Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever, owned Fruits Basket or any of the characters from Fruits Basket.

A/N: Hi! Sorry this has taken so long. I'm not going to get into my excuses because they are just that, excuses. But anyway, as promised here is another chapter to Shadows of Intrigue. I hope you enjoy.

Shadows of Intrigue

Chapter 25

Some hours later, Tohru was still sitting on the edge of Kyo's bed when Hatori returned. This time, Aiko was with him. While most of her attention was fixed on Kyo, Tohru did notice, as Hatori and Aiko approached that their fingers were intertwined. That brought a smile to her face and she glanced down and her and Kyo's similarly entwined hands.

This smile was replaced by a look of confusion, however, when Hatori spoke, "Well, Kyo, have you thought things over? Have you decided what you want to do?"

"What are you talking about?" Tohru asked, glancing back and forth between the serious faces of Hatori and Kyo.

Kyo took a deep breath and squeezed her hand before answering, "Akito showed you what happened before, right? So, you know why Kei was originally cast out of the family, even before the curse?"

"Because the head of the family didn't want Kei to take his rightful place as head of the family," answered Tohru, then, after a brief pause, she continued, as realization dawned on her, "Oooh. So, does that mean that Hatori is asking…?"

"If I want to be head of the family," Kyo finished for her.

Hatori cleared his throat to get their attention again before filling in the blanks, "Now that all of the Sohmas know the truth, they refuse to follow Akito anymore, thus the breaking of the curse. But a family of this size, with this much history, needs a leader; a family head. The fact that Kyo was born with the curse of the cat proves that he is the one with the most claim to that title. It should have been his all along. After learning the truth, the other Sohmas are ready to accept Kyo as the head of the family. But first, he has to decide if he wants that title."

Kyo glanced around at the other people in the room. They were all staring expectantly back at him. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt more on the spot. To hide his nerves, he gazed down at his left hand, still holding Tohru's right. He remained silent for a long time. He didn't know what to say. It was such a big decision and the weight of it was still so new. The idea that he, the disowned cat, could now rise above all the others, was so foreign. It hadn't had time to sink in.

Kyo didn't notice how long he had been in contemplation until he heard Tohru's voice, sympathetic and concerned, speaking his name, "Kyo?"

"I have been thinking about it," he answered at last, meeting Hatori's eyes, "but I don't have an answer yet. The choice is still too new; to big."

Hatori nodded, "I understand"

"I want to talk it over with Master, first. And you, Tohru."

Tohru looked surprised but Hatori merely nodded again, "Kazuma's been waiting to see you as it is. Shall I send him in?"

"Yeah."

"Very well," said Hatori as he turned with Aiko and headed back toward the door, "Kazuma will be here in a moment. We'll leave so that the three of you can discuss this in private."

When Hatori and Aiko had gone, Kyo turned to Tohru, "So, what do you think I should do? Should I become the head of the family or not?"

"I can't tell you what to do," Tohru told him, "You need to follow your heart. I will support any decision you make and I'll be here for you to talk to, but you have to make this decision yourself."

Kyo opened his mouth to reply but, at that moment, Kazuma walked in and Kyo's mouth clamped shut again. There were two reasons Kyo's replied died on his lips. First, his had meant for his reply to be for Tohru's ears only and second, the expression on Kazuma's face shocked him into momentary silence. He had never seen such a look of mingled concern and relief on his adopted father's face before. It matched the expression Tohru had been wearing when he had come to. Kyo briefly wondered if he had ever been the object of so much concern before in his life.

Before Kyo could get his mouth open again, Kazuma spoke up, "I'm so glad both of you are okay. The two of you had me pretty worried there for awhile. Try not to do anything like that again, okay?"

"Sorry, Master," Kyo mumbled, purely out of habit.

Kazuma let out a laugh at that then shook his head in a reproving manner, "Really, Kyo. I think it's about time you stopped calling me Master. You've always been more to me than one of my students. You are my son, Kyo. You wanted to make me proud to tell the world I'm your dad. You've done that. It's okay for you to call me Dad, if you want to. It would make me very happy. Besides, with the position I hear you've been offered, it doesn't seem fitting for you to be calling anyone Master."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Being offered the title of head of the family I mean, not what to call you."

"I thought maybe that was it," replied Kazuma.

"I don't know what to do," Kyo spoke honestly, "Part of me is really excited. It's everything I wanted my whole life, and then some. I've always wanted this family to accept me. Now, not only are they welcoming me, they want me to lead them. I know I should be happy and honored, and I am, but…well I guess part of me feels like there is some mistake. I don't want to accept this position and then have everyone regret letting me take it. Have them regret allowing me into the family would be ten times worse than not being allowed. I'm just…I guess I'm…well, scared."

"It's normal to be scared," Kazuma and Tohru answered in unison. Kazuma bowed to Tohru, knowing that the words would mean more coming from her. She thought for a minute, "It's normal to be scared when you make a big decision. You are the one who told me that it's okay to be afraid. It means you're seeing the real situation, just like I saw the real you. I know you, Kyo. If the Sohmas ever regret letting you into their family, the problem is with them, not with you. And if you choose to become the head of the family, it can't be a mistake. It would be correcting a mistake made long ago. The position is rightfully yours, if you want it. If you don't, they'll figure out something else."

Kyo gave her a small smile, "You said you would support any decision I made, right? Will you also stay with me; by my side, no matter what decision I make?"

"Of course," Tohru replied with a shy smile. She understood the meaning behind the question.

"Okay, then," declared Kyo, turning to Kazuma, "I think I'm gonna do it."