Uo kept her eyes shut until the screaming stopped, until the strangled gasp had decreased into short rapid breaths, then she finally heard a loud thump fall on the ground. Tears escaped her closed eyes and she was afraid to open them. Afraid of what happened. Afraid that she might have a bullet punctured in the center of her stomach and blood pooling out from her shirt.

But she felt no pain.

Gasping in shock, she opened her eyes abruptly and saw Kyo crouched over on the floor. He said nothing and Uo could hear his painful gasps of breath.

He sacrificed himself for her??

"Kyo!" She choked out and felt on the floor beside him. Uo grasped his face in her hands and searched for a bullet wound on his body but found nothing. His eyes were glassy and frozen as he stared past Uo. She slowly turned around to see a brown haired girl.

It was Tohru, lying on the hard, wooden floor with a pool of blood surrounding her body.

"NO!" Uo ran towards her best friend and broke into loud wails of sadness. She turned her body over until her head laid on Uo's lap. Tohru's eyes looked glazed and her breath was short and raspy. Uo looked down and gasped as she saw a huge spot of blood on her stomach. Blood stained her blue shirt and dripped down on the sides of her body. She looked closer and she was able to see the shiny glint of a bullet hidden in the scarlet blood.

Footsteps pounded on the floor as Yuki ran towards them. He dropped on the floor and started covering Tohru's wound with a ripped cloth from his own clothes. His breath came in rapidly as he stared at his girlfriend's unmoving body.

"Miss Honda?" He whispered, shaking her small shoulders in hope of waking her, "Miss Honda??" Yuki's voice rose higher and tears started flowing from his violet eyes, "No! TOHRU!" His body shook in despair as he laid his head in the crook of her neck. His sobs echoed around the room and his voice would hiccup everytime he breathed. He turned to her face and kissed her forehead. "No, you can't go! Stay with me Tohru.. My beautiful Princess don't leave me!" He wrapped his arms around her limp body, bringing her close to him and not caring if blood staining his clothes.

Uo stared numbly as her tears still fell. She didn't know what to do. Tohru wasn't supposed to get it. Neither Kyo. She can't be dead! This wasn't supposed to happen!

"Yuki." Tohru's small voice breathed out. Her blue eyes flickered but only slightly.

Yuki pulled back, eyes widening, "Tohru? I'm here, I'm here." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly, "I'm here my Princess."

Tohru let out a painful giggle, "You called me Tohru. Not Miss Honda."

Yuki shook his head, smiling through his tears, "I guess I did, love."

Tohru turned her head slowly towards Uo and smiled, "Hi Uo."

"Hey kiddo." She replied with a weak grin, "You're gonna be okay. This will be over soon." But she could hear the doubt and fear in her own voice. Uo didn't know how fatal the wound was and if Tohru was gonna make it or not.

Her friend nodded but said nothing. The pain reflected in her eyes as she tried to hold back tears but failed. Tohru closed her eyes and cried silently in the arms of Yuki.

He bent down and touched foreheads with her, "You'll be alright. You're gonna be fine. Please hold on."

Tohru shook her head, "It hurts so much." Tears kept falling from her once crystal blue eyes.

"Why then?" A voice croaked behind Uo and she recognized it was Kyo, "Why sacrifice yourself??"

She gasped at the pain then looked up at Kyo, "That's what family does for each other. I love you two both and-" her voice shook, "I don't want anything to happen to you two."

Uo could see Akito in the corner of her eye. He just stood there, watching them as they gathered around Tohru's wounded body. Uo didn't know whether the fire in his eyes were still there or they have gone away. He said nothing, not even a scornful remark or a twitch of emotion from his pale face.

Suddenly Tohru's breathing became shallow and blood continued to flow from her wound. She gasped silently and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Tohru, hey, it's gonna be okay." Yuki soothed but beneath his comforting voice was a wave of fear, "You'll be okay. You're gonna survive... you have to!"

"Yuki.." Tohru whispered, "I love you forever.."

"And always." He finished, his voice cracking as he brought her towards him once more. The couple both cried in each other's arms and Uo felt her heart shatter at the sound.

Slow clapping was suddenly heard and Uo turned to see Akito smirking. He walked towards them and leaned down to take a good look of Tohru.

"My, my." He grinned, "That bullet was meant for Arisa but I guess it could've been for the Honda girl too."

A hand whipped out in a flash and slapped Akito across the cheek. It was Yuki who hurt him and was staring at the head Sohma with rage. Akito seemed unfazed by his action and smiled darkly.

"YOU BASTARD!" Yuki shouted, "How dare you hurt Miss Honda that way! You're nothing but a dying creature waiting until his final breath has come. You deserve to die for all the crimes you committed! Don't you have a heart?!"

Akito broke into fits of laughter, "Dear Yuki, course I do. I just choose not to use it. The heart gets in the way of everything and it's pretty useless to have around other than pumping blood and keeping you alive."

"Then why don't you just go and kill yourself!" Yuki's eyes widened and slapped a hand across his mouth. He looked ashamed and bowed his head slightly until his bangs covered his eyes. He then went back to cradling Tohru in his arms.

"Ha! You silly little boy! You're even more ashamed than a common pup who disobeyed it's master! I'm even surprised you had the courage to talk back to me after all these years." Akito paced around the room with satisfaction. His eyes gleamed with rage but his smile showed otherwise.

Uo flinched when she heard the sound of the gun click again. When she looked she expected the assassin to be holding the weapon but instead it was Akito, and he was pointing the barrel of the gun straight at her forehead.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to finish this myself." He sneered, pressing the gun on her head, "Hold still so I don't make a mess."

"NO AKITO STOP!"

Uo heard Kyo's voice but she also heard a second one. She turned towards the door of the room inside and saw Shigure staring at the scene with shocked eyes. He seemed out of breath as if he just ran a mile.

Akito grinned, "My dear Shigure! I apologise for not inviting you back inside to witness the main attraction. Such a shame you had to miss it."

"Akito how could you?" He choked out, his eyes darted between Up and Tohru who still laid still in Yuki's arms, "This isn't you!"

Akito laughed, swinging the gun in the air until it was back to resting on Uo's head, "You obviously don't know me then old friend. You don't know what I'm capable of doing."

"Yes I do." Shigure said firmly, "And you should sheath your gun before you regret it."

"Or what?" Akito challenged, "You can't do anything about it. That Honda girl is already dying, and Arisa is about to get shot. I've scarred so many people. I enjoy it."

"I mean it Akito!" Shigure raised his voice, "You can turn back now. You can help save Tohru."

"Save her?!" He spat, "She's the reason why I have to take these risks! She is the curse in the Sohma family. She corrupted the lives of you, Yuki, and Kyo! Without her then her friend wouldn't have found found out about the curse!" He clicked the gun again then glared down at Uo. She saw the fire once more, it's fumes radiated out from his pupils and the anger ignited, "I'm gonna finish this. I WILL FINISH THIS!"

"NOW!" Shigure yelled.

Suddenly, a bunch of policemen rounded the side of the house. Two of them grabbed Akito by the arms as fast as lightning and slapped the gun out from his hand. Uo stayed on the ground, too shocked to speak. More policemen came and tackled the assassin to the ground then handcuffed him.

"Let me go you bastards!" Akito struggled in their grips, his lips pulled back in a snarl as he spat on the nearest man, "Release me!!"

Shigure walked towards him until their faces we're an inch away from each other, "I warned you Akito." He said softly, "We will see you in court."

"COURT?! HA!" He laughed maniacally his eyes were now replaced with a soft haze of insanity, "No, I'll see you all in hell!"

Those were the last words Uo heard until the police pulled the dark haired Sohma away and into the back a police car. Paramedics came after that and placed Tohru on a cot then took her to the ER. Yuki went with them, he never left her side at all.

All that was left was Kyo, Uo and Shigure, who was answering some questions from the FBI. Uo stared at the ambulance as it drove away with her wounded best friend. She should feel relief. Relief that Tohru will be in good hands and Akito was placed behind bars. But she only felt loss. Loss that she couldn't save Tohru and loss that she was not able to persuade Akito's corrupted mind. He was far too gone to listen to anyone now.

Uo felt a hand wrap around hers and she turned to see Kyo looking at her. He embraced her tightly and kissed her on the cheek.

"You're so stupid." Uo whispered, "Didn't you realize you could have died if it weren't for Tohru to..." tears slipped from her eyes.

Kyo nodded in her hair, "I know. But I made a promise to you. I was never gonna let anything happen to you. I wish I could've done the same to Tohru." He pressed her closer towards him.

Uo sighed and nodded, "At least she'll will be okay now. And Yuki is with her."

The couple held each other close on the porch of the Main House. The sun shined above them through the clouds as if it too was relived everything turned out somewhat okay. But no matter what, Tohru was still on Uo's mind the whole time. She hoped, prayed, and begged that she is and will be okay.