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Tohru skipped along the pathway from her house with a basket of fruit in her hand. She was beloved by all the people around her, for every time she would go out to town, everyone made it a point to say hello to her.
She made her way to the local library, returning the book she had borrowed.
"Thank you very much for the reccomendation!" She said, bowing her head.
"Was it that good?" The librian named Mayuko asked.
"Oh, it was wonderful!" Her eyes sparkled with joy as she recalled her favorite parts.
"Well, in that case, you can keep this book."
Tohru's eyes widened in surprise. "That's very kind of you, but I couldn't possibly—"
"I insist," Mayu said with a soft smile, handing her the book back. Tohru took the book excitedly as she smiled from ear to ear.
"Thank you so much! You have my gratitude."
Tohru waved goodbye to Mayu and continued down the path. She stopped to sit at the fountain a few times, and everywhere she walked, the people around her would comment on how kind and beautiful she was. Though she appreicated the sentiments, Tohru was admittedly a little embarrassed.
As she continued on, she noticed Ayame with his flock of his admirers. He was wearing red, and had the most gorgeous face anyone had ever seen. He was often accompanied by a friend, who seemed prideful of everything the man did.
"Oh Ayame, you're simply amazing! Truly something!" Ritsu beamed as Ayame whipped his long silver hair out of his face.
"Yes, I am indeed."
"No girl will ever resist you! I bet you could get anyone you want!"
"It would need to be someone as gorgeous as I am, for I—"
He stopped in his tracks. Ritsu, not realizing Ayame had stopped walking, bumped into him.
"Her." He pointed to Tohru. "That's the one I'm going to marry."
"Tohru? The Red Butterfly's daughter?" Ritsu questioned, but Ayame had already started walking over to Tohru.
"Hello pretty lady, what say you and I go to the tavern and get to know each other, huh?"
Tohru blushed and backed away slowly. "Oh, well, I appreciate the offer, but—"
"Come on, look at us. The two most beautiful people in town. Why shouldn't we get married?"
Ayame wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he. took on a dreamy expression. When he's fully distracted, Tohru snuck away.
"Thank you, but I need to get back home to my mother, please excuse me."
She scurried her way to her house, greeting her mother with a hug.
"I'm back, Mom!"
"Perfect timing my little riceball! I think I've finally fixed up my old motorcycle. I'm thinking about entering it into a contest at the motorcycle show this weekend."
Tohru clasped her hands and aggressively nodded her head. "You have to! You're amazing! "
Kyoko patted her daughter on the head. "Thank you, Tohru. You always have the right things to say."
"When does the festival start?"
"Tomorrow's the first day, but we have to leave our vechicles there tonight, so I should probably head there with this bad boy now so I can enter it on time. Will you be okay when I'm gone? I could always stay here with my favorite daughter instead."
Tohru shook her head. "No! You must go! I promise I'll be alright, Mom. I can hold down the fort."
Kyoko smiled and hopped on the motocrycle. "Very well, I'll see you soon!"
Tohru waved goodbye as her mother raced off. She hoped that Kyoko would make it there safely. "See you when you get back!"
Kyoko drove through a dark forest miles away from home. She didn't recognize the area; had she taken a wrong turn? She circled around a few times, but eventually she had to face the reality that she was lost, and the motocryckle had run out of gas. Before long, the motorcycle had stopped moving.
"Shit, of course this happens to me." Kyoko sighed, continuing on foot while pushing it.
Kyoko didn't get very far before she saw wolves running her way. Kyoko froze just slightly-—a terrible chill swept over her. Every howl caused her body to recoil.
Am I… going to die here? She thought, clenching her fist in fear.
She quickly looked at the bike, debating on ditching it completely or to try and take it with her. She ultimately decided to leave it so she didn't get mauled.
She tripped over her feet a few times, cursing herself for leaving behind her beloved motorcycle, but there wasn't time to dwell over that. Before long, Kyoko noticed a gated doorway on the horizon that guarded a beautiful huge castle. Without thinking about who—or what—could be there, she rushed in, slamming the doors behind her as she ran inside the castle.
Her footsteps echo in the loud dark hallway. It was a total ghost town. Why would there be an empty castle in the middle of nowhere?
Kyoko caught her breath and surveyed the area for any sign of life. "Sorry for barging in like that, I just needed a place to stay after getting chased by wolves."
For a moment, there was only silence, until she suddenly heard a faint voice.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Slowly coming out of the dark, a green dragon and a black dog appeared. She was stunned by the sight before her. The dragon was long with scales all over its body, and despite its angry look, it had large, gentle eyes. The tail was curled and looked almost like a seahorse.
The dog, however, looked just about as normal as a dog could be. She noticed the soft fur, the triangular ears, and the narrow expressive eyes.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The dog said slyly, raising an eyebrow.
Kyoko, nearly falling to the ground, softly screamed. "A dog? That…talks?! With a dragon?!"
"She can't stay here, the Beast won't like it," the dragon warned his companion—-though as far as she could tell, the dog did as he pleased.
"It'll just be for a night, Hari. Come on, look at how helpless she is." There was a slight tone of amusement in the canine's voice.
Kyoko glared at the sarcastic dog. "Hey, watch how you talk to me."
"Oooh, we got a tough one on our hands," The hound giggled, looking over to the dragon. "I don't think this one will do, so we need to be careful he doesn't see her."
"Shigure, I really think we ought to—"
Before the dragon could say anything more, the dog—Shigure—began to push Kyoko lightly to a room with a fireplace. There was a big red chair in the middle that resembled a throne of a king. She sat down in it as Shigure draped a blanket over her shoulders.
"What..is this place?" She asked, looking around the room and her eyes landing on the two of them, "And…why can a dog and a dragon talk?"
The dragon sighed. "It's a long story. Outsiders aren't supposed to know, anyway."
"Oh don't mind him, he's a boring rule follower. The name's Shigure, and this here is Hatori."
Hatori's stance didn't change as he looked at Shigure with annoyance. Kyoko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Okay…but that doesn't answer my—"
"Would you like some tea, kind stranger?" A male rabbit asked out of nowhere.
Kyoko looked down at her feet and saw a small yellow bunny and a bigger brown-colored one standing right next to the baby. The longer she stayed here the more confused she got.
"O-oh, um, sure, if you don't mind."
"My Papa makes the best tea in the world!" the little yellow bunny chimed in excitedly. He had a German accent and a higher pitched voice. Kyoko picked up the little rabbit and pet the fur.
"Aww, aren't you just so adorable! And what are your—"
Before Kyoko could finish her sentence, loud footsteps spooked her, growing ever closer.
"Uh-oh…" Shigure said as he backed away.
"I told you this was a bad idea, Shigure."
The glow of the fire illuminated the figure in front of her as it stepped out of the darkness. A tall, brown beast with red eyes and sharp teeth stood in front of her angrily. His face was terrifying, and the smell was lingering and horrid—but something about him felt empty.
Ew, what the hell is that smell?
The Beast glared daggers at the animals surrounding Kyoko. "You're supposed to keep people out."
"I tried to stop Shigure but he—"
Kyo roared in response and made his way over to Kyoko.
"Why have you come here?!" The Beast growled in a raspy, guttural voice.
Kyoko removed herself from the throne and backed away as she responded, "I got lost in the woods and needed a place to stay! Wolves were chasing me and—"
"Nonsense!" The Beast roared. "You came here to laugh at me! To pity the ugly monster, didn't you?!"
"No, I—"
"Lies!" The Beast grabbed a hold of Kyoko's arm, leaving her dangling in the air. The monster's claws dug into her skin, drawing some blood. Kyoko winced, but didn't let the pain or fear stop her.
"I just needed a place to stay, I swear!" Her voice sounded more determined than it just had been.
"Oh, is that it? I'll find a place you can stay." The Beast dragged her down the cellar stairs and threw her in a cell. She hit the stone ground hard enough to scrape her knees.
"There! This is where you'll stay and die, alone and unloved, just like me!" He yelled as he scurried out of the room.
Kyoko puts her hand through the bars and grasps at the air. "No! Please I can't leave my daughter alone! She needs me! Tohru!"
It was unlike Tohru's mother to be gone so long. Tohru started to get worried—did something happen on the way? Something in Tohru's gut told her to go searching.
But before she could, there was a knock on her door. Going over to it, she saw Ayame, and sighed.
"Hello Ayame, what brings you here?"
Ayame took a moment to look at himself in the mirror and flip his hair. "You know, Tohru, everyone in this village is going to be jealous of you."
"Um..what do you mean?"
"Because I've come to ask for your hand in marriage, naturally." He looked over at her and stuck his hand under her chin. "I can see it now. Receiving a massage from the most beautiful girl in all of Japan while our little boys run about."
He gave her a wink, "We'll have five little me's."
Tohru backed away from Ayame, secretly leading him to her front door. "Oh Ayame, that uh…really does sound lovely, but…"
She leaned on the door and Ayame drew in closer to her face, going in for a kiss.
"I have to go look for my mom!" She yelped as she opened the door frantically and darted out of the way before Ayame could fall on her. She hid in her room until she heard him leave.
"Phew, he's finally gone. Now, onto more important matters, like finding Mom."
She threw on a black cloak and rushed out. She predicted the route her mother would have taken and followed her intution, which led her into the woods. Tohru abruptly stopped in her tracks as she noticed the lone motorcycle.
Slowly, Tohru examined it. "This is Mom's…but then, where is she?"
She frantically whipped her head around to find some sort of shelter, but came up with nothing. She ultimately decided to search around the area some more. Before long, she saw the castle. Taking a deep breath for confidence, Tohru walked over to the front doors and peeked her head inside.
My Mom must be in here.
Kyo had learned the sound of loneliess the way other people learned music.
It lived in the halls of the castle—in the echo of his footsteps, in the way the fire crackled too loudly when no one was there to hear it, in the silence that followed his anger once it had nowhere to go. He told himself he preferred it that way. Monsters didn't need company.
So when the front doors opened for the first time in years, Kyo thought the castle itself was crumbling. He was a grotesque monster. You could smell his stench from miles away—who would ever come here? Was that woman stupid? She had to be, that was the only plausible explanation. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and scowled. He sunk his claws into the glass to break it, when he suddenly heard yet another voice.
Who the hell is it now?
"Um, hello? Mom?" the voice called, small and uncertain. "I'm sorry for intruding, it's just that I think my mother—"
"Get out," Kyo snarled, the word tearing out of him like a wound.
The girl flinched—but she didn't leave. She took a deep breath before speaking again.
"My name is Tohru Honda. I've been awaiting my Mom's return for awhile and she hasn't shown up, so I went looking for her." Her voice trembled slightly, "And I believe this is where my mother ended up," she clasped her hands together in a plea. "Please let her go. She has to come home. I was so worried about her."
Her voice began to break, like she was trying to stop herself from crying. The sweetness of her tone warmed Kyo's heart just a little, and his anger slightly subsided. Before he spoke once more, something attracted his attention.
"I think she's the one we've been searching for, Hari!" Shigure exclaimed with joy.
Hatori gazed at the girl and studied her. "Are you really sure she's capable of breaking such a curse?"
Kyo growled. "She trespassed here, she's my prisoner."
"But sir…." Tohru's eyes widended for a moment as an idea struck her. "What if…I take her place? That way Mom can go home."
"That's such an idiotic thing to say," Kyo scoffed, but his gaze softened at her fierce expression. "You're…serious?"
"Tohru no! Don't do that for me!" her mother wailed, but Tohru ignored it.
"If I was, would you let her go?"
"Yes," Kyo responded without hesitation. "But…you must stay here with me forever."
Before she had respponded, Tohru curiously raised her eyebrows and squinted at the shadowy figure. She knew him to be a Beast, but she cannot see what he truly looked like. "Come closer. So I can see you."
Kyo reluctantly took small steps forward in her direction until his figure could be seen. For some reason, he really didn't want her to look at him.
Tohru gasped as her eyes laid on Kyo's beast form. She backed away slowly toward her mother, but scared or not, she did not take back her deal.
"Tohru please! No!" Kyoko begged.
As Tohru took a deep breath and gathered her feelings, she stepped closer to him. Her eyes were sad, he could tell, but also filled with determination.
She wants to save her Mom that badly?
"Then, it's a deal." Kyo strided next to her and opened the cell that held her mother. Kyoko immediately lunged at Tohru with a big hug.
"Tohru please don't, you have much more to live for than I. It's really okay for me to—"
"Enough!" Kyo grabbed her by the shirt collar and dragged her outside.
"Mom!"
While outside, Kyoko desperately tried to kick her way out of his grip. "Don't hurt my daughter please! She's all I have left."
"She's no longer your concern!" Kyo tossed her in a pile of snow and he told his servants to take her back to the village. Kyo returned inside as her mother continued her plea.
Tohru wept silently as the castle doors slammed closed. Kyo's monstrous hands shook as he was unsure of what to do for her in that moment.
"Master, if I may." Shigure interrupted.
"What?!" He responded coldly.
"Shouldn't you give a nice girl like that a nice room? She is going to be here awhile, after all."
"I'm not an idiot!" He scowled as he walked over to Tohru.
She looked up at him with dejected, teary eyes. "You didn't even let me say goodbye to her. That was the last time I will ever see her." She sobbed.
Kyo's heart sank. For the first time in his life, he felt…compassion. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, or why he cared so much about her feelings, but he didn't like it.
"I'm….uh, I can…show ya where you'll stay."
"Huh? But aren't I a prisoner?"
His tone shifted slightly, "Would you rather stay in the cell?"
Tohru shook her head. "No, of course not."
"Then follow me."
Even though he was cruel and this wasn't something she wanted, Tohru thanked him for the shelter anyway. As she went along with Kyo, he noticed her studying the castle, taking it all in. He watched as her face shifted from curisoity, sadness, and fear. Tohru dashed back closer to him while beginning to cry.
Kyo looked down at his feet with guilt.
"Come on, Kyo, what are you waiting for? Talk to her." Said Shigure, who was following them.
"Shut up!" Kyo snapped as his face tinged pink. He glanced over to Tohru over his shoulder and mustered up the courage to say something.
"I, uh…hope you'll find it comfortable." Kyo glanced over to Shigure who was gesturing him to keep going.
"This place is now your home, too, so you can go anywhere you want. But stay away from the west wing."
Tohru raised an eyebrow. "What's in the—"
"It's forbidden!" Kyo snapped. The rest of the walk was a quiet one.
Kyo opened the door to her bedroom as he motioned her inside. "If you need anything, the animals will attend to you."
Tohru slowly walked in as Shigure whispered to Kyo, "Have a nice dinner with her tonight!"
Kyo's blush deepened as he got more embarrassed. "Dinner! Have it with me tonight! That's an order!" He slammed the door shut before her response. All he could hear were her quiet sobs.
Ayame choked down a glass of beer and slammed it on the table. "How dare she! No one could ever possibly say no to Ayame Sohma!"
Ritsu rushed over to him with another glass. "Another beer?"
Ayame smacked it out of his hand and it shattered on the floor of the tavern. "What's the point? I've been utterly humiliated." He slid in a chair and stared up at the ceiling.
"Ayame, pull yourself together! It's sad to see you this way. The Ayame I know would never give up!"
Ayame shooed him away with a slap, but Ritsu persisted. "Everyone in here wants to be you! Me included!"
Ayame rolled his eyes as he kept listening to Ritsu go on and on about how great he was. At first, Ayame's anger only deepened, but once more people joined in on Ritsu's praise, Ayame smirked.
"Why, yes, I suppose all of that is true now, isn't it?"
"Of course! No one does anything quite like you!" Ritsu beamed as his eyes sparkled with stars.
Ayame, then, too, joined in along with the praise of himself. The two of them danced around with the other drunkards, constantly talking about how great Ayame was. As they danced, Kyoko busted through the door in a panic.
"Help! Anyone! Please!" She took a minute to cath her breath, "It's Tohru! She needs help!"
"Oh? What's this now? How does Tohru need our help?" Ayame questioned sarcastically.
"The Beast! An unsightly disgusting beast!"
The whole place was quiet for a moment, but before long, laughter emerged from every person in the tavern.
"A beast, she says! Did he smell horrid? Did he look freakish?"
Kyoko knew they were teasing her, but she still needed help, so she continued to beg.
"Yes! Will anyone help me get her back, please?"
Through all the laughter, even though Ayame agreed that she was crazy, he needed to be a hero.
"Okay, okay, I suppose the task falls to me, naturally. I will find her."
"Thank you, thank you!" Kyoko hugged Ayame before she was ushered out by the bartender.
"Alright, everyone. We need to form a plan to rescue our beloved princess Tohru!"
Tohru wiped her tears as she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She opened it hesitantly. When she looked, she saw two rabbits.
"And you are…?"
"My name's Kazuma Sohma and this is my son Momiji."
"Guten tag!" Momiji jumped, "Would you like some tea, miss?"
Tohru nearly screamed as she backed away. "You're….talking animals?!" She backed herself into small tiger.
"Oops, careful!" the tiger giggled.
"What is this….animals can't talk?" Tohru says as she fell onto her bed.
"Yup, usually you're right, but here we are!" The tiger joked.
"Look Papa! She is pretty! Just like I said!" Momiji squeaked.
Tohru's face flushed as she thanked the rabbits and recieved the cup of tea.
"I just want to tell you that what you did back there was very brave and noble. All of us think so." Kazuma said, leaping into her lap after Momiji.
"You're all very kind, but…I lost my mom. My life. Everything."
Kazuma rubbed his head against her arm. "It'll be alright in the end, I promise. What should we call you?"
Tohru smiled at the bunny in her lap. "My name is Tohru Honda."
Then suddenly, ten other animals emerged from the darkness and introduced themselves one by one, greeting Tohru.
"So, what do you want to wear for dinner tonight, Tohru?" Kisa asked as she tossed some options with her teeth at her. "I think you would look pretty in this pink dress!"
Tohru smiled. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not going to have dinner with him."
Kisa's face dropped. "But you have to! Because—"
"Good evening Tohru, dinner is ready, and Kyo requests your presence."
Kyo? So, he does have a real name.
"Thank you, but no, I will not be joining Kyo for dinner."
Kyo paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, impatience growing every minute.
"What the hell is taking her so long?! Where is she?!"
"Have patience, Kyo. She just lost her mother and this is a big change for her." Kazuma reassured.
"Kyo, I have to ask you," Shigure started, "Do you think she could be the one to break it?"
"Obviously! I'm not stupid!" Kyo growled.
"Then what I'm hearing is…we need to get her to fall in love with you." Shigure smirked. "We'll finally be human again!"
"Hold your horses, Shigure. Love isn't that easy," Kazuma interjected. "These things take time, you know."
"But we're running out of time! We can't risk losing our way out!" Shigure argued.
"Shut up, both of you. It's pointless. She will never fall for someone like me. Just look at me!" Kyo yelled as he threw a chair into the fireplace out of anger.
Kazuma hopped on top of Kyo's shoulder. "You can help her see past all that. This isn't all you are, Kyo."
"Like I have any idea how to do that!"
Kazuma gestured for Shigure to join him, "Well, a good place to start is trying to be kinder to her."
"Precisely! When she arrives, give her a wonderful smile. Show me that smile!"
Kyo gave Shigure a sheepish, toothy smile that looked just about as fake as the plants in the room.
"Um…well, that may frighten her a little." Shigure admitted, "Why don't you try impressing her with your wits and confidence?"
"But remember to be sincere and considerate while doing so." Kazuma added. "And one last important thing…"
Kyo grew impatient and irritated. "Well spit it out!"
Shigure and Kazuma look at each other, then back at Kyo and both spoke, "You must control your temper!"
Just before Kyo was about to snap, the door opened and his eyes widened.
"Here she is!" Shigure exclaimed.
"Good evening, Kyo," Hatori said as he appeared behind the door.
Kyo's eyes darted around him and saw no sign of her. "Where the hell is she?"
"Well, she uh…" He cleared his throat. "She…isn't attending."
Kyo clenched his fists and furiously yells, "WHAT?!"
Out of pure rage, Kyo darted out of the dining room and rushed straight to where Tohru was staying. Shigure, Hatori and Kazuma ran after Kyo and attempted to stop him, but Kyo was faster than they were. Once he reached her room, he violently banged on her bedroom door.
The sudden knock must have frightened Tohru because her voice was shaky. "I'm sorry, it's just…" Kyo could tell she was hesitating, "I'm not hungry."
"I'll break down this door right this minute if you don't come out!" Kyo huffed.
"Um, Kyo, if I may," Shigure started, "I don't think this…hositility is the best way to win her affection."
Hatori nodded his head in agreement. "You need to be a gentleman."
Kyo grit his teeth and took a deep breath. "But she's being so difficult."
Kazuma hopped atop the beast's shoulder, placing his paw on his back, rubbing it up and down. "Try being more gentle. I know you can do it."
Kyo sighed and lowered his voice. "Will you…please come down to dinner?"
A muffled "no" could be heard from the outside of Tohru's room. Kyo looked back at the trio with annoyance as Kazuma jumped off of him. The three of them motioned him to try again.
"It would…" He stammered, "be nice if you joined me for dinner."
"No thank you," Tohru said bitterly, which only causes Kyo's temper to spark once more.
"Idiot! You can't stay cooped up in there forever!"
"Yes I can!" She bit back.
Kyo threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Then you can starve!" He roared at the door. "If you don't eat with me, you don't eat at all!" He scurried away with intensity before anyone could rebuttal. He slammed the door to the dining room shut so aggressively that a framed picture fell on top of Shigure's head.
"Well…that could've gone better, I suppose," Shigure said, shaking off the pain.
"Stay here in case she changes her mind. Kazuma and I will go check on him." Hatori proposed as Shigure saluted to his request.
In a fit of rage, Kyo stormed into the west wing and began to throw old furniture around the room. Once he calmed, he gazed at the small tea table in the room that held a jar with red and white beads in it.
"I ask her nicely, she still refuses! What the hell does she want from me? To get on my knees and beg?!"
Suddenly, the magic mirror on the wall in front of the table began to glow with a white light. It always did this whenever Kyo's emotions were at a running high—as if it had a mind of its own. "Show me the girl." He commanded it.
Kyo's reflection transformed into Tohru in her room, with Kisa sitting on the bed beside her, doing her best to be comforting.
"You know…as scary as he seems, he's not so bad once you get to know him." The tiger twiddled her claws, "Maybe you should try giving him a chance."
Tohru smiled sweetly at the little cub. "I appreciate your kindness, but…" she trailed off, collecting her thoughts. Her face shifted from soft to sour. "I don't want to get to know him."
The mirror changed back into his own reflection, and Kyo shook his head in disappointment.
"What am I, an idiot? I'm delusional." He punched the wall in front of him and gripped the bricks with his sharp claws. "Just like everyone else, she'll never see me as anything more than a monster."
He removed his fist from the wall and sunk to the ground. "It'll always be this way. My life was over before it even started."
After some time, Tohru peeked her head out of her room, scanning the area for any sign of Kyo. When she was confident the coast is clear, she stepped out, curiously walking through the rest of the castle.
Shigure, too distracted by flirting with one of the other animals, didn't notice her slipping away until she turned the corner last second. "Oh my. Curious, are we now?"
Tohru carefully and quietly explored all the different rooms in the castle, unsure of what she was even doing herself. Something just told her to get out and move her feet. She wondered where the other animals had run off to, and how many of them there were.
"But Papa, I wanna eat Yuki's cooking!" Momiji whined as Kazuma dragged him to bed. "He worked so hard on dinner tonight only for it to go to waste."
"That's very sweet, but that's what leftovers are for. No need to fret," Kazuma responded sweetly as he tucked in the little yellow rabbit.
"I think she was just being stubborn," a small gray rat scoffed as Hatori helped with packagaing up the rest of the food that was cooked.
Kazuma joined Hatori and Yuki and assisted in savoring the food. "Even so, the problem also lies with him. If he doesn't control his temper, then the girl will never—"
Before he could finish, Hatori noticed Tohru cautiously walk in the kitchen as she waved at them.
"Ah, hello, Tohru." Hatori quickly said to her, trying to change the subject of conversation. "This little one here is Yuki." He motioned to the rat beside him.
Yuki gave Tohru a small wave before continuing to package the leftovers.
"If there's anything you need from us that will make your stay more comfortable, don't hesitate to ask." Hatori's voice was sincere and kind.
"Well…" Tohru paused, "I am a little hungry, actually." She said sheepishly.
"You're in luck! As you can see we're in the middle of saving the leftovers. Would you like anything in particular?" Kazuma asked as he prepared to get food for her.
"Kazuma, you remember what the Master said." Hatori warned.
"Enough of that. I'm not going to let her go hungry."
Hatori sighed in defeat. "Fine if we must, but in that case, just a serving of bread will do."
"Uh uh uh," Shigure appeared and shook his head. "Now, now, that's no way to treat a guest. Let's not treat her like a prisoner."
The black dog extended his paw to Tohru. "Follow me, princess."
Tohru's face flushed as she grabbed Shigure's paw. "Oh, um, thank you!"
Panicked, Hatori intervened once more. "Okay, okay, but just keep it down so he doesn't hear us! He cannot find out we're going against his wishes."
Shigure laughed at Hatori's distress. "Such a worrier, that one," He said to Tohru as he pushed in her chair as she sat down.
Tohru giggled at his joke. "Thank you, Shigure."
"No need to thank me. Now, what would you like to eat?"
When Tohru finished her meal, she smiled down at the animals in front of her. "That was very good, thank you all."
"You should head back to your quarters now before he notices you're in here." Hatori prompted as he gently pushed her in the direction of her room.
"Oh, but, this is my first time in a castle! I was wondering if you'd give me a tour? You seem pretty knowledgeable!"
"Oh, well, I suppose it's true that I am," Hatori admitted. "Fine, as long as you stay close and don't stray into areas you're forbidden from entering."
Tohru bowed her head down at the dragon. "You have my word."
"Then come with me."
Hatori walked her around each and every—well, almost every—room in the castle, telling her fun facts about each room. Tohru was in complete awe and listened intently. The red carpet she walked upon looked elegant. She wondered how long they'd all been living here, and why a beast and animals resided here instead of a rich family. Everything looked clean and pristine, but the building itself appeared to be quite older. Had they been here for years and kept up with the tidying? Or had they just recently arrived here, fixing it up as best they could? This place was filled with so many mysteries. Tohru wanted to know their story the longer she stayed here. Where had they all come from?
"That's all there is to this room. Why don't we move on to—"
Before he could continue, he noticed Tohru staring at the stairs that lead to the west wing. "Hm, I wonder where this leads."
Hatori and Shigure dashed in front of her, preventing her adventuring. "It is forbidden for you to go in there," Hatori said sternly.
"It's also incredibly dusty up there. We wouldn't want you to see that." Shigure added, making light of the situation.
"This must be the west wing then. What is it that he's hiding?"
"Nothing important!" Shigure fibbed.
"Then, why is it forbidden?"
Sweat dripped from Shigure's forehead as he jumbled his words to find an excuse. "Nice going, idiot." Hatori groaned.
In a desperate attempt to redirect her attention, Shigure asked about her interest in books.
"We do have a library if that tickles your fancy."
"Oh, I do love to read! There must be so many books!"
"Absolutely!" Shigure beamed as he and Hatori start guiding her there. "Lots of books you may have never even heard of. Right, Hari?"
"Of course. And I can assist you with recommendations. I've read almost every one twice."
As the two went back and forth about books, Tohru slowly stopped in her tracks. She watched as they continued forward until she could no longer see them. This was her chance. She rushed up the stairs to the west wing and perplexingly looked around her surroundings.
As she reached the top, she hesitated for just a moment. The forbidden corridor standing before her was like a secret waiting to be uncovered. The air itself in the surrounding area felt heavier, as though the castle were holding its breath.
As she stepped forward slowly, she noticed cobwebs and dust buildup clinging to the corners of cracked stone pillars. She saw lots of old furniture, paintings, and statues thrown around everywhere, clearly damaged or broken. Tohru gasped as she kept going, seeing how much more intense the destruction became. She was careful to not trip over or step on anything so she doesn't alert anyone, but the room was very dimly lit by only a single chandelier that only had two working bulbs, and the moonlight spilling in the room behind long velvet curtains.
It was as if a storm had gone through the entire chamber. There was a chair split down the middle with its stuffing spilling out of it, many books overturned and papers scattered about.
Eventually, she bumped into a torn-up painting that was leaning against the wall. Her eyebrows raised quizzically as she tried to make sense of it, but there was only a half-portrait of a man's face, as the rest of the canvas had been slashed. From what she could see, he had vibrant orange hair and scarlet eyes. It seemed like he was wearing princely attire. The longer she stared at it, the more her curiosity grew.
Her inner thoughts were interrupted however, as she saw the slight white glow of the magic mirror which brought her attention to the jar filled with red and white beads. She caught her breath as she observed it from afar, the beads giving her some bad feeling. It was as if this jar of beads were an answer to a story no one had finished telling.
What could this be?
Tohru steadily tiptoed over to the glass jar, peeking inside as much as possible without opening it. Whatever secrets this place held, she knew she was only just beginning to discover them. Much to her surprise, determination grew inside of her instead of fear even though she knew she wasn't supposed to be seeing this. But that didn't last long.
Right when she was about to take off the lid to examine the beads closer, Kyo jumped in front of her, eyes angry and nostrils flaring. Tohru had been so immersed and in her head that she didn't even hear him coming.
"What the hell are you doing in here?!"
Tohru started to tremble. "I'm sorry, I just—"
"I warned you not to step foot here!" Kyo slammed his fist down on the tea table, causing the jar to shake and nearly fall.
"I didn't mean any harm." Her voice shook.
"Do you even realize what you could've done?! Get out of here!"
In a fit of intense rage, Kyo lifted an already damaged wardrobe and flung it behind him. It hit the wall with a loud bang, causing it to completely crumble into a million pieces. Tohru flinched.
"Kyo, I—"
Without realizing she had said his name—or even knew his name—his tantrum continued. He scratched and bit and threw any object in front of him.
Kyo continued screaming. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" Kyo covered his ears and roared in despair.
Tohru knew there was no talking to him like this, so while he was distracted, she fled.
The loud banging of Kyo's outburst could be heard from miles away. With each new thud, Tohru winced and picked up her pace as she continued running. She grabbed a black shawl that was on the floor and raced to the two entrance doors. She zipped past Hatori and Shigure. Before they had a chance to speak, she stumbled out.
"I'm sorry, I can't stay here anymore!" She cried as she emerged into the wilderness.
Breathing heavily as she frantically tripped over herself, she doesn't get very far until she was face to face with the same pack of wolves that her mother had ran into. She was soon backed into a corner, surrounded by the hungry mammals. The wolves nipped at her and she tried her best to get out of the way, but she fell over onto the cold snowy ground.
She screamed as the wolves bit off her shawl and tugged on her skirt, accepting that this was it. One wolf lunged at her, and she shut her eyes preparing for the impact. When she felt nothing after a few seconds, she opened them and her mouth went agape at the image in front of her.
The giant chocolate-colored beast that resided in the castle was fighting off the wolves, scaring them away with his own roars and tossing them away from Tohru. Her eyes widened in worry and appreciation as she watched it all go down. When the wolves successfully ran off, Kyo looked despondently at her, giving her a weak smirk as he held himself up from the pain as much as he could.
Did he…just save me?
She noticed multiple wounds on him from where the wolves had attacked him. He was bloodied and bruised, but he still had the strength to smile at her before collapsing. Tohru pondered for a moment. This was her chance to escape and finally be free—but who was to say she wouldn't run into more trouble? Or, better yet; she in good conscience couldn't just leave him lying there. Not after risking his life for her, and being…kind.
"I have to help him."
She crawled over to his passed-out body, gently putting her hand on his back. She surveyed the area for something to cover him with, and noticed her shawl in the snow. Tohru wrapped it around his body to warm him up, and she dragged him back to the castle.
"It's gonna be okay," She whispered to him as she went.
Kyo woke up to the feeling and sound of a warm crackling fire, the smell of freshly made tea dancing in his nostrils, and the sight of Tohru washing his wounds. For a moment, he noticed his cheeks get hot as he watched her.
Is the fire really that hot?
Kyo winced at the sting of the wet cloth she was using to clean his injuries. He whipped his arm away out of reflex and growled.
"Please don't do that. It won't heal that way. Hold still, okay?" Tohru pleaded.
The aches he felt all over his body made Kyo want to berate her. Scream at her and tell her that it hurt, but he knew that pain wasn't her fault, and the sweet sound of her voice somehow comforted him. The anger that was bubbling inside his chest disappeared. He noticed that whenever he was around her, the mere look at her angelic face was enough to melt his heart like butter. His face filled with warmth once more.
Tohru patted his arm with the cloth and each time she did, he grimaced. "If you hadn't run away we wouldn't be in this position, you know," he scoffed stubbornly.
"I only ran away because you frightened me." She replied firmly, "You really should try controlling your temper."
Usually whenever he heard that same old tune, it made him angrier. But he knew she was right. He was frustrated with himself for how he had turned out.
"By the way, I wanted to say thank you. For saving me. That was very kind of you, and brave."
The sudden compliment shocked Kyo. He looked over at her sincere expression and his eyes softened. "'Course." His voice cracked. "No problem."
"So, why is it that you called me here?" A sharp, feminine voice that was tinted with malice asked Ayame.
Ayame downed a tankard of beer before continuing. "As you are aware, Akito, my goal is to become betrothed to Tohru. However, that wretch needs some…persuasion, let's call it."
"She turned him down hard." Ritsu giggled as Ayame punched his gut and he fell off the chair.
"I see. Then what is it that you want me to do?" Akito crossed her arms listening intently.
"As we all know, Tohru admires her mother more than anything in the world. She would do absolutely anything to keep her safe."
Ritsu, climbing back atop the chair, agreed. "She'd even marry him to protect her."
Ayame glared at Ritsu, raising his hand for another slap, but Ritsu obediatently threw himself back on the tavern floor.
"What I need is her to be, well, gone for the time being. I know of that isolated cage you've built for crazies. Do you see what I'm getting at?"
"So what you're saying is…you want me to lock Kyoko up in that cage until Tohru agrees to marry you?"
"Precisely."
"How despicable." Akito smirked wickedly. "I love it. Truly a wonderfully clever idea."
Kyo watched as Tohru played in the snow with some of the animals. Momiji jumped into a pile of snow and made a snow-angel. Tohru giggled in such a way that made Kyo's knees weak. He sighed smittenly. "I've never felt this way before…about anyone." He slightly tugged at his chest, crumpling the cloak he wore.
Hatori and Shigure smile at each other, and then look back at Kyo.
"I want to do something for her, but what?" He asked the two of them.
"Well, there's the usual romantic gestures. Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to ke-"
Hatori smacked Shigure's head before he could finish speaking. "It should be something more special than that. What about a dance? This castle does provide a ballroom."
Shigure nodded in agreement, almost too excitedly. "That's perfect! Why don't you show her the library, as well? She never did get a chance to see it."
Kyo pondered it for a moment, bringing a claw to his chin. "Not a bad idea."
Kyo led Tohru down a long hallway that ended in brown doubledoors. The red carpet that covered the marble floors she walked on made her feel like royalty. When they stopped in front of the doors, she raised her eyebrow curiously. To her left, a red bench with velvet seats sat just below an enormous painting of a beautiful scenery. Lion statues guarded each side of the doors.
"Hey, I want to show you something," Kyo started, opening the door for her, but abruptly stopped himself. "Oh, but, you have to close your eyes first, okay?"
There was a skeptical expression on Tohru's face. She narrowed her eyes, taking a moment to study Kyo, as if to see if she could truly trust his words.
"Ah—right, sorry." Kyo frantically waved his arms. "I know that's a stupid request from me, but it's a surprise, that's all."
Without another thought, Tohru did as he said. Once her eyes closed, she heard the doors open and felt two huge hands take hers, and Kyo led her inside the secret room. When her shoes hit the new flooring, her footsteps become louder. She tried to make out what kind of room they were in from her steps alone. This floor wasn't carpeted, it seemed to be made of glass or marble as well, she thought to herself.
"Can I open them now?" She asked eagerly.
"Not yet, just wait here a second." Kyo led her to the center of the room and releases her hands. She heard him walk a few feet away from her and hears the sound of curtains opening. Though her eyes were still shut, the darkness got brighter as the sunlight filled the room.
"Alright, now you can open them."
Tohru gasped as her eyes reveal the surprise to her. "It's…huge! I've never seen so many books in my life!"
The library in the castle was the largest one she'd ever seen. There were massive shelves that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, several stories high. She noticed some of the shelves could only be reached by rolling ladders and sprial staircases. The dark wood shelves were built of made the room seem even more elegant. There were even arched balconies and railings attached to them that ran along the upper levels. The center of the first floor was decorated with throne chairs, small tables and a fireplace to peacefully read and relax.
"Do you like it?" Kyo hesitantly asked, flashing her a big toothy smile.
"Oh Kyo, it's wonderful!"
"Then it's yours."
"All of this? But I couldn't possibly—"
"I insist." He took her hands again, his eyes crinkled at the corners .
As much as she wanted to keep refusing, she knew this was a fight she could not win. Instead, she, too, held his scaly hands, and beamed. "Thank you so much!"
Unknown to Kyo and Tohru, some of the animals were watching the two of them bond closely.
"Would you look at that?" Kazuma said with a warm smile.
"I knew this would work!" Shigure chanted as his tail wagged with joy.
"Huh? What worked Papa?" Momiji asked dumbfoundedly.
Shigure and Hatori laugh to themselves as they walk away when asked that question. "Well this surely is exciting for you," Hatori teased.
"What's so funny? I didn't get to see anything!" Momiji pouted.
"Come, Momiji, there are chores we need to do."
Kazuma led Momiji down the hall, following behind the other two. "But what were they talking about Papa? Tell me!"
"I'll explain everything to you later, okay son?"
After that day, Kyo and Tohru regularly ate their meals together in the dining room. Kyo never did get around to dancing with her in the ballroom yet, but as each day passes, his feelings for her became stronger.
I want to do it. I have to stop being so damn nervous to ask her.
Quieting his thoughts, Kyo looked down at the oatmeal in front of him and his stomach growled. Not wasting another second, he began devouring his oatmeal—but it was only by Tohru's surprise gasp did he realize that he was eating like, well….an animal.
He picked up his head from the bowl in front of him. There was so much oatmeal on his face that he could barely even see Tohru sitting in front of him, but he still managed to see the sheepish smile coming from Kazuma. Awkwardly, Kyo wiped the food off his face with his hands and Momiji nudged his head with a spoon.
Face flushing, Kyo shyly glanced at Tohru and picked up the spoon beside his bowl. Kyo hadn't eaten with a spoon since he had turned into this beastly form, so he wasn't used to eating with a spoon anymore. Tohru watched as he struggled to eat his breakfast with it.
Kazuma glared at Momiji as the little yellow rabbit giggled at his failure. Tohru clumsily smiled and raised her own bowl with her hands and tried to sip the oatmeal from the bowl.
What is she doing? Is she trying to make me feel less embarrassed?
Kyo snickered, "You idiot," as he, too, brought the bowl up to his lips.
Tohru rushed outside with excitement as she threw bird food in the air to feed the nearby birds. They flocked to her almost immediately, and she chortled to herself. Kyo followed slowly behind her, taking in the sight before him.
"Here, Kyo, you try it!" Tohru gave Kyo a handful of bird feed. Kyo crouched down to the ground and gently shoved the food in front of the birds faces, unfortunately scaring them. He tried again—same result.
Tohru shook her head, "Be a bit more gentle. You must let them come to you. Like this."
She grabbed ahold of Kyo's beastly rough hands and guided them to the ground, taking some and sprinkling them around his hands. Before long, a small blue bird landed in Kyo's palms and started eating out of them.
Kyo's smile grew with intensity as he looked down at the bird, and then back over to Tohru.
"There you go!" She said as she skipped over to a tree in front of her to pet another small bird that had been perched on the branch.
As Kyo watched her converse with the birds around her, his heart skipped a beat. He wanted her so badly. But…
His head drooped to the ground.
What of her? She's gotta be crazy to want someone like me.
Tohru giggled once more and the sound of her voice brought him back to reality. He zipped his head up quickly to glance at her again. When his eyes reach her figure, she noticed her looking back at him, her cheeks tinging red.
She's never looked at me that way before. Am I deluding myself, or does Tohru…?
Unable to hear anything except the sound of her own heart, Tohru quickly hid behind the tree once her eyes locked with Kyo's. She placed her hand on her chest, her cheeks getting hotter by the second.
There's something in him I'm noticing now that I didn't see before.
She peeked her head out to see him once more. The sight before her warmed her heart. A flock of birds had surrounded him, perching themselves on top of his head, hands, and arms.
He's no Prince Charming, so who'd have ever thought that this feeling could be true?
She fully revealed herself and smiled smittenly as she leaned her head against the bark. The birds fly away as Tohru rolled up a snowball and tossed it at Kyo's face.
"I got you!" She giggled, unable to see that Kyo had made his own snowball in revenge.
Before he could throw his giant ball of snow at her, Tohru caught him off guard again with a smaller one. As it collides with his face, he dropped the big one he had just rolled and it fell on top of him.
"You've made a big mistake, you." Kyo lunged at her gently. Screaming out of pure joy, Tohru ran around the tree with a snowball in her hand as Kyo chased her. He tripped over himself and she got another shot in.
The two of them laughed in unison. Tohru slightly opened one eye to catch a glimpse of what Kyo looked like when he's at his happiest. This was the first time she really heard his laugh—she didn't want to miss it.
Kyo's laugh sounded like music to her ears. It wasn't like how other people laugh. She noticed that it always began small—a huff of breath, a quiet, startled "heh," or a quick chuckle here and there. It was a bit scratchy around the edges like his voice isn't used to stretching that way, but there was a softness underneath it.
Tohru stood there with her hands half-clasped in front of her, feeling her heart catch. She would carry this sound with her for the rest of the day, replaying it in her mind—soft, raspy, and, for just a moment, completely free. She grinned tenderly at him.
"We should head inside to warm up, I'm a little cold." Tohru suggested.
Kyo nodded in agreement and the two of them walked back inside the castle. Kyo led her to the fireplace and took off her jacket to hang it on the hanger as he started the fire. Tohru sat on the floor in front of the fire opening a new book she had just started reading. When the fire was lit, she patted the ground next to her, motioning Kyo to come join her.
"Would you like to read this together?"
She noticed Kyo blush and his voice crack as he responded. "Um, yes of course."
Kyo took a seat beside her and slowly scootched closer to her so he could see the pages—even though Tohru was holding the book at angle they could both see clearly. She could slightly feel his warm breath on the nape of her neck as they read together. It made Tohru's heart flutter.
"Perhpas there's something here that wasn't there before," Shigure said aloud as he, Hatori, Kazuma and Momiji quietly observed the two of them.
"Like what?" Momiji asked as his eyes sparkled with wonder.
"I'm inclined to agree," Kazuma responded.
"Papa, is this about—"
"Shh," Kazuma quieted the little bunny. "Yes, now let's give these two some privacy."
Kyo paced around his room before ultimately hopping in the bath. He had finally asked her to dance with him at the ball tonight, but he was having second thoughts.
This is stupid, what am I, an idiot? There's no way she loves me.
But he couldn't afford to have regrets now. They were running out of time. He needed to confess his feelings to her tonight or else this curse would never be broken.
"Tonight's the night!" Shigure exclaimed as Kyo washed himself.
Rinsing the soap off his body, he panicked. "I don't know if I can do this, Shigure."
"There's no time to be timid! You must be bold and daring!"
Kyo repeated the words of Shigure's pep talk to pysche himself up for the dance. He then stepped out of the bath and shook off the water to dry himself.
"We've even made sure that there will be music, candlelight, and a perfect moment for you to confess your love to her."
Kyo stared at himself in the mirror while listening to the dog's words. "I can't do it."
"You care for this girl, don't you Kyo?"
"More than anything," he responded as he struggled to put on a red tailored suit over his head.
"Well, then the logical thing to do next would be to tell her."
Kyo finally managed to get it on and he began adjusting it.
Shigure jumped onto the vanity in front of Kyo. "See, soon enough you'll be looking so—"
"Stupid," Kyo scoffed as he continued fixing himself up.
"That wasn't…quite the word I was going to use, but you could look a little more dapper."
Kyo did one final fix of his suit and took one more long look at himself before he let go of the breath he was holding in. This was it. The moment of truth.
The creature in the mirror utterly disgusted him the longer he looked. Rage bubbled inside his body. Kyo wanted to claw at the mirror, rip off this stupid red suit, scream at the top of his lungs—
"Ahem," Hatori stepped in, interupting Kyo's ugly thoughts. "Pardon the interruption, but your lady awaits."
Right. There was no time to waste anymore. Kyo dashed to the ballroom without another thought, but he didn't even make it down the red carpeted stairs before his orange eyes widened and his cheeks flushed.
Tohru, was dressed in an ethereal, long, pink sparkled dress. It took his breath away instantly. Her hair was curled at the ends, and she still managed to add her usual pink ribbons to the final look.
Kyo cleared his throat as he felt the eyes of Shigure on him. He steeled himself one last time before meeting her in the middle of the staircase.
Tohru looked up at him with a soft, sweet smile, and Kyo couldn't help himself. His blush spread across his entire brown beastly face as he flashed her a toothy smile—a genuine one. Now that was new to him.
Kyo bowed and held out his arm for her to take. Tohru followed suit and wrapped her small hand around Kyo's broad wrist. The two of them continued down the stairs, not taking eyes off of the other. Kazuma, Momiji, and Shigure watched this exchange, smiling to each other.
Kyo led Tohru to the ginormous table in the dining hall, pushing the chair out for her to sit. The feast the animals had prepared for them was massive. A hot, steamy soup for the starter, a glass of red wine, and sirloion steak as the main course with a side of white bread. There were many different types of desserts laid out as well, such as chocolate cakes, eclaires, and pies. As the two of them ate, Kazuma escorted Momiji to the table, and he began playing his violin for romantic ambience.
Tohru brought the steak up to her mouth and chewed it delicately. When she swallowed, her eyes glistened. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed. "To whom do I owe my thanks?"
"That would be Yuki, our chef. He wasn't always this good, trust me." Shigure responded with a hint of teasing to his voice.
"Well, send him my regards. And, Kyo…" Tohru started, nervously meeting his eyes, "Thank you as well. For this night."
Kyo's cheeks feel hot once more as he glanced around the room nervously. "Uh, y-yeah, no problem. It was really their idea, not mine."
Tohru giggled. "But I'm spending a lovely evening with you. For that, I am greatful."
As soon as they had finished their meal, Tohru ran beside Kyo, taking both of his hands and practically dragged him out of the chair. She guided him to the ballroom.
Tall, arched windows lined the walls, revealing a deep blue night sky filled with stars. Moonlight poured in from the large windows casting a soft, silvery glow across the space and enchanced the already magical evening's ambience.
The floor was polished marble that was so reflective, it mirrored the two of them as they moved closer toward the center of the room. Massive golden chandeliers hung above them sparkling warmly, adding a sense of opulence. The color palette between the room and the night sky created a contrast between warmth and coolness. It was rich, but balanced—gold, ivory, and deep blue all at once.
Once inside the room, Tohru postioned Kyo's hands so they could slow dance together. Kyo, looking at her cluelessly, followed her lead. He cleared his throat nervously, unsure of if he could keep up with her. Tohru gave him a reassuring smile and his worries suddenly washed away.
They break the distance between them and stand chest to chest. One of Kyo's hands was in hers, while the other was gently placed upon her upper back. He made sure his hold was relaxed and not rigid, despite his nerves. Tohru placed her free hand around Kyo's waist.
Their movements were smooth and fluid—almost as if they were gliding on air. They started with a soft swaying from side to side, and once comfortable, they began to step forward and back. Admittedly, Kyo hadn't danced with someone else since his childhood dance lessons.
Kyo spun her around gently, and as he pulled her back into his arms, she laughed joyfully. A sound he knew he would never get tired of hearing. The two of them continued dancing for a long while as the night went on, not realizing how much time had passed. It was just the two of them now—nothing else in the world mattered. Not when Kyo's world was right in front of him, leaning her head onto his chest. His heart started beating faster as she rested there.
She must hear how loud my heart's racing, right?
Unable to contain his feelings, he looked at Hatori and Shigure for reassurance with a big smile on his face. The two of them give him a silent thumbs up and Kazuma walked in beside them with a soft grin as well. Momiji's violin playing really helped keep the atmosphere just right.
Dancing with her was everything he had dreamed of and more. It's quiet, intimate, and he felt as though they were suspended in time. There was not much dialouge between them—just intense eye contact, little head rests against each other, and soft chuckles here and there.
The longer they danced, the more aware Kyo became of the small details of Tohru. Her warmth, the rhythm of her breathing, and how in sync their steps had gradually gotten. Part of him felt scared—he'd never been this vulnerable in front of anyone before—but he didn't mind if it was with Tohru. Sharing this special, private moment with her was all that mattered to him.
With one final dip, they decide to call it quits there, although they both could have gone on all night. Kyo rested his hand behind the small of Tohru's back as he accompanied her onto the balcony outside.
"Wonderfully done, Momiji. I think it's time you get some rest now," Kazuma said as he patted the little yellow rabbit's head.
"Okay, Papa!" His eyes gleamed as he and Kazuma leave the room.
Still arm in arm while they enter the balcony, Kyo motioned Tohru to sit upon the ledge with him. As she let go and does so, he suddenly felt a wave of nerves hit him once again.
The balcony was built from pale stone with a wide, curved railing that looked out over the vast grounds and distant forests. Unlike the dark corridors inside, the structure above the ground was bathed with the natural, gentle glow of the moon and stars in the sky.
Vines and bits of overgrowth creeped along the edges, showing just how isolated the castle had been for so long. Still though, the space didn't feel neglected—instead, it was peaceful.
Tohru dusted off her dress as Kyo silently scootched closer to her, taking her hand into his.
"Tohru," he spoke firmly, fully realizing this was the first time he had ever really said her name, "are you…happy here with me?"
"Oh yes absolutely!" She exclaimed matter-of-factly, though her eyes didn't fully meet his.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's just…" She sighed, finally looking Kyo in the eyes. "I do wish I could see my mother again, if even for a second. I miss her a lot."
Kyo looked down at the ground shamefully. He pondered for a moment before responding. "Well…there can be a way to do that. Come with me."
Kyo took Tohru to the room he had screamed at her in before, but this time, it was different. There was no yelling, no fighting, no insecurities. Just pure trust, and even…love. He guided her to the magic mirror she had seen glowing with light before.
"This mirror allows you to see anything you wish for. Why don't you give it a try?"
Tohru looked into the mirror intently. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she did, she first turned to Kyo. "Thank you," she said as she turned back to the mirror. "I'd like to see my mother, please."
But the image before her didn't comfort her as she had hoped. There Kyoko was, frantically pacing around her home for any sort of clue to save her daughter.
"Oh Mom…" Tohru hands gripped the mirror slightly. "She's driving herself crazy trying to save me. She's all alone, too. She hasn't been alone since before she met Dad. After he passed, it's always been just us."
A tear fell from Tohru's eyes and it rolled onto her cheek. He glanced at the glass jar his beads had been in, and he sighed. "Then, go to her."
Tohru's ears perked up. "What?"
"You heard me," He said firmly, "You're no longer obligated to stay here."
"You mean…you're setting me free?"
"Yeah," Kyo responded, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
Tohru held one of Kyo's claws in both of her hands. "Thank you. You're very kind-hearted, Kyo."
The warmth of her hands vanished as quickly as it came. "Well Mom, I'm on my way."
She turned to Kyo and placed the mirror in his hands, but he didn't accept it. "No, you keep it. That way…" He hesitated, "If you, ya know…wanted to see me again, this is how you can."
Kyo gently caressed and twirled her hair as he said that, fully expecting this to be the last time he would ever lay eyes on her. Tohru hugged the mirror in her hands and nodded. "Thanks for understanding how much we need each other."
He gave her a sad smile, but the smile quickly faded into a somber expression, unable to hide his true feelings from her. Tohru brushed his scaly cheek before she took her leave.
As she went, he watched as the sound of her footsteps become farther away. His chest ached as he slumped over the window.
"Well, Kyo, I must say, this is proceeding smoothly. I knew you could do it," Hatori praised.
"Don't start. I let her go."
"What? But, why?"
Kyo's fist slightly clenched. "I had to."
"I don't understand, wasn't it going well? Why would you—"
"Because," he bit, slowly calming his emotions, "I love her." The bitterness in his tone had turned despondent.
"He did WHAT?!"
Momiji, Kazuma, Shigure and Yuki stood there in disbelief as Hatoru delivered the news.
"Unfortunately it's true. There was no point in trying to convince him."
"Tohru's going away? For good?" Momiji sniffled as he buried his face into Kazuma's arm.
"Shit, he was so close, too," Shigure sighed.
Kazuma patted Momiji's head. "After all this time, too. He finally learned to love someone."
"But isn't that it?" Shigure questioned. "Wouldn't that break the curse?"
Kazuma shook his head. "It's not enough, Shigure. She must love him, too. And that, we do not know."
"But it's too late now to find out." Hatori interjected.
"But wait—are we even sure she can make it back on her own? You all remember what happened last time, right?"
Hatori had never heard Shigure sound so desperate before. "Tohru's a resilient girl. And besides, he asked Isuzu to take her there this time, and we know how tough she is. With her protection, Tohru will be just fine."
Kyo watched as Tohru rode upon Isuzu into the woods. The pain of letting her go had been too much for him, and he couldn't help but roar into the night sky, hoping she would see it as a final goodbye, but she didn't look back. He decided that was probably for the best.
Tohru made it home before long, thanks to Isuzu's amazing stamina. She hopped off of her and dusted off her shawl. "Thank you so much Isuzu. You're welcome to go back now, I could never ask you to stay with me."
The black horse whipped her mane out of her face from the wind. "You sure? You seem pretty incapable of handling the woods on your own should you choose to venture there again."
Tohru looked at her sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head with an awkward smile. "Well, I suppose you're not wrong, but you have people waiting for you. Your home's there, not here."
Isuzu scoffed. "Nobody there gives a damn about me."
Tohru blinked. "What about the cow—Hatsuharu, was it? I'm sure he would be worried sick if you didn't come back."
Isuzu looked down at the snowy ground. Tohru must have been right due to her lack of response. She smiled at the horse and gave her mane a pat.
"You should go back to him. Of course, you're always welcome here if this is truly where you'll be happy—but something tells me you want to see him, too."
Isuzu flicked her tail before beginning to trot back to the castle. Tohru waved goodbye as she stepped inside her house.
"Mom! I'm home!" Tohru ran up to her mother with open arms.
"Oh Tohru! Is it really you?" Kyoko hugged her daughter so tightly. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"I missed you so much, Mom."
"But…that monster. How did you escape? Has my girl finally taken to some of my old gang tricks?"
"Oh no of course not. I didn't escape Mom, he let me go."
Their embrace comes to an end as Kyoko looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? That doesn't make sense, he's a horrible beast!"
"No, really Mom! He's changed. He's different now."
Just as Tohru was going to explain, her satchel fell over and a little yellow bunny emerged from it. "Tohru!"
She giggled as Momiji bounced atop Kyoko's shoulder. "We've got ourselves a runaway now, do we?"
"Aw, hello there cutie! Been awhile, huh?" Kyoko said as she pet Momiji's ears, "Didn't think I'd be seeing you ever again."
"Tohru, why did you leave? Do you not like us?" he sniffled.
"Of course I do," she started, taking him into her arms. "I just—"
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Tohru opened it and a woman she had never seen stood before her. "Hello, may I help you?"
"I've come for your mother."
"Huh? My mom? What for?"
"Please, there's no need to worry. She'll be in my care for the time being."
Behind Akito was Ritsu, Ayame, and what Tohru could only assume are Ayame's fanclub, all stood there with baseball bats and crowbars next to a black van with tinted windows that read, The Cat's Room.
While Tohru had no knowledge of what that room was in its entirety, she knew it was like an asylum for people who were seen as insane.
"What's the meaning of this? My mother is not crazy!"
"She's a lunatic! Raving on about some beast and talking animals and whatnot." Ritsu riled up the crowd behind him and they started adding onto his claims. Ayame, hiding behind the van, smirked.
"I won't let you take her!"
"Tohru, what's going on out here?"
Ritsu questioned Kyoko as soon as she emerged from the doorway. "Ah, there she is. Kyoko dear, why don't you tell us again about this raging beast and talking animals, hm? Why don't you describe him to us?"
"Hm? Well…" Kyoko put a finger up to her chin to think, "He was really big, and had such a horrible stench. He had to have been about ten or so feet. His claws were sharp and his teeth were barred. Oh, but the animals there were really cute and helpful. They made me feel at home, at least."
The crowd emerged in laughter and Ritsu continued. "You heard it here first, folks. You don't get crazier than that!"
"Mom—"
"Hey! It's all true what I'm saying. Even Tohru knows, right?"
But Tohru couldn't speak before Ritsu and Akito took each of Kyoko's arms and threw her in the back of the van.
"Mom! No! They can't take you away!" Tohru started to run after her, but a hand gripped her wrist and stopped her.
"Oh, you poor thing. It really is a shame to have such a crazed mother." Ayame said as he pulled her closer to him.
"Ayame, please! Don't talk like that, you know she isn't crazy! Isn't there anything you can do?"
"Hmm," he smirked. "I may potentially be able to clear up this whole misunderstanding, yes."
"Oh thank goodness!"
"On one condition."
"What's that?"
"You must take my hand in marriage, my dear."
Tohru blinked in shock. "What?"
"Come on Tohru, just one teensy little word. That's all it takes."
Tohru furrowed her eyebrows and escaped his grasp. "I would never marry you."
"Fine then, have it your way." Ayame flipped his hair and sashayed toward the vehicle. "Take her away."
Tohru rushed inside the house and grabbed the magic mirror from her bag and she ran back out. "I can prove she's not crazy! Show me the beast!"
The mirror's light shines white and suddenly an image of Kyo appeared, still roaring into the night sky. Ayame's eyes widen in disbelief as everyone started asking questions.
"Trust me, he'd never hurt anyone. I know he looks vicious, but he's gentle and kind. He's…my friend."
Her heart ached when she used the word friend. He was more than that to her, she knew deep down, but…could she admit that to herself yet?
Tohru's tone of voice was soft and genuine, and it made Ayame scoff. "If I didn't know better I'd say you love this monster."
Tohru glared daggers into Ayame. "He's no monster, Ayame. You are!"
Ayame grit his teeth in frustration. "You're as crazy as your own damn mother." He turned to the raging crowd, "Don't listen to her! He'll eat your children! He'll come after you in the night! We'll only be safe until I have his head mounted upon my wall!"
"Kill the beast!" Ritsu and Akito yelled in agreement.
Ayame roared, "Follow me, everyone! Tonight, we slaughter this monster! We do not return home until he's good and dead!"
"No!" Tohru screamed as she gripped Ayame's shirt, "I won't let you hurt him!"
Ayame shoved her aside and grabbed her wrist tightly. "If you're not with us, you're against us. Bring the both of them to the cage where they belong!"
Kyoko and Tohru were tossed into the van and the doors closed behind them before they could react.
"Let us out!" Tohru pleaded as she knocked vigorously.
But it was no use. Ayame had enraged the crowd too much to be heard. Tohru noticed Momiji through the tinted windows, hiding behind the door peeking his head out.
"Momiji! You must go back to the castle! Please help Kyo!" She yelled, but was unsure if she could even be heard.
The van began moving as she continued to cry out. Momiji's ears twitched and he nodded before darting off toward the castle. With a relieved sigh, Tohru fell helplessly into her mother's arms.
"What are we going to do? We have to get out of here."
"Don't worry Tohru, we'll think of something. I promise." Kyoko pulled her into a loving embrace to ease her worries.
"I should've known it was too good to be true. It'd have been better if she never came at all." Yuki said dejectedly.
"Um, you guys, we have a situation," Kisa warned as she looked from window.
"Could it be? Has she returned?" Hatori asked as the rest of them went to look as well. Shigure's eyes widenend at the sight before him.
"Oh dear, it seems we have some unwanted company."
Kazuma scanned the area intently. "Looks like they stole the mirror. We have to inform Kyo. If it's a fight they're looking for, it's a fight they'll get."
Ayame stopped at the front entrance for a mere moment. He turned around to the angry crowd. "Rob the place with any goodies you find, but remember; our main goal is to slay the beast!"
The crowd cheered as they all busted the doors open and began their mission. The animals inside all scatter, getting to positions to help as best they can. As soon as they all walked in slowly, Shigure yelled the signal.
"Now!"
One by one, all the animals jumped out, gnawing and clawing at everyone in sight. Isuzu kicked several people into each other with her hooves. Shigure pounced on a few people, biting them and tossing them outside. Hatori roared and blew out fire from his breath, causing most of the other people still in the castle to run away. Much to all of their surprise, this battle was pretty easy to win, especially with a dragon on their side. Once their attackers were unconscious or fleeing, they celebrated their victory.
While this was going on, Kazuma snuck away to warn Kyo. He found Kyo still by the window next to the jar of beads.
"Leave me be." Kyo said as he heard footsteps coming inside.
"Kyo, the castle is under attack. They're here to kill you. We have to fight back!"
Kyo scoffed. "What does it matter now? Just let them do it."
Instead of going back to the castle, Momiji followed the van all the way to the cage Tohru and Kyoko had been locked into. Small enough to fit inside, he squeezed through the bars of their enclosure. He noticed a small piece of wood on the ground and used his teeth to gnaw at it, making a key shape to unlock their cell.
"Come on, we have to help Kyo!"
"But without anything to take us there, we'll be too late!"
Kyoko put her hand on Tohru's shoulder and pointed to the van that was still parked outside of the cage.
"Don't worry. I can hijack this old thing and make it go fast for us. I did improve my old motorcycle, you know."
While the rest of the crew were still dealing with all the animals, Ayame was searching for the beast on his own. He kicked down every door he saw, readying his crossbow. So far, he found no sign of him anywhere. He was beginning to grow frustrated.
"Where could this damn beast be? How hard is it to find a ginormous, repulsive monster in a castle?"
He walked up a flight of carpeted stairs in the west wing. The aura around him felt different. This had to be the place.
Ayame quietly opened the door and looked around, crossbow in hand. It didn't take him long to find Kyo slouching by the window, ready to accept to defeat. He aimed his crossbow once more as Kyo turned to look at him, eyes filled with sadness and despair.
Kyo looked away from him, letting his guard down completely, and that's when Ayame saw his opening and took the shot.
The arrow landed into Kyo's left shoulder and he cried out in pain as Ayame ran at him and pushed him through the glass window, laughing triumphantly. Kyo lay on the ground as Ayame kicked him down the hill under the balcony. He jumped after him, taking out a dagger.
"Get up, useless beast. I thought you were supposed to be ferocious!"
Kyo growled at his arrogance, but did not move.
"What's the matter, monster? Are you truly too kind and gentle to fight back?" Ayame mocked as he twirled the knife in his hand.
But Kyo still doesn't take the bait. Once upon a time, he would have already killed the human before him. But without the curse breaking, without the one he loved, he felt there was no point in living anymore.
Ayame approached him, slowly raising the knife in the air. Kyo's ears perked and he lifted his head slightly as he heard a voice cry out to him.
"Tohru?" Kyo could feel his energy slowly come back to him.
"No! Ayame don't!"
Ayame swung the knife down fast, but Kyo grabbed his wrist tightly before it made contact with him. He bared his teeth as he pushed Ayame back.
"Come on Mom, we have to get up there!"
As Ayame lost his balance, he dropped the knife and crossbow off the roof completely. The weapons landed on the balcony below them with a thud.
Kyo lunged at him, causing them both to roll onto the second lower balcony attached to the castle. Tohru rushed up the stairs to where they were fighting.
Ayame broke free of Kyo's grip and picked up a sharp piece of debris from the already slightly broken castle. He surveyed the area for him, but there was no sign of Kyo anywhere.
"Come out and fight!"
Thunder roared from within the clouds gathering overhead.
"Tell me something; do you love that girl?"
Kyo was silent, but the look in his beastly eyes told Ayame everything he needed to know.
"Do you honestly think she could ever love you back when she has someone like me?!"
Kyo growled and used his sharp fangs to bite down on the makeshift weapon Ayame had found. Weakly, Ayame managed to push him back with enough pressure. They were nearly on the edge of the balcony. One wrong move, and they'd both die.
"It's over you beast. Tohru is mine!"
Angrily, Kyo pounced at him, removing the weapon from his hand and tossing it aside. He grabbed ahold of Ayame's shirt and leaned him over the edge, roaring as lightning struck. He moved his hand to grip Ayame's throat tightly, but not enough to choke him.
Ayame looked down at the ground. They were high in the air, and the view scared him. He desperately grabbed at Kyo's inhumane hand with both of his own, pleading for his life.
"Please! I'll do anything!"
Kyo scowled at him with unadulterated rage as he bared his teeth, but his eyes soon softened after he thought about how killing Ayame would look to Tohru. His ears drooped to the side of his head as he backed away from the ledge, letting Ayame go.
"Get out."
"Kyo!" Tohru called out from above.
Kyo quickly turned around and his eyes gleamed. "Tohru!"
She held out her hand to Kyo, waiting for him to take it. He quickly started climbing the roof to go to her.
"Tohru…" He reached for her as she wrapped her entire hand around one of his claws. Kyo caressed her hair with his free hand and smiled ardently at her. "You came back."
Tohru hugged his arm with her hands as she rested into his touch. "Of course I did."
Suddenly, an excruciating pain dug into Kyo's back once more and he roared in agony. Ayame had found his dagger and stabbed Kyo with it. He was about to strike again until Kyo's body made him lose his balance. He had dropped the knife and fell off the roof of the castle onto the ground. Ayame screamed the whole way down until he could no longer be heard or seen again.
Kyo was about to follow until Tohru weakly pulled him up onto the balcony and laid him down on the marbled floor. His back was still bleeding out, and he was weak. Tohru held his rugged face into her hands as she cried out his name. He slowly opened his eyes to look at her for what he thought was the last time.
"You came back…" he repeated.
"This is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner. Kyo, I'm so sorry…"
Hot tears fell from her eyes, but all Kyo could do was smile at her. "Maybe it's better this way."
She shook her head desperately. "Don't talk like that. You'll be okay! We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see."
Kyo coughed up blood and he weakly brought his hand to her cheek. His claws gently caressed her warm face and she once again rested into his touch.
"At least I got to see you one last time. I want to go while seeing your beautiful smile."
Tohru smiled sadly at him, but couldn't control her emotions any longer. She hugged his arm and sobbed into him. She felt his hand slowly fall from her face, and she saw his eyes close and his body go limp.
"No! This can't be—Kyo please!"
Memories of her father's death flashed in her mind like an old movie. Moments Tohru did her best to repress and keep locked away deep in her mind. She remembered how heartbroken her mother was. How she almost lost her, too.
The look on Kyoko's face; how lifeless it had been, despite her being still alive. Watching as she stood on the edge of the bridge that day, nearly facing the unthinkable, at only five years old.
Tohru desperately clung to Kyo's ripped shirt, furthering the damage while screaming,"Please don't leave me!"
Tohru buried her face into Kyo's chest as her grip loosened. "I love you."
As Tohru spoke the three words Kyo and the animals had been waiting for, the glow of the magic mirror faded, and the jar of beads cracked, heralding the end of their shared hope.
It's too late, the animals thought as a tear fell from each of their faces.
But it wasn't. As Tohru's teardrops fell from her eyes onto Kyo's lifeless body, pink light rained down from the sky, directly hitting Kyo. Tohru gasped in shock and stumbled back as Kyo—who was now bathed in light—started floating in the air—as well as the animals that resided in the castle.
Her eyes widended at the sight before her, looking around in all directions, unsure of what was happening.
A tremor ran beneath the creature's skin, like a ripple under dark water. Kyo's frame stiffened, his breath catching in his throat as the same pain he felt when he transformed into this monstrosity the very first time panged him again. Was this it? Had the curse truly been broken?
His bones went first.
A sharp crack echoed through the air, followed by many others, happening all too fast. His hulking limbs shuddered as they started to shrink. His joints pulled inward, reconfiguring themselves with a disturbing series of pops. As he slowly got closer to the ground, the beast collapsed to his knees. He gouged his claws deep into the ground as they curled, splintered, and retracted all at once. Each of his talons softened as they reshaped themselves into trembling fingers. Though, they were still tipped with the ghost of something feral.
Kyo's spine arched violently as the ridges along his back folded down one by one as if they were being pressed by a million hands. The coarse scales melted into skin that looked too fragile and thin to contain what was just there. His muscles twitched and shrunk as they shed their monstrous bulk, leaving behind a body that appeared almost unbearably small in comparison.
Then came the face.
The snout jerked back with a cracking sound. His teeth grinded and reformed as his jaw shortened. His once-sharp fangs were now splitting and flattening into human shaped teeth. A strained, half-choked cry escaped Kyo's hoarse throat, but it was no longer a roar or a howl. The ears slide down next, also reshaping themselves. His eyes shifted last of all.
As the curse tore itself apart, the writhing creature caught between states was neither beast nor human, and with each pulse, more of the monstrous form gave way.
And finally, the convulsions slowed. Where the beast once stood was now a human man curled on the ground. Kyo's chest was heaving and his limbs were shaking with the aftermath. The ragged sound of breathing remained.
He laid there a few minutes more, letting the pain subside. Slowly, he stood up, bringing his hands to his face. The feeling of his human skin was something he'd never thought he'd miss. For a moment, hot tears ran down his cheeks. He looked at his hands to make sure this was real and not some dream. When he came to, he wasted not a second longer before rushing to her side.
Kyo immediately grabbed both of Tohru's hands with his, flashing her the biggest smile he'd ever given her. Tohru raised her eyebrows, studying him up and down with great precision. She felt the softness of his orange hair as she took a second to brush the bangs out of his face, and then caressed his cheek, feeling his warm skin.
His hair was the first thing she noticed. It's impossible not to when it burned a vivid, defiant orange that was bright enough to feel almost unnatural. His hair was messy and uneven like it hadn't been kempt in a century—and for him, maybe it hadn't.
She pondered for a moment—was it truly possible this was the same being who had just been a beast?
If it truly was the same person, this felt like meeting someone who doesn't quite fit in anywhere, yet stood out all the same because of it. She blinked once, taking in every guarded detail of him as if committing it gently to memory.
"Tohru!" Even his voice had changed from the beast's rasp that she had grown so fond of. "It's me!"
Tohru stared directly into his copper eyes. They sparkled just like they did before when they had slow danced.
"It is you!" Unable to contain her excitement and keeping her feelings at bay, she pulled his face toward hers and kissed him passionately, with a huge smile on her face.
Her hands wrapped around Kyo's neck as they deepened the kiss, nearly causing Kyo to lose his balance from the sudden force.
But Kyo wasn't the only thing that changed.
What once was just the creepy, dark and gloomy castle turned into a vibrant, fancy-looking one that you'd expect to find when meeting a member of the royal family in fairytale books. The black walls had turned white, the monster gargoyles vanished, and pink rose bushes sprouted along the edges of the balcony.
And then came the animals—who were now humans.
The black dog and green dragon had suddenly turned into grown men with strikingly handsome faces.
"Shigure! Hatori!" Kyo shouted excitedly as he ran to them.
Next came Kazuma and Momiji. The brown and yellow rabbits had morphed into an older gentleman who had stood alongside a short, blonde teenager.
"Papa! Look at us! We're back!" Momiji jumped into Kazuma's arms for a big hug.
"Well I'll be," Hatori said as Shigure hugged him from the side.
"It's a miracle, isn't it?" He added.
Kyo scooped up Tohru and spun her around happily and she giggled.
"You did it, Tohru! You saved us! You saved—" He stopped, putting her down and twirled her hair with his fingers with a sweet smile. "Me."
A drop of sweat raced down her head as she smiled sheepishly at everyone. "I'm so happy! But, uh, I'm not…really sure what I did."
"Don't worry, we will explain it all to you." Kazuma told her.
"And boy, is it quite the story." Shigure added.
A week passed, enough time for Kyo to get reaccustomed to his old body, and he had a special request for Tohru—another dance in the ballroom, but this time, as equals.
Tohru wore the same captivating pink dress, and Kyo had worn the same red suit as well, but this time in a human size. Lifting the bottom of her dress, she jogged to the center of the room where Kyo stood—she'd be going faster if she weren't in heels—and leaped in his arms planting a kiss to his lips once more. Kyo carefully hoisted her up to spin her around once before they began their dance, just as they had the first time.
Shigure and Hatori watch the two of them in awe as they, too, still took in the reality of the situation. Something they had started giving up hope on.
"I told you she could do it, Hari. I could tell right away she'd be able to break our curse."
"Did you? I believe I was the one who told you that." He teased.
"Oh please. Don't start that with me. You were the one who wanted her out when she first stumbled in."
"Hey! Let's focus on what really matters here!" Momiji started, interrupting their banter. "Are they going to live happily ever after now?"
"Of course they will," Kazuma replied, petting his son's head.
Kyoko joined them in watching the two lovebirds dance the night away, laughing at their banter. "Tohru will fit right in here, I can tell."
The night went on a little while longer, with a whole crowd of people around them. People were clapping, chattering, or even just watching silently. But that was of no consequence, because to Tohru and Kyo, it was just them. Nothing else in the world mattered in this moment. It was finally them. Together as equals, hand in hand, living happily ever after.