Haru's POV

I'd never seen Kyo more depressed. I'd seen him happy, disappointed, confused, conflicted, awkward, angry, furious, peeved, startled, guilty, ashamed, nervous, shocked, tired, energetic, dreamy, dazed, sick, passionate, determined, courageous, frightened, sad…but not this sad.

Shigure called me the morning of the day after Kyo and Tohru's date/day-out. "Hey, Shigure-sensei, do you know how it went? Are they together? Is Yuki devastated?"

"Actually, it's Kyo who's devastated."

"What? What happened?" I was instantly concerned for my friend.

"Well… Yuki got away from us while Kisa, Kagura, Aaya and I had him finger-painting…" he sounded sheepish.

"You made him do finger-painting? Well no wonder he ran away!" I exclaimed, annoyed.

"Hey, finger-painting is a very entertaining and popular past-time!"

"FOR FOUR-YEAR-OLDS!"

He paused. "Fine, I get it. Finger-painting is not a great activity for teenagers. Point is, Yuki got away and went straight to the park, right as they were sitting on a bench, romantically watching the sunset."

"Ouch," I grimaced.

"Yes, ouch," he agreed. "Kisa said Yuki started yelling and demanded to know what Kyo was doing with his girlfriend. Then Kagura choked him –"

"What? That seems pretty drastic! Is he okay?"

"Oh, yeah, he's fine. He got Kagura off of him and kept yelling. Tohru acted the way we thought she would, saying that they were just spending a friendly day together. I know he's still suspicious, but he seems happy enough. Tohru's worried, but she seems overall content, as well. Kyo, on the other hand…"

"Is he yelling at everyone like a maniac?"

"Actually, he's absolutely silent."

I hadn't expected that. Usually, when Kyo had been disappointed or got angry, he just bit everyone's heads off with his fury, the yelling never ceasing. If he was silent, then he was…sad? Depressed. "So he's depressed?"

"That's what I would call it," Shigure sighed. "He won't talk, and won't come out of his room. Originally, he was on the roof, but then it rained and he got a cold."

"Oh, is he better now?"

"Well, he's still sneezing some, but he should be game for Hiro's party tomorrow, as I'm forcing him to go. He doesn't have to socialize, just attend."

"Okay. See you later, then?"

"Are you coming over?"

"Yes, I think I should see him. Maybe talk him out of his depression?"

"If you think you can," sighed Shigure again. "Why don't you bring Momiji and your school things and you can just sleep over here? Tell Haa-san I'll make sure you're ready for school on Monday."

"Okay, thanks! See you!"

"Bye-e-e-e!" Shigure sang into the phone.

I'd come over about an hour later with Momiji and my school things like Shigure had suggested, and went straight up to Kyo's room.

He was laying on the bed, curled in the fetal position, his back to the door. He didn't give any sign that he'd heard me come in. "Kyo?" I asked, but there was no response. I walked around to face him and was shocked. His face was a pale, sickly gray, which I figured was left over from the cold. His eyes were open, staring straight ahead, but glazed over. His state made me think that he hadn't left his bed in weeks, though it had been less than a day. "Kyo! My GOD, what happened to you?"

"Haru…" he breathed. He sounded like he was on his death bed or something, and my name was a faded memory he had to try desperately to remember and say out loud.

"God, Kyo, what happened?"

"Well," he coughed, clearing his throat, "she chose him. She went back with him. I didn't win her over. I'm pretty much done for."

"So you're just going to sit here and rot? You're going to let him win?"

"She wants him, not me. Why not?"

"THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO NOW!" I yelled, now infuriated.

He scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion. "What…?"

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO NEVER GIVE UP! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PLOT WITH ME SOME MORE! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WANT TO GET HER BACK!" I ranted loudly. "If you give up now, you'll never forgive yourself," I said, quieter. "You know it's true."

He sighed. "Yeah. I do. But there's nothing left to do. Our date ended up a disaster, and she still chose him! There's nothing else I can try!"

"You see it as the date was a disaster and that she chose him. I see it that Tohru let you hold her hand. Tohru helped fix your ankle. Tohru let you help her with her homework and stay in her room for a night. Tohru let you take her out, to the movies, to the zoo, out to dinner, and on a walk. Tohru let you get in close, and you did the same. You don't consider that an accomplishment? Many accomplishments?"

He looked mildly surprised. "I – I didn't think about it that way."

"See! So you've come far! And I'm here to help you go farther!"

"Yeah – yeah, you're right!" he sat up on the bed, a little color back in his face and a determined expression put upon it. "This is no time to give up! I still have a chance! Right?"

"Absolutely!" I was a little surprised that I really had made a difference, but glad.

"Um. When?"

"Duh!" An idea came to me right as I was telling Kyo about it. "Tomorrow's Hiro's birthday party! And the day after that is Tohru's birthday! Make it up to her tomorrow!"

"Okay! …How?"

"First, try being a decent human being."

"Hey, was that a jab at me?" Kyo looked a little irritated.

"You're angry. So it's working," I smirked.

"Well, whatever. What do I do?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Kyo's POV

I'd never been that depressed. I really was depressed, I discovered. My I-don't-care feeling was depression. But Haru snapped me out of it as quickly and slowly as it had started. Soon, I was ready to go into action and really win Tohru over! Our new strategy: hard-to-get.

We couldn't think of anything else, and while this idea had seemed stupid a few days ago, it didn't sound so horrible now, especially while we were getting desperate.

So the next day came, and it was Hiro's birthday party. As three of us were the ones who'd thought of this at a moment's notice, Shigure, Haru, Momiji and I were the only ones really doing anything for the party. Tohru and Yuki were sitting in plain sight in the kitchen, having a heated discussion. I wished I could read lips so badly it hurt, but I had no idea what they were saying. And I was so tired from not having slept since the night on the roof, I couldn't even interpret what their expressions were supposed to be.

Momiji had set up red, blue and green stage lights all around the room and found some modern-sounding music to blast at almost full volume. I taped gold streamers around the main space, and Haru quickly inflated a few dozen helium balloons and a few oxygen balloons, letting some float to the ceiling and others sit on the floor decoratively. Shigure spread a short red tablecloth over the table where we'd put the food and stuff, and filled a faux glass punchbowl with a reddish-pink liquid that smelled like citrus.

Only about a half hour later, the others showed up. Kisa, Kagura, Hatori, Ayame, Ritsu, and Hiro, the guest of honor, walked through the door, most carrying presents, others noisemakers and party hats. "Happy Birthday, Hiro!" called out Shigure, Momiji, and Haru (not so enthusiastically on Haru's part).

"Yeah, happy freaking birthday, punk," I said to Hiro. "Enjoy your party."

"If I feel like," he replied easily, though his eyes betrayed his irritation.

"Come on, Hiro-kun! Let's go find something to do!" Kisa took Hiro's hand and he blushed brightly, leading him away. I knew that would probably be his best birthday present.

"Happy Birthday, Hiro-kun!" Tohru said, coming out of the kitchen with a cake in her arms.

"Yes, I've been told…" I heard Hiro call sarcastically over the music.

Tohru set down the cake on the table and I saw Yuki come out of the kitchen. He took a few steps forward, glared at me furiously for a few moments, and then joined the party, seeming to have to try to talk good-naturedly to the birthday boy. Once Tohru had neatly arranged thirteen candles on the chocolate and vanilla cake, she took off her apron and threw it onto the kitchen counter. Considering her distance, her aim was quite admirable. Gah, she was so attractive when she baked…

Hours later, I'd been… Well, "enjoying" was too strong a word, but I hadn't been miserable at the party. Mostly, I'd hung around Haru, not moving around much, and getting only a little food. Kisa was sticking close to Hiro, which was keeping him happy, and everyone else seemed to be having a good time. Tohru had been talking to Kagura, but suddenly she turned toward me and smiled shyly, blushing. She took a few steps in my direction. OH CRAP! My mind yelled at me. OKAY REMEMBER THE PLAN! COOL AND IMPASSIVE! COOL AND IMPASSIVE! BE HARD-TO-GET!

"Hi, Kyo-kun," she said softly.

I almost lost my nerve, and I for-sure felt myself blushing, too, but I kept my apathetic expression. "Hey."

She didn't seem fazed by my lack of enthusiastic response. She took my hand and pulled me outside of the house, into the starry darkness. "So, what I was trying to tell you earlier, about Yuki and I–"

"Yeah. Seems pretty upset, doesn't he," I said in a monotone voice. I checked the watch I'd put on my wrist just for this sort of occasion: to seem busy and distracted; like I had better things to do.

She suddenly looked a little sad and a lot guilty. "Yes, he does…" she sighed. "Anyway, um, a couple of days ago, what I was trying to say–"

"Yeah, you know, that was a great day," I said, interrupting again and looking away from her. "Lots of fun."

"It definitely was, but like I was saying –"

"That punch looks pretty good; I might have to get some of –"

"Will you listen to me for just one second?" Tohru interrupted me finally, almost yelling, which surprised me. I quieted and turned back to her.

"Uh, yeah. What is it?" I said, still trying to sound sort of flippant.

"Look! The other day when I was trying to tell you something about Yuki, it was this: I don't think we're working out."

My eyes bulged. "What."

"Things just don't feel right. I love Yuki more as a brother or a friend, but not romantically. I never really pictured myself with him. There's someone else…"

"Oh. My. God. You finally break up with him and there's someone else I have to compete with! JEEZ! Give me a break! Haru and I have worked so hard!" I was appalled and, honestly, infuriated.

Apparently, she was surprised, too. "W-What?" she crinkled her brow.

"EVERYTHING! Holding your hand walking home, crashing into you, taking you out – it was all to try and get your attention!" I felt the words spilling out of me, unstoppable. I was telling her everything, but I just couldn't shut up. "I was hoping the entire time that you'd give up on Rat Boy and fall for me instead! I felt for sure in the theater when you held onto me that I'd finally gotten your attention, but my GOD!" I yelled. "THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE? YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LONG ALL OF THIS FREAKING PLANNING TOOK!"

She looked shocked. I noticed out of my peripheral vision that only Haru had noticed my yelling. He had come out of the house and was standing a ways behind Tohru, observing our talking intently. He, too, seemed horrified.

"Kyo…" Tohru began hesitantly.

"WHAT?"

She hesitated, then whispered, "You're the someone else…"

I was instantly emotionless. My stomach seemed to drop to my feet and my brain spilled out of my ears, leaving everything in between them empty. "W-W-What?" I stuttered. Haru stood gaping, his mouth practically hitting the ground.

Tohru blushed brightly. "I never thought I'd end up with Yuki. I never thought I'd end up with you, either, but that's because I thought it would never happen. But I think… Kyo, do you love me?"

My mouth had fallen open, too, but I quickly got a hold of myself and replied, "Yes, Tohru! I do, I love you!"

She grinned. "I love you too, Kyo." She looked away from me shyly. "Will… Will you be my first kiss?"

Without answering her, I picked her up and spun her around in my arms, bringing my lips to meet hers. I carefully wrapped my arms around her thin waist and she put hers around my neck. She had to tip-toe to reach, which I thought was cute, but I just picked her up and held her so she wouldn't have to stretch.

I opened my eyes just a bit to find Haru. He was smirking, now, one hand on his hip. He winked at me. "Told you so," he mouthed. "Hard-to-get. Works every time."

I grinned through our kiss and suddenly had a thought. This party had been going on for a while… I broke apart from Tohru and she looked at me confusedly as I studied my watch in the dark. It was five minutes after midnight. She saw, too. "It's my birthday…" she whispered wonderingly. "I got my first kiss for my birthday…!"

I grinned at her crookedly. "Happy freaking birthday."

End -

A/N: SO HOW'D YOU LIKE IT? I very much like the ending, though I feel it might be a little rushed… What do you think? Can I beg you to review? Ha, it's already SO amazing how many of you have favorite and reviewed this story! My email makes me happy ever day showing me who's added me to their Watch list and Favorites and whatnot! Makes my day! I got the BEST comment I've ever had a while ago, and I swear, I nearly had a heart attack! Thanks,

Well, I've LOVED writing this story, and now it's really over! I'll probably be working on some Harry Potter or Hunger Games or Percy Jackson and I have a few ideas for a Willet (Wilbur and Violet – the Incredibles and Meet the Robinsons), but I don't think I'll get around to that for a while *tear*. If you have any requests or ideas, talk to me! I'd LOVE to talk with you!

I don't always have all the time I'd like to write, but I try! Thank you for reading! I love you all! 3