-1Kyou laid in bed looking up at the ceiling. His window was open and the spring breeze wafted in from outside, playing with his curtains before dispersing throughout the room. He shifted and turned his head to look at the clock. Half past twelve. He stretched and gave a small grunt, wondering how long it would be before--
Knock knock.
Kyou's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden tap on his door. He rolled over onto his side and pretended to be asleep. The door opened slowly and Tohru poked her head into the room. She bit her lip and hesitated, not wanting to wake Kyou if he was asleep. Pushing the door open further, she set down a small tray on his bedside table and then left, closing the door softly behind her.
After she was gone, Kyou rolled back over to see a lunch tray sitting on his nightstand. A small smile came to his lips and he sat up, reaching to take the rice balls off their plate.
Tohru made her way back downstairs to find Kagura sitting at the table. Her back was to the doorway, but she turned when she heard Tohru coming down the stairs. Kagura smiled, but Tohru could see that she had been crying. She excused herself to the kitchen and came back with a pot of tea and cups. Setting them down on the table, she sat across from Kagura and waited for her to speak.
"…Have…have you talked to Kyou?" Kagura asked quietly, after a moment. Tohru shook her head.
"No. Kyou-kun has been in bed all day. I just went upstairs to give him lunch, but he was asleep." She replied. Kagura nodded. Tohru hesitated before going on. "Did he talk to you?" She asked. Kagura nodded and took a sip of tea.
"We walked home together yesterday." She said. She looked up at Tohru. "I'm really confused, Tohru-chan. Can I confide in you?" Tohru nodded.
"Yes, yes! I would love to listen to you." She said, sincerely. Kagura smiled.
"I knew I could count on you, Tohru-chan." She said. She was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke. "I walked home with Kyou-kun yesterday. I think…I think maybe he does have feelings for me. He acted so different. He held me in his arms and cried." Kagura paused and reflected on the day before, placing her chin in her hand. "Maybe it was just because the rain had worn him out. He let his guard down." She said.
"Well…" Tohru started to say. Kagura stopped talking and looked over at the other girl.
"What do you think, Tohru-chan?" She asked. Tohru took a sip of tea before continuing.
"I think…that Kyou-kun does care for you. I think he just realized lately how much he does. It's probably overwhelming, these new feelings. " She said. Kagura nodded in agreement.
"That makes sense. I feel a little overwhelmed myself." She admitted. Tohru looked surprise.
"Really?" She said. Kagura nodded again.
"You look surprised." She said.
"I am." Tohru replied. "You always seemed so sure of yourself. That it was Kyou-kun you loved and only him." Kagura was quiet again and she sat up, looking down at her teacup.
"I do love Kyou. I love him more than anything in the world. It's just…suddenly having him hint that he might feel the same way…well, it was surprising. And it scared me." She said. Tohru opened her mouth to say something, but Kagura kept talking. "After all these years of him rejecting me, I've grown use to our one-sided love. Whenever I see him, I just throw myself at him, with complete abandon. It's normal and what I'm expected to do." Tohru blinked and tilted her head slightly.
"You don't want to be…um…" Tohru tried to think of a polite way to put it. "Forceful with your love?" Kagura nodded.
"Last night when I went home, I thought about all the times I was with Kyou. I realized that I was always violent with him, which was why he never wanted to spend any time with me. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't want to be that way. Maybe it's because I'm older. I don't want to cling to Kyou and make him feel trapped. I don't want to drag him down the sidewalk when we could just calmly walk beside each other." Kagura paused and scratched her head. "Does that make any sense?" Tohru nodded.
"Yes, I think it makes perfect sense! It seems only natural that you want to change. Like you said, you are getting older." She smiled at Kagura, who smiled back. "Mother use to tell me that falling in love and being in love can be scary at times. Giving yourself completely to someone and having someone give themselves to you in return is a big responsibility. All the emotions you go through can make you dizzy…but she said it was always worth it. To have someone by your side that you adore…to have them look at you with love in their eyes and say, I was born to be with you…well, you can see why people would fight and die for love." At that moment, she saw Yuki pass by and he stopped to smile at her. Kagura turned to see who it was and smiled when she saw the two of them. She excused herself from the table.
"I'm going to go and see Kyou now." She said, and went upstairs.