Chapter 9: Mourning in the Grand Estate

I finally am ready to post chapter 9. I think it turned out really well! Hope everyone enjoys, this is the longest chapter I've typed for Kan Yume so far, but those who read all of Aikyou are probably use to it. Please tell me what you think Read & Review.

Tohru looks at the woman curiously, she wasn't too old, but she was definitely one that was a mother. The annoyed expression on her face was unmistakable. She didn't want to see him and the feeling was mutual for Yuki. Their glaring went back and forth for consecutive seconds before Yuki splits the silence with a tone like a knife, "I don't even consider you my mother. So, I can talk to you like dirt if I want." His mouth closed almost instantly after he spoke. Those words were bottled up for quite some time, he practically despised his mother, but nonetheless, was more polite to keep it all to himself.

A slight grin had crept across her face within a short minute. She looked as if she actually enjoyed what he said. "Yuki…you are so foolish. You know you can't treat me like dirt. Is that any way to treat a mother of any sort?" She questioned him curiously, stepping out of the house slowly.

Tohru steps forward slowly and looks at Yuki's mother sadly. "I'm…. sorry on Yuki-kun's behalf." She says this sadly and hesitantly. The feeling of intruding on their conversation suddenly made her feel the strong emotion of guilt. "Actually…I'm sorry for intruding…." Tohru looks down and sighs gently. Gradually her feet shuffle back so that she was standing where she originally was.

Yuki glances at Tohru sincerely and then stares back at his mother. "Just let me inside, okay?" He states firmly. After seeing his mother shake her head, Yuki speaks up once again, "I know it's being held here!" His voice was in an unexpected tone and it actually frightens both Tohru and Yuki's mother. It was as if they all heard a sonic boom.

Suddenly, his mother just nods and enters the house, leaving the door wide open, ignoring their existence as they enter. Yuki walks towards the kitchen, Tohru following close behind.

The first thing their eyes lay sight upon is the fact that almost every member of the Sohma Family was in the kitchen –as small as it was- except for Akito and Kureno. Then, with a deep sigh, she notices that Kyo was also absent from this sad event. Tohru looks at the ground, I can't believe they wouldn't let him out for something like this… Do they think he'll try to escape? Tohru sighs once more, That is what they think… A family priest was standing in a corner of the room talking to the Sohma Family members and consoling them. The door is suddenly heard slamming shut.

Each person turns around slowly to see Haru at the threshold of the kitchen. Instantly, Tohru hurries over to Haru to make sure he doesn't fall. "Haru-kun…" Tohru says almost breathlessly. "They said you wouldn't be out of the hospital for a week. You can't leave the day after you are put there!" She exclaims with the strongest sound of worry in her voice. All she receives as an answer though is a mere smile. If there was any distinct attributes that people easily notice about Haru is that his intentions are rarely ever clear. It's as if he is constantly speaking in strange riddles that no one understands until the last second.

"I came to make sure I'm here for Rin's burial. And…" he stops seeing all his distant relative's eyes on him. "To speak with Akito…" Haru clears his throat laboriously since it was extremely dry. He looks across the room at the priest and smirks slightly; "I thank you for coming here…" he speaks quietly, in a soft mutter actually.

Without any warning, Haru collapses and falls into Tohru's left arm that she currently has outstretched in case anything like this was to happen. She holds him up and then his body slips off her arm and he falls against her. Everyone in the room hears a gentle explosion that sounds like a poof. Most of them sigh knowing of the curse but the others continue staring in confusion. Yuki runs over to Tohru and they push Haru's weak cow form out of the room before the mist around him disappears revealing that form. After removing him from the kitchen and placing him in the bedroom that was being remodeled, Tohru and Yuki walk back into the kitchen practically gasping for air.

All eyes rest upon the both of them, wondering what they were doing when they left the kitchen area. "We had to bring Haru-kun to another room because he still isn't feeling well…" Tohru says quickly before Yuki was able to speak so much as a word. She looks at him and notices that he was having an even harder time taking in air.

Slowly, she approaches him and then stops in front of him. "Yuki-kun…are you alright?" Tohru asks as she remembers that he was born with breathing problems. He must have overexerted himself when he was pushing Haru to the other room. "Oh no…Yuki-kun!" She says half exclaiming and half whispering. "Here, I'll find Hatori-san. He'll be able to help you!" Tohru assures him and runs off into the group of Sohmas'. There were so many of them but Hatori was one of the easiest people to find, as he was the quietest person there. Gently, and tiredly, she grasps the side of his arm with her hand firmly, "Hatori-san…Yuki needs you." Tohru says to him faintly her face was flush red from doing all of this running and hurrying around.

He gets up attentively and follows Tohru to the spot in the kitchen Yuki was now sitting at. His back was up against he wall and his hand was clasping his shirt with difficulty. "Yuki…." Hatori says with a sigh. He grabs Yuki by the arm gently and pulls him to his feet. Draping Yuki's arm over his shoulders, Hatori reassures Tohru of his health and exits the house stealthy so that he was not to be noticed by wandering eyes.

Yuki sleeps at Hatori's house and Tohru ends up staying at the house with the rest of the Sohma family. The rest of the zodiac members, –Kisa, Hiro, Ritsu, Kagura, Ayame, Momiji, Shigure- came that night while Tohru was sleeping. As always, Kisa slept in the same area as Tohru, this time they didn't have a bed though, and they had to sleep on the floor.

XxX

The night falls over-head and passes just as quickly. Tohru finds herself rubbing her eyes and wondering where she was for a few seconds. After realizing she was within the same house as she was yesterday, she looks at Kisa's childish sleeping ways and smiles. I probably still sleep like that. Tohru laughs as she thinks about this and places her hand on Kisa's forehead gently. The little child's eyes open gradually and meet Tohru's. "Good morning Kisa-chan."

In that moment, Kisa was gluing herself to Tohru, hugging her as tightly as ever. Tohru hugs her back and smiles happily. That is probably the happiest she's felt since remembering some of the great times she had, all of the had Kyo in it, not one forgot him. "Good morning Onee-chan!" Kisa exclaims cheerfully as if she has been up all day. Again, a true smile crosses Tohru's face and her embrace on Kisa tightens a little, but not too much.

"I'm so happy to see you Kisa-chan. Even though it wasn't long ago that I saw you…" Suddenly, a tear slips down Tohru's cheek. The last time she remembers seeing her was the day Kyo began to leave. How horrible she felt now. Why am I getting like this…? I'm going to upset Kisa-chan at this rate… She tells herself this in order to calm down a little. Wiping the tears away gently, she pulls out of the hug slowly. "I'm going to go inside. Is everyone else here?" Tohru asks, rubbing her eyes much more now.

Kisa sees this and frowns a little. She began to get the feeling that she was crying a couple times while they were hugging. "Yes. Everyone's inside Onee-chan. Even Shigure oji-chan, Ayame oji-chan, and Hatori oji-chan is in an extra room treating both Yuki-san and Haru-san. I hope they're okay.

Tohru nods trying to get use to the fact that Shigure is her uncle as well as Ayame and Hatori. Thank god, Ayame-san and Shigure-san haven't influenced Kisa in any way. She smiles a little and gets up and before going inside she tells Kisa that she'll be right back.

Entering the living area of the house, she sees the members of the juunishi sitting on the couches. Even Hiro was a part of the conversation due to his intelligence in some matters. She was actually somewhat taken by surprise when she sees Yuki and Haru sitting on the couches as well, listening to everything. Clearly, the conversation was about Rin, how horrible it was, and what they should do about Akito's ruthlessness.

But before Tohru gets the chance to speak up, the Priest enters the room and says, "The burial is being held in a couple minutes. Please follow me." Obviously the Priest had already gathered up the rest of the Sohma family and all that was left was the Juunishi, who, he didn't have the slightest clue, could turn into animals. Kisa hurries out of the room following everyone. Tohru walks beside Kisa as they make their way out of the house and towards the cemetery within the Sohma Estate. It was a fairly long distance from what they could tell.

On the way to the cemetery, both Tohru and Haru take quick glances at the rundown shack. The sound of gentle pounding fill their ears and they fall behind. Tohru runs up to Haru and as she opens her mouth he speaks what she was about to say, "Kyo's in there. I know…I saw him the night Rin…was attacked. I was going to release him for you…but, I had to get Isuzu to the hospital first, I'm sorry." He adds the rest sadly hoping that he wouldn't be hated for his decision.

Tohru smiles gently, "Its okay Haru-kun. I…just want to see Kyo again. Soon, if I could." The fragments of sentences she spoke in were quite irritating but Haru couldn't blame her, so much was happening in her life it must have been unbearable.

Slowly, they break off from the bunch of people that were heading towards the cemetery, since some hung around trying to eat. Haru and Tohru jog over to the rundown cabin and glances through a couple crevices, gazing around for Kyo's body.

Tohru was the first to spot him. He was sitting in the corner of the room, a pitch-black corner that was likely to be full of spider webs and rats. She couldn't believe how he was being treated; like an animal. His clothes were torn all over, he was completely enveloped in soot, and there were scrapes on his face and arms. It made Tohru cry continuously.

XxX

The sound of crying fill his ears and he looks around curiously wondering where it was coming from. He shifts to his left, then to his right glancing around the dark room. Finally, the diminutive hole that light normally crept through was slightly dark. Getting to his feet weakly, he walks to the door and places his cut hand on it. Kyo looks at the holes and sees the hair of a young woman and a man with a tattoo across his upper arm. "T-Tohru…" his lips form the name. It was only a week. A week he's been in this rat hole and he was feeling the same joy as any one would if they were being released.

Hearing her name, she looks at the hole, lining her eye up with the crevice. At first, she was struck with surprise then a bright smile crosses her face. "Ky…Kyo…" more tears drip down her cheeks and she shakes her head, "I don't want you to be in here any more…I need you to come back to Shigure-san's house…" Her voice shakes a little more as she speaks, and Kyo smiles at her gently. It was clear that he was minimally injured, but he ignored whatever pain came to him.

"We're getting you out after the funeral." Haru says abruptly.

Kyo looks at the both of them in strong confusion and worry, "Who…who's funeral? What happened Haru!" he exclaims getting slightly angry.

Haru looks down and mutters, "Isuzu died. Akito killed her and…I tried to save her but it was too late."

This caught Kyo by pure surprise. He was sure that when Haru reached the hospital she was to be perfectly fine. But he was wrong. Akito was on a rampage and not one person was even attempting to stop it, not counting Haru. "That's crazy. How…how could Akito even do something like that? What happened to her being all 'I'm the God, and you will not do anything foolish or dangerous'? Isn't she supposed to be some kind of leader or something? She's a dumb ass. I hate her." Kyo says this, most of it random, but all of it was purely true. Akito was supposed to be helping them, not destroying their lives intentionally. It's not as though Akito accidentally hit Isuzu as much as she wanted until she were hanging on by a string of life.

Haru couldn't help but smile at Kyo's words. As serious as this occasion was, Kyo was saying all the things that were true, but it sounded so funny. He always seemed to speak foully of Akito without fear of being hit abusively. It truly was something amazing. For a person -in his condition- to be so full of life just by seeing two people he was able to recognize. The smile slowly vanishes into the air. Haru looks around momentarily and then sees a few people walking towards them from the direction of the cemetery, questioning them from afar about what they were doing near the little house. Turning back to door, he whispers, "We'll be back later, okay?" And before Kyo or Tohru had the chance to speak up, Haru was running, his hand clamped around Tohru's wrist. Apparently, Haru didn't wish for the people to get too close to them before they reached the cemetery.

Stopping at the people who were beckoning for them to come directly to the cemetery -so that they'd make it there before the sorrowful ceremony began- they stare breathless past them. Then, without warning, Haru and Tohru rush passed them, running as fast as they can toward the burial ground. Reaching it in moments, they enter through the gates and approach the large area that was being occupied by the mourning people of the Sohma Family.

There were so many that it began to make Tohru feel a little claustrophobic. Everyone's attire consisted of some kind of black, dull or vibrant. She couldn't believe she was at yet another funeral. The last one she was present at was that of her own mother. It was a horrible feeling and that same feeling was rapidly surging through her veins like a raging tsunami. Her and Haru push themselves through the crowd, Haru being very careful about whom he pushed past. When they stopped, they found a black casket in the center of the large throng. The front half was open revealing Rin's white face; her eyes were tightly shut, her mouth was closed into a frowning position, and her arms were folded across her chest.

Tohru stares at Rin's coffin momentarily then looks down. She was being overcome by the sadness. Everything was erupting from her core and she couldn't hold it back any longer. Dropping to her knees in an instant, she covers her face with her hands, crying into them loudly.

Yuki sees her and kneels down at her side, placing his hand on her back and rubbing up and down trying to comfort her. "Its okay Miss. Honda." He whispers soothingly.

The tears kept coming like they were never going to stop. It wasn't going to stop until the ceremony began and ended, so, Yuki helps her to her feet gently and places his arm under her's to keep her up.

A stout priest makes his way to a podium beside the casket. He blinks a couple times and raises his right arm a little. The red robe shown brightly in the glistening light as it greeted his movements happily. "Today is a very sad day. The loss of a loved one. Isuzu Sohma was loved by many and will be dearly missed by everyone. The heavens greatly welcome her into their sanctuary and embrace her with loving hugs. Her soul is safe with the spirits and she will be treasured by all Gods." He pauses and glances at the casket for a second, then gazes upon the thousands of people that circled him with sorrow. "Let your tears be your gate and allow them to pour out until it is wide enough to walk through. Allow everything to be washed away and begin on a new slate." Once again, he stops and a sad smile crosses his face. "Itamiru – I'm very sorry…" he announces quietly to the crowd.

The crowd was still in tears with the exception of a couple people. Surprisingly, one of the people that weren't in tears was Hatsuharu. But the others consisted of Akito and Kureno whose faces were so straight you'd think they were playing a game of poker. How lifeless they were. It made Hatori and Momiji sick to their stomachs. But, Tohru, Yuki, Haru, and the others have yet to realize that Akito and Kureno were present at this occasion.

Tohru's hand grips Yuki's arm tightly and she looks at him sorrowfully. "Yuki-kun… Why is it that I find myself losing people?" she asks gently, glancing back down at the ground.

He just shakes his head and rests his forehead on top of her scalp. "It's not like that Miss. Honda. Believe me."

She looks at him quickly and takes a step back; away from him. "It is like that Yuki-kun. I've lost mom and Kyo, and now…I've lost Isuzu-chan. Anyone could be next right?" She pauses, taking a deep breath. Yuki stares at her attentively wanting to listen to every word she speaks so that he can understand what she meant by everything. "I hate this. And…I rarely say that Yuki-kun." Tohru stops once again as if she has remembered something. "Sometimes…I feel like I'm really a part of this family. The Sohma family." Looking at Yuki she asks curiously, "Do you understand what I mean? I'm not confusing you am I."

Yuki merely shakes his head and smiles. "Not at all Miss. Honda. I understand what you mean. Sometimes…I feel like you were meant be found by us in the forest and meant to live with us in Shigure's house. Somehow, fate brought all of us closer and now it's-." He's cut off by an approaching shadow.

"Pulling us apart," Haru finishes for Yuki. Yuki mutters under his breath after Haru completes the sentence he was about to say. "We just have to go on with our lives and continue living Tohru." Haru explains so calmly you'd believe Rin was still alive and right beside him. It was amazing how calm he was. Haru was a person that was hard to faze, if that was hard to realize. But, it was rare to see him completely broken down in tears. It was easily possible to see him depressed, but in a river of tears; no chance.

Sometimes in life, you have to be strong for everyone. Clearly, Haru thought that was put on his shoulders the moment he was born, even if it wasn't true. He has to be happy for all of them, clear for each of them, open to his family and friends and speak his mind. But, the speaking his mind part wasn't only him, not at all. The person that spoke his mind the most was Kyo, and because it was Kyo, there was no way he could win in that category.

Remembering something he heard when he was approaching Tohru, Haru blinks repeatedly. "Kyo hasn't told Tohru yet…" he mutters and glancing at Yuki and Tohru.

"Told her what?" Yuki asks curiously.

"Me?" Tohru whispers in complete surprise.