CHAPTER 5

POISONS EFFECT

Sickness makes us stronger…OR...It can kill us

Yuki looked down at the strawberry in Tohru's outstretched hand and turned a light shade of pink. She was giving him the biggest strawberry? He hesitated a moment before taking it from her and holding it in the palm of his hand. He studied it for a moment. It was so nice and large, and he was sure it was very sweet. "Let's share it, okay Honda-san?" he then asked, glancing back up at her smiling face. "You can have the first bite" he held it back out to her so that she could take a bite.

"Okay!" Normally, she would have protested, since she had given it to him as a gift and she didn't want to be greedy but…it was one juicy looking strawberry! She took the strawberry from him, her fingers brushing against his palm as she did so. She then raised it to her lips, smelled it, then took a small bite. It was delicious! She wanted more, but instead, she felt it back out to Yuki, who pushed it back to her. He told her to take a bigger bite, and shyly, she did before handing it back.

Yuki took it this time and ate the last of it, smiling. "I'm starting to enjoy the summer very much Honda-san. I can't believe it used to be my least favorite season" He picked a few more strawberries for them to take back to the house.

"If only I could get Kyo to stop hating the rain now.." Tohru joked lightly, picking some more strawberries as well. "I mean…theres nothing wrong with him disliking the rain but…it can be so pretty at times! Mom used to love it…"

"Honda-san?" Yuki asked after a moment, stopping and sitting up, resting his hands on his knees. A distant look sunk into his eyes as he stared at the strawberries, momentarily lost in thought, then looked up at her. "I know you didn't want to talk about it…but it's bothering me so much…I want to know what happened to you…what Korosu did" He spent much of his time thinking about it since it had happened. How could Tohru allow that to happen to herself, and how could she just….keep smiling? Had what Korosu done to her not been that serious? No…he remembered her face…her fear…her sadness…it had been serious. "Please, I need to know"

Tohru shifted uncomfortably on her knees, pulling at the hem of her skirt a bit as she stared at the strawberries. It was impossible for her to lift her gaze at the moment. She felt so ashamed. "He um.." she hated speaking so negatively of people. "He tried to…" she couldn't bring herself to say anymore. She closed her eyes. And for the second time in over a week, she failed to smile. Even the great Tohru Honda had her limits.

"Rape you?" Yuki pushed delicately, trying to get the full story out of her. He wished more than anything at that moment, that he could take her into his arms and console her as real friends should; but he couldn't. By the way she reacted to his question, he could tell that his guess had been right. "But…he didn't succeed, right?"

Tohru shook her head, then opened her eyes again and smiled as she resumed to pick strawberries, "Iie, he didn't…" and for that, she was glad. It could have been much worse. He could have succeeded. He could have taken her innocence and destroy part of who she was.

Yuki moved his hand and rested it lightly on top of hers as he gave her a reassuring smile. A gentle breeze combed through his hair. "It's okay to be mad…and it's okay to cry…" but, he knew she probably wouldn't. "And I understand if you feel like hating him…"

"Oh no! Never!" Tohru exclaimed, shaking her head and giving him a worried look, her face turning an odd shade of red and she took a sharp breath. "I could never hate him for that. It's wrong to hate. Hate's destructive and makes you want to do evil things like…." a thought bubbled into her mind and her eyes closed as she lowered her head and slouched to the side slightly. Her head dropped into his lap, hair covering her face. "He hates me…" She had hoped that maybe she'd finally be completely accepted, but it had looked as though that wasn't about to happen.

"Honda-san" Yuki said after a long pause, "You feel a little warm. Are you alright?" he rested his hand on her cheek, then moved it up to feel her forehead. She felt very warm; the same fever she had had the first night she had stumbled across Shigure's home. It worried him greatly, for she had almost passed out that first night. "Don't move.." he lifted her head gently from his lap and moved it to the ground. Surprisingly, she didn't protest. And, in a moments notice, he took off towards the house to call Hatori.

He hadn't been able to help her the first time, but this time, he wouldn't fail her. He'd help her in any way he possibly could.

The three youngest Sohma's: Momiji, Hiro and Kisa stood quietly around Akito's grave marker, staring at it silently. It was well kept, and always had a fresh bouquet of flowers. Large, beautiful flowers of lavender, red…white….

"We miss you…" Kisa said gently, head lowered as she stared at the flowers. "We wish…there was a way for you to come back" she sniffed a little and rubbed her right eye. Even though she had had bad memories of the head, she hated going to the main house and not seeing him there with his birds.

"Yeah, Korosu's a real jerk" Hiro filled in once he realized Kisa was done talking. He and Kisa had taken it upon themselves to keep Akito informed about what was going on, even though Kisa was sure that he was watching from the Heavens. They didn't like Korosu and hoped that maybe, there was something Akito could do about him from way up there. "Ow!" he exclaimed when Momiji stubbed his toe. "What? He is!" he defended.

Momiji didn't like the idea of complaining about another person in a cemetery, so he motioned for Hiro to be quiet. Hiro replied by sticking out his tongue.

"Korosu-san wants to marry sissy even though he doesn't love her. He's really mean to Kaze-chan" Kisa informed quietly, crouching down slightly to fix the bouquet of flowers that was beginning to fall over. Somehow, talking to the deceased Sohma eased her nerves. She felt as though he was really listening…just like he had in those last few days of life he had. He had been so kind and so caring… She took a second to recall the last day.

From the various corners of the room, the Sohma's moved over to the bed and stared down at their God. "Akito-sensei" Yuki was the first to speak, eyes filled with sadness. He couldn't stand Akito, but he couldn't stand to see him like this either. "Are you…" he paused and took a breath. There was no point in asking, for he knew that Akito wasn't okay. This was it, this was the end.

Kisa shyly moved forward to the side of the bed and rested her hands on the side, staring as the tears built up at the borders of her eyes. "Akito…" she said softly, "Don't go…please?" Hatsuharu placed a hand on her shoulder to pull her back, but she remained at the bed side, staring. Akito had been so nice to them over the past week. Had it been because he knew that his end was near? It wasn't fair! He made them grow to love him…so he could leave them and make them hurt again! She remained silent.

Slowly, so slowly that almost no one had noticed his movement, Akito moved his pale slender hand across the sheets and set it atop Kisa's little hand. It felt so cold and clammy that she shivered. The warmth of her hand however, felt very good to him. "I'm…not leaving" he said in a very quiet, barely audible voice as his chest rose with a shallow breath of air. "Only resting…"

Hatori moved to his side and checked for a pulse, "Akito"

The head smirked ever so lightly, "Get away from me" he no longer wanted…no longer needed Hatori to care for him. "Don't think that because I die I'm…" he wanted to die with a bit of dignity, "…Pathetic. I can still make you all fear me…" He never completed the sentence. Instead, he took one final breath and disappeared into the world of nothingness.

And as though he had heard from all the way up in the Heavens, it began to rain. It sprinkled lightly at first but little by little the drops fell faster and faster, soaking the warm earth. Kisa felt her eyes water and she looked to Hiro and Momiji, "He's really sad…." Her mother had always told her that rain was the tears of angels, and Akito was an angel now, wasn't he?

"Or maybe he's really happy Kisa. Maybe those are tears of joy" Momiji tried to cheer her up, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling slightly. Even though she was now 15 years old, she hadn't changed much. She still resembled a young child--so innocent and naïve. "Maybe he's happy because we still care about him, and because you told him you missed him" he gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

Kisa smiled slightly and nodded, drying her eyes as the drops continued to soak her dark clothes. "Maybe…"

"I'm…not leaving" he said in a very quiet, barely audible voice as his chest rose with a shallow breath of air. "Only resting…"

The drops that showered over her stopped and she noticed Hiro holding his umbrella over her, eyes cast down towards the ground. "Lets go home Kisa" he glanced up at her momentarily, for once, searching for some sign of approval.

Shigure closed his eyes and quietly sipped the rest of his green tea. Though it angered him, everything Korosu was telling him didn't come as a surprise. He had expected something of the sort from this teen. "Everyone in this family is very close to Tohru" He set his cup down rather loudly and smiled at the power hungry teen in front of him. "Don't hurt Tohru, and don't hurt Kaze. He's the real head of the family"

"Don't give me orders, mutt" Korosu replied, standing up from the table just as the phone rang. He looked towards the sound that came from the hall, then glanced back at Shigure, expecting him to get it. And, the dog did just that. He stood and left the room to see who needed him.

"Moshi Moshi" Shigure greeted, placing the phone in a tight spot between his shoulder and his ear as he leaned against the table the receiver rested against. By the first words spoken through the phone, he knew to whom he spoke. "Aya-kun. It's been so long!" he smiled to himself, though it hadn't been that long, "When will you grace my home with your presence again?"

The comment Ayame blurted caught him off guard, "Our Hatori?" he asked in an astonished tone. It was almost too hard to believe. "Put him on Aya, put him on!" This was almost better than seeing school girls in those little skirts of theirs…almost. "Ha-san. I'm so proud of you!"

"Your stupidity amazes me, Shigure" Came the annoyed voice on the other end. He knew Shigure was only trying to bug him, which was exactly why he kept his cool. He wasn't in love. Kana still held a very important place in his heard and he would never forget that.

"Your so cruel!" Shigure shot back in a whine, "And who is the lucky girl? Is she a nurse? Hmm? Hmm?" he waited anxiously, ignoring the fact that Hatori had said he wasn't in love. However, instead of receiving a reply from Hatori, Ayame's voice responded. "Where did Ha'ri go?"

"Poor fool is so much in love that he's dizzy from it! He almost hung up the phone. Luckily I was here to prevent him from doing so" Yes, Ayame was so full of himself, but it was a part of who he was. Shigure was amused by it, and thanked him for taking the phone. "But it's true Gure-kun! Ha-san made a joke…a joke!" he laughed, "You should come over immediately" And with that, the line went dead. Shigure was positive that Hatori had taken the phone and hung it up. It just sounded like something he'd do. And as he thought about it…visiting Hatori at the Sohma house didn't seem like such a bad idea. It had been nearly a week since he had visited his friend anyway. He picked up the phone once more and called back to inform Ayame and Hatori of his visit.

Meanwhile, Yuki burst into the kitchen, pausing momentarily only to catch his breath (Curse his asthma). He leaned against the counter, head lowered. "Honda-san…is….sick" he informed through deep breaths. "She's…in the woods" he breathed a little easier and turned his head to look towards Shigure. But, once he did, he realized it had not been Shigure he had been speaking to, but the dreaded Korosu.

"Shigure, I'll be taking my leave now, Tohru is sick!" Korosu glanced at Yuki. "I'm the only one who can pick her up anyway" he pointed out as he noticed the look Yuki was giving him. Oh, how he loved that look! He slid past Yuki, his hand fluttering over Yuki's dark hair as he did so. "I'll take care of her" he promised with a sinister grin as he slid out of the home and continued on into the woods. This was the perfect opportunity…

"Tohru doesn't need a wedding dress, your free to leave" Hatori spoke calmly. Normally, he was full of patience when it came to dealing with Ayame, but he was already a little tired and was craving a nap. He couldn't really remember the last time he had had a real one. Ah, yes he could…it was the day Akito had died. Things had been so eerily silent that…

The phone rang and Ayame cheerfully jumped to answer it. "Ah, really? Poor girl! We'll be right over!" And in less than a minute, he hung up the phone. "Set that child down Ha'ri! Tohru-kun is sick. You must tend to the little princess immediately!" He began to push Hatori out of the house. "We'll discuss your love life a little later. Oh!" he took the baby from Hatori's arms. "I'll baby sit" he grabbed the doctors black leather case and tossed it out to him.

Hatori sternly looked back into the house, giving Ayame a scolding look. Ayame simply laughed and waved him off before turning around and heading further into the home with the giggling baby in his arms. Hatori sighed and turned, walking to the car. "Tohru probably over worked herself again" he sighed once more, entering the car. That girl worked way too hard. And yet, she never gave things a rest. He admired that…that quality of hers that prevented her from admitting defeat. He started the car, and pulled away from the Sohma house.

Korosu knelt down next to Tohru and reached out, touching the side of her neck to check how strong her pulse was. "Tohru-kun, what's gotten into you?" he asked with an odd look and a grin. Yuki had said that she was sick…that she had a fever. But she looked a lot worse. She looked a little flush, and her breathing was slow. He pet her hair slightly.

Tohru instantly jumped up with a gasp of air, "I'm okay Yuki-kun, I'm o-" she paused and stared at Korosu. Had she blanked out? She couldn't remember. "Gomen, I…I must have fallen asleep" she laughed nervously. Her cheeks were rosy pink, but not because of a blush. Korosu knew it was because of her rising temperature. She fixed her skirt and glanced around nervously, "Where's Yuki-kun?".

Korosu laughed and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. "He panicked when you blanked out on him, you.." he tapped her tenderly on the nose, "Really frightened the poor boy". He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, "And that isn't very nice"

Tohru turned even redder, this time because of a rise in temperature mixed with a deep blush. She didn't know what to reply, and wasn't sure if she wanted to. The last time he had been this close to her he had tried to…. She suddenly felt very dizzy and lifted her hands, resting them on his shoulders in a weak attempt to push him away, "I need to go make dinner. Please…let me go, Korosu-san".

"Korosu-sama" he snapped with a glare, squeezing her slightly, making sure she understood that he was indeed superior to her as well as to the others. "And no, I won't let you leave. Your too sick to cook right now" he explained. "I should take you home so that you can rest…"

"I-Iie" Tohru stuttered lightly, "I promised I'd make everyone dumplings today! And I have to do the--" she was suddenly silenced as Korosu pressed his lips against hers. He forced his tongue into her mouth, forcing her eyes to grow wide as her body began to feel numb. Not again, please not again….mom!

Korosu pulled away, smiling gently and stroking her cheek as Tohru's eyes began to water. "Your such a kind person Tohru-kun, you'd…" he trailed his hand down the base of her neck, down in between her breasts and stopped at her stomach, where he pressed his palm against it. "..make an excellent mother to my children"

"Oh! Iie, I…theres…" Tohru began to speak, wanting so desperately to get away, but fearing the idea of him violently attacking her if she did. "I..I can't!" she finally exclaimed, pushing away from him. Mom, I'm scared. I'm trying to be strong…but…I…I

"Get away from her!" Kyo leapt through the small berry bushes a fist directly entirely towards Korosu. A very angry look had consumed his features, and anger powered his movements. He swung at Korosu's face. "You perverted jerk, go find someone else to bother!"

"Kyo!" Kagura shouted, surprised, as her rage calmed down and she stared on in confusion. "Korosu-sama, what are you doing here? Weren't you at the house with Kaze-chan?"

Korosu ignored her as he dodged to the side, avoiding Kyo's punch. "I came to visit my wife" he spat, shoving Tohru down onto the ground. He did it to keep her out of the fight, as well as to get her out of his way. He ducked down and swung, his fist connecting with Kyo's cheek.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru exclaimed as she began to stand up, but dropped back onto her knees. She felt so weak and so tired… She forced herself back up again and rushed towards Kyo just as Korosu began to swing again. She pushed Kyo out of the way, but due to her lack of strength, ended falling down with him as she pushed, landing on top of him.

"Tohru!" Kyo shouted before the….POOF…of his transformation.

"Tohru-kun! Kyo-kun!" Kagura exclaimed, rushing forward, "Korosu-sama, leave them alone!" she spun around, glaring at him as her protective nature began to rise. Her Kyo was hurt…

Korosu turned around, "I only wanted to help Tohru-kun, but it looks like no one wants me to do even that. They want me to sit in that gloomy house all day and watch over that damn brother of mine. They want me to suffer alone like Akito did" he turned his head sharply, "I won't. I refuse to" he began to walk.

"Tohru's sick! We have to take her home!" Kagura complained.

"That bastard ain't touching her!" The angry cat hissed at Kagura, fur standing on end. "Tohru, Tohru get up!" he tapped her with his paw then climbed onto her back, "Get up!"

But she didn't.

"Kagura, grab that filthy cat, he's coming with us" Korosu instructed. "It's time to lock him up"

"No, damn it!" Kyo shouted as he prepared to launch himself at Korosu. Kagura however, kicked him in the side, sending him flying deeper into the woods. "I lost him, he ran away!" Kagura exclaimed, her hands on her cheeks in mock shock. "We…should take Tohru home now"

"Iie. Leave her there. I'm tired of her right now" he waved her off, "Come Kagura. We're going home". He began to walk again.

Kagura didn't want to go and just leave Tohru laying there, but she didn't want Korosu to get angry with her and make her hurt Kyo once he turned up again. "Coming!" she crouched down next to Tohru, "Kyo will come back…hold on 'kay?" she stood up quickly and hopped after Korosu like a little chick following the mother hen.

Kyo hissed as he curled up into a small orange ball. Kagura's kick to his little ribs had hurt more than he had expected. "That damn boar" he hissed, shaking a bit. He knew Kagura had done it to protect him, but he was still very angry about it. He had wanted…needed…to stay with Tohru, to protect her from Korosu. He closed his eyes for and began to rest a bit, until he heard the sound of twigs breaking next to him. He opened his eyes to see Yuki walking hurriedly past him, Shigure and Hatori following. "You stupid rat! You left Tohru all alone with that bastard!"

Yuki stopped, noticing the cat for the first time. "He…tried to hurt her again…didn't he?" He felt his anger boil within him, though his exterior remained calm. "Damn cat, why aren't you with her?"

Kyo hissed defensively. "I was with her" he tried to stand and hissed.

"You have a few broken ribs, Kyo, what happened?" Hatori asked, picking the cat up and handing him to Shigure. Shigure cradled with orange ball of fluff, for once, not daring to tease him.

Kyo began to tell them of what had happened as they all began to walk back to where Tohru was.

Hatori and Yuki both rushed to Tohru, and Hatori immediately checked her pulse then her temperature. "She's burning up" he told Shigure, opening his bag and looking for a cloth. "And she was fine earlier?" he asked, finding it odd that one moment Tohru could be very healthy, then suddenly be deathly ill.

"Hai, she was fine up until we finished eating some strawberries"

"Hm"

"Hm? What does that mean, you stupid doctor?" Kyo asked….POOF!..

He quickly grabbed his clothes and began to put them on. "Let's just hurry up and get her home!"

"When Korosu came to visit, did anyone take into account which direction he came from?" Hatori asked. That made everyone think. Was there a possibility that Korosu had done something to the strawberries before coming over? If so, why wasn't Yuki sick as well? "I don't want to move her just yet" Hatori spoke, "So Shigure, go get some blankets, Yuki I need some water. Kyo, I need you to get a robe. With the temperature she's at, we need to get her into something cooler"

Yuki and Shigure left without objections. Kyo however, held his side, stared at Hatori for a moment before turning and grumbling to himself.

Authors Note: It's been so long since I've updated, hasn't it? I'm very sorry. My parents have actually decided to let me to go college, so now I'm struggling to catch up with all my applications and tests and what ever. Yessssss no miliary academy for me! I've already typed up half of chapter six so you all shouldn't have to wait as long for another update. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! I recieved alot of interesting comments about pairings that will be developing in the story. All I say to you guys is...Tohru will end up with... Dies See you next chapter!