little prayer

A lot of times, the other students stared -- especially the newer ones, the younger ones, who were so surprised by what they saw. None of them could understand how unpopular, if sweet, Honda Tohru could become the object of both Prince Yuki and Kyo-Kyo's affections; how the two boys both hated each other but silenced their scuffles when she was around. No one understood this, and everyone stared, but nothing was said.

Tohru, likeable enough but unpopular, walked between the two of them like it was nothing; she held their hands, swinging her arms happily back and forth, like she was a child again that wasn't bound by pride or knowledge or hatred. Yuki smiled at her, endearing -- he encouraged her behavior, enjoyed it. Kyo turned his head away, blew air out between his teeth, tried to brush it off like nothing because he was embarrassed to be seen in such company. He endured it, however, because of her.

The Prince Yuki fan club did not deter Tohru. She hardly seemed to notice them, and if she did, she did a good job of ignoring them. Even Kyo's many admirers fell away once it became apparent that he was no longer available, and soon everyone was staring from a distance, wondering suddenly how Honda Tohru had become so high up on the hierarchy.

Hana and Uo said nothing. Occasionally someone would glimpse a smile on one of their faces if they happened to see the trio going by, but most of the time they made no judgment, good or bad, regarding Tohru's choice. Tohru did not ask for any advice, and they didn't give any -- fulfilling their posts as the best of friends until the end, they simply remained there for support, not to act like the mother Tohru had.

At the Sohma house, such behavior was just as common as it was at school. Many times Shigure walked in on Kyo helping Tohru with the scrubbing of the kitchen floor, and just as frequently he found Yuki and Tohru hard at work studying together, heads pressed together over a shared book or lying side-by-side on Tohru's large bed with a book propped between them. On not-so-rare occasions, Yuki somehow appeared to help finish off the four corners of the kitchen, or Kyo would curl up on the foot of the bed and complain about school, studying, and other assorted, school-related subjects.

When he witnessed these incidents, Shigure would casually phone Ayame and start with a lazy account of his latest foray into the world of writing and eventually nose his way into the topic of Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo; as a result, Aya would call Hatori to exclaim over the improving social conditions of his younger brother and how he was sure that it had been all his influence. Hatori would listen indifferently and offhandedly mention it to Momiji the next time he saw the younger boy, and Momiji, never able to keep a secret, would tell Hatsuharu as soon as he could. Hatsuharu would inevitably run into Kagura at the main Sohma house and, to make conversation, would tell her about the odd goings-on at Shigure's house. Having long ago accepted that Kyo wasn't hers to keep, she would relay both the details and her lament of woe regarding Kyo to Ritsu next time she saw him -- and Ritsu, holding Tohru in very high regard, would wish her luck when he next saw her. Tohru, dismayed that the entire Sohma family knew what was going on between Kyo, Yuki, and herself, would, in confidence, tell the rat and cat her disconcerting news. While Yuki would sit back and ponder the repercussions of what had happened, Kyo would fly into a rage and threaten to maim whoever had first shoved their relationship under the eyes of the other Sohmas. At this point Shigure would remember that he had a book due to his editor and quietly slip out of the house, thus leaving Kyo steamed and unfulfilled.

Even though the entire Sohma family knew what was going on between Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki and the three were constantly bombarded with questions and comments and advice, they somehow managed to keep some free time for themselves on occasion. For instance, sometimes Tohru found a spare moment to fall asleep with Kyo and wake up with Yuki, or Yuki and Kyo would pass by each other and exchange not a fist or a glare but merely a passive look of understanding and grudging respect.

And, just sometimes, when there was absolutely no one else around and there was a brief minute where nothing needed doing, Tohru surprised Yuki with an impromptu kiss, or Kyo would ungraciously attempt to capture Tohru's lips, an effort that usually ended in an unbalanced tussle and whose end result was a cat-form Kyo and a giggling Tohru. These were just little flashes, tiny pinpricks that occurred just rarely enough to keep the three craving those moments again, and then they were back to normal, back to holding hands and swinging arms and acting together but not close, because the Sohmas were famous for pulling off a great lie, and Tohru was an honorary Sohma in everyone's eyes but Akito's, so she was able to lie and dupe and evade as easily as any other Sohma.

So if Shigure happened to walk in on Tohru sleeping beside Yuki's bed while he was sick with an infection of his bronchial tubes with an orange cat in her arms, he thought nothing more of it than a strong bond between the three, while when he closed the door Tohru would check Yuki's temperature and then kiss his cheek while Kyo affectionately nuzzled her arm and angrily told her to stop messing around with the rat and pay more attention to him.

It was an endless circle of lies that bound all of the Sohmas, but if love was involved, then a lie could slide, sometimes.