Chapter XII: The Night Never Forgotten

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Tsubaki doubled over as the coursing pain of the curse surged through her. She tried to resist changing in front of Daisuke, but it was no use. Her body was steaming, shifting into the cat's grotesque form.

Daisuke watched in horror as Tsubaki hollered in pain. The clothes on her back were literally steaming off. Her body arched, revealing spine bones protruding through her thick skin. He would've gone forward to help her, but the rancid smell of burning flesh made him nauseous.

This isn't happening, he thought. This can't be happening.

The transformation was devastating. Tsubaki's shrill cries of pain were replaced with rough growls, as if she were possessed by a monster. The steam coming off her body surrounded the area, so Daisuke wasn't able to see much more than what he already saw. When the steam surfaced, a terribly anemic creature stood before them all. Its skin was a musty orange, its limbs elongated and bulky, and its eyes deadly violet and in slits, like a menacing feline. Bits of Tsubaki's dress were wrapped around its insipid body.

Daisuke was shocked to say the least. Tsubaki would usually transform into an adorable, little cat. But when Akito took off her beads, she turned into this… this… he didn't know what to call it. But that thing was still Tsubaki, and she had never looked so intimidating and vulnerable at the same time. It made him even angrier at himself for not stopping Akito.

He stepped out towards her, and she flinched. Her feral eyes scrutinized him startlingly.

"Tsubaki—" The beast fled. "Tsubaki wait…!" It was too late. Tsubaki was long gone. Despite his instincts, Daisuke stood rooted to the spot, too dismayed to even move.

Akito smirked at his reaction. "Now you see, Daisuke," he said, "the real monster that accursed cat is."

The events that happened suddenly took their toll on Daisuke, and the young boy fell to his knees and vomited. Hatori went over for his aid. Akito laughed manically.

"Game over, Honda."

-X-

The Zodiac members in Daisuke's home waited. The worst was yet to come, but the question was when. The how was out of the question. Everyone knew the worst consequence for the cat was brutal.

"Is there anything we can do?" Momiji asked. Ryuuji hugged his arm. Since the older man was closest to the door, the little boy sat next to him as he waited for Tsubaki to come back. However, he was very oblivious to what was going on.

"What can we do?" Hiro said.

"We can do plenty!" Kisa spoke out. "An innocent little girl is going to be punished for something she didn't do—something she wasn't even aware of! Why does she have to suffer alone?"

"Kisa, calm down," Rin said. "Shouting about it isn't going to do anything."

The door suddenly slammed opened. Everyone anticipated Hatori and Daisuke returning, sullen looks on their faces. Instead, they saw the person whose presence they'd missed the most these past 13 years:

Tohru Honda.

When she appeared at the door, everyone was nearly wide-eyed. Tohru had changed over the years. Obviously, she looked different body wise, but she also looked completely transformed—as if she was a different Tohru Honda. Her cerulean eyes were febrile, as if she were searching the room for something. Everyone knew exactly who she was looking for. Behind her was Hatsuharu, who looked as indifferent as ever.

"Where is she?" she finally said. "Where's Tsubaki?"

"Tohru…" Yuki said.

Before anyone else could say anything, Kisa ran up to the young woman and began crying into her chest. "I'm so sorry, Sissy! I'm sorry."

"Kisa?" Overwhelmed by Kisa's sudden cry, Tohru held the young woman and looked around the room for an explanation.

Rin decided to speak up this time. "Haru, why is Tohru here?"

"Daisuke invited us to come," he answered casually. "I told Tohru about the party, she wanted to see her daughter, and I wanted to get out of the house. She was so stubborn, too; I couldn't keep her away."

"So where is she?" Tohru repeated. "Where's my daughter?" Kisa began crying harder at the question. Hiro finally came up and pried her off of Tohru while giving the older woman a somber look. "What's going on? Why won't any of you answer me?"

No one spoke. No one wanted to say anything. They didn't exactly know where Tsubaki was, but they didn't have to. The only reason no one was saying anything was because of what it would do to Tohru. Yuki, especially, was the last person who wanted to hurt Tohru. Seeing the young woman after 13 long years was such a bombshell. Now that she was here, he couldn't bear to look her, but that didn't make him anymore invisible. The young woman was staring at him. Her eyes were pleading for the truth, and Yuki was so desperate to give it to her.

Before Yuki could say anything, a pale Daisuke entered the room. His eyes looked troubled, red, and puffy, as if he had been crying. A heavy coat was put over his shoulders. Hatori had a hand on his shoulder as he led him into the room. When he saw Tohru, he stopped. "Tohru, what are you…"

"Hatori, where's Tsubaki?" He didn't respond. "Please, Hatori. I haven't seen her in months. I need to know where she is. Please…"

Daisuke glanced up at the older woman. His eyes widened when he saw her eyes. They looked exactly like Tsubaki's. "Are you… Are you Tsubaki's mother?"

Tohru stepped away from the doctor and looked at the preteen. From his good-looking demeanor, she knew he was a Sohma. "Yes. Are you Daisuke?"

His head went down and nodded curtly. Haru had warned him she would show up, but he didn't want to meet her under these circumstances. "I just saw Tsubaki a moment ago."

"Really?" Tohru took his shoulders and crouched down until they were eye-to-eye. "Where is she now?"

Daisuke shook his head. "I… don't know." Tohru sighed, disappointed. "I'm sorry Mrs. Honda," he croaked. "Something happened to her, and I couldn't do anything to help her…"

"What happened?"

One word was enough to answer her question: "Akito."

Tohru's eyes filled up with fear. "What did he do?"

Daisuke's became glassy, and tears began brimming at the corner of his eyes. "He… took off her beads."

Grief suddenly fell over the room. Tohru's eyes couldn't get any wider. She ran out of the room before anyone could react.

"Tohru!" Hatori shouted. However, no one moved to run after her.

When she was gone, Daisuke fell to his knees and began to cry again. Now everyone understood why he was so shaken up. Daisuke had just witnessed the curse of the cat.

Shigure went over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder consolingly. Kisa, whose eyes were also red, held Daisuke close. Nobody else could do anything to comfort him but send silent condolences.

Yuki, who seemed to be the quietest, ran a hand through his hair. Even though he didn't show it, he was livid. Akito had hurt each of them very much. Hearing what happened to Tsubaki—doing that to an incident girl like her was just awful, he couldn't even imagine how terrible it was. And as much as he despised the cat, he couldn't help but feel pity on the young girl. He couldn't imagine how vulnerable Tsubaki must've felt when the cat's true form was revealed in front of Daisuke, someone she obviously cared about a lot.

Yuki sighed silently. He felt utterly useless sitting here while Tohru was out in the rain searching for her daughter. He remembered when the same thing happened to Kyo. He would be the only person who knew what to do in this situation. If only he were here…

Kyo…

"Dai," Yuki said. The boy looked up at his cousin with his glossy eyes. "What happened to the beads?" Daisuke wiped his eyes and sniffed. He slowly reached into his pocket and took out the white and violet beads. Yuki took them from him and ran out of the house.

As he watched his older cousin, the bitter feeling in Daisuke's heart grew. He hated how he couldn't help Tsubaki's mom or Yuki, he hated how weak and pathetic he felt crying in front of his family, and most of all, he absolutely hated how he made her feel like an alien, a beast, a monster…

I'm sorry, Tsubaki…

He sat in his isolated domain, waiting for the storm to pass over. He loathed this weather. It made him irritable and very damn annoyed by everything. He wished he could stop the weather, but if wishing could do anything, he'd be at his warm home right now with his family instead in this sodden, prickly hellhole all by his lonesome. But nothing in life ever worked out for him. So far, life sucked.

But something on this day felt especially off. Something else was wrong.

No… it can't be…

Something was throwing him off, and it wasn't the weather this time. Distress began to well up in his chest. His head began pounding. He stifled a growl, which echoed softly in the cave. What the hell was going on?

Tsubaki… She's…!

Through the pounding in his head and the ache in his chest, he could feel an unwanted presence approaching his domicile. Ignoring his pain, he slowly drew near the intruder who dared to come anywhere near him. He hoped this person was lost, otherwise…

What he saw surprised him the most. The rage he tried to hold in was instantly released. He was the last person he wanted to see right now. He didn't need this. He shouldn't have been surprised that he found him, but why he did found him in the first place? He was a beast, a monster—no one needed him, especially not this damn rat.

"Kyo," he said.

Hearing Yuki's voice made him repulse. Why him? Why now, especially at a time like this?

When he fled back, the man went forward. "Kyo, wait. I know I'm the last person you wanted to see, but I have something you might want." Yuki stepped forward once more, revealing a bag strapped on his shoulder. He put it down and took something out of it before he began walking towards him again. The beast's eyes dilated at the sight of the accursed beads. If Yuki had them, that meant—

He lunged at the rat without a second thought. This damn rat had the audacity to come here and show those beads to him? The rat was never satisfied making him angry, and this was insufferable. He had Yuki pinned against the wall of the cave. Yuki gasped out in pain, but he didn't give in. He never lost to the cat, and he didn't plan on it today. "Damn it, Kyo!" The young man kicked the creature in the maw and latched onto his arm. "Stop being so stubborn! Tsubaki's in trouble!" The mention of his daughter's name stopped him momentarily, giving Yuki just enough time to slip the beads on his bulky wrist.

Instantaneously, Kyo transformed into his au natural form. He looked older, and, despite the 13 years he spent secluded from the rest of the world, cleaner. His carrot-top hair was a bit longer and there was a bit of stubble on his chin. Other than that, he was the same old Kyo that Yuki knew so well. As far as he could tell nothing had changed, especially his anger.

Right after he transformed, Kyo had the silver-haired boy pinned to the wall again, ignoring that fact that he was completely naked. Vexation seared through his scarlet eyes. "How do you know about Tsubaki!" he hollered. "How the hell did you get the beads? What happened to her? Answer me!"

Yuki didn't respond immediately. Instead, he calmly put his hands over Kyo's rough ones and looked him in the eye. "Akito did it," he said. "He took off her beads."

Kyo slowly removed his hands from Yuki's shirt. He slowly sunk to his knees, one hand made an effort to cover the tears that were now dripping down his face. "Damn it," he mumbled shakily.

Yuki decided to leave Kyo to himself and went back to his forgotten bag. Inside was a pair of clothes. He tossed the bundle in front of Kyo. "Get dressed. I'll explain everything."

Kyo just knelt there for a while until he finally grabbed the clothes and went to change in the corner. He didn't like being told what to do, especially by the rat, but he didn't care about his morals right now. His daughter was his first priority.

When he was finished, he joined Yuki again and sat on a flat rock. His elbows were propped on his knees and his hands ran through his hair. "You've won again, Yuki," he said calmly. "How the hell did Tsubaki end up at the Sohma Estate anyway?"

"Daisuke found her one day," Yuki answered. "She had a fever and a sprained ankle. Then Kazuma came and suggested that the safest place for her right now was at the Sohma residence."

"Kazuma suggested that?" Yuki nodded. Kyo swore again. "How the hell could I let this happen to her?" He looked at Yuki. "Now what? I guess you want to know why we decided to run away, huh?"

"It's been 13 years, Kyo. Why would you and Miss Honda disappear like that?" Kyo looked away shamefully. A thought suddenly entered Yuki's head. Of course, it was so obvious. It was the reason why Kyo decided to hide here for who-knew-how long. "Kyo, was this because Akito was going to lock you away? Is that why?"

Kyo grimaced. "It wasn't my idea to run away!" He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Tohru and I did something the night of graduation. She knew that I was going to be locked away instead of going to school or finding a job or anything like that, so we…" He didn't need to go any further for Yuki to understand. "Trust me, Yuki. We didn't do what we did for a one last thrill kind of thing. I truly love Tohru and she loved me, so we thought we were ready. I didn't found out her real purpose for doing it until we found out she was pregnant…"

-X-FLASHBACK-X-

Kyo waited anxiously outside the room as Hatori examined Tohru. She had passed out today when she was making lunch for the two of them. Being the only two people in the house, Kyo immediately called his older cousin and waited for him to come while he tended to Tohru. He already had an idea what was wrong with her.

He didn't know why they did it. He knew there would be consequences, and he didn't want to do anything that would ruin her future, but he didn't want to lose her either.

I can't live without her…

The sound of the door sliding open made the young man jump. Tohru exited the room and walked over to Kyo. Her head was down, so he couldn't see her face. "Tohru, what's wrong? Are you okay? What did Hatori say?"

"Calm down, Kyo," the doctor said. "Tohru is fine. But she has some news for you."

Hatori left the couple alone. Tohru continued to stand in her ashamed pose. She was awfully quiet. Kyo couldn't take it. As soon as he heard the smooth sound of Hatori's car driving off, he took her shoulders and asked her softly, "What is it? Tohru, please…"

"Kyo," she said hoarsely. She must've been crying. "I'm pregnant."

Kyo let her go and slid down on the floor. "Why'd we do it, Tohru?"

"I thought you wanted it."

"Can't you ever think of yourself!" Tohru flinched at his harsh tone. Kyo sighed shakily, regretting his scold. "Tohru, you were going to college. You had a scholarship and everything."

"I know, and I'm sorry," she said. That was the last thing he needed to hear. An apology. "I know what we did was stupid, but I just didn't want to see you hurt. It hurt me knowing that you would be locked up in the Sohma house away from your friends, Shigure, Yuki, and me, and I would be away for college knowing I wouldn't be able to see you again. I know I'm not supposed to interfere with the curse, but I knew if I could find a way so you could escape, we wouldn't have to be separated. I love you, Kyo, and I want to have your child even if it means running away. As long as we're together—"

Tohru almost yelped when Kyo hugged her. She did this for him. She would give up everything just to be with him. She was too good for him. "Thank you."

"Kyo…"

When he pulled back, Tohru saw tears streaming down his eyes. Her eyes began to water as well. "Thank you, Tohru. I promise I will take care of you, and our child." He leaned down and kissed her curtly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Kyo," she whispered, her voice shaking. She locked her lips on his, making their kiss intense. From this moment forward, their love would never be severed.

-X-FLASHBACK END-X-

"After that, we ran away and eloped, and a few months later, Tsubaki was born."

"So Hatori knew you two were going to have a child, and he knew you ran away?" Kyo nodded slightly. He was still in a nostalgic state. "And he didn't tell Akito a thing."

"I don't why he didn't tell Akito," Kyo confessed. "But it didn't matter. Akito would've found out somehow."

Yuki looked away thoughtfully. "That's true. That explains why he suddenly became sick while you guys were gone. Hatori supposedly couldn't find out why." But there still the little blanks in the story that didn't make sense, like how Tsubaki also ended up with the curse. Why would there be two cats?

"I know you think it's because of Tsubaki," Kyo suddenly spoke up. "We don't know how she ended up with the curse. When she was born, everything was completely normal. She was so beautiful, and I nearly cried when I saw that tuft of red hair." Kyo chuckled slightly as he reminisced the day of Tsubaki's birth. "The moment of truth came when I held her. Nothing happened. I didn't transform. We knew then that she had the curse.

"Of course, we were surprised. I was upset, to say the least. My little girl was going to live in a world where she'd be ridiculed by others because she was different. But Tohru, the ray of sunshine who saw the bright side of everything, wasn't worried about that. She looked me in the eye and told me with that smile of hers, 'It'll okay, Kyo. She won't be any different than any other child. She's still our little girl, and we'll love her twice as much.' And of course she was right. We did love Tsubaki. She was a blessing. From that day on, I promised I would protect her. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her, and I definitely was not going to treat her like a Sohma, an outcast to the world, not like how Akito treats us. She was my whole world, my little kitten."

Yuki smiled slightly as he listened to Kyo's story. He could've imagined the reaction he had once he found out his daughter had the curse. He must've run rampant, destroying everything in his path. But even with the curse, it sounded like Kyo treated Tsubaki like a princess. He was very different from the rambunctious, hot-headed, carrot-top teen that he knew 13 years ago. In a way, he envied Kyo. He did what the other members of the Zodiac didn't have the courage to do. He sought out his happiness.

"You must've been happy," he said, speaking his thoughts.

Kyo smiled a bit. "We were." Then he frowned. "Other than her hair and the transformation due to stress and excitement, Tsubaki didn't really show the true nature of the cat's curse, until around her third birthday…"

-X-FLASHBACK-X-

Kyo frowned as he stared at the beads on his wrist. They were the chains that fettered him, that kept him a part of this godforsaken curse. When he found out his daughter would be sharing his misery, he never felt so mad in his life. Now, it was different. Tsubaki was more involved in the curse than they realized.

"Kyo." Kyo looked away from his beads to see his wife. A look of concern was on her face. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet, indicating that she was crying not too long ago.

"How is she?" he asked delicately.

"She's not any better." Tohru's eyes began to tear up again. "Kyo, her eyes are starting to turn purple. She's in so much pain, but she's trying her hardest not to show it. She refuses to eat anything. What are we going to do? I don't want her to feel this way tomorrow. It's her birthday."

Kyo bit his lip. Tsubaki gained an equal amount of attributes from him and Tohru, including a combination of their persistence. Tsubaki was always so strong, especially in front of her parents. Kyo hated it, though. He hated how she was trying to hide her pain from them. He wanted to console her, but he didn't know how to get rid of her pain. Unless…

"Kyo," Tohru said, interrupting his thoughts. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of ending this once and for all."

He went into the kitchen and found his little girl there. She was coloring something on the table, but she seemed to be struggling. Kyo slowly approached her when he noticed her hands. Her nails looked extremely sharp and her hands were writhing in pain as if the claws that were forming were causing her immense pain. Seeing her like this made his heart clench; he could feel her misery.

The little girl turned her head when she noticed the approaching presence. Her violet eyes were droopy, but they quickly lit up when she saw her dad. "Daddy." Kyo tried to smile for her, though it was a painful one. Her voice was lacking its usual cheerfulness.

"Hey, kitten." He picked her up and felt her forehead. She was burning up. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad."

"How bad? Does anything hurt?" Tsubaki nodded. "What?"

"Everything."

Kyo's grin thinned. He kissed her forehead tenderly in an attempt to make her a little better. "Is that better?"

She nodded slightly. "Thank you, Daddy."

"I have a surprise for you. I'm going to give you your birthday present early." Kyo began walking outside. Tohru followed them, anxious to know what Kyo was planning to do. Once they were on the veranda, Kyo set Tsubaki down next to Tohru. "Tsubaki, you see these beads?" He shows her the black and violet beads on his wrists. The little girl nodded numbly. "They're your present."

A smile lit up on the little girl's face. "Really?" Kyo nodded. A smile was barely visible on his face. He always noticed how Tsubaki would ogle the beads. Sometimes she would play with them when she was sitting in his lap, but she knew never to actually pull them off. Her parents were very strict about that rule, and she didn't like to make her parents upset. Now she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore because the beads would belong to her.

"Kyo—" Kyo gave Tohru a look that told her that he needed to do this. She needed to know. She stayed quiet and knelt down beside Tsubaki. Tears were threatening to spill again.

"Listen closely, Tsubaki. As soon as I take the beads off, put them on as quickly as possible, and no matter what, do not look at me. Do you understand?" Tsubaki nodded. "Good. And Tsubaki," Kyo took his daughter into his arms and hugged her as close as he could without causing her more pain, "no matter what happens, I will always love you."

"I wove you, too, Daddy."

Kyo gasped lightly. He was already crying. "Yeah, kitten. I know. Watch out for your mother for me."

As soon as he released her, he threw off the beads and bounded back away from his family. He already began to feel the effects of his transformation. It was the same pain he endeavored every time he turned into the hideous cat. As he turned, he saw watched his family, more tears streaming from his feline eyes. He wanted them to run, to turn away from his ugly form, but as he watched them, he noticed Tsubaki, her curious eyes, and the beads that were still on the veranda. Why wasn't she grabbing them?

"Tsubaki! Grab the beads! NOW!"

She ignored him. Tohru, instead, grabbed the beads, put them on Tsubaki's wrist, and pulled the little girl to her chest. He could feel the effects of the cat's curse slowly disappearing from Tsubaki. However, she still didn't look away.

When the steam rolled away, a hideous, gaunt creature formerly known as Kyo was revealed. He looked away from his family, not wanting to see their reactions. Nothing had felt more painful than seeing his little girl watch him transform into this monster. She was probably traumatized.

But then, something soft touched Kyo's rough skin. He looked down to see his little girl hugging him.

"Daddy…"

-X-FLASHBACK-X-

"You wouldn't believe how happy I felt when Tsuki, the little, fragile toddler she was, just went up to me and hugged me, like my revolting form didn't even bother her. I never felt so loved before. She didn't look afraid when she saw me like that because she knew it was still me."

At this point, Kyo began crying. "After that, I decided to live here. The only time I come around is to celebrate Tsubaki's birthday." His voice began tense. "And now, you come here and tell me my little girl's been hurt by the man I despise the most." Kyo snapped. "I've missed most of her life because of this! I promised to protect her, and now… DAMMIT!" Kyo slammed his fist against in anger as more tears fell. "I'm so sorry, Tohru, Tsubaki. I couldn't protect either of you."

Yuki watched silently as Kyo continued to sob. Seeing him in such a feeble state made him pity on the poor cat—but not as much as he felt anger towards him.

"Kyo, you have no idea what you're talking about. Tsubaki loves you, a lot. And she wants nothing more than for the three of you to be a family again."

Kyo wiped his eyes and looked at rat. Then he smirked. "I guess you must think less of me for crying."

"No, I don't. In fact, I envy you." Kyo looked surprised. "Kyo, you did what all of us were afraid to do, and for what it's worth, I'd give everything—my honor, my place in the family, everything—to have what you have." He took his wrist. "It's not too late to save what you have. You've got the beads. Take them and go find her so you can give them back. It'll mean a lot to her if she saw you and Tohru together again."

Kyo stared at the rat, completely perplexed. All these years, Yuki was actually jealous of him. He felt a sense of pride then, and now, he felt a sense of duty and integrity. He wanted—no, he needed to be with his family again. He needed to find his daughter.

"Thanks. You know, you're not so bad for a damn rat."

"Neither are you, you stupid cat."

Together, the two men left the cave in search of the young girl.

Tsubaki hid among the trees away from everything that feared her. She was an ugly, hideous monster. Nobody should see her like this, especially everyone she'd come to know the past few months.

She covered her face in shame with her gigantic claws. She never felt so ashamed. Daisuke saw everything. He probably thought the worst of her. She didn't want to see him again. She didn't want to be near anyone. She was a danger, a threat, to everyone around her.

I hate this so much…

Her ears perked up when she heard something crack. She swiveled around, frenetically. Behind her was a cat. Its fur was white with black blotches on its sides. Its glowing yellow eyes stared at her in wonder. How could it stand to be near her? She was probably the most repugnant thing here.

"Go away…" The cat just blinked. It didn't seem afraid of her at all. "Get away from me!" The cat eventually walked away, but it still didn't seem agitated by Tsubaki's unsightly form. Maybe that was another perk to her curse.

For most of her life, this curse had no real effects on her. She had a normal life, a loving family, and good friends. What exactly did she do to deserve this? She heard Akito was a bitter person, but who knew he'd do something this inhumane? He was the real monster, not her, but he only reminded her that no matter how "lovely" she appeared, she would always be a disgusting, hideous beast that no one could love.

It hurts… The pain in my chest…

"Tsubaki."

The feline monster stiffened. A young woman stood only a few feet away, gazing at her with worry and astonishment. That woman was her mother.

"Tsubaki… it's alright." When Tohru went forward to touch her daughter, she roared and fled to another tree. "Tsubaki, it's okay! It doesn't matter what you look like. You're still my little girl." This time, Tohru was able to lay her hand on her lanky arm before Tsubaki pushed her away. Tohru fell onto the muddy floor of the forest. Tsubaki left a bruise on her cheek. Seeing this, Tsubaki began to cry in anger.

I'm sorry, Mommy. I didn't want to hurt you… It's better if you just stay away.

"Tsubaki, stop!"

Another voice caught her ear, making her twinge. He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment.

Daisuke Sohma stood by a tree, breathless. She didn't understand why he'd come all this way. It would be a waste of time and effort. He should've stayed home.

"Tsubaki, I'm sorry! I'm sorry if I made you feel like you're a monster, but you're not! You're still my friend—my best friend!"

However, those words didn't seem to soothe her. Tsubaki began to tread away. But Daisuke didn't give up. He grabbed her stocky arm in an attempt to stop her. The beast tried to pry him off, digging her claws into his skin. Daisuke ignored the stinging pain and held on. Tsubaki stopped pulling and began swinging her arm. Daisuke flew off and, unfortunately, landed on his wounded arm. Black dots flashed in the corner of his eye, ruining his vision. As he sat up, Daisuke felt his arm and immediately winced at the pain. His arm felt wet—he wasn't sure if it was from the rain or the blood flowing out—fleshy, and swollen. He couldn't bear to look at it.

"Daisuke, are you alright?"

With the little strength he had, Daisuke his head and saw his older cousin Yuki kneeling next to him. "More or less," Daisuke murmured. Yuki took something out of his bag before taking his cousin's arm tenderly and began wrapping it. "I couldn't get through to her."

Yuki smiled a little. "That's okay, Daisuke. You tried. There's only person who can really get through to her."

"Tsubaki."

The beast froze. Just when she was about to flee, she heard his voice, the voice she only dreamed of hearing for ten years.

Daddy…

"Tsubaki, it's me. I'm here."

The beast turned to see a man with carrot-top hair and red eyes looking at her in concern. It was him, in the flesh. And he was wearing the beads. Tsubaki's eyes widened. Even Tohru was surprised.

"Kyo…"

Kyo glanced at Tohru for a moment before returning his gaze to his daughter. "Tsubaki, calm down. No one's going to hurt you. We're only here to take you back." When he tried to touch her, Tsubaki clawed at him. Kyo dodged the blow easily. "Tsubaki, stop. Please." Hearing his calm voice soothed her, so the creature hesitantly listened and stayed put. "I know you're scared. I know how you feel. I've been stuck as the cat for as long as I can remember, but I later learned that you don't have to be afraid anymore. You don't have to be scared and alone because of what you look like. Not when the people who love you are still here for you.

"Look around you. We all came here to help you because we love you. Your mother, your friend, Yuki, and myself. We all care about you, Tsubaki, so please stop pushing us away. It doesn't matter what Akito did." Tsubaki hissed at that name. "No matter what happens, we'll be together. You, me, and your mother—we'll be a family again. And I promise I won't leave you. I love you, kitten."

Tsubaki didn't know how it happened, but hearing the cute nickname her father gave to her put her at bliss. Tsubaki wasn't scared anymore because he was here with her and her mother. They'd be a family again.

And just like that, Tsubaki was back to normal.

Kyo quickly caught his daughter as she fell. Once she was in his arms, Tsubaki cried apologies. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

And as she did, Kyo held her closely. The tears had returned. "I know you are, kitten. I know." Tohru suddenly came over and wrapped a blanket around her. Then she smiled at Kyo. He smiled back. "Let's go."

Kyo picked Tsubaki up and began walking with Tohru back to Sohma House. Yuki shortly joined them with a passed out Daisuke on his back. He smiled at the couple as they continued forward.

"Daddy…" Tsubaki's hoarse voice said.

"Yes, kitten?" Kyo whispered softly.

"Where are we going?"

"Home."

"Home? With Mommy?"

Kyo nodded. "That's right. As a family."

Tsubaki sighed in relief. "Right."

R&R!