The door opened.
Akito turned around slowly to see a teenage boy standing in his doorway. He smiled with an evil glint in his eye, not quite knowing what Kyo would ask, but knowing that he would never allow it.
"I'm leaving." The cat said to God.
God laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous." He said. "Where would you possible go?" Akito chuckled softly. Kyo stood his ground. The young man simply stared at the man whom he had once found terrifying. He was nothing short of pathetic in Kyo's mind now. A coward, a child. Frightened and violent when things didn't go his way.
"There's nothing that you can say that will upset me." Kyo said simply, staring straight ahead. Akito stopped laughing and looked at him incredulously.
"You can't be serious." He said. Akito stood up. "You cannot leave me. We share a bond, you and I."
Kyo looked up into Akito's eyes blankly, betraying no hint of fear. "That bond is an illusion."
Akito's cool mask broke.
"AND WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS NOT?!" Akito grabbed a fistful of Kyo's hair and threw him back against a wall. "YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT ME, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? NOTHING!"
Kyo merely stared as Akito looked down upon him. "I understand that you wish to keep us locked up here, as collectables or toys. You don't really love us. That 'bond' is fake." He stood up.
Akito was furious. "AND WHAT IS REAL THEN?!" Akito's fist collided with Kyo's face, and he fell back down again. "IF OUR BOND IS NOT REAL, THEN TELL ME, WHAT IS?!"
Kyo looked up at Akito, pity shining in his eyes. "A bond shouldn't be forced upon someone." He lifted a shaky hand and grabbed hold of the wall to lift himself up. There was blood running down his cheek, yet he still didn't look afraid. "A bond should be mutual, and shared willingly. The bond that you have was set upon us at birth, chosen for us." Kyo sighed. "That sort of bond is not real.
Akito growled. "I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL EVER LOVE A FREAK LIKE YOU! A MONSTER THAT KILLED HIS OWN MOTHER!" Kyo gazed upon Akito in silence as the words hit him. "TELL ME, WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD LOVE A MONSTER LIKE THAT?!"
Kyo closed his eyes. "She would."
Akito stopped and looked at Kyo, shocked beyond words. "She?" He asked, his voice now deathly calm. "She who?" Slowly, Akito walked towards Kyo. "You… you dare to… mention that… that thing…"
Kyo growled at Akito's words. "'She' has a name, and 'she' is no 'thing', Akito."
Akito's eyes bulged, and he began laughing uncontrollably. "This is RICH!" He yelled. "You think that that girl can possibly save you?! Tohru Honda?!"
Kyo's eyes narrowed. "Don't talk about her like that." He said.
Akito looked at Kyo, now angry. "How dare you?" He asked. "How DARE you speak TO ME LIKE THAT?!" His fist slammed into Kyo's face again, and Kyo fell. "GIVING ME ORDERS?! YOU ARE NOTHING! NO ONE CARES, NO ONE CARES, NO ONE-"
"She does." Kyo said with absolute certainty. "She cares about me..."
Akito growled dangerously. "No one cares."
Kyo looked straight ahead. "She does."
"NO SHE DOESN'T!" Quicker then Kyo could see, Akito grabbed something off of a desk and hit him in the chest with it.
Instant pain flooded him. Kyo gasped as Akito pulled the object out of his body. Kyo looked up. The dagger that Akito was holding was now covered in his blood. Kyo stood, paralyzed, as blood slowly leaked out of his chest.
"Now you'll see…" Akito muttered. "Do you get it now? No one will miss you. No one…" Akito walked slowly out of the room.
Kyo stumbled into one of the sliding doors and opened it slowly. With all the strength he could muster, he ran outside in the direction of Shigure's house.
'I have to see her…' Was the only thought running through his head. 'I have to see Tohru…' Kyo raced on, until he collapsed on the dirt road.
It was so cold; he couldn't move. His breaths came out in short gasps, and Kyo felt himself falling. As he struggled to open his eyes, the wound in his chest became more painful. Kyo let out a small yell for help, but knew that it was all for nothing. No one could hear him. He fell back and felt his hand touch something wet. He struggled to raise it to his eye level, and saw red liquid covering his hand. His own blood…
'No…' He thought in desperation. 'This can't be the end… I have to tell Tohru… Goodbye…' Kyo felt an unfamiliar sensation in his eyes. His face scrunched up as he began sobbing uncontrollably. 'God, WHY?! Do you have any idea how much she will SUFFER for this? Damnit all, she lost her mother, how terrible do you think she'll feel if she loses another loved one? Tohru's an angel, and this will destroy her…' Kyo felt tears falling down his face. Why? Couldn't he at least say goodbye? That was all he ever wanted, really. Just to say goodbye. To his mother, he never really had a chance, no one would allow him to see her. And now Tohru. Kyo's breath caught in his throat. 'Tohru…'
It wasn't fair. He saw her, every day, and had begun to anticipate her always being there. Kyo took her presence for granted, and now he was paying for it. Now, Kyo would never be able to tell Tohru how much he appreciated her cooking, how he had the song that she hummed while doing her chores stuck in his head for hours, how much he loved the smiles she gave him everyday, how much he loved her…
Kyo's head reeled. 'Love?' He thought. 'How? When? Why?' He struggled for answers yet found none. All that he could think of, as he lay bleeding to death on the dirt ground, was Tohru Honda. Her face, her eyes, her hair, her smile, the sound of her voice. It all came back to him, the memories of her. Kyo smiled, despite the pain.
And he knew, no matter what, that Tohru Honda would always be the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world to him. Kyo closed his eyes and prepared for death to take him…
"KYO!" The young man's eyes snapped open as he struggled to turn his head. Kyo let out a groan of anguish as he saw the one person he so desperately wished happiness running towards him. He didn't want Tohru to remember him like this. He didn't want Tohru to cry over him, to suffer because of him. Kyo struggled to speak as Tohru knelt down and frantically looked him over.
"I… Kyo, what… what happened?" She asked him, tears brimming her eyes. Kyo cracked a smile as he looked at her. As much as he hated her seeing him like this, Kyo felt so at ease knowing that she was there.
"T-Tohru…" Kyo coughed as he tried to talk to her. "Akito… He…" He broke into another violent coughing fit. "He…. stabbed me…when I told him… I wanted to leave…" Kyo felt his chest spasm in pain. He gasped harshly, and Tohru tried to pick his head up.
"Kyo! Kyo, look at me! We've got to get you to a hospital, okay? Just keep your eyes open!" Tohru quickly pulled out her cell phone and called 911. "Yes? Hello? My name is Tohru Honda, and I've found my good friend Kyo bleeding to death in an alleyway and he's lost a lot of blood and his eyes are closing- OPEN YOUR EYES!- and you just have to come and save him because he means a lot to me and I don't want to lose him, and…" Tohru's words were lost as she broke down crying.
'No…' Kyo wanted to say. 'Don't cry…' Painfully, he brought a bloody hand up and wiped Tohru's face gently. Her crying quieted, so that they were only silent tears.
The person on the line continued to speak. "Hello? Hello?! Miss, are you still there? We're tracing your call now, and we'll be there as soon as we can-"
'Empty words…' Kyo thought as he caressed Tohru's face. Tohru looked down at him, her face reflecting only sadness.
"K-Kyo…" He smiled. Tohru's tears fell down onto his face. "Please… I don't want you to leave…"
Kyo looked at her, regretful. "It's too late…" Tohru let out a cry of anguish as she buried her head into Kyo's chest.
"NO! Don't go, please don't go! I can't imagine a life without you, a life without Kyo…" Tohru broke down into whimpers as she began to hyperventilate. Kyo raised a shaky hand and placed it on her back.
"I'm sorry…" Kyo muttered. "I was reckless…"
Tohru kept on crying. "Don't say that! I don't want your apology! I just want you to LIVE!" Her body racked with sobs. "Kyo… Kyo, no…"
Kyo felt his breathing slow, and his vision got blacker. "Tohru…" His voice was far away now. He didn't have much time. "Tohru, I have to tell you…" Kyo coughed.
"Kyo, stay awake! STAY AWAKE!" Tohru pushed herself up so that she could see his face again. Emotions flooded her, and she could barely hear Kyo's final words.
"I love you." Tohru's heart stopped, and her tears became silent once again. Kyo let out one final shuddering breath before going limp. Tohru shook her head in utter denial.
"KYO!!!"
Miles away, a baby girl was born. A female doctor slowly picked her up. The mother smiled.
Hiro, who had been watching through the entire time, looked at the child in worry. There was something wrong about this.
"May I hold her?" Hiro's mother asked weakly. The nurse nodded and handed the baby girl over to her. She smiled as the baby began to cry.
'No…' Hiro thought. 'Something's still not right…'
"May I?" He asked.
Hiro's mother looked at him in shock, as did the other doctors. "Of… course…" She said. "Just be careful when you… transform."
For once in his life, Hiro wished with all his might that he would turn into a sheep when he hugged a girl.
Slowly, he reached his hands out to the crying babe. She gurgled, then laughed happily as her brother hugged her. Hiro's mother watched, surprised.
"What… is this…?" Hiro knew. As did all of the zodiac. A new one had been born. A new life…
One of the male doctors was ordered to hug the baby girl. She turned into a cat.
Hiro shuddered.
Akito smiled. They would never be able to escape him…