Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya. I only play with her characters for fun.

A/N: Well I completely fell off my schedule this time, but you'll be happy to see I'm posting the equivalent of two chapters at once as my apology! It just kept going and going, and before I knew it I had 4,000+ words. I wasn't sure if I should break it up, but I decided I'd written it as one chapter, so it will stay as one chapter.

Also, we are definitely coming into the home stretch now. Instead of doling it out a chapter at a time as I write them, the last four or five or even six chapters (however many it takes) will all go up at once—that way I get the chance to make sure it all works cohesively, and you get uninterrupted reading all the way to the end. Yay! :-)

Of course, it may take me a month to get that up, so if you haven't already put "The Taming of the Cat" on your Story Alert list, you might want to. That way you don't have to keep checking for the Grand Finale until it goes up.

And now...it's Kyo Time! (hehehe)

Chapter 21 – Master Kazuma Speaks

Saki's revelation on the ride back from Sir Ayame's house stayed with Tohru for the better part of a week. She went through the daily motions of life, but her thoughts always returned to the problem of the Sohmas' curse, and where this Kazuma Sohma person fit into the picture.

Tohru straightened the bit of lace she was mending over her knee and glanced out her bedroom window. When Arisa had asked Saki how Kazuma entered the house without Sir Ayame knowing, Miss Hanajima's lips had curved into her secretive smile. "He seems to be the kind of man who...doesn't need the front door."

So who then, was this man? A distant relative who lived in Scotland was all Saki would say. All these mysteries made Tohru's head hurt, and so much time had passed that she could hardly blame the incident in Hyde Park. Resolving to get some fresh air, she laid her mending in the workbasket and rose from her seat.

Now that June was here, London was growing positively warm. Tohru knew she wouldn't have much more time before either her Season ended or one of her suitors proposed. She brushed a tendril of brown hair from her forehead and took her parasol from the stand in the hall. She would just stroll a bit in the garden adjacent to the front of Sohma House—there would be no harm in going there unescorted.

However, just when she opened the door, a traveling carriage lumbered out of the thick stream of traffic and clattered to a stop before the gates. Almost before the grooms jumped down to steady the horses, the door flung open and Master Hiro Sohma bounded out, waving his hat in the air. "Miss Tohru! Miss Tohru! Kisa said we wouldn't arrive until the dinner hour, but I was right, we're here right after luncheon."

Laughing in spite of herself, Tohru descended the rest of the steps. "What a delightful surprise." She reached out and shook his hand. "And Kisa!" she said when the tawny-haired girl stepped out of the carriage, blinking in the bright afternoon sun. "I had no idea you were coming to London."

Kisa smiled and ducked her head. "It was Kagura's idea."

Just then, a vision in green sprigged muslin and the long, glossy curls of a schoolgirl stepped out of the carriage. She stood taller than Kisa, and with a flash Tohru remembered Dr. Hatori's daughter was fifteen and on holiday from the ladies' seminary she attended. "Are you Miss Kagura?" Tohru said with a welcoming smile. "You must be a lady of considerable persuasive abilities to have brought Miss Kisa all this way into London."

"Oh yes," Kagura said frankly, "I am."

Tohru blinked. The girl certainly knew her own strength.

Dr. Hatori emerged from the other side of the carriage. He doffed his hat, exposing his thick black hair to the breeze. "It is good to see you in health again, Miss Havilland. The earl asked me to return to check on you again, but I see that was just a precaution. I do hope you don't mind me bringing this brood along. It, ah," he glanced at his daughter, "couldn't be helped."

"Oh, not at all," Tohru said, taking Kisa's hand and squeezing it. "It is so good to see my friends again, and to have the opportunity to make a new one. This is just want I needed."

The hard lines around his mouth faded. In that moment of relief, and even with his eyepatch, Dr. Hatori looked younger—much too young to have a fifteen year old daughter. Once again, Tohru wondered if there was a story there, but she had too many secrets to muddle through as it was. She would just have to let sleeping dogs...cats...Sohmas lie.

Hiro sauntered across the bottom step, his hands thrust in his pockets like any other man-about-town. "I want to see the Tower," he announced. "Who will come with me?"

Kisa's cheeks flushed as she glanced from her brother to Tohru and back again. "Hiro, we just arrived, and you want to go now?"

"I've never been to London." He stopped just behind Tohru. "Miss Tohru will take me." Leaning close, he whispered, "I refuse to call you that trumpery name, so you will just be 'Miss Tohru' to me."

Tohru managed to nod without laughing, then tried to allay Kisa's concerns. "You are tired, why don't you rest while Hiro and I ride to the Tower of London and back. I'm sure we can find a groom or two to accompany us."

"No!" Kagura pulled her bonnet off her back and fixed it over her curls. "Kisa and I have never been to London either. We refuse to miss the tour."

Flabbergasted, Tohru blinked at the girl. "Tour?"

"Just one moment," Dr. Hatori said. "Miss Havilland, are the earl and countess at home?"

"The countess is out on calls, and the earl is in his study."

"Hiro, Kisa, run inside and greet your father. I'll have a cup of tea while the grooms prepare an open carriage, and then I'll take you all on a tour. I have business in the City, anyway."

Dr. Hatori's mellow voice had a taming effect on the group of young people. Halfway up the steps, Hiro must have remembered decorum, because by the time he reached Bell at the open door, he smoothed his pace to a stroll. Kisa followed behind him with Dr. Hatori at her side, leaving Miss Kagura and Tohru to bring up the rear.

Instead of climbing the steps, the younger girl stared at Tohru. "So you're the outsider who knows the family affliction."

Something in her voice made Tohru's pulse jump. She nodded.

Miss Kagura climbed onto the first step. "And you are great friends with Kyo."

Now Tohru's heart gave a painful lurch. Could she even lay claim to that? "I'm not sure I would say great friends..."

"Ha!" The girl smacked Tohru's arm with her fan. "I'm glad to hear it." She began skipping up the stairs, swinging her skirts as she went. Just before the doorway, she twirled and said, "Because I love Kyo in spite of what he will become, and I defy anyone to stand in our way."

Bell stood sentry at the door, but Tohru drifted past him like a wraith, her thoughts consumed by those few words. I love Kyo in spite of what he will become. What did Kagura mean? And was there an understanding between Kyo and his cousin? Tohru's heart plunged into her stomach. Evidently, he hadn't felt it necessary to share this detail with her.

She pictured his face. Saw his rare smile and the heat she often sensed in his eyes. He couldn't be hers, she knew that. And she loved him anyway.

The earl was delighted to see his children. He told his brother to leave the countess to him. Lord Shigure explained that he didn't expect much trouble since Kisa had come to town without Lady Akito's urging, and that might be enough to neutralize the news that their latest governess had quit the previous week.

When he learned of the plan to go sightseeing, Lord Shigure advised his son to look out for the ladies on their trip. "The good doctor here is well-enough as a chaperone, but he can get quite caught up in intellectual matters and might not recognize danger."

Hiro stood about two inches taller. "Rely on me, sir."

With a wry quirk of his eyebrow, Dr. Hatori finished his tea.

He lead his charges back outside to the open carriage the earl's servants had prepared for their use. Hiro insisted Tohru sit next to him, and she found herself facing Kagura's smug gaze across the carriage. Such confidence could only mean there really must be a betrothal between Kyo and Miss Kagura. Tohru resolved to hide her heartbreak by engaging her fellow passengers in the sights.

Hiro pronounced the Tower 'disappointing' until Dr. Hatori reminded him of all the grisly events that old castle had seen. Kisa was far more impressed by St. Paul's Cathedral, especially the whispering gallery, which let her whisper on one side of the enormous dome and be heard by Tohru and Kagura on the other side.

Kagura proved a pleasant driving companion. For so young a woman, she was quite skilled at keeping up the flow of conversation. Tohru wanted to like her for Kyo's sake, but she couldn't help feeling the fifteen year old was measuring her in some way, and finding her wanting.

And Tohru did have her pride.

Suddenly, the parks and mansions gave way to the financial houses of Threadneedle Street. Hammerdale & Sons. Watersley's. Tohru turned to address the doctor in the driver's seat. "Are we in the City?"

"Yes, Kagura and I have business at the Bank." As he spoke, he steered the horses out of the flow of traffic and pulled up before a tall white building that seemed half-wall, half-house, and was neither at all. Three layers of columns and high relief statues crowned the entrance, where ironwork vines encased a trio of arched doors. This, then, was the Bank of England. "Miss Havilland, could you stay with Hiro and Kisa while we go inside? It won't take above twenty minutes."

Tohru was still absorbing this temple to finance. She moved her lips. "Of course."

They had been waiting only a few minutes when Hiro pivoted in his seat and pointed at the grandly columned Exchange building across the street. "Good God, is that Kyo?"

"Hiro!" Kisa hissed. "Don't blaspheme. What will Tohru think?"

But Tohru could hardly think at all. The unruly red hair, the hastily tied cravat...the long stride that appealed to her so much more than the mincing steps of most ton gentlemen. She pressed her reticule close to her waist. It was him.

As if he could feel her searching gaze, Kyo swung around. His eyes met hers across the square. He smiled.

Actually smiled.

Tohru bit her lip. Kagura—there was an arrangement between him and Kagura. She couldn't afford to forget, but seeing his face lit with that kind of clear, unhindered joy, her heart broke a little further. What piercing torture loving was.

Kyo grabbed the elbow of a sharply dressed gentleman and turned him in the direction of the carriage. The man's gray hair was cropped short, and as they approached, Tohru wondered at his decidedly more guarded expression.

"Miss Havilland," Kyo said, his eyes on her alone. "You are looking better. Well, I mean," he added hastily. "You're looking well."

She swallowed. "Thank you, Mr. Kyo. It is good to see you as well." Why oh why couldn't she make her voice sound normal?

He looked at her a second longer, then seemed to give himself a shake. "I want you to meet my master. Er," he glanced at the older man, "my old fencing master, Mr. Kazuma Sohma."

Kazuma Sohma! Tohru hid her shock behind a smile. "I'm delighted to meet you, Mr. Kazuma."

"And I you, Miss Havilland." He turned to the boy and girl sitting with her. "Lady Kisa. Viscount Sherbourne." He sketched a courtly bow with ease.

"Viscount Sherbourne?" Tohru glanced around, expecting to find someone new approaching the carriage.

Beside her, Hiro puffed out his chest. "Yes, Viscount. I am heir to an earldom." He laid his hand over Tohru's and leered at Kyo. "Miss Tohru is a most delightful companion."

Kyo's brows lowered, but a second later, he flashed Tohru a mischievous look. "Miss Havilland does have a fondness for children."

While Hiro sputtered and Kisa giggled, Tohru willed her insides to calm down. Every look, every smile Kyo sent her way seemed to make her poor heart want to race out of her chest. She couldn't afford these feelings.

A female voice called Kyo's name and he turned, effectively crushing the wings of any hope Tohru had let squeeze out of her chest. Miss Kagura Sohma led her father out of the Bank, her grin eager, almost triumphant. She traipsed up to Kyo's side and looped a hand around his elbow.

Her captive went rigid. He leaned away from the arm she possessed, glancing about like an animal who sensed a trap but hardly knew which way to run. Kagura gazed up at Kyo and gripped his arm tighter. His face flushed, but not with the heat of embarrassment. Kyo was furious.

Tohru watched them closely. Maybe there was a betrothal, but it was not to Kyo's liking?

Beside him, Mr. Kazuma smiled warmly and held his hand out to Tohru. "Miss Havilland. Do ye feel up for a wee bit of walking?"

Confused by Kagura's satisfaction and Kyo's anger, Tohru turned to the Scotsman. No wonder Saki seemed so pleased with him. She had confessed a preference for older men, and this Kazuma possessed an air of rugged capability Tohru suspected Saki found more attractive than an unlined face and a beautifully formed mouth.

A mouth like Kyo's.

She balled a fist in her lap. Mr. Kazuma, she needed to focus on Mr. Kazuma. The man held the answers to so many of her questions, but she could not in good faith abandon Kisa and her brother when she had committed to keeping them company. With reluctance, she shook Mr. Kazuma's hand and then released it. "I'm afraid we haven't yet finished our tour—"

"And the City is an odd place to go for a pleasure walk," Dr. Hatori cut in, using his one eye to good effect on the older man.

"I don't see why," Kagura said suddenly, her eyes flashing. "Why, there are gentlemen and ladies strolling the entire length of Threadneedle Street, and I even see ladies talking in front of the Exchange building." She raised her eyes to Kyo and the brassy edge to her voice disappeared. "You don't mind escorting me while Master Kazuma walks with Tohru? I'm sure he would enjoy it very much."

The slippery little weasel! Tohru bit her lip at her unkind thoughts, but she couldn't watch the indecision warring on Kyo's face and not blame Kagura for putting him in such a bind. It was clear to Tohru that in his ill-temper, Kyo wanted to deliver Kagura a sharp set-down, but with his beloved Master's wishes on the line...

He made a little choking noise in the back of his throat and looked away. "Fine."

That one exchange was all it took to convince Tohru that if a betrothal arrangement existed between Kyo and Miss Kagura, his wishes had nothing to do with it.

The girl turned back to her father, her eyes bright with triumph. "There, you see? We are all in agreement."

"I'm going for a walk, too," Hiro said, jumping up from his seat and reaching for the carriage door.

Dr. Hatori stopped him by laying his hand on the door. "No, my Lord, you will not. Your mother will be home soon, and I will not be accused of letting you run wild through the streets of London. Kisa, are you ready to go back?"

Kisa glanced from Tohru to Kagura and seemed to shrink within herself. "Yes," she said quietly.

"I don't have to walk, really," Tohru insisted.

"Please!"

Everyone, including Mr. Kazuma, turned to see Kyo's face flush bright red. He scowled. "Please, Miss Havilland. Will you walk with Master Kazuma?"

Tohru very nearly said yes on the spot.

She looked at Kisa, who forced a smile and reached over to squeeze Tohru's hand. "Yes, Miss Havilland, do go. I will look forward to talking with you when you return."

Eased by her consent, Tohru climbed down from the carriage, and took Mr. Kazuma's offered arm. She waved goodbye to Kisa and a frowning Hiro—Viscount Sherbourne of all things!—and fell into step behind Miss Kagura and Kyo.

Kagura, Kazuma, and Kyo. Even their names made Tohru feel like the outsider she was...an outsider who cared for this family as deeply as if it were her own. After all, they were the only family she had left.

Beside her, Mr. Kazuma adjusted his hat. "Now, Miss Honda," he said quietly, winking when she turned startled eyes up to his. "No one can hear me. Akito was wise to change yer name...I suspect 'tis what has kept ye alive thus far."

"How...why do you think that?"

"I duna wish to alarm ye, but Kyo invited me down here for some investigating into the attack in the park and the possible connection to your father's murder. Just some quiet inquiries ye know, nothing to cause a stir."

Tohru's throat felt dry. "Have you learned anything useful?"

"Not yet—I prefer to be certain m'self before I go about sharing my findings."

Frustration simmered through Tohru's veins, but the Scotsman continued before she could speak.

"I cana help but notice yer affinity for my godson. Affection, even."

Heart hammering in her ears, Tohru tried to turn her frustration back on him. "I'm sure I don't understand you, sir. Kyo is a friend."

"Kyo?" Mr. Kazuma said meaningfully. "A few months' acquaintance is a mighty short time to go from perfect strangers to calling each other by name. For friends, I mean."

Now Tohru's face was burning. She'd slipped and she knew it. "I can assure you, I have no designs, no claim on—on—"

Gently, he laid his hand over hers. "Shh, now, they'll hear. Peace, Miss Honda. You seem like a very good sort of girl, someone I'd be proud to have as my daughter. But you see, I love Kyo as my own son, and I must put him before all others."

She looked at him then, and any animosity she might have felt toward this stranger burned away before the keen feeling that he spoke the truth. Here was a man who loved Kyo as much as she did. Tears sprang to her eyes. Thank God, Kyo had someone like this in his life.

"Miss Honda?" For the first time, Mr. Kazuma looked uneasy. He slowed his pace.

Tohru laughed, reminded of Kyo's panicky look when she'd fought tears in Hyde Park the day of the attack. Perhaps they weren't father and son in the traditional sense, but they made up for it with similar traits. "It's nothing." She dashed at the tears. "I'm just so glad to meet you."

They walked in silence a few yards, and then Mr. Kazuma said, "Miss Honda, I'm afraid I need to tell ye something...something about Kyo."

Puzzled by his grave tone, Tohru whispered, "Sir, you do know I'm aware of the...you know."

"Yes, Kyo told me himself. This is a...well, Hatori and I believe 'tis a side effect of the curse, but 'tis hard to say for sure." Pain filtered into his eyes. "Regardless of how he seems now, Kyo will go mad sometime before his thirtieth birthday—but 'tis likely 'twill be much sooner than that."

Mad? The word rang in Tohru's ears. Mad...Kyo will go mad? "But that's...why it's impossible to know something like that, how can you say...?"

"There have been three cats in our family since my great-grandfather brought this curse home from China. The first two went mad on their thirtieth birthdays." His voice shook with something very like anger. "The first cat was Miss Isuzu's great-grandfather. My father was the second."

Tohru's heart went out to him. Perhaps that was why the old earl sent Kyo to live with Mr. Kazuma in Scotland instead of to Eton with Yuki. To prepare.

She found her voice. "Why does this only happen to the cat? And if those other men went...lost their...well, you know, on their thirtieth birthdays, why did you say it would happen to Kyo before his?"

"The cat is not a proper member of the chinese zodiac. Just like Kyo's stuck on the margins of this family, the cat is an outcast from the rest of the zodiac. Hatori and I theorize that being possessed by the spirit of the embittered cat takes its toll on the host, and in those earlier cases, the tipping point occurred on the host's thirtieth birthday." Mr. Kazuma raised his eyes from the sidewalk and squinted to the far end of Threadneedle Street. "As for why we're certain Kyo's tipping point will come sooner...has he ever told you about his mother?"

"He was about to, that day in Hyde Park, but then after the attack, I was too shaken to remind him, and I haven't seen him in person again until today."

"Kyo's mother's name was Marie, and she was French—not a Sohma. When she gave birth to a child she couldna hold without him turning into a kitten, she went into a deep melancholy. And instead of getting better with each passing day, she got worse. We suspected she was losing her mind. Takeo—Kyo's father—kept reassuring the family that 'twas only a phase, that Marie would get through it, but the old earl didna trust her to keep the family secret, so he had her locked away."

"No!" Tohru gasped.

Mr. Kazuma glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "'Tis not so unusual, you know. There's little else can be done with the mad."

"Oh, but that's terrible!" Tohru pulled on his arm. "The poor woman, she didn't deserve that."

"I wonder if ye'll still think so when I tell ye what happened when Takeo let her out for Christmas back in '93. Yuki heard the gunshot and came running to his father's study. He found Kyo frozen in the doorway, and their father slumped over his desk, bleeding from the forehead. Kyo's mother held a dueling pistol in her hand. She dropped it and then raised the pistol's mate to her head. Yuki says she didn't say anything-just smiled at her son and shot herself. I say 'Yuki says' because Kyo won't talk of it."

Spots crowded before Tohru's vision. She gripped Kazuma's arm for support, and found herself staring at the red head of hair nearly a block away from them. Kyo had witnessed...and Yuki had found them. "How old were they?" she heard herself ask.

"Kyo was five. Yuki was seven. And Yuki never forgave him for the death of their father. It didna matter that Kyo hadna been the one to pull the trigger. He'd been there, and he'd caused his mother's derangement. As far as Yuki was concerned, they were in league and Kyo was just a few shocks shy of going that route himself."

Tohru didn't know what to say. Didn't know what to think.

"So you see, Miss Honda. My godson is doubly cursed. One day, he'll cease to be the Kyo we know, and from that day forward he'll live in a locked apartment on my estate."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Young Miss Kagura there fancies herself destined to be Kyo's devoted nursemaid. But I've seen the way he looks at you, and I've been reading of ye in his letters for weeks. I know how to hear what he doesna say, and I know," Kazuma stopped and his eyes searched Tohru's, "that Kyo doesna need a nurse any more than he needs pity masquerading as love. So I'm asking ye. Can ye be both what he wants now, and what he'll need later? If the answer is no, then I'll have to ask ye to have nothing more to do with him."

Raw, primal emotion swelled through Tohru's lungs. Pity masquerading as love. Her eyesight blurred, but the tears did not fall. She kept her gaze fixed on a point in the sidewalk. "Mr. Kazuma." she said, her voice shaking, "I respect you for what you did for him, for the strength you gave him when no one else would, but Kyo is a grown man now. He asked you to come here to investigate my father's death. Please do that, and with my gratitude." She drew a deep breath. "I have no money to pay you for your time, so instead I'll give you an explanation of my heart—something no one but Kyo has a right to demand of me otherwise. I have been shocked by Kyo, I have hurt for him, I have been proud of him, and I have had my breath stolen by him, but I have never, ever pitied him."

Mr. Kazuma gazed at her for a few moments. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. "Thank you," he said quietly, and for the remainder of their walk, he did not speak to her again.

Regency Lexicon

sprigged muslin – a popular fabric & pattern for younger women and girls (pattern of little plant sprigs all over)

ladies' seminary – a school for the education of proper young ladies

trumpery – nonsense; rubbish

the City – name for the district in the heart of London that by the Regency era had become the financial hub of Great Britain (and still is today). Like America's Wall Street.

the Exchange – the Stock Exchange building

mincing - walk with an affected fastidiousness, typically with short quick steps

Viscount – a title that ranks below earl and above barons (typically Lord somebod) and baronets (Sir somebody). Sometimes, a hereditary title like Hiro's "Viscount Sherbourne" passed by marriage into the property of a family of higher rank. The family would then use it as the male heir's title. In this story, one day, Hiro would become Earl of Hundsford, and his eldest son would then become Viscount Sherbourne.

Eton – I think I defined this before, but in case you've forgotten, this is a prep school founded in 1440 as a free school for poor boys but became the chief school in all of England for the sons of the wealthy.