The Price of Love

What is the price to pay when love is the question to helping the one you love most be set free? Would you sacrifices everything, even your life, to set them free?

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Chapter One

Tohru sat quite still and patient inside the honke where Akito, the head family of the house, stood outside holding out onehand as a small bird laid held balance on that frail but firm finger. It was almost metaphoric, in her eyes that bird was her and if he wanted he could let her go and be free or capture her and crush it out of her small body, whichever he desire. She waited silently, the ever present was important and she knew that what she was about to ask would either cause her to suffer or for the others or both for what she was risking.
Akito let the bird fly out and wished she could go too but she had to stayed, she had to.
"So you have come to wish for something didn't you? Your visit here isn't something I asked of you to come or let without my 'animals' asking for permission? Something is on your mind I bet? Is this something having to do with what will happened in a few weeks from now? To a certain someone perhaps?" She heard him give a low chuckle in the back of his throat, his back still turn away. Tohru's hands in her lap gripped her skirt uneasily, her knuckles turning white. She knew this was to happened. She knew he would know what she wanted.

Kyou. She wanted Kyou to be freed, not caged in a cage after they graduated and spend the rest of his life there until he died and a new neko was born to take over.
Kyou…She thought nervously. She had become a part of this family for two years and only found out recently from Kazuma, Kyo's stepfather,that all their happiness and blissful life would be gone with Kyou's imprisonment. Thinking of Kyou being place being bars, not to be ever free was worse than she could imagine compare to seeing Kyou's true form. She could live with it, him or that monster appearance,but to have him lock away was just too much for her to take.
She had decided, without anyone knowing or permission to come visit Akito and beg him to let Kyou go. But hearing him taunt her like that and laughing cruelly, she knew that there was nothing she could do. But she had to. She had to for Kyou's and everyone else.

"Please Akito, please. Kyou's doesn't deserve to be caged like that. He has a life, people who are happy with him, family, a bright future out there, but if he's place in that cage, he'll die."

"And that is the fate of all the Junnishi, the cat's fate is tobe imprisoned until they die and a new one is born to harbor it's spirit. Just like my life will be ending soon, eventually and a new one shall come be born and live a short life as well. That is the curse of the Sohmas, and you are not of this family. Just a ordinary, stupid, little girl." He then got up and walk over to the futon in front of her.
"You're crying." He said, his eyes not hiding the wicked gleam that it sparkle when he saw either one of the Sohma in the family cursed or anyone who tried to be helped. "Do you really care for that neko that much? Perhaps I should make the date sooner so that way the neko can suffer more with thanks to your...caring affection." He then sat on the futon and waited for what she was going to do next or say, possible leave. But she couldn't do that, her heart was aching tight and tears were brimming to the point of being cried out. She just had to try once more, for the Sohma, for Kyou.

"Please I'll do anything, even...take Kyou's place." She whispered the last bit to herself and bowed her head, letting the tears roll down her cheeks to the floor as she used her entire will to not cry like a baby. Silence was all she heard and she thought all was lost when shefelt her chin being lifted by one of Akito's white fingers and she stared into his cold emotionless eyes.

"Would you really do anything?" He asked. She swallowed and said nervously but with enough strength to say it, "H-Hai anything."

"Even at the cost of your own humanity, your freedom…your life?"

"Hai." She then saw him smiled and she knew that was the smile of the Devil getting a fresh contract signed, clear and printed in her own blood.

"Very well there is something that must be done for this to be agreed." He lowered his head and whispered in her ear of what she had to do for their deal to be set. When he finished he looked once more at her. Her eyes showedhope now but also a new sort of light:fear. Akito smiled when he saw this.She had done the reckless and sold her soul to him easily.

"Then we have an agreement then?" She nodded. "Hai." And that was all that was said and done as Tohru got up and headed home.