Chapter Three
Tohru weakly opened her eyes. She was in her on room; the scent of blood was still fresh in her mind. Kaede! Tohru jumped up and out of bed. Last night, Kaede was…or did she…Tohru ran downstairs, there was no blood anywhere nor was there any sign of struggle only hours earlier…. But…I can remember, Shigure pushed me out of the way, then Akito lunched the steak knife into Kaede and there was blood…so much blood…Tohru put her hand on her forehead an slid down to her knees at the base of the stairs, "What's going on, did they really have to-"
"Good morning Tohru!" Shigure said cutting her off, "Beautiful day isn't it?" Tohru glanced out the window, "Yeah…about last night…"
Shigure looked at Tohru puzzled, "What happened last night?"
He's in…denial?
Kyo pushed back the pink strands of paper covering the door, "What the heck, who the heck put up these?!" Kyo growled angrily and glared at the half awake Yuki, "Rat boy, did you do this?!"
Yuki sighed, "Must you be so stupid so early in the morning?"
Kyo launched his fist at Yuki and Yuki kicked Kyo through the sliding door in the next room, "Maybe now we'll get some peace and quiet" Yuki sat down and rubbed his forehead. Tohru laid her hand on Yuki's head and jumped back, "Oh no, your foreheads on fire!"
Yuki sighed, "It's nothing to worry about Ms. Honda, I develop these all the time"
Tohru shook her head, "But…last time you got really sick and…." A loud boom filled the air as Yuki turned into a rat and toppled to the floor. Shigure shook his head and grabbed the phone calling the family doctor,
"Hatori…yes Tohru is fine but it appears that Yuki has developed a fever and I know…but…. she's…alive?"
Tohru's head shot up and she found herself ease-dropping. Tohru's eyes widened as she heard Kaede's name and returned to helping Yuki. Shigure soon hung up the phone with a sigh then turned to Tohru, "Hatori is on his way…"
"Kaede!" Tohru said interrupting.
'Ms. Honda?" Yuki said weakly.
Shigure helped Tohru up and led her into his office and closed the door behind him. Shigure motioned for Tohru to sit on the couch and she did. Shigure sat next to her and held her hand, "Tohru, I know you have many questions now and I do have the answers, Kaede is not dead…she's barely alive."
Tohru looked at her shoes, "Alive?"
Shigure put his arms in his short and nodded, "Last night, after you sat down to comfort Kaede, Akito burst in. I saw him and pushed you out of the way just in time for you to avoid the blow, and possible death. Akito lunged the knife deep into Kaede's side, but missed her artery. Akito left thinking she was dead and returned to the Sohma house. Hatori had been following him and when Akito was out of sight, Hatori was able to stop the bleeding and secretly take her to his house, he didn't think he could save her, but he did."
"The cat soul…is it still inside her?" Tohru asked weakly.
Shigure nodded, "Yes, but that blow did take out part of the spirit, only death can remove it all," Shigure paused and looked out the window at three birds flying around, "The Sohma's families days are numbered."
Tohru looked at Shigure confused and Shigure continued, "The Sohma's have only thirty days before…it's too late…personally, I don't know where to stand on the matter" Shigure began crying softly and Tohru let her arm slip onto his shoulder, "Shigure…"
Shigure pulled Tohru close to him, "Tohru…we can't let…Akito kill her…not now"
Tohru let Shigure lay his head on her lap and stroked his hair, "Shigure, is it because you don't want anyone else to suffer?"
Shigure looked up at Tohru with his soft eyes, "I'll tired of so many suffering and so many afraid of their children. If we allow Kaede to live…then all 6,456 of us will die and no one in the future will suffer."
Tohru was taken by the newly reviled side of Shigure and hugged him tighter, "Shigure…" Slowly Tohru felt herself fall asleep, comforting Shigure.
"Hey Yuki," Kyo said as Yuki stood up feeling a little better after a nap and Hatori's medicine, "I'm worried…"
"About what?" Yuki said already hating where this was going, "What are you worried about? That's a first"
Kyo snorted and turned his back, "Don't you want to know, I'd think you of all people would be worried that Tohru has spent this entire time with Shigure"
Yuki bolted up, "WHAT?!" Quickly Yuki raced to Shigures door and ripped it open, tearing it from the track. Yuki felt his face turn red, as he looked at Shigure asleep in Tohru's arms. Kyo's face was turning red and whispered, "You don't think…" Yuki pounded Kyo on the head, "Not hardly, ms. Honda is not like that!"
Kyo crept closer to Shigure and jumped back, he began to leave and motioned for Yuki to follow. Yuki followed him into the hall and closed the door behind them. Kyo looked at the ground, "I saw that Shigure had dried tears on his cheek"
Yuki nodded, "He cried himself to sleep in Tohru's arms…he knows what we must do"
Kyo sat on the ground and Yuki sat beside him, "Without Akito knowing…we're going to keep Kaede alive and then after the days have expired, we will die yes, and ms. Honda will cry"
Kyo felt tears forming in his eyes and stood up and stomped off to his room and slammed the door behind him. Kyo collapsed on his floor and broke into tears, muffled, but tears and slid his hand on his face, "I'm sorry…Tohru…we're all going to die and your going to be sad…but it's…." Kyo heard a knock on the door and quickly he dried his tears. "Come in" He said quietly and Tohru came in. Kyo jumped back, "Tohru!" Tohru put her hand on Kyo's mouth,
"Kyo…it's okay to cry" Tohru said softly.
Kyo snorted, "I wasn't crying, I had something in my eye, and besides I've never cried in my life"
Tohru half smiled, "I doubt that…everyone has to cry" Tohru's voice became quieter, "at least some time in their life."
"Except for Kyo Sohma, we're immune to those human emotions" Kyo said proudly.
Tohru laughed softly, "So…there's more than one of you?" Kyo caught his error and held his head, "That stupid rat has affected my thinking."
"Kyo…it's okay to cry…when…. I'm here," Tohru said softly.
Kyo got up, "Maybe, but…." Kyo walked over to his window and looked out into the mid-day air, "You saved me and loved me enough to not care what I look like on the outside and like me for what I am on the inside. That's enough, you've done more than anyone else could ever do…you and master…you both…. are the ones who cared for me the most. You two believed in me when no one else could or would, don't be sad…" Tohru looked at Kyo confused and Kyo's face intensified, "Tohru! We're going to die, everyone in this family you love!" Tohru felt herself developing tears and fell onto the ground in a crumpled ball, "I know you are…I don't want you to go…I don't want anyone to die…not Kaede…. or you…."
"Kaede will die…no matter what way you look at it" Kyo said helping Tohru up, "She'll die to save us all and she'll die with the rest of us when we die"
Tohru shook her head, "There has to be…another way to…."
Kyo shook his head, "It'll be best if Hatori erases all memories of us from you…otherwise it'll drive you to suicide" Tohru stared at Kyo and broke into more tears, "But…I can't just forget about you…I can't!"
Kyo shook his head, "Then do it because we…. love you…all of us…by you forgetting we can always remember you in heaven and watch over you, your not suffering or feeling any heart ache. Tohru happy as always, that'll be what we'll say in heaven"
Tohru felt herself falling, crying overwhelming her. Kyo lunged underneath her and caught her and he stayed in his human form.
Tohru felt Kyo's hand dry her eyes, "Kyo…Shigure didn't transform…and you didn't transform…what's going on?"
"The time for us to die draws close. This is the release of the spirit, we'll go in and out of a normal human state and our state"
Tohru brought Kyo closer to her and held him close, "It'll be al right Kyo"
Kaede felt rays of sunlight shine on her eyes. I'm dead, she thought, Is this…heaven? Kaede opened her eyes and felt a stabbing pain in her side. Quickly she clutched it and moaned loudly, waking up Hatori who rushed over and covered her mouth, "Hush"
Kaede looked up at Hatori, his eye fierce with seriousness. Kaede sat up and Hatori pushed her back down, "Hatori! What in the world happened?'
Hatori pulled a chair up to the bed Kaede was lying on and lit a cigarette, "To begin, I saw Akito last night get in his car and head down the road to Shigures house and I thought, he must be heading to Shigures house to kill you. So I got in my car and traveled behind him and sure enough that's where he went. He went in, stabbed you in the side and left, thinking you were dead, and who wouldn't with all that blood everywhere. I snuck in after him and found you still alive, and fixed you up then took the risk of taking you back to my house and curing your wound with the supplies that I have here. You've been asleep for three days now, in and out of it and that's about it"
Kaede shook her head, "Don't save me, I'm the death plague to all of you and you know it!"
Hatori shook his head, "Yes, you are the death plague for us…but your also our healer, your going to die either way, so let's end this curse"
Kaede shook her head violently and stood up, "No! I want to die!"
"Hmph, you have less than a month, enjoy it while you can, only a few know that you are still alive and it was my decision to keep you alive and risk my neck to Akito to save you so make it worth my while" Hatori stood up and walked into the next room to make a phone call. Kaede eased dropped and heard the conversation. "Shigure, Kaede's awake and fine, but I need you to bring Tohru, then we'll take her to Tokyo, give her a new identity and everything…" Hatori paused for a moment before speaking again,
"Your right Shigure, bring Tohru's two friends as well to prevent anything further…better yet have them come by tomorrow, okay?"
Hatori hung up the phone and returned to Kaede, "Tohru will be coming over later today"
Kaede scuffed her foot, "So, you're going to erase her memory and her friends as well?"
Hatori nodded, "I don't want her to end up like Conna"
"Conna? Was she your…."
Hatori nodded, "Yeah, but Akito disapproved and that is why I'm nearly blind in one eye" Hatori laughed to himself, "Strange, I'm telling my feelings to you, I've never done that for anyone, not even Conna, I guess since I know I'm going to die and yet my death and the thousands of others will mean peace for more than triple that amount in the future."
Kaede laid back down and stared up at the ceiling, it was a white painted room that had been painted with a new coat not that long ago. The windows were small but the open door to the lake was more than enough. This is a nice house to live in. Slowly, Kaede fell asleep and Hatori leaned against a post outside and smoked, "What becomes of snow?" Hatori paused, "Rain…water and tears"
Tohru looked at her closet, Today is just to talk…Hatori is going to take Kaede to his summer house that even Akito doesn't know about…just to talk. Tohru selected a pink shirt with a khaki skirt and met Kyo, Yuki and Shigure downstairs. Yuki stopped Tohru and pulled her aside gently, "Don't worry about anything ms. Honda. We want to enjoy what time together we have left and don't want your memory erased this soon." Tohru smiled and Yuki and Tohru got in the car. Kyo, Yuki and Tohru sat in the back while Shigure sat in the front. Kyo was cross,
"Shigure, you do have your license…right?"
Shigure smiled in his own way, "Yes well…it ash been awhile but I don't think my driving skills went in that short of a time"
"How exactly is a short time for you?" Yuki said coldly.
Shigure said nothing but put his foot on the gas and began going, "At least we're moving!"
(Ivy suddenly appears above Yuki and Kyo)
Hatori looked out the window of his summer house and watched as a blue car banged its way into the driveway, "Looks like Shigure took the others on a death ride…"
Kaede laughed, "Is his driving truly that bad?"
Hatori nodded, "His driving record has not an inch of white paper"
Shigure walked up to the door and knocked, "Hello?" Hatori opened the door and let in everyone and everyone took a seat. Hatori sat in a chair,
"First of all, Tohru, You will have to have your memory erased. We were planning on also having your friends memories erased but we were able to avoid that. So in exactly three weeks and four days you'll return here and I'll erase your memories, it'll appear you have amnesia and you'll never know the pain of losing all of us. Kaede will be staying here, everyone here are the only ones who know of Kaedes existence and whereabouts, if Akito becomes wondering about us we'll move."
Tohru felt her eyes burn but she forced back her tears, "It's hard to grasp that…you…Hatori…Yuki…Kyo…Shigure, Kaede and everyone else in the zodiac will die…it's all happening too fast!"
Yuki frowned and looked at Tohru sadly, "We're sorry we brought you into all of this Tohru…but as selfish as this sounds…we wouldn't change a thing, you mean too much to all of us. You've changed us all"
Kyo broke in, "Just like master said, every word he said was true, 'this air that you say is suffocating you…you know it can also heal you' you…you're the one who has healed our family…but this…is almost too much"
No one said anything for a while, everyone looked at each other, "Tohru, you should meet with everyone in the family, don't say good-bye…just when you go to say good-bye say, I'll see you later!"
A crash was heard behind them as a dark figure loomed in the doorway where glass was scattered over the floor. The dark figure turned off the lights and Tohru screamed. The figure quickly darted from person to person, feeling their hair and stopping at Kaede. Tohru looked at the figure to see the face of Akito. Tohru screamed and pushed Kaede out of the way, "Kaede, run!"
Kyo lunged in front of Akito and grabbed Kaede's wrist and began dragging her to the door and out into the dark night, "Kaede, don't look back!" Kyo screamed and Kaede nervously looked back to see the figure plow out of the house and hop in his car, it was Akito's, which meant that Akito wanted her head, no matter who he had to kill. He started his car and sped it up behind Kyo and Kaede; he was going to run them over. Kaede felt her side ache in pain, she wanted to die, know would be a good death. Kyo say a tree ahead and pointed to it. Kaede and Kyo jumped into its limbs and Akito stopped the car and whistled. Ten men surrounded them, they came from the bushes and cleverly disguised holes, and they were trapped. Akito made a motion with his hand and the men pulled out rifles, Akito laughed.
"Kyo, if you come down I can save you, otherwise I'll have my men shoot you too"
Kyo looked at Kaede and shouted down at Akito, "Give me five minutes, no more!"
Akito spit at the ground, "Fine"