Konnichiwa! I have taken in your votes and since all of them have been counted for. I've decided to turn all of your ideas into a series of events. Ending with Tohru saving him from a life or death situation and him accepting her with one final test that doesn't involve him being a horrible person…Oops! I've already said too much, so here it is. Chapter 12 of What's a Girl to do? Sayonara.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. There, now that I got that off my chest here's the fic. Enjoy! -
Chapter 12 Akito's first strikeTohru walked silently to the kitchen. She had been so busy that she had almost forgotten to make dinner. Tonight's dinner was going to be very special, in honor of the entire family (besides Ayame and a few of the other Zodiac members that had yet to reveal themselves) being together. Tonight she would make roast and fish and many different steamed vegetables and fruits and many other things.
She got straight to work on it.
Sweet aroma's of food circulated through the house and soon found it's way into the rooms of the Sohma boys and girls. It just so happened that Shigure was the first to enter the kitchen to find Tohru busying herself with the dinner.
"Oh Flower. Why do you do such wonderful things for us?" He asked gliding over to the oven and taking in the heavenly sent of roast with potatoes and carrots.
"It smells wonderful Tohru." Shigure said dreamily.
"Well, thank you Shigure. I hope everyone likes it." Tohru said laughing at Shigure's expression.
"If it is made by you, not even Akito could turn it down." Shigure said kissing her temple and returning to his room. Tohru was so happy she could burst.
'Mom, you can't believe how happy I am here. It's like you are still here but there is more people to take care of. It's wonderful. Kyo, you met him already, he has changed a lot and we are officially going out. I love him so much. I love all the Sohma's. Shishou-san thinks that I might even be able to break their curse. Wouldn't that be wonderful. Once the curse is lifted I will give everyone a great big hug. I can't imagine how they must feel about it…'
"Yo, Tohru?" Kyo said in her ear snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Oh! Hello Kyo. You startled me. What is it?"
"Um, your pot is boiling over." He said pointing to an extremely overflowing pot. Panicked Tohru ran over to it and turned down the heater and started to stir the water around.
"(Sigh) Thanks Kyo."
"What were you thinking about that had you so spaced?" He asked with the utmost curiosity.
" Oh, a lot of things, like the curse, the family, mom, and…you and me." She said happily.
"Oh, really?" He grinned and moved closer to her.
"Uh huh." Tohru smiled profoundly.
"Really?" He leaned down and kissed her gently. Staying like that for a minute they didn't notice two little eyes peering in on them.
The two eavesdroppers giggled and laughed making Kyo and Tohru pull apart.
"How much you wanna bet that it's Kisa and Hiro behind the corner?" Tohru asked.
"I say that it's Shigure and Shishou."
And wouldn't you know it that Tohru was right. Kisa and Hiro jumped out of the hall and Kisa yelled 'Surprise!'
"I guess you win this time. I'll be back to continue where we left off once everyone's asleep." Kyo whispered in her ear. Tohru blushed and giggled. Pecking him on the lips once more before he walked out of the kitchen. Kisa giggled and Hiro had a disgusted expression on his face.
"Sissy?" Kisa asked.
"Yes?"
"Um…I have something to ask you." She said nervously.
"Oh, okay, what is it?" Tohru said wiping her hands off with a towel.
"Well, um…it's about Hiro." Kisa whispered.
"Oh." Conveniently, Momiji had just bounced into the kitchen.
"Hey TorTor."
"Oh, Momiji! Um, Momiji, could you take Hiro and play with him. Kisa and I have some girl talk." Tohru asked sweetly.
"Oh, Alright Tohru, no problem. Let's go Hiro." Momiji said leading Hiro out of the kitchen.
Once Tohru was sure they were gone she sat Kisa down.
"So what is it you want to talk about?"
"What is…how did you and Kyo…what did you say to tell Kyo that you loved him?" Kisa asked nervously.
"I just came out and said it. Why, is there a special someone that you like?" Tohru asked smiling.
"Uh…yeah." Kisa said in a soft voice.
"Is it Hiro?" Tohru asked. Kisa looked up quickly and flushed.
"So it is! What if I told you that he has the same feelings you do?"
"You really think so?"
"It's written all over his face. So why don't you go and find him and tell him how you feel?" Tohru said winking.
"Alright!"
Kisa ran out of the kitchen to find Momiji and Hiro.
15 minutes later Momiji came bouncing in, happy as ever. Tohru was just putting dinner on the table.
"Kisa told Hiro!" Momiji shouted happily.
"Ah! YAY!" Tohru said jumping up and down with Momiji. Yuki, Shigure, and Kyo came running into the room, looking very worried.
"Ms. Honda is everything alright!" Yuki asked concernedly.
Tohru laughed and nodded.
"Everything is just fine. Kisa just told Hiro how she felt about him that's all." She said excitedly.
Shigure grinned. "Oh joyous of days, this feast that our young flower has made shall be for two reasons now. Dos thou agree?" Shigure said in his poetic voice.
"I think that is wonderful. I agree." Tohru said happily laying the roast and fish on the table.
"Would one of you like to call down for dinner?" Tohru asked politely.
Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure all turned around and yelled…"DINNER!"
After dinner Tohru sang to Momiji (I'm saving a song for Kyo. It's really good.) and then went to her room. But when she got there, Akito was waiting for her.
"Hello Tohru Honda." He said in his eerie gentle voice. Tohru looked at him in shock.
"Oh…hello Mr. Akito. Is there…something you wanted to talk to me about?" Tohru said cheerfully. Akito walked closer to her until he was standing right in front of her.
"Tohru Honda, you have somehow got all of my family wrapped around your finger. And I cannot allow that…"
"But I…" Suddenly Akito backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the ground.
"When I am talking you do not speak! Now…where was I?" Tohru looked up, horrified at him.
"Ah, yes, I cannot allow you to take this family. I will make sure of that." He said evilly.
"But, Mr. Akito, I don't want to take your family away. I just want to be part of it. They accept me, and care for me, and they would do that for you if you only let them near you." Akito picked her up by her hair and slammed her into the wall hard.
At that moment Kyo was on the roof and he heard the slam.
'That came from Tohru's room…Akito!' He jumped up and ran to the place where Tohru's room lay just below.
Akito smacked her again, each one harder and full of more hate than the last.
Tohru, barely able to keep conscious looked up at him sadly.
"Please Mr. Akito, let me help you. Let me be your friend." Tohru pleaded, but he hit her again.
"Insolent woman. I do not need a friend, I do not need your pity, and I do not need your help!" Akito yelled hitting her so hard that it put a Tohru sized dent in the wall. The necklace Kyo had given her flew out and hit her chest, revealing itself to Akito.
At that precise moment Kyo punched a hole in the roof, making it crash to the ground. He jumped through the hole to see him hit her. Eyes full of rage he hit Akito with such force it sent the "Akito the Great" flying across the room. Breathing heavily he ran over to Tohru's limp body and carefully pulled her up to a sitting position. And to his surprise, he didn't transform!
"How dare you hit me, you worthless piece of orange filth." Akito raged.
"How dare you hit Tohru! She has done nothing but defend you and protect you against our hatred and this is how you repay her! Your disgusting!" Kyo yelled. Shigure, Kazuma, Hatori, and the rest of the Sohmas came rushing to the room.
"Kyo what is going o…" Shigure stopped dead seeing Tohru, her face full of bruises and cuts. And Kyo holding her protectively.
'The Curse!' Shigure thought horrified.
'Our fears have been realized. I hoped that this would never happen.'
"Ms. Honda!" Yuki ran over to her and Kyo. Momiji, Kisa, and Haru as well. Hiro following Kisa.
"SISSY!" Kisa yelled holding onto her arm.
"GET AWAY FROM THE TRAITOR AND THAT UGLY GIRL! Akito demanded, suddenly noticing that Kyo could hold her in his arms without transforming
All the Sohma glared at him and didn't move.
"I SAID MOVE!" He thundered.
"Mr…Akito…You must let us help you. If you don't…you might…never be healed." Tohru said barely audible.
"Why do you try and talk nonsense! There is nothing you can do to heal me!" He said full of spite and loathing.
Tohru looked up at him, full of determination to convince him.
"Please Mr. Akito…I want to help you. I don't want you to be alone and bare the burden of your troubles…by yourself. No one should have to face their problems alone. And that includes you. I want to help you." Tohru pleaded. Akito glared down hatefully at her. He moved towards her and Kyo stood up in a protective stance. Ready to strike if he came within an inch of Tohru.
"Oh, the lover stands. How bold of you, but bravery won't save you Kyo. I want that girl to hurt like I hurt, and I will make her suffer, and no one is going to stop me, because…they can't." Akito said. Kyo growled low in his throat. Yuki tried to help Tohru up, he himself taking note that Kyo did not transform, but he did. As soon as Tohru was pressed against him from almost collapsing, he turned into the rat.
Akito noticed this transformation and realization dawned on his features.
"The legend was right, "the cat, will prevail over all." It was true." Akito said flabbergasted.
Kyo looked at him in utter confusion.
"What are you babbling about?" He asked roughly.
"Somehow, you have broken the curse upon yourself." Akito whispered.
"How?"
"You were able to hold that ugly girl before. You have lifted your curse!" Akito screeched. Kyo's arms dropped to his sides limply.
'I…I did. I was holding Tohru. But how? I did nothing special. How did I do it?'
"You were never allowed to be anything in the Sohma family, but yet you are the first to break your curse. I must think about this." With that Akito lurked past everyone into the shadows, deep in thought.
Once gone all the Sohmas turned to Kyo. Tohru carefully got up and ran over to him. But stopped, not sure if Akito was true. If his curse was really fully broken, and not temporarly because of his strong emotional anxioty that had overcame him back a few minutes ago.
"Kyo…?" She asked nervously.
He was still a little dazed but he turned towards the sound of her voice, an expression on his face that was hard to describe.
Tohru reached out and wrapped her arms around his middle, it looked like she was in slow-mo, but once she was successfully holding onto Kyo, he had not changed. Not even a flicker of a hint that he would be changing.
For the second time, Tohru saw tears forming in his eyes. She had not seen him cry since she accepted his third form.
He swiftly grabbed hold of her shoulders and held her tightly.
"I can…" He was trying to speak, without breath. Tohru smiled happily, she had dreamed of this before, her and Kyo, holding onto eachother.
'Has she truly broken the spell?' Kazuma thought anxiously.
Suddenly a puff of smoke and a cat was latched onto Tohru's shoulder. Everyone stared in awe as the say the sight. Tohru's eyes welled with tears. She had not broken the spell, but it had felt like a dream that she had wanted to happen, but her dream was shattered for the moment. Even though she had not lost hope in one day being the factor that breaks the Sohma curse, but it was still a little disappointing. She had thought that this was it. She would finally be able to break the curse and truly succeed. But it was a failure. She immediately went into sobbing sorry mode, the worst of her sorry modes. It made the entire Sohma family feel guilty, this mode did. And it wasn't a pleasant felling either.
"I'm so sorry Kyo. I guess I don't have what it takes to help break the curse." Tohru said gloomily. He looked sadly at her.
"Of course you do Tohru, you're our angel. You saved us, you taught us to be ourselves and…"
"You taught us to deal with life as it passes you by. One day at a time. The past is in the past, and the future is just ahead, all we have to do is…"
Tohru smiled.
"All you have to do is go for it. I remember, but if I'm this great person, how come I can't break your curse?"
Kyo transformed and pulled on his clothes before turning to Tohru. He lifted her chin so that their eyes met.
"You can break this curse of ours. And you are a wonderful person. If I speak for myself, I think that you have taught me the most. I think you have changed me the most."
"I will vouch for that." Shigure said in the doorway.
Tohru laughed and looked back at Kyo.
"You really think that I did all that? Cause I sure didn't, you had it in you all along, the power to change, you just…"
"As Shishou put it, all I needed was a little push, and you were that push Tohru. You really saved me, even if you haven't broken the curse yet. I still got to hold you for a little while." He said softly. He was saying all of this in front of everyone. This truly was a new Kyo. Shigure, Kazuma, Hatori, they all noticed it. Even Yuki, he finally understood. Now it was his turn to show how much he has changed.
"Kyo." Yuki said. Kyo looked back at him. He wanted to glare and say, 'what is it stupid rat' But he didn't. He just stared blankly at Yuki.
Yuki slowly walked up to the two.
"Truce?" Yuki asked offering his hand. Tohru gasped. Heck everyone was shocked.
Kyo looked down at Yuki's hand for a minute then he understood. Yuki was willing to put aside their differences until Akito was dealt with and Tohru had broken the curse, then they would be back to normal. Well, almost normal.
"Truce." Kyo said and shook Yuki's hand. Tohru about fainted. She was filled with complete joy. Shigure and Kazuma both stood in utter shock. Shigure because in all his years of knowing Kyo and Yuki they had always found some way to destroy his house, but with this new truce his house would be spared…for the moment. Kazuma was utterly in paralyzing shock because of all his years knowing Kyo, he had never seen him not hate Yuki, nor swallow his pride for the sake of another. Kazuma beamed with pride at how much these two had grown up and were willing to sacrifice for the happiness of one individual's sake. Namely Tohru.
Tohru latched onto both of their shoulders and they both transformed. The rat was in one arm, and the cat in another. Tohru held then tightly.
"I'm so very proud of you two. I can't believe you guys called a truce."
"Yes, I must say that I am beaming with pride, son." Kazuma said smiling. Kyo looked up at him and a small tear was visible in his eye. He had promised that one day he would make Shishou proud enough for him to call him his son. And he had succeeded in that.
"Shishou-san, I promise that I won't give up." Tohru said determinably as she exited the room after laying Yuki and Kyo's clothes by them.
"Kazuma, have you ever figured out why she calls you Shishou-san yet?"
"No Shigure, I haven't. But I wouldn't ask for her to call me anything else." Kazuma said, smiling happily and proudly.
The vacation had gone and went. Akito had not tried anything suspicious since that day and Kyo was still not able to hold her. But it seemed that Tohru was even more determined to break the curse. Kazuma stayed a little longer and so did Kisa. Hiro wasn't too thrilled with it but he put up with it anyway, for Kisa's sake.
"Good bye Kisa! Goodbye Hiro!" Tohru said waving them off as they walked into school. Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki had all walked Kisa and Hiro to school since they had stayed at Shigure's house.
"They really are cute together don't you think?" Tohru asked them.
Yuki smiled and nodded. "They are, aren't they." He commented.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get to school." Kyo said walking ahead of them.
"Come on Yuki, or Kyo will get too far ahead!" Tohru said grabbing Yuki's hand and dragging him along till she caught up with Kyo. There, she let go of his hand and smiled at them both.
"I can't wait to tell Uo and Hana about our vacation!" Tohru said excitedly.
Kyo looked over at her with an annoyed look. But when she looked up at him, smiling, somehow, it would always make him smile.
"Tohru! Orange top! Prince! Wow, it is so good to see you Tohru!" The three turned around to see Uo and Hana coming their way.
"I thought I asked you not to call me that?" Kyo growled as Uo pat Tohru's head. Tohru giggled and looked over at Hana.
"Hello Tohru. How was your vacation, and don't leave out any details." Hana said in as cheerful a voice as she could have.
"We had so much fun. I got to see the beach and wear that new swimsuit you guys got me for my birthday last year. It worked out great. And then Mr. Akito…" Kyo and Yuki both covered her mouth before she could continue. Tohru suddenly realized that she was about to tell Uo and Hana what Akito did to her and she became silent.
"Okay Tohru, what did this Mr. Akito do?" Uo asked holding off Kyo and Yuki.
"He…was really nice to me. He is the head of the Sohma family and he said that Shigure could adopt me if I passed some tests. But I don't know what that is yet." Tohru said cheerfully. Yuki and Kyo let out two sighs of relief.
"Oh." Uo said.
"If this Akito man hurts you Tohru, just come to us and we will deal with him our way, okay." Hana said pulling Tohru into a hug. Uo joined in and nodded.
"If any of them try to hurt you they will have to answer to us."
"You wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway!" Kyo burst out.
"Oh yeah, and how would you know!" Uo shouted back at him, her fist balled up.
"Because I know!" Kyo said seriously. Uo was taken aback by his words. She nodded.
"Fine, Orange top."
" I SAID STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Kyo yelled. Tohru looked upon her friends and family and couldn't help but laugh and smile. It was good to be home again, and that was no joke.
Konnichiwa, I hope you liked this chappy. I know that I really enjoyed writing it. If you want to continue giving me more ideas then please by all means, go ahead. I could always use more ideas. By the way, thanks to all of you who voted on your favorite idea. I can't thank you enough for doing that. It is a really great feeling when your readers love your story enough to participate in something like this. So to all of my readers, Arigato goziamasu. (Thank you very much) Sayonara.
