Author's Note: hi there, chapter 10 is here, YAY, this chapter was giving me some trouble, then today I just sat down and wrote seven pages for it and it's done, thank goodness, hope you enjoy, please review.
The Rebirth of the Cat
2 years later
"Bye, see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Tohru-san, great work as always."
Tohru laughed, off the comment and head for home. But now that she was alone, she was hit with sudden surge of sadness, in two days it would be the anniversary of the breaking of the curse and the Sohma's memory erasing. She sighed, she still missed them dearly, but that was to be expected, she still saw them from time to time, they seem to have a knack at finding her or she them, either way she seemed to run into a least two of them a month. Despite this, she wondered how they where really doing, they seemed fine to the world, but the Sohma's did have a talent for hiding their true feelings under masks or kept locked away in tightly locked boxes. She sighed again, she wanted to know a lot of things about them and how they where doing, but it wasn't like she could go up to them and asked, "hi, how are things going with you and your once cursed families, do you need any help."
She shook her head, no, despite how much she wanted to know, she kept away from them, she would not fall into the their family net of problems again, not if they didn't want her to and somehow she felt if she ever did fall into their family again and everything went wrong again she didn't think she would survive.
"Look Kai, you where right Mommy's back."
"Mama"
Tohru leaved her head, breaking free of her depress thoughts the moment she heard her two years old voice. Her small son waved his arms at her from within, Tohru Landlords and Ladies, ground apartment. Tohru beamed at her son, rushing forward and swinging him up into her arms.
"Hi there, Little Guy, whatcha doing." Tohru asked her son, kissing his cheeks, making him giggle.
"Was he good?" Tohru asked her landlady brightly, knowing the answer already.
"Was he good, you ask, Tohru his, the perfect angel, he never naughty, he hardly ever cries and goes to sleep without complaint." Her Landlady said, ruffling the small boys hair affectionately who was playing with his mothers own hair, Kai smiled at her brightly, before going back to tugging her hair gently.
"Come on Kai, I think it's time for someone to go to bed." Tohru said as she head up the flight of stairs to her upstairs apartment.
She opened her door they were immediately greeted by Zodie, the large orange Cat, who seemed almost human.
"Hey Zod, did you take good care of the house while we where gone." Tohru asked the Cat, Zodie gave her a look as if to say "you expected me not to". She laughed, closing the front door, placing her keys on to the table, before walking to Kai's room, with Zodie following her heels. She placed the small boy into his crib; he immediately wrapped his arms around a small cat toy, pulling it to his chest, hugging it tightly. Tohru shook her head; her son loved that cat toy over all the other animal toys he had been given, he really did take after her in a lot of ways, but he still looked more like Kyo then her.
Kyo. Her chest ach, she hadn't seen him since that day, she had gone to Kazuma;s to introduce Kai to him, that first week of Kai's life. She had seen him and the others and they had seen her, she knew that their heart had recognize her, though their minds had not, but she had still waved to them and smiled, hoping, selfishly hoping they would remember something more then quick flashes of her, but of cause they hadn't, they had just stared at her, Momiji and Yuki had been there and she had notice that they had wanted to talk to her but Haru or Kyo must have talked them out of it. She sighed heavily leaving the bedroom, closing it's door quietly behind her.
"What's the matter Zod?" she asked, the cat, for he had taken to sitting on the window sill staring out into the night, the cat turn to stare at her with big, intelligent eyes. She reached out and stroked his head.
"You feel something don't you, both you and Kai have been restless lately, then again I've been have the fidget too and I've been having flashbacks to when I lived with the Sohma's." she told the cat, who listen to her keenly, before turning back to the window. Tohru continued to scratch his head, before she heard a whimper from her son's room. She turned and went to check on her son. Zodiac followed the young mother movements before once again staring out the window, fidgeting nervously.
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2 days later.
"Well, thank you for coming to visit; it's nice to see how Kai has grown in a week." Kazuma laughed, making Tohru smile, she was happy to come and visit Kazuma the only Sohma who remember her, well… she shook her head. As they walked to the bus stop they heard a yell for help and sobbing gasp.
"What's the matter?" Tohru and Kazuma demanded as they came across a man in his late twenties holding a young woman in his arms trying to hold her up, steady, while panicking at the same time.
"My wife, the baby, my wife says the baby is coming, but…but it's early two mouths." The man gasped out in terror, clearly this was their first child together.
Tohru blinked, something struck a warning cord inside of her but she didn't know why.
"Um, breath, just keep breathing and the ambulance will be here in no time." Tohru said, glancing desperately at Kazuma, who looked just as bewildered
"There's no time, the baby is coming now." The woman shrieked, Tohru took a deep breath, trying to think clearly, the man was look staring at her pleadingly, what on earth did he think she could do.
"Let's get her into the house." Kazuma suggested, the man nodded willingly and he and Kazuma helped the young soon to be mother inside, Tohru follow uncertainly behind, with Kai, she wasn't sure whether to go home or stay, something about all this bugged her and Kai seemed agitated about something. Well she guessed, seeing a screaming woman would have agitated anyone. She sighed, picking up her son, trying to reassure him all was well, but Kai fussed, wiggling in her arms, desperate to be let down. The woman let out another shriek and her husband, bolted from the room, looking desperate; he once again shot Tohru a pleading look.
Tohru sighed and walked to where the young woman was laying on Kazuma's mat with cushion supporting her. At the back of her mind Tohru knew she hadn't made this much noise when she was giving birth to Kai, yet as she had been often told during her pregnancy, all pregnancies and births where different.
"Please, please the baby's coming, the baby is coming early." The woman gasped, her eyes frighten, though it was a different sort of frighten and Tohru didn't know why, but this woman was afraid for another reason other then her going into premature labour.
Suddenly a memory came to her, a memory that she had forgotten, but it had been awoken on the very night she had given birth to Kai, Momiji soft sad voice came to her.
Children of the Zodiac are born two months premature. Tohru felt cold, it was just a coincidence that this woman had gone into labour on the day two years after the Zodiac curse was broken, two months before her due date. Tohru looked into the young woman's eyes and a mutual connection went between them, they both knew the other knew of the Zodiac curse, they didn't know how the other knew, they just did. Now Tohru understood the woman's fear, the woman was afraid not only for her child but for herself, her husband and most likely her family connections.
"Everything is going to be…" Tohru stopped, saying everything was going to be ok, seemed stupid, she knew how people reacted to finding out about the Zodiac, they were afraid, disgusted, hated the list went on for the what people felt towards the Zodiac members and rarely love was on the list.
Tohru bit her lip as she took the woman's hand, why hadn't the ambulance arrived yet, she glanced towards Kazuma who looked equally frustrated.
"Oh no, oh no, it's coming." The woman sobbed in terror.
"Calm down, calm down, just breathe." Tohru whispered gently, Kazuma placed some warm water down on the ground along with a towel, scissor and so on. Tohru shot him a questioning look, but he nodded towards the door. Tohru's head whipped around and her mouth dropped, for Hatori Sohma had just walked threw the front door followed by the young woman distressed husband, she had been wondering where he had got to. Tohru noted that she had guessed correctly when thinking that the young woman was a Sohma, for Hatori greeted her with far more acknowledgement then her husband, who seem at the moment not to existed or her for that matter, Hatori barely register her presence before getting to work. Tohru blink she didn't know Hatori delivered babies, it didn't really seem to suit him, but then never judge a book by it cover. She didn't know why but she found herself feeling just as nervous around him as she had the first time she had met him, he seemed just as cold and untouchable now as he had that day, there was no warmth coming from him at all. Maybe he like she and the young woman had suspected that not all was well with this baby. Please let it be alright, she thought, then realised speaking of babies, where was hers. She looked wildly around, before spotting her small son sitting in the corner of the room, playing with his toys, completely ignoring what was going on with the adults.
"I can see a head." Tohru head snapped around to Hatori, who was know looking, well more human, there was now emotion in his usually emotionless face, it was sort of a relief to see him having emotion showing, even if it was pure frustration, clearly he wasn't all that keen to be here, doing this particle job.
After another ten minutes or so the baby was out and crying, Kai looked up from his toys interested by the sound of the small baby, small orange haired baby. Tohru glanced from either parent, neither had orange hair, maybe she an a affair with an orange haired man, Tohru thought, before scolding herself for thinking such an unkind thought, but Hatori looked as if he was hoping this was the case too. He handed the small baby to his mother cautiously, the new mother took her son just as cautiously and held him.
1…2…3, Kazuma, Hatori and Tohru all counted holding their breath, hoping, but, POOF, Scream, a little orange kitten took the place of the orange haired baby.
The young mother screamed, her husband screamed and the Kitten, well yowled loudly. The mother shoved the baby…kitten away from her; Tohru quickly caught the baby… kitten before he hit the cold floor, wrapping him tightly in her jacket and held him against her trying to calm the baby…kitten down.
"Get it away, get it away." The woman shrieked.
"He's nowhere near you." Tohru said defensively, but stepping back, away from the frantic woman, "and he's not an it, he's a child and your son, you can't just push him away, he needs you, he needs his mother." Tohru said trying to stay calm but was shaking with fury at the mother and father rejection of their new born. How could they.
There was a poof and the orange kitten turn back into the orange haired, crying baby, this was more then the woman could take, she screamed and yelled as did her husband. Hatori sighed heavily, flicking out his cell a phone and called for an amblance to come for the two frantic people.
"What about the baby?" Tohru asked him, but Hatori gave her a warning look, though he looked her up and down this time acknowledging her presences in the room for the first time, his eyes briefly flicking towards Kai, who was now standing beside her looking up at the whimpering baby.
Once ambulance had come and taken the parents of the new born cat had come and gone, Hatori turned to Tohru who was still holding the baby.
"Why are you not disgusted and frighten by the thing your holding." He asked her quietly, Tohru glared at him.
"He is not a thing, he is a human being with…" she snapped before her voice trailed off, "a slight, furry problem." She finished in a soft whisper; she looked down at the now sleeping baby. She knew he must be hungry, but where could she find him some food.
"Come." Hatori ordered, Tohru and Kazuma stared at him blankly.
"We need to go to the head of the family and inform him about this." Hatori snapped, Tohru felt her heart sink she didn't want to see Akito or any Sohma for that matter or go to the Main House, she wanted to go home with Kai make dinner and go to bed.
Kazuma walked up to her, holding out his arms for the baby.
"No Kazuma, she needs to come to, that idiot told both me and Shigure that his wife was going into premature labour two mouths before her due date and he mention that you had a young woman visiting, who was helping his wife, so knowing Shigure he has most likely told Akito that this young woman was present at the Cats birth, so Akito will expect to see her." Hatori looked wary and Tohru felt a stab of regret at thinking badly of him, not so long ago.
Kazuma open his mouth to argue, but Tohru cut him off. "Its fine, I'll go, I'll go to the Main House and meet Akito-san." Again, she thought grimly. Holding the well wrapped orange haired baby in the crock of one arm, she gentle took hold of one her son's hands and the three adults and two children made their way to the Main House. As she walked threw the main gates, she felt as if she was walking down memory lane, and it hurt. Her chest was aching at the memories and her eyes stung with unshed tears, this was just not her day.
They walked the familiar rout to Akito's main room, before Hatori told them to wait outside the door so that he could tell Akito that they had arrived and to have a few private words about Tohru's lack of reaction to the baby's transformation.
"What is it with me and Cats?" Tohru asked Kazuma leaning before she flopped heavily into chair facing the closed door, threw which they could here muffled voices. Kai scrambled on to her lap to get a prober look at the baby, that was at the moment everyone's main interest and concern. Tohru watch her son in interested, for he seemed just as interested in the baby as the baby was in him. The two children stared at each though Kai gaze was far more focused.
"Ambbb." The boy comment to his mother, pointing at the baby's eyes, Tohru tilted her head and noted that the baby boy's eyes, where a different colour to what Kyo's were, are she corrected herself. Unlike Kyo's eyes that where a bright ruby brown in colour, the baby boy's eyes were a sort of deep hazel gold colour with a splash of orange and hints of red. Amber! Amber was defiantly the colour to describe them.
Amber, Kohaku, she thought, grinning, that was a nice name for the boy, it suited him well. But it wasn't as if she really had a say in the matter of his name.
"Whatda mean there's another cat." Tohru's head snapped up at the sound of that familiar voice, she mightn't have heard it in two an half years but that didn't mean she did recognize it sound and tone. Oh he's in a bad mood, Tohru thought frantically, suddenly feeling as if she was sixteen year old again and trying to become a friend to him or at least speaking turns, but she wasn't sixteen anymore, she was twenty and she wasn't trying to become his friend, he didn't even remember her, so why was she panicking. She stared at Kai who had turn his attention away from the baby to the door where the loud voice had come from, if only he knew that was his dad yelling in there and if only he knew his son was sitting out here, they have no idea the other even exist, Tohru thought feeling her heart sink even further. Kazuma glanced at Tohru then back at the door, why did things have to be so complicated, he wondered inwardly and then things only got more complicate when Kyo flung the door open, looking furious.
He let Akito wined him up again, Tohru and Kazuma both thought sighing
"Who the hell are you?" Kyo bellowed, after a moment, once he spotted Tohru sitting there, right in front of him. Kazuma wince and made a mental note to smack Kyo over the head for that, he loved his hot head son dearly, but they really need to do something about that temper, he knew Kyo didn't mean to snarl and insult everyone and everything, but that didn't excuse him from doing it, especially to a girl who had taken a lot of guts to just come here and sit there waiting to face the person who had tore her world apart.
Tohru heart ached, that hurt, that really, really hurt. Not so much what he said, but how he had said it, she knew Kyo well enough to know half the time he didn't mean what he said and how he said it, but it hurt, she felt a strong surge of Déjà vu coming over her, hadn't he worn that same look just after he had turned back into a human after she had first turn him into a cat. Yep, defiantly Déjà vu all over again, it felt like a real housemate reunion once she spotted Yuki and Shigure standing behind Kyo, she admired how much the two boys had grown and sighed heavily at the fact that they really needed a haircut. She had a strong urge to hug them but managed to somehow keep the urge under a tight leash, hey she managed not to hug them when they were cursed, she could managed not hug now they were un-cursed.
"Her name is Honda Tohru; she is friend of mine, who was visiting, when Sohma, Chika gave birth to the child." Kazuma said calmly, staring at his son warningly. So she really had been right on the dots at thinking that the woman was not only a Sohma but a member of the inner Sohma clan, that would explain her knowing a bit about the Zodiac curse and the recognition that went across Kyo's, Yuki's and Shigure's faces.
She noted that both Yuki and Shigure where eyeing her with keen interest while Kyo was completely ignoring her or was trying to but his eyes kept flickering across her face, the more he looked at her the more frustrated and angry he looked, he really wasn't happy to see her or he really wanted to know who she was, Tohru wasn't sure which, they might be both right or they might be entirely wrong, either way he was even more furious now then when he was yelling at Akito. Speaking of Akito, she, he whatever had just appeared in the door way, so silently his, her sudden presence made everyone jump, well except the children, who had gone back to staring at each other intently. The moment Akito met her gaze, a look of fear flicked in those cold dark eyes, no one notice this save Tohru and Shigure, who took even more interest in the girl, who was happy to hold a child that turn into a cat and could make his god look fearful, this could get very interesting.
Akito stared at Tohru; her heart beating rapidly, what was that girl, woman doing here? Why did she always have to mess things up? Akito noted the small orange haired two year old sitting on the girl's lap and glanced side ways at her angry monster and wondered.
"In." she ordered Tohru, pointing to her room, the young woman sighed, getting up, telling the two year old to stay with Kazuma and behave and that she would be back soon and walked to the room, her head held high as she walked past the once cursed Zodiac men. Once she entered the room, Hatori slid past her and closed the door behind Akito once she entered. Tohru noted Kureno standing in the corner and nodded at him, which he politely return though showed no sign of recognition for her. Well that hurt, not much but a little, it wasn't as if he had had his memory erased like the others or maybe he had, she wondered, she felt regret once more thinking badly of a Sohma, that was twice in one day or was it three times, she sighed she was losing count of how many times she had felt bad tempered today.
Then another train of thoughts hit her; how come Hatori didn't remember her? Had he erase his own memory? could he do that? Maybe he could if Akito ordered him to, if he could why didn't he erase his memories of Kana, probably didn't want to, he wanted to remember the time they spent together. Like I want to remember the time I spent with the Sohma's no matter how painful.
Tohru turned her full attention to Akito who had her back to her and staring out at the garden.
"Why are you here?" Akito asked her quietly.
"I was visiting Kazuma." Tohru stated truthfully, nothing beat the truth and she was so sick of lying to people.
"Who is that child?" Akito asked her even more quietly, Tohru blinked Akito had to have known who the Cat spirit cures child was.
"Eh, Sohma, Chika is his mother I don't know who the father is." Tohru said blankly.
"Not the monster, that two year old out there." Akito snarled, still not looking at her, Kureno turned his head from Akito to Tohru then back again as if he was watching a tennis game. Tohru felt her heart sink once more, she really, really, didn't want to tell Akito that Kai was Kyo son, but how could she get away from the fact that he had Orange hair, big give away, and the fact that the boy looked like a miniature Kyo.
"He's mine." Tohru sighed heavily, nothing like the truth to bring you down.
"Who's the father?" Akito asked.
"I don't know, he doesn't remember." Tohru said, not really sure why she had said that, it didn't make sense even to her. To her surprised Akito dropped the subject and went silent for a while.
"Are you going to tell?" Akito asked her, Tohru sighed
"Tell who." Tohru asked feeling frustrated it was just like Akito not to get straight to the point but draw it out, making the person feel angry and inferior.
"The outside world about us." Akito said.
"No, I haven't told anyone about the curse, not in the four years that I've know about, what's the point doing it now, anyway." Tohru asked, feeling extremely deflated at this back and forth conversation that seemed to be going nowhere anytime soon.
Akito got up and came to sit right in front of her, holding what looked like Kyo's old Juzu beads, she had absent-mindedly noted that he hadn't been wearing his when they had been out in the hall waiting. Akito handed them to her, and for a moment Tohru fingered them. They where as smooth as she remembered them, but she shuddered when she remembered what they where made out of. Human Bones, Kyo's quiet voice whispered in her memory, and suddenly she was back at the beach, outside the beach, summer house that she and the other Sohma's had gone to that summer all that time ago. She and Kyo had been left behind while the other had gone to see Akito, so they had decided to build a Sand Castle, well she decided, he just watched her, trying to vainly make it look like a castle. There on that beach he had told her the sad history of being cured by the spirit of the cat and the origan of his bracelet, the one that was past down from cursed Cat to cursed Cat.
She remembered how ignorantly she had asked why he didn't like water; he had said the previous cat hadn't like water either and that it was because the spirit of the cat hated water.
After that she had asked if the previous cat had worn those beads too.
Yeah, he had said very quietly, staring down at them.
She had then wondered out loud what they where made out of, she had assumed stone, but he had calmly stated that they where made out human bones, even though he had looked calm about it, there was a distant look in his eyes as he stared at her watching her reaction to this new knowledge, and so he told the organ of the beads. His voice still calm and quiet, staring at his beads as he told her the story.
It was a famous warrior or priest or something.
Apparently it happened a really long time ago.
They say the red ones are the coloured with blood
I don't know how that's true though. Since the colour doesn't fade…
Apparently because it was made by sacrificing the lives of others, it's supposed to be a powerful protective charm.
I've always thought that was strange.
Ever since I was a little kid.
He went quiet after that, as if he was lost in thought, probably was, thinking about how much pain the curse had caused everyone around it, she wondered if he was blaming himself about everything. She really wanted to go home with Kai and not think about the curse, but… she stared down at the small orange haired boy in her arms, his great big amber eyes stared up into her face, he was now going to have to go threw everything Kyo had, but maybe Kyo would take care of him in his own way, maybe even the other un-cursed members would keep an eye out for the little Cat. She gently slid the bracelet on the boy's wrist, feeling terrible; this boy was cursed for a life of loneliness, rejection, hatred and disgusted. She smiled sadly at the baby, ignoring the tear that rolled down her face.
"Are you crying for the monster?" A sharp voice asked her, Tohru jumped, coming abruptly back to reality for a moment she had no idea where she was, until she spotted Akito still sitting in front of her, looking both annoyed and amused.
"Yes I am." Tohru said, her voice trembling.
"Why?" Akito asked looking surprised.
"Because he is going to have an unfair life before him, where his own fate has already been decided fro him with out him being able to say a word against it and yes I am crying, but not because I pity him, but because…" she thought, why was she crying for him if it wasn't out of pity.
"He'll be ok, he's a strong boy, he'll be alright, won't you Kohaku." She mumbled, the boy smiled up at her, Akito blinked at the young woman.
"Kohaku?" Akito asked questioningly.
"I've decided that's his name, I have a strong feeling that his parents won't name him so I might as well." Tohru said smiling at the boy.
There was a long silence, before Tohru lifted her head and looked Akito straight in the eye.
"Will my memory be erased?" She asked quietly, Akito shifted uncomfortably.
"No, you're no threat to us." Akito snarled at her, to Akito and Kureno surprised Tohru smiled.
"Thank you very much." She said getting up and waited, Akito waved at her in dismal. Tohru walked to the door then stopped and turned around to face Akito once more.
"What will happen to him?" she asked Akito, nodding her head the baby in her arms, Akito shrugged.
"He will be placed in the care of some people outside the compound, maybe with Kazuma." Akito gave another indifferent shrug, however Tohru felt a little better at the thought of Kazuma raising the new Cat, then she might be able to visit. And why would she want to visit, didn't she decide not to get wrapped up in the Sohma net of problems, but then again wasn't she already wrapped up in it now, just being in the same room as Akito and Kureno with Kyo, Yuki, Shigure and Hatori just outside the door. She sighed, yep, she was right, she was a Sohma magnet or maybe a cursed Zodiac magnet either way she was once again in on the curse and not about to have her memory erased, which was a defiant plus.
She, somewhat, sadly handed over the small boy to a maid, before she was allowed to leave the campus, which she was more then happy to do. She knew that the ex-Zodiac members had be surprised that Akito let her keep her memory of the curse, but said nothing of it.
Tohru sighed in relief as she open her door, Zodie trotting up to greet them. Tohru smiled at the cat, scratching him behind the ears.
"well, Zodie, today's has been a long interesting day and I never want to relive it again." And with that, she shut her front door, with a clip of a lock.
Author's Note: thanks for reading, see you one last time fro this fic, bye, please review, thanks again for reading.
