Chapter 4

Tohru had a restless night of sleep and she opened her eyes reluctantly. She didn't want to go to him. With each second that she laid in her bed, she felt more overwhelmed by the burden she carried. It wasn't fair that she had to do it, but then again, it was in her nature to help others. Her thoughts clouded her mind and she finally got the nerve to stand up and get ready. She put on a turtleneck so that no one would notice her scratch marks. With a heavy sigh, she walked downstairs. As she crept down the stairs, she realized that she was late. Akito probably wouldn't mind as long as she showed up sooner or later, but she needed to hurry. Tohru also figured that to keep everyone a bit less suspicious, she needed to stay for breakfast that morning. She quickly made some food and set it out on the table in the dinning room. When Kagura came to help, she was shocked that everything was already done.

"Oh, Tohru! I didn't know you'd be here… I thought…"

"No, it's all right. I feel bad about not doing a lot of stuff around here lately. Can you get everyone so that we can eat?"

Kagura nodded and observed the dark circles under Tohru's eyes. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. After a few moments, Tohru and everyone else came down for breakfast. Yuki was relieved to see her there, and it seemed as if he was the only one to notice how much of a significant event that was. She had been gone for a 'walk' for the past few mornings. It was so out of the ordinary that Yuki couldn't help but worry. She ate in silence while the usual bickering ensued between the two boys.

Kyo was abnormally agitated. For the last couple of days, he had not even once received a beating from Kagura. It was getting him so frustrated that he yelled at everyone when he spoke to them. Shigure was smiling, happy as ever, and even that ticked him off.

"What are you so happy for? Can't you frown like a normal person once in a while! You look like some kind of clown."

Shigure's smile softened and then he looked down. Tohru didn't respond, instead it was Kagura. Yuki almost choked when he heard her voice instead of Tohru's. Things had definitely changed around the house.

"Kyo, stop being so mean! Shigure can be happy and smiley if he wants to!"

Her voice rose and Kyo smiled insanely. She was still normal, the same old Kagura. Suddenly, Tohru rose and bowed her head.

"Kagura, will you wash up since I made breakfast?"

She nodded and watched as Tohru left the room.

"Sure…"

Yuki wanted to immediately follow Tohru, but he knew he wouldn't find out where she always went if he did. She would have left if it weren't for an unexpected visitor. The door slid open right in front of her and Momiji's face appeared. He squealed in delight when he saw Tohru standing there.

"Tohru! I came by to see you and I wanted to know if…"

She smiled weakly and grunted. Momiji's happy glow subsided as he looked over her weary expression.

"Sorry Momiji, not today. I'm getting a little sick and I don't want you to catch anything."

She passed by him without another word and then the door shut close behind him. Momiji stared at everyone, tears swelling up in his eyes. Kagura walked up to him and gave him a warm hug. He buried his head in her chest and cried.

"Why is Tohru so mean? I wanted to play with her!"

Yuki slipped away while everyone's attention was on the rabbit. Kyo stared at Kagura in shock. Why would she be hugging Momiji? She never paid any attention to him before. She stroked his hair softly and smiled.

"It's all right. Tohru won't be gone for long. Do you want to play with me? We can go in the back yard and do something."

His eyes lit up with excitement and he punched his fist in the air.

"Yeah! That would be great! Oh Kagura, we will have so much fun!"

Momiji dragged her by the wrist but she stopped suddenly remembering her duties.

"Sorry Momiji. Not yet. I have to clean up the dishes. Do you want to help?"

He nodded merrily and the table was clean in a matter of minutes. Kyo growled his frustration out and stormed upstairs. Shigure sighed as he knew where he was going; Kyo always went to the roof when he had a problem.

"But what could that problem be? Hmm…"

Shigure put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly a woman appeared in the room and she was huffing with anger and fury.

"The problem? The problem is that we have a deadline and you aren't writing Shigure! Why do you do this to me?"

She cried hysterically and Shigure laughed.

"It's okay. I'll get to it right away!"

The woman sighed with relief and watched as Shigure crept away to his room. Upstairs, Yuki had gone to his room and watched Tohru slumping away from the house and into the forest like before. When he saw a few moments later that Kagura was outside with Momiji, he leapt into Tohru's room and started to search for signs of anything that could lead him to discovering what was happening. The room was spotless however and it seemed as if he would never find out what was wrong. Suddenly, right before he was going to leave the room, a soft white material caught his eye. It was sticking out of one of the drawers. When Yuki took it into his hands, he realized right away that it was one of Tohru's favorite shirts. He had seen it on her so many times, but for some reason the sleeves were ripped off. His eyes widened when he saw the small blood stain.

He dropped the shirt and ran out of the room. When Yuki reached the forest, he only had a little clue as to where she was headed. He ran with all of his strength and he knew that something would happen to her if he let her go off by herself. There was no time to lose and as he got further away from the house, a dark dread spread through him like wildfire.

"I've got to find her."

..:-:..

Kyo couldn't take the silence in the house. It spread as if there was some reason to be mourning. He wanted to shake it off so he walked up to the roof and sprawled himself out on it. The clouds above him slowly drifted through the clear blue and his eyes started to droop. Sleep was about to overcome him when all of a sudden he heard a loud shriek. He leapt up with cat like reflexes and his gaze pointed straight down towards the back yard. There, he saw a truly uncomforting sight.

"Momiji! Stop it! You weigh a lot more than you usually do!"

The boy laughed joyously as Kagura carried him on her back throughout the yard. He observed the growing frustration on her face and Kyo smirked. If he knew Kagura as well as he did, he knew that any moment she would crack.

"Kagura! Go faster! Run over there! Isn't this fun?"

She growled softly to herself and then ran towards the forest and back. There was a tug on her shoulder and she lost her footing. All at once, the two of them stumbled and Momiji fell on top of Kagura. Kyo took a step with his mouth parted a bit, as if he was going to go down there and help. Yet he stopped and stood frozen to the roof underneath him. There was a look in her eyes, a look of pure anger. Momiji laughed but his laughter subsided quickly as he saw Kagura huffing furiously. He got off of her and backed away on the grass. Kagura leapt up and started to step near him.

"You… you treat me as if… as if I was some kind of animal you could just ride all the time! Just because we can be close doesn't mean you can take advantage of that! You are the most…"

It seemed as if she was going to ram into Momiji, when suddenly her rage stood still. She felt someone grab her arm and she turned to see Kyo staring at her with narrow eyes.

"Kyo! Let go of me right now!"

There it was, Kyo was sure of it. Her furious nature was all bottled up and now she had let it out. He smirked as he tightened his grip on her other wrist as well. She gaped at him crossly and tried to wriggle out of the situation.

"KYO! I SAID LET GO OF ME!"

She couldn't control herself, and in an instant she shoved into him, and his hands let go of her. Kagura caught her guard and didn't fall down with Kyo. He pushed himself up on his elbows and then cocked his eyebrow at her. There was a bolt of electricity within Kagura's body and she stood straight as she continued to stare into his eyes. Moment after moment, with Momiji's whimpering in the background, the anger inside of her weakened and when Kyo stood up, her jaw fell open. What had she just done? All of that hard work, and she still turned into a monster. His voice was soft and she shivered when he spoke.

"I knew you were just pretending Kagura. I knew you wouldn't be able to hide your true nature inside of you."

Kyo smirked knowing that he was the victor, however there was something wrong. Her eyes shined brightly and as Momiji approached her, she began to tremble. She never let go his gaze and then he reached out to help her stand.

"Kagura? Are you okay?"

When his hand touched her shoulder, her eyes closed and she fell into a world of black. She didn't know what was happening to her, but it felt like she had transformed into some kind of dark spirit when the rage seared through her veins. Kyo caught her as she fell and he pushed the hair out of her face. Her lips were dry and she moaned slightly.

"Kagura! What's going on? Momiji, get Shigure!"

He nodded and ran inside of the house. Kyo knelt down to the ground and held the girl in his arms gently. It was so surreal, he had never thought that he would be holding her like he was, instead he would be running away from her any chance that he got. But something inside of his heart told him that maybe this time, he had learned not to judge her because of who she was. He never took the time to look beyond that hard exterior to see the kind and loving person she really was. Suddenly she stirred and Kyo looked at her anxiously.

"…Kyo?"

He stroked her head and smiled softly at her frail figure.

"It's all right Kagura… I'm not running away anymore…"

..:-:..

Tohru shivered as she made her way up to the Sohma residence. A tear almost escaped her round eyes but she held it inside of her. She needed to be strong if she wanted to overcome the day. The door swayed after she walked into the yard and she didn't pay any attention to see if it had closed or not. There was no way she could concentrate on little things like that. Tohru walked up to the doors and went inside. She froze suddenly when she saw a big pink bag in front of her. After Tohru slipped off her shoes she took the bag in her hands. A note was attached to it.

'I thought you might want to change into something more suitable than your own wretched clothes. –Akito'

Her hands trembled as she pulled out a breathtaking silk robe. It was silver and had the most magnificent embroidery at the edges. She took large breaths as she headed into an empty room to change. When she felt the material slide over her skin, she shivered and stood straight. Slowly, she tied the robe into place and then began to upstairs.

She recognized the hallways immediately and when she saw the door to his room, Tohru stopped. At once, she had a thousand thoughts running through her head. What if things would be worse than they were the other day? How could she get away from him once again, and what if that terrible dark feeling filled her soul?

There was a rustling sound behind the door and she closed her eyes to breathe. Her fingers pushed against the door and it slid open with ease. When she stepped inside, she jumped and gasped as the door slid close. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then worked his way up towards her neck as they moved towards the bed. Her jaw clenched as she felt his lips slide along the skin on her neck. Tohru managed to turn around and face him. His hair fell into his face and his eyes shined with excitement. She whimpered as he leaned in towards her, his lips twisted in his familiar cruel smirk.

"Why do you look so scared? I'm not going to hurt you…"

She stiffened as his cold lips pressed against her own. His hands traveled down her back as one of them gripped her head towards him. The pain she felt in her chest was worse than it had been the day before. Suddenly she felt the dark cold spread in her as she landed on the bed. Her back arched as Akito sprang onto her, delicious victory in his every movement.

"Akito… can't you be gentle?"

As he put his hands to her neck and shoulders, Akito stopped and looked into her eyes. She saw confusion in his sinister eyes. It was her chance and suddenly, Tohru pulled Akito down to her and kissed him tenderly on his lips. He spread his hands along her soft skin and her robe slipped off of her right shoulder. He gasped for breath and then pulled away with a quizzical look on his face. His weight seemed lighter than before and when she opened her eyes, Tohru saw Akito looking at her with blurry eyes. She put her hand to his cheek and then brushed away his hair. Akito grabbed her hand and her eyes widened for a moment. The smirk was gone, and instead he was smiling in adoration. He let go of her hand and mimicked her action. When his frail fingers brushed her hair aside, she felt a chill go through her body. His face was only inches away from hers and the gaze between the two strengthened. Then Tohru became afraid because there was something wrong with Akito. His eyes grew wide and there were no pupils.

"Tohru…what did you do to me?"

She gulped and her mouth opened slightly. His lips hovered over hers and she closed her eyes as the familiar feeling of loathing and desire welled up inside of her. As he spoke, the black mist spread from his mouth to hers and then the strength seemed to disappear from him.

"I'm sorry Akito…"

"I love you Tohru, don't you see?"

Her eyes widened and for the first time, Akito was a normal person. He had fallen into the trap of real human emotions. She was shocked still and then found herself pulling him into another kiss. Tohru ran her hands through his hair and pulled him tightly to her. When she finally pulled away, Akito whimpered, his lips trembling from her cold warmth. Her eyes grew round and black, her lips twitched and she held onto Akito with hunger in her touch.

"I need you Tohru… don't ever leave me…"

"I will never leave you Akito…"

..:-:..

Yuki had asked numerous people along the streets and none of them had seen the girl he was seeking. His hopes for finding her were disappearing rapidly, and suddenly he found himself in front of the Sohma estate. He looked at it curiously. The door was ajar and when he sniffed the air, it smelled distinctly familiar. Yuki wasn't exactly sure what it was about the scent, but it drew him inside. As he made his way up the steps and inside, he stopped and froze at the sight in front of him. Tohru's shoes were inside of the Sohma estate. Every muscle in his body tightened as the realization hit him at top speed. Tohru had been visiting Akito all along.

He ran up the stairs and to the room where Akito lived in. Yuki didn't even bother to knock, he opened the door with so much force that the door shook and rattled. His eyes widened as the unreality of the situation became existent. Akito lay on top of Tohru and their lips were locked together. His eyes widened and he stood frozen to his place. For a moment, everything inside of him stopped; his heart didn't pump any blood to his head and he thought he was going to faint. Tohru pulled away from the lip lock and turned her head in Yuki's direction furiously. When he saw the black round circles and the pure whites of her eyes, he regained all of his strength and he ran to her. Akito pushed himself off of Tohru with what little force he had left. Tohru was a completely different person than before. Her bare shoulder was pale along with the rest of her skin. Yuki shook her by a grip on her arms and she looked at him with utter hatred in her expression.

"Tohru! What is going on? What happened to you? What did Akito do?"

Suddenly, Tohru shoved Yuki away, and not before she slapped him hard in the face. His cheek reddened and he put a hand to the left side of his face delicately. Yuki stared at her wide eyed as she shot him a cruel smirk. His mouth hung open as she walked up to Akito and kissed him affectionately. When they pulled away, Akito seemed to be hanging onto her as if she was his life support; their lips hovered above each other's before they let go. The sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach overwhelmed him, and Yuki was at a loss for words. Then all of a sudden, Akito spoke weakly.

"I didn't do anything to her. She came here of her own will, didn't you Tohru?"

She nodded and the smirk was gone. There was a change in her eyes, but they were still dark and overbearing. They were filled with the loathing despise that he had once seen in Akito's eyes. It hit Yuki harder than she had slapped him. He looked at Akito and saw that his eyes seemed to be softer, not as menacing as before.

"Of course I came here of my own will Akito. You didn't make me come here. I wanted to help you."

She started to wrap her arms around him and Yuki gritted his teeth, his hands clenched in frustration. This was not the Tohru he knew and loved. Yes, he loved her and he wasn't going to stop just because she shoved him away. His eyes narrowed and he struggled to step closer towards them. Tohru's robe was beginning to loosen and her other shoulder was becoming bare. It was the most horrendous thing he had seen in his life. Tohru Honda, the most respectable, honest and kindhearted women he knew had turned into a lust filled tramp. With all of his strength, he pulled Tohru away from Akito and backed her into a corner. Akito's arms fell to his side limply and he stared out towards Tohru as if he was a little child and needed help.

Yuki blocked out Tohru's gaze of Akito so that she saw him and only him. He looked into her eyes desperately as her lips tightened in fury.

"Get away from me Yuki. Go. I don't need your help."

He grabbed her by her shoulders and she winced momentarily.

"Tohru listen to me, you have become something dark. You are not yourself! Akito's done this to you, don't you understand? What happened to the Tohru that smiled cheerfully and helped me with the secret base?"

His voice was pleading and his grip loosened as she laughed cruelly.

"That Tohru is gone Yuki. There is no way she is coming back."

She laughed again, the painful screech nothing like the delicate laughter Yuki adored. His lips parted and his body became numb. She had really changed, and the old Tohru was gone to him forever. Tears formed in his eyes and fell down his cheeks. He was mourning the death of the woman he loved, and when Tohru's laughter subsided, she looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. Yuki's hands fell to his sides and he clutched himself as if he was wounded. When he looked up at her, she saw that his eyes were full of loss and agony. Something happened then, and her black pools returned to their previous state. Her whisper chilled his spine and he stopped crying.

"Yuki? Why are you crying? What's going on?"

She gasped when she saw Akito standing limply near the bed. Then she looked down at her own body and saw the loose robe. A deep blush spread across her cheeks as she wrapped it around herself tighter. Hope filled Yuki's heart and he smiled as he stroked her hair. He leaned in a bit closer and she melted at his safe comforting touch.

"It's going to be all right Tohru. You're safe now."

Yuki turned around and stared at Akito with revulsion overwhelming his soul. Akito stared at the cowering form of Tohru and then he snapped. She had changed back, for the moment, but it was enough to transform Akito into his old vicious state of mind. However, he was much stronger.

"You… you took her away from me… Tohru was mine… all mine! I will kill you for this betrayal Yuki… I should have known all along you would do this to me!"

He lunged for Yuki and Tohru's gasp filled the room as the grunts of the two battling Sohma's mixed into the silence. Yuki was much more skilled than Akito was and he didn't care anymore if he was the head of the Sohma family. Akito had altered who Tohru was and he would never forgive that despicable action. Yuki pushed Akito to the ground and then kicked him in the side. Akito's eyes bulged as the pain shot up through his aching ribs. He breathed heavily and Yuki wiped away the tear of blood that had dripped out of his mouth. His silver gray hair was dark with sweat and Akito's hair plastered to his head like a mop. Yuki thought he had outdone Akito and he turned to face Tohru again, but suddenly, she froze still.

"What's wrong? We can go now."

Horror filled her face and Yuki watched the transformation happen. Her eyes grew into pure black holes, her skin turned a ghastly pale color and her lips parted as if she was dehydrated. It was then he knew that the battle was not over yet. Tohru smiled wickedly and Yuki didn't know what to do. Suddenly a horrible feeling filled his body, and right then was when he felt Akito's arms grab him. Yuki winced and gasped for air as the blade of a knife came up to his throat. He heard Akito's snickering laughter behind his head and Yuki froze.

"No one goes against me Yuki, you should know that."

Yuki closed his eyes and then felt a gigantic blow to his head. His eyes fluttered as he collapsed to the floor. It took every ounce of strength in his body to keep himself from slipping into unconsciousness. Yuki moaned as he opened his eyes and saw that Akito had walked up to Tohru again. He taunted her, his mouth hovering above hers. She seemed to become immobile and completely lost to him. Yuki's mouth hung open when he saw the black mist flow into Tohru's mouth.

"One last kiss…"

Akito's voice vanished in the room's silence and then he heard Tohru whimper as Akito's lips surged onto hers. Something flicked off inside of Yuki's heart and he jumped up, even though his head was pounding. He grabbed a hold of Akito and then punched him in the jaw. Yuki flung him around and then he went flying, hitting the wall near the window with a loud thud. He made sure the Sohma wasn't going to get up again and then he turned to Tohru. She was looking at him as if he was her prey and she intended to kill him.

"Tohru, I'm going to help you through this, I don't know how but I will…"

She walked up to him and then put her hand over his mouth. Her fingers were icy cold and her eyes were darker than before. The breath was taken out of his lungs and for a moment he felt like he was suffocating.

"You've done enough. I'm going to get rid of you so that you can't bother us anymore. What better way than to turn you into a … stupid… helpless… rat?"

His eyes widened and he knew what she was going to do. She lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Yuki closed his eyes and for some reason he held onto her tightly. His thoughts raced and time seemed to stand still.

"Tohru… I love you… I want you to come back to me… please come back…"

He heard her gasp and her eyes bulged. A bright light started to glow around them and images spilled through their heads simultaneously. Memories of the first time they met, the first time he took her to his secret garden, the many times they walked to school together, the time when they went to the Sohma hot springs, his hand in her hair, his eyes shining down at her with a wonderful smile, all of that flashed through their minds and through their hearts. Suddenly, Yuki felt himself diminishing slowly. His efforts would be for nothing, but with each millisecond that passed, he held onto her even more. If the first time he hugged her to him would be the last time, he would make sure he would never forget how warm she felt in his arms.

Tohru's black heart started to break as the memories filled her mind. Her eyes started to shrink back to normal size and then she realized that she was hugging Yuki. She was hugging Yuki and he would turn into a rat and Akito would devour her. Tears sprang into her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

"Yuki… help me… I love you so much… please don't leave me…"

The light grew brighter and it burst into a flash through the room. Whiteness engulfed the two of them, but they still held onto each other, no space in between them. In a few moments, the light disappeared and Yuki opened his eyes. He saw Tohru in his arms, he saw his arms and he felt himself standing tall on the ground. Tohru pulled away from him, her eyes back to normal and her jaw quivering. Yuki took a step back and then looked at her completely flabbergasted.

"You… you didn't…"

The knowledge overwhelmed her and she fainted. Yuki caught her in his arms and stared at her with a heartbroken smile. Somehow, he hadn't transformed into a rat when they hugged each other. Did that mean the curse was…

It was too much for him to bear. His eyes fluttered and his head fell on top of Tohru's.

..:-:..

Tohru's eyes opened and she yawned. She wrapped herself in his arms and smiled warmly. The shock came back into her arms and she sat up alert. Yuki's head fell into her lap and she woke him up.

"Yuki! Yuki, get up!"

He sat up and he turned towards her as if he was living in a dream. She leaned into him and put her arms around his neck. It was then that he realized that he could hug her whenever he wanted to. Yuki pulled her closer towards him and smiled with his eyes closed. He breathed in the warm scent of her body so close near to his own. It was the second time he had hugged her; the first time hadn't been the last after all.

"Tohru… I'm so glad you are safe…"

Her sobs echoed in his ears but he didn't mind.

"If it wasn't for you… I … I don't… know what would have…"

He rubbed her back soothingly and she felt the comfort of his touch. Suddenly she looked around crazily and her mouth fell open.

"Yuki… Akito … he's… gone!"

They stood up and he too realized that he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had gotten away, but that didn't make any sense. Why would he leave without Tohru as his dark queen?

"I don't know what happened," he turned to her with a soft smile, "but I do know that we somehow broke the curse…"

A faint blush swept her cheeks as he pulled her closer to him. He stared at her intently and stroked her cheek lovingly. Her lips parted and she gazed at him with awe. She had never really looked at him from so close up. His skin was light yet soft to the touch. The warmth spread through her fingers as she brushed his cheek as well. Suddenly, she remembered what he had said when they had embraced each other. Tohru then recalled what she had told him.

"May I kiss you?"

The shock sent her away from her daydreaming and she nodded abruptly. She shut her eyes and waited to feel his lips on hers, but instead, she felt his lips briefly touch her cheek. For a few seconds she felt them stay there, and when he pulled away, incredible warmth and love spread through her tortured heart. Tohru stared at his lavender eyes and melted into his embrace. Yuki rested his head against hers and caressed her.

"I've waited all my life to do that…"

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The feeling was a bit too much to bear. Yuki suddenly felt her become limp in his arms and he carried her in his arms. They made it down to the front of the house and Yuki found the bag with her clothes in it. He woke her up gently and she smiled when she saw his face in her vision.

"We have to go… I have your clothes. You should go change."

She sat up and Yuki helped her stand. In a few minutes, she came out of one of the rooms and she smiled cheerfully as she reached for his hand. They walked out of the Sohma residence hand in hand, and started their journey back to their home.

..:-:..

Shigure had helped carry Kagura into her room. Kyo made it adamantly clear that he would stay and help her come to again. He sat in a chair near her bed and watched her breathe in and out. Her hair fell down to the pillow gracefully and he felt entranced. He didn't know why he had never noticed so much about her before. Over the past few days he had observed her, how she walked, how she talked, and how her smile seemed to brighten every corner of a room. He yawned but suddenly became alert as her eyes fluttered open. She stirred and then winced, a hand coming straight up to her head.

"What happened?"

He smiled sadly as he pushed her back down on the bed.

"You need to rest."

"No… I have to go make dinner…"

"No, you need to rest!"

"Kyo, I have to go!"

They struggled with each other and finally Kyo had to sit on her bed so that he could make sure that she wouldn't get up again. She looked at him with many mixed emotions. She didn't know why he was staying with her, she didn't know why he even cared.

"There. Now you are going to stay in bed and rest. You fainted after you yelled… do you know why?"

He shot her a perfect grin and she became flustered.

"Uh… I don't…"

"Well it's because you hadn't yelled at me for over a week…"

He continued to smile, but she looked away shamefully.

"I'm sorry…"

Suddenly he realized that there was something more important that just her trying to be like Tohru.

"Why are you sorry? There's no reason…"

She turned to him and sighed.

"Yes there is. The only reason why I didn't yell at you, why I pretended to be like Tohru was so that you wouldn't think of me as… a wild boar."

The last part was a mere whisper and she looked away, tears straining her eyes. Kyo finally understood what had happened. He knew that she always tried to gain his attention, but he didn't take into account that she was a real person with feelings. Suddenly, his heart melted as he heard her soft sob. He didn't know why, but he pulled her an embrace and stroked her arm gently.

"I don't think you are a wild boar Kagura. You're…you are … oh hell! I'm horrible with words…"

She pulled away and watched him scoff at himself. A smile tugged at her lips and she laughed softly through the tears. He turned to her and smiled as his fingers reached for her cheek. His touch electrified her senses and she felt herself become dizzy. She fell into his arms again and her eyes flickered open slowly. Kyo had never been this close to her and his heart started to race. Her beautiful round eyes looked up at him and she smiled.

"Kyo… I really do love you. You're the only person I have really loved."

Her voice was quiet and afraid of his reaction. He was so used to hearing her scream her feelings at him, and he would feel more like a dog she was barking at. But this time, she had said it with so much truth and softness that he felt succumbed to the words. Kagura meant it, with every fiber in her bones. Suddenly, he felt himself leaning down towards her, and his hands lifting her head up. She closed her eyes as his lips pressed against her own. For a brief moment, they shared each other's warmth, and when he let her head slip away a bit, she opened her eyes and he looked at her with adoration. It was his first kiss. In all those years that she had followed him around demanding love from him, he had been the one to give it to her. She used all of her strength to wrap her arms around him and to bury her head in his chest. Kyo was filled with indescribable feeling and the words came out of his mouth without hesitation.

"I love you too Kagura."

Suddenly a white mist filled around them and in the next moment, he saw a boar in his lap. He rolled his eyes but inside he knew that she must have lived every moment of her life hoping that he would say those words to her. Now that he had, she was lost in so much emotion that she had transformed. He laughed slightly and picked her up.

"I think you need to rest Kagura."

"No Kyo! I want to be with you! We are meant to be together forever! Oh Kyo, don't leave me!"

He looked at her with a warning glance and then her eyelids half closed.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to be better from now on. No more chitter chatter from me!"

He laid her down in the bed and pulled the sheet covers so that only her head was visible. In a matter of moments, a white mist filled the room again and he saw her hair sprawled on the pillow. He laughed a bit and looked around for her clothes. It was a good thing he had covered her up, or there would be a very awkward situation. Kyo tossed the clothes on her bed and went to go stand outside the door.

"All right Kyo! I'm all dressed now! You can come back in!"

He opened the door and saw her standing in her green long sleeved shirt. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and felt how perfect she was in his arms. The moment was ruined when they heard Shigure's voice echo from down below.

"Where's my dinner? I want to eat! Oh this is horrible!"

He smiled and together they walked downstairs.

..:-:..

Yuki and Tohru were stumbling through the forest, their bodies weak from the day's events. He kept an arm around her to help her walk and she welcomed his warmth and presence immensely. As the house neared in their vision, Tohru shivered, an awful dread creeping into her thoughts. She pushed the thought aside and continued on with Yuki. With him by her side, no one would harm her again.

A/N: I'd like to say that this is THE longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic. 6000 and more words… I worked really hard on it… and I'd love it and really appreciate it you could leave me a review… I've written really long chapters for this yet I get the least amount of reviews. To the four of you who are always there supporting me (you know who you are) I thank you SO much. If it wasn't for you, there would be no fic to be written, because sometimes I get the impression that no one really likes it… so then I think, well why bother? But then I write these insanely long chapters anyways… okay then, well I hope you liked this chapter! Lots happened huh? Lol my hands are getting cramped :( lol have an awesome day!

-Monika-