Gasp! It's longer than two pages! It's… it's… five pages!
Chapter 10: Family Bonds (are nonexistent)
Kyo stared upwards, thoughts debating over his current predicament with the ease and grace of a claustrophobic rhinoceros in an elevator. Someone, someone he didn't know, was stripping him naked. Though he'd never taken blood pressure medicine in his life, he felt that this situation dictated some type of medicinal substance for his rising heart rate. He choked softly when the gown was opened to reveal his full frontal portrait.
"Ah, maybe you should skip that today, Nurse, we're expecting visitors any minute now."
His Highness the Saving Grace had just saved Kyo from his cover-blowing temper tantrum that had been slowly bubbling to a boil.
"Oh, alright. I can make a note for the night shift to do it then." She pursed her lips and tossed the unused rag onto her cart, containing a water basin, soaps, and foreign objects that looked threateningly personal.
"Thank you." His chair scraped as he padded over to aid her out of the room with the cart. An echoing click indicated the third presence was gone, and their seclusion was absolute. Yuki chuckled softly and walked back over to Kyo, straightening the gown. "Kyo." He leaned down, arms crossing and resting on the retaining bar. "Kyo-kun, today… we rally. And you… are going to the leader." He reached out and brushed stray crimson hair away. "If you can fight him and live… so can the rest of us." A red spark seemed to ignite behind the grey eyes that regarded his fallen comrade. Kyo's crimson rage was spreading.
o0O0o
"Yuki! I'm going to miss my favorite anime!" the boy gripped the edge of his chair, "When can we start the meeting?" he insisted, adorning the Momiji offensive attack of pitiful eyes and pouting lips.
Yuki, impervious, only glanced sideways at the boy, "When Haru gets his lazy butt here, we can start." He murmured tersely, eyes suddenly snapping to Rin. "Do you know where he is?"
She shook her head solemnly, looking generally upset about existing at that moment. Her dark stringy hair shifted to settle over her shoulders as she crossed her arms and fixed her eyes upon the sleeping cat, with whom she'd rarely ever seen in her entire life. She was not sad about that fact, nor was she any more perturbed about his rank on Akito's hate chain. Her only opinion was the satisfaction that she was not the one cursed with the cat's blood.
"I'm sorry I don't know where Haru is! I'm such a failure, not even knowing where my own family members are. I'M SO SORRY!" Ritsu wailed, covering his horrified face.
Several looks glanced in his direction, but returned to the door when it swung open with a fierce slam. "I could hear you from outside Ritsu, maybe you should tone it down a bit." Haru offered flatly, closing the door behind him.
"A bit?" Hiro scoffed, his feet dangling from the edge of his chair as he glared at the floor.
The monkey cursed Sohma's eyes welled with sorrow. "I'm so sorry, I'm such nuisance-!"
"Alright then, we're all here." Yuki's voice, although casual, held a leading undertone that demanded attention. The group fell silent. "I've called you here today, and asked you to avoid Shigure and Hatori because-"
The door burst open loudly, bashing against the counter behind it. Had anyone been watching the other side of the room, they would have watched a dead silent Kyo jump in complete surprise, but quickly compose himself.
"Not to fear, little brother! I am here to aid you in leading this bunch of no-good wannabes into battle!"
"I'm SO SORRY THAT I'M NOT ANY GOOD!"
"Aha! Hello Ritsu-san!" Ayame's bright glow of sunshine seemed to follow him in as he strolled towards the others.
Yuki grimaced and stood up stoically, striding towards the door to close it behind Ayame's reckless path. "How did you know we were meeting?" Yuki muttered upon passing his brother.
"Oh! A little bird told me!" Ayame beamed, taking Yuki's face by the cheeks and twisting playfully.
"I'M SO SORRY I TOLD HIM! I THOUGHT HE WAS PART OF THIS-!"
"It's alright. He could be of some use." Yuki sat down stiffly and faced the ever growing group. "Alright.- What is it, Kagura?" he huffed at the hand she raised above her head, requesting a turn to speak before the meeting had even begun.
"I motion that we take Kyo back to Shigure's house. He looks so… pitiful… and sad…" she chewed at her nails while casting fawning eyes at her lover.
Tight white lips from the Rat Prince returned her motion. "Kagura. That's not why we're here. Now will you all just hush? Please?" Steely eyes met anyone who dare to look at him defiantly. "Alright. I called you all here for a specific reason." He hissed tersely, achieving the stout attention he had been waiting for. "Since none of you seem to have made the connection, I'm going to point it out to you." He paused, the dramatic effect causing a few to lean in apprehensively. "Kyo has beaten Akito."
A deadly silence fell over the group of mismatched family members. A short giggle from Ayame had a sharp gaze befall his innocence. "Yu-Yuki. I beg to differ. I think that we'd all agree-"
Yuki hissed at his brother, gripping the edge of his long grey shirt. "Not physically you moron." He turned his shoulders stiffly, pointing discretely at the ignored red head. "Mentally. None of you were there. I was. You should have seen it." At this, his eyes lit up with the very light that usually tinted Kyo's eyes when in the height of his passions. "It was what we've all dreamed about. He threw Akito off his guard, scared him, threatened him!" A few opened their mouths I protest, but were cut off. "Don't any of you try and tell me that you've never wanted to yell back, or hit him, or walk away from him when he was speaking to you. You all have felt that at one time or another, and none of you have ever had the guts."
Haru scoffed and shot his gaze to the side at nothing. "Don't be so modest, Yuki-kun."
Yuki's jaw clenched as he spoke, "That's why I'm taking the step that none of you are willing to take. I didn't stand up to him in the past, but I am now. I'm willing to organize this, if you're willing to fight. Kyo did it, so can we. He was just one person, and look what he did. You've seen Akito's bad mood? His nasty demeanor for the past weeks. Kyo did that. He's knocked our Lord from his high and mighty throne. Kyo has stepped off the alter, he's fighting for all he's worth. You should have seen it!" he stood up and walked over to the cat, grabbing one limp arm and raising it. "He nearly got himself killed, but he's proved it. We're stronger than Akito. If we all work together, we can take him out! We have to be angry with him for once!"
A sharp skittering of chairs and Haru stood up. "Kisa, Hiro, you two shouldn't be here." He murmured darkly.
Yuki's arm snapped out. "No! They're a part of my plan. They're our messengers. Akito doesn't watch the kids. He doesn't care about the kids and would rather never see them in his life. He will avoid them if they're in the main house, and ignore when they are absent. We can't keep in contact or-"
"Yuki, you're insane." Rin's dark eyes raised to meet his challengingly. "We could never win against him. He's the head of the family for a reason you know." She stood solemnly, pulling her chair back and stepping from the ring of Sohmas.
Haru smirked, tossing his snow white hair aside and letting one piercing grey eye penetrate her layer of solitude. "You're just scared. And for yourself no less. You've always been selfish, Rin, I don't know why Yuki-kun even invited such a heartless girl like you. You'll probably run off and tell Akito as it is." He tilted his head up, looking down his nose to her. "Selfish moody brat." He murmured, a privileged smirk over his lips. "I'm all for it." He looked to the rest of the group. "If Kyo can get a claw under his skin, I think if we all turned on him at once… we could pull this off." He stood up, a brazen, if not maniacal, grin plastered to his face. "Kyo's alive. And he's only one. We have the best chances there are! Eight against one!" his enthusiastic appearance turned to Yuki and the comatose cat. "Eight against one." He repeated, "I believe in it, Yuki."
A grateful smile turned his way. "Thank you, Haru, but I don't believe it will be so easy in persuading all of them." He eyed the group. "I brought you here… to present my plan to you. I don't want you to decide today, or even tomorrow. Think on it for as long as you want, and tell me your answer when you are ready. If you can, send Hiro and Kisa. They're the least suspicious."
A short grunt from the blonde boy earned their attention. "Who says we're agreeing to being your stupid little carrier pigeons? Just because we kids doesn't mean you can order us around." He snapped, grabbing Kisa's hand.
She shot a surprised gaze at him. "But… but Akito hit Torhu…" she murmured, pulling her stuffed tiger closer to her mouth as if to muffle the fact she was talking.
Hiro's jaw opened as if to speak, but promptly closed. "Only because he hit Torhu then. We'll only do it because of that." He spat at Yuki, who smiled to him warmly.
"What about, when he hurt Kisa?"
The group could almost see the little boy jolt. "And… And… because he hurt Kisa. I'll…. I wanna help you." His eyes downcast to his scuffed knees, still caked in the dirt that he had obliged to play in with Kisa.
Yuki nodded, "You will be the most help of all, I'm sure."
"I wanna help, too!" Momiji thrust both arms into the air, volunteering himself twice the amount possible. "He is so mean to Torhu! And to us! And he touches me in weird places!"
Odd glances circled the group, and the subject was dismissed just as quickly as it had been mentioned. "Alright, Haru, Momiji, Kisa, Hiro… Anyone else?" Yuki returned, sitting down serenely, hands moving to his knees to rest daintily.
"Meeee!" Ayame waved his hand in the air happily, the other hand holding a paint brush which he chewed on mercilessly. "This is so exciting!"
A shaky hand raised from the edge of the group. "Ritsu?" Yuki permitted kindly.
"I…I'm… I don't know… what I should do." He whispered, torn between those of his family who were willing, and those who weren't.
Rin snorted, a few questioning eyes turning to her. "Still here, are you?" Haru mocked with a returning triumphant smirk.
"Not for you, you coward. I'm surprised you of all people agreed to this. You're Akito's little maid almost as much as Ren."
Haru didn't bait to the taunting, "All in preparation my dear, who else is close enough to slit his throat in his sleep?"
"You don't have the balls, cowboy."
Yuki cleared his throat, effectively silencing the growing quarrel. "Rin, I believe you wanted to say something to Ritsu?" he pressed the question firmly.
"I had a suggestion. Since he's worthless to us in battle, we can use his Onsen as our meeting place. He knows the Onsen inside and out, he can be our alert if Akito has any spies there."
"Our?" Kagura snapped, temper like gasoline to a fire. "One minute you mock Yuki, the next your on his team?"
"I don't see you offering your services." Rin answered coolly, a venomous bite to her words.
From the corner Ayame raised a hand and scratched at the air, "Raaar!" He imitated a cat fight playfully, only producing simultaneous death glares in his direction. "Aha… just kidding, ladies!"
Yuki exhaled a slow and calming sigh. Haru put a thoughtful finger to his lips and cocked his head. "Now I remember… why this family doesn't get together unless it's a holiday…"
"You're right. Let's get this over with. Kagura? Rin? Can I assumed that you are both in, then?"
Fixated on each other for the time being, they only nodded stonily.
"Good. Ritsu? Have you made your choice?"
He hesitated, then nodded firmly. "I hope that my onsen can be of wonderful use to you! BUT IT'S MY FAULT IF IT IS HORRIBLE! WHAT IF IT DOESN'T FIT YOUR NEEEEEDS!"
"Urya!" Ayame jabbed sharply at Ritsu's side, the loud Sohma sunk to the floor in a puddle.
"Ah… alright then. My plan." Yuki settled into the chair firmly, hands cupping his knee caps, and shoulders staunch.
The eight additional Sohma's listened in relative silence, save for the abrupt confusion of the youngest ones, who promptly raised their hands. Yuki was pleased with the immediate results and reactions he'd received from his family; those he once considered annoying and unbearable were now his allies and to be tolerated after all.
o0O0o
Yuki heaved a sigh as the last family member closed the door behind him. Flopping into his newly adopted rolling chair, the Rat Prince rolled his way over to Kyo's bed side, smiling faintly with this newfound hope. "Kyo-kun. You're an inspiration, no matter how dumb and brash you are." He planted a sweet kiss on the pink cheek, slightly stubbly, but gratifying none the less. In his sleep, Kyo shifted towards Yuki's lips a bit, head lulling to face him. He chuckled and brushed the stray bang from his cousin's forehead to gaze at him longer. "Silly cat. You may just lead this family to victory after all."
I promise that Kyo will 'wake up' soon, I promise! (I'M SOOOO SORRY HE'S NOT AWAKE! I'M SOOOORRRRRYYYY!) (bops Ritsu)