Sometimes the Truth Hurts

Intro:

Wow, this is probably the first time that I'm going to put this up so soon after my last update... How.. amazing, huh? Well, if you're wondering why I did this, it's because I'm getting fewer and fewer reviews... no doubt that my reviewers are getting impatient because I can't keep up with my updates...Sorry for that... I guess I have to stop slacking. Oh, and another thing... I realized how newbie-ishmy first chapter of"Sometimes the Truth Hurts" looked like... I'm very sorry and for that... I'm going to redo it... Yep! I'm going to redo each of the chapters that I find too childish looking... Oh well, see you at the end of this chapter!

(10) Dark Memories

"Kyo-kun... What is it? Do you have any clues as to where Yuki-kun is? If you do, please tell me..."

Tohru looked at him with worried aquamarine eyes. Kyo looked at her and realized that this is the first time he saw her so worried. He noticed her true feelings towards his cousin. He knew it all along, but he just denied it and chose to challenge him in vain. He had known it for a long time, but he knew that he rather lived in a world where Tohru belonged to no man, rather than see her belong to someone else.

"I'm too selfish... Tohru... She's never selfish with others..."

"Listen, Tohru... Yuki...I think ...He said...something to me...yesterday..." Kyo said, letting his orange bangs shade his eyes.

"Yesterday?" Tohru repeated.

"We... were on the rooftop... He told me these words... 'Take care of her'."

"Her? M-Me...? He had planned this..."

"Kyo-kun... Let's just go to Main House...and see if he's there... Okay?" Tohru asked shakily.


For what seemed like eternity, Akito and Yuki were in an affectionate embrace until something he saw struck his eye. His whip. He hadn't used it since Yuki was nine. His mind played a flashback:

"Yuki... I like you..."

A young Yuki hid in the dark corners of Akito's room as if the walls would collapse and allow him to run away from that horrible place. Yuki sniffed and shut his eyes and allowed his tears to trickle down.

"Yuki... Why are you crying like that...?"

The young Akito looked at Yuki. Akito's hollow eyes struck fear into Yuki's mind.

"He's always crying... That boy... I...hate that boy... He doesn't have my sickness... He's the lucky rat... I hate him... Why does he have all the good things in life and I get all the bad! Why does he get to live with his family and I don't! Why can't I live my own life the way I want it to be! I don't want be this stinking Clan Head! I hate this! I hate my role! I hate my family! If they are all dead, then I don't have to be their damn head!"

Akito (in present time) stood up.

"I hate being the Head!"

Yuki looked at him in puzzlement. Akito returned his look with a glare.

"Stop... Looking at me with those eyes!" Akito yelled. He looked like that of a demented madman.

"Akito?" Yuki looked at him innocently.

"YUKI, YOU'LL NEVER BREAK THE CURSE!" Akito exclaimed, backing away from him to the wall where the black horse whip could be reachable.

"Akito... I thought—." Yuki tried to reason with him, but Akito's widened eyes of horror and bewilderment proved thatAkito was trapped in his own dark world.

"I hate you! You damn rat!"

Yuki stared at him forlornly and drowned out all of Akito's yelling by preparing himself mentally and physically for what was coming.He knew what Akito was planning to do right now.What had happened right about then? There were a million things that had just occurred in so little time. Akito's dark memories took over him like so many other times.

Akito tightened his grip on the whip. Yuki stood there knowing the upcoming torture he was about to receive.

'The bearer of the curse, Akito, is forced to receive a lifetime of mental tortures. You will not live a happy life... You will never see or feel happiness in any form or shape. Your physical body will also be as weak as your mind. Do you understand, Akito?" A woman with long jet black hair said to the young Akito in his room. The woman was combing Akito's hair.

Akito sat there with weary eyes of tiredness and forlorn. He knew he had to accept it. He knew that it was his job to become the head. He did not ask for a cursed life, and he also hated it.

Akito's brief reminiscence of his only memory of himself and his mother having a conversation reminded him of what the "bearer of the curse" needed to face.

"AGH!" Yuki screamed in pain as Akito whipped him once.

"Akito... Stop!" Yuki yelled in pain as Akito whipped him again.

"Brings back old memories, doesn't it?" Akito stated blankly, and adding a small laugh at the end of his statement.

Akito began to whip him even harder, taking pleasure in hearing Yuki's cries.

"Akito... Why?" Yuki said, groaning in pain.


(KNOCK, KNOCK)

"Ah, that must be Ay—." Shigure said as he went over to the doorway and opened the door. There busted in a very exhausted Kyo and Tohru.

"Shigure-san!" Tohru exclaimed.

"Wh-what are you two doing here in the middle of the night?" Shigure asked with baffled, mixed with humorous look.

"Shigure, if you had let him in, then you should shut the—." Hatori came into view expecting to see his silver-haired friend, but saw the most unlikely two teenagers staring at him.

"Hatori-san!"

"Tohru-san, Kyo... What are you two doing here this late?" Hatori asked them.

"It's that damn rat's fault! He ran off saying stuff like 'Take care of her' and all... He made both me and Tohru run after him!" Kyo said, pouting.

"Shigure-san, Hatori-san, what if something bad happened to him! What if he... What if he..." Tohru sobbed, and Kyo, once again, felt a somber guilt to what he had said.

"Now, now, everyone... Let's settle down and talk about this calmly... I'm sure Yuki wouldn't run off to do something like run away... He was never the impulsive type." Shigure said reassuringly, closing the door before Hatori could finish his scolding.

"..."

"Maybe... Maybe Shigure was right... Maybe the 'end' will come before this night is over... Yuki had gone missing... but if Shigure's prediction is correct, then... Yuki may not have gone missing after all..."

"Hatori-san?"

"Ah? Oh, um...yes?"

"I... asked if you seen Yuki here in the main house somewhere... I saw him run off toward the direction of this place...So I thought..."

"Tohru-san, gomen ne... but I haven't seen Yuki here tonight..." Hatori lied with a solemn face. (A/N: Actually 99 percent of the time, his face is full of solemnity...)

Tohru's once-hopeful voice broken down into a weak, "Oh..."

"Hatori... Can I talk to you for a second?" Kyo asked him suspiciously. (Mogeta's Note: Isn't Kyo smaaart! What would Tohru do without his intellect on this search for Yuki? She'd probably fly to Mexico!)

"...Sure..."


"Akito... Why did you do that...? I thought I—." Yuki said weakly from where he lied on the floor. Akito was now standing against his window and staring out at it.

"Shut up." Akito merely ordered.

Yuki attempted to stand up, but he could only kneel on the wooden floor. His clothes were ripped and his scars were visible due to whippings, but despite all that, Yuki tried to gather what was left of his dignity and fulfill the promise he made to himself; to end the curse.

"Why are you doing this...?" Yuki asked him.

His reply was answered with a slap that stung his right cheek.

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" Akito yelled at him, enraged. His rage seems to be growing from an unknown emotion.

"No! I won't shut up! Tell me, Akito! Why are you getting so angry! What drives you to act so brutal!" Yuki yelled back at him, ignoring the newly received pain on his face.

"Tell you! Why are you so desperate to know! Not like, you actually consider me anything less of an insect anyway..."

"What are you talking about! Akito, you aren't making any sense!"

"Sense? You speak of sense... I've lost that a long time ago..."

"Ugh... Can't you just tell me straightforwardly? I think I have yet to discover the true nature of the curse..."

"I've been deprived of sense, emotions, and any spiritual understanding... You will never know what my true self is... It is so...ugly... Such an ugly person..."

"Then tell me... What made you hit me?"

"I DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER YOU!" Akito looked at him. "Is he actually trying to understand me!"

"I..."

'I hate you! The despicable rat of the Zodiac! Receiving showers of praise! You did nothing to deserve it! I deserve it! I am the GOD of after all!'

"Akito, you can...tell me...I just want to understand..."

Akito looked at him with reluctance, but some part of him had given up. He felt the ice around his heart melt away, his authority of being the head and all the hatred his mother filled him with was disappearing.

A lingering silence filled the room as Akito struggled with himself whether to tell Yuki or not.

"Years back...I...was forced to become what I am now...With almost all of my sanity taken away by the curse... I am without reason or sense... Merely saying, I am just...there." Akito's expression, for the first time, looked deadpan. "I have no reason to be angry, afraid, sad, or even happy at all... For I am just...nothing... I believe my revulsion to be spawned from pure emptiness..."

Yuki looked at him with anger and sympathy.

"... Why do you make yourself believe such harsh things! No wonder you've been a such a grouch..."

"No, Akito... You're wrong... You've driven yourself to believe that...Yet, you know... I know... that that's not true..."

"..."

Akito turned to him with a new sense of hope. He looked at him, secretly knowing that he felt sympathetic for him.

"You have emotions just like everyone else... But maybe the curse has eaten up your sanity and soul... If you would just...release the curse... It would all come back to you..."

"Release the curse...? There is no such an action... The Curse... apparently, no one knows the depth of it... The closest person that got close to know what the Curse, itself is, is Shigure."

"Shigure, huh?"

"Akito, tell me what the Curse is..."


"Hatori, what do you know about Yuki's disappearance?" Kyo questioned the doctor as soon as they were alone.

"Kyo, I told you and Tohru-san... I don't know anything." Hatori said with a bored expression.

Kyo's eyes twitched angrily, he knew something was up.

"Kyo, what gave you the impression that I was lying?"

"You had to space out before answering Tohru! You never do that!" Kyo yelled. Hatori's calm demeanor only infuriated the spontaneous cat.

"Kyo, don't be an idiot. Why would I lie about my own cousin's safety?" Hatori said a little too loud. The doctor was already stressed out as it is by Shigure's visit, but now he had to deal with a suspicious cat. He was, after all, getting impatient. But so was the cat.

"Arg! You're lying!" Kyo exclaimed. Hatori gave a long sigh and started to walk back towards Shigure and Tohru.

"Hey! Come back here! I'm not done with you yet!"

"Ah! Hello, Hatori, Kyo!" Shigure greeted them. (Even though they were only gone for less than 3 minutes.)

"Ano?" Kyo looked around. "Where's Tohru?" He asked blinking in puzzlement.

"Tohru-kun? I told her that I thought Yuki was with Akito!" Shigure exclaimed proudly. "I am so glad I did too! It seems she thought of the same thing so she rushed off."

"BAKA INU!" Both Kyo and Hatori lost their cool and yelled at the immature dog of the zodiac.

"Ah! I gotta go after Tohru!" Kyo screamed and ran out the door.

"You idiot! I thought you said the 'end' was tonight! Why did you have to let them interfere with it?"

"Hatori, did you ever consider whether they were part of the 'end' too?" Shigure asked him solemnly.

It's really amazing how Shigure can shift his personality around like that. He was acting like a fool just a moment ago, and now he has such a serious face and attitude right now.

"Perhaps I really don't know him as well as I thought I did..."

A long lingering silence overtook the room, but suddenly silence breaks as the silver-haired Yuki-look-alike appeared.

"KONNICHIWA!" Ayame screeched from the top of his lungs.

"Aya!" Shigure called breathtakingly. He and Ayame hugged each other warmly.

"Hi." Hatori said solemnly as he turned around to start heading back to his office.

"Hatori, what's wrong?" Ayame asked him. Hatori ignored him and shut the door.

"What wrong with him?" Ayame cocked his head to ask Shigure.

"I don't know... I told him about my little prediction of 'end' coming tonight and when Kyo and Tohru showed up, I told them about it as well... I'm guessing that was what he was so angry about..."

"Well, you shouldn't have done that, I guess." The silver-haired man scolded, half-serious about it. "Should we go talk to him?"

"Nah, he'll be fine... I'm more worried about the kids..."

"Would... Yuki be involved in this by any chance...?" Ayame asked him curiously, almost too curiously.

"Actually, yes... In fact, I think he planned this all along." Shigure said, stroking his chin with one finger.

"... Well, of all these years... You've been wrong about the 'end' so many times that it seems you've been crying wolf the whole time... But...I guess now that something's finally happened to back up your prediction, Hatori's just worried... So am I now..." Ayame said with a dismal expression.

"Haha, Aya, you looked like Yuki just now with that face!" Shigure laughed.

"Well of course! My handsome brother and I are practically identical!" Ayame laughed with him.

"Arigatou, Shigure..."


In another part of the eventful household of the Sohmas, a figure with hazel brown hair sat alone under the kotetsu. He was sipping tea silently, but a light noise of "ding dong" interrupted his peaceful break.

"Eh?"

He looked up at the fancy clock that was hanging on the wall. "1 o'clock already...?"

He got up from where he sat and started to climb the stairs that led to Akito's room. It has been decided a long time ago that Akito could have the whole second floor to himself with little or no disturbances except himself and his faithful rooster of the zodiac.

He is the rooster of the zodiac, but like Hatori, his zodiac form isn't the exact animal it is. He is a bird, but a certain rumor flies around the Sohma household, at least, the ones that knew about their secret. A rumor...that states this Sohma is released from the vengeful zodiac animal's curse.

"Are you sure you had forgotten, Suzuki-san?" One maid asked the other.

"Yes, I'm sure! I'm sure I had forgotten to close main gate when I came back from shopping! Oh, I'm afraid Akito might've seen already! I'll be scolded for sure, Misaki-san!" The maid named Suzuki whispered worriedly.

"I'd be more worried about that eerie man seeing you than Akito..." Misaki whispered with a sigh.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because... I've heard that he is the one that would go near the Head!

I heard that he doesn't have the unmentionable curse that binds the others with Akito..." Misaki told her with frightened tone.

"Curse...? So little is known about the curse that I hardly remember that it's there sometimes... But maybe you're right... Maybe he has hypnotized Akito and somehow broken the curse like that... A man this powerful could be no doubt more dangerous than Akito himself..." Suzuki muttered worriedly, "Say, what is his name?"

"It's Sohma Kureno."

To be continued...


Mogeta, The Last Crusade
The Mabudachi Trio and a Little Birdy

Mogeta: Ano sa, ano sa! (Hey, hey) I wonder if Krusty says that in a Japanese version of Simpsons? I wonder if there is a Japanese version of Simpsons? (Thinks about it) Ugh... disturbing...

Vee: Ahahaha, um.. yeah (oints at title) Mogie-chan, you're on, remember?

Mogeta: Hm? Oh oh yes! Today's show will be about Hatori, Shigure, Ayame, and a little orange birdy!

Scene

Shigure, Ayame, Hatori, Ritsu, and Kureno are present in a room.

Shigure&Ayame: Oh, Kureno-dono! We have to ask you so-me-thi-ng!

Hatori: (What are these two bakas up to?)

Kureno: Hm? (Was walking but turned around when they called him) What?

Ayame: No offense, Kureno, but Shigure and I thought you were always some sort of a...

S&A: STUCK-UP PRISSY AKITO'S BITCH!

(Shigure and Ayame await for Kureno's response)

Kureno: (shrugs) ...okay...

Shigure: Just kidding, BuuuuuuDDY!

Hatori: Eto, Kureno-san, I'm sorry about these two (bows)

Shigure: No, don't listen, Kureno! Okay, seriously now... We want you to become our fourth member of the Mabudachi Trio!

Kureno: (O.O) Y-Y-You do? (Starts to cry) I-I-It has b-b-been my dream for so long!

Hatori: Kureno-san? (O.O)

Ayame: Sugoi! We did it!

(Shigure and Ayame square dances with each other and sings the Dora, the Explorer victory song. haha, victory song...)

S&A: We did it! We did it! We did it! We stepped over the Dragon! We kicked Akito's ass! We manipulated his bitch! We did it! Look! It's a star!

Hatori: (Hits them both on the head) BAKA!

Kureno: Um...yeeah...

(The three of them look up at Kureno glaring at him.)

Hatori: (This guy is weird... He maintained his cool even though I didn't! I'm always suppose to remain handsome and sexy! I'm a DOCTOR! Praise the almighty Dr.Jekyll of Furuba!)

Ayame: (Whose glory does he think he is standing before! It is I, the ALMIGHTY Snake! Not Akito! For I am more elegant than Akito! More important than Akito!)

Shigure: Friends! As my negro friend says, 'Dont B Hatin'!' Let's all...GLOMP KURENO! QUICKLY BEFORE HE FLIES AWAY!

Ayame, Shigure, and even Hatori goes to glomp Kureno.

Kureno: (O.O) Akiiiiiiito! ((gets glomped))

Akito: (yells from upstairs) WHAT IS IT! I'M BUSY HERE TORTURING YUKI!

Shigure: Kureno was just kidding!

(Hatori and Ayame were tying up Kureno)

Hatori: baka, Kureno doesn't kid!

Shigure: Oh, you're right, he chirps!

Kureno: (Muffling through a cloth tied around his mouth) Wo, I fon't!

Ritsu: Um... what am I suppose to be doing, Ayame-dono?

Ayame: Shut up and help me tie him up!

Ritsu: OH! I AM SO SORRY I HAD ANGERED YOU! PLEASE ALLOW ME TIE HIM UP AND TIE HIM UP RIGHT, MY GRACEFUL MASTER AYAME! AND KURENO-SAMA, I AM SO SORRY FOR OBEYING MY MASTER! I AM SORRY FOR MY EXISTENSE AND MY ENTITY IN THIS-

Ayame: SHUT UP!YOU'RE BREAKING MY EARDRUMS!

Ritsu: (small voice) sorry

(They finished tieing up Kureno)

Shigure: So what will be called? Can't go by "The Mabudachi Trio" anymore...

Ayame: I know! The Mabudachi Four-O!

Hatori: You idiot...

Shigure: Hmmm... I know! Ritsu! Stop your crying and come over here, brudda!

Ritsu: (looks up) Hehehe (Crawls over)

Shigure: Now we're the Mabudachi Cinco!

Ayame: I like it! I like it!

Hatori: If you agree with that, then why didn't you use Cuatro instead? (Secretly harboring hatred for the Monkey)

Shigure: Because Spanish is evil!

Hatori: But you just-

S&A: Cinco! Cinco! Cinco!

Vee: So the scene ends with Ayame and Shigure dancing around like little kids and Hatori staring at them with a how-did-i-ever-survive-this look, Ritsu was still bowing his head down, and the glomped Kureno lyed there with X's as eyes, tied up like he would actually run away.

Reviews:

angelicjapgurl: Thank you so much. (Blushes) I really don't think my story is the best though... I mean... look at that medocre handywork of a first chapter! (Cries) I seriously have to re-edit it and repost it... But thank you so much for your compliment, Angelic-san!

kitsunedemon: Ah, sorry if this Kureno-being-tackled thing wasn't what you had in mind... but my original idea was blown away by distraction so I had to make up another one. But I hope you enjoyed the lil scenario and the chapter, Katie!

Darklife: Do ya really? cuz GREEEEEAT! Hope you will review from now til it ends!

tohru-honda14: S'all right... I get like that every time Yuki gets injured too... I just love it when bishies get tortured... It makes them appear more sexy. Hahah! Plus, if you must know, I've always had a sadism fetish for thisparticular rat and I want to get sadistic on Kyo too... You'll probably see some of that when later on. Yum yum... Sadism...

To all my reviews: Starting now, I think I'll repost my amateurish chapters like chapter 1... so if you want to see another new chapter up, I'm guessing that it won't come out til maybe like.. hmm... I'll try to say... 5th day of March break which is next Sunday maybe...

Mogeta: You better keep that promise, Vee Vee!

Vee: Call me what!

Mogeta: I said I wanna say goodbye to the nice people!

Vee: Oh, okay.. Say bye, Mogie!

Mogeta: Byyyyye! (waves frantically)

Vee: Don't forget to revieeeeeew!