My term test is finally over! So I'm on a one week break, however, it has to be completely devoted to project completion – all 7 of them! So I'm pretty much screwed. Still, I figure I owe this story a chap. I know that my updates are slow but I get a bit of writer's block every once in a while. I don't write out my fics first, I just decide on a plot and develop the chapters as it goes. Thank you so much for those lovely reviews!

Regarding the colour of Tohru's eyes, I checked. The Manga pictures show her with brown coloured orbs. But the anime portrays it as blue coloured. And for Haru's eyes, it appears to be brown in the Manga, but grayish in the anime. Am I right? Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Am glad to see some Haru fans out there! I really like him too! He's... so lovable! giggles. Which is of course, the reason why our favourite ox is the main star here.

Disclaimer: I don't own fruit baskets.

Now on with the story.

Flashback

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Gloved hands. Muffled voices. A misty white haze impairing his vision.

Haru tried to move, willing his body to resist, only to be rewarded with an intensifying sharp pain in his temple. Grimacing at the throbbing pain, he tried to bring his hand forth to comfort his aching head, only to be stopped as he realized that something was holding them down.

Something cold and steely had wedged itself over his wrist, including his ankles. Drawing most of his strength, he wrangled his hand mercilessly against the nasty manacle, ignoring the pain convulsing through his veins before he finally gave up.

He felt weak, as if his strength had been thoroughly sapped.

Opening his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings, forcing his hazy grayish black orbs to focus. The lights were bright, too bright, and it hurt his delicate eyes, compelling him to shut them as he cringed, cursing himself for being this weak.

A tiny beeping sound resonated within the background.

And then it hit him. He had been brought into 'the room'.

They must have given him something, something to suppress his strength for he felt unusually weak. A sharp prod against his sensitive skin took him back to reality as he realized that a fellow human had just injected something via a needle into his bloodstream.

Struggling with all he had, Haru grunted as a sweeping pain overcame his arm, flowing through his entire body as he shook and convulsed, his hands now clenched into a tight fist as he fought with all he had against the internal pain. It felt as if someone had released a ball of raging fire right into his body system. The untamed invasion was like poison, ravaging through him like he was a piece of paper, tearing him up from the inside.

The beeping sound within the background began to shudder, increasing its volume as the seconds ticked.

' His heart rate is increasing at an abnormal rate'

' Blood volume is above the average rate!'

' Akito Sir, we have injected half the serum as instructed, his condition is too unstable to endure a second round, I suggest..'

'Silence. I want it all in him. Do it. Now!'

' But sir...'

Interrupting the conversation, a fellow assistant remarked ' Sir! His immune system is now down, we need to do something!'

Smirking, Akito answered ' All the better, now do it!'

The pain was immense, beyond any forms of description. Haru wanted to kill himself right then and there. It felt as if a million daggers had impaled him from the inside, crushing his internal organs as it did, for his lungs were steadily running dry of air. His body shook involuntarily, as if he were undergoing a series of spasm. Opening his mouth, he gagged as the air struggled to reach his lungs. What were they doing to him? Convulsing from side to side, he felt the hard metal restrains around his wrists edging its way deeper into his skin.

He couldn't be bothered with that. Pain was the least of his problems now. He only wanted to escape. To get away from this very room.

And then he felt strong hands holding him down, a couple of straps pulled tightly over his shoulder and chest, immobilizing him as he writhed and shuddered from the immense pain. Yelling was now an option he chose, to release himself of the heavy stress contorting through his body.

A cooling liquid brushed itself lightly above his forearm, alerting his now sensitive senses to another deadly danger. Looking over, he couldn't stop himself as he noticed the dreaded needle containing something, closing its proximity towards his skin. Summoning his remaining strength, he lashed out, only to be held down by another two more humans.

The last thing he knew was the pricking sensation as the needle invaded the surface of his skin.

Like a bomb, he exploded. And then, pain within was replaced with something else. For a moment, Haru felt different as a calming wave swept through his mind, freeing him of all thoughts and action. Inside his mind, he heard a voice.

'Awaken me. Free me.'

It sounded so distant, and yet so familiar.

The voice was menacing and dark. As the blackness began to swirl, it seemed to form a silhouette of someone. With a hand out stretched, the voice continued ' Free me. Now!'

As Akito stood and watched, his lips slowly curled to form a smile. Gripping the paper cup he held within his hands, his smile began to widen as he watched with abated breaths.

The assistants holding Haru down watched in horror as the boy's black and white hair began to ruffle itself, and they gaped as shades and patches of black hair began to appear upon the silver white locks. His eyes were no longer an innocent gray, but a darkened black as a tiny grin slowly appeared within his lips.

With more strength then they could imagine, Haru had already freed his first hand, crushing the manacle in the process as his fist connected with the soft bone tissues of his first unlucky victim.

' Quickly, someone! Restrain him!'

He was now a raging bull, bent on destroying everything that lay in his pathway. With another mighty pull, he liberated himself of the straps which had been pulled over his shoulder. His wrist was now a bloody sight, and as Haru inspected the damage, he brought the hand closer and grinned as he licked the blood, tasting it with immense pleasure. And then he looked up.

' I am now free! And I want your blood!'

Still partially restrained, Haru was enjoying himself as he tossed a helpless human right through the glass window. He felt extremely different. He couldn't really remember why he was here, or what he was supposed to be doing. But the only thing ringing in his mind right now was one simple word: Kill.

As quickly as everything had started, it ended as two tiny darts pricked itself upon Haru's shoulder.

Growling, he seized the two tranquilizer darts, only to feel his only free hand going limp as the drug's instantanteous effect began to take place.

Tossing the tranquilizer gun aside, Akito took a step towards the now drowsy Ox.

Looking straight into his hazy gray orbs, Akito placed his hand over the ox's soft pallid cheek, caressing his chin in the process as he whispered ' My my, my beautiful devil has finally awakened.'

Slumping back onto the seat, Haru could hardly feel his hand, his senses now thoroughly numbed. His eyelids were growing heavier. He could remember nothing that had taken place. He could not understand what the crazy Akito scientist was whispering. He simply felt so tired. Too tired to bother. Too tired to care.

The last thing he saw before he fell into deep slumber was the evil glint within the mad scientist's eyes, as he noted his hand gently brushing his silvery fringe aside. But he was too weak to resist and sleep was now his alley.

Jerking awake, Haru was breathing heavily.

The nightmare he just had, it had been haunting him for a while now.

Sitting up, he removed the pile of blankets someone had so kindly placed over him and scanned his surroundings.

The place smelled of fresh pinewood and a heavenly scent of freshly baked muffins. Doing so, he heard his stomach rumble, a sign saying that he should start feeding it. Rubbing his empty tummy, he noticed the bandages wrapped neatly around his injured wrist. Instinctively, he felt his other injuries, taking note that his neck had been bandaged as well.

It felt uncomfortable for it did after all resemble some of the metal restrains he had once been forced to wear.

Footsteps from a corner made him turn, just in time to see the girl, who had found him only earlier that day, entering the room, a cheerful smile plastered over her pretty features.

' You have waken up. That's good. I hope you didn't mind but I saw that you were injured, so I helped to bandage those wounds while you were sleeping.'

'Ah.. Arigatoo' Was all Haru could muster. He couldn't trust himself to say anything else. Further more, the bed he was lying on felt really comfortable.

' Ano, your clothes were in pretty bad shape, so I went out to get you some clothes. I hope they fit.'

Bending over, she placed a stack of clothes upon the chair.

Finding the silence rather uncomfortable, Tohru smiled gently before she stood up. ' You must be hungry, let me cook something for you. I baked some muffins too.'

Retreating out the door, Tohru was about to close it when she heard him ask. ' Why are you doing this? I don't know you. I should be going now.'

Getting up, Haru staggered a little over to the chair. And then he felt a pair of hands guiding him back to the bed.

' Ano, It's alright mister. You can stay here. After all I live by myself.'

Surprised by her act of intimacy, Haru released his hand from hers, responding ' All the more why I should leave. Aren't you afraid that I will hurt you?'

Shaking her head, Tohru gave him an innocent smile. ' You don't look like someone who would do such a thing. I trust you.'

Trust. He barely knew her for 10 minutes and already she had placed her entire safety and trust into his hands. Were all humans this gullible or just plain naïve?

Besides, he knew he couldn't stay. He had to find Kyo and the rest. To find the rest of their zodiac clan. To escape from the crazy mad scientist. To protect his very own secret.

Then again, they would never find him here. The last place they would think of searching for him would be in a human's house. Still, this meant that he could implicate her in their battle. It was something he would not allow.

' So let me cook you something!'

With a smile that could have melted the snow, Tohru slowly exited. Not before Haru could reply. ' Call me Haru, please.'

Nodding her head in understanding, Tohru left.

Sighing, Haru settled back onto the comfortable bed. He couldn't understand why he did not reject her offer. Perhaps, it was because he was hungry. Or perhaps, it was because he felt safe here. Whatever it was, he decided that he should only make his stay temporary. Once he was well enough, he would have to embark on his own solitary journey.

Until then, he couldn't really care less. As he lowered his head upon the cooling pillow, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

' How much further must we go, damn rat?'

Ignoring the cat's earlier remark, Yuki continued forth.

'Damn it. Did you not hear me? We've been walking since we escaped and even if you're not tired, Hatori-san needs his rest too! Lest he starts popping into a seahorse!'

Controlling his temper, Yuki decided to comply, simply for the sake of shutting the cat up.

Settling down upon the bushes and grass, Kyo was looking flustered, his unruly mop of flaming orange hair now ruffled in different angles. They had escaped, not knowing where the rest of their zodiac clan was, and left Haru behind.

Truth be told, he had never really been on good terms with the ox. Kyo had found Haru to be a dreamer. But then, ever since the day he returned after they had taken him somewhere, he seemed to have changed. His temper grew wild whenever provoked, something Haru seldom did.

In fact, it grew pretty common, which was why they had nicknamed him black Haru whenever he went through that phase. Deep down, Kyo suspected that the mad scientist had something to do with the whole thing. Yuki himself had been through it, Hatori had been done in. He wasn't sure if anymore of their kind had been through the horrors. He himself had yet to experience it. It was something he had not looked forward to.

Meanwhile, Yuki had excused himself to look for some water, leaving Kyo behind to ponder within his thoughts.

Putting a hand over Hatori's forehead, Kyo concluded that he was having a fever. Cursing through his teeth, Kyo made a mental note to kill the bastard Akito should he ever have a chance. First, for cheating them, the zodiacs of their freedom, secondly, for committing such savage experiments upon them as if they were lab rats.

The dragon was in a pretty bad shape.

It was ironic how all their illnesses used to be taken care of by Hatori himself. And yet now, he himself was in need of help. Help, which he couldn't provide for himself. How ironic.

What were they to do now?

What could they do if Hatori were to poof right this instant into his zodiac form?

Leaning back against the tree, Kyo shuddered at the thought and decided to shut all thoughts by taking a nap. Stretching out as he did, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, sprawled out upon the grass, Hatori grimaced as a fury of pain swept through his body. As he slowly opened his eyes, he watched in silent horror as his skin turned a scaly green colour momentarily, and then it disappeared. Pushing a hand through his fringe, he recoiled in shock as sharp claws took the form of his fingernails.

Blinking once, it was gone.

Green scales. Razor sharp claws. Could it be?

Too weak and tired from the ordeal, Hatori could only muster a faint smile of disgust and realization before he slumped back into the inviting darkness.

A/n: I'm finally done! I'm not used to writing long chapters. In fact, I envy those who are able to type out extremely long chapters. How do you guys do that? I don't have that much info for one chapter! But I did my best this time to make it longer. Hope it was ok.

Made things a little bit trickier this time. Black Haru may not really be as normal as you think. Shall not reveal too much. Until next time, please review!