Wow - such a response from you all! I think I got 14 reviews in the first DAY!
And, like promised - the nest chapter of obedience!
For 15+ reviews, say the 23rd of January? - 10+ reviews, the 30th of January?
Also - I discovered today that I've been working on obedience for 6 months and 10 days ^_^ I was like 'wooooow'.
Also, I've named all the chapters again with japanese words, if you wanna know the meanings, just tell me.
Oh, and just so you all know, this is both an 'angst' AND a 'hurt/comfort' fic - which implys HEALING... and so there will be a happy ending...
So, after I've finished Obedience, me and another wonderful writer TabbyPrincess are working together to write an AU version of "Obedience", where Yuki is corrupted by Akito, rather than healing... Its c alled 'Dark realities' I think, so please check it out when the chapters released ^_^
Please enjoy
Kyae
But when I saw him, there was something strange there…
Because on top of his cloths, right next to where Yuki in rat form was standing…
Was something round…
Something that looked oddly familiar…
***
Yuki's POV – we're back to the main story-line now lol
It was over…
He knew…
He knew about the chocker…
No.
The collar…
I looked down at my hand – paws carefully.
For the first time in my life, I really had no idea what to do.
The ice prince, the perfect Yuki Sohma was speechless… and hopeless.
Even when I was in the dark – in that room I had some idea – some small plan or hope to get me through the torture, even if it would fail…
But now…
I felt as if I had been stripped naked. (No pun intended – I have fur covering me at the moment)
I was pathetic…
"Yuki…?" I looked up to see the tall form of Kyo gazing at me with a strange look in his eyes. Curiosity… and pity… and understanding… What did he understand? What would he ever understand?!?
What could he understand of my life…?
Nothing – his was so different from mine, and always would be…
"What do you want?" I asked back quietly, not daring to look at him for fear of his reaction.
"Umm… I saw Tohru downstairs… she's crying… why are you leaving?"
Ah, so it's the typical curiosity… or is it…?
He doesn't sound the same as he usually does… empty… as if he doesn't really care… and even when he's demanding answers with an emotion; it's usually during fights… And the emotion is anger… But now… he's actually employing diplomacy…
How odd…
How unlike him.
But I couldn't tell him the reason as to why I was leaving – I knew that well enough, and so should he. I didn't owe him anything, nothing at all.
Not now, not ever.
"It's none of your business." I muttered, walking away from him (which was extremely hard due to the fact that I was tiny, in rat form, and the only place I could walk off to was the other end of my bedroom).
"Yes it is you damn rat!" He called to me, causing me to have to cover my little pointed ears. Gosh, the stupid cat needs to remember that when we're in our forms – he doesn't need to shout to get his point across!
"Sorry…" He said, in a quieter voice this time, one much more pleasant to my ears, thank goodness.
At least he's learning now…
"Look, it is our business Yuki. We live here, with you, no matter what our thoughts on those arrangements are, and now you're just up and leaving us all without a word or warning! What are we supposed to think? What is Tohru supposed to think Yuki?"
"Honda-san knows that she hasn't done anything wrong – she accepts that I have to leave…" I protested, not looking at him, for fear he'd discover my words to be hopes – not facts, but he cut me off before I could finish.
"Really? Does she understand why you have to leave though? Does anyone other than you?!?"
"I don't know…" I confessed bitterly, before looking into his round red eyes. "But I do know that I need to get out of here, it's not helping any of you, my being here… and it's destroying me. Look, it's not your fault, or Honda-san's fault, so you needn't get all martyr-like or anything… It's not your fault…"
"So Shigure's done something?" He guessed, and as I watched it was almost as if something had dawned upon him, as if he were remembering something…
***
Kyo's POV
"So Shigure's done something?" I was only guessing, but as soon as I said it, it all made sense…
That phone call with Hatori…
What he had said to me about Yuki going to the main house a few weeks ago…
Why Yuki had been missing last night, and this morning…
Why Akito had come into school…
And why he was leaving now.
So Shigure hadn't had something to do with the pain Yuki was in – he had had everything to do with it.
So why wouldn't the damn rat – why wouldn't Yuki admit it
***
Yuki's POV
"M-Maybe…" I replied softly, almost too afraid to say even that out loud, but I saw that instantly he became annoyed with me… but of course he would – he would think that I was trying to get one over on him, not that I was actually too scared to answer his query…
"What is your problem you damn rat?!?" he asked, moving closer to me, when he noticed something on the floor, on top of the pile of clothes that I had been wearing…
That thing…
Picking it up between his thumb and forefinger gingerly he looked at it with a strange mix of emotions, fascination… puzzlement… confusion…
But at some point he must have made a connection, or at least realised enough to make a hypothesis on what was happening… enough to ask questions, unfortunately…
"What is this Yuki…?" he asked slowly, softer and I was actually surprised at his tones. Maybe he had actually realised more than I had presumed he would… Maybe I had underestimated his reaction…
"Isn't it obvious…?" I asked, slightly bitterly, looking down so he couldn't see my emotions… so he couldn't see how ashamed I was, how terrified…
Because what I was most scared about in this moment was that he would laugh at me… reject me…
That he would take advantage of me when I was at one of my weakest moments…
Because, even when we turned off all emotions to fight, I never took advantage of his weaknesses. I may have pointed them out continuously, but I never attacked them. And when I did want to end a fight quickly, I would always go for quick attacks that would cause the least amount of pain and humiliation. As the rat, I was expected to always beat him, the cat – so I did.
But me, the true me – the real me, Yuki Sohma, didn't want him hurt, even if he had to lose – even if he had to always lose…
And so I made sure that the attacks never gave him the pain I myself experienced when alone… in that room…
So I hoped he would show me that small mercy in return.
He glared at me as I spoke, but then his features softened as he realised how I was saying it.
He moved slowly, as if not to shock me, as he sat on my bed, tepidly, watching me closely.
And as he was still, I allowed myself to look at him, my rat eyes slightly narrowed, to protect myself.
"Why…?" Was all he asked, his cat-like red eyes full of confusion.
Poor, innocent Kyo… he had been far more sheltered from the world's cruelties than I ever had. Even though he had been talked… gossiped about by the adults, due to him being the cat, he hadn't been openly exposed to human cruelness… he hadn't seen how awful people could be when they let their darker side take over.
I, on the other hand, had seen it all too often with Akito, and even my mother at times… Akito, I could understand to an extent… Although I didn't know what it was, I knew something had made him turn to his darker side – I could pinpoint the day he had snapped…
The day he painted our walls…
The day that room was created…
My mother on the other hand… well, I knew what made her act the way she had always acted, even if I hated it.
Greed.
My mother aspired to be well-known in the world, and to have riches, and houses, and a high position in the family. And so when she was cruel to me, I accepted it. And when she sold me to Akito…
Well, I was never the same again…
I grew cold to the world, and all its kindnesses that never showed themselves to me…
And now mocked me continuously.
"Why? Because it's how the world works, Kyo." I told him. "How our world works, anyway… I am more tied up than you are Kyo – believe it or not…"
I took a deep breath before continuing.
Because the time seemed right. I had never before really been able to tell anyone about my past – it had always been the wrong time, or I hadn't been ready… or I didn't trust the person enough. But now, with the Cat… Kyo… I decided it was time to tell someone part of what I had been through – maybe then I could finally free part of me that was locked away in ice…
"I'm the rat… I was the first there… but to me that is what makes it all the more a curse for me… I'm the 'closest' to God… and that's why I was brought to Akito when young I suppose… but it's also why I was kept close to him… and why, when he snapped, it was me to whom his anger and frustration was taken out upon." I whispered, watching the shock upon his face grow as he realised part of what I had had to suffer through.
"What do you mean…?" he asked. It was almost as if he were beginning to accept it all, and realise…
Realise that I was actually more like him then he would at first like to admit…
*POOF*
Immediately Kyo turned away, embarrassed, and I grabbed my clothing… but I left the collar off. It felt weird not to have it on… but good too.
Then I turned to Kyo, who was looking at me expectantly.
I looked down for a moment, thinking about how to approach it before telling him what had happened.
"Do you remember a time, before I moved out of the main house, where I would not speak?" I asked softly, holding the collar in my small, elegant hands, looking at it, and he nodded. "W-well… he caused that… H-he… well he was a fan of using his fists… among things…"
"Yuuuuukiiiii-kuuuuun! Kyooooooooooo-kuuuun!" Honda-san's voice called us from downstairs. "Shigureee-saaan! Dinner's ready!"
But Kyo didn't look as if he had heard – he was staring directly at me.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, and when I didn't reply he elaborated. "… For judging you without knowing…"
"I'm sorry too… for committing the same crime…" I replied, and he stood up, making to leave the room. "Urmm… Kyo?"
"Yes…?" He turned to face me, as I held out the collar shakily.
"W-would you put this back on me… I-I have to go to the main house straight after dinner… and Akito-sama wouldn't be happy if it was off… Not happy at all…" I whispered, looking down.
"Sure." He muttered as he lifted up my hair and placed it on, looser than Akito had before, allowing me to breathe easier – he must have realised that I was suffering from wearing it so tight. "Let's go down now."
I followed him slowly out of my room, but as soon as I got to the stairs, Shigure was there.
"Oooh – what is young Yuki-kun doing here?" He whispered to me, but I saw Kyo freeze at the bottom of the stairs – he too had heard, although Shigure had not intended him to. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence…"
I didn't have anything to say to that – to him at all.
And so I just walked past him…
But I still caught that look on his face.
The one of unadulterated loathing.
Okay, here's a hint about the next chapter - It's gonna be called "Sobaeru". Virtual cookies to whoever can guess it correctly ^_^