Ok, this chapter is more angsty, and a bit more violent (hence the rating upper).
I do not own Fruits Basket
"I taught the killing game first till at last you regret tortured animals wake up time beckons death upon myself"
~~~~~~~Yuki~~~~~~~
Haru and I walked back to the house. How I hated that place. The fear I felt every time I walk in is near unbearable. The only reason istay is because of Haru, because I love him. It then crossed my mind that the one who caused my terror was most likely watching us right now, as we were close to the house. "Dammit, we may have been seen," I thought to myself. Haru's arm was still lovingly wrapped around me. It hurt me to do so, but I pulled away from him. We couldn't be found out, it was too dangerous. Haru gave me a confused glance as I pulled away, but then he nodded, seemingly sad.
We walked up the path and into the house silently. I turned to head to mine and Haru's room when Hatori's voice murmured out, "Yuki, Akito wants to see you."
My heart just about stopped beating; we had been seen then. I stared at Hatori for a moment and noticed a sympathetic look in his eye. He had been giving me that look a lot lately, like he knew something bad was going to happen to me. I looked to Haru he wore a frightened look that probably matched mine. I wanted to cling to him, tell him to not let that monster get me. Instead I did what I always do, take a deep breath, and head down that long dark hallway to Akito's room.
I know what prisoners on death row felt like when they have to take that final walk to their death. The walk is surreal, it takes forever, but not long enough, because when you finally do reach the end, you wish you hadn't. I've now reached the end.
As I raised my hand to knock, Akito's voice coos, "come in Yuki"
I opened the door and walked in. I was sweating terror, and was shaking like a wet dog as I sat upon the floor. I prayed for him to not see my fear. Akito was standing with his back to me, watching his bird it seemed. I wish I could see his face, then I could see some expression of what he was feeling. This is what made Akito a master of his craft. He knew how to hold you in terror, and the perfect moment to strike. The silence was deadly and painful.
"Did you forget you are mine Yuki?" Akito said, his back still to me, "am I that easily forgotten?"
Akito whipped around so fast I didn't even see the blow, I only felt it. A cry of pain and surprise escaped me. I looked to my shoulder where I had been hit, my shirt was slashed open and blood was leaking out of a gash. My eyes widened as I realized he had done more than hit me. I stared at Akito, in his hand he held a sharp silver letter opener, decorated with birds and my blood.
"If I am that easily forgotten Yuki, I will just have to try harder to make you and that cow remember who you belong to!" Akito shouted, his voice full of rage.
"NO! Leave Haru out of this!" I shouted back, nearly echoing Akito for volume and rage.
Akito's eyes widened in surprise. In all the times I had been here, I had never yelled back at Akito; ever. His eyes narrowed, and he shook with a new level of rage.
"What? You dare argue, you dare raise your voice to me? Has it slipped your memory who I am?!" Akito's voice thundered out, still keeping an eerie air of calm. His arm lashed out and grabbed my hair, yanking me painfully forward and close to his glaring eyes.
"Have you forgotten who owns you? Who is your god?" his voice took a new sinister menacing tone.
I felt a small whimper escape my throat and I silently cursed myself for showing weakness. I had to show strength, if not for myself then for Haru. He threw me to the ground, so I was kneeling before him. I stayed silent, hoping he would accept it for my answer. I knew deep down he wouldn't.
"Who do you belong to Yuki? Answer me," Akito hissed, dragging the blade down the back of my shirt, tearing the thin fabric open and leaving my back exposed.
My mind screamed for me to say "Akito! You own me, you're my god", end this punishment before it became worse, but my heart wouldn't allow it.
"Haru," I said quietly, but I was surprised by the strength in my voice, "Haru is my god, and I am his, always."
Akito stood there in shock. I had never behaved this way in front of him, never been so defiant. "You think that idiot cow is your god?"
I had never been more terrified in my life. Akito was shocked for a moment, but when he recovered, he might kill me. If it came down to that would I let him? Or would I take that knife and turn it on him?
"Well then… like in the story where the followers of the golden calf were punished, so shall you," Akito said, his voice dangerously calm.
His arm came down, and I felt the point of the blade on my back for a moment, then it sunk it to my skin. I shut my eyes in pain, the blade wasn't deep, but it still hurt.
"You say Haru is your god, but where is he now? I don't see him stopping this!" Akito snarled, and he slowly dragged the blade down my back.
"Only I can stop this, but you must tell me who truly owns you," he said like a man on the verge of victory.
I felt him pull the blade out, and place it on another spot on my back.
"Tell me Yuki, who owns you?" he whispered, and I knew he was smiling evilly even though I was staring at the floor, I could hear the smile in his voice. He expected me to break.
"Haru"
The blade sunk in again and he drug it down my back at an excruciatingly slow pace. I clenched my teeth, my eyes filled with tears. A scream built inside my chest, the scream was trying to tear out. I refused to let the tears fall or the scream escape me. I wouldn't give Akito the satisfaction, he would not break me. I felt blood start to trickle down my sides.
"Let's try this again Yuki, who do you belong to?" Akito asked as though this was the simplest question in the world.
"Haru"
The letter opener sunk in again and pulled down. Again I held my screams and tears.
Akito lifted my chin up and looked into my eyes, "Yuki, is that perversion worth it?"
I narrowed my eyes in response, "perversion?"
"You and Haru, it's wrong. The cow and the rat? Ridiculous. The rat made a fool of the cow. The cow is stupid and mundane. The rat, the sweet, cunning, special rat," Akito gently stroked my jaw line, I shivered at the touch, "the rat is above the cow." He was staring into my eyes, yet I couldn't read his feeling.
I stared at him and whispered, "No, you're wrong. It wasn't stupidity. It was something you wouldn't understand, it was love. The cow let the mouse ride on his back, everyone was just too ignorant to realize that."
Akito pressed the blade to my back, "no, it was stupidity, and it seems to be rubbing off on my precious rat."
Again I felt the blade sink in and slowly drag down my back. Again I refused to cry out.
"Now Yuki, who do you belong to, who is your god?"
"Haru"
The blade sunk in.
He asked this over and over, for what felt like an eternity. Every time, I told the truth. Haru, it was Haru. The truth was killing me though, I felt blood all over my back, and saw it in puddles on the floor. "Mine," I thought to myself, "all that blood is mine." I was getting dizzy from the blood loss.
"Yuki! You belong to me! You are mine!" Akito roared, his patience had run thin. He jammed the blade in deeper than before. He drug it down, twisting as he went.
I couldn't hold it in, this pain was too much, a scream escaped me.
"You are to move out of the Sohma house tomorrow Yuki or I will do this again and again!" Akito said frigidly as footsteps pounded down the hall.
"You are mine Yuki"
"No..." I whispered out, collapsing on the floor.
I looked up from the puddle of blood I was lying in. Akito looked furious and ready to strike again. I heard the door open, but didn't have the strength to turn my head and look.
"Oh my… Yuki!" A familiar voice rang out, I heard his footsteps run towards me; then his loving arms lifted my head up.
"GET OUT OF HERE YOU FILTHY COW!" Akito roared.
I heard another pair of footsteps enter the room, though much calmer. "Akito, I must tend to Yuki, he's lost a lot of blood it seems. I need to attend to his injuries or he may die."
Akito's voice took a tone of concern, "die? Hatori, fix him now, he dies and you will pay for killing him."
It was getting hard to see now. I felt a pair of strong yet gentle arms scoop me up carefully. I looked up and saw Hatori's blurry face. I was slipping in and out, I could see, and then I couldn't. I wasn't even sure where I was, then I felt Hatori set me stomach down on a bed. "I wonder if this is what it's like to die" I thought to myself. I felt a hand grip my hand, and another hand brush hair out of my face.
"Hang in there Yuki, you can't leave me, you can't," I heard a voice sob out. It was murmured and distant, but I knew that voice. It was the voice of my god.
"Haru," my voice was weak, I could barely hear it.
I felt his hand squeeze mine a little tighter. "Yes Yuki? I'm here, hang in there."
"I never… he… god…. Haru…. own me…" I was fading fast. I wanted to scream out "I'm yours Haru! I told Akito that. You're my god, not him." I couldn't do it, what I had fought for to tell him, would I not get the chance to now? Everything went black then, and my mouth ceased to work.
"Yuki? Yuki! Wake up!"
Then it was silent, and I thought no more.
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Is Yuki dead? Guess you'll have to wait till the next chapter! Please review if you want to know, it keeps me going!
