*jumps right in with the action* I hope you remember what's going on!  ^_^

Evermore

Chapter 9

By Zapenstap

            Momiji trailed a hand along the outer wall of the Honke, well away from the center complex where those who knew about the cursed dwelled in secrecy, well away from everyone.  The only person he had seen was Kureno, and it was just the barest glimpse of the man a few moments ago at the edge of the fence; the other man had walked away as soon as their eyes met.  Momiji cast his eyes down at his feet as he strolled at a slow, aimless pace, feeling the sharp bite of the wind sting his cheeks.  It was cold outside and he had forgotten his coat, but he wasn't thinking about that.  Things were not right today.  Things were never right in this family, and it hurt; it hurt because he loved everybody so much.

            Momiji stopped walking, dropping his hand from the wall, biting his lip and sinking into a crouch, wrapping his arms around his knees. Akito had thrown him out of his presence earlier than usual this time.  He had looked so angry. Momiji was fairly sure that Akito hated him, and he didn't know why but it was like a knife cutting into his heart.  Akito was unpleasant it was true, but for some reason the thought of being hated by him was worse than any other feeling, worse even than the rejection of his mother.  He couldn't explain it.  He didn't know why.  It was part of the Curse.  And it rent his heart.

            Why did there have to be so much sadness in the world?

            He had passed Haru and Rin in the hall just a moment ago.  He had hung out around the center complex for a little while after he was told to leave, waiting for Akito to be done speaking with that strange boy so he could ask Hatori what happened.  But then he hadn't the heart to stick around so close.  He took to wandering, listening to the shouting and the slamming of doors, and after some time had past, stumbled on Rin and Haru.  He witnessed them circumspectly, peeking into a room from an angle as Haru ran up to Rin and grabbed her by the shoulders.  It was like he had been searching for her, panting as if out of breath, a tight, desperate look in his eyes.  But she wouldn't look at him as he tried to say something to her, turning her head sharply so that her hair whipped around to hide her face.  Haru stepped in closer, reaching to touch her cheek and she became angry, pushing him away, shoving him roughly, yelling, furious about something.  Momiji didn't watch any more.  All the miscommunication made him so sad.

            So he came out here to be alone, to reaffirm again all the things that he believed in, the things he had to believe in with all his might.  He wouldn't succumb to despair.  He didn't want to.  While there was life there was hope and they all had to keep trying, even if it hurt.  Because there was happiness too, underneath everything else; you can't let the bad things obscure the good.  He picked at the dirt on the ground, admiring the many colors and beauties in something so common and despised and overlooked.

            He didn't see the strangers until it was too late. 

            Momiji scrambled to his feet as they came in through the main gate, a dozen altogether, though no one opened it from the inside and it swung inward without being touched.  One of them turned a hooded head, spotted him and pointed.  Natural instinct insisted he run and hide, he before he could move he was surrounded by a wall of forest green cloaks that rustled like the whispers of wind as they enclosed him. They covered space and distance too fast, appearing around him on all sides, encircling him too fast for him to have gotten away, too fast to ask questions even.  Was Kureno still nearby?  He sucked in air to shout, but pain clubbed him violently, like a mallet, immobilizing his body all at once.  His vision blurred and it was as if he was sinking into a void, his mind and thoughts going blank, his body slipping out of his control.  He felt pebbles digging into his knees and clutched at the earth with his fingers.  His vision swirled and he tried to speak, but instead he coughed up blood and collapsed, breathing in dirt from the ground that leapt up to meet his face as the world spun and faded completely out of focus.

*****

            Shigure moved quietly and circumspectly past the open doorway so as not to disturb Akito from where he stood on the far side of the room, hunched over in silence, biting the underside of his thumbnail and staring maliciously at the wall.  Slipping his hands into his sleeves, Shigure paced softly across the hallway to where Hatori was looking out of a window.  Standing at the doctor's shoulder, he waited patiently to be noticed.

            "I never would have expected it," Hatori said softly, glancing sideways at where they could just see Akito at an angle through the door, though Shigure was not sure how well Hatori could see him through his damaged eye.  "I don't think the others noticed anything unusual."

            Shigure put on a smile. "I wasn't sure you had."

            "You think I'm simple, don't you?"

            "Not at all," Shigure intoned, and let his smile slip.  "I will admit that I was surprised myself.  I didn't see it at first.  I really thought he was angry, but it seems he was thinking after all."

            "He was angry," Hatori murmured.  "But you're right.  He was thinking ahead.  He's not as blind to the boy's warning as I thought at first, not if he's going to question him again.  And with his memory erased, the boy won't remember the previous session."

            "Brilliant really," Shigure said with a nod.  "Almost like questioning two witnesses to see if their stories match up.  He's worried about our safety then, or at least that we might really be in danger, or he wouldn't bother.  But there are still several questions.  One, does he really believe the boy's story?  I'm not sure I do.  It's too incredible.  But whether Akito believes it or not, it seems that he is working to take care of us.  So second question: Where did that kind of concern come from?  Is he doing it for our sake?  Certainly not the boy's."

            "No," Hatori answered.  "If I ever saw Akito do anything that wasn't ninety per cent selfish…"  He trailed off suddenly.

            "Aha.  See?  It's inconsistent, isn't it?"  Shigure watched his old friend carefully, hoping against hope that Hatori's beliefs about Akito were like his own.  Shigure had worked tirelessly with Akito to try and understand him, to guide him where he wanted him to go, but if he was wrong about his assumptions…well, a tilt or twist in any direction could send his scheming over the precipice and doom all of them, perhaps eternally.  They had to seize this chance. Anything out of the ordinary had to be utilized.

            "I don't know," Hatori said slowly.  "I always find myself questioning whether or not Akito means well in what he does.  He's as cursed as the rest of us.  Some would say more.  It's no excuse for some of what he…  Though I suppose it doesn't matter, considering there's nothing we can do."

            "He needs us," Shigure reminded him.  "He's as bound to us as we are to him.  No one can break free.  If he knows how the Curse can be broken…"

            "He claims he doesn't."

            Shigure glanced at Akito as he moved across the tatami mats with a touch of anger in his stride.  Even with that he almost seemed to float, though the hunched way he sunk in on himself and the way his body seemed to hang in space spoiled the effect.  Maybe, Shigure thought.

            What Shigure had said was true, though.  If each of the Twelve plus Kyo were bound to Akito by an unbreakable chain they could neither see nor define, he was respectively bound by thirteen chains to each of them.  With that much weight, there would be no room to move.  Confined as he was to a small space, with a future and a destiny already laid out for him since the day he was born, severely limited in what experiences he was allowed, exempt from many social rules learned through social interaction... It might explain some things.  But it didn't explain what had happened with Belduine.  Akito had been enraged at what he had heard, but he had been quick on his feet, swift to assess and make a decision, and after Shigure realized that erasing Belduine's memory served more than a vindictive purpose, he could even say it was a surprisingly wise decision.  After all, they couldn't take the stranger at his word, especially considering the precedent.  Perhaps many interviews would be necessary to sort out what they needed to know in order to protect themselves.  Shigure wouldn't have thought it possible of Akito to think so broadly.  And yet, there it was.

            "Hatori, Shigure, come attend me."  The words were soft, almost delicate, but their distinctive pull could not be ignored.

            Shigure shared a knowing glance with Hatori and then they both heeded Akito's call.  Akito never liked to be alone for long.  He had wrapped himself up in his kimono, hugging his frail body as if cold, but he looked up when they came, his hair falling over his eyes limply.  He shivered as they approached and Hatori routinely checked his head for fever.

            "It's good that you've calmed down," Hatori said.  "I was worried, but your temperature appears to be normal."

            "I'm fine," Akito whispered sharply.

            "Well that's good to hear," Shigure said warmly, putting on another smile.  Akito did not respond and Shigure decided a different tactic might be useful if another meeting like this occurred late.  "If you don't mind, I think I'll make a phone call to check up on Kyo."

            Akito did not object.  He didn't make any indication that he had even heard.

            Leaving Hatori to have his turn with Akito, Shigure used the phone across the room.  He had several reasons for calling.  One was to distance himself from Akito as the man did better one-on-one and Hatori was attending to him.  He also wanted to make sure that Tohru was all right.  She had seen and heard a lot and Shigure did not want her to have to worry about this.  He needed to tell her not to wait up for them tonight.  Such things were simple, everyday matters, a whole list of them running through Shigure's head as the phone continued to ring.  It rang for a long time.  And no one picked up.

            A commotion outside the room caused him to look up just in time to see Yuki return from where Akito had told him to fetch Belduine.  Only Belduine did not appear to be with him, and Yuki's face had never looked so astounded and wild.

            "He's gone!" Yuki said, crashing through the door frame, gulping air.

            Akito's eyes flared and he straightened abruptly, tall and slender as a blade, and twice as deadly.

            "What do you mean?" Hatori demanded.

            Yuki was still breathing hard, as if he had run the whole way.  "He must have escaped.  I don't know how.  I looked around, but I didn't see any traces of him."

            "Escaped?" Hatori echoed.

             "Didn't he say something about how 'they can't find him here?' " Yuki said.

            Hatori rubbed a hand through his hair, his gaze wandering aimlessly.  "But how would he even know where he was?  He ought to have been dazed for hours.  No one recovers that quickly."

            "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!"

            The phone was still ringing.  The answering machine wasn't even picking up.         

            "Something is wrong," Akito said before Shigure could speak.  "Where are the others?"

            Shigure hung up the phone and lifted it again.  He dialed Ayame's shop, holding his breath.  He listened to Hatori and Yuki trying to pinpoint everyone's location with half a mind.  The phone just kept ringing.

            "Kyo's not at home," Shigure told them when the Cat's name finally came up.  "No one picked up at the house." He paused, feeling his skin crawl with the tension.  Nine rings.  "Hatori, when was the last time Aya called you?"

            Hatori eyes seemed to glaze over.  Everybody stopped moving.  Yuki seemed to stand up straighter, something flashing through his eyes.

            "Yesterday," Hatori said quietly.  "He never called me today."

            "He's not picking up either," Shigure said quietly.  Something trembled in his stomach and buzzed in his ears, but he refused to listen to either his thoughts or his feelings as he hung up the phone and picked it up one last time.  "Who else is out of the Honke today?"

            "Ritsu," Yuki said.  "At the hot spring."

            Shigure dialed the Hot Spring Resort.

            "Hello?"

            Relief flooded through Shigure as Ritsu's mother and the hostess of the resort answered the phone in her usual drawling manner.  Her voice seemed even quieter than usual, as if she had just woken up or was suspicious as to who was calling her, which wasn't abnormal.

            "Hostess?" Shigure said with more delight than he felt, an upsurge of expression borne out of his relief.  "How are…?"

            "Shigure?" the woman exclaimed, and his elation died in an instant as her tentative tone escalated to a panicked shriek.  "Shigure!  I'm so sorry!  You have to help me!  Something has happened to my child!  I don't mean to disturb you, but I don't know what is happening! Strange men came here today.  I don't remember who they said they were or what they said.  There is a gap in my memory. But Ritsu is gone! My child never came home!"

            Shigure listened in astonishment as she burst into tears, fear rising like bile in his belly.

            "Who are you talking to?" Akito demanded.  "What are they saying?"  He came forward, striding across the tatami mats, coughing into his hand.  Before Shigure could answer or assess the situation in his bewilderment, Akito seized the phone, which Shigure released with limp fingers.   Akito listened for a moment in silence, disgust twisting his features, a heated rage seeming to boil under his skin. 

            "Just say what happened," he hissed, and Shigure heard the abrupt silence on the end of the line before the woman belted out Akito's name in hysterical recognition, following it with a list of perfunctory honors and then leaping into a litany of familiar apologies.  The strain in Akito's eyes was evident.  He looked ready to bite a hole in the phone or crush it into a pulp.  His fingers were white at the knuckles and his whole body was shaking.  Eventually, he seemed to hear the story, and wrenched the phone away from his head as soon as he heard enough.  It was difficult to process what thoughts were raging behind those shadowed, glittering eyes. 

            Hatori looked frightened.  "Momiji," he whispered.  "Where did he go?"

            "Find everyone," Akito snapped, and his eyes darted, not meeting any of them.  "Call everyone here." He coughed.  His face was pale, paler than Shigure had ever seen it, even when he was running a temperature of 104. "And find that kid."

            "He's probably long gone," Yuki whispered. Akito glared at him and Yuki subsided into silence.

            Shigure did not wait.  "Hatori, stay with Akito.  Yuki, find everyone in this building.  Don't go outside!"  Intending to belie his own advice, he strode out of the room, ignoring Hatori's shout after him.  If these people, whoever they were, came to the Honke… Would it help to draw everyone together?  Would these people come at them if they had to cross through the whole neighborhood?  Would it matter if they were seen?  Suppose they didn't care?  If Belduine's magicians were real, what was he to do to protect everyone?  Where were they and how many of these magicians were there?  They had been to the Hot Spring already, but suppose there were several groups?   He didn't know what had happened to Ritsu, but why was no one answering at his house?  And where was Ayame?  Panic simmered in Shigure's gut and he fought to control his rising terror as he sped quickly through the halls.  He could not answer the questions directly.  His head felt like it was filled with water and he blinked repeatedly to keep his vision clear.  They had to start by finding everyone in the Honke: Kureno, Kagura, Rin, Haru, Momiji, Kisa, Hiro…  But what then?  How was he to keep anyone safe?

            And what if it was too late?

*****

            Hiro did not understand why he was always bending over backwards for a girl.  Like taking a walk with her around the complex when it was getting dark, like they both hadn't seen it a million times; what was the point in that?  Still, he would indulge her.  He couldn't say no.

            Kisa was special to him, no doubt about it.  It had taken him almost a year and a half to realize how special she was.  He remembered playing on the playground with her when they were little kids, the way he used to follow her around just because she was a year older, and then how things had changed as he matured.  At first, he hadn't understood what was happening.  All he knew was that where he used to tell her absolutely everything he knew about anything, he would suddenly find it difficult to talk.  And then his palms got sweaty and he would start to feel embarrassed just by being too close to her, and then he would go and say the wrong thing to offend her when he meant to impress her. 

            Eventually, he figured it out of course.  He thought about it for awhile, rationally eliminated the contending theories and eventually determined that he loved Kisa.  And once he figured that out, he decided that he wanted everyone to know.  So he told Akito.  And it was Kisa who was punished, and it was he who ran like a coward, he who retreated in shame when she was teased at school.  He told himself he loved her, but he had been stupid and childish and unable to protect her, and was only just now starting to spend time in her company again, trying to be worthy, to make up for his mistakes.  And she still didn't know about any of it.  One day, he would have to tell her.

            I want to tell her how I feel.  I have to break the curseI'll find a way to do it.  When I'm old enough.  When I understand more.  When people finally realize how smart I am.  I'll find a way to break the curse.  There's no way I can accept things like this!

            He was a man of his word.  He thought that was important in being the prince Kisa deserved.  Okay, so it was Tohru's idea and he really hated that manipulative twit (nobody could really be that dumb!) but well, she had a few good points sometimes, even if she didn't understand anything.  And besides, Kisa liked her a lot so he would try to take the parts of her advice that weren't hopelessly moronic.

            Kisa smiled at him, two locks of strawberry-blonde hair framing her face on either side.  She was pretty.  She was getting prettier and prettier as she got older.  When they were grown up maybe he would buy her things to compliment her beauty, like jewelry or something.  Girls were supposed to like presents and he didn't think he would be that bad at that kind of thing.  If stupid girls were good at shopping there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to do it.

            "Hiro?"

            He liked her voice.  Soft and sweet and timid.  She hadn't always been so timid, though.  There was a kittenish Tiger lurking in her somewhere and she could be brave when she wanted to be.  It had taken a lot of courage to start talking again after she had locked up her voice, after all, not to mention what it must have been like to go back to school that first day.  She hadn't needed anyone to hold her hand.  And she had always been a lot of fun in the schoolyard in primary school.  Yeah, she was shy during this adolescence thing, and she would always be sweet, but there was definitely something about Kisa that he just couldn't let go of.

            "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

            He smiled at her.  What was he always thinking about?

            Abruptly, something over her head caught his attention and he stopped.  He wasn't sure why at first, but he immediately grabbed her by the wrist and hustled her into an alleyway between two houses without needing to think about it, pulling her down into a crouch in the shadows.

            "Hiro?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her knees.  "What is it? What's going on?"

            He shook his head and signaled her not to talk by placing a finger over his lips.  Smiling at her reassuringly, he pushed her softly against the wall, making sure she was hidden in the shadows, and crawled forward on his own to get a better look at what he had seen.  He didn't emerge out of the alley, but lay down on his stomach at the edge, adjusting his position so he could just see around the corner.  He could hear Kisa breathing fearfully behind him.  He didn't know why he wasn't afraid himself.

            What's going on?  Too much thinking.  I have to protect her

            Men swathed in forest green cloaks filed into the street from the gate that separated the inner complex from the outer neighborhood, six of them all together, each with a hood raised to hide his face.  Even their hands were gloved in green, and other than being strangers, there was something about them that Hiro didn't like.  But it wasn't until he saw the blonde head of the Rabbit hanging upside down in the grip of a man who was carrying him like a sack of potatoes that he let out an audible gasp and felt the first pricks of fear nettle him in the gut.

            Kisa tugged on his sleeve and he turned on his knees, grasping her about the shoulders and pulling her deeper into the shadows of the alley.  Should they run to the other side?

            "What's going on?" she whispered again, and her eyes sparkled a burnished gold even in the shadows.

            "There are some men," Hiro whispered back, glancing over his shoulder.  "They have Momiji.  He's hurt."

            "What do you mean?"

            He held her hand, slipping his fingers in hers, and pulled her to her feet.  "Come on," he said.  "We should go this way…"

            He turned and took two paces before he stopped short, met by a second pare of golden eyes glowing out of the darkness of the alley in the direction he had intended to run.  Kisa bumped into his shoulder and stayed close, clutching his hand and bowing her head behind his back.  After a moment, she peaked out from around him to see why he had stopped, and he heard her gasp audibly in shocked surprise.

            Hiro had never seen a full grown tiger in real life, not even at the zoo.  He had seen Kisa when she transformed, but Kisa was just a kitten.  The animal that was approaching them in an evenly measured pace was caged by no bars and accompanied by no trainers.  Its paws were enormous, white toes padding softly into the dirt, hiding claws that could rip his body to pieces.  It was mammoth in size, easily the largest tiger he had ever seen even in pictures, larger than he thought a real tiger was supposed to be.  It breathed as it walked, its black lips parted to reveal rows of sharp teeth as it panted, its white whiskered chin and throat vibrating with a sound like a rumbling purr.  Only this was not the purr of a content housecat but a hunting predator.

            Hiro squeezed Kisa's hand.  Was it here for her?  Was it a part of the company of those strange men?  A second glance revealed that it had a collar around its neck, a collar that appeared to be encrusted with diamonds.   "Can you talk to it?" he asked.

            She seemed too terrified to speak.  He took it as a no.

            Hiro backed up slowly, pulling Kisa with him as the tiger advanced, its stripes fading in and out with the shadows of the building.  The robed men were advancing on the other side.  They would be seen if they left the alley, but they couldn't stay here.

            The tiger crouched as if ready to spring.

            "Run!" he said, and they both turned and fled out into the street.

            Shouts fell on them as soon as they were out into the open, but Hiro could not make out the words.  He tried to keep himself between Kisa and the robed men, shielding her with his body as they ran for the cover of the houses on the other side of the street.  Hiro didn't think they were going to make it, but maybe Kisa could if he…

            "Hiro!  Kisa!"

            Shigure's voice.

            Hiro pivoted, one boot grinding into the cobblestones as he stopped dead.  Kisa kept going a few paces before she stopped too, staring back at him with frantic eyes, fists pressed under her chin.

            Shigure appeared out of nowhere, entering the street from another alleyway between them and the strangers.  The hooded men stopped up short, their attention immediately diverted as Shigure began to talk, lifting a hand peacefully, speaking rapidly.  They did not appear to understand, but they were listening and watching him.  The tiger had not emerged from where Hiro and Kisa had exited, but Hiro thought he could see the flash of its collar just on the edge where it was crouched and waiting.

            Shigure's head did not turn, but they heard him clearly as he shouted.  "Hiro, protect Kisa! Find Akito! Go on!  Run!"

            Hiro's heart thumped painfully in his chest, but he did as he was commanded.  Seizing Kisa by the wrist, he pulled her along, the two of them bolting the rest of the way across the street and slipping between more of the houses.  The Sohmas who were not cursed were starting to become aware of the commotion.  He saw heads poking out of windows and doors opening.  But no one came outside.  They moved from window to window, opened and closed door after door, but no one set a foot over the threshold to help.  Cowards! he thought viciously.

            Am I?

            He stopped again, looking back in time to see a second column of six green cloaked men cut them off from Shigure, inclosing the older man between two sets of equal numbers.  Shigure looked smaller, no longer speaking, and though his expression was composed there was a frightened look in his eyes.  One of the men stepped out from the group and removed his hood.  Hiro could only see the back of his head, but he was a large man with gray hair and powerful stance. His robes had golden runes embroidered on the edges of the large sleeves and front panels.  He seemed to be speaking but it was clear from Shigure's face that he had no idea what they were saying to him either.  Hiro caught a flash of orange and gold and saw the tiger appear in the middle of the circle, trotting past a wide-eyed Shigure to the side of the man who had cast back his hood, sitting on its haunches by his feet. 

            It came to Hiro with a jolt that there was nothing he could do.  Emotions stirred deep within him, frustration and hurt and fear mingling together and Hiro tuned out his emotions, becoming abruptly aware of how labored his breathing was.  Kisa had half collapsed beside him, stumbling to crouch on the ground, though she still hung from where he held her wrist with his hand.  He knelt, holding her by the shoulders, and tried to encourage her with words that hardly made sense even to him, pulling her up on unsteady feet.

            "Shigure," she cried, and there were tears in her eyes.  She hid her face from him with her hands.  He had no idea what to do or say.  He was shaking himself and it seemed to him that he was so afraid he had forgotten how to cry.

            "We have to go," he said. "Come on, Kisa.  We have to go.  I'll protect you.  Everything will be all right.  I'll think of something."

            She nodded as if she believed him at his word, and Hiro was assaulted with the feeling that he had to live up to it, that he had made something of a promise that he would have to keep.  She was trusting in him.  His feelings were mixed.  He was both elated and terrified.

            She took his hand again, clutching him by the forearm, and followed him down the alley to the other end.  As they emerged closer to the main complex, Hiro heard shouts taken up behind them.  He guessed that Shigure was secured and they were being followed.  He released Kisa's hand so that they could both run better.

            The door to the main house opened and Rin appeared suddenly, cool and composed as anything except for an angry glint in her eye.  Hiro could tell that she was livid about something and oblivious to what was going on, and he remembered suddenly that he was angry with her from the way she had treated him the other day, but all of that vanished in a cloud of smoke in an overwhelming surge of fear and love for her.

            "Rin!" he cried.  "Get back inside!"

            She looked up suddenly, seeming startled to see him, and obeyed without seeming to think. 

            The sound of feet pounding behind them distracted Hiro for a moment.

            Kisa screamed.

            "Kisa!"

            He skidded to a stop and turned to see a robed man grab her by the hair, yanking her back harshly.  She stumbled and fell, skinning her knees on the gravel, hands smacking hard on the ground to catch her fall. 

            "Hiro!"

            It was Rin calling him, and he had never heard her so terrified.  He could make it if he ran now.  He could make it safe to the main house, safe with Rin.  It was only a few paces away.  But he couldn't leave Kisa.  He would never forgive himself.

            "Let her go!  Kisa!"

            He leapt back the way he had come, striking Kisa's attacker in the face with the full force of his hand swung from the arm.  He shouted what sounded like a curse and released her hair. She raised her head, tears streaming from her eyes.

            "Run, Kisa!" he shouted, and tried to strike again, but the other man was aware of him now.

            There were other robed men coming up the alley now.  The one he had hit grabbed him by the arm, holding him back however he fought, but he was still between them in Kisa.  He kicked and cursed, yelling at Kisa to run, until his attacker wrenched his arm painfully.  Gasping, he straightened on his toes in pain, his eyes watering.  He thought the bones must be snapping.  Kisa cried out, not running away, but coming to him, screaming, "I give up!  Stop it!  I give up!"  Hiro struggled more feebly, his arm aching, his lungs out of breath.  Kisa clutched at his other, limp hand as robed men surrounded them on all sides, burying her face in his shoulder.  He stopped moving, stopped struggling, standing still as more rows of men crammed around them in the alley.

             Bewilderment coursed through him as he looked up over Kisa's head at Rin's face watching them through the window in the door.  Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape.  Hiro did not shout, but he looked at her for a long time and mouthed "Shigure,"  "Momiji," and "get away" over and over as he was led backward.  She seemed to understand, all the blood draining from her face.  He hoped she had gotten inside before she was seen.  He squeezed Kisa's hand and she looked up at him. He didn't say anything. He was happy to be allowed to hold her hand.   The pure fright was gone from her face, replaced by something more like resignation, though she trembled like a leaf. 

            Whatever his expression was, she seemed to take comfort in it because she stopped shaking as they were led quietly along.

*****

            "Wait a minute," said Kyo.

            Tohru stopped short and Uo and Hana turned to look back at the cat pacing along behind them.

            "I'm not going to be able to get used to this," Uo said, rubbing a hand through her hair. 

            Kyo sat on his haunches and glared at her.  "Hey, nobody asked you to get involved!"

            Tohru swallowed.  They had been walking slowly through the wood, partly because they were all out of breath and partly because they didn't know what they were doing.  They hadn't been chased and she didn't understand why, but she was hoping that they were safe.  She was so scared she could hardly think, but at the same time most of her fears were for the Sohmas.  The thought of anything awful happening to any of them made her want to throw up.  The Curse was awful enough, but not so awful that she could ever leave them.  They were her family, her adoptive family, and she would feel so lost if something happened to them.  She had lost so much already.  She was going to hold onto this!

            "Just say what you were going to say," Uo snapped.

            Kyo looked away from them over his shoulder, his tail swishing agitatedly. "I'm going to need some clothes," he said, and sounded embarrassed.

            "Huh?" Uo said.  "Oh, I see."  She laughed.  "Well tough luck.  We can't go back to the house.  I promise your scrawny ass won't frighten me."  Kyo's ears flattened and his tail swishing increased.

            "Yes," Hana said.  "Just go naked."

            "I'm not going anywhere naked!" Kyo bellowed.

            Tohru almost laughed, but quickly put a hand to her mouth to stifle it. 

            "Can you stay a cat?" Hana asked him.  "Or perhaps we could make you some clothes from our skirts?"

            "Yeah, or sew together some fig leaves," Uo chortled. 

            "Oh forget it!" Kyo hollered. 

            "Um, Kyo?" Tohru whispered.  He turned his glare on her.  "Maybe…" She swallowed.  "Maybe you shouldn't come with us."

            "What are you talking about?"

            Tohru blushed.  "Well, they're after you and the Main House might be dangerous.  If you hide, we could go and make sure everything's all right and…"

            "Oh yeah?" he interrupted.  "And what if it's not all right?  Who's going to take care of you then?  You'd probably walk right into a cage if I let you go alone!"

            "She's not alone, Orange-top," Uo snapped.  "And you had better watch your attitude."

            Kyo bounded ahead of them.  "I'm going and that's final," he muttered.

            Tohru watched him walk ahead of them as they all continued forward, his tail straight up in the air and his paws padding softly on the underbrush.   He wanted to take care of her, he said, but she couldn't help feeling that it was more than that, that Kyo was worried about his family as much as she was, even if he was an outcast.  Kyo pretended that he didn't care about everyone, but…  She knew he did.  Otherwise he wouldn't get so angry.  She just didn't want to see him captured.

            Tohru had tucked the blue flower in the pocket of her sweater jacket and she touched it absent-mindedly.  She didn't know how it worked but it had saved Kyo and her once, so maybe it would come in handy again.   She had to believe that there was something she could do, even if she didn't feel brave or useful at all.

            Hana stopped suddenly.  "Someone's approaching us," she said, pointing straight ahead.

            "What?"  Uo asked.  "Who?"

            "Belduine's electric signal."

            Kyo's ears pricked up.  "What are you talking about?  There's no way.  Unless they let him go…"

            But before he could finish, a figure that Tohru recognized as Belduine appeared ahead of them, trotting toward them along the leaf-ridden trail that led from Shigure's house to the main streets.  He stopped running when saw them, regarding them briefly from a distance, and then continued at more of a determined walk, as if letting them get used to his approach.

            Kyo arched his back and hissed.

            When Belduine drew closer he stopped, blinking at each of them.  The expression on his face was more serious than the cherub-like innocence Tohru remembered before he had been taken him away.  Feeling bad, she unconsciously looked him over for injuries, but he seemed healthy.  What caught her attention was the gleam of recognition in his eye when he looked at her.  She was certain he remembered them.

            "Come on," he said without greeting or explanation, and continued by them, waving a hand for them to follow him back the way they had come.

            "What?" Uo said as they all watched him pass.

            "Shigure's house was attacked by men in cloaks," Hana informed him.  "We just came from there."

            Belduine smiled in such a way as to indicate that this was not surprising information, but again he waved for them to follow.  "Where are you going to go instead?" he asked them.  "The Main House?  I wouldn't.  It would be crazy to do that. Come with me.  We need to get some supplies."

            "Now hold on a minute!" Kyo shouted.  "You…!  You!  What is it with you?  Are you one of them or are you helping us?"

            Belduine stopped, tilting his head to one side.  "EC trusts me, don't you EC?"

            It took Tohru a minute to realize he was talking to Hana, and only after she recalled him calling her his 'electrical cupcake.'  Strangely, Hana did not seem at all perturbed, nor did she refute what he had said.  Hana was always quick to voice her opinion when she disagreed.  In this case, she seemed inclined to remain silent.

            "Let's go back to Shigure's," Belduine said cheerily to all of them as a group.  "It's unlikely any of them would stick around after they lost track of you.  And you've still got my flower, right, pretty lady?"

            Tohru hurriedly withdrew the thing from her pocket.  "Y…yes!  Um.  What… what is it?"

            Belduine shrugged casually.  "I didn't make it.  I'm not really a magician.  But it should screen you from their scrying spells.  It does some other things too.  It has some protective castings on it and other stuff.  Did it help you any?"

            "Yes," Tohru replied in a hushed whisper. 

            At that moment hollow boom rocked the forest road as Kyo transformed back.  Flushing, Tohru kept her eyes pointed straight ahead.

            "I'll make you a deal," Belduine said to all of them.  "You do me a favor now and I'll do you a favor later, okay?"

            "No," Kyo's embarrassed voice declined.  "I don't trust you.  How is it that you are here anyway?  What happened at the Main House?"

            With a mischievous grin, Belduine bowed to them with a flourish, not respectfully, but like a performer.  "A great escape," he said grandly as he straightened.  "They didn't heed my warning, though.  Is Akito always that tightly wound?  He ordered my memory erased.  It's a good thing I'm warded against memory charms.   I wasn't sure it would work, but it did and I got out all right, so I'm not going to hold any grudges.   Your family was all right when I left incidentally, but I doubt they're still that way now."

            Tohru felt her heart clench with fear.  "What's happened to them?"

            "I don't know, but I felt Azaren approaching even before I left."

            "Azaren?"  Uo asked.

            "The Head Wizard, the right hand of the Esper herself.  He must have come himself.  That's not a good sign.  It means She wants the lot of you pretty badly.  Look, do you want to be any use to them or not?   You haven't listened to me in the past.  I advise that you start soon.  I might yet be able to salvage this, but we're going to need some supplies."

            "Salvage what?" Kyo demanded.

            "All the cursed people in your family becoming pets of the Esper.  What have I been talking about since I got here?"

            Kyo was silent for a moment, perhaps stunned by this news.  "What kind of supplies?"

            Belduine looked pleased, relaxing his stance.  "Well, clothes for you for starters.  And some other things we'll need for a long journey."

            Tohru wanted to ask "a journey to where?" but she didn't because she didn't think Belduine was going to tell her.  She wanted to turn around and look at Kyo, to see what expression he had on his face, to understand something of what she was thinking, but that wouldn't be polite.  Instead, she clasped her hands in front of her and tried not to imagine Kyo thinking naked in a forest with a bunch of girls who refused to look at him.  Well, she wasn't looking, at least.  She didn't know about Uo and Hana.  The thought brought a rush of heat to her face.

            "All right," Kyo voice came from behind her at last, slowly and uncertainly, "I suppose a plan couldn't hurt," but he sounded more resigned than convinced.

TBC

A/N:

Ah, that was four scenes and a decent overall size.  I am in trouble as far as my homework goes, though!  I hope it was worth it. The only way I'll know is if you tell me, so please write a review and let me know that you are reading (that I'm not wasting my time) and what you think of the story.  Even if you don't like the story I want to hear what you have to say.  Your comments are very much appreciated!

GrrlN:  Thank you very much for the review!  I think some of your questions were answered, but hopefully you have more!!  I'm always really pleased when you review so promptly.  It makes me feel warm and squishy inside.  Thank you very much! I hope you like the story!

Mizaya:  Ah, fuzzy, cute and cool.  I like it.  Thanks!  I have an essay to write.  I'm crazy for working on this.  Like seriously insane.  I'm going to flunk out of school. O_o   Well…probably not.  Heh heh.  Anyway, I'm glad Belduine and the Esper are interesting to you.  I don't want to give anything away, though.  Keep R/Ring.  And update Divine Interventions again!!  Okay, I'm greedy but that last chapter was really good!!!  I don't want to see Kyo locked away!  And the Yukiru scene! *squeals*

Calander:  Haha.  Your vehemence is wonderful.  I'm glad you're taking it seriously.  There's a lot of other stuff that you might find even more disturbing to come.  I hope you're interested.  I am trying to explain Akito.  "Getting" him might be important for the story.  Thank you very much!

R Junkie:  Ooh,  I'm really happy you came back!  I'm also glad you like the Akito scene.  That was my favorite scene to write too.  Funny how it works out that way.  I'm not going to say anything about Belduine, but I really like the guesses!  I'm also glad you liked Yuki's introspection.  I am very fond of Yuki. 

Melinda the Digimon Poet: I think I've been reading "Digimon pet" for some reason, but this time I realized it was "poet!" *chagrin*.  So sorry!  This update wasn't quite as fast, but oh well, I do what I can.  And you were right about the memory charm ^_~.

Merryday: Don't bite your nails too much!  I will feel badly!  No,  j/k.  Thank you very much for the review!!!  I really appreciate your effort to do that. 

Flirting with Incoherence:   You are so dependable!  Thank you very much for your review.  I hope you like my FB work as much as my GW work, though I find it difficult to keep track of so many characters!  But what a naughty little mind you have!  Kyo wouldn't do that.  ^_~  As for the "pairing," no, I'm afraid Belduine is straight.  He just tends to blurt out his thoughts when maybe he shouldn't, and we all know that Yuki IS pretty.  Heh heh. 

T-c3:  Oh no!  Please don't be lazy.  I spend so many hours of my free time writing and I really appreciate the feedback.  My HW level is sky high and I haven't started yet *sweatdrop.*  Anyway, I hope you continue reading the story even if you are not a fan of fantasy.  I like to break out of the stereotypes in some ways so I hope you can enjoy it.  Please keep R/Ring.  ^_^  I LOVED your review!

Sarlinia: That's a pretty name you've got if I haven't said it before.  I didn't exactly say what happened to Ritsu so don't give up hope on him!  And I'm so happy that you think I've got Akito down pretty well. He's really fun to write for some reason.  Hmm… cliffhangers are tough to avoid.  I hope you are still checking the fic and will read and review this new chapter! 

Emmi-chan: I'd be creeped out too!  Anyone invading your house would be nightmarishly freaky, and this is only going to get worse.  Thank you for reading!  I hope you come back!

Kyra River:  By far and away my best review!  I hope and stew and wait for reviews such as these and it does so much for my confidence when I get them!  Thanks for writing such a wonderfully long review!  So you missed the last chapter, eh?  It doesn't do anything for my numbers, but the comments are what's really important so thank you so much.  *bows down*  Belduine insinuates a lot of things.  That's all I'm going to say.  You got a little Momiji in this one!  He's still alive, don't worry, so you'll see more of him later.  I don't want to give too much away! ^_~