Sorry for the long wait! Being a senior isn't as easy as I thought!

I still had a couple typos in the last chapter so I will try harder!

I hope you keep reading and don't forget to wish me a happy eighteenth birthday in December. I will be eighteen!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Disclaimer: Remember I don't own Kyo and the Sohma family! And I most certainly don't own Fruits Basket, although I do love it!

Let's get started!

Chapter 24: Inside

No, no, no! Kyru screamed in her head. The grip of the hand that was being held over her mouth tightened, as if to say if you scream you'll be in even worse trouble. She mentally forced herself to calm down for fear of her situation worsening. She stayed very still as did the man that was holding her. She closed her eyes as the voices walked past the door of the room they were hiding in. The voices went past without noticing the two presences of the people hiding within the room. The two continued to stay still until the voices were well out of hearing range. The man's grip loosened and Kyru breathed in deeply. Then suddenly she burst forth from his arms and got into an offensive stance.

Kyru looked upon the person in front of her, realizing that it was not an adult male that had grabbed her but an adolescent male with dark hair and handsome features. Humph! I can take him on. She thought, gaining all her confidence back.

"Ok! Now why did you help me?" She asked with a challenging face, daring her opponent to defy her. "Answer me or I'll have to beat it out of you!" The boy smiled.

"Awe! Well, aren't you adorable?"

"That's not the answer I wanted! Why did you help me?"

"That's a simple answer! I like you."

"What?!" She yelled puzzled.

"Shhh. You shouldn't yell in a place like this. You could still get caught, ya know?" The boy put a finger over her lips and put his face nearer to hers. Kyru pushed him away and threw a ferocious punch toward him. The boy didn't flinch at all; instead he caught her punch and pulled her toward him. She was shocked that he could catch her punch and capture her so easily. As she got a close up of the boy she could tell that he was slightly older than her, but still in his teens. Maybe he was about eighteen. "I see you didn't know that I could fight as well. I studied karate when I was younger and I guess it sorta stuck with me. You're pretty good."

Kyru struggled in his embrace.

"Who are you?"

"Oh me? My name is Kaguro Sohma." Kyru stared up at him and decided that she might have to take a different approach with him because fighting him was obviously not working. She stopped struggling in his arms and he loosened his grip. "Oh I see you've calmed down now.

"Yes, I have and I will only stay calm if you answer all my questions. Ok?"

"Sure!" He nodded his head, smiling. He let go of her. "What is it you want me to answer?"

"Why did you help me? You've never seen me before, aren't you suspicious of me? Why haven't you turned me in or something?"

"Whoa, whoa! One question at a time. I helped you because I decided I liked you and I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"How could you like me, when you don't even know me?"

"Oh, let's just say you remind me of my first love and I like you for that." He smiled again satisfied with his answer, but Kyru wasn't.

"What? That's stupid! Is that also why you're not suspicious of me?"

"Well, it all depends on what you mean by suspicious. I am wondering why you would come to a place like this, if that's what you mean? So, why don't you tell me?"

"Humph! Why should I tell you anything? It's my business and that's all you need to know about it." She turned her back on him and began to head for the door to the hallway.

"If that's the case then why not let me help you?" He pointed out.

"I don't want your help!"

"But, I'll only help you if you promise to return my feelings!" He continued talking even though Kyru had said she didn't want his help.

"I said no!"

"Why not?!" Kaguro yelled back. Kyru was caught off guard a bit. Up until then Kaguro had been sweet and smiling, but just then he'd gotten angry. "I said I want to help you! If you don't let me help you then I'll tell everyone else that you are here!"

Kyru was shocked at this. He had just been saying that he liked her and that he would help her. Now he was saying that he'd (for lack of a better term) rat her out! This guy was bipolar or something!

"Damn you! Fine, you can help me! Just don't tell." She turned to him and pleaded with him.

"Ok, then! I won't!" He turned happy again. "Besides, I think that you need me whether you know it or not."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I know this inside and out, so I can tell you where to go to find whatever it is you're looking for! Besides, it's always good to have someone on your side, right?" Kyru sighed and admitted that he was right. He knew this place far better than she did and he could give her directions.

"Fine, let's go then." She gave in and let him accompany her.

"Oh, by the way, what's your name?"

Kyru didn't really want to tell him, but she felt she really had no choice in the matter, considering her position.

"My name is Honda….Kyru. Are you satisfied?" Kaguro's eyes widened at hearing the name slide past her lips. He'd heard the name Honda before in a story his mom used to tell him about when she was his age. She said that she had met a girl with the last name Honda who almost saved their family once. He looked at Kyru and shook his head. Of course this couldn't possibly be the same girl from his mother's story! She would have been in her thirties or forties by now, but could this girl be related to her. Maybe, but the name Honda could have easily been very common. Even so, there was something about this girl that made her very special. Whatever it was Kaguro decided tat he would follow his feelings and help her anyway.

He returned his smile to his face and said happily,

"Aye! Captain!" as he saluted her.

"You are unbelievably lame," was her response.

Kyru and Kaguro left the room quietly and headed deeper into the estate. Kyru let Kaguro lead the way because he knew where he was going. As they walked Kaguro explained where he was taking them.

"I think that maybe I'm not eh only one who would want to help you. Things are boring around here as it is, so maybe you could liven things up." He smiled back at her as they walked along a hallway. "So what is it you said that you were here for anyway?"

Kyru sighed.

"If I don't tell you will you leave me alone?"

"No." Kaguro smirked.

"Fine. I'm looking for my father. He here's somewhere."

Kaguro looked baffled.

"Why would you think that your father would be here? He's not a Sohma." He asked.

"Yes. He is a Sohma. If he wasn't I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

"What's his name? I might know him or know someone who does."

"I've been told his name is Kyo. Sohma Kyo." She said, looking forward down the hall. They took a left turn.

"Kyo? I think I've heard that name somewhere before. But where?" Kaguro thought silently to himself. Where have I heard that name? I think maybe my mom has someone who is forbidden to the rest of us. Could she be talking about him?If that's so then she's in terrible trouble. "Hey! I have an idea! I know exactly who we can go see to help you."

"Huh? You do?" She asked.

"Yep!"

"Who's that?"

"It's a secret!"

Hearing him say that made her mad. A secret! Why not just tell me?! Why am I even trusting this guy? She thought to herself. No matter how much she became worried, she felt she had no choice because her way hadn't been working at all. Besides maybe Kaguro really was trying to help her in all earnest.

"Ok, then take me to whoever it is that can help." She said following him.

"Ok. Just trust me." After walking for another ten minutes and switching houses they came upon a door to another room. Kaguro knocked on the door. '

"Hey Mom! I'm home and I brought a friend!" Kaguro yelled, as they entered the house. He led Kyru inside and into a living room area where there was a table with cushions along the floor around it. "Take a seat." Kaguro gestured to one of the cushions.

A cheery voice chimed from behind doors leading to a kitchen.

"A friend?" The voice asked. "Who is it?!" The kitchen door slid open a little and a head popped out. A woman with dark hair and dark, grayish eyes smiled with curiosity. You could tell she was an older woman, but she was very pretty none the less. Her hair was in a small bun on the top of her head with her bangs above her eyes and some pieces hanging down on the sides of her face. Kyru thought that Kaguro very much favored his mother looks wise.

"Hey mom! Look who I found." The woman turned her head to look at Kyru. As soon as she observed Kyru's striking features, dropped glass she'd been holding. She gasped and threw her hands over her mouth.

"My goodness…." She gasped and stared at Kyru.

"Huh? What is it mom?" Kaguro looked worriedly at his mom. "What's wrong?"

"K…ky…" She fought back the urge to utter the name Kyo. She immediately forced herself to restrain the urge. "Who….who is this girl?" She swallowed hard.

"Um….my name is Honda Kyru." Kyru stood and bowed politely. "I'm sorry I startled you. It's just Kaguro brought me here and said that you could help me." The woman regained her composure and swallowed again. She recognized the name Honda from her past. Tohru's image immediately came to her mind. This girl had Tohru's eyes, but it was her hair that made the woman shake slightly. She had Kyo's hair. That bright orange head of hair.

"Um, my name is Sohma Kagura. I'm Kaguro's mother. It's nice to meet you." She smiled and bowed before sitting across the table from Kyru. "Kaguro. Could you clean up that mess I made on the kitchen floor for me? And could you close the door? I need to talk to Kyru-chan alone, Ok?"

"Sure mom." Kaguro entered the kitchen and slid the door shut behind him. After Kagura was sure that her son could not hear what was going on she began to talk. She lowered her head and spook in a darker tone.

"Tell me….Are you the daughter of Honda Tohru?" Kyru gasped. How does she know my mother's name? Was she one of the people my mother made friends with? "Because if you are you should turn back now and just go home." She said with a scolding, stern tone.

"WHAT?! WHY SHOULD I? WHO'RE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO?" Kyru yelled with all her conviction. Kagura kept her composure though.

"I said give up."

"And I said no! I won't give up just because I've been told to do so!" She got up and clutched her fists together. "I won't give up, I can't. Whenever I've wanted something this bad I've always gone after it with all my heart and that won't change now."

Kagura began to lose her temper. The more this child spoke to her, the more it agitated her. She sounded more and more like Kyo and it made her angry.

"SHUT UP! YOU STUPID GIRL!" Kyru was taken aback by this seemingly sweet woman's response.

"What?"

"You don't anything about this family and you have no idea what you're getting yourself into! I know what you're after and I'm telling you now that it's impossible!" Hot tears began to fall from her piercing gray eyes. "What you, so badly, want you can never obtain! Don't you know that you're mother tried the same thing and look what happened! She couldn't do anything to change our fate and neither can you! So just give up! You can never free HIM….." She sobbed openly now. Kyru looked solemnly at the floor. She stared at her feet thinking about what to say next. Then she thought of the only thing she could say and that was…..how she felt.

"Kagura-san…? You were a friend of my mother's weren't you?" Kagura looked up at the girl through her tears. "Back then…did you believe in my mother? Did you believe she could free this family….and my father?" Kagura just continued to cry looking ever more pained by the second because of the painful memories that Kyru was bringing back to vivid life. "Maybe there was a time when you did believe that my mother could

Kagura's eyes widened when she heard that. She couldn't believe that she knew about the curse. Tohru must have told her the story of the family's curse and her background with them. But, even so, Kagura wasn't angry Tohru for doing so because there was once a time when she did truly believe that Tohru would break the curse and save them from the torment of the curse. Kyru could see it in Kagura's eye's that that she did believe in Tohru at one time or another until it all came to an end. Kyru moved closer to Kagura.

"If it's true that you once believed in my mom, then why can't you believe in me like you once did my mother?"

"But….Tohru…didn't succeed. She didn't break the curse…"

"I know…..and maybe I'm naïve, but….maybe I think I can. I know I can break the curse! So please, Kagura-san! Please believe in me." Kyru took hold of Kagura's hand and squeezed it gently. The older woman looked up and into Kyru's earnest, aqua eyes. She wanted to trust Kyru so bad, like she had trusted Tohru once. But she was afraid to because if she did and Kyru failed then what would happen to her then. She would lose all hope that she had again and she was sure that this time she would not recover as she did before. She already had to bear with losing Kyo, but what if she got too attached to Kyo's daughter and ended up losing her in the end as well. Could she take that again?

"Okay….." She would just have to take a chance on Kyo's daughter. She embraced her and Kyru returned her embrace. Maybe she can do it. Maybe she can save us….. Kaguro's back was against the kitchen door and he had a horrified look on his face.

So, it's true then that girl is the daughter of the girl my mom used to know. The girl that had once tried to break the curse. All the Sohma kids knew her story and learned of what she had tried to do. They also were made aware of the fact that she had failed and Akito had made it a point to make sure everyone knew it, so that no one else would ever try again. And the man named Kyo, the one that everyone speaks so badly about. The Cat was her father. Kaguro had been listening in on theirconversation and he was shocked.

At that moment Kaguro decided. I'll help her no matter what the cost. Not for this family, but for her. He finished cleaning up the spilled liquid then he made some tea for the two women and brought it out for them.

"Hey Mom, Kyru! How bout some tea!" He smiled, setting the tray on the table and sitting next to Kyru. "Let's drink!"

"I don't have time for this! I want to see my father!" She stared at her reflection in the tea and scolded herself for relaxing when her father was imprisoned somewhere. "How can you all just be sitting here! Why doesn't someone just let my father out?"

"It's just not that easy Kyru-chan…" Kagura said solemnly. "I wish it was that simple though."

"You could at least tell me where he is."

"Even if I did tell you that, there would be nothing you could do about it. You would be caught and I'm afraid something might happen to you."

"I don't care. I'd do anything to bring my father home to my mother." Kyru said with a determined look.

"Well I do care! I do care what happens to you, Kyru-chan!" Kaguro yelled. He didn't know what it was but somehow he was drawn to her and he was drawn to protecting her, almost as if he was in love with her. "If you want to go so bad then at least

Akito. You know what he'll do."

"I have to Mom! I want to help her and this is one of the only things I can do. Didn't you want to do anything for her father, Kyo, when he was free?" Flashbacks of Kyo came to Kagura's mind. She down at her tea.

"Yes…yes I did." She looked at Kyru and could tell by the confused look on her face that Tohru did not tell her that Kagura had once loved Kyo and somewhat still did. She smiled at them. "Fine. You go do what you feel you must."

After a quickly gulping down their tea Kyru and Kaguro were on their way toward the Cat's Chamber. All the Sohmas knew where the chamber was, but they were told to stay away from it unless it was commanded by Akito that they go there. This only happened when Akito felt like showing off his power over the family by humiliating Kyo in his broken state. The chamber was located in darker part of the compound not far from Akito's own chambers.

"There it is, Kyru-chan."

Kyo's Chamber

Kyo sat in a corner of his chamber near the only window owned by the small chamber. He had become bored in recent days due to over thinking ways to escape his imprisonment. He would have lost hope again if not for the thought of his and Tohru's daughter. The thought of seeing her for the first time and being with Tohru again kept him sane. He took one of the pictures given to him by Kazuma from his kimono and looked at it again. He saw Tohru's smile in his daughter. Beautiful…he thought. He casually looked out the window of his chamber, smiling to himself until……he saw something he never expected.

There standing next to Kagura's son was a girl with orange hair and aqua eyes, wearing a uniform from his former high school. His intense eyes widened at the sight.

What the hell? Could it be…..her? he looked at the picture in his hands then again at the girl standing near Kaguro. "Kyru…." he whispered to himself, "..my daughter.." Kyru and Kaguro stood in a dark corner facing away from the chamber. They didn't see Kyo gazing out the window.

"There it is Kyru. Right over there, see?" Kaguro pointed to the chamber and Kyru looked toward it. Through the window she could see a pair of intense, crimson eyes staring into her aquamarine ones. Was this her father?

Dad….? Kyo reached out his hand through his window as if he could somehow bring her closer to him and embrace her. His eyes filled with tears of sheer joy, that is until…Kyru felt a painful pressure on her shoulder. "Oww! Stop Kaguro!" She turned to look at who it was. Her eyes met a very different gaze then Kaguro's. These eyes were dark and tormenting. They filled her heart with pain and fear.

"Oh…my name's not Kaguro…." Kyru began to shake uncontrollably. Was this the person that was said to control the Sohmas. Was he the curse's God.

"W…who…are you?" The man smiled wickedly.

"I am Akito."

"NOOO…! Kyru….!" All was silent with the exception of Kyo's anguished screams.