Author's Intro:

Back again…whoo….

There's one kid in my saxophone class who keeps poking me with his sharp pencil.

So I broke it.

'Nuff said…though he still hasn't stopped.

----

As Akito sat, bored, in his room, he thought of the visit. It didn't go too well, but made no damage to himself, so basically all was okay…at least then. And his intrusion proved that Tohru knew that he could overpower her. She was scared of him, and for right then, that was all that mattered.

Though something nagged at his brain.

'She still took them away from me. Isn't she so happy that she's won? She's made me out to be the "bad guy"….and I've been feeling left behind since my birth.

A line drawn around me….being "special" all my life….the tortures of a "God".

It makes me want to hurt her. To draw attention to myself again. I need someone to love me, and be my "mother" or "father".

Is that really all that matters now?'

Such thoughts were a burden that Akito couldn't—or didn't want to—take. So, crawling into bed, he pulled the soft covers over his head and curled up, pretending to sleep.

Hatori wouldn't bother him at all, then.

----

Yuki called, over and over. The Dragon wasn't picking up the phone.

"Dammit…! Hatori, answer the phone!" the Rat whispered harshly into the device. "Please…!"

He felt like crying, but no tears came. Rushing into the living room, he checked on the Cat.

Still breathing. Slowly breathing. But that was enough; it meant she was still alive.

(Author's Note: -singsong voice- I read Volume 21 toooodaaaay! Wheee! It was the first one that made me cry….so sad….)

'I don't have time for this,' Yuki decided, flustered and frustrated. He grabbed his shoes and ran out the door, hoping to make it to the Main House in time.

----

Kyo walked through the halls, looking into various rooms. Turning into another long corridor, something seemed to click in the back of his mind.

He had been here before.

Faint clippings of memories, all simply fractions and shards, seeped into the front of his mind, plaguing him with memories of torture, physically and mentally.

'My….past?' he wondered, terrified at what he would find out if he ventured further into the hall. Did Kazuma know about this?

Realizing that he needed to go further, that he couldn't turn back at this point, Kyo walked gingerly down the hall, as if the floor would blow up if he made a wrong move.

Coming to the end, he felt drawn to one room in particular. The last room in the hallway. Holding his breath, Kyo quietly opened the door—noticing that it only opened from the outside—and stepped in, careful not to shut it behind him.

The room before Kyo was pitch black…but if you looked closer, it seemed to be tinted red. Dropping his eyes to the floor, the boy sucked in a mouthful of air. The scene before him was a mess. Broken glass and shredded pictures littered the floor, and drops of blood appeared in random spots.

In the corner lay a small bed that was dirty and smelly. Whoever had lived there wasn't in good condition.

Kyo bent down, picking up one of the pictures, but quickly dropped it to the floor, shocked at what he had seen:

Yuki, Tohru, and himself.

----

Hatori awoke with a start. He had been having this weird dream….Yuki's face was on an alarm clock, screaming, "Hatori! Wake up, Hatori! C'mon!".

But the dream was more realistic than he thought; the Rat was yelling all of those things, but his face wasn't on the clock. And his expression was one of pure panic.

"I-it's Akito! He pushed her off of the roof!" The Dragon was fully awake then. Quickly bolting out of bed, he threw on decent clothes and followed Yuki out the door.

----

"It's her…." Kyo whispered, looking at another picture, this time featuring Kyoko. "And those two…" he continued, fishing out a ripped photo sporting Saki and Arisa.

Memories kept flooding into his brain, too many to process at once. The boy felt as if his head would explode, but he kept looking.

After exploring the room, Kyo ran back out, this time not caring if anyone heard him. That room had "Honda, Tohru" written all over it; it was just another mystery to unlock.

And Kyo knew that Akito contained the key.

----

"Go to Shigure's house, okay?" the Rat requested, stopping to look at the doctor. "I….I have some business to handle first."

Hatori simply nodded. "Akito-san….right?" he asked knowingly. But Yuki had already run off towards the building that the God resided in.

----

Where was his room? Kyo's heavy footsteps thudded on the dark floors of the building. He thought that he heard other footfalls, too….but he assumed that it was just an echo.

Rounding the next corner, Kyo collided hard with something, causing him (and the object…or person) to grunt and fall over.

Despite the dull pain in his head, Kyo looked up to see who he ran into.

Yuki.

The Rat was just as surprised to see Kyo. What was he even doing there in the first place?

Kyo noticed the panic in the Yuki expression. Everything in the silver haired boy's mind was jumbled, and new scenarios and thoughts kept popping up in his mind. What if Tohru was seriously injured? What if Hatori got hurt on the way there? What if he died? What…if….Tohru didn't make it through this abusement….? What would he say to Akito?

"What's your problem?" Kyo grunted, standing up to face his rival. As much as Yuki loathed "Orangey", it only felt right to tell him about Tohru. After all….

"It's….her," the Rat breathed, looking down. "And Akito."

"….What?"

"Akito….he pushed her off of the roof. On the way down….she hit her head on the balcony. Tohru's unconscious. She might not make it."

----

Author's Closing:

Guys, I'm really sorry about the wait. I know school wasn't supposed to affect when I get my chapters out….but it has, honestly. And the fact that my internet kept shutting down. (Grrrrrr….)

So don't expect chapters to get out too often….but I will keep writing. Thanks!

Laterzzz.

E.