Yuki held onto Tohru's hand securely, leading her down a narrow dirt path. Together, hidden amongst the trees of the forest, they were taking a walk with no destination in mind. Neither of them cared about where they went or what they were going to do anymore. Just as long as they were with one another, nothing else mattered. Tohru glanced up at him happily. She couldn't help but grin now that she was with him. She hadn't seen him for almost a whole week, which was starting to get unbearable for the both of them. It seemed a little farfetched for them to be so attached, but they were. He looked down at her with a similar smile across his face.

"How is your head?" he asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed between them.

"Better… It's healing quickly," Tohru answered.

"That's good. I'm glad…" he added with a charming smile.

He felt shivers run down his back, a feeling he only got when he was being watched. Yuki's eyes slanted down to Tohru's face suspiciously. For once, she didn't shy away and break her intent gaze. She just continued to stare at him joyously. He looked like an angel sent down from heaven, an angel just for her. He was like a flawless, mythical creature with the most beautiful and softest gray eyes she had ever seen. Tohru, even after all of this time, still hadn't figured out what this god saw in her, but he seemed content with her. He really was ecstatic when he was around her, but she didn't seem willing to accept that. Compared to him, she was less than ordinary. She still thought that no matter how many times he told her she was beautiful, but she couldn't complain. She was just satisfied with being at his side.

"Is there something on my face?" he teased her.

"No… I'm just admiring how handsome you look…" she admitted softly.

"Hmm… Is that so? Well you look gorgeous today…"

She giggled timidly and blushed as she leaned against his shoulder. Yuki placed his arm around her shoulders, both of them shocked, wondering where she had gotten enough confidence to say that aloud. He was usually the one who tossed around the complements, but he was too preoccupied to tease her about it. He still felt like he was being watched, but Tohru was no longer looking at him. Yuki glanced around the forest carefully. He froze in midair. His ears perked up at the sound of quiet footsteps gradually growing louder. He abruptly turned to face her, placing the tip of his finger to his lips before he pulled her behind a row of thick trees. Tohru obediently followed, confused. The only part she understood was that she had to remain silent.

Tohru stood close to Yuki uneasily. She had never noticed the forest rested atop a cliff before. They were standing extremely close to the edge, less than a footstep away. The bottom seemed quite a distance away. In reality, the slope wasn't that steep, and the bottom wasn't that far down, but the top was a vertical drop for several feet, and through the eyes of an acrophobic, it was terrifying. Alarmed, Tohru edged closer to Yuki's back. With her eyes closed, she told herself not to look down. Tohru repeated the phrase in her head like mantra for a minute until she could force her eyes open. Accidentally, now that her eyes weren't shut, she found herself peering downwards and swaying towards the edge.

Suddenly, she felt her feet lose contact with the ground. Maybe it was a bad idea to close her eyes and chant if it made her lose her balance. Her eyes widened helplessly, too late to regret it now. She tried to call out Yuki's name, but she was scared speechless. Nothing would come out of her mouth. Yuki spun around in time to see her flailing her arms as she began to drop. He reached out to grab her, but he was too late. His fingers wrapped around the air and nothing else. Instinctively, he jumped down after her, pulling her into his arms without really thinking through his actions. His mind was focused only on keeping her out of harm's way.

He flipped over so that she rested on top, using his body as a shield to protect her. Tohru pressed her face into his chest, squeezing her eyes closed out of fear. They landed with a crash and began rolling down the side of the hill. Yuki tightened his grip on her, crushing her to him as he felt small rocks scratch against his skin. He'd rather those sharp stones cut him a million times than to have a single scratch on her skin. Their speed rapidly decreased, easing them to a stop at the soft grassy bottom. Tohru dizzily opened her eyes, not sure what had happened.

Blurry images spun around for a minute before she could concentrate and make out her setting. She placed her hand over her forehead, blocking out the sun from her eyes. It was odd; she didn't feel as much pain as she thought she would from such a fall. Actually, the only thing she could feel was something pinning her down to the grass, but the weight quickly disappeared, and Yuki's concerned gray eyes appeared in front of her face. He was practically lying on top of her. His outstretched arms were the only things that separated them. So he had been the mass on top of her previously.

"Are you okay," were the first words that slipped out of his mouth.

She looked up at him with bewildered eyes, stunned silent. Tohru nodded slowly, letting the events sink in. Tohru, unable to believe what had just happened, lied there perfectly still. Her eyes scanned his body, noting the small cuts on his arms and the few little rips in his shirt. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes enlarged with worry, but he ignored that look. She lifted her arm to touch his arm, but she dropped it before her fingers grazed a cut. Her breathing sped up with guilt. This was her fault. She had made him get hurt, and she was ashamed, no, angry at herself for doing that to him, but, he was focused on checking her for injuries. He couldn't find anything serious and was relieved, but Tohru was anything but relieved.

"Yuki jumped after me…?" Tohru muttered.

"Of course!"

"B-but why?! You could have- You are hurt!" she corrected herself.

"Why?" he repeated slowly. He looked up at her face incredulously. The answer seemed clear enough to him. He would have smiled, maybe even laughed at her question if not for hysteria painted across her face. Her breathing wasn't even close to its normal rate. She was staring at the worst cut he had, about an inch long, with a remorseful look across her face. Tohru was on the verge of tears. She could already feel the tears gathering in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, struggling to stay calm as she stared at his face, trying to get a reaction from him, but all she could see was concern. Shouldn't he be mad at her for causing him pain? It wasn't right for him to get hurt over her.

"We both didn't need to get hurt!"

"Why? Because I love you! That's why! I can't stand to see you get hurt! Because… You mean everything to me… Without you, my life wouldn't be right… I love you…" Yuki confessed without giving his words a second thought.

Danger, stress, pressure, concern… They all have one thing in common. In a way, they could all force secrecy out of someone. Whether those hidden facts were as old as Yuki's feelings or as new as his realization of them, they slipped out in these sorts of situations. The result was something that could never be predicted.

His jaw dropped. That was probably the worst confession ever, and by the look on her face, it was about to get worse. Her eyes were larger than ever before, and the only emotion he could read on her face was shock. There were no traces of joy at hearing him tell her that. Maybe he had heard her incorrectly back in the cave. At the moment, she didn't look like she felt the same way. The most he was hoping for now was that she wouldn't run away and treat him like a stalker for the rest of their lives.

Her heart pounded loudly, almost deafening her. Had she heard him correctly? Did he just confess to her? Neither of them said anything. Both of them were equally surprised by his words. Yuki stared into her deep brown eyes, waiting for her response. He had just revealed his well kept secret to her. Those three words could never be taken back or brushed aside as nothing. The way he had said it made it too obvious that he meant it with all his heart. Yet, all he could feel was regret for telling her as he looked at her startled face. He looked away quickly and pushed himself off of her before he offended her some more. Yuki laid himself down on his back, deciding to break the awkward silence himself.

"I-I'm sorry… Just forget it-"

"I love you too!" Tohru blurted out before Yuki could say any more.

"Wha-what?"

Yuki flipped to face her, his eyebrows knitted together with the skepticism once across her face. She sat up, staring at him with a wide grin upon her face. Along with the smile was a deep blush. She was embarrassed, yet elated at the same time. Yuki lifted his head to examine her face more closely. A part of him knew this was how she felt because of her unconscious reply to his last confession, but he still partially believed that this was too good to be true. Her smile grew as she took his hands in hers. He looked at her hands, before his eyes returned to hers.

"I love you too…" Tohru repeated more calmly this time.

"So… I love you…" Yuki breathed delicately.

"And… I love you..." Tohru finished for him with a gentle smile spreading across her face.

Yuki stared at her, entranced by her words. Acting on the strong emotions he felt, he gently pressed her back down to the laying position she was once in and slowly lowered his elbows, bringing his face closer to hers. She leaned forward, watching the distance between them disappear. His soft silver bangs brushed across her face as their lips touched, hesitantly at first but rapidly grew back to the passion filled kisses they usually shared. What was it about confessions that made them feel that shyness they originally felt when they first met? They broke apart, gazing at each other with matching, love drenched eyes.

They beamed at one another with a new found joy for a moment before joining again in a romance filled chain of what seemed like never ending kisses. Everything seemed perfect, like in fairytales or dreams, but those weren't real. This love was. With just three words, they were that much closer and that much more in love. It didn't seem to matter anymore that their bodies ached all over or that they were out in the open without anything to hide them. For now, none of that bothered them. In that moment, they were the only two people in the world. That one phrase formed a link between them, bonding them together and refusing to break.

He pulled away, still staring into her endless brown eyes. She couldn't take her eyes away from his gentle inviting eyes either. It seemed like they could stay like that forever and never get tired of each other. Too engulfed in the other, neither of the two felt the pair of eyes observing them.

Haru watched them from above, behind a thick tree. He didn't know how to feel. On one-side, he was the protective older brother who didn't want to see his sister get intimate with another man, but on the other hand, he supported their relationship and wanted them to be happy. What was he going to do? Should he approach her or pretend he was never here? Would Tohru or Yuki care if he knew, or would they see him as a potential threat to their relationship? Questions whirled around his head.

After carefully thinking through his choices, he decided to leave them alone. He wouldn't completely ignore this though. Haru wanted to help them be with each other. Secretly, he'd assist them without letting either of them notice. Tohru was already barely getting away with sneaking out –he knew that much. With his help, it'd be a lot easier for her, but Yuki, he wouldn't be able to contribute as much to. Haru wasn't worried though. Yuki had always been clever and witty, let alone strong and quick. He'd be fine on his own; she was the one who needed the help. Before he left he took one last look at the couple and smiled.

"I'm glad that you finally confessed, my old friend…" he said softly.

Nothing more came from his mouth. Haru walked away from there, heading back home. Maybe one day, he'd come to regret this decision, but for now, it seemed like the right choice to make.

--

"Say it again…" her voice begged as the tips of her fingers ran from his earlobe to the bottom of his chin.

"I love you, Tohru…" he answered willingly, bliss glimmering in his eyes.

"Again…"

She ran her fingers across his lips, earning herself a kiss on the pads of her fingers.

"I love you… I love you… I love you. I love you!" he grinned.

Her ears absorbed his words hungrily as she smiled again. She would never get tired of hearing those words. She had craved to hear them for so long, and just from hearing those three words, unexplainable ecstasy raced through her veins. The feeling was indescribable. Those words slipped out of his mouth so smoothly. How he said each word, his tone, and his voice were all filled with love. She could hear it now. She could hear the love that coated every syllable he uttered to her. Never in her life had she heard such perfection in three words. They made the butterflies, that usually fluttered around in her stomach when he was near, dance around in a frenzy that would normally make her feel queasy, but she felt so warm and happy all over.

"I love you too…" she responded.

A spark radiated through his body. It had acted quickly, and after a second, that feeling had passed, but it left him feeling warm and with a need to kiss those lips he had been attached to a minute ago. Surprisingly, one feeling of his overpowered that, his desire to tease her. A wry smile flashed across his face as he began to lower his face towards hers, slowly in an almost torturing manner. He shifted his weight, using his elbows to support him as he extended one hand to her neck. Slipping his fingers behind her neck and running his thumb across the side, he could feel her pulse quicken. He stared at the placement of his hands for a moment, fascinated by the rapid convulsions beneath his fingers. With a flick of his head, his eyes were back to hers.

"I love you more…"

He could see the blush that covered her cheeks double in darkness, and he couldn't fight back the smile that edged its way across his face. She wiggled slightly, looking a bit uncomfortable with him hovering over her body, less than an inch between his torso and hers. Tohru calmed herself down with a quick deep breath and returned her gaze to his, a hint of rebellion deep behind the obvious joy that dominated her eyes at the moment. She placed her hand on his chest, making an attempt to shove him away playfully, but it was a wasted effort. He overpowered her easily and didn't want to move away.

"No…" she started off shakily but finished with a bit more ease, "I love you more…"

Yuki was stunned to hear that from her. He could only stare at her in disbelief for a moment. All the while, she struggled not to look away as her pulse gave away her embarrassment. He smirked slightly, keeping silent for a short while. He moved his other hand to her dark locks that lay sprawled across the grass. Wrapping a strand around his slender forefinger, he looked amused before dropping his hand to the side and focusing on her once again.

"How much do you want to bet?" he asked softly in reference to her previous statement.

Tohru battered her eyelashes innocently for a second, seeming to think through his question, before answering, "My life!"

He was silent, showing her none of his thoughts or even his reaction. Yuki returned to playing with her hair for a minute before he shifted his attention to his other hand that still rested around her neck, noticing that her pulse hadn't slowed down a bit yet. Smiling faintly, his eyes lingered on her face, tempted to dive down for a quick kiss before continuing the conversation, but he held out.

"I hope you're not putting your life on stake for this one… Because, by now, you should know that I love you a lot more than you love me," he replied nonchalantly.

She laughed, or more like giggled, as she tried to argue back but failed miserably. He moved his hands, wrapping his fingers around her wrists. In a quick motion, he had her arms pinned helplessly above her head, holding her there gently. While laughing, she shook her head furiously as an answer.

"Are you going to agree with me now?" he asked in such an enchantingly sweet tone that she almost nodded her head, but she determinedly continued to shake her head. He sighed; he had only partially expected her stubbornness. Yuki smiled at her innocently before he bent his head down. He kept his face less than an inch from hers, letting his warm breath tickle her. She squirmed though he wasn't sure whether it was out of awkwardness or joy. Regardless, he pressed his lips against her collarbone, remaining there until he heard her gasp and felt her make a feeble attempt at escape before he continued leaving a path of kisses up her neck and higher. Right before he reached her rosy cheeks, he lifted his mouth, only long enough to murmur, "How about now?"

Instead of answering with incoherent words, she turned her head towards him and kissed him on the lips. He happily kissed her back, beginning the exchange of kisses once again. Slowly and a bit reluctantly, he released her hands, letting them snake around his neck, pulling him down closer to her body as his hands dug their way behind her back.

Right now, they might as well have been in heaven, for there was no other person or couple who was happier than them. Their love for each other burned so strongly it chased away all the darkness with its bright light. Momentarily, at least, they forget the problem with their relationship and why it couldn't work out and let their love escalate. There was nobody who could put out that flame, no matter what games they played. True love isn't something easily broken, not even in death. At least, that's how it seemed to be with Yuki and Tohru. A love so strong was born inside of their hearts, growing with every passing minute and each second, but along with the joy in love would come the pain and misery all relationships provided…

--

Haru never realized how difficult it would be to help Tohru out. Since Tohru had been able to escape without much trouble for months, he had wrongly assumed that it would be an easy task to help her out a little, but his theory was soon proved wrong. As soon as he got home, he had to get started. The queen was already looking for her. She was glowering around the halls as she shuffled over to the front door, clearly in search of something, and it didn't take him long to conclude that she was looking for his sister.

"Haru!" she barked as soon as her watchful eyes spotted him, "Have you seen Tohru?"

"Oh… I sent her on an errand for me… Why are you looking for her?" he lied calmly, trying not to picture the last scene in which he saw her in.

"I don't think my affairs concern you one bit," she responded in an icy, chilly voice.

Haru shrugged it off, keeping his face expressionless. She didn't seem to notice his slight uneasiness and left the room. The clicking from her high heels dimming out signaled to him her leave. He sighed, filled with relief, "Tohru, you are one lucky girl…"

"What are you talking about?" a small voice questioned him from behind.

"Oh fuck…" he mumbled under his breath.

He covered his eyes in disappointment. He wasn't helping Tohru much if he just blew her secret. How would he explain that to her? Tediously, he turned around to see who had overheard him. Haru instantly relaxed when he saw that it had only been Kisa. His eyes wandered around the empty entranceway for anyone else who could have heard him before he looked back at Kisa. Kisa watched him, patiently waiting for a response. She had heard a bit of his conversation with the queen, but it didn't make too much sense to her.

"Haru-nii? Did you find out something about Onee-chan?" Kisa persisted, "You followed her this morning, right?"

He stood there silently. He was trying to decide whether he should tell her the whole story or an edited version. Haru showed no sign of favoring one option over the other. Kisa was too close to Tohru, she might accidentally say something she wasn't supposed to, but if he didn't tell, Kisa might report his strange behavior to Tohru. With both of them oblivious and confronting him, he wasn't sure if he could keep what he saw a secret. Haru decided telling Kisa was the best choice, even if what he had seen was hardly meant for a child's eyes. He'd put both options together. He would give her the story, but he'd edit out the kissing.

"Not here…" he muttered, grabbing her hand and dragging her to his room.

He locked the door to be safe before he said anything while Kisa sat on his bed, confused by his actions, "Haru-nii, what is it?"

"First promise you won't tell anyone, not even Tohru."

"Har-"

"Just promise," he interrupted her seriously.

She caved in, "Okay… I promise…"

After hearing those words, he took a deep breath and explained to her everything he saw, his decisions and theories. He gave her the clean version of course. He simply said they kissed with no mention of the posture or manner. He couldn't bring himself to tell his youngest sister of such things even if she was thirteen already. She was still a child to him. Kisa just stared at him, unable to understand everything he had just told her.

"S-so she's back with Yuki-nii? Isn't that good? I don't understand why I can't congratulate Onee-chan…"

"Kisa, Oubasan wants Tohru to marry another man…"

"But that has nothing to do with Tohru knowing we know about her and Yuki-nii…"

"That has everything to do with it. Besides, when you talk to Tohru about Yuki, do you think it's going to be easy not to accidentally slip and mention something from the past? And how do you think she'll react when we just suddenly bring the relationship, she's been working so hard to hide from us, up? She'll freak out," Haru explained.

"I'll be careful… We'll have to bring it up sooner or later."

"Careful isn't enough."

Kisa looked at Haru, still not fully convinced. She hadn't spoken about Yuki since the accident. Wasn't that proof enough for her self-control? Kisa pouted, but that didn't change Haru's mind. She let out a sigh and dropped down on his bed. Keeping another secret from Tohru would be difficult. Luckily, Tohru's thoughts were mostly on Yuki lately. She hardly focused on anything but him now, but that had its downfalls. For one, Tohru was less observant of her surroundings, meaning she tripped a lot more than usual.

"If you care about her… and Yuki… You won't say a thing…" he told her.

She nodded reluctantly before adding, "Then let me help you!"

Haru chuckled lightly, agreeing with her plan without a single complaint. He'd need her help at this rate. He was beginning to find it hard to believe that she still hadn't been caught after doing this for months. With her luck and the queen always looking for her, it was a miracle that no one but him and Kisa found out that she snuck out to see Yuki.

--

The next few weeks went by in a flash. Yuki and Tohru had been seeing each other even more often than before. They were inseparable. If not each day, every other day they'd see each other for an hour at the least. They had been together as much as they could, getting more open with their love. The burden of keeping their feelings a secret from one another was lifted, and they felt more at ease. Family and other villagers were another story, but they didn't want to think about that, at least, not today. Autumn was coming to a close, and the frigid winter would soon hinder their meetings. Both of them were too enraptured in one another to even notice where their feet were taking them. They just kept walking straight ahead, vaguely aware that they were even moving. Their minds were focused on each other's words instead of the diminishing trees or the growing sound of the lively market.

"Hey… Isn't that the Prince of Kaze over there?" asked a tall woman, glancing towards the edge of the forest.

"Huh? Where?!" exclaimed a group of overexcited girls.

"Right there… Next to that woman with long brown hair…"

She pointed to the couple in the distance, squinting to get a better look. The other girls looked down the road to where she had gestured at the brim of the forest. One girl's eyes flickered with realization as the couple sauntered nearer.

"Wait! Isn't that Tohru, the Princess of Daichi?" she cried.

They muttered amongst themselves, arguing about whether it was her or not. When the pair neared a girl confirmed it, "It IS them."

Haru's ears perked up with interest. Who knew, on a random stroll of his, he'd need to help Tohru. He strolled over to the girls as casually as possible and tilted his head to the side to get a better look of what they were gawking at. A part of him didn't believe the gossip, but he had to be sure. He didn't want anything drastic to happen. Looking past the thick clumps of people, he caught sight of the couple. His eyes widened incredulously. Never in his life would he have imagined Yuki acting so carelessly. Tohru he could believe would do something of this sort but not the ever so alert and cautious Yuki. He groaned a bit, trying to think a way out of this. He couldn't possibly tell the girls that they were mistaken. No one else in the world had silver hair.

"Damn it… What the hell are you two doing in public?" Haru muttered under his breath.

Everybody watched Tohru's body tremor with laughter as she giggled at something Yuki whispered to her. The smile that was etched across her face could be seen from where Haru was standing. She leaned towards Yuki and slipped her hand into his. He looked down at her and enclosed her hand in his. His lips curved up slightly, in a more subtle smile as he planted a kiss on top of her head sweetly. She paused, stopping her walk. Tohru turned her head up, giving him a look that clearly showed that she wanted more than a simple peck on her hair. Yuki grabbed her other hand and gently pulled her until she was standing directly in front of him. Tohru edged herself up on the tips of her toes, slipping her hands out of his and locking them behind his neck.

Her lips met his with a light touch. They were lost in their own world, blinded by love, completely oblivious to the many pairs of eyes focused on them. Many of the townspeople stood there awed by their intimacy. Even in their past relationship, Yuki and Tohru had always been more discreet about their passion, shyer and less open. It didn't look that way anymore. Haru could spot a twinge of their past reflected in their interaction. The way Yuki held her, the way Tohru's hands gripped his neck tightly, the way their heads would turn to the sides at a specific angle as they kissed, it was all the same as before, not a single change in the way they shared a kiss except maybe this one seemed to be filled with another emotion he couldn't quite identify, but it seemed a bit like hunger.

His arms slithered around her waist, pulling her closer to him, not letting as much as a centimeter distance between them. He kissed her back vigorously. Jealously flashed in the eyes of all the town girls.

"When did they get back together?" demanded an angry woman.

"They haven't… At least, not officially…"

"I heard that she was getting married off to some no name prince."

"And I heard he is supposed to get engaged to some princess this spring."

They broke apart slowly, but Yuki kept his fingers intertwined around her back. He looked down into her wide brown eyes seriously. She stared back at him, cocking her head to the side innocently. She didn't see a reason for him to have such a grave expression across his godlike face. It didn't seem like the right expression after a kiss, but still, he was unbelievably beautiful. She mentally hit herself for admiring him, when he looked so troubled. His jaw was tense, his eyes concentrating so hard that it resembled pain. Tohru lifted her fingers to his cheek, sweeping down his face in a comforting stroke.

"Is something the matter, Yuki-kun?" she asked, pulling away from him slightly.

"I have something to tell you…" he breathed hastily.

"What is it?"

"Please… Don't be mad… Don't get upset…" he begged silently.

"What are you trying to say, Yuki-kun?"

He released her, running his hand through his silver locks in frustration. She could see his face tense up with anxiety. Her eyes remained locked on him, filled with confusion, partially believing that he wanted to stop seeing her. This thought aroused a panic within. She bit her lip nervously. He turned his back to her and looked up at the sky, breathing slowly for a few minutes before relaxing a bit, and facing her again. Yuki didn't want to delay this. He could see how she was getting hurt by his silence and his previous words.

"I don't know how to tell you this… So I'll just say it as it is… First, I want you to know that I really do love you… I love you a lot more than you know," Yuki started hesitantly placing his hand on her shoulder.

Her teeth dug into her bottom lip with more force, trying to prepare herself for whatever he had to say. She took a deep breath and tried to look up at him, but she could only manage to stare at his hand atop her shoulder. Tohru couldn't make herself make eye contact with him. She couldn't, not when she didn't know whether he was going to break up with her or not. She didn't want to hear that, but if that's what he wanted, she wouldn't be able to stop him. His eyes flickered with unease. The tips of his fingers brushed against the bottom of her chin, an attempt to relieve her of some of her distress. It helped a bit, she was able to look at his face now, not his eyes exactly, but it was closer than his hand.

"I'm… I'm a p-pri-"

"Your highness! What are you doing out here?"

Yuki's eyes bulged as soon as he noticed one of his dad's guards standing in front of him, directly behind Tohru. Tohru's eyebrows furrowed with confusion. She pushed herself away from Yuki, peering up at his face before turning around to see who had spoke. At first, she had thought that whoever was talking was referring to her, but by the man's eyes were fixated on Yuki, his eyes gliding right over her head and into Yuki's shocked expression. Yuki's arms dropped from her waist, and Tohru just stared, bewildered, from him to the guard. Was she missing something here?

"I don't understand…" her voice quavered, coated in fear and shock.

She slowly backed away from Yuki, taking slow awkward steps without peeling her eyes off of his face. She stumbled a bit but didn't fall. Her face reminded him of a child in search for a familiar face. Yuki looked at her desperately, ignoring everyone around as he reached out to grab her wrist, but she yanked her arm back before he could stop her. Townspeople started closing in, cutting them off completely, asking trivial questions. Tohru looked at him with a pair of heartbroken eyes for only a moment longer before she spun around and ran as fast as she could away from him. Tears stung her eyes, clouding her vision as they started to flow out of her eyes.

Tohru wasn't sure what compelled her to run away from him, but something inside of her was hurt, and it was hurt badly. The pain squeezed at her heart and crushed her lungs until she could hardly breathe. She struggled to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat unsuccessfully. She felt betrayed, beyond betrayed. She wasn't sure how well she knew him anymore. Before today, she was sure she knew everything about him, all his likes, dislikes, hobbies… It only occurred to her now that she didn't even know his last name. She faltered, tempted to turn around and go back to him, but she continued, convinced that the person behind her was a complete stranger, a liar who didn't love her at all. She wasn't even sure if his real name was 'Yuki' anymore, but apparently, he was some sort of royalty. She grimaced, any other day she would have been delighted to hear that.

"Tohru! WAIT! Tohru!!" Yuki cried in vain.

She heard him call her numerous times, but she didn't listen or stop. His calls just made her run faster in a random direction into the forest. She just wanted to get as far away from him as she could. The trees hid her perfectly, but before she was gone, he noticed the gleaming tears that were trailing behind her.

"Yuki! You don't need her!"

"I'm prettier!"

"YUKI! Yuki!"

His large fan club surrounded him in a tight barrier, whining and keeping him from getting to Tohru. None of them bothered to even be polite and respectful though he didn't notice. He stretched his neck to look over their heads, making a feeble attempt to locate Tohru.

"Excuse me…" he muttered anxiously trying to shove his way past them.

No one would budge, and he didn't want to hurt anyone, but by the time this crowd disappeared, Tohru would be long gone, and he doubted she would answer him if he tried to call her. He contemplated being rude and inconsiderate and just shove past everyone, he knew he could break through if he did that, but if he did, he could think of more than one person who would be infuriated by his actions. First off, the townspeople would be offended, his mother would punish him for his rudeness, Tohru, if she ever forgave him long enough for him to talk, would be disappointed in such vulgar behavior as well, and he was sure if he had been thinking clearly, he would have come up with more, but his mind lingered on Tohru. He had convinced himself by now that the anger anyone else felt didn't matter anymore. He just wanted to catch Tohru before she cried anymore.
"Move it…" a low voice growled.

The barricade of people that once surrounded him quickly moved away from Yuki. Yuki was shocked to hear that it wasn't him who had spoken, but he was too focused on catching Tohru that he didn't care; he couldn't, not at the moment. He briefly glanced over his shoulder at the white haired man who was glaring at the townspeople. Yuki's instincts took over, and without thinking about who this man was or anything else for that matter, he darted away from there as fast as his legs could withstand. Without a look back, he called, "Thanks Haru!"

"Hmm… So he remembers my name…" Haru mused, standing there in shock.

Yuki disappeared into the depths of the forest, running faster than he had before. He raced ahead swiftly, looking around for any signs of Tohru.

"Tohru! Where are you?! Tohru!" he shouted loudly.

He kept going deeper into the forest, desperate to locate Tohru. He wasn't ready to lose her; he wasn't ready to move on with his life. His life revolved around her now. He needed her. Yuki spotted her brunette hair in the distance, still making an inadequate attempt to get away from him. He was a lot faster than she was. Yuki sped up, closing in on her. She could hear his quick breaths now, and that just made her want to go faster though she knew she wouldn't be able to get away.

"Tohru! Wait! Let me explain!" he yelled after her.

She ignored his pleas tiredly, trying to continue running. Her dress kept getting entangled with her legs. Twigs snagged the hem of her dress, tearing the bottom to her mid thigh. Tohru was too hurt to be embarrassed or to even look down at the rip. She didn't want to listen to him. She knew how gullible she was; she knew she'd believe anything he said with all of her heart even if he told her the most obvious lie, but she didn't want to.

She was weak. She couldn't keep herself from turning around. If she was going to stay away from him for the rest of her life, she wanted to see his perfect face just one last time, to burn it into her memory. Regardless of how upset she was, she still loved him, but looking back at his pleading face had been her first mistake. Her knees suddenly felt weak and shaky as soon as her eyes connected with his. It was a brief moment, hardly a second, before she looked away, but she couldn't manage to go on. Her whole body resisted any more distance between her and the one she wanted to see.

Tohru staggered, her heel stepping onto a stone. Suddenly, one of her feet wasn't touching the ground anymore. She flailed her arms around, trying to keep her balance upright. She couldn't fall, not now! She wouldn't be able to escape him if she did, but gravity wasn't on her side and continued to pull her downwards. Yuki gasped silently, urging his legs to go faster. He reached for her and grabbed her arm right before she hit the ground. He pulled her up into his arms in a one-sided embrace. She was sobbing hysterically at this point, trying to push him away, but he held on tightly. Her hands formed fists, pounding rapidly against his chest, but his grip didn't loosen. He just tightened his hold in attempt to calm her down.

"Let go! Let go!!" she shrieked.

Her fists remained clenched against his chest, but she had stopped hitting him at least. She knew there was no point in hitting him; it was a wasted effort. Why did his arms still feel so comforting when she was so angry at him? Tears continued to soak through his shirt. Her cries eased slightly after a few minutes. He let go of her abruptly, but he clasped both of his hands on her fragile shoulders to keep her from running from him. Yuki crouched down so he was looking up directly into her eyes. Tohru jerked her head to the side, refusing to look at him, but she didn't try to get away.

"Tohru, look at me… Please…" he begged her,

She sniffled, not replying. She was afraid of how her voice would sound. His lips curved downwards, a look of pain crossing his face. Gingerly, he placed on hand under her chin, turning her head until she was facing him. Tohru stared at him, tears struggling to burst as she made an attempt to glare or at least look remotely angry, but she didn't manage either of those expressions. She just looked forlorn.

"Listen to me, please…" he continued in a soft voice.

"Y-you lied to m-e…" she wept, her voice cracking in the middle.

He cringed at the pained sound. This was worse than he had expected. He should have told her. He should have told her a long time ago before she put this much trust in him. He could tell all her faith in him was broken, broken by something she didn't understand, something he hadn't told her about. It hurt her, stabbing at her heart repeatedly. It wasn't fair. She told him everything, and now, she was beginning to realize that the man she was in love with was practically a stranger to her.

"Tohru…" he breathed.

"E-everything w-was all li-lies!" she sobbed bitterly.

"No… That's not true at all…" he denied.

"Y-you d-don't love m-me!!" she continued.

Tears streamed down her cheeks now. She covered her face with both of her hands, not wanting him to see her cry anymore. He winced, the pain she felt surging through his body almost as if their bodies were linked. Yuki covered her wrists with his hands, prying them off of her face. She wasn't strong enough to keep her hands over her face. She kept her eyes shut though, straining to stay strong. Slightly exasperated, Yuki put a hand on either side of her face. His thumbs ran across her eyelids, coaxing her to open her eyes. Her lip quivered as she looked at him.

"I do love you!" he practically yelled.

For a moment, her heart froze, and her breathing stopped. Her heart trembled with joy, obviously believing him, but her brain disagreed. Her mind reminded her of trust, the supposed foundation of a relationship. The fact that he didn't trust her enough to tell her of his status or even his full name made his low faith in her painfully clear, or so she thought. Another reason, a reason she didn't know herself, made it impossible for her to believe him. A small part of her had been searching for some flaw in their relationship. That section of her refused to believe that there really was a guy like Yuki out there and had been waiting for him to slip and make a mistake to prove that he was human too and not some supernatural being. She shook her head weakly, and she went back to staring at the floor. His hands dropped from her face. Yuki stood up and placed his forefinger and thumb under her chin, raising it until she was looking into his eyes.

"I do love you," he repeated a bit more softly.

"Th-then why… Why d-didn't you t-tell me?" she choked out shakily.

"I… I wanted to… It just never seemed like the right time. And… I was trying to tell you earlier… I know that doesn't make it any better… But…" he struggled to explain it to her.

"We've been together so long… Why couldn't you just tell me? Do you not trust me?" she whispered, barely able to find her voice.

"No, of course I trust you. I just didn't want you to leave me…" he admitted.

"Why would I leave you?"

"Tohru, don't you understand? Even thinking about losing you breaks my heart into millions of pieces. I love you more than anything else, Tohru Honda… Everything I have ever told you was true. All of it… Please believe me… Please…I need you to forgive me… I need you to stay with me…"

She gazed up at him. Something about his words and the way he had said them made her forgive him, and she believed what he had just said with all of her heart, but she was sure it wasn't just because she was rather credulous. A faint smile grew on her face as she shed one last tear, the pain easing away. Yuki held her cheek in his hand, wiping away her tear with his thumb. She threw her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could. He stood there surprised for a second before wrapping his arms around her. Yuki pressed his face into her hair, amazed at her ability to forgive him.

"I… I love you too…" she murmured to him delicately.

"…I was so scared that I was going to lose you…" Yuki murmured.

"No more… No more secrets, okay?"

"No more… I promise…"

Slowly, he reintroduced himself to her, using his title, his full name, and stating the country he was from. He even held out his hand to her and shook hers, an action that would have made her laugh under normal circumstances. He dropped her hand and began pacing around as he started to tell her his story. She stood there, a few feet away from him, listening intently. He explained to her everything about himself, and he briefly touched upon his family. He didn't look back at her until he was done. Tohru shivered and glided over into his arms when he stopped walking back and forth. Now, she realized exactly how forbidden they were. At that thought, she squeezed him tighter, digging her face into his shirt. The two of them were silent for a few minutes, thinking through what had happened today.

"…I lied… I have one more secret…" he broke the silence with a whisper.

Tohru glanced up at him, expecting him to explain, but he just ran his fingers through her long silky strands, pausing before he continued, "I think it's better to put it off for now…"

"Yu-"

He interrupted her, placing his finger over her lips, "It's not a bad thing… I promise… I just don't understand it, but you'll know soon enough… Can you trust me with this?"

Tohru lifted her face, tilting her head upwards to study his face. She bit her lip, trying to figure out if she could really trust him. She wasn't sure, not when her faith in him had completely disappeared several minutes ago, but she couldn't say 'no' to him. She'd be lying then. It was hard not to trust Yuki when her heart seemed to have complete faith in him. She nodded her head slowly. Forgiving him wouldn't be a problem. She already had. Grudges weren't something she took pleasure in holding, and a grudge against Yuki wasn't something she could even dream about holding. Regaining that high level of trust would take a bit of time though.

"Then… C-can you please… k-kiss me?" she stammered embarrassedly.

She faced his shirt, not wanting to show him her bright pink cheeks. Tohru couldn't believe she had actually said that out loud, but she couldn't deny her want for a kiss. He blinked at her incredulously before he smiled, sliding his hand down to her chin again so he could lift her face upwards. She shut her eyes, letting the distance between their faces diminish, but she didn't get what she expected. Yuki tormented her with a sly grin, kissing everywhere on her face and neck but her mouth. Tohru gaped for a moment before she covered his mouth with her hands and gently pushed his face to the side, catching her breath shyly.

"Yu-Yuki…"

"What is it? Is that not what you wanted?" he asked her seriously before laughing.

"No… It wasn't… More like this…" she murmured, bringing her lips to his and tenderly pressing her mouth to his.

He let his hands get lost in her thick mop of hair as he sweetly kissed her back. Intimately, she continued the kiss, letting her hands slither their way up to his neck. She had been wrong. He had her complete trust again. It wouldn't be right to hold this against him. She'd be a hypocrite. She had never directly told him she was a princess either, so why did she expect him to? Sure, he had seen her home, and she had never made an attempt to justify or explain that, but he left her clues too, less obvious clues but hints nonetheless. First off, there was his princely manner, she felt silly for not seeing the connection earlier, there was his lack of concern for money, no commoner would be so careless with cash, and there were certainly more, but her brain refused to think when it could be focusing on his lips, which were still caressing hers, instead.

Love acted in mysterious ways. One minute, she had completely detested him, and now, she was in love with him all over again. Love was almost like glue (but much stronger), attaching her to him and not willing to let them part, no matter what tore at them.

"I'll never let you go…" he breathed against her lips.

Tohru gazed up at him, a smile edging onto her face. Those words sounded perfect to her. She didn't want him to let go of her, not ever. She wanted him to keep that promise and keep her in his arms for all of eternity, but it only took her a second to realize what a stupid request that was. More idiotic now that she knew how forbidden their relationship was. Still, none of that stopped her from wishing he would follow through with his promise. She needed him. She needed him in her life. Why couldn't anyone but him see that?

"Even if you run, I'll chase… If you hide, I'll look… You can call me obsessed, but my love will never let you leave…" he breathed to her.

"Then I hope you don't get tired of me…"

"Never…"

His words lingered in her ear, and suddenly, she got chills that raced down her spine. She shuddered and pressed herself against his body.

--

Kisa sat cross-legged on top of her bed before a now silent Haru. He had been talking nonstop for almost half an hour now. Haru had been filling her in on the scene he had walked upon in the market, but he paused, right after he told her that Yuki ran off. She frowned, obviously not pleased. The story was at its climax, now was not the time to stop, but he didn't continue or even look up at her. Slightly impatient and eager to hear the ending, she tapped the top of his lowered head, getting his attention quickly. His eyes flashed to hers in a questioning manner.

"Haru-nii, what happened after that?"

"Well since Tohru isn't back yet, I'm guessing they either made up or killed each other," Haru concluded with a teasing smile.

Kisa raised her eyebrows at him worriedly, honestly believing his latter possibility. He flashed her a grin, letting her know that he had been kidding and went on, "So do you want to hear what I did after?"

"Okay… What did you do?"

"Well, you see… My job at the moment was to keep the townspeople from reporting Tohru and Yuki… So I threatened them… They willing agreed to stay quiet after that," he said with a smirk.

"Haru! That was hardly nice!"

Haru snickered for a minute before all seriousness returned to his face, "But… You know that guard I told you about who saw Yuki and Tohru?" he waited for her to nod, "He disappeared. I didn't even get to talk to him…"

She stared at him, now fretful. That could ruin everything in seconds. Her breathing stopped completely for a moment, until Haru patted her arm with a grim expression. He was just as worried as she was, but he didn't want Kisa to suffocate over this. He didn't want to lose both of his sisters because of a single guard. His lips turned down as he found himself thinking about the guard again. He wanted to storm into Yuki's home and kill that guard before he could report a thing, but unfortunately, a castle was filled with more guards than he could take on at once. The only thing he would have gotten from storming into the palace of Kaze was his own death, not something he wanted exactly.

--

Not too far away, Yuki's father, the King of Kaze, sat on top of his golden throne in a darkened room lit only by a small circular window above his head. Before him stood a guard, the guard that had spotted Yuki in town with Tohru. His head was lowered in a slight bow while the king drummed his fingers across the handle of the elaborate seat he was in. His other hand supported his chin as he listened to the guard ramble on, sighing every now and then. He was obviously not interested in this conversation.

"Is that all?" he demanded as soon as the guard stopped speaking.

"Your highness! Your son, your heir, and that girl are seeing each other behind your back!"

"I heard you the first time…"

"Aren't you going to… you know?"

The king just stared at him blankly, "No I don't know…"

"Punish him?"

The king sighed once more. He raised his hand, extending his palm to the guard to keep him from repeating the story. The king closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with both of his hands for a perfectly still moment before his eyes warily slid open again. He knew his wife would be angry if she heard this, but strangely, he wasn't. He was almost delighted to have heard that, almost but not quite. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he wanted Yuki to marry Machi as much as Yuki did. He was still a father, and he naturally wanted his son to be happy, but the queen had made her desires clear. There was no chance in getting her to stop resenting Tohru and her family regardless of Yuki's complete adoration of the brunette.

"Am I the king here or are you? Yuki is my son… I'll deal with him my way, and I'll let him have his fun while it lasts…"

The guard stood there, completely dumbfounded and almost disappointed that he hadn't gotten an ounce of praise. His whole reason for telling the king was for a reward, a promotion, something beneficial, but here he stood with nothing in his hands. This had been more than a letdown for him, and he didn't bother to hide the frown that had formed across his face. The king ignored the guard's bitter attitude and went on, "So we'll both pretend you never saw that, got it?"

"Yes sir!" he nodded and bowed again before leaving the room. The king sat there in silence, pondering over his decision in attempt to figure out if he had made the right choice or not. He sighed once again. There was nothing more he could do to help Yuki. He might as well let Yuki make some more pleasant memories with Tohru before he had to marry Machi. That was the least he could do, and that's what he would have wanted from someone if he was in Yuki's position.

--

Reluctantly, Yuki released her hand. As soon as he did, Tohru clenched her hands into fists to keep herself from grabbing his hands again. She looked up at him with a small smile, knowing all too well that smiling was the last thing she felt like doing at the moment. She didn't want to look happy, not when she was saying goodbye to him. The farewell wasn't permanent, but it still had the toll of a departure nonetheless. There was no need to make this parting anymore difficult with frowns though. The same halfhearted smile was across his face as well.

"Do you have to go?" he whispered even though he knew the answer.

She looked down and nodded, adding quietly, "I don't want to…"

"Okay then… Don't," he said simply with a smile.

"Yuki! I- I have to…"

"I know… But one day, I'll make it so that you won't ever have to leave my side… That is… If you want to stay with me," he vowed, grasping both of her hands again.

"But- But… Our families…" she trailed off. Tohru looked away. She didn't want to worry about their families after he had said something like that. Her heart ached to believe that, but she knew better than to get her hopes up too high. For any other couple, his words would have been easy to follow through with but not for them. His request was practically absurd, but both of them wanted a future together, but at the moment, it just seemed impossible.

"Our families don't matter, and I don't care. I don't care what they think or what anyone else thinks for the matter… Because… I love you… That's all that matters… No matter what they try to do… Will you promise not to give up on me? It doesn't matter how hard it'll be for us… I'll keep trying as long as you can promise me that… And as long as you want to," Yuki told her.

"I promise! I want to! I won't give up!" she exclaimed determinedly.

Yuki took a quick glance at her home, making sure that nobody had been watching or listening. They shouldn't have been that close to her castle, he knew that, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave or even let her go. He gave her his complete attention, taking her hands in his hands again.

"One day… I promise… We won't have to keep this a secret anymore… And when that day comes, you'll be mine, only mine… Like I'll be only yours."

"You're wrong," she stated firmly, staring at the ground.

He gave her a confused look. She beamed, a lot more earnestly now. Her smile hinted at her knowing something he didn't, but her mouth didn't open to explain. A bit irked at her silence, he moved his hands to her chin. Yuki pushed her chin down slightly, opening her mouth for her impatiently. Tohru hesitated, not sure if she could finish what she had started, but the look he gave her convinced her to go on. His eyes, hiding under his eyelashes, shimmered with agony as they pleaded her to go on. No one could resist that look unless, of course, if they were blind.

"Because… I'm already only yours…" she finished with a shy smile.

"And I'll never belong to anyone but you… But until that day comes, –when everyone else knows- we can only wait… So please be patient with me…"

"I'll wait forever if it means I can be with you," she murmured.

He enclosed her small frame in his arms, stroking her back as he whispered, "I'm sorry it has to be like this…"

"I don't mind… Just as long as I get to see you…" she admitted bashfully.

He was silent for a moment. All he could do was squeeze her tightly, pressing his face into her dark hair, "I don't deserve you… How can you forgive me for that? How can you so easily trust me again?"

Tohru smiled into his chest, and looked up, "Because I love you."

He pulled away from her and stared at her before crushing her to his body in another constricting embrace. Tohru stood there with a smile across her face. She would have hugged him back; she would have if his arms hadn't locked hers at her sides, but she was satisfied with the one-sided embrace. His words sounded somewhat ridiculous to her now. Her whole running away from him and crying was just silly now that she thought about it. It wasn't like he had kept his status from her with an intention of hurting her trust. It was wrong of her to doubt his love. She could see the effect her words had had on him, and it pained her to know that she had hurt him.

"Like I said… I don't deserve you…"

His hold loosened enough for her to be able to move but not much more than that. She faced him and let their lips lock for a moment before she bid him farewell. After a deep breath, she turned around and left. He stood there, watching her go with his hands partially extended as if he was reaching out to stop her. The ache from seeing her run from him before came flooding back, stabbing at him painfully.

"She's not leaving you… Not now at least…" he reassured himself.

He couldn't help but wonder if this had hurt her that badly, what she would do if she found out about their past. The past wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but the fact he was keeping it from her could be, and none of that put together could add up to match the pain she'd feel if she ever found out about Machi. He cursed under his breath. He had another secret, and he had told her he only had one 'good' secret. He couldn't blame her if she hated him for that.

It killed him to even think about this faceless, unknown person whom he had to marry come spring. Maybe he had forgotten to mention this secret because he refused to think about it in general. He sighed. Was there any solution to fix this, any way to get out of his engagement? There had to be. The real question was if he'd find it in time. If worse came to worse, he decided he'd run away with Tohru. He'd take her somewhere far away, somewhere where nobody knew who they were or even cared. There they could be themselves, free to love each other. He'd find such a place and take her there. He'd spend all of his nights locating such a place, as long as she'd be willing to go.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind of all the thoughts of their shaky future. There'd be no benefit gained from focusing on all the "what ifs". Right now, he should be thinking of the present, on the things that'd please her because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to anymore in the future…