(A/N: I'm sorry, this chapter is a little short. It's the final chapter, and, sticking with the Beauty and the Beast theme, I didn't have much to go on. So I hope you enjoy the last chapter.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Happily Ever After

Tohru quickly headed back inside, running through the house and bursting out the front door. Akito lay dead on the ground, his neck broken, his eyes staring lifeless at the sky. But it was Kyo that Tohru ran to. He had landed on the broken axe that had been sticking out of his side, pushing it further into him.

"Kyo! Kyo! KYO!!!"

His eyes slowly opened. With his remaining strength, he rolled onto his back so he could look up at her. "Toh…Tohru…"

Tears filled her eyes as she hugged him. "Oh, Kyo. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Kyo struggled to speak. "N-No… Tohru… it's not… Ple-Please don't… apologize… I owe you so… so much… Y-You… saved me…"

"Kyo!" cried Tohru fearfully. "Don't talk like that. You're scaring me. It sounds like you're saying goodbye. You can't, not when we're together again."

Kyo gave her a smile. "I'm just… glad I… got to see you… one more… t-time…"

His eyes rolled up into his head as he breathed one last time. Then he was still. Not moving, not breathing, nothing.

Tohru's eyes were wide with horror. Tears poured from them as she shook uncontrollably. "Kyo. Kyo. Kyo! No, Kyo! Don't go! Please don't leave me, Kyo!" She buried her face into his chest and wept. "I love you."

As she lay there weeping, the clock chimed midnight. All movement in the Sohma estate, human and animal alike, froze. It was midnight. Kyo was officially 18. The deadline had passed. And Kyo lay dead on the ground next to a sobbing Tohru.

The clock continued to chime. Six chimes past midnight. The Sohmas were weeping. Eight chimes. Kyo was dead, so was Akito. Ten chimes. The curse would remain. Eleven chimes. It was all over now.

When the clock chimed a twelfth time, Tohru heard the unmistakable sound of a heartbeat. At first she thought it was just her imagination, but then she heard it again, and again.

Sitting up, she looked down at Kyo. His body was beginning to smoke. Shocked, she jumped back, watching as more smoke emitted from Kyo's body. The broken axe in Kyo's side was forced out, the wound immediately healing afterward, not even leaving a scar. Slowly, Kyo's body was lifted off the ground and began floating in the air. It began glowing brightly as his skin began shifting.

Tohru's eyes were wide with shock as Kyo began to change. His body got smaller, his deformities reshaping themselves. Even his horrible scent was fading away. His features were turning… human. But the light eventually got too bright and the smoke too thick to be able to see.

There was a bright flash of light, and the smoke vanished. Slowly the body of an 18 year old boy floated to the ground, Kyo's pants covering his lower body. He was very handsome, Tohru noted, but who was he? And what had happened to Kyo?

The boy stirred slightly and slowly rose to his feet. He seemed surprised for a moment, the he looked down at himself. He examined his for a moment, unable to hold back a gasp. Then he turned to Tohru, locking eyes with her. Though his eyes were red, they held kindness, and… love?

Tohru blinked. Who was this? She had never seen him before, yet he seemed so… familiar.

"Tohru." He whispered. "It's me. It's Kyo."

Shock was written over her face. She studied him for a moment, taking in his handsome features. Slowly she reached out and touched him. He seemed to be emitting the same presence that the beast did. Her eyes traveled over his face, up to his head. He had the same orange hair color of that boy in the portrait in Kyo's room. Was this boy… was Kyo…

Tohru's eyes widened and filled with tears of joy as she realized what had happened. "It is you." she whispered, cupping his face.

Kyo couldn't hold himself back any longer. He pulled Tohru to him, pressing his lips to hers. Tohru was surprised at first, but then she kissed him back, expressing all her love for him. Whether in human form or beast form, this was still Kyo, the man she loved.

There was a flash of light that traveled through the entire estate, originating from the kissing couple. Suddenly everything didn't seem quite so gloomy. In fact, the Sohma estate looked as good as new. The sky cleared up, the rundown houses seemed to repair themselves, all kinds of plants sprang up from out of the ground, and the atmosphere seemed much more inviting.

There were several popping sounds. Clouds of colorful smoke filled the estate as the cursed Sohmas seemed to explode. But when the smoke cleared, there were people standing in the animals' place.

Tohru cried out and covered her eyes when she realized that these new people were completely naked, but Kyo's eyes lit up as he stared at his cousins restored to their human forms.

"Yuki!" he cried happily, overjoyed that they were no longer animals. "Shigure! Hatori! Momiji! Everyone!"

"We're back to normal!" Momiji cried happily, jumping up and down.

Hatori placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Momiji, make yourself decent." He said, while the other Sohma'a made a run for the clothes that had been hung up to dry.

Someo for them didn't even get the chance to dress as their family members embraced the long lost loved ones, who they had feared were lost to the curse forever.

"Aw, but we were always naked before!" Momiji whined.

"We were animals before." Hatori told him. "There's a difference."

"That's true." Momiji admitted, as he pulled on girl's clothes. "But now the curse is broken! Tohru, Kyo, you did it!"

Tohru blinked, suddenly feeling bashful that everyone was looking at her. "Um, I did? What'd I do?"

Kyo embraced her. "You saw through me. You saw past the monster I was and reached the man I am. Your love broke the spell."

Yuki smiled at her fondly. "Miss Honda, we are eternally in your debt. If it wasn't for you, we would have been animals forever."

"But love conquers all!" Momiji cheered. "It is the most powerful thing in the world."

"Love broke the spell?" Tohru repeated. Slowly as smile crept up her face. "It sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

Kyo turned her towards him and cupped her face. "A fairy tale, huh? Well then you know what happens next, right?"

Tohru felt joy swell up in her heart. "Happily ever after?"

Kyo smiled. "Happily ever after."

THE END

(A/N: Well, that's a rap. It's a happily ever after for Tohru and Kyo, as well as the rest of the Sohmas. Thank you for sticking with me till the end. I hope you enjoyed my story, and I hope you'll look into my other stories.)