The next morning arrived peacefully, without the usual bustle before breakfast getting ready for school. That was because it was, well, a Saturday!
"Tohru," Shigure began as he sat down across the table from her with his newspaper.
"Shigure, you look kind of upset," she replied, pouring him a cup of tea from the kettle.
"I hope you don't mind… we, that would be Yuki and I, have to go to Sohma house for a while today," he apologized, picking up some Sushi with his chopsticks.
"Oh, no! It's fine! I'll stay here with Kyo today," she smiled. She didn't mind staying home, not one little bit, but she was worried about Yuki going to see Akito. That was… if they even were meeting with him. Sohma house was huge, they might not even see him. But if they did… Tohru knew how Yuki froze up and got this fearful look in his eye when ever he even saw the guy!
"I can't," Kyo interrupted, coming into the room from outside where he'd been practicing. He flung a towel around his shoulders as he sat down. "I've got a…," his voice lowered to a grumble that nobody could understand for a moment.
Queue a rice ball flying across the scene screaming 'DATE WITH KAGURA!'
Shigure burst into tears of crazy laughter. "Ha- you, ha, ha Kagura-" Shigure didn't attempt to speak anymore, he chuckled and turned away from the table laughing furiously.
"Aw! I think that that's sweet, Kyo!" Tohru got stars in her eyes and put food on Kyo's plate.
"Yes, adorable," a cool voice commented. "When's the wedding?" Yuki joked, sitting down.
"Well you're certainly not invited!" Kyo growled. Tohru and Shigure grew into chibi people and screamed:
"Kyo's getting married!"
"What? No I'm not!" he defended quickly, his neck turning beat red.
"But you just said that Yuki wasn't invited… therefore there has to be something he's not invited to!" Shigure pointed out.
"And seeing as we were on the topic of marriage-!" Tohru exclaimed.
"It would only make sense," Yuki nodded calmly, sipping his tea.
"Well, I didn't mean it like that, alright?" Kyo roared, stuffing five rice balls in his mouth so that he could no longer speak.
"You're going to choke," Shigure warned, wagging a finger disapprovingly.
"No I'm not," he spoke through the food. Of course, being Kyo, he choked… and Tohru panicked. Shigure slapped him on the back, and Yuki completely ignored all of them.
"Yuki! What are we gunna do? Kyo's going to die! Don't you even care?" Tohru became hysterical. Yuki couldn't take that.
"He'll be fine! It's alright!" Yuki patted her shoulder ad poured her a cup of tea. "If he were really stressed, he'd turn into a cat. But that hasn't happened yet, right?" he told her.
"I don't get it," she said, sitting next to him in Shigure's place. In the background Shigure was still attempting to get the food out before it killed Kyo.
"See, he'd be freaked out if he were dying. But he's okay, this is only a little slip up. Understand?" Yuki smiled. Tohru nodded slowly.
"I- I think so," she said. After another moment, a new question popped into her head. "Yuki, do you have to see Akito today?" she asked him quietly.
"Yes," Yuki replied, his eyes becoming hard. "It's kind of important. He called us out of the blue."
"Yuki, what's going on?" she asked him sadly. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, I'm just curious!" she covered her worry up quickly.
"I won't lie to you. We have to go there, and it's important because it concerns you. Ever since you saw Kyo's real form three months ago, Akito has been very nervous. He thinks that it is wrong of you to even be involved with the family. His biggest problem with you now is that you will blab the secret," Yuki said. She saw anger in his eyes.
"He was the one that had Kyo's bracelet removed! If he didn't want you to talk, he shouldn't have shown you!" Yuki snarled at his food, not meeting her eye.
"Then why would he even attempt it?" Tohru asked, unsure of why Yuki as so angry. She could understand being mad, but he was furious!
"Because I'm afraid that he either wanted you driven away by the sight," Yuki looked at her, "or even killed."
Tohru gasped. "Would Akito really do something like that?" she asked, not wanting to believe that he was that bad of a person.
"Definitely. As much as it hurts me to say it. He's in constant pain because he knows that he'll die soon, and he takes his anger out on everyone else. Akito makes everyone else feel the pain that he is constantly feeling," Yuki said softly.
"I'm sure that if I were in that situation, I might do the same thing," Tohru said, feeling the overwhelming need to defend the older boy.
"I don't think you would," Kyo commented, finally sitting down at the table after dislodging the rice.
"Nor do I," Yuki shook his head.
"Tohru, don't you see? You've been in that situation for a long time. Your mother and father have both passed away, your only family was un-hospitable to you," Shigure half smiled. Tohru opened her mouth to defend her aunt, uncle, and cousin, but Kyo stopped her.
"Don't even think about it. We know that the only one that was kind to you in that house was your grandfather," Kyo held his chin in his hand.
"You've been taking care of yourself for almost two years, now. You're working two jobs and putting yourself through school! You have every right to be cruel towards others," Shigure laughed.
"But you don't, never," Yuki smiled. He turned from Shigure, to Yuki, to Kyo, and back again.
"All you do is smile," Kyo said, and most people would have thought he was aggravated. But the Honda and his cousins knew that that was his 'nice' tone.
"Don't worry about it, Tohru! We know that you won't tell our secret, and that's all that matters," Shigure finished.
"O- okay," she stuttered. I'm so lucky to have people like this in my life, Mom. Even when they could be in trouble, the put on a happy face for me, and they make me feel better. Even though they're afraid of Akito… the still defend me. I should be so much more grateful. I'm a spoiled brat, aren't I?
Tears came into Tohru's eyes, both from sadness and from being happy to have these three.
"Tohru, what's the matter?" the dog asked.
"Thank you, thank you all so much!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the nearest person, which happened to be Yuki. There was a poof of air, and Yuki was sitting on the floor as a purple rat, his clothes an empty pool on the floor.
"This curse needs to be broken," Yuki sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Tohru exclaimed. "I forgot! I know that sounds really stupid, please forgive me!" Tohru bowed to the rat. He patted her head with his little paw.
"That's okay," he said. "No problem. This always happens!" he laughed.
"I noticed," she giggled, sitting up and smiling.
"Maybe you should leave the room, Yuki," Shigure commented.
"Why?" he asked.
"You change back faster when you're laughing and happy," Kyo said without pause. A second later, there was another poof of purple smoke… and there was naked Yuki.
"Ah!" she yelped, turning away before she saw anything besides his chest and stomach.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, picking up his clothes and leaving the room.
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"We're not going to do it, really, right?" Yuki begged his cousin as they were walking home. "Anything but this! We can't do it to her! Please, Hari, don't do it!" he stood in front of the man, momentarily blocking his path.
"I know that it hurts, but we're not defying Akito's word," he said. There was a bit of sadness in his visible eye, and he pushed past the younger man.
'When the snow melts, what does it become?'
'Well, I guess that's Spring, right?'
Hatori gasped as the memory of the girl flashed through his mind, and he couldn't bring himself to move any further.
"Hari, what's wrong?" Shigure asked at seeing his pause.
"I'll give you five minutes. Get her out of the house. If you get caught, don't speak a word about me having to do with it. This is all on your shoulders," the doctor looked Yuki in the eyes.
"What? Are you insane? We all love Tohru, but we can't-" Shigure was cut off.
"I promise, not a word," Yuki nodded. "Thank you, Hatori," and with that, he had dashed down an alley that led to the woods and a shortcut to the house. They were supposed to report back in one hour, and bring the girl's unconscious body with them.
"Hatori! What were you thinking? We can't do this! We need Tohru's body as proof that we didn't do this!" Shigure scolded him, grabbing the seahorse's shoulder.
"Like I said. If Yuki does this, it's all on him. Just let me do all of the talking, alright?" Hatori looked at Shigure with a sudden anger in his eyes. "Those boys love her. I'm not about to let another relationship be lost because of Akito's jealousy."
Shigure stared.
Queue dramatic music.
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A.B. Wow, even we're lost in the dramatic-ness of the last few paragraphs.
H.H.T. We have three reviews!!!!
A.B. Unless you count Hoshi reviewing our own story (glares).
H.H.T. At least it looks good!
A.B. From the outside!
H.H.T. Oh, by the way, I' giving a shout out to 'Wielder of the Mighty Pen!' You read my story 'A Plain Girl Like Me,' remember?
A.B. But we also thank Sugar and Loretta!
H.H.T. Thanks very much for reviewing! Sayonara!!
A.B. Ja ne!