The Sohma Institute

By Lady of the Ink
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, but you knew that . . .I hope. I do own this story, and all the plot twists it contains.

A/N: Thanks so much for over 400 reviews! You guys are the best!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Another One In


Minna Sohma was furious.

No, that word was not nearly big enough to encompass the depth of her rage. She was angry, yes, but there was pain there as well. Pain at the lies told by the man she loved so much. Pain at the lost time that could never be regained. Pain at the self-delusion that she had allowed to blind her to what was happening right in front of her.

Minna Sohma was livid.

She was caught in a fury so intense that it filled her entire body. Her mind whirled with thoughts and half imagined scenarios of revenge and justice. Her hands twitched with the barely suppressed urge to destroy something, anything in the same way she had been destroyed. Every muscle in her body screamed for action, urging her to go on the warpath.

Minna Sohma wasn't stupid.

She might have successfully kept herself in the dark for years, but she did have a brain in her head. If she did anything that was the least bit suspicious, the higher members of the family would know in no time at all. Since that was the last thing she wanted to have happen, she knew she'd have to bide her time and choose her moment of action.

After finding and reading the paper from her husband's briefcase, she had been as frozen as a living person could be. Her emotions had deserted her, her mind shut down, and a chill that was bone deep settled beneath her skin. It was as though every functioning part of her body turned off in self-preservation, leaving her standing in the study like a cold and empty doll. Like someone having an out of body experience, she watched herself return the paper to its place, carefully making sure there was no sign of her search. With stilted steps, she returned to her bedroom to lay beside the husband who had just become a stranger to her.

The night passed by slowly, and she catalogued every minute of it as she lay awake. As soon as the first colors of dawn began brightening the horizon, she slipped from the bed. After a hot shower, Minna moved to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. She knew that she had to do everything just the same as she always did in order to avoid drawing attention. If she were going to act on the plan that had formed in the darkest hours of the night, she would need to be free to move around with the smallest amount of notice as possible.

Sitting through breakfast that morning was one of the most difficult tasks she had ever undertaken. Pasting on a phony smile and fighting to keep the tears and anger from her eyes, she managed to get her husband and daughter off for the day. As she walked Momo to the door of their apartment, she gave her an extra long hug and a silent promise that her mother was going to strong for the both of them.

Once she was alone, Minna calmly got dressed and gathered her purse and coat. Locking the door behind her, she made her way to the bank of elevators and stepped into one. Moments later, she slipped on her sunglasses as she crossed the lobby. Her shoulders were squared and her chin was high as she made her way outside.

Minna Sohma was ready to declare war.


Kagura stood in the middle of her apartment, dispassionately eyeing the furnishings. She hadn't chosen any of them; they'd been there when she moved in. It had probably been decorated by the same person who decorated all the other Sohma family homes. The basic tone was the same as many other homes she'd been in, with only the color scheme setting it apart.

She had lived there for almost two years and it still didn't feel like home to her. It was beautiful, yes, no one could argue that. The sense of style and the high quality of the pieces couldn't be faulted. They were almost perfect. Too perfect, really. It was like living in a showroom, where everything was placed to give the effect of a real room. She'd found herself becoming more meticulous in her cleaning habits simply because the slightest bit of clutter seemed so very out of place.

Tilting her head to the side, Kagura gave a sharp nod. She wasn't going to miss this place. For all the time she had spent there, she wasn't the least bit attached to it. The only things she truly cared about in the entire apartment were the smaller touches she'd brought herself, and she planned on taking those with her. Aside from her favorite books, the small paintings she'd been given by a friend, and the shelf full of figurines she'd collected over the years, there was nothing of her there.

Of course, the guilt was always a factor. She'd been given the place only after confronting Akito for the third or fourth time about Kyou's disappearance. She knew it was another piece of bribery to keep her quiet, just like the visits had been. Although she hadn't wanted to, she'd gone along with the move. It was closer to both her classes and the Institute, and made visiting Kyou much easier than before. It had also been the best way to keep Akito in the dark about her plans for obtaining her cousins' freedom. If he thought she was happy with the way things were, he wouldn't look too closely at the small things she did as she worked toward her ultimate goal.

Moving into the bedroom, she looked at the sorted stacks of clothing covering her bed. A lot of it was hers, but there were several items of men's clothing there as well. They would be put to use very soon and she wanted to make sure that they were ready. Double-checking every item, she then slipped them into the oversized tote bag that she had bought for just that purpose. Once she had put a handful of everyday purse items - an old wallet, her spare keys, planner, address book, and a battered paperback novel - on top, it was almost impossible to tell the clothing was there at all.

Pleased with the result of her work, Kagura sat the bag in a corner of her closet. She didn't think anyone would go snooping through her belongings but she wanted to be safe anyway. It was too late in the game to be found out through simple carelessness.

She pulled her largest suitcase off the top shelf of the closet and began methodically packing her own clothing inside. The past few days had been very hectic as she worked towards getting everything ready. Once she put her plan into action, there would be no turning back. Win or lose, everything was going to change. Her life would be disrupted just as much as her cousins' would. It wouldn't take long for Akito to find out that she had been behind it all and there was no doubt he'd make sure she paid for her transgression against his wishes.

Suppressing a shudder, she zipped the case closed before returning it to the shelf. The packing was the last big preparation she had to make. Now that it was finished, there was nothing for her to do but wait for Tohru's answer. While she had a good feeling that the younger girl's nature would have her going along with the plan, there was always the chance she could say no. Until she had a solid reply, Kagura wasn't going to take any chances. She had already started working on a backup plan that didn't involve the newest aide.

'At least I don't have to worry about Tohru telling Akito, even if she doesn't agree to help,' Kagura thought to herself as she wandered back into her living room. 'Even though we had just that one conversation about him, I could tell she doesn't trust him either.' It was a small comfort in the face of possibly losing the person who could be her greatest help, but one she wouldn't have been comfortable moving forward without.

She had just taken a seat in the chair closest to the window when the sound of a knock broke into the silence. Jumping to her feet, Kagura hurried to the door while wondering who it could be. As she leaned to peer through the peephole, she was startled into motionlessness at the person waiting outside.


The small park was almost empty of people, the exceptions being two children playing with a kite at one end and the two women deep in conversation at the other. They had chosen the spot specifically for its privacy that, because of their topic, was a necessity.

Kagura listened closely to every word that the woman beside her was relating. She had been more than surprised when she had seen her standing outside her door, and the feeling had only grown once she explained why she had approached her. Coming to her in person was the last thing she would have expected and so she knew immediately that something big must have happened.

That guess was proved true as soon as Minna began speaking. Without giving her companion time to interrupt, she had launched into her story. Beginning with the meeting with Tohru (although Minna didn't know her name) and finishing up with her husband's reaction to her comments about Momiji, Minna explained all the hints that had led her to believe that something was up.

Kagura nodded sympathetically as Minna vented her anger about being lied to. She was furious and determined to bring her son home, no matter what it took. Kagura had a feeling that her husband was going to be put through the ringer when she got a hold of him. She wondered if their marriage would survive the huge strain of the ordeal, especially once Minna learned of the burden Momiji's father had placed on him.

As Minna got to the midnight search through the briefcase, Kagura paid even closer attention. When Minna revealed what she had found it was all she could do to keep from yelling out her satisfaction. She had known for a long time that Momiji's father had to have been deeply involved; the lie about Momiji's death was a great length to go to, and must have been done to hide something big. The page that Minna had found confirmed that.

"So it was a chart, right?"

Minna nodded. "It had the boys' names on one side and dates across the top. Momiji's name was right there, with this week's date marked on it." She sniffed as tears filled her eyes but managed to gather herself before they spilled down her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she continued on. "I'm not sure exactly what some of the things written in the boxes were. They were words I've never seen before. The comments under them were a bit odd, too."

"What were they?"

"Things like 'no change', or 'no reaction' showed up a lot. One box had 'rash' in it, another had 'extreme lethargy'. I was thinking about it, and it seems like the odd words might have been the names of medications, and the other notes were reactions to them."

Kagura's steps faltered, her mind whirling. She had been hoping that the paper would reveal some hint as to the reason for her cousins' imprisonment. The chart Minna was describing had just as much of a chance of being a part of the cover story as it had of being part of the true agenda.

Struggling to think on the positive side, Kagura forced herself to the list the beneficial aspects of the situation. While the paper hadn't told her what she wanted to know, it had brought Minna to her door. When she had answered the older woman's knock, the first words she had bee confronted with were "I know that Momiji's alive."

She'd been mildly afraid Minna would think she'd been in on it all, but that fear was quickly laid to rest. "I know how you feel about Kyou, and so I know that this whole thing can't be sitting well with you. If I've learned anything about you since I met you, Kagura, it's that you take action when things go against what you think is right. I'm not going to tell Akito or interfere," she had added at the look of alarm on Kagura's face. "I just want to know how I can help."

It was the second best thing that could have happened, really, aside from Tohru's help. With someone older and somewhat more powerful in the family sense, things might be able to go much more smoothly than she had planned. The image she had been entertaining as the only way it could all turn out now retreated to just the worst case scenario.

A smile made its way onto her lips as the plan she'd laid out began to adjust itself. While the finer details, such as Tohru's level of involvement, had yet to be sorted out, the big picture was suddenly a lot brighter. If she and Minna dared to follow the outrageous strategy she was forming, they might be able to get the boys back without the major sacrifices she had thought necessary. They might be able to escape a life of running away and always looking over their shoulders.

They might actually be able to gain the upper hand.

Just as she turned to Minna to explain, a shrill sound erupted from her pocket. Holding up her index finger, Kagura gave Minna a small smile as she pulled the still-ringing phone from her pocket. After pressing the button, she held it to her ear with an impatient "Yes?"

"This Tohru Honda."

Kagura's annoyance immediately turned into anxiousness. She had given Tohru her cell phone number with the instruction to call her when she'd made up her mind. Since they had no other reason to talk, the call had to mean she was about to learn the younger girl's decision, one way or the other.

"I think I may have figured it out."

Tohru's first statement was so far from what she had been expecting that it took a moment for Kagura to grasp it. Once she did, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Figured what out?"

"Why your cousin Akito is keeping them secluded on the twelfth floor."

It was all that Kagura could do to keep from dropping her phone in shock. As it was, it slid from her ear as she tried to absorb what Tohru had just said. Only the faint sound of the other girl repeating her name reminded her to return the phone to its previous position. "What did you say?"

"I said that I think I've figured it out."

"Wh-what? How?"

"I was thinking about what you said, and then I started thinking about the things your cousins said. One thing led to another, and then I was remembering stuff about my grandpa and everything just slid into place. It's really hard to believe that that's how it happened, but it's the truth."

"Okay, okay. But what is the reason? Why are they there?"

"I could be wrong about this, but I don't think that I am. Everything I've learned so far seems to fit in with it." Just as Kagura was about to yell at her to get to the point, she heard her take a deep breath before dropping her bombshell. "I think he's using them to test medications on."

"What! What," she added more quietly when she noticed her outburst had drawn the attention of the children at the other end of the park. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, it was a lot of little things. Kyou said something about how nothing that was being done at the Institute was meant to help him, which implied it was meant to help someone else. Haru said something along the same lines when he got upset a few days ago. He also made some comments about how 'he would rather do this to himself than admit weakness, but he can't.' It sounds like Akito was too weak for the medicines to be tested on him. Instead of just asking for help, they made up the story about other family members being at risk for the same illness in order to do the blood tests. What they were really looking for were people who matched whatever guidelines they needed to be guinea pigs."

"I don't mean to sound skeptical, but this all sounds a little farfetched to me." Even as she tried to be sensible, Kagura had to admit to herself that the theory did make sense. It would be just like Akito to go to such lengths to hide his need for other people. It would be a sign of vulnerability, and that would conflict with the image of near godliness that the Sohmas had of him. With his hold on the family, it wouldn't have taken much to make it all happen. No one would have dared question his orders or let out the real reason behind the confinement of Yuki, Kyou, Haru, and Momiji.

"There was some physical evidence, as well." Tohru continued. "Haru's rash looked an awful lot like an allergic reaction, and he got it right after he 'helped' Ms. Almont with something. There were bruises on Kyou's arms, too, like someone was repeatedly drawing blood from him. I hate to say anything so awful about anyone, but I really think that this is what's been going on."

"I think you might be right. The only question now is what's going to be done about it. I don't mean to push you for an answer but . . ."

"I want to help them." Tohru's statement was short, simple, and loaded with conviction.

Kagura smiled and flashed a thumbs up sign at Minna, who was waiting patiently beside her. "In that case, there are some people you have to meet. Meet us at this address and we'll talk about the plan."