Thank you to everyone who had reviewed for this story—I have to say thanks to all the reviewers for sticking to this story and reviewing. It's really helped me push the story along until the end, not just leaving it hanging.

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Freedom in a Cage

By: Lost-Remembrance (Red Tail)

Finale

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A heavy sigh escaped from Hatori's pursed lips as he took off is glasses and leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. Rubbing his temples, he looked back up at Shigure. "There isn't really much that you—or any of us can do to help his mental state." He took the cup of tea offered to him by Shigure.

"Everyone but Tohru." The dog of the zodiac pointed out, sipping his tea before setting it back down onto Hatori's desk.

Hatori took a sip of tea, looking in the glass before speaking again, "But I have a feeling that she is the cause of all of this in the first place." Shigure bowed his head and remained silent.

An awkward silence then fell over the two.

"Therapists won't work?" Shigure questioned, breaking the silence that made him uncomfortable, even with Hatori's presence in the room.

He shook his head, "No." He placed the cup down on the table, "If anything, it might make him feel less secure about everything."

"We can't have that." Hatori nodded in agreement to that.

"What can we do?" Shigure shifted in his chair uneasily, doing nothing but sitting and discussing the possibilities of helping the cat was making him rather edgy.

"Nothing." Opening his mouth to protest, he closed it abruptly before any words could come out, the argument dying instantly.

Hatori sighed and gripped the cup of tea, staring into the brownish liquid, seeing the steam roll off the hot drink. "Do you hate him?"

A laugh escaped his lips, sounding sarcastic and somewhat painful sounding, "How can I?" Biting his lip, Hatori nodded his head and agreed, if not verbally then silently.

"What would you do in my place?" Hatori looked up, somewhat shocked and a little muffled by Shigure's question.

Licking his dry lips, he looked away and turned to the papers on his desk to avoid the dull pain lurking in Shigure's now mirthless eyes. "I would do what I could in small tokens."

"I thought you would say something like that."

Deciding to change the subject, Hatori picked up his pen and began doing some documenting and filing while questioning, "Have they found the suspects yet?"

"No."

Well, that discussion just died there, shot down in the sky as soon as the bird took flight. 'So much for that.' Hatori cleared his throat, looking up this time, "Why not?"

Shigure sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "They didn't find the suspects because they know who did it."

That raised an eyebrow from the normally silent and calculating doctor, "Then they still haven't caught them yet." He gripped his pen, wondering just how hard they were looking for these people to bring justice to the system, and to Kyou.

"Yes, they don't have them in custody." Shigure replied, hands clenched at his side as he took the drink and stiffly raised it to his mouth, sipping the cooling liquid slowly. "They have the people though."

"That doesn't make sense." Hatori protested, leaning forward as he looked intently into Shigure's eyes. He shifted some of the papers on his desk around in some sort of order and leaned back, patiently waiting for Shigure's response.

"They have the bodies."

His eyes were wide, obviously taken aback by the answer. "What?" He questioned, regaining his composition rather quickly.

"Somebody got to them before the police could. They located the alley where the raping happened since there was still blood and…" Shigure took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Other evidence and they found bits and pieces of the body thrown about the alley."

A shiver ran down Hatori's spine. "Is wasn't Kyou that did that…was it?" When Kyou was in his original cat form, he could be quite strong, if not grief-stricken by painful memories when in that form.

"No." Shigure shook his head, "I think that they were silenced."

Hatori closed his eyes and his shoulder's slumped, "What do you think will happen now?"

Shigure shrugged, "Not even time will tell. From everything that's happened up to this point, I'm guessing time doesn't even know."

A small laugh escaped Hatori's mouth despite everything that had happened, "You're probably right…"

"As always." Hatori looked up and nodded, 'It's good to see that some people are beginning to act like they used to.'

Chapter Thirteen

Finale

Taking a deep breath, Tohru looked up and stared at Kyou who sat in silence up on the rooftop of Shigure's house. In her hands were two steaming cups of tea for them to sip while they waited in the night, wondering who would speak first. Somehow, it had become a ritual for the two of them to dwell in the presence of one another, soaking up comfort and reassuring feelings.

Looking up at Tohru who climbed with skill onto the roof, he looked back down at what he held in his hands. He slipped something back into his pocket. He had been pondering over something's while looking at the smiling people in the photograph, but he had to think on his own when looking at that picture.

She smiled lightly at him and handed him the drink. "It's still hot." He took the mug hesitantly, nodding in thanks.

A sad look glimmered in her eyes before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He pulled out the blanket from under her arm and draped it over her and his shoulders as they sat side by side on the rooftop.

The moon hung in the sky, instead of kisses from the sun, moonshine wafted around them, making the night enchanting. She closed her eyes as a smile graced her lips, a laugh coming from her throat.

Kyou looked at her, raising an eyebrow, curious to her laugh. His eyes were dark, holding sadness and self-loathing. She gave him a comforting smile. "It's funny." She looked up at the sky with a longing look, "That the night never seems to act as if something sad has happened to us."

Kyou looked away, as if he was ashamed.

She closed her eyes, turning to look at him with a sad look on her face. "Don't blame yourself." She put a hand gently on his shoulder, feeling the muscles tense and she slowly withdrew her hand from it's reassuring position. She didn't want him to think she was disgusted with him. "You don't have to tell me what happened."

Kyou looked back at her and sighed heavily, accepting the mug of tea she offered to him with a smile. "You act as though…nothing ever happened." He winced internally at the way he put his words. He didn't want to remember that incident at all.

"Sometimes, I wish that none of it had ever happened." She looked at him, eyes sparkling in the dark, holding warmth and sadness for him, "I never cried so much in my life when you were taken from us. Not even when…" She took a deep breath and felt the tears begin to sting her eyes and she sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her pajamas. "Mom died."

Kyou felt awkward, opening up his arms as she fell into his embrace lightly, not giving him a complete hug but enough for the comfort of his touch to help calm her. "I wouldn't want to change anything." She mumbled.

Kyou jerked his head up, staring at her in disbelief. "What…!"

"I hate what those men did to you, but I remember Mom saying that everything has it's purpose. I think that this brought us closer together." A hint of a blush formed on his cheeks as well as hers.

"I don't think that…" He took a deep breath and tried to make the blush burning on his cheeks dissipate. "I'm ready…"

Tohru smiled warmly, "Oh, don't worry!" She laughed for the first time in a long time, "I don't want to step beyond friendship yet."

"How can you…?" He frowned in confusion, not being able to finish off the sentence. He was trash—a used toy. Who wanted to keep an old and worn toy like himself? "I…I…" He shook his head angrily, digging his nails into his palms and running his fingers of the other hand roughly though his hair in frustration, "How can you do this?"

She looked taken aback, after all, who wouldn't with his statement. Tilting her head to the side with a confused expression on her face, she questioned, "Do what, Kyou?" Gasping when she remembered her words, she couldn't help but think that it was her words that had caused him pain. She turned her face, flushed in shame and felt the tears prickle her vision once more. How many more times would she feel this endless pain in her stomach?

She couldn't help but sputter as the words soon fell off her tongue in an awkward jumble, "I…I'm sorry!" She sniffled, knees up close to her chest. A light breeze played with her hair and her nightclothes. 'So sorry, all my fault…' Her mind chanted in a mantra, brining more salty tears to haze her vision. Her breathing hitched.

And at the same time as her apology, Kyou found the right words to say and shouted them angrily at her; "I'm trash—used and reused!"

They blinked, then looked at one another.

A lone tear trailed its way down Tohru's smooth cheek, following the contours and frame of her cherubic face. Kyou's eyes followed the trail of the crystalline jewel, sparkling. Before it could fall off the edge of her chin, he lifted his hand and wiped off the liquid and stared at his wet hand.

Reaching up, Tohru took her hand in his slowly. She couldn't trust herself with words, knowing that actions wouldn't speak of how miserable she felt for causing Kyou even more pain and emotional turmoil than he already was in. She took a breath, "You're not trash, Kyou."

His eyes were distant, still staring at his hand. "I made you cry…" He whispered, "…again…"

"No!" Her hand sqeezed his, "Kyou, stop it right now!" She shook her head angrily, "What can I do to make you understand that it's not your fault!"

He continued to stare at his hand with blank eyes, lost in some memory or trance.

"Kyou!" More tears fell down her cheek and he continued to stay in the trance, gaze blank and mind empty of all thoughts and feeling. It was as if he was there in body, but not in soul.

"Made you cry…made me cry…" Tears glistened on his eyes.

"If I could take your place that day," He blinked, coming out of the memory to look into the tear-stained face of Tohru's. Her eyes were filled with worry and concern, something that surprised him, was that she was crying tears for him. "I would take your place in a heartbeat!"

Kyou took a sharp intake of breath. She…would take his place? "But…why?" He shook his head back and forth in confusion. No one would—or had ever done such a thing for him other than Master from the dojo and even when he had come to visit after the…incident, he couldn't smile.

"Kyou," Master gave him a hug and he flinched. Seeing the flinch, Kazuma pulled away from his "son". Stuck in the awkward situation, the older man tried to start a light conversation by asking the easiest one. "How are you doing?"

Kyou didn't reply. He simply brushed past the older man and climbed the stairs slowly. He didn't care, what was life to him?

He closed the door to his bedroom, waking over to the bed before collapsing. Why were these tears lining his vision? He growled, cursing his weakness and clenched the bed sheets and buried his head into them.

He wanted to die.

Leaning on the outside of the door, Kazuma bowed his head when he heard the muffled anguished sobs coming from the tortured teen's room. Bowing his head, all his would do was apologize for not being there and whisper a single name that fell on deaf ears, "Kyou…"

It had been less than a few weeks, three at the most. Kyou had been released from the hospital, despite his lack of care for his health and everything else. He had been on anti-depressants for a long time until the doctor decided to stop the prescription in case he ended up getting addicted or overdose.

The wounds marring the cat's lithe and beautiful form had slowly faded, some into scars and then others healing perfectly. The only thing was, however that unlike the physical wounds that managed to scar his body, the emotional ones managed to cute deeper, scarring his soul.

"I already told you." Tohru wiped away her tears and leaned her head onto Kyou's toned chest. "I love you more than life itself." She looked up at him and stared at him straight in the eyes. It was nothing but the truth.

"Aa…" He was speechless none the less, and somehow, her words seemed to take off a heavy weight on his shoulders and his heart. He took a deep breath and nodded. He couldn't tear his crimson eyes from her innocent, but strong and truthful gaze.

Kyou offered a small, sad smile as the wind blew against him, orange hair blowing in the wind and crimson eyes with small, kindling sparks of happiness that had almost fell through his fingers once more.

"Let's start over Kyou, all over." Tohru grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the house, "Let's go back to the beginning, where everything was so much simpler."

Kyou looked at her hand wrapped around his. She still wanted to touch him even though he was so dirty and used?

"Dinner's ready—and I promise it doesn't have any leeks in it!" Tohru squeezed his hand as if to tell him she was there for him and she always would be. She would help him fight the nightmares and the tears of memories that would resurface time from time.

Kyou nodded and, as she began to run lightly, tugging him to come along with her, he picked up his pace.

"I'll be there for you, Kyou." She smiled at him and threw a "right-straight" at him as he let out a small smile.

After all, everyone deserved a second chance at happiness, right?

Now, in most stories, there is usually a kiss that ends up with something else. Fairy tales always end like that, but this is no fairy tale. There was no chaste or passionate kiss between Kyou and Tohru. No… the flowers bloomed and the budding friendship became stronger.

Instead of a kiss, Tohru got the first "real" hug from Kyou, ever. He opened up his arms to her and she realized how important one person could be in her life. Even if he ended up turning into a cat in the end.

'Thank you, Mom. For being there for me and watching over me.' She closed her eyes and rubbed Kyou's furry back soothingly as they both sank into one another's embrace. 'I don't think Kyou's ready to accept me as his girlfriend, if he even likes me…but it's good to know that Kyou's back, safe and sound.'

Pulling herself up to her feet, she rocked the sleeping cat back and forth, grabbing the clothes that fell off when Kyou transformed and headed off back to the window where she would climb in. She didn't look back at the picture Kyou had been looking at.

A single pure white feather fluttered to the ground, landing on a picture of two smiling teens, one with orange hair and another, this one a girl, with long brown hair pulled up by ribbons.

OWARI

Author's note: Well, it's finally, done (I thought that the ending was going to be somewhat short so I decided to make the previous chapter as long as I could) and…since some reviewer(s) asked for a happy ending, this is what I can do for you all! And, I did it without making it a Kyoru-filled fic, just a little bit (more on the lines of a little more than friendship relationship.

Thank you everyone so much for the reviews:hugs people: I want to thank everyone for sticking it to the end for this fic, even though it kinda ends now… :sniff: I do, however like the ending with the hug instead of a kiss XD People are like teddy bears—you just have to hug 'em all!

Since this story may have left you thinking afterwards, here's some answers to unanswered questions:

The bad guys that raped him? The whole part with the bodies of the two rapists was confusing, but I couldn't really find it in myself to change it. Basically, the person that hired him (Akito) couldn't have them talk to the police so he silenced them himself (or someone in the Sohma family did)

Therapy! He needed it! …Right? Kyou didn't, and couldn't, have therapy because then he might let it slip about the curse and the person would have to have their memory wiped.

Why Kyou didn't have his memory wiped? Well, Hatori does it to people that are "normal", so I couldn't have him kill off all Kyou's memories. People in the Sohma family would remember the rape and he could have nightmares of flashes of the memory and not know what happened.

Why not a total all-out Kyoru? Well, that's because I'm weird and I don't really have a clear idea of what pairing that I like, kind of like in the series. Does Tohru like Yuki or Kyou? That's your own personal opinion.

The ending? What was with that? Well, XD Movies always end in kisses, so…I thought, if it wasn't a romance, what about a happy ending with a hug of friendship and reassurance?

Akito. What was with that? Akito is a confusing person that gets to me. People say that he/she is a girl and then some say he/she is a guy. I tried to make your own opinion fit that in rather than my own, which is why for some of the torture scenes it was confusing. If I made him a guy, he was raped and if a girl…well, leave that to your imagination XD (but a guy can be raped by a girl cause it can be considered NCS)

I really enjoyed writing this story through the months or time. I think my writings improved with putting more emotion into things, and also with the fact that I can change from angst to all sorts of genres.

I also hate to say this, but I think this may be my last Fruits Basket story.

Anyhoo, Thank you once more to any who have reviewed and read this story! I hope that you liked the ending and enjoyed the story!

Love, Red Tail