"No."
"Kyo—"
"No!"
"But—"
"Hell no!"
"There must be another way…" Tohru interjected hopefully.
Suddenly Yuki was beside Kyo. He grabbed Kyo's wrist, and before the cat realized the intentions the rat had, the beads were removed.
Kyo stood, frozen in shock and fear. The group held a collective breath.
But Kyo did not change.
Elation broke through the initial shock. The curse was broken. Amidst the celebrating former Zodiac members, Tohru made her way toward Kyo, who stood somewhat away from the others. Still fuming silently at Yuki, he did not notice her until she was at his side.
"Kyo?" He almost jumped at her sudden appearance. She smiled at him. "I haven't gotten to hug you, yet," she stated. His face reddened as her arms wrapped around him, leaving him speechless.
"Kyo," she said, pulling away. "You're not the cat, anymore. You're not an outsider. You're just like any other Sohma, now. Come on." She took his hand and pulled him towards the others.
"Kyo!" Kagura called. "Come on! We're all going back to the main house to celebrate!"
Momiji laughed. "Yeah, come on, Kyo! You're so slow!"
Tohru released Kyo's hand, glad to see Kyo being accepted by his family.
"You, too, Tohru! You come, too!" Momiji called excitedly.
Kisa walked over to the older girl and placed her hand in Tohru's. "Come with us, sissy."
Tohru smiled and bent down to face Kisa. "Thank you very much for the offer, but this is a celebration for the Sohma family."
"But Tohru, you're like family to us," Shigure said, and the others nodded and voiced agreement.
Tohru's smile brightened. "Thank you. I've always felt like we were a family, too. It's nice to know you feel the same."
"Then come with us!" Momiji pleaded.
Tohru shook her head. "I'll go back to my apartment and pack, and see you here tomorrow bright and early."
"But—"
"The sooner I have my things ready, the sooner I can move back in."
No one could argue with her statement. They finally admitted she was right, said reluctant goodbyes, and promised to see each other the next day.
Hatori, returning to his rooms, released a tired sigh. The excited reactions from the Sohma's with knowledge of the curse, as well as the other happenings of the day, had left him feeling drained of his energy. He smiled, remembering all of the hugs that had been exchanged. Sometimes even he still could not believe that they were truly free from their curse. He knew the others still harbored feelings of disbelief, and fear that what had occurred was only a dream.
A small celebration had been arranged for the evening, and a larger one was to be held in a week. The preparations for it would leave everyone exhausted.
He suddenly looked up to discover he had taken the route that passed near the graveyard of previous clan leaders. Thinking of Akito, Hatori felt a pang of sympathy. The recently deceased leader had been only days away from being freed from the curse. Or had he? Hatori paused in thought. What, exactly, had broken the curse? They had been so caught up in the fact that they were cured, they had barely thought of how they had been cured.
The doctor was about the begin walking again when a bit of red amongst the grey of stone caught his eye.
Turning, he approached Akito's shrine to find a single red rose, its color as vibrant as if it had only just fully bloomed. Picking it up, sunlight glinted off small drops of water clinging to the soft petals.
After only a moment of hesitation, Hatori bowed to the shrine and promised to return the flower later. He then made his way quickly back to his house, all weariness forgotten.
Shigure and Ayame sat facing Hatori in the doctor's living room. Steaming cups in front of all of them. The rose, still bright, with the beads of water as decoration, rested on the center of the table.
"Why did you call us here, Ha'ri?" Shigure looked pointedly at the flower.
"You just could not wait to see us at the banquet this evening, isn't that right, Ha'ri?" Ayame chimed.
"No," Hatori said, maintaining his patience. "I wanted to talk about the curse."
"It's broken. What is so important we couldn't discuss it later?" Shigure inquired.
"Have you not thought at all about how the curse was broken?" Hatori asked calmly.
Ayame's mood became more subdued. "Of course we've thought about it, Ha'ri. But is there any way to find out what cured us? Besides," he added, his playful tone returning. "We've got a party to think about!"
"Why is there a flower on the table?" Shigure finally questioned directly.
"It's not just any flower, 'Gure, it's a rose. And one almost as magnificent as moi, I might add." He swept it up and brought it to his nose.
"I found it on Akito's grave." Hatori turned to regard Ayame, whose demeanor had suddenly turned serious. "What is it, Aya?"
"It…smells like…salt."
Shigure took the rose, and nodded in accord. "Tears?" he suggested, as Hatori smelled it.
"I believe so," the doctor agreed. "I had thought it was water."
"Speaking of water, Ha'ri, you should put it in water to be sure it does not lose its color," Ayame commented.
Shigure looked thoughtful. "How long has it been out of water? Don't roses begin to wilt relatively quickly? Especially when out in the sun without any water?"
Hatori nodded. "I had thought of that. I spoke with one of the servants who maintain the graveyard area. He did not see who put it there, but said it had been there since early yesterday afternoon."
"But…then shouldn't the droplets have dried out by now?" Ayame queried.
"Yes, you would think they should have." Hatori rolled the stem idly between his fingers, deep in thought. "It's almost…unnatural."
Shigure gave a short laugh and spoke half-jokingly. "So was the curse."
Hatori's gaze sharpened and met with Shigure's. Ayame's eyes also went to the former dog of the Zodiac, before all three regarded the rose again.
"So, someone brought Akito a rose, and cried for him." Shigure was the first to break the thoughtful silence.
Hatori nodded. "We can determine that much, I think."
"But there were lots of people crying at Akito's funeral," Ayame mentioned.
"Yes, but none of them knew Akito as we knew him," Shigure pointed out. "They probably were not really mourning his death. And for some people, just being at a funeral ceremony makes them cry." He paused. "But that reminds me, Ha'ri. Wasn't Akito afraid that no one would cry for him when he died?"
Hatori nodded. "So, in all likelihood, whoever left this at Akito's grave cried true tears of sadness…and broke the curse."
"But who would…" Ayame began. The answer suddenly came to them all. "Tohru."
"What do we tell the others?" Shigure eventually asked.
"Let's not tell them anything, at the moment. We should be certain, first," Hatori said practically. The other two nodded.
"We'll see her tomorrow, so no sense in raising suspicions by contacting her now," Shigure observed.
Hatori agreed. "And we need to get ready for tonight. I'll return this to Akito, and see you at the party. Tomorrow, hopefully, we'll know."
i love athrun: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.
lhuntathraeil: Oh, I believe you mentioned them all going to Tohru's house. But I took so long to write the last chapter I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot or if I remembered wrong. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope this one has some of the drama you were expecting.
Sami the archangel: I hope I updated at a decent speed for you. I'm happy you enjoy it.
Defafaeth Mechqua: lol. I barely beat the six-month mark myself, I think. This one was quicker, though.
Placid Snowflake: I'm so glad you like it! Thank you! I hope this was soon enough for you, and I hope I don't get writer's block again, either, lol.
yi wen1776: Thank you so much! I'm pleased you like it so much. Thanks, again!
LinBean: Thank you, Lina. I know I wasn't too quick about updating, but I hope I wasn't too slow, either. I'm glad you like it. I like Shigure, too. Have you read any Shigure/Tohru fictions? I've read one or two that I thought were none-too-awkward. If I get the chance, I'll find them and give you the titles. Anyway, thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy my fiction.
Sarah1281: I'm glad you enjoy it so far. Did this chapter answer your questions, or most of them? I hope you still like my fiction. Thanks for the review!
kurokioku: Thanks! I love the anime very much as well. I'm glad my story has made you love the series even more. Thank you for reviewing!
Kortni: I'm afraid it's not going to be done that quickly. And I guess I know who you'd like to see Tohru with, lol. Thanks for reviewing!
joyce: I will continue. I'm glad you like it! Thank you!
Lady Literature: I updated a bit more quickly this time! I hope you love this chapter, too. Thank you for the review!