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The sun is setting, and it's almost the time he goes up to the roof. Everyone has already eaten dinner and is settling down now. He usually stays up there past when everyone goes to sleep.
The roof is a safe place for him. No one ever goes up there besides Tohru on occasion. Part of why he likes it is because of the cat spirit's influence on him. Cats like high places, so the roof is where he likes to go.
It's quiet and calm. The only noises he can hear are the sound of crickets chirping and the breeze blowing against his ears. Usually, it's not windy, but sometimes it is. He prefers when it's not, though.
He can see the city. It's far enough away that he can't hear the cars and buses, even though he has a cat's hearing. The city lights do look pretty, though. But what looks even more stunning are the stars.
He likes to stare up at the stars, those big bright balls of light that seem so close, but yet so far. He's memorized all of the constellations and the shapes that they make. It's such a beautiful sight.
His favorite time on the roof is when Tohru comes up and sits with him. Sometimes they talk about things, like how their day went or maybe stuff that's bothering them, but there are also times when they just lay back silently and watch the stars together.
Being with her makes him feel safe and comforted. He wants to spend as much time with her as he can before his time is up, living on the outside. He will be locked away in a cage, alone, for the rest of his life.
He will always cherish the memories he makes and the time he spends with her, even though they may be forgotten by everyone else in the future.
He loves her.
He goes up to the roof when it's fully dark outside and climbs up the latter. He sees Tohru sitting silently alone, legs tucked against her chest, and looking out at the city. She doesn't seem to notice he's here.
He climbs fully up the ladder and walks over to her, "Hey," he says, looking down at her with a warm smile on his face.
She looks up at him and smiles, "Hey, I was actually waiting for you."
"Hmm? Why is that?"
"I just… wanted to watch the stars… with you," he can see a blush on her face.
He blushes too, "Oh, um, alright," he says and sits down next to her, legs crossed. "It looked like you were thinking about something. Is something wrong?"
"Oh, well…" she pauses, "I was thinking about the future…" she says and looks up at the sky. "I want to ask… do you think you can change the future, even though it hasn't happened yet? I want to believe so."
'The future…'
"Well, I believe what happens, happens. Everything happens for a reason."
Now that he thinks about it, 'What is the reason for her being here with me? Just to torture me later when I'm locked up? To know that I've lost everything good in my life?'
"Everything happens for a reason…" she pauses and thinks, "Maybe things will change… I really hope so…" she spaces out.
"Huh? Hope what will change?"
She looks back at him, "Oh! Uh, It's nothing! Don't worry about it!" she panics.
"Tohru, you're holding stuff in again," he sighs, "You know I don't like when you do that," he says seriously.
"Please don't worry! It's just that-" she thinks up a lie quickly, "You know, a job! I want to get a better job than I have now! And of course, we all want change, right?"
"Um, yeah, I guess so." he doesn't really know what it feels like to want change. Instead, he wants everything to stay the same, just as it is now; being free and having Tohru by his side.
"I'm sorry, Kyo," she says and looks down at the tiles.
"Why are you sorry? There's nothing to be sorry about."
"Well, it's just that I can be spacey and panic easily. I'm sorry, I know it's probably pretty annoying."
"It's okay. You're not annoying. It's part of who you are, and that's perfectly fine," he smiles warmly at her.
She relaxes and smiles back, "Thank you, Kyo," she says and lays back on the tiles.
He lays back with her. They both stare up at the stars and enjoy each other's presence. He just notices they're closer than usual.
She moves her hand closer to Kyo's, and he feels her fingertips brush over his. He looks over at her, and she's staring up at the night sky. She places her hand on top of his.
'She wants to hold my hand?" he holds her hand in his own, and she gently squeezes it. He replies by doing the same. Her hand is warm, and the contact feels nice. It's comforting.
"Look, Kyo! Did you see that!" she says and points to a spot in the night sky with her other hand.
"See what?" he looks back up at the night sky and doesn't see anything but the stars.
"A shooting star! It was so pretty! I'm sad you missed it."
"Oh," he says. Then, only a few moments later, another one appears in the night sky, leaving a trail of light in its wake.
"Oh, wow! Another one!" he loves how easily little things like this can excite her. The next thing they know, tons of them are in the sky, creating a meteor shower. The sight is truly a beautiful one.
She sits up clasps her hands together, "Make a wish, Kyo!"
He doesn't believe in those kinds of things, and he doesn't even know what to wish for anyway. Wishing always to have freedom is a crazy thought. He's going to be locked up, and he can't stop that, no matter how hard he tries. He can't change the future.
But he sits up and does make a wish, 'It's close. There's so little time left… so little time to be with her. I want to be with her every moment I can. That's the only thing I can think about right now. I want her to stay by my side for the little time I have left. That's what I wish for.'
He opens eyes, and she's looking back at him, "Kyo, I, uh…" she pauses
"Hmm? What is it?"
She places her hand back on his, "I can't lose you. I need to tell you the truth. I know about what's planned to happen in the future. Your future. I want to stop it."
"Wait, what! How long have you known?" she knows about the cage…
"Akito told me at the vacation house… I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she says, trying to hold back her tears.
"There's no way you can stop it. I don't want you trying to and risk you getting hurt, so please don't. I'm sorry, Tohru. I deserve this anyways."
"No, you don't. How could you even say that?"
"There are things I've done… things that can not be forgiven…" he looks down at the beads on his wrist, "I'm a monster."
"You're not a monster, Kyo. Believe me. You're so kind and caring and gentle, but most of the time, you just don't like to show it. When I'm with you, I'm so happy. I love spending time with you and being with you. So please, don't give up."
'She loves spending time with me and being with me…' he never thought anyone would ever say such a thing.
He has to tell her the truth. She's going to change her mind after this. Think differently of him. Think he really is a monster. A disgusting monster.
"You're mom… I was there that day. I saw her… in the road. The car was coming, and I could have saved her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back against me, but then I remembered, I'm not human. If I caught her in my arms, I would transform. I saved my own skin. Your mom's life was taken because of me. I saw her… in a pool of her own blood… I was right there… If I could, I would redo it all over again. I just wish that I could have saved her. The last words your mom said were, "I won't forgive you," and she's right to say that. I can't be forgiven for that. I can never forgive myself for what I've done. I don't want you to forgive me either…."
It pains him so much to tell her the truth, but it had to be said. She had to know what a monster he is. What a monster really looks like.
"My whole life, saving my own skin has been the only thing I was ever any good at. Awful, right?"
She's frozen in shock. She doesn't respond.
'Everything is ruined…."
"Kyo," she says seriously after some time, "It's not your fault."
"Of course it is; I was right there and could have saved her. Don't you get it? I'm at fault here. I'm a monster. I don't deserve to be alive. It should have been me in that road, not your mom."
"Don't say that! Please don't blame yourself. You couldn't save her. You're not a monster, and mom's death isn't your fault."
"But what she said…."
"I can't believe she would really tell you that. It doesn't sound like her, but if that's true, and she really did say that, I don't believe it was out of anger or hatred. I know it. Please believe me, Kyo."
"Do you really believe that's true? How can you not hate me after telling you this?"
"Because it's not your fault! Please believe me, Kyo! Please! I want you to know it's not your fault! I can't let you feel this pain!" she starts to cry, "I need you here with me, even though it's selfish. I love mom, but…."
Her tears flow freely now. 'I screw everything up,' he thinks. He doesn't want to make her cry. Instead, he wants to comfort her, so he reaches out to wipe her tears away, and she doesn't resist. In fact, she leans into his touch. He places his hand on her cheek and wipes away her tears with his thumb. It doesn't take much time for her tears to stop.
"I'm sorry for making you cry…."
"I'm alright. I want you to know that it's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I promise."
"But-"
"Trust me," she interrupts, "I'll make sure you won't be locked up. I promise you that I will find a way. I won't let you stop me either. I'm standing my ground."
'She's serious about this,' he knows when she gets like this, there's no stopping her.
"I don't deserve your kindness, Tohru."
"Yes, you do. You deserve so much. You might not believe it, but it's true," she places her hand on his beads, "Believe me, Kyo. You're not a monster. You're kind and caring and a good person. I love when we're together. I love the time that we spend together, every moment of it."
"Tohru…"
"It's true. You mean so much to me. You are the most important thing to me. Of course, mom's important, and I love her, but… I just…"
She moves forward, places her hand on his chest, and kisses him. He's shocked. This is happening so suddenly, and he doesn't know what to do.
'She's… kissing me.’
He loves her so much. He thought this would never happen, yet here she is, kissing him. She doesn't hate him. She's saying that her mom's death is not his fault. She's saying that he's not a monster. She's saying that he's a good person. Now he knows the last thing she was going to say, and it's the one thing he can't say no to.
He can't help himself from placing his hand on the back of her head and pulling her in closer, not close enough to trigger the curse, and kisses her back with so much passion. His fingers sink into her hair, and she makes a sound in the back of her throat. She feeling of her soft lips against his is incredible.
They both pulled away from the kiss to breathe, and he looks at her, dumbstruck. He doesn't know what to say.
"I love you," she says.
'Well, there's no going back now.'
"I love you too," he says. She smiles warmly at him, and he smiles back. She can make him feel better so easily.
"I want to be with you, Kyo."
"I want to be with you too. I'll fight for you. There's nothing to be afraid of now, not if you're with me."
He leans in and kisses her. He feels so happy to have her here with him. She loves him, and he loves her so much. As they kiss, he feels something. It's strange.
It clicks, 'Wait. How? How is this even possible?'
He pulls away from the kiss and just feels. He feels just him and no one else. It feels lonelier than he would have expected, but that's okay. He has Tohru by his side. He starts to cry.
"What's going on? Kyo, please talk to me!"
"It's gone… It's really gone…."
He looks at his hands and really sees. He spots his beads on his left wrist. He wants these things off of him right now. So he grabs his beads and slowly starts to slide them off of his wrist as Tohru watches.
When the beads are all the way off,
Nothing…
They sit in his hand as Tohru watches him with amazement. He's free. He's free! He feels so much relief wash over him.
He wraps his arms around her in a hug, and at first, he tenses because he expects himself to transform, but then he remembers that he won't. He's so used to his human body being taken from him, but now he can hold the woman he loves most in this world without worry. The feeling is new to him. Freedom. True freedom. Finally.
She wraps her arms around him, and they hug as they both cry.
"You're free! The curse is broken! I'm so happy, Kyo! You're free!"
Feeling her warm embrace makes him so happy. He can hug her for more than only a few seconds. They are closer than he ever thought was possible.
After their tears slow down, they pull apart, and Tohru grabs both of his hands, "We can be together. See, everything is okay," she smiles.
"Everything is perfect," he smiles. He's so happy. He can be with her. He won't be locked up. Everything in the world is just perfect right now.
"I love you so much, Kyo."
"I love you too, Tohru. Thank you for staying by my side. Thank you so much. It means everything to me."
They stay up on the roof a while after that, not wanting to leave the peaceful atmosphere. The moon shines down on them as they lay together on the tiles, feeling so much love and happiness.