T'is finally done! I had to review some of the recent chapters in order to decide what to do... When I was rereading Ina's chapter 14, I realized we had another character introduced. So I worked a little with him in the middle of the chapie. I was also unsure what to do with Hatori and Haru so I left it up to the next writer to decide what they're up to... As of the moment Hatori still is in Shigure's room and Haru downstairs. Oh and since I didn't bring in the student council, my challenge for the next chapter is to have some Hiroga and student council interaction. Umm... that's about it. Gomen, it's taken so long! Thanks again to Adria for editing!
ash-
The imagination of a teenage boy isn't to be taken lightly. Even the most innocent of situations can be twisted into the unthinkable. Not that this situation in question was in any way innocent but it still should be taken into consideration... and Hiroga was not someone who took anything lightly.
Kyo's shaky form stood in Yuki's doorway, his gusts of breath rattling away.
"What the hell is going on here!" the cat repeated furiously. It was obvious that his mind was in upheaval with the current events as they were. Especially with the little tid bit Hiroga had put in or rather taken off at seconds notice.
So for the moment Hiroga relished and contemplated this quite amusing situation. It wasn't every day that the key to his plans had come so simply packaged or... fallen into his plans, per say. But then again neither do the thoughts of a teenager. Kyo's antics and body stance confirmed his earlier observations. One of the feelings that was raging throughout the cat's body was undoubtedly love or at the very least attraction. Yes, this was now very amusing indeed.
"You forget your place baka neko."
"NEZUMI! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! HELL IF IT ISN'T MY PLACE! I'LL TELL YOU—"
"To the victor go the spoils." A manic laugh erupted from Yuki's pale pink lips as he moved out from under Tohru's still form, pulling his shirt closed. Shock was still clearly etched across her innocent face, a distraught apology stammering its way out of her mouth.
Yuki was different, Kyo thought. Yes different. He was—
A cleft of darkness kept the young man hidden in the shadows. Crashing and booms resounded all throughout the house, causing the paper doors to creak and moan in protest.
What is going on in there? The young man wondered.
"You bastard! Is that all you've got?" A voice screeched inside the house. Another series of crashes reverberated within the walls, brittle compared to the young man's practiced silence and stillness. He had no intention of walking out of here empty handed--even if he was days away from attaining his desired target.
Just then Yuki Sohma ambled out the back kitchen door, passing through the spot of his concealment. And what came next was even more startling...
Yuki paused. "Death befalls us all. But I bet you already knew that didn't you, Toshizo?" A small smirk played upon his lips and Yuki continued to saunter across the tree-infested lawn.
"Where are you going! I'm not finished with you!" yelled a boy, presumably Kyo Sohma, from the second floor window. His face was twisted into a menacing grin and was practically unmarred despite all of the violence that had just occurred.
Toshizo froze from where he stood barely taking a breath of the icy cold air that now surrounded him.
He couldn't... He couldn't know... Could he be—?
Shock ran down his spine, eliminating his once-sure confidence in his own deception.
It simply can't be... And if it is true what does that mean for us? This is bigger than any of the others or that idiot Saori realizes. The zodiac is the key to the ancient scriptures, the key to all our plans. If they were to be eradicated...
Toshizo slid to the ground, his body bent as though bearing the fate of the world on his shoulders. Then slowly he began to lift his head toward the starlit sky, his thoughts in turmoil.
Images of raw earth, rings of laughter and wind chimes, bombarded his brain. They were the memories of him-Yuki. He had no idea how they found their way into his thoughts. But as of the moment they were what was driving him. It happened during the fight. He simply couldn't concentrate. His body was doing one thing, his mind another. He lost control for a brief moment and then... and then he didn't know what happened. He didn't like it when he wasn't in control. It was one of his biggest pet peeves. To have absolute power over destiny, one must have absolute control. And this... damn it.
It was happening again; it was happening again. The failure of his last plan occurred with this same pattern. But he couldn't afford mistakes this time. No one would get in his way—
However, the place that kept flashing in his mind would receive due attention.
The path took a sharp turn into a small clearing. In tiny neat rows stood small sprouts of life, each with its own shape and color. Names did not matter to this egotistical man. Hiroga's control over his mind and his borrowed body were no longer being overwhelmed by that body's previous owner.
He bent down, laughing with child-like glee and gripped one tender shoot in the hands that had nurtured them. He then ran an index finger up and down the stem, his anticipation growing with each stroke. This is for earlier, he thought. This is for earlier in the fight.
Hands reached and grabbed, pulled and yanked. Leaves and stems went flying in all directions with careless abandon. Every part of his being was centered on this outward display of rebellion. He was the instigator. He was all-powerful. And the needless green rain continued, witnessed only by the moon and stars.
End of Chapter 17
Return to Chapter 16
Continued on Chapter 18