DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters except for Fury.

HATORI'S POV

Hatori had seen many injuries and scars as a doctor, but what he saw now made him want to gag. Although she had fresh whip marks on her back, they did not cover what lay beneath them. Her back was branded with burns from hot irons and barbed whips. Ugly red and black scars ran across her back. How could anyone do that to a human being? It's mutilation.

Unsure of what to do by Fury's sudden actions Akito began to scream savagely. "Hatori! Read her mind and erase her memories! When you're done I want her dead!"

Obligingly, Hatori stood and gingerly approached Fury, she wasn't supposed to be able to move, but it was obvious that she could. He didn't want to take his chances with this girl. When he reached the girl called Fury, he bent down in front of her face and touched her forehead. For some reason she didn't resist. I wonder why… It didn't take him long to find out why.

Usually when he went into someone's mind he could sense their emotions and be able to look into their past memories. With Fury, however, he encountered something he never had encountered before: a wall blocked him out of her mind. How is that possible? No one has ever been able to block me before! Does she consciously know how to block me from her mind? Suddenly his mind sensed a sinister presence moving towards him. As it got closer to Hatori's mind he immediately pulled himself from her mind, whatever the presence was it had been certainly going to kill him.

"I- I'm sorry Akito. I can't erase her memories or access them." Hatori bowed apologetically to Akito.

"What do you mean you can't access her mind?" Akito roared. He pushed Hatori out of his way and grabbed a fistful of Fury's long black hair. "You stupid girl!" Hatori watched as he was about to punch the girl in the face, but instead of Fury turning her face away, she grabbed Akito's hand, blocking the blow.

FURY'S POV

I squeezed Akito's hand harder until he began to cry out in pain and Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure stood up trying to pry him loose from my vice-like grip. With satisfaction I heard a bone snap and I finally decided to release him. Akito screamed in pain and the rest of the people in the room had a look of astonishment on their faces as they stared at the scene that had just transpired.

Akito struggled to get at me, but Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame held him fast. No one got near me which was all the better. "Who do you think you are?" I asked maliciously to the thrashing Akito. "Do you think you could actually kill me without a fight? How pathetic." I rose from the floor and stared straight in his eyes that were filled with unshielded hatred. "I wonder… Is fear how you keep your family loyal to you? I can see it in their eyes y' know." I glanced at the other Sohma's. "Do you think that by feeling sorry for yourself and venting your anger on others will actually heal your curse?" I knew that by now everyone's eyes were on me. "You know what I saw in Hatori's mind? I saw your curse. It's pathetic really, the fact that you're so scared of death."

"I'll kill you!" Akito screamed savagely, almost breaking free of Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure. Then he began to scream at them, "Why do you hold me back? I want her dead!"

"I kept on speaking as if I hadn't heard him. 'But I have good news. I'm going to grant you peace. I'm going to take away the core of the curse from you."

For a second I watched as a spark of disbelieve flicked across his features. "The only way to take away the curse from me is if I died."

"Exactly." I said and charged forward before anyone could move. I could feel my claws emerge from my hands and I used them to tear his throat out. Everyone began to panic and Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame all backed away from the obviously dead Akito. I stooped down, drank a bit of his blood and smiled at the remaining members of the Sohma family.

KYO'S POV

Kyo watched with mixed emotions as she stood and smiled at them. Blood dripped down her chin and she looked like a wild animal. He had noticed how her nails had grown into ten inch claws and now they retracted back to their normal length. Is she at all fazed that she killed a person? Am I capable of killing? I won't even answer that question.

No one spoke for a moment, until Hatori said to Fury, "You have the core of the curse now."

"I know that." Fury replied. "Let me make a deal with you. Help me get rid of my curse and I'll help you get rid of yours. What do you say?"

For a moment Kyo watched as Shigure and Hatori discussed this. Everyone was more or less relieved that Akito was dead and showed no sign of grieving except for Tohru who considered Akito a misunderstood soul. What is this girl? She can take away our curse?

"Before we agree," Hatori said in a business-like tone turning back to Fury, "How do we know you will help us once we help you?"

Fury just shrugged and said, "Well now I carry the core of your curse. I'd like to be rid of it too y' know."

"Agreed." Hatori said walking forward and extending his hand to her.

"Wonderful." Fury replied and gave another of her bone-chilling smiles.