Chapter 21: The Mirror, Prt. 2
A few more chapters left as far as I can see. Not only is this chapter fairly long, but it also took me a very long time to type it being as I can hardly get near the computer anymore and because of school. Blah! I'm sorry to keep all of you waiting! Enjoy! R&R!
Tohru wakes up and rubs her eyes wearily and plunges herself off the couch only to spin around and bump abruptly into Yuki. Within seconds, he became a rat. "Ep! I'm so sorry Yuki!" She waves her arms around hoping that Yuki will validate her proposed apology. "I didn't mean to…. I didn't know … I'm so, so, so sorry Yuki-kun…" Tohru sighs and looks down at Yuki, gathering him up in her hands to hold him gently. After picking Yuki up, she grabs his clothes and sticks them under his feet, but he timed it perfectly and jumped as she did so. "Yuki-kun… we have to go to the Sohma Estate! Something bad is happening! Shishou-san and Kyo-kun are in danger! Say you'll help! Please! Please!" She was practically begging and the thing she was pleading to an animal that was nearly a hundredth her size.
The little rat smiles unnoticeably and nods, "Of course I'll help Honda-san…" his stomach rumbles and he jumps from the great height her hands were at, pulling his clothes with him. She gasps and watches him land into a puff of pink smoke. Tohru spins around and runs into a wall trying to shield her eyes. "Honda-san!" Yuki exclaims after changing into his clothes. He slaps his forehead and then turns her around. "You have another lump on your forehead …" he whispers and looks into her eyes as he moves her hair away from her eyes. "You should be more careful Honda-san. I don't like seeing you get hurt…" His voice was soft and hypnotizing to Tohru but she managed to keep a firm grasp on the task at hand.
Grabbing her hand, Yuki turns around and hurries to the front door with her just to see the door slide open to reveal the ominous Ox. "Clearly you've heard about what was going on in the Sohma Estate Tohru. Did he come to you in your dreams?" his eyebrow raises inquisitively as he asks that particular question. She nods gently and takes a step forward so that she's almost in front of Yuki. The man who contains the vengeful spirit of the Ox smiles and tilts his head ever so gradually to the left. "Can you safely believe me now? With honesty, can you believe me completely?" Both Yuki and Tohru stare at Haru in confusion. "Tohru-kun… you believe me now don't you? You're thinking about it right now and you confirmed it in your thoughts. You really are a Sohma and a very gifted one at that." Clearly she still had some inquires about this but she didn't say anything, she was going to leave the talking to Haru –who- was apparently ready to talk for the rest of the night if need be. "If you weren't a Sohma… you wouldn't have seen the same dream as me. It wouldn't have been possible. But… why did he come to me when it was you that shattered the mirror that he was contained in?" He smiles and advances towards Tohru. She looks at him curiously as if trying to remember one of her dreams. Mirrors. Suddenly, Tohru found herself understanding what he was talking about. "I think it should be only the two of us that go, Tohru-kun…" he whispers softly, trying to make it so that Yuki can't hear.
She looks at Haru then peeks at Yuki whose expression was full of pure worry. Of course he had to care about Kyo a little. Who else could he argue with? Slowly, Tohru sighs and looks at the wood floor, practically counting the curves and swirls on it. She knew what Haru was getting at, and he was probably right, but if they didn't take Yuki along he'd more then likely become more anxious and end up going to the Estate anyway. "Haru-kun… I think it'd be better if… the three of us went together. I don't want Yuki-kun to worry more then he should," her voice was equally as quiet as Haru's tone of voice was. The ox nods and then Yuki comes closer to the both of them, clearly confused by what was going on. She smiles falsely and looks at the both of them.
XxX
A vociferous scream fills the ears of everyone in the Sohma Estate. It was earsplitting and caught everyone off guard, even the security at the front entrance of the state looked around quickly to see what was going on. Within seconds, nearly the entire Estate went quiet; everyone heard the scream that was filled with agony. So painful it rang through their ears over and over again like a bee buzzing around their head. Some doors opened carefully to allow the owner of the homes to look around in search of the source where the screaming was emitting. The eyes wandered around, setting themselves on the farthest object they can see in perfect detail.
Kyo looks past a few large bushes with Momiji after hearing the excruciating scream. Anxiety quickly lets loose through his entire body, surging through his veins faster then his blood. He glances at Momiji and grabs him by the collar of his shirt. "You must know what direction that scream came from… your ears have to be more sensitive then mine! TELL ME NOW!" he shouts at him making the attention of everyone shift back and forth between thinking about the scream and wondering who was shouting. Momiji sighs, unharmed by Kyo's ruthless shouting. The rabbit understood why Kyo was getting like this and answered with an easy point to the right. "So… just leave this part and go all the way down. To where?" Cat-san asks, his eyes narrowing with impatience.
Momiji stares at Kyo with a saddened expression, almost like the one he bore when he believed that Kyo was dead. "To… Akito-san's house. That's where the scream was near… and I think it came from inside. That'd explain why it was muffled a little…" his voice was slightly raspy as he thought about what may have happened. "I'm going to stay here…. okay Kyo-kun?" Momiji says softly, looking at the ground as he bows and then hurries into the house.
Without saying 'good-bye' or 'thanks', Kyo walks away from Momiji's house carefully, stepping past twigs that would snap and give him away. He was hesitant to walk out from the rest of the trees and onto the roads in the Sohma Estate but he couldn't take his time any longer. Plus, darkness was falling quicker then usual, which would make it harder for him to be spotted. Passerby's would just think he was another person just walking by to take in the night air. His breaths were hard and easy to hear, especially for a person that walks past him. Kyo made sure he looked down whenever someone passed him by and quickened his pace the moment he didn't see anyone too close.
Kyo approaches the house where the scream was said to have come from. There was no one anywhere near it; the entire block was practically a ghost town all in its own. His steps were even more cautious, yet for some reason he was eager to bust into the house and release all the anger he was desperately keeping bottled up till he really needed to use it. Gradually, one foot after the other climbed the few steps up to the door. Kyo, impulsively, kicks his foot right through the sliding door and tears it apart without thinking twice. Within a minute, he was inside the house, looking around ready to tear more things to pieces. There was nothing inside the house at first glance, but upon scanning a second time, he saw drips and some puddles of blood on the ground just around his feet. His eyes grew wide, almost in shock at the sight. Visions of beaten bodies sped past his eyes and mind. First, he saw Shishou then he saw Tohru. He claps his hands to his face and yells into them, "STOP IT!" tears began to push at the back of his eyes, "STOP IT!" he screams once more, this time the sound of his voice was distraught. "AKITO GIVE THEM BACK!" Kyo was soon not even aware of what he was saying, he couldn't believe what was going on and actually thought he was watching Tohru and Shishou be beaten right in front of his eyes.
An insane type of laugh fills his ears. He looks around quickly, stumbling all of the place and then stops after bumping into Akito. Kyo drops his hands and stares at Akito, driven with utter rage. His arms were too weak; his own fright was keeping him from whipping his arm up and slamming it against her face as hard as he could. "I hate you… you…" something was forming in his eyes again, and he hated when that happened. She won't have the privilege of seeming them! No! Don't come out of my eyes! I don't want to see or hear her damn voice! Kyo swings his arm up with all his force and finds his arm being tightly grabbed, nails digging into his skin. "What?" he gasps, looking to the side of him. "Shi…gure…" his voice was expressing his shock even less then his face was showing it.
Shigure grins and tightens his grasp on Kyo's arm. Then, out of entirely nowhere, Kureno appears on the other side of him, grabbing his other arm and pulling them back as hard as he could. Shigure copied Kureno's sudden methods.
"AHHH!" Kyo screams in agony as he's brought to his knees from the pain. He looks up and glares at Akito, holding in the pain he so much wanted to let loose; he needed to yell. He glances past Akito and sees a body lying on the ground whose clothing appeared to be slightly stained in blood. "Shishou!" he exclaims despite the fact that that cry was the only chance he'll get to release the pain in his arms. Kureno and Shigure both grab the back of Kyo's head, tightly grasping his hair and tugging back making him gasp and then yell for a split second before feeling a quick, and painful thrust into his chest. Akito laughs and kneels down to Kyo who had to roll his eyes down a little to even see a little of Akito's face.
"Are you afraid of what may have happened to your Shishou? You think he may be dead, do you? Come on… admit it my dear monster." Akito mocks him and places her hand under his chin. "And your little princess is next. I'll tear her soul right from her body in front of you." She grins and slaps his cheek; the sound was like the crack of a whip. He yelps under his breath and feels his cheek begin to burn and then spots blood trickling out of the arm Shigure was holding and out of his cheek. "Miss. Honda will meet an unfortunate end, similar to that of your Shishou and Isuzu, only I'll be sure to make her's twice as painful…" a smirk curled across her mouth in a matter of a few seconds. After hearing her mention Tohru, Kyo yanks himself forward, getting his head out of her little 'henchmen's' grasp and bites her hand without even thinking. Akito stands up abruptly after Shigure and Kureno regain hold of Kyo. Blood begins to seep out of her hand gradually. Pain shoots through his chest and spreads through his body. Akito kicked him a second time.
"I hate you!" Kyo spat angrily trying to pull himself free once more. His struggling amounted to the equivalent of nothing. There was blood dripping down his arm slowly. His eyes locked onto her hand as she pulls out a handheld mirror from a well-hidden pocket, concealed by her sleeves. The glistening glass of the mirror blared into his eyes a couple times as she brought it up so that the glass part was facing him. "What're you gonna do with that? Make fun of my reflection," he shot, allowing himself to pose off a suppressed smirk. Akito continued to stare at the back of the mirror, her concentration too strong and focused to even hear Kyo's comment.
XxX
The mist of the night was beginning to form and gradually form tears from the sky. Tohru swore she was able to count each individual droplet of rain as it ever so gently splashed to the ground. She looks up at the darkening sky, it was nearly pitch black now and it'd only been an hour or so. Yuki and Haru were standing on either side of her as she stared off into the distance. "Um… wouldn't it be better if we got to the Sohma Estate…like…. within the next month? I'm pretty sure Kyo would greatly appreciate it…" Haru suggests with the type of tone that said 'I'm captain obvious'. Yuki plants his hand right in the back of Haru's head and hits him hard. If anything was more obvious than what Haru said it was that Yuki was mad about his indirect insult. "Sorry…" he groans a little, but truly apologetic towards the both of them, because, of course, Yuki was Haru's first 'true love' as he so often put it.
As they made their way across the most familiar road to their mind, Tohru looks across the street the entire time, longing to reach their set destination to find the one she cared about the most. Mom… I'm sorry if it may seem that I don't love you as much sometimes, but right now… at this moment… I want to save the other person I love. You know him don't you? Kyo-kun? Yeah… I love him…so much. I'm not as sad anymore, I can think about the both of you now, Tohru smiles as she spoke this to herself mentally, almost as if she were having an actual conversation with her mother. Of course Yuki and Haru stared at her a couple times, completely curious about what she was smiling about, but before they could say even a small word, they were at the other side of the road, nearly twenty feet from the entrance of the large Estate.
Tohru takes off, Haru and Yuki hurrying behind her, just barely catching up to her sides as she reached the gate. The guards were still standing their, trying to keep the compound as secure as they know. Haru grunts and walks up to them surely, practically strutting up to them. He stops just in front of the both of them and stares at the guards in annoyance. "We have a dinner. A few friends and myself were invited over to Momiji's house," the confidence in his voice made Yuki slap his forehead. Does he have any idea, at all, about how stupid he sounds? The guards aren't even dumb enough to fall for something that simple, Yuki mutters in his thoughts.
The guards pull back for a moment and the two of them huddle together in a small conference. After a couple seconds they walk back up to Haru and nod, pushing the gate open to allow their unquestioned entrance. Haru bows just before walking through, as does Tohru and Yuki when they follow. Buffoons… how much more clearheaded can those guards get. Maybe it's because they aren't eating… Yuki sighs as he forces himself to catch up to their suddenly quick pace. What? Yuki's thoughts become jumbled and he scarcely glances behind them. It was the guards, and as slow as they were scurrying, they were gaining on them.
Haru spots this and grabs Tohru's arm and yanks her to the side, pulling her down a hallway-sized road between two houses. "Come on!" Haru urges. Tohru's resistance to run too fast was clearly because she wasn't prepared to leave Yuki behind to be captured by those two malnutrition lookout men. So, Haru drags her down yet another alley and sits her down behind a large trash bin that was coated in all different colors and smells of grime and garbage. Tohru's clothing was wet on her behind now and she didn't know, nor want to know, what she had sat on. Though, she was positive that it was something unpleasant and really squishy. Please Yuki-kun…hurry up. Just a little longer you have to run. Don't run out of breath. Please! I don't want to lose either you or Kyo-kun! She felt as if she were shouting at herself through her thoughts. The echoing voice she produced in her mind was preparing itself to become even more annoying than it already is. She sighs and crawls on her hands and knees toward the opening of the hall. Haru had just run out of their hiding in search of Yuki. The anxiety that was building up was stronger than ever. She couldn't help receiving thoughts of what may have already happened to the three of them: Kyo, Yuki, and Haru. Tohru shakes her head and banishes such visions before they appear.
Suddenly, another bloodcurdling scream fills the air. This time it was filled with even more pain then the last one and somehow managed to pull off a sound that was nearly impossible. The reverberation you hear when someone is losing the very essence of his or her life. That's the scream you produce as your soul is ripped from your body and demotes you to a mere sack of blood and bones, with a layer of pale skin over it. Lifelessness. But then, the screaming silenced almost as quick as it set flight. Tohru looks around in fright and gets to her feet, stumbling for only a moment. She hurries out of the allies in the opposite direction, following the path that she thought led to the person who sounded as if he or she were bawling his or her eyes out.
She reaches the door to a familiar house. Never had she had such a dream this terrible, except the ones she's had as of late. Such horrendous occurrences where people's lives were taken by a shadowy figure in the night. This was the house she saw in her dreams whenever those things happened. Then she would see a glistening. Some kind of glass had been reflected off of something to be forced to reveal itself to her. It wasn't pleasant having to see nightmare after nightmare because that was all your mind was producing as you slept. She hadn't had a peaceful dream in a lengthy amount of time. In truth, Tohru has yet to get a good night's sleep in the last six months. She constantly tossed and turned as she saw the horrific things that took place at this house.
Without questioning her conscience, Tohru pulls herself up the steps and opens the door, walking in quietly….