A/N: This is a Fruits Basket fanfic that I've been working on since sometime in October. It is still ongoing and I will finish it, no matter what the update date says to you. XD I actually have 11 chapters done as of this upload, but I'm not gonna post them all at once. Please R&R, enjoy!

Warning: Contains spoilers (volume 6 of manga; episode 24 of anime)

Darkness.

Tohru strained her eyes, but was unable to see anything. The blackness obscured her vision, and she groped blindly in vain hope of finding something – anything – to use as a guide. Then she heard it.

"Honda-san… Tohru…" It was a weak gasp, hardly audible, in a voice she knew. Yuki.

"Yuki!" she cried, looking around her in an attempt to find the source of his voice. "Where are you?"

She stiffened as she heard an agonized scream, and then Yuki's voice rang out again. "Toh… Tohru… help… me… aaaargh!"

"Yuki!" Tohru cried in panic. "What's happening? Where are you? Yuki-kun, answer me!"

"Tohru, I… I can't…" He cried out again as if suffering unbearable agony, but his moans were drowned out by a terrible sound that resembled laughter. It was cruel laughter with no real merriment in it; a horrible, heartless voice that grated on Tohru's ears.

"Yuki!" she screamed.

Tohru sat up, breathing hard and drenched in sweat. Only a bad dream… She clutched a hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding. Just a nightmare… Trembling, the girl slid out of bed and went about her ordinary morning routine, unable to shake off the horror she had felt in the nightmare.

As she came down the stairs, she saw Shigure sitting in a chair. He was sipping coffee, examining something in his lap and looking rather worried. He glanced up at her as she walked into the room.

"Tohru, what's wrong?" he said, looking concerned at her pale face. Tohru's eyes filled with suppressed tears at the note in his voice, and without thinking of the consequences, she flew into his arms.

"I had a nightmare," she sobbed. "Shigure-san, it was horrible!"

"So you felt it too," said Shigure grimly, putting his arms around her comfortingly.

Tohru gasped suddenly and pulled away. "Sh-shigure! I'm so sorry! But… why didn't you transform?" she added in disbelief, looking him up and down. Definitely still human. "And what do you mean… I felt it too?"

By way of explanation, he raised his right arm; he was wearing a bracelet that reminded Tohru of the one that Kyo always wore. Instead of elaborating further, he said, "What did you dream about?"

Haltingly, hiding her immense curiosity about the bracelet and the sudden departure of the curse, she told him. Shigure's brow furrowed. He looked more serious and worried than she had ever seen him. "Yuki must have tried to send us a message," he said quietly. "So his disappearance is linked with…" He broke off abruptly and forced a smile. "But it's nothing for you to worry about, Tohru-chan," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Tohru said, gasping. "Yuki's disappearance? A message? And why didn't you transform?"

"That's a long answer," said Shigure with a sigh. Tohru seated herself near him, still looking acutely curious and concerned. "I've been feeling something strange coming from the woods all week," he said. "It's something to do with magic, that's for sure, but I didn't think it had anything to do with us until Yuki and Kyo vanished. I'm going to investigate the source of this."

"And the bracelet?" Tohru persisted.

Again, Shigure raised his right arm. "The bracelet is supposed to suppress spells cast on the wearer. I'm wearing it for protection, in case Yuki and Kyo are being held by force."

"Why don't you wear it all the time, if it stops the curse?"

"It's not strong enough for that. The Sohma family has always saved it for emergencies. The charm will deteriorate steadily as long as any cursed member is wearing it. Now I just have twenty-four hours. I'm actually surprised it wasn't used up long ago by some kid wanting a curse-free day with his girlfriend."

"How – how do you know that they're in danger?" Tohru said hesitantly. The girl wanted to believe they were safe, although her instincts told her otherwise. She did feel slightly disappointed that Shigure hadn't completely broken the curse, but other things were more important now. "They might just be off somewhere…"

"This should be proof enough." Shigure held up the object in his lap, and Tohru gasped. It was Kyo's bracelet, and it meant that somewhere he was trapped in his terrible true form.

"So they are in danger, then," said Tohru quietly.

Shigure nodded. "And so are we, I fear. I just hope I can rescue them in time before the charm wears off." A moment's silence passed between the two before Tohru burst out again.

"Can I come? Oh, please?"

The man looked startled. Shigure clearly hadn't anticipated this. "Of course not," he said. "You'll be in too much danger!"

"I don't care," she cried. "Shigure, if Yuki's in danger…" Tears formed in her eyes and she shook her head. "That dream was horrible. He's being tortured, Shigure, I know it. We have to save him. I have to save him, and you can't stop me!"

Tohru's hands were balled into fists and a furiously determined expression was on her face. Shigure sighed. "I guess I can't. Even if I leave you behind, I suppose you'll follow me." Tohru grinned a little and nodded. "Well, you had better come with me. It'll be safer than on your own. But once we find whatever it is – stay hidden, you hear?"

Tohru nodded again, smiling and crying at the same time. "I promise. We just have to find them."

"Then let's go."

---

After walking in the woods for close to half an hour, the unlikely pair of rescuers had arrived at what looked like a hole in the ground. "That's definitely it," muttered Shigure. "Can't you feel the power coming from in there?"

Tohru couldn't, but she merely nodded and followed Shigure down. Affirming Shigure's suspicions that someone was hiding there, there was a rope ladder hanging down into the darkness. The two of them walked through a dark tunnel until they emerged into a dimly lit cavern.

"Get behind me," murmured Shigure, then squared his shoulders and stepped forward, meeting the gaze of the tall, dark-haired woman who was standing ready, arms akimbo, to meet him.

She inclined her head very slightly. "Shigure Sohma."

He returned the gesture. "And you would be…?"

"Kuroi. The Sorceress Kuroi. Now to what do I owe this visit?"

Shigure turned his head slightly to a corner of the room. "I think you know."

Following his gaze, Tohru surveyed the room for the first time and noticed things she had not before. The center of the room was bare, with several strange machines and devices along the walls. At the far wall was a large dark archway, the contents of the opening obscured by shadow. Tohru felt a shiver of horror travel down her spine as she saw, in the corner that Shigure watched, the unconscious form of Yuki chained to a sort of table.

"I would like my cousin returned to our home," Shigure continued evenly. "And I was wondering if you had anything to do with the disappearance of Kyo as well."

A smirk twisted Kuroi's lips. "No, Yuki has been invited for an… extended stay. As for Kyo, why don't you greet him yourself?" She snapped her fingers.

All at once, Tohru realized Shigure's mistake. "Shigure, no!" she cried, but it was too late. From the dark archway emerged an enormous, mutated, draconic form. The creature bared its fangs and hissed, slashing at thin air with razor-sharp claws. A row of spikes bristled along its back.

It was Kyo.