Yuki''s Preface

Every morning, for more than a year I got out of bed, looking forward to her smiling face, her loving optimistic out look on life, and of corse, her delicious food. How could my feelings for her not develop so deeply and quickly? To me, she was perfection, every thing I wanted and couldn't have. I love her. Tohru. But as suddenly as she came into my life, she changed. Such an unfathomable, unprecedented change for her. Tohru…

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'What shall I make for breakfast?' Tohru thought to herself, 'Yuki has a big test today, I should cook something to get him going. Perhaps, if we have the ingredients, his favorite.'

Yuki walks into the kitchen, about thirty minutes later. Succumbed by the smell of his favorite dish, he had willingly gotten out of bed at a decent hour.

"Perfect timing," Tohru said, putting the finishing touches on the serving dish. Yuki admired how gracefully she carried herself as she walked with the dish to the table. She set it down with a slight bump before turning to look Yuki in the eye. When their eyes met, he could see that she had something bothering her, it was not the same look as usual that lingered in her eyes, but a look of longing, and confusion.

"Tohru, is there something bothering you? Do you want to talk about anything?" Yuki asked concerned.

For but a moment, she looked away with the look from here eyes now enveloping her entire face.

"Last night Hana came late during the night and said that she had a message for me. She said something bad was going to happen to me," she said, and added with her voice trembling in fear, "today."

Yuki, suddenly overcome by his recently reveled feelings, pulled her into a very personal hug. She felt his love and concern seeping into her, she felt his warmth against her body, and his firmness, comforted her. Suddenly, a poof, and it was gone. She caught him, cupped between her hands and whispered thanks to Yuki. He was still looking her in the eye, when…..

"Well, well, well. What's this?" Shigure mused, "pda, people, pda."

At that moment Yuki transformed back and Tohru felt something…something warm and fleshy pass through her hands. Embarrassed, she quickly pulled away and went into the kitchen to fetch drinks.

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Yuki and Tohru didn't get the chance to speak again until lunch. Tohru's friends seemed to both have fallen sick that day, so she and Yuki ate lunch with the rest of the Sohma gang. Tohru is beside Yuki, Haru across from Yuki, and Momoiji across from Tohru. Table talk is minimum, until Haru decides to heat things up.

Suddenly, Yuki jumps up and lands back on the seat, his leg slightly pressing against Tohru's. On his face is a look of pure shock, and of Haru's a look of evil amusement. Yuki realizes that he is really close to Tohru and quickly withdraws. As Yuki and Haru eye each other, Haru leans into the table, and Haru slides his hand along the leg of Tohru closest to himself. With a squeak, she quickly draws her legs out of the table and scoots closer to Yuki. Yuki reaches across the table, and ends the assault by driving his rage into a well-directed punch.

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Later that day, Yuki is walking Tohru to work. He notices that she isn't acting herself.

"What's wrong, Miss Honda?"

"Oh, just the same thing as earlier. Nothing has happened yet so I am kind of afraid that something is going to happen to me at work, or on the way home from work. But Yuki, please don't worry about me, I'm sure that I'm going to be fine."

Yuki was pretty convinced that nothing was going to happen, but still he offered to walk her home that night.

"I couldn't possibly impose on you like that," Tohru said, afraid that she might have been complaining a bit too much.

Yuki looked her in the eye and said, "it's no trouble at all, I would actually enjoy it."

But still she shook her head. "I didn't mean to worry you. Please don't come get me, I can manage it," She said as they approached the door, "I'll be home around ten." She smiled and left Yuki in a rush so he couldn't argue. In truth, she really did want Yuki to walk her home, she had enjoyed the incidents earlier that day, and she would enjoy having his protection on the way home. But if anything was to happen to her she didn't want Yuki to have to partake in what ever was going to happen.

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Yuki goes home to wait quietly for Tohru's return.

'If she isn't back right at ten I am going to go looking for her' Yuki thought to himself, glancing at the clock. Suddenly, he felt a hand messing his hair and then a voice followed saying,

"It would seem that a certain someone is looking forward for his madden of longing. Lusts can not be kept control of Yuki! Run to her!" said shigure, followed by a screech from being hit in the belly by a tremendous blow.

"Perv." Yuki stated.

Just then Yuki's elder brother, Aaya came out of the kitchen and threw water all over Yuki.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" screamed Yuki.

"To cleanse your mind," said Aaya in a stately manner.

"YOU TWO ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO BE CLEANSED!" Yuki stormed off to his room, mumbling to himself about how mad he was at the pair. When he got to his room, he lingered beside the window before he changed. Had Tohru liked it when he had hugged her this morning? He sure had. And, in a way, shigure was right. He DID want Tohru. But the question was… did she want him as well? As he sat there contemplating time unknowingly slipped by…

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Tohru made sure to leave work as early as possible without upsetting her boss. She stopped at the door and looked out into the darkness. Tonight's darkness looked even darker than usual… it seemed that it devoured everything in sight, the trees, the sidewalk looked even more ominous. Nervous, she quietly walked out and quickly made her way home. Every sound or movement alongside the sidewalk made her jump. Nothing got her, however, until she was but 5 blocks from home.

She heard another movement alongside the road, she passed it off as nothing. After all she had heard about a million of them since her departure. But then, she felt an arm around her waist pulling her into the bushes and another covering her mouth so she couldn't scream.

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A cool breeze sweeping through the hall breaks Yuki's train of thought. His now damp clothing makes him shiver, he turns to get dressed and notices the clock. It's 11:30!