Tohru nearly jumped out of bed when she heard familiar footsteps coming towards her. She had been waiting for hours until school let out and let her precious Yuki return home. But now that he was in the house, it seemed he was walking extra slow to torment her. By the time he had pushed open the ajar door and revealed himself, she was seated on the edge of her bed eagerly. She would have darted over and leapt into his arms if he wouldn't scold her for doing so. Instead, Tohru sat there as patiently as she could, extending her arms out towards him.
The edges of his lips tugged up instantly as he walked over and embraced her tightly. She buried her face happily into his chest. It had been a long day, lying in bed with nothing to do. She had been deprived of another's presence since early this morning before Yuki had left. Shigure only popped in periodically and just for short intervals of time.
The only thing that kept her smiling was knowing that as soon as Yuki was home, she'd have him all to herself for several hours. Despite that he brought home lectures, class work, and homework home for her, the first few laboring hours were worth it. Afterwards, he'd stay with her until she fell asleep, laying on her bed with his ear pressed to her large abdomen, listening to their child stir as he told her about what happened at school that day. She had never known he was so observant. He'd tell her about how the Yuki fan club would pick up a napkin he had used during lunch or a pencil stub he had thrown out. Later on, she realized he was just paying more attention for her so she wouldn't feel like she was missing out on a thing.
She felt guilty, especially since he also took notes for her and carried all her things home.
Tohru had enough things to feel guilty about. Already, she was making Hatori come over every day to check on how she and her baby were, and she wasn't allowed to do anything for them in return. Yuki was washing the dishes for her since she wasn't supposed to get out of bed, Kyo was cooking half the time since Yuki didn't want her up even though the doctor permitted her to cook for short periods as long as she sat down while doing so, and the three men were putting in their best effort to keep the house as clean as Tohru did while she lay in bed all day and did nothing. Yuki always assured her that she had nothing to worry about, but his words never eased much of her guilt.
It didn't matter how much work he had to do that day. He'd spend hours doing his homework, tutoring her, cleaning, and washing dishes, yet he always managed to make time for her every day. He'd never complain about his work or his lack of sleep and listen to her grievances with an understanding smile. That smile of his never faltered, not when he was repeating the school lectures for her the second time or even when it was midnight and he was staying up with her because she had laid in bed all day and now couldn't sleep, but now, she could tell the faint smile on his face was forced. Worried she had done something to offend him, she touched his cheek hesitantly. He simply sighed.
"Tohru, Hatori already pulled a lot of strings to let you be allowed to return home. You're on bed rest. No getting out of bed," Yuki reminded her sternly.
"I-I didn't!" Tohru lied feebly.
"So who washed the dishes and put them away?" Yuki inquired.
Tohru looked down, hanging her head in defeat. She knew he hated how she'd sneak around to do some cleaning when he was at school and how Shigure didn't bother to enforce her bed rest, but she just couldn't stand making them do her work while she did nothing all day. Yuki, especially, was exhausted. She could tell by the faint purple crescents under his eyes that hadn't left since she had been in the hospital. All she had wanted to do was help him, but he seemed angry that she had tried. Tohru hadn't meant to anger him. She hadn't even thought he'd notice that she had washed the plates and cups in the sink.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Yuki sighed again, "I know it's boring… And I'm sorry about that, but please, please just stay in bed. For me, okay?"
Tohru nodded, helplessly. It wasn't a recent discovery that she couldn't refuse anything he asked her to do. She couldn't lift her head to meet his gaze. Expecting him to lecture her more or even to accuse her of not caring for their child properly, she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth together to ready herself for the blow, but instead of reprimanding her, he brushed his fingers gingerly across her cheek and pressed his lips to the tip of her nose. She was too shocked to even be embarrassed when he pulled her against his chest and tucked her head under his chin.
"Don't be so glum. Look who came to visit today," Yuki smiled, gesturing towards the door.
Her eyes lit up when she saw her two friends at her door.
"Uo-chan! Hana-chan!" Tohru squeaked happily.
She was about to hop out of bed to hug both of them, but Yuki's embrace kept her locked firmly in place. Noticing her friends were staring at her, her cheeks flared a bright shade of scarlet. Being too weak to break out of his hold, she burrowed her face into his shoulder, trying her best to hide her flush. It was too late to keep them from seeing her red cheeks though, and she knew she was never going to hear the end of their teasing. They were already laughing –or at least Uo was- as they pried Tohru off of Yuki and hugged her themselves.
"No one's here but us teens! You know what that means!" Uo exclaimed excitedly after pulling away from Tohru a bit to look at the two of them.
Tohru and Yuki peered at her, equally perplexed, "What?"
"Strip poker!" she announced with a wink.
"Eh?!" Tohru squeaked.
"I'll get Kyon Kyon, and we'll all play!" Uo offered with a wide grin.
At that comment, Yuki cut in. He yanked Tohru out of Uo's arms and held her protectively against his chest. Letting Tohru play strip poker was a stretch already, but allowing her to play while another male was in the room would earn a definite refusal from him, especially since Tohru had no talent in card games. She barely even knew the rules of poker, let alone any strategies. Tohru leaned against him with a confused smile, not yet fully grasping what the game would involve.
"She won't be participating," Yuki almost growled.
Uo just laughed, "Loosen up!"
Ignoring Yuki, Uo left the room snickering and returned within minutes, holding a deck of cards and dragging a scowling Kyo behind her. She dropped him in the middle of the room and sat down on the floor. Uo began dealing the cards with a smirk, grabbing onto the back of Kyo's shirt when he tried to escape. He wasn't sure what was going on, but if Uo wanted him here, he doubted he'd want to stay. Kyo had been taught not to attack women, but at the moment, he was hardly even considering Uo a female. He was tempted to slip out of his shirt and flee, but Uo seemed to guess his plan and moved her hand to his upper arm, forming an unbreakable shackle there.
"Let go! Let go of me!" Kyo snapped.
"No way! We're playing strip poker!" Uo declared.
"I never said I was playing!" Kyo shouted.
Kyo glowered at the blonde, but she just glared back. A second later, they both had the other's shirt tangled in their fists and were on the verge of a fight. Kyo's free hand was wrenched into a large fist, and Uo was flaunting the bloody, iron pipe she always seemed to have on her. Tohru wanted to jump up and stop them before they could start, but Yuki's arms held her back. He didn't want her to get entangled in the imminent bout of violence and sustain another injury. Though confined to her bed, she somehow managed to give herself bruises and small scrapes. He refused to let her in harm's way, keeping her there with Hana and him.
After minutes of squabbling, they all wound up seated in a circle on the floor with five cards in each of their hands –with the exception of Tohru who was lying in bed.
"I got a three of a kind," Kyo announced, displaying his three fours proudly.
"I got a straight!" Uo declared proudly, "I beat you Kyon Kyon!"
"I got a straight flush," Hana told them.
"I have a four of a kind," Yuki said as he laid down his four aces.
"Ah… I have… Um… Nothing…" Tohru admitted.
She meekly set down a one, a three, an eight, a nine, and a jack –all of various suits. They all raised their eyebrows in disbelief before their expressions darkened with pity. Tohru continued to beam at them obliviously, having forgotten that there was a punishment for losing even though they didn't have any chips or money displayed. Her expression turned to bewilderment when after a minute theirs hadn't. As Yuki pulled the edge of her blanket up to her shoulders and wrapped his arm around her possessively, she finally recalled the entire name of this game with a deep blush.
Without fully thinking his actions through, Yuki handed Tohru two of his aces. "There. We'll both have one pair," he decided.
Tohru grinned happily and took the two cards with a large smile. Ignoring the baffled expressions everyone else in the room gave him, Yuki returned her smile and patted her arm gently.
"You do realize that now you both have to strip, right?" Uo pointed out.
Tohru swallowed nervously as her cheeks darkened. She lifted her blanket shyly, trying to hide behind the pink comforter. She snuck a brief glance at Kyo then at Yuki before she completely ducked her head under her blanket only to whimper when Uo tore the blanket from her. Instantly, she grasped one of her pillows and buried her face in it, but that too was soon taken from her. Desperate now, she locked her arms around Yuki's shoulders, glad he had been sitting so close to her bed as she slid her face behind his head. Her defense strategy proved ineffective. Uo was just about to pull her out, but Hana's firm fingers held her in place.
"No, Tohru shall not remove anything in the presence of other men," Hana interjected calmly.
Uo nodded, agreeing thoughtfully after a minute of consideration, "Prince, it's all you then."
"No! Wait!" Tohru squealed, "I lost! Yuki-kun was just being nice!"
She clutched Yuki's arm to her chest. Uo hadn't even given her a mere second to celebrate her freedom from her penalty before presenting her with this equally as bad alternative. Tohru slipped her arms around Yuki's chest, shaking her head fervently when Uo gestured towards his clothing. Guiltily, her fingers hopped around on her bed until she found the two cards Yuki had given her and shoved them back towards Yuki, but he refused to take the cards from her with a chuckle. Yuki just nonchalantly leaned against her with a grin.
"Arisa, Tohru must want to keep the Prince's bare body to herself. We must respect her wishes," Hana declared.
"Fine… But Prince, you're stripping for Tohru later."
"Wh-What?!" Tohru cried.
"You better do it. We'll know if you didn't," Uo warned Yuki.
"T-That's unnecessary! I already s-saw!" Tohru exclaimed.
Tohru clamped her mouth shut once she realized what she had said. Soon, her face resembled a tomato too closely for her own health. Her head dropped, and she couldn't even look at Yuki's hair anymore. Swallowing nervously, she slipped her arms away from him and scooted into the center of her bed. His head fell onto the mattress, and out of her peripheral vision, she could see that he was staring at her. Tohru didn't dare probe deeper to see whether that was a smile on his face or not. She was too distracted by Uo's gasps. Each one reminded her that she needed to come up with an explanation quickly, and each one reminded her that her mind was blank. There was no other scenario she could think of that even came close to the Sohma curse and their nudity when they returned to their human forms.
"What did you get say?!" Uo nearly screamed.
"Umm… You- You see… I-I… w-walked in on Yuki-kun when he got out of the shower before!" Tohru explained, lying feebly.
Uo was too worked up to even notice the obvious signs of Tohru's lies like her averted eyes or the shame in her brown orbs. Hana, however, was as stoic as ever, not revealing whether she was shocked by Tohru's news or if she had even seen through the fib. Tohru was too relieved to care. The last thing she wanted to do was risk angering Akito and get her memories erased after revealing their well hidden curse. Uo's crazed frenzy disappeared within seconds and was quickly replaced by a smirk, but Tohru didn't even notice until Uo spoke.
"Did you like what you saw?" Uo questioned teasingly.
"Eh?" Tohru squeaked timidly.
Uo was going to press further, but Yuki lifted his hand to stop her.
"Why don't we play something else now?" he suggested.
"What? You don't want to know?" Uo laughed.
"I think we should stop pestering Tohru. I think all her blood will be in her face soon, and the baby will starve," he smiled.
"Fine…" Uo reluctantly agreed, "Let's play Truth or Dare!"
Despite disagreements, everyone remained in the room –with the help of some force- only to leave for the kitchen when Uo decided they needed to make a mystery beverage for someone to drink if he refused to follow through with a dare or refused to tell the truth. Tohru was the only one left in her bedroom until they returned, holding a container full of an indescribably colored drink. For a minute, all she could do was stare at the liquid and the multicolored objects swirling around in it, wondering what they could have put in it.
"What's in there?" Tohru asked uneasily.
"A gallon of spoiled milk," Kyo announced.
"A bottle of wasabi!" Uo snickered.
"Four rotten strawberries are in there for you, Tohru, and I put in leeks and miso," Yuki grinned, throwing a smirk in Kyo's direction.
"Yuki-kun! I didn't say rotten strawberries!" Tohru cried.
Yuki shrugged, "You eat so many. I didn't want to waste good ones."
She stared at the red lumps covered in unappealing, white fuzz, at the bottom of the drink. As sickening as the prior ingredients had to be mixed together, she didn't think they needed moldy fruit as well. She was already regretting her bed rest. They couldn't even throw away spoiled food and beverages. Regardless of their efforts, she was sure their home was slowly creeping back to its former state. She wasn't only abandoning her house duties, however. Knowing how much time Yuki spent with her, she was sure she was making him neglect his garden in addition to being unable to tend to her own small tasks there, but Yuki hardly seemed to mind, though they clearly needed new fruit.
"And a pint of blood," Hana finished the list emotionlessly.
"Blood?!" Tohru repeated in a shocked voice.
"I thought that was wine!" Uo gasped.
Giving no indication as to whether she had been joking about adding bodily fluids into the mixture, Hana just stared back at the four of them, unfazed by their shock and disgust. They had to wonder where she had gotten the blood and hidden it this entire time, but nobody was brave enough to ask. It was only now that Yuki and Kyo began to notice that Shigure was being awfully quiet in his office downstairs. They exchanged identical expressions. Kyo peered at the floor, in the direction of where Shigure's office was below, and Yuki nodded, confirming Kyo's suspicions. A second later, they both shrugged carelessly. Keeping their assumptions to themselves, they listened to the rest of the rules.
"If you decide not to follow through with a dare or if you lie during a truth, you must drink this," Uo continued, uncertain now.
Tohru cringed, wrapping her arms around her abdomen worriedly. Something like that couldn't be good for her child, especially since she could swear she had just seen something move in there. Even if she weren't pregnant, she wasn't sure she'd be able to make herself gulp that down. She could only imagine what the taste was like, but she had nothing she could even compare her guesses to. The wretched smell was already making her nauseous, and the bottle had a lid and was locked away securely in a transparent bag. Noting Tohru's horrified expression, Yuki chuckled softly before patting her on the head.
"Don't worry. No one would make you drink that," Yuki assured her.
"B-But what if I can't do the dare? Or if I don't want to tell the truth?" Tohru inquired fretfully.
"I'll drink it for you," he offered.
"I-I couldn't make you do that!" Tohru squeaked.
"Then don't refuse to do a dare or tell the truth," he smiled simply.
She bit her lip nervously, too terrified to agree to play this game now. Putting herself at risk was one thing, but she didn't think she could put Yuki in danger's outstretched hand. Who knew what the effects of drinking such a beverage would be? The guilt would overwhelm her if they dared her to do something she couldn't. Although Yuki didn't seem to mind, she couldn't help but worry. Uo, on the other hand, seemed excited to begin and didn't give Tohru the opportunity to protest or to withdraw from the new game.
"Let's start with Kyon! Truth or dare?" Uo asked, malice coating her words.
"Dare," Kyo responded bravely.
"Kyon, I dare you to… Kiss the prince!" Uo ordered, trying her best not to laugh.
"What?! There's no way in hell I'm doing that!" Kyo roared.
"Drink it!"
Uo grinned as she held up the container of brownish gray liquid. She knew she could count on Kyo to provide her with entertainment. He was so predictable sometimes. Just his expression had her rolling on the floor in hysteria. He kept looking back and forth between the drink and Yuki, unable to figure out which fate would be worse, then his eyes drifted over to Tohru and the chaos embedded in her eyes. She didn't even look willing to let him follow through with the dare either. Wanting to pacify her, Kyo held his hand out for the drink that Uo was happy to give him, but he seemed to have misinterpreted Tohru's feelings.
"No! Wait! Don't!" Tohru cried, snatching the bottle from Uo before it touched Kyo's fingers.
"Tohru…." Uo started.
"Please don't make him…" Tohru pled.
"Fine! But next time he's going to drink it!" Uo grinned, already thinking about what she would dare him to do next.
After a second, she turned to Tohru with a wry smile, "Truth or dare?"
Tohru gasped and turned to Uo in confusion. For the first time, she took note of the order in which they were sitting –with Kyo to her left, Yuki on her right, Hana next to Yuki, and Uo after her. It was her turn, and Tohru was at a loss for what to do. After hearing what Uo had dared Kyo to do, Tohru was worried about the capabilities of Uo's imagination. Her other option wasn't better at all. Being Uo's best friend, she was well aware of Uo's interest in her relationship with Yuki. Afraid of what she'd make her confess, Tohru decided to go for the former choice.
"D-Dare?" Tohru stammered.
"Tohru, you kiss the prince then!" Uo commanded joyfully.
"What?!" Tohru choked out.
"Not a peck either! A nice, deep kiss! Do it or he has to drink it!" Uo laughed.
Tohru glanced back and forth between Yuki and the container with a horrified expression with her blush darkening by the second. As if to pressure her into making a decision, Uo waved the drink around. Taking one look at Tohru's dangerously dark face, Yuki reached for the drink calmly, but Tohru swatted his hands down worriedly. Squeezing her eyes shut timidly, she placed her hands onto Yuki's cheeks and pressed her lips firmly against his. She could tell he was shocked by his tense posture. Tohru could even feel his raised eyebrows under the tips of her fingers. Usually the beneficiary of a kiss and not the initiator, Tohru was at a loss for what to do, and Uo's hoots and whistling weren't helping. To her relief, he began to help her.
When she released him, she instantly dropped down onto her bed, holding a pillow over her face in humiliation. She tried to muffle out the sounds around her, but she couldn't, not when Uo felt compelled to take away all her comfort. The blonde stood abruptly and tossed the rest of Tohru's blankets and pillows onto the floor, keeping anything Tohru could cover herself with away from her. Tohru lied on her side helplessly, unable to hide her flushed face anymore since she was too large to even lie on her belly. Tohru took comfort in the fact that Uo was also laughing at the faint red taint to Yuki's otherwise pale face and that Hana couldn't seem to take her eyes away from the pink faced Kyo.
"Go Tohru! Since you actually went through with it, unlike someone else, go ahead and ask the Prince!" Uo sniggered.
"Umm… Um… Truth or dare, Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked uneasily.
"Truth," he replied, hoping to relieve some of the insecurities she had about their relationship.
"Who do you love most?" Tohru inquired curiously.
"You, of course. You know that," he answered with a smile.
"Really, really? More than anyone else in the entire world?" she questioned, clearly taken aback.
He nodded, making her fading blush return with new vigor. Though it was hard to read anything other than embarrassment on her face, Yuki could see hints at joy, and he was pleased with his decision, despite how Kyo was mocking him at the moment and referring to him with various synonyms for a coward. Yuki was almost angered with himself for not thinking of using this childish game to assure her of his feelings before. It seemed so simple, and it obviously worked. Tohru was practically radiating with belief. He wanted to give her another turn to eliminate more of her doubts, but Uo was anxious to keep the game going.
"Prince, dare Hana to do something," Uo interrupted.
Taking one glance into Hana's fearless, dark eyes, he shook his head, "I'll pass."
"Hana, dare me then!" Uo exclaimed.
"I dare you to go to the kitchen and get me a snack," Hana demanded lightly.
"That's not a dare…" Uo muttered disappointedly.
Hana didn't say anything else, tacitly daring Uo not to obey with a brief gesture towards the container in the center of the room. Uo grimaced and grudgingly left to go get the food. She returned with a couple bags of chips and presented them to Hana, who took them approvingly. Hana wasted no time, tearing the bags open instantly. Uo sighed, brushing her long bangs out of her eyes as she watched her friend. Three unentertaining turns in a row? She was about to give up on the game but her fervor returned quickly when she remembered it was Kyo's turn again.
"Your turn again, Kyon. Truth or dare?" Uo questioned.
"Truth…" Kyo grumbled.
"Who do you like?" Uo asked immediately.
"Hell! I'm not telling you!" Kyo snapped, jumping to his feet in humiliation.
Uo stole the drink from Tohru and held it out towards Kyo, making Tohru cry, "Uo-chan!"
"No, Tohru. He didn't tell me!" Uo responded irritably.
Kyo just glared at the drink.
"What? Too chicken?" Yuki asked with a smirk.
At that, Kyo snatched the bottle from Uo, uncapped it, held his breath, and poured the entire contents into his mouth. There was a pause of silence, no audible sound of swallowing, and then Kyo fled from the room, fighting back gagging noises. The empty container crashed to the ground, rolling around and hitting Uo's toes. Uo picked up the bottle with a grin. Tohru lurched forward anxiously, but Yuki gently pushed her back down, unyielding when she tried to get up. She tried to break his hold in vain, worried about Kyo. She had never seen his face so pale before, but nobody else seemed concerned at all.
"He's fine," Yuki assured her.
"But-"
"I'll kill you! Damn Yankee!" Kyo roared from the bathroom, interrupting Tohru and showing them all that he was well enough to threaten Uo.
"Whoops… See you later, Tohru, Prince. I better get my ass out of here before I die," Uo told them with a wink.
"I shall provide protection. Don't worry, Arisa. Goodbye, Tohru-kun," Hana added.
"Bye?" Tohru responded quizzically.
They both smiled at her and hugged her before a perfectly calm Hana followed a frantic Uo out the door. Tohru and Yuki were left alone in her room, listening to three pairs of footsteps, one loud, one quiet, and one hurried, fade into the distance. Once silence settled down between them again, weighing heavily in the air, they both glanced at one another briefly. Catching each other gazing back, they both looked away shyly. Before the atmosphere could even begin to get awkward or uncomfortable, her stomach released a loud growl, chasing the tension from the room.
He chuckled, "I'll go get you some dinner. Is leftover takeout all right?"
Tohru nodded.
"I miss your cooking though. Take out can't even compare," Yuki admitted.
Tohru flushed, making him chuckle as he headed down to the kitchen to heat up some food for her. Waiting for her dinner, she listened to Yuki rummaging around in the kitchen. Her eyes widened worriedly when she heard glass shattering and muted profanities. Worriedly, she sat up, about to head off to check on Yuki, but Kyo's presence at her door made her freeze. She laid back down immediately, accustomed to getting back into bed whenever someone spotted her because of Yuki. Tohru let out a breath of relief when she noticed that the color had returned to Kyo's face and that most of the anger had drifted away.
"Tohru…" Kyo started off uneasily, hesitating by the door.
"Kyo-kun! Come in! Come in!" Tohru called happily.
Kyo hung his head as he stepped into the room and sat down in the chair Yuki had been seated in moments ago. Tohru's smile faltered when she began to feel the melancholy aura seeping off of him. She had never seen him so gloomy before. He was always filled with an abundant amount of energy, but now all that vitality seemed to have leaked out. He didn't even seem to have any fury in him for what Uo had done. Concerned that the drink had made him ill, Tohru reached for his forehead to check his forehead, but he dismissed her fret filled gesture with a wave.
"Uh… I'm here to apologize," Kyo started awkwardly.
"Apologize? For what?" Tohru asked, blinking in confusion.
"For avoiding you so much these past months. For being so cold and unresponsive. For neglecting you," Kyo breathed, holding up a hand to stop her when she tried to interrupt him, "It's just, when I came back and you were running down the stairs and babbling about some baby, the goddamn rat's child of all people, I just couldn't accept it. I couldn't stand it, watching you blush at everything he did. It's not fair. I love you too. I wanted it to be my child you were carrying, and you can't believe how it hurt me to know it wasn't. And then you just had to be in love with him, had to date him. I refused to acknowledge that for a long time. Until now, actually."
"I didn't think he was good enough for you. He didn't deserve you, in my eyes. Watching him care for you, I really am accepting it. I know he can take care of you. He obviously is able to do that. How can I not see that when he checks on you almost every hour of the night?" Kyo mused out loud.
"Yuki comes into my room when I'm asleep?" Tohru squeaked.
"Yeah, every night. How could you not notice? He flips you over almost every time and fixes your blanket. I was confused at first, but he told me you can't sleep on your back or you could die. Apparently the weight of the baby shouldn't be on some important vein or something," Kyo told her.
"Oh no! No wonder Yuki-kun is so tired!" Tohru cried, her guilt doubling now.
"Yeah… I guess… So I'm sorry for the way I acted…" Kyo muttered.
"No, no! Don't apologize!" Tohru exclaimed.
His expression didn't lighten one bit, as if she hadn't said a thing. Fretfully, she leaned towards him and tossed her arms around his back. She hugged him tightly, trying her hardest to show him that she wasn't upset with him at all. Embarrassedly, he placed his arms around her back. Tohru could feel his discomfort through the five inch barrier he kept between their bodies. The size of her child increased the space between them, but from the doorway, it seemed pretty intimate, especially to her boyfriend who had never seen her hug another male before.
"Oh… I'm interrupting, aren't I? I'll just leave your dinner here, Tohru, and come back later," Yuki mumbled awkwardly.
Even Tohru could tell jealousy coated every word that had drifted out of his mouth. It took her a minute to figure out what he could even be upset about, but to her relief, she realized it before he could get out of the room. She released Kyo instantly. Tohru slid to the end of her bed, about to hop off and grab Yuki before he escaped, but she stopped when she remembered her baby. She was stuck. She couldn't jeopardize her unborn child, but she couldn't let her relationship with Yuki dangle over peril either.
"Wait! Yuki-kun!" Tohru cried.
"No, really. I'll just come back later," Yuki muttered.
"Stay! O-Or I'll have to chase after you!" Tohru feebly threatened.
Worried as usual about her bed rest, Yuki stiffly turned to face her. Tohru patted the space on her bed beside her. Yuki sighed, but obeyed, seating himself on the edge of her mattress. She covered his hand with hers, but he pulled away before she could even interlace their fingers. Noting his downcast face, Tohru latched herself to him, embracing him with all the strength she had, but he was unresponsive. She stretched up and planted a kiss on his cheek, yet he hardly looked her way, still sulking and glaring at Kyo who was making his way to the door.
"I love you, Yuki-kun," Tohru reminded him.
"More or less than you love Kyo?" he demanded in an almost bitter tone.
Tohru could feel her eyes sting at the uncharacteristic accusation, but she managed to hold back the tears, determined to straighten out this mess immediately. There was no reason to make him suffer unnecessarily, but she never thought she would ever have to assure him of her feelings for him. Normally, people were aware of their possessions, yet he didn't seem to know he had her heart.
"Let's play truth or dare again," Tohru suggested.
He threw her a baffled expression, obviously not following her train of thought. A game? She wanted to play a game when he was in the mood for murder? Yuki wanted to slaughter a certain cousin of his. He was hardly even restraining the malicious side of him, and the anxiety in her eyes told him she knew this, yet she was still insisting on playing a game? He wanted to wring Kyo's neck and would have if it wouldn't upset Tohru. Instead, he took his raging jealousy out on her innocent comforter, strangling it and envisioning the soft cloth as Kyo's neck. Despite the obvious signs of his unusual fury, Tohru was calm, still hugging him.
"Ask me," Tohru ordered softly.
"Truth or dare," he sighed.
"Truth. Ask me who I like most," Tohru added.
"Who do you like most?" Yuki inquired quietly, watching her warily.
"You, of course. You know that," Tohru quoted with a wide smile.
"Really?"
Yuki gazed at her with his eyebrows pressed together, checking to see whether she was just trying to comfort him with lies or if she really were telling the truth. She was meeting his eyes, which was a good sign, and with confidence and certainty. He could feel his spirits begin to soar, but he quickly tied them down, wanting to hear her confirmation to cement her words before he got his hopes up to dangerously high levels. Her smile and embrace were making that a difficult task though, especially since he could feel her erratic heart beat in an excited frenzy, racing with his own.
"Yes! I love you more than anyone else in the whole wide world!" Tohru told him.
He grinned at her, "Well I love you more than everyone else in the world put together."
Before she could argue, he captured her lips with his, only breaking apart when her stomach released another loud rumble.
Yuki chuckled, "Right. Dinner time."
I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but oh well. School starts tomorrow, so the next chapter will be delayed? This chapter is definitely the 'eye of the storm'. I bet you can't figure out what happens next! :D I was trying to multi-task, so I probably left errors here somewhere. Correct those and review. Pretty please.