Well… surprise, I guess. I wasn't really expecting to start posting this, but I had this sudden idea to do so while I was taking a shower today. No, the whole story hasn't been finished yet but the chapters I have yet will certainly be completed by the time we make that far into the post run. Enjoy it, I guess! (I'm bringing back the interesting disclaimers too.) Yes, this is a rewrite of a past story of mine. The writing was simply terrible and it had to be rewritten so here it is!

Q: Is Akito a girl or a guy?

A: She's a girl. Definitely a girl. For sake of ease of writing, I will only refer to her as a "she" during scenes from her head, or Kureno's, Shigure's etc. Every other character will think of her as a "him". I hope its not too confusing!

OfAmethystEyes: All right. Here we are with the rewrite! Who wants the first disclaimer?

*silence*

OfAmethystEyes: Really, guys? Fine. I'll start picking people. *looks at a scowling Yuki* *blushes insanely* Yeah… um…

Yuki: But you know how much I hate this story. I hated it the last time and I hate it this time too. I can't believe that you would write something this horrible. *thinks* Although its rather mild compared to some other things you've written.

OfAmethystEyes: Please read the first disclaimer? Please? I won't bug you again if you do.

Yuki: Fine. OfAmethystEyes does not own Fruits Basket, myself or the other characters. All rights go to Natsuki Takaya. This first chapter is also dedicated to HitodeDaikazoku for her wonderful help in reviving some of the past disclaimers.

OfAmethystEyes: *is crying* Why'd you add that part in Yu-chan? Why? Why'd you say that I can't have you? It's not fair!

Yuki: *leaves*

Akito didn't care anymore. It had gone too far for her to stand anymore. Tohru Honda was a thief. An ugly, stupid thief! And all of his Juunshi still loved her when they were supposed to love her – their god! It was infuriating and she wasn't going to take it.

She wouldn't let that thief have them; she couldn't keep them. Especially not Yuki.

OoOoO

"Leeks!" Kyo stared at the table in disbelief. "I hate leeks!"

Yuki almost hit him. Didn't he realize that he was insulting Tohru? She'd worked for this meal and here he was insulting it in a raised voice. "You have no respect, do you?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Tohru ran back into the kitchen, returning with a bowl of miso soup. "You said you liked miso, didn't you Kyo-kun? As long as it's in soup?"

Kyo blinked stupidly. "Yeah, I did."

"Look at that." Yuki gave Kyo a look of disdain. "You don't have any gratitude for what Honda-san does for you."

Shigure wandered in just as Kyo nearly exploded. "Y-you! I have plenty of grtitude! Damn rat! Shut the hell up!"

Shigure eyed the bowl of miso soup sitting by Kyo's place. Both he and Yuki were now standing in a heated argument about gratitude and ingratitude with Tohru trying and failing to bring peace of some sort, leaving the soup open with no one watching it.

Shigure grinned to himself, sliding the soup to his own place and quickly drinking it before anyone noticed.

"Next time," Yuki said, getting in the last word like he usually did, "Think before opening your stupid mouth."

Kyo swore at him but sat down with a scowl. Yuki saw what Shigure had done first but Kyo noticed soon after. "What the…" He looked up, taking in the empty soup bowl and Shigure's sad attempt to hide his snickering. "Shigure!"

"I can make more soup," Tohru said quickly. "If it would help."

Yuki almost said something to Shigure about how his antics were forcing Tohru to work more than she already did, but the doorbell rang before he got the chance.

"I'll get it!" Tohru said brightly, hurrying to the door. She put on her usual smile as she slid open the door. "Wel—" Her eyes widened as she saw who was on the other side. "Wel… Welcome, Akito-san."

Akito looked at her contemptuously, his eyes cold and hating. "Thief," he hissed, before brushing past her.

For the first time, Tohru noticed that Hatori had come as well. He was standing in the doorway, his expression wary and concerned.

Maybe he knew. Maybe he knew what was happening. "Hatori-san?"

He looked at her for moment, placing a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of reassurance before following closely behind Akito.

Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure had stood the moment they realized just who had come to call, their eyes all conveying different guarded emotions. Fear. Detest. Longing. But it was Yuki she was concerned about, when Akito had visited them at school she'd seen the terror a single touch of his hand could bring Yuki and she didn't even know why. Now, Yuki's fists were clenched by his side as if willing himself to stand firm and he looked like he wanted to run.

Tohru wanted to stand next to him, take his hand in hers, making sure that he didn't have to be scared. Trapped standing slightly behind Hatori and Akito, however, it was impossible.

The silence was broken by Akito's silkily pleasant yet dangerous voice. "Yuki, you haven't come to see me in such a long time. It seems I always must come to you. Now, come closer."

Yuki felt rooted to his place by fear. No. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go. He didn't to want to be any closer to Akito, but even so he took a few halting steps forward as the curse pushed him towards his fear.

"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Akito asked.

"Who could ever forget you, my dearest Akito?" Shigure's voice hinted at being playful, but he was completely ignored.

Akito closed the remaining distance between them, running his hands along either side of Yuki's jaw. "Have you forgotten, my Rat?"

"No, Akito-san." Yuki hadn't meant for his voice to sound so weak, but he was incapable of keeping it steady with Akito touching him the way he was. "I haven't forgotten."

Tohru didn't understand. Forgotten what? Everyone else seemed to understand at least to some extent, but all she knew was that she didn't want Akito anywhere near Yuki.

"But I think that you have forgotten. I think you need to remember what's important to you and of where you belong."

Yuki could feel the darkness seeping into his mind. Please… No. He couldn't mean that the way it sounded.

Akito tilted his head slightly to the side. "I think it's time you came home."

No! Tohru could feel tears coming on. Yuki couldn't leave to stay at the main house. He couldn't. If he reacted this way to simple visits with Akito terrified him this much, it would destroy him to live so nearby to him and she couldn't let that happen.

Yuki could feel the sweat breaking out along his hairline, the fear closing around his heart making his breathing shift to an irregular rate. No… no, no, no. His voice sounding small, he said, "Please, can I ask why?"

Akito's mood changed in an instant; his eyes went flat and the slight smile disappeared. Tohru let out a tiny gasp as he struck Yuki across the face, knocking him to the floor, where he hit his head on the corner of the table. "What makes you think you can ask anything of me? I'm your god! You have no right to think that you, a worthless nothing, can ask me anything!"

"Akito, don't!" Hatori grabbed his arm, trying to hold him away from Yuki. "You'll only regret this!"

Akito wrenched his arm away, not listening in the least.

Tohru watched in frozen shock and horror as Akito grabbed Yuki by his hair and forced him back on his feet. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. The same thought repeated inside her head. She had to do something; she couldn't let Akito hurt Yuki this way. But no matter how much she willed herself to step forward, she couldn't.

Kyo was startled - for the first time coming to a slight understanding of what Yuki had been through as a child. Hadn't he been some sort of pet? Given everything he wanted? Loved and cared for? None of this was what he expected at all.

Shigure knew there was nothing to be done. Nothing any of them could do. Going against Akito, preventing him from anything he desired to do was impossible.

Yuki could feel Akito's breath against his ear as he leaned close, still holding Yuki's hair taut above his head to keep him in place. "Nothing," Akito whispered. "You're a nothing. Worthless, pathetic, filthy, and stupid. Nobody can ever love you or need you. Without me, you wouldn't have anyone."

Yuki tried to block out the cruel words. Tried not to hear them and to deny them in his mind. But he couldn't. They were true. What about Tohru though? She needed him, didn't she? Or at least wanted him. She cared, didn't she?

"Who could ever want some one like you? Your own family hates you. Everyone hates you." Akito's voice was so soft that only Yuki could hear, and he continued. "Why do you think they're not doing anything to help you? Hated. Unwanted."

With that, Akito released his hair, and he fell to the floor. Yuki curled up as tight as he could, bringing his knees up to his chest and grasping at his ears to block out Akito's harmful words.

Akito looked down at him and it seemed that for a brief moment, a glimmer of a smile crossed his face before he turned to Hatori. "We're leaving. Bring Yuki."

Tohru suddenly found herself in motion, throwing herself between Yuki and Akito before another person had a chance to move. "Wait! I'll go! I'll go, okay? Please, don't take Yuki-kun."

There was a momentary silence, but she kept her eyes on Akito and didn't know what the others thought. She wouldn't back down; she wouldn't give up. Yuki wasn't going back with Akito.

Akito's scowl took on a confused aspect. "You'll go? You'll go in his place?"

She nodded, not finding her voice to respond.

"So," Akito mused. "Instead of saving just one of my Juunshi, I can save all of them by taking away what has destroyed them." Akito smiled darkly; he liked it.

"No! Tohru has nothing to do with any of this," Kyo protested.

"She has everything to do with this," Akito snapped. "Why should I even listen to you, Cat? You're more of a nothing than Yuki!"

"But she's just a girl," Hatori said. This couldn't be happening. All of this was going too far and at Tohru's expense. She was an innocent and should remain so. She was too kind to be tainted by the darkness of what Akito would undoubtedly do to her. "You can't do this."

Tohru wasn't listening from her place on the floor next to Yuki. "Yuki-kun?" He was trembling and his hands were clamped so firmly over his ears she wondered if he could even hear her.

"Yuki-kun?" Softly, she touched his silver hair. "People care about you," she said. "People want you and they do love you."

Shigure put a hand on Akito's arm. "You need to think about what you're going to do. If you—"

"I don't care!" Akito screamed, backing away from Shigure. "It's all her fault!"

Akito grabbed Tohru's arm and dragged her away from Yuki. With the small consciousness he'd had of her gentle touch and words suddenly taken away Yuki opened the walls of his mind to what was happening to find that things had only gotten worse. "Akito! What are you doing? You can't—" With Akito's eyes looking at him with that fury, he could almost feel himself shrinking away. "Please, don't take her."

Akito gave him an almost pitying look. "Are you so desperate to go back to your own special little room, my Yuki? After all, the only reason you aren't is because she offered to go there instead."

Yuki's lips parted in shock. She'd… what? Then he understood what he fully meant by that statement, all that it implied. "You can't! You can't do that to her!" Akito smiled, realizing that Yuki had understood his meaning. His little rat's mind was so easy to manipulate.

Tohru could feel Akito's grip on her arm tighten, as he said, "But I'm not the one to blame. It's you and your weakness that's at fault." Akito looked at Hatori and away from a paling Yuki. "We're leaving."

Kyo was frozen. He was so confused seeing Yuki look so vulnerable. If he tried to hit him, Kyo doubted Yuki would even do anything but crumple to the ground. But more than that he couldn't believe what was happening. Akito had already decided and, there was nothing any of them could do about it anymore. All the fight he had in him to take down Akito was useless against the curse.

Tohru reached out her hand towards Yuki. "Listen, know that I—"

Akito didn't give her a chance to finish and yanked her towards the door, not caring in the least what she wanted to tell Yuki.

Hatori faced the other three Sohmas, just as thrown out of balance as they were. "I'll look after her as best I can." Then, just like Akito and Tohru, Hatori was gone.

The walls felt like they were closing in around Yuki. No. Not Tohru. She couldn't have done that for him. Tohru had always been the one thing he'd sworn that Akito would never touch, would never spoil, and would never take away. There was only one reason he'd seen Akito that day at school; he'd purposely gone there to keep Akito away from Tohru. He could've avoided him if he had wanted to, but he hadn't.

"Tohru?" he whispered. He heard the car outside start, and found himself moving towards the front door, sliding it open and watching the red taillights begin moving forward. "Tohru!"

Akito scowled from his place in the backseat at Yuki's display of attachment to the girl next to him. Tohru couldn't quite believe it, and she smiled through her tears; he'd called her by her first name.

So comparatively to the original, this scene does not differ too much except the writing is ten times better. *happy sigh* Now, I will be updating this once a week on Tuesdays with some leeway if I simply CAN'T do it on time. Anyway, what did you think of this first chapter? If you read the original is it better? And if this is your first time reading Sacrifice what do you think? Reviews are my sunshine so please please review!