Addiction

Epilogue

By Catrina

A/N: I don't own them; I just want to play havoc on their lives. This is the last chapter, this story actually turned out a lot longer then I thought it would be, part of it really wrote itself. Thanks to those that have followed the journey and I hope that all of you like the ending. I can't believe it's over :(

00-00-00-00

Kyo didn't really think that this could be happening. He looked over the shocked faces of his friends and family, but nothing compared to the warm glow that was in Yuki's eyes. There was nothing that would ever make him forget this moment. There was something that was so special about this very moment. He felt Akito's hand drop from his wrist and he took that moment to step forward, letting go of Yuki's hand only to wrap the other boy in his embrace. He heard a collective gasp as Yuki wrapped his arms around him, but he couldn't fight how good, and how perfect this felt. Behind him he heard a thump, and the floor shook barely but he looked over his shoulder to see that Akito had fallen to the floor. He looked up as Ayame rushed forward and motioned Kyo to move while he helped move Yuki who was content just to stay there in his arms.

The arms that were wrapped around him held him safe and warm. It was okay…everything was okay here, nothing could touch him here. Yuki's embrace kept him safe from the storm that seemed to surround them. Everything that was around them meant nothing as they were simply aware of each other, aware of the heart beat the echoed in the other's chest, the hearts that beat together as one. Yuki could feel his brother pulling them both away from Akito as Hatori rushed forward. Yuki looked over Kyo's shoulder to see that Akito had collapsed, fallen on the ground. He looked frail and broken on the floor, but he really couldn't concern himself with that. He wrapped his arms tighter around Kyo.

"You love me?" The question was spoken softly into Yuki's neck. He had to ask, had to make sure that he had indeed heard the other boy right. Maybe…just maybe if they loved each other they could fight this, it gave him a reason to fight for something. It was a shock for the rat to hear it out loud, the actual question. It wasn't something that he was expecting, he had said it hadn't he, but it was no wonder that the cat questioned it, he had heard it before and it had been a lie, Yuki knew that Kyo had heard it from his mother only to have her turn around and leave him alone in a family that hated him. But there was no doubt that this was a lie, Yuki felt in down to the marrow of his bones, it was something that was connected to every cell of his being.

"God, do I love you. So much, I can't do this without you. This living alone thing, it doesn't work, I need you with me, around me, always." Yuki muttered pulling away to rain kisses over Kyo's face. Neither of them really noticed that half the room stared at them while the others gathered around the fallen Akito. It was finally Hatori's voice that broke through.

"Ayame get my bag, Shigure get everyone else out of here!" Hatori seemed to be doing CPR on the leader of the family and Kyo and Yuki found themselves pulled out of the room with the others behind them. Yuki thought that he heard Kyo's voice echo and 'I love you too.' But with the yelling and the noise he couldn't hear, but he could see it in his eyes and felt the hand entwined with his squeeze tighter.

After that everything seemed to fade in chaos, swirls of time and color that held no meaning for them but they found themselves at home, both sitting against the wall in the living room, they couldn't seem to let go of each other right now.

Shigure looked around his full house. Everyone seemed to be gathered here, but the room was filled with as much anger as it was with relief. There had been some yelling but that had all stopped when Momiji had simply said, "Let them be happy, let's hope all of us can find happiness like that."

The biggest thing had been trying to deal with Kagura; she seemed very concerned about Kyo's infidelity.

Nothing seemed to be going well and he had no place to sleep all these kids. Things got instantly calmer when Kazuma showed up about an hour after they did. It was at 2:00 in the morning that he got the call from Hatori.

Akito was dead.

When he told the news, no one really knew how to take it. Relief seemed to float around the room, then shame because they were relieved that Akito was dead. Some mourned him, but Akito really didn't have anyone that loved him. It was when Momiji jumped into Tohru's arms that Shigure realized what had happened

There was no rabbit.

He lifted Tohru from where she sat and wrapped his arms around her. Torhu confused hugged him back and he simply fell into the warmth of being hugged by her. By another human, that wasn't a Sohma. By the sweet girl that had changed everything.

The cat and the rat had lifted the curse.

Akito had simply been the living embodiment of the curse.

The cat and the rat loved each other, and that broke the curse.

That was why Akito was dead.

Tohru held the dog as he cried.

00-00-00-00

It was odd, how such a moment was heartbreaking. It seemed that all of this made sense now, why Akito had gotten sick when they first got together, why he was okay during the party. Why he died when Yuki told Kyo the truth. They sat on the floor side by side as Tohru hugged Shigure by the couch and everyone watched. Yuki laced his fingers with Kyo's and brought them up to his lips.

"You love me too, huh?" Yuki asked the question but he already knew the answer, he knew because Akito was dead.

"Yea, I love you, have for a while."

"Good," He laid his head on Kyo's shoulder and when Haru looked over, he saw silent acceptance in the other boy's eyes. Haru had a strong arm around Kagura keeping her in place; he knew that was the only reason that he hadn't been attacked by the boar.

"So, Tokyo?" Kyo asked laying a kiss on the top of Yuki's head.

"I have a scholarship, you have a scholarship, and there is still cram school." Yuki mentioned softly.

"No more restrictions." Kyo said softly, "I feel bad though; my freedom meant someone had to die."

"Not at all, Kyo. I think that the others may agree, but maybe just maybe, the leader of the family has always been the actual curse. Maybe that's why he was cruel and demented? Maybe all the leaders of the Sohma family have always been to a certain extent?"

"I thought that everyone thought that Tohru was the secret to breaking the curse."

"She was, if it wasn't for her we would have killed each other a long time ago." Yuki curled around his lover and smiled. Here he was, with Kyo his scent surrounding him.

"Time for bed." Kazuma announced as he started to hand out blankets and pillows. Kyo and Yuki snuck out and went back to Kyo's room. It was the mess that they found present in the room that prompted Yuki to talk.

"Don't ever run from me like that again." Yuki was meaning figuratively and literally.

"I didn't know what else to do."

"It was an accident."

"I know, but it looked so soft, and sweet." Kyo blushed but still the thought still caused him to hurt.

"It felt wrong; the only person I kiss is you." Yuki reached up preparing to kiss him, when a knock landed on the door.

"What!" Kyo exclaimed at the door.

"You need to share your room." It was Momiji… well it was better the Haru. He walked to the door and pulled it open allowing the younger boy in. Kyo pulled out his futon and made it up with spare sheets.

"Let's just go to sleep." Yuki stated, he didn't feel the slightest embarrassed when he climbed into bed with Kyo. But the young rabbit couldn't stay quiet.

"So how far have you gone?" Kyo and Yuki both turned beet red and both were silently glad for the darkness in the room.

00-00-00-00

The wake and the funeral were somber events and everyone really realized what it cost to be free of the curse. Once again Kyo was welcomed into the Sohma house, and this time he really looked at it, knowing that he would be here again and that it would be because of his free will. But for some reason he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around his freedom.

"What should I major in?" Kyo asked looking through the book.

"I have no idea." Yuki muttered but he couldn't help smiling. It was hours after the funeral and Kyo and Yuki were getting ready for bed, glad to have buried that part of their past. It was almost like seeing a different Kyo, that air of sadness and depression that he had wrapped himself in was gone. It was great to see. Yuki just stared at him. After all his dream was coming true too. Kyo was going to Tokyo with him. They would attend school together. They would live together; he would make sure of it. An apartment off campus would be nice, a home to call their own. It would be amazing.

He couldn't wait.

"We need to find a place to live." Kyo's voice was sudden. "You want a place off campus right, but we will want something close, we don't really have a way to drive so we will have to…" He stopped as Yuki approached him and kissed him softly on his lips.

"Say it again." Kyo blinked but he knew what he was asking for.

"I love you." Kyo was awarded with another kiss.

"Again."

"I love you," He received another kiss. "Your turn."

"I love you." Yuki yelped as Kyo pulled him down on the bed and underneath him, kissing him deeply.

Both had been surprised by the fact that there had been little to no repercussions of their relationship. Haru had kept Kagura at bay and other then the fact that Shigure had been surprised that so much had happened under his roof with out his knowledge the other family members let it be. Yuki had made his peace with Kazuma explaining what he had wanted that day, and what exactly it means. Yuki had cornered Kazuma before Kyo had had a chance to explain what had happened. They met little resistance, everyone was happy for them. They knew that they owed their freedom to Kyo and Yuki.

The next day Ayame took the apartment shopping in the Tokyo with Hatori and Ayame and needless to say they all were popping aspirin by half day. Kyo had the chance to meet the coach of the track team, and Yuki met the professor that he would be an understudy for. There was no doubt that a new phase of their lives were starting.

The next week they were living in their apartment, and while all they really had for future was a bed and a couch they were dealing with the change.

"Are you happy?" It was their first night in the place and the only thing that they had done was scatter pictures all over the place, they were on the walls, on the kitchen counter, and on the two tables they owned. Kyo looked to him over their meal, eating while standing in the kitchen. They would start their extracurricular studies tomorrow, and while Kyo needed it more then Yuki did, he knew that cram school would be helpful to them both. Plus he wasn't ready to really leave Kyo's side. It had become his turn to become more then a little clingy.

"Yeah," He leaned his head against Kyo's shoulder and smiled. In this little apartment he had a feeling that their love would grow, and that it would be great. "I'm happy, here with you. Think this is our happily ever after? Is it okay that we have that?"

"Yeah, I think its okay? Haven't we been through enough?" Kyo asked and Yuki silently agreed. There was no doubt that they had both lived through more people then most had their age, but that was okay. It still brought them to this point, to this moment in their lives. And this moment was full of so much freedom and happiness that Yuki couldn't really look back and regret the way that they had been forced to live before.

He looked over to Kyo and a smirk crossed his face as he put down his empty plate. "Shall we christen our new bedroom?" Their bedroom, with one queen bed, and dark blue satin sheets (a gift from Ayame). An echo of his smirk ghosted across Kyo's face.

"We should christen every room." Kyo agreed pulling Yuki to him.

"Let's get started." Yuki nodded placing his arms around the taller boy.

"Let's." Kyo agreed.

00-00-00-00

So, how is that for an ending? Thanks for reading and be sure to tell me what you think?

Another Kyo and Yuki story is in the works so watch for an update from me :)

Cat