Chapter 3

In the morning, everyone seemed slower at waking than usual. It was a dismal day, the sky covered in clouds and drenching the world with cold rain. Kyou, of course, was the first to wake and greet the day with an unfriendly groan. He wasn't fond of rain or any form of water for that matter-he does shower, of course-so to him it seemed almost an omen upon his day. Crankily, he entered the kitchen to get his morning milk and found his supply to have run out. With a depressed sigh, he whimpered, "Why me…" Kyou closed the fridge door and gazed sadly out at the dreary landscape visible from the open porch, sighing once more in sad anticipation of a bad day. He heard a door open and shut and went to see who it was. Tohru walked into the kitchen yawning and almost let out a yelp in the process, startled by Kyou's presence.

"Kyou-kun, it's so early!" Tohru said, calming herself and beginning her breakfast making ritual.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep. And then it's raining so I can't go for a run and there's no milk in the fridge for me to drink…" Kyou complained, cracking his shoulder blades lazily.

"No milk? I'm so sorry, I bought some yesterday, I don't know how we ran out so fast!" Tohru agonized, clutching her head while shaking it. Kyou frowned and said, "don't worry about it, I'll survive…" He looked back out at the rain and said quietly, "Does this day seem…bad to you?"

"Bad? Bad how?"

"I mean…do you think something bad will happen today."

"Not really, it just seems like a normal rainy day to me. Why, do you think so?"

"Something just feels…odd."

"Maybe you're getting psychic powers like Hana-chan! That would be neat, wouldn't it?"

"Ugh, I hope not!" Kyou walked out of the kitchen, leaving Tohru to tend to her morning routine.

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"Something seems amiss today." Hanajima said solemnly as she walked to class with her friends.

"Kyou-kun said the same thing this morning! I thought maybe he was getting powers like you!" Tohru laughed.

"Perish the thought…" Uotani said, sounding freaked out by such an idea.

"Do you not mean 'cherish'?" Hanajima asked.

"Heck no, I want it to die! That moron with powers! We'd all be doomed…" Uotani exclaimed. Tohru coughed and thought to herself how little her friends knew of the person they spoke of.

It seemed the rest of the day was smoother than usual (something always seemed to be going wrong around their school), school ended with no death threats or sadness-the Yuki Fan club was still mourning over the fact Yuki had missed another day of school-and the afternoon was rain free yet still overcast. A cool evening pursued and all was well in the Sohma house, except Kyou still didn't feel the day had had its way with them yet.

"Why are you so tense, Kyou-kun? It's been a lovely day and you're still moping around the house!" Shigure scolded, "You're starting to bring me down, how selfish of you…"

"I don't care, Shigure! Stop complaining, you sound like a woman." Kyou growled back as he paced the living room.

"Ooo, did you hear that, Tohru-kun? He's insulting you!" Shigure jokingly mocked, fanning his face as chuckled.

"Shutup!" Kyou yelled in his face.

"Oh my."

"Ugh…idiot…" Kyou stalked off to his room and slammed the door.

"Kyou-kun…" Tohru whispered sadly, staring after him as she cleaned up the dishes from dinner.

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All was quiet in the house that night, everyone had gone to sleep and it was nearly pitch black aside from the moonlight that dimly lit the areas its silky glow touched. Dreamless sleep met the residents, all except Yuki whose body twitched and writhed in its nightmare-ridden slumber. Eventually he woke suddenly and sat up straight, gasping for air and sweating profusely. He sighed and ran a hand through his damp silverish purple hair, thinking, Only a dream…

Pulling the covers back, he began to slide his feet over the edge of the bed when he heard a creak in the floorboards. Looking up, he saw the silhouette of a woman standing in the middle of his room, unmoving and yet seeming to rush toward him with great force. His body fell back against the bed and he squirmed backward into the wall, his chest heaving nervously with every breath he took.

"H-Honda-san?" Yuki squawked, his voice cracking as he figured he was wrong anyway.

"Not likely." The voice responded with the utmost confidence which sent a chill through Yuki's spine.

"No…please…" He whimpered, his limbs going numb without warning as his skin prickled with Goosebumps. The form slowly advanced toward him and his heart beat quickened, mind screaming to his body to do something to escape this inevitable attack. The last defense he had at his beckon call was what he used prior to being assaulted. With every fiber of his being, he let out a chilling scream of terror that could have woken a person from coma. Within minutes, Kyou was busting through Yuki's door, coming to a screeching halt upon seeing the woman straddling Yuki's trembling body. He blinked and said, "How'd you-"

"What on earth-!" Shigure came in behind Kyou and stopped as well, staring wide-eyed at the scene before them. The girl had Yuki in a strangle hold, her hand firmly wrapped around his neck as she held his hands down with her other hand. Shigure started forward but Kyou stopped him as the girl said, "I wouldn't if I were you, I can snap his frail little neck in seconds."

"What the hell do you want!" Kyou yelled at her.

"I want justice." She hissed in response.

Justice? For what, she's the one who's been hurting everyone! Kyou thought to himself as he frowned, about to say what he had just pondered when she pulled Yuki to a sitting position. Her arm snaked around his waist, pressing their bodies together and holding him firmly in place while the other hand held his head to her chest. He looked like a rag doll in her grasp, staring pathetically at them with his big gray eyes that were filled with tears.

"Until served, Yuki will be my prisoner. I don't suggest you follow me or dreadful consequences may occur." She said in a low voice. With a swift move, she was standing with Yuki still ensnared in her arms, slowly backing toward the window through which she had entered. By now Tohru had woken and found her way to the room and saw what was happening, letting out a loud gasp as she screamed out for Yuki. With one last bout of maniacal laughter, the girl disappeared through the window with her frozen captive in tow, yelling after herself, "Remember this day fondly, Sohmas!"

"YUKI-KUUUUN!" Tohru screamed, running toward the window. Kyou grabbed her arm and pulled her back but before she could fall into his arms, he passed her off on Shigure and said, "Here, console her."

"Wha-" Not able to protest fast enough, Shigure vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared in dog form, trapped beneath Tohru after she had fallen on top of him. Kyou broke into a run and dove out the window into the rainy night, grumbling as he sprinted through the darkness, "He better thank me for this later."

As he wandered aimlessly through the Sohma grounds, he searched for signs of the two persons he pursued, not having much luck in the matter. Luckily as he stooped to look for footprints, a far off cry broke the silence and he recognized it instantly.

"Yuki…" Kyou muttered before breaking into a run again and taking off in the direction of the weak scream.

"He'll be here soon, it doesn't take Kyou long to find his way. I suppose being a cat can have its advantages, don't you think so?" The girl curled a few strands of Yuki's hair around her finger as she lay on his bruised body. Yuki groaned miserably before coughing, sending splatters of blood into her face. Casually, she wiped them away with her hand and looked at the smear they left amusingly, saying, "Oh, you're not doing so well, Yuki-kun. Perhaps you should see a doctor about that cough of yours…"

"L…let…meh-me…g…" Yuki gasped feebly, his eyes barely able to stay open from all the throbbing pain coursing through his being.

"Go? Oh heavens, no! What fun would that be?" She laughed, playfully slapping his cheek as she sat up. With a yawn, she glanced over her shoulder and said cynically, "He's taking too long, I'm getting bored!" Yuki tried to crawl away from her but she slapped him harder this time, scolding him harshly, "Who told you to move!" He stared at her with fiery detestation, his breaths sharp and infrequent in his sore chest and bloodied nose.

"Don't lay another hand on him, bitch." Turning, she saw Kyou standing behind them, completely soaked and muddy from the journey through the forest, his orange locks plastered chaotically on his forehead.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you weren't coming after all! You never were the one to follow orders, were you?" She teasingly said, pulling Yuki up against her body and resting her head on his shoulder, still keeping an eye on Kyou.

"I said-" Kyou began to yell.

"I heard you, simpleton! But since you didn't obey my orders, why should I obey yours?" She brought her lips up to Yuki's ear, whispering, "Beg for his help, Yuki…pleeeaaad to him. Only then will you be free to go."

"Let him go!" Kyou shouted furiously, balling his fists at his sides.

"Quite demanding, aren't we?" She toyfully smirked, running her hand up Yuki's back and clutching a handful of his hair in the other. He moaned and stared longingly at Kyou, causing him to nervously frown at the pleading look.

"Do it, Yuki…beseech your rescuer if you dare…or is your pride going to get in the way of your freedom?" She melodically hissed in his ear, nipping lightly at it and triggering a shiver in him. He weakly cried out in an almost sobbing whimper, looking even more eloquently at his potential savior. But Kyou didn't budge, the gaze Yuki gave him froze him, it unsettled him on the deepest levels of his being.

"Kyou…" Yuki panted, quivering as he felt nails rake over his back roughly.

"You can't say it, can you? That simple little word taught to us when we're children, that one thing we could never say when we wanted something until we lusted for it so badly that there was no other choice…"

"Yuki…?" Kyou wanted to leap forward and pummel the girl but he knew she would kill Yuki before he could lay a hand on her.

"Say it, Yuki…" She slipped a hand around to his stomach and slowly roamed southward.

"Kyou!" Yuki sobbed sharply, knowing what she said to be true. Since when did the rat need the cat's help? It's unheard of, never would he stoop so low as to ask HIM for help, never…never.

"H-Help…me…" Yuki cried, tears running down his cheeks as he whispered loathsomely, "please."