Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or any of the Fruits Basket characters.
A/N: Hey again. I've been really busy lately. I had some friends visiting last weekend and last week was really crazy as this is a big travel time. It is now the time of O-bon, The Festival of the Dead, in Japan, so lots of people are heading back to their hometowns, but I actually am not traveling anywhere this week, so here is the next chapter.
Shadows of Intrigue
Chapter 22
The other Sohmas arrived one by one. Some cast sympathetic glances towards him but, Kyo noted, most of them arrived either without expression or with looks of confusion. They seemed to Kyo to be silently asking each other why they were there. He figured most of them would assume that he had somehow angered Akito and they had been called to watch his punishment as an example of what Akito could do to them.
One reaction surprised Kyo. That was Yuki's. Kyo wouldn't have been surprised to see Yuki amongst the stone-faced observers. In fact, he wouldn't have been terribly surprised to see Yuki looking somewhat smug about the situation. Neither of these was what he had seen, however. When Yuki arrived in the clearing, his eyes had widened and he moved as if to help Kyo, until he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Moving his gaze upward from the hand on Yuki's shoulder, Kyo found Hatori staring back at him, face completely serious. Kyo sent Hatori a questioning glare but the older man's expression didn't change for a second and Kyo began to wonder if Hatori had really meant to help or if he had been waiting to betray him and Tohru the whole time.
He didn't have much time to wonder though because Ritsu, the last of the zodiac members, had just arrived and was apologizing profusely to Akito for his tardiness. Akito, in return, sneered at Ritsu and said in a loud, rude voice, "Oh, shut up. You're not late. The girls haven't arrived yet. Get over there with the others."
Still apologizing, Ritsu made his way over to the other Sohmas and half hid behind Ayame, who, as to be expected, was with Hatori and Shigure and trying to get Yuki's attention. But Yuki's attention was now focused on Akito with a look of hatred unlike anything Kyo had ever seen on his face. It struck Kyo that Yuki did have some idea why the zodiac members had been called to the clearing and he was not happy about it. Kyo felt a brief surge of hope. If Yuki was now on their side, he Tohru, and Aiko might still succeed in changing the future. He was hoping, though, that it wouldn't be necessary. Akito had said that Tohru had now seen the past nightmare. With any luck, she would stay away from the clearing and from Akito. He was afraid that his wishing wouldn't be enough. As much as he wished Tohru would stay away, he had a feeling she would show up, whether she meant to or not.
His fears were confirmed moments later as he heard the sound of someone running through the mud, then a sudden halt. One of the men holding him tried to force Kyo's head down to prevent him from meeting Tohru's eyes but he struggled against the man until the hand was removed from his head. Tohru stood at the edge of the clearing, taking in the whole scene from where she stood. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and fear. Kyo silently cursed her, himself, Aiko, Akito, everyone and everything he could possibly blame for Tohru being in that exact spot at that exact moment. Then Tohru looked directly at him and the change in her expression made him temporarily forget his personal rampage. When Tohru's eyes met his, her expression was one of pure concern. Even knowing what she now did, she appeared to be at least as worried about him as she was about herself. That shocked Kyo more than anything he could remember. Even Kazuma, who had raised him as if Kyo were really his son, never showed such concern. Kyo didn't really doubt that he would, if put in the same circumstances but believing and seeing were two different things. It was a completely new experience to Kyo.
A movement in the trees behind Tohru caught his eye and Kyo glanced away for a moment to see Aiko, partially hidden behind a tree about twenty feet outside of the clearing. When he returned his gaze to Tohru, he found Akito was now approaching her. Beginning to show a little fear for herself again, Tohru looked to Kyo for help, her eyes pleading with him to come to her rescue. Kyo had never felt so powerless in his life. As much as he fought, he couldn't break free of the men who held him. He couldn't get to Tohru. If someone didn't do something soon, he was going to be forced to watch her die. Kyo squeezed his eyes shut against the pain that came with that thought.
He was only half listening to Akito. After all, he already knew, for the most part, what Akito was saying. He had heard it before. He inhaled sharply as Akito spoke the last line, "Now you are going to have to pay for what you have done."
Kyo's eyes snapped open, waiting for the horrible moment he knew was about to come. But Akito's actions were interrupted when Shigure's voice rang out in the darkness that had fallen, "Now, Akito, I think that's enough."
Again, Kyo's attention was briefly pulled away when he noticed movement out tof the corner of his eyes. He had enough time to see Hatori, Yuki, Haru, and Ayame hunched together as if planning something before Akito's response caused him to refocus on the leader of the family, "Shut up! How dare you question me? You are almost as bad as she is. I hope I won't be forced to deal with you as well."
Akito turned from Shigure back to Tohru. Her eyes were clouded with fear but now a degree of defiance showed in them as well. She lifted her chin, exposing her neck to him and Kyo surged forward only to be pulled back by the hands he had all but forgotten were holding him. He watched in horror as Tohru then tilted her head to the side, giving Akito a nice clear shot to slit her throat. Her eyes met Akito's and Kyo thought her voice was remarkably calm, "You want to kill me? Go ahead. I won't try to stop you. I won't struggle. But don't make Kyo watch. I'm the one you're angry with; don't punish him."
A shocked silence went through the group in the clearing and Kyo choked back an actual sob of fear. It was too much for him to handle.
"Of all the insolent little…." Akito started. Kyo caught the motion of Akito's hand and then saw the flash of light as the knife blade came into view reflecting the dim moonlight. Akito's hand lifted into the air, Tohru's face transformed into a soft smile and Kyo's scream echoed through the woods, bouncing back off the trees, "NOOOOOO!"