Thanks so much for being patient, minna! I finally forced myself to get up early before work today so that I can type this up. I hope you enjoy it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Making Our Future
By: FayeValentine00 (Sarah-chan)
Chapter 8
***Shigure's POV***
The last month had been hell. Akito had been in great spirits but he was the only one. Yuki had reverted back to the way he'd been shortly before moving in with me except there was one exception. Like before, Yuki had taken everything that Akito had thrown at him but this time, he hadn't lost identity. He still wanted to break free from Akito, that much was obvious, but he just needed a strong enough catalyst to cause him to finally snap.
Kyo, on the other hand, surprised me. He'd been completly quiet and accepting of everything that happened to him. I could tell that he as unhappy but, after seeing the way he kissed Kagura good-bye, I was sure that he was only acting on his best behavior to protect her. In one way it was admirable but in another way, it was foolish. If he thought that behaving well would keep Akito away from her, he was dead wrong. Kyo's line of thinking had only served to make him even more curious about the true nature of their relationship.
"Shigure, do you think Kagura has fallen in love with Kyo?" Akito had asked me the night before?"
I shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"
"Just curious. Tomorrow ... I'll talk to her. ... I'll be very unhappy if things have been going on without my knowledge."
Hatori was due to arrive with Kagura at any moment and I'd given Akito the excuse of going to use the restroom in order to escape his increasingly agitated state. His mood had become much more serious today and his anger over the Kyo, Kagura relationship was becoming so intense that I was really being to worry about Kagura's well being. I knew that Hatori and I would have to stick close by, just in case things got out of hand.
***Kagura's POV***
By the time we arrived at the main house, my hands were trembling. I hadn't been feeling well for the last week or so and Hatori's sudden appearance at my door had done nothing to make me feel better.
Hatori parked the car and got out without saying a word but when I didn't immediately exit the car after him, he opened my door and helped me out.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked softly with obvious unease in his eyes.
"Yeah..." I sighed deeply, trying to convince myself. "I'll be alright."
"Akito said he wanted to meet with you alone but I'll be close by." He sighed deeply and then gave me a tight hug but it was only so he could whisper into my ear without anyone noticing. "If you need us, scream."
"Okay." I stepped back and tried to flash him my most positive smile. "Everything will be fine."
I must have looked less than convincing because my cousin sighed heavily with a gleam of annoyance in his eyes before leading me towards Akito's room.
"Oh ... The prodigal cousin returns." Akito's soft voice floated through the air the moment I entered the room,
The man who looked like an older version of Yuki had his back turned to me and didn't bother to turn around as I kneeled respectfully in the middle of the almost completely empty room.
I noticed Hatori take one more concerned glance my way before he closed the door and left me alone with the most feared member of the Sohma clan.
"Why? ... We were worried about you. ... Why did you leave without asking?"
I sat still, not knowing how to answer the man without digging my own grave. Anyway I could respond was sure to upset him so I decided to remain quiet, hoping he'd calm down.
The room remained quiet for a long time before Akito finally spoke again and this time their was a harsher tone to his voice. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
When I still didn't respond, Akito lost his patience and spun around to face me with a wild look in his eyes that chilled me straight to my core. "Do you think I'm stupid?! Did you think I wouldn't find out?! TELL ME!"
Akito's face was now only inches from mine and it took all of my strength to keep from shrinking away from him but the fact that I hadn't backed down only seemed to enrage him further. A wave of fear hit me when his hand shot out and grabbed a handful of my hair tightly, not allowing me to look away as his crazed eyes burrowed into mine.
"I-I don't think you're stupid. .. I just w-wanted to get out on my own for a while." My attempts at sounding calm were futile because as I spoke, he tightening his hold on my hair, causing me to wince in pain.
"What about Kyo?"
When an immediately response did not come to my lips, Akito wrenched my head backwards even further until I was nearly laying on the ground and a soft yelp escaped my lips.
"Did you think I wouldn't know?! I won't allow it! I'll never allow it!" He screamed wildly, just inches away, allowing me to feel each hot breath he took against my face.
"Why? What's so bad about loving someone?" Tears formed in the corner of my eyes as I pleaded my case to my cousin.
What happened next was so quick that it took a moment for me to realize exactly what happened. Akito suddenly released my hair and backhanded me with such force that I collapsed into a heap several feet away, unable to move until he was on me again.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!" He screamed even louder than before, pushing me onto my back on the hard floor and leaning over me with a threatening look.
His arms pinned my shoulders to the ground and his nails dug into my soft skin through my shirt. I knew I could easily overpower the deceivingly frail looking man but doing so would only make everything worse. I could feel the wound on my cheek swell but I refused to cry anymore. I would have moved home if he'd asked me or done just about anything else but the one constant I'd always had in my life was my love for Kyo and no matter what happened, I wouldn't let that be taken from me. Junnishi God or not, he was still just as human as me.
"SAY SOMETHING!"
"I love Kyo." I spoke simply and met Akito's eyes evenly although his weight still bore down on me forcefully.
As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I felt a sudden exhilaration shoot through my body. I'd been brainwashed since childhood to never upset or anger Akito but my love for Kyo superseded all of that.
Deep down I knew what Akito was trying to do. He was trying to tear me apart piece by piece like he'd done to so many of my other cousins in the past but I'd seen enough of their pain. I was willing to let Akito call me names or belittle me but the moment he tried to threaten my relationship with Kyo was when I drew the line.
"What did you say?" Akito gripped my shoulders even tighter as a look of shock spread across his face.
"I love Kyo."
The pain my cousin was inflicting on my shoulders was nothing compared to the rage building in my chest so I ignored the pain and looked straight up into my cousins eyes with renewed conviction.
"I won't allow it! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Akito's voice reached an all time high as his face grew red in fury but his shock only lasted a moment before he lifted me up and then threw me back down, beating my head into the floor.
"Forget it all! I won't allow it!"
The room began to spin as my skull bounced off the floor but even then I wouldn't allow myself to back down. I couldn't back down. My conviction might mean so little or seem stupid to some people but I'd never renounce my love for Kyo, even with my last breath.
"SAY IT!!!! SAY YOU'LL FORGET IT!!!!"
"No."
To my surprise, my voice came out calmly but I think a lot of it was due to shock from the blow I took to my head.
"That's enough! I'LL MAKE YOU SAY IT!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!" A scream escaped my lips as Akito slammed my head against the floor once more, causing everything around me to begin to fade out. As new voices rushed into the room, I felt everything start to slip away.
"AKITO!" Hatori's voice rang out, sounding much more distant then it should have.
"Let her go!" Shigure spoke forcefully, sounding a little shaken by what he saw in the room.
"SHIGURE, LET ME GO!!!!" Akito yelled loudly, sounding more furious then I'd ever remembered hearing before. "I'LL MAKE YOU FORGET!"
"N-no ... no y-you won't." I fought the words out before Hatori came over to me and looked down into mine eyes, muttering under his breath.
"Shit... Shhhhhhhh ... Don't talk. Stay still."
"O-Okay." I managed to answer just before the darkness overtook me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next chapter - Is Kagura okay? Reactions? and SURPRISES!
Was it okay? Let me know! ^_~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Making Our Future
By: FayeValentine00 (Sarah-chan)
Chapter 8
***Shigure's POV***
The last month had been hell. Akito had been in great spirits but he was the only one. Yuki had reverted back to the way he'd been shortly before moving in with me except there was one exception. Like before, Yuki had taken everything that Akito had thrown at him but this time, he hadn't lost identity. He still wanted to break free from Akito, that much was obvious, but he just needed a strong enough catalyst to cause him to finally snap.
Kyo, on the other hand, surprised me. He'd been completly quiet and accepting of everything that happened to him. I could tell that he as unhappy but, after seeing the way he kissed Kagura good-bye, I was sure that he was only acting on his best behavior to protect her. In one way it was admirable but in another way, it was foolish. If he thought that behaving well would keep Akito away from her, he was dead wrong. Kyo's line of thinking had only served to make him even more curious about the true nature of their relationship.
"Shigure, do you think Kagura has fallen in love with Kyo?" Akito had asked me the night before?"
I shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"
"Just curious. Tomorrow ... I'll talk to her. ... I'll be very unhappy if things have been going on without my knowledge."
Hatori was due to arrive with Kagura at any moment and I'd given Akito the excuse of going to use the restroom in order to escape his increasingly agitated state. His mood had become much more serious today and his anger over the Kyo, Kagura relationship was becoming so intense that I was really being to worry about Kagura's well being. I knew that Hatori and I would have to stick close by, just in case things got out of hand.
***Kagura's POV***
By the time we arrived at the main house, my hands were trembling. I hadn't been feeling well for the last week or so and Hatori's sudden appearance at my door had done nothing to make me feel better.
Hatori parked the car and got out without saying a word but when I didn't immediately exit the car after him, he opened my door and helped me out.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked softly with obvious unease in his eyes.
"Yeah..." I sighed deeply, trying to convince myself. "I'll be alright."
"Akito said he wanted to meet with you alone but I'll be close by." He sighed deeply and then gave me a tight hug but it was only so he could whisper into my ear without anyone noticing. "If you need us, scream."
"Okay." I stepped back and tried to flash him my most positive smile. "Everything will be fine."
I must have looked less than convincing because my cousin sighed heavily with a gleam of annoyance in his eyes before leading me towards Akito's room.
"Oh ... The prodigal cousin returns." Akito's soft voice floated through the air the moment I entered the room,
The man who looked like an older version of Yuki had his back turned to me and didn't bother to turn around as I kneeled respectfully in the middle of the almost completely empty room.
I noticed Hatori take one more concerned glance my way before he closed the door and left me alone with the most feared member of the Sohma clan.
"Why? ... We were worried about you. ... Why did you leave without asking?"
I sat still, not knowing how to answer the man without digging my own grave. Anyway I could respond was sure to upset him so I decided to remain quiet, hoping he'd calm down.
The room remained quiet for a long time before Akito finally spoke again and this time their was a harsher tone to his voice. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
When I still didn't respond, Akito lost his patience and spun around to face me with a wild look in his eyes that chilled me straight to my core. "Do you think I'm stupid?! Did you think I wouldn't find out?! TELL ME!"
Akito's face was now only inches from mine and it took all of my strength to keep from shrinking away from him but the fact that I hadn't backed down only seemed to enrage him further. A wave of fear hit me when his hand shot out and grabbed a handful of my hair tightly, not allowing me to look away as his crazed eyes burrowed into mine.
"I-I don't think you're stupid. .. I just w-wanted to get out on my own for a while." My attempts at sounding calm were futile because as I spoke, he tightening his hold on my hair, causing me to wince in pain.
"What about Kyo?"
When an immediately response did not come to my lips, Akito wrenched my head backwards even further until I was nearly laying on the ground and a soft yelp escaped my lips.
"Did you think I wouldn't know?! I won't allow it! I'll never allow it!" He screamed wildly, just inches away, allowing me to feel each hot breath he took against my face.
"Why? What's so bad about loving someone?" Tears formed in the corner of my eyes as I pleaded my case to my cousin.
What happened next was so quick that it took a moment for me to realize exactly what happened. Akito suddenly released my hair and backhanded me with such force that I collapsed into a heap several feet away, unable to move until he was on me again.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!" He screamed even louder than before, pushing me onto my back on the hard floor and leaning over me with a threatening look.
His arms pinned my shoulders to the ground and his nails dug into my soft skin through my shirt. I knew I could easily overpower the deceivingly frail looking man but doing so would only make everything worse. I could feel the wound on my cheek swell but I refused to cry anymore. I would have moved home if he'd asked me or done just about anything else but the one constant I'd always had in my life was my love for Kyo and no matter what happened, I wouldn't let that be taken from me. Junnishi God or not, he was still just as human as me.
"SAY SOMETHING!"
"I love Kyo." I spoke simply and met Akito's eyes evenly although his weight still bore down on me forcefully.
As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I felt a sudden exhilaration shoot through my body. I'd been brainwashed since childhood to never upset or anger Akito but my love for Kyo superseded all of that.
Deep down I knew what Akito was trying to do. He was trying to tear me apart piece by piece like he'd done to so many of my other cousins in the past but I'd seen enough of their pain. I was willing to let Akito call me names or belittle me but the moment he tried to threaten my relationship with Kyo was when I drew the line.
"What did you say?" Akito gripped my shoulders even tighter as a look of shock spread across his face.
"I love Kyo."
The pain my cousin was inflicting on my shoulders was nothing compared to the rage building in my chest so I ignored the pain and looked straight up into my cousins eyes with renewed conviction.
"I won't allow it! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Akito's voice reached an all time high as his face grew red in fury but his shock only lasted a moment before he lifted me up and then threw me back down, beating my head into the floor.
"Forget it all! I won't allow it!"
The room began to spin as my skull bounced off the floor but even then I wouldn't allow myself to back down. I couldn't back down. My conviction might mean so little or seem stupid to some people but I'd never renounce my love for Kyo, even with my last breath.
"SAY IT!!!! SAY YOU'LL FORGET IT!!!!"
"No."
To my surprise, my voice came out calmly but I think a lot of it was due to shock from the blow I took to my head.
"That's enough! I'LL MAKE YOU SAY IT!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!" A scream escaped my lips as Akito slammed my head against the floor once more, causing everything around me to begin to fade out. As new voices rushed into the room, I felt everything start to slip away.
"AKITO!" Hatori's voice rang out, sounding much more distant then it should have.
"Let her go!" Shigure spoke forcefully, sounding a little shaken by what he saw in the room.
"SHIGURE, LET ME GO!!!!" Akito yelled loudly, sounding more furious then I'd ever remembered hearing before. "I'LL MAKE YOU FORGET!"
"N-no ... no y-you won't." I fought the words out before Hatori came over to me and looked down into mine eyes, muttering under his breath.
"Shit... Shhhhhhhh ... Don't talk. Stay still."
"O-Okay." I managed to answer just before the darkness overtook me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next chapter - Is Kagura okay? Reactions? and SURPRISES!
Was it okay? Let me know! ^_~