Gah, I hate boys and their damn boyish ways. If any of you ever wonder how I write these guys in my story to be so cute, I'll tell you. I imagine a real boy, like one I know. I then write completely the opposite. Stupid bastards with their idiot ways...grr...Okay, lemme write now. It'll make me feel better.

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Fate's Reversal

Part 12

*****

"Yoru, are you up there?" Keshiki's deep maroon eyes widened hopefully as she stood at the base of a large old tree that Yoru had a history of climbing when he wanted to be on his own. As she had half expected, she saw the movement of his dark head looking down at her, but heard no response. He was moping again, it seemed. "Yoru, everyone's looking for you." she continued hopefully.

Silence.

"Okay, not everyone...actually, they're all worried about Mottomo right now." Keshiki admitted. "He collapsed again, you know." she babbled. "Kaede-baachan says that she's worried, but she still won't say what's wrong with him or you."

Silence.

"Yoru?" Keshiki hated when he was like this. "Yoru, I know that there's something wrong with you and all, but I don't think you'll get better if you hide from everyone."

"Why'd you come?" Yoru asked her. Keshiki was so surprised that he responded to her presence at all that she stumbled backward, almost falling.

"I came cause I saw that you were missing." she told him. "I knew you'd be here."

"No one else noticed though?" he asked.

"Well, they're worried about Mottomo right now." Keshiki explained uneasily.

"Good." he answered, shaking his head as though satisfied.

"Why's that good?" she asked.

"Because..." Yoru left off the end of his statement. "You wanna come up here?" he asked after a brief pause.

"Sure." Keshiki was surprised that he had invited her up. When Yoru was in his tree, he didn't want to see or talk to anyone. Scrambling to climb up the tree with some difficulty, Keshiki scraped both her knees raw, but she didn't mind. Yoru was in such an interesting mood, it fascinated her completely.

"You're no good at climbing trees." Yoru reached down to help her up to his seat on a broad branch. "Look at what you did."

"I'm fine." she attested, ignoring the stinging pain in her legs. To her surprise, Yoru reached in his pocket and pulled out a small cloth. He proceeded to clean her knees to the best of his limited ability while Keshiki watched him in shock.

"Does it sting?" he asked tenderly dabbing at one knee.

"A little." she admitted with a small smile. "I'll be fine though."

"Hmm." he nodded, putting the cloth away slowly, staring into her eyes long enough to make her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Did you want to tell me something?" Keshiki finally prompted him.

"I did." Yoru confirmed. Keshiki waited for him to continue, but he simply stared at her, looking as though he couldn't quite think of how to say what he wanted. "I'm pretty sure...what's happening to Mottomo and me...I think it's gotta be pretty bad. Otherwise, Kaede-baachan'd tell us what it was. Don't you think?"

"I...guess that makes sense." Keshiki felt a knot form in her stomach. She had suspected as much, but the fact that no one else suggested such things made her ignore her fears.

"Keshiki...I don't want to die." Yoru told her, his voice cracking as his eyes filled with tears. "Does that...make me a coward?"

"No!" Keshiki refused, leaning forward to hug him. Usually he showed some resistance when she tried for such an open display of affection, but this time he fell into her arms so heavily she almost lost her balance. "Yoru..." she didn't know what to do, so she simply held him, trying not to be terrified by the fact that he was crying on her shoulder. She'd never seen Yoru cry before. In fact, the only boys she'd ever seen cry before were her own brothers when they were much younger. She didn't know that boys as old as Yoru even remembered how to cry.

"My father wouldn't be scared." he rasped, choking on his tears. "Haruka wouldn't be scared either."

"Maybe not, but that's not who you are." Keshiki told him, smoothing his short black hair carefully. "You're Yoru."

"Do you think...Mottomo's scared?" he asked.

"I don't know." Keshiki admitted, "But I am."

"You are?" he asked, sniffling. "Why?"

"I don't want to lose you guys. You're my friends." Keshiki told him, closing her own eyes as tears threatened. "We've known each other since before we could walk."

"Yeah," Yoru's tears subsided slightly, and he broke the embrace partially, pulling back so he could look at Keshiki, but he kept his arms around her. "Do you remember how I used to always steal your toys and hide them from you?"

"And then you always told me that you'd burned them up!" Keshiki giggled slightly. "I'd start crying every time."

"And then I'd feel guilty and give them back to you." Yoru recalled.

"Remember the time we all went on a picnic and Tsuyo and Sekatsu threw my favorite doll up in a tree?" Keshiki asked him.

"I acted like I didn't care, but I still climbed all the way up there to get it back." Yoru nodded.

"Tsuyo and Sekatsu still got in big trouble though." Keshiki reminded him.

"So did I. Mom didn't want me climbing trees back then." Yoru shook his head ruefully. "No surprise. I almost broke my neck getting that doll."

"It was stupid." Keshiki told him.

"It was worth it." Yoru smiled at her brightly. "You kissed me when I got it back."

"Tsuyo saw it and beat you up." Keshiki pointed out.

"It was still worth it." Yoru cupped her cheek in his hand. Both of them fell silent for a while, the mood becoming more serious than before. "It seems like it was all so long ago."

"Only a few years, though." Keshiki told him. "I remember after that thing with the doll, you were always so nice to me. I once asked my mom if..." Keshiki blushed, trailing off.

"What?" Yoru wanted to know, smiling again. "What did you ask her?"

"It's embarrassing." Keshiki turned her face away, but Yoru caught her chin in his hand and turned her to face him. "I was only a little kid anyway."

"It wasn't that long ago." he reminded her.

"I asked...I asked her if we could get married when I grew up." Keshiki admitted, blushing deeply. "She laughed and didn't say anything, but Seishin heard and I had to bribe him with a month's worth of desert to keep his mouth shut." they both laughed at that, but after a while they fell into an awkward silence. Keshiki noticed that Yoru was staring at her again and looked away.

"Will you, then?" Yoru spoke up finally.

"Will I do what?" Keshiki asked, still blushing slightly.

"Marry me when we grow up?" he wanted to know.

"Oh!" Keshiki's cheeks were instantly stained red once more. "I don't think...I mean, I'm almost old enough...but it's different in your time, right? Oh...I don't know..."

"Not right now." Yoru amended, blushing a bit himself. "I just meant...when I'm old enough to leave home...I want to come here and live with you."

"You...do?" Keshiki thought her cheeks must be purple, they were burning so badly.

"I have for a while, but I never said anything." Yoru told her. "I mean, as long as you want to."

"Why tell me now?" Keshiki asked. "You aren't old enough, are you?"

"I almost am...I think...I just wanted..." Yoru coughed nervously. "All of this stuff, it's all made me worry that maybe...I won't ever be old enough."

"Please don't say that." Keshiki pleaded with him. "If you never are, then what does it matter if I will? It won't make a difference if you aren't here."

"Because." Yoru told her, moving closer to her. Keshiki suddenly realized with a mixture of terror and excitement that he was going to kiss her. No one had ever kissed her before, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. But then she recalled one of her friends saying you were supposed to close your eyes. It seemed right to do, now that she thought of all the times she had seen her parents kiss. Gulping nervously, she licked her lips and closed her eyes tightly. She barely had time to close her eyes as his lips pressed against hers for several moments. He broke it off, pulling back as her eyes flitted open slowly.

"Yoru...you kissed me." Keshiki immediately felt like an idiot. Why had she said that? As though he didn't know already? He'd kissed her!

"Will you?" he prompted. It seemed that he couldn't be distracted from his purpose here until she gave him a clear answer.

"Yes." she answered, gasping as he hugged her tightly against him. She could hear his heart, and it sounded as though it might be racing even faster than hers.

"I won't leave you, Keshiki." he whispered with determination. "I won't. I promise." Keshiki was finally so overwhelmed that she began to cry. She wasn't sure whether she was sad or happy or just confused, but no matter what the reason, Yoru held onto her until she stopped. And still they sat together, high above the forest floor, finding solace in each other.

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Haruka set down the lunch tray without a word, as usual. She hated talking to that man even when he didn't talk back. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to share her feelings about the idea of conversation. She bowed her head and backed away, trying not to see how Kanna was leering at Naraku, who was in turn leering at Haruka herself.

"Girl, come here." he snapped after she had thought she was safe in her distant corner of the room. Sadly, it wasn't so distant that she could ignore his summons.

"Yes." she obliged, keeping her eyes low.

"I know what you do, you know." Naraku told her, his voice low and dangerous. "You think I don't see you two?" Haruka held back a gasp, hoping that Naraku wasn't talking about what he seemed to be. "And now, you come here to me, reeking of him. It's disgusting." he spat the words out. "You are mine, girl. Your body is mine too, and you can't simply share it with whoever you deem fit. I must give permission first." Naraku fell silent for a moment, and Haruka wondered if he was done, but he continued after she didn't say anything. "Of course, I don't hold you responsible, my dear. He took you by force, didn't he? Didn't he?!"

"I don't...know what you mean." Haruka's lip quivered in fear. What was Naraku getting at?

"He took you by force last night." Naraku told her, more calm now. "And the night before. And the night before. And so on and so forth."

"Who...took me...by force?" Haruka was afraid to question him. Did he really know about Yuki and her? How was that possible? Not even Tsuyo knew how far the relationship had come. They'd been very careful., hadn't they?

"The wolf boy." Kanna supplied. "We saw it, didn't we, Master?" Kanna asked.

"How long has it been going on now?" Naraku growled angrily. "A week? Two? Three?"

"I didn't..." Haruka was cut off as Naraku slapped her sharply.

"Don't lie to me girl!" Naraku insisted. "You'll only make it harder on yourself! And on him!"

"On...Yuki?" Haruka forced herself not to reach up to her stinging cheek. It would bruise whether she touched it or not. "What do you mean?"

"He forced you, girl." Naraku snarled. "It's obvious, he's a youkai and you're only a human. Besides, what sane human would willingly copulate with a low class youkai like that?"

"What do you mean?" Haruka narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"He's youkai." Kanna rolled her eyes as though this were perfectly obvious. "Your offspring would be hanyou."

"S--so?" Haruka was still confused. "My father was a hanyou."

"Have you ever met his mother?" Kanna asked.

"Yuki's?" Haruka had no idea what they were getting at.

"No, Inuyasha's." Naraku snorted impatiently.

"No...she's dead." Haruka supplied.

"Because of Inuyasha." Kanna added. "Didn't you know that? You're the child of a hanyou, and you don't even know that? Humans aren't strong enough to bear youkai children. It kills them."

"It does?" Haruka's eyes widened in shock. Did Yuki know this? Haruka had realized that since they didn't use protection of any sort, pregnancy was only inevitable, but did he not know what the results of such a union were? Or perhaps...he didn't care?

"Idiot girl." Naraku sneered. "You thought he cared for you, did you?" he laughed incredulously. "I'm doing you a favor then."

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked.

"Yuki is being punished." Kanna told her, a smug smile on her normally expressionless face. "He was removed from his cell just after you came this morning."

"What for?" Haruka was aghast.

"For violation of my property." Naraku answered, still laughing slightly. "Now, you must have been going through quite a bit of conflict because of all this. It must make you overjoyed to know that Kanna and I have put a stop to it. Therefore, I will let you return to your cell early today. You may go knowing that you needn't fear that disgusting wolf boy anymore."

"I...I..." Haruka could feel tears in her eyes, so she simply ran out of the room. She'd die before she let them see her cry like that. Haruka hurried along, though the youkai who led her was holding her back from a full out run. She had to get back to her cell. She had to be sure that Yuki was safe.

----------

"Gods, Yuki...why?" Haruka sobbed as she did her best to bathe the injuries her mate had incurred. "Why did he do this?"

"You already--shit--know why." Yuki cursed when she pressed a bit too hard on his raw, bloodied back. He had been whipped severely, but it didn't stop there. Apparently, he had struggled enough for whoever was in charge of his punishment to have to beat him into submission. The evidence was in his black eye, his busted lip, and the patchwork of bruises mottling his stomach and even his back, under the criss-cross pattern of red, bleeding welts.

"I'm not his." Haruka wiped away her tears, not noticing that she left a streak of his blood on her face. "I don't belong to anyone but you, Yuki. I should...I should have told him. Maybe then he wouldn't have done this to you."

"I don't think so." Yuki shook his head, but stopped as the pain from his back and neck froze him. "And even if I was spared--damn--he'd have taken it out on you. As it is, you still got that black eye." Yuki sounded as though this were entirely his fault.

"Yuki, don't be like that." Haruka sniffled, finishing with his back before wrapping it in a binding made from a scrap of her blanket. "If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I didn't even argue with him."

"You did." Yuki stopped her as she moved around him, pulling her into his lap. "I see that you did, though I wish you hadn't." he brushed a finger over her bruised cheek before carefully wiping away the streak of blood. "You're my responsibility. I'd take those beatings every day if it meant that he'd keep his hands off of you." Yuki kissed her tear-stained cheeks until she pushed him away suddenly.

"Stop it, we shouldn't do that." Haruka resisted. "I don't want...I won't have him hurt you again."

"Haruka...I won't give you up because he has some magic to spy on us." Yuki argued.

"Please...Yuki, I don't want to see you like this...to know that I could have stopped it from happening." Haruka pleaded. "I love you, and just as I'm your responsibility, you are mine. I won't have him hurt you on my account."

"I suppose...if that's what you want." Yuki relented. "I'll sleep in my own bed tonight."

"And I in mine." Haruka agreed. "Thank you Yuki. Thanks for understanding how I feel."

"I love you." was his only reply.

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Haruka sighed, burrowing herself deep within her blankets. It had been nearly a week since Yuki was beat, and she still wasn't used to her bed seeming so cold and so empty without him. It was a comfort she had relied on so quickly and for such a long time that she seemed incapable of going without it. After all, he was her mate, and they should be able to be together if they wanted to. Damn you, Naraku, I never hated anyone like I hate you.

Deep in her thoughts, Haruka didn't notice the sudden shifting of a body next to her until a wet kiss on the back of her neck startled her into reality. "Yuki!" she hissed. "What are you doing? What if we get caught?"

"Let him see us. Let him know that I would rather have all the beatings he could ever hand out than spend another night so far away from my mate." Yuki's voice was a growl, possessive and feral all at once.

"Yuki...I can't just--" Haruka's protests were cut off as he flipped her over and planted his lips firmly over hers.

"I love you, and you love me. That's all that matters to me." Yuki's crimson eyes flashed with passion.

"You're hurt." she whispered, her resistance weakening. "Doesn't it hurt?" she touched his chest softly, her gaze going to his healing back.

"Not when I see you." Yuki assured her.

"Oh, Yuki..." Haruka kissed him softly. "I guess...if we stop loving each other, he's won, hasn't he?"

"I won't let him win." Yuki told her. "I love you forever, no matter what happens."

"Yuki, I'll always love you," Haruka agreed as he kissed her neck ferociously. "Always."

*****

The End (Of Part 12, That Is)