THE GIRL - First Meeting
Kyo never thinks that he would actually meet Tohru again after he stopped seeing Kyoko as a child… and especially not right after seeing Kyoko die in a car accident. When they first meet as teenagers, it is just after Tohru moves into Shigure's home. Kyo has fallen through the roof and is trying to fight Yuki -- Tohru trips and falls onto him and the secret of the Sohma family curse is revealed! Tohru finds out that Kyo is possessed by the spirit of the cat.
Tohru is absolutely ecstatic to meet the cat of the zodiac! When she was a child, her mother told her the story about the cat being left out of the banquet. Tohru felt empathetic towards the cat and wanted to be born under the year of the cat when she was little. Unfortunately, Kyo doesn't really know how to act around Tohru at all (likely due to the guilt he feels over her mother's death) and accidentally yells at her quite often. He tries to apologise to her later, telling her that when he loses his temper, he tends to lose sight of what's around him. Tohru tells him that she has always liked the cat and wants to be friends with him. Kyo is surprised; he's used to people despising the cat altogether.
EARLY DAYS
Soon after Kagura first visits Shigure's house, Tohru and Kyo end up spending time together on the roof. This is the first time that Tohru and Kyo really bond with each other as Kyo excitedly tells Tohru about his martial arts master. He abruptly stops talking, apologising for going on about a topic that Tohru likely has little interest in but Tohru surprises him by saying she knows a little bit about the the topic. She demonstrates her knowledge by weakly punching Kyo in the arm and Kyo just laughs, proceeding to teach her how to punch properly. Tohru notices that behind his angry facade, there is a kind side to Kyo.
It isn't too long before renovations on her grandfather's house are complete and Tohru is reminded that her stay at Shigure's was always meant to be temporary. After she moves out, she reflects on how much she misses both Kyo and Yuki. Kyo is unable to stop thinking about Tohru after she leaves and goes with Yuki to bring her back. He confesses to her when they are alone that when she left, he wasn't able to calm down. He tells her that if she didn't want to leave, she should have said so! Tohru is grateful and Kyo grabs her hand, leading her back home.
When Tohru finally reveals to Uotani and Hanajima that she is living with Yuki and Kyo under Shigure's roof, the two girls demand to visit so they can make sure it's a good environment for her. While they are spending the night, Kyo overhears Tohru telling them about the boy with the hat who found her when she was lost as a child. Kyo sees her holding his old hat and knows that she's talking about Yuki. They go on to say how romantic it would be if she met up with the boy now that they're older and Tohru admits that this boy was probably her first love. Kyo looks visibly put off at hearing this.
Time comes for the school festival and Tohru's class decides to make an onigiri stand. Kyo comes by the kitchen when Tohru is busy making onigiri and he makes one for himself to eat. Tohru is delightfully surprised at Kyo's onigiri-forming technique, noting that it seems as if he's had much practice at it. Suddenly, an idea dawns on her: maybe people are like onigiri. Just as an onigiri has an umeboshi (pickled plum) on its back, people have their good points on their backs as well, preventing them from seeing their own positive features. She tells Kyo that he has good points, just as Yuki does. Kyo is taken aback by these kind -- if strange -- words and before she returns to cooking, he tells her that she has an umeboshi on her back as well.