Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not included on the short list of things that I own.

A/N: I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed the story so far. If you also read Roses of Glass, I hope you enjoy this story as well. If you haven't read Roses of Glass, I still hope you're all enjoying this story. It's a bit different from the other stories I've written so I'm glad that you all seem to like it. Thanks again.

Shadows of Intrigue Chapter 10

Tohru did not sleep well that night. She was waiting for Kyo to wake up from his nightmare and come running to her. Not that she really minded. In fact, she was kind of pleased that Kyo was willing to confide in her about the whole strange business that seemed to be surrounding his dreams. He had asked for her help while declining to include even Shigure in what was happening. It made her feel good, as if she were really special. It was nice to believe that Kyo thought specially of her, but at the same time, she had to admit that the situation was making her rather tense and causing her to lose sleep.

Even when Tohru did manage to drift off that night, it was the restless sleep of a person on guard, ready to wake instantly if the situation called for it. She woke up several times during the night, each time straining to hear any sounds of indication that Kyo had awakened or was in the middle of his nightmare. Each time she heard only the faint hum of typical nighttime noises, a floorboard creaking or the wind blowing past the window. Each time she found herself relieved, not only that Kyo seemed to have escaped the nightmare for at least one night, but also that there was no school the following day.

Finally, in the early morning, Tohru decided it wasn't worth the effort to try to get back to sleep again. She wouldn't be likely to sleep longer than fifteen minutes anyway. And this way she could get an early start on breakfast and be sure it was ready when the others got up. She hastily threw her hair into a ponytail and changed into one of her few purely comfortable outfits. She didn't feel up to the task of trying to look bright and chipper at the moment.

She left her room to head downstairs. A small shuffling sound from inside Kyo's room made her stop. She stood frozen for a minute, trying to decide what to do. On the one hand, she wanted to make sure that Kyo was all right but, on the other hand, if everything was fine, she didn't want to go rushing in and wake him from what could potentially be a restful sleep for him. As she sat, torn, she asked herself what he would do if their positions were reversed. The answer came to her and she gave a quick nod before taking a step towards Kyo's door.

"Kyo?" she called softly as she gave the door a light knock.

From inside the room, a hoarse voice responded, "Tohru? What are you doing up?"

"I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep so I thought I might as well get up and start breakfast," explained Tohru, "But I heard a shuffling sound coming from your room as I was walking past. Are you okay? Can I come in?"

There was a moment of silence during which Tohru thought Kyo had decided not to answer her, then the door in front of her opened. Tohru took that as an invitation and walked in. Once she was in the room, Kyo shut the door, which he had been standing behind and flipped on the light so that he and Tohru could see each other. Tohru had to hold in a gasp. Kyo looked even more sleep deprived than she felt.

"Kyo! You look awful!" exclaimed Tohru.

"Gee, thanks."

"I didn't mean it like that," she said, "You just look really tired. I don't imagine I look much better, though. I didn't really sleep that well."

Kyo's shoulders drooped as he let out a heavy sigh, "I didn't sleep at all. I didn't want to see that dream again. And I knew if I fell asleep, it would be there. And I think it would just continue to get clearer and more detailed. I didn't want to have to watch all that again. So I didn't let myself fall asleep."

"But what are you planning on doing?" Tohru asked, "You can't just not sleep for the rest of your life. And there has to be some reason that you keep having this dream. Aiko said it was the key to finding out everything you wanted to know about yourself. I know it must be hard, but maybe you need to keep having the dream until we've figured out what it means. And you can always come talk to me about it. Maybe we should go see Hatori again today, too. Maybe he can give you something to help you sleep, even when you have the nightmare."

Kyo looked over at Tohru. He wouldn't say so right now, but she looked like she could benefit from a sleep aid as well. He felt guilty. Tohru had told him that she thought she was involved in this even without his nightmares, but he knew he was at least partially to blame for her exhausted-looking state. After all, he had woken her up two nights in a row and he was pretty sure the reason she had not slept well this past night was that she was worried about him. He hoped she didn't get sick. He would feel wretched if she did.

But Tohru, at the moment, didn't seem the least bit concerned about the possibility of herself getting ill. She had turned back toward the door, "Well, I should probably go get started on breakfast. We can't have everyone going hungry now, can we? After everyone's done eating, I think you and I should go visit Hatori. Does that sound okay to you?"

Tohru didn't actually wait for an answer. She was already heading out the door as she said the last part. Not that Kyo knew how he would have answered. He didn't really want to go see Hatori. But even more he really and truly did not ever want to have that nightmare again, watching Tohru, or her look alike, being killed every night. But Tohru had a point. He couldn't very well go on forever without sleeping. He supposed going to see Hatori was his best bet. At the very least, he figured Hatori couldn't possibly make things any worse.

Another thought occurred to Kyo as he made his way down the stairs to join Tohru in the kitchen. If they went to go see Hatori at the main house, they could not guarantee that none of the other Sohmas would show up looking for Hatori's help. Based on what Tohru had told him she heard from Aiko, it could be bad to let the other Sohmas get a hold of any information about his nightmares. As it was, Momiji, Haru, Shigure, and Yuki knew enough to make him uncomfortable. And Akito was never pleased to find Kyo at the main house. So going to see Hatori might not be the best solution after all.

Luckily this dilemma was solved as the group sat down for breakfast. As Shigure took his seat at the table, he announced, "I'm going to be out for the day today. Apparently I'm supposed to do some research for my book. Can you believe that? I mean, how much work do they expect a poor soul like me to handle?"

Yuki rolled his eyes at Shigure's comment. But he, too, announced his plans to be gone for the day, "The student council is meeting to work out some of the details for the school trip. We're having a hard time agreeing on some of the points, so I'll probably be gone most of the day as well."

When Yuki and Shigure had left, Kyo turned to Tohru, "Look, since the other two are going to be gone for the day, I think if you still want to talk to Hatori about all this, you should ask him to come here. I really don't want to risk the rest of the Sohmas finding out what's been going on."

Tohru stared at Kyo blankly from a moment. When the meaning of his words dawned on her, her eyes widened a bit. She gave a small nod, letting him know that she understood. Then she walked over to the phone and dialed Hatori's number. She explained the new development as Hatori listened patiently. When she finished, his voice on the other end of the line said, "I'm on my way over. We'll see if there's anything we can do about this. Oh, Tohru? Next time you see Aiko, would you let her know that I'm trying to help you and Kyo. Tell her I'm trying to make amends."

"Um, sure," Tohru hung up and stared at the phone with a puzzled frown. She had no idea what Hatori was talking about. Something told her, however, that she would find out. And she had a feeling she would not like the answer.