Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters.

Note: Ha, couldn't really think of a good title, hope this one is at least half way decent. I wrote this chapter on Oct. 31st and just after watching Vampire Hunter D… ^^; Not that any of that matters. I'm just babbling, so on with the fic! (BTW, Haru, Hatori, Kyo, and Kisa are my fav characters from FB…How come I end up torturing the guys I like so much?)

Chapter 16: Haru's Torture

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Hastuharu weakly looked out of the corner of his eye as he watched Akito walk out of the room temporarily.

'I have to stop him…'

Yuki adjusted his collar as he walked out of the hospital room he had been in for the duration of his recuperation. Kyo had done some hefty damage but since none of it was direly fatal, Yuki was able to heal very quickly thanks to Hatori's healing methods.

"Yuki…"

Yuki jumped slightly and spun around to face Hatsuharu.

"H-haru!?"

Haru moved closer and wrapped his arms around Yuki's shoulders.

"Yuki…"

"Haru, get off of me…now."

To Yuki's surprise, he just chuckled slightly and pulled back just enough to look into Yuki's eyes.

"Yuki…you've always been like that…but that's not what's important. Hatori's in danger."

"Hatori!? How? What's wrong?"

Haru put his arms back by his side as he took a step back and his face went stern.

"If you don't get there in time," Yuki watched in confusion as Haru disappeared away from his front and reappeared on his left side, his lips right beside his left ear, "Hatori will end up like me." Haru disappeared once again only to appear on Yuki's right side this time. "He will find out the truth about himself and will end up on the floor disabled as I am right now."

"What? You're not making any…sense?" Yuki had turned to face Haru, but he was gone.

"Yuki, I haven't been truly alive for years." Haru grimly spoke as he reappeared behind Yuki. Yuki spun around to face him once more as he said,

"Vampires are often judged as the 'living dead'…Even though…we're just as alive as the humans are and becoming a vampire doesn't mean you're dead."

"This I know just as you do, but someone who's been crucified and will continue to bleed for an eternity can't really be called alive…but that means that that retched soul isn't dead either." Yuki's eyes narrowed at that statement. What was he getting at?

"So…"

"Get to Akito's chamber before he can--ghah!"

Yuki watched with wide eyes as Haru grasped at his neck as if he was being choked and parts of his body began to shimmer away until he was gone.

"Haru…? Damn!" and with that, Yuki sped off for Akito's chamber.

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Kyo shot up, sweat dripping down his face in beads.

"It was just a dream…" Kyo sighed with relief at that, but his thoughts began to scream, 'Or was it?' when he heard yet another mummer and then a curse. 'This isn't good.' he thought as he saw a gray blur that was Yuki blinked past his door. 'I could've sworn I had closed that door…'

You did…but I opened it.

"Will you get the hell out of my head!? It hurts bad enough without you being in it!"

"I'm sorry. I forgot that you disapprove of my methods so much."

"Feh! Quit beating around the bush and tell me why you're here."

"You must speak to the girl again…Or else she'll come looking for you…though she'd never make it off your porch before someone or something would attack her."

"More like Akito…Yeah, I'll go…but only if you'll assure me that these charms will be able to handle me talking to her again for a bit."

"They…should hold out…for a little while anyway."

"What do you mean 'for a little while'? I don't like the sound of that."

"I don't know exactly what she wants but she has many conflicting emotions…"

"So…"

"She may drag out your conversation longer than those charms can stand…but it's a risk you should take, in my opinion."

"And who are you to have your opinion to be worth anything at all!?"

"That should not be your concern at the moment. The clock is always ticking, you know."

Kyo let out a growl in reply as he put on a shirt before quickly heading over to his building.

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"Haru!? Hatori!? Akito, stop this!"

Yuki just received an evil chuckle from that shadow that was Akito. His dark hands released Hatori's neck and he thus fell to the ground…and didn't move from the spot on which he fell.

"Hatori!"

Yuki took a step forward towards Hatori's body but was stopped when Akito lifted a finger towards him and said,

"Stop right there, Yuki…Aren't you curious about the things Haru said to you? Take a look over in that closet there to see the fate of the one called Hatsuharu."

Yuki's eyes followed to the point where Akito had pointed and unwillingly walked over to open the closet. What he saw sent a feeling of horror and disgust through his spine. Haru, eyes shut with fresh tears streaming down his face…nailed to a silver cross…feet a foot or two away from the ground…blood from the wounds streamed down the cross and his legs/arms into a pool of blood that reflected many images, including that of the Haru that was lying on Akito's floor behind Yuki. No matter what he had done, Haru didn't deserve that. To bleed for an eternity…Forever dying, and yet forever living in a false reality…No one deserved that.

"What have you done to him!? How could you invoke something that horrible to a member of your own family!?"

"He's been like that for years…and I had nothing to do with him becoming like that…There was more I wanted to show you too...Take a look in the closet that is the third away from that one on the right."

Yuki did as he was commanded and immediately wished he hadn't. This closet held Hatori…chained to a silver cross much like Haru's…orange flames were at his feet while silver flames covered his body…His face didn't hold true pain like you would think someone would have if they looked to be burning alive on a cross…He just looked as if he was in a deep slumber…The orange flames once again caught Yuki's attention when they flared up a bit…and he realized that they weren't orange…they were gold…As he stared into those flames, he could see images…

Suddenly, Yuki's world abruptly began to spin and all went black just before he landed on the floor with a dull thud.

Akito walked up the boy who had been knocked out with a small dart that had been thrown by Akito himself.

"Yuki…you really shouldn't have gotten yourself mixed up in all of this."

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((AN: Sooo? Good? Bad? Reviews please! I don't think I did a very good job with Hatori's closet…what do you think? I still have to think of a power for Yuki and Kyo…Suggestions will be very much appreciated! ^^ Also, what do ya think Akito's up to now? What could Tohru want to talk with Kyo about? What will happen to Yuki? Just a few questions for you to think about.))