Nine Lives

Day 9/9 part 2

"Hello, Kyo~" Akito grinned.

Kyo gripped Tohru's hand and pulled her behind him. "Akito," he replied venomously. Kureno stood behind her, giving him a look of warning. "I didn't expect to see you here. To be honest, I thought you wouldn't be able to make it in," the witch smiled curiously. "Well, I'm full of surprises," he leered, noticing the glasses of wine in her hands.

"Well, we shouldn't waste time on pleasantries. We must toast to our dear Yuki's health! To a long and happy life..." she trailed off offering Tohru a glass. He was about to pull Tohru away, remembering her plan to poison Tohru, when Shigure arrived behind them. "Ah, there you are, Tohru! I was looking to bring you a glass!" he smiled.

Kyo had never been more happy to see that perverted writer. He turned and sneered at Akito as Tohru took the glass from Shigure instead of her and drank from it. "Thank you, Shigure!" she smiled sweetly. Now Kyo didn't have to worry about the poison, so there was a weight off his chest. He knew it wouldn't foil the witches' plans; she'd find another way, but for now, it was good enough.

Kyo snatched the glass Akito was going to drink from and chugged it, passing it back to her. "Thanks," he smirked, dashing off with the woman of his dreams. Kureno shook his head with the tiniest smile at his overconfidence.

"Kyo? Kyo, what's going on?" Tohru asked, feeling a deja vu sense of adrenaline as they ran, the young man gripping her hand tightly. He didn't speak until they were outside of the ballroom, on a short balcony overlooking the garden. "Come on, we'll be safe here," he grinned, reveling in the high he was getting from all the adrenaline.

She still didn't know what was going on, but she nodded and followed. He led her quickly down the stairs and into the almost maze-like garden of bushes and flowers. When they stopped so Tohru could catch her breath, he turned to her.

The young woman didn't expect to be running this evening, especially not in a ballgown. She leaned over a bit to catch her breath, but lost it again when Kyo lifted her chin to look at him. "Are you alright?" he breathed, searching her eyes. Her cheeks turned pink again as he carefully unlaced her mask to take it off.

"Wait, no! I am owed an explanation!" Tohru thought, shaking herself from her giddy heart. "Kyo, what's going on?" she asked again, stepping back a tiny bit, trying not to let it get to her when his face faltered at her action. He looked around and saw a bench, then led her over to it to sit.

She moved her mask to her lap as he crouched in front of her and removed his own mask. "Akito is trying to kill you," he began, immediately catching her off guard. "What? Why? I don't even know her!" she asked frantically. "She knows the effect you have over Yuki, and-... now over me," he blushed, looking down at her mask. "So she wants to get rid of you, because she thinks it will make us all return to her side."

"All?" she asked. "The Sohmas. She is technically a Sohma herself, and she wants to be a part of everything again. She has a pretty big God complex," he chuckled dryly. "Is... that why you came back?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's not-... the whole reason," he admitted, making brave eye contact with her. "Meaning...?" she urged him to continue. "Alright Kyo, it's now or never. You can do this," he thought, glancing at the clock tower that seemingly loomed over them outside the garden. He wished time wouldn't affect them since they were inside the garden; away from everything.

She was so worried. Why wasn't he saying anything? Tohru was destroyed the last time they had seen each other, and she didn't know what this encounter would mean. "But I want to be with him. I want it so badly. It hurts. I don't want to upset him... I don't want him to hate me!" Tohru thought.