A/N (Hello all! I want to say a massive thank you to all you guys who review at every chapter, I really appreciate it. I like to know if I am writing good stuff here :P Anyway, as you all may know this story is coming to a close and will end in about five more chapters time.)

The poll has ended, thank you all for your votes and I already know what ending it is going to be. Let's see what surprises may unravel. So anyway, thank you all for your continued loyalty and honesty in the reviews. I am honoured. Finally, may I present you with the next chapter

Hold onto your hats people, here is the climax! Au revoir!

Chapter Twenty Five: The hunter and the hunted

Her sparkling azure eyes depicted every smeared droplet of rain that angrily lashed at the window. Mother Nature was indeed angry and was showing its apparent feelings through the heaven's downpour. It was such a dismal day, the rain adding to the dreary atmosphere. It would be a tedious chore to arrive home in this torrential downpour. Gently her fingertips touched the window pane as the soothing sound of rain just outside offered some much needed comfort. For an unknown reason she felt apprehensive, as if something was trying to tell her about something. She had no clue to what it signified but one thing was for certain, they were all going to be drenched by the time they arrived home.

Tohru and Kurai stood stationary by the window, watching as students outside the safety of the school walls rushed about aimlessly in desperate need of shelter from the pour. All moving silently, their screams and shrieks all merged into unspoken whispers and the watchers heard nothing.

"I hope Yuki arrives soon" Tohru mused to herself as she continued to watch the downpour outside.

"Me too, he will be looking like a drowned rat if he stays out there. Pardon the pun-" Kurai commented, placing his arm around the small girl's shoulder. She shuffled slightly and relaxed against his touch. A dreamy sigh escaped her lips as they both continued to stare at the confusion outside.

Yuki had gone to inform all students that the meeting was going to be cancelled due to this terrible weather and it was to be rescheduled for another time. Not that he minded; he was glad to be able to leave school earlier than he first thought. Only Kurai and Tohru were in the class, the tutor still being away on lunch break and the other students inhabited other classrooms right now. The solitude offered them comfort, which they enjoyed.

"I wonder why the weather is so bad-" Tohru mumbled, snuggling closer to the red-head. He gave a shrug of the shoulders;

"Beats me, I just don't like the thought of going home in it. I hate rain-" That comment somewhat reminded Tohru of Kyo. He hated the rain too and that was probably the sole reason why he had refused to come in today. It was as if he could sense the presence looming overhead before it decided to unleash its fury.

"At least Yuki gets to accompany us home today" She beamed happily, gently resting her head against Kurai as they continued to blissfully stare outside. The rain was not showing any signs of stopping yet, its anger increased as it clawed violently at the glass, still trying to get at the two watchers. Kurai gave a small nod as his hazel eyes narrowed. Something had caught his interest but from this high up he could not see it clearly. As the figures neared the school entrance he depicted it to be the two boys from the class. Surprisingly they were not running to get out of the rain, they were walking calmly. One of them was holding something in cloth and Kurai could just make out a psychotic look in those eyes of his. A cold shiver sent signals down his spine and immediately he tensed up. Tohru noticed this sudden change of behaviour and jolted up too. Her azure eyes quickly scanned his countenance as she struggled to ask;

"Kurai, is something wrong?"

He did not respond for some time. He had no idea to why his body had reacted like that, perhaps it was his instinct running riot again but this time he knew better than to ignore it. It was trying to tell him something and when he looked into her beautiful orbs of blue he knew what he had to do.

"Tohru, can I ask you to do something for me?" She blinked curiously at him for a few moments before murmuring;

"Yes, what is it?" The red-head looked back to the window. Both boys were almost out of sight and that sickening feeling returned to the pit of his stomach. Swallowing hard he faced her again and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I want you to walk home with Yuki today" She did not seem to comprehend the information he foretold and so responded;

"Why Kurai? Is something wrong?"

Quickly he turned around, how could he simply say it was down to instinct? She would not buy that at all. Nevertheless he had to do this; something was compelling him to ensure she stayed safe at all costs because right now, he knew they were not safe.

"Trust me on this one, don't ask any questions, when it is time to go home walk with Yuki"

She looked into his eyes and gave a small nod. Deep within the reasons to why he asked this of her eluded her mind but she knew better than to question his judgement.

"O-okay… but what about you?" He forced a smile, gently rubbing her shoulders to relieve some of the tension that had started to build up inside her frame.

"I'll be fine… I promise…"

As soon as those words escaped his lips the door burst open which caused both of them to turn around quickly. They beheld a panting Yuki, drenched to the skin and looking at them with clouded violet eyes. He had been running; it was apparent. Tohru smiled, at least he was here and he had made it out of the approaching storm.

"Yuki, you're back!" She squealed happily watching as the male attempted to squeeze the water out of his school shirt. He was soaked right through and his hair clung to the sides of his face messily. He gave a weak nod as the panting sequence continued;

"The Principal… informed me to… tell everyone… that school… is over for… the day. The weather… is too severe… to continue… with classes-" He muffled in-between pants. Kurai stole a glance to Tohru, who seemed overjoyed. At least that was a positive note.

"So we get to go home now?" She asked just to make sure what she heard was in fact correct. Yuki nodded;

"Yes… a storm is approaching… and it would be… beneficial if we… all headed home…"

Tohru agreed with Yuki's comment and then she remembered Kurai's words. He was not going to be with her while she walked home, she was to remain with Yuki and she had to trust him on this one. While thinking about the predicament she managed to speak up;

"Yuki, Kurai is not coming home with us today"

The violet eyed boy turned to the red-head. His countenance revealed nothing, no signs of worry or apprehension. It was odd for Kurai to suddenly say he was not coming home with them. Perhaps it was something serious.

"Can I ask why?" Yuki questioned, giving a stern glance to the half Kitsune.

"My instinct is telling me that she should stay with you for now. I don't like to ignore it so I am doing this just to be safe" He answered simply, looking back at the worried brown haired girl. It was apparent she did not understand much of what he just said but it did not matter right now. Her safety was more important and if his instinct was correct then she was definitely not safe with him. Yuki placed a hand to his chin, which was soaked with water.

"Well, if that is the case then that is fine"

Tohru looked back to Yuki, her eyes sparkling in the dimming light. It was obvious that a storm was approaching, the thick black clouds had congealed overhead and the soft humming of thunder could be heard in the distance. Kurai felt a pain begin to conjure in his body, he had no clue to what it meant but he knew that it was continuing in strength and he winced slightly. This was the right thing to do, he needed to make sure she was safe and something was calling out for him to do this act of cruelty. It seemed like it was heartless right now but he knew otherwise, he knew that in the long run it would benefit everyone.

"You better get going before the storm starts-" Kurai choked out, forcing a smile. Tohru turned to him, his face not revealing any of his hidden emotions. He seemed so at ease and happy just how she was accustomed to. With much needed effort she struggled to nod at his comment and looked to Yuki.

"Okay then, we will see you later" Yuki retorted to the red-head. He nodded in response as Tohru walked steadily over to the rat, almost as if she was reluctant to do so. Kurai looked at both of them and kept his façade up, that fake smile scarring his lips as he gave a small wave to them.

"See you around-"

As Tohru left the room Yuki paused. He turned to the red-head and looked at him through narrowed violet eyes. In a quiet voice he muttered;

"Be safe-"

With that the rat left the room with Tohru and the silence started to shroud him. It taunted him and mocked him, attempting to have some kind of effect on him. Slowly the red-head turned back to the window, watching as the rain hammered against the pane vigorously. His heart started to ache and pain conjured around his body as realisation sunk into every bone in his wretched body. Now it was suddenly becoming clear to him, his instinct only ever responded to danger and he knew that he was in danger, as if he were the last of his species, borderline on extinction and the hunter was awaiting him.

'Please don't hate me Tohru-' He said mentally, placing a hand to the window as he watched their figures walk onwards out of the school gates. The rain continued to splash down on their majestic figures as they escaped the ominous pit of hell. As his eyes traced the outline of Tohru he felt something wet trickle down his cheeks. The pain increased ten-fold and with his other hand he clutched his chest. Closing his eyes tightly he allowed newly formed tears to escape and find their homes down his cheeks then splash down onto the window ledge. What had he done to deserve this?

Yuki and Tohru walked ever quicker to their destination as the rain started to drench both of them. The storm was approaching faster and if they did not speed up then they would be caught up in it. Her mass of brown hair matted due to the water in the atmosphere and it started to stick to her face as the wind started to whip up violently.

"This is some severe weather. It is strange, the weather report said nothing about a storm" Yuki commented as they rushed headlong into the winds that clawed at their fragile figures. Tohru squinted as the wind was starting to make her eyes water.

"I know, it is horrible" She retorted, trying to keep up with the violet eyed boy. They needed to get out of the rain and soon too if they were to not catch colds or any other kind of illness.

"I still wonder to why Kurai insisted on staying there, maybe he knows something we don't-" Yuki mused to himself which made Tohru look at him. Her azure eyes widened at his words, did Kurai perhaps do this for another reason?

"What do you mean Yuki?"

"Well Ms. Honda, Kurai would never usually behave like that. Maybe he did this to stop something from happening. He mentioned something about his instincts so I think it could be connected to that"

Those words rung deep within her mind as they continued their crucifying journey through Mother Nature's fury. Kurai did this for a reason? What reason could it be? Even so after hearing Yuki's words it made her heart start to ache, now she was feeling as if something was wrong but she had no idea to what was in-stall for both of them during this testing time. Mother Nature knew of course, she was angry, furious in fact that one of her beloved creatures was soon to be erased altogether and it was all down to greed and power, the power of destroying another innocent being.

A Hour Later~

The red-head stared to walk towards his destination, hands in his pockets and with a calm demeanour for once. Maybe his instincts were wrong and nothing bad was going to occur here. It was always a possibility but he was almost positive of them this time. The rain continued to pour down from the heavens as the loud boom of thunder echoed in the distance. The storm was approaching and quickly too. He decided to head home, to see Tohru and apologise for everything. He felt guilty about telling her to walk with Yuki; he made it seem as if she had no choice in the matter. It was too late now, it had been done and now all he hoped for was that she could forgive his actions.

'I hope she isn't mad at me for what I said, I was so sure that my instincts were right…' He thought to himself as he continued to walk calmly onwards, rain hammering down on his cursed head. His once spiked hair was now flattened and sticking messily to his face as the walk started to drain his energy. Was it the rain's fault for his apparent lethargy?

He found himself at the entrance of the wood, the forest that lead to Shigure's house. It would not be long until he could curl up beside a warm fire with his Tohru and everything would be perfect again, just like how he loved it. His reality was started to blur at an incredible pace as lightning lit up the ominous sky and then thunder roared overhead. This was some storm; he had never witnessed a storm as severe as this in all his life. Something had angered Mother Nature and now she was out for revenge.

'This storm is bad, I hope it calms down soon' He mused to himself again as he strode onwards, avoiding uneven patches of earth as he continued on his journey. The trees overcast ill-omened shadows on his being as he walked past them, their forms depicting horrific wailing faces in the dim light. This forest was a force to be reckoned with in the epicentre of a storm. He was starting to feel apprehensive and every step drained his energy from him, leaving him a trembling mess. The storm could not be the only cause of this, could it?

'Why do I feel so weak? Man, I feel as if I am going to pass out right now. No, I must be strong, I must get home-' He mentally said, trying to find the strength to continue onwards. The storm getting increasingly worse as the lightning lit up his countenance and then the thunder roared immediately afterwards. He was right in the middle of it now, the wind circling his figure and attacking him as he tried to walk towards the house. Mother Nature certainly did not want him to arrive home in one piece it seemed.

He paused when his ears detected movement in the bushes nearby. He turned around to where he heard the sound to see nothing. His hazel eyes scanned the area for signs of life, nothing was heard. It was as if he had imagined it but he knew he hadn't. Again the noise protruded and this time his eyes came into contact with a dark figure. The dim light made it almost impossible to see the intruder. He squinted as he spoke;

"Who is it?" The dark figure neared the red-head, walking stealthily, a small low chuckle emitted from its being.

"I am…"

The being muttered while its form was illuminated by a flash of lightning. Kurai's eyes widened as he witnessed just who this was, it was the boy from class and he was pointing a demonic mechanism his way. The same mechanism used in Tohru dream. He froze, paralysed with fear; this was what his instincts told him. The being continued with his wretched words;

"… Your worst nightmare-"

Instinctively Kurai ran, his legs carrying him as quickly as he could. He knew that the being would follow, that demonic look in his eyes said it all. Hastily he moved past trees and avoided unearthed roots to prevent his being from falling over or tripping up. He was close to the house, only a matter of a few more minutes and he would be there. His safe haven was approaching. Whilst running at an incredible pace Kurai could hear the being's devilish voice fill his ears;

"You can run as long as you like but I will get you, you bastard!"

Kurai swallowed hard as he continued to run towards his destination. He was not going to allow Tohru's dream become a reality, not if he could do anything to help it. The rain continued to hammer downwards as the roar of thunder echoed in his ears. Why was this even happening and how had this boy got a gun? Did Akito put him up to this? That was the only reason he could think of as his form leapt over a large tree root and he continued to speed away. The house was in sight and a wave of relief filled his being. The safety was approaching him and he would be saved.

Jiro followed him, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike the red-head down and fulfil the request. He never would have thought being in control of another being's life would fill him with so much ecstasy. He felt as if he was on some kind of medication that was out of this world, giving him such a high he deemed it impossible to return to Earth. His cobalt eyes ablaze in power kept a lock onto the red-heads fading form. He would evade him if he did not act soon; he needed to stop him from escaping.

"You won't get away! I'll make sure you die, YOU WILL DIE!" He shouted out, laughing evilly after his speech as he followed the red head. The house was in sight and so was red-head. The perfect opportunity was there and without a moment to hesitate he pulled back the trigger and shot...

Tohru sat in her room, watching the rain just outside her window pane. Where was Kurai? She hoped he would come back soon, she missed having him around. It was lonely without seeing his smile, without hearing his voice and without being in the safety of his arms. She sighed as she adjusted her pyjama top slightly. Her clothes were drenched after returning home so she got into her pyjamas immediately and put her uniform to be washed. It was to prevent her from catching any illnesses or from feeling under the weather. She sighed as she listened to the rain outside. It's noise soothing her troubled soul.

'I hope Kurai is okay-' She said mentally, her azure eyes scanning every droplet that scarred the glass. For an unknown reason she felt as if the sky was merely crying, it was not angry, it was sad and the reason for this sadness eluded her. She was alone in the house, Yuki and Shigure had offered to go to the main house to ensure Akito was okay. He hated storms and they affected his mentality. Tohru offered to watch the house as Kyo was still not home. It was not surprising, he was a cat and he loathed the rain. As she sighed once more she leapt up when she heard a sound, banging sound.

-BANG. BANG-

Her body tensed up as all the fine hairs on her body stood on end, she recognised that sound, and it was a gunshot sound. The exact sound she heard in her dream world and for an unknown reason her eyes started to fill with tears. She placed a hand to her mouth as the only image that came to mind was that of the red-head.

'Oh no, Kurai is out there!'

Quickly she stood up, fear consuming her frame. It trembled as she furiously put on her slippers; she needed to inspect the cause for the noise to give her peace of mind. Her mind whirled nauseously with thoughts as she struggled to put on her nightgown.

'Oh no, what if he is dead? Oh mom, what am I going to do? Please…. It can't be him, please...'

With that in mind she rushed down the stairs, not caring about the storm outside, right now her mind was clouded with worry about the red-head. She prayed he was safe, that it was not him that got hurt. As her figure hurried to the kitchen she searched for the key. Once her fingers found its form she hastily unlocked the back door and rushed outside.

Her azure eye scanned the surroundings, the dim light not offering her much comfort. She struggled to perceive anything but valiantly she walked forwards into Mother Nature's fury. As she walked out further the rain seemed to almost stop at her intrusion to this scene and the only thing that remained aggressive was the wind, which clawed at her colourless cheeks.

'I wonder what happened, please let Kurai be okay… if there is a God out there… please' She prayed to herself as she furiously looked around. The grass squelched underneath her slippers and she found it easier to focus on the ground to perceive anything. After a few more steps forwards she found a piece of muddy material beside her foot. Slowly she bent down to pick it up and inspected it with wide azure eyes. This was Kurai's jacket and on closer inspection she could vaguely see red splatter marks on the sleeve. Her hands trembled as she continued to search, was this blood?

'Oh no, please be okay… please…' She said mentally, now allowing tears that had formed in her eyes to escape down her face. Her heart panged with hurt as she quietly walked forwards. What if he was hurt? How would she cope with that?

Once again her eyes depicted another piece of discarded material, it was his t-shirt and then she noticed his black pants beside that with his shoes nearby. She stood motionless as the jacket escaped her grip and landed on the floor beside her foot. Putting her hand to her mouth she squealed out in pain as the image of Kurai's fox form lay motionless on the grass. His fur matted with both mud and another substance. The beads he wore were hanging limply around his neck and the fox's dark eyes were closed.

'Oh no… please… this is not happening…' She said to herself as instinctively she rushed towards the frail fox. He was motionless and limp on the wet grass, his fur a matted mess of both blood and mud. Slowly she knelt down, not caring about if her pyjamas got ruined right now. Kurai was hurt and she needed to help him. She outstretched a hand and nervously placed it against his soft fur. Her finger tips moved his body slightly to see where the blood had come from. She could just make out a small bullet wound in his front leg and back leg; luckily it had not hit his chest.

'Please be okay… I don't want you to die…' She scurried to grab all of his clothes and placed them into the crook of her arm. Then she gently manoeuvred his weak and fragile form into a position which was good enough for her to lift up with ease. Slowly but surely she picked up the fox and placed it in her arms. She needed to help him but what could she do? Without a moment to lose she rushed back into the house, carrying Kurai in her arms, his eyes still locked off from the world, no-one knowing if he would ever see the light of day again.

A/N Oh no! Poor Kurai! Reviews pleeeaaasee! Thank you. Do you think he is dead?