Happy Hell Yeah Day! (And may the odds ever be in your favor!) Thank you to all of the reviewers of chapter nine: gracygirl, Thomlina, FBFan, 1 Hell of a Monster, narutoluvr4evr, DarknessInbetween, Miri-chan, Phoebestar989, KnowledgeandImagination, HitodeDaikazoku, KusajishiFukutaicho, and xTammy-Blossomx. Thank you! Also, is anyone else loving the changes to the profile pictures as much as me? They're awesome!
Question from KnowledgeandImagination: "I just have one question though... I thought Yuki already knew Akito was a woman here, so why was Akito 'him' in his thoughts?"
Answer: Yuki DOES know that Akito is a woman. However, since in scenes where Yuki and Tohru thought of her as a "him" ease of reading would plummet and everything would confusifying. Does that make sense to everyone? Plus, I think that, although Yuki knows the truth about Akito's gender, he might not want to remind himself of what happened every time he thinks of Akito as a female.
OfAmethystEyes: Today's disclaimer will be given by Ayame. But first I must apologize to him. Because… I was out mowing today and ran over a snake by accident. I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I really didn't! I love snakes and think they're awesome!
Ayame: *mourns loss of snake brother* Poor dear Yuichi-kun…
OfAmethystEyes: O_O His name was Yuichi? TT_TT I don't think I can ever mow again.
Ayame: But do not fret, Amethyst-san, I shall still perform a disclaimer!
OfAmethystEyes: Perform?
Ayame: OfAmethystEyes does not claim the rights to Fruits Basket and gives full credit to its creator and mother, Natsuki Takaya, who, by the work of her left-handed self created my entire family, extended and otherwise. Rights also fall into the capable hands of Hana to Yume, Hakusensha, and TokyoPop. And to all those heartfelt manga assistants who so carefully erased pencil lines, inked, and assisted Natsuki Takaya in her endeavor of creating a beautiful storyline with beautiful characters such as myself. Yet more copyright goes to Studio DEEN and the animators who helped in putting forth the anime. And of course, at long last OfAmethystEyes does not profit from this work of fan fiction although she did pour heart and soul into the creation of this story which does not exist in Natsuki Takaya's original work.
OfAmethystEyes: Oh, my.
Tohru was still blushing as she entered the main house after school. Yuki had kissed her goodbye, and she couldn't get over it. Granted, it had only been on the forehead since Kyo had been there too, but the place where he'd touched her seemed to burn, and she kept running her fingers over it in fascination.
She brought her hand back down to her side as she silently entered Akito's quarters. "I'm back, Akito-san."
Akito's back was to her as he spoke. "You disobeyed me, Tohru Honda. Do you realize what that means?"
Tohru felt her euphoria drain away. "A-Akito-san? I don't understand."
Akito's voice was cold and hard, making Tohru want to run and hide. "When I released you out of Yuki's dark room, we made an agreement. You were not to treat my Jyuunshii as your friends." Akito kept his back to her while he spoke, and somehow it was worse that way. "And yet, Tohru Honda, when I allowed you to return to school the first thing you do is fall directly into the arms of my Yuki. My precious Rat. You dared to walk to school with him. Not only that, but you acted friendly towards the Cat too!"
Tohru was terrified. Her hands shook and she tried to calm them by clasping them behind her back. "I- I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Apologizing isn't enough. We need to find what's distracting you and take it away. What could it be that makes you forget what I tell you? Perhaps this?" Akito finally faced her, holding a familiar wooden picture frame. Inside, Kyoko grinned wildly, holding up her fingers in a victory sign.
Tohru couldn't hold back her cry of shock. "Okaa-san!"
Akito's eyes flickered. "So this is your mother?" He smiled unpleasantly. "I see. You know what I've found over the years about mothers, Tohru Honda?" He allowed the frame to dangle from his fingers dangerously. "They're unnecessary." The frame dropped, and the sound shattering glass pierced the air.
Tohru let out a small shriek, her hands flying to her mouth in shock and tears building in her eyes.
Akito stooped and picked the photograph up from the shards of glass. "We need to free you of all distractions so that you can keep your promise to me. So that you can devote yourself solely to me."
Watching in horror, she saw him take the picture in both hands as if to rip it. Without thinking, she rushed forward. "Akito-san, please! Please don't—"
He stopped her with an outstretched hand, watching her as she trembled and stared at her mother's picture. "What was that?"
Her tone turned quiet and pleading. "Please… please don't take Okaa-san from me." She'd kept it hidden in her room, but every morning and every night she had taken it out and received courage from the familiarity of her mother's smiling face. Kyoko was who she'd always turned to from the time when she was a little girl. She didn't want to lose this precious picture to Akito. It was her greatest treasure.
With only the slightest moment of hesitation Akito ripped the picture in half, the sound of tearing paper shattering Tohru's heart. "O-Okaa-san!" She couldn't help but take a step forward reaching for the halves. Akito, displeased with her show of resistance, pushed her away before continuing to shred the photo into at least a dozen different pieces.
When he let the pieces flutter to the floor, Tohru immediately fell to her knees, crying as she tried to collect the pieces. Before her fingers could touch the ruined photograph, Akito kicked her away from the remains and yanked her up by one arm.
"You need to think about you've done and how you've disobeyed me," Akito said flatly, setting off at fast pace and forcing her to keep up with him.
Tohru hardly heard him; she could only think about the shredded pieces of her mother's image torn and scattered on the floor.
Akito opened the door to the dark room, and pushed her inside. "You need to think, Tohru Honda. You'll stay here until tomorrow morning when I'll allow you to go to school."
That statement gave her a sudden thread of hope. She'd see Yuki again. The nothingness she was about to be locked into couldn't last forever.
"And when you see Yuki and Kyo you will break your friendship with them and tell them yourself that you want nothing to do with them." With that, Akito slammed the door shut and Tohru heard him lock it behind him.
Reject their friendship? Suddenly, that hope disappeared and left her with truly nothing left. Tohru curled into as tight a ball as she could manage, letting her tears flow without restraint. She'd just lost everything she held sacred and dear to her. Akito had taken all of it away.
The happiness she'd felt earlier that day seemed more like a fantasy than a memory. "I-I'm sorry, Okaa-san. I'm sorry, okay? If I'd only taken you with me t-today, none of this would have happened."
OoOoO
Yuki half expected Kyo to ruin his good mood, so it didn't surprise him when he instantly began yelling once Tohru was out of sight and inside the main complex.
"You damn rat! I hate you! How could you even do that?" Kyo was seething, and his fist flew through the air only to be stopped by Yuki's outstretched palm.
"Clarify for me why you're angry this time?" Yuki asked, not fazed in the least.
"I saw you after lunch! Y-you kissed Tohru! You took advantage of her confusion! It's sick and I can't believe you'd do that!" Kyo screamed.
Yuki sent his fist squarely into Kyo's jaw. "I'm not taking advantage of her! I would never do that! Don't you dare say it again!" Yuki began walking home, clenching his jaw. "You know nothing. You have no idea what she's going through."
Kyo blocked his way. "And you're saying you do? How could you know what he's doing to her? You were his freaking pet! You were spoiled rotten!"
Yuki sent him a burning glare. "Really? Is that what you call it?"
Kyo suddenly remembered what he'd seen Akito do to Yuki the night he'd taken Tohru, and wondered how he could have forgotten. It really had been awful, but he couldn't just admit he was wrong. It was too late for that. "Yeah, that's what I call it! You were given everything and you think you can compare that to whatever he's doing to her!"
Yuki narrowed his eyes at Kyo, sending his tone to a dangerous level. "I wasn't given everything. Everything was taken from me. Everything I wanted to keep and I everything I sought to gain was taken away! I had nothing and you had everything when you don't even seem to want or care about it!" Yuki stopped yelling, realizing what he'd just admitted.
Kyo stared at him in surprised silence. He couldn't think of what to say in response to that.
Yuki made a dismissive gesture and walked away, not wanting to stand in awkward silence anymore. "And by the way, I would never presume to kiss Tohru-kun unless she actually wanted me to. What you don't realize is that she kissed me first."
Just as Yuki had hoped, Kyo seemed to forget all about what had slipped from his mouth earlier and his rage at Yuki had returned. "Damn rat!"
For the rest of the walk home, Kyo unsuccessfully attempted to land at least one hit, but every time Yuki deflected or side-stepped it. He didn't care what Kyo thought of his kissing Tohru. He had as much right as anyone else.
Kyo was still screaming profanities when they made it to Shigure's. "I can't stand you! I can't even look at you! Who do you think you are to do that to her?"
Yuki closed the door in his face, happy to have some form of a barrier between them. "I'm Yuki Sohma," he said through the door. "Obviously." He took off his shoes, while Kyo let out a scream of rage on the other side of the door. "Stupid cat," he muttered.
The voice he heard next made him cringe and scowl. "My most darling brother has returned from school! How wonderful! I have awaited your return with bated breath!" Ayame leapt from where he had been sitting with Shigure and was by Yuki's side in an instant.
Yuki sighed. "Of course you have."
Kyo's fist came crashing through the door beside Yuki's head. "I hate you!"
Shigure let out an overly dramatic gasp. "My house! Tsk tsk, Kyo-kun, after I'm so kind as to let you stay here, and here you are ruining my castle!"
Kyo gave Shigure such a glare after bursting through the door that anyone else would feared for their lives. "This isn't a castle! And I never asked to live here with that damn Yuki!"
"Que sera sera, Kyo-kun. Que sera sera."
"Kyon-kichi," Ayame exclaimed. "You seem quite angry today. Perhaps you have—"
Kyo interrupted him before he could finish. "It's because he" – Kyo pointed an accusatory finger at Yuki – "kissed Tohru at school!"
Yuki glowered at him. It hadn't been in his plans to announce it to anyone, especially not his brother.
"Yuki!" Ayame became ecstatic. "My brother! How very proud I am of you! Do you understand the bright and shining idea of romance now, my darling brother? Do you? And the beatific and sensual power a woman can have over a man? Do you understand now?"
Yuki felt his face heat up. "It's not like that! It's not!" Sensuality had absolutely nothing to do with it. He loved her; he only desired her happiness. He didn't deny that her presence made him hyper-aware of everything and he had a hard time thinking of much else but her, but ultimately it was her happiness and not his that counted.
"You're not even bothering to deny it!" Kyo looked ready to explode.
Ayame began dancing and singing, gleeful with the news. "Yuki has a girlfriend, love and romance! Yuki has a girlfriend, sweet love forevermore!"
"Nii-san, just shut up! Shigure! Make him shut up!"
Shigure shrugged as he watched Ayame's antics with an amused smile. "Sorry, Yuki-kun. Only Haa-san can do that."
Kyo finally couldn't take anymore, especially seeing as he appeared to be the only one disturbed by the turn of events. "Gah! All of you—just… die!" With that final piece of rage he stomped away.
Ayame stopped singing and took Yuki by the shoulders with a serious look. "Tell me, did you kiss her properly? Were her senses lit because of your fervent passion?"
Yuki shoved him away. "Nii-san! That's enough! It's private and none of your business!"
"At least tell me why you didn't walk her home." Ayame folded his arms suspiciously. "I thought you were more of a gentleman than to leave your princess stranded."
The room went quiet. He didn't know? Had no one told him what had become of Tohru? Yuki had thought everyone would have known by this point. Confused by the sudden silence, Ayame said, "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Shigure kept his mouth shut, not wanting to say anything that would make Yuki angry with him.
Hesitantly, Yuki explained. "Akito came by a few weeks ago and… wanted me back. Tohru-kun… she volunteered to take my place. Today was her first day away from the main house and Akito since then." Yuki crossed his right arm over his abdomen and took hold of his left elbow, trying to hold in the guilt he suddenly felt. It was the gesture he always used to hold in emotion and hide from uncertainty. "But she's with him again now that school's over for the day."
Ayame's face was the picture of shock after he comprehended what Yuki had said. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to find the words he wanted to say to his younger brother, but he didn't know how to take the news himself much less say something encouraging to some one who had known for weeks.
"I'm going upstairs," Yuki mumbled, not wanting to spend any more time with his speechless brother who was sure to say something that would only worsen the whole situation. As he headed up the stairs Ayame called after him, finally deciding on what he could say.
"Fear not, my brother! We shall rescue the princess and bring her home! We shall not fail or give in!" Yuki knew he was serious, and his words did give him hope. When Ayame decided to do something, he never went halfway; he would see it through to the end. Even if exuberance was his only language.
What did you think? Please let me know! Reviews make my world spin and my sun shine! Please please review!