Author's Note: Sorry this has taken so long- real life and this chapter were a bit tricky. On the plus side, it's twice the length of a normal chapter so I hope that you'll forgive me. I'm just making a mental note to myself to carefully look over my outline in future so that I don't have to re-write eight thousand words again. From scratch.
Although I've never actually given Butterfly a sex, this is a gorgeous picture by the very talented KhaosFire-Katana. Remember to take out the spaces before you try the link!
www. mediaminer. org/ fanart/ view. php/ 175646
Chapter Summary: Old MacDonald had a farm. With electric fences. And spot lights. And guard towers.
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya/HAKUSENSHA - TV TOKYO - NAS - Fruba Project. Butterfly is mine.
Warning: Rated R for language, implied rape, torture, and adult situations. This chapter- sexual situations. Sexual situations are suggestive rather than graphic, but if for some reason you feel that they are too graphic for FFNet- please e-mail me and let me know and I will edit the scene.
Chapter 20: No Escape
For the sake of those whom I
should trust
I chose to come here, a cage into
which I've locked myself, and now
there's
no escape.
-Hitomi Mieno, trans. "Shell-Opening Theme" from Witch Hunter Robin
Hatori's dry voice comes from somewhere behind Tohru. "Momiji. I was wondering when you would show up. How hard can it be to read a map?"
Momiji raises his head to give a weak chuckle, his arms still wrapped around Tohru. "Pretty hard if you lose the map. And the name of the town. Do you know how many Himuras there are in this prefecture?"
"I'm guessing close to a year's worth."
"Actually it's probably more than that, but I lucked out and heard about this restaurant when I was passing through."
Looks like Hatori's been holding out on us. Damn he's sexy when he's being devious!
Tohru has passed beyond shock into a calm acceptance of everything that is happening. She really shouldn't eat leftovers before going to bed. Kyou's going to shake her awake any minute now-
"A baby?"
Momiji bends over Tohru's shoulder and blinks again.
"What? Did Kyou get Yuki pregnant?"
Okay, Tohru really doubts that she would come up with that on her own. Which means-
You've got a freak for a son. And Momiji has appeared out of nowhere and become a Tohru-barnacle.
As Tohru is suddenly jolted back to reality, the nausea overcomes her. She tears herself away from this Momij-who-can't-be-Momiji and runs out the front door, ignoring the shocked expressions of the few remaining customers. She barely makes it around the side of the building before she collapses to her knees and starts to vomit.
That's it- you need to let it out, Tohru. You can't keep holding onto this fear and guilt.
She can't seem to stop throwing up- even when her throat is wracked dry from the abuse and her arms start shaking with the effort of holding her up. Just before she collapses in the mess, a cool hand brushes over her forehead and pulls the hair back from her head while a second arm wraps around her waist, supporting her as she finishes. Her eyes are tearing with the relief of release and she feels almost boneless as she falls back against her helper.
"Everything will be fine, I promise. Shinta's fine. Momji's on his own- nobody's coming after you or the boys. It's okay, Tohru. Shhh…."
Tohru realizes that she is curled up against Hatori's chest making small whimpering noises into his tear-soaked shirt. She can feel his concern and caring wrap around her like a warm blanket in her mind and she nuzzles in against his collarbone.
'Oh. Maybe that's why Hatori does it.'
Well that and it's the closest thing he's getting to nooky.
"Are you mad that I came here?"
Tohru looks up- Momiji is standing in front of her holding Shinta. He looks utterly devastated.
Tohru manages a shaky but sincere smile.
"It was a wonderful surprise. I've just missed you so much Momiji-kun- it was hard to believe that it was really you."
Hatori scoops her up.
"Tohru's exhausted and Shinta's getting cranky. I think that we should finish this conversation at home."
Tohru would protest, but she's not entirely sure that she could walk that well anyways and she docilely lets Hatori place her in the back seat and hand her Shinta.
Tohru hugs him tightly against her.
'I'm so sorry you're involved in this mess. I will do everything I can to protect you.'
Hey- what are you so upset about? Think about it- you get to hug Shinta and he gets to have sex with hot non-Zodiac girls without any problems! He's still strange, but everyone wins!
'But what does this mean? Why didn't he change? And gods, what does Momiji think of me for leaving them like that?'
There's an old saying that you shouldn't fuck the horse until the ass is in front of you.
'I don't know that saying.'
Well the original version was boring.
"Tohru?"
Tohru jerks back a little when her eyes refocus. Momiji is nearly on top of her, still looking unusually vulnerable.
"Do you mind if I transform on your lap?"
Tohru is about to turn him down when she remembers some of what Hatori had said. And… she's missed Momiji so much- to be able to hold his rabbit form would be a comfort she'd almost forgotten.
Adjusting Shinta to a comfortable hold, she reaches out to Momiji and gently touches his head. It is a strange feeling to actually touch him while he is transforming- the boys move away from her while they are shifting. She's never felt the quick shift of bone and muscle before.
Momiji curls up beside Shinta and Tohru holds both of them, feeling their slowly-calming heart beats against her hands.
'Why do I want to cry now?'
Oh sweetie… It's going to be okay. I promise that I'll…'Butterfly?'
Don't worry. Why don't you take a rest too? There are going to be fireworks when we get back.
Tohru has questions, strange suspicions that are starting in the back of her mind, but they are all washed away in the beat of soft wings inside her head.
-
Tohru almost collapses from the emotional overload when she steps out of the car, nearly dropping Shinta in the rush. Hatori is instantly beside her. He steadies her as she tries to regulate and soothe the over-whelming fear she can feel through her links to the men on the porch.
"Tohru!"
"Where were you?"
"Are you and Shinta all right?"
Hatori walks her past the boys towards the front door.
"We were just testing Shinta's curse effects. He doesn't have any. And we have a guest."
Lighting the fuse...
"Shinta's curse effects?"
Tick…
"A guest?"
Tick…
"What the FUCK is going on?"
BOOM!
Momiji chooses this moment to step out of the car.
Naked.
"Kyou-kun! Did you miss me?"
Tohru misses the following exchange because Yuki pulls her and Shinta against his chest in a tight hug. When she turns in his arms she can only see Kyou tackling Momiji and winding up in a position that… Well, she doesn't need Butterfly to get bad images.
I'm not even going to comment… Aw fuck it. Can you see where the balls and chain are?
There is a surprising lack of violence involved in untangling the two of them. Hatori has walked over and seems to be telling Kyou what happened, judging from the way he keeps pointing towards Tohru and Shinta. This seems to be enough to distract Kyou from Momiji removing his 'balls and chain' from Kyou's chin.
Apparently the talk has kept Kyou from killing Hatori and Momiji. Yuki only seems to be interested in exploring the back of Tohru's neck with his mouth.
Yeah. Where's my drama? I wanted at least a hair-pulling match!
Hatori stops in front of Tohru. "I'm going to go get Momiji some clean clothes and then we'll all talk. You deserve to know what's going on."
Tohru gets the uneasy feeling that the 'you' he's referring to doesn't include the boys.
They've all got big dicks. I'm not sure why they don't all just play together rather than competing… Mmmm…
As Tohru tries to ignore Butterfly's fantasies, she makes a move to follow Hatori and Momiji, only to be stopped by Kyou's hand on her arm.
"Tohru- you can't go off like that without telling us. I know that you must have wanted to find out about Shinta and god knows the dragon's being an asshole but… Nezumi got shaky again and we had no idea where you were. Tohru…"
Yuki doesn't raise his head from her neck- just tightens his arms around her waist.
Tohru feels sick. Again.
"I had no idea. I'm so, so sorry. I won't ever leave again without letting you know, but… Yuki- we need to fix this. This is dangerous. There has to be some way to reduce this effect- I mean the bond with Hatori doesn't work like that."
Kyou rubs his thumb over the inside of her wrist.
"Actually, we don't know that. Dragon and I spend enough time with you during the day that it's not an issue. We have no idea what would happen if we were separated. And Yuki's bond and my bond aren't the same as Hatori's anyways-"
"But it doesn't work like this with my full bond with Akito!"
"You're not fucking Akito!"
Tohru shrinks back, pulling her wrist away from Kyou, rocking Shinta as he starts to cry. Yuki still hasn't said anything but he moves with Tohru, his arms still around her waist.
Kyou gives a strange half-choke. Before Tohru can react, he is hugging her and Shinta, creating a strange Tohru sandwich.
"Tohru- I have no idea why the bonds are different. The physical connection is the only thing that I can think of… Or maybe it's because we entered them voluntarily. I don't care. I want this- any price at all to be able to feel you in my mind and know that you're okay-"
"And I feel the same way."
Yuki's voice is strained but firm.
"This isn't something I want to escape, Tohru. The shaking hurt, but it hurt more to feel you upset and not know what was going on or being able to help you. I don't want out of this."
And then, in the arms of the men she loves, holding her child and completely safe and protected, something deep inside Tohru snaps.
'But what if I do?'
And here comes the horse's ass.
-
Tohru has again pushed the darker thoughts out of her head to focus on the important things at hand.
Right now, that means sitting across from a Hatori who is about to tell her what the hell is going on while pointedly ignoring the boys beside him.
Hatori sighs and runs his fingers through his hair.
"The day after you left was … a mess."
"I came back to see if you were alright and see about temporarily transferring you to a Sohma safe house while you and Kyou and Yuki figured out what to do. I was… very unhappy that you were gone- you were in no condition to be moved and the fact that you left meant that there was an increased chance that someone had seen you and reported that you were still alive back to Akito."
Tohru blinks. "But you said that we should do what we needed to do. I thought… I mean you helped me find the information… I thought you knew that we were leaving."
"Of course I knew!" Hatori closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"I had meant that I wouldn't report you back to Akito until you had healed enough to leave. When I found that you had left… I wasn't very happy. Shigure and I got into a bit of a disagreement. A loud disagreement."
Hatori opens his eyes and stares, unseeing, at the wall.
"Apparently you had been supposed to have lunch with one of your friends Hanajim-"
"Hana-chan…."
"Yes. She came by the house and she must have heard the subject of the argument because she let herself in and went up to your room. You didn't take the papers with you."
Tohru can feel her face turning as white as the boys in front of her. They may have already had their identification and ownership papers when they left but all of their research information, name change information….
"The first time that Shigure and I noticed her was when I was asking Shigure where you were and she walked into the room with a box of papers. She didn't even look at me- just handed the papers to Shigure and told him that he needed to be more careful if he was trying to protect your location and identity. She took a single piece of paper with her and left before we could think to say anything."
"We both saw your new names and the town and prefecture that you'd chosen, but we burned the papers before we could find your address."
Hatori forestalls Tohru's opened mouth with a wave of his hand.
"Akito can tell when we lie. It was better if we could honestly say that we didn't know your current address."
"But, while we didn't know your address, your friends did. And two of them came to talk to Shigure to tell him that they were the only ones that knew, but they wanted to know where you were right then. Shigure said that you were still in town- hiding while you got better, but that he'd take messages from them as long as they didn't tell anyone else. He told me, and we knew that we had to do something, even if Akito hadn't already ordered me to erase your friends' and family's memories. Please understand Tohru- if I hadn't erased more than what Akito asked, there was a chance that someone else would ask questions, find out things that could get you hurt."
Tohru is torn. Hatori looks grey, tired and defeated. But… He was ruthless, both in the memory and the words he is telling her.
And he did such a fine fucking job of keeping you from getting hurt when he showed up here.
'Butterfly… That was hardly his fault. And the rest of this… is because of me, not him. He's not the one who is responsible.'
Tohru gently places her hand over Hatori's, feeling the tension ease in the back of her head. She has no plans to tell him that he is not the one she needs to forgive.
"We decided that the easiest way to get them to come was to be partially truthful- send them a note that you were in trouble and needed to meet them at Shigure's house before you left town, since your friends obviously assumed that you trusted Shigure."
"Shigure was always good at faking handwriting. He sent the note. And they came."
Hatori stops for a moment.
"I didn't think about it after that, not with everything else that was going on. I…I just hoped that all of you were all right. It wasn't until Momiji… I gave him what information I could and the whole review situation wasn't too long after that. To be honest, I was surprised that he wasn't already here when I showed up."
"I'm not very good with directions."
Momiji is standing in the entrance to the living room, dressed in some of Hatori's clothing. Really looking at him, Tohru can see how much he's grown-up, how pale, how thin he is- she can hardly find a trace of the boy she knew.
"But that's not important. What I really want to know is… how did Kyou-kun manage to get Yuki pregnant when he only uses the 'fuck-me' eyes on Tohru?"
Okay. So maybe there was still the Momiji she remembered there.
Well, he does have a point. Cat-boy hasn't gotten some since this morning and I think that's why he's being so grumpy.
Kyou shows what Tohru believes is admirable self-control.
"It's late. I'm tired. Shinta's asleep and beating the crap out of you might wake him up-"
Not likely. He even slept through that time Hatori came into the bedroom because he thought you were screaming in pain-'Let's not, please.'
"-and I think we should all just go to bed. Tohru- why don't you show Momiji the guest room?"
Now that was a strategic maneuver.
Tohru leaving with Momiji seems to diffuse the tension, although she has no idea what the boys talk with Hatori will be like. When she arrives in the bedroom for the night, they all seem to be undamaged and there is none of the tension that has been bothering her for the past months. Somehow, a half hour of conversation seems to have done what none of her pleas were able to. So Tohru decides to wonder about it later and focus on her one big concern from helping Momiji set up his room.
"I think that he knows that I'm sleeping with both of you, but what will he think if he knows Hatori shares the bed as well?"
Yuki and Hatori both frown, but Kyou just shrugs.
"It's Momiji, Tohru. I know what that idiot's reaction is going to be."
Unfortunately, Kyou refuses to add anything to that and Tohru is unusually nervous when she gets into bed. The nerves only increase when the bedroom door suddenly opens.
Momiji looks at Tohru and the three men in various stages of undress. He blinks.
And transforms.
"I call stomach!"
Hatori massages the tension between his temples.
"You do realize that there isn't going to be any sex, right?"
Momiji actually manages a rabbit-pout.
"Damn. I still call stomach."
Hatori tries again.
"You do realize that the only reason that we all sleep with Tohru is because we're bonded to her and can't sleep without her?"
Well that's a little piece of retroactive history, but hey, the truth sounds even stranger.
Rabbit-Momiji blinks.
"Well I'll get a bond tomorrow then. Tonight's my freebie."
And then he bounces onto the bed… and snuggles against Tohru.
"Stomach!"
And starts snoring.
Kyou glares. "Fuck that little bastard- this means I have to transform too."
Yuki looks over at him. "You knew that this was going to happen, didn't you?"
"I told you nezumi, I know that bastard- if it's going to make my life miserable, he'll find some way to do it."
"Well you could just curl up against her chest. I'm on the inside anyways."
Kyou blinks. "That's not a bad idea and it means that dragon can stay untransformed."
'Am I still here?'
No. You're part of the bed furnishings. Like a pillow. Except bonier.
All objections Tohru has to them talking around her vanish when the three of them get into bed. It feels so… safe to have Momiji by her stomach, Yuki next to her heart, Kyou against her chest, Hatori warming her back. Well, safe and a little… enclosed.
Your bed is starting to bear a startling resemblance to Old MacDonald's Farm.
'I don't know what that means, but I know that it's not helpful.'
The only problem with that song is that his farm kept getting bigger…. Not at all like your collection.
'I still don't understand, but there's no way I can fit anything else in this bed.'
You know, I'm so going to remind you of this conversation.
'What do you mean!'
Ummm… Nothing… Night-night!'Butterfly!'
'Sleepy…'
-
In the morning, Tohru knows that there is something that she should remember, but she is far too distracted by managing cranky, whiny Shinta and cranky, whiny Sohmas to think of it.
"da da pa pa da da pa pa"
"Shhh… Your daddy and papa will be done soon. There's just getting ready right now. Shh…"
"ha-ree"
"Is that you, Hatori?"
Hatori comes around the corner and fully into the kitchen. "Do you want me to take him? It can't be easy making breakfast while you're juggling Shinta and pots."
Tohru gives him a look of sheer relief. "Oh thank-you. He's really excited this morning and it's impossible to get anything done."
Hatori takes Shinta over to the countertop where he starts making faces that are definitely not what Tohru would have expected from the serious man she first met. While she is enjoying the show, she misses Momiji coming up behind her.
"Tohru- Hatori told me a little bit about the bonds last night and this morning. I want one as well- there's no way that I want to be called back to the Honke again."
Again, Tohru finds herself caving under the obvious fear in Momiji's eyes, even against the warning murmurs in the back of her head.
It's just Sohma men, sweetie. They are far too pretty for their own good.
Breakfast goes by all too fast and Tohru finds herself in a familiar position in the living room with Momiji kneeling at her feet. Only this time she has a slightly larger and slightly more hostile audience.
"You try anything, rabbit and I'll have your ba-…back."
Well that was unexpectedly polite of Cat-boy.
'Shinta's imitating sounds right now. After last night he's been saying 'fu fu' a lot.'
So you mean Kitty's got to clean his mouth?… Oh this I've got to see.Unfortunately, while Tohru was thinking Momiji had already performed the preparations and she is completely unprepared when her world goes black.
-
Tohru is in a classroom, sitting on top of a desk in front of the blackboard. Butterfly is perched on her shoulder, wings brushing against her neck.
'This is- Mayu-sensei's class!'
Okay. Bunny-boy is officially warped. Although he does have good taste in fantasy material…
'Where is Momiji?'
"Tohru-mutti?"
Tohru turns. Sitting on the desk beside her is the Momiji she remembers best- short, curly blonde hair, round baby-face and the female school uniform rustling as he swings his legs back and forth.
He looks up at her and Tohru nearly cringes away. Momiji's face may be child-like, but his eyes are full of more pain and anger than Tohru has ever seen.
"You left."
There is really no explanation Tohru can give. No matter what she might say, in the end she cared more about her own safety and the safety of the boys than she did about the other Sohmas. Momiji, Kisa, Haru, Shigure, Hatori, Kagura, Rin- she cared about all of them, but in the end she left them to face the consequences of her actions without even a good-bye.
But apparently Momiji isn't looking for answers.
"He may have forgiven you-" Here child-Momiji gestures and Tohru gets a brief glimpse of adult Momiji before he disappears. "But I haven't. And I plan on showing you why."
Suddenly, the lights in the room go out and a projector screen flares into life in front of them. Tohru watches, horrified, fascinated as the images play across the screen.
A very young Momiji is curled in a little ball on the floor sobbing. A young Hatori walks past, jerks to a stop and kneels down beside him.
"What is it?"
Momiji suddenly uncurls and starts wildly hitting at Hatori.
"You! You took away Mom's memories. You made her forget me!"
Hatori sits there, expressionless, while Momiji hits him, until the hits become weaker and weaker and finally stop all together. Momiji falls into Hatori's lap, his voice so quiet that Tohru has to strain to hear it.
"She only regretted giving birth to me."
He looks up, face shining with tears.
"Make me forget, Harii. If she can forget- I want to forget too."
Hatori reaches over and pulls Momiji up against his chest.
"Momiji… There are no memories that should be forgotten. All memories are important and if you want to be strong, you need to be able to face all of them."
"But it hurts, Harii."
"I know."
Tohru swallows the lump in her throat.
'Momiji…'
He's stronger than the rest of us put together, sweetie. Just think- he still remembers.
Tohru wants to say something but the next scene is starting.
Momiji is dancing- dressed in the traditional New Years costume that Tohru briefly saw on him. There is no one else in the room and he is laughing as he spins around, concentrating hard but obviously still enjoying himself.
A small blonde girl peeks around the partially open door and quietly enters the room.
Momiji spins a few more times before stopping dead.
"Momo-chan!"
"I-I'm sorry. It was so pretty."
Momiji's expression softens. "It's okay. But… you really shouldn't be here. Your parents will be worried."
A disturbingly stern expression passes over Momo's face and she folds her arms across her chest. "Daddy's hiding something from me. I've seen him with you, you know. You look just like Mommy and me. I'm not stupid." And then her expression falters and becomes almost devastatingly vulnerable. "They won't tell me, you know. But I know that you'll tell me the truth. Are you… are you my brother?"
Momiji takes a deep, shuddering breath and looks Momo straight in the eye.
"No."
'Momiji had to lie to Momo? To her face? How hurt he must be… But why couldn't he have just hinted something since she seemed to know?'
Well we all lie for different reasons, don't we sweetheart?Tohru doesn't have a good response by the time the next scene starts.
An adult Momiji is perched on the edge of an observation bed his head bent forward and his hair blocking his face from view. Hatori is systematically cleaning a series of cuts and deeper wounds on his back.
"You can't go on like this- this is the fifth concussion this month, Momiji. You couldn't even remember what you ate for supper when you came in here!"
Momiji doesn't lift his head.
"He's different, Harii. It's like when they left, he completely snapped. He thinks that I'm Yuki most of the time. When I went in today he told me to dye my hair back to grey!"
Momiji raises his head suddenly and the bruises and cuts on his face are now visible.
"Is this what he did to Yuki all those years?"
Hatori stops.
"Yes."
"I can't remember anymore, Harii. I don't know how Yuki survived it, but I need to write things down now if I want to remember them for longer than fifteen minutes. It's not just the concussions. I think… I think that I'm trying not to remember what happens and it makes me forget other things too…. If this keeps up… I'll forget everything."
A visible flash of pain passes over Hatori's face. He seems to be struggling for a moment, but his expression hardens and his eyes are calm when he speaks.
"There's something I need to tell you. About Tohru."
'Oh god… because of me…'
You can't change it sweetie. But you know now.
Momiji is in a non-descript hotel room sitting on the bed, rocking back and forth while he holds his head in his hands.
"I need to remember. Why can't I remember?"
His personal belongings are spread all over the room- it is obvious that he has torn everything apart to find something.
"Where are you, Tohru?"
And then, so quietly she almost doesn't hear.
"Why did you leave me?"
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
Child-Momiji is in her arms, sobbing against her chest and she sobs with him, rocking him back and forth.
He looks up, those ancient eyes in a child's face. "It's not healed but… there's nothing left to forgive. Not anymore. Memories are important… but you can't live in them. We all want the bond now."
Tohru kisses the top of his head and feels the warmth of her affection for Momiji meet his concern for her.
And the world fades out.
-
Despite Tohru's vague nervousness, having four men in her head isn't much different than having three. The only injury has been the hard hit that Momiji got for fondling her chest while they were forming the bond. Otherwise, the house has settled back into the normal routine with the addition of another housebound member. Momiji is still a little crowd-shy although he wants to start Journalism classes in a couple of semesters to finish his interrupted degree. He also seems to need a lot of physical contact- spending most of his day in his rabbit form and joining Shinta on Tohru's lap. Despite Kyou's grumbles, no one objects to this, because the brief flashes of panic in Momiji's eyes remind Tohru all too clearly of her own nightmares. Today, although Tohru can see Yuki typing reports in the living room, Momiji is nowhere to be found.
Kyou and Hatori have gone into town to see about arranging financing for Hatori's clinic in a way that wouldn't be traceable by the Sohma accountants. Tohru had offered to fund him out of her account but the boys and Hatori had firmly vetoed it. Tohru is mildly annoyed by this, but she is more annoyed that no one seems to be in the room with her and Shinta.
'I've gotten used to having them around!'
Yeah. It's hard when you aren't as skilled as I am at becoming the center of attention.
Tohru really wants to tone down the smug tone in her head, but she can hear music coming from up the stairs interspersed by bumping noises.
'What's Momiji doing?'
Why don't you go check?
'Why are you so eager to find out?'
Well, he's making even more noise than Yuki was!'I'm not going to go interrupt THAT!'
Which is why it is rather funny that she is currently opening the bedroom door, Shinta balanced on one arm. And even more funny that she is briefly disappointed that Momiji is fully clothed.
'Hey Tohru! Want to come dance with me?'
And then Tohru really hears what Momiji is listening to. It's a fairly graphic song- Tohru remembers Akane complaining about the 'patriarchal oppressors' who made the music video. In spite of everything she's seen and done, Tohru can still feel the blush rising on her cheeks as Momiji moves his hips and makes a very interesting gesture with his hand.
Well if it's actually that big and he can actually move it like that, I'd say that you're fucking the wrong Sohmas.
He passes his hairbrush-mike to Tohru, a hint of challenge in his eyes.
Okay there's no way you're going to let the rabbit show you up.
Tohru grabs the hairbrush out of his hands and bats her eyes at him. He gulps when she runs her hand down his chest.
Guess he thought you were too uptight to go for it. Poor, stupid bunny-boy.
Tohru is a little disturbed by Butterfly's evil sounding laughter and moves away from Momiji. She spins around, rocking a giggling Shinta as she sings. For the first time in ages, Tohru feels giddy. With a final spin she passes the hairbrush over to Momiji and he stands up on the bed, his eyes closed and his hands wrapped around the brush handle.
Oh this is why she missed Momiji. Watching him play around, winking at her, sing his heart out, Tohru feels an innocent joy that she hasn't felt since high school. Overcome by happiness, Tohru gently places Shinta on the covers and drags Momiji off the bed.
Momiji spins her around, his eyes shining. He's singing something about a 'deep, hard fuck', but she doesn't know, doesn't care as long as he keeps spinning her. He stops and Tohru bows while he hands her the dropped hairbrush and picks up Shinta from the bed.
Momiji rocks Shinta back and forth in time while Tohru stands on the bed and sings her heart out. She feels strangely powerful as Momiji stands there watching her and soon is shaking her body and rolling her hips the way she's seen the girls in the music videos do, Just as she hits the loudest note, she hears a noise from the doorway.
Yuki's eyes and aura are completely black and he's almost falling out of his tight-stretched pants. Tohru drops to the bed, unable to stand under the pressure of the desire flooding her mind through their connection.
Blue and green flash briefly in the colors around Momiji, but he cradles Shinta and heads for the door while Yuki stalks towards the bed. He only pauses to growl when Momiji blows Tohru a kiss while closing the door. As soon as the latch clicks Yuki practically tears her shorts off, pressing hard bites to her neck and shoulders in between words. "You… shouldn't…sing …songs...like…that." Tohru isn't sure that her mind is completely human anymore- Yuki's Rat is overwhelming her and his possessive biting isn't helping. She growls at him. If possible the arousal in her mind spikes even higher. His answering growl vibrates into her bones and they are both gone.
There is nothing gentle or loving in the way they move together- it is a battle fought with grasping fingers and punishing mouths. There are none of their normal words, just growls and groans. By the time they finish, Tohru has the imprint of Yuki's hands permanently etched on her hips and Yuki has lines of blood on his back from her frantic clawing. When she can finally speak again, she turns to face him, more than a little fear in her heart and mind.
"What was that Yuki?"
"I don't know. I heard you down the stairs and by the time I got to the room, all I could think about was throwing you down and making sure that you knew to never sing like that for anyone but me."
Tohru would be upset by his possessiveness, but it is obvious that it is bothering Yuki even more than it is bothering her. "I guess we still have a lot to figure out about the bonds."
Yuki smiles weakly. "Well at least Kyou didn't have to experience that in full graphic detail."
"Did I ever mention that I'm really, really sorry about that?" Tohru is sure that her blush goes all the way to her stomach.
"Well if I never have to see his naked back again it'll be too soon, but mmm… I love feeling you in my head when I touch you."
Yuki's eyes are starting to darken again, but Tohru nimbly moves out of his reach. "Why don't we… Why don't we have a lunch together and work in the garden? Alone?"
Yuki stops. "I'd really like that- just let me get dressed."
Tohru quickly throws on some clothes and goes to look in the doorway to Shinta's room, watching Momiji busily making faces at Shinta. "Would you mind watching Shinta for a few hours? I want to make a special lunch for Yuki-"
"And we'll stay out of your way. Don't worry- I'll feed us both later. I'm just impressed that you want to get lucky again so soon. Though if he always makes you scream like that-"
Tohru closes the door, red-faced.
Hey- you know that Hatori thought the same thing. You've got quite the voice, sweetie.
Tohru had been saving the crab and peaches for supper, but it seems appropriate to serve Yuki's favorite meal when it is only the two of them eating. It doesn't take long to put things together and soon she is busily humming and sorting ingredients.
Yuki sticks his head in the kitchen and stares at the meal she's preparing.
"I never did ask you- but how did you ever find out about crabs and peaches?"
Tohru shrugs.
"Ayame-san mentioned something once."
Yuki freezes in the doorway, his voice not completely steady. "You remembered my favorite meal from one conversation with my brother…. Why?"
Tohru puts down the crab she's preparing.
"Because I love you."
And it's that simple.
Yuki doesn't say anything then or at any point during the lunch but Tohru can feel his eyes following her the entire time.
Once outside, the heavy silence is quickly broken and they are soon laughing and dividing up the work that needs to be done to maintain the garden.
They settle into routine- passing equipment without needing to ask and holding conversations where neither ever finish a sentence. It is the easy familiarity of two people who know every inch of each other's bodies and nearly every inch of each other's minds. It is a connection where they can anticipate every movement, finish every sentence, laugh at the things that are said and not said. Tohru is filled with a bone-deep contentment at the way their relationship has matured and grown.
This, of course, is why Tohru dumps the handful of dirt down the back of Yuki's neck.
Kyou's resumed martial arts lessons have made her a bit better at dodging but she only manages three circuits of the garden before Yuki corners her.
Yuki grabs her around the waist and wrestles her to the ground. He's panting, eyes shining, as he straddles her hips and bends in close to her ear. "You darling, are far more trouble than you're worth,"
Tohru can feel their combined happiness warming her mind and she playfully lifts her head to plant a kiss on his nose. "But you love me anyways."
It is as if she has flipped a switch. Yuki's expression is almost painfully raw as he looks down at her. "Yes."
Before Tohru can respond or even try to understand, he sits up and pulls her into a bone-cracking hug. He releases her just as abruptly- moving to the lawn at the edge of the garden and stretching out on the grass. He seems to have recovered from whatever prompted the strangeness and just smiles and lazily beckons her to come to him.
Tohru stretches out beside Yuki, staring out over the half-weeded garden. He casually spoons himself behind her, his fingers lightly tracing over her stomach and hips. Between the muggy summer heat and the steady heartbeat against her back, Tohru finds herself drifting into sleep.
" Tohru?"
"Mmmm?"
"Can we… find more time like this? Just talking and spending time together? Maybe even with the neko and Shinta?"
"You want to spend more time with Kyou?"
Yes! Finally! Ask him who'll top!
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's not dumb and he can be… interesting. He's the second person I'd choose to talk to if my best friend wasn't available."
Yuki gently turns her over to face him, his hands cupping the back of her head.
"Yeah. It's pretty pathetic how low I have to go when you're not around."
He presses his forehead to hers.
"I know that we're both busy, but you and Shinta are most important to me. I want to spend as much time as possible together, to enjoy things together."
As Yuki leans in to kiss her, he isn't able to hide his emotions from their bond. Even as she loses herself in the kiss, Tohru is sickened to realize that Yuki feels that same low dread that she feels, that he also knows that this can't last.
-
Tohru is still thinking over her time with Yuki when she meets Kyou for an early-morning lesson. She has just realized that although Yuki occasionally meets with his co-workers for drinks and Kyou occasionally spends time with his friends at the dojo, none of them, herself included, spend more than a few hours a month of their spare time with people other than themselves. Hatori and Momiji hardly leave the house at all, but all of them seem most happy when they are with the family. Tohru has never been that bright and she's not sure she understands what is happening, but she is pretty sure that this isn't a good thing.
But you're going to try to push for even more time just spent with each other?'Yes.'
Well nobody said that love was logical.
Kyou suddenly appears behind her and Tohru instinctively blocks his arm.
"You're alert this morning."
"You're just predictable."
"Oh, love, you are going to regret saying that."
And off they go.
Tohru loves this time with Kyou- he won't hurt her, but he doesn't take it easy on her either and somehow they have great conversations while fighting. Tohru figures that there is no point in waiting to ask.
"Yuki wants us to spend more time together – you, me, him and Shinta."
Kyou stops dead. And sits down.
Slightly concerned, Tohru sits down behind him, her legs over top of his and her arms around his chest. She can feel the long exhale as he leans back into her embrace.
"He wants to spend more time together? As a… family?"
"Yes."
Tohru can't tell anything from Kyou's aura and his emotional screen is annoyingly neutral.
"I'd like that."
Tohru absently ruffles his hair as he leans into her touch. "I'm just not sure what we could all do together."
"We get those random hikers from the forest every once in awhile. And we all like the outdoors. Why don't we use some of the trails ourselves?"
And, in the end, it is that simple.
The four of them take end up taking many walks in the forest reserve, Tohru packing huge picnic lunches that the boys grumble about carrying. They find the clearings on the little-used trails and sprawl out on the grass eating and laughing, watching Shinta crawl after the shiny insects buzzing over the flowers. Unfortunately, Shinta tries to eat everything he can get his hands on and cries loudly if they take away his rotting stick/ rock/ unidentifiable smelly thing
Somehow, Tohru still finds time to spend with Hatori and Momiji and even work part-time in the restaurant. But in all the intense scheduling, she finds herself missing a few moments just to feel her own mind, her own thoughts and emotions.
Therefore on the night she gets to put Shinta to sleep by herself, Tohru savors the precious alone time as she sits in the bedroom-turned-nursery with Shinta. She is not sure why, but she prefers to sit here without the lamp on, so that the only light is coming from the night sky through the window.
Shinta makes little sleepy noises as she rocks back and forth, quietly singing an old song she dimly remembers from when she was a child. She slowly fades out as it becomes obvious that Shinta is no longer awake and lays him down, carefully pulling the covers over him.
Tohru looks down at Shinta sleeping peacefully in his bed and gently brushes the soft orange bangs away from his eyes.
"You're beautiful, you know. You look so much like Mom. She would have loved you, I think. I wish I were half as good of a mother to you as she was to me."
"I love you, you know. So much that it almost hurts sometimes. I'm not a very good mother, but never doubt that I love you."
Tohru leans over to press a soft kiss to Shinta's forehead.
"Sleep well."
"You are a good mother."
Hatori is standing in the doorway, backlit by the light from the hallway.
Tohru joins him in the entrance.
"I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to correct him when he does something wrong or to teach him to do things right. I don't know how to make him stop crying when he's upset and I can't give him as much time and attention as he deserves. Sometimes you spend more time with him than I do."
"And yet he learns the right things to do, eventually stops crying and loves spending time with you."
And then, it is there, a feather-light brush of lips against the top of her head.
"Don't worry so much, Tohru. Come to bed."
And Tohru is left standing in the doorway, unsure why the comfort felt… off.
Sweetie, if it has eyes like a wolf, ears like a wolf and teeth like a wolf, it doesn't matter how many nightgowns it wears- it ain't ever going to be a grandmother.'I don't understand.'
Unfortunately sweetie- you will.
-
Tohru realizes that she has a list of things that she is carefully avoiding thinking about.
But she doesn't care.
Because right now she is sitting on the porch steps bouncing Shi on her lap as they watch Yuki and Kyou practice. Hot, sweaty, shirtless Kyou and Yuki practice.
"See honey- that's Daddy and Papa. They're-"
Beating the crap out of each other.
"-having fun. They're practicing because-"
They both get off on pain and they haven't decided yet on who's going to be bottom.
"-they're both very, very talented and they want to improve."
Tohru stops talking as the fight speeds up in front of her- Yuki hasn't had the regular dojo visits that Kyou has, but he's still more than holding his own. They're both obviously enjoying themselves- grinning and laughing every time one of them lands a particularly good hit.
Then Yuki says something and they both look over at Tohru and Shinta. Suddenly they're both moving so quickly that Tohru can hardly follow them.
And for the first time ever, it is Yuki who goes down.
Strangely Kyou doesn't seem to pause to gloat- merely helps Yuki up and turns towards the house. Bruised and sweaty, they both lurch their way to the porch- Yuki swinging Shinta into his arms and Kyou scooping up Tohru and placing her on his lap.
Tohru cocks her head in confusion.
Kyou leans in so that his breath sends goosebumps down Tohru's neck as he blows over the shell of her ear.
"I won. I get to hold you."
Tohru half-turns, her breath making Kyou shudder and give a small moan.
"I'm a prize?"
Kyou grins, completely unashamed. "The best kind."
Yuki shakes his head. "You're an idiot. But you're a strong idiot. Do you want to help us in the garden tomorrow?"
Kyou blinks, an expression of shock passing over his face before he answers. "Only if you give us a hand in training- you obviously need some more practice, nezumi."
Tohru is so happy, so excited for both of them, that she leans over to kiss Yuki. It was only supposed to be a light peck, but somehow it becomes more involved and heated, even though they are only touching at the lips.
Sweetie- he's pretty much tongue-fucking your mouth right now.
When Tohru is pulled away, they both groan at the loss of contact.
Kyou gives a mock-pout, his eyes dark. "My prize. You go win your own."
He leans in to whisper into Tohru's ear, his fingers trailing over her hips and in between her legs. "I want to play with my prize. I don't think Shinta needs to see Papa celebrating."
Fuck. If 'Papa' pops out of his pants any farther, they're going to be able to 'see' him in the next prefecture.
Yuki gives Tohru a wry grin as he picks up Shinta and heads up the steps. Kyou is far too busy running his teeth over her earlobe to acknowledge him and really, Tohru isn't in much better shape.
Kyou's mouth is moving down Tohru's neck- he has turned her so that she is straddling his lap, both of them rubbing against each other with single-minded concentration. His eyes close and his head falls backwards, gasps for breath coming faster and louder.
"Mmmm… Just a… little more, love… Fuck…"
It is probably just extraordinarily bad timing that the loud crash in the front yard makes Tohru jump off his lap.
"FUCK!"
Definitely can see him in the next prefecture.
Tohru, shaking with the rush of panic and unreleased tension, automatically settles into one of the stances that Kyou practices with her. Ready to take on… the unconscious man in the front yard.
Go Tohru! Beat up the evil passed-out hiker!
Tohru walks towards him until his upturned face becomes clearly visible.
'Oh gods.'
Tohru knows that face.
'Oh GODS!'
And she is beside him, staring down in horror. Face gaunt. Eyes sunken. Tohru is holding him, rocking him back and forth, her face buried in his lanky, unkempt hair. She can feel the moment that his muscles stiffen, that he realizes she is holding him. He turns in her arms, his eyes wild, unseeing. She barely hears his whisper before he passes out again.
"No escape."
-
Review Responses
Quick Author's Note: Well, the overwhelming consensus was that people want review responses to stay in chapter, which means less work for me anyways so life is fluffy bunnies now :) During my month out, I got a number of common questions that I'll try to answer here. As a quick note, I often make comments on story progress on my livejournal (there's a link on my profile), so that's a good place to look if you're curious about updates. As for the questions a) there are eight chapters left of Butterfly and the climax is already written and b) I will not be abandoning the story although real life is a little hectic right now- updates may sometimes be slow but they will come and things will get better once the semester is over. Oh and to make links work- you need to take out the spaces between the words. For some reason FFNet eats direct links. And happy (very belated) birthday to Destiny Kalince!
Cody Thomas: You're one of the major reasons that I'm keeping review responses in chapter so congratulations on your evil persuasive skills ;) Did you guess the foreigner right? I had hoped that it would be pretty obvious what with the a) blond hair and b) fact that he could hug Tohru without her transforming, but there were definitely some interesting guesses…. I'm delighted that you're continuing to enjoy the story- it's always a pleasure to hear from you :)
MaNgA-bOy-LoVeR: I should have said it last chapter, but to make the links work you have to take out the spaces- FFNet won't let me paste direct links. And you were obviously right about Momiji- cookies for you! Thank you for continuing to review :)
bookworm0492: Well it's nice to know that Hatori has a shiny rocket-launcher counterpart. Maybe they can play together- especially if I don't get the fic done by July 4. –Gulps- Good to hear from you again!
for sale: Eep! I didn't mean to put pressure on your obviously superior brain :) –Makes note to not intimidate reviewers by gushing over their comments- Since I'm personally only capable of comments like 'Pretty!' pretty much anything you say is going to make me happy :) And Hatori does rock like a rocking thing. I had actually had some indirect complaints that the chapters were deceptively long with the inclusion of responses, but since most people seem to want them here I'm not going to bother moving them :) Glad that you're continuing to enjoy- always a pleasure to hear from you :)
Little Auras: Sorry- no Uotani, but Momiji's… Momiji. And hold onto that Maki thought for a few more chapters –stealthily hands you bonus cookies for picking that up- The little brother's name is Megumi and he is indeed very, very cool. Great to hear from you again- I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!
truffletruffle01: Yup. Momiji is back. And we'll see what's going to happen ;) Thank you for reviewing again- I hope that the new chapter lives up to your expectations!
PrEtTyStUpIdgiRl: -Sighs and gives you a hug- The problem with writing fanfiction is that a lot of the basic ideas are used in a lot of stories because they follow canon and make sense. For instance, a lot of stories deal with Tohru not picking up on one or the other of the boys liking her, which follows her canon character- same with your problem of Kyou's internal conflict. It's what you do with these base ideas that determines whether or not you have a cliché. I wouldn't worry too much about it- just write the best story you can and take the crit that will actually help you out :) And yes. Ha-san pwns all ;) Always great to hear from you :)
VioletAngel: Yes Momiji is here :) I wouldn't worry- you don't sound bad at all and I generally sound like a blabbering idiot in reviews. Or maybe that's real life :) Very glad that you're enjoying the story- it was great to hear from you!
KhaosFire-Katana: Hey sweetie! And because I can't say it often enough- your picture r0xx0rs my s0xx0rs :) I think the one thing that I've discovered writing this story is that everyone seems to know someone like Butterfly. Which is disturbing in many, many ways… I'm so glad that you're enjoying this- I love hearing from you!
A Panda from CTY: Actually I have a wheel of random and disturbing events to include each chapter. Last chapter the combination I came up with was… "smut, animalistic mating rituals and an almost-threesome". Have I mentioned lately that I love you? And the Hatori not being a real dragon thing, well I can see if they wanted to avoid mythological creatures, but this is a world where people turn into animals based on the myth of the Japanese Zodiac. Somehow I think reality isn't biting all that hard :) And I am currently eight chapters from the end, god and little fishes be willing. Although the climactic chapter is currently sitting at a terrifying ten thousand words and I can't think of any good way to split it up…. And we'll see what happens with the other Sohmas ;) I love hearing from you and I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!
Mewling: Thank you very much. Now I have this horrific vision of Shigure as a bottle-blond stuck in my head ;) The reasoning I'd heard for Shigure turning in to a seahorse, (aside from your very reasonable explanation) was that the word for dragon is a synonym for 'erection' in Japanese. Hence the big deal they keep making about how Hatori is 'only eight cm long'. The large 'smooth and shiny' dragon form er… rectifies that problem. And I probably shouldn't have told you that ;) There have been a lot of ends opened up, but according to my outline they will all be resolved in eight chapters. Although my outline is a lying, cheating bastard so that may be less than accurate ;) Always a pleasure to hear from you!
hannah5o: Yeah- Akane's a bundle of contradictions, but I agree that she seems to have a soft spot for kids :) And I think that Kyou and Yuki are getting along a lot better, but they do seem to need someone to be upset with :) I guess you got to find out who the mysterious stranger was and I hope that it wasn't too much of a surprise ;) I really enjoy hearing from you- I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!
Fire Pheonix: You are a psychic genius. Either that or I'm becoming way too predictable ;) I'm going with 'psychic genius' myself because my ego couldn't stand the other. And wow. I think you're the only person to catch the nature of the bond- hold that thought for a few more chapters when I will shower you with cookies. I am far too fond of the word 'shiny'. There is something about it that attracts my attention- I was probably a crow in a past life ;) I'm so very happy that you're continuing to enjoy this- I always enjoy hearing from you ;)
Kae Noel: You have to remove the spaces to get the link to work, which I unfortunately forgot to mention last chapter. And the plot- it is cement ;) Great to hear from you again!
Cor-chan: Well Momiji's definitely here. As for the others… You'll have to wait and see ;) I am very fond of new vocabulary. And 'shiny'. Shiny is my one true love. Which probably means that I have a long, lonely future ahead of me ;) Always a delight to hear from you- your fangirling is greatly appreciated ;)geminillama: Tohru's bed is magical and seems to have an infinite capacity for stray Sohmas. And the image of stackable!Sohmas made me spew my drink. I so want a picture of that now… Shigure's one of my two favorite characters and well, we'll see ;) It was really good to hear from you again!
Lady Mokodane: Wow. I'm really honored that you feel that way. I sure have learned a lot and had a lot of fun writing this. My biggest hope is that other people can get a bit of enjoyment out of something that I've had so much fun writing. Great to hear from you again :)
Kohaku-chan: Well, we'll see about the rest of the Sohmas showing up, although I agree that the house is getting pretty crowded ;) Poor Akito- I don't think that she'd appreciate Tohru building an alternate family compound :) And why, it is a strange coincidence. –Blinks innocently- I wonder how that happened ;) I very much enjoyed hearing from you- I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!
Lizzy44: Spot on about Momiji! Very glad that you enjoyed the chapter and hope that you enjoy the new one as well.
luvHaru7: Poor boys. They need to have someone to fight ;) Right on about Momiji- now hold that thought about Maki…. And dragonistic shininess makes Naphy's world happy. Scary happy, but still happy. Always great to hear from you.
baka-onna2003: Yup. Momiji. Tohru's house is full of Sohmas. Great to hear from you again!
RhysDarkness: I seriously hope that you didn't keep hitting 'refresh' during my month of madness. If so, I would hate to fight you in a thumb or index finger war ;) Your review made me smile in an evil, sadistic way. Thank-you for furthering Butterfly's plans for world control… BWA HA HA... er… Great to hear from you!
Fluffylemon: I have a very strange mind that is full of strange ideas and I'm always happy when I meet someone else who enjoys them :) Good call on Momiji (and excellent reasoning ;) And Tohru is a very, very lucky girl. And Butterfly will never let her forget it :) I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story- it was a real pleasure to hear from you :)
Not A Monkey: Yes. I am the evil goddess of cliffies. Fortunately I also update, but it's all part of my evil plan to take over the world. Glad that you're enjoying ;)
Nekomon: Er… I threw the Inuyasha thing in there for precisely the reason you mention- as soon as I finished the chapter I had this horrific vision of Yuki, Kyou and Tohru somehow being construed as being part of this youkai mating orgy. Although the mating habits of rats are a real eye-opener ;) I'll try to help you with disguise design, but it would probably help if you stopped flipping your tail out from under the coat. Now just hold still there while I grab this big pin- Hey where are you going?
Niesia: Oh I definitely picture Momiji as being very, very hot grown-up ;) Yeah Tohru seems to be collecting bishies- I wonder if there's some kind of coupon for that ;) I can just imagine Akito's reaction… "Hey mind if we swap houses? Isn't the compound too big for you by yourself?" And the overwhelming consensus has been to keep reviews in chapter- so no worries. It's always a delight to hear from you!
Fayth: Yes the bunny's back. With nasty, pointy teeth ;) Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Akai: Actually there wasn't a threesome, which was why Butterfly was annoyed at itself for stopping the action… So Butterfly's not quite that ungrateful ;) And I hope that your hunch was right. Great to hear from you again!
DFO7: Delighted that you're enjoying the story! It's all part of my evil plan to make everyone Pervy Butterfly Minions. Thanks for taking the time to review!
Mizztrapped: Hold that thought on Maki, but excellent deduction for Momiji! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story- I have such a good time writing it. It's always a pleasure to hear from you.
Destiny Kalince: Sorry the chap's a bit late for your birthday, but I hope that you had a happy birthday anyways! Good call on Momiji's and the life bonds are going to be pretty important :) To get to the web site you need to take the spaces out of the links- hope that it works for you! Great to hear from you :) s
gadez: You know, I'm delighted that the chapter worked for you. It's always great to hear from you!
anahmidale: Yes. That is Momiji…. Please breathe! There's lots more Momiji to read! –snorkle- Seriously, I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter- it's always great to hear from you!
kishe: Well, I guess you got to find out if you were right or not ;) Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Dolfinz: Wow. I'm very happy that you are enjoying the story. It's all part of Butterfly's plan for world domination, but it's an added bonus if someone's actually enjoying it ;) Delighted to hear from you!
Princess Starfire of Tamaran: Rabbit? Yes, rabbit. You win a cookie! Very happy to hear from you!
Luffy V'shile: Shiny. Shiny is my happy place. Join me in the shiny ;) We shall be happy in the shiny together! It's always awesome to hear from you ;)
Kupo: Yes within a breath of a threesome. I'm evil. And Shinta's very, very special and I'm glad that you were holding your breath for him. Excellent deduction for Momiji (Three blonds? Naphy tries to remember all the blonds). And I love hearing from you :)
hatori still isn't mine: I'm sorry that you were disappointed by the shortness of the cut scene- I did try to warn that it wasn't that graphic, but I completely understand the disappointment ;) The shiny is my very happy thought. I'm unfortunately not familiar with Gravitation but shiny unites us all in shiny love :) It's always great to hear from you!
shy x sakura: Edible sex goddess Naphy? Hmmm… -Checks- Nope. No seasoning. Guess I'll just have to stick with 'sex goddess' ;) Glad to hear from you again!
Placid Snowflake: Hatori is love. And having Butterfly stuck in your head would definitely be… something ;) Straight from 1 to 20? –Blinks- I knew that Butterfly's mind control was strong, but that's ridiculous… My applause to you! It was a real pleasure to hear from you and I hope that you enjoy the new chapter :)
Inulover: I agree that the boys should be fully aware of what they're doing if they all get involved, but we'll have to see about that three-way ;) Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Goddess Kes: Momiji sighting noted and confirmed! And don't worry I have no intent of wandering away and never finishing this. For one thing, I've already written the ending. For another, my betas would kill me. Slowly and painfully. And while I like punishment I don't like it that much ;) Delighted that you're enjoying the story- thank you for taking the time to comment!
Noraneko: There are eight chapters left on the story according to my outline. Of course my outline has previously proven to be a big, fat liar, so there may be a little give and take there ;) Glad that you're enjoying the story- it was great to hear from you :)
HatoriDragon: I think that we should form a club for equal love for Kyou and Yuki. For some reason, we're in the minority and I could never understand why… I'm completely honored that you think that the characters are learning from one another and frowing and maturing- it's what I try to get across, but I'm never sure if I succeed or not. I have no intention of giving up on the story, so please don't worry :) It was a true pleasure to hear from you- I really hope that you enjoy the new chapter.
Lady of Ithilien: Wow. First off, I have to say that I love your drabbles on the comm. and I'm even inspired to venture into the world of hobbit!fic reading now :) I was truly happy to receive such a lovely, thoughtful review so I'll try to answer it with the attention it deserves. As a full confession, non-consensual sex is one of my huge squicks- I am almost incapable of reading about it unless it is handled extremely well by the author. This was therefore a huge challenge for me to try to write a story where non-consensual sex was a necessary part of the storyline. It makes me very happy that the approach has worked for someone who also tends to avoid rape!fic. In-characterness is also something that I agonize over (and my betas slap me for) so I'm very glad that you were able to follow the thread of their development both as characters and as characters in dynamic relationships. I'm trying very hard to make them human and 'real' (whatever that means ;) while still keeping them true to their canon characters. And, to make me even more hypocritical, I generally avoid O.C.s, though, in my defense, it didn't even occur to me that Butterfly was an O.C. until Chapter 8 or 9 (about the time that Butterfly got named… 'Butterfly'). But I'm delighted that you like Butterfly and wait- you mean everyone doesn't have a perverted, sarcastic voice in their head…. Oh…. Er… Just ignore me here ;) It was a true pleasure to hear from you and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.
Bluespark 'In Hiding': Momiji and Hatori both rock. As does the shiny. My secret bird life is being exposed here ;) And I'm really happy that you think that everyone's in character- it's something that I spend far too much time worrying over :) Welcome to the fandom! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and I really appreciate you taking the time to review.
SpiritSealedSlumber: It truly doesn't matter how often you're able to review. Although I selfishly love hearing from you because you're such a fantastic, thoughtful reviewer I'm truly just happy that you're continuing to enjoy the story. I am trying very hard to follow canon- so far I've twisted parts of it, but as far as I know I haven't broken anything yet ;) And yes, pretty much everything that's written in a continuing series is Alternate Reality- the key being how close you can manage to make things stick up to the point that you diverge. My goal is to be pretty close, but we'll see how it goes :) I'm glad that you think Tohru is strong in BE- I really see her as a strong character in the series and I sometimes think that her strength gets underplayed because she has a lot of guilt and self-esteem issues. Butterfly's kind of a wacky conscience, but it seems to work for Tohru ;) It's always awesome to hear from you and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story. And you can never overdo the length of a review ;)
Veronique the Freak: Butterfly is a constant source of crack- er… 'twisted amusement'. I'm very glad that you're enjoying the story- thanks for taking the time to comment!
Drumming-Femme: Actually the "naked grandfather" line was one of my favorites too. I'm slightly scared that I might be as disturbed as Butterfly. One of the most interesting things about writing this is finding the number of people who see themselves in Butterfly. We really are a bunch of Pervy Butterfly Minions ;) I'm delighted that you're enjoying the story- thanks for reviewing!
Jojo: Oh there will definitely be more chapters ;) Very happy that you're enjoying the story!
Updated 03-29-05