Chapter 13 - Kyo, my family and me

As soon as Tohru flew off the stage and headed for the doors, Kyo ran after her. He saw her stumble over her words and when he saw her tear up, he knew something was wrong. All his anger was pushed aside at the sight of her trying to run away. She couldn't leave yet! He pushed through the crowd and met up with Yuki at the door who was looking just as frantic.

"I'll go get her." Kyo said, the statemtent coming out more like a command than a comment. Yuki stopped as soon as Kyo disappeared through the doors, his hand extended slightly as the doors closed. Yuki promised himself he'd help Tohru as long as she'd allow him to, but his instincts held him back, telling him he couldn't help her this time. There was a force holding him away and he could not take a step closer to Tohru. Why was it that Kyo could step past this invisible barrier?

The party members gathered at the windows to see what was happening outside, but it was too dark, only light enough to see silhouettes. Hatsuharu came up behind Yuki and stopped as well. It was as if there was a magnetic force propelling the former zodiac members away from the door.

"Why didn't you go after her too?" Haru asked after a moment, side glancing at Yuki's perplexed features.

Yuki thought a moment only staring at the door with his arms limply at his sides. His violet-blue eyes dimmed. "I've never seen Kyo act like this before. Not only that but I can't get myself to get any closer to the door. Something's telling me we're not to go..."

Haru nodded. "I can feel it too. I think this is supposed to happen though. This feeling is similar to when Momiji was released from the curse." Haru caught Yuki's eye finally. "I wanted to run to him, tell him he couldn't fall in love with that girl but there was a force pushing me away from him." Haru sighed, "Kyo must have it bad."

Yuki stepped closer to Haru, hoping Haru wasn't talking about what he was thinking about. "What are you implying?"

"Well, duh, can't you tell he's head-over-heels for her?" Haru crossed his arms.

Yuki spun on Haru at that comment. "What?" He looked around and lowered his voice, "How do you know that?"

"He's been around the house more, he talks more, he doesn't yell that much, he just can't look Tohru in the eye, he blushes anytime she comes within two feet of him-- I thought it was obvious."

Yuki stared at Haru and then back at the door. "Do you think...?"

"If she does, it'd be a miricle. I never thought Kyo would get so close to a girl."

"Honda-san is not just any ordinary girl either." Yuki said in defense to Tohru. "I bet she could break the curse once and for all."


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Kyo ran outside to find Tohru just standing in the middle of the cobblestone walkway. She heard his footsteps and panicked. Her face flushed and she turned to run away from Kyo but he caught her arm.
"Tohru!"

"Please let me go!"

He couldn't watch her go away just because she didn't think she belonged there. Of course she did! If anything she belonged with him. She was like his better half, she couldn't think she didn't belong.

"No, Tohru."

She cried out feeling her legs give in but she only continued to pull away from Kyo. "If I stay, I won't be able to go back. I'm no good for anyone. I want to stay but I can't. I won't be able to go back..."

"Don't be stupid, why would you want to go back to that guy? What's there to go back to with Satsuki? There are people here that care about you!" He could feel his grip on her wrist tighten. "Don't be blind and think that you leaving is for the best! Hell, open your eyes and see that everyone here needs you!"

'I need you...what could I do to make you stay?'

As if on instinct he spun her around and crushed her against his chest wrapping both of his arms around her petite frame in fear of her running off again. He said if she ever ran away he'd chase after her didn't he? He'd never let her run away now. She said she wanted to stay. Why didn't she say so before? He held her close, afraid to see her disappear. He didn't care if he transformed. All he cared about for the moment was her staying with him.

"Kyo-kun! No, don't...!" Tohru called out his name in panic, her eyes tightly closed in fear of feeling a poof of magic and the boy would disappear into his cat form. He only held her impossibly closer.

She stood quivering, thinking that everyone would find out his secret now and all their memories would have to be erased.

Nothing happened.

She opened an eye to see Kyo still standing there hugging her in his human form, slightly shaking. She looked up seeing Kyo's eyes also tightly closed. She never saw him so close before. Was this real? Did he really not transform? Tentatively she raised a hand and came closer to his face. She hesitated but gently put her hand to his face, he suddenly leaning in to her touch. Her heart began to beat wildly when she could almost hear him purr. She smiled through her tears, happiness swelling in her chest.

"K-Kyo-kun! You didn't transform! Kyo-kun's not cursed anymore!" She spoke out excitedly in his arms. Kyo finally opened his eyes to see he was infact still standing on his two feet. She looked up at him with shining eyes as he stepped away from her. "I'm so happy for you!"

Kyo's eyes grew to the size of sausers. He didn't transform? He leaned away from Tohru and stared at his untransformed body. "What the hell?" He pushed Tohru towards his chest again and there was no poof. He pushed her onto him again making she squeek at his rather forceful pushes onto his body. "Why the hell aren't I changing?" He growled while continuing to push Tohru onto his body.

"K-K-Ky-o-o-ku-n!" Tohru gasped between his thrusts, her entire face going beat red.

Kyo's face flamed up and he stopped pushing Tohru upon his figure. 'Idiot! It looks like you're raping her!' His eyes strayed away as Tohru almost laughed.

"Kyo-kun, it's true... you're not going to transform." She gave him an earnest smile while averting her eyes to stare at the gates behind Kyo. "You... broke the curse."

Suddenly Kyo knew what that funny feeling inside his chest was everytime he got near her. It was love, love that she let grow inside him. And for the first time in a long time, he gave her a real smile. He didn't say anything but held her closer to his heart, tenderly and gently. Tohru's eyes widened at such a smile from Kyo. As he pulled her close, she leaned her ear against his chest, listening to their heartbeats thump as one. Why was it though that he didn't transform?

Kyo's body suddenly felt very weak and his grip on Tohru slacked. Chemicals running through his body suddenly made the boy feel very sleepy. Tohru looked up as Kyo's eyes began losing focus.

She watched as Kyo began falling backwards, the doors behind him suddenly bursting open as Tohru continued to call out to him. "Kyo-kun...!"

'Don't leave yet...'

Finally he collapsed.


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Later that night, Tohru stood outside Kyo's old bedroom where Hatori was inside checking Kyo over. She was still dressed in the gown Mine had made for her, too worried to think about changing clothes. Apparently after she ran off the stage Ayame had to call attention back to the ballroom and soon everyone forgot about the run away girl.
Momiji and Haru stared at Tohru now pacing back and fourth nervously while playing with her silky gloves she took off, wringing them in her hands.

Both boys disappeared behind the corner and out of Tohru's view. "Well that plan kind of failed." Momiji whispered.

"But it was fun to see Kyo so pissed off, heh." Haru said in return.

"But Kyo was only supposed to get angry enough to actually get to dance with Tohru but it turns out he never got the chance at all. Tohru must be very sad she didn't get to dance with him."

Haru smirked. "Don't worry, there will be another chance." He put a foot up against the wall and crossed his arms. "I don't think Tohru will be leaving any time soon."

"Why's that?"

"Because she said she didn't want to leave. And whats more, Kyo isn't cursed anymore. You saw it, he was just laying there passed out in her arms. Also, Yuki and I couldn't get past the doors when Kyo ran after Tohru." His eyes shifted to Momiji as the boy's eyes widened remembering a similar scenario. "As soon as he passed out, the air didn't seem as suffocating and we ran out when Tohru screamed.

Momiji gasped. "So that means that he really loves Tohru!" Haru nodded and the smaller boy couldn't contain his excitement. "So now all of us are not cursed anymore! That's wonderful!"

Haru suddenly frowned as he glanced back over his shoulder to the pacing Tohru. "Now the only problem is, does she feel the same?"

The door opened and Tohru immediately came towards Hatori.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. It's normal for a Sohma to lose all his or her energy after being released from the curse. He'll be up and about soon enough."

Tohru felt a deep breath escape her lungs. "Thank goodness. So he's okay then?"

"Perfectly fine. You should get some rest, Tohru-san." Hatori bowed and began walking away.

"Ah, Hatori-san!" Tohru ran up to the older man. "Why... I mean I know why, but why was it that Kyo-kun didn't transform tonight? I thought Shigure-san said when a zodiac member fell in love..."

"Well that's precisely what happened then." Hatori gave the girl a rather soft look. "Don't worry about it." He walked down the hall to find Momiji and Haru with rather impish grins on their faces. "And what are you two doing?"

"Nothing, Ha'ri!" Momiji laughed.

Hatori watched them for a moment and continued walking. "If you're plotting some scheme for those two, you're not the only ones." With that he disappeared into his own bedroom leaving the other two Sohma boys to wander elsewhere in the house before anyone caught them.

Meanwhile, Tohru stood infront of the wooden door, staring up at the frame wondering about the male just beyond that door. Sighing she leaned her head on the door with a small thump. So it was true then, Kyo was not cursed anymore... but who had he fallen in love with? There were so many girls at the party and besides the second half of the ball she had not seen Kyo all evening.

She remembered while dancing with Haru, he whispered in her ear that Kyo really wanted to dance with her. At the thought of her promise the night on the roof, she blushed. While twirling around she tried to find Kyo but it seemed there was just no sight of him. Every time she'd try to find a moment to search him out, another one of the hosts would politely ask her to dance. Even Ritsu! She was surprised the man would engage in offering to dance with her to say the least. He must have really grown more confident in himself. All of them changed just a little right before her eyes.

And now Kyo had fallen in love and the curse was finally broken. She thought she'd feel ecstatic when Kyo would finally not be ostracized for his 'late blooming' as Shigure would put, but suddenly she didn't feel all so happy about it anymore.

She walked away from the door and went back to her own across the grandiose stairwell. She looked down to see all the party decorations and lighting had suddenly vanished like it was never there and the victorian styled room was put back in place. It reminded her of Cinderella. At the stroke of midnight the spell would be broken.

She shook her head and walked into her bedroom thinking of the irony in that statement and shut the door quietly not to disturb anyone down her hall. As soon as she saw her bed her entire body felt heavy and begged for rest. She quickly stripped off the dress leaving it in a pool around her feet, bathed, put on her sleeping clothes and hopped into bed.

She put her wrist to her forehead staring up at the canopy above her four poster bed. She just didn't know why she didn't feel as happy as she thought she would be. In fact she felt very sad. Not only that but Kyo questioned her leaving, making her wonder 'why' herself.

Why did she want to leave so badly? What was there to go back to? Satsuki? Her friends that would hate her for not taking their advice? And what was she to do? Decisions never came to her and her head began to pound. She made up her mind before. She was going to leave so she should stick with her original idea.

She leaned over to turn out the light and turned to her side, pulling up the covers to her chin. In the corner of the room was one small suitcase that Shigure bought her for the few items she had been given since staying with the Sohmas. She turned away from the suitcase and closed her eyes to try and catch some sleep. There was just too much on her mind.

So this was the end of her story wasn't it? The end of her adventure. Now she would only go back to being plain Tohru Honda, the girl that was always caring about the world and everyone in it. But who was there to care for her? Maybe that would be another chapter, just another dull chapter in her ordinary life.

'There are people here that care about you!'

She shut her eyes, curling herself into a tight ball. My Family: She decided would be the title of this chapter in her life. She finally felt sleep take over as she drempt with a bittersweet smile graced on her lips. Dreaming of the family she'd come to know and love dearly.

And this would always be her favorite part of her life story.

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