Hey!  Thank you for anyone who is coming back for chapter four of my Fruits Basket Fantasy Epic.  I've been in Yuki's POV for awhile, but it's time to switch it up.  I've some more Sohmas in introduce (I'll get to all of them eventually), and since the manga has been focusing on Rin lately, I thought I'd open with her.  ^_~  Thank you again for reading!

Evermore

Chapter 4

By Zapenstap

            Rin returned to Kagura's home at the Main House late on the Sunday afternoon, weary and spent of thought and energy.  She closed the door behind her quietly, trod carefully upon the hallway floor, and padded softly up to her room so that Kagura's mom would not hear her or ask any questions.  She never spent much time here anymore if she could help it.  It was difficult being in another person's home for long, especially one where mother and cursed daughter spoke to one another openly and unabashed, where things flowed at least a little bit with a sense of normalcy. Rin tried to be happy for Kagura, to smile at the thought of someone with a similar problem as she living a life less isolated than her own, but she could not manage to assuage all of her bitterness.   So she avoided Kagura and her family when possible.   It made her sick, it filled her with sickness, to be reminded of her own family, of the happy charade that had disintegrated into blackness so suddenly, of the way she had been told not to return, that she was unwanted.  It hurt to be around someone who appeared to wanted, who seemed to be loved, when she herself was cast out, forsaken, abandoned and forgotten.  She wondered sometimes if maybe Kagura wasn't also living in a fantasy.  Could anyone truly understand a cursed human being enough to love them?

            Ah, but then, there was Haru.  Haru loved her, Haru loved Rin, if she dared to let him.  But no, she couldn't bear the thought of what would happen to him if she did.  And it wasn't just fear of what Akito might do, though that thought woke her up nights in a cold sweat.  No, she was afraid of more than just Akito.  It was herself she feared to allow to happen to Haru.  She didn't want to bring him down. She didn't want to depend on him, to cling to him, to allow somebody else to shoulder all her insecurities, her miseries, to be responsible for her happiness.  That wasn't fair.  She had to be stronger than that.  If she was to be alone, if she wasn't wanted, if she existed just to make up numbers, then it was best to bear that burden alone.  And if her heart was too weak then she would simply need to be colder, to become harder.  She could temper herself to not need anyone, to carry her own weight, to make her own way through this cursed hell.  Perhaps, if she became strong enough, if she learned not to care about herself, if she became so strong that she didn't care what happened to her, perhaps then she could find a way to break the curse, even if it broke her, even if it killed her.  If she kept trying… 

            And what about Tohru Honda?  Would that also be her fate?

            Rin sat down on the bed, long, thin black hair spilling around her face and shoulders like syrup poured from a pitcher.  Her whole body seemed to be quaking inside, but she refused to surrender to the tears that threatened to choke her throat.  Her eyes remained dry, her muscles rigid.  She refused to listen to the child-like voice in her that wanted nothing more than to be gathered up and smothered with love, to relax and lie safely in the arms of someone larger and stronger and wiser than herself.  But that person could not be Tohru.  No. She couldn't allow such an innocent, happy person to be dragged down to the dark depths of her family's misery.  His fingers clenched around her skirt, white at the knuckles.  She had slipped once in front of Tohru, had displayed weakness, and felt her strength crack.  No.  It would be best if Tohru Honda disappeared, or if the Sohmas did.  It would be best if…

            "Rin?"

            Rin looked up to see Kagura's pale gray eyes and dark-haired head peering around the frame of her bedroom door.  Not hers.  It was a guest bedroom. Rin could never truly feel at home here.

            She hoped that she had not been crying.  She refused to scrub at her face like a child.  Instead she sat straight and tall, shoulders back, surveying Kagura with midnight dark eyes that swallowed the light.

            "What is it?" she asked in dark undertones that were almost regal with ridged control.

            "Hiro's here," Kagura said in those mute, sweet tones that were her signature when her emotions were docile.  "He says he has a message from Shigure.  He wouldn't tell me what it was.  He wants you to come down to hear too."

            Rin followed Kagura downstairs.  She watched Kagura bound down the steps, and though she knew she shouldn't, she found herself contrasting Kagura's character with her own.  Kagura was so immature and impulsive, a person who busied herself trying to be what everybody else wanted and ended up just making life difficult for those she was trying to impress.  She was emotional and her lack of control over those emotions made her make mistakes that caused her to hurt others.  Then why did people seem to like her more than they did Rin, who was smart, mature, and capable?  Why did Kagura's mother love Kagura, and Rin's mother hated her?  Was the Boar more loveable than the Horse, or was it because people would rather have someone to laugh at than to look up to?  But perhaps that was just arrogance.  She ought not to think such thoughts.  She ought to just be happy that Kagura was doing okay, that Kagura was able to be happy.

            Hiro was waiting for them by the front door, having refused Kagura's mother's hospitality to sit down and have a snack in the dining room while he waited.  Hiro's sharp, almond-shaped eyes caught Rin on the stairs and his lips twitched into a smile.  He stood with his arms behind his back and his feet together, his young age and height at a contrast to his mannerisms and intelligence.  She found herself gazing back at him hollowly, one hand on the rail.  Hiro had always looked up to her, and Rin often found herself looking upon Hiro like a favorite younger brother, though she refused to get close to him as she refused to get close to anybody.  Hiro would have helped her try and break the curse, she knew.  She knew that he was clever, and also that he was earnest and sincere in his desire to help, but she could not allow him to try and help her.  She couldn't allow the risk of someone else getting hurt.  If she was to attempt this difficult thing, she had to do it alone.

            "Well?" Kagura asked brusquely, hands clenching into fists, ignored by both Hiro and Rin.  "What is it, Hiro?  What do you have to tell us?"

            The Sheep in the Zodiac glanced at her with a smirk, and Rin could see the glimmer in his eyes that sometimes foreshadowed an insult.  He never tried that stuff with Rin because he trusted her to understand him and knew she would not put up with it, but Rin had seen and heard about Hiro's attitude enough to know what it was about.  Hiro knew when he was smarter than other people, and oftentimes he showed it, not to hurt their feelings but to secure his own position.  He was very self-conscious, very aware of how young he was and how easily it would be for people to patronize him, to treat him like their intellectual inferior because he was still a child.  He hated being talked down to or passed over.  He wanted to be an adult, to have an appearance and position that matched the sharpness of his mind, but few people were willing to indulge him that far.  As a result he was often short with them, proving constantly just how smart he was, that he understood things, that he was not a child.  For now it was without the experience to back it up, but one day he would grow into himself, and if not for the curse, Rin would have believed Hiro capable of taking on the world.

            "We just received a phone call from Shigure," he said smugly, hands still clasped diplomatically behind his back.  "If you didn't know, Akito went to Shigure's house last night. As practically everyone else was already there, he took only Momiji as his entourage.  At first I thought it merely an opportunity to spend the time out from under his eye with Kisa, but Akito didn't return this morning.  And then Shigure called and explained the reason for Akito's abrupt departure yesterday.  As the news was interesting I thought you should know."

            "Just say it," Rin said coldly.

            Hiro took them in separately with a leveling glance.  "It seems that Kyo has let his bracelet get stolen," he said without further preamble, "and gotten stabbed in the process."  Seeing Kagura's wide-eyed alarm, he added with deliberate casualty.  "Oh, don't worry; Shigure assures me that physically he's going to be fine."

            Kagura didn't wait.  Her eyes grew as wide as saucers.  "Oh, my darling!" she gasped, and practically trampled Hiro as she flung open the front door.  It swung open so forcefully it slammed into the wall with a resounding bang.  A picture frame across the room shuddered from where it hung on the wall and fell suddenly, glass shattering across the floor.

            "Kagura?" Kagura's mother called pleasantly from the kitchen.

            "I'm going to see Kyo, mom!" Her voice floated back to the house from a distance.

            Ignoring Kagura, Rin seized Hiro's collar.  "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded in a forced whisper.

            Hiro eyed her without fear, his features cool and composed despite her threatening stance.  "You think I would know?  What makes you think they tell me anything?  All I know is what I've heard and I told you everything.   Kyo's been stabbed and whoever did it took his bracelet."

            Rumors about that bracelet were prevalent.  "Then, is he…?"

            "How should I know?  I've never seen it.  I don't know how it works.  I'm not even sure Kyo knows how it works."

            "Who would…?" Rin began, and then thought about it.

            Hiro's expression was a bit more serious as she released him and took a step backwards.  "Worrying, isn't it?" he said.  "Makes you think that somebody must know, doesn't it?  Kyo's bracelet… It's a tacky piece of jewelry, not worth stealing much less a stabbing," He paused, eyeing her, "unless someone wanted to expose him, of course, or all of us, as the case would be."

            Rin walked passed him and out the open front door, mind buzzing with questions she feared to answer.

            "Where are you going?" Hiro asked in a haughty tone.  But something in it told her he wanted to be included.

            "To see someone," Rin said ambiguously.  "You stay here.  If anyone asks, I've gone out."

            Hiro's eyes widened with indignation and then narrowed.  "No one will ask," he said, and she knew he was angry at her for directing him, for telling him what to do, for blowing him off.  "But even if they do, I won't say anything.  Look, Rin," he began in a different tone, a concerned one, "I know that your parents…"

            She snapped angrily before she thought.  "What would a child like you know about it?"

            She left Hiro in the doorway, looking as if she had kicked him in the face, and strode purposefully away.  Almost immediately she regretted it, ashamed at how harshly and easily she had hurt him, marveling at how easy it was to do when you knew someone well enough to manipulate their weaknesses.

            But though she felt bad, she didn't stop or turn back.  She feared it would be too difficult to turn around and apologize, not after what she had said, not even knowing that it was wrong to say it.  Guilt wormed inside her and bit deep at her soul, but she ignored it.  It was easier to deal with guilt than shame.  Guilt could be ignored, but shame was for others to see.  So what if he thought her cold or cruel or solitary?  That's what she wanted, right?  That's what she had been training herself for.  It would keep him safer anyway, staying away from her, from what she had to do.  For Haru.

            Without giving it another thought, Rin blanked out thoughts of Hiro and turned her mind to Kyo.  She wondered if telling Kazuma was the right thing to do.  She wished she did not feel so useless and weak being on her own, trying to be strong.

*****

            "Kyo," Tohru whispered hoarsely.

            She sat on the outside of the door in her pajamas, leaning her head against the wood with her legs curled and tucked half underneath her.  So she had sat for hours last night, pleading softly, until Shigure forced her to go to bed, taking her place to keep a watch on the door behind which Kyo had barricaded himself throughout the night.  Kyo wasn't going to go anywhere, but Tohru refused to leave her spot until Shigure promised that Kyo would not be left alone.  After she slept five hours, she woke up and came back.  Shigure was still there when she shuffled down the stairs, reading in a chair, and he sighed when he saw her, informing her that Kyo was still not talking.  When he went to bed himself, Tohru resumed her place at the foot of the door, watching through the windows with tear-filled eyes as the sun rose over the hills and painted the world in a golden light.  She hadn't yet made breakfast for anyone, nor dressed, nor taken a shower, but as no one else was up yet, she didn't see the urgency.

            "Kyo, please talk to me," she whispered again.  "I want to see you.  I…I don't care what you look like."

            She heard him moving inside.  She knew he was awake.  She could just tell, but this was the first time she had distinctly heard him move since right after his transformation the day before.  He had been in a rage then, and the sounds of his cries and crash of objects had not ceased for about an hour.  Then he had gotten quiet, so quiet that even Hatori started to worry.  And he hadn't made a sound since.

            "Kyo?" she asked, lifting herself up on her knees, hands climbing up the door.  "Can you hear me?"  Tears filled her voice, not for the first time.  "Please, Kyo.  I'm so worried."

            All was quiet for a moment, and then she felt more than heard the sound of his hand hitting the other side of the door, at about the same place where her palm was.   She struggled until she was kneeling at the foot of the door, not moving her hand except to clutch at the wood with her fingernails.  She tried to speak but she couldn't think of anything to say that hadn't been said already.  So instead she just sat there, imagining Kyo kneeling on the other side of the door, wondering what he was thinking.

            For hours last night she had tried to persuade Kyo to open the door, to talk with her, to make some sound of recognition, all to no avail.  Shigure and Momiji had also tried to talk to Kyo, and even Hatori and Arisa had made an effort.  Saki had explained only that his electric signal was too chaotic for talking just then and that it might be better for everyone to just go to bed.   Yuki had disappeared long before Saki's advice.  Tohru remembered the look on his face last she had seen him.  It wasn't the angry, exasperated look she was used to seeing on him when Kyo was concerned, but rather the withdrawn, frightened look she associated with him when he was trying to say something to her and just didn't know how to say it.  When Yuki's absence was noted, Haru left too.  Then Hatori ordered Momiji to go to bed.  And at last Saki and Arisa turned in, deciding to stay at Shigure's after all that had happened. Tohru was last, persuaded only by Shigure's promise, but as far as she knew Shigure himself did not sleep until she returned.

            Kneeling outside the door, Tohru tried to imagine Kyo's pain, to understand how deeply he must be hurting, how confused and frightened he must be.  Before today, the secret of his other form was known but not seen.  Now everybody knew, and they had also seen, and he must be wondering what they thought, thinking how nothing could ever be the same again. 

            "Kyo," she cried.  "I know things are different now, or you think that they are.  I don't know what to do.  Please…"

            "You can't do anything."

            The sound of his voice was so surprising that she lifted her tear-streaked face from the door and stared at where her cheek had been pressed, at where she had heard him whispering so quietly.  "Kyo…?"  She scrubbed her face.  "Have you…?  Are you…?"

            "Yeah.  I've changed back," he said quietly.

            "Then it's okay," she said diffidently, trying to quell the hope that dawned in her.  "Everything will be all right.  You can come out and eat.  And we can talk about it, decide what to do…" Her voice trembled.

            "It's not okay," he said, and the bite in his tone made her flinch.  It made her soul ache.  "I can't keep it… Several times now I've changed back, but as soon as I start thinking, I…"  The pain in his voice made her heart feel like it was tearing inside her chest.  She could feel him breaking down, could sense the terror shaking his body, could hear the fear thick on his tongue.  "It's that damn rat's fault!" he said harshly.

            Tohru's hand slipped from the door and she knew his had done the same.  "Kyo," she whispered.  "Don't think about Yuki.  Please.  I think it's that that… When he came in the room, I mean…"

            "I need that bracelet," Kyo whispered.  "I have to find it.  If I don't…"

            A cool voice broke in.  "If you don't, what?"

            It was not Tohru who had spoken. 

            She turned on her knees, looking up at Akito as he stood just behind her, staring down at her from above.  An unpleasant expression twisted his features and his eyes glowed with a light that frightened her.  His face was palely beautiful, like Yuki's, but the way in which he spoke and smiled somehow belied the beauty of his features.  His kimono hung loosely on his shoulders, and though he did not look physically unwell, there was illness in his eyes, a shadow and a strain that seemed to pull his face into a distortion.

            Tohru, eyes sweeping swiftly back, felt her fear increase by the ominous way in which Kyo fell deathly silent behind the door.

            "I hear you've had an accident, Kyo," Akito continued glibly.  He smiled so devilishly that Tohru swallowed, sensing the malice in the undertones of a pleasant voice, like acid boiling under a coat of velvet.  She was kneeling at his feet, spellbound, and knew that she didn't dare move.  "What is it, monster?" the voice continued sinuously.  "What has befallen you?  Complain to me.  I can help."

            Kyo still did not speak.

            "Please," Tohru ventured, imploring before she thought, honest to her emotions.  "Akito-san.  Don't call him that.  He's not well, but he's not a monster.  Akito-san…"

            Akito's attention turned to her, head hanging to stare down at her with hooded eyes. With his body blocking the light it was like he was surrounded by a physical shadow and darkness.  When she looked up, she could barely make out his face, and only enough to see the hard, bitter eyes and the accompanying lifeless smile that sent a chill through her blood straight to her heart.

            "Who's not a monster?" he whispered, still smiling.  "Is it Kyo?  Is it not perhaps…you?"

            She could only stare at him, lifting her head to look up at his eyes from where she sat balled up on the ground.  "What do you mean?"

            Akito's smile became wicked, a flash of cruel delight sparkling in his eyes as he leaned forward, whispering into her ear.  "Isn't it you?" he asked.  "Isn't it you who is causing all this trouble?  Tell me, do you love the Cat?  Do you love the Rat? Which is it?  Which, little girl, which animal do you prefer?  Do you perhaps pity my monster?  Or is it the Rat, the favorite, the first of all the Twelve?  Are you really so nice?  Are you what they think you are?  How can you be so perfect?   Is it not more likely that you are playing games?  Playing with hearts? Are you not enticing them, all of them, to believe something they can never have?  Didn't you know?  Didn't anyone tell you?  They are mine.  All of them, the first to the last, even this pitiable monster.  I care for all of them.  It is me that they obey, me who holds their hope, me who enables them to live.  Not you."

            "What are you telling her?" Kyo's voice sounded half-strangled, more than half desperate.  "Stop, Akito! Stop it!"

            Akito drew away from her, eyes flickering up to the door, smile vanishing.  Tohru shivered where she knelt, head bowed, eyes squeezed shut.  She was shaking and couldn't stop.  Her mind fumbled to answer the questions, but she choked on the answers, wondering, wondering, is it true?  Is there any truth in it?  She felt sick inside, sick and guilty, because she knew that she was interfering.  But she couldn't stop.

            "I want…" she whispered.  "I want to break the curse.  Akito," She lifted her head.  He wasn't looking at her, but she knew he was listening.  "I want everyone to keep trying," she cried.  "I just want everyone to move forward.  The curse is…"

            "The curse can not be broken," Akito said flatly, dully.  "You can't do anything.  You are merely a divergence, a distraction.  But one day you will realize, everyone will realize the truth that I have known all along, the truth that I have had to explain countless times.  You are all too slow to understand, but upon graduation you will understand."  He smiled again, his lips twitching back as he looked back at the door, as if his eyes could pierce Kyo through the wood.  "The monster knows what is waiting for him.  Do you hear me, monster?  This girl is not invited to the banquet.  And you, because you are a monster, are not invited either.  You will be locked up."  He laughed, a sound that grated harshly in Tohru's ears.  "Did you know that she knows? They all know.  But no one can change anything.  No one can save you.  We are all bound by the curse, to our eternal destiny, to each other.  Accept your fate.  Accept what you are.  Do not complain.  You have no need for any bracelet.  That too, was merely a distraction, a deception to hide your true appearance.  What does it matter if you don't have it anymore?  But do you know something?  Because I love you, I will be nice.  I will let you go into your cage early.  I won't allow others to see you.  I will keep you isolated so no one can hurt you.  Aren't I merciful?  I will even visit you.  Aren't I gracious?  Well, monster?  Answer me!"

            The sound that emitted from Kyo's throat came as if pulled forcibly from him. It was something between a sigh and cry, a noise that seemed to choke up on itself.  Tohru could see him in her mind, on his knees before the door, eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out everything. 

            Akito's attention was diverted abruptly when the front door banged open.  Tohru raised her head, wiping away the tears that had leaked from her eyes, and was surprised to see Kagura standing in the frame, looking at the door she had flung wide with a wince creasing her face.  Luckily, the door had not been broken, but the sight of it only occupied Kagura's attention for a fraction of a second.  In the next she had lifted her head, and upon seeing Akito froze, elbows bent and hands clenched under her chin.

            "Akito?"

            Akito's eyes narrowed.  He stepped away from the door, pulling his kimono around his shoulders.  The glance he threw toward Kagura was one of extreme dislike, but in the next instant his expression softened, and smile spreading once more across his face.  He turned toward her, walking in a straight line to where she stood rooted to the ground, the hem of his robes trailing behind him.

            Kagura looked up when he was close, still not having moved.

            "Do you still fancy yourself in love with the Cat?" Akito whispered.  Lifting a hand, he grasped Kagura's chin between his thumb and the knuckle of his forefinger.  "Are you still so bold?"

            "I…" The lights in Kagura's gray eyes swam.  "I love Kyo," she said, but the way she said it lacked force, and if she were trying to convince herself.  Under Akito's eyes she trembled, retracting from his touch.

            Akito's eyes narrowed.  "How like a woman," he said.  "How very sentimental.  How deceitful."  But then he smiled, a slick, knowing smile.  His grip on her chin altered slightly, turning into a light caress, knuckles brushing against her cheek.  "You keep on trying to love that thing," he commanded in a harsh, hissing whisper.  "Try to console the monster.  Try to make it up to him.  Break yourself upon that wall.  Expel all your energy until you're dried up, until you're used up, blighted, wasted, cast aside.  It's what you deserve after all, for what you've done."  His hand jerked suddenly, fingers clenching, and Kagura flinched, turning her face away as if bracing herself for a blow.

            But Akito did not touch her.  A moment later he had passed her by, walking outside, shaking his hand as if it stung him, his frail frame absorbed by the sunlight in a harsh, blinding flash.

            Silence settled across the room.   Tohru raised herself slowly to her knees, banishing her thoughts as she watched Kagura staring after Akito, the green scarf around her neck fluttering in a breeze.  She looked white around the lips and her eyes were glassy, having lost some of their shimmer, but then she turned slowly, determination seeming to steal over her features. 

            "Kagura?" Tohru ventured, standing to her feet and reaching out with one hand.  "Are you okay?"

            "Where's Kyo?" Kagura asked quietly, as if she had blanked Akito from her mind completely.  "I came to see him.  Is he in there?" She pointed to the door behind Tohru.  Before Tohru could say anything, she ran forward, shoving Torhu aside and banging on the door.  "Kyo?  Kyo!  It's Kagura!  Open the door, my love!"

            "Kagura, go away!"

            "Open it, damn you, or I'll break it down!"  Silence.  "Kyo! I know you're hurt in there!  If you don't want to be hurt more, you'd better open this door!"

            "Ah, Kagura's here.  I should have known."

            Tohru turned to see Shigure and Hatori coming down the stairs with Uo, Hana and Momiji in tow.  They were all watching curiously as Kagura began to do as she had threatened.  In an amazing feat of strength she somehow managed to dislodge the door handle from the door.  She seemed surprised when it came away in her hand, but her confusion only lasted for a few slow blinks before she came to herself.  Tossing the door knob on the floor, she pushed the door open, blasting through it like a steam engine.

            Tohru winced when two mingled cries announced the fact that Kagura had tripped over Kyo.

            "Well, it seems he's changed back," Shigure said happily.  "I thought he might."

            "Tohru," Hatori said to her, and she turned her attention away from the door, having caught a relieving glimpse of Kyo's orange hair as he fell forward on his face.  The yelling that soon commenced was too confused to make out.  "Did Akito come through here?"

            "Um…yes," Tohru said, blinking as she focused on Hatori, and then wondered if she should explain.  "He…he spoke to Kyo through the door, and then he left."  She pointed toward the front door, still wide open.

            "What did he say?" Shigure asked almost eagerly, the question leaping on top of her words.

            "I'd better go after him," Hatori interrupted.  "He'll be upset otherwise.  Momiji?"

            "Aw, Hari.  I wanted to stay!"

            "Come along, Momiji."

            Tohru watched as two more of her guests vanished out the front door, and then suddenly realized that she was not dressed, and neither had she started breakfast for the other seven people residing in the household.

            "Kagura, get out!" Kyo shouted.  "You don't know anything!  Leave me alone!"

            "Um, Kagura," Shigure called.  "Why don't you do as he says for now, hmm?"

            Kagura emerged from the room with one of Kyo's flailing hands tucked under her arm, liquid gray eyes looking at Shigure with an innocent, almost lucid shimmer.  "Oh but, Kyo needs someone to look after him," she said.  Kyo struggled in her grip, but she seemed not to notice.  "And I want to.  I do."

            "We'll get it all sorted out over breakfast," Shigure said cheerfully.

            "I'm not coming to breakfast!" Kyo shouted, and managed to pull his arm out of Kagura's grasp suddenly.  The door slammed shut again.  Kagura jumped, looking a little startled.  Now that the lock was broken, Tohru imagined Kyo standing with his back to the door, trying to hold it closed with the force of his body.

            "But aren't you hungry, my love?" Kagura exclaimed, merely turning to look at the barrier that once more separated them.  She didn't appear overly concerned about being able to get in.

            "You should be quite hungry, Kyo," Shigure seconded with a smile.  "You haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, am I right?"

            "I'm not coming out," Kyo said. "There's no telling… There's no telling when I might change.  Maybe if you keep that damn rat out of my sight, but... I don't know.  I think I ought to be alone.  Without that bracelet…"

            "What's going on?"

            Kyo fell abruptly silent, as if he had bit his tongue.

            Tohru turned to look at the stop of the stairs to see Yuki rubbing sleep out of his eyes.  Even when he was tired in the mornings, the sight of him made her feel silly inside, and though she knew he wouldn't like it, she couldn't help but think just how beautiful he was.  She felt her cheeks flush and hurriedly submerged the thought.

            "It's so early," Yuki continued, always slightly irritated right after he woke up.  "Why are you making all this noise?  What time is it?"

            "How can you sleep?" Uo demanded.  "I kept waking up all night.  I'm ready to go out and nab that assassin."

            "He wasn't an assassin.  I'm not dead!" Kyo shouted from inside his room.  "And I'm glad we woke you up!"  He pushed the door back open suddenly, leaning around the frame to shake a fist and bellow at Yuki. "Do you hear me, rat boy?"

            "Clearly," Yuki said, looking more awake but still standing at the top of the stairs, glowering down at Kyo with narrowed eyes.  "I don't know how you can stand to be so loud at this hour.  Stupid cat."

            Kyo looked to be thinking up a come-back when he suddenly froze, staring at Yuki with surprise.

            "Seems you can come to breakfast after all, Kyo," Shigure sang.  "Why don't we find you some clothes?  Tohru, do you think you could get started on breakfast?"

            "Um, sure," Tohru said, and then realized she was still barefoot in her yellow pajamas.  "Let me go get ready first.  Can you wait?"

            "I don't know," Shigure mused with an expressive sigh, and then smiled at her.  "I guess we'll give it a shot."

            As she ran up the stairs, she saw the surprise in Kyo's face reflected in Yuki's. They were still staring at each other, astonishment leaving no room for any other emotion.  Haru was standing in the hallway just behind Yuki, his expression unreadable, though he seemed more concerned at reading Yuki than Kyo. 

            "Okay," she heard Uo saying from below.  "As soon as Tohru gets us breakfast, I propose making a sweep of the area where Kyo was attacked to look for clues.  Then we'll start asking questions, you know, discreetly, to see if anyone knows this Belduine guy.  What do you think, Hana?"

            "It's too early for my less-than-average brain to sort out the electrical waves I am receiving.  I simply can not make any decisions at this time."

            While Tohru hurriedly showered and dressed, she wondered if they would really be able to help Kyo.  She wanted to find his bracelet, even though he hadn't transformed at seeing Yuki today, and even despite the things Akito had said, but she wasn't sure if looking for clues where Kyo was attacked was going to help.  And if this Belduine person was dangerous, she wasn't sure it was wise to ask questions about him.  But she wasn't going to get disheartened!  No, she just had to pull through, to keep going, for Kyo, and for everyone.  Even Hana and Uo were involved and it was better to do something than nothing!

            When she came back downstairs, she found breakfast already made and everyone seated around the table.  She was so startled she wished everyone a second good morning before she found herself padding into the kitchen to see who had alleviated her of her duties.  Sliding the door open, she saw Kyo standing at the sink, alone and away from the group, cleaning the dishes and not participating in the conversation that floated in from outside.  He looked the same as she remembered from the back, standing barefoot with one fist on his hip, but as she had never seen such an expression in his eyes before, intent and fearful, yet determined at the same time.  Hope seemed to flicker on and off in them like a candle flame as he methodically washed and dried the dishes he had used to make breakfast.  Her heart flared with an emotion she could neither describe nor express, but she found herself wanting to speak to him.

            "Um…Kyo?" she said.

            "You didn't have to come in here," he said quietly, but something in his voice told her he really didn't mind if she did.  "There's a plate waiting for you on the table.  I made breakfast for everyone," he continued.  "Since, you know, you weren't ready and stuff."  His eyes never left the dishtowel, but she noticed that his face was pale.

            Was he really just trying to help out, to be nice to her?  She knew his thoughts were probably elsewhere this morning.  She hadn't had breakfast ready because of him.  "You're still worried," she whispered, leaving a bit of a question in the statement as she waited, standing contritely by the door.  "You haven't been able to figure out how to keep from changing yet?"

            "Maybe it's random," he said, sounding so depressed, not looking at her.  "Or maybe I can control it in some way.  I don't know.  I just don't want to be around a lot of people right now.  A couple of times last night I was able to stop it halfway through, but I…" He closed his eyes.  "Maybe Akito's right," he whispered through clenched teeth.  "Maybe I've been running from this.  I can't join society.  Not this way.  I shouldn't lie to myself.  There's no way…"

            "Don't give up," Tohru pleaded, cutting in hurriedly.  "We'll find a way.  We'll start by finding your bracelet.  You'll see.  Everything will work out.  No matter what Akito said, you…you're not a monster, Kyo."

            "No, he's not."

            Kyo dropped the cup he had been drying, eyes flying open as he spun around.  "M…Master. What are you doing here?"

            Tohru turned too, surprised to see Kazuma standing in the door.   He must have entered the house when she came into the kitchen, and had probably even spoken to the others.  She had not noticed, but her eyes softened at seeing him. She was glad he was here.  This was the man Kyo looked up to and depended on more than any other, and she was so afraid for Kyo right now.

            "Hello, Kyo," Kazuma murmured, looking Kyo up and down.  Kyo's bandages were hidden under his clothes now, and he was moving about fairly normally, as far as she could tell.  If she hadn't seen it for herself, she might not have known that he was so sorely hurt, but Kazuma seemed to know somehow.   "Rin told me," he answered.  "She wouldn't come herself, not with Haru here, but she told me what happened.  Are you all right?"

            "Rin?" Kyo sputtered.  "Damn it!  Does everyone know?"

            Tohru remained silent, watching Kazuma Sohma.  Nothing seemed to upset this man who had taught the Sohmas martial arts, who was connected closely to the main house even if he wasn't cursed.  He waited patiently through Kyo's raging, waiting for his anger to burn itself out, that gentle, caring expression never leaving his face.  Despite his peaceable demeanor, there was a strength and control in this man.  He was like a stone tower with a foundation buried deeply into the earth, a structure of strength and power that she knew from Kyo's stories could conquer anyone or anything.  He was ever unassuming, displaying nothing of his skills, but even without Kyo's stories Tohru could sense it, a confidence and a force of will that was a comfort if it was not a threat.

            "Kyo?" Kazuma prompted again.

            "Yeah, I'm fine," Kyo mumbled, flushing and turning his face away.  "Hatori took care of it, though I doubt he did it for me."

            "No," Kazuma contradicted.  "I'm sure he did, but we'll talk about that later.  Right now I am more interested in confronting whoever it was who attacked you.  You can't remember anything?"

            "Not very well," Kyo mumbled with downcast eyes.  "This whole thing is pointless.  We've got nothing to go on."

            "I want you to stay home today," Kazuma continued as if that were not a discouraging note or any hindrance.  "You should go about your day as you normally would.  If you find it difficult to stay as you are you might have to depend on the rest of us to help you."  Kyo opened his mouth to protest indignantly, but Kazuma rode over him.  "However, if you manage to control your transformation, and if we don't find anything today, we might need your help tomorrow.  It's not Yuki that caused you to change?"

            "I guess not," Kyo mumbled, scratching his head.  "But I swear that last night it was thinking of him that did it."

            "Then don't think of him," Kazuma advised.  "Tolerate him as you have been doing since you came to live here.  He will be helping."

            "That damn…?!"

            Kazuma waved a hand.  "He told me just now that he wants to help.  It may not be for your sake.  This matter concerns everyone.  If it bothers you, don't think of it."

            Kyo looked away.  Tohru could tell he was struggling with something, struggling to release some fear or thought that upset him.  She could see it in the way his fists shook at his sides.  "Master, do you think I'm a monster?"

            "No," Kazuma said definitely.  "I don't.  You're not if you believe you are not."

            Kyo didn't say anything for a long moment, not lifting his head to meet anyone in the eye.  Tohru watched him anxiously, hoping that he would believe Kazuma over Akito, but she also knew how important Akito was to the cursed members of the Sohma family, or she was starting to understand.  In the quiet, they all heard snatches of the conversation in the other room, and what Tohru heard specifically distracted her.  She looked away from Kyo, eyes widening in surprise, and even Kyo lifted his head, darting forward to the door.

            "Oh," Kagura was saying from the other room, her voice sweet and calmer now, but carrying clearly into the kitchen. "Belduine, yeah.  I've heard about him."

            Blinking, Tohru walked out of the kitchen, Kyo and Kazuma following her.  Everyone was still seated around the table, empty dishes stacked to one side, conversing quietly.  Yuki smiled at her when she came into view and she found herself flushing unconsciously again under his stare. She remembered what Akito had said to her, the haunting question he had demanded that she answer, and felt her thoughts chasing each other into corners.  It was not something she should be thinking about, something she was always telling herself not to think about these days.  Neither Yuki or Kyo… She wasn't ready…  It wasn't possible… Willfully, she stopped thinking of it.  "Um, excuse me," Tohru said, smiling at everyone in response.  "Did I miss something?"

            "Your friend Kagura was just telling us that apparently your friend Belduine was at her school yesterday," Saki told her with a voice as blank as her face, and then held out her cup.  "Is there any more tea?"

*****

            Minami was walking out of a drugstore and thinking about the meeting scheduled tomorrow for the Prince Yuki Fanclub when she was suddenly confronted by a boy she had never seen before.  At first, she only registered the boy as a charmingly cute stranger who was in her way, but then she realized how forwardly he was looking at her, waiting as if he knew her, and became extremely annoyed.

            "Excuse me.  Do you mind not staring at me like that?  Thanks."

            "Sorry," he replied, and smiled at her so broadly that she found her irritation slipping sideways.  Taken aback by such a sweet, child-like face, she noted again how cute he was (though not nearly, not even remotely as cute as Yuki, she reminded herself) and wondered if maybe this boy's stare had more behind it than general rudeness.

            "Can I help you with something?" she asked bluntly.

            "Um, yeah, maybe," he said, and fished a piece of paper from his pocket.  "I'm looking for the people on this list.  Do you know any of them?"

            Minami took the sheet of paper and scanned it.  "I can't read this," she said, flinging it back at him.  "What language is it?"  It certainly wasn't Japanese.  And it wasn't Chinese either, or Korean.  And it didn't look like English either or any language that used a Roman alphabet.

            "Oh, sorry," the boy said again.  "That was stupid of me.  How about I read the names off the list?"

            "Uh, I kind of have somewhere to be," she said, feeling abruptly like this was more than a little strange and not having the patience for it.

            But the boy just started reading.  "Yuki Sohma, Hatsuharu Sohma…"

            He didn't get any further.

            "Prince Yuki?" she said, and grabbed the list out of his hands again.  She still couldn't read it, but she found herself memorizing the strange characters that made up Yuki's name in this foreign alphabet.

            "He's a prince?" the stranger said in some surprise.

            "Uh…" She wasn't really listening anymore, going over the pen strokes in her mind.  She could already write Yuki's name in a dozen languages, but she didn't have this one yet!  "Yeah," she babbled.  "He goes to our High School, Kaiwaia High.  He's in my class, actually, class 1-D.  He's the most amazing…"

            "Thanks," the boy said, and Minami blinked at her empty hand before realizing the kid must have taken it back while she was spacing out, dreaming about Yuki.  "You've been a great help."

            "What do you want him for anyway?" she asked, straightening.

            "Oh, it's not me," the boy said. "It's just better if I find them before She does."

            "What do you mean?" she asked, blinking slowly, and then became angry, wondering if by "She" he meant some floozy girl who was going to swoop down out of nowhere and snatch her dear Prince Yuki…but wait, didn't he say them?

            "Have you had lunch yet?" the boy asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.

            "Um, no."

            "Can I take you out?"

            Minami turned all sorts of different colors, fumbling to hold onto her other thoughts as she tried to process the question.  "I don't even know your name," she babbled.

            "Belduine Terwhin," he said and gave her such an elaborate bow that she found herself completely speechless.  "And you?" he asked.

TBC

*laughs*  I actually didn't get through all the stuff I wanted to in this chapter, but it was getting long so you will have to wait for the next chapter before the Sohmas (and friends) encounter Belduine again!   This chapter had a lot more to do with private Sohma angst, I know, but that stuff is important!  It just took more space than I thought it would.  There will be more action and plot-oriented information in the next chapter.   I hope it will be worth reading so please come back if you are enjoying the story!

On a different note, I have to thank each and every one of my reviewers for giving me some of the most incredible reviews I have ever had in the two years I have been writing fanfiction.  I am used to getting reviews that say "write more" or "this was good" and I just have to say that it is so wonderful to get back from work and find presents in my inbox that are so long and thoughtful.  Thank you so so much for taking the time to review for me.  I take my writing seriously, and it means so much to know that other people are enjoying it.  The reviews I have received from all of you are so helpful and they really so encourage me to keep writing this story.  So anyway, thank you all very much.  You didn't have to, but I do love it.  It's worth the time it takes to thank you.  Please forgive me if I miss anyone.

Kyra Rivers:  Yay!!!  You came back!  I did my best with Yuki and Momiji.  I hope you are enjoying the other characters as well.  I am doing my best.  Thank you very much for taking the time to read.  You are awesome.  Seriously.  I really appreciate it!

CaitiWow!  Thank you very much for the offer.  If I need anything, I will certainly let you know.  I do get writer's block from time to time.  A cliff-hanger after every paragraph, you say?  I'm so flattered!  Thank you.  This chapter may have been a bit slower, but I hope it was still good!  Thank you so very much for reading it!  And yes, Ayame and Ritsu will be in this story!   I love all the characters.  I will try to do them all justice.

SAL-chan: A black eye, eh?  Naughty Haru.  I don't want to spoil the story but some of your questions will be answered in the next chapter!  Please keep reading.  As for your offer, hmm… what do you got?  ^_~

KimnaDo you really think so?! I hope you keep reading!

Melinda the Digimon Pet: Your guesses were great!  I hope you are still trying to figure it out.  I love doing that myself so I'm trying to provide lots of things to think about.   What are your thoughts on Akito's behavior in this chapter?

Rivulet:  Your reviews make me laugh for pleasure.  Thank you so very very much for your thoughtful responses.  As for breaking the curse….there's a LOT more story to tell and I don't want to spoil it.  Just wait…it's still got to "do it's own thing" as I noted in the first chapter, and there's still a fantasy element (quite a complicated one) to employ.   I hope you liked this newest chapter!

Lady Kara: Oh my gosh!!! You have read TWO of my stories.  I looked at you favorite stories and saw Relena's Decision there.  *is so happy*  Thank you so much.  I am immensely wowed.  I hope you like my Fruits Basket writing as much as my Gundam Wing writing (assuming, of course, that you like it!)

ChibiCatOh, you don't have to be Ritsu!  But Ritsu will be in the story later.  ^_^  As for Kyo…almost.  It was meant to be a bit misleading.  I hope your friend read my story!  The more the merrier!

The Great Thing:  Ah!  I can't get over how much I love your reviews! There will be more between Saki and Akito.  There will be a lot more of Akito in general.  I'm really fascinated by Akito.  But I don't want to spoil it! I only hope that you continue to like my story and keep reviewing it because I'm addicted to your comments.  Thank you so much.  *bows*  I hope you will like what I have planned from Kureno and Arisa, and yes, there will be other pairings.  I have lots of lovely romance waiting in the wings!

JexyBabyOh wow!  You reviewed both of my fics!  Don't think I didn't notice.  I am overwhelmingly grateful for your compliments.  And see?  Kyo's case is not hopeless.  He will be in more of the story the way we love him most.  Please keep reading!

Flirting with Incoherence:  I'm so glad to see you!  Hopefully Yuki's emotions are making sense.  As for Belduine, I hope you stay tuned!  I don't want to ruin it for you!

GrrL N:  Oh, you came back!  Yay!   It seems I switched the trigger for Kyo's transformation up on you a bit.  ^_^  What did you think of Akito this chapter?

Mizaya:  I love you!!   And you know, it's true.  I do feel like I'm writing non-stop sometimes, though it only took me two days to work out this chapter, so I'm getting to be more efficient.  Even so, I'm SO easily distracted.  Oh well.  ^_^   Anyway, I hope it's ultimately a good thing that I write IC.  I read over every line a million times trying to get it like that.  I introduced some more characters this time around.  Do you think I got them right?   Hope you are going to keep our bargain and update Divine Interventions tomorrow!  I was wowed by that Arisa-Kureno and Saki-Akito scene in the 6th chapter, but I now want to see what the other Sohmas are up to!  I want to see that curse smashed up!

Thanking everyone takes up a lot of time and space.  If it annoys anyone, please let me know.  It is my intention to honor my readers for taking the time to read my story, nothing else.  So again, thank you all very, very much and please come back next chapter!

-zapenstap