I'm late, I know. Sometimes I'm early, and sometimes I post within a few hours of midnight on the days I mean to. But this time... I'm just late. Sorry! However, I have exciting news. I now have a blog! No links are ever aloud on but just look for "OfAmethystEyes" on blogspot and you should be able to find me. There will also be a link on my profile. I think you can follow it even without a blogspot account, so please feel free to!

Anyway, this chapter has Kyo in it. Yep, he's important too. He actually plays a vital part in convincing Yuki that no one wants or needs him. If you you remember it is Kyo's comment that Yuki shouldn't exist that drove him, as an eight-year-old, to have suicidal thoughts and wonder if the world would be better off without him. That was part of the last straw that completely destroyed the naivety that he had before. - That's how I see Yuki and Kyo's interaction in childhood. Hopefully, you'll see some of that in this chapter.

Thank you to my reviewers of last chapter: aki-chan, mousecat, wolfeclipse25, The love of Sorrow, and IlikeYuki. I haven't responded to your reviews yet, and I'm sorry. It's next on my list!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket and its characters. All rights go to Natsuki Takaya.

Year Six: Ten Years Old

"What's he doing here?" Kyo kicks at a wall when I come into the dojo. "Why does he have to come?"

Shut up, I want to say. But I don't. I'm still not speaking even if I want to snap at this stupid boy. Kazuma is explaining to Kyo that I'm going to be learning at the dojo now as well, and Haru quickly comes over and takes me to sit with him.

"I'm glad you're here," he says.

I nod. I am too. I never come out of the dark room except for school and now I'll get to come here as well. Hatori suggested that it might do me good to move around more instead of sitting in the dark room all the time. Akito told me that even martial arts can't change how weak I am, but that he was allowing me to learn because he cares about me.

I don't think that's true. I don't think he cares about me at all except to be his toy.

Kyo glares at me and I think he hissed too. Stupid cat. Why is he so busy being angry at me when he has everything? He should be grateful. I'd give anything to be like him. I don't really know what happened to his real parents but he has Kazuma and he's treated like a loved and cherished son. Doesn't he realize how special that is?

I wanted to be his friend and I thought that maybe he'd be my friend. It would have made me happy to have him as a friend. But he hates me just like everybody else. I hardly said anything to him and he yelled at me for being the Rat and told me I shouldn't exist. Would it make him happy to know that Akito tells me things like that all the time? Would it make him happy that I, too, wish I didn't exist?

"Hey." Haru nudges me. "Just so you know, I'm looking forward to seeing you more often. Now that you're coming here."

"Hatsuharu-san," Kazuma says. "I want you to show Yuki-san the basic stances and offensive moves."

"Yes, Shishou." Haru gets up and gestures for me to do the same. Then he shows me a few different things; how to set my feet and my hands, how to block a few different defensive exercises, and also how to do a high kick. "I'm probably not supposed to show you this yet," he says, demonstrating the high kick again. "But I think you'll like it."

Suddenly, I feel cold and I know why. I look at the door of the dojo and see Akito standing there, watching me. My eyes dart away and I try to concentrate on what Haru's telling me. I can hear him though. Akito's saying something to Kazuma and I don't know what it is, but I can hear the tones of his voice from across the room.

A little while later, Kazuma comes up to me. "Akito-san requested to see you and Kyo fight."

What? Why? I don't know enough yet. I can't do that. Akito just wants to prove to me how weak I am. But… is that really it? Or does he just want to use me for his entertainment, as usual?

Nonetheless, I follow Kazuma over to where Kyo is. I can feel Akito watching me, feel the dangerous smile of his. I want to run. I don't want to do this. Not for Akito and not for myself. Kazuma explains to Kyo what Akito wants us to do and he smiles. He actually likes the idea of bending to Akito's wishes.

"You're gonna lose, you damn rat."

Or he just wants to fight because he hates me.

Kazuma explains to me how a dojo fight works and it seems basic enough. Kyo stands there and scoffs at me for not knowing, but I ignore him.

Kazuma steps away, leaving us in the middle of the floor, facing eachother.

Kyo looks pleased and confident, as if he just knows he's going to win in the same way he knows that I'm worthless. I already know that. He never had to tell me. He's so stupid I hate him. I hate him for his stupidity and because he has everything that I want and can't have and still doesn't seem happy. He's an idiot and he doesn't know anything.

Even now, I can feel Akito watching and evaluating me. Waiting. Making a judgment to be carried out once I'm forced back into the dark room. And positive or negative, I'll hate it. There isn't any kind of attention that I get from Akito that I enjoy.

I miss something while I'm thinking and suddenly I feel Kyo's fist connect with my jaw, snapping my teeth together onto my tongue and making it bleed a little.

"Ha! So there!" Kyo says, coming at me again.

Remembering what Haru had time to show me, I quickly block him before he can hit me and then mimic something close to what Kyo did earlier when he'd hit me, somehow managing to strike his stomach.

It doesn't take long for the fight to end. I continue blocking everything he throws at me with defense, and occasionally try some offense. But what I really want to do is… There. That's my opening.

As quickly as I can, I attempt the high kick that Haru showed me. Surprisingly, my foot finds his chest with enough force send him backwards and then down to the floor.

Apparently, that means I win. The fight's over and Kazuma asks Kyo if he's all right and then me.

I look at Akito and he seems pleased. I don't care; I didn't do it for him.

OoOoO

Later that night, I curl up in the corner of the dark room with the blanket that is usually brought if I'm expected to stay there overnight. It's cold as always and, of course, it's forever dark.

Please, I silently beg, somebody let me out.

I wrap myself in the blanket. It's black just like everything else in here, but it does little against the cold. I won't sleep, I know. I can never sleep in here, and the truth is, I'm scared to. I'm scared of Akito finding me sleeping like he did one time. I press myself farther into the corner, trying not to remember how angry he was with me. He'd screamed at me and then started kicking me in the stomach, head, back, chest, anything he could reach. I had thought I was going to die.

But it's not just Akito I'm scared of. I'm scared that if I fall asleep in this darkness, I'll never wake up. I know it's stupid, but what if I don't wake up? What if I lose all chance of seeing light again and the darkness swallows me completely? So I force myself to stay awake no matter how tired I am, for the sake of watching for light.

I'll never sleep in this room. Never. I'll sit in this darkness for hours, waiting and watching for the end of the night, each hour seeming like a decade. And every minute as terrifying as the last.

What'd you think? I don't know if there are many Kyo fans reading this, although there must be some, but I hope you appreciated his appearance. If this seemed like a Kyo-bashing chapter, I apologize. Remember, I'm writing from the head of an angsty ten-year-old Yuki! I don't have anything against Kyo at all, except that he got the girl that I still wish Yuki had ended up with. T_T

Please review! Please? I sincerely appreciate them! They make me feel like a chocolate chip cookie! I love them! So please review and tell me what you thought.