Disclaimer: Me no own

In Honor of Kyoko

It was noon the next day when Tohru wandered into the kitchen to find Shigure and Yuki unsuccessfully trying to make a lunch of onigiri. The rice cooker was working fine; they had plenty of rice. But it was all over the place. There was rice on the counter, rice cooker, floor, and even the wall. It was all over the cousins' hands and arms, as well as clothes. Tohru stared, and both grinned, embarrassed, and began to brush themselves off.

"Glad to see you're awake and up!" Shigure said, flicking a last grain of rice off his sleeve.

"Was there an accident with the rice cooker?" Tohru asked.

"No," Yuki said, "we're just bad at this."

Tohru was surprised to see Yuki. "S-sohma-kun? How did I get here?" The events of the last night had not completely caught up with her. Shigure explained.

As Shigure relayed how they'd found her, Tohru remembered all that had happened, and her face fell.

Yuki, seeing her distress, asked, "Is everything alright, Honda-san?"

Tohru tried her best to think up an excuse. "A-ano, it's just that my mother will be worried. See, there's a swarm of bees that built a nest in one of our walls, and Mother and I are moving over to the house of her friend until it is taken care of. But last night, I had to bring over some of my things by myself and got lost." The lie formed so easily in her mind, but Tohru knew she'd never be able to back it up if she was questioned. She changed the subject.

"You are Sohma-kun's father?" she asked Shigure.

Shigure laughed. "No, I'm Yuki's cousin."

Tohru bowed. "Thank you for letting me spend the night in your home, Sohma-san," she said. Shigure flapped his hand at her.

"No need to be so formal, Shigure will do just fine." Tohru giggled.

"Shigure-san!" She smiled. "Thank you very much for taking care of my for the night, but I shouldn't bother you any longer."

But Shigure grabbed Tohru's hand and said, "Tohru-san, It's at least a mile to get to any of the nearest houses, and you'd have to go through the forest, which isn't safe for a girl your age to be walking alone in. Why don't I give you a ride to this friend's house?"

Tohru paled a little. She couldn't let anyone know she had no place to go. Uo-chan lived in a very small house by herself, and Hana-chan's family was very large: she couldn't burden them. "Ara, it's alright! I could use the exercise," Tohru said cheerfully.

"Please," Shigure replied, "it's no trouble at all! Yuki can come too!"

Tohru panicked as she franticly searched for a way out. "No! It's totally fine! You don't need to bother with me!" Tohru knew the older man would protest; she was stalling for time now.

She was right. "No, Tohru-san," Shigure laughed, obviously amused by her antics. "I insist." Tohru was out of excuses.

"I can't!" she cried, jerking her hand out of Shigure's. Both Shigure and Yuki started, now unsettled. Tohru ran for the door, but halted halfway there. Her face was growing flushed, and she swayed unstably.

The room spun in front of Tohru, and she felt dizzy. As a warm darkness cloaked her, she numbly felt hands grabbing onto her waist, holding her up. Then she was gone.

As Tohru began to sway even more, Yuki strode forward. He got there not a second too soon: Tohru's legs gave way, and Yuki caught her. He turned to Shigure, who shrugged.

Yuki set Tohru on the futon in the spare bedroom once again and covered her with the blanket she'd folded up when she'd left the room earlier that day. Shigure sat on his knees beside Tohru and felt her forehead; her face was still flushed ten minutes after fainting.

He tutted. "Fever. You young people are forever running around, overexerting yourselves and getting sick," he joked.

"You could show some concern in this situation," Yuki told him.

"She's not going to die, so I don't see why we can't act like normal," Shigure complained.

For all he was an adult, Yuki thought, Shigure was perhaps the most immature person Yuki knew.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go get a cold cloth for her head?" Yuki asked.

Shigure pouted. "Can't you do it yourself?"

Yuki was now fairly fed up. "I could, but I am not the one with nothing to do," he told his cousin. "I'm going to take care of Honda-san."

Shigure put on a hurt face. "And just how would you know I have nothing to do? I am an author; inspiration grows in my powerful mind at all times! I could have a best-selling novel in the works at this very moment, but you wouldn't know, would you?

Yuki could have rolled his eyes. "I know you've got nothing to do when you start talking like that," he shot back. "Now please go and get a cloth wet." He noticed that Tohru was shivering slightly. "Another blanket would be nice as well." Shigure gave a mocking bow and turned to leave.

A minute later, Tohru's eyes fluttered open. Yuki looked down at her. She showed no sign of recognizing him.

"Who…" Tohru asked, blinking at him. Yuki smiled.

"I'm just someone. I'm taking care of you." He doubted that Tohru would remember this later. Perhaps he could convince Tohru to tell him why she'd so vehemently refused Shigure's offer to drive her to her mother's friend's house. "So, where are you living right now?" Hearing a noise behind him, Yuki turned. Shigure stood in the door, giving Yuki a questioning look. Yuki put his finger to his lips and turned back to Tohru.

"I don't have a home…" Tohru replied.

"Because of the bees?" Yuki asked.

Tohru shook her head weakly. "No…I can't go back. They might come back to look for me." Shigure stepped up beside Yuki and handed him a cool damp cloth and an extra blanket from Yuki's bed. Yuki put the cloth on Tohru's forehead and spread the blanket over her. Shigure sat on his knees beside Yuki.

"Who are they?" Yuki asked, curious. He was startled when he saw tears forming in Tohru's eyes.

"The people who killed Mother," she sniffled. Yuki could not understand.

"Your mother's dead?" he asked. Tohru nodded. "But you said you were living with your mother's friend," Yuki pressed. Tohru nodded again.

"I can't tell anyone; they might be in one of the gangs," she explained. "Everyone hates Mother's gang." This was getting more and more complicated.

"Your mother was in a gang?" Yuki asked. He wasn't sure that this was a good thing at all; it was dangerous to get caught up in gang wars. Or to get caught up in gangs at all, for that matter.

"Yes. But it's not like all the rest," Tohru said quickly, apparently sensing his unease, even with her fever. They don't fight territory wars or trash buildings or anything!" She smiled a little. "It's kind of like a story: they'd be the good guys."

Yuki had to ask, "Honda-san, what gang did your mother belong to?" Maybe she just thought that this gang was the right one to belong to simply because her mother had belonged to it.

Tohru hesitated. Finally, she said, "Mother was part of the Reclaimers." Yuki almost thought she might be joking. The Reclaimers was a gang that had almost become legendary in Japan as an organization fighting to reinstate the government and eradicate all territorial gangs. The thing was, no one was quite sure whether the Reclaimers really existed or not. Somewhere along the way, the Reclaimers had been transformed, in public view, to the equivalent of a band of super-heroes from a storybook.

There was almost no evidence to support the existence of the group, even if it had once really been fighting. Once in a while, there would be a small occurrence on the news, like a police discovery and victory over a minor gang. Many people attributed it to the Reclaimers, even if it was jokingly, because the fact was that it was a miracle for police to do anything about gang activity.

Yuki might have actually disbelieved Tohru's words, had not all she'd said added up. Members of the Reclaimers would be thought of as "the good guys," in simple terms, and every gang in the nation had "eliminate the Reclaimers" on their to-do list, whether anyone actually believed in the group or not. Yuki could not believe that sweet, cheerful Honda Tohru could be part of the gang world. Then again, she hadn't said she herself was a member of the Reclaimers. Now there was a question waiting to be asked, Yuki thought.

"Honda-san, are you part of the Reclaimers as well?" Yuki asked. Tohru shook her head.

"No. Mother didn't want me to join a gang until I was all grown up and ready to make the choice for real. She said it's something you have to devote your whole life to, whether that was your original intention or not." Yuki was glad. Tohru had too much spirit to be part of a gang. What she'd said was true: gangs demanded complete allegiance and controlled virtually every moment of their members' lives. They were more like cults than anything else.

Suddenly, Tohru's eyes became a little teary. "I feel very guilty about Mother's death," she confessed. Yuki could not imagine how Tohru could possibly feel responsible. "I…I usually tell Mother that I love her every day before I leave for school," she continued. "But yesterday, because we had a test in first period, I stayed up late the night before to study. For that reason, I overslept and was in a hurry to get out of the house." Tohru stopped to brush away tears that formed in her eyes. "That morning, I didn't tell Mother that I loved her and to take care of herself for the day. I knew…I've always known she leads a dangerous life. But I did not give thought to her well-being simply because I had a small test. Mother should have always come before school. She was a million times more important than my diploma. But I did not even say goodbye to her."

Tears now ran down Tohru's cheeks, dropping onto her pillow. Yuki grabbed the corner of one of the blankets and gently wiped away her tears. Tohru continued to cry silently for several minutes more. When she finally chocked out a small sob, she was finished.

"I'm sorry," Tohru apologized. "I promised Mother I would not get down." Yuki was shocked, although he did not show it.

"Honda-san," he said kindly, "there is absolutely no need to apologize for crying. Although you shouldn't dwell heavily on this, no one can get by without shedding some tears." He paused. "Nor can they get through these things without support and love."

Tohru smiled. This person's kind words moved her. "Thank you," she said. "I know I'll need friends to help me out. Are you my friend?"

Yuki thought for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I believe I am."

Tohru looked happy. "Then please, look after me from now on!"

Yuki had another question he meant to ask: "What did your mother do?"

Tohru now looked a little dreamy. She and her mother had often talked for hours about what kind of jobs the Reclaimers assigned her and the work she put into them. "Mother was a very important person in the Reclaimers," Tohru told Yuki. "They sent her on lots of missions, and she was always helping them plan things out. She knew about all the things the Reclaimers did and she would tell me all about it. I know the members are not supposed to tell anyone that they are even part of the Reclaimers, but Mother trusted me, and I would never give her away…" Her face suddenly clouded. "You won't tell, will you? Even though she's gone, Mother said someone always might be able to connect her with other members. Don't tell anyone?"

Yuki smiled and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on Tohru's face away as he spoke. "You don't have to worry, Honda-san. Shigure and I will never tell. It's your secret to keep." With these words, however, Yuki felt a little guilty. 'It's your secret to keep…' Yuki had taken advantage of Tohru's illness and tricked her into telling him. But these thoughts were shoved out of his head by what Tohru said next.

"Thank you…it would be better if no one knew the Red Butterfly is dead. She was part of what made the Reclaimers such a powerful symbol."

Yuki and Shigure stared at each other. The Red Butterfly was a nationally known figure. There were more stories about her, all of which described her looks differently from the last, than anyone cared to count. All anyone was certain of about the Red Butterfly was that she was female. Age, physical features, name, background…..the list went on. All these facts about the Red Butterfly were unknown. She was perhaps even a greater mystery than the Reclaimers itself. Although neither involvement in gangs nor the way they worked had ever interested Yuki, from the rise of the gangster empire, six years ago, the Red Butterfly had been an interesting and exiting figure to Yuki. He'd always wondered what she was like, this revolutionary person. There were stories that she'd in fact been the person who created the Reclaimers, but had given the leader's position to another.

Now, Yuki realized, he had indeed met the Red Butterfly without knowing it. A few times, Tohru's mother had come to pick her up from school, although she usually walked. Yuki remembered thinking that Honda Kyoko was a very pretty woman. She didn't look like any of the stories he'd ever heard about the Red Butterfly had depicted her. She also had looked, from what he saw of Tohru and her interactions, that she was a kind, caring mother. He had a hundred questions he longed to ask Tohru, but now was not the time.

Tohru's eyes were beginning to flicker. She needed rest, so Yuki let her slip away into the peaceful world of dreams before turning to Shigure.

His cousin was wearing a shocked expression full of awe. "Now that," Shigure croaked, "is a story far too good for my humble word processor."

AN: Sorreeeee, I know that took a while to get up. Not that long, actually I guess, ne? So! How did minna like? The whole thing was a little sappy, I know, but I got some good info in there, I think! You learned a lot about Kyoko and her gang, and got some lead-in to the AU elements. Originally, I was going to have it so the gangs had come into power in the past two or three years, but I decided it would work better if they'd been in existence for a long time, so they were taken for granted by the public and stuff. You guys know what I mean? ALSO! I know the bit where Tohru is sad about not saying goodbye and stuff to her mom is a huge chunk of BLATENT PLAGERISM, but we can all get past that, right? Eh, I guess it's okay since I've now given credit back to where it belongs. Now, on to the shoutouts! Oh! First, teaser for the next chappie: what happens when Tohru gets better and finds out she's spilled her whole story, Yuki gets the flu, Kyou attacks, Uo and Hana find out about Kyoko's death, and Gen sits down with a paper and pen? Lot's of craziness and…..a species change? What's this? Anyhoo…..

Chibi Mo: Yesh, strange, ne? It is to be explained soon!

Merei-chan: Why, thankies! I'm trying to make the chappies longer tho. Was this good? Also, your story, My Angel…remember a reviewer named Gen? THAT'S ME! Only before I got an account. I've been meaning to come back and read, but school's been getting in the way. Grrrrr. glares at school But expect a visit soon! It's really good!

Hikari Rioki: Well, I kept my promise and got it up! What you think? Yesh, it is kind of parallelly (um, not a word) following the plot of the anime, but the plot is quite different (Yeah, I already told you that).

Anee: Yeah, it'd be pretty funny to watch. Thankies for the cousin info, and Hikari as well! Araaaaa! I didn't even realize! One minute, Tohru was wearing a jacket, but when Yuki undressed her, he never took off a jacket! Yesh, he worked around it! Not. My bad, guys. I'll get back to that and fix it.

Sugar High Yusukeholic: Yay! I was just starting on this chappie and thinking you weren't coming back when you reviewed. Thaaaankies!

Gen