Disclaimer: Fruits Basket does not belong to me.

Authors Note: Surprised?

Book of the Cat

Chapter 26

Yuki stared at his cousin for a second, then he felt his defensive instincts in his body begin to react. He immediately became very aware of Kyo's tense, insane body posture and the way Kyo's eyes glistened manically.

It was a good thing that Yuki had settled into a fighting stance, because at that moment, Kyo's leg swung out and would have collided with the side of Yuki's head if Yuki had not been able to block him.

"Kyo, what are you doing?" He yelled, as he tried to block a barrage of punches. A few actually hit him. And they hurt.

"I'm sorry, Kyo doesn't live here right now," his cousin answered.

"Kyo! Calm down!" Yuki yelled at his deranged cousin as Kyo swept down and aimed a kick at Yuki's chest. Yuki went flying into the next room, where he knocked into Shigure and pulled the phone off the wall. Yuki was a bit dazed by the blow, but Shigure shook his shoulder. Yuki realized he was lying on top of Shigure.

"What?" Shigure asked, but stopped as a triumphant Kyo stood over them.

"Whatsa matter? Is the little rat afraid?" Kyo said, his voice significantly different than anything Shigure remembered. Tohru walked into the room with a first aid kit.

"Kyo? Oh! Yuki, Shigure, are you okay?" Tohru asked, ever the concerned friend. Before Yuki could warn her, Kyo lunged around and grabbed Tohru by the wrists. He yanked the kit from her hands and pinned her wrists to the wall with his hands. Yuki bounced up.

"Put Mrs. Honda down and leave her alone!" Yuki ordered. Tohru let out a frightened squeak and struggled to release her arms.

"Hmm…" Kyo thought, "but that's no fun." Yuki lunged for Kyo and kicked him in the chest. Kyo released Tohru, who skittered to Shigure's side.

"Stay calm, Tohru," Shigure advised, "Hatori will be here soon and Yuki's got it under control until then." Shigure watched the fight. "Yes, Yuki's got it under control…" He tried to reassure himself. But to be quite honest, he wasn't entirely positive who was in control right now.

Kyo aimed another high kick at Yuki, who blocked it and sent his own kick to Kyo. It didn't even connect with Kyo; he had dodged it seconds before it even reached him. Kyo lunged forward and swept Yuki's ankles, who fell to the floor. Yuki's head smacked into the hard wood. He blinked as Kyo stood over him.

"So weak…" Kyo smirked.

Yuki felt his blood boil. "I'm weak! Look who's talking!"

"Kyo," Tohru called from behind, "please stop!" Kyo turned his head to look at her, and then he turned back to Yuki and slammed his foot down. Yuki rolled over just in time to avoid getting his wrist smashed. He got up and took some steps back into the kitchen, trying to drag the fight away from Tohru. Kyo followed him like an animal stalking it's prey. Tohru screamed and Shigure quickly grabbed her shoulders.

"Stay here. Do not move until Hatori comes," Shigure ordered. Once he was sure she was going to be okay, he dashed into the kitchen. Kyo and Yuki were facing the middle of the room. Bruises and cuts were visible on Yuki's faces and arms, while Kyo seemed absolutely fine, even though Yuki had hit him several times.

"Kyo, stop!" Shigure yelled. Kyo looked back and Yuki took this opportunity to dive at Kyo. He grabbed Kyo around the legs and brought Kyo crashing down, his head banging to the countertop. Shigure hovered near the doorway, unsure of what to do. Yuki released Kyo and sat back. Kyo's eyes were closed.

"Is he down?" Shigure asked tentatively.

"I think so…" Yuki said, turning back. Kyo's eyes snapped open and he placed his hand behind his head. Yuki got into a fighting stance immediately. Kyo withdrew his hand and stared at it. Bright red liquid glistened over his fingertips. Kyo was mesmerized by it. Yuki looked at the blood apologetically, but Kyo didn't seem hurt. He just looked up and growled.

"Oh, you'll pay for that one, Rat." Kyo jumped up and reached for the countertop. He swung back around, a large cutting knife in his hand.

"STOP KYO!" Shigure yelled. He attempted to come closer, but Kyo threw a jar from the counter at Shigure's head. It hit him and cracked on his forehead. For a second, Shigure stood straight and tall, then he slumped to the floor. Yuki's eyes darted from Shigure to Kyo.

Kyo only smiled, causing Yuki to take some more steps back. His instincts told him to run, and he began to sprint to the next room to find a better weapon against Kyo's knife. Kyo followed him. Yuki stopped at a dead end. The room was closed off and only had one door. No windows either. He turned back around to face Kyo, who slid his fingertips along the blade of the knife. He didn't seem to notice the blood that dripped from his hands.

"Kyo, stop!" Yuki said, holding up his hands as he backed up to the wall. His body felt exhausted, and he was experienced an asthma attack triggered by stress.

"But, Rat, if I don't end it all now, it will never stop."

"Kyo, listen to me… you've got to---" Yuki never finished his sentence. He was interrupted at Kyo slammed the knife down into his left shoulder. He screamed as the severe pain shot from his fingertips across his body. He slumped against the wall, panting heavily. Kyo stood over him, holding the bloodstained knife.

"Kyo, stop!" Yuki pleaded again, blinded by the pain. He cradled his injured arm closer to his chest.

"Don't worry, Rat, this will all be over in a second," Kyo raised his arm to strike again.

"Kyo!" A new voice emerged, both teens looked, startled to find Kazuma in the doorway.

"Kyo, I've raised you to fight, but I've never raised you to be a murderer." Kazuma said softly. Kyo merely shrugged. Kazuma stared at Kyo, sizing up his demeanor, fighting stance, and mannerisms. Finally he asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, at least someone in this family has common sense," Kyo laughed. Yuki grimaced from his spot on the floor as the pain intensified.

"Leave my son alone." Kazuma said forcefully.

"That's not in the plan." The Cat responded. Suddenly, he jumped up and flung the heavy table across the room. It hurtled in the air towards Kazuma, who broke it with his fist before it could hit him.

"Hmm… well, you caught the table, but, how about this…?" Kyo's eyes glittered as he flung the knife towards Kazuma, who quickly dodged it. However, while he dodged it, Kyo rushed at him with such an intense speed that Kazuma was unprepared. Kyo quickly landed blow by blow to Kazuma's head, then twisted Kazuma around and knocked him into a wall. Kazuma attempted to sweep Kyo's legs, but the Cat was too fast and powerful for Kazuma. He blocked all of his moves.

"I'm bored now," Kyo pouted as Kazuma gasped for breath. "Time to end this." Kyo grabbed Kazuma's head and quickly brought it crashing down on his knee. The intense blow caused Kazuma to pass out. Kyo smiled and retrieved the knife, turning back to Yuki. Yuki's asthma attack seemed to have worsened.

"Now, let's finish this," Kyo grinned wickedly. He grabbed the knife and held it over his head, pointing it straight at Yuki's chest.

"STOP!"

"Oh what now?" Kyo yelled, still holding the knife in place. He sensed Hatori in the room.

"Kyo, you cannot do this!"

The Cat shrugged, his eyes still on the wheezing rat. "Well, maybe Kyo can't, but I can."

"No, you can't either." A new voice joined the conversation.

The Cat actually shifted his gaze, staring at the new face. He scanned Kyo's memories for a name.

"Uotani," he finally responded.

"Now, why can't I kill the rat?" The Cat asked unenthusiastically.

Uo smiled. "Your time is up."

Hatori looked apprehensively between the two, and then stared back at Yuki. Yuki seemed to grow steadily worse by the minute. His chest heaved up and down and his eyes showed a struggle to remain conscious.

"What do you mean, 'my time is up'?" The Cat asked, raising Kyo's eyebrows. He turned back to Yuki, preparing to strike again.

"I read the book," Uo answered, causing the Cat to turn again. "I know you only have thirty days from when Kyo opens the book. In a few minutes, your time will be up, and you'll be stuck for many more years until some new sucker comes along."

"Like you know anything, you stupid girl," the Cat yelled, but Hatori noticed that the Cat's calm manner had quickened a bit.

"Come on, Kyo! I know you're in there!" Uo yelled suddenly. "He's weakening now! You can fight him!"

Hatori looked back and forth between Kyo and Uo. 'What was going on?'

"He can't hear you right now," the Cat yelled, and then raised the knife to strike again.

It was then that the Cat realized a few things. First of all, the girl was right, it had been thirty days. His time was almost done. Which means, his power was severely draining right now. Kyo however, would not be able to feel the Cat's control weakening. For all Kyo knows, the Cat could be getting stronger. And the Cat also had one more advantage, Kyo's mind was so broken and mangled that he could easily be manipulated.

The Cat approached Kyo in his mind.

"Kill the rat or I'll kill everyone in this room."

Kyo's muddled brain still protested. "No! I can't!"

"Then everyone in this room dies," the beast said, tightening Kyo's grip on the knife.

"No!" Kyo shouted. "I'll… do it… I'll kill Yuki."

"Good boy," the Cat purred, slowly withdrawing to the back of Kyo's mind. It would only be a matter of time until that Rat was dead, and then he'd have full control. Kyo felt himself returned to his body, the knife in his hand made him feel sinister, sick and dirty.

"Do it now!" The monster shouted.

Kyo nodded and raised his arms.

"No!" Uo shouted, running forward with Hatori.

Tohru screamed, emerging from a hidden place behind the door.

Kyo brought the knife down.

Blood splashed onto Yuki's face.

"I was just thinking about what we read. Do you see how much the Cat hated the Rat? It's unnatural. Over one hundred pages dedicated to that. No one should hate someone that much."

"I hate Yuki that much."

"No, you don't. I know you fight with him and compete with him, but deep down in there, somewhere in that black hole of a heart, you care about him. You wouldn't want him to die or something…not like the feelings the Cat in this book has towards the Rat."

Hatori and Uo stopped running. Tohru stopped screaming.

Kyo looked at them; sweat dripping down from his brow as he removed the knife from his own stomach.

"Kyo," Uo whispered, trying to get closer. Tohru came up behind her.

"Don't," Kyo whimpered. "He can't do anything if there's no body for him."

The creature screamed in Kyo's mind. "Idiot! Moron! Stupid, foolish human! You'll pay for this!"

Kyo's eyes rolled in his head.

"Kyo!" Hatori said, getting closer. All of a sudden, Hatori, Tohru and Uo were thrown back several feet as an orange aura exploded around Kyo. The matter twisted and turned, molding itself into the shape of Kyo's evil form.

"If I have to go back, I'm not going alone!" It screamed.

Uo and Hatori got to their feet again.

"Kyo!"

A flash of light blinded them.
Blinking awake, Uo sat up. Hatori also started to get up besides her, and Tohru began to stir as well. Hatori immediately returned to his senses and rushed towards Yuki's side.

"Where's Kyo?" Uo shouted, her and Tohru looking frantically around at the empty room.

Shigure and Kazuma came up behind them. "Where's Kyo?" They both asked, equally concerned.

Uo closed her eyes, forcing her mind to go back to the last moments before she blacked out. The Spirit's last words repeated themselves in her head.

"If I have to go back, I'm not going alone."

End of Book 1

Book 2 starting later this summer.

Authors Note: Phew, I started this story in September! Anyway, Book 2 will be starting soon, with answers to even more questions…

Where's Kyo?

Who were the bodies in the forest during chapter 10?

What else did Uo learn from the book?

How will the Sohma's react to Uo and Hana's discoveries?

What about the hinted deal between Akito and the Cat?

And oh so much more that you've all been asking in your reviews…

Sorry for leaving all of you with that cliffy for so long!

Thanks to my absolutely wonderful reviewers!

Shadows: I'm glad you liked my story!

Suiren-san: More of what Uo found will be divulged in the sequel.

Lolliiepop: Ha, sorry it took me so long to update.

Myloveiskyo: The sequel will be out soon!

Random person: Ha, sorry for the cliffy!

Inlove2: Thanks for the compliments!

Kira Temeki: Ha, sorry about the cliffy!

Orchid's Rain: Yup, poor Kyo!

Tatertotts: I'm glad my story hit the spot! I always like some suspense/action/adventure in my stories.

Leiko Hiroko: Lol, thanks for being so understanding about the AP tests!

Kenya: Yea, the Cat can so take Akito.

Kyo'slittlekittenkisa: Ha, sorry for making Kyo scary!

She who must not be named: Ha, sorry for the suspense for so long!

Shizmoo: Ha, well… Kyo's gonna be in loads of trouble… so don't worry, torture will be included in Book II

Tailfeather: Ha, I gave you cliffhanger for almost 2 months… you probably want to kill me!

Eclipsedlight: Ha, sorry for taking so long to update!

Winter's Light: Ha, sorry for the evil cliffies!

Dark Inu Fan: Uo's readings will further be discussed in the next book. You'll have to read the sequel to learn more!

Fruits Basket Fan: Thanks for being so patient and understanding with exams and such… Congratulations on your graduation!

Hyper-writer14: Ha, well, Kyo didn't "kill" Yuki, so, that's good, right?

Starship Gazer: The Cat and Akito's deal will be discussed the next book, Arisa's finding will be discussed in the next book, Kazuma does make an appearance… Kyo may or may not survive, and the Cat and Rat's fight is far from done. And yes, you might have to wait a while for those questions to all be answered.

Shadow7272: Ha, sorry it took me … like, 2 months for an update!

The Cheshire Katt: Thank you! More to come later this summer!

Sakoko-chan: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, sorry this one took so long!