#yukyo

So Yuki continues to play his role. Kyo challenges him. He fights him. Keep up the act.

One day, at school, he is with Tohru and he starts coughing. He spits out droplets of blood and flower petals. His secret has been revealed. He makes Tohru promise him that she will not tell. She does, although she asks if he tell Hatori. Maybe have his memories suppressed as a means to preserve his life. After all, he cannot die if he no longer feels love for the person causing it. He refuses to involve Hatori.

This goes on for a period of times, the illness gets worse and worse. To the point where he is now coughing up whole flowers. But he manages to keep it hidden. Using coughing suppressants when he has no choice but to be around people and coughing in front of Tohru and at his little garden.

One day, Kyo challenges him again. Yuki accepts. Unfortunately, Kyo lands a hit right at Yuki’s chest. This sends Yuki down and into a coughing fit. He hacks up blood and flowers before the one person he never wanted to see him like this.

Kyo is horrified. He knows what this disease is. Even though it is a rare illness, it happens enough where people are aware of it. And he cannot believe that somebody like Yuki would have somebody who would reject him. He is the rat. He is the one that everybody loves. 

Kyo calls for Tohru to get Hatori. He and Shigure take him to his room while they wait for Hatori to get there. Once Hatori arrives, he checks Yuki’s vitals and lungs, and throat. It isn’t good. Yuki’s Hanahaki Disease has advanced too much. His body is too weak even for the surgery. Hatori informs Yuki that he may have at most two weeks left. All that can be done is to make his life as comfortable as possible.

Kyo becomes kinder to Yuki in his final days, although the Cat is unsure if it is genuine or simply out of pity. But one thing is certain in Kyo’s mind. Even though he doesn’t love Yuki, nobody deserves to asphyxiate from a love that smothers.

In Yuki’s final hours, he asks for Kyo to be with him. An odd request, but Kyo humors a dying man’s wish. They sit together in silence. Kyo, clearly uncomfortable. He doesn’t know how long they stay like that. But when Kyo is about to leave, Yuki grabs at his hand.

“I love you. I’m sorry,” Yuki’s voice is shaky.

Kyo is just frozen. He doesn’t love Yuki. He never will. And even seeing that he is dying because of his feelings, Kyo just cannot will himself to fall for somebody he just doesn’t have an attraction for. He can’t. He never will. And neither of them deserve that.

So Kyo just goes and lays down with Yuki on his bed. He holds him. He rubs his back. He does whatever little comfort he can do without speaking. He knows that if he speaks, it won’t do Yuki any good. They both know that this love is clearly one-sided.

As Kyo holds the Rat, he realizes just how frail he has become. And even as he comforts a dying family member, his heart is hollow. Yuki coughs violently. The Rat dies in Kyo’s arms. Both covered in blood and flowers, Yuki’s mouth stained red just like Kyo’s shirt.