The door closed on Yuki stifling any source of light. In the pitch black silence he could hear his blood pounding in his ears. He scrubbed the back of his hand across his mouth several times to erase the feel of Akito's lips on his. His body ached, and he had to fight to keep consciousness, so he sat rather than lying down. He had to stay coherent until he found out what became of Tohru. The room smelled of mildew just as he remembered it, and the sounds of the house seemed far away. He recalled the long hours, the endless days he had spent in that place void of everything; how he had wondered then why he had even been born- why he persisted in existence. He had almost succumbed to that blackness many times in the past as it closed in on him, and the absence of light and hope had all but smothered his sanity. But this time was different. This time he was not without hope, and in the darkness there was some light. It glowed inside him, and took the form of Tohru. "Please, please let her be safe", he found himself saying out loud. He felt the anxiety that he might lose all that was most dear to him. He thought back over the past few months and the contentment he had enjoyed. All the day to day stuff that was seemingly mundane was a great source of peace to him, and it brought him comfort now. Yes, he had to hang on for her sake, for the baby's sake, for their future together. Yuki stretched out his legs in the blackness and leaned against the wall. Physically he was in darkness, but mentally he was full of memories and love for his young family. As he sat there in the shadows a realization slowly swept over Yuki; the realization that perhaps he had conquered after all. Perhaps he was the true victor rather than Akito now, because as long as he had that love inside him the darkness would never be able to overcome him again, and even Akito could not destroy that no matter what she did to him.
Yuki fought to stay awake, blinking, and shifting his aching limbs for what seemed like hours. He could feel his face swelling, and the dried blood on his mouth, but he didn't care. He had to know what had happened to her. He couldn't rest until he knew she was alright. Finally, a soft sound broke the deafening silence. It was Haru's voice. "Yuki", he whispered hoarsely at the door. Yuki managed a grunt in response. "Mission accomplished", Haru said, "she's safe". With the last of his strength Yuki replied, "Thank you", and dropped to the floor. His eyes teared up, and then his body went limp as he lost consciousness.
Haru had run most of the way to the apartment near the university. Whether the direness of the circumstances had forced him to focus, or perhaps because he had been there before, he managed to get to the apartment without getting lost, and in good time as well. He didn't bother to knock, but burst through the front door and made straight for the kitchen. Tohru was busy getting lunch together. "Ha-kun, You startled me. I didn't hear you knock", she said shaken. "You're just in time for…", "We have to get out of here!", Haru interrupted, grabbing her hand. "But…", Tohru hesitated. She was confused and alarmed. "Akito is coming we have to go!", Haru insisted. Tohru stared at him incredulously, then realization spread over her face which was quickly replaced by fear. "Where's Yuki?", she gasped. "Come on!", Haru pulled her arm and forced her to follow him. Tohru pulled back and turned off the stove, grabbing her purse as she was yanked past it at the front door.
The apartment lay still for only a few minutes. One of Akito's guards kicked the door open with his foot, and swiftly entered, followed by the other guard and Kureno. The two men quickly searched the house while Kureno made his way quietly to the kitchen. He looked passively around the empty room. "There's no one here", the one guard reported to him from the doorway with the other right behind him. They awaited Kureno's orders. Kureno walked over to the stove, and quietly placed his hand on the side of the pan which was brimming with chopped vegetables. It was still warm. "Someone tipped her off", he said quietly. "Thank heaven", he added under his breath.
Tohru hung her head and stared at the tile forlornly. "So how was Yuki when you left?", Shigure asked Haru in serious tones. "Not good", Haru said, "he looked pretty beat up. I think they put him in the room". A tear fell silently from Tohru's eyes and splashed on the table. "Well Tohru-kun, you know you're welcome to stay here as long as you like", Shigure said warmly in an effort to comfort her. "Things have been way too quiet lately anyway, now that you two have been gone and Kyo has moved back to the dojo". "I'll do the cooking and the cleaning", Tohru said quietly without looking up, "the same arrangement as before". "That's not necessary", Shigure smiled, "You're family now". "Still, I…I want to…" Tohru faltered. She couldn't finish her sentence, but choked up. "Well, I won't complain if you do", Shigure grinned, "but don't push yourself too hard. You have the little one to think about now". Tohru put a hand on her tummy, "Yes", she said, quietly. "I better get back to the house before Akito suspects anything", Haru said as he rose. "Thank you Ha-kun", Tohru finally looked up at him. "Sure", he smiled at her, "don't worry, I'll watch out for Yuki", he added. Shigure saw him to the door. "Thanks Sensei", Haru offered, "I figured the last place Akito will look for her is another Sohma house". "I'm glad you thought of me", Shigure replied, "I'll watch over Tohru. You take care of Yuki". "Sure", Haru agreed, and turned to make his way home.
The door cracked open blinding Yuki with the daylight that poured in. "You're out", he heard a husky voice command. Yuki staggered to his feet, shielding his eyes from the glare, and stumbled towards the doorway. How long had he been in there, hours, days? Out in the open hallway he looked around and saw no one but the retreating guard. Everything was still in the fresh morning light. Yuki stumbled stiffly down the hall to his room, and was grateful he didn't see anyone along the way. Once there he made straight for the bathroom sink, and turning the cold water on full bore, stuck his mouth under it and guzzled as much as he could hold. He had had nothing to eat or drink since entering the darkness. After satisfying his thirst, Yuki collapsed onto the bed, too weak to do anything else. He lay there and listened to life begin to stir in the house. He tried to discern what day it was, but his sojourn in the room had been like a void of time and space. He thought again of Tohru, and wondered where she was, and what she was doing.
He heard someone coming towards his room. He looked up to see Akito coming through the doorway. She moved slowly, purposefully as she approached him. "So, are you ready to cooperate?" she asked Yuki pointedly. He just looked at her, eyes full of anger, too weak to respond. "We haven't found her yet", Akito continued, "She hasn't returned to the apartment". Yuki was grateful for the news. Tohru was still safe. "Where did she go?", Akito demanded. Yuki looked at her incredulously, "How would I know", he said weakly. Akito smirked at Yuki's response, "Ah, yes, how could I forget? "Did you enjoy your little stay?" Yuki glared at her, "if I did know where she was I wouldn't tell you", He countered, to which Akito just smiled all the wider. "We would see about that", she countered with a cruel glint in her eye. She turned to go, "I'll have a maid bring you some food, and then we'll talk again after you're cleaned up". She stopped in the doorway, "by the way", she added, "don't get too comfortable in your suite", Akito smiled. "Once this is all settled, I intend for you to share my bedchamber". She had said this in an off hand manner, but her meaning was impossible to miss. "Yuki's eyes narrowed, "I'll die first!" he hissed. Akito's smile widened with amusement at Yuki's reaction. "We shall see", she said dismissively over her shoulder as she exited.
It was Sunday. A rather forlorn looking Tohru cleared the dinner plates silently, while Shigure and Hatori visited. "So they're still looking for her", Shigure said. "Yes", Hatori replied, "Haru chose his hiding spot for her well. Akito is completely baffled". "And how is Yuki doing?", Shigure queried. Tohru stopped plates in hand, and searched Hatori's face hopefully. "He's better I think", Hatori said as he lit a cigarette. "After three days in the room, he was pretty dehydrated, but he seems to have bounced back physically". Hatori's eyes shifted in a signal to Shigure that all was not well. Tohru looked thoughtful as she took the last of the plates into the kitchen and started washing up. The two men lowered their voices. "Akito is pressuring him pretty hard", Hatori said in serious tones. Shigure pondered that for a moment. "If what you say is true, and I'm sure it is", he shifted in his seat and leaned in, "then perhaps you're right, the best thing for Tohru-kun to do is to turn herself in". Shigure lit up now too. Hatori blew out a thin stream of smoke. "In the long run, it will be best for Yuki and for her I think", he said stone faced. Tohru returned with the steaming teapot. "Tohru-kun, sit down for a minute", Shigure began knowing he broached a delicate subject. Tohru paused, looking at both of them wondering, and then obeyed. "It's true you came here to hide from Akito, but maybe we've been wrong about that. Tohru stopped and looked at them both incredulously. Shigure continued, "Hatori and I have talked about it, and we both agree it might be helpful to Yuki if you came out of hiding and complied voluntarily with Akito's wishes rather than have her hunt you down". Tohru shifted her gaze from one of them to the other, "It…would help Yuki?", she said nervously. "It's probably the only way anything can be resolved", Hatori added without any emotion. Tohru was quiet for a moment. She thought about Yuki and all the torture she imagined he had been going through for the past two weeks. She took a deep breath and let it out. At once she seemed to have summoned her courage. "I'll go", Tohru said resolutely, and she wiped her hands on her apron.