The Last Rain

Chapter Seven: The Sohmas' Wolf

"Who…Who's there…?"Yelled Yuki, fear suddenly seizing his heart. Who would know who he was, out here in the forest.

He looked around, frantically trying to put a face to the voice he could recognise yet knew not whom it belonged to.

"Don't worry. I' right here."

Yuki looked up towards the mountain. There… In the space similar to the one from which he had fallen, was a huge, grey wolf.

"No…It can't be…Animals can't talk…They can't write…"

"Who told you that?" Said the wolf. It's long pink tongue slid over it's sharp, dripping teeth.

"St-stop it…" Yuki put his hands over his ears. "It's a dream…I'm dreaming! This is all just…"

"A nightmare?" The wolf padded towards the edge of the rock shelf, and stood in a ready stance, as if it was gong to pounce any moment.

The rain continued to fall. Yuki crouched down in the mud, his hands still over his ears, his eyes dripping with terrified tears. This…It's not right….She told me animals couldn't talk…Couldn't understand humans…How is this possible? His worst fear, was that this animal, this creature, the one that stood so threateningly close yet high above him, was the writer of the notes that had poisoned his life from the moment they touched his skin.

"G-…Go away… Please." Yuki closed his eyes and leant down so his hair dipped into the mud. He wrapped his arms over his head, and tried to shut out everything around him. "Just…Leave me alone…"

"Don't you want her back?" The creature finally left it's position and landed agilely next to Yuki. It nuzzled the back of his neck. "The girl?"

The voice seemed so far away… Knowing that the maker was so close was hardly believable. Yuki didn't know what to believe. If Tohru had lied about this…What else had she lied about?

"Please don't hurt Keiko." Yuki said, his voice quiet. He unwrapped his arms and turned around, staring face to face with the huge wolf. "I'll…Do anything."

"Anything?" The wolf was licking it's teeth once more, and saliva began to thickly stream from it's open mouth, it's tongue hanging out from between it's line of teeth. "Even…Give your own life for the child?" It began to growl, and curled it's black lips back, no longer giving the illusion of the teeth being smaller than they actually were.

Yuki hung his head, but looked through his dripping hair at the monstrous beast, it's ferocious looking snarl and it's dripping fur.

He thought of Tohru. And Haru. Momiji. Kyo. Kagura. And last of all, Keiko.

"Yes."

There was a stillness in the air. The only sound was the growl in the wolf's throat. Yuki looked up at it with sad eyes. And that was the last split second he had.

Before Yuki could change his mind, say or do anything, the wolf grabbed him y the neck and forced him off the flat part of the hill, sending them both skittering down the slope, the wolf's teeth still clamped in the boys skin. There was a sound like laughter in his ears, and as they both tumbled towards the bottom.

Yuki lay face upwards, unable to move. The wolf had released him, only for him t be ravaged by it's claws and teeth. Tears streamed down his face as he felt the points tearing at his pale skin, blood rising from the deep to splatter over the faces of both him and his attacker.

The same voice shouted something, and the wolf skittered away on the mud, out of side. Yuki lay still facing upwards. He could see the angry skies as the rain tossed itself down over him. He saw the hilltop through clouded teary eyes, and a figure appear at the top. He could hardly see it, but it looked tall, and next to it appeared another figure. That of a child. A young girl.

Keiko…

"That was more than I can stand…" Said the same voice. "You actually believed that dumb beast could speak to you." He was throwing his voice…So….Tohru was telling the truth? "What a fool…"

Yuki closed his eyes. He tried to block out the sound of the laughter. Make it stop…Someone….Help me…

"Now…I'll still forgive you. You disobeyed my requests, but I'll forgive you. Perhaps I'll just leave this girl to the other wolves?"

No…Keiko… With all the strength he had, Yuki forced himself up, and clawed his way to the top of the hill, the laughter forever sounding in his face. As he did, the water drained from his eyes, and the blood dripped from his torn face. The figure became clearer.

He finally saw who it was. But it was the knowledge that terrified him.

"B-…Brother…"

Akito smirked, his black hair shining from it's dampened surface. The girl next to him tried to pull her arm free of his grip, but he only held on tighter.

"So you do remember me."

Yuki tried to get to the top of the slope, his hands slipping in the mud. His bloody chest was rubbing against the slope, and mud was getting into the wounds. There was a gash on his stomach from the fall down, and blood was pumping out of it the more he tried desperately to reach his twin brother.

In a final act of desperation, and expecting nothing, he outstretched his arm to the drifter, who –to his surprise-, took it, and pulled him up.

Yuki sat down on the ground below his brother's sneering face. He looked into the cold black eye's of what could have been his twin, and received only one 'consolation'.

"You're pathetic."

-

Haru had headed in the direction he assumed the writer of the cross would have chosen, but he was getting nowhere. If only I had a better sense of direction…

"H-Haru?"

Haru looked in the direction from which his name had been called, and spotted his older brother. "Kyo! …You look…Disgusting." It was true. The prince was covered in mud from head to foot, and had a leaf in his hair. Which the horse ate.

"Thanks. Any sign of them?"

"No. You?"Said the prince sady.

"Not a clue. Though I did see what I assumed was your cross?"Haru said, offering a hand to his brother.

The hand was taken…"Oh…I haven't seen that for hours…"…And Kyo let himself be hoisted up onto the horses back alongside Haru.

Kyo sat behid Haru, who steered the horse, and they trudged through the muddy forest, Haru looking left, Kyo looking right and the horse looking straight ahead.

Kyo felt a lot more at ease with his laid back little brother near him, though he would never admit it. And Haru felt relieved that he had found at least one of the missing many.

-

The girl eyed the man who had just about managed to climb up the hill. He was soaked, dirty, bleeding, and appeared to be very sad as well. She realised that he might have been coming to rescue her, and then she felt sorry for him. But then she heard him call her kidnapper 'brother', and she saw him as the abductor's accomplice.

She didn't really care either way. All she wanted was to be safe in her fathers arms once more. And the idea kept slipping further and further away.

"Keiko…"

The hurt man spoke to her for the first time. She looked into his grey eyes, and saw no hope in them.

Before Akito had a chance to move, Yuki had drawn his dagger, and slashed at his brother's arm, causng him to let go of the girl's wrist.

"Run Keiko! Go back to your father!" Without thinking, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, which for a two year old, was pretty fast.

The wind rushed through her red hair, and the felt tears of both fear and relief staining her cheeks. She slipped, and fell down a part of the long slope, but picked herself up at the bottom. And from there, she continued to run, until she was as lost as the others who roamed this dark forest.

-

"You little bastard!" Akito yelled, his voice echoing around the hills. "How dare you!" He let go of his bleeding arm, and with the other, slapped his brother round the face. The impact sent Yuki tumbling back down the slope he'd just climbed.

The rocks and twigs sticking out from the mud -that was beginning to flow faster now that the rain had increased- tore through his clothed and his back, leaving sore, bloody scratches. They were nothing, however, compared to the cuts that littered his chest and neck.

"D-…Damn it…" He winced as he picked himself up again. Once again he scrambled up the hillside, sliding down numerous times, but always picking himself up. His brother just laughed at the sight.

It was agony. His hands had been torn to ribbons, a boot had come off in the fall, so the same thing happened to a foot. His chest wouldn't stop bleeding, nor would the gash in his stomach.

Akito waited untill Yuki had reached the top of the hillside, then put a hand on his head and pushed him back down. When he reached the bottom, Yuki cried out with ain and frustration, throwing anything within his grasp at the cruel, laughing, evil form of his brother.

Finally he reached the top, and stayed there. He drew his sword with shaking hands, and blood dripped down the blade. "Why are you doing this? Why? I thought you were my brother?"

"I am. And I love you." Akito sneered, his black hair veiling his cruel eyes.

"Then why? Why do you want so badly, to hurt me…?"

"I don't. I want you to stay with me. To be mine. I told you that you would be punished if you didn't comply to what I asked of you. All you had to do was write a reply to a letter. Is that so much to ask?"

"You…You never said…I don't understand… You said, you said you wanted me to…be yours…? We're…We're… You're a man…" Yuki tried to understand, his head clouded, his wounded chest throbbing. "You're my brother…"

"And?"

"So…WHY ARE YOU SAYING ALL THIS TO ME!" Yuki dropped to his knees, his sword disappearing under the watery mud. The rain pounded his back. "I…Hate it…I can't stand all this…Just let me leave…Please…I…I hate you…"

"You are so beautiful." Yuki opened his eyes. He found his chin being cupped in the pale hand of his brother, and felt cold lips pressed against his.

He tried to pull away, but the other wrapped an arm around his neck, and he was to weak to attack him once more.

He stared at the face as it moved away from his. He saw the blood on Akito's face, imprinted from his own. Only then did he realise that his brother had just kissed him.

"A-…Aki-"

"Don't speak…" Akito held his arm behind Yuki's neck to keep him upright as his energy began to slowly drain from his body like the blood. He pulled Yuki towards him, and held his head aginst his chest.

Yuki tried to pull away. He would have run. Anywhere. Anywhere to get away from the pan he was feeling now, both mental and physical. But he wasn't strong enough to resist his brother's grip.

Akito looked down triumphantly at the wounded and submissive form of his brother, and held him away again. Yuki's head fell to one side, too weak to keep it upright. So….Is this where it ends…? Not in the arms of my loved one…but at the hand on my cruel brother… God…Please…Don't let it be…The last…Rain…

-

AN: I am such an evil writer…

An2: -gives Yuki massive hug- sorry babe, gotta write dramatic storyline.

Yuki: But…But I…You meanie…

AN3: No S.T.O.A.N.F.I during ultra dramatic chappies. Sorry. nn

AN4: Next chap is last, then epilogue. –sniffles-