Not much left...next up is another session with Kyou. I really like this one - I loved writing it. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!

Patient – Sohma Kyou; Session #126

Akito's final words to me nagged at me to the point where I became obsessive. At first, I didn't think much of it. It was only until right after she had left that I started to question the oddity of her saying such a thing. I mean, what did she mean by "see you later," anyway? We were saying what seemed to me to our final goodbyes; "see you later" had no place in such an exchange. Sure, it could merely be explained away as a figure of speech – people say it all the time without actually meaning it - but it was the way she said it that added to its bizarreness. It couldn't be that she honestly believed I was staying and rejecting the amazing opportunity that Professor Jammerson had presented to me? While I suppose I hadn't really given a definite answer, my discussions with all of my family members heavily implied that I would be leaving for Boston as soon as possible. In the least, I hadn't given any indication that I was planning on rejecting the offer or that I was particular happy living at the Sohma family estate. Yet, Akito said "see you later" at the conclusion of our 218th session – not "goodbye" or "so long" or "farewell," but "see you later." Looking back, it seems funny to me that I spent over a day trying to shake the disturbing images of Akito from my dream and all it took was three small words from her to have me forget it completely.

Perhaps it was because I was so busy dwelling on that simple expression, but I failed to anticipate Kyou's reaction to my likely departure, and so I was rather unprepared for what I had thought would be an ordinary session. "Oh, good afternoon, Kyou," I greeted him when he marched into the room. He didn't sit down but instead stood a few feet in front of my desk.

"So, you're just going to leave?"

"What?"

"You're going back to America, right? That's it?"

"Well, I – "

"You've really – " He broke off mid-sentence and sighed in aggravation. "You know what? Just forget it."

"I don't want to forget it, Kyou," I told him truthfully. "Why don't you sit down and we'll discuss this, all right?"

"What's the point?" Kyou shot back and glared at me.

"Why, to help you talk through your feelings so you can begin to grow as a person – the point hasn't changed."

Kyou rolled his eyes and let out a sharp, abrupt chuckle. "I can't believe this. I really can't believe it. And to think I actually started to feel sorry for you. I thought, 'wow, this guy's really got it hard. He's got to listen to all of us every single day and deal with Akito and Haru and Ayame and Ritsu and everyone.' You know, I was really impressed for awhile, because I couldn't believe someone in this family actually cared about somebody other than themselves. But it turns out, you're just as selfish as the rest of them, aren't you?"

"Kyou…" I frowned and slumped in my chair. I did not have the strength or the will to protest his contention, maybe because I agreed with him; if I left, I would be behaving selfishly. At the same time, there were some virtues in "selfishness," weren't there? I'd have to try and make myself happy sometime eventually, too, didn't I?

Kyou studied me a while before averting guilty eyes to his feet. He then let out another laugh – this one lighter, sadder – and shook his head. "Who am I kidding? You should go." He walked over to the couch and sat down. Reluctantly, he began, "Look, Kazuki – I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that or to make you feel guilty or anything….and I'm – I'm sorry about the last session, too. I don't know what I was saying. I mean, I was angry and all about Akito reading my files, but I know you didn't mean for any of that to happen. I guess I'm the selfish one, huh?"

"Maybe selfishness is just our family's curse," I said with a small smirk.

"Yeah, I guess so…" he trailed off with his own melancholy grin. "Seriously, though, you should go. Really. I'd go if I was you. Half of me wishes I could go with you."

"Well, you know, you could still study abroad. Even in Boston, if you'd like. I won't have to leave for a few weeks, so we'll have a bit of time to find a program for you, and I'm sure Professor Jammerson has some connections - "

"It's all right, Kazuki," Kyou interrupted me. The look in his eyes told me that even at his young age of seventeen he had become disillusioned with such hopeful optimism. For him, no matter how much he longed for it, such dreams could never be. "I've only got a few more months till graduation, and I've still got to beat Yuki. Besides, I do want to stay - there are things I want to stay for. But, uh, thanks for everything. These sessions have been really helpful."

"They have?"

Kyou frowned and admitted; "Not really…sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I kind of had a feeling," I assured him. After a moment, I asked, "But Kyou, can I then ask you – well, if you haven't really been getting much out of our time together, why were you so angry to learn that I might be leaving?"

At this, Kyou's cheeks grew bright pink and he lowered his head with embarrassment. With hesitation, he started, "Well, it's stupid but…well, I guess I thought that maybe you would help me."

"Help you? But I haven't – "

"Not through the sessions. I mean, well, besides Master, you're the only one who doesn't hate me in our family, you know? You don't see me as a monster or even as the cat. Hell, you don't even really believe in the curse like everyone else does. You're just really unlike everyone else – in a good way, though. And then you're also really smart, too. But it's not just that, because Hatori's also smart. It's more like you have all this experience that no one else has, so no one really knows what to make of you, even Akito. Sometimes I don't even know how to react to you because what you suggest can be so out there. I suppose it's like you understand everything differently that the rest of us do.

"I don't know if I'm even making sense anymore. But I guess I just thought that maybe you were on my side, like you were looking out for me or that you were fighting for me. And now with you leaving and with graduation coming up in only a few months….I don't know, it's really stupid, like I said, but I thought that you would somehow save me."

It was silent. Kyou would not look up at me, his orange hair falling over his forehead and shadowing his lowered eyes. And I just sat there, speechless, all sensation leaving my limbs until the only feeling I had left was a heaviness weighing down my stomach. I could not take my eyes off him, my cousin sitting there so helplessly, all hope drained from his exhausted body; the dread of what we both knew awaited him in just four months had hung over him for so long it seemed as if he was tired of trying to fight it.

I had no more words for him nor could I formulate a single thought to comfort myself; Kyou's words had already ensnared our tongues and filled up our minds that there was no room for anymore.