A/N Well, here we go! The second chapter of "The Onigiri and the Inu".

The Onigiri and the Inu

Chapter 2- Thank You, Neko

It was three days after the doctor had announced Yuki's death to the rest of the Sohmas and Tohru. Despite the fact that Yuki had cheated on Tohru mere minutes before he died, she still couldn't bring herself to hate him. The past three nights, she had cried herself to sleep. And she was sure there would be many nights just like the past few.

She was sleeping at the main house. Everyone thought it would be best for Tohru if she was away from Shigure's house for a little while. The burial was tomorrow morning and Tohru didn't think she'd be able to make it through the ceremony without breaking down. Kyo was asked to give the eulogy and although there was really nothing funny about it, Tohru couldn't help but let a ghost of a smile creep onto her face.

Emotions were still whirling around inside of her and she was so confused. She wasn't sure whether to hate Yuki, mourn him, or miss him. Everything had happened so quickly that it almost didn't register in her brain sometimes.

At times, Tohru wondered if it was her fault that Yuki had died. After all, if she hadn't run out of the house then Yuki wouldn't have chased her. And if Yuki hadn't chased her, than he wouldn't have gotten hit by that car. But then there was the other side of the coin. If Yuki hadn't cheated on Tohru than she wouldn't have run away. Then Yuki wouldn't have gotten hit.

It was all so confusing.

Still, no matter whose fault it was or how it happened, Yuki was still dead and he would never be coming back. That was the fact that would never change. And that was what made Tohru sad. She realized in her heart that she still loved Yuki…so much. No matter what he had done to her or how he had treated her.

Tears flew to her eyes and she did everything she could to stop them. But her efforts were futile. They cascaded down her flushed face and fell to the floor harmlessly.

Suddenly, thunder boomed outside, sounding like a thousand drums being hit at once. Tohru cried even more when she remembered that the first time she and Yuki had really connected was at night, during a thunderstorm.

"Yuki…" she whispered, her voice so quiet it was almost nothing. There was another clap of thunder and Tohru pulled her blankets closer to her body.

Then there was a soft knock on her door. She lifted her head up, the tears still coming, and said, "Who is it?"

A soft and sweet voice responded, "Only your best friends." Tohru recognized Kagura's voice.

"Come in," she said still quietly but loud enough for Kagura to hear. The door opened and Tohru saw that Kagura, Kyo, and their two-year old daughter, Sana were standing there.

Sana bounced into the room like a little bunny rabbit; she took after Momiji a little bit. The little girl ran to Tohru and took the onigiri's hands into her own. "Hiya Auntie Tohru!" she exclaimed.

Tohru couldn't help but smile a bit. Something about the little girl just made everything a little bit brighter and made her want to smile…just like Yuki. Tohru tried to hide her tears from Sana but she failed. The little girl had very good eyesight, just like her father.

"Why are you crying Auntie Tohru?" Sana asked with a pout on her face. "Did you get hurt?"

Tohru wiped her eyes, "Uh, no Sana. I didn't get hurt."

Before the little girl could start firing off some more questions, Kagura picked her up and said in a motherly tone, "Now Sana, we came to say good night to Tohru. So say it and let's go. We have to go to be now."

"Okay mommy!" the little girl beamed. She jumped down from her mom's arms and hugged Tohru's legs. "Goodnight Auntie Tohru! See you in the morning!" Then she hopped out of the room with Kagura running after her.

"'Night Tohru," Kagura said before she disappeared through the doorway.

Kyo sighed. "Sorry about that," he said. "Sana doesn't really get it ya know?"

Tohru shook her head, more tears coming out. "Please don't worry about it." There was a moment of silence. Then Tohru said, "You know, Kagura seems to be handling this very well."

Kyo let out something between a snort and a chuckle. "Are you kidding?" he asked. "Kagura's been a wreck ever since she found out. She's just trying to look strong in front of Sana. Last night, after Sana went to bed, she cried herself to sleep."

Tohru gasped. 'So I'm not the only one,' she thought to herself. "What about you?" she asked Kyo quietly. "How are you doing with this?"

Kyo hesitated a moment before answering. Although he and Yuki had always hated each other in the past, they had become "friends" in the past few years. Well, at least the two didn't fight anymore. He saw Tohru's tears still coming out so he sat down on the bed beside her and put an arm around her shoulder protectively. "Remember what I said to you, all those years ago, when you got sick?" he asked.

Tohru gasped and another ghostly smile appeared on her face through the tears as she remembered how Kyo had cooked leek soup for her when she got a fever. "Yes, I do," she said. "And I'm still thankful to this day."

"I told you to go back to smiling with that…goofy looking grin you always have," he said. 'Cause when you're not happy…I'm not happy."

"You still think my smile is goofy?" Tohru asked (just imagine a sweat drop appearing on Kyo's head right now).

"What I mean is…Yuki wouldn't want you to be like this," he said in the calmest voice he could. "That damn rat would want you to be smiling and happy like you always are. And I know it's hard now, and it'll probably be damn hard for a while. But the important thing is that you move on…and, I don't know, honor Yuki's memory…I guess."

Tohru gasped, 'It's just like back then…when I was sick. Kyo…he's trying to cheer me up.' Just then, love and admiration for Kyo swelled up inside Tohru and for a moment, all of her sadness just slipped away. She leaned into his chest (now that the curse was broken) and said, "Kyo, that's what I needed to hear. Thank you so much."

Even though she couldn't see it, a smile found its place on Kyo's face at that moment. He kissed Tohru on the forehead and said, "Tomorrow…at the funeral, think of how I said Yuki would want you to be happy. That should get through it." He then bade Tohru 'goodnight' and left the onigiri in her room.

Tohru's last thoughts as she drifted off to sleep were, 'I wonder how Shigure is doing right now, all alone in his house.'

--

The next day at the funeral, the mood was everything that Tohru expected it to be: somber and dreary. She, Kisa, and Kagura were all sobbing most of the time and she even thought she saw a few tears fall from Ayame's eyes.

The eulogy was the worst part for Tohru. As Kyo stood in front of everyone and talked about Yuki and his memory, Tohru felt her sadness and emptiness eating away at her. She tried to think of what Kyo said to her last night but it did virtually nothing. She had to face the fact that Yuki was gone but she would eventually move on.

After the burial, she was the last one to leave. Before leaving the cemetery, she looked up into the sky and saw a sliver of sunlight peeping through the clouds. She smiled a little and thought, 'I suppose that's mom and Yuki smiling down on me.'

That night she returned back to Shigure's house and slept in her old bed. Thoughts of Yuki and the memories they shared obviously wormed their way into her dreams but for the first night since his death, she didn't fall asleep with tears in her eyes.

A/N All right, I know you're probably all wondering when the hell is the actual Shigure/Tohru part of the story going to come into play. Well…next chapter I promise but just a little bit. I don't want to make it too sudden; I mean Yuki did just die. But anyway, thank you to:

Otaku Mom

Emerald Guardian

loretta537

Verop

JennyKim319

for reviewing! They meant so much to me and I hope that I'll keep you all interested in this story enough for you guys to stick with it until the end.

Alrighty then, until next time! Ja ne!