A/N: I think I've been looking forward to this as much as you guys have :-) Quick note: I'm also revealing the big change to Akito in this chapter, so I hope it sits ok with everyone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. It is the property of Natsuki Takaya.

Chapter 11 – Where There's Smoke

Now that she was a social success, Tohru had to make an effort to carve out time every day to write to Kisa as she'd promised. The girl had been a faithful correspondent, sending as many as three letters in one week, most of them filled with questions about London and Tohru's legions of suitors. In turn, Tohru grilled Kisa on her lessons, asking about the new governess and Hiro's tutor, and avoiding all mention of the one question she most particularly wanted to ask.

Nearly a month after Tohru arrived in London, Kisa finally got around to mentioning his name. It is odd, Hiro and I have seen nothing of Kyo since you left for London. He was never a frequent visitor to the main house before you came, but we had thought he was developing a habit of coming here after all. Uncle Hatori assures me Kyo is not languishing of a fever at the dower house, so perhaps he has gone to visit his friends in Scotland. I do hope he is well.

Tohru laid the letter on her vanity and indulged in a sigh. She shouldn't keep re-reading the paragraph. There was no more information there than the first time she'd read it. Where was Kyo? Was he still at Hundsford avoiding everyone, or had he gone to Scotland, as Kisa guessed? Tohru knew it was none of her business, but she couldn't help wondering...wishing he was not so lonely as she imagined him to be.

She rose and shook out her pale mint-colored skirts. It was a gray, drizzly day, so the countess's plans to take her on social calls followed by a trip to eat ices at Gunter's with Arisa and Miss Hanajima were hopelessly ruined. Perhaps the earl wouldn't mind letting her select a book from his library.

Rounding the landing from upstairs, she looked down to see a gentleman standing in the foyer—a gentleman with orange hair.

Tohru's foot missed two steps. She cried out. Her flailing hand missed the banister, pitching her sideways down the stairs.

She heard her name. Strong arms swept around her, and for one second they clutched her to a chest radiating warmth. She barely had time to realize a man had broken her fall, when smoke puffed around her and the sheltering arms vanished.

Catching herself with her hand, she turned to sit on the stair. An orange cat stared up at her from within a pile of dark gentleman's clothes. Tohru blinked. The cat tensed to run.

"Tohru, was that—" the countess froze at the base of the steps, her eyes wide with horror. "Oh God, no!"

The cat's head whipped around to this new sound, and instinctively, Tohru scooped it up against her chest, cradling it against the seething fury she saw in the countess's eyes. Her mind wasn't working right, but she could at least protect the poor creature.

The animal tensed in her arms, but though Tohru prepared herself for the inevitable claws, they didn't come. Slowly, it relaxed into her arms.

Lord Shigure came striding out of his study, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. "Aki? Was that you?"

The countess seized her husband by the lapels and dragged him to see the stairs. "Look what he's done."

Tohru sat there numbly, her finger tracing the underside of the cat's ear. She watched the earl's jaw muscles tighten, and saw the way he took Lady Akito's hand in his own. "We can fix this," he said quietly.

"Fix this?" the countess screeched. "Your brother is a good three days' ride from here and I have already accepted the Duchess of Selby's invitation to bring Tohru to her ball tonight. I can't possibly take her now."

Grim lines formed at the corners of the earl's mouth. Still holding his wife's hand, he beckoned to Tohru. "My dear Miss Havilland, I think you ought to set Kyo down and come with me."

The cat went rigid beneath Tohru's suddenly frozen finger. Kyo? She was to set...Kyo down?

Before she could make a move, the cat squirmed out of her arms—again, using no claws—and darted up the stairs.

"Bell, see that Kyo's clothing is returned to him." Lord Shigure left the countess and climbed the stairs to take Tohru's hand. "We have something to explain to you, Miss Havilland, and I would rather do it in the library than here on the stairs."

The Sohma's loyal butler waited until Tohru had staggered down the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder to see him scooping up a gentleman's coat, shirt, waistcoat, breeches and Hessian boots. The cravat was still tied. What did it mean, and why did her brain feel like it had gone to mush?

Lady Akito swept into the library ahead of Tohru and the earl. She rounded on Tohru the moment the door clicked shut behind them. "I have kept your secret, Tohru Honda, but this...this is a secret you take to your grave, or you will get there sooner than you expect."

The earl tsked and patted Tohru's hand. "Don't let my she-devil scare you, Miss Honda. But she is right. This secret must be kept. If we decide we can't trust you, we can erase it from your memory. Either way, what I'm about to tell you never, ever leaves your lips."

Tohru sank onto a chaise as all the blood drained from her face. "You can trust me, my lord, my lady. I owe you both so much."

"And well you remember it," the countess snapped.

"Akito," the earl said, sharply for him. "Miss Honda. Many years ago, the Sohma family was cursed. Some of us are...possessed," he winced at the word, "by the animals of the Chinese zodiac, so that an embrace with a normal human of the opposite sex transforms us into that animal, triggering the curse."

"Which reminds me," Lady Akito said, crossing the room with her arms folded beneath her bosom. "What exactly were you doing on the stairs with Kyo?"

Tohru's mouth opened and closed. She forced her brain to think. "I think I was so surprised to see Kyo here, in London, that I stumbled and would have fallen down the steps if he hadn't ran up and..." her voice faded, "caught me."

The countess stopped her pacing. "That is a good question. What is Kyo doing here?"

Lord Shigure held up his hand. "Easy, my dear. We haven't finished explaining things. So, Miss Honda, Kyo caught you, and then you saw a puff of something like smoke?"

She nodded.

"And when you looked, there was a cat sitting in a pile of Kyo's clothing. The cat isn't a true member of the Chinese Zodiac, but regardless, there is always a Sohma cursed by the cat. For this generation, it is Kyo."

Tohru recalled the way the cat didn't use his claws on her. She blushed, remembering she'd cradled his face to her chest. "Are...forgive me, my lord, but are you...?"

"The dog."

Unbidden and completely unexpected, a smile burst over Tohru's face. So that was why he always reminded her of a dog—an impish, loyal and kind-hearted dog. "And you my lady?"

Lord Shigure grinned. "What shall we tell her, Aki, that you are the proverbial mother hen?"

The countess scowled at her husband, then reared up straight and peered down at Tohru. "I prefer rooster."

"Preening, overbearing, and more commanding than most men. Yes, my dear, I suppose we can call you a rooster if you wish."

"Don't call me anything!" Lady Akito shot back, then blew out a short breath. "You see then, Tohru, why we can't afford to let this get out."

"Yes, my lady," Tohru sat up straight. "And you can be sure I won't tell a soul. I treat secrets with the greatest care."

She peered at Tohru a moment, then did something unusual for her: she sighed. "Yes, I think I know you well enough by now to know that is the truth."

The compliment curled straight through Tohru's scalp. She smiled happily. "So is there anything more I should know? Are all Sohmas affected?"

"No, though my branch of the family seems to have been hit harder than most," the earl said, a slight growl darkening his voice. "Our children are both cursed. Hiro is the ram and Kisa is the tiger."

Tohru's mouth dropped open. She tried to imagine that sweet girl transforming into a ferocious tiger... "But I hugged Kisa before. She didn't transform."

"It only happens with a member of the opposite sex."

That's right. Suddenly, Tohru remembered offering to hug Hiro, and how the boy had frozen before his sister came to the rescue to hug Tohru instead. Tears sprang to her eyes. What an awful secret for those children, for all the Sohmas to bear!

The library door swung open with a bang. "Tohru, are you all right?" Kyo demanded, crashing into the room with his cravat half tied and his jacket nowhere to be seen. "She's crying! You..." he seethed, advancing on the countess from across the room. "What have you been doing to her?"

Regency Lexicon

(I was having a hard time getting the website to appear, so just google "Regency Lexicon" and click on the link for "thenonsuch")

cravat – a gentleman's neckcloth made of starched linen that could be tied in a variety of styles

dower house – a relatively small house on an estate to which the dowager could retire when the new heir took up residence

ices – an early version of ice cream

Gunter's – a confectioner's shop in Berkeley Square, very popular with the ton.

waistcoat – sleeveless under-coat, or vest

Hessian boots – High boots coming to just below the knee that have tassels on the top. Named for the German soldiers called Hessians who introduced them.