Disclaimer: I own nothing, mkay?

Note: Whoa, whoa, two updates in one day?! I didn't think it was possible. But I didn't want you all to suffer with that huge cliffhanger in the first part of Chapter 12. Anyway, here's the rest of Chapter 12 for you! Yay! The problem revealed!

Chapter 12.5

I sat on the ground where I'd fallen, holding my abused jaw. He'd hit me right in the bottom of my jaw, and it was throbbing like crazy. Yuki stood over me, more pissed off than I'd ever seen him.

"Get up," he said.

"So you can hit me again? Why wait? I was over the line and I admit it. But I'm not apologizing because I think it's true. So just get it over with."

"Kyo, get up."

"What for…" I said, laying on my side and curling into a ball, "just to end up on the ground again? I don't stand a chance against you, especially when you're like this. So just go ahead and kick me while I'm down."

"Don't be stupid. I can't do that to you even if you are the baka neko that got out of line."

"You don't be stupid. It's what you've been doing every time you beat me. I never had any chance of winning against you. I'll never be accepted. And I know, I know, you're "doing me a favor." Because being under Akito's rule isn't all that great…"

I had to pause, to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. I would not cry in front of him. I got my emotions under control somewhat and continued in a softer tone, a slight waver in my voice.

"…But all I ever wanted was to be accepted for who I was…I didn't want to be hated because I was the cat anymore. So I tried to fight fate by beating the rat, but no. He's always been stronger than me and has to point out I'm just the "stupid cat" and that I always lose. Well guess what, Prince Yuki Sohma! I give up! I'm not going to attempt to hit you back like always. I'm done."

Yuki stood in silence for awhile, contemplating. Then he dropped his fists to his sides and walked off.

"You're right…" he said, "I am just like Akito…"

"Don't move," Hatori warned, turning my head slightly, and very carefully, to examine my jaw. It amazed me sometimes how gentle he could be. He seemed so strict and no-nonsense most of the time. But then again, heh, I guess you're kind of obligated to have a gentle touch when you're a doctor.

I'm not exactly sure what had happened after Yuki walked off. I guess he had either gotten Tohru, or maybe Shigure had stayed up late working and heard us yelling. But Tohru came to find me about 10 minutes later. This morning, she and Shigure had brought me here, to Hatori and a very worried Kagura. Yuki hadn't left his room since he came back alone last night.

"Be careful," I hissed as he turned my head too far, causing my jaw to throb in protest. There was a lovely dark purple-black bruise there now, and I couldn't open my mouth too far without feeling stabbing pain.

"Well," Hatori said, ignoring me and turning to Shigure, "the good thing is it doesn't seem fractured or broken."

"How can you tell, Hatori-san?" Tohru asked.

"I wouldn't have been able to turn his head so far before it hurt him if it was," he told Tohru, "and pressure on his jaw doesn't hurt him unless it's quite a bit. If it fractured, even the slightest pressure would cause him a lot of pain. But since it mainly hurts when he moves his jaw too much or turns a certain way, it's really nothing more than a bruise."

"Yea, a painful one," I added, "and before you say it, Hatori, yes, I did deserve it."

"This is new," Hatori said with a surprised look, "Kyo admitting he's wrong? Are you sure Yuki didn't hit you in the head?"

"Yes, let's all make fun of the cat when he's feeling guilty enough already," I commented sarcastically.

"Haa-san's just kidding, Kyo-kun."

"I know. But…"

"It's fine, you don't have to explain. I apologize." Hatori said, standing up from where he was kneeling beside me.

"We don't need to find a way to drag Yuki here, do we?" Shigure asked me, halfway joking.

"We shouldn't. I didn't touch him."

Just then, the phone rang, and Tohru quickly answered it.

"It's Haru-san," she said, motioning for Shigure to come over. Hatsuharu was at Shigure's, trying to talk to Yuki. Hatori followed Shigure over to Tohru and began to ask her how she'd found me after she handed the phone to Shigure. I was interested in knowing if Yuki actually went through the trouble to tell her to find me, but I could wait. I stepped outside to search for Kagura.

"Kagura, where are you?" I said, mostly to myself since I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to yell.

"Are you okay now, Kyo-kun?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I said turning around to face her. I think I'm getting used to people appearing out of nowhere.

"Good…Kyo-kun--" she stopped in mid-sentence, turning her attention to some imaginary thing in the distance.

"What?"

"Nan demo nai…" she assured me with a small smile.

"Don't lie, Kagura. You want to know about Yuki, don't you? Why he hit me."

I hadn't told anyone why, not even Tohru. All they knew about the hit was that, according to me, I deserved it. I don't know if I really was ready to admit to Kagura what had happened, because I didn't want to upset anyone else, and she's close to Yuki too.

"Well yea…Kyo-kun, but not if you don't want to tell me…"

"I'm not sure that I do…but I think I need to talk about it with someone before I go crazy… I just keep replaying the scene over and over in my mind. I shouldn't have said what I did, especially when we almost have everything for the party ready. I knew that then, and I still said it."

"It's okay… You can't change it now, so try not to worry about it, Kyo-kun."

"But…" I started, shaking my head.

"What is it…?"

"I…told him he was just like Akito, the one person he absolutely hates, so he hit me. Then he told me to get up, because I guess he wanted to fight. I got all self-pitying about being hated because I'm the cat, and he eventually walked off, saying I was right about him being Akito. Tohru came to get me not too long after that, and I haven't seen him since."

"Kyo-kun…"

Kagura held me tightly, assuring me that everything would be fine and that it wasn't my fault.

"Oi, Kyo-kun!"

We both looked over at the sound of Shigure's voice. Kagura started walking to him, and I fell into step behind her.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Yuki's as unresponsive as ever. He probably won't come to you anymore either, since you two fought."

Thank God, I thought to myself, feeling relieved and a bit guilty at the same time.

"So," Shigure continued, "it's time to bring out our secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Kagura asked, curious look on her face.

"You mean…?"

"Yep," Shigure said, confirming I had thought correctly, "we're calling Aya."

I'm sure you're wondering why Ayame hasn't already been by to see Yuki, since he's the self proclaimed "caring older brother," but we never told him. I thought he'd be the first Shigure would tell, but Hatori made it a point to hide it from Ayame for now. Ayame would get too upset, try to yell some sense into Yuki, and then a fight of catastrophic proportions would probably break out and make things even worse. At least this is the way Hatori made it seem, sometimes the tone he speaks in makes everything seem completely hopeless. But I suppose something similar to that would happen, and still would even now. Hell, timing for telling Ayame was probably worse now than when this whole mess started. But we were running out of options.

But it'll probably be all right. Hatori plans on seeing if Yuki will talk to Tohru before letting Ayame "storm over there and raise hell." Shigure worried about Ayame insisting on going anyway, but then again, this is Ayame, and since when has he disobeyed Hatori?

So it was decided. Shigure would call Ayame to the main house that afternoon, and he and Hatori would tell Aya what's been going on. Tohru and I would head back to Shigure's house now and she would try to talk to him. Kagura said she'd go in case I needed something while Tohru was talking with Yuki, but I knew, that for once, she wasn't going just because of me. She was very worried about both Yuki and what would happen if he wouldn't listen to Tohru.

Besides, Kagura didn't have to worry about taking care of me as we were both pressed against the wall outside of Yuki's room, trying to hear all that was said. And part of me wanted to be there because I was afraid he'd lash out at her too. I was sure Yuki would never hit Tohru, purposely or otherwise, but Yuki was now a completely different person than he used to be…

"Sohma-kun…"

So begins…something…good or bad, I can't tell. Kagura stood beside me still, now clinging tightly to my arm with her eyes shut tight.

"I don't know what happened between you and Kyo-kun, what he said, I mean, but I know he didn't really mean it…"

"He's right."

"Sohma--"

"And you should leave, before something happens…"

It wasn't really a threat, that much was apparent by his tone of voice, but still, it sent a chill down my spine and Kagura flinched.

"What are you talking about, Sohma-kun?"

"All Akito ever did was hurt those he was jealous of. It kind of made sense. Hurting them made him feel he had a power over them. And if he did, and if they feared him in addition to having to listen to him, what would he have to be jealous of? A person would rather be a free man with nothing than a captive with everything."

"But Sohma-kun, you aren't Akito-san."

"But I'm becoming him."

"Sohma-kun…you're being foolish!" Tohru suddenly said ,raising her voice and surprising us all. She'd never taken that tone with anyone.

"You are not Sohma Akito, you are Sohma Yuki. No matter who you think you're turning into, you're still you, Sohma-kun. All you have to do is stop acting like him. Because that's all it is, an act. You're aren't turning into him, you are acting like him."

"Tohru-chan is right!" Kagura exclaimed, with tears in her eyes, throwing the door open and rushing in before I had a chance to grab her. She ran to a confused-looking Yuki and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her tightly back.

"Yun-chan, it'll be okay…You aren't turning into him, so please don't say you are…"

Tohru came to stand by me and suggested we let Kagura talk to him for a while, so we retreated to the living room.

"Do you think it will be alright…?" I asked Tohru.

"Well, if he doesn't agree with her, Kagura-chan will make him," Tohru said simply, smiling at me.

In spite of myself, as the image of Kagura with Yuki in a headlock telling him he better listen to her "or else," appeared in my mind, I started laughing.

"I guess you're right," I agreed, "but I'm still kind of worried. I'm glad it seems we won't have to call Ayame, though."

"Hai…Sohma-kun doesn't get along with his brother at all, does he? He seems to dislike him…"

"He doesn't dislike Aya…he just feels…smothered. Ayame tries too hard to make up for lost time sometimes, and Yuki gets overwhelmed. All of a sudden, Ayame's in his face giving him all this attention, and I think sometimes Yuki feels Ayame's just doing it because he pities his little brother. Yuki hates being pitied."

"Kyo-kun, you really understand…" Tohru said, somewhat in awe.

"No, I don't."

"But--"

"The thing is, in a way, my mother was the same way. She tried too hard to make everything perfect for me, to protect me for every little thing. Even being that little, I felt overwhelmed, like I couldn't do anything for myself, and sometimes it seemed she was doing in out of pity instead of because she cared. She didn't think I could handle being teased for being the cat. Maybe I couldn't have."

I paused for a minute, to catch my breath. Tohru glanced back at Yuki's room, as if wondering if Yuki felt the same about Ayame.

"It seems to me…" I started slowly, "that Ayame and Yuki have a similar problem. Just like I didn't understand why my mother was like that, Yuki doesn't understand why Ayame is either."

"I think you're part-way correct, Kyo-kun. But I think the other part of it is that Sohma-kun is still upset with Ayame-san for neglecting him in the first place. Even though Ayame-san was a child, and didn't understand what he should have done then, like he does now…Sohma-kun is still mad…"

As I opened my mouth to reply, Kagura appeared in the doorway, sans Yuki.

"Kagura-chan," Tohru said, turning to see what I was looking at, "is everything all right?"

"He said he feels a little better…" she said sadly, "but he still wants to be left alone…"

"Well, don't worry about him then."

"Kyo-kun?"

"There's nothing more you can do, right?"

"I guess…"

"Then it's okay."

Hatori drove over to bring Shigure home and pick up Kagura about an hour later. Tohru went out to meet him, and I hugged Kagura tightly and told her not to worry. She nodded and stepped outside. Shigure was asking Tohru what happened, and I'm sure on the way home, Hatori asked Kagura as well. Then he'd probably tell Ayame when they got home.

Tohru and Shigure talked outside for a few minutes and then came inside. Shigure still seemed distracted, but looked relieved. I think he was wondering what Ayame was going to do. Tohru made some tea and took a cup outside on the back porch. I followed her, after telling Shigure goodnight.

"Tohru?"

"Hai, Kyo-kun?"

"What did Yuki tell you? I mean, did he come and get you after he left me last night?"

"Hai, he said you two had fought again and that I should go take care of you."

"It's odd."

"What is?"

"That he would tell you to take care of me. I guess I kind of thought…he would just walk off and leave me. You know, without even trying to help. He was so mad at me…"

"Well, there's an explanation for that."

"Is there?" I asked, glancing at Tohru.

"Mhm," she nodded, "Sohma-kun is just more complicated than you realize. I mean, you expect him to do one thing…but…I think he's in between two people right now."

"In between two people…?" I said confusedly. Where did Tohru come up with this stuff?

"You see, Kyo-kun, Sohma-kun is afraid of becoming Akito-san, ne?"

"Hai, that's right."

"Well, he's also afraid of being his true self, remember? Because he thinks people won't accept him."

"Yea." I agreed, "I remember you mentioning that awhile ago."

"It's so simple!" she exclaimed in an oddly cheery tone, "Sohma-kun is trying to find a balance in between them, no da, so he isn't more of one or the other. I think I got it, Kyo-kun!"

"I think so too…" I said slowly, processing this new information. It did kind of explain his mood swings between caring and totally indifferent. Tohru confirmed this for me when she spoke next, after thinking a minute or two.

"I think that…he's trying to change right away, all at once, no da, Kyo-kun? But he finds out that things don't work that way…It frustrates him, and he ends up taking it out on us, and then he feel guilty for it."

"Tohru, I think you have this all figured out."

"I hope so…I mean, I have no idea what else it could be…And if we know the problem, we're one step closer to solving it."

"I feel a lot better," I told her, "We're finally getting somewhere…"

"I know," Tohru said with a soft smile, "I'm glad."

"Well then…" I started, interrupted by my yawn, "I'll tell Shigure in the morning. Unless you wake up first, I guess. But right now I need a lot of sleep."

"Oyasumi, Kyo-kun."

"Oyasumi."