Summery; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

Warning: This chapter has rape in it - not extremely discriptive, but still...just to let you know.

Okay, I'm beginning to wrap this all up for you guys. If you didn't notice, I changed the title and description, considering the new pairing and all. I was still struggling as I wrote this chapter and the one in progress for whether Kyo or Haru, but I stuck to my guns. To me, at least, Haru is viewing her as someone he could have liked more, but backed off when Kyo got in the picture. So he's a friend, but nothing more.

Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism is welcome.

"Oh, Chloe, your aunt called while you were away," Tohru said, as the three returned from their trip Sunday night.

"Really? What about?" Chloe asked curiously. Shigure returned to his study to read, and Kyo hung around as Haru disappeared off to get unpacked.

"Something about going out to dinner with your mom and her boyfriend," she told the other girl. "She said to call her back once you got home."

"I guess it's not too late…" Chloe sighed, and strode off to the phone. Tohru frowned, and Kyo looked up from the floor.

"What's the matter?"

"Mrs. Durst didn't sound at all pleased about going out to dinner," she said thoughtfully. "I was just wondering…I get the feeling Chloe and her mother don't get along very well."

"You got that right," Kyo muttered, and slinked off. Striding by the room where Chloe was on the phone, he paused next to the door to listen.

"Huh?...but – yeah, but…no, I guess dinner's fine. Will they be gone before Christmas? What? Oh…oh, okay, I see. Next Saturday then? Okay, I'll see you then…"

Seeing her crestfallen face, Kyo sighed, and put his hand on her shoulder as she began to walk past him.

"Yo."

"Oh, Kyo!" she jumped, "I didn't see you there…"

"Yeah, I know. So, what's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Aunt Tomiko wants me to go out for dinner with them all next weekend," Chloe told him, a depressed look on her face.

"How come that's so bad?"

"Oh, it's not that," she said quickly, and then trailed off. He resisted the urge to yell at her to spit it out, and gritted his teeth.

"What, then? I thought I said you could talk to me," he said, forcing the words out calmly as he brought her outside. Chloe looked up at him in surprise, and then looked away again.

"It's just…well, they'll be gone by Christmas, but…Aunt Tomiko was going back to America to celebrate with grandpa and the others," Chloe admitted, and Kyo twitched.

"Are you leaving too?'

"What? Oh, no," she shook her head. "I'll be staying at the house until she comes back, that's all. I guess I'll have time to get my work done…"

"Hm," Kyo grunted, and looked away. "Well, let's go back inside. I'm cold."

"I wish it would snow," Chloe said thoughtfully, and he paused. "The air is…I dunno, it feels thick somehow."

"Yeah. Come on."

"All right."

"Oh yes, you have your dinner with your family tonight," Shigure remembered, as Chloe strode toward the door. "You're wearing that?"

"Yes…why, what's wrong with it?" she asked, and Shigure winked at Kyo, who flushed and looked away.

"Nothing. I was just surprised – I haven't seen you in a dress before, that's all," he pointed out, and she nodded.

"I don't really care for them, but Aunt Tomiko likes them, so…"

"I see," Shigure smiled encouragingly at her, and she blinked in confusion. Of course, Chloe still didn't know that Shigure knew certain things about her family – some she didn't even know.

"Have fun," Kyo muttered, "Call if you need a ride home, all right? Don't go walking around by yourself – especially in that."

"I won't, I promise," she grinned. Chloe wore a dark crimson dress that reached her knees, matching shoes, and her hair had been curled into waves by Tohru. "See you all later! Bye Shigure – Kyo!"

"Bye, Chloe!" Shigure called, and then glanced at Kyo. "If you're worried about something, say it – or do something about it. But stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking!" he yelled, and slammed out of the room. Shigure shrugged to himself, and sighed.

"Hello?" Shigure asked sleepily several hours later. "Oh, Mrs. Durst, what a surprise. Is everything all – what?"

Kyo looked up at the sudden change in the Dog's tone, and waited impatiently for him to finish talking. Shigure put the phone down a few minutes later, concern prominent on his face.

"Kyo, that was Tomiko," he said, and the Cat shifted. "Apparently, they were in a car accident while driving home tonight – Chloe's fine, but her mother had to be rushed to the hospital. Tomiko has to stay with her, and Mr. Reilly took her home."

"What?"

"Tomiko was calling to ask if one of us could go check up on her," Shigure began, but Kyo was out the door well before he even started. Shigure gazed after him, and decided to wait before going after him.

Kyo skidded to a stop in front of Chloe's house, having run the entire way. Panting, he sneaked in through an open window on the first floor, and looked around. Except for the one time before, he had never been in Chloe's house before, and knew nothing of its layout. Suddenly hearing noises, he decided to follow his instincts and began to creep through the hallways.

Finding where it was coming from, he paused in front of a door, and listened momentarily to what was coming from it.

"Ah…yeah, you like it like that, don't you, you little bitch? You've just been waiting for this, haven't you?" a man's voice grunted huskily, and Kyo picked up faint moans as well. His heart leaping into his throat, the Cat burst into the room.

The sight that presented itself to him almost made him sick to his stomach.

Derek was on top of a girl, rutting into her for all he was worth, so engrossed in his pleasure he didn't even notice the interruption right away. After taking a second look to confirm his fears, Kyo few into Derek, pulling him out of the girl in an instant.

"You sick son-of-a-bitch!" he shouted, beating the naked man up. The girl wrapped herself up in a blanket in an instant as Kyo whaled into the man. Finally beating him unconscious, he turned to the girl, who inhaled sharply and turned to the corner.

Feeling nauseous, Kyo took a step toward her, but she shook her head in desperation.

"Don't…don't come near me, Kyo," she whispered, and he stopped. He felt as if his whole body was in agony at seeing her in such pain, and longed to comfort her. She merely curled into a corner, apparently afraid to go near her attacker.

"Chloe…" Kyo began, and then turned back sharply. Grabbing the man by his feet, he dragged him into a nearby room and locked the door before finding a phone to use.

"Thanks for coming, Satsuki," Shigure said gratefully, as Hiro's mother once again came to help. "You're the only other woman she's had contact with, so…"

"Hiro and Kisa told me about her," Satsuki replied, her voice racked with sympathy. "I can only imagine what it's like for her…and Kyo? How is he?"

"I'm not sure," Shigure replied, lowering his voice. "He called me up, almost hysterical. Once I figured out what happened, I called Hatori and we headed over there. Chloe was hiding in the room, and almost had a heart attack when we came near her. Tomiko, after I managed to get a hold of her, rushed over. We agreed it would be best for Chloe to be out of the house – and since Hatori isn't a stranger, and a doctor, she agreed to let him treat her if necessary."

"I see," Satsuki nodded.

"Kyo's been locked up in his room ever since we got home," the Dog replied. "Not even Yuki's taunts can bring him out – Kagura and Tohru both tried as well. The boy's in pain, Satsuki. I'm not sure how he's going to deal with it – how either of them will. This isn't an easy thing to get over."

"Hatori!" Satsuki looked toward the tall doctor as he emerged from the bedroom, where Tohru was still with Chloe. "Is she…?"

"It was definitely rape," Hatori said shortly. "I gave her something to calm her down, and to ensure she won't become pregnant. I can't guarantee anything, however. Where's Kyo?"

"In his room," Shigure told him, and he nodded.

"I'll go see him as well. You should probably go in, Satsuki," the Dragon added, and disappeared down the hall.

"What kind of mother would abandon her child to this?" Shigure wondered, as Satsuki went into Chloe's room. "Especially to leave her in the care of strangers…perhaps the bond isn't there like we thought it was."

"Where were you, Hatori?" Akito asked coldly, as Hatori returned in the early morning hours. "I was calling for you."

"Shigure called me for an emergency," Hatori said, unwilling to elaborate.

"Shigure?" Akito repeated. "What was so important he called you away in the night? Hatori?"

"It concerned Miss Dylan."

"That man raped her again, didn't he?" he realized, and began to laugh in pleasure. "Oh, this is wonderful! Who found it?"

"Kyo."

"Even better!" the laughter continued to grow louder, and Akito smiled. "That Cat will learn that anyone he loves will be hurt, and she will reject him with every fiber of her being after this! He'll return to me, and she…you will erase her memories, Hatori."

"Akito…"

"Once they have hurt each other beyond further punishment, you will erase her memories," Akito continued. "Not of Kyo – our family. Let her believe Kyo was someone else if you must. I want her to remember this pain…and that monster will live with his suffering the rest of his caged life."

"I think it would be more beneficial to allow Miss Dylan to retain all of her memories," Hatori said suddenly, and Akito looked up in surprise. When the doctor didn't elaborate, his gaze turned suspicious.

"Are you turning against me, Hatori?" Akito asked quietly.

"Of course not, Akito. I simply believe that it would Miss Dylan more to retain all of her memories," Hatori replied, and Akito paused thoughtfully before waving his hand in dismissal.

"I will decide when the time comes. You may go now, Hatori."

"I don't want to see her," Chloe mumbled.

"But, Chloe…she wants to make sure you're all right," Tohru protested gently, and the girl only shook her head again.

"No."

"I'll tell her, then," Shigure nodded, and Satsuki exchanged a sympathetic look with the Dog. Three days had passed since the incident. Kyo still hadn't come out of his room for anything – Yuki had even resorted to setting a fire in the kitchen to scare him – and Chloe refused to see her aunt each time Tomiko came to visit.

"Chloe…?"

"Yes?" Chloe looked at Tohru, who was frightened of the dull look in her eyes.

"Why don't you want to see your aunt?" she asked softly. "I mean…she loves you, and she's worried about you."

"She let him take me home," Chloe said dimly. "She knew…and she let me go home alone with him. She knew what would happen. She abandoned me."

"But I'm sure…" Tohru trailed off when Satsuki shook her head gently, and sighed quietly.

"We're not getting anywhere," Shigure said in discouragement, and Hatori surveyed him calmly over his tea. The doctor looked more than frazzled, but still emitted the same cool aura as he usually did.

"Akito hasn't repeated his order to erase her memory – I consider that somewhere," Hatori objected calmly, and Shigure looked up. "But if you're referring to Kyo and Chloe's situation, I certainly agree."

"They won't even talk to other people – much less themselves," Shigure sighed.

"Chloe is ashamed," Satsuki told them gently, appearing in the room and sitting down as well. "She can't bear to look Kyo in the face after he saw how she was dirtied – irrevocably stained, in her eyes. And he…he's blaming himself that he didn't prevent it."

"Hm…"

"Tomiko is going to America next week," Shigure told them reluctantly, as Hatori mused. Satsuki looked up, and her expression was anything but approval. "I know what you're thinking," the Dog added. "I don't understand how that family functions as well. I'm beginning to think that they don't. However, she's placing Chloe in our care until she returns."

"Which is most likely a good thing," Hatori added suddenly. "Mr. Reilly has to be imprisoned until the date of their departure not only because of his crime – which is being extradited to the United States courts – but for his own safety. Hatsuharu went Black and tried to kill him this morning. They let Haru go with a warning, at least."

"Whew," Shigure exhaled, and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know about you two, but I'm beat. I think I'll sleep on this."

"I should be going home to Hiro," Satsuki added, also standing up. "Hatori? Do you need a lift?"

"No thanks, Satsuki. I have my car," he told her, and the two men watched as she left the room.

"She's an amazing woman and mother," Shigure said calmly, and then turned away. "Night, Hari."

"I'll be leaving as well," Hatori told him, and the room was empty in a few moments as each man retreated to their separate hideaways from the ugly reality of their world.

"You're joking," Yuki said flatly, and Shigure smiled nervously.

"No…Tohru and Chloe had been invited to the banquet this year as well," he told the Cat and Rat, who were eyeing him with open hostility. "Stop looking at me like that! I'm not saying Chloe should go, all things considered, but it may be profitable if Tohru made an appearance. It can't hurt, at least."

"I'd like to go," she spoke up, and then blinked. "Oh…but who will stay with Chloe? Christmas is this weekend – she's sure to be depressed about everything."

"You all go," Kyo muttered suddenly. "I'll stay – I'm not going to some damn banquet anyway. Go early and see if you can figure out what that damn Akito is up to. Tohru should probably get to know everyone else better anyway."

"My thoughts exactly!" Shigure chimed in, but Tohru still looked apprehensive. She stood up abruptly and left without a word – quite un-Tohru like. The three exchanged glances, and Shigure shrugged.

"Chloe? Would you be all right?" Tohru asked, after explaining the situation to the girl. Chloe looked up from her schoolwork, and blinked.

"I'm not a child, Tohru," she said calmly. "You don't have to coddle me anymore. I'm fine."

Tohru frowned, but couldn't think of anything to say to contradict her friend that would hold up in an argument. It was more the feeling that Chloe was growing emotionally distant from everyone – and refusing to let anyone see her pain or sorrow.

"I'll let Shigure know, then," Tohru said quietly, and stood up. "We'll probably leave tomorrow for the main house. Kyo isn't going, by the way."

"What?" Chloe's head snapped up, and Tohru was taken aback by the pure panic in the American's eyes.

"If you want, I'll stay here –"

"No," Chloe shook her head, ignoring Tohru's hasty offerings. "I'm not a child…I can't hide from everyone my whole life, after all. I have to face them sooner or later – it may as well be him first."

"She's facing her fears," Shigure thought to himself, sitting in his study late that night. He was pondering what Tohru had revealed about Chloe's words, and was trying to make sense of them. "She's terrified of Kyo – of him and his opinion of her – but she wants to meet him head-on and get it over with. I wonder…this girl, instead of trying to avoid her problems, is charging into them. I wonder…"

"We'll call every day to check up on him!" Shigure called, waving cheerfully as he, Tohru, and Yuki began to walk down the street. "Don't destroy the house, Kyo! Be sure to call if you need anything, Chloe!"

"I will!" she waved back, standing on her tiptoes. Kyo, several feet away from her, muttered something and stalked back into the house. She glanced at him in fear, and reluctantly followed him once the others had gone out of her range of vision.

Kyo heard her following him inside, but decided to give her as much space as possible. He wasn't sure what he thought yet – he didn't blame her – but some part of him wasn't rational. "It's almost like I'm…disappointed," he realized, and then shook his head vigorously as he went back outside to climb on the roof. "What did I think she was?"

"I wonder if he's ever going to come down," she said to herself, walking around the kitchen, trying to cook something for dinner. She looked up when someone cleared their throat, and she almost jumped at seeing Haru. "Hatsuharu? What are you doing here – I thought you'd be at the main house with the others by now."

"I'll get there eventually," he shrugged, and leaned against the doorframe. "I heard that you and Kyo were here alone, so I figured I'd check up on you. Momiji wanted to come, but he had to help with the banquet preparations."

"How are you planning on getting home again?" she asked, and he blinked. Chloe sighed when she realized the Ox hadn't thought that far ahead, and looked down at the pot, where she was making stew. "Do you want to spend the night, and have Hatori pick you up tomorrow or something?"

"Hari's pretty busy," Haru said, and she suddenly narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her.

"Could he have done this on purpose, to skip the banquet…? No, I don't think he's able to plot like that," she reasoned. Another glance at the blank-faced Ox made her giggle, and his eyes turned to her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Haru shrugged, perplexed, and began to wander around the house, looking for somewhere to sit. Once he had again found the dining room, he headed back to the kitchen, and found Chloe ladling the stew into bowels.

"Looks good," he commented, and she grinned weakly.

"Yeah, thanks," she nodded, and glanced toward the ceiling. "I wonder if he'll ever get down."

"I'll get him," Haru offered, and ambled off before she could open her mouth.

"What is with those two?" she asked herself, suddenly becoming very frustrated. "Kyo makes me feel…safe…but Haru always seems to know how I'm feeling, and how to make me feel better. The last thing I need is more guys around."

The last thought made her slam the ladle down sharply, almost cracking it, and she winced.

"What're you doing here, you dumb Ox?" Kyo demanded, as Haru managed to climb up onto the roof next to him. Sitting up in annoyance, the Cat glared at the dull-looking teenager, who merely shrugged.

"Just came to check up on you," he said finally, leaning back on his elbows. Kyo grunted, but didn't move. After a few more minutes of silence, Haru turned to the Cat, a sudden spark in his eye. "If you're trying to make her feel more comfortable around you, it's not working."

"What would you know?" Kyo retorted.

"When I walked in, she was wondering when you were going to come down," Haru told him. "You're making her more nervous than necessary, taking off and leaving her by herself. She needs to know that you don't despise her."

"Shut up, bastard," Kyo ordered, but the Ox was already getting ready to climb down.

"I'm going to go eat dinner with her," Haru said quietly, a hint of Black Haru showing. "If you're smart, you'll do the same." With that, the white-haired boy left, and Kyo was left alone with his thoughts. He crossed his arms behind his head, and then raised his head guiltily. Sighing, he swung his legs over the side, and crawled down.

Hitaru: No, no, I won't take away your ice cream. And that's a good point. But Haru just seems one of those people that are sensitive to others, no matter who they are. And like I hinted in the chapter, he knows how Kyo and Chloe feel about each other, and isn't going to interfere.
KactusKat: I had a lot of fun writing that chapter, too. (grins) Okay then - maybe next chapter or chapter after that...it's coming to a close, but I want to stretch it out as far as possible. (sob) I hate when a story ends...
SasukeBlade: Glad you think this is a great read! I thought it'd be nice to bring Akito in...I mean, he's still the head of the family!
Cows-roc-my-world: I'm sorry, but I didn't appreciate getting that review of yours that threatened me to make a pairing. I'll be sad if I lose you as a reader, but I hope you don't ignore all my stories just because of this one pairing. After all, you liked my other ones. If you don't like the pairing, you probably shouldn't keep reading it, because you won't enjoy it, and it would be pointless to read something that you won't enjoy. But I hope you'll give my other stuff a chance as well.
chocolateriku: Yea, you're back! Glad you liked this!
linleigh.bell: Aww...I love you too! (hugs)

Okay, time to review people! (grins) I'll come out with the next one as soon as possible. Oh, I'm working on an idea for a Shigure/OC/Hatori triangle. What do you guys think? Would you read it? And another Haru/OC one is in the works as well- the sequel to "Love Lost".