Part 22

Though I realized I was facing a lot of bad things once we left the safety of the hot spring, I enjoyed myself as much as I could. I found relaxing there to be far more refreshing than relaxing at home.

The snow was still bad, blocking off the roads leading to the hot spring. This helped to delay the inevitable and for all of us to have fun. Tohru was a little apprehensive about staying away from school for so long.

"I made a promise to Mom that I'd graduate from high school," she murmured, eyeing the snow outside with worry. "I just hope they don't kick me out for missing so many days."

"Tohru, there's a snow storm going on!!" said Momiji, tugging on her sleeve. "And I talked to Haa-san yesterday; he said he'd take care of everything at our schools!!"

Tohru let out a shaky sigh. "I just don't want to disappoint Mom..."

"I'm sure your mom would be happy if you had some fun every once in a while," said Isuzu, looking annoyed at Tohru's worry. "And it wasn't like we could avoid this. I'm sure she's pleased you're recovering more of your memories more than you acting like a model student with perfect attendance."

Tohru turned red.

"Rin-san, be a little nicer!!" hissed Momiji.

Yuki walked over to Tohru and put a hand on her hand. "Don't worry so much. It may look bad now, but it'll work out."

Tohru smiled a little at him. "Thanks, Yuki-kun."

If only I could go by that advice.

Sure, I was having just as much fun as everybody else; eating good food, taking baths in the hot spring, watching Kyo and Yuki get into arguments which usually ended with Black Haru jumping Kyo.

But it was still very nerve wracking not knowing what was going to happen once we went back home. Akito was probably very angry with me for assaulting him and wasn't going to forget it easily.

I tried to busy myself with the fun everyone else was having. Hatori called twice a day, but Momiji was the one who talked to him so I didn't hear their conversations. It seemed all he told Momiji was updates of Akito's condition because that's all he told us. Isuzu seemed pissed that Akito was recovering from the injuries I inflicted upon him. Not that I blamed her, of course. Nor did I blame Kyo and Yuki for sharing her sentiments.

It got a little monotonous at times, but the festivities occupied my time and I needed that at the moment.

The hostess at the hot springs was a little horrified at the sleeping arrangements Isuzu had created for us. While Isuzu explained that Kyo was helping to take care of me, she couldn't explain clearly why she herself was sharing a room with Haru and Yuki and Tohru were sharing a room together.

Not that any of us were inclined to do anything less than innocent...right?

If Isuzu did have any ulterior motives with Kyo and me, they sure weren't working out. The activities kept us so busy that everyone went right to sleep at night. As far as I know, of course. At least that what happened with Kyo; after a day of fighting with Yuki and Haru, all he had the strength to do was give me a kiss on the cheek goodnight and pass out on his futon.

And while he slept peacefully, I found myself haunted by nightmares. Many were of the nightmare of my cancer coming back, but that didn't make the others any less frightening. Some consisted of Akito getting his hands on me; one particularly bad one had Akito dying of the injuries I inflicted upon him and him coming back as an immortal, unstoppable demon to terrorize us forever. It sounds ridiculous, but it's really scary if you experience it.

With each of the nightmares, if Kyo doesn't wake up by my crying I still go to him for comfort. Even with his short-temper, he was kind to me whenever I woke up. One time he held me close and we fell asleep like that. Needless to say, there was a lot of yelling from the hostess when she checked on us the next morning.

I knew what I had to face once I got home. But I found myself wishing that the snowstorm would last longer and longer.

"This is so delicious!!" said Tohru as she tasted the food.

Isuzu rolled her eyes. "It's the same food as we ate yesterday. Honestly; with a storm like this, I wonder how they're getting their food supplies."

"Oh, we always have a good storage of food!!" said Ritsu, for once being calm. But the absence of the other boys seemed to help calm his nerves.

I calmly sipped my tea, smiling a little. "It's been a lot of fun here. I'm glad I can finally relax."

"Yeah, Momiji-kun said Hatori-san said the therapeutic atmosphere of the hot spring would help with your recovery," said Tohru brightly, eating more.

I blinked at this. "Momiji never told me this."

Isuzu shrugged. "Hatori's telling that kid a lot of things; I doubt it's just updates on Akito's condition. Then again, he might've figured you already knew that and didn't need reminding."

I thought about it and shrugged. "That must be it."

The door then slid open and Yuki calmly came in, looking quite soaked.

"Yuki-kun, get into something warmer!!" cried Tohru, running over to him.

But as she reached him, he put up a hand. "You might want to take a step back, Tohru-san. It might get ugly."

"What might?" asked Tohru, but her question was answered by yelling down the hall.

"What's that?" I asked, putting down my cup of tea.

"I was beating that Stupid Cat at a snow fight (I don't know why I tried playing), when he got pissed off and tried to attack me. Haru then changed and jumped him. Last I check, Momiji was trying to calm them both down and Hiro went to change into dry clothes."

There was a loud CRASH! from down the hall. Yuki put a hand to his head and groaned.

"It sounds bad!" cried Kisa fearfully. "Are they going to be all right?"

"Knowing them, they'll recover from this fiasco," sighed Isuzu, standing up. "I guess I better go put Haru in his place..."

There were running footsteps and more punches thrown. Yuki seemed to be anticipating something and gently moved Tohru to the side. "Would you stand here, Tohru-san?"

"Why?" asked Tohru, but once again she got her answer.

There was a loud crashing noise as a body was thrown through the sliding door. Said body sailed through the air until it landed on the land in front of us. I had instinctively grabbed my cup of tea before impact, and Kisa grabbed her plate of food. But nothing else was salvaged with the broken table and plates. When the dust cleared, I could see who had hit the table.

"Kyo-kun!!!" I cried, rushing to his side. I helped him into a sitting position, pulling a piece of broken bowl out of his hair. "Are you all right?"

"You're dead, Haru!!!!"he roared, ignoring my question. He leapt to his feet and charged at the open space where the door use to be, where a smirking Black Haru stood. Their fight resumed almost immediately, though I was sure the impact gave Kyo a concussion.

Meanwhile, Ritsu was convinced that Haru throwing Kyo and smashing a table full of food was his fault. So it made for one giant headache.

"OH, I'M SUCH A FAILURE, I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!!!!!!!!!!"

"YOU THINK YOU'RE A BIG TOUGH GUY, AREN'T YOU?!?! THROWING ME THROUGH A DOOR!!!!!"

"I'M SUCH A DISGRACE!!! LET ME DIE NOW!!!!!!!!"

"AW, IS THE POOR BABY HURT?!?! THE POOR BABY DOESN'T WANT TO BE NURSED BY HIS GIRLFRIEND?!?! OR WERE YOU HOPING TO IMPRESS HER AND GET HER INTO BED?!?!"

Okay, Haru was lucky I didn't have the strength to beat anyone up, or he'd be dead on the floor.

"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!!!!! I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!"

"YOU'RE A SICK FUCKING PERVERT!!!! WHO ARE YOU TO ACCUSE ME OF THAT?!?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S SHARING A ROOM WITH A GIRL!!!!!!!"

Kyo seemed to have forgotten he was sharing a room with me.

"AW, ARE YOU JEALOUS BABY?!?! WANT TO EXPERIENCE WHAT I DO EVERY NIGHT?!?!?!"

"WHAT THE–WHAT ARE YOU BABBLING ABOUT?!?!?!"

"UNLIKE YOU, I GET TO GO TO SLEEP AT NICE FEELING QUITE CONTENTED!!!!"

I turned red at what Haru implied and looked at Isuzu.

"Excuse me," she said, heading for the door.

Tohru looked confused. "Why is Rin-san upset? Don't we all feel contented when we go to bed?"

Sometimes, Tohru's naivety amazed me. Even Yuki was shaking his head at her.

"HEY!!!!" Isuzu yelled. "IF YOU TWO DON'T SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STOP FIGHTING, THEN I'M MOVING TO KAGURA'S ROOM AND YOU TWO CAN SHACK UP TOGETHER!!!!"

Kyo wore an angry expression, but said no more. Black Haru was looking at Isuzu horrified, as if she declared something unforgivable.

"Aw, don't be that way Rin!!" he said with an evil smile. He threw an arm around Kyo, choking him at the throat. "We're best buddies!! Though, it would be terrible if we left you two all alone."

I rolled my eyes. I had a pretty good idea what Haru was implying, though I didn't want to think about it.

"Right then," said Isuzu, turning around and heading back into the room. Behind her, Haru sagged with relief against Kyo, who gave him a hard shove away. "Back to dinner."

"But how are we suppose to eat without a table?" asked Kisa quietly, still holding her plate of dinner.

"Simple. Hey!!" she yelled to Ritsu, who was ranting incoherently. "Get us another table!!!"

That seemed to calm Ritsu down. "O-Oh. Right!!" he rushed off.

I sighed, sipping my tea. "Let's just hope nothing else is broken."

The nightmare I had that night was like a combination of all the others. Hatori was leaning over me, telling me that Akito was going to make a full recovery, but he needed a kidney transplant and my one kidney was the only match that was compatible for him. On top of that, I was suffering from cancer in my other major organs, and everyone else, Kyo included, said I should give up my kidney since I was going to die anyway.

Of course, that was when I realized it was a dream and woke up. Even if I guessed immediately it was a dream, it still scared me. I turned to Kyo to wake him up, when I noticed something. He was asleep, but was mumbling. His eyebrows were knitted together and he was twisting around in the futon.

He was having a nightmare.

After all the nights he comforted me about my nightmares, I knew it was my turn to comfort him. I crawled open and quickly woke him up.

"Kyo-kun, wake up!!" I hissed, shaking him gently. "It's only a dream!!"

His eyes snapped open and he sat up. He looked so...calm. It scared me to see him so unresponsive after waking up.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, taking hold of his hand. It was sweaty and clammy, but I didn't care.

Kyo turned to look at me. For several moments all he did was stare at me. Then, tears spilled down his cheeks. Moments later he was sobbing, throwing his arms around me and burying his face into my shoulder.

My hands instinctively went to his back, holding him comfortingly. I hardly ever saw him cry, even as a couple. I don't ask how bad the dream was; I know he'll tell me if he wants to.

Finally, he stops crying, but didn't pull away. When he started speaking, it was in a soft whisper; I could barely hear him.

"It felt like I was in isolation again. All day long, nothing to keep me company but my own thoughts. Being tied down to an unjust destiny..."

I remained silent, but listened closely.

"While I was in isolation, I had horrible nightmares. And...one just resurfaced. I was chained up, unable to move. My throat was paralyzed, so I couldn't speak above a whisper. And I saw...my father standing over me."

I froze. I knew that Kyo didn't mean Shishou, but his birth father. The man who saw him lower than a human and held Kyo responsible for his mother's death.

"He told me...he said I took away his only happiness, so none should be granted to me. He turned me around...and I saw Akito. He was making me relive everything terrible in my life and creating false images as if projecting the future. I...I kept seeing you die."

I hugged Kyo tighter. "I'm not going to die, Kyo-kun."

"But when you were attacked and landed in that coma...when we saw you we thought you were already dead. You looked so pale and you weren't moving. And you didn't respond when I spoke with you. I've lost nearly everything, Kagura. My mom, my dad...and I nearly lost you."

I felt a lump grow in my throat and my eyes stun with tears.

"Over and over again, they stood over me. Telling me I deserved to die for everything that's happened. That I might as well die because of everything I've done."

"You've done nothing wrong, Kyo-kun! There is nothing you've ever done that warrants your death!!" I forced his face upwards to look at me. "Listen to me; you should never listen to those who hold you in so little regard. Listen only whom love you and will do anything for you. I'm positive that Yun-chan and the rest of the Juunishi would want you to live. You shouldn't even take in Akito's lies; he seeks to hurt and has done so far too often for anyone to seek his advice. As for your father...that man isn't your father."

Kyo looked stunned, but said nothing.

"Family isn't what's in the blood; it's what's in the heart. Someone like that man shouldn't be worth your thoughts. You have one father, and he's Shishou. And surely Shishou would never want you to die."

Kyo continued to remain silent before letting out a sad sigh.

"I know you're right. But when you're in isolation, faced with the same four walls forever with only your thoughts to keep you company...I thought I was going to go insane. And those nightmares..."

"A lot has happened, Kyo-kun. But after everything we've all gone through, do you think we're going to let Akito do it again? I sure as hell am not going to stand idly by if he tries. We all care about you so much; and Tohru and Yun-chan. What's happened to you three is terrible and unforgivable and none of us can let it happen again. We all have to face some demons when we go home; but we can't face them unless we stand together. Okay?"

Kyo managed a nod. He slid out of my embrace and wiped at his eyes.

"I'm not really use to this side of you. I'm sorry all I saw for so long was your rages."

I laughed. "Well, that's all you've seen from me for most of our lives. And who knows; I might be back at it once I fully recover. In the meantime, you can get use to this new attitude of mine."

Kyo laughed, then settled back down. He shyly beckoned me to his side and I snuggled up close to him in his futon. "The hostess will freak when she sees us like this again."

"Guess so. But noise was always the secret ingredient to a lively morning."

I had to admit; my nightmares vanished when I slept next to Kyo. Just being so close to him allowed me to fully relax. I knew it was because I loved him so much, but I had an idea that his feelings for me leaked out and helped to calm me as well.

But even with the calm I felt around Kyo, it didn't help either of us from escaping the inevitable. The very next day, the snowstorm receded into nothingness. And with no snowstorm, it would be easier to clear the roads.

And we would have to go home and face Akito.

Despite knowing all this, I wasn't prepared. I nearly killed Akito when I attacked him. Even though he did the same to me, he wasn't about to forgive me. And he was going to be sure I paid for what I did.

A scant few days later, Kyo and I were woken straight up by Ritsu and told to go to the dining room right away. We both got into proper clothing and followed Ritsu into the room.

Hatori was there. As were everyone else.

"Please sit," said Hatori, motioning to where everyone else was sitting.

Kyo and I complied, sitting on either side of Momiji. I was trembling with fear; I had to clutch my hands to stop their shaking.

"I'm guessing you all know why I'm here," he started slowly, looking at each of us but me last. "I'm here to take you all home."

Silence greeted him.

"I've spoken with each of your schools and they understand your extended absences. I'm sure you all enjoyed your time here, but now isn't the time to stay away." he took a deep breath. "Akito has been discharged and is at the Sohma House. And he wants to speak with all of you."

I knew it was coming, but I was still paralyzed with fear. I wasn't even shaking anymore. I didn't know what to say.

Yuki spoke first. He grabbed Tohru's hand, his face furious.

"I'm not going back there," he hissed at Hatori. "I have nothing to discuss with Akito. And he is not coming anywhere near Tohru-san!!"

"Yuki, running away won't help the situation," said Hatori, his neutral face bearing a sad shadow. "Either you come with me now, or surely Akito will send one of his men after you."

Yuki froze, as did Kyo. Judging from the look on Tohru's face, she was equally scared. I didn't have to guess that Akito kidnaping them from Shigure's house wasn't exactly pleasant.

"I'll be all right," said Tohru, though her tone of voice betrayed her words. "I don't want to run from Akito."

Yuki stared at her for several moments before sighing in resignation. "All right. Let's go back."

Hatori stood. "There's a van waiting outside. Akito's waiting for our arrival."