Chapter 19: Steel Bars, Locks, Bolts; Revelation
Disclaimer: I don't own Furuba.
The chapter title is a play on words…lol. I couldn't resist some light humor.
Yuki sighs and pulls away from Kyo. "Why… didn't you bomb those tests, Kyo?" he asks quietly.
The two of them stared at Yuki astonished. "Why…. would I bomb the tests!" Kyo shouts angrily. "Do you want me to look like some kind of idiot cousin! Is it because I did better then you on one test!" He continues to yell hostilely.
Tohru grabs Kyo's arm and pulls him to the side gently. She looks at him gently and he sighs looking down at the ground. "Kyo… please try not to yell. I bet Yuki has a very good reason for asking that question." She smiles and lifts his head up slowly. "Just let him try to answer." Tohru rubs his arm a little and lets go, looking at Yuki curiously.
"I had a good feeling, that if you were to bomb the exams, you wouldn't be locked away." After he had said this, both Kyo and Tohru looked to be consumed by his words. They were all ears when he finally explained what he meant. "Remember, she said when your graduate. If you were to not graduate, you'd have another year or so to continue living in Shigure's house with Ms.Honda, Shigure, and I. But… since you passed of course, that plan can't be put into affect." He grins in slight shadow, and then looks at Kyo knowingly. "Good luck trying to be me Cat-san…" Yuki says mockingly then walks away from them toward his next class.
"DON'T CALL ME MR.CAT!" He shouts angrily. Everyone turns around and begins to laugh jokingly and leave the area. Kyo sighs and leans against a wall, Tohru walks up at Kyo and smiles. "Why are you smiling? My head hurts… is that something to smile about?" Kyo asks her curiously, seeming rather annoyed at her.
She kept smiling and places one hand on his left shoulder. "Kyo… it's okay. I… I need you to tell me when you're scared." He looks at her curiously and allows her to continue on. "I… I love you still. We haven't even acknowledged that since that day…." She whispers to him. All he could do was smile at her to try and to get a smile back on her face since her's disappeared when she began speaking. Her hand floats to his cheek. "I hope you feel better Kyo-kun…" She says to him and walks off, catching up to Arisa and Saki.
He smiles, rubs his head a little, and then picks up his book bag. After walking to his next class he sat down and listened to the teacher go on and on about how the ceremony will be held. All he had heard was 'Wear your cap and gown'. Other then that he was just spacing out. He stares through the window looking at the parking lot. His eyes quickly grew large, his heart beat got quicker. The two guys he and Yuki hurt when they injured Tohru were standing outside the school, waiting for the bell to ring so that they can jump her again.
In spite of knowing he'll get in trouble, Kyo gets up and runs out the classroom door, the teacher shouting after him telling him to come back. He stops outside the school and stares at the two men from six days or so ago. "You damn lowlifes…. Get out of here!" he orders then viciously. All they do is laugh at him and soon enough he was surrounded with many more people. Each of them had some kind of nightstick in their black-gloved hands. "Is this some kind of gangster fair?" he asks looking around him to find himself in a circle of them. Staring back at the leader now, he grins and gets into a fighting position. "Come on! I'll take all of you freaks on!" Kyo exclaims belligerently.
"You don't have to. We're already leaving…." The leader calls and laughs running away with the crowd of gang-like people.
He caught sight of a girl in one of their arms, tape over her mouth. "TOHRU!" He yells and begins running as fast as he could towards them. Then, out of nowhere he is jumped in the forest and knocked unconscious.
They run in various directions making sure that if he did wake up he wouldn't be able to track them down instantly. Eventually, though, they reach the Main Sohma estate and toss her to the ground after entering a house. From the corner of the almost pitch-black room, with boards nailed over the windows, came Akito, her long kimono dragging across the floor. She kneels down and places her finger under her cheek. "Ms. Honda…." Akito whispers after all the members of her little 'squad' leave. Kureno, as always, was standing behind her awaiting any and all commands as if he were a dog. "Do you have any idea how many times you screwed up my plan!" She yells angrily, slapping Tohru, digging her nails into her cheek.
Tohru would've yelled but the tape was still over her mouth. So, instead, she groaned very loudly, her yelp was badly muffled. She glances around the room in pain and saw that it was a completely empty house. And the only room in it was the one she was sitting in with Akito. It had bars over the boarded up windows, and the door had many bolts on it that had just be reopened so that they could get in. Is… this the room… she plans on locking Kyo-kun up in…? She couldn't believe it, she didn't want to. Suddenly, Tohru finds herself halfway glaring at Akito in slight anger.
"Because of your love for Kyo and his love for you…. You're ruining everything!" She tares the tape off her mouth and pushes her backwards. After hitting the ground on her back gently, Tohru didn't dare move, let alone speak up. Standing up and staring down at Tohru she laughs. "Since, you want to be a Sohma. You will be treated like one…" She walks past her and out the door with Kureno. The door she once looked at was now being re-bolted shut
Her eyes shook in sheer fear. She didn't know what to do. Should she move, and make noise from inside the small house. Could she call to Kyo and Yuki? Or even Hatsuharu and Momiji. She couldn't' figure it out. She was locked up the same way Kyo was going to soon be. Tohru didn't want any of this to happen. To think she'd rather it be her locked up then Kyo frightened her a little. But she did love him, and there's nothing she would rather want for him then for him to be free. She leans against a cold, steel wall to the left and sighs, wrapping her arms around herself to keep her body warm. Slowly, she drops her head against the wall and chills begin to rush up and down her spine as if the chills were horses and her spine was a track for them to run on.
She couldn't believe it. She was taken right out of class, without the teacher noticing. How were they able to get into the room so quietly that the teacher took no heed of them? Something was so wrong. The teacher for that class was a new substitute. Should she not have be paying attention more? A slight thought slammed her in the forehead and slipped through her ears trying to inform her. "Did… Akito-san make sure that teacher was to sub for that class today… and … have me kidnapped?" Tohru sighs and tightens her grip on her arms getting colder by the second.
Suddenly, she listens and hears voices coming from just outside one of the boarded and bar-covered windows. She gets to her feet and searches for a crack in the wood. After realizing there was none, she began to listen instead of see. To her surprise, just outside the house -talking in secrecy- were Momiji, Haru, and Rin. A gentle and excited smile crosses her face. They must have all gotten out of school early after the principal found out about one the students being kid napped by a gang of some sort.
"Who would want to kidnap Tohru-chaaan?" Momiji whines sorrowfully, looking at Rin and Hatsuharu with a worry-filled expression.
Haru sighs and pats Momiji on the head lightly. "Don't worry. If Kyo and Yuki ask us to help, we're definitely going to." He smiles and takes hold of Rin's hand gently. Turning to face her he tilts his head a little. "Will you be helping us?" Haa-chan asks curiously as he takes hold of her other hand.
Softly, Isuzu nods and pulls her hands from Haru's. "I will. But I can't be with you. Remember what I told you Kureno said the day he called almost all of us to meet him in the forest…."
He lets out a gentle breath and nods, leaving the area quickly, peering through the wood a little and somewhat catches a glimpse of something… or someone. "I'll… see you two later." Haru waves his hand with a soft flick of his wrist. Walking around the house to the completely bolt-locked door he examines the doorknob and doorframe. He knocks densely. "Anyone in there?" Haru says after getting to his knees and looking down into the bottom part of the door.
Someone's shadow overcomes his own and he quickly turns around in slight fright. He lets out an unnoticeable sigh and gets to his feet. "What are you doing Hatsuharu?" The voice of a young man asks. It was Hatori, who, was actually heading over to see Haru. "Is something inside that room? We all know Akito said she'd never use it again unless she was-." He is cut off by another approaching shadow.
"Forced to." Kureno finishes for him, his hands at his hips as he stops just behind the both of them. "I'd like to know why you both are in this area. Answers…now!" he demands roughly, advancing towards Haru to meet his eyes. By doing this he was able to convince himself that he was in no danger at the moment since he hadn't turned black.
"I heard a noise coming from this house…." Haru mutters and kicks his foot against the door, typing his shoe, trying to act nonchalant. He hears more crawling and scratching of movement. "Who or what is in there Kureno?" He asks pulling his foot back down so that it was on the ground again. Suddenly, he does the same with his other shoe, putting it on the door hard so that it'd make a loud knocking sound. More scattering noises are heard and he gently puts his other foot back down and turns to look at Kureno. "Are you too scared to answer?" Ox-san asks mockingly, beginning to turn black.
Akito walks up to them and smiles, her arms folded across her chest. "Do not demand answers Haru…. It isn't polite." She says quietly, then hears Haru huff in annoyance. "I remember something from this morning. Do you recall? You called me a stuck up bitch isn't that right?" Akito steps towards Haru, stumbling a couple times until she finally rests her hand on his shoulder. "Now… if you want to know who is in there… be a good boy and go in." She whispers into his ear.
Sure enough, he yanks open the door, breaking the bolts and charges in. His eyes grew wide as he saw who was inside. He grew uncomfortable and eventually changes back into the regular Haru. Turning around he heads to the door and finds Akito and Kureno closing it. The last thing he saw was Hatori trying to stop Kureno but being held back by Akito. He yells in anger then looks softly at Tohru. "So… this is what happened. You were… kid napped by a gang sent by Akito…" he sits down in front of her.
A weak nod answers his question. "D…Do you think Kyo or Yuki will come to help us?" She asks, her voice getting slightly sore from breathing in the cold air of the room. All she got from his was a sigh and she watches him lay back, arms folded behind his head. There was almost no hope. "Did … anyone… ever tell you the story… called Aikyou?" Tohru asks, smiling a little. He glances up at her, barely a few feet from her. "It means… love and respect…. But… I guess it'd be pointless to tell it." Haru sits up, legs crossed Indian style and appears to look truthfully interested. She smiles once more and begins the story
"Once upon a time… there was a little boy and girl who always played together. They always did the same thing every day. Play tag. After many years of knowing each other, the boy, now a young man proposes to the young lady and she agrees to marry him excitedly. When they went to consult it with the young woman's parents they didn't like the idea and the wedding was off. It deeply upset the both of them but they still had the permission to be friends."She pauses, rubbing her throat as it began to sting from the cold. Almost instantly, she continues on ignoring the pain:
"Many months passed. Many years passed. And soon enough they had completely forgotten each other. All they knew was that they had a little card that said 'I'll love you, itsumo'. They vowed to themselves to find the person that had sent it to them. After long searching, they find each other again in a small town. Soon enough, they realize that it was their past loves. Once more, they tried to get married and the woman's parents rejected it once more. The girl said good-bye to the boy again and closed the door to have a private talk with her family. She asks why she wasn't allowed to marry him and tells them everything she loved about him. All the parents replied with was a single word. 'Aikyou.' The young lady did so much research on it that she felt as if her brain were about to burst." Tohru laughs gently. Haru couldn't help but smile and listen attentively. "Then… she finally discovers the meaning of it. Her parents meant that she was not to marry him because it was not meant to be. It was to be that they were friends forever. And loved them very much, but respected their true decisions. Their hearts…." She says, touching the left side of her chest gently, "Were not really in love. It was a false coating that made them believe they were. They only loved each other as friends… and only friends. But, no matter what was to happen throughout their life, they would always respect them in any and all ways."
Once again she stops and a tear rolls down her cheek. "I could imagine loving someone and realizing that it wasn't true love. Just…. Just Aikyou. But… it's really hard to understand it don't you think? I mean… isn't it strange how they admitted they loved each other but soon found deeper meaning and realized they didn't. It is so bizarre. But… it really makes you think about the people you say you love." She watches him nod and she smiles a little, then looks down at her hands. "But… I know what I feel for Kyo… isn't only 'aikyou.' I truly do love him." Her voice was quiet as she spoke since she wasn't quite sure if Kyo would want Haru knowing that they both loved each other.
Haru nods and agrees with almost everything she said. He stands up and looks at the door. After about an hour of sitting in the cold, steel room the door was just about to open. In almost annoyed shock, he watches Akito walk in and approach them.
"I think I should tell you something. Just to let you know wench." She says, closing the door behind her. After advancing as close as she could without being within Haru's striking distance, she grins evilly. "Honda… you piss me off greatly." Tohru stares at her a little confused. What a horrible greeting… Tohru thinks to herself. "Are you aware that you are on the verge of breaking the family curse!" Akito yells belligerently.
She felt as though she went into shock. Did… she just say I was beginning to break the Sohma curse…? Tohru asks herself in her thoughts. Glancing at Akito in astonishment, she opens her mouth and words flutter out. "H-How…?" she asks in confusion.
"YOUR GOD DAMN LOVE FOR KYO IS BREAKING HIS PART OF THE CURSE YOU BITCH!" She exclaims. Tohru shivers in fear and Haru takes a step towards Akito angrily. "If you don't stop loving Kyo… something very bad will happen to him!" Sohma God-san says annoyingly. "Now… you better pray he can beat Yuki. Cause, even if you stop loving him, he'll be locked up! Like. A. Monster!" She separates the last three words of her small speech-like talk.
Tohru stares at her sadly and stands up. "F-Fine…" she gasps sorrowfully, looking at the ground now and wraps her arms around her own waist, still extremely cold. "I'll… t-try to stop loving Kyo-kun…." Tohru mumbles softly.
"Good." Akito says grinning. "You can leave now."
Approaching the door gradually, Tohru gently pulls it open and stares out it. Her eyes got very large and tears burst from them and rapidly ran down her cheeks. Dropping to her knees, she broke down into incontrollable tears. "…. I'm sorry…." was all she spoke as she took hold of the person's shoe.
I think this may just be one of my personal favorite chapters…. But… that's just me. I hope everyone else enjoys this chapter. Thank you to my reviewers once again! I really appreciate it! Please continue to R & R!