Dislcaimer: No, I don't own Fruits Basket. TT . TT

Chapter 2: Kyo

As I got dressed into the Kimono Akito had selected for me as I thought of what the day would hold. Surely everyone would be there; Shigure would be standing silently with a solemn face, Momjiji would be crying his eyes out, Ritsu too, Ayame wouldn't be able to handle it after some time had elapsed and would probably leave, tears in his eyes, and Hatori would look unaffected. Kisa would be crying while Hiro held her, the lambs face not as stoic as usual but still firm, Hatsuharu would be close by, his eyes undoubtedly cast down, and Kyo...he would probably be standing there with his arms crossed, a saddened scowl on his face with Kagura not far behind. And I...I would be hidden away from them all, free to cry and sob as I wished, to curse Akito and the world we lived in.

My body ached as I continued to get dressed. The scrapes had scabbed over but the deeper gashes were still presently sensative. I looked at myself in a small mirror placed on the wall nearest me, I looked ever so much like...Akito, it disgusted me.

The doors slid open and the aforementioned man walked in, his eyes were staring at me intently, roaming over my clothed body, the silk of my kimono swaying with every shudder of fear.

"You look...nice, Yuki." Akito made his way over towards me, knowing that every step he took made my heart race faster.

He carressed my cheek with those cold hands, so cold they were, like ice. I stood still letting him touch my skin, I was frozen with fear, frozen like the very hands that touched me. He bent his head down and pressed his lips against mine, gently carressing them with his tongue, begging my mouth for entrance, but I wouldn't give in. I opened my eyes and connected them with his, defying him the only way I could, with my orbs. He stopped, eybrows fused together in anger, then, a quick smirk crossed his lips.

"Tonight Yuki..." he whispered. "...tonight..."

I kept my gaze locked with Akitos and I knew he recognized fear in my eyes, I turned away and faced the mirror once more.

"Yuki." His voice dripped with the venom of a snake. "Don't turn away from me like that."

I cringed at his tone, I had undoubtedly made him angry, but it couldn't be helped. This was the day of Tohru's funeral. Someone I loved is dead and it was all Akitos fault. He can't expect me to obey him like Shigure does, even though he strikes fear into my heart.

I could hear the swish of silk against the carpeted floor and knew that Akito was standing right behind me. A hand covered around my chest and another one around my waist.

"Yuki" he whispered. "Do not defy me. Though if you do then you will be punished even more tonight." I could feel his breath on my neck. "I will make you scream from the pain."

I shivered in his grasp and knew from the small chuckle Akito gave that he liked it. He kept feeling over my chest and waist trying to trail his way down lower but I pulled away.

I bowed my head quickly as possible and said, "Shouldn't we be leaving? It is almost time for the funeral to begin." Akito gave me a sickened look but it soon lightened.

"Kiss me Yuki." he said.

"W-wha-?" I uttered under my breath. Kiss him? He came closer.

"I said, kiss me, Yuki." Akito's face was in mine and his index finger trailed to his lips. "Right, here."

I looked at him. I didn't want to kiss him, not after everything he's already done to me. Besides, he's never wanted me to kiss him before, never has he ever wanted me to or even mentioned it.

"I'm not going to wait all day Yuki. Kiss me." Akito's eyes narrowed in anger, his patience wearing thinner than the blood that ran through his veins.

A bell sounded outside the door, saving me.

"What do you want?" he growled, turning toward the doors.

"Master Akito, the car is waiting for you outside." His nose wrinkled up in displeasure.

"Fine," he spat. Akito turned and looked at me again, his eyes roaring with anger. "You will hurt tonight Yuki, so much you won't be able to walk for days." He turned and walked to the doors, slamming them open and angrily shutting them back.

I whimpered, then let myself fall to the ground. If only I could escape this place, let somebody know I was here. Didn't Shigure or Kyo even wonder where I was? What about the other Sohma's? I'm so close to Haru and Momiji, and yet, so far away...

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We soon arrived at the familiar small shrine where I had once before been to visit Miss. Honda's mother, now it seems that Tohru was joining her. I felt the wetness gather behind my eyes already, but I did not bother to stop them. If Tohru was watching us right now, then I wanted her to see how much I truly did care for her. How much she mattered in my life, in all of the Sohma's lives and the difference she made for this family.

I looked to the sky and watched the rain clouds roll in, their puffed bodies ready to burst with all the tears that will be witheld behind sad eyes today. They seemed so peaceful up in the sky, dark, riding the wind wherever it takes them and crying rain where it is needed.

Something took hold of my right arm and I turned from my daze to see Akito looking down into my eyes, his orbs trying to dissect my feelings and rip to shreds my heart. He yanked my arm tightly and I followed suit.

"You will be kept here." He had taken me behind the shrine where weeds and uncut flowers were growing passionatley. It seemed the sorrow of the distant graves hadn't touched them in any way at all. Unlike me. He spoke again. "You are forbidden to come near any of the family, you are to be kept out of sight, do not show your face and if you do..." he paused and smirked. "...then I suppose I'll have to take you back to that little room, I think you remember the one." I did remember, even though I didn't want to. I subconciously nodded my head yes, giving the answer of understanding. I looked down to the overgrown grass as I felt those cold lips on my cheek again, brushing over my skin like the cold wind of a winter storm.

He left me there, alone...

I soon heard voices speaking, though I couldn't construct in my mind whose they were or what they were saying. I turned my attention to the ground, finding a purple flower nestled between the weeds. I bent down, plucking it from the ground and twirling it between my thumb and index finger, something I used to do when I was a child. Miss. Honda liked flowers too, 'Yuki, aren't these the prettiest flowers you've ever seen?' Yes, she liked them very much. I let my eyes rest on another stray flower, yellow in color and short in stature but it resembled Miss. Honda perfectly. A beautiful flower stuck in the midst of weeds and overgrown grass. A wonderful person that found herself surrounded by a cursed family full of hatred and wrong. And then...

I plucked the stem from its roots.

...she died.

I began selecting more and more wild flowers from the weeds and picking them, until soon they formed a bouquet of colors I planned to set on Miss. Honda's grave after everyone was gone.

I picked up the sound of voices again as they drew me away from the flowers. It was shouting, sobbing, crying and then silence.

Kyo...

I began to peer my head around the corner of the shrine I had been behind but stopped myself. What if Akito saw me? What if any of the other members of the family saw me?

I can't exactly remember when I became so cautious and scared of things as I am now, but after being with Akito for days its kind of hard not to grow accustomed to being skiddish.

I shouldn't risk it, I shouldn't but...I want to.

I carefully and shakily eased my eyes around the corner of the brick shrine until I could see beyond it, but there wasn't much to see. It seemed that the funeral had ended already in the span of time I took to decide with myself whether or not I should peek. There was no sign of Kyo, Momiji, Hatsuharu or...Akito. I couldn't see Akito. This could be my chance to run, to get the hell away from him! But, what would happen if I was caught? What wou-

Footsteps.

They came closer, I could hear the grass break between their feet, the dry dirt crunch with every step they took. I hurriedly hid behind the corner I was once looking around as the steps became louder, closer, then, they stopped.

I heard...crying? Someone was crying, so it wasn't Akito. He wouldn't cry over Miss. Honda's death, and yet, since finding the flowers and constructing the bouquet, I hadn't cried either. I raised a hand to the skin beneath my eye and felt it as if I were in shock, though I wasn't. I looked at the bouquet in my other hand, still holding the colors of Miss. Honda radiantly and let a light chuckle escape my throat. I realized what I had done.

"Who's there?" came a muffled voice. I kept quiet, slowly stepping back only to give away my location.

"I can hear you y'know. Come. Out." The voice was slightly less muffled and I realized who it was. I stepped closer but not enough to be seen, I had my back against the wall, trying not to be discreet. I heard him sniff then growl deep in his throat.

"Damn it! Come out now!" He shouted at the top of his lungs I could tell, his breathing was rugged and in gasps as it seemed he was sobbing again.

"Kyo." I whispered. He made a gasp.

"Who...are you?" I could hear the curiosity in his voice and almost laughed, it was just like back at Shigure's. Curiosity always killed the cat. But soon my urge to laugh diminished as I let out a sigh.

"I can't tell you." I whispered again, trying to mask my voice.

"Why not?" his voice was firm.

I could have shouted my name out to the sky, I wanted him to know so badly that it was me, Yuki, the rat, the damn rat! The one who was abducted from Shigure's, the one you hate so much, the one who tricked you, the one you want to beat so badly!

I answered his question though my voice was shaky, "It's too complicated."

"Why are you here? Behind the shrine I mean."

"So I wouldn't be seen, I was told I was forbidden to be seen by anyone." I wanted to talk to Kyo as long as possible, hearing his voice comforted my grieving soul in a way I can't explain, he made me feel that I was still living on in Shigure's house, fighting with him over petty things. How I longed to return to that house.

"Why? It's not like your ugly, right?" I could have let out another laugh at his dense nature.

"No, Kyo, I guess I'm not ugly, I'm constantly told I look like a Prince." I shut my mouth tight as I reiterated the words in my head. '...like a Prince.' He would surely figure it out now, and for some reason that thought gave me hope.

"A Prince huh? I know a guy like that, damn rat that he is. He's been gone for over a week now and nobody seems to know where he is. I've tried asking Haru to keep a look out at the Main House but he says he hasn't seen any sign of him. I don't know, maybe he died too, everybody seems to be dying lately." It seemed he was talking more to himself than to me, but that was okay, it seemed that he cared enough since he asked Haru to look out for me but still...

"Kyo, why were you crying?" I heard him shift uncomfortably around the corner and waited for a reply even though I already knew the answer.

"Why the hell does it matter to you! I don't even know you! Damn, I don't even know why I'm talking to you still."

I expected such an outburst of anger and sadness. Then realized I was still holding on to the bouquet of flowers in my hand. I extended my hand past the corner of the shrine with the flowers so they could be seen.

"Here." I said. "I won't have the chance to put them on her grave, but, I'd like you to do it for me." I almost started crying. "T-tell her that I will m-miss her, t-tell Tohru for me. P-please?" I held the flowers out in a shaking hand and waited for Kyo to take them while trying to wipe the premature tears before they fell with my other hand. I let my guard down.

I felt a warm hand wrap around my wrist tightly, pulling me from where I was trying to keep hidden. I looked up in surprise and saw Kyo's face, he looked older, though its only been a little over a week since I've been gone, Tohru's death seems to have taken its toll on him. I looked into those crimson eyes of his, they were darker, weighted with sadness it seemed. Though I thought I saw his eyes brighten ever so slightly once they made contact with mine, I could have smiled, but I didn't.

"Y-yuki?" His voice held a hint of relief in it, either relieved I wasn't some stranger he had been talking to or he was relieved that it was actually me. It made me feel happier than I had felt in a long while.

"Y-yes, Kyo?" He just stared at me. It seemed he couldn't beleive I was standing there right in front of him, in the flesh and blood. I couldn't read his face like I normally could, it seemed there was nothing to read, but I was wrong.

He came closer to me and without warning wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his chest, his body, causing me to drop the bouquet. I could feel my eyes widen at the unexpectancy of it all. I had never thought Kyo would actually embrace me, it felt wonderful.

After recovering from light shock I slowly raised my hands up to wrap around his seemingly shaking body. It felt like he was crying again, sobbing over my shoulder, letting out the pain he'd most likely held in during the funeral. I cried myself, letting the tears fall as I buried my head in his chest, watching them soak into his shirt, disappearing. I wondered to myself though, how long it would last, just the two of us, hugging, looking for comfort. It didn't last long. Kyo pulled away quickly after he had let all of his sorrows fall to the ground in droplets of salt water.

I began to wipe away the tears rolling down my cheeks and when I was done I looked up at Kyo. His eyes seemed to be even brighter than before, and they soon turned to fire with anger.

"Where the hell have you been!" I let him yell, it was understandable why he was mad but still, it irritated me to no end.

"Well if you'd come down from the roof once in a while maybe you would have known I didn't leave of my won accord you stupid cat." He growled at me.

"Oh right like that's my fault! Shigure said you went out for a Student Council meeting and would be back late but he didn't mention that you'd be nine days late!"

I was silent. Student Council meeting? I never had a student council meeting that day. So Shigure is tied into this one way or another. I put my hand up signaling him to stop yelling.

"Kyo," I looked into his eyes again. "I never had a student council meeting that day, it was a Sunday. I never even left the house to go anywhere."

Kyo took a few blinks at my statement then lowered the fists he had held up as a subconcious reaction.

"Did you even leave the roof that day?" I refrained from calling him stupid this time.

"No, actually I didn't leave any at night either." Kyo sounded confused, he didn't know what I was getting at.

"Did you hear or see anyt-" I was cut off by the sound of footsteps again. I took hold of Kyo's hand and drug him behind the corner of the shrine where I was hiding before. I turned to Kyo and put my index finger up to my lips telling him to be quiet. He nodded. The footsteps came closer and closer, I can only hope that whoever it is didn't hear us or anything that was said. They stopped.

"Yuki..." It was Akito. I squeezed Kyo's hand that I hadn't let go of, it didn't even occur to me that I was still holding it.

"I thought you might try to escape me, but not to worry, I will find you, and when I do you will be punished severely, you may not even live afterwards." He laughed his evil laugh at the words he had said. I felt myself begin to shake, to tremble as I listened to Akito's footsteps slowly disperse. I couldn't control my body, my muscles were twitching uncontrollably and my stomach was in knots, I couldn't breathe and I feared an asthma attack until, something squeezed my hand. I looked down at the beaded wrist connected to a tan hand holding my pale one. I then looked up at Kyo and almost smiled but the fear was holding me back.

A plan began to form in my mind as I reluctantly let go of Kyo's hand and began taking off the kimono. Kyo looked flushed.

"W-what are you doing?" he whispered.

"Leaving a trail." I whispered back. "If they come back this way looking for me then they can follow the clothes I leave in one direction while I actually run the opposite."

I took the silk sash from around my waist and went over to the bouquet of flowers I had dropped. Scooping them up and trying to arrange them perfectly I tied the sash around the stems and knotted it in the best bow I could muster. I handed them to Kyo who was still standing there. He took it without question.

I took the kimono pieces and laid them out through the grass all in one direction, facing a patch of trees just beyond the shrine. The only thing I kept was the robe-like garment so I wouldn't have to be completely naked.

I took Kyo's hand once more and led him behind me to the front of the shrine. I peeked around the corner to see if Akito had left anyone to watch out for me. No one. I swiftly ran across the bricked path towards the newly dug grave. I stood in front of it for a while until I realized we needed to go. I set the bouquet of flowers on the grave, laced a kiss to the pads of my fingers and pressed them agains the tombstone, running them over the name, Honda Tohru.

A/N: yay! I hope this was long enough for you guys this time! I don't know what the robe thingy is called from a kimono so I called it the robe-garment sorry i don't know what its called. ( Anyway, hope you all likey and reiviewey!