announced slowly sitting up. She longed to just lay there next Kyo, but she knew Yuki and Shigure would starve. Tohru headed to the ladder and was pulled into a desperate kiss from Kyo. To keep him from turning into a cat Tohru resisted the urge to put her arms around his neck.
They parted for air and Kyo let her go down back into the house. He felt this strange energy coursing through his veins and he had to go for a run. From the roof he leaped to the ground and started running through the trees. Dodging branches and bushes when necessary Kyo ran in wide circles until he finally reached the house. Nothing could wipe the silly grin off his face.
Cabinets and doors slammed in the kitchen as Tohru tried to find a pan. She stood in the middle of the floor and she looked around one more time. It sat on the counter where it was yesterday. Tohru was so flustered and giddy that she didn't notice. Suddenly she started giggling uncontrollably. She was shaking with laughter if someone walked in they would think she was having a seizure.
Tohru regained sanity enough to remember she was supposed to be making dinner. She shook her head and grabbed the pan. Shigure walked past the door and saw her busy with the food on the stove. He didn't see the dreamy look on her face or the burnt noodles in the trash.
Yuki walked in the front door and shed his jacket and shoes before going upstairs to his room. In the dark he sat on his bed and stared at the wall in front of him. 'They won't hurt you anymore'
"Dinner's ready!" Tohru called from the bottom of the stairs. Kyo was already at the table and Shigure smelled the aroma from his office and was quickly making his way to the dining room. Yuki paused for a moment outside his door and then walked to join the rest of the Sohmas. "Yuki! When did you get home? What did you do all day?"
"Council meeting." Yuki lied as he scooped non-burnt noodles onto his plate. Shigure stopped shoving food in his mouth to watch Yuki emotionlessly eat Tohru's wonderful cooking. That was not normal. Usually Yuki would compliment her cooking and then insult Kyo, but today he ate in silence not looking anywhere but his plate.
"Is Yuki PMS-ing?" Shigure asked Tohru and Kyo behind his hand. (One of those plus-sign-angry-symbols popped onto Yuki head.)
"No, I'm a guy! I'm having an off day so leave me alone." Yuki hunched himself over his plate and swirled noodles onto his chopsticks. Tohru watched Yuki sadly wondering what he was thinking and not for the first time. Kyo was wolfing down the food without a care.
"Kyo, please stop eating so fast." Tohru begged placing her hand on his arm. Kyo swallowed the bite in his mouth and then continued at a slower pace. As slow as a sloth he moved the chopsticks to his mouth, he was mocking her. "I didn't mean that slow." Tohru had this hurt look on her face. Kyo laughed and put the food in his mouth.
Shigure didn't miss anything that meal. It made so much sense and yet caused more questions than it answered. Yuki was jealous of Kyo and Tohru loved Kyo. With his multi-tasking mind he thought up a new plot in a story and rushed into his office to jot it down.
A small bell ringed in another room and Tohru picked up her and Shigure's plates and went to wash them in the kitchen. Kyo watched her leave and then turned back to his plate to finish eating. Yuki was staring at him. Thickheaded Kyo didn't notice. After she washed the dishes Tohru went to get the clean laundry from the machine.
Yuki put his dish in the kitchen before returning to his room to sit in the dark. He sat there thinking about Tohru until he fell asleep from exhaustion.
The train pulled into the station and a man stepped onto the platform. He placed his suitcase on the ground and slid his sunglasses off his nose. The man looked about twenty with black hair and almost amethyst eyes. Clearly, he was Japanese, but with a sort of English look to his features. An announcer called the next row of destinations for the trains and the man walked out into the street and raised his hand. A taxi smoothly parked next to the curb and the passenger window went down.
"I need to get to the Sohma house." The man said as he retrieved his suitcase. He opened the door to the back seat and sat behind the driver.
The driver looked through the rear view mirror at him. "The main house?" he asked in a heavy British accent. The mysterious man in the back seat shook his head.
"The one where three Sohmas live." The black sunglasses found their way back to the man's eyes. He looked to the pamphlet in his hands and flipped a few pages to read about the sights of Tokyo.
Within minutes the car stopped in front of a large house. A gate hid the path up to the door. The man lifted his bag from the back seat and handed the driver some money. He went strolled to the door and knocked three times.
"I'm coming!" called a cheerful voice from inside. The door opened to reveal a girl in a short blue skirt and a white blouse. Her smile didn't waver and with an equally cheerful voice she said. "Hello, how can I help you?" Suddenly the man dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around her in a firm and yet gentle hug.
"Who is it?" asked Shigure with his glasses in his hand. "Hello, do we know you?"
"I am sorry for my abruptness. I have wanted dearly to see my sister." The man said releasing Tohru from the hug. She was sort of shocked, that was the first time a guy had hugged her and he didn't turn into an animal for awhile.
"Sister?" said Shigure. One of his eyebrows up and the other one down in his confused look. "Well come in, Tohru will you make our guest some tea?"
Tohru's smile only brightened at the prospect of a guest and hurried to heat up some water. Shigure took the suitcase from the ground a courteously led the man into the dining room.
"So Tohru's your sister. How are you two related? I though she was an only child." Shigure asked waiting for the truth to spill from the man's lips.
"My name is Caleb. Tohru's father is also my father. He and my mother divorced and he moved back to Japan. My mother is from England that's why I have such odd coloring." Caleb cleared his throat as Tohru walked in. She handed him a steaming mug of tea and sat down across from him. "When I heard he had another family I wanted to come see you, but I was five and couldn't travel on my own. Then mother fell ill."
"Oh my gosh! How is she doing? Is she all right!" Tohru almost yelled but kept her voice down, she knew that Yuki was sleeping.
"She is fine, but when she received the letter your grandfather sent her about our father she kept it from me until a few months ago." Caleb blushed. "It took awhile because I had to relearn Japanese. I had forgotten most of it over the years. I heard your mother died, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, she died in a car accident. It was almost few years since it happened and I can still remember exactly what she said to me the night before." Tohru's smile dimmed in cheerfulness for only a second, but Shigure caught sight of it.
"This seems to be a small family reunion. I shouldn't intrude." Shigure said standing up. Tohru opened her mouth to object, but he beat her to it. "No, I insist. I don't want to violate your family privacy." Shigure then left the room and went upstairs to tell Yuki and Kyo about Tohru's visitor.
"She's got a brother?" Kyo asked rubbing his head in confusion.
"Half-brother, I heard his story, but I'm not convinced. I smell a rat." Shigure tapped his nose.
"And your point about that is?" The rat said leaning out from his door. Yuki stared at them with emotionless eyes before returning back to bed.
"Is it just me or is he starting to look like Hana-chan?" Kyo said loudly as Yuki flung himself out of his room to hit him over the head.
"Don't ever say that again! Why would you-" Yuki held his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain. "Never mind." He returned to his room and shut the door. Kyo sat on the floor and listened as Yuki locked his door from the inside.
"Shigure!" Tohru raced upstairs to where Shigure and Kyo stood. "Can Caleb stay for awhile? It is too late for him to go anywhere else now." Tohru looked at Shigure with her innocent blue eyes and he couldn't refuse.
"Sure, we can set up a bed for him in the living room. I'll get him some blankets."
"I'll get some pillows." Tohru then dashed downstairs to tell her brother.
"I don't think she's ever been so happy since the accident at the main house. Do you think she's hiding something from us?" Kyo watched as Tohru rushed around to get everything ready for her guest.
"Maybe, It must have been torture for her. All of the pain, the feeling of her life slipping into another. She might not be hiding anything and yet she maybe hiding everything." Shigure shook his head in a mournful way and Kyo remembered all of the alcohol bottles he hid from Tohru when Shigure was drunk.
Kyo walked back into his room and sat on his bed. The sky was darkening into a dusky purple and fading into a dark black. He watched out his window how the clouds cleared away from the full moon. Carefully Kyo walked out his door and towards the balcony where he had set up the ladder. He watched the stars emerge from the blackness and he dozed off.
Tohru was to excited to sleep. She had a brother, half-brother, and a mother, stepmother. She knew everyone would be sleeping except one. The cursed cat obsessed with the roof. Grabbing her robe off the hook she silently made her way up to the roof.
"Go to bed, you've got school tomorrow." Kyo said with his eyes closed.
"I can't sleep. You have school tomorrow too. Are you skipping again? Shigure will yell at you." Tohru said walking to sit by Kyo. "Hey, why are you always on the roof? Do you ever sleep in a bed like a normal person?"
"The cat who's not in the zodiac doesn't really fit the definition of normal." Kyo opened one of his eyes to see Tohru. She was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest and her head looking at him with her eyes half closed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized…Sorry." Tohru tilted her head down so that all he could see was the top of her head.
"Are you crying?" Kyo asked siting up.
"No." croaked Tohru's unmistakable sob. Kyo lifted her chin so she had to pull her head up. She had wiped them away but there were faint tearstains on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I am getting rude. I should go to bed, I think I'm getting cranky." Tohru scooted down the roof to the ladder.
"I love you anyway." Kyo whispered by her ear. Tohru turned to face him, but he was settling back down to gaze at the stars. Unpredictable adrenaline and long-hidden love surged through Tohru's veins and she crawled the short distance to Kyo and kissed him.
She pulled away and Kyo pulled her back and then when they thought they could go on forever there was a shimmering cloud of white and orange. Kyo the cat was lying on Tohru's lap. He wasn't yelling at her or standing with his back arched and fur on end. He looked at her with calm grey eyes and he stretched his long forepaws.
"This could be a problem." He said as he stood and jumped off Tohru's lap.
"I'm sorry." Tohru said once again her head falling in shame.
"Don't be, we have school tomorrow anyway. Besides your brother is downstairs, it wouldn't do us any good if someone came up here and saw us making out." Although I wouldn't mind. "You should go downstairs before I transform." Kyo rubbed his head against Tohru's leg.
Gently Tohru kissed the top of his head. Smiling she shifted Kyo's clothes off her legs and slowly drifted off the roof and onto the second floor. While Tohru was carefully making her way back to her room she heard the unmistakable sound of Kyo turning back into his human self. Tohru was sliding her legs beneath the covers of her bed when she saw Kyo creeping by her door.
Tohru's heart fluttered and she set her alarm for tomorrow. The clock blinked nearly eleven-thirty and Tohru knew she had to get up early. With the light off she couldn't get a wink of sleep and she couldn't get Kyo out of her head.
Kyo was having almost as much trouble finding the path to dreamland. It wasn't just all of the things that happened on the heard on the roof, but what Shigure said about Tohru hiding things from them. For all he knew Tohru could be dying inside because he was too much of an idiot to realize. Kyo honed his hearing to the noises outside in the hallway, there was no trace of crying or sobbing. Satisfied Kyo rolled over on his bed and fell asleep, dreaming of Tohru.
Kyo was dense and hadn't comprehended that Tohru had shoved the pillow into her face, muffling the sounds. The tears came hot and heavy, without stop until Tohru had no more tears and she fell asleep. The tiny whisperings in her mind no longer haunted her consciousness, but instead violated her dreams.
Tohru was standing with Kyo holding her hand. They were on their way home from school. An orange cat ran by scared of it's shadow. A soft breeze blew flower petals over the street In front of the couple. The sky was darkening faster than usual, they didn't notice. All they cared about was the warmth of the others' hand in theirs.
Suddenly Kyo's hand went cold and Tohru turned to stare at him. There was nothing left of Kyo except his receding shadow. Tohru spun in a circle searching for him.
"Tohru! Tohru! Tohruu…" called Kyo's voice from an alley. Tohru ran towards the sound. The end of the alley opened into the Shomas' main house. Tohru wound up in the very same room where she nearly died. In the middle of the room where the ink circle still remained was a cage. Within the cage was a knocked-out Kyo.
"Kyo!" Tohru ran to the cage and slipped in a puddle of blood. Her blood. Her hands were bleeding just as they had before. Tohru didn't care; she needed to help Kyo. Tohru's hands stung when she grasped the bars of the cage. She vainly attempted to rip the bars off the cage when a blood-chilling laugh froze her body.
"Stupid, You can never take him from me now. Unless you want to die." Akito walked towards Tohru and stopped short of the circle. Tohru's blood was being soaked into the hem of his robe. The whiteness was splashed with the bright red. "You want to know something?" Akito leaned in close to Tohru and sneered. "It's all your fault." He whispered.
Akito whispered it softly and yet it still bounced off the walls in a never-ending echo. It pierced Tohru's mind and was amplified by her despair. It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It's all your-.
The alarm clock buzzed and Tohru's eyes flicked open. She was soaked in sweat and decided to get a shower. The cold water woke her up and erased her memory of the dream. Quietly Tohru dressed in her uniform and snuck downstairs to make breakfast. There was already someone in the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, I wanted to make breakfast for you guys for taking me in at the last minute." Caleb stood by the counter wearing Tohru's pink apron. "I helped myself to what was in the refrigerator. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, I came downstairs to make breakfast myself." Tohru's face lit up in a smile. "You've got flour on your nose." Tohru laughed and brushed it off with a napkin. Then Tohru slipped on the sleek tile. She landed on her butt and Caleb kneeled down to help her up.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Caleb pulled her back onto her oafish feet.
"Yes, I'm fine. I seem to do that a lot. I guess I'm really clumsy." Tohru rubbed her head. She mussed her bows. "Do you need any help?"
"No, actually I just finished. Go sit down." Caleb practically shoved Tohru out of the kitchen. Obediently, Tohru sat at the dining room table. Yuki came downstairs brushing his hair away from his eyes. He looked like he was sleepwalking.
"Yuki, wall." Shigure said coming into the room. Yuki turned avoiding the wall without opening his eyes. "No breakfast this morning?" Shigure questioned to Tohru.
"Good morning! Caleb made breakfast." Tohru said proudly. She was secretly twitching in her seat. "Where's Kyo? Is he awake yet?"
"That stupid cat? Not likely. I'll wake him up." Yuki said turning and walking toward the stairs. Shigure told Yuki where there was a wall again and then the rat disappeared.
"Who wants toast?" asked Caleb coming in with a platter of food in his hands. He had shed the apron before entering the room and set the tray on the table. Smiling he handed plates to Tohru and Shigure. Upstairs there was a loud crack and a thump soon followed by and enraged yell that could only be managed by Kyo.
"Damn Rat!" screamed Kyo as he chased Yuki down the stairs. Yuki walked and Kyo desperately dashed downstairs with his hand on the back of his head. "Stupid little rodent." Muttered Kyo sitting next to Tohru.
"Good morning!" Tohru said to Kyo smiling. " Are we walking to school today? Kyo, Yuki, get dressed after breakfast."
"I don't want to go." Kyo said huffily crossing his arms. "I'm staying home."
"If you haven't remember, you dolt, Tohru just came out of the hospital. Who's going to help her carry her books and help her up the stairs?" Shigure said with a mouthful of bread.
Kyo's hard look softened and he glanced at Tohru. "No, I can carry my books fine and I can use the railing if I can't climb the stairs right." Tohru said her eyes wide at the thought of Kyo coming to school just to help her.
"I'll get dressed." Kyo shoved some food into that big mouth of his and fled upstairs to change. Yuki wasn't concerned with getting dressed just yet, he cleaned his plate and followed Kyo without a word.
"Oh, Caleb. What are you going to do all day?" Tohru suddenly realized her brother was here and she was going to school. She bit her lip. "I bet Shigure has some things he has to do."
"Nonsense, I was only going to skip writing my manuscripts and now I have an excuse. Come, I will take you to see the wonders of Tokyo!" Shigure stood abruptly and took Caleb's arm. He then pulled Caleb into his study where he was no doubt looking for guides of Tokyo.
Yuki came down stairs first and caught Tohru in the kitchen washing the leftover dishes. He walked into the room and hit his leg on a cabinet. Tohru was panicked into dropping the plate she was washing. It smashed into the floor and broke into a million pieces.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Yuki said dropping to his knees to pick up the pieces around him.
"No, It's my fault. It's all my fault. All my fault." Tohru said hanging her head as she scooped up some of the fragments. One of the sharper ones cut into Tohru's hand. It reopened her wound and let drops of blood drip down her hand.
"Tohru, stop! Your-…It's bleeding again!" Yuki said dropping his handful on the floor again and grabbing Tohru's shoulders. She was muttering that it was all her fault under her breath and shaking her head. "No, it's my fault." Yuki practically dragged Tohru into the bathroom where there was a spare first aid kit and wrapped up her hand in gauze.
"Whoa…what happened in the kitchen?" Kyo asked "Hey Tohru! What happened to you?"
"I-I dropped a plate and cut myself." Tohru held up her hand and showed Kyo the bandage. "I have to finish cleaning the kitchen."
"No, we'll do it. Could you get our bags?" Yuki said pushing Kyo out of the bathroom.
"O-Okay." Tohru left to get their book bags for school. Yuki got out the broom, Kyo grabbed a floor-brush, and they swept up what was left of the plate. When they disposed of the shards they told Shigure they were leaving. In silence the three walked halfway to school when Hana-chan and Uo-chan caught up with them.
"TOHRU!" Uo-chan yelled when she saw her friend. She then threw her arms around Tohru's neck in a hug. Hana-chan smiled and hugged Tohru when it was her turn, but didn't let go for a minute or so. Kyo prodded them down the street down to school and watched as both of Tohru's friends continually wrap their arms around her just as he could not. When they reached the school Momiji and Haru were waiting for them. Momiji jumped up and down and almost hugged Tohru. If it weren't for Haru then there would be one less boy and one more rabbit in the school yard.
"Tohru, how are you feeling?" asked the ever cool Haru. He held onto Momiji's shoulder as Momiji did a little hyper jig in place. Tohru looked at Haru and smiled with her lips but her eyes reflected unsettlement.
"I'm fine." Tohru lied. She then locked her arms with Uo-chan and Hana-chan and they walked off to the classroom.
"Haru, something's wrong." Momiji said. He stopped jumping around and had a worried look on his face. The four guys looked amongst themselves and exchanged worried glances. "Do you feel something too?" Momiji asked the others.
"Ask lover-boy." Yuki pointed his finger at Kyo. Lover-boy? Thought Haru and Momiji. Kyo shook his head and glared at Yuki.
"Boys, get a move on!" yelled Uo-chan who was watching them while still hooked onto Tohru. Then the guys ran to catch up with the girls' way ahead of them. "Seriously your as slow as Kyo's brain."
"Hey! You little- I'm gonna get you!" Kyo yelled at Uo-chan.
"If you can catch up. If you run as slow as your brain goes then I won't have any trouble walking to beat you in a sprinting race." Uo-chan said mocking Kyo. Tohru laughed small and delicatly and smiled at Kyo. He gave her an awkward and yet cute grin as they walked into the classroom.
"You're on." Kyo told Uo-chan as his hand brushed Tohru's.
"Really?" Uo-chan faced Kyo. "I'll meet you after school in the courtyard."
Caleb and Shigure were walking out by some muesems when there was a break in the small talk they bought ice cream. "So when are you going back to England?" Shigure asked.
"In a few days I'll be returning home. I intend to take Tohru back with me. So say your goodbyes fast, she won't be coming back." Caleb walked away.
Thank you Remember I am computerly ennept and if I spell it wrong it's not my fault!
CxHforever- I'm sorry I made Yuki cry.
Dragoon Galaxy- Sorry that bass pole is staying up his ass.
Machi Kuragi- DON'T CRY!
viviana tully- Tanks for saying my idea in interesting!
mz animefreak- Tanks for saying that my story was interesting!