Chapter Two
When the world above fell at our feet.
Now before we get lost in the rush of the years, we should explain and see what happened in the two years before young Tohru was caught.
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"Tohru!" Shigure called through the house. Yuki's reign over the city was spreading fast. Shigure's canine friends warned him and Kyo and Tohru and him were evacuating. Oh! School! We need to go back a bit farther..
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Kyo and Tohru were sitting in class playing 'Rich man, Poor man.' Tohru side glanced at Yuki's seat. She hopped he was alright, wherever he was. Suddenly a girl shouted from the window.
"The sky is black! My god! I've never seen so many birds! And look! It's Prince Yuki!" With that, everyone had their heads to the windows. Even Kyo. Yuki had returned with thousands of birds and... were those rats?! What was going on?!
"What the hell is he doing?" Kyo asked. The rats rushed forward in a clean movement. The ground had a slight rumble to it and the window stated to crack as all the birds flew in unison.
"Eek!" Tohru squealed as the birds rammed the windows and they burst. "Tohru!" Kyo, Arisa, and Hana all rushed to her and they fled. They ran out the door and slammed it shut while the other kids screamed and rushed around the room. They went down a flight of stairs just as the birds began to attack the other side of the building. The rats were on the bottom floor and there was almost no where to go. Kyo and Arisa kicked out a window the birds had not gotten too yet, and Hana and Tohru followed them out. They rushed through the town, towards home, the opposite way of Yuki's hoards.
Arisa and Hana broke off briefly and reappeared just as Kyo and Tohru entered the forest. They had one bag each. Apparently they knew there was no coming back. They reached the house and ran inside.
"Home already?" Shigure asked over the morning paper. "Yuki's gone mad!" Kyo yelled as he dragged Tohru upstairs to get their stuff. "Ya! The Prince is taking over the city with big black birds and rats!" Arisa added. "You better get your stuff together." Hana said with a bit more worry than you would expect. "Yes! We must hurry!" Shigure rushed to the phone and dialed the main house.
He warned the zodiac to get out, because everyone else had vanished. He said to meet in the park outside of town. Then Shigure rushed to get his things. The rumble and harsh winds were getting closer.
"Tohru!" Shigure called through the house. She had the least amount of stuff yet she was not among them. "Tohru!" he tried again. "What's taking her?" Kyo asked, running up the stairs as Tohru screeched.
"Tohru!" Kyo ripped open her door to find her being attacked by crows and bitten by rats. "Why didn't you scream earlier?" Kyo yelled as he batted away at the birds and kicked at the rats. "Come on!" He grabbed Tohru's small bag and her wrist and pulled her from the room, closing the door. They ran downstairs. "They're here!" Kyo called and they headed out.
It was a miracle they made it out of town alive, considering they were running. Shigure didn't seem to own a car. He always got Hatori. But the others were waiting for them at the park. "Shigure. You weren't joking about Yuki taking over the city." Haru said with amazement. "No, And I'm surprised you haven't joined him. Being a Yuki fan." Shigure said with a serious tone but joking.
"This is no time to kid around!" Kyo hit Shigure over the head and they all made a run for it. Where they found refuge was underground. How they got there and how they knew it was there is a mystery. But they did.
Everyday, people took turns listening for Yuki's troops. The area and the town was patrolled by the every now and then cat or dog. Some snakes too, but you probably wouldn't find tigers, sheep, monkeys, roosters, sea horses, OR dragons, boars, or cows around. And unless you were fortunate to have a pet one, you probably wouldn't find a bunny either.
For a month, they settled down into the ground. Making it like home. Yuki's garden had been ignored in the siege of the world and you might even go as to say it's a miracle it's still growing. And if you hide well enough for long enough, you may spot the young woman who comes regularly to water and plant crops.
It was amazing how much forest space Yuki didn't look into. But his rats and crows could do that for him. The Sohma's and girls under ground took turns venturing up to buy food and supplies twice a month. The living wasn't too bad actually. It was unavoidable that Arisa and Hana had to be told the family secret. It surprised everyone just how well they took it.
When they woke in the morning, new fresh air was let into the underground refuge through the main opening. There were holes in a few spots along the walls but this always woke everyone up. Breakfasts were kept slightly thinner than what they might have above ground. And they controlled a few rooms with electricity and water. The water came from a spring that ran nearby. When you wanted a bath, just open the lock and water would run down a metal pipe into the tub. Just make sure you could close it.
The electricity was a miraculous thing that no one is sure how they got. But not everywhere is electrified. Only the kitchen and other vitals were. People bought more vitals over the span of the first year. They had toilets, couches, some TVs in one room. Board games and card games were the most played games and source of relaxation.
Weapons had to be handmade because you couldn't buy them in stores. Only Yuki's hunters had guns. Once, Momiji even took the job to sneak up and steal one, which he succeeded in doing. From it's design the others were built.
Rooms were thin but since it was only the zodiac, Tohru, Arisa, and Sake, it wasn't that big of a problem. It was two to a room. Arisa and Sake in one room, Kyo and Tohru, Hatori and Momiji, Kisa and Hiro, Aya and Shigure (though Hatori strongly disagreed), and so on and so forth.
Kyo and Tohru slept on complete opposite sides of the only bed in their room. It had been Shigure and Aya's idea to put them together and no one seemed able to change that because they had also decided everyone else's partners.
Kyo and Tohru have grown closer over the years and Arisa and Hana keep saying things that make you think Kyo and Tohru are about to get married. In fact, about 3 non-zodiac Sohma's were there too, and marriage was allowed. It turned out that they had had about 2 weddings since Yuki's reign. Probably because Akito was no longer there to rule them and Hatori, being the most reasonable, had been elected to be like a president.
It would amaze you to find this underground village now. It almost looks like the world above. And now we are about to be at the two year mark. The basics are really everyday life. Now today is the day.
It was Tohru's turn to go out. She had recently cut her hair and was wearing a red cap. She wore jeans and a tee shirt. Something she didn't use to wear. Hatori said it would be better if she changed her look because Yuki knew her too well. She says one last good bye to Kyo and promises she'll be safe and be back before nightfall. She then gingerly slips out into the world.
Everyone dreads and yet loves their turn. On the bad side, you could get caught and killed, on the bright side, it was a chance to get out and breathe again. Tohru smiled as she walked down the road to town. She entered like any other time. Went shopping and sight seeing. She had to see what had changed up here since the last visit.
Nothing seemed new except the houses and the sky seemed just that bit of a tinge darker. But it was still a nice day. She walked toward the edge of town and set her things down. She was much stronger now, having to carry all the stuff back alone was a big job. She stretched and yawned, it was getting dark. Suddenly arms grabbed her and pulled her out of sight. She recognized the cold hands as Akito's but she wouldn't be able to tell anyone he was alive.
That was the last time anyone saw Tohru outside the castle. Because anyone who bothered to check the castle, which everyone did, would have seen the girl being pulled inside.
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Back underground, Kyo punched the wall near the door. It was very late and Tohru wasn't back.
"Calm down Kyo." Shigure said calmly. "You calm down old timer! She's missing! It hasn't taken her this long to get back since her first time, but that time I was with her!" Kyo growled, his fist stopping just before the dog's face.
"Um well.. I'd revert to my old saying of Que Sera Sera, but somehow it doesn't seem to work anymore." Shigure sighed, walking away. Kyo lowered his hand and his gaze. "I know Kyo.. She's all you had left." Shigure said. "I promise will get her back."
When the cat was finally alone, he sank to the floor and punched the ground. "Tohru!" He cried. Hana had seen the whole thing and Arisa had heard it. They both looked thoroughly depressed now. Tohru was all they had too. But they knew how much Kyo loved their rice ball and how much this effected him. The next two years would be the longest.