Author's Note: Hello, fellow Fruits Basket and anime fans, I'm so sorry this has taken so long to update. It was a really hard one to write for some reason. But, it is now 2:29 am, and I need some sleep, plus i have to work tomorrow evening, so good night everyone. Enjoy Chapter 3. :)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Fruits Basket.

Summary: After a few short years of peace, the Zodiac curse is inevitably back. With the new Zodiac curse, brings on a new generation. Tohru's memories are erased, not remembering anything of the Sohmas or her love for Kyo. Kyo now only has one thing that Tohru regretably left behind: They're only daughter.

Chapter 3: Strength

"Talking"

"Thoughts"

Kyo kept running. After the events fell upon him, he left the hospital in a rush. No one could stop him; no one dared to try. He kept pushing himself further, and his pace kept increasing. He honestly felt like he could run across the whole world and would never feel tired afterwards. He just couldn't grasp, couldn't fathom the idea: his beloved Tohru was gone. He would never see her again. Of course, how could he? If her memories were erased, doesn't that mean she won't remember him, her own husband? She probably won't remember anything in regards to the Sohma family. So, what happens to her? What happens to him? Is he supposed to just continue on with his life? Act as if she never existed, like she doesn't even matter to him? Kyo continued to ponder these questions. Maybe he should get his memories erased too. He seriously considered this option. The pain would go away and it would remain away. No longer would Tohru enter his mind, because he would have forgotten. But, of course, he knew his family would never be so kind. As far as Kyo was concerned, he had no family. After what his own father did to him, the word family didn't exist.

Kyo finally reached a stopping point. He punched a tree that he happened to stop in front of. The tears continued to fall down his face, as he continued to punch the tree. The tree never budged though. When he pulled his hand away and glanced at it, blood was flowing profusely from his veins. He couldn't even feel that it hurt. He was numb, blank… empty. He just stared at his hand, wondering if he would just bleed to death. To him, death would be relief right about now. As he watched his hand, the bleeding started to slow. He growled at it, and started punching the tree again. However, it didn't make him feel any better. He stopped punching the tree and stared at his hand again. This time, he started to feel light headed.

"Tohru."

He gladly closed his eyes and willingly blacked out.

Lights were shining everywhere. "Kyo?" A voice said. The lights shined more into Kyo's closed eyes. He squinted and unconsciously covered his eyes. Two hands pulled his arm away from his eyes. "Kyo, wake up now." The voice said, firmly. In his sleep, Kyo already knew who it was. He growled at it. His eyes opened and they glared at the two men hovering over his face.

"Can you sit up?" Kazuma asked, in a concerned tone. Kyo only glared at him, but he sat up anyway. His glare started to disappear to the point where he just stared at nothing. He only wished that he could go back to sleep again. At least then, he would have nothing to think about. His pain could disappear, for at least a brief moment. Both, Kazuma and Hatori couldn't help but feel horrible for him, but they had no choice. Kazuma touched Kyo's shoulder, and Kyo flinched back to reality.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted, and he without hesitation, jumped out of the hospital bed and ran out the door. However, it's not like he could run far. Shigure, Yuki, and Hatsuharu were right outside the door, ready to stop him. He blindly paid no mind, and continued to run past them. But all three men grabbed a hold of him, holding him back. To Kyo's dismay, it was Yuki who actually stopped him from pursuing forward. He growled at him.

"If you know what's good for you, you damn rat, you had better release me!" He seethed, his teeth gritting together. Yuki sighed to himself. He personally didn't think this was fair to Kyo, but it had to be done.

"Kyo." Kyo's attention reverted to Kazuma who called out to him. As he approached him, Kyo started to struggle against the men's grip.

"Stay away from me!" Kyo shouted. His glare towards Kazuma was sidetracked when he saw Akito walking down the hall. He was struggling even harder now. Shigure, who happened to see who Kyo was staring at, released Kyo, and ran after Akito to protect her. Kyo snarled.

"Let me go! Let me go! I'm going to kill her! I swear, I'll kill her!" He shouted. This time, he started using his feet to kick Yuki, but his attacks were useless. Finally, when Kazuma had had enough of Kyo's antics, he punched him straight in the face. All it did was stun Kyo. He staggered backwards and just stared at Kazuma. As he started to rub his now red cheek, his glare disappeared. His head fell forward, so his bangs started to cover his eyes. But, Kazuma couldn't mistaken the single drop of liquid that landed on the floor. Kyo immediately became embarrassed when that single tear fell from his eye.

"Why, Dad?" He asked. Seeing Kyo like this, Yuki let him go, Hatsuharu following his lead. Kyo just fell to his knees on the ground. They stood back, and Kazuma gave them both dismissive glances. Hatsuharu started to walk away, but he saw that Yuki had not moved. He pulled on Yuki's elbow, leading him away from Kazuma and Kyo.

Kazuma stood over Kyo's body and knelt down in front of him. "Come on, Kyo. We need to talk." Kyo lifted his head slightly, and he whispered, "I don't want to talk to you." He said, sharply. Kazuma sighed and hesitantly touched his shoulder. "Son... I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you don't have a choice." He said. Kyo's head was fully lifted now. His famous facial expression of the day appeared once again: His glare. Kazuma's eyes softened. He had to be harsh now, but he really did feel sorry for the way things turned out for his son.

"I know you're confused and angry right now, Kyo. But, unfortunately, we have to move on from here." Kyo's face that held the glare went from a glare to an astonished look. He stood up abruptly. "What? Move on from here?" He shouted. Kazuma slowly stood up to Kyo's level and waited for Kyo to get his ranting over with. He knew that he needed it.

"You expect me to move on? How? I've never believed you could be so heartless. First, you allow Akito to take Tohru away from me and now you want me to get over it and move on with my life? How could you?" Kyo said. He put his head in his hands, and stayed silent.

"Kyo." Kazuma said. His eyes briefly closed, as he tried to think of the right words to say to his son. In truth, Kyo was right. How could he?

"Listen, I know this is tough, no, worse than tough. I know this is the most horrible thing to happen in your life, but Kyo, right now, you have to be strong." Kyo's head slightly lifted. He whispered.

"I've been tough my whole life, Dad." He mumbled. Kazuma sighed. Now what? There was only one way to get Kyo to realize what is happening now.

"Kyo, you have to be strong... not just for me, or even Tohru for that matter, but...

"Who, Dad? Who?" Kyo shouted, interrupted him. Kazuma placed a hand on Kyo's shoulder. A gentle smile graced his face. "Kyo, have you forgotten? You are a father now."

Kyo's head fully lifted up.

"A... father."

Saki came running through the hospital hallways, with as much speed as a woman with a two year old in her arms could sustain. She had tears running down in her face, and in response, little Keiko was also crying. Now, Kyo and Kazuma were standing, still speaking it seemed like. When Keiko spotted her father, she pushed against Saki's chest to be placed on the ground. Saki placed Keiko on her feet, and Keiko ran for Kazuma. "Daddy! Daddy!" She shouted, still crying. Kazuma knelt down and picked up Keiko.

The belief was that Keiko was only upset because her mother was upset. Kyo stepped aside, and Kazuma took a seat that was the closest to him. With Keiko in his lap, he rubbed her back and quietly whispered to her.

"You're all right. Calm down now." He kept murmuring soft words to her, and her sobs turned into soft sniffles.

Kyo watched the scene before him. He noticed how Kazuma was capable of being so calm, when his daughter seemed to be a total wreck. He figured if it were his kid, he would probably start flipping out too. He wouldn't have a clue as to what to do with it.

"Tohru would be the best at that." He thought to himself solemnly. He started to go back into his depressed shell, when Saki said something.

"Kazuma, which room is Tohru in?" Kyo mentally opened his ears up to listen to what Kazuma would say. Kazuma stood up with Keiko in his arms and lead Saki about halfway towards Tohru's room. Once Saki had the directions, she hesitantly looked at Keiko and at Kazuma. As if Kazuma read her mind, he said, "She'll be fine with me, Saki." He assured her. Saki slightly smiled, and suddenly ran towards Tohru's hospital room.

"Mama." Keiko said, reaching for the direction that Saki had taken.

"She'll be back, Keiko." Kazuma said. Keiko settled down comfortably in Kazuma's arms, and he redirected his attention back to Kyo.

"Well, are you ready?" He asked.

Whatever was on Kyo's mind, it ceased. Kyo looked up at Kazuma.

"Ready for what?" He asked, oblivious. Kazuma almost wanted to laugh... almost.

"So, you don't want to see your own kid?" He asked, with a hint of a smirk on his face. At first, Kyo's face heightened with excitement, but then he stopped short. His face fell again.

"I can't." He said, quietly.

Kazuma sighed. He stepped forward and held onto Kyo's shoulder again.

"Come on, you know better than that. Let's go. The rest of the family has already gone to look through the window." Kazuma started to lead the way, and Kyo sluggishly followed. In all honesty, Kyo was scared. He hasn't met this new person before. Right now, it felt almost wrong. How come he was allowed to see it, but Tohru was not. If he was going to think realistically here, Tohru probably knew the kid more than he did. There was not doubt about that. But, yet, Tohru is unable to meet him, really meet him. It just wasn't fair.

"Okay, here we are." Kazuma announced. Kyo noticed a slight crowd, which happened to be just his family crowding around the glass window. He noticed the women had tears in the eyes, and he also noticed that some of the men's eyes were red too. Why was everyone crying? It's just a baby, right? Did a baby have that much power, to make everyone cry? Kyo thought of all of these questions, while Kazuma knocked on the door to the nursery. Kyo started to walk closer to the crowd, when Kazuma stopped him.

Before he even spoke, Kagura came forward and Kazuma handed Keiko to her. Kagura nodded at Kazuma and took Keiko to look through the window. She started pointing at what was on the other side of the window. Keiko started to smile brightly. With Keiko occupied, Kazuma reverted his attention to Kyo.

"Kyo, wouldn't you two rather meet in there, rather than out here. Since you're the father, you're allowed access to this room. Since I'm the child's potential grandfather, I'm also allowed in here." He said.

Kyo just stared at the door and at Kazuma.

"Okay." He said. As he started to walk through the door, he stopped short.

"Wait, have you seen him yet?" He asked Kazuma.

"No, Kyo. I was searching for you for over two hours." He said, simply. Kyo wasn't sure if he should ask the next question, or not. But, he felt like it was important.

"Has she seen him?" He asked, partially hoping that the answer was yes. He would feel better if he knew that Tohru got to meet him too. Kazuma gave Kyo an apologetic look. He shook his head.

"No, she hasn't." He said. He didn't think he should say more. Kyo should know what erasing Tohru's memories meant.

Kyo only nodded and walked all the way through the door. As the door shut behind him and Kazuma, he stopped again. The room was bigger than he thought it would be. He noticed baby basinets everywhere. He was surprised that the room was quiet. It almost gave him the creeps. Kazuma was talking to one of the nurses, when Kyo decided to find his child himself. He assumed since his family was crowded around the window, then that must be where the kid is. He knew that his family was staring at him with sympathetic looks, but he didn't really care at this point. He didn't dare look at any of their faces.

Finally, he found it. There was a specific bassinet sitting the closest to the window. The baby was wrapped in blue, so he assumed it was a boy. The baby's head was covered in dark brown hair.

He knew it. This had to be the son that Tohru thought of, minus the orange hair. And, that's just the way Kyo liked it. The less he looked like him, the better. He just stared at the sleeping little one. He wanted to touch him, but was just too afraid to. It felt wrong to him.

"Kyo." He turned to see Kazuma staring at him with an amused look. Kyo's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Kyo, what are you doing? That's the wrong one." He said. Kyo's eyes widened.

"What do you mean? This isn't..."

Kazuma laughed.

"Kyo, that's not your son." His arm slightly stretched to the right.

"Your daughter is right over there." Kyo was speechless. He swallowed, almost afraid of what he would really see.

"D.. Daughter?" He questioned. Kazuma smiled. "Yes, come look at her." Kyo hesitantly nodded and walked towards the real bassinet. He followed Kazuma slowly.

What Kyo was feeling, it wasn't anger. It was fear. Tohru had never mentioned a daughter much. She just assumed and hoped that it was a son. In all honesty, he didn't care. But now, what if this little girl happens to look just like Tohru. Brown hair, beautiful bright blue eyes...

Kyo swallowed again. He didn't know how he would be able to fathom the pain. A mini-Tohru?

"How could I possibly..." Kyo suddenly ran straight into Kazuma's back. He straightened himself up and stared at Kazuma's face. He was seriously afraid to look at the baby that slept in the bassinet.

Kazuma started chuckling lightly. Kyo just stared at his face, while Kazuma laughed at what he must have seen in the bassinet. He looked right at Kyo.

"Son, meet your daughter."

Kyo was wrong, again. In fact, the baby wasn't even asleep. She was wide awake, looking at everything around her. He couldn't mistake this baby either, because right on the side of the basinet, a sticker read Sohma on it. Yes, it was his.

Instead of her hair being brown, it was a light red color. It would probably darken up as she got older.

Kyo stared at her face for the longest time, it seemed. And, it wasn't her hair that caught his attention. It was her eyes. They were the exact same blue as Tohru's. She had Tohru's eyes. When the baby finally locked eyes with Kyo's, he felt as if his heart had skipped a beat.

"Wow." Kyo thought to himself. He had never felt this way before. It was like falling in love all over again, but it was so different. The love he suddenly felt for this child was so different from his love for Tohru. But, it was still love, nonetheless. At the same time, he still couldn't help but feel guilt out of this.

"Tohru should be able to see this, see her." For some reason, he kept thinking like he screwed up somewhere. But, more than anything, he feared that this innocent little girl would be screwed up forever. The curse, and not having a loving mother like Tohru in her life. It just wasn't right. And, he is her father, right? So, shouldn't he do what he feels is best for her? He already knew what the best thing for her was.

"Kyo, you can pick her up, you know." Kazuma said, breaking Kyo from his thoughts. Kyo stared at the baby, and noticed just how small she was, how fragile looking. He was afraid to hold her.

With a knowing smile, Kazuma gently scooped the baby up in his arms. As Kyo watched him, it seemed so natural to Kazuma. He was so gentle with her, and she never made a sound. However, once the baby was settled in Kazuma's arms comfortably, she started looking around frantically. She couldn't lift her head obviously, so she couldn't see Kyo anymore. She started crying.

The worst, most frightening sound Kyo could come across: That baby's cry. It was a shrill, high pitched, very annoying sound. Kyo couldn't help but close his ears. The problem was, it would not stop. Kyo groaned with a possible headache coming on.

"You've got to be kidding me." Kyo thought to himself.

"Ahh, make it stop! Please?" He nearly shouted desperately. Kazuma slightly smirked.

"Here. Figure out how to make her stop." Kazuma said. He started to hand the baby to Kyo, but Kyo hesitated. His hands were still covering his ears. His eyes screamed panic. Kazuma smiled.

"Kyo, hold her." He said, almost firmly. Kyo's hands started to lower, and he awkwardly held his arms out for the baby. The baby was still crying, and Kyo constantly cringed. Before he could think straight, the baby was settled in his arms, and Kazuma was positioning Kyo's arms correctly. Kazuma let go of his arms and watched him.

"Now, what?" Kyo asked, frantically. He didn't know how to do this. He never handled infants before. Kazuma smiled, knowingly. He remembered what it was like the first time with Keiko.

"First, Kyo, you need to calm down. Your distress is upsetting her. So, she won't settle down until you do."

"How on Earth is Kazuma able to speak over this screaming child?" Kyo thought to himself. He looked around, trying to think of something, anything to shut this kid up. He spotted a rocking chair, maybe that would help. He walked over to it, with the child still awkwardly in his arms. He sat down, and just stared at her. He noticed that her eyes were closed tightly, while she cried. His head was beginning to pound. This was the only thing he could think of.

"Hey, hey! Knock it off!" Then, before he realized what he was doing, he was rocking the chair and rocking her in his arms.

"Stop it! Please, stop it!" But, him shouting didn't make it better, it made it worse. Kazuma, who happened to be watching and observing, intervened again.

"Shouting at her will not help. You need to calm down." He said. Kyo stopped rocking the chair, and continued to stare at the baby. Watching her cry now, he learned that he never wanted to see her cry. But, that's an understatement. The baby was just born today, she'll be just crying for a long time. Kyo groaned at the thought.

"There's no way I can do this." He thought to himself. He did obviously stop shouting. He stopped rocking the chair and started to just stare at the baby. And, maybe the silence would calm her down.

Sure enough, she did settle down, somewhat. She was whining, but her huge outbreak was over... For now.

Kyo exhaled heavily and thought of something else.

"She probably wants her mother." He thought solemnly. He finally came up with a rational idea, the most logic he had all day.

"Could she be hungry?" Kyo whispered, completely unsure. Kazuma nodded slowly.

"That's possible. Do you think she's hungry?" Kazuma asked. The way Kazuma asked it, Kyo felt like he was being teased.

"I don't know! I'm not her mother!" The new outburst from Kyo caused the baby to start crying loudly once again.

"Ahh, stop it. Stop it. Please?" Kyo persuaded. Once again, he couldn't help but panic when that baby started to cry. And his tone wasn't helping. Kazuma just shook his head and stared. Kyo would learn. And, this was a learning exercise.

Kyo's eyes scrunched tight again, and to himself, he thought, "Tohru, help me." She would probably know what to do without a second thought.

He tried to look back on anytime she had been near an infant. The only time he could recall was when they were baby sitting Arisa and Kureno's son, Kazuo. Kyo honestly didn't do much, because Tohru just couldn't keep her hands off of that poor baby. One thing Kyo distinctly remembered was when Arisa and Kureno left for their date for the night. Just like right now with his daughter, he cringed when that little boy let his lungs loose. But, Tohru reacted totally different. She rocked him, sang to him, and she didn't even ask for Kyo to help her. At the end of the night, when Arisa and Kureno returned home, Tohru and Kazuo were curled up on the couch asleep. Once Tohru was awake, she almost didn't want to give Kazuo back to Arisa. Kyo assumed that was why she probably wanted a son. He simply clung to her. Then again, anyone who met Tohru tended to cling to her, even Kyo.

As Kyo's thoughts collected, he noticed that the baby had calmed down somewhat. She was back to her sniffles and whimpers. He exhaled deeply, and lightly patted her back. "That's... much better." Kyo said to himself. While he watched his daughter, her eyes locked with his, she got quieter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kazuma smiling.

"She's starting to get attached to you." Kazuma commented. Kyo looked up at Kazuma and hesitantly nodded, although he still had the "Help me" look on his face. While Kyo stared blankly at Kazuma, the baby started to whine louder and squirm in his arms. Kyo's eyes widened and looked at his daughter.

He wanted to shout, he wanted to run away; he was almost willing to do anything to make that kid remain silent.

But, out of all of those three options, Kyo didn't do either of them. All he could do was think about what Tohru would do in this situation. He started to rock her gently, and for the first time all day, he spoke to her.

"Hey, hey." He spoke quietly. It was more of a mumble, but it was audible.

"Please stop crying." He begged. The baby started to cling to his shirt tightly. He could almost feel what little strength the little one had.

She calmed down again, but Kyo didn't believe it was for good.

"It's okay." He finally whispered. He really didn't know what else to say. In all honesty, he was frightened. He just, was not ready for this. It seemed so sudden, even though he supposedly had nine months to prepare for it. Maybe he depended on Tohru too much. He knew that Tohru was so attached, that she would be able to take care of everything. Kyo never dreamed that the situation would have to be reversed. He never dreamed that Tohru would be taken away from him either.

But now, Kyo also had to think about his daughter. What about her? Tohru was taken away from her too. He knew that Tohru loved her deeply, the real truth was, Kyo loved this newborn too. He wanted her to be happy. And, he knew that she would be the most happy with Tohru.

"Well, Kyo." Kazuma broke Kyo of his thoughts, once again. Kyo didn't look at him this time, but he acknowledged him with a mumble.

"Is there a name for her, or are we just going to call her Sohma for the rest of her life?" He asked.

Kyo started to think it over. Once again, another flashback came through his mind:

Kyo was lying on his bed with his arms behind his head. His eyes were closed, but he was very aware of everything around him. He heard the door to Shigure's house open, then close. His eyes flew open, and he hopped off of the bed. He ran down the steps and greeted the already known visitor. Tohru stood at the door with the largest of smiles on her face.

"Well?" Kyo asked, hastily. Tohru giggled. She pulled out a small photograph from her purse and handed it to him.

"Here's the latest one." She said, excited. Kyo looked at the photo, observing, to see if there was a change from the photo from Tohru's previous doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, he could see no change. The picture was so blurry, he couldn't tell where the person's head was, or its foot or arm. He looked at Tohru. She smiled, and pointed and explained where everything was. There was one thing that Tohru did not mention, what was the gender?

"Wait, I thought Hatori was going to tell you what it was today." He said, confused. Tohru smiled and sighed.

"Well, he tried to. He said we probably won't find out until it's born. I kind of like that. The idea of a surprise." She said, excited. Kyo only nodded and stared at the photograph. He sat down on the couch, and Tohru followed suit. She sighed heavily.

"Are you okay?" Kyo asked. Tohru nodded and mumbled yes to him. He reached out for her, and pulled her in towards his chest. She fidgeted to get comfortable, what, with her stomach getting in the way, and all. Once she was comfortable, she sighed again, content.

"So, what do you think, Kyo?" She asked, quietly.

"Hm?" He said, just as quiet.

"The baby. What do you think it will be?" She asked. Kyo shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"I don't know. I don't really care what it is either. It's not like we have a say in what we get, you know." He said. Tohru giggled.

"Yes, I know. But it's still fun to imagine what the child could be, or what he or she will look like. You know, if I thought about it really hard, I'll bet we have a boy." She said, giggling again. Kyo's eye rose in question.

"Why a boy?" He asked, curiously.

"I think because I want a kid to look just like you, Kyo." She said, while snuggling into him tighter. Kyo didn't say anything to that. "That's just ridiculous." Kyo thought to himself. He didn't want Tohru's feelings to easily get hurt by his insensitivity.

Tohru turned her head so she could see his face.

"Kyo, if it's not too much trouble, or too much to ask.." She hesitated. Kyo rolled his eyes. Why is she still worrying about "causing trouble?" Would she ever grow out of that?

"Whatever you want." Kyo said, quietly.

"I already have a name for him..." She started. When Kyo looked at her, she said, "I mean if you already have a name picked out, that's fine! I mean, I'm sure we can use my name if we decide to have another kid some day.. Or, even, if you want to have another kid some day that is, I mean it's all up to you..." She started stuttering like she typically did.

One of Kyo's fingers gently touched Tohru's lips, silencing her.

"It's okay. I don't really care. What name did you have in mind?" He asked her. Tohru's eyes lit up.

"Well, I was really thinking of naming him after my dad, Katsuya." She said. "But, I don't want to just hog the name. Maybe you wanted to name him after your father too." Tohru said. Kyo scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Why would I want to name him after my bastard of a father?" He asked, harshly. Tohru lightly jumped. She didn't mean to make him upset.

"No, I didn't mean him. I was talking about Kazuma." She said, gently. Kyo settled back into the couch.

"Oh, well, that's different." Kyo said. There was a few seconds of no words spoken. Then, Kyo whispered, "I like Katsuya." Tohru jumped slightly.

"Are you sure, Kyo? I promise, if you want to name him something else, it won't bother me at all!" She said. Kyo started to chuckle slightly.

"No, Tohru. Honestly, I don't care what you want to name him." He kept the next comment to himself. "Besides, once it's all done and over with, you deserve to name him anyway." He thought.

"So." He said, out loud. "What if we don't have a son?" He asked, curiously. Tohru's smile was just as bright as before.

"Well, if we have a little girl, it won't be any different than a son. Although, I'd really want her to look like Mom."

"Of course she would." Kyo thought to himself.

"It would make me really happy if I had a daughter to remind of my my mom when she was alive. She could have her spit fire personality, and looks, and everything. I want to name her Kyoko... Unless you want to name her after your mom or something." Tohru said. Kyo waved his hand at her.

"No, I don't care. You can name it whatever you want." He said, reassuringly. Tohru was skeptical at first, but then she nodded. She touched her stomach.

"Then, I guess it's settled, little Katsuya or Kyoko."

A tiny whine brought Kyo from his thoughts. He looked down at his daughter. "Now, look at us. It seems like Tohru didn't get anything that she truly wanted." It was the truth. It seemed she didn't get a son, or a daughter that stayed true to her wishes. Instead of a son, or a daughter that was supposed to be a mini-Kyoko, she gave birth to a female version of Kyo, excluding the reddish brown eyes. But, maybe this is something Kyo can do for Tohru, the only thing he can do; Give their daughter the name that she wanted.

He started rocking the baby again to the point where he didn't even realize he was doing it.

"Kyo." Kazuma said. Kyo still did not look at him.

"What's her name, son?" He asked. Kazuma knew Kyo had to have been thinking about it. The distant look on his face, Kazuma always knew when he was thinking really hard about something. What Kazuma did not expect, was to see Kyo bring Kyoko closer to his face and positioned her over his shoulder. Her face was now snuggled into his neck, and her grip on his shirt tightened, since the sudden movement spooked her. She started to squirm again and her small whine was starting to increase. This time, Kyo would not let her cry anymore. At least, for now anyway.

"Shh. It's all right... Kyoko." He said. Kazuma's eyes briefly lit up.

"Kyoko?" He asked. Kyo rubbed the baby's back and nodded.

"Yes, her name is Kyoko." He said, finalizing it. Kazuma nodded.

"Kyoko Sohma, huh?" Kazuma said. Kyo just nodded. He decided to move her back to her original position. She seemed to like it better. Now that Kyoko had settled down somewhat, Kyo could actually look at her. As each second passed, Kyo kept feeling so much guilt and regret. There had to be a catch. There had to be something he could do. He didn't want to screw this child up. And, he was afraid that he would.

"I can't let her live with me." He thought to himself. "She will be so much better off without me."

"Well, Kyo. What do you want to do now?" Kazuma finally asked. It seemed as if Kyo's thoughts were being read by Kazuma. Regardless if it was true or not, Kyo would answer anyway.

"Let her go with Tohru." Kyo said, firmly. "Tohru can take care of her much better than I can." He said. He nodded to himself. He stared at the innocence that laid in the little girl's eyes. He was willing to do anything for her to have eternal happiness, even if that meant he would be living the rest of his life alone, without Tohru or Kyoko.

Kazuma frowned.

"Kyo, you know that's not possible." Kazuma said, gently.

"Why? Why not? You know full well that Tohru can take care of her better than I can." Kyo said, persuasively.

"Kyo, as much as I wish I could take it back, none of us can. Akito and everyone agreed that this would be the best for Tohru. You saw how heart broken she was earlier." Kazuma said. Kyo slowly nodded, but he wasn't sure if he fully agreed with that. Was she upset? Sure. Scared out of her wits? Absolutely. But, heart broken? He just wasn't so sure about that. She managed to fall in love with him after all, the foolish cat. Why would her own daughter be any different? Kyo would never forget how Tohru cried so much for that little person that she was so excited to meet. The love and devotion was unfathomable.

"But, Dad. She loves her. She would do anything for her." Kyo said, desperately. Kazuma sighed.

"I understand that, Kyo. But, maybe you should think about what's best for Tohru. This wouldn't be good for her. We couldn't just burden her with the Zodiac curse." It was true. Everything Kazuma was saying was the truth. No, Kyo didn't want her to suffer or have to deal with the Zodiac curse all over again. He needed her, but so did Kyoko. Kyo just could not measure up to what Tohru was able to do.

Kyo finally caved. He told the truth.

"Dad, I can't do this. I'm not ready." He said, honestly. Kazuma sighed.

"Kyo, I'm not asking you to do this." Kazuma said. Kyo gave him a confused look.

"I'm telling you to do this." Kazuma said. "This is your daughter. You need to recognize this for what it is. She is your responsibility, Kyo. You are going to do this. And, unfortunately, you will have to do this without Tohru." He said, finalizing his short speech. His words were harsh, but Kyo couldn't act like a child anymore. And, there was no way he would let Kyo act like one in front of his granddaughter.

At that moment, Kyo looked at his daughter, whose eyes were open again revealing those crystal blues. As he stared at his daughter, he knew the truth. He didn't have his wife anymore, and Kyoko did not have her mother anymore. When Kyoko's eyes blinked, Kyo kept seeing small pieces of Tohru in Kyoko, mainly in just her eyes.

"Tohru."

With the mere thought of Tohru gone, completely out of his life, Kyo shut down inside.

(One Day Later)

Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani were walking down the hospital hallway with their children in tow. Keiko was walking by herself, while holding her mother's hand. Arisa's son, Kazuo could walk just fine, but he was a Mama's boy, who constantly wanted to be held.

Tohru Honda was about three steps behind them. She just felt so confused. She constantly looked around the hospital walls. All she knew was that she had a bad fall and hurt her head while helping Uo clean up her house. For some reason, it just didn't add up. She didn't even remember being at Uo's house, not to mention she didn't remember Uo or even Saki, having children. Weren't they still in high school? Apparently not. A doctor told her she was just going through temporary amnesia, but everything would return to normal in no time.

Tohru noticed Arisa's arms sagging, and she assumed maybe she could lend a hand.

"Uo, if you want, I can hold him for you." Tohru offered. Arisa turned around and smiled thankfully.

"Thanks, Tohru. But, I don't think Kazuo would comply even if I tried to hand him to you. Gosh, you should have seen him the other day. He kicked Kureno, because he only wanted me to hold him." Uo said, her eyes widening.

"Just like his mother." Tohru thought to herself.

"You could just make him walk, Uo." Saki said, knowingly. Uo frowned.

"If you want this kid screaming in the hall way of a baby nursery and have everyone in the waiting room staring at us, be my guest." Uo said with a smirk. Hana just shook her head and continued to walk forward with Keiko, who remained quiet as always.

Tohru started to giggle, but she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of envy. Her best friends had the most adorable kids ever. She had yet to meet their husbands. But, why didn't she have her husband, or her own child to spoil? Tohru sighed to herself. She couldn't mistake the twinge of pain in her heart. Why did everything just feel so wrong to her. Something was missing, more like someone was missing.

As if there were a gravitational pull, Tohru turned the left, and saw the glass window that led to the baby nursery. She walked closer to the glass, and looked into the other room. She saw rows of baby bassinets.

Saki and Arisa looked at eachother with worried looks, but kept it to themselves. They walked up beside her and looked through the window. Saki picked up Keiko, and Keiko looked through the window like she did earlier that day with Kagura.

Tohru looked at a few of the bassinets, but there was one in particular that stuck out. Her vision was good enough that she saw the label on the front of the bassinet that read "Sohma." Tohru blinked in wonder.

"Sohma. Why does that name sound so familiar?" Tohru thought to herself.

She continued to stare at just that baby. The baby was awake and moving her arms and legs around. Her eyes were wide open and looking around, when her eyes looked up towards Tohru. Their eyes locked, and something came over Tohru. She didn't know what the feeling was, but she liked it. She smiled and waved at the pretty little girl.

"Hi, there." Tohru whispered to her. The baby squirmed, about ready to cry. Tohru's heart broke seeing that baby near tears. One of the nurses on duty came over to the baby to check on her. She looked at Tohru and smiled politely, then picked up the baby and took her away from the window. Tohru's hand stretched towards the glass like she wanted the nurse to bring the baby back to her. But, as her hand fell back to her side, she just shrugged whatever odd feelings she had, off.

"Tohru?" Saki asked. Tohru turned around and smiled.

"That baby was so pretty." She commented. Arisa and Saki both nodded in agreement.

"Shall we get going?" Uo asked. Tohru nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, sounds great!" Tohru, Arisa, and Hana started to walk down the hallway once again, when Tohru turned around and noticed that the pretty baby was back in her bassinet. Tohru wanted to go see her again, but she thought against it. She didn't want to upset her again. She simply waved towards the glass, even though the baby probably couldn't see her.

"Goodbye, pretty baby. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

Well, there you have it, folks. Chapter 3 is finally completed. I am so sorry that this took so long to finish. I found it to be quite difficult to write, but chapter 4 will be even harder. D: Ehh, I'll make it through. Thanks to all who read and reviewed. Your reviews keep me going. :) Also, my birthday just passed, so I am now 18. Happy Birthday to me! I hope to get some nice reviews as a late birthday present. :) Thanks you all, and I hope you enjoy.

-Stephanie