Hello! This is a sequel to Break Down Here or if you have not read that story this could be considered a one shot. This is Kyou's point of view on events. Hope you enjoy. Viv

For over ten years I have been stuck in this room. This dark, dank room which no one visits except for three people: Akito, Hatori and Yuki. None of them are at the top of my list as favorite person. Akito comes to laugh and mock me, Hatori to keep me alive and somewhat healthy, meanwhile Yuki... well, he only visited twice. The first time was a week after I was confined. He came to tell me she had gone to Hokkaido. Since that day I have not heard any information about her whereabouts but approximately seven years ago I stopped caring. The second time the rat came to visit was three years ago. He told me he was no longer cursed by the rat spirit, and that he was going to marry a girl named Machi. Later that day I learned from Hatori only Akito and I were cursed. After that day I never heard any more information from the outside world.

Now after ten years of confinement, I look through the largest crack I could find in the room. Hatori was walking towards my cage. On his face he wears a grimace. Something has happened, but I do not have the slightest clue. I run a thilthy hand through my hair; the last time I bathed was at least two months ago, but time runs differently when you are confined. One minute seems like ten, one day equals a week, one week is a month, and so on, until you feel like you have spent your entire life confined instead of one-third.

Still looking through the crack, I was surprised to see Hatori unlock the door because usually he feeds me through a small door which only big enough for one of my hand to go through. Opening the door I see Hatori, and he has changed much in the past ten years. At the age of thirty-eight, he looks like he should be fifty-five. Heck, I remember seeing men at the age of sixty-five who looked healthier and more lively than this man. His hair had thinned and was completely grey, wrinkles covered his face, and he seemed smaller and vulnerable. I looked down at the man, then remembered, when did I ever look down at him? He had always been taller than his comrades, but now I was bigger. I watched as he ran a hand through his hair; he was nervous being in the same room as I. Crossing my arms, I watched him taking in the dark room. Finally he spoke in a raspy voice, "I never knew you lived in such conditions, Kyou."

Those were the first human words I heard in months. I could not think of a reply, so instead I watched him as he inspected the room further. He was walking around the room, looking at the strange cracks and marks in the wood. Coming upon my make-shift bed which consisted of a thin blancket and well worn pillow, he indicated towards the items and asked, "Were they in this room before you came?" I nodded my head slightly, while he continued his inspection of the room. I knew he noticed the stentch, the fungi, and the blood, but he did tried to look inconspicious. Finally I was fed up with his inspection of the room. I said, "Why are you here, Hatori?" Unfortunately to me, the words had came out incoherent. They sounded strange, almost foreign, or maybe something worse. Hatori looked at me perplexed, and asked, "Did you say something, Kyou?" I nodded my head, while Hatori continued observing me.

After a few more minutes of observance, Hatori took a deep breath, and said, "You were probably wondering why I am here, after neglecting you for five months."

Inside my mind, I was screaming Five months? I knew that I had not seen other humans in a while, but I did not realize the amount of time. Before I could fully understand the meaning of five months, Hatori continued, "I came here today for a reason. The reason is this, Akito has died." I looked at the other man, then tried to shape coherent words. "He died?" I asked.

Hatori continued looking at me, and said, "Yes, he died." Speaking slowly, I said, "What wil happen to me?" Hatori looked away, and at that moment I knew I would not like the answer. We stared at each, the Hatori finally forced himself to speak, "In Akito's will, he specifically wrote you were to stay confined until you die."

I hung my head; however I was not surprised. I knew Akito would do that because he did not want anyone to be happy, expecially not me. Whenever Akito had came to visit, which was occassionally, he always called me monster. Then he would tell me I was the one who killed my mother, the one who made her leave, and the pathetic creature who would never be able to beat the rat. His verbal abuse lasted weeks at a time. Each hit wore me down until I became indifferent and calm. Anyone who knew me before I was confined would be surprised at the person I have became. Obviously Hatori was surprised because he asked, "You are not mad, Kyou?"

I grunted, "I stopped being mad eight years ago, Hatori." Hatori looked away, probably ashamed. Probably puzzled, too. We stood in the disgusting room with silence as company. Looking at Hatori, I tried to read his expression, but it was blank. A blank piece of paper probably be more readable than his expression, I thought. Continuing to stare at each other, Hatori finally started to walk towards the unlocked door. As he walked away, I watched. I did not make a move to follow. If this was eight years ago, I would of been out of that door the second it was unlocked. Now it did not matter; I had nothing important to live for.

Suddenly Hatori turned around and asked, "Are you not coming, Kyou?" I looked at the worn out man and said, "What about the will?"

Rubbing his head, Hatori said confidently, "I have not been cursed with a vengeful Zodiac spirit for seven years, Kyou. Akito is no longer the head of this family, I am and I do not want anyone confined."

Concentrating on the older man, Kyou decided to leave the room. "I will leave this room," said Kyou to Hatori. Nodding his head, Hatori indictated for me to walk through the door. "Be careful," he warned. "You have not seen sunlight in ten years." I walked through the door, and suddenly I felt warmth on my skin. Looking down at my hands, I noticed my hands were a sickly pale color; however it did not matter because I was breathing fresh air. Hatori who was on my right sight, said, "Follow me." I obliged.

As I followed Hatori towards the Main House, I looked at the scenery. All the buildings looked dillapidated, and being the curious cat that I am, I asked Hatori, "What happened here?"

He looked at the buildings, and said, "The Sohmas went bankrupt about two years ago. Akito had been very adament about investing in a private research project. Later on we learned that there was no research project, and we lost almost everything."

"Oh," I said. We walked in silence, until we came to the main house. Unlike the other buildings, the Main House was still in good condition. Hatori walked up the steps, and I followed. Opening the door, he took of his shoes. Since I had not worn shoes in years, I simply wiped my thilthy feet on the carpet, and hoped the carpet was not well liked. Then I stood at the door unsure about what I should do.

As I contemplated my options, Hatori beckoned for me to come over to the living room. Sighing, I walked over to Hatori, and together we walked into the room. Inside the room were all the other used to be Zodiac members and a few more people. They all stared at me as if I was a ghost. I stood there, embarassed and frightened. What if they did not want to see me? What if they hate me? As I stood there, a blonde haired man who looked a couple years younger than myself walked over. He gave me a huge hug which cut off my air supply, and said, "Welcome back, Kyou!"

I looked at the man who was still hugging me, and asked, "Who are you?" The man frowned while letting me go and said to the others sadly, "Kyou doesn't remember me."

I studied the blonde hair man, then questioned slowly, "Momiji?" Hearing the name, the blonde hair man was ecstatic. Jumping with joy, he said, "You remember me Kyou! Everyone see that! He remembers me!"

Hitting the blonde haired man, Momiji, on the head, I asked, "How could I ever forget you and your hyper energy, pipsqueak?"

Momiji who was still happy beckoned for the others to come over and greet me. The group which came over to greet me consisted of a woman who had raven black hair which was incredibly long. With her was a man who I instantly recognized as Haru. Even though he lost the Zodiac spirit, he still had black and white hair which he kept in the same style. Behind Haru were two younger Sohmas. I instantly recognized the twosome as Kisa and Hiro. Those two probably changed the most since I last saw them. Before I could greet them, Haru spoke.

"Hey Kyou,"he said shaking my hand. Indicating towards the woman, he said, "You remember Rin?" I nodded yes while he continued, "We married a couple years back. We have one son who is seventeen months old." I said politely, "Congragulations." Haru saluted me, while pushing Kisa and Hiro forward. Hiro was rolling his eyes, while Kisa stood politely. Instantly Kisa's behavior reminded me of a certain someone, but I pushed the thought away.

We stood awkwardly, until Hiro said, "We see you, now good-bye." He started to walk away, but Kisa grabbed hold of his arm. She pulled him back to me and said softly, "Hello, Kyou."

"Hello, Kisa," I replied. The two of us stood there while Hiro complained. Finally Kisa said, "Hiro and I are engaged to get married in five months."

"Congragulations," I said. Kisa stared at me for a few minutes later and said, "You look different Kyou. Older, worn about, but nothing that a couple weeks of civilization can't cure." Kisa glanced around the room and finished, "Well I think there are some more people who want to say hello." She waved good-bye and pulled a gumbling Hiro along with her back their seats with the others.

I watched as the walked away, then saw the next group come forward. The group consisted of three men in their late thirties. Along with them was a blonde haired woman. The first man to speak had very long silver hair. I instantly recognized him as Ayame. "Kyonkichi," he said. "Long time, no see." I grumbled back a reply, while Ayame continued talking, "Buisness is going wonderfully. I am now considered one of the top fashion experts in Japan. Isn't that news wonderful?"

Laughing with his eyes, a man with brownish hair, dabbed with grey hairs said, "Aaya, you have been considered the top fashion experts in Japan for six years now. It is hardly considered recent news."

Crossing his arms, Ayame said, "So Shigure? Everyone here knows, but not Kyonkichi."

Shigure was about to reply, but the blonde haired woman butted in and said, "We came over here to talk to Kyou, not listen to you two pathetic excuses of men argue with each other!"

I watched amused as the red haired man said, "Arisa please don't get involved-"

"I can get involved in whatever discusion, fight, or arguement I want," retorted Arisa. At those words I instantly remembered who the blonde haired woman was. She was one of Tohru's best friends. Obviously she and the red haired men were in some kind of relationship. Curious, I decided I should break up the fight. Calmly I said, "Hello Ayame, Shigure." The two older men looked at me nervously. Making a capricious decision, I decided to yell at them, and so I did.

"Why were you ignoring me," I yelled. Shigure cowered, and Ayame looked scared. Arisa nodded her head in agreement, while the red haired man, who I just remembered was Kureno, looked embarassed about being in the company of such weird people. I didn't blame him, I too would hate to be in Shigure and Ayames company. Finally Shigure and Ayame wimperd off to Hatori.

"Finally they are gone," said Arisa wiping a strand of blonde hair out of here eyes. "Those two can get incredibly annoying."

I smirked, "And you just figured that out."

Arisa raised an eyebrow, then said, "No, I learned they were annoying the month Kureno and I got engaged, which was some seven years ago."

"Congragulations," I said. Arisa and Kureno accepted my congragulations, then she continued, "The engagement was muder though. The head of the family, Akito was the name I believe." Kureno nodded his head. "Anyways, he had the biggest hissy fit that I ever saw, so we had to elope in Kyoto. We stayed there for two years. Finally Akito came begging for Kureno to return and thus we did."

I listened what Arisa said, then I asked, "What about your two friends?"

Arisa looked at me and asked, "You mean Hana-chan and Tohru?"

I nodded my head, and she said, "Hana-chan dated Kazuma for a couple of years, but he died from heart failure. It was kind of sudden, anyways she lives in Kyoto by herself. She is a well known taster. Then there is Tohru. Personally I have not heard from her in five years at least." Arisa looked at Kureno who nodded in agreement. "Anyways, the last time I talked to her, she was a flight attendant and living somewhere in Hokkaido."

I nodded my head because I remembered that Yuki had mentioned something about her living in Hokkaido. Arisa then said, "Good-bye Kyou. It was nice seeing you again." As she walked away with Kureno, I decided to take a seat. Once I sat down, Kagura and Ritsu walked over towards me. Kagura gave me a quick hug, and said, "I am done loving you, Kyou."

I glanced at the brunette woman, and asked, "Why?"

She smiled, and said, "I have a boyfriend, and I am pretty sure we will be engaged soon. Unlike our relationship, this one is not one sided. Anyways I am glad you are released."

"Thanks," I replied. Kagura waved then walked away. Ritsu then said calmly, "Welcome back Kyou." I looked at the man. Wearing a suit, he looked quite dashing. When he noticed that I was staring at his suit, he said, "I gained some self confidence after the Zodiac spirit left me. I now have a small buisness with my lovely wife Mii-chan."

"Good for you," I said. Ritsu smilled, and started to walk away. I took a deep breath because I was worn out. I had seen quite a few people, but the man who I wanted to see the most had not spoken with me yet. As I sat there, Hatori came over and handed me a drink. I looked up at the older man perplexed. "Why did you give me a drink?" I asked. Hatori shrugged and said,"You looked thirsty and tired."

"Oh," I said. Then I said, "Thanks." However Hatori was not standing next to my chair but a brunette girl who I did not know was. "Hello," she said. I grunted a reply, while she sat down on a chair next to me. "My name is Machi," she said. "I am married to Yuki." I did not say anything while she continued. "Anyways, Yuki does want to speak with you, but he doesn't know what to say. I just came over here to ask, will you go over and talk with Yuki? Please go." I looked at Machi and replied, "Yeah, I'll go talk with him."

Machi rubbed her hands togehter, and said, "Thank you so much, Kyou. Good luck with everything, and I don't mean just with the conversation you will have with Yuki."

I stood up, and waved halfheartedly at Machi. I then looked around the room, and saw Yuki standing in a corner. I walked over to his corner. Standing in silence, Yuki finally said, "I saw Machi talking to you. What did she say?"

"She asked me to go and speak with you," I replied. Again we stood in silence, then Yuki said, "I never hated you, Kyou."

"Then why did we always fight," I retorted. Yuki glanced awkawardly around the room, then said, "Because of the curse."

"I'm listning," I said. Taking that as I sign, Yuki continued. "Our Zodiac animals hated each other. The rat was jealous of the cats looks, and the cat hated the rat for beating him, and not waking him up so he could go to the party." I listened as Yuki continued, then finally he ended his speech by saying, "We hated each others animal, not each other as a person." We stood together in the corner. Finally I said, "I know what you mean. I hated the rat the most. I hated you a some, but not as much as the rat."

Yuki nodded his head, and said, "Kyou, I am sorry you had to be confined and because of that you lost many important aspects in your life. For that I am sorry."

I looked at the man with natural grey hair, and said, "You are not the one who should be sorry, but thank you anyways."

"Then we have an understanding?" asked Yuki. I grinned, "Yes, we have an understanding, but we are not going to be best friends, or friends for that matter."

"But we are no longer enemies," Yuki said.

"Agreed," I replied. "We are no longer enemies." With those words I walked away from Yuki, and back to my seat. I watched everyone interact with each other, and soon I found myself drifting off into dreamland.

After a couple hours of sleep, Hatori woke me up, and said, "Kyou, everyone left." Groggily I replied, "Whatever." Soon I went back to sleep on the chair, but woke up again when I heard someone knocking at the door. Hatori who was reading a book, had just opened the door. I could not tell who was at the door until I heard a familiar voice, "I hope I did not arrive too late."

Instantly I jumped off of the chair and headed towards the door to see Hatori talking to her. She was taller, maturer, and very elegant. Her hair had been cut to shoulder length, and was worn in light layers. She wore a light pink shirt, and blue jeans which was covered by an overcoat. I looked at her left hand and was relieved to see she had no wedding band. As I neared the twosome, I heard Hatori say, "Kyou is asleep, Tohru."

"I'm sorry that I arrived so late. I tried to come as soon as possible, but I had to finish my shift. I am a nurse. Then my plane flight was cancelled, so I had to find a new one. Anyways I am here now, and I guess I will wait until tomorrow. See you later, Hatori," Tohru rambled. She was about to leave, when I decided to show them that I was awake.

"Tohru," I called. As she turned around to find me, I walked into the room. She stared at me while I stared at her. Finally she said, "You look different, Kyou."

"You look different, too," I replied. We stood there in silence, then finally Tohru said, "I am sorry, but I made a mistake. I should of not came back." She started to walk through the door, and I followed.

"Why did you make a mistake?" I asked following her. As I waited for a reply, Tohru took out her car keys and opened the door. Sliding into the car, she said, "I shouldn't of came back."

"Why?" I asked. As she tried to shut the door, I grabbed hold of it. I looked down at her and asked again, "Why?"

Sighing, Tohru crossed her arms, and said, "Please shut the car door."

"Not until you tell me why you shouldn't of came back," I retorted.

"I made a big mistake, does that answer you question Kyou?" she said glancing around the dark yard. I followed her gaze, then asked, "What was your mistake?"

"My mistake?" said Tohru with an incredulous laugh. "My mistake is that I never stopped loving you. I traveled around the world to get away from the memories, but no matter where I went they followed me." As she spoke those words I shut the door, and when she realized that I had done so, she rolled down the window, and said, "I still love you Kyou." She started up the car, and started to drive away. Realizing she was going away, I yelled, "I tried to convince myself I did not love you anymore, and I thought I was right. But Tohru, I was wrong. I still love you, I have always loved you."

She stopped the car, and opened the door. She stood in the middle of the driveway, and looked at me. "Do you mean it, Kyou?" she asked. I nodded my head, then instantly she was running towards me. I felt exuberant, but there was another feeling. A feeling of letting go. As she neared, I felt the spirit of the cat leave my body, so when she hugged me fiercely, I did not change into the cat. Noticing this, Tohru said, "You aren't cursed anymore, Kyou."

I laughed with joy, while hugging her back, "Yes, I am free."

The End

I hoped you enjoyed this story. Please leave a review. I want to know what you thought of this story. I liked how it ended, I just could not resist a fluffy ending. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Viv