Hey beloved readers! Sorry it took me so long to update, so I have a longer-than-usual chapter for you. Review if you love me, cause nice reviews encourage me to write faster and they make me smile.

-Rosetta

...

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.

Ingrid Bergman

-Recap-

"He's still your father… you don't have a choice." She said, looking the perfect image of a woman broken inside. Then something hit her. She suddenly wasn't broken anymore and a determination gleamed in her eyes. "Or do you…"

-end of recap-

…

Ari

…

"What do you mean?" I asked, desperate for one of my Aunt's genius ideas.

"You have to get out of here. You can't be here when he gets here." She said, eyes drying a little. I loved my Aunt, and she was right. I was better off on my own than with him. My dad never cared about me. Why the hell would he start now? "He'll come here looking for you and hopefully I can talk him out of whatever the hell he's thinking." My Aunt said and I nodded in agreement.

"There's a lot of money in your bank account, so use it if you need to." Aunt Kaori added. I had had a bank account since I turned eight. My father sent money to it every month and my Aunt added to it on a regular basis so that I would have money when I left home. I just didn't think it'd be this soon. "Leave whenever you can. I don't know when he's coming and let me know who you're staying with so I can call you."

"Okay." I said, though honestly I didn't know where I was going to stay. Hana had a huge family and I didn't want to add to the population in her home. Uo lived in a one room apartment, so there wasn't really room for two. I didn't even know where Tohru lived and I wouldn't dream of asking any of my Martial arts students. "I guess I can live on my own for awhile." I said to myself as I walked up to my room and started packing the clothes I would need for a week or so. If I needed more I could just go shopping or ask my Aunt to bring me more clothes. It wouldn't cost too much to get a one room apartment for a little while, one like Uo's. "This won't be so bad." I smiled as I blasted my music and continued to throw things into my duffel bag.

…

Kyo

…

"Awwww! Does Kyo have a widdle girl fwiend?" Shigure cooed and I came very close to hitting him right in the center of his face. A nose was an easy thing to break.

"Shut up!" I growled.

"We're just all amazed that someone can stand to be around you with that temper of yours." Yuki sighed.

"I wouldn't say that at all! Ari's a lot like Kyo, and they make a cute couple!" Tohru said, attempting to defend her feline friend but only making it worse.

"I bet they make a lovely couple! So how did the movies go? Did you hold her hand? Did'ja kiss er'?" Shigure grinned.

"I'm leaving." I said, leaving the room. It was already eleven so I figured Ari must be busy. I climbed onto the roof, figuring I'd hear it if she called. 'I'll just call her tomorrow. No biggie.' I reasoned as I went back down to my room and fell asleep.

…

Ari

…

"If you need anything just call me, Okay?" Aunt Kaori smiled as she hugged me goodbye. "Do you know where you're going to stay?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No, but I'll call you when I do. Don't worry." I smiled as her but she didn't look convinced. I walked outside, enjoying the sunshine of the day. I carried a phone book in my hands, walking to the different addresses of Apartment complexes, looking for a place to live. After four hours I hadn't found anything. Almost all of the places I found were in bad neighborhoods, and the other ones were more than my pride allowed me to pay for a temporary place. I wandered the streets, eventually finding my way to a familiar cemetery and walking to my mother's grave.

"Hey, mom." I said, setting down my bag and leaning against the tombstone. I hadn't been to see mom in a week, and it always calmed me to be around her. I sighed as I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

…

Kyo

…

It was four O'clock in the afternoon when I heard the phone ring. Thinking it was Ari I grabbed the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" her Aunt said. She sounded upset.

"Hey, It's Kyo. What's wrong?" I asked.

"Have you seen Ari today… by any chance?" Kaori said and that shocked me. The tone of her voice scared me.

"No, was I supposed to meet her?" I asked, not remembering agreeing to meet her somewhere.

"No… she left this morning and was supposed to call me but… I haven't heard from her." She sighed.

"…Is Ari in some sort of trouble?" I questioned in a quiet, worried voice.

"I… Ari's father is causing a few… issues. She's supposed to be staying at a friend's house for a few days." She said, pausing to take a deep breath. "I can't tell you the whole story… Ari will tell you if she wants to… but would you please call her friends and ask where she is? I'm worried about her." She asked.

"I'll find her." I said hastily, hanging up and bolting to Tohru's room, pounding on her door.

"Will you leave her alone? She said she was taking a nap." Yuki said as he walked upstairs. I kept pounding.

"Kyo…what's the matter?" She asked groggily as she opened her door.

"I need you to call Hana and Uo." I said, handing her the phone. "Ari's missing and I need you to call and ask if they're with them. If you know any of her other friends call them too." I said in one breath. Tohru's eyes widened as she took the phone and rapidly dialed the numbers. She called Uo first, explaining what was going on. Ari wasn't there. She called Hana and Hana said she hadn't seen her since yesterday night.

"I don't know any of her other friends." Tohru said. I didn't think she had any close friends besides Tohru, Hana and Uo that she would stay with.

"Don't panic. Maybe Ari just stopped somewhere to eat and is taking a long time. Let's just go out and look for her. If we can't find her by nightfall we call the police." Yuki said and I nodded.

"Shigure, give me your cell phone!" I called as I walked downstairs.

"What's the matter?" Shigure asked with a wide eyed face.

"Ari's missing, now give me the damn cell phone!" I snapped and he dug around in a cabinet before tossing it to me.

"Shigure, stay here. She might come here eventually." Yuki said and Shigure nodded.

I bolted out of the door. The worst thoughts were running through my head. 'What if she was kidnapped?' 'What if she got mugged?' 'What if she got hurt and was in the hospital?' I shook the thoughts of Ari in a hospital bed out of my mind and ran faster, ignoring the fatigue. I ran for an hour and didn't catch a glimpse of her, but I'd be out here all night before I'd go home and not know she was safe. I hated to, but I had to slow down and catch my breath, leaning against a cemetery gate. I took in a few deep breaths, ignoring the pain in my sides and was about to start running again when I saw someone leaning against a tombstone with long hair as black as night. I squinted, trying to see her better. It was Ari. I jumped over the cemetery gate, too hasty to walk around to the entrance. I skidded to a stop by her. She was sleeping, looking peaceful as an angel as she dozed. Here she was, sleeping on a tombstone while I'm frantic about her getting kidnapped or mugged. I leaned down, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her lightly. She leapt to her feet, taking a fighting stance with wide, alert eyes.

"Woah, woah! Just me! Don't kill me." I said. "Damn, you're hard to find!" I groaned as I rubbed my forehead, trying to calm myself.

"Sorry…" She said, eyes suddenly distant. She looked wobbly for a moment, her legs quivering beneath her, and she began to fall.

"Ari!" I grunted as I lunged for her, catching her in my arms right before she reached the ground. I waited to go –poof- and turn into a cat but it didn't happen. Miraculously, our chests didn't touch as I caught her.

I looked at her face, trying to see if she was alright. Her stormy eyes returned to their usual brilliant sheen and she shook her head slightly.

"Sorry, stood up to fast. Sorta blacked out." She laughed.

We were close. Only inches apart. I could feel her sweet breath on my face and I felt like I might lose it and hug her at any second, though no matter how many warning bells went off in my head I found myself unable to move, lost in those sea-green eyes of hers. I felt myself being drawn towards her, and I didn't fight it.

"You should be more careful." I whispered. Then I kissed her. It was nothing but a kiss; two lips touching together, but the simple kiss set me on fire. Every move she made sent a new wave of fire through my blood and it was all I could do not to hug her to me and kiss her till the end of time.

Sooner than I would have liked, I ran out of breath. I reluctantly pulled away, my arms still suspending Ari's small frame above the ground. I could still feel the kiss on my lips. Ari smiled up at me before leaning up and stealing another quick kiss.

"I don't need to be careful when you're around to catch me, now do I?" She laughed as I lifted her to her feet again. I smirked at her.

"Come on, you're Aunt's worried about you." I said as I looked around the cemetery. "Why are you here, anyways?"

"I was visiting my mom." She said and I blinked. "This is her." She said as she pointed to the gravestone she was leaning on. It read 'Kaiya Sohma Tanzaku.'

'Her mom's name was Sohma…. That's a coincidence.' I thought. "I… didn't know."

"I never really knew her that well. She died when I was seven." She sighed. "But it was a long time ago." She said, brightening up and smiling again.

"Come on. It's getting late." I said, taking her hand and slinging her bag over my shoulder.

"You're looking for a place to stay for awhile?" I asked and she nodded. "Why didn't you even talk to Uo or Hana about it?" I questioned.

"Uo has such a small apartment and Hana doesn't really have room with all of her family." She explained.

"Stay with me." I said and she gave me a weird look. "Not like that! We have an extra room. You'll have to share it with Tohru, but you're welcome to it. My cousins are weird as hell, but you can stay there for as long as you need to." I said and she smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled, and I thought she might try to hug me, but she didn't. Just squeezed my hand a little tighter and lifted it to her face, kissing the top of my hand. It sent chills all up and down my arm.

"I'll have to ask Shigure, but I'm sure he won't mind." I said, smiling her as I led her to my house. She looked beat.

"I didn't know Tohru lived with you." She said after awhile.

"Yeah. After her mom died she needed a place to stay. Shigure and Yuki found her camping out in the woods and took her in." I explained and she laughed.

"So you guys just like taking in strays." She grinned.

"Heh. Something like that." I smirked.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tohru yelled as soon as we walked in, running over to Ari and hugging her.

"I'll call Yuki and tell him he can stop looking. I'm glad you're alright, Ari." Shigure smiled at her before heading into the kitchen and calling Yuki's cell phone. I followed him into the kitchen, closing the door behind me.

"I need to talk to you." I said once he was off the phone and he raised an eyebrow at me before walking outside so we wouldn't be heard. "She needs a place to stay for awhile. I don't know the details… but it's got something to do with her dad." I said and Shigure nodded.

"As long as she doesn't know about the curse she's fine to stay… but you do realize that if she finds out, Akito could easily have Tohru's memories erased too." Shigure said. I had thought of that… but I couldn't turn my back on Ari if I could help her.

"I understand." I nodded before walking back inside.

"Congratulations, Ari! Welcome to the Sohma house of fun and excitement!" Shigure cheered as we entered and I fought not to punch him.

"Don't say it like that, you perv!" I shouted.

"You're staying here? Oh, how wonderful! I won't be the only girl anymore!" Tohru smiled.

The door opened and Yuki walked in, smiling when he saw Ari. "Miss Ari, you certainly gave us a scare today."

"Sorry about that, but a little running won't kill you." Ari grinned, having her usual 'no harm no fowl' attitude.

"Yuki, Ari's gonna be staying with us! Isn't that great?!" Tohru grinned happily, jumping around in some sort of silly dance.

"Oh, really? That's wonderful." Yuki smiled.

(later on)

"Do you think we'll manage with two girls in the house? We can't let her find out." Yuki said. Tohru and Ari were up in their room, putting Ari's things away.

"We can't just ignore her either. I found her sleeping in a cemetery." I sighed.

"Indeed. I think we'll be fine. Tohru's a smart girl. If one of us happens to transform she'll help us make an excuse." Shigure said.

"I just hope it won't come down to that." Yuki sighed and I nodded. I would just have to be extra careful around Ari from now. So much depended on it.