October 3, 2004
The FURUBA Round Robin Project
Chapter 10 - A Plot Against Yuki
By Ravyncat
Auntie Saori scuttled down the dark streets towards her home. The expression on her face would have shocked almost anyone that knew her. The facade of a sweet old woman had been stripped away revealing a more grim and serious person. A person who looked extremely upset at the moment.
"You've reached a new low, Saori,", she muttered to herself as she finally reached her own front door. "Hiding that monster and now torturing teenagers. What is next...murder?"
She opened her door and then quickly locked it again once she was inside. Auntie Saori then hurried to her kitchen in dire need of a calming cup of tea. Her hands were still shaking as she set out a cup and turned on the stove to heat some water.
"Darn rat infested building...", she grumbled as she searched for some tea leaves. The night had been very upsetting. She kept seeing rats in her mind...hundreds of them...looking at her. Ugh. She really hated rats.
Finally the tea was ready and Auntie Saori sat down with a steaming cup in front of her computer and sighed with relief.
She didn't really feel like giving a report just now, but it was expected. Her unknown employer seemed to have an uncanny knowledge of when she arrived home. Auntie Saori knew that he would notice if she neglected to report in. That could cost her the job and she really depended on the extra income to make ends meet.
She sipped her tea and then logged onto the special website her employer took reports from. It appeared to be an educational website about the Chinese Zodiac with just text and no pictures. Clicking on the word "junishi" however allowed her into a secret chat level.
Auntie Saori entered her password and then began to write her report.
"Sohma Yuki reported for work tonight. I told him the ghost story about Hiroga-San. Then I locked him in the basement per your orders and typed on his computer using the network link."
"I was not able to carry out all of your requests because that rude orange haired Sohma boy and Sohma Momigi also arrived along with Honda Tohru. They insisted we check on Sohma Yuki and I had to release him."
Almost immediately words appeared on her screen.
"Why didn't you send them away and continue with your orders?"
Auntie Saori frowned and thoughtfully typed her reply. Admitting that she had felt sorry for the frightened boy would not be wise.
"More Sohmas arrived at the scene. A tall man with strange eyes and another with long silver hair. There was also a small dark haired girl and two other boys. I think a man wearing a kimono was also a Sohma. There were even more of them outside of the building."
"I tried to follow orders, but it became impossible to keep Sohma Yuki isolated."
This time the reply took longer to appear.
"So Yuki made no contact with Hiroga?"
Auntie Saori stared at the words for a minute and sipped some more of her cooling tea. Hiroga-San was a nasty piece of work and the one black spot in her otherwise lovely job. Somehow he managed to create an aura of fear about him that clouded people's minds. She wondered why her unknown employer desired to have such a creature meet the Sohma boy.
"Answer me, Saori", the computer prompted.
With a sigh, she set down her tea and began to type.
"I don't believe that he did. I met Hiroga-San near the kitchen...and I don't really remember much else. I woke up inside the kitchen surrounded by rats. There was no sign of Sohma Yuki or of Hiroga-San."
"However, I did see Sohma Yuki with Honda Tohru a bit later outside of the building."
She expected a quick reply and was not disappointed when the words flashed on the screen.
"How did Yuki look? Did he appear to be traumatized?"
Auntie Saori laughed out loud at the question. She had a clear memory of a red faced Sohma Yuki clad only in a blue silk shirt stammering out some lie about losing his pants. The girl beside him had been equally flushed.
He looked like he was a having a good time to me, she thought, but decided not to write that. Only fair after being locked in the basement and having the hell scared out of him.
"He looked tired, but mentally stable. I do not think that would be the case if he had encountered Hiroga-San. He and Honda Tohru left together."
For several minutes only her own reply sat on the computer screen. Auntie Saori finished her now cold cup of tea and contemplated going to bed. She wondered if her unknown employer had simply signed off without telling her. That had never happened before, but she supposed there was always a first time for everything.
She was about to log off the site and turn off her computer when more words flashed across the screen.
"The orders I gave you regarding Sohma Yuki still stand. If he shows up for work again, I expect you to implement them. Hiroga will also be informed."
"You will continue following these orders until I release you. Measures will be taken to prevent further interference from Honda Tohru or any other Sohmas."
"That is all."
Auntie Saori blinked as the screen suddenly went dark. Almost like a royal dismissal she thought and shakily turned off her computer.
The Sohma boy seemed like a really nice young man. She wondered what he had done to provoke her employer so. Repeated contact with Hiroga-San would break the boy's mind.
TO BE CONTINUED BY KANZAKI