Somewhat AU. Anime, not manga, based. No slash.

Shigure, Tohru, Yuki, and Hatusuharu were seated at the breakfast table. It was three days after graduation. Yuki had graduated at the top of his class, with Tohru not far behind. All of the Sohmas except Akito had come in for the graduation. Akito was ill. How ill, no one knew. All they did know was that he wouldn't be coming for Kyo yet. Shigure knew that he wanted to come himself, to make some sort of sick point in coming himself. Someone would have to suffer more than he did, and continue suffering for longer than Akito lived. Shigure glanced across the table at Tohru. She was so happy about her graduation. Her mother's wish had finally been fulfilled, and now Tohru felt that her life was complete. Whether or not she would attend college was still up in the air, but Shigure knew that whatever Tohru did, she would be completely happy. He took a sip of water. Thank the fates that Tohru had no idea about Kyo. Certainly, she knew about his true form. But she didn't know he would be going into confinement, only that he would be leaving. Shigure had told her earlier, before graduation, that Kyo would not be attending college. He wanted to complete his training and live in the mountains instead. Tohru had been disappointed, but it was better than letting her know the truth. Shigure didn't think that Tohru would be able to stand it if she knew that Kyo was going to be isolated from the rest of humanity for life. Learning about Kyo's true form had almost broken her—for her to learn the consequences of that form would be too much for the child to handle. Yuki, of course, knew that Kyo was to be confined. Every Sohma did. Shigure wasn't sure why, of course. If Kyo wore his bracelet then everything would be fine, but every cat from time immemorial had been confined, so he supposed they had a reason. Supposed. Of course they didn't have a reason. Akito was just a devil from hell who wanted to interfere with everyone's lives and cause as much suffering as he could before he went to the next life. If you asked Shigure, he would say that wasn't precisely the best way to go out of this world, but Akito wouldn't have it any other way. Demon. He controlled their lives, everything about them. What they said, what they did…how they lived. Shigure fist twitched slightly just thinking about him. Akito wanted Kyo confined, so Kyo would be confined. That was all there was to it. Shigure didn't know exactly how Yuki felt about that. He knew that the two hated each other more than anything else in the entire world, but Yuki had, after all, gone after Kyo during the revelation two years ago. They hadn't spoken a civil word to each other since, and Yuki still carried three large, jagged scars on his shoulder, marks of Kyo's claws. Shigure wondered if Yuki realized that Kyo could have killed him right then and ended his torment forever. If Akito would even have kept his promise. The cat's original form was much more powerful physically than any other Zodiac member. Kyo could have killed Yuki very, very, easily. But he hadn't. Shigure wondered what that meant. Was it possible that the two were trying to bridge the gap between them, millennia old as it was? Why would they?

"Shigure?" The question brought him sharply back to reality, and he glanced at Haru.

"Yes, Haru?" He asked.

"Is Kyo sick or something?"

"Huh?" Shigure blinked. Kyo indeed wasn't at the table. Perhaps he was sleeping in.

"That's funny." Tohru said, worrying. "He's usually the first one down."

"Cats like to sleep, after all." Shigure said, but couldn't refrain from looking towards the stairs. "I wouldn't worry."

"Maybe he's getting ready for his trip to the mountains." Tohru suggested, but there was still worry in her voice. A silence fell over the table, but before Tohru could notice anything wrong, Shigure quickly broke it.

"Probably." He agreed, keeping his voice light as usual. Seeing that she still wasn't reassured, he sighed. "Maybe you had better go check on him, anyway."

She brightened immediately. "Of course I will!" Jumping up from the table, she hurried up the stairs and out of sight. Haru stared at Shigure.

"'Getting ready for his trip to the mountains'?" He asked without expression. "That's interesting."

"Shut up, Haru." Yuki snapped, surprisingly for him. "She doesn't need to know."

"Uh-huh. Don't you think she'll want to visit him?"

"That's not possible." Shigure said from behind his paper. "You know that." His voice hardened slightly. "Don't bring it up again."

"Hey, don't be so touchy, Shigure." Haru protested. "I was just saying…"

"And he's telling you to stop it." Yuki said quietly. Haru glared at him and was about to say something when a shriek ripped through the kitchen. Yuki leapt to his feet.

"Tohru!" He ran up the stairs, followed closely by Haru and, more slowly, by Shigure.

When he got to Kyo's room, he found Tohru kneeling beside the bed, clutching Kyo's arm. Yuki quickly knelt down beside her, looking at her in concern.

"Miss Honda, are you all right?"

She nodded. "But Kyo…"

Yuki looked down and took in a sharp breath. The stupid cat…what the heck was he thinking he was doing?

"He looks really sick." Haru said, kneeling across from them and touching Kyo's forehead. The cat was flushed, and sweat was pouring off him. The sheets were soaked all ready. As they spoke, Kyo shifted in bed, muttering unintelligibly to himself.

"Sick, is he?" Shigure asked, coming up behind Haru. He laid his hand on Kyo's forehead. "Ah. A fever." He stood up. "Best call Hatori, then."

"Tell him to come quickly!" Tohru cried. "Kyo's really sick!" Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at the feverish cat. She held his hand. "It'll be okay, Kyo." She whispered. Yuki felt a quick stab of jealousy. Tohru shouldn't be worrying over that stupid cat. He would be fine, as usual. Then he pushed the thought away. It wasn't…it wasn't kind to think such thoughts, not now. Soon Kyo would be out of all their lives and trapped in his own. The best thing to do now would be to make his last few days as nice as possible, even if it meant gritting his teeth and refraining from stabbing him.

Hatori, to their surprise, came ten minutes later, his face flushed as if he had run the whole way, something which was perfectly ridiculous, considering he had a car. Ignoring Shigure's greeting, Hatori went straight upstairs. Shigure stared up the stairs after him for a moment, a frown creasing his brow, then looked at the teens.

"Stay here." He went up the stairs. Haru and Yuki stared after him. Something was wrong. This had to be family business. Hatori was never so serious except about family business. But…it was ridiculous. Kyo was just sick. It wasn't life threatening—the cat had an uncanny ability to recover quickly from illnesses. So what was the rush?

"I hope Kyo is all right." Tohru said softly. Her lower lip was quivering. Haru looked at Yuki. Yuki looked at Haru. They both looked at Tohru.

"Of course he'll be all right." They said simultaneously, all the while wondering within themselves if that really was true this time. Kyo had looked pretty sick. And Hatori had been in a real hurry—even brusquer then usual, if that was possible.

"But Hatori…"

"Hatori's always like that." Haru said, trying to brush it off. "He's just a grouch. You know that."

"But he usually says hello to Shigure." Tohru sniffed. "Something must really be wrong!"

"I doubt that, Miss Honda." Yuki lied. "Hatori's just out of sorts because he doesn't like getting up early. You know how he is in the morning."

"I suppose…" Tohru said, still wavering.

"Yeah, he's a real grouch!" Haru agreed. He laid his hand on Tohru's shoulder. "I'm hungry. You want to finish breakfast?"

She smiled. "I guess so." She glanced up the stairs. "But Kyo…"

"We won't know anything anyway for a while." Haru said. "Come on. Let's eat."

"Okay." Tohru said, smiling more brightly this time. They all sat down at the table, and she began to chatter about something or other. Yuki and Haru looked at each other over the table. Something really was going on here.

"Hatori?" Shigure said quietly, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

Silence met him. He waited a moment, then silently slid the door open and slipped inside. Hatori was bending over Kyo and injecting him with something. Shigure sat down across from him and stared at the cat. The boy wasn't flushed any longer, and his breathing had regulated. The sweat was drying. Shigure glanced at Hatori and saw that his cousin was staring down at the boy, his face unreadable.

"Hatori." Shigure said softly. "What's going on?"

Hatori lifted a finger to his lips and looked back down at Kyo. The boy began to stir on the bed, whimpering painfully, then opened his eyes.

"Hatori?" He asked, suddenly wide awake. "What the…why are you here?"

"It's started, Kyo." Shigure looked quickly up at Hatori. What did the man mean? What had started?

Kyo pressed himself flat back down on the pillow. "No." He whispered. "It hasn't."

"It has." Hatori said, inexorable. "And from the looks of it, this isn't the first time."

Kyo closed his eyes. Shigure felt himself tense inside. Kyo's fists were clenched on top of the blanket.

"No, it hasn't!" He repeated, yelling now. "It HASN'T!"

"Kyo." Hatori paused. "Yelling won't change it."

"No!" Kyo shot up in bed, glaring at Hatori. "I won't let it! I won't let it! You can't…you can't lock me up. Not yet."

"Kyo." Hatori gazed at his younger cousin. "I have no choice."

"I had until the end of the summer!" Kyo yelled, glaring at Hatori. He appeared furious, but Shigure could see his eyes filling with tears. "You said! You SAID!"

"I'm sorry, Kyo."

Kyo's jaw muscles worked, and the muscles on his arms corded, twisting in anxiety over the narrow bones. He looked up at Hatori, his eyes filled with pleading. "Please…just a few more days."

"Kyo!" Hatori snapped, and Shigure looked at his cousin in shock. Hatori never yelled. It just wasn't something he did. Yet here he was, yelling at Kyo, his eyes dark with pain and…regret? What the heck was going on, anyway? Shigure gritted his teeth. "Don't be stupid." Hatori continued in a more normal tone of voice. "You know you can't…it would be dangerous."

"NO!" Kyo snapped, than violently brought himself under control. His fists clenched and unclenched. Shigure could almost hear his muscles snap with the tension of his control. "I can control it."

"You're lying."

"I can! It's been happening for a month now…I can control it."

"A MONTH?" Hatori shouted. Shigure gaped at him, stunned. "What were you THINKING, allowing this to go on for a month? You know what could have happened? You know what could have been done?" His voiced lowered. "You know what Akito will say?"

"I don't CARE about that STUPID Akito!" Kyo screamed. "He doesn't understand CRAP, he's a demon from HELL and I HATE him. I'll KILL him. I'll KILL him I SWEAR I'll KILL HIM!"

Hatori slapped him. Kyo dove off the bed, his hands reaching for Hatori's throat. Shigure grabbed him, trying to pin his arms, but Kyo was too fast. He slipped from Shigure's grasp like something greased and glared at him. Shigure stared. There was something strange in that glare. Something vicious. Hatori hit him again. Kyo screamed in rage and threw himself on Hatori, pounding on the older man. Shigure kicked him off, then stood between the infuriated cat and Hari.

"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, KYO?" Shigure shouted. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL HARI? IDIOT CAT!"

Kyo shrieked, falling to the ground and holding his head with both hands. He began to shudder violently, and a soft mist rose off him. Shigure stared. Oh no. Oh, fates, no. It was impossible. It couldn't happen. Not here, not now. It was still on! Fates, it was STILL ON! He froze. Unable to move as the mist consumed Kyo. Hatori, however, moved, and moved swiftly, plunging a syringe into Kyo's shuddering form. The teen collapsed, the mist vanishing. Hatori got stiffly to his feet, rubbing his throat.

"Hatori?" Shigure went to him, looking with concern at his cousin. "Are you okay?
"No, I'm not." Hatori yelled, turning on him. "I am NOT okay!" He buried his face in his hands. "I'm not."

Shigure looked at him in complete bemusement. What the heck…

"What on earth is going on?" He demanded, glaring. "Kyo gets sick, almost kills you, you get emotional? Is the world coming to an end?"

"Shut up, Shigure."

"I will not shut up. You tell me what is going on, and tell me now, or I swear I'm going to go down there and bring Tohru up here."

"You'll do nothing of the kind." Hatori hissed. "That would be the worst thing in the world and you know that very well."

"Then tell me what the heck is going on!" Shigure snapped. "This is insane!"

Hatori slumped against the wall. "I…it's not my secret to reveal."

"It sure as heck is." Shigure growled. Hearing the sound, he flushed and caught himself. Acting like a dog wasn't going to get him anywhere. "This is my house and you're going to tell me."

"No." Hatori looked at Shigure from under his fringe of black hair. His eyes were strangely desperate. "I'm going to take him to Akito."

"Now?" Shigure demanded. "Don't be stupid, Hari. Akito will lock him up for good. Torture him, too. We both know what he does when he's bored. Demon." He said under his breath. Hatori was silent for a long moment.

"Well?" Shigure snapped. "Are you going to tell me? Because I don't care what you say, I don't care what AKITO says, I am not letting Kyo out of this house until you tell me what the heck is going on."

"You couldn't stop me."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Shigure…" Hatori began. "Kyo's not safe anymore."

"When has he ever been?" Shigure demanded. "I've had him in my house a year, I should know. I've had more repairs this past year than for the rest of the years I've had this house combined."

"You saw the mist." Hatori said. "What do you think that means?"

"Maybe the amulet is broken."

"No."

"It's possible!" Shigure insisted."

"Look at it, Shigure. It's not broken."

"But…"

"But it didn't work." Hatori looked at him, haunted. "Why do you think every cat is locked up, Shigure?"

"Because Akito is the spawn of hell, that's why."

"Idiot!" Hatori snapped. "Akito didn't keep guard over every cat! Just this one!"

"Okay, fine. But then why…"

"Because once the cat gets to be a certain age, the amulet doesn't work anymore."

"You're joking." Shigure felt a chill go down his spine. He knew the Sohmas had always hated the cat—despised it, scorned it. But if this was true…then they should fear the cat as well. But that was ridiculous. He shook himself. Kyo was still Kyo, even in his…original form. A bit easier to anger, perhaps, but nothing insurmountable.

"Shigure…" Hatori began.

"But Kazuma's grandfather still wore the amulet!" Shigure protested, trying to find a way out of this horrifying place he had gotten himself into. "He wore it constantly!"

"To reassure the people." Hatori said, in that same monotonic voice. "You remember the words: 'If the amulet is on, the monster is in.'"

"But if that's not true…"

"It's not true anymore!" Hatori snarled. "The amulet is powerful, true, but it can't hold back the cat when it reaches the maturity of its true form."

Shigure felt an ice cube begin to slide over his spinal cord. "Maturity of its true form? What the heck are you talking about, Hari? You haven't been making any sense today!"

"Two years ago, you saw Kyo as he was. A few minutes ago, you would have seen him as he is."

"I don't understand." Shigure glanced at the boy collapsed on the ground. He looked normal, if a little pale.

"Kyo's a child, Shigure. He's just beginning adulthood."

"But…that shouldn't affect the forms. Look at Haru! He's an ox, not a calf!"

"What about Kisa? She's just a cub!"

"True. But…"

"Enough buts, Shigure. It's enough for you to know that Kyo is no longer himself. He has always had a terrible temper. Now it's uncontrollable. He can't control himself even if he tries. No cat can."

"I've seen him control it!" Shigure countered, glaring at Hatori. The man was getting a little too depressing—and depressed.

"That was before maturity."

"But young things usually have less control than the older ones!"

"Of such things, it is usually the nature of the young to be less controlled than the old. For the cat, it is the nature of the old to be less controlled than the young. Completely uncontrolled."

"But Kyo…Kyo is in there. Inside that monstrosity."

"Yes."

"He can control it!"

"No, he can't!" Hatori snapped, stepping close to Shigure and glaring at him. "You might think that, but it's not true. Kyo will just be trapped in there, unable to do anything. The monster could be destroying everything, everyone, he loves and he will be unable to stop it."

"Who told you that?"

"Akito."

"And how do you know he's telling the truth?" Shigure demanded. "He always twists things to his own advantage, always ruins things. He's lying, Hatori. I know he is."

"He's not." Hatori said, eyes dark. "I know."

"And how do you know?" Shigure snarled, feeling his hackles rise. Like Kyo or not, this was preposterous. He hadn't gotten this angry in years.

"I've seen it."

Shigure stopped. "You said that Kyo just recently started changing."

"I didn't say Kyo." Hatori said wearily. He went towards the door and slid it open. "I saw the old cat."

The door shut.