I am once again a liar because I am updating earlier than I thought I would. I hope people won't punish me by not reviewing the last chapter (chapter 7) but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I hope that by chapter 8 you are prepared for the twist out of the FB known universe that story is about to take… ^_~
Evermore
Chapter 8
By Zapenstap
Yuki flanked Belduine on his right side and Shigure on his left, but it was Shigure Yuki watched out of the corner of his eye. Shigure shuffled forward with his hands tucked away in the sleeves of his robe as if he were some sort of humble monk, smiling cheerily as he walked. He was carrying on a conversation with Belduine, but he looked straight ahead as he talked, as if merely chatting for the sake of hospitality. Yuki was not fooled; the subject of the conversation was really more like an informal interrogation. And yet Belduine did not look perturbed. Either he was playing along or he didn't understand. Like he was a child being led to the park instead of to Akito, he listened attentively and answered questions straight-forwardly, strolling along between his guards as if they were close acquaintances. But then, Belduine didn't know Akito. Yuki felt cold but said nothing. He merely watched, and thought as fast as he could.
"So you come from Evermore," Shigure said with a smile. "And just where is that exactly?"
Belduine shrugged, looking at Shigure even if Shigure was not looking at him. "I couldn't really tell you. All I know is that I came here from there. It's above me to know how it's done. The magic is too complex."
Shigure acted as if this information did not startle or impress him, but Yuki almost missed a step. Magic? Was the kid mad, or was something going on here that was even more allusive and perilous than he had suspected? Suffering under a curse as he was, Yuki could not completely dismiss such a comment out of hand, but the implications did not set easy with him. The curse was terrible, unnatural, and it was possible that it was magical, wasn't it? It had come from somewhere or someone, even if he was not privileged to that information. But whatever magic Belduine was talking about did not sound of the same kind.
"It's a magical place then, this Evermore?" Shigure asked casually, and Yuki was half-startled to realize that Shigure's outward mood couldn't possibly reflect his real thoughts. But if that was true… it occurred to him that perhaps Shigure was in the habit of acting. Suddenly he understood why Rin was always so interested in Shigure and his surreptitious behavior.
"Uh, not really," Belduine said. "I guess you could say that The Heart of The Glen is a magical place, but Evermore itself is really more of a location. It's not even that big. It's part of a forest that separates four princedoms, but there's really nothing magical about the outlying districts. Everything beyond the borders of Evermore is rather commonplace. I have heard there are magic academies to the East, and I guess that's where the magicians came from, but I've never been that far myself."
To this, Shigure said nothing, and Yuki himself was rendered speechless. If he was mad, he was certainly inventive.
"These magicians," Shigure began, "they know about us?"
"They're the high servants of the Esper herself," Belduine said. "Yeah, they know. It's only a matter of the time it takes them to organize before they come here. Azaren is the cautious, planning type. They might already be here for all I know, watching and waiting for the opportune moment."
"But how would they get here?" Yuki broke in as Shigure seemed to fall into a still and eerie silence, his eyes glittering as he looked straight ahead. "What you are saying doesn't make any sense."
Belduine turned to look at Yuki. "They use the Key," he said, making a gesture as if turning a key in a lock. "The legend says that when the Esper came to Evermore—it was called something else before she came—the only thing she brought with her was a golden key that hung around her neck. I couldn't tell you how it works or where she found it, but it opens doors to other places. That's how I got here three days ago."
"Why?" Yuki demanded, bewildered but desperate to work out this riddle.
"Because the Esper sensed your Curse, and she sent me here to collect it."
Yuki's eyes widened in sudden flash of fear that, though his understanding was incomplete, made his insides turn over. He couldn't commit to believing anything so preposterous, and yet, what if it were true? What if there was some sort of fairy in some other place that collected curses? And why was that so terrible that they were in danger from it? If some strange being wanted their curse, she could have it. Unless there was something more to it.
"You know," Belduine said to him suddenly. "You're really beautiful."
Yuki lost his footing and almost fell forward on his face.
"I meant that in a strictly objective way," Belduine added. "You okay? I didn't mean to upset you. It was just something I noticed. Sorry to take you by surprise. I hope you're not offended."
Shigure's expression was contorted into something between a stoic mask and a fitful grin. He looked as if he was about to die from the effort of holding in the laughing fit bursting to escape him.
"No, it's fine," Yuki said quickly, regaining his stride and glaring at Shigure over Belduine's head. Inside he was fluttery and nervous, feeling once again like he was being stared at and inappropriately misjudged. But he didn't let it show.
"I really am sorry," Belduine said, sounding abashed.
"We're here," Shigure announced before Yuki had to reply, and Yuki's attention was quickly refocused. They had come to the receiving room where Akito was waiting. At the threshold, Shigure swallowed his amusement and turned to Belduine with a grave expression. "Akito is the head of our family and the god of the Zodiac Curse," he informed him, "which, from the sound of things so far, you probably already know. He is the most important member of our family and he was not happy to hear about your interference. His word is law to the rest of us, but I should warn you that he is not in good health and is frequently sick. Be careful the way you speak to him. His moods can sometimes turn violent."
"Okay," Belduine said more somberly than Yuki had yet heard him speak.
Shigure opened the door and led him in.
Yuki had to take several calming breaths as he followed Belduine into the room and silently shut the doors. As Shigure led Belduine to the center of the room to kneel on the tatami mats—Belduine copied Shigure's form awkwardly—Yuki glanced circumspectly around the room. Sunlight lit up the paper-screen windows on the left side of the room, and a few artistically placed shoji lamps provided the rest of the lighting. There was next to no furniture in the room, as was consistent with ancient Japanese style, but the calming atmosphere that ought to have been presented by the natural colors and open spaces was stifled by the room's occupants.
Though Akito usually took his time to acknowledge visitors, today he was waiting, standing at the head of the room while everyone else knelt on the floor, waiting for him to speak. Momiji was gone and Yuki would not have been surprised to hear that Akito had sent him out, but Haru and Hatori knelt on either side of Akito in attendance, facing the visitors but not looking at them. Kureno was also absent, which was to be expected. Yuki had been surprised to see him in the hallway.
Yuki felt slightly cold and numb as he knelt on the other side of Belduine, bowing his head and hoping that he would not have to interface with Akito directly today. Akito himself seemed to take no notice of Yuki. His eyes glared contemptuously down at his visitor. As head of the household and God of the Juunishi, Akito was not held under the usual code of hospitality. Everyone was expected to look up to him, to bow down to him, to be polite to him, and he never questioned that he need ever return their respect. He felt that it was owed him, and it was clear that the way Belduine glanced briefly and curiously around the room before focusing on him angered Akito from the start. The dark flash in his eyes made Yuki nervous. Akito hated foreigners even more than he hated women, for his distrust of outsiders to the Sohma Curse doubled in respect to anyone outside the comfort of his own culture. He looked at the bewildered kid kneeling on the floor was as if about to spit on a condemned criminal, and after a few moment of heavy silence, the spark in Belduine's eyes showed that he had noticed it.
"I'm sorry for this confrontation," Belduine began, "but I…"
"So you're the one," Akito cut him off smoothly. His voice was like oil, slick and smooth and black as pitch. "How old are you? 16? 17?"
"I don't really know," Belduine answered pleasantly, and Yuki blinked in surprise. "But that isn't…"
"Not much to look at, are you?" Akito continued, and his eyelids slipped down as if he were tired or bored. "Small. Plain. Poor? And yet you stabbed my monster, threatened my…" He smiled almost sickeningly, "…family. My dear, beloved family. Do you know how that makes me feel?" The malicious hitch in his tone made Yuki's skin pebble with a sudden chill.
Belduine only stared at him, lips slightly parted, hands folded on his lap. He spoke more contritely. "I have something important to tell you, my lord."
This address made Akito's eyebrows shoot up, but all he did was laugh, a mirthless chuckle that shook his slight frame but brought no warmth to his face and eyes. "I see," he said, stopping suddenly. "Something to tell me. Go on. Say it. Give us your outside news that is so important to the Sohmas."
Belduine licked his lips and rocked back a little as if uncomfortable and wanting to shift the way he was sitting, but he did not actually move, for which Yuki was grateful. "Three days ago I was sent here from Evermore by the Esper. She sensed your Curse and desired it for herself."
Akito's eyes narrowed. His reply was biting. "Desired our curse? Explain that. What is this Esper?"
Belduine answered almost as if reciting a litany. "She is a being of magic energy that can not die. Her power is feared and in these dark times she feeds on suffering. It is said that once in the distant past she was a breaker of curses and healer of injuries, but now she delights in sorrow and pain and gathers it to her. She wants your curse for herself, but…" he paused hesitantly, "not to remove it from you."
And suddenly Yuki had a sickening flash of understanding. In the matter with which he had been half-entertaining Belduine's wildly incredible information as truth, he had assumed that this Esper, whoever she was, wanted their curse in a material way. He had entertained the idea that a fairy, if such a thing existed, might be able to lift it somehow, but now he understood that this was not what Belduine had come to warn them about. The situation was not merely strange, but perilous. By the sound of it, this Esper of Belduine's, if there was a shred of truth to her existence, didn't want to take their Curse upon herself. She wanted them, in flesh and blood, the fourteen names on Belduine's list. She wanted the cursed members of the Zodiac, to keep for herself, like animals in cages, like freaks on display…
"She collects curses," Belduine continued, and was staring Akito straight in the eye. "And has no concern for people. She collects those who suffer and she feeds on their misery until they're broken and used up and they die off, and then she keeps the magic in the residue for herself, to boost her power."
…Like fattened lambs.
It was clearly impossible, a preposterous idea, a subject to be dismissed and ignored, but… somehow Belduine knew.
The distain in Akito's expression was evident, but in the reflection of his eyes a dark, raging fury rolled and boomed like storm clouds roiling in the surface of a gray lake. Yuki's heart beat in his ears, and his breathing seemed to come in ragged spurts, his body cold as ice, his fingers numb, still and motionless as he waited for the rain to fall.
It fell with a lightning strike.
"Who desires misery?" Akito spat. "Who wants to take my family from me?" He pointed a finger at Belduine, and his whole arm shook with rage. Hatori started, looking up at Akito in fear, and even Haru's eyes widened as he shifted, bringing one knee up from the ground.
"Akito…" Shigure whispered.
"Silence!" Akito snapped and Shigure deflated as if struck. Akito's burning eyes remained on Belduine. "Are you telling me what to fear? Are you telling me what to do? I don't need you! No one here needs you! You're a liar and a criminal and an outsider and nothing you say means anything to the Sohmas! Hatori!"
"Break the curse!" Belduine shouted as Hatori stood, and the noise rung in Yuki's ears. "If you are their god you must know what can be done, what has to be done. If you lose the curse she will lose interest in you. Don't you want to be rid of it?"
"It can't be lost!" Akito shouted, and there was pain in his voice that rent the air like a knife. "And what would she know of misery? Nothing. It doesn't matter. Nothing can be done."
"Well not if you don't believe it can!" Belduine cried shrilly, encouragingly, desperately, and for a moment what he was saying sounded so much like Tohru that warmth flooded Yuki's heart and hope flickered in him briefly, like a candle flame pushing back the darkness. "You're a god," Beludine continued in a following whisper. "Can't you…can't you bless them somehow?"
Akito coughed violently, a sound that made it seem as if his lungs were filled with fluid, and he bent over himself, hacking and trembling and half looking like he was going to fall over. Light spatters of blood speckled the hand he held over his mouth. "No," he gasped. "No, I can't do anything like that, you simpleton!"
"But…"
"Silence! I don't want to hear anymore. Hatori!"
Hatori moved to grasp Akito's shoulders, supporting him as he continued to cough, his frail body shaking and half looking like it was going to fall apart like a shivered tree. Clutching Hatori's forearm, he dug his nails into his doctor's shirtsleeve and swayed against him. He lowered his head as if dizzy, but then his eyes looked up at Belduine and the shocked faces of everyone in the room, noting their concern with obvious disgust.
"Erase his memory," Akito said when his coughing fit subsided and he was able to straighten. His eyes glanced at Belduine askance, deep and dark and full of malice.
Belduine's eyes widened with alarm. "Erase my…?" He leaped to his feet, eyes darting toward the papered windows, measuring their resistance, but his legs half gave way under him suddenly, and it was obvious that they had fallen asleep from sitting in a position he was not used to for so long. Darting forward, Yuki grasped him from behind and held him down by the shoulders before he could move again. His conscience was torn when he saw the uncertainty in Belduine's eyes, knowing that they reflected his own.
"But what he has said," Shigure began, lifting a hand toward Akito imploringly. "I'm not saying we should trust him, but we should at least consider…"
Akito's eyes flared. "Erase all of their memories!" he snarled, staring at Shigure with something close to hate. Yuki looked up in shock and heard Haru gasp, but then Shigure closed his mouth and bowed low, folding double over his knees. Akito smiled, regaining his composure and spoke is a more soothing tone. "I heard what he said, Shigure, but it's time to end this business of outsiders knowing about us, don't you think?"
"Whatever you think best, Akito," Shigure said, but he didn't sound pleased.
"Very well. I'm glad you are on my side again," he said it with a twisted grimace. "Those in the family may keep the secret, since we are all bound by it. But not everyone in this room is part of the family. Yuki, hold him still. Hatori?" The last was clearly an order.
Belduine struggled under Yuki's grasp as Hatori came solemnly forward, but the boy was obviously not able to use his full strength while pinned down on his back with his legs still half asleep. "Don't do this!" he gasped to Yuki. "They can't find me here. Akito! Don't do this! You don't understand what you're up against. It's almost certain they're here already! I thought I felt it earlier! It won't be long before they come for each of you!"
But Akito's face didn't change.
"Close your eyes, Yuki," Hatori whispered.
Yuki shut his eyes tightly as Hatori half knelt before Belduine, but his grip on the kid's shoulders tightened as he struggled valiantly, thrashing in Yuki's grip. So many emotions were swirling inside Yuki that he didn't know what to think or feel, but it was fear that paralyzed him in its potency. He held onto Belduine with a death grip until a rushing sound filled his ears, a sound like wind sweeping ocean waves to crash against the giant, jutting rocks of the seashore. It was accompanied by a blinding flash of light that burst against the outside of his eyelids, and with the passing of the sound and the light, Belduine's movements ceased, his body going slack in Yuki's grip. Opening his eyes, Yuki stared down at his own hands, noting how his knuckles had gone white from his hold, that his hands shaking, and had the sudden urge to throw up. Belduine looked dazed, his eyes blinking rapidly, his head lolling on his neck, and then he seemed to drift asleep, slumping over unconscious for the second time that day.
"Poor kid," Shigure whispered in a voice so quiet that only Hatori and Yuki could have heard him. He looked dazed. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Put him back in that room," Akito said, breaking in on their silence. "I want to ask him some more questions when he wakes up."
Shigure's head snapped up. "But…" he whispered, and then it seemed as if a realization had dawned on him.
There was a moment of silence as Akito and Shigure stared at one another, assessing one another. Shigure seemed profoundly shocked, staring at Akito as if he had never seen him before.
Akito's expression twisted slightly. "Don't question my orders."
His command was punctuated by a second coughing fit, and this time it was so bad he stumbled backward and leaned against the wall, holding his robes tight around his body, staring at the floor as he tried to breathe, hair hanging in his face. It was a face that—Yuki was consciously aware—looked a little too similar to his. He wished this day was over.
"Akito," Hatori said stoically, rising from Belduine's crumpled form. "Perhaps you should lie down."
"I'm fine!" Akito snapped. "Just follow my orders! Take him out of here! All of you! I want everyone to leave me. Now!"
They all stood, scrambling quickly to their feet. Shigure knelt to lift Belduine from the floor, sharing a meaningful glance with Hatori, who only shook his head.
"Everyone except Yuki," Akito added abruptly. "I want Yuki to stay here with me."
*****
One the pathway leading up to the front entrance of the hot springs resort, Ritsu Sohma trudged tragically along, carrying the grocery bag by the handle in both hands, sighing repeatedly and lamenting his hopelessness. He tried to keep from crying, reminding himself that even his self pity was something to be ashamed of, and was then pushed to tears again by the despairing thought that the world would just be a better place without him.
"I'm worthless. I'm worthless. Why was I born with no talents? Why am I such a disappointing person?"
He stopped by a puddle left over from a short shower that watered the countryside earlier that morning. The puddle was gray and muddy but he could see his face in it clearly, a sad, long face framed by hair that ought to have belonged to a girl, though, he admitted, not a very pretty one. He was too large and awkward and sad to be pretty, not that he deserved to be attractive or the kind of attention that came with beauty! What was plain was that even dressed in a girl's kimono, which he adopted out of a desire to be overlooked as a self-effacing, contrite girl usually was, Ritsu still lacked confidence.
"I'm just no good," he whispered to himself. "I can't help how useless I am. Nothing I do matters to anyone. It is no wonder that no one wants to be my friend and that my parents are ashamed of me. It is natural that I don't have confidence. I was born to it and I just have to accept it." His lip quivered under this deluge. "I apologize! I'm sorry!" Setting the grocery bag down, he clapped his hands together and bowed to the puddle, asking forgiveness of the muddy water for imposing his reflection upon its surface.
Not feeling any better, he picked up the bag and kept walking. For some reason, he still kept going, trying to smile every once and awhile, encouraging himself to wake up again the next day. But it made him sad, because no matter his efforts, he knew he could never be as confident as Ayame.
He wished to visit Tohru again. She was so nice, so accepting, so encouraging. He still remembered what she had said about finding someone special to share your life with. Oh, but it was too much of a dream to expect something like that! But… maybe someday. It would be a disservice to Tohru Honda's kindness to give up so early.
Feeling a little better, Ritsu continued walking until he reached the end of the path. Walking straight up to the door, he knocked on the front door, not wanting to intrude, even if it was his own home. Usually his mother came right away to let him in, but this time no one came.
He banged one more time, hoping he was not being too loud, and then wondered frightfully if he was disturbing anyone. He hung around outside for a few minutes, feeling nervous, and then decided to let himself in.
"Hello?" he whispered, peering around the frame of the door. Everything seemed strangely still and quiet. "Mother?"
Padding softly inside, Ritsu set the bag of groceries on the counter in the kitchen—he was certain he had forgotten something important at the store—and then began to explore the house. It was never this quiet. Usually someone was complaining somewhere, or crying or apologizing or shouting at someone else. He walked upstairs to where the staff's bedrooms were located and knocked on his mother's door.
"Mother?"
An unfamiliar voice made his hand freeze before knocking a second time, a voice speaking in a language he had never heard before.
The door swung open without Ritsu having touched it and two men wearing dark cloaks eyed him from within, dark green cloaks wrapped around their bodies and an excess of white material peaking out from the cloak partially concealed their faces. Just behind the two strange figures was his mother, lying facedown on the floor, her eyes closed, her body stiller than stone.
Ritsu cried out in alarm, but there was no one around to hear it.
*****
Yuki stood by the doorway even after the others exited, chin lowered and fists clenched at his sides. Akito's request that he remain had sent a bolt of unpleasantness through him, the sliver of dread that always accompanied such a request, though he did not even consider refusing it. It was just that every time he was with Akito, especially if they were alone, he left feeling a little less of a man and more and more like a rat. It was the dread of that feeling that made his palms clammy and his thoughts lose focus. The trauma such sessions had caused him in his childhood still haunted him, and he couldn't abide cramped, dark places even now, places like the one where Akito had whispered horrors to him about his own nature. He never wanted to be locked in that room ever again, but even standing in this open room he felt that in some ways like he was always locked in it, and maybe that was why he could never run away.
Akito didn't say anything to him for awhile. He merely coughed and shuffled about, casting glances at Yuki from time to time and then ignoring him as he would a piece of furniture. It was a surprise when he spoke, using a soft, almost caressing tone.
"Why so sad, Yuki?" he asked. "Don't you know you're my favorite? It's a real honor, is it not?"
Yuki didn't say anything. He had heard all this before and he still wasn't sure what Akito really meant by it.
Akito watched him silently for another minute and in that time Yuki managed to look at him, not sure exactly what to call the emotions he felt when he was around Akito, nor what to say. He felt his confidence crumbling, his insecurities bubbling up under a surge of fear and worry and discomfort.
When Yuki neither moved nor spoke, Akito approached him, gliding surely and softly across the tatami mats, making no noise at all. When he reached Yuki, his hand lifted to delicately touch Yuki's face, turning his head under the chin so that Yuki was forced to look him in the eye. "You don't know who you are, do you?" he whispered. "The Rat. The first. Don't you think it's a privilege to be what you are? Or is it… a curse?" He smiled fiendishly. "And yet you never come to visit me. If I didn't know better…" Akito's fingers clenched, the pressure digging lightly into Yuki's cheek. "I'd almost think you didn't like me."
Yuki could only stare at him.
Akito's hand dropped away. "Where did you get that bruise?"
"From a fight."
"With that Cat?"
"No. The foreign boy gave it to me."
Akito lips twisted in what might have been either a smile or a grimace. "I'm disappointed in you," he said, and Yuki felt the words hit him like a blow to the stomach. "Do you believe what he said, Yuki? Do you think he's telling the truth?"
"I don't know," Yuki replied softly.
Akito turned away from him, his demeanor relaxing so that he was more of an isolated body than an invasive force, wrapping in on himself and excluding all others. He was always either one or the other. Yuki swallowed, trying to regain his composure, to find his strength, but all he felt was sick in the stomach. He bottled his emotions deep, sinking in on himself, trying to find his footing.
"I think they must be lies," Akito said. "Because someone like that would lie, don't you think? But I will ask him again just to be sure." He smiled in a way that made Yuki nervous. "You're so cold, Yuki. You even look like ice." When Yuki didn't say anything, Akito turned his head away and took a few strolling paces toward the center of the room. "I want you to tell me what you've been up to since I see you so rarely these days. I want you to tell me everything you've been doing. And then, once you've told me, I want you to go back to that room, the one where our little friend is resting, the one where I used to keep you…" He smiled again, that same smug, sickly smile. "And fetch him for me."
With a faltering voice, Yuki answered the questions Akito asked, skirting as much of his personal life and feelings as he could, keeping individual people out of it as much as possible, for their safety as well as his own. He didn't talk about the Student Council or Tohru or anything that mattered to him. And it didn't seem that Akito cared. He looked extremely bored, yet whenever Yuki's recitation faltered he was told to keep on with it. When he found himself running out of things to say, Akito smiled at him as if knowing his mind and abruptly told him he could go.
When Yuki opened the door, Akito's voice stopped him. "Just remember who owns you," Akito said.
Outside, Yuki wobbled on his feet and put a hand to his head to steady himself. Why? Why was he the favorite? Why did Akito go out of his way to abuse him? When he approached the room that had horrified him so thoroughly all his life, it took every grain of confidence he had to face it directly. The fear of being trapped in the dark, in a small place, alone for hours, cold and lonely and abandoned, threatened to claw its way into his heart. And he couldn't stop thinking about the things Akito had said to him in the darkness, things that had crippled his spirit. He never understood why. He never wanted to see this room again, but to think that someone else was trapped here… He wished he could make heads or tails of Belduine. The kid claimed to have been sent by someone he acknowledged as his employer and their enemy and then chose to warn them about it. Why?
When Yuki unlocked the door and opened it, he got a shock. The room was empty, and it took him a few moments to realize that in the short time he had been talking to Akito, Belduine must have escaped.
*****
At Shigure's house, Tohru left Kyo, Arisa and Saki playing a game of cards at the table and padded upstairs to change out of her school clothes. Hanging up her school uniform in the closet so that it wouldn't wrinkle, she changed into a skirt and shirt and stood in front of the mirror as she plaited her hair into two braids. But when she went to fish a hair tie from the dresser Shigure had bought her for her room, her eye caught sight of something she had forgotten and her hand drifted over and froze, hovering over the flower Belduine had given her the first time they had met, the flower she had dropped on her dresser top and hadn't thought about since.
She paused, looking at it as she finished tying her hair, and then picked it up. Her eyebrows lowered with confused sympathy. That poor boy. He had seemed so sweet and genuine she still couldn't believe he had been the one to stab Kyo. And then he had pulled a knife on Yuki and said all those strange things. She was glad that Kazuma had stopped it before anything worse had happened, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for him and wondered what it was he was so desperate to tell everybody.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed something strange. She blinked, twisting the flower in her hand and tapping it against her fingers. It hadn't wilted, not even a little, even though she hadn't put it in water or anything. The stem still felt hard and fresh and the petals looked as soft and new as ever. It seemed to be a real flower. Brows knitting in consternation, she examined it a little closer and was astonished to discover what looked like tiny words written on the edge of the petals.
"What kind of flower is this, mom?" she breathed.
A knock sounded at her door and she turned quickly, the flower still grasped in her hand. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me."
Kyo's voice. Forgetting about the flower, Tohru walked to the door and opened it. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said habitually, smiling at him. "Have you all been waiting for me?"
Kyo's response was a glower. "What are ya doing up here?" he asked her, his mouth pulled down in a frown that she knew he didn't mean, his face tensed as he glanced around the room with both fists pressed to his hips. "Your Yankee friend wants to play Sevens and we need another player."
"Oh, um, okay," Tohru said, and made to follow him out the door.
He stepped back a little to give her room and pointed to the flower in her hand. "What are you doing with that thing?" He sounded irritated, almost… jealous. "Is that…?"
"Oh, nothing!" she said hurriedly. "It's just… Well, I was worried about what's happening at the Main House and everything…" Seeing that this topic was not helping Kyo's mood, she held up her hands and added hurriedly, "and…well, look: I noticed that there's something rather strange written on the petals."
"Let me see it," Kyo said.
Tohru held it up for him to look at and flushed a little as he stepped closer to her, close enough that she could have laid a hand on him without having to reach. She hardly noticed when he plucked the flower from her hand and turned it over in his carefully.
"That is kind of weird," Kyo muttered. "Can't read it either. It's too small. Hell, I'm not even sure what language this is."
He handed the flower back to her, extending it out with one hand. She stared at it, and then at him, looking into his face. He flushed under her gaze, as if suddenly feeling awkward about giving her a flower. "Uh, yeah. Here." Shoving it at her, he stepped back hastily.
A sudden commotion coming from downstairs broke the tension.
"What the hell?" Arisa's voice came suddenly. It was followed by a thunder of footfalls racing up the stairs.
"Wha…what's going on?" Tohru asked with a slight tremble.
Kyo grabbed her arm just below the shoulder as she tried to move past him, his eyes suddenly looking very serious as he maneuvered her to a safe place behind him and took a few steps toward the stairs. Tohru followed close behind, keeping her eyes on the center of Kyo's back, her arms and elbows tucked tight against her body. She almost bumped into his back when he stopped.
Arisa and Saki burst into view, Arisa's hands climbing the rail as she leaped over the top step, Saki close behind her.
"Move!" Arisa shouted. "Someone's breaking in!"
"Wha…?" Kyo began.
But it was unnecessary to explain as the sound of something tearing apart drifted up the stairs. Tohru connected the noise with the paper doors leading from the dining area to the yard and thought vaguely about what Shigure was going to say when he came home before the seriousness of what was happening clicked in her head.
Kyo grabbed her hand, yanking her down the hall by the arm. "The roof," he muttered. "You can get to it from the window in my room. Come on."
Arisa and Saki followed as voices filled the lower level of the house, speaking in a language none of them understood. Saki kept looking back over her shoulder and shaking her head as if it ached. Ducking into Kyo's room they shut the door and ran to the far wall. They stopped when there was nowhere left to run, waiting with labored breath and racing hearts as Kyo heaved the window open. Poking his head out of the side of the house, he looked around briefly before pulling back in and taking Tohru's hand. "Go on," he said. "You'll have to pull yourself up…"
"I don't know if I can," she said. She was trembling so hard that she could hardly think, and it wasn't until Kyo grabbed her hand again that she realized he was shaking too. She was clutching the stem of the flower so tight, she wasn't sure her hand could be pried away from it.
"I'll go first," Arisa said. "I can help Tohru up."
Without wasting any more time, Arisa pushed past Kyo and climbed out the window. Tohru's heart raced as she watched her friend turn her body on the sill, climb up to her feet and then slowly disappear from view.
"Go on!" Kyo said desperately. He turned to look over his shoulder. The commotion elsewhere in the house was growing louder. The voices were climbing higher.
"Who are they?" Tohru cried, but when Kyo tried to push her toward the window she rebelled. "No!" she said, pulling back. "Hana first. Hana, you go first!"
Saki looked at her placidly for a moment, looking as if she wanted to say something, but like Arisa, she did not waste time. Tohru wanted her friends to be safe. That was most important to her. Saki seemed to see that and time was of the essence. Once Saki was through the window, Tohru's turned to look at Kyo.
"You have to go," Kyo said in a voice she only heard from him very rarely, a calm, quiet, commanding tone that seemed to melt her from the inside. His expression was soft, almost sad, and there was a silent plea in his eyes that she could not resist. Without further talk, he grasped her by the waist and lifted her up to the windowsill. She put her knees on it and he steadied her as slowly turned her back to the window.
At that moment, there was a loud bang that shook the room and it startled her so much her hands slipped and her body careened outwards, a scream almost escaping her lips until she felt Kyo grab for her wildly, his arms wrapping around her back tightly and pulling her roughly back inside. She crashed into him and they both toppled to the ground, but before Kyo hit the floor he transformed, leaving her with nothing but a stunned orange cat and a flower in her hand when several cloaked and strangely garbed men stepped into the room.
Tohru stood unsteadily, her knees buckling and knocking together, mouth gaping. At her feet, Kyo hissed, back arching as he pressed back into her ankles.
"Who?" Tohru began.
One of the men stepped forward, his eyes sliding over Tohru and focusing on the orange cat at her feet. He waved a hand and muttered something and suddenly time seemed to be moving sluggishly. Tohru registered the man's approach dizzily, and also the way Kyo's cat form seemed to be falling asleep on its feet, but she hadn't any idea what to do. She watched in horror until the cloaked figure bent over to lift Kyo off the ground.
With a shriek, she shoved his shoulder, both hands hitting pushing at his weight with all her might. "Stay back!"
Blue light burst from her hand and she gasped, reeling back in bewilderment. The flower in her fist blazed, one of the petals shining with a light that hit every corner of the room, spiraling larger and brighter like a revolving search light. Tohru had no idea what it was doing, but she didn't care. The strange men weren't moving toward her. Stooping, she picked up an unresisting Kyo with both hands and turned to the window in one smooth motion.
Arisa had half lowered herself back down, took the cat from her without question and pulled back to make room. Too frightened to be afraid, Tohru climbed onto the windowsill feet first and reached up. Hands grasped her from above, pulling her to the top, scraping her legs against the side of the house, and in a moment she was in the open air, on the roof near Kyo's favorite spot, and in the next she was running, slipping and sliding over the roof tiles to the ladder that led down to the ground.
"Who are they?" Arisa shouted, still holding Kyo close to her as she ran as she climbed. "Are they coming out of the house yet?"
Tohru couldn't answer. She held her flower tightly to her chest. The light had gone out and she noted that one of the petals had changed color. It was now black as pitch, the words that had been inscribed into it unreadable, though there still were other petals with funny words written on them.
"This way," Saki said. Once their feet hit the ground, they bolted across the lawn and into the woods.
"Are they chasing us?" Arisa demanded.
"No," Saki said.
Tohru didn't look back to see if they were being followed. She didn't care about anything except escaping whatever it was that had happened back there. She just wanted to get to somewhere safe. But underneath that, she knew what she had to do, what was going on, and with a hundred emotions boiling just beneath the surface, it was an effort just to keep breathing. Gradually, she began to cry.
"Tohru?" Saki whispered, and they slowed down, surrounded by foliage and trees. Arisa still held Kyo, who still seemed sleepy but was slowly coming out of it with slow measured blinks.
"The Sohmas," Tohru cried insensibly, clutching her hands to her shoulders, wrapping her arms around her chest and sinking to one knee. It felt safer closer to the ground. "My family. They'll attack the Main House. I have to go. Uo. Hana. I have to go."
"Not alone," Arisa said fiercely. "I'm going to this Main House with you."
"As am I," said Saki.
Kyo shook his head, snapping out of his daze when he became aware of Tohru's tears. "Well, let's get going then," he said, scrambling out of Arisa's arms and dropping lightly to the ground. Padding up to Tohru, he put his paws on her knees. She turned to look at him, seeing him through a blur of tears, almost surprised by how determined he sounded. "What?" Kyo growled, bearing his teeth at her. "They're my family too!" And suddenly it came to Tohru that Kyo was scared.
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading this far everyone! I hope the tenor of this story is becoming clear and that you are still interested, but who can say? ^_^ Please write a review! A lot of people who read last chapter didn't come back this chapter. I hope it wasn't anything I said! But I did get some new/returning faces that I was very happy to see. ^_^ If anyone out there is reading in silence…. please make yourself known?
Calendar: Good to see you!! I'm so happy you reviewed, and I am equally excited that you are interested in Belduine and the original elements of this little story. Thank you so much! I hope all is answered for you in the future.
Flirting with Incoherence: You are fabulous. You came back again. I'm glad that Kyo's emotional trauma was touching. There was more Kyoru in this chapter, but it is not my plan to make Yuki a hermit. O_o I'm also happy that you liked my take on Kazuma. I'm not sure how much he will be in the rest of the story, though. I haven't decided about him.
Mizaya: You have given me lots of presents already, but thank you! I really want to see the ponies still, and I will tell everyone I know about them b/c they are just too adorable. ^_^ I hope you are more intrigued about the Esper and that the hints in this chappy were not too…weird. I'm trying to work in the magic stuff slowly so as not to be overwhelming. And yeah, the business thing was definitely a mistake.
GrrlN: Thank you for reviewing! I count on you and hope that you are enjoying the story. ^_^ So, what do you think of Esper lady now? And don't worry about FF; it's completely irrelevant.
Merryday: I'm really pleased to see you are still reading! You reviewed an earlier chapter and I wasn't sure you were coming back but I'm glad to see I was wrong! Thank you very much!
Sakura Avalon/Kinomoto: Death threats? Oh no, please don't! It's not necessary. I will keep writing! As for Kagura, she will be in the next chapter some more. I like her too. ^_^
Sarlinia: Oh, I apologize for the cliffhangers. They are very helpful tools, though, I think, for readers and writers both! Thank you for reviewing. I hope you come back to review this chapter!
Caer: Oh, such a compliment! Thank you. I looked at your profile and you are a prolific writer yourself so I am quite honored. I am pleased you like Belduine! It always nice when readers take a liking to original characters. Thank you for reviewing. I hope you continue to!
